A printing method and apparatus, computer program product, thermal printer

Abstract

The application relates to the technical field of thermal printers, and further relates to a printing method and device, a computer program product and a thermal printer. The method comprises the following steps: receiving and responding to a printing instruction, obtaining an ambient temperature, a rubber roller temperature and a head piece temperature of a thermal print head; when any one of the ambient temperature, the rubber roller temperature and the head piece temperature is not greater than a first preset temperature, synchronously heating a heating medium of the rubber roller and the head piece of the thermal print head through a heating module; when the rubber roller temperature or the head piece temperature in the synchronous heating process is not less than a second preset temperature, and the temperature difference between the rubber roller temperature and the head piece temperature is not greater than a third preset temperature, the heating module is closed and a printing operation is started. The method not only eliminates the problem that one side surface of thermal paper is in a heating state and the other side surface is in a heat absorbing state, but also avoids printing quality problems such as insufficient color development of the thermal paper.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of thermal printer technology, and further to a printing method and apparatus, a computer program product, and a thermal printer. Background Technology

[0002] Thermal printer cartridges are widely used in various mobile operation scenarios such as logistics, express delivery, and retail settlement due to their advantages of small size, portability, and low maintenance costs. However, the actual operating environment of such equipment is often complex and variable, frequently involving extreme conditions such as cold chain warehousing management, winter outdoor operations, and high-altitude, low-temperature regions, in addition to normal room temperature environments. Therefore, the equipment must maintain stable operation in low-temperature environments.

[0003] Existing solutions typically focus on heating compensation within the thermal printhead itself, neglecting the impact of the printing roller on the printing process in low-temperature environments. For example, relying solely on the thermal printhead's own heating compensation means that its heat can only act on the upper surface of the thermal paper. Meanwhile, the printing roller, as a support and transmission component for the thermal paper, will rapidly absorb the heat transferred from the thermal printhead to the thermal paper in low-temperature environments, leading to printing quality issues such as insufficient color development on the thermal paper. Summary of the Invention

[0004] To solve the above-mentioned technical problems, this application provides a printing method and apparatus, a computer program product, and a thermal printer, which not only eliminates the problem that one side of the thermal paper is in a heated state while the other side is in a heat-absorbing state, but also avoids printing quality problems such as insufficient color development of thermal paper.

[0005] In a first aspect, this application provides a printing method applied to a thermal printer. The thermal printer's roller includes a heating medium and a heat-conducting medium. The heating medium is uniformly wound around the roller's core to heat the roller. The heat-conducting medium is disposed outside the heating medium to transfer the heat generated by the heating medium to the thermal paper. The method includes: receiving and responding to a printing command, acquiring the ambient temperature, the roller temperature, and the thermal printhead temperature; when any one of the ambient temperature, roller temperature, and printhead temperature is not greater than a first preset temperature, controlling the heating medium of the roller and the printhead of the thermal printhead to synchronously heat them via a heating module; when the roller temperature or printhead temperature during the synchronous heating process is not less than a second preset temperature, and the temperature difference between the roller temperature and the printhead temperature is not greater than a third preset temperature, turning off the heating module and starting the printing operation.

[0006] The above printing method employs a roller structure with an internal heating medium and an external heat-conducting medium, combined with synchronous monitoring of ambient temperature, roller temperature, and thermal printhead temperature, achieving a coordinated heating mechanism for the roller and printhead. This method triggers synchronous heating when any temperature is detected to be below a first preset temperature, effectively improving the printing speed and quality of the thermal printer. It also avoids the loss of flexibility and elasticity of the silicone layer on the roller surface in low-temperature environments, which can lead to uneven contact pressure between the roller and thermal paper, increased paper friction, increased motor load, and reduced heat transfer efficiency. Furthermore, the heating module is shut off and printing is initiated only when the roller or printhead temperature is not lower than a second preset temperature, and the temperature difference between them is not greater than a third preset temperature. This ensures that both the roller and the thermal printhead are in a suitable and balanced thermal equilibrium state at the start of the printing job. This control strategy not only eliminates the problem of one side of the thermal paper being heated while the other side is absorbing heat, but also avoids printing quality issues such as insufficient color development, further improving the printing speed of the thermal printer.

[0007] In one implementation, the method further includes: when the printing operation is completed and the power supply is in place, driving the heating medium of the rubber roller through the heating module with a first PWM duty cycle to perform secondary heating; when the temperature of the rubber roller during the secondary heating process is not lower than a fourth preset temperature, turning off the heating module.

[0008] In one implementation, the method further includes: when the ambient temperature, the rubber roller temperature, and the head sheet temperature are all greater than the first preset temperature, and the ambient temperature is less than the fifth preset temperature, determining whether the power supply is in place; when the power supply is in place, driving the heating medium of the rubber roller through the heating module with the first PWM duty cycle to perform heating; and when the temperature of the rubber roller during the heating process is not less than the fourth preset temperature, turning off the heating module.

[0009] In one implementation, the rubber roller further includes a shaft core and an insulating layer; one end of the shaft core is provided with a central through hole for leading out wires of the heating medium and the temperature sensor; the temperature sensor is disposed on the rubber roller for collecting the temperature of the rubber roller; the insulating layer covers the outside of the shaft core for achieving electrical insulation between the heating medium and the shaft core.

[0010] In one implementation, the insulating layer comprises a polyimide film, the heating medium comprises an iron-chromium-aluminum alloy heating wire, a nickel-chromium alloy heating wire, or a PI heating element, and the thermally conductive medium comprises thermally conductive silicone.

[0011] In one implementation, the printing operation is initiated when the ambient temperature, the roller temperature, and the head plate temperature are all greater than the first preset temperature, and the ambient temperature is not less than the fifth preset temperature.

[0012] In one implementation, the system further includes: real-time monitoring of ambient temperature, roller temperature, and printhead temperature via an over-temperature protection circuit; and shutting down the thermal printer when any of the ambient temperature, roller temperature, or printhead temperature exceeds a sixth preset temperature.

[0013] Secondly, this application provides a printing apparatus for use in a thermal printer. The rubber roller of the thermal printer includes a heating medium and a heat-conducting medium. The heating medium is uniformly wound around the core of the rubber roller to heat the roller. The heat-conducting medium is disposed on the outside of the heating medium to transfer the heat generated by the heating medium to the thermal paper. The apparatus includes: a receiving module configured to receive and respond to a printing command and acquire ambient temperature, rubber roller temperature, and thermal printhead temperature; and a control module configured to: when any one of the ambient temperature, rubber roller temperature, and printhead temperature is not greater than a first preset temperature, control the heating medium of the rubber roller and the printhead of the thermal printhead to synchronously heat them through the heating module; and when the temperature of the rubber roller or printhead during the synchronous heating process is not less than a second preset temperature, and the temperature difference between the rubber roller temperature and the printhead temperature is not greater than a third preset temperature, turn off the heating module and start the printing operation.

[0014] In one implementation, the control module is configured to: when the printing operation is completed and the power supply is in place, drive the heating medium of the rubber roller through the heating module with a first PWM duty cycle to perform secondary heating; when the temperature of the rubber roller during the secondary heating process is not lower than a fourth preset temperature, turn off the heating module.

[0015] In one implementation, the control module is configured to: determine whether the power supply is in place when the ambient temperature, the rubber roller temperature, and the head sheet temperature are all greater than a first preset temperature and the ambient temperature is less than a fifth preset temperature; when the power supply is in place, drive the heating medium of the rubber roller through the heating module with a first PWM duty cycle to perform heating; and turn off the heating module when the rubber roller temperature during the heating process is not less than a fourth preset temperature.

[0016] Thirdly, this application also provides a thermal printer, including a memory, a processor, and a computer program stored in the memory, wherein the processor executes the computer program to implement the steps of any of the above-described printing methods.

[0017] Fourthly, this application also provides a computer-readable storage medium having a computer program stored thereon, which, when executed by a processor, implements the steps of any of the above-described printing methods.

[0018] Fifthly, this application also provides a computer program product, including a computer program that, when executed by a processor, implements the steps of any of the above-described printing methods.

[0019] Compared with the prior art, the present invention has at least one of the following beneficial effects: 1. By employing a rubber roller structure with a built-in heating medium and an external heat-conducting medium, combined with synchronous monitoring of ambient temperature, rubber roller temperature, and thermal printhead temperature, a collaborative heating mechanism for the rubber roller and printhead is achieved. This method triggers synchronous heating when any temperature is detected to be no higher than a first preset temperature, effectively improving the printing speed and quality of the thermal printer. It also avoids the loss of flexibility and elasticity of the silicone layer on the rubber roller surface in low-temperature environments, which can lead to uneven contact pressure between the rubber roller and thermal paper, increased paper friction, increased motor load, and reduced heat transfer efficiency. Simultaneously, the heating module is shut off and printing is initiated only when the rubber roller temperature or printhead temperature is no lower than a second preset temperature, and the temperature difference between them is no greater than a third preset temperature. This ensures that both the rubber roller and the thermal printhead are in a suitable and balanced thermal equilibrium state at the start of the printing job. This control strategy not only eliminates the problem of one side of the thermal paper being heated while the other side is absorbing heat, but also avoids printing quality issues such as insufficient color development of the thermal paper, further improving the printing speed of the thermal printer.

[0020] 2. Compared to existing technologies that use whole-machine heating or paper tray heating, this application only heats the rubber roller and thermal printhead, effectively reducing power consumption. At the same time, the structure is simpler, requiring only the appropriate heating medium, heat-conducting medium, and insulation layer for the rubber roller, eliminating the need for a separate heating mechanism for the entire thermal printer. This meets the miniaturization requirements of portable devices, enabling mass production and widespread application. Attached Figure Description

[0021] The preferred embodiments will now be described in a clear and easy-to-understand manner, in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, to further explain the above-mentioned characteristics, technical features, advantages, and implementation methods of the present invention.

[0022] Figure 1 A frame diagram of a thermal printer provided in an embodiment of this application is shown; Figure 2 A side view of a rubber roller provided in an embodiment of this application is shown; Figure 3 A schematic diagram of a shaft core provided in an embodiment of this application is shown; Figure 4 A flowchart of a printing method provided in an embodiment of this application is shown; Figure 5 This paper illustrates an overall workflow diagram of a printing method provided in an embodiment of this application. Figure 6 This illustration shows a schematic diagram of determining the temperature source of the rubber roller and the temperature source of the head sheet according to an embodiment of this application; Figure 7 A basic structural diagram of a PI heating element provided in an embodiment of this application is shown. Detailed Implementation

[0023] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention or the prior art, the specific implementation methods of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the drawings described below are merely some embodiments of the present invention. For those skilled in the art, other drawings and other implementation methods can be obtained based on these drawings without any creative effort.

[0024] To keep the drawings concise, each figure only schematically shows the parts relevant to the invention, and these do not represent the actual structure of the product. Furthermore, to facilitate understanding, in some figures, only one of components with the same structure or function is schematically depicted, or only one is labeled. In this document, "one" not only means "only one," but can also mean "more than one."

[0025] It should also be further understood that the term “and / or” as used in this application specification and the appended claims means any combination of one or more of the associated listed items and all possible combinations, and includes such combinations.

[0026] In this document, it should be noted that, unless otherwise explicitly specified and limited, the terms "installation," "connection," and "linking" should be interpreted broadly. For example, they can refer to fixed connections, detachable connections, or integral connections; they can refer to mechanical connections or electrical connections; they can refer to direct connections or indirect connections through an intermediate medium; and they can refer to the internal communication between two components. Those skilled in the art can understand the specific meaning of the above terms in this invention based on the specific circumstances.

[0027] Furthermore, in the description of this application, the terms "first," "second," etc., are used only to distinguish descriptions and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance.

[0028] It should be noted that the above embodiments can be freely combined as needed. The above are merely preferred embodiments of the present invention. It should be pointed out that for those skilled in the art, several improvements and modifications can be made without departing from the principle of the present invention, and these improvements and modifications should also be considered within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0029] Thermal printer cartridges are widely used in various mobile operation scenarios such as logistics, express delivery, and retail settlement due to their advantages of small size, portability, and low maintenance costs. However, the actual operating environment of such equipment is often complex and variable, frequently involving extreme conditions such as cold chain warehousing management, winter outdoor operations, and high-altitude, low-temperature regions, in addition to normal room temperature environments. Therefore, the equipment must maintain stable operation in low-temperature environments below 0°C or even -20°C.

[0030] Thermal printers work by heating the thermal paper coating with a thermal printhead, causing a chemical color reaction to form text and images. This process is highly dependent on heating temperature and heat transfer efficiency. Therefore, when the device is in a low-temperature environment, slow printing speed and poor print quality often occur. Low temperatures also cause the silicone layer on the roller surface to lose its flexibility and elasticity, leading to uneven contact pressure between the roller and the thermal paper, increased paper feed friction, increased motor load, and reduced heat transfer efficiency. Under these conditions, to avoid paper jams and blurry prints, the paper feed speed must be reduced, but this further reduces printing speed.

[0031] Existing solutions typically focus on heating compensation within the thermal printhead itself, neglecting the impact of the printing roller on the printing process in low-temperature environments. This fails to fundamentally address issues such as slow printing speed and poor print quality. Furthermore, relying solely on the thermal printhead's heating compensation means the heat is only applied to the upper surface of the thermal paper. The printing roller, acting as a support and transmission component for the thermal paper, rapidly absorbs the heat transferred from the printhead in low-temperature environments, leading to insufficient color development and other print quality problems. Addressing insufficient color development by extending the printhead's heating time or reducing printing speed does not guarantee print clarity and increases overall power consumption.

[0032] Existing solutions often employ whole-machine heating or overall paper tray heating, but these methods not only consume extremely high power but also have complex structures. They cannot meet the miniaturization requirements of portable devices and are difficult to promote and apply in large quantities.

[0033] Therefore, this application proposes a novel printing method combined with a specially designed rubber roller to solve the technical problems existing in the prior art.

[0034] The following explanation is based on the accompanying diagram: Reference Appendix Figure 1 This diagram illustrates a frame diagram of a thermal printer provided in an embodiment of this application. Figure 1 As shown, the thermal printer includes: a processor 100, a rubber roller 200, a thermal printhead 300, and a heating module (with attachment). Figure 1 (Not shown), ambient temperature sensor (attached) Figure 1 (Not shown). Temperature sensors are installed on both the rubber roller 200 and the thermal printhead 300. For example, at least one temperature sensor is located at the end of the rubber roller 200, and at least one temperature sensor is built into the thermal printhead 300. The processor 100 can acquire real-time ambient temperature, rubber roller temperature (referring to the surface temperature of the rubber roller), and printhead temperature of the thermal printhead 300 through the ambient temperature sensor and the temperature sensor. The types of ambient temperature sensors and temperature sensors include, but are not limited to, thermocouples, resistance temperature detectors (RTDs), negative temperature coefficient (NTC) thermistors, semiconductor sensors, and infrared sensors. The processor may include, but is not limited to, a microprocessor (MCU).

[0035] The heating module can be located inside or outside the processor 100. The processor can heat the rubber roller 200 and / or the thermal printhead through the heating module, thereby avoiding various problems that occur in thermal printers in low-temperature environments.

[0036] Reference Appendix Figure 2 This shows a side view of a rubber roller provided in an embodiment of this application. Figure 2 As shown, the rubber roller 200 consists of, from the inside out, a shaft core 201 (the shaft core 201 can be found in the attached diagram). Figure 3 202, 203, 204 (shaft core or central shaft core), 202 insulation layer, 203 heating medium, and 204 heat-conducting medium.

[0037] The shaft core 201 is a solid stainless steel shaft used to support the entire rubber roller and enable its rotation. One end of the shaft core 201 has a central through hole for leading out the wires of the heating medium and the temperature sensor. The temperature sensor is located at the end of the rubber roller 200 and is used to collect the temperature of the rubber roller 200.

[0038] An insulating layer 202 covers the outside of the shaft core 201 to provide electrical insulation between the heating medium 203 and the shaft core 201, thereby preventing short circuits. The insulating layer includes, but is not limited to, a polyimide film.

[0039] The heating medium 203 is disposed on the outside of the insulating layer 202 and is spirally and uniformly wound along the axial direction of the shaft core 201. The width of the winding is sufficient to cover the effective printing area, thereby heating the rubber roller 200. The heating medium 203 includes, but is not limited to, iron-chromium-aluminum alloy heating wire, nickel-chromium alloy heating wire, or PI heating element (or PI heating plate). The PI heating element is a flexible, bendable, thin-film electrothermal device that uses metal foil or metal wire as the inner conductive heating element (heating element layer) and polyimide film (or PI film) as the outer insulator. For examples, please refer to the appendix. Figure 7 A basic structural diagram of a PI heating element. (See diagram below.) Figure 7As shown, the PI heating element includes a PI film for upper insulation, a heating element layer, a PI film for lower insulation, and optional pressure-sensitive adhesive. The heating element layer includes, but is not limited to, etched metal foil, screen-printed carbon paste, and heating wire. The thickness of the PI film can be any value between 25µm and 50µm. Of course, the attached... Figure 7 The PI heating element shown is merely one example of the heating element in this application, and the thickness of the PI film is not limited to that shown. Figure 7 The given values ​​allow users to select the PI heating element according to their actual needs; this application does not impose any restrictions on this.

[0040] The thermally conductive medium 204 is disposed on the outside of the heating medium 203 to transfer the heat generated by the heating medium 203 to the thermal paper, while also ensuring the elasticity of the roller 200 and uniform printing pressure. The thermally conductive medium 204 includes, but is not limited to, thermally conductive silicone.

[0041] The foregoing embodiments have detailed the specific structural configuration of the thermal printer and roller of this application. The printing method of this application will now be described in conjunction with the foregoing structure. For example, refer to the attached... Figure 4 The diagram illustrates a flowchart of a printing method provided in an embodiment of this application. This method is applied to the aforementioned thermal printer, such as... Figure 4 As shown, the method includes: The S410 receives and responds to printing commands, and obtains the ambient temperature, roller temperature, and thermal printhead temperature.

[0042] S420: When any of the ambient temperature, roller temperature, and printhead temperature is not greater than a first preset temperature, the heating module synchronously heats the roller and the printhead of the thermal printhead.

[0043] S430: When the temperature of the rubber roller or the head sheet during the synchronous heating process is not lower than the second preset temperature, and the temperature difference between the rubber roller and the head sheet is not greater than the third preset temperature, the heating module is turned off and the printing operation is started.

[0044] After the thermal printer is powered on, if the processor 100 receives a print command, it can acquire the corresponding ambient temperature, roller temperature, and printhead temperature in real time (the printhead temperature essentially refers to the temperature of the thermal printhead 300). When any of the acquired ambient temperature, roller temperature, or printhead temperature is not greater than a first preset temperature, the thermal printer is considered to be in a low-temperature environment. Then, synchronous heating of the roller 200 and the thermal printhead 300 can be initiated. That is, the processor 100 can control the heating medium 203 of the roller 200 to heat the roller 200 through the heating module, thereby heating the roller 200. The processor 100 can also control the printhead of the thermal printhead 300 to heat the printhead 300 through the heating module. The heating process is achieved by adjusting the PWM duty cycle of the heating module. For example, the higher the PWM duty cycle, the faster the temperature of the roller 200 and the thermal printhead rises.

[0045] During synchronous heating, when the temperature of the rubber roller or the head sheet obtained in real time by the processor 100 is not less than the second preset temperature, and the temperature difference between the rubber roller temperature and the head sheet temperature is not greater than the third preset temperature, the heating module is turned off and the printing operation is started.

[0046] This application embodiment employs a rubber roller structure with a built-in heating medium and an external heat-conducting medium, combined with synchronous monitoring of ambient temperature, rubber roller temperature, and thermal printhead temperature, to achieve a coordinated heating mechanism for the rubber roller and printhead. This method triggers synchronous heating when any temperature is detected to be no higher than a first preset temperature, effectively improving the printing speed and quality of the thermal printer. It also avoids the loss of flexibility and elasticity of the silicone layer on the rubber roller surface in low-temperature environments, which can lead to uneven contact pressure between the rubber roller and thermal paper, increased paper friction, increased motor load, and reduced heat transfer efficiency. Simultaneously, the heating module is shut down and printing is initiated only when the rubber roller temperature or printhead temperature is no lower than a second preset temperature, and the temperature difference between them is no greater than a third preset temperature. This ensures that both the rubber roller and the thermal printhead are in a suitable and balanced thermal equilibrium state at the start of the printing job. This control strategy not only eliminates the problem of one side of the thermal paper being heated while the other side is absorbing heat, but also avoids printing quality issues such as insufficient color development of the thermal paper, further improving the printing speed of the thermal printer.

[0047] In one embodiment of this application, the method further includes: when the printing operation is completed and the power supply is in place, driving the heating medium of the rubber roller through the heating module with a first PWM duty cycle to perform secondary heating; when the temperature of the rubber roller during the secondary heating process is not lower than a fourth preset temperature, turning off the heating module.

[0048] After the printing operation is completed, the processor 100 can determine whether the power supply is present, thus confirming whether the thermal printer has sufficient power. When the power supply is present, it indicates that the thermal printer has sufficient power. At this time, the processor 100 can adjust the PWM duty cycle to the first PWM duty cycle through the heating module, and control the heating medium of the rubber roller to perform secondary heating based on the first PWM duty cycle. The secondary heating is essentially low-frequency heating of the rubber roller 200, keeping the rubber roller 200 in a steady-state heat preservation state. When the temperature of the rubber roller during the secondary heating process is not lower than the fourth preset temperature, the heating module is turned off.

[0049] In one embodiment of this application, the method further includes: when the ambient temperature, the rubber roller temperature, and the head sheet temperature are all greater than a first preset temperature, and the ambient temperature is less than a fifth preset temperature, determining whether the power supply is in place; when the power supply is in place, driving the heating medium of the rubber roller with a first PWM duty cycle through the heating module to perform heating; and when the temperature of the rubber roller during the heating process is not less than a fourth preset temperature, turning off the heating module.

[0050] After the thermal printer is powered on, if the processor 100 receives a print command, it can acquire the corresponding ambient temperature, roller temperature, and printhead temperature in real time. When the acquired ambient temperature, roller temperature, and printhead temperature are all greater than the first preset temperature, and the ambient temperature is less than the fifth preset temperature, the processor 100 can determine whether the power supply is in place.

[0051] When the power supply is on, it indicates that the thermal printer has sufficient power. At this time, the processor 100 can adjust the PWM duty cycle to the first PWM duty cycle through the heating module, and control the heating medium of the rubber roller to heat according to the first PWM duty cycle. This heating is essentially low-frequency heating of the rubber roller 200, keeping it in a steady-state heat preservation state. When the temperature of the rubber roller during the heating process is not lower than the fourth preset temperature, the heating module is turned off and subsequent printing operations begin.

[0052] In one embodiment of this application, the method further includes: starting the printing operation when the ambient temperature, the roller temperature, and the head temperature are all greater than a first preset temperature, and the ambient temperature is not less than a fifth preset temperature.

[0053] After the thermal printer is powered on, if the processor 100 receives a print command, it can obtain the corresponding ambient temperature, roller temperature, and printhead temperature in real time. When the obtained ambient temperature, roller temperature, and printhead temperature are all greater than the first preset temperature, and the ambient temperature is not less than the fifth preset temperature, the processor 100 can start the printing operation directly without activating the heating module.

[0054] In one embodiment of this application, the method further includes: monitoring the ambient temperature, roller temperature, and head sheet temperature in real time via an over-temperature protection circuit; and shutting down the thermal printer when any of the ambient temperature, roller temperature, or head sheet temperature exceeds a sixth preset temperature.

[0055] The thermal printer has a built-in over-temperature protection circuit. The processor 100 can monitor the ambient temperature, roller temperature and paper temperature in real time through the over-temperature protection circuit. When any of the ambient temperature, roller temperature and paper temperature exceeds the sixth preset temperature, the processor 100 can shut down the thermal printer, thereby achieving over-temperature protection for the roller 200 and thermal paper and preventing damage to the roller 200 or thermal paper.

[0056] This application does not limit the specific values ​​of the first, second, third, fourth, and fifth preset temperatures; users can set them according to their actual usage scenarios. Specifically, the third preset temperature is lower than the first preset temperature, the first preset temperature is lower than the fifth preset temperature, the fifth preset temperature is lower than the second preset temperature, the second preset temperature is lower than the fourth preset temperature, and the fourth preset temperature is lower than the sixth preset temperature.

[0057] The following describes the overall process of this application, using a 2-inch thermal printer as an example. The preset temperatures are: 10℃, 45℃, 5℃, 70℃, and 25℃. The ambient temperature is T_amb, the roller temperature is T_roller, and the printing head temperature is T_tph. (See attached reference.) Figure 5 This illustrates an overall workflow diagram of a printing method provided in an embodiment of this application. Figure 5 As shown, it includes: After the thermal printer is powered on, the processor 100 receives the print command and can then acquire the corresponding ambient temperature T_amb, roller temperature T_roller, and printhead temperature T_tph in real time. The roller temperature T_roller refers to the surface temperature of the roller 200. The sources of the roller temperature T_roller and printhead temperature T_tph can be found in the appendix. Figure 6 (The source of the rubber roller temperature T_roller can be found in the appendix.) Figure 6 For the 601, the source of the headpiece temperature T_tph can be found in the appendix. Figure 6(602). When any one of the ambient temperature T_amb, the roller temperature T_roller, and the printhead temperature T_tph is no greater than 10°C, the thermal printer can be considered to be in a low-temperature environment. Then, the synchronous heating of the roller 200 and the thermal printhead 300 can be started. That is, the processor 100 can control the heating medium 203 of the roller 200 to heat it through the heating module, thereby heating the roller 200. The processor 100 can also control the printhead of the thermal printhead 300 to heat it through the heating module.

[0058] During synchronous heating, if the temperature of the rubber roller (T_roller) or the temperature of the printing head (T_tph) obtained in real time by the processor 100 is not less than 45℃, and the temperature difference between the rubber roller and the printing head is not greater than 5℃, the heating module is turned off and the printing operation (or the paper feed control motor) is started. If the temperature of the rubber roller (T_roller) or the temperature of the printing head (T_tph) is less than 45℃, or the temperature difference between the rubber roller and the printing head is greater than 5℃, synchronous heating continues.

[0059] After the printing operation is completed, the processor 100 further determines whether the power supply is present. If the power supply is present, the processor 100 can adjust the PWM duty cycle to the first PWM duty cycle through the heating module, and control the heating medium of the rubber roller to perform low-frequency heating based on the first PWM duty cycle, so that the rubber roller 200 is in a steady-state heat preservation state. When the rubber roller temperature T_roller during the low-frequency heating process is not less than 70°C, the heating module is turned off. When the rubber roller temperature T_roller during the low-frequency heating process is less than 70°C, low-frequency heating continues.

[0060] After the thermal printer is powered on, the processor 100 receives the printing command and can obtain the corresponding ambient temperature T_amb, roller temperature T_roller, and printhead temperature T_tph in real time. When the ambient temperature T_amb, roller temperature T_roller, and printhead temperature T_tph are all greater than 10℃, the thermal printer is considered to be in a non-low-temperature environment. Then, it further determines whether the ambient temperature T_amb is less than 25℃. When the ambient temperature T_amb is less than 25℃, the processor 100 further determines whether the power supply is present. If the power supply is present, the processor 100 can adjust the PWM duty cycle to the first PWM duty cycle through the heating module, and control the heating medium of the roller to perform low-frequency heating based on the first PWM duty cycle, so that the roller 200 is in a steady-state heat preservation state. When the roller temperature T_roller is not less than 70℃ during the low-frequency heating process, the heating module is turned off. When the roller temperature T_roller is less than 70℃ during the low-frequency heating process, low-frequency heating continues.

[0061] The overall workflow of the printing method in this application can achieve the following technical effects: 1. By employing a rubber roller structure with a built-in heating medium and an external heat-conducting medium, combined with synchronous monitoring of ambient temperature, rubber roller temperature, and thermal printhead temperature, a collaborative heating mechanism for the rubber roller and printhead is achieved. This method triggers synchronous heating when any temperature is detected to be no higher than a first preset temperature, effectively improving the printing speed and quality of the thermal printer. It also avoids the loss of flexibility and elasticity of the silicone layer on the rubber roller surface in low-temperature environments, which can lead to uneven contact pressure between the rubber roller and thermal paper, increased paper friction, increased motor load, and reduced heat transfer efficiency. Simultaneously, the heating module is shut off and printing is initiated only when the rubber roller temperature or printhead temperature is no lower than a second preset temperature, and the temperature difference between them is no greater than a third preset temperature. This ensures that both the rubber roller and the thermal printhead are in a suitable and balanced thermal equilibrium state at the start of the printing job. This control strategy not only eliminates the problem of one side of the thermal paper being heated while the other side is absorbing heat, but also avoids printing quality issues such as insufficient color development of the thermal paper, further improving the printing speed of the thermal printer.

[0062] 2. Compared to existing technologies that use whole-machine heating or paper tray heating, this application only heats the rubber roller and thermal printhead, effectively reducing power consumption. Simultaneously, the structural design is relatively simple, requiring only the appropriate heating medium, heat-conducting medium, and insulation layer for the rubber roller. There is no need for a separate heating mechanism for the entire thermal printer, which meets the miniaturization requirements of portable devices (i.e., the method of this application can be applied to portable thermal printers, such as 2-inch, 3-inch, 4-inch, and 6-inch thermal printers, and of course, it can also be applied to large thermal printers; this application does not limit the specific size of the thermal printer), thereby enabling mass production and widespread application.

[0063] This application embodiment also provides a printing device for a thermal printer. The thermal printer's roller includes a heating medium and a heat-conducting medium. The heating medium is uniformly wound around the roller's core to heat the roller. The heat-conducting medium is disposed on the outside of the heating medium to transfer the heat generated by the heating medium to the thermal paper. The device includes: a receiving module configured to receive and respond to a printing command, and to acquire the ambient temperature, roller temperature, and thermal printhead temperature; and a control module configured to: when any one of the ambient temperature, roller temperature, and printhead temperature is not greater than a first preset temperature, control the heating medium of the roller and the printhead of the thermal printhead to synchronously heat them via the heating module; and when the roller temperature or printhead temperature during the synchronous heating process is not less than a second preset temperature, and the temperature difference between the roller temperature and the printhead temperature is not greater than a third preset temperature, turn off the heating module and start the printing operation.

[0064] In one embodiment of this application, the control module is configured to: when the printing operation is completed and the power supply is in place, drive the heating medium of the rubber roller through the heating module with a first PWM duty cycle to perform secondary heating; when the temperature of the rubber roller during the secondary heating process is not lower than a fourth preset temperature, turn off the heating module.

[0065] In one embodiment of this application, the control module is configured to: determine whether the power supply is in place when the ambient temperature, the rubber roller temperature, and the head sheet temperature are all greater than a first preset temperature and the ambient temperature is less than a fifth preset temperature; when the power supply is in place, drive the heating medium of the rubber roller through the heating module with a first PWM duty cycle to perform heating; and turn off the heating module when the rubber roller temperature during the heating process is not less than a fourth preset temperature.

[0066] The details of the printing device of this application have been described in the foregoing method embodiments, and will not be repeated here.

[0067] This application also provides a thermal printer, including a memory, a processor, and a computer program stored in the memory. The processor executes the computer program to implement the steps of the printing method of any of the above embodiments.

[0068] This application also provides a computer-readable storage medium storing a computer program thereon, which, when executed by a processor, implements the steps of the printing method of any of the above embodiments.

[0069] This application also provides a computer program product, including a computer program that, when executed by a processor, implements the steps of the printing method of any of the above embodiments.

[0070] It should be noted that the above embodiments can be freely combined as needed. The above are merely preferred embodiments of the present invention. It should be pointed out that for those skilled in the art, several improvements and modifications can be made without departing from the principle of the present invention, and these improvements and modifications should also be considered within the scope of protection of the present invention.

Claims

1. A printing method applied to a thermal printer, characterized in that, The rubber roller of the thermal printer includes a heating medium and a heat-conducting medium; the heating medium is uniformly wound around the shaft core of the rubber roller to achieve heating of the rubber roller; The heat-conducting medium is disposed on the outside of the heating medium and is used to transfer the heat generated by the heating medium to the thermal paper. The method includes: Receive and respond to printing commands, and obtain ambient temperature, roller temperature and thermal printhead temperature; When any one of the ambient temperature, the roller temperature, and the printhead temperature is not greater than the first preset temperature, the heating medium of the roller and the printhead of the thermal printhead are synchronously heated by the heating module. When the temperature of the rubber roller or the head sheet during the synchronous heating process is not less than the second preset temperature, and the temperature difference between the rubber roller and the head sheet is not greater than the third preset temperature, the heating module is turned off and the printing operation is started.

2. The printing method according to claim 1, characterized in that, Also includes: When the printing operation is finished and the power is on, the heating module drives the heating medium of the rubber roller with a first PWM duty cycle to perform secondary heating. When the temperature of the rubber roller during the secondary heating process is not lower than the fourth preset temperature, the heating module is turned off.

3. The printing method according to claim 1, characterized in that, Also includes: When the ambient temperature, the rubber roller temperature, and the head piece temperature are all greater than the first preset temperature, and the ambient temperature is less than the fifth preset temperature, determine whether the power supply is in place. When the power supply is in place, the heating module drives the heating medium of the rubber roller with a first PWM duty cycle to perform heating; When the temperature of the rubber roller during the heating process is not lower than the fourth preset temperature, the heating module is turned off.

4. The printing method according to claim 3, characterized in that, Also includes: The printing operation is started when the ambient temperature, the roller temperature, and the head temperature are all greater than the first preset temperature, and the ambient temperature is not less than the fifth preset temperature.

5. The printing method according to claim 1, characterized in that, Also includes: The ambient temperature, the temperature of the rubber roller, and the temperature of the head sheet are monitored in real time by an over-temperature protection circuit. When any one of the ambient temperature, the roller temperature, and the head temperature exceeds a sixth preset temperature, the thermal printer is turned off.

6. The printing method according to any one of claims 1-5, characterized in that, The rubber roller also includes a shaft core and an insulating layer; one end of the shaft core is provided with a central through hole, which is used to lead out the wires of the heating medium and the temperature sensor; the temperature sensor is disposed on the rubber roller and is used to collect the temperature of the rubber roller. The insulating layer covers the outside of the shaft core to achieve electrical insulation between the heating medium and the shaft core.

7. The printing method according to claim 6, characterized in that, The insulating layer includes a polyimide film; the heating medium includes an iron-chromium-aluminum alloy heating wire, a nickel-chromium alloy heating wire, or a PI heating element; the thermally conductive medium includes thermally conductive silicone; and the temperature sensor includes a thermocouple, a resistance temperature detector (RTD), a negative temperature coefficient thermistor, a semiconductor sensor, or an infrared sensor.

8. A printing apparatus for use in a thermal printer, characterized in that, The rubber roller of the thermal printer includes a heating medium and a heat-conducting medium; the heating medium is uniformly wound around the shaft core of the rubber roller to achieve heating of the rubber roller; The heat-conducting medium is disposed outside the heating medium to transfer the heat generated by the heating medium to the thermal paper; the device includes: The receiving module is configured to receive and respond to printing commands, and to acquire ambient temperature, roller temperature and thermal printhead temperature. The control module is configured to: when any one of the ambient temperature, the roller temperature, and the printhead temperature is not greater than a first preset temperature, control the heating medium of the roller and the printhead of the thermal printhead to perform synchronous heating through the heating module; when the roller temperature or the printhead temperature during the synchronous heating process is not less than a second preset temperature, and the temperature difference between the roller temperature and the printhead temperature is not greater than a third preset temperature, turn off the heating module and start the printing operation.

9. A computer program product, comprising a computer program, characterized in that, When executed by a processor, the computer program implements the steps of the printing method according to any one of claims 1-7.

10. A thermal printer, comprising a memory, a processor, and a computer program stored in the memory, characterized in that, The processor executes the computer program to implement the steps of the printing method according to any one of claims 1-7.

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