Printing device and program

Abstract

To allow easy removal of the medium to be printed remaining inside a printing device after deviating from a conveying path.SOLUTION: A printing device 1 comprises a pair of discharge rollers 10, 11 that feed a medium 20 to be printed toward a discharge port 301 at a discharge roller position in a conveying path of the medium 20 to be printed, and an electrification processing unit that electrifies at least one of the medium 20 to be printed and the discharge roller 11, which is one of the pair of discharge rollers 10, 11 to induce a Coulomb force in a direction of attraction between the medium 20 to be printed and one of the discharge rollers 11. The medium to be printed (medium piece T) that has deviated from the conveying path is adsorbed to one of the discharge rollers 11 by the Coulomb force and discharged to the outside of the device by the rotation of the pair of discharge rollers 10, 11.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 8

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The disclosure of this specification relates to a printing apparatus, a control method, and a program.

Background Art

[0002] Some printing apparatuses that perform printing on a printing medium include a discharge roller for discharging the printed printing medium outside the apparatus based on print data. For example, in an inkjet printer that ejects ink onto a printing medium to perform printing, in order to discharge the printing medium without soiling the printed surface of the printing medium, a discharge roller having a suction means for sucking the printing medium is disposed on the side opposite to the printed surface side in the conveyance path (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

[0003] In addition, some printing apparatuses equipped with a discharge roller are capable of cutting a long printing medium and discharging the cut printing medium outside the apparatus by the discharge roller. In this type of printing apparatus, for example, a conveyance roller for conveying the printing medium is disposed at a position where printing is performed on the printing medium in the conveyance path of the printing medium, or in the vicinity of that position, and a discharge roller different from the conveyance roller is disposed between the position where the conveyance roller is disposed and the position of the discharge port. Further, a cutter for cutting the printing medium is disposed between the position where the conveyance roller is disposed and the position where the discharge roller is disposed in the conveyance path.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] In a printing apparatus that performs printing on a long printing medium, each time printing is performed, the remaining amount of the printing medium available for subsequent printing decreases. For this reason, for example, the remaining amount of the printing medium after cutting the printing medium may be shorter than the length corresponding to the distance between the position where the printing medium is sent by the conveying roller in the conveying path and the position where the printing medium is sent by the discharging roller. When the next printing is performed on the printing medium in such a state, before one end of the printing medium reaches the discharging roller, the other end of the printing medium separates from the conveying roller, and the printing medium may detach from the conveying path during printing. If the printing medium that has detached from the conveying path remains in the printing apparatus, it may cause problems such as poor conveyance of the printing medium in subsequent printing.

[0006] However, there are some printing apparatuses in which a protective member is provided at a position in the printing apparatus where the printing medium that has detached from the conveying path remains (stays) so as to cover the cutter and the discharging roller. It is difficult to notice the remaining of the printing medium, and it is troublesome to remove the remaining printing medium.

[0007] An object according to one aspect of the present invention is to provide a technique capable of easily removing a printing medium that has detached from a conveying path and remains in a printing apparatus based on the above-described circumstances.

Means for Solving the Problem

[0008] A printing apparatus according to one embodiment of the present invention includes a conveying unit that conveys a printing medium, a pair of discharging rollers that send the printing medium toward a discharge port at a discharging roller position in a conveying path of the printing medium conveyed by the conveying unit, and a charging processing unit that charges at least one of the printing medium and one of the pair of discharging rollers so as to induce a Coulomb force in a direction that attracts between the printing medium and the one discharging roller. The printing medium that has detached from the conveying path is adsorbed to the one discharging roller by the Coulomb force and discharged to the outside of the apparatus as the pair of discharging rollers rotate.

[0009] A control method according to an aspect of the present invention includes a conveyance unit that conveys a printing medium, a pair of discharge rollers that send out the printing medium toward a discharge port at a discharge roller position in a conveyance path of the printing medium conveyed by the conveyance unit, and a charging unit that charges at least one of the printing medium and one of the pair of discharge rollers so as to induce a Coulomb force in a direction that attracts between the printing medium and the one discharge roller. A printing apparatus having the charging unit charges at least one of the printing medium and the one discharge roller by the charging unit, adsorbs the printing medium that has left the conveyance path to the one discharge roller by the Coulomb force, and discharges it to the outside of the apparatus as the pair of discharge rollers rotate.

[0010] A program according to an aspect of the present invention causes a printing apparatus including a conveyance unit that conveys a printing medium, a pair of discharge rollers that send out the printing medium toward a discharge port at a discharge roller position in a conveyance path of the printing medium conveyed by the conveyance unit, and a charging unit that charges at least one of the printing medium and one of the pair of discharge rollers so as to induce a Coulomb force in a direction that attracts between the printing medium and the one discharge roller to execute a process of charging at least one of the printing medium and the one discharge roller by the charging unit, adsorbing the printing medium that has left the conveyance path to the one discharge roller by the Coulomb force, and discharging it to the outside of the apparatus as the pair of discharge rollers rotate.

Advantages of the Invention

[0011] According to the above aspect, it is possible to easily remove the printing medium that has left the conveyance path and remains in the printing apparatus.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0012]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5

Figure 6

Figure 7

Figure 8

Figure 9

Figure 10

Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0013] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the following description, as an example of a printing apparatus according to the present invention, a thermal printing apparatus that performs printing on a long printing medium including a heat-sensitive material layer based on print data created using an information processing apparatus such as a smartphone or a tablet PC will be cited. Note that in this specification, detailed descriptions of known configurations, functions, operations, processes, etc. in this type of printing apparatus are omitted.

[0014] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of the external configuration of a printing apparatus. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of a portion related to the accommodation and conveyance of a printing medium in the left side surface of the main body of the printing apparatus shown in FIG. 1. In FIG. 1, “up”, “down”, “right”, “left”, “front”, and “rear” respectively represent the directions when viewed from a user facing the surface (hereinafter referred to as the “front surface”) from which the printing medium 20 is discharged, with the printing apparatus 1 installed in the recommended orientation when printing on the printing medium 20. In FIG. 2, “up”, “down”, “front”, and “rear” respectively correspond to “up”, “down”, “front”, and “rear” in FIG. 1. The recommended orientation of the printing apparatus 1 is, for example, on a horizontal plane 50 facing upward, such as on a table or the top surface of a desk as illustrated in FIG. 2 or on the floor, in an orientation where the width direction of the printing surface of the printing medium 20 (the axial direction of a platen roller 7 and the like described later) is substantially horizontal.

[0015] The printing apparatus 1 illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2 includes a medium roll 21 in which a long printing medium 20 is wound into a roll shape and various components such as an electronic circuit (not shown) are accommodated in the internal space of a device housing 2 including a main body 3 and a lid 4 detachably attached to the main body 3. The printing medium 20 in the device housing 2 can be discharged to the outside of the device housing 2 from a discharge port 301 provided on the front surface of the main body 3. Further, on the front surface of the main body 3, a plurality of button switches 5 for receiving various inputs related to the operation of the printing apparatus 1 and a plurality of LED (Light Emitting Diode) indicators 6 for presenting various information related to the operation state of the printing apparatus 1 are arranged.

[0016] As illustrated in FIG. 2, the main body 3 is provided with a concave adapter mounting portion 302 for mounting a medium adapter 22 capable of accommodating the medium roll 21. The medium adapter 22 is provided with an outlet (not shown) for pulling out the printing medium 20 released from the accommodated medium roll 21 to the outside. The printing medium 20 pulled out from the medium adapter 22 can move along a predetermined conveyance path from the adapter mounting portion 302 of the main body 3 to the discharge port 301. The underlined number “18” of the medium roll 21 and the medium adapter 22 represents the width of the printing medium 20 supplied by the medium adapter 22.

[0017] In the main body 3, a platen roller 7, a printing processing unit 8, a cutting processing unit 9, and a pair of discharge rollers (upper discharge roller 10 and lower discharge roller 11) are arranged along the conveyance path of the printing medium 20. The platen roller 7 is a conveyance roller that conveys the printing medium 20. The printing processing unit 8 performs printing on the printing medium 20 by a thermal head 801. The cutting processing unit 9 cuts the printing medium 20. The discharge rollers (upper discharge roller 10 and lower discharge roller 11) are rollers that send out the printing medium 20 cut by the cutting processing unit 9 and the like toward the discharge port 301.

[0018] The printing apparatus 1 illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2 can receive print data created by a user using an information processing apparatus 30 such as a smartphone or a tablet computer, and perform printing on the printing medium 20 and cutting of the printing medium 20 based on the received print data.

[0019] Note that the orientation of the printing apparatus 1 illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2 is merely an example of the installation direction recommended when printing on the printing medium 20. The installation direction of the printing apparatus 1 recommended when printing on the printing medium 20 may be selectable, for example, either the orientation illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2 or an orientation in which the axial direction of the platen roller 7 is in the vertical direction and the lid portion 4 is located above the main body 3.

[0020] [First Embodiment] FIG. 3 is a left side sectional view showing a configuration example of a portion of a conveyance path of a printing medium in the printing apparatus according to the first embodiment. In FIG. 3, a portion within a region AR shown by a two-dot chain line in FIG. 2 in the conveyance path of the printing medium 20 in the printing apparatus 1 of the present embodiment is illustrated in a straight line. “Up”, “down”, “front”, and “rear” in FIG. 3 respectively correspond to “up”, “down”, “front”, and “rear” in FIGS. 1 and 2. The printing position, full cut position, half cut position, discharge roller position, and discharge position shown in FIG. 3 represent representative positions in the conveyance path of the printing medium 20. Also, the forward direction and the reverse direction shown in FIG. 3 represent the conveyance direction of the printing medium 20. Further, the downstream and upstream shown in FIG. 3 represent relative positional relationships along the conveyance direction on the conveyance path and on the printing medium 20.

[0021] The printing position is a position where printing on the printing medium 20 is performed by the thermal head 801. The printing medium 20 is sandwiched at the printing position by the platen roller 7 and the heating element 801a of the thermal head 801. The platen roller 7 is coupled to a motor (not shown) and can rotate (forward rotation) in the rotation direction for sending out the printing medium 20 in a first direction (forward direction) from the printing position to the discharge position (the position of the discharge port 301 in the conveyance path), and can rotate (reverse rotation) in the rotation direction for returning the printing medium 20 in a direction opposite to the first direction (reverse direction).

[0022] The full cut position is a position where the printing medium 20 is cut by the first cutter 901, and the half cut position is a position where the printing medium 20 is cut by the second cutter 902. The full cut position and the half cut position are provided between the printing position and the discharge position as illustrated in FIG. 3, and the half cut position is provided between the full cut position and the discharge position. In this specification, as illustrated in FIG. 3, another position in the first direction as viewed from a certain position on the conveyance path and on the printing medium 20 is referred to as a downstream position, and another position in the second direction is referred to as an upstream position. That is, in the conveyance path illustrated in FIG. 3, the full cut position is downstream of the printing position, and the half cut position is further downstream of the full cut position.

[0023] The first cutter 901 is, for example, a cutter that cuts the entire printed medium 20 along a line at the full cut position in the printed medium 20 and separates it into two parts. The second cutter 902 is, for example, a cutter that cuts the printed medium 20 along a line at the half cut position in the printed medium 20 so that the part located upstream and the part located downstream of the line maintain a continuous state by a part of the printed medium 20. For example, the second cutter 902 cuts only the adhesive tape layer in the multilayer-structured printed medium 20 having an adhesive tape layer including a heat-sensitive material layer and an adhesive material layer and a protective layer that protects the adhesive material layer. The second cutter 902 may be, for example, a cutter that perforates the printed medium 20. The first cutter 901 and the second cutter 902 are examples of cutters that cut the printed medium 20 provided in the cutting processing unit 9. The cutting processing unit 9 may have only the first cutter 901.

[0024] The discharge roller position is the position where the printed medium 20 is discharged by the discharge rollers (the upper discharge roller 10 and the lower discharge roller 11), and is downstream of the half cut position. In the printing apparatus 1 of the present embodiment, for example, the upper discharge roller 10 is a driving roller that rotates in the rotation direction for sending the printed medium 20 to the discharge port 301 by the power of a motor, and the lower discharge roller 11 is a driven roller.

[0025] In the conveyance path illustrated in FIG. 3, when the printed medium 20 is nipped at at least one of the two positions, i.e., the printing position and the discharge roller position, the printed medium 20 can be conveyed in the forward or reverse direction. That is, when the length of the printed medium 20 in the conveyance direction is less than the length corresponding to the distance L0 between the printing position and the discharge roller position in the conveyance path, the printed medium 20 may be detached downward from the conveyance path between the printing position and the discharge roller position. For this reason, the printing apparatus 1 of the present embodiment is provided with a retention unit 40 that retains, in a state movable to the lower discharge roller 11 side (downstream side), a medium piece T (printed medium 20) detached from the discharge path of the printed medium 20 between the printing position and the discharge roller position. Further, the printing apparatus 1 of the present embodiment is provided with a charging device 41 that induces a Coulomb force in a direction attracting between the medium piece T (printed medium 20) retained in the retention unit 40 and the lower discharge roller 11. As the material of the printed medium 20, for example, paper (release paper) is used on one main surface, and polyethylene terephthalate resin (protective film) or the like is used on the other main surface. In the printing apparatus 1 of the present embodiment, as the charging device 41, a device that emits corona discharge for negatively charging the printed medium 20 toward the retention unit 40 is used, and as the lower discharge roller 11, a grounded metal roller is used. The lower discharge roller 11 may be, for example, one having a peripheral surface (surface) that is a metal layer and the metal layer is grounded. The charging device 41 that emits corona discharge includes a DC high-voltage power supply 4101 and an electrode needle 4102.

[0026] That is, in the printing apparatus 1 of the present embodiment, the medium piece T that has separated from the conveyance path and stays in the staying portion 40 is attracted to the lower discharge roller 11 by Coulomb force (electrostatic force), and one end thereof is guided between the upper discharge roller 10 and the lower discharge roller 11, and is sent out toward the discharge port 301. At this time, a roller guard 305 is provided at a portion of the inner surface 303 of the main body 3 that faces the lower discharge roller 11 so that the medium piece T attracted to the lower discharge roller 11 separates from the lower discharge roller 11 and is discharged to the outside of the printing apparatus 1 from the discharge port 301. For example, as illustrated in FIG. 3, the roller guard 305 is provided by forming a concave surface 304 along the circumferential surface of the lower discharge roller 11 such that the distance G between the portion of the inner surface 303 of the main body 3 that faces the lower discharge roller 11 and the lower discharge roller 11 is shorter than the distance corresponding to the thickness of the medium to be printed 20. The medium piece T attracted to the lower discharge roller 11 and sent out downstream of the discharge roller position separates from the lower discharge roller 11 when the leading end abuts against the roller guard 305, and is discharged to the outside of the main body 3 (printing apparatus 1) through the discharge port 301.

[0027] FIG. 4 is a block diagram for explaining an example of the hardware configuration of the printing apparatus according to the first embodiment. The printing apparatus 1 of the present embodiment includes a control unit 100, a storage unit 120, an input unit 130, a display unit 135, a conveyance processing unit 140, a printing processing unit 8, a cutting processing unit 9, a discharge processing unit 145, a charging processing unit 150, a sensor 180, and a communication unit 190.

[0028] The input unit 130 is an input device for inputting various information to the printing apparatus 1, and includes, for example, the button switch 5 described above. The display unit 135 is a display device for displaying various information to the user of the printing apparatus 1, and includes, for example, the LED indicator 6 described above.

[0029] The conveyance processing unit 140 performs the conveyance processing (conveyance operation) of the print medium 20 under the control of the control unit 100. The conveyance processing unit 140 includes, for example, a platen roller 7, a motor connected to the platen roller 7, a drive circuit for driving the motor, and an encoder for detecting the rotation speed (rotation angle) of the platen roller 7. The printing processing unit 8 performs the printing processing (printing operation) on the print medium 20 under the control of the control unit 100. The printing processing unit 8 includes, for example, a thermal head 801, a drive circuit for driving the heating element 801a of the thermal head 801, and a thermistor for detecting the temperature of the thermal head 801. The cutting processing unit 9 performs the cutting processing (cutting operation) for cutting the print medium 20 under the control of the control unit 100. The cutting processing unit 9 includes, for example, a first cutter 801, a second cutter 802, a motor connected to each cutter, and a drive circuit for driving the motor. The discharge processing unit 145 performs the discharge processing (discharge operation) of the print medium 20 under the control of the control unit 100. The discharge processing unit 145 includes, for example, an upper discharge roller 10, a lower discharge roller 11, a motor connected to the upper discharge roller 10, and a drive circuit for driving the motor. The discharge processing unit 145 may be configured to perform the conveyance processing (discharge operation) in conjunction with the conveyance processing unit 140, for example.

[0030] The charging processing unit 150 performs a charging process that induces a Coulomb force in the direction of attracting the medium piece T (print medium 20) staying in the staying unit 40 and the discharge roller 11. The charging processing unit 150 in the printing apparatus of the present embodiment is, for example, a charging device 41 that emits a corona discharge for charging the medium piece T negatively.

[0031] The control unit 100 controls various operations of the printing apparatus 1, including the operations of the respective processing units of the conveyance processing unit 140, the printing processing unit 8, the cutting processing unit 9, the discharge processing unit 145, and the charging processing unit 150. The control unit 100 in the printing apparatus 1 of the present embodiment includes a charge discharge control unit 101. The charge discharge control unit 101 causes the charging processing unit 150 (charging device 41) to perform a charging process when printing is performed on the print medium 13 after cutting the print medium 20 with the first cutter 901.

[0032] The control by the control unit 100 is performed, for example, by a processor such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) executing a program stored in the storage unit 120. The control unit 100 may be an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array), an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), or the like.

[0033] The storage unit 120 stores various programs executed by the processor as the control unit 100, various data used when executing the programs, and the like. The storage unit 120 includes a RAM (Random Access Memory) 121 and a ROM (Read Only Memory) 122. The storage unit 120 includes an internal memory such as a cache built into hardware such as a processor as the control unit 100.

[0034] The sensor 180 detects, for example, whether the media adapter 22 is attached or not, the width of the print medium 20 supplied from the attached media adapter 22, and the like. The communication unit 190 is a communication interface for communicating with an external device (information processing device 30) such as a smartphone or a tablet computer. The communication unit 190 can perform at least one of wireless communication according to a known short-range wireless communication standard and wired communication using a transmission cable such as a USB (Universal Serial Bus) cable.

[0035] When using the printing apparatus 1 of the present embodiment, for example, the user creates a print layout using an information processing device 30 in which a predetermined application is installed, and makes settings regarding margins, the number of printed sheets, cutting, and the like. Thereafter, when the user inputs an instruction to start printing to the information processing device 30, print data is transferred from the information processing device 30 to the printing apparatus 1, and the printing apparatus 1 performs printing and the like on the print medium 20 based on the print data to create a label. When receiving the print data, the printing apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment performs processing as exemplified in FIG. 5, for example.

[0036] FIG. 5 is a flowchart for explaining an example of the processing performed by the printing apparatus according to the first embodiment.

[0037] The printing apparatus 1 of the present embodiment that has received the print data first determines whether there is an instruction for a half cut in the print data (step S1). The determination in step S1 is made by the control unit 100. The control unit 100 determines whether an instruction to perform a cut (half cut) by the second cutter 902 is included in the print data at a portion on the downstream side of the area where printing is to be performed before printing on the print medium 20. When there is a half cut instruction (step S1; YES), the printing apparatus 1 half cuts the print medium 20 (step S2), and then performs printing on the print medium 20 based on the print data (step S3). When there is no half cut instruction (step S1; NO), the printing apparatus 1 omits the half cut in step S2 and performs printing on the print medium 20 (step S3). In step S3, the printing apparatus 1, for example, conveys the print medium 20 in the reverse direction so that the print start line at a predetermined distance from the start end (downstream end) in the print medium 20 moves to the print position on the conveyance path, and then conveys the print medium 20 in the forward direction while performing printing on the print medium 20 by the thermal head 801.

[0038] When the printing on the print medium 20 is completed, the printing apparatus 1 determines whether the previous full cut end flag is on (step S4). The determination in step S4 is made by the control unit 100 (more specifically, the charge discharge control unit 101). The previous full cut end flag is a flag indicating whether a cut (full cut) has been performed by the first cutter 901 in the process performed before starting the process after step S1 currently being performed. In the present embodiment, it is assumed that the flag is on when a full cut has been performed. When the previous full cut end flag is on (step S4; YES), the printing apparatus 1 performs a process of inducing a Coulomb force in the direction in which the print medium 20 and the lower discharge roller 11 attract each other (step S5), and turns off the previous full cut end flag (step S6).

[0039] In the printing apparatus 1 of the present embodiment, as the process of step S5, the charging device 41 is operated to perform a process of charging the printing medium 20 negatively by corona discharge. The charging device 41 applies a voltage from the DC high-voltage power supply 4101 to the electrode needle 4102 for a short time of about 500 msec under the control of the charge discharge control unit 101, for example. At this time, a weak discharge called corona discharge occurs from the tip of the electrode needle 4102, and the air around the electrode needle 4102 (stagnation portion 40) is ionized negatively. Therefore, the medium piece T (printing medium 20) staying in the stagnation portion 40 is charged negatively. Accordingly, when the lower discharge roller 11 is a grounded metal roller, the surface of the lower discharge roller 11 is in a state of being charged with static electricity of the opposite positive polarity to the medium piece T, and the medium piece T is attracted to the lower discharge roller 11 by electrostatic induction.

[0040] When the previous full cut end flag is off (step S4; NO), or when the processes of steps S5 and S6 are performed, the printing apparatus 1 then determines whether there is an instruction for full cut (step S7). The determination in step S7 is made by the control unit 100. The control unit 100 determines whether an instruction to perform a cut (full cut) by the first cutter 901 is included in the print data at a line on the upstream side of the printed area in the printing medium 20. When there is a full cut instruction (step S7; YES), the printing apparatus 1 fully cuts the printing medium 20 (step S8) and turns on the previous full cut end flag (step S9).

[0041] When there is no full cut instruction (step S7; NO), or when the processes of steps S8 and S9 are performed, the printing apparatus 1 operates the discharge rollers (upper discharge roller 10 and lower discharge roller 11) (step S10) to convey the printing medium 20 in the forward direction. At this time, when the medium piece T staying in the stagnation portion 40 and charged negatively in step S5 described above is adsorbed to the lower discharge roller 11, it is guided between the upper discharge roller 10 and the lower discharge roller 11 by the rotation of the lower discharge roller 11 and is discharged to the outside of the printing apparatus 1 from the discharge port 301 together with the printing medium 20 conveyed in the forward direction along the conveyance path.

[0042] After activating the discharge roller, the printing apparatus 1 determines whether there is an instruction for continuous printing (step S11). The determination in step S11 is made by the control unit 100. The control unit 100 determines that there is an instruction for continuous printing when an instruction to perform the printing in step S3 a plurality of times is included in the print data and there is still unprinted content. When there is an instruction for continuous printing (step S11; YES), the printing apparatus 1 repeats the processes after step S1. When there is no instruction for continuous printing (step S11; NO), the printing apparatus 1 ends a series of processes based on the print data.

[0043] As described above, when the printing apparatus 1 of the present embodiment performs printing on the print medium 20 after fully cutting the print medium 20, a process of inducing a Coulomb force in the direction attracting the print medium 20 and the lower discharge roller 11 is performed, and then the upper discharge roller 10 and the lower discharge roller 11 are activated to perform a conveyance process of conveying the print medium 20 in the conveyance path in the forward direction. By performing such a process, when the medium piece T stays in the staying portion 40, the medium piece can be automatically discharged together with the print medium 20 in the conveyance path.

[0044] FIG. 6 is a diagram (part 1) for explaining an example of the cause of the medium piece staying in the staying portion. FIG. 7 is a diagram (part 2) for explaining an example of the cause of the medium piece staying in the staying portion. FIG. 8 is a diagram (part 1) for explaining an example of the process performed by the printing apparatus according to the first embodiment. FIG. 9 is a diagram (part 2) for explaining an example of the process performed by the printing apparatus according to the first embodiment. In each of FIGS. 6 to 9, the illustration of the staying portion 40 is omitted. Also, the directions of "up" and "down" in each of FIGS. 6 to 9 correspond to the directions illustrated in FIGS. 1 to 3, respectively.

[0045] Figures (a1) and (a2) of Fig. 6 show an example of the state of the conveyance path when printing is performed on the printing medium 20 in the printing apparatus 1 of the present embodiment. As illustrated in (a1), when the remaining length LT of the printing medium 20 is shorter than the length corresponding to the distance L0 from the printing position to the discharge roller position (LT < L0) and longer than the length corresponding to the distance (not shown) from the printing position to the full cut position, the printing apparatus 1 rotates the platen roller 7 forward and performs printing on the printing medium 20 while conveying the printing medium 20 in the forward direction. However, in this case, before the start end 20s of the printing medium 20 conveyed in the forward direction reaches the discharge roller position, the end 20e of the printing medium 20 moves from the upstream side to the downstream side of the printing position. Therefore, as illustrated in (a2), the printing medium 20 detaches from the conveyance path and drops below the conveyance path, and stays in a stay portion 40 not shown as a medium piece T.

[0046] At this time, if there is an instruction to fully cut the printing medium 20 after printing on the printing medium 20, the printing apparatus 1 operates the first cutter 901 in a state where the printing medium 20 has detached from the conveyance path, for example, as illustrated in (a3) of Fig. 7. Therefore, the printing medium 20 cannot be cut. Moreover, even if the discharge rollers (the upper discharge roller 10 and the lower discharge roller 11) are operated, the printing medium 20 is not discharged from the discharge port 301.

[0047] When the printing medium 20 is not discharged from the discharge port 301 in this way, the user of the printing apparatus 1 determines that the printing medium 20 in the media adapter 22 has run out (out of media), and replenishes the printing medium 20 (media roll 21), for example, as illustrated in (a4) of Fig. 7. However, as illustrated in Fig. 3, since there is a section covered by a part of the main body 3 between the printing position and the discharge position, the user may not notice the medium piece T in the stay portion 40 when replenishing the printing medium 20. If the user does not notice the presence of the medium piece T, in a conventional printing apparatus, since the medium piece T continues to stay, there is a high possibility of adversely affecting the conveyance and cutting of the printing medium 20.

[0048] On the other hand, in the printing apparatus 1 of the present embodiment, when printing on the printed medium 20 is performed after the operation of fully cutting the printed medium 20 with the first cutter 801, as described above with reference to FIG. 5, a process of inducing a Coulomb force in the attracting direction between the printed medium 20 and the lower discharge roller 11 is performed (step S5). Specifically, as illustrated in FIGS. 8(a5) and 8(a6), corona discharge is radiated from the electrode needle 4102 of the charging device 41 toward a holding portion 40 (not shown), and the medium piece T held in the holding portion 40 is charged negatively. At this time, if the lower discharge roller 11 disposed below the conveyance path on the downstream side of the holding portion 40 is a grounded metal roller, a Coulomb force in the attracting direction is induced between the negatively charged medium piece T (printed medium 20) and the lower discharge roller 11. Due to this Coulomb force, the medium piece T is attracted to the lower discharge roller 11 rotatably attached to the main body portion 3.

[0049] Therefore, after the charging device 41 (the charging processing unit 150) is operated, a conveying operation is performed to convey the print medium 20 in the conveying path in the forward direction, and when the lower discharge roller 11 rotates in a rotation direction to send the print medium 20 in the forward direction, the medium piece T is attracted to the lower discharge roller 11, and one end of the medium piece T is guided between the upper discharge roller 10 and the lower discharge roller 11 (i.e., the conveying path), as illustrated in (a7) of FIG. 9. In the printing device 1 of the type illustrated in this embodiment, for example, the distance between the upper discharge roller 10 and the lower discharge roller 11 at the discharge roller position can be changed within a predetermined range so as to be able to handle the discharge of multiple types of print media 20 with different thicknesses. In addition, since the thickness of the print medium 20 is very thin, for example, even if the print media 20 are overlapped, the upper discharge roller 10 and the lower discharge roller 11 can be operated (rotated) to discharge the overlapped print media 20. Therefore, after the print medium 20 on the transport path is fully cut by the first cutter 901, the upper discharge roller 10 and the lower discharge roller 11 are operated to discharge the print medium 20 downstream of the full cut position, and the piece of medium T adsorbed to the lower discharge roller 11 is caught between the upper discharge roller 10 and the lower discharge roller 11 and is sent downstream of the discharge roller position together with the fully cut print medium 20. After passing the discharge roller position, the piece of medium T adsorbed to the lower discharge roller 11 comes into contact with the roller guard 305 provided on the main body 3 and is separated from the lower discharge roller 11, and is discharged to the outside of the printing device 1 from the discharge port 301 together with the print medium 20 (piece of medium T2). In other words, by providing the roller guard 305 on the main body 3, it is possible to prevent the piece of medium T that has been adsorbed to the lower discharge roller 11 and passed the discharge roller position from returning to the retention section 40 while still adsorbed to the lower discharge roller 11. Furthermore, since the thickness of the print medium 20 is very thin, there is almost no clogging (discharge error) when the overlapping print medium 20 (medium pieces T1 and T2) pass between the upper discharge roller 10 and the lower discharge roller 11, and no plastic deformation of the print medium 20 due to pressure from the rollers.Furthermore, since a sufficient amount of time has elapsed after printing is completed, the printed media 20 (media pieces T1 and T2) discharged in an overlapping state hardly causes a decrease in the print quality of the printed media 20 due to being discharged in an overlapping state.

[0050] In addition, in FIG. 6, as an example of the printed media 20 (media piece T) staying, a case where the remaining length LT of the printed media 20 is shorter than the length corresponding to the distance L0 from the printing position to the discharge roller position is given. However, even when the media piece T stays due to other factors, in the printing apparatus 1 of the present embodiment, the staying media piece T can be discharged early. For example, as the printed media 20 is consumed, the printed media 20 used for printing becomes a portion closer to the central axis of the media roll 21 and the curvature increases. For this reason, when the remaining amount of the printed media 20 decreases, the printed media 20 conveyed along the conveyance path becomes more curved, and the leading end portion of the printed media 20 conveyed in the forward direction may deviate from the path passing between the upper discharge roller 10 and the lower discharge roller 11. When the printed media 20 is fully cut by the first cutter 901 in such a case, even if the upper discharge roller 10 is operated (rotated) after cutting, the printed media 20 on the downstream side of the full cut position may stay in the staying portion 40. Also, for example, even when printing and cutting are performed in a state where the installation direction of the printing apparatus 1 is different from the recommended direction, the printed media 20 may separate from the conveyance path and stay. Even when the discharge of the printed media 20 cut in this way fails, in the printing apparatus 1 of the present embodiment, when the next printing is performed, the printed media 20 (media piece T) for which the discharge has failed can be discharged to the outside.

[0051] As described above, in the printing apparatus 1 of the present embodiment, when printing on the printed medium 20 is performed after the operation of fully cutting the printed medium 20, a process is performed to induce a Coulomb force in the attracting direction between the printed medium 20 and the lower discharge roller 11 by the charging unit 150 (charging device 41) (step S5). Subsequently, the discharge roller is operated so that the lower discharge roller 11 rotates in the direction of discharging the printed medium 20. By controlling the operation of the printing apparatus 1 so that such a process is performed, when the printed medium 20 (medium piece T) separated from the conveyance path stays, the staying medium piece T can be automatically discharged to the outside of the printing apparatus 1 at an early stage without the user being aware of it.

[0052] Note that the charging unit 150 in the printing apparatus 1 of the present embodiment is not limited to the charging device 41 that negatively charges the printed medium 20 (medium piece T) by the above-described corona discharge, as long as it is possible to electrically perform a charging process that induces a Coulomb force in the attracting direction between the printed medium 20 and the lower discharge roller 11.

[0053] [Second Embodiment] In the present embodiment, with reference to FIG. 10, a configuration example of a charging unit 150 that performs a charging process for inducing a Coulomb force in the attracting direction between the printed medium 20 and the lower discharge roller 11 by charging the lower discharge roller 11 will be described.

[0054] FIG. 10 is a left cross-sectional view showing a configuration example of a part of the conveyance path of the printed medium in the printing apparatus according to the second embodiment. In FIG. 10, similar to FIG. 3, the conveyance path of the printed medium 20 in the printing apparatus 1 of the present embodiment is illustrated as a straight line. "Up", "down", "front", and "rear" in FIG. 10 respectively correspond to "up", "down", "front", and "rear" in FIGS. 1 and 2.

[0055] In the printing apparatus 1 of the present embodiment, instead of the charging device 41 exemplified in the first embodiment, as exemplified in FIG. 10, it is attached to a concave surface 304 provided at a portion of the inner surface 303 of the main body 3 facing the circumferential surface of the lower discharge roller 11, and an electrostatic generating member 12 that contacts the lower discharge roller 11 is used. The combination of the material used for the electrostatic generating member 12 and the material of the portion including the circumferential surface of the lower discharge roller 11 is such that, due to the friction between the lower discharge roller 11 and the electrostatic generating member 12 when the lower discharge roller 11 is rotated, electrostatic charge of a polarity that attracts the printing medium 20 to the circumferential surface of the lower discharge roller 11 is generated. As an example of such a combination, for example, there is a combination in which the electrostatic generating member 12 is made of fur or wool fabric that is relatively easily charged positively, and the portion including the circumferential surface of the lower discharge roller 11 is made of a resin material such as polyvinyl chloride or polyethylene that is relatively easily charged negatively. Note that the combination of the materials of the electrostatic generating member 12 and the lower discharge roller 11 is not limited to the above and can be appropriately changed. For example, it can be selected based on a known charging series.

[0056] In the printing apparatus 1 of the present embodiment, also, as exemplified in FIG. 10, an inclined surface 4001 is provided in the staying portion 40 such that the distance from the conveyance path increases as it goes downstream in the conveyance path. When the printing apparatus 1 is installed and used in a direction in which the staying portion 40 is located below the conveyance path with such an inclined surface 4001 provided, the printed medium 20 (medium piece T) that has separated from the conveyance path slides along the inclined surface 4001 in a direction approaching the lower discharge roller 11. At this time, the staying portion 40 is configured such that the distance between the downstream end portion of the inclined surface 4001 and the circumferential surface of the lower discharge roller 11 is shorter than the distance corresponding to the thickness of the printed medium 20, thereby preventing the printed medium 20 (medium piece T) from moving further downward through the gap between the staying portion 40 and the lower discharge roller 11.

[0057] In the printing apparatus 1 of the present embodiment, when the discharge roller is operated with the printed medium 20 passing between the upper discharge roller 10 and the lower discharge roller 11 and the lower discharge roller 11 rotates, the lower discharge roller 11 is charged due to the friction between the lower discharge roller 11 and the static electricity generating member 12. As described above, when the static electricity generating member 12 is made of fur or wool fabric and the portion including the peripheral surface of the lower discharge roller 11 is made of a resin material such as polyvinyl chloride or polyethylene, the lower discharge roller 11 is charged negatively. At this time, when the printed medium 20 has paper (release paper) on one main surface and polyethylene terephthalate resin (protective film) on the other main surface as exemplified in the first embodiment, the electrical state of the printed medium 20 can be regarded as being relatively positively charged compared to the lower discharge roller 11. Therefore, for example, when the lower discharge roller 11 is charged negatively, a Coulomb force is generated in the direction in which the printed medium 20 and the lower discharge roller 11 attract each other. Therefore, similar to the printing apparatus 1 of the first embodiment, when the printed medium 20 (medium piece T) separated from the conveyance path stays, the printing apparatus 1 of the present embodiment can automatically discharge the staying medium piece T to the outside of the printing apparatus 1 early without the user being aware of it.

[0058] Further, in the printing apparatus 1 of the present embodiment, the printed medium 20 (medium piece T) that stays without performing electrical control can be discharged early, and an increase in power consumption can be suppressed. Also, a device configuration at a relatively low cost becomes possible.

[0059] Note that the static electricity generating member 12 in the printing apparatus 1 of the present embodiment may be in contact with the lower discharge roller 11 at a position different from the path that guides the printed medium 20 (medium piece T) staying in the staying portion 40 between the upper discharge roller 10 and the lower discharge roller 11, and as long as the lower discharge roller 11 can be charged by the friction with the rotating lower discharge roller 11. Therefore, the shape of the static electricity generating member 12 and the method of attaching it to the inner surface 303 of the main body portion 3 are not limited to the form exemplified in FIG. 10, and other forms may be used.

[0060] Also, the lower discharge roller 11 and the electrostatic generating member 12 in the printing apparatus 1 of the present embodiment are not limited to the configuration of always being in contact as illustrated in FIG. 10. For example, the position of the electrostatic generating member 12 may be configured to be changeable between a position in contact with the lower discharge roller 11 and a position separated from the lower discharge roller 11. In such a configuration, for example, only when performing a conveying operation of conveying the printed medium 20 after printing in the forward direction, the electrostatic generating member 12 can be brought into contact with the lower discharge roller 11 to charge the lower discharge roller 11, and the occurrence of charging failure or the like due to wear of the electrostatic generating member 12 can be delayed.

[0061] The above-described embodiments are examples shown to facilitate understanding of the invention, and the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments. The printing apparatus, the control method, and the program can be variously modified and changed without departing from the scope of the claims.

[0062] The retention portion 40 is not limited to the box shape illustrated in FIG. 3 or the shape having the inclined surface 4001 illustrated in FIG. 10, and may be other shapes. For example, an inclined surface 4001 may be provided in the retention portion 40 in the first embodiment described above with reference to FIG. 3. Further, for example, when providing the box-shaped retention portion 40 illustrated in FIG. 3, the bottom surface for receiving the printed medium 20 (media piece T) separated from the conveyance path may be provided in a direction inclined with respect to the conveyance path. Furthermore, the retention portion 40 may be, for example, a part of the main body portion 3, or may be a member detachable from the main body portion 3 that covers the periphery of the cut processing portion 9 illustrated in FIG. 2.

[0063] In addition to or instead of performing the operation for discharging the printed medium 20 (medium piece T) that has detached from the conveyance path after printing as described above with reference to FIG. 5, the operation may be performed, for example, when the power of the printing apparatus 1 is turned on or when the lid portion 4 is attached to the main body portion 3. For example, when the power of the printing apparatus 1 is turned on, after performing an operation of charging the printed medium 20 (medium piece T) or the lower discharge roller 11 and conveying the printed medium 20 on the conveyance path forward by a predetermined conveyance amount, an operation of conveying the printed medium 20 backward by the same conveyance amount may be performed. The printing apparatus 1 that performs the operation for discharging the printed medium 20 (medium piece T) that has detached from the conveyance path when the power of the printing apparatus 1 is turned on or when the lid portion 4 is attached to the main body portion 3 may be, for example, one in which the cut processing unit 9 is omitted. Even in the printing apparatus 1 in which the cut processing unit 9 is omitted, when the remaining amount of the printed medium 20 is small, the printed medium 20 conveyed forward may detach from the conveyance path and stay inside the printing apparatus 1. Therefore, even when the present invention is applied to the printing apparatus 1 in which the cut processing unit 9 is omitted, the staying medium piece T can be automatically discharged outside the printing apparatus 1 at an early stage without the user being aware of it.

[0064] The printing apparatus 1 is not limited to an apparatus that performs printing based on print data transferred from the information processing apparatus 30 as described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 4, and may be one provided with a keyboard that can be used for creating a print layout or the like and a display that displays information such as a print layout. Further, the printing apparatus 1 is not limited to the thermal type apparatus described above, and may be an apparatus of another printing method such as a thermal transfer method or an inkjet method.

[0065] Hereinafter, the invention described in the claims at the time of the original filing of the present application will be appended. [Appended Note 1] A conveyance unit that conveys a printed medium, A pair of discharge rollers that send out the printed medium toward the discharge port at the position of the discharge roller in the conveyance path of the printed medium conveyed by the conveyance unit, A charging unit that charges at least one of the printed medium and one of the pair of discharge rollers so as to induce a Coulomb force in a direction that attracts between the printed medium and the one discharge roller; comprising The printed medium separated from the conveyance path is adsorbed to the one discharge roller by the Coulomb force and discharged to the outside of the apparatus as the pair of discharge rollers rotate. A printing apparatus characterized by the above. [Appendix 2] Further comprising a cutting unit that cuts the printed medium; The position of the discharge roller is set between the cutting position where the printed medium is cut by the cutting unit and the position of the discharge port where the printed medium is discharged to the outside of the apparatus in the conveyance path. The printing apparatus according to Appendix 1, characterized by the above. [Appendix 3] A roller guard is provided between the position of the discharge roller and the position of the discharge port in the conveyance path to separate the printed medium separated from the conveyance path and adsorbed to the one discharge roller from the one discharge roller. The printing apparatus according to Appendix 1 or 2, characterized by the above. [Appendix 4] The one discharge roller is a roller having a metal layer on at least the surface in contact with the printed medium and the metal layer is grounded. The charging unit is a charging device that radiates a corona discharge to a staying unit where the printed medium separated from the conveyance path stays to charge the printed medium. The printing apparatus according to any one of Appendices 1 to 3, characterized by the above. [Appendix 5] Further comprising a printing unit that prints on the printed medium. A control unit that charges at least one of the printed medium and the one discharge roller by the charging unit when printing is performed on the printed medium by the printing unit after the printed medium is cut by the cutting unit. The printing apparatus according to any one of Appendices 2 to 4, further comprising the above. [Appendix 6] The charging processing unit is an electrostatic generating member that contacts the one discharge roller at a position different from the path that guides the printed medium that has separated from the transport path between the pair of discharge rollers, and charges the one discharge roller by friction with the rotating one discharge roller. The printing apparatus according to any one of Appendices 1 to 3, characterized in that. [Appendix 7] The one discharge roller is a discharge roller disposed below the transport path in the installation direction when the printing apparatus is operating. The printing apparatus according to any one of Appendices 1 to 6, characterized in that. [Appendix 8] A transport unit for transporting a printed medium, A pair of discharge rollers that send out the printed medium toward the discharge port at the position of the discharge roller in the transport path of the printed medium transported by the transport unit, A charging processing unit that charges at least one of the printed medium and one of the pair of discharge rollers so as to induce a Coulomb force in a direction that attracts between the printed medium and one of the pair of discharge rollers, A printing apparatus comprising: At least one of the printed medium and one of the pair of discharge rollers is charged by the charging processing unit, The printed medium that has separated from the transport path is adsorbed to the one discharge roller by the Coulomb force and discharged to the outside of the apparatus as the pair of discharge rollers rotate. A control method characterized by that. [Appendix 9] A transport unit for transporting a printed medium, A pair of discharge rollers that send out the printed medium toward the discharge port at the position of the discharge roller in the transport path of the printed medium transported by the transport unit, A charging processing unit that charges at least one of the printed medium and one of the pair of discharge rollers so as to induce a Coulomb force in a direction that attracts between the printed medium and one of the pair of discharge rollers, In a printing apparatus comprising: At least one of the printed medium and the one discharge roller is charged by the charging processing unit, the printed medium separated from the conveyance path is adsorbed to the one discharge roller by the Coulomb force and discharged to the outside of the apparatus as the pair of discharge rollers rotate A program characterized by executing the processing.

Explanation of Signs

[0066] 1 Printing apparatus 100 Control unit 101 Charging discharge control unit 120 Storage unit 121 RAM 122 ROM 130 Input unit 135 Display unit 140 Conveyance processing unit 145 Discharge processing unit 150 Charging processing unit 180 Sensor 190 Communication unit 2 Apparatus housing 3 Main body unit 301 Discharge port 302 Adapter mounting part 303 Inner surface 304 Concave surface 305 Roller guard 4 Cover unit 5 Button switch 6 Indicator 7 Platen roller 8 Printing processing unit 801 Thermal head 9 Cutting processing unit 901 First cutter 902 Second cutter 10 Upper discharge roller 11 Lower discharge roller 12 Electrostatic generation member 20 Printed medium 20s Start end 20e End end 21 Medium roll 22 Media adapter 30 Information processing device 40 Retention part 4001 Inclined surface 41 Charging device 4101 DC high-voltage power supply 4102 Electrode needle T, T2 Media pieces

Claims

1. A conveying unit that conveys the print medium; a pair of discharge rollers that feed the print medium toward a discharge outlet at a discharge roller position in a transport path of the print medium transported by the transport unit; a charging unit that charges at least one of the print medium and one of the pair of discharge rollers so as to induce a Coulomb force between the print medium and one of the pair of discharge rollers in a direction of attraction; Equipped with The print medium that has been separated from the transport path is attracted to one of the discharge rollers by the Coulomb force, and is discharged to the outside of the device as the pair of discharge rollers rotate. A printing device comprising:

2. A cutting unit that cuts the print medium, The discharge roller position is set between a cut position where the cutter cuts the print medium and the discharge port position where the print medium is discharged to the outside of the device, on the transport path.

2. The printing device according to claim 1.

3. A roller guard is provided between the discharge roller position and the discharge port position on the transport path to separate the print medium, which has been attracted to the one of the discharge rollers and has been released from the transport path, from the one of the discharge rollers.

3. The printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first and second printing units are arranged in a first direction.

4. the one discharge roller has a metal layer on at least a surface that contacts the print medium, and the metal layer is grounded; The charging unit is a charging device that charges the print medium by emitting a corona discharge to a retention portion where the print medium is retained after being separated from the transport path.

4. The printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the printing apparatus is a printer.

5. A printing unit that prints on the print medium is further provided. a control unit that charges at least one of the print medium and the one discharge roller by the charging processing unit when the print medium is printed on by the printing unit after the cut unit cuts the print medium; 5. The printing device according to claim 2, further comprising:

6. The charging unit is a static electricity generating member that contacts one of the discharge rollers at a position different from the path that guides the print medium separated from the transport path between the pair of discharge rollers and charges the one of the discharge rollers by friction with the rotating one of the discharge rollers.

4. The printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the printing apparatus is a printer.

7. The one discharge roller is a discharge roller that is disposed below the transport path in the installation direction when the printing device is operated.

7. The printing device according to claim 1, wherein the printing device is a printer.

8. A conveying unit that conveys the print medium; a pair of discharge rollers that feed the print medium toward a discharge outlet at a discharge roller position in a transport path of the print medium transported by the transport unit; a charging unit that charges at least one of the print medium and one of the pair of discharge rollers so as to induce a Coulomb force between the print medium and one of the pair of discharge rollers in a direction of attraction; A printing device comprising: the charging unit charges at least one of the print medium and the one discharge roller, The print medium that has been separated from the transport path is attracted to one of the discharge rollers by the Coulomb force, and is discharged to the outside of the device as the pair of discharge rollers rotate. A control method comprising:

9. A conveying unit that conveys the print medium; a pair of discharge rollers that feed the print medium toward a discharge outlet at a discharge roller position in a transport path of the print medium transported by the transport unit; a charging unit that charges at least one of the print medium and one of the pair of discharge rollers so as to induce a Coulomb force between the print medium and one of the pair of discharge rollers in a direction of attraction; A printing device comprising: the charging unit charges at least one of the print medium and the one discharge roller, The print medium that has been separated from the transport path is attracted to one of the discharge rollers by the Coulomb force, and is discharged to the outside of the device as the pair of discharge rollers rotate. A program characterized by executing a process.

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