Printer and paper alignment method

Abstract

To provide a printer and a sheet positioning method capable of positioning the tip of a sheet at a predetermined position.SOLUTION: A printer comprises a sensor which is arranged close to a cutter position and generates a first signal when blocked by a sheet unwound from a roll sheet, a first motor for rotating the roll sheet so that the sheet can be wound and unwound, and a control unit. The control unit detects the first signal from the sensor, supplies a reverse feed signal to the first motor until the first signal is stopped, winds the sheet on the roll sheet by the first motor, supplies a progressive feed signal to the first motor until a second signal generated when the sheet blocks the sensor again is detected by the sensor after the stop of the first signal, unwinds the sheet from the roll sheet by the first motor, and supplies an automatically fixed reverse feed signal for winding a predetermined amount of sheet on the roll sheet to the first motor when the second signal is detected.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1C

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] An embodiment of the present invention relates to a printer that uses roll paper such as receipts. [Background technology]

[0002] In a printer, a motor unrolls or pulls the paper from a roll of paper, such as a receipt, in which the paper is wound in layers, and prints the details of any transaction. This printing process is carried out by a printhead provided in the printer over the area of ​​the paper where it is desired to print. Once the printing process is completed, the paper is aligned with a cutter and cut at a location upstream of the print area of ​​the paper. A problem associated with such printers is that the printer starts printing for the next transaction without checking whether extra paper has been unrolled during the last cutting process. As a result, a significant amount of paper is routinely wasted due to the printer's lack of an automatic alignment mechanism.

[0003] The amount of rotation by the motor may vary depending on the transaction history and type of paper used in the printer. In this case, an internal error in the motor may cause the paper to slip undesirably. Additionally, wear and tear on the printer parts used for spreading may also cause excessive forward feed. This results in the aforementioned waste of paper as unused paper is ejected past the printer's cutter position. Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] SUMMARY OF THE PRESENT EMBODIMENT An object of the present invention is to provide a printer and a paper registration method that are capable of aligning the leading edge of a paper sheet to a predetermined position. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] A printer according to an embodiment includes a sensor disposed adjacent to a cutter position and generating a first signal when blocked by paper unrolled from the roll paper, a first motor that rotates the roll paper so that the paper can be wound up and unrolled, and a control unit, wherein the control unit detects the first signal from the sensor, supplies a reverse feed signal to the first motor until the first signal stops, winds the paper onto the roll paper using the first motor, and after the first signal stops, supplies a forward feed signal to the first motor until a second signal generated when the paper blocks the sensor again is detected by the sensor, unrolls the paper from the roll paper using the first motor, and when the second signal is detected, supplies an automatically fixed reverse feed signal to the first motor to wind a predetermined amount of the paper onto the roll paper. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0006] [Figure 1A] 1 is an exemplary diagram of a printer according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 1B] 1 is an exemplary diagram of a printer according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 1C] 1 is a block diagram of a printer according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 2] 6 is a timing diagram for aligning the leading edge of a receipt with the printing position of a printer according to the embodiment. FIG. [Diagram 3] 5 is a flow chart illustrating a method for aligning the leading edge of a receipt with the printing position of a printer according to the present embodiments. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0007] Hereinafter, the details of the embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In this specification and the drawings, components having substantially the same functions are denoted by the same reference numerals, and duplicated explanations will be omitted.

[0008] The present embodiment relates to a printer and method for aligning the leading edge of a printable receipt, which is a roll of paper, to a predetermined position, preferably a printing position of the printer. First, the printer can detect a first signal from a sensor located near a cutter position of the printer. The first signal is generated when the leading edge of the receipt passes the cutter position of the printer. Upon detecting the first signal, a reverse feed signal can be supplied to a first motor of the printer until the first signal is stopped. The reverse feed signal can be supplied until the first signal is stopped to wind the receipt onto a receipt roll (a roll paper body on which the receipt is wound) of the printer. Upon stopping the first signal, a forward feed signal can be supplied to the first motor until a second signal is received from the sensor.

[0009] Since the receipt may be fed backwards too far so that the leading edge of the receipt is not at the printer's print position, a forward feed signal may be provided to unroll or unwind the receipt from the receipt roll. The first motor may unroll the receipt until a second signal is generated. The second signal is generated when the sensor is blocked by the receipt due to excessive forward feeding of the receipt. Thereafter, by detecting the second signal, an automatic fixed reverse feed signal may be provided to the first motor. The fixed reverse feed may be performed to align the leading edge of the receipt at the print position. In this manner, the printer aligns the leading edge of the receipt at the print position.

[0010] As described above, receipt waste can be reduced by automatically controlling the reverse and forward feeding of receipts to align the leading edge of the receipt with the printer's print head position. In addition, because the leading edge of the receipt is automatically aligned with the printing position, manual operation is not required.

[0011] 1A and 1B are exemplary diagrams of a printer according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0012] 1A and 1B, the printer 101 may be a thermal printer, a barcode label printer, a POS receipt printer, or may be implemented in an automated teller machine (ATM). The printer 101 may be a stationary printer or a portable printer such as a handheld printer. In other words, the present invention is applicable to any printer that uses roll paper.

[0013] According to one embodiment, the printer 101 includes a sensor 102, a first motor 110 (see FIG. 1C), a second motor 111 (see FIG. 1C), a cutter 103, a receipt roll 105, and a control unit 109 (see FIG. 1C). The sensor 102 may be an analog sensor or a digital sensor. The sensor 102 is preferably a proximity sensor. As shown in FIG. 1A, the sensor 102 may be disposed close to the position of the cutter 103 of the printer 101, for example, adjacent to the cutter 103. The printer 101 also has a printing position 106 where a printable receipt 104 is printed. The receipt roll 105 as shown in FIG. 1B is a roll paper body around which the paper receipt 104 is wound, as described above, and is capable of winding and unrolling the receipt 104 for printing.

[0014] FIG. 1C is a block diagram of a printer according to this embodiment.

[0015] As shown in FIG. 1C, the sensor 102 of the printer 101 may be electrically connected to the control unit 109 of the printer 101 to control the position of the leading edge 108 of the receipt 104. Initially, the control unit 109 may receive a first signal from the sensor 102 when the receipt 104 blocks the sensor 102. The receipt 104 may block the sensor 102 when it passes the position of the cutter 103. The first signal may be generated when the printer 101 is started up, when each transaction of the printer 101 is performed, and when the printer cover 107 of the printer 101 is closed. The start-up and each transaction of the printer 101 may be recognized by the control unit 109. The opening and closing of the printer cover 107 may be detected by a sensor other than the sensor 102, and the control unit 109 may receive a signal transmitted upon detection and recognize the opening and closing of the printer cover 107.

[0016] Upon detecting the first signal, the control unit 109 can provide a reverse feed signal to the first motor 110 of the printer 101. Upon receiving the reverse feed signal, the first motor 110 can rotate the receipt roll 105 in a reverse feed direction to wind the receipt 104 onto the receipt roll 105 of the printer 101, in other words, to feed the receipt 104 in reverse.

[0017] By winding the receipt 104 onto the receipt roll 105, the receipt 104 can unblock the sensor 102. This can cause the sensor 102 to stop generating the first signal. When the first signal is stopped, the control unit 109 can stop providing a reverse feed signal to the first motor 110. As a result, the first motor 110 can stop winding the receipt 104 onto the receipt roll 105. This action causes the excess receipt 104 that has passed the position of the cutter 103 to be wound onto the receipt roll 105. However, while performing this action, a situation may arise where the leading edge 108 of the receipt 104 is not at the printing position 106. Therefore, the control unit 109 can provide a forward feed signal to the first motor 110 of the printer 101 until the second signal is received from the sensor 102. Upon receiving the forward feed signal, the first motor 110 can rotate the receipt roll 105 in a forward feed direction to unfold the receipt 104 from the receipt roll 105 of the printer 101, or in other words, forward the receipt 104. The second signal can be generated by the sensor 102 when the receipt 104 blocks the sensor 102. Upon detecting the second signal from the sensor 102, the control unit 109 can provide a fixed reverse feed signal to the first motor 110.

[0018] Upon receiving the fixed reverse feed signal, the first motor 110 can wind a predetermined amount (a predetermined number of steps) of the receipt 104 onto the receipt roll 105. This allows the first motor 110 to wind the receipt 104 onto the receipt roll 105 so that the leading edge 108 of the receipt 104 is aligned with the print position 106.

[0019] In some embodiments, the first motor 110 can be configured to perform a high speed reverse feed upon detecting the first signal, and then perform the next forward or reverse feed when the first signal stops, thereby accelerating the alignment of the leading edge 108 of the receipt 104 with the printing position 106.

[0020] In some embodiments, the control unit 109 may, upon detection of the first signal, send a control signal to the second motor 111 to lift the printer cover 107. Upon receiving the control signal, the second motor 111 may be caused to lift the printer cover 107 a predetermined distance. Lifting the printer cover 107 may ensure that the receipt 104 is not damaged in one or more ways when the receipt is wound onto the receipt roll 105 by the first motor 110.

[0021] In some embodiments, when the first signal is stopped, a control signal may be sent to the second motor 111. Upon receiving the control signal, the second motor 111 may close the printer cover 107. Once the printer cover 107 is closed, a forward feed signal may be provided to the first motor 110 to unfold the receipt 104 from the receipt roll 105.

[0022] In one embodiment, if the printer cover 107 is opened while receiving the first signal from the sensor 102, reverse feeding of the receipt 104 may be performed at a higher speed until the sensor 102 is unblocked. The first motor 110 may then operate at a lower speed to better position the receipt 104 at the print position 106.

[0023] FIG. 2 is a timing chart for aligning the leading edge of a receipt with the printing position of the printer according to this embodiment.

[0024] As shown in FIG. 2, the trigger condition 201 may be detected at least one of when the printer 101 is started up, when the printer 101 is in a transaction (e.g., after payment, receipt issuance, after disconnection), and when the printer cover 107 of the printer 101 is closed from its open position. In one embodiment, the trigger condition 201 may be set in the printer 101 in response to a user request. Then, when the receipt 104 blocks the sensor 102, a first signal is detected from the sensor 102. When the first signal 202 is detected, a reverse feed signal 205 is provided to the first motor 110 of the printer 101 to wind the receipt 104 onto the receipt roll 105 of the printer 101. The reverse feed signal 205 may be provided by the control unit 109. In one embodiment, the control unit 109 may provide a signal to the second motor 111 to lift the printer cover 107 before providing the reverse feed signal 205. Once the receipt 104 has been wound and the sensor 102 is unblocked, the first signal is stopped (203), which may stop the reverse feed signal 205 and prevent the receipt 104 from being further wound into the receipt roll 105. In one embodiment, the control unit 109 may provide a signal to the second motor 111 to close the printer cover 107 after the first signal 202 is stopped.

[0025] Additionally, when the first signal is stopped (203), a forward feed signal 206 may be provided to the first motor 110. The forward feed signal 206 may activate the first motor 110 to unroll the receipt 104 from the receipt roll 105 of the printer 101. The second signal 204 may then be detected when the receipt 104 is forwarded and blocks the sensor 102 of the printer 101. As shown in FIG. 2, when the receipt 104 blocks the sensor 102 and the second signal 204 is detected, a fixed reverse feed signal 207 may be provided to the first motor 110. The first motor 110 may wind the receipt 104 onto the receipt roll 105 a predetermined number of steps to align the leading edge 108 of the receipt 104 with the printing position 106. The printing position 106 may correspond to the print head position of the printer 101. In one embodiment, when the leading edge 108 of the receipt 104 is detected at the print position 106 , the first motor 110 may stop winding the receipt 104 onto the receipt roll 105 .

[0026] In one embodiment, after the first signal, the first motor 110 winds the receipt 104 faster than it winds the receipt 104 to align it with the print position 106 .

[0027] FIG. 3 is a flow chart showing a method for aligning the leading edge of a receipt with the printing position of a printer according to this embodiment.

[0028] As shown in FIG. 3, method 300 includes one or more steps illustrating how to align leading edge 108 of receipt 104 with print position 106 of printer 101. The order in which method 300 is described is not intended to be construed as limiting, and any number of the described method blocks can be combined in any order to implement the method. Additionally, individual blocks may be deleted from the method without departing from the spirit and scope of the subject matter described herein. Additionally, the method can be implemented in any suitable hardware, software, firmware, or combination thereof.

[0029] In step S301, the method may include the control unit 109 detecting a first signal 202 from a sensor 102 located proximate to a location of a cutter 103 of the printer 101. The first signal 202 may be generated when a receipt 104 blocks the sensor 102. The first signal 202 may be detected by detecting trigger conditions 201, such as startup of the printer 101, a transaction of the printer 101, and when the printer cover 107 of the printer 101 is closed.

[0030] In step S303, the method may include the control unit 109 providing a reverse feed signal 205 to the first motor 110 of the printer 101 in response to detecting the first signal 202. The reverse feed signal 205 may be provided until the first signal 202 is stopped (203). The receipt 104 is wound onto the receipt roll 105 of the printer 101 by the first motor 110 upon receiving the reverse feed signal 205. In one embodiment, the reverse feed signal 205 may be provided to the first motor 110 after a printer cover 107 of the printer 101 is lifted. The printer cover 107 may be lifted by a second motor 111 of the printer 101. Upon receiving the reverse feed signal 205 after the printer cover 107 has been lifted a predetermined distance, the first motor 110 may facilitate reverse feeding, or winding, the receipt 104.

[0031] In step S305, the method may include providing a forward signal 206 to the first motor 110 until the control unit 109 receives a second signal 204 from the sensor 102. The second signal 204 may be detected when the receipt 104 blocks the sensor 102. Upon receiving the forward signal 206, the receipt 104 may be caused to be unfolded from the receipt roll 105 by the first motor 110. The receipt 104 may be caused to be unfolded to align the leading edge 108 of the receipt 104 with the printing position 106. However, during the unfolding process, the receipt 104 may block the sensor 102, which causes the second signal to be generated.

[0032] In step S307, the method can include the control unit 109 providing an automatic fixed reverse feed signal 207 to the first motor 110 upon detecting the second signal 204 to align the leading edge 108 of the receipt 104 with the printing position 106. The printing position 106 can be at a printhead of the printer 101.

[0033] According to one embodiment, the receipt 104 may be unwound from the receipt roll 105 at a slower rate as opposed to the rate at which it is wound onto the receipt roll 105. This is one advantage of this embodiment.

[0034] According to one embodiment, a method and printer for aligning the leading edge of a receipt to a printing position of a printer is provided.

[0035] In one embodiment, a method is provided for automatically controlling reverse and forward receipt feeding to align the leading edge of the receipt with the printer's print head location, reducing receipt waste.

[0036] In one embodiment, the leading edge of the receipt is automatically aligned with the printing position, eliminating the need for manual intervention.

[0037] In one embodiment, a second motor is used to lift the printer cover of the printer before reversing the receipt, thus avoiding damage to the receipt during the winding operation.

[0038] In one embodiment, a second motor is used to close the printer cover on the printer before forwarding the receipts, thus avoiding clogging the printer during the unfolding operation and subsequent damage to the receipts.

[0039] Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described, these embodiments are presented as examples and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. These novel embodiments can be implemented in various other forms, and various omissions, substitutions, and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention. These embodiments and their modifications are included in the scope and spirit of the invention, and are included in the scope of the invention and its equivalents described in the claims.

Claims

1. A printer comprising: a sensor disposed adjacent to the cutter position and configured to generate a first signal when the sensor is blocked by paper unwound from the paper roll; a first motor that rotates the roll paper so that the paper can be wound and unwound; a control unit; The control unit Detecting a first signal from the sensor; a reverse feed signal is supplied to the first motor until the first signal is stopped, and the first motor winds the paper onto the roll paper; supplying a forward feed signal to the first motor until a second signal is detected from the sensor, the second signal being generated when the paper blocks the sensor again after the first signal has stopped, and causing the first motor to unroll the paper from the roll; upon detecting the second signal, providing an automatic fixed reverse feed signal to the first motor for winding a predetermined amount of the paper onto the roll of paper; When a printer cover of the printer is lifted, the reverse feed signal is supplied to the first motor. Printer.

2. a speed at which the paper is fed backward when the reverse feed signal is supplied to the first motor is greater than a speed at which the paper is fed forward when the forward feed signal is supplied to the first motor; The printer of claim 1.

3. the reverse feed of the paper caused by the reverse feed signal being supplied to the first motor is facilitated by lifting a printer cover of the printer a predetermined distance; 3. The printer according to claim 1 or 2.

4. a second motor that automatically closes the printer cover when the first signal stops. The printer according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

5. Detecting a first signal from a sensor disposed adjacent to a cutter position, the first signal being generated when the paper unrolled from the paper roll blocks the sensor; a reverse feed signal is supplied to a first motor of the printer until the first signal is stopped, and the first motor winds the paper onto the roll of paper; supplying a forward feed signal to the first motor until a second signal is detected from the sensor, the second signal being generated when the paper blocks the sensor again after the first signal has stopped, and causing the first motor to unroll the paper from the roll; upon detecting the second signal, providing an automatic fixed reverse feed signal to the first motor for winding a predetermined amount of the paper onto the roll of paper; When a printer cover of the printer is lifted, the reverse feed signal is supplied to the first motor. Paper alignment method.

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