Printer, control method, and program

Abstract

To provide a printer capable of appropriately controlling transfer near a sheet end.SOLUTION: This printer comprises: detection means for detecting the position of a conveyed recording sheet; and control means for controlling ink transfer and recording sheet conveyance. The control means determines the transfer start position of ink on the basis of the position of the rear end of the recording sheet conveyed before the transfer start of ink and detected by the detection means, and determines the transfer end position of ink on the basis of the position of the rear end of the recording sheet conveyed in a second state where a space enabling passage of the conveyed recording sheet is narrower than a predetermined first state and detected by the detection means.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 9

Description

Technical Field

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

Background Art

[0002] In recent years, a printing apparatus that performs printing by transferring ink onto paper by a thermal transfer recording method has been known. In such a printing apparatus, there are cases where it is desired to print on a sheet-fed type of paper accommodated in a paper tray without margins. In response to such a demand, Patent Document 1 discloses a technique for providing perforations at two ends of a sheet-fed paper and cutting the perforations after printing to generate a printed matter without margins.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] However, in the technique disclosed in Patent Document 1, it is necessary to cut the perforations at two positions, which takes time after printing. In addition, it is necessary to provide margins at two positions to be cut, resulting in an increase in the cost of the paper. Therefore, a technique for reducing the number of cutting positions and appropriately controlling the transfer near the paper edge so that there is no margin at one or more paper edges is desired.

[0005] The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object thereof is to realize a technique capable of appropriately controlling transfer near the paper edge.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] To solve this problem, for example, the printing apparatus of the present invention has the following configuration. That is, it includes detection means for detecting the position of a recording sheet to be conveyed, and control means for controlling the transfer of ink and the conveyance of the recording sheet. The control means determines the transfer start position of the ink based on the position of the rear end of the recording sheet detected by the detection means before the start of the transfer of the ink, and determines the transfer end position of the ink based on the position of the rear end of the recording sheet detected by the detection means when the recording sheet to be conveyed is conveyed in a second state that is narrower than a first state in which a space through which the recording sheet can pass is predetermined.

Advantages of the Invention

[0007] According to the present invention, it becomes possible to appropriately control the transfer near the edge of the paper.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0008]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

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Figure 7

Figure 8

Figure 9

Figure 10

Figure 11

Figure 12

Figure 13

Figure 14

Figure 15

Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[0009] Hereinafter, embodiments will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Note that the following embodiments do not limit the invention according to the claims. Although a plurality of features are described in the embodiments, not all of these plurality of features are essential to the invention, and the plurality of features may be arbitrarily combined. Further, in the accompanying drawings, the same or similar configurations are denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant descriptions are omitted.

[0010] Hereinafter, as an example of the printing apparatus according to the present embodiment, a printer using a thermal transfer recording method will be described as an example. Referring to FIG. 1, an example of the external configuration of the printer 100 will be described. FIG. 1(a) is a perspective view seen from the top surface side, and FIG. 1(b) is a perspective view seen from the bottom surface side. 100 is a printer, and 200 is an ink ribbon cassette. As shown in FIG. 1(a), on the top surface of the printer 100, a power button 101 and a display unit 102 are arranged, and the power of the printer 100 can be turned on by operating the power button 101. The display unit 102 can blink and light up, and when the power of the printer 100 is turned on, the display unit 102 lights up. 103 is a lid, which is provided on the side surface of the printer 100 and is configured to be openable and closable in the direction of arrow A. The ink ribbon cassette 200 can be detachably inserted into the ink ribbon cassette insertion port 104 in the direction of arrow B with the lid 103 open. As shown in FIG. 1(b), on the bottom surface of the printer 100, a paper cover 105 pivotally supported to be openable and closable in the direction of arrow C is provided, and a paper loading portion 106 is provided inside with the paper cover 105 open. The user can load the paper 300 cut to a predetermined length into the paper loading portion 106 with the paper cover 105 open. Further, the paper 300 loaded in the paper loading portion 106 is pulled out one by one into the printer 100 by a paper feeding mechanism provided in the printer 100.

[0011] Next, referring to FIG. 2, the external configuration of the ink ribbon cassette 200 according to the present embodiment will be described. FIG. 2(a) is a perspective view of the ink ribbon cassette 200 seen from the top surface, and FIG. 2(b) is a perspective view of the ink ribbon cassette 200 seen from the bottom surface. Further, FIG. 3 shows an exploded perspective view of the ink ribbon cassette 200 according to the present embodiment.

[0012] The housing portion of the ink ribbon cassette 200 is composed of an upper case 201, a first lower case 202, and a second lower case 203 as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3. The upper case 201, the first lower case 202, and the second lower case 203 are formed of, for example, resin.

[0013] 205 is a supply bobbin, 207 is a take-up bobbin, and 210 is an ink ribbon. The ink ribbon 210 is configured such that a cylindrical supply bobbin 205 around which the ink ribbon is wound and a take-up bobbin 207 are housed in an ink ribbon cassette 200 so that the ink ribbon 210 can be easily attached to and detached from the printer 100. The supply bobbin 205 and the take-up bobbin 207 have the same shape, are formed of, for example, resin, and the ink ribbon 210 is wound around the supply bobbin 205. As shown in FIG. 3, the first lower case 202 includes a supply bobbin housing portion 206 that houses the supply bobbin 205. Further, since the first lower case 202 engages with the upper case 201, a pair of engaging claws 211 are provided at both ends thereof. The second lower case 203 includes a take-up bobbin housing portion 208 that houses the take-up bobbin 207. Further, since the second lower case 203 engages with the upper case 201, a pair of engaging claws 212 are provided at both ends thereof.

[0014] The supply bobbin 205 is rotatably held by the upper case 201 and the first lower case 202, and the take-up bobbin 207 is rotatably held by the upper case 201 and the second lower case 203. By rotationally driving the take-up bobbin 207, the ink ribbon 210 wound around the supply bobbin 205 can be wound around the take-up bobbin 207.

[0015] Referring to FIG. 4, the configuration of the ink ribbon 210 will be described in more detail. FIG. 4 shows a developed view of the ink ribbon 210 according to the present embodiment. On the ink ribbon 210, a yellow dye 251, a magenta dye 252, a cyan dye 253, and an overcoat layer 254 are applied in order, and strip-shaped markers 215 are applied at the leading positions of each surface. The marker 215 is a black line, and an ink ribbon sensor described later can detect that the irradiated light is blocked by the marker 215. By applying two markers 215 to the leading portion of the yellow dye 251, it is distinguished from the fact that there is one marker at the leading portion of other colors. By this distinction, the leading position of the yellow dye 251 can be recognized.

[0016] <Configuration Example of Printer Related to Printing Operation> Hereinafter, the printing operation of the printer 100 according to the present embodiment will be described. First, with reference to FIG. 5, a configuration example of the printer 100 related to the printing operation of the present embodiment will be described. Note that FIG. 5(a) is a cross-sectional view showing the state in the standby state, FIG. 5(b) is a cross-sectional view showing the paper feeding operation, and FIG. 5(c) is a cross-sectional view showing the head-out operation of the ink ribbon 210.

[0017] As shown in FIG. 5(a), the head arm 111 is rotatably supported about the head support shaft 112. The thermal head 110 is supported by the head arm 111 and is rotatable from the standby position shown in FIG. 5(a) to a printing position (described later with reference to FIG. 7(a)) where a pressing force is generated between the thermal head 110 and the platen roller 120. The thermal head 110 and the platen roller 120 press the paper 300 and the ink ribbon 210, and by energizing the thermal head 110, the heating element of the thermal head 110 generates heat, sublimating the dye applied to the ink ribbon 210 and transferring it to the paper. When performing full-color printing, the three colors of yellow (Y), magenta (M), and cyan (C) applied to the ink ribbon 210 in order are transferred in order by overlapping.

[0018] As shown in FIG. 5(a), in the standby state, the thermal head 110 is biased in the clockwise direction in the figure about the head support shaft 112 by a head biasing spring (not shown). The thermal head 110 is restricted to a standby position where the distance from the platen roller 120 is maximally widened so as not to interfere during the insertion and removal of the ink ribbon cassette 200.

[0019] The heat dissipation plate 114 is attached to the thermal head 110 and is configured to be able to transfer the heat generated by the thermal head 110 to the heat dissipation plate 114. The platen roller 120 is rotatably arranged in the printer 100 and is configured to rotate in accordance with the conveyance of the paper 300. The peeling plate 115 is attached to the thermal head 110, and the ink ribbon 210 is deflected by approximately 90° by the peeling plate 115 and peeled off from the paper 300.

[0020] 130 is a paper feed roller, and the paper feed roller 130 can be driven and rotationally driven by a paper feed drive motor (not shown). Further, the paper feed roller 130 is movable from a retracted position separated from the sheet 300 shown in FIG. 5(a) to a paper feed position in contact with the sheet 300 shown in FIG. 5(b).

[0021] 131 is a separation plate, 132 is a paper guide, and the paper guide 132 is lifted by the sheet 300 during paper feeding and is rotatably supported from the position shown in FIG. 5(a) to the position shown in FIG. 5(b). Further, the paper guide 132 is always urged downward and is in contact with the separation plate 131 shown in FIG. 5(a).

[0022] 141 is a paper feed port sensor, 142 is a paper discharge port sensor, and 150 is an ink ribbon sensor. The paper feed port sensor 141 and the paper discharge port sensor 142 can detect the presence or absence of the sheet 300 by detecting the light reflected by the back surface of the sheet 300 when the irradiated light is reflected. The ink ribbon sensor 150 detects the light reflected by the wall surface of the ink ribbon cassette 200 when the irradiated light is blocked by the marker 215, and can detect the position of the marker 215 by the irradiated light being blocked by the marker 215.

[0023] 160 is a conveyance roller, 161 is a driven roller. The conveyance roller 160 can be driven and rotationally driven by a paper conveyance motor (not shown). The driven roller 161 is a driven roller facing the conveyance roller 160 and is configured to rotate following the rotation of the conveyance roller 160.

[0024] <Functional blocks related to the printing operation> Next, with reference to FIG. 15, an example of functional blocks related to the printing operation of this embodiment will be described. Note that each configuration of the printer 100 included in each block is not limited to the following description, and each configuration described in this embodiment may be included in one or more of the functional blocks. The communication unit 401 includes a communication circuit for performing wireless or wired communication with an external device such as a smartphone. The control unit 402 includes, for example, one or more processors, and by expanding and executing a computer program stored in the non-volatile memory 404 in the volatile memory 403, it controls each part of the printer 100 to realize various operations of the printer 100 such as a printing operation.

[0025] The volatile memory 403 includes a volatile storage medium such as DRAM, and temporarily stores data such as the execution result by the control unit 402 and printing data supplied from an external device. The non-volatile memory 404 includes a non-volatile storage medium, and can store various computer programs such as an operating system and an application in addition to a computer program related to the printing operation.

[0026] The detection unit 405 includes various sensors, and includes, for example, a paper feed port sensor 141, a paper discharge port sensor 142, and an ink ribbon sensor 150. The control unit 402 can determine whether the end of the paper has been detected according to the detection result of the detection unit 405.

[0027] The conveyance unit 406 includes components such as rollers and a drive source (for example, a drive motor) for performing paper feeding, paper conveyance, and paper discharge. For example, the conveyance unit 406 includes a paper feed roller 130, a paper feed drive motor for rotating the paper feed roller 130, and a drive source for moving the paper feed roller 130. The drive source for moving the paper feed roller 130 may be a motor, for example. Further, the conveyance unit 406 includes a conveyance roller 160, a driven roller 161, and a drive source for rotating the conveyance roller 160. The drive source for rotating the conveyance roller 160 may be a motor, for example. The control unit 402 can control the drive motor and drive source for paper feeding and conveyance, etc., to control paper feeding and paper conveyance, etc. in the printer 100.

[0028] The recording unit 407 may include a thermal head 110 that transfers a dye onto a sheet. A head drive motor that moves the position of the thermal head 110 may be included in the recording unit 407, or may be provided separately from the recording unit 407. The control unit 402 can control, for example, the transfer onto the sheet by the recording unit 407 and the movement of the recording unit 407.

[0029] The display unit 408 includes display members such as LEDs that blink and light up. For example, the display unit 408 includes the display unit 102. The control unit 402 can control, for example, the display of the display unit 408. The operation unit 409 includes operation members such as a power button 101. The control unit 402 can control the operation of the printer 100 in response to a user operation on the operation unit 409.

[0030] Next, a series of operations of the printing operation shown in FIG. 9 will be described with appropriate reference to FIGS. 5 to 8. Note that FIG. 6(a) is a cross-sectional view showing a state where the rear end of the sheet is detected, FIG. 6(b) is a cross-sectional view showing a state after the paper feed is restarted, and FIG. 6(c) is a cross-sectional view showing a state during printing. Also, FIG. 7(a) is a cross-sectional view showing a state during printing, FIG. 7(b) is a cross-sectional view showing a state where the rear end of the sheet is detected, FIG. 7(c) is a cross-sectional view showing a state at the end of printing, and FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view showing a state after paper discharge.

[0031] Note that the printing operation according to the present embodiment can be realized by the control unit 402 expanding and executing a computer program stored in the non-volatile memory 404 in the volatile memory 403 and controlling the components of the printer 100. Note that the operation of the printer 100 shown in FIG. 9 starts from when the ink ribbon cassette 200 and the sheet 300 are loaded into the printer 100 by the user and the power button 101 is operated to enter the standby state.

[0032] In step S101, when print data is supplied from a mobile terminal such as a smartphone (not shown) via the communication unit 401, the control unit 402 receives the print data. At this time, the control unit 402 starts a blinking display indicating the data reading state on the display unit 102, and when the reception of the print data is completed, changes the display from the blinking display to a lit display.

[0033] In step S102, the control unit 402 controls the drive motor for the thermal head 110 to control the position of the thermal head 110, and at the same time controls the paper feed drive motor to start paper feeding. The thermal head 110 rotates counterclockwise in the drawing around the head support shaft 112 by the head drive motor and moves from the standby position shown in Fig. 5(a) to the intermediate position shown in Fig. 5(b). The paper feed roller 130 is pushed down from the retracted position shown in Fig. 5(a) to the paper feed position shown in Fig. 5(b), comes into contact with the paper 300, rotates clockwise in the drawing by the paper feed drive motor, and conveys the paper 300 stacked on the paper loading unit 106 into the printer 100. The paper 300 comes into contact with the separation plate 131 provided in the printer 100, and while pushing up the paper guide 132 with the tip of the paper 300, conveys only the topmost stacked sheet of paper 300.

[0034] In step S103, the control unit 402 determines whether the paper 300 has been detected by the paper feed port sensor 141. When the control unit 402 detects the paper 300, it proceeds to step S104, and when not (for example, when the paper 300 cannot be detected within a specified time), it proceeds to step S105. When the control unit 402 does not detect the paper 300, it can be determined that the paper 300 is not loaded in the paper loading unit 106.

[0035] In step S104, the control unit 402 stops the rotation of the paper feed roller 130 to temporarily stop the paper feeding operation. The paper feed roller 130 is pushed up by a drive source (not shown) from the paper feed position shown in Fig. 5(b) to the retracted position shown in Fig. 5(c). Since the paper guide 132 is always biased downward, the paper 300 is stably held in a state sandwiched between the separation plate 131 and the paper guide 132 at the position shown in Fig. 5(c).

[0036] On the other hand, in step S105, the control unit 402 causes the display unit 102 to perform a lighting display, and transmits error content to a mobile terminal (not shown) via the communication unit 401 to display the error content indicating that the paper 300 could not be fed. By doing so, the user can be prompted to load the paper 300 into the paper loading unit 106 of the printer 100. At this time, the control unit 402 stops the rotation of the paper feed roller 130. Further, the paper feed roller 130 is pushed up by a drive source (not shown) from the paper feed position shown in FIG. 5(b) to the retracted position shown in FIG. 5(a). Then, the thermal head 110 rotates counterclockwise in the figure about the head support shaft 112 by the head drive motor and moves from the intermediate position shown in FIG. 5(b) to the standby position shown in FIG. 5(a).

[0037] In step S106, the control unit 402 determines whether the paper 300 has been loaded by the user (for example, by the paper feed port sensor 141). If the paper 300 is loaded, the process proceeds to step S102. If the paper 300 is not loaded, the printing is aborted and the series of operations is terminated.

[0038] In step S107, the control unit 402 starts the leading-out operation of the yellow dye 251 of the ink ribbon 210. The tip of the take-up bobbin 207 arranged in the ink ribbon cassette 200 engages with an engaging portion provided in the printer 100 and rotates counterclockwise in the figure by a power (not shown) according to the instruction of the control unit 402. As a result, the ink ribbon 210 wound around the supply bobbin 205 is wound around the take-up bobbin 207. As shown in FIG. 4, markers 215 are provided at the leading ends of the respective colors of the ink ribbon 210, and particularly, two markers 215 are provided at the leading end of the yellow dye 251. The printer 100 has an ink ribbon sensor 150 which is a reflective optical sensor, and detects that the reflected light is blocked by the marker 215 provided on the ink ribbon 210. The control unit 402 causes the leading-out of the yellow dye 251 when the ink ribbon sensor 150 continuously detects two markers 215 within a specified time.

[0039] In step S108, the control unit 402 determines whether the two markers 215 at the head of the yellow dye 251 are detected by the ink ribbon sensor 150. When the control unit 402 detects the two markers 215, it proceeds to step S109. When the control unit 402 fails to detect the two markers 215, it proceeds to step S110. If the two markers 215 are not detected, the control unit 402 can determine that there is no remaining amount of the ink ribbon 210 in the ink ribbon cassette 200 loaded in the printer 100. In step S109, the control unit 402 completes the leading-out operation of the yellow dye 251.

[0040] In step S110, the control unit 402 first pushes down the paper feed roller 130 from the retracted position shown in FIG. 5(c) to the paper feed position shown in FIG. 5(b) by a drive source and brings it into contact with the paper 300. In this state, the control unit 402 rotates the paper feed roller 130 counterclockwise in the figure by the paper feed drive motor and conveys the paper 300 toward the paper stacking unit 106. When the paper 300 is completely returned to the paper stacking unit 106, the control unit 402 controls the head drive motor to rotate the thermal head 110 counterclockwise in the figure about the head support shaft 112 and move it from the intermediate position shown in FIG. 5(b) to the standby position shown in FIG. 5(a). The control unit 402 lights up the display unit 102 and displays, via the communication unit 401, error content indicating that there is no remaining amount of the ink ribbon 210 in the ink ribbon cassette 200 on a mobile terminal or the like. By doing so, the user can be prompted to replace the ink ribbon cassette 200.

[0041] In step S111, the control unit 402 determines whether the ink ribbon cassette 200 has been replaced by the user. When the control unit 402 determines that the ink ribbon cassette 200 has been replaced, it proceeds to step S102. Otherwise (when the ink ribbon cassette 200 is not replaced), printing is aborted and a series of operations is terminated.

[0042] In step S112, the control unit 402 resumes paper feeding. The control unit 402 pushes down the paper feed roller 130 from the retracted position shown in Fig. 5(c) to the paper feed position shown in Fig. 5(b) by a drive source and brings it into contact with the sheet of paper 300. In this state, the control unit 402 rotates the paper feed roller 130 clockwise in the figure by a paper feed drive motor to resume the paper feeding operation. The sheet of paper 300 is conveyed in the direction of arrow D by the paper feed roller 130. At this time, since the conveyance roller 160 rotates counterclockwise in the figure in accordance with the rotation speed of the paper feed roller 130 by a drive source for the conveyance roller, the sheet of paper 300 enters the nip position between the conveyance roller 160 and the driven roller 161 without load and is further conveyed in the direction of arrow D. When the sheet of paper 300 is nipped between the conveyance roller 160 and the driven roller 161 and conveyed in the direction of arrow D, the paper feed roller 130 stops rotating and is pushed up by a drive source to the retracted position shown in Fig. 6(a). The sheet of paper 300 is conveyed to the position shown in Fig. 6(a) by the conveyance roller 160.

[0043] In step S113, the control unit 402 determines whether the paper trailing edge 302 of the sheet of paper 300 is detected by the paper feed port sensor 141. If the control unit 402 determines that the paper trailing edge 302 has been detected, it proceeds to step 114; otherwise, the process returns to S113 and repeats.

[0044] In step S114, the control unit 402 calculates the transfer start position from the result of the position of the paper trailing edge 302 detected in step S113. Details will be described later.

[0045] In step S115, the control unit 402 conveys the sheet 300 by the conveyance roller 160. When the sheet 300 is conveyed by the conveyance roller 160 to the position shown in FIG. 6(b), the sheet guide 132 is pushed down from the position shown in FIG. 6(a) to the position shown in FIG. 6(b). Then, after the conveyance roller 160 stops rotating, it is rotated clockwise in the figure by the drive source to convey the sheet 300 in the direction of arrow E. Since the sheet guide 132 is pushed down to the position shown in FIG. 6(b), the sheet 300 is conveyed toward the conveyance path above the sheet stacking unit 106. The sheet 300 is conveyed to the transfer start position shown in FIG. 6(c) calculated in step S114, and the paper feeding operation is completed.

[0046] In step S116, the control unit 402 performs yellow printing (which means transferring the yellow dye 251). The control unit 402 rotates the head arm 111 by the head drive motor and stops the thermal head 110 at the printing position shown in FIG. 7(a). The thermal head 110 and the platen roller 120 press the sheet 300 and the ink ribbon 210. Then, while the control unit 402 conveys the sheet 300 in the direction of arrow D by the conveyance roller 160, the heating element 110-A of the thermal head 110 is heated by the printing signal, and the yellow dye 251 on the ink ribbon 210 is thermally transferred to the sheet 300. During the printing operation, the ink ribbon 210 is rotationally driven by a drive source (not shown) to rotate the take-up bobbin 207, and is conveyed in the direction of arrow D at the same conveyance speed as the sheet 300.

[0047] When the sheet 300 is conveyed to the position shown in FIG. 7(b) during yellow printing, in step S117, the control unit 402 determines whether the rear end 302 of the sheet 300 is detected by the paper feed port sensor 141. If the control unit 402 detects the rear end 302 of the sheet, it proceeds to step S118; otherwise, it returns to step S117.

[0048] In step S118, the control unit 402 calculates the transfer end position from the result of the position of the trailing edge 302 of the sheet detected in step S117. Details will be described later. As shown in FIG. 7(c), when the sheet 300 is conveyed to the transfer end position calculated in step S118, the heating of the heating element 110-A of the thermal head 110 is stopped and the yellow printing is completed. At this time, in order to perform printing so that no margin is generated at the trailing edge 302 of the sheet 300, the trailing edge 302 of the sheet stops at a position further conveyed in the direction of arrow D from the position where it is pressed against the thermal head 110 and the platen roller 120.

[0049] Next, in order to perform magenta printing (which means transferring the magenta dye 252), in step S119, the control unit 402 performs a return operation. First, the control unit 402 rotates the head arm 111 to release the pressure contact between the thermal head 110 and the platen roller 120 and makes it stationary at the intermediate position shown in FIG. 6(b). Then, the control unit 402 conveys the sheet 300 in the direction of arrow E to the printing position shown in FIG. 6(c) by the conveyance roller 160. At the same time, the take-up bobbin 207 is rotated. When the ink ribbon sensor 150 detects the marker 215 provided at the head of the magenta dye 252, the rotation of the take-up bobbin 207 is stopped and the leading-out of the magenta dye 252 is completed.

[0050] In step S120, the control unit 402 performs magenta printing. Similar to the yellow printing described above, the control unit 402 rotates the head arm 111 by the head drive motor to stop the thermal head 110 at the position shown in Fig. 7(a), and presses the paper 300 and the ink ribbon 210 between the thermal head 110 and the platen roller 120. Then, while the control unit 402 conveys the paper 300 in the direction of arrow D by the conveyance roller 160, it heats the heating element 110-A of the thermal head 110 by the printing signal to thermally transfer the magenta dye 252 on the ink ribbon 210 to the paper 300. Similar to the yellow printing, when the paper 300 is conveyed to the transfer end position shown in Fig. 7(c) calculated in step S118, the heating of the heating element 110-A of the thermal head 110 stops and the magenta printing is completed. At this time, in order to perform printing so that no margin is generated at the trailing edge 302 of the paper 300, the trailing edge 302 of the paper 300 stops at a position further conveyed in the direction of arrow D from the position where it is pressed between the thermal head 110 and the platen roller 120.

[0051] In step S121, the control unit 402 performs a return operation in the same manner as in step S119. First, the head arm 111 rotates to release the pressure contact between the thermal head 110 and the platen roller 120 and stops at the intermediate position shown in Fig. 6(b). Then, the conveyance roller 160 conveys the paper 300 in the direction of arrow E to the printing position shown in Fig. 6(c). At the same time, the control unit 402 rotates the take-up bobbin 207. Then, when the ink ribbon sensor 150 detects the marker 215 provided at the leading end of the cyan dye 253, the control unit 402 stops the rotation of the take-up bobbin 207 and performs the leading-out of the cyan dye 253.

[0052] In step S122, the control unit 402 performs cyan printing (which means transferring the cyan dye 253). The control unit 402 rotates the head arm 111 by the head drive motor to stop the thermal head 110 at the position shown in FIG. 7(a), and presses the paper 300 and the ink ribbon 210 between the thermal head 110 and the platen roller 120. Then, while the control unit 402 conveys the paper 300 in the direction of arrow D by the conveyance roller 160, the heating element 110-A of the thermal head 110 generates heat according to the given print signal, and thermally transfers the cyan dye 253 on the ink ribbon 210 to the paper 300 to perform cyan printing. Similar to the yellow printing, when the paper 300 is conveyed to the transfer end position shown in FIG. 7(c) calculated in step S118, the heating of the heating element 110-A of the thermal head 110 stops and the cyan printing is completed. At this time, in order to perform printing so that no margin is generated at the trailing edge 302 of the paper 300, the trailing edge 302 of the paper 300 stops at a position further conveyed in the direction of arrow D from the position where it is pressed between the thermal head 110 and the platen roller 120.

[0053] In order to reduce the deterioration of the image printed on the paper 300 due to external factors after the printer 100 of this embodiment performs three-color printing, overcoat printing is performed. The control unit 402 proceeds with the process to the return operation again in order to perform overcoat printing.

[0054] In step S123, the control unit 402 performs a return operation in the same manner as in step S119. First, the head arm 111 rotates to release the pressure contact between the thermal head 110 and the platen roller 120, and stops at the intermediate position shown in FIG. 6(b). Then, the conveyance roller 160 conveys the paper 300 in the direction of arrow E to the print position shown in FIG. 6(c).

[0055] At the same time, the take-up bobbin 207 is rotated. Then, when the ink ribbon sensor 150 detects the marker 215 provided at the head of the overcoat layer 254, the rotation of the take-up bobbin 207 stops to perform the head start of the overcoat layer 254.

[0056] In step S124, the control unit 402 performs overcoat printing. Similar to the yellow printing described above, in overcoat printing, the head arm 111 is rotated by a drive source (not shown) to stationary the thermal head 110 at the position shown in FIG. 7(a), and the thermal head 110 and the platen roller 120 press-contact the paper 300 and the ink ribbon 210. Thereafter, while the control unit 402 conveys the paper 300 in the direction of arrow D by the conveyance roller 160, the heating element 110-A of the thermal head 110 generates heat according to a print signal. Then, the overcoat layer 254 on the ink ribbon 210 is thermally transferred onto the paper 300 to perform overcoat printing.

[0057] In step S125, the control unit 402 performs a paper discharge operation. When the overcoat printing is completed, the control unit 402 rotationally drives the conveyance roller 160 counterclockwise in the figure to discharge the paper 300 from the printer 100, and conveys the paper 300 to the position shown in FIG. 8 where it is disengaged from the nip between the conveyance roller 160 and the driven roller 161. The head arm 111 is rotated by a drive source (not shown) to move the thermal head 110 to the standby position shown in FIG. 8. At this time, the paper 300 is in a state detected by the paper discharge port sensor 142, and the printer 100 lights up the display unit 102 and further notifies a portable terminal (not shown) to remove the printed paper 300 (step S125). When the printed paper 300 is removed by the user, the paper discharge port sensor 142 detects that the paper 300 has been removed, and the printing is terminated.

[0058] FIG. 10 shows an example of a printed matter printed by the printer 100 according to the present embodiment. As shown in FIG. 10, the printed matter printed by the printer 100 has a margin 310 and a printing range 320. The margin 310 is a range where printing is not possible and is located on the paper leading edge 301 side. The length Y of the margin 310 corresponds to the distance between the conveyance roller 160 and the heating element 110-A of the thermal head 110. Also, printing can be performed without margins on the three sides of the paper trailing edge 302, the paper side edge 304, and the paper side edge 305.

[0059] Next, with reference to FIG. 10, the process of calculating the transfer start position in step S114 of the above-described printing operation will be described.

[0060] First, in response to detecting the position of the trailing edge 302 of the sheet in step S113, the control unit 402 determines, with reference to the position of the trailing edge 302 of the sheet, a position separated by the length P of the printing range 320 as the transfer start position 303. Next, the influence on the variation in the length L of the sheet 300 will be described. The variation in the length L of the sheet 300 is as large as about 1.0 mm due to variations in the manufacturing apparatus during sheet cutting or the like. When the sheet 300 has a length L min (i.e., is short), as shown in FIG. 10(a), the margin 310 becomes short by a length Y min . However, the length P of the printing range 320 does not change. Also, when the sheet 300 has a length L max (i.e., is long), the margin 310 becomes long by a length Y MAX . However, the length P of the printing range 320 does not change. That is, by detecting the position of the trailing edge 302 of the sheet and determining the transfer start position 303 with reference to the position of the trailing edge 302 of the sheet, the length of the printing range 320 can be fixed.

[0061] On the other hand, a method of detecting the position of the leading edge 301 of the sheet and determining, with reference to the position of the leading edge 301 of the sheet, a position separated by the length Y of the margin 310 as the transfer start position 303 is also conceivable. In this case, as shown in FIG. 10(b), when the sheet 300 has a length L min (i.e., is short), the length Y of the margin 310 does not change, and an area that cannot be printed (the hatched portion in the figure) occurs because the printing range 320 becomes short by a length P min . When the sheet 300 has a length L max (i.e., is long), the length Y of the margin 310 does not change, and since the printing range 320 also remains at a length P, a margin that is not printed occurs at the trailing edge 302 of the sheet.

[0062] Thus, detecting the position of the trailing edge 302 of the sheet and determining, with reference to the position of the trailing edge 302 of the sheet, a position separated by the length P of the printing range 320 as the transfer start position 303 can appropriately prevent the occurrence of a margin at the trailing edge 302 of the sheet.

[0063] Next, with reference to FIGS. 11 and 12, the process of calculating the transfer end position in step S118 of the above-described printing operation will be described. FIG. 11 shows a range 330 in which the heating element 110-A of the thermal head 110 generates heat with respect to the sheet 300 according to the present embodiment. FIG. 12 shows the influence of the bending of the sheet 300 according to the present embodiment.

[0064] In addition to the variation in the length of the sheet 300 described above, the factors causing variation in the printing position include variation due to the bending of the sheet 300. As described above, the transfer start position was determined in step S114. In step S114, as shown in FIG. 12, the thermal head 110 is at an intermediate position separated from the platen roller 120. Therefore, as the paper path is wide and as shown in FIG. 12, the sheet 300 may bend to the position indicated by the dotted line 300-1. When the sheet 300 is bent (dotted line 300-1) and when the sheet 300 is straight without bending, there is a difference of about 0.5 mm in the length of the sheet 300 up to the position where the trailing edge 302 of the sheet is nipped by the conveyance roller 160 and the driven roller 161. This difference in length becomes the variation in the printing position.

[0065] In addition, due to variations in the mounting position when the paper feed port sensor 141 is attached to the printer 100 and variations due to the sensitivity of the paper feed port sensor 141, the printing position varies by about 0.5 mm. Therefore, in order to print without margins on the sheet 300, it is necessary to set the heating range 330 large with respect to the sheet 300 as shown in FIG. 11. For example, the trailing edge 302 of the sheet needs to increase the heating range 330 by 1.0 mm or more (d in the figure) with respect to the sheet 300.

[0066] On the other hand, when the heating range 330 is increased by about 1.0 mm with respect to the sheet 300, the following problems may occur. FIG. 13 schematically shows the problems when printing is performed without margins at the trailing edge 302 of the sheet according to the present embodiment.

[0067] When the heating range 330 is large with respect to the paper 300, printing continues even after the trailing edge 302 of the paper 300 has passed through the nip position between the thermal head 110 and the platen roller 120. Therefore, with only the ink ribbon 210 nipped between the thermal head 110 and the platen roller 120, the heating element 110 - A of the thermal head 110 generates heat, and the dye of the ink ribbon 210 is transferred to the platen roller 120. Since the back surface of the paper 300 and the platen roller 120 are always in contact during subsequent printing operations, it is conceivable that the dye transferred to the platen roller 120 is transferred again to the back surface of the paper 300. For example, when the heating range 330 is made approximately 0.5 mm or more larger with respect to the paper 300, the dye is transferred to the platen roller 120, and the transferred dye can be transferred again to the back surface of the paper 300.

[0068] In the range of approximately 0.5 mm near the trailing edge 302 of the paper, a gap is ensured between the platen roller 120 and the ink ribbon 210 due to the thickness of the paper 300, so the dye of the ink ribbon 210 is not transferred. However, at a position further away from the paper 300, the platen roller 120 and the ink ribbon 210 are in close contact, so the dye of the ink ribbon 210 can be transferred.

[0069] The determination of the transfer end position in step S118 for suppressing the transfer of the dye to the platen roller 120 will be described with reference to FIG. 14. FIG. 14 shows a state in which the trailing edge 302 of the paper is detected during the printing operation of the printer 100 according to the present embodiment. As described above, when the transfer start position is determined in step S114, there may be a variation of approximately 0.5 mm due to the bending of the paper 300. Therefore, when determining the transfer end position from the position of the trailing edge 302 of the paper 300 detected in step S113, it is necessary to make the heating range 330 of the trailing edge 302 1.0 mm or more larger with respect to the paper 300 as described above.

[0070] On the other hand, at the timing of detecting the position of the trailing edge 302 of the sheet in step S117, as shown in FIG. 14, the thermal head 110 is at the printing position where it is in pressure contact with the platen roller 120. That is, the space formed between the thermal head 110 and the platen roller 120 through which the conveyed sheet can pass is narrow, and the bending of the sheet 300 is less likely to occur. Therefore, based on the position of the trailing edge 302 of the sheet detected in step S117, the control unit 402 calculates the transfer end position in step S118. Several methods can be used to determine the transfer end position based on the detected position of the trailing edge 302 of the sheet. For example, using a predetermined distance D indicating the distance from the paper feed port sensor 141 to the position where the thermal head 110 is in pressure contact with the platen roller 120, the transfer end position from the currently transferred position C can be obtained. Alternatively, by adding the predetermined distance D and the distance from the transfer start position to the position C, the transfer end position from the transfer start position can be obtained. That is, the transfer end position calculated in step S118 is closer to the trailing edge of the recording sheet than the transfer end position determined based on the transfer start position (described above with reference to FIG. 11). By doing so, the variation in the transfer end position can be suppressed to 0.5 mm or less. Therefore, it is possible to suppress the transfer of the dye to the platen roller 120.

[0071] In the printing operation shown in FIG. 9, during yellow printing, the trailing edge 302 of the sheet 300 is detected, and while performing yellow printing, the transfer end position is calculated. However, when the printing speed is high, there is a possibility that the process of calculating the transfer end position may not be in time. In that case, among the dyes of multiple colors, the transfer end position at the time of transferring the first color (yellow printing) may be calculated in advance from the transfer start position calculated in step S114 and printed. In the yellow printing in this case, it is necessary to make the heat generation range 330 of the trailing edge 302 of the sheet larger than the sheet 300 by 1.0 mm or more. However, by reducing the concentration of the dye and transferring near the trailing edge 302 of the sheet, the re-transfer of the dye to the back surface of the sheet 300 described above can be reduced. Also, in magenta printing and cyan printing, since the calculation process of the transfer end position in step S118 is surely completed, printing can be performed without reducing the concentration. That is, in yellow printing, the transfer end position is determined based on the transfer start position, and in a predetermined range from the transfer end position, the concentration of the dye is made lower than that outside the predetermined range. After that, in magenta printing and cyan printing, since the transfer end position can be determined at a position different from the previously determined transfer end position based on the position of the trailing edge detected during (yellow) printing, the concentration of the dye is not reduced. By doing so, the reduction in the density of the printed image can be minimized, and thus the influence on the print quality can be reduced.

[0072] Also, in the present embodiment, among the dyes of multiple colors, the yellow dye 251 is set as the dye to be transferred first. This is because yellow has less influence on the printing density even if the amount of dye transferred is reduced compared to magenta and cyan. That is, by making the first dye the yellow dye 251, the reduction in the density of the printed image described above can be minimized.

[0073] Note that in the present embodiment, the case of transferring the dye to the sheet is described as an example, but the dye is an example of ink, and the sheet is an example of a recording sheet. Therefore, the present embodiment is applicable to the case of transferring ink to the recording sheet.

[0074] That is, in the printer 100 as an example of a printing apparatus, in the present embodiment, the position of the conveyed recording sheet is detected, and the transfer of ink and the conveyance of the recording sheet are controlled. Then, based on the detected position of the rear end of the recording sheet conveyed before the start of ink transfer, the ink transfer start position is determined. Further, when the space through which the conveyed recording sheet can pass is in the state of the space formed while ink is being transferred to the recording sheet, the ink transfer end position can be determined based on the detected position of the rear end. By doing so, when transferring ink so that there is no margin at the rear end of the recording sheet, it becomes possible to perform accurate transfer at the rear end. Also, by appropriately controlling the transfer near the rear end of the recording sheet, it becomes possible to suppress the transfer of ink to the platen roller. In other words, it becomes possible to appropriately control the transfer near the end of the recording sheet.

[0075] Note that in the present embodiment, not only while ink is being transferred to the recording sheet, but if the space through which the conveyed recording sheet can pass is in a narrow state, based on the detected position of the rear end, the ink transfer end position can be accurately determined. That is, based on the position of the rear end of the recording sheet conveyed in a second state that is narrower than a predetermined first state of the space through which the conveyed recording sheet can pass, the ink transfer end position can be determined. For example, depending on the position of the thermal head before printing shown in FIG. 6(a), the space through which the conveyed recording sheet can pass is in the first state, and when the head drive motor moves the thermal head to a position lower than that in FIG. 6(a), the space can be in the second state. Even in this case, the ink transfer end position can be accurately determined, and it becomes possible to appropriately control the transfer near the rear end of the recording sheet.

[0076] In the above-described embodiment, when the space through which the recording sheet to be conveyed can pass is in the first state (wide state), the transfer start position is determined based on the detected trailing edge of the recording sheet. Thereafter, the transfer end position is determined based on the position of the trailing edge of the recording sheet detected when the space is in the second state (narrow state). For this reason, it becomes possible to determine the transfer end position with higher accuracy than the transfer end position set based on the transfer start position (shown in FIG. 11).

[0077] (Other Embodiments) The present invention can also be realized by supplying a program that realizes one or more functions of the above-described embodiment to a system or apparatus via a network or a storage medium, and causing one or more processors in a computer of the system or apparatus to read and execute the program. Further, it can also be realized by a circuit (for example, ASIC) that realizes one or more functions.

[0078] (Disclosure of this Specification) The disclosure of this specification includes the following printing apparatus, control method, and program. (Item 1) detection means for detecting the position of the recording sheet to be conveyed; control means for controlling the transfer of ink and the conveyance of the recording sheet, the printing apparatus comprising: wherein the control means determines the transfer start position of the ink based on the position of the trailing edge of the recording sheet detected by the detection means before the transfer of the ink starts; and determines the transfer end position of the ink based on the position of the trailing edge of the recording sheet detected by the detection means when the space through which the recording sheet to be conveyed can pass is in a second state narrower than a predetermined first state. (Item 2) recording means for transferring ink to the recording sheet; The printing apparatus according to item 1, further comprising drive means for moving the recording means so that the space through which the recording sheet to be conveyed can pass forms the first state or the second state. (Item 3) The first state is the state of the space formed before the start of transfer of the ink, and the second state is the state of the space formed while transferring the ink to the recording sheet. The printing apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that (Item 4) The first state is the state of the space formed when the rear end is detected before the start of transfer of the ink, and the second state is the state of the space formed while transferring the ink to the recording sheet. The printing apparatus according to claim 3, characterized in that (Item 5) The recording means includes a thermal head, The first state is the state of the space formed when the thermal head is separated from a roller for supporting the recording sheet by a predetermined distance, and the second state is the state of the space formed when the thermal head is closer to the roller than the predetermined distance. The printing apparatus according to claim 2, characterized in that (Item 6) The control means determines the transfer start position in the first state. The printing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that (Item 7) The control means determines the transfer end position based on the determined transfer start position, and then determines the transfer end position at a position different from the determined transfer end position based on the position of the rear end detected during the second state. The printing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that (Item 8) The transfer end position determined based on the position of the rear end is closer to the rear end of the recording sheet than the transfer end position determined based on the transfer start position. The printing apparatus according to claim 7, characterized in that (Item 9) The ink is ink of any one of a plurality of colors of ink, The control means determines the transfer end position based on the position of the trailing edge detected during the second state in which the first ink among the inks of the plurality of colors is being transferred, the printing apparatus according to any one of items 1 to 8, characterized in that. (Item 10) The ink is an ink of any one of the inks of a plurality of colors, The control means, When transferring the first ink that is transferred first among the inks of the plurality of colors, the transfer end position is determined based on the transfer start position, When transferring the second ink used after the first ink, the transfer end position is determined based on the position of the trailing edge detected before the start of transfer of the second ink, the printing apparatus according to any one of items 1 to 8, characterized in that. (Item 11) When the control means transfers the first ink, in a predetermined range from the transfer end position determined based on the transfer start position, the density of the first ink is reduced compared to outside the predetermined range, the printing apparatus according to item 10, characterized in that. (Item 12) When the control means transfers the second ink, the density of the second ink is not reduced, the printing apparatus according to item 11, characterized in that. (Item 13) The first ink has less influence on the printing density when reducing the ink to be transferred than the second ink, the printing apparatus according to any one of items 10 to 12, characterized in that. (Item 14) The color of the first ink is yellow, the printing apparatus according to any one of items 10 to 13, characterized in that. (Item 15) The control means determines the transfer end position at a position where there is no margin left at the trailing edge of the recording sheet, the printing apparatus according to any one of items 1 to 14, characterized in that. (Item 16) A control method for a printing apparatus having detection means for detecting the position of a recording sheet to be conveyed, comprising a control step of controlling ink transfer and conveyance of the recording sheet, wherein in the control step, based on the position of the rear end of the recording sheet detected by the detection means before the start of ink transfer, the ink transfer start position is determined, and based on the position of the rear end of the recording sheet detected by the detection means when the recording sheet to be conveyed is conveyed in a second state narrower than a predetermined first state in which a space through which the recording sheet can pass is defined, the ink transfer end position is determined. A control method for a printing apparatus characterized by this. (Item 17) A program for causing a computer to function as control means of the printing apparatus according to any one of Items 1 to 15.

[0079] The invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and various changes and modifications are possible without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Therefore, claims are attached to disclose the scope of the invention.

Explanation of Signs

[0080] 100... Printer, 402... Control unit, 405... Detection unit, 406... Conveyance unit, 407... Recording unit

Claims

1. Detection means for detecting the position of a recording sheet to be conveyed; Control means for controlling ink transfer and conveyance of the recording sheet; and The control means: Based on the position of the rear end of the recording sheet detected by the detection means before the start of ink transfer, determines the start position of ink transfer; Based on the position of the rear end of the recording sheet detected by the detection means when the recording sheet is conveyed in a second state narrower than a first state in which a space through which the recording sheet to be conveyed can pass is predetermined, determines the end position of ink transfer. A printing apparatus characterized by the above.

2. Recording means for transferring ink onto the recording sheet; The printing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising drive means for moving the recording means so that the space through which the recording sheet to be conveyed can pass forms the first state or the second state.

3. The first state is the state of the space formed before the start of ink transfer, and the second state is the state of the space formed while ink is being transferred onto the recording sheet. A printing apparatus according to claim 1, characterized by the above.

4. The first state is the state of the space formed when the rear end is detected before the start of ink transfer, and the second state is the state of the space formed while ink is being transferred onto the recording sheet. A printing apparatus according to claim 3, characterized by the above.

5. The recording means includes a thermal head; The first state is the state of the space formed when the thermal head is separated from a roller for supporting the recording sheet by a predetermined distance, and the second state is the state of the space formed when the thermal head is closer to the roller than the predetermined distance. A printing apparatus according to claim 2, characterized by the above.

6. The control means determines the transfer start position in the first state. The printing apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that.

7. The control means determines the transfer end position based on the determined transfer start position, and then, based on the position of the rear end detected during the second state, determines the transfer end position at a position different from the determined transfer end position. The printing apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that.

8. The transfer end position determined based on the position of the rear end is closer to the rear end of the recording sheet than the transfer end position determined based on the transfer start position. The printing apparatus according to claim 7, characterized in that.

9. The ink is ink of any one of a plurality of colors. The control means determines the transfer end position based on the position of the rear end detected during the second state in which the first ink, which is the first to be transferred among the plurality of colors of ink, is being transferred. The printing apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that.

10. The ink is ink of any one of a plurality of colors. The control means. When transferring the first ink, which is the first to be transferred among the plurality of colors of ink, the control means determines the transfer end position based on the transfer start position. When transferring the second ink used after the first ink, the control means determines the transfer end position based on the position of the rear end detected before the start of transfer of the second ink. The printing apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that.

11. When the control means transfers the first ink, in a predetermined range from the transfer end position determined based on the transfer start position, the control means reduces the density of the first ink more than outside the predetermined range. The printing apparatus according to claim 10, characterized in that.

12. The printing apparatus according to claim 11, wherein when transferring the second ink, the control means does not reduce the density of the second ink.

13. The printing apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the first ink has less influence on the printing density when the amount of ink to be transferred is reduced than the second ink.

14. The printing apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the color of the first ink is yellow.

15. The printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control means determines the transfer end position at a position where there is no margin at the rear end of the recording sheet.

16. A control method for a printing apparatus having detection means for detecting the position of a conveyed recording sheet, comprising: a control step of controlling ink transfer and conveyance of the recording sheet, wherein in the control step, the ink transfer start position is determined based on the position of the rear end of the recording sheet detected by the detection means before the start of ink transfer, the ink transfer end position is determined based on the position of the rear end of the recording sheet detected by the detection means when the recording sheet is conveyed in a second state narrower than a first state in which a space through which the conveyed recording sheet can pass is predetermined. A control method for a printing apparatus.

17. A program for causing a computer to function as the control means of the printing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 15.

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