Label printer

Abstract

To provide a label printer that can continue processing without generating unnecessary errors. [Solution] The label printer includes a transport unit for transporting long sheets of label paper, a ribbon supply unit for supplying an ink ribbon along the transport path of the label paper, a print head for transferring ink from the ink ribbon to the label paper transported to the print position and printing, an acquisition unit for acquiring a request signal for feeding the label paper to the print position, a determination unit for detecting the drive state of the ribbon supply unit driven in response to the request signal and determining whether or not there is an ink ribbon, and an output unit for outputting a stop signal to stop the ribbon supply unit and a drive signal to drive the transport unit and feed the label paper to the print position when the determination unit determines that there is no ink ribbon.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] Embodiments of the present invention relate to, for example, a label printer that prints an image such as a barcode on a long label paper.

Background Art

[0002] A label printer conveys a label paper with a plurality of labels attached to a long backing paper, and prints an image such as a barcode on each label. For example, the label printer supplies an ink ribbon along the label paper and transfers the ink to each label by a thermal head.

[0003] The label printer includes a feed key for aligning each label with the thermal head. When the feed key is pressed by an operator, the label printer detects the presence or absence of an ink ribbon, and feeds the label paper to the printing position when the ink ribbon is present.

[0004] The presence or absence of the ink ribbon is determined, for example, by rotating a ribbon motor that supplies the ink ribbon, detecting the rotation speed of the ribbon motor, and making a determination based on this detection result. That is, when the ribbon motor rotates at a normal speed, it is determined that the ribbon is present, and when it idles at a speed higher than normal, it is determined that the ribbon is absent.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0005]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0006] In the conventional label printers described above, if the ribbon motor was rotated after the feed key was pressed and it was determined that there was no ink ribbon, a ribbon error was generated, the ribbon motor was stopped, and the process was terminated without feeding the label paper. Therefore, even if the label paper feed was unrelated to the presence or absence of an ink ribbon, conventional label printers could not feed the label paper if the ink ribbon was not installed.

[0007] The problem that this invention aims to solve is to provide a label printer that can continue processing without generating unnecessary errors. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] The label printer of this embodiment includes a transport unit for transporting long label paper, a ribbon supply unit for supplying an ink ribbon along the transport path of the label paper, a print head for transferring ink from the ink ribbon to the label paper transported to the print position and printing, an acquisition unit for acquiring a request signal for feeding the label paper to the print position, a determination unit for detecting the drive state of the ribbon supply unit driven in response to the request signal and determining the presence or absence of an ink ribbon, and an output unit for outputting a stop signal to stop the ribbon supply unit and a drive signal to drive the transport unit and feed the label paper to the print position when the determination unit determines that there is no ink ribbon. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0009] [Figure 1] Figure 1 is an external perspective view showing a label printer according to an embodiment. [Figure 2] Figure 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing the internal structure of the label printer shown in Figure 1. [Figure 3] Figure 3 is a block diagram of the control system for the label printer shown in Figure 1. [Figure 4] Figure 4 is a flowchart illustrating an example of the operation of the label printer shown in Figure 1. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0010] The label printer 10 according to this embodiment will be described below with reference to the drawings. As shown in Figure 1, the label printer 10 has a roughly rectangular block-shaped housing that forms the outer shell of the device. The housing includes a left housing 11 and a right housing 12 when viewed from the operating side. The right housing 12 is wider than the left housing 11. The two housings 11 and 12 are combined so that their openings overlap each other. The edges where the top plates of the two housings 11 and 12 face each other are connected by two hinges 13. Therefore, by rotating the right housing 12 upward around the hinges 13, the interiors of housings 11 and 12 can be opened wide.

[0011] The front panel 14 of the left-side housing 11 includes a power switch 15, a display unit 16, and an operation unit 17. The operation unit 17 includes a plurality of operation buttons 18, including a feed key 1. The front panel 19 of the right-side housing 12 has a label issuing slot 20 for issuing labels with printed images. In this embodiment and in the claims, "printing" includes not only printing images such as patterns and barcodes, but also printing text information.

[0012] As shown in Figure 2, the inside of the housings 11 and 12 of the label printer 10 contains a holding unit 21 for holding the label roll 271, a transport unit 22 for transporting the label paper 27, a printing unit 23 for printing images on the labels, and a ribbon supply unit 25. By rotating the right-side housing 12 around the hinge 13 to open the internal space, it is possible to attach the label roll 271 to the holding unit 21, replace the ribbon rolls 411 and 431 in the ribbon supply unit 25, or perform maintenance on the various mechanical parts 21, 22, 23, and 25 of the label printer 10.

[0013] The holding unit 21 rotatably holds a label roll 271, which is a roll of long, strip-shaped label paper 27. The holding unit 21 has an axis extending in a direction perpendicular to the paper surface in Figure 2. The holding unit 21 has a structure that allows the label roll 271 to be attached to and detached from it. When the label paper 27 is pulled out to the left in the diagram, the label roll 271 rotates clockwise around the holding unit 21 in Figure 2.

[0014] Label paper 27 can be, for example, a label-peel type in which multiple labels are attached side by side to the surface of a long, strip-shaped backing, or a linerless type in which multiple labels are connected in a strip without a backing. Linerless type label paper 27 has an adhesive layer on the back and a release layer on the front that allows the adhesive layer to be peeled off. Labels can also be made from non-thermal materials that print images by transferring ink from an ink ribbon 41 using heat, or from thermal-color-developing materials that develop color when heated.

[0015] In other words, there are two types of label rolls 271: non-thermal type label rolls 271 and thermal color type label rolls 271. The non-thermal type label roll 271 is made by winding a roll of label-peel type label paper 27 (first label paper) with multiple non-thermal type labels attached to a long backing sheet, or by winding a roll of linerless type label paper 27 (first label paper) without a backing sheet, with multiple non-thermal type labels joined together. The thermal color type label roll 271 is made by winding a roll of label-peel type label paper 27 (second label paper) with multiple thermal color type labels attached to a long backing sheet, or by winding a roll of linerless type label paper 27 (second label paper) without a backing sheet, with multiple thermal color type labels joined together.

[0016] The transport unit 22 includes a transport roller 28, a pinch roller 29, frames 24 and 30, a support arm 31, a leaf spring 32, and a label sensor 7.

[0017] The transport roller 28 has a rotation axis extending in a direction perpendicular to the paper plane in Figure 2. The transport unit 22 has a transport path 26 that transports the label paper 27 drawn from the label roll 271 in a substantially horizontal direction. The frame 24 is located below the transport path 26. The frame 24 rotatably supports the transport roller 28 below the transport path 26. The label printer 10 is equipped with a transport motor 54 (Figure 3) that rotates the transport roller 28.

[0018] The pinch roller 29 has a rotation axis extending perpendicular to the plane of the paper in Figure 2. The pinch roller 29 is positioned above and opposite the transport roller 28, with the transport path 26 in between. The support arm 31 rotatably attaches the pinch roller 29 to its pivot end. The frame 30 is located above the transport path 26. The frame 30 rotatably attaches the base end of the support arm 31. The leaf spring 32 is mounted between the frame 30 and the support arm 31 and generates a restoring force that presses the pinch roller 29 against the transport roller 28.

[0019] The label sensor 7 is a transmissive sensor having a light-emitting unit and a light-receiving unit, for example, with the transport path 26 for the label paper 27 in between. The label sensor 7 is located in the transport path 26 between the transport roller 28 and the printing unit 23. The label sensor 7 detects the light transmitted through the label paper 27 and outputs a signal that reflects the increase or decrease in the amount of transmitted light accompanying the transport of the label paper 27. More specifically, the label sensor 7 emits light from the light-emitting unit toward the label paper 27, receives the light transmitted through the label paper 27 with the light-receiving unit, and outputs an electrical signal that changes according to the amount of light received (amount of transmitted light).

[0020] When the transport motor 54 rotates the transport roller 28, the label paper 27, which is sandwiched between the transport roller 29 and the transport roller 28, receives transport force from the transport roller 28 and is transported along the transport path 26, and the label paper 27 is pulled out from the label roll 271. At this time, the label printer 10 detects the leading or trailing end of each label in the transport direction based on the signal output from the label sensor 7, and rotates and stops the transport motor 54 based on this detection result, thereby transporting (feeding) the labels to be printed to the printing position.

[0021] The conveyance path 26 of the label paper 27 starts from the location where the label paper 27 is drawn out from the label roll 271 attached to the holding part 21. The conveyance path 26 passes through the position where the pinch roller 29 and the conveyance roller 28 contact each other in the conveyance part 22. The conveyance path 26 passes through the position where the printing head 33 of the printing part 23 and the platen roller 34 contact each other. The end of the conveyance path 26 is the label issuing port 20. When using a label paper of the label peeling type with a plurality of labels pasted on the base paper, only the labels peeled from the base paper can be issued from the label issuing port 20.

[0022] The printing part 23 includes a printing head 33, a platen roller 34, and a holding arm 36.

[0023]

[0024]

[0025]

[0026] The platen roller 34 has a rotation axis extending in a direction orthogonal to the paper surface in FIG. 2. The frame 24 of the conveyance part 22 below the conveyance path 26 rotatably supports the platen roller 34 below the conveyance path 26. The label printer 10 includes a platen motor 53 (FIG. 3) that rotates the platen roller 34. The platen roller 34 and the platen motor 53 function as a part of the conveyance part 22 that conveys the label paper 27. The printing head 33 is located at a position facing above the platen roller 34 with the conveyance path 26 in between. The printing head 33 is, for example, a thermal head including a plurality of heating elements arranged in a direction orthogonal to the paper surface in FIG. 2. The ink ribbon 41 and the label paper 27 pass through the conveyance path 26 between the platen roller 34 and the printing head 33 in a vertically overlapping state. The holding arm 36 is arranged above the conveyance path 26 and has the printing head 33 at the tip of the swing. The frame 40 of the ribbon supply part 25 arranged above the conveyance path 26 rotatably supports the base end part of the swing of the holding arm 36. When the holding arm 36 is swung with respect to the frame 40, the printing head 33 can be separated from and contacted with the platen roller 34.The ribbon supply unit 25 is located above the transport path 26. The ribbon supply unit 25 comprises a feed shaft 37, a winding shaft 38, a ribbon end sensor 39, and a frame 40.

[0027] The feed shaft 37 is a shaft that extends perpendicular to the paper plane in Figure 2, and detachably holds a ribbon roll 411 in which an unused ink ribbon 41 is wound into a roll. When the feed shaft 37 is rotated clockwise in Figure 2, the ink ribbon 41 is fed out from the ribbon roll 411.

[0028] The frame 40 is equipped with a guide roller 42 that winds and guides the ink ribbon 41 fed from the ribbon roll 411. The guide roller 42 has a rotation axis that extends in a direction perpendicular to the paper plane in Figure 2 and is mounted on the frame 40 so as to be freely rotatable.

[0029] The winding shaft 38 is a shaft that extends perpendicular to the paper plane in Figure 2, and detachably holds the ribbon roll 431, which is a roll of used ink ribbon 43 that has passed through the print head 33. When winding up the used ink ribbon 43, the winding shaft 38 is rotated clockwise in Figure 2.

[0030] Between the print head 33 and the winding shaft 38 is a guide roller 44 that guides the used ink ribbon 43 around it. The guide roller 44 has a rotation axis that extends in a direction perpendicular to the paper plane in Figure 2 and is mounted so as to be freely rotatable relative to the frame 40.

[0031] The label printer 10 includes a feed motor 55 (Figure 3) for rotating the feed shaft 37 and a take-up motor 56 (Figure 3) for rotating the take-up shaft 38. The ribbon supply unit 25 drives the feed motor 55 and the take-up motor 56 to supply the ink ribbon 41 along the transport path 26 of the label paper 27 and to wind up the used ink ribbon 43. The ink ribbon 41 passes between the platen roller 34 and the print head 33 while overlapping the label paper 27.

[0032] The transport path 45 for the ink ribbons 41 and 43 begins at the point where the ink ribbon 41 is fed from the ribbon roll 411 attached to the feed shaft 37. The transport path 45 passes through a position where it is in contact with the guide roller 42, and then through the ribbon end sensor 39 and the print head 33. Finally, the transport path 45 passes through the guide roller 44 and ends at the point where the ink ribbon 43 is wound up by the winding shaft 38.

[0033] The ribbon end sensor 39 detects the end of the ink ribbon 41. The ribbon end sensor 39 is located between the feed shaft 37 that feeds out the ink ribbon 41 and the printing unit 23. The ribbon end sensor 39 is, for example, a reflective sensor equipped with a light-emitting element and a light-receiving element. Alternatively, the ribbon end sensor 39 may be a transmissive sensor, or a sensor that mechanically detects the end of the ink ribbon 41.

[0034] In addition, the label printer 10 is equipped with a label release plate 35 located adjacent to the transport path 26 downstream of the printing unit 23. When using label paper of the label release type, in which multiple labels are attached to a backing sheet, the label release plate 35 peels the labels from the backing sheet. After the labels have been peeled off, the backing sheet can be wound up by a winding mechanism (not shown). In this case, the label paper 27 is wound around the platen roller 34 and bent, and the label release plate 35, positioned outside this bent position, peels the labels from the backing sheet. After being peeled off the backing sheet, the labels are issued from the label issuing slot 20.

[0035] Furthermore, the label printer 10 is equipped with a cutter 5 upstream of the label issuing slot 20 for cutting long, linerless label paper 27 between multiple labels. When using linerless label paper 27, which consists of multiple labels joined together in a strip without a backing sheet, the label paper 27 is cut by the cutter 5 just before reaching the label issuing slot 20. The labels, cut one by one by the cutter 5, are then issued through the label issuing slot 20.

[0036] Furthermore, in the label printer 10 described above, when a non-thermal type label roll 271 is mounted in the holding unit 21 and the ink transfer print mode is executed, the transport unit 22 pulls the label paper 27 from the label roll 271 and transports it along the transport path 26, the ribbon supply unit 25 supplies the ink ribbon 41 on top of the label paper 27, the print head 33 transfers the ink from the ink ribbon 41 to the labels to be printed on the label paper 27, and prints the desired image on each label of the label paper 27. Also, in the label printer 10 described above, when a thermal color type label roll 271 is mounted in the holding unit 21 and the thermal color print mode is executed, the transport unit 22 pulls the label paper 27 from the label roll 271 and transports it along the transport path 26, the print head 33 develops color in the thermal layer of the labels to be printed, and prints the desired image on each label of the label paper 27.

[0037] Next, we will describe the control system that controls the operation of the label printer 10.

[0038] As shown in Figure 3, the label printer 10 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 100, ROM (Read Only Memory) 46, RAM (Random Access Memory) 47, non-volatile memory 57, and data storage 58. The CPU 100 is connected via buses and interfaces to the ROM 46, RAM 47, non-volatile memory 57, and data storage 58, as well as a communication interface 48, a display controller 49, an operation unit controller 50, a head driver 51, a motor driver 52, a label sensor 7, a ribbon end sensor 39, an actuator 6, and a detection unit 8. In Figure 3, "interface" is abbreviated as "I / F".

[0039] ROM 46 stores the program executed by the label printer 10 and various data. RAM 47 is a temporary memory for deployment that stores the program and data when the CPU 100 executes the above-mentioned programs. Non-volatile memory 57 stores operation history, etc. Data storage 58 stores print data, etc. Communication interface 48 connects the label printer 10 to a host computer (not shown) and controls data communication between the label printer 10 and the host computer. For example, the host computer sends print data (or print commands) to the data storage 58 via the communication interface 48. Print data may also be input via the operation unit 17. The communication interface 48 can be, for example, USB, RS-232C, RAN, etc.

[0040] The display controller 49 is connected to the display unit 16. The operation unit controller 50 is connected to the operation unit 17. The head driver 51 is connected to the print head 33. The head driver 51 switches the power supply to the heating element of the print head 33 on and off based on the print data, thereby thermally transferring the print image (picture) to each label on the label paper 27. The actuator 6 drives the cutter 5.

[0041] The motor driver 52 is connected to a platen motor 53, a transport motor 54, a feed motor 55, and a winding motor 56. The platen motor 53 rotates the platen roller 34 of the printing unit 23. The transport motor 54 rotates the transport roller 28 of the transport unit 22. The feed motor 55 rotates the feed shaft 37 of the ribbon supply unit 25. The winding motor 56 rotates the winding shaft 38 of the ribbon supply unit 25. Hereinafter, the feed motor 55 and the winding motor 56 may be collectively referred to as ribbon motors 55 and 56.

[0042] The detection unit 8 includes, for example, a light-shielding plate attached to the rotating shafts of the ribbon motors 55 and 56, a light-emitting unit that emits light rays passing through the light-transmitting holes of the light-shielding plate, and a light-receiving unit that receives the light rays that have passed through the light-transmitting holes. The detection unit 8 receives the light rays that have passed through the light-transmitting holes of the rotating light-shielding plate and detects the rotation speed of the ribbon motors 55 and 56 based on the number of times the light rays are received per unit time by the light-receiving unit.

[0043] The program executed by the label printer 10 is provided pre-installed in a ROM 46 or the like. The program executed by the label printer 10 according to this embodiment may also be provided as an installable or executable file recorded on a computer-readable recording medium such as a CD-ROM, flexible disk (FD), CD-R, or DVD (Digital Versatile Disk). Furthermore, the program executed by the label printer 10 according to this embodiment may be stored on a computer connected to a network such as the Internet and provided by downloading it via the network. Alternatively, the program executed by the label printer 10 according to this embodiment may be provided or distributed via a network such as the Internet.

[0044] As shown in Figure 3, the CPU 100 (processor) includes modules such as an acquisition unit 2, a determination unit 3, an output unit 4, a print control unit 68, and a motor control unit 69. The CPU 100 loads a program from a storage medium such as ROM 46 onto the main memory (e.g., RAM 47) and executes the program to realize the functions of the acquisition unit 2, determination unit 3, output unit 4, print control unit 68, motor control unit 69, etc. The functions of each part 2, 3, 4, 68, and 69 of the CPU 100 will be described below.

[0045] The acquisition unit 2 acquires a request signal requesting the feeding of the label paper 27. Since the label paper 27 consists of multiple labels arranged in the longitudinal direction, it is necessary to correctly align the labels to be printed to the printing position, for example, after the print head 33 is moved in and out of contact with the platen roller 34 or after processing a transport error of the label paper 27. Here, the transport operation of the label paper 27 to align the labels to be printed to the printing position is referred to as feeding.

[0046] When the operator inputs the feed key 1, the acquisition unit 2 receives it as a request signal to feed the label paper 27. The acquisition unit 2 also receives a feed request command from the host computer as a request signal to feed the label paper 27.

[0047] The determination unit 3 first detects the drive state of the ribbon supply unit 25, which is driven in response to the request signal acquired by the acquisition unit 2. Then, based on this detection result, the determination unit 3 determines whether or not the ink ribbon 41 is present. The drive state of the ribbon supply unit 25 referred to here is, for example, the number of rotations per unit time of the feed motor 55 and / or the number of rotations per unit time of the winding motor 56.

[0048] The determination unit 3 determines that a ribbon is present if the detected rotational speed of the ribbon motors 55 and 56 is the normal rotational speed when supplying the ink ribbon 41. The determination unit 3 also determines that a ribbon is absent if it detects a relatively high rotational speed that occurs when the ribbon motors 55 and 56 are spinning idly without an ink ribbon. Specifically, the determination unit 3 determines that an ink ribbon is present if the detected rotational speed of the ribbon motors 55 and 56 is below a predetermined threshold, and determines that an ink ribbon is absent if it exceeds the threshold.

[0049] The output unit 4, after the feed key 1 is input by the operator and the feed motor 55 and take-up motor 56 are driven, outputs a stop signal to stop the feed motor 55 and take-up motor 56 and a drive signal to feed the label paper 27 to the printing position if the determination unit 3 determines that there is no ink ribbon. Also, the output unit 4, after the feed key 1 is input by the operator and the feed motor 55 and take-up motor 56 are driven, outputs a drive signal to feed the label paper 27 to the printing position without outputting a stop signal to stop the feed motor 55 and take-up motor 56 if the determination unit 3 determines that there is an ink ribbon.

[0050] For example, in response to an ink transfer print mode input received by the operation unit 17, the print control unit 68 receives print data via the communication interface 48 or the operation unit controller 50, controls the operation of the print head 33 via the head driver 51, transfers the ink from the ink ribbon 41 to the label paper 27 pulled out from the loaded non-thermal type label roll 271, and prints an image based on the print data.

[0051] Furthermore, in response to the input of a thermal color print mode received by the operation unit 17, the print control unit 68, upon receiving print data via the communication interface 48 or the operation unit controller 50, controls the operation of the print head 33 via the head driver 51, causing the thermal layer of the label paper 27 pulled out from the loaded thermal color type label roll 271 to develop color and print an image based on the print data.

[0052] The motor control unit 69 controls the rotational drive of the platen motor 53, transport motor 54, feed motor 55, and winding motor 56, which are necessary for transferring the print data to the label paper 27, via the motor driver 52.

[0053] Furthermore, some of the various functions realized by the CPU 100 executing programs may be realized by hardware circuits such as ASICs (Application Specific Integrated Circuits), DSPs (Digital Signal Processors), FPGAs (Field-Programmable Gate Arrays), and GPUs (Graphics Processing Units). In this case, the CPU 100 controls the functions executed by the hardware circuits.

[0054] Next, an example of the operation of the label printer 10 described above will be explained with reference to Figure 4. For example, when the feed key 1 is pressed by the operator, the control unit controller 50 outputs a request signal to feed the label paper 27 to the printing position in response to the press of the feed key 1. When the acquisition unit 2 acquires this request signal (Act1; YES), the label printer 10 moves to Act2 and controls the motor driver 52 to rotate the feed motor 55 and the take-up motor 56 of the ribbon supply unit 25. Here, regardless of the contents of the operation history, the motor driver 52 rotates the feed motor 55 and the take-up motor 56 of the ribbon supply unit 25 in order to detect the presence or absence of the ink ribbon 41. For example, the operation history includes information such as the print date and time, the print mode type, and the number of prints. Note that the operation history only needs to include the history of the most recent print operation. The history of the most recent print operation indicates whether the most recent print mode was ink transfer print mode or thermal color print mode.

[0055] After rotating the ribbon motors 55 and 56 in Act 2, the determination unit 3 detects the rotation speed of the ribbon motors 55 and 56 via the detection unit 8, and determines the presence or absence of the ink ribbon 41 based on this detection result (Act 3). At this time, in Act 3, the determination unit 3 determines that there is an ink ribbon if the detected rotation speed is below a predetermined threshold, and determines that there is no ink ribbon if the detected rotation speed exceeds this threshold.

[0056] In Act 3, if the determination unit 3 determines that there is no ink ribbon (Act 3; NO), the output unit 4 outputs a stop signal to stop the ribbon motors 55 and 56 of the ribbon supply unit 25, and also outputs a drive signal to feed the label paper 27 to the printing position. The label printer 10 then controls the motor driver 52 based on the stop signal and drive signal output by the output unit 4 to stop the ribbon motors 55 and 56 (Act 4), and rotates the platen motor 53 and transport motor 54 to feed the label paper 27 to the printing position (Act 5). The CPU 100 also updates the operation history stored in the non-volatile memory 57 in response to the determination of no ink ribbon and the feeding of the label paper 27, and records the thermal color print mode as the most recent operation history.

[0057] In Act 3, if the determination unit 3 determines that there is an ink ribbon (Act 3; YES), the output unit 4 outputs a drive signal to rotate the platen motor 53 and the transport motor 54 without outputting a stop signal to stop the ribbon motors 55 and 56. Then, the label printer 10 controls the motor driver 52 based on the drive signal output by the output unit 4 to rotate the platen motor 53 and the transport motor 54 and feed the label paper 27 to the printing position (Act 5).

[0058] According to the above example of operation, even if the ribbon rolls 411 and 431 are not installed and the feed key 1 is pressed, the label paper 27 can be fed to the printing position without generating a ribbon-less error. In other words, according to the above example of operation, when performing a feed that is unrelated to the presence or absence of the ink ribbon 41, processing can be continued without generating unnecessary errors such as ribbon errors.

[0059] Next, we will explain the operation according to the print mode. When the feed in Act 5 of Figure 4 is completed, and the non-thermal type label roll 271 and ribbon rolls 411 and 431 are loaded into the label printer 10 and the ink transfer print preparation is complete, the operation unit 17 receives input for the ink transfer print mode and print execution, and the operation unit controller 50 specifies the ink transfer print mode and print execution. The output unit 4 outputs drive signals to drive the platen motor 53, transport motor 54, feed motor 55, and winding motor 56 based on the specified ink transfer print mode, and these platen motor 53, transport motor 54, feed motor 55, and winding motor 56 rotate. The ribbon supply unit 25 supplies the ink ribbon 41 drawn from the ribbon roll 411 to the print position, and the transport unit 22 transports the label paper 27 drawn from the label roll 271 through the print position. The print head 33 transfers ink from the ink ribbon 41 to each label of the non-thermal type label paper 27 according to the specified ink transfer print mode, and prints an image based on the print data.

[0060] The output unit 4 outputs a signal to update the operation history stored in the non-volatile memory 57 in accordance with the printing operation in ink transfer print mode. The CPU 100 updates the print mode of the most recent operation history to ink transfer print mode in response to this update signal.

[0061] Alternatively, when Act 5's feed is complete, if the thermal-type label roll 271 is loaded into the label printer 10 and the printer is ready for thermal color printing, the operation unit 17 receives input for the thermal color printing mode and print execution, and the operation unit controller 50 specifies the thermal color printing mode and print execution. The output unit 4 outputs a drive signal to drive the platen motor 53 and the transport motor 54 based on the specified thermal color printing mode, causing the platen motor 53 and the transport motor 54 to rotate. In this case, the feed motor 55 and the take-up motor 56 do not rotate, so the ink ribbon 43 is not supplied. The transport unit 22 transports the label paper 27 pulled from the label roll 271 through the print position. The print head 33 thermally colors each label on the thermal-type label paper 27 according to the specified thermal color printing mode and prints an image based on the print data.

[0062] The output unit 4 outputs a signal to update the operation history stored in the non-volatile memory 57 in accordance with the printing operation in thermal color print mode. The CPU 100 updates the print mode of the most recent operation history to thermal color print mode in response to this update signal.

[0063] Furthermore, after Act 5's feed is complete, if the operation unit 17 accepts a print execution input without accepting a print mode input, the operation unit controller 50 specifies print execution without specifying a print mode. In this case, the output unit 4 outputs a drive signal corresponding to the print mode indicated by the most recent print operation history stored in the non-volatile memory 57.

[0064] If the print mode indicated by the previous print operation history is the ink transfer print mode, the output unit 4 outputs drive signals to drive the platen motor 53, transport motor 54, feed motor 55, and winding motor 56 according to the ink transfer print mode. Similarly, the print head 33 transfers the ink from the ink ribbon 41 to each label on the label paper 27 according to the ink transfer print mode indicated by the previous print operation history, and prints an image based on the print data. The CPU 100 updates the operation history stored in the non-volatile memory 57 according to the printing operation in ink transfer print mode.

[0065] Furthermore, if the print mode indicated by the previous print operation history is the thermal color print mode, the output unit 4 outputs a drive signal to drive the platen motor 53 and the transport motor 54 according to the thermal color print mode. Similarly, the print head 33 prints an image based on the print data by thermal coloring each label of the thermal color type label paper 27 according to the thermal color print mode indicated by the previous print operation history. The CPU 100 updates the operation history stored in the non-volatile memory 57 according to the printing operation in thermal color print mode.

[0066] Thus, if no print mode is specified via the control unit 17, the CPU 100 will specify a print mode based on the previous operation history and output a drive signal corresponding to the specified print mode. This allows the operator to print using the same print mode as the previous time without having to specify the print mode via the control unit 17 each time.

[0067] Furthermore, as shown in Figure 4, when the CPU 100 receives a feed request, it executes the feed operation regardless of the operation history. This allows the feed motor 55 and the winding motor 56 to rotate to check for the presence or absence of the ink ribbon 41, and in either case, whether the ink ribbon 41 is present or absent, the feed operation can be completed without causing any operational errors along the way.

[0068] While embodiments of the present invention have been described, these embodiments are presented as examples only and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. The embodiments described above can be implemented in various other forms, and various omissions, substitutions, and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention. The embodiments described above are included in the scope and spirit of the invention, as well as in the claims and their equivalents.

[0069] A summary of the embodiments is provided below. [1] A transport unit for transporting long labels, A ribbon supply unit that supplies an ink ribbon along the transport path of the label paper, A print head that transfers ink from the ink ribbon to the label paper transported to the printing position to print an image, An acquisition unit that acquires a request signal requesting the feeding of the label paper to the printing position, A determination unit that detects the drive state of the ribbon supply unit driven in response to the request signal and determines whether or not the ink ribbon is present, The determination unit determines that there is no ink ribbon and outputs a stop signal to stop the ribbon supply unit and a drive signal to drive the transport unit to feed the label paper to the printing position. A label printer that has the following features. [2] The output unit outputs the drive signal without outputting the stop signal when the determination unit determines that there is an ink ribbon. [1] The label printer described above. [3] The determination unit detects the rotational speed per unit time of the ribbon motor that supplies the ink ribbon, and determines that there is no ink ribbon if the detected rotational speed exceeds a predetermined threshold that is higher than the rotational speed when the ink ribbon is being supplied. [1] The label printer described above. [4] The print head is a thermal head, and depending on the ink transfer print mode, it transfers the ink from the ink ribbon onto a non-thermal type first label paper that is transported to print an image, and depending on the thermal color print mode, it prints an image by thermal coloring onto a second thermal color type label paper that is transported. [2] The label printer described below. [5] The system includes a feed key for requesting the aforementioned feed, The acquisition unit acquires the input of the feed key as the request signal. [1] The label printer described above. [6] It is equipped with an interface for sending and receiving signals to and from external devices, The acquisition unit acquires a command requesting the feed transmitted from the external device via the interface as the request signal. [1] The label printer described above. [7] The output unit outputs an update signal to update the print mode in the operation history to the ink transfer print mode, in accordance with the printing operation using the ink transfer print mode. [4] The label printer described below. [8] The output unit outputs an update signal to update the print mode in the operation history to the thermal color print mode in response to the printing operation using the thermal color print mode. [4] The label printer described below. [9] The output unit, when it receives a print execution input without accepting a print mode input, outputs a drive signal corresponding to the print mode in the operation history based on the previous print operation. [4] The label printer described below.

[10] An acquisition unit that acquires a request signal requesting the feeding of a long label paper to the printing position, A determination unit detects the drive state of a ribbon supply unit that supplies an ink ribbon to the printing position in response to the request signal and determines whether or not the ink ribbon is present, The determination unit determines that there is no ink ribbon and outputs a stop signal to stop the ribbon supply unit and a drive signal to feed the label paper to the printing position, A printer control device having

[11] The output unit outputs the drive signal without outputting the stop signal when the determination unit determines that there is an ink ribbon.

[10] The printer control device described above.

[12] The printer is controlled to transport a non-thermal type first label paper according to the ink transfer print mode, transfer the ink from the ink ribbon to the first label paper and print an image, and to transport a thermal color type second label paper according to the thermal color print mode and print an image by thermal coloring the second label paper.

[11] The printer control device described above.

[13] The acquisition unit acquires the request signal when the printer's feed key is pressed.

[10] The printer control device described above.

[14] The acquisition unit acquires the request signal when it receives a command from an external device to request the feed.

[10] The printer control device described above.

[15] The determination unit detects the rotational speed per unit time of the ribbon motor that supplies the ink ribbon, and determines that there is no ink ribbon if the detected rotational speed exceeds a predetermined threshold that is higher than the rotational speed when the ink ribbon is being supplied.

[10] The printer control device described above.

[16] The output unit outputs an update signal to update the print mode in the operation history to the ink transfer print mode, in accordance with the printing operation using the ink transfer print mode.

[12] The printer control device described above.

[17] The output unit outputs an update signal to update the print mode in the operation history to the thermal color print mode in response to the printing operation using the thermal color print mode.

[12] The printer control device described above.

[18] The output unit, when it receives a print execution input without accepting a print mode input, outputs a drive signal corresponding to the print mode in the operation history based on the previous print operation.

[12] The printer control device described above. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0070] 1...Feed key, 2...Acquisition unit, 3...Determination unit, 4...Output unit, 8...Detection unit, 10...Label printer, 17...Operation unit, 18...Operation buttons, 22...Transport unit, 23...Printing unit, 25...Ribbon supply unit, 27...Label paper, 41...Ink ribbon, 46...ROM, 47...RAM, 48...Communication interface, 55, 56...Ribbon motor, 57...Non-volatile memory, 100...CPU.

Claims

1. A transport unit for transporting long labels, A ribbon supply unit that supplies an ink ribbon along the transport path of the label paper, A print head that transfers ink from the ink ribbon to the label paper transported to the printing position to print an image, An acquisition unit that acquires a request signal requesting the feeding of the label paper to the printing position, A determination unit that detects the drive state of the ribbon supply unit driven in response to the request signal and determines whether or not the ink ribbon is present, The determination unit determines that there is no ink ribbon and outputs a stop signal to stop the ribbon supply unit and a drive signal to drive the transport unit to feed the label paper to the printing position. A label printer that has the following features.

2. The output unit outputs the drive signal without outputting the stop signal when the determination unit determines that there is an ink ribbon. The label printer according to claim 1.

3. The determination unit detects the rotational speed per unit time of the ribbon motor that supplies the ink ribbon, and determines that there is no ink ribbon if the detected rotational speed exceeds a predetermined threshold that is higher than the rotational speed when the ink ribbon is being supplied. The label printer according to claim 1.

4. The print head is a thermal head, and depending on the ink transfer print mode, it transfers the ink from the ink ribbon onto a non-thermal type first label paper that is transported to print an image, and depending on the thermal color print mode, it prints an image by thermal coloring onto a second thermal color type label paper that is transported. The label printer according to claim 2.

5. The output unit outputs an update signal to update the print mode in the operation history to the predetermined print mode, in accordance with the printing operation in the predetermined print mode. The label printer according to claim 4.

Images