printer

Abstract

To provide a technology capable of accurately setting paper width.SOLUTION: A printer 1 for forming an image on a roll sheet includes: a casing 10 accommodating the roll sheet; a pair of paper guides 40 which are arranged in the casing 10, are each configured to be movable along a width direction of the roll sheet, and hold the roll sheet in between being spaced from each other in the width direction; sensors 121-124 for detecting respective positions of the pair of paper guides 40; and a processor for determining a width of the roll sheet based on detection results of the sensors 121-124.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 6

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] FIELD OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a printer. [Background technology]

[0002] In conventional printers that form images on roll paper, such as plain paper or thermal paper, the widthwise movement of the roll paper is restricted by a paper guide. Therefore, when loading roll paper into a printer, the user must manually move the paper guide after placing the roll paper inside the printer. After moving the paper guide, the user must manually set the width of the loaded roll paper in the printer.

[0003] Manual paper width setting by the user can lead to input errors and other errors. If the paper width is set incorrectly, the printer may not be able to perform at its full potential, resulting in problems such as reduced print quality and the inability to detect when the roll paper is low. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2020-164296 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] The problem to be solved by the embodiments of the present invention is to provide a technique that enables accurate setting of the paper width. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] One embodiment is a printer that forms an image on roll paper, and includes a housing that contains the roll paper, a pair of guides that are provided within the housing and are each configured to be movable along the width direction of the roll paper, spaced apart in the width direction and holding the roll paper between them, a detection unit that detects the positions of each of the pair of guides, and a processor that determines the width of the roll paper based on the detection results of the detection unit. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0007] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic perspective view showing a printer according to an embodiment. [Figure 2] FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a printer with a cover open according to an embodiment. [Figure 3] FIG. 1 is a plan view showing a printer according to an embodiment. [Figure 4] 10A and 10B are diagrams illustrating a paper guide in a holding state according to an embodiment. [Figure 5] 10A and 10B are diagrams illustrating a paper guide in a moving state according to an embodiment. [Figure 6] 10A and 10B are diagrams illustrating movement and fixed positions of a pair of paper guides according to an embodiment. [Figure 7] FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a printer according to an embodiment in which a pair of paper guides are narrowed together. [Figure 8] FIG. 1 is a plan view showing a printer according to an embodiment in which roll paper is set with a pair of paper guides narrowed together. [Figure 9] FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA in FIG. 8. [Figure 10] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a control system of the printer according to the embodiment. [Figure 11] 10 is a flowchart illustrating an operation of a paper setting process according to the embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0008] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In each drawing, the same components are designated by the same reference numerals.

[0009] (Printer configuration) The configuration of a printer according to this embodiment will be described. Fig. 1 is a perspective view showing a printer according to this embodiment. Fig. 2 is a perspective view showing a printer according to this embodiment with the cover open. Fig. 3 is a plan view showing a printer according to this embodiment. Note that the cover 20 has been omitted from Fig. 3 for the sake of explanation.

[0010] The printer 1 according to this embodiment, shown in Figures 1 to 3, is configured as a thermal printer that uses continuous paper, which is direct color-developing paper such as thermal paper, and prints using a direct thermal recording printing method. The printer 1 is, for example, a receipt printer. The printer 1 includes a housing 10 that houses roll paper R, which is continuous paper wound into a roll, and a cover 20 that is attached to the housing 10 and can be opened and closed. An outlet 30 for discharging the continuous paper is formed on the top surfaces of the housing 10 and the cover 20. In the following description, the diagonally lower left side of the printer 1 shown in Figure 1 will be referred to as the front of the printer 1, and the opposite side will be referred to as the rear.

[0011] The housing 10 is formed in a roughly box shape that defines a storage space that stores the roll paper R. The front side of the housing 10 protrudes upward compared to the rear side, and this portion forms part of the top surface of the printer 1. A pair of paper guides 40, each formed in a plate shape, are provided within the storage space of the housing 10. Note that only one of the pair of paper guides 40 is shown in Figure 2. The pair of paper guides 40 hold the roll paper R between them. Details of the pair of paper guides 40 will be described later.

[0012] The cover 20 is formed so as to be able to cover the upper rear surface of the housing 10. A pair of support shafts (not shown) provided at one end of the cover 20 are rotatably supported within the housing 10. The cover 20 rotates about the pair of support shafts to open and close the storage space of the housing 10.

[0013] The discharge port 30 is formed across the top surface of the housing 10 and the front surface of the cover 20. Specifically, it is formed by a notch formed on the rear side of the top surface of the housing 10 and a notch formed on the front side of the top surface of the cover 20. The discharge port 30 is formed as a recess by being recessed downward. Below the discharge port 30, a platen roller 50 is rotatably attached to the cover 20.

[0014] The platen roller 50 is a feed roller that is rotatably supported at a position facing the print head 60 (see FIG. 10) so as to press the continuous paper from the back side against the print head 60. The platen roller 50 is driven to rotate by a platen motor 51 (see FIG. 10) and transports the continuous paper unwound from the roll paper R so that it is discharged from the discharge opening 30.

[0015] The print head 60 is provided below the discharge port 30 and has multiple heating elements adjacent to each other in the width direction of the continuous paper. The print head 60 forms an image on the continuous paper by causing the multiple heating elements to generate heat in response to input pulse waves. After the image is formed by the print head 60 and the continuous paper is discharged from the discharge port 30, it is cut by a cutter unit 70 (see Figure 10) provided downstream of the platen roller 50 and the print head 60 in the transport direction of the continuous paper.

[0016] The cutter unit 70 has a fixed blade and a movable blade, and a driving device such as a motor or solenoid (not shown) moves the movable blade toward and away from the fixed blade. When the movable blade advances toward the fixed blade, the continuous paper interposed between the fixed blade and the movable blade is cut. After this cutting, the user can obtain the cut continuous paper from the outlet 30.

[0017] The pair of paper guides 40 will be described in detail below. FIG. 4 is a schematic side view showing the paper guides in a held position according to this embodiment. FIG. 5 is a schematic side view showing the paper guides in a movable position according to this embodiment. FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating the movement and fixed positions of the pair of paper guides according to this embodiment. FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing the printer in a state where the pair of paper guides are narrowed according to this embodiment. FIG. 8 is a plan view showing the printer in a state where roll paper is set and the pair of paper guides are narrowed according to this embodiment. FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA in FIG. 8. Note that in FIGS. 4 and 5, the left side of the drawings indicates the front side of the printer 1. FIG. 6 is a plan view schematically showing the pair of paper guides 40. For the sake of explanation, the cover 20 has been omitted from FIG. 8.

[0018] As shown in Figure 3, when the roll paper R is set in the storage space, the pair of paper guides 40 are in close proximity to or abut against the widthwise (left-right) edges of the roll paper R. By being in close proximity to or abutting against each other, the pair of paper guides 40 hold the roll paper R between them, restricting movement in the left-right direction. The pair of paper guides 40 are each configured as plate-like members with the same shape and function that extend in the front-to-rear direction within the storage space of the housing 10. By extending in the front-to-rear direction, the pair of paper guides 40 can hold not only the roll paper R but also the continuous paper unwound from the roll paper R between them.

[0019] As shown in FIG. 4, the paper guide 40 has a shape that tapers inward in a roughly hook-like shape at the front and expands vertically at the rear to fit the shape of the storage space, particularly the bottom wall, of the housing 10. In other words, the paper guide 40 is configured so that it can abut evenly against the floor of the storage space of the housing 10. The front end of the paper guide 40 is shaped roughly hook-like to avoid the continuous paper damper provided inside the housing 10. In other words, by reaching near the damper, the pair of paper guides 40 can restrict left-right movement of the continuous paper near the damper. When the pair of paper guides 40 abuts against the floor of the storage space as shown in FIG. 4, they are in a holding state in which they hold the roll paper R between them.

[0020] A protruding piece 402 that protrudes rearward is formed on the lower rear side of the paper guide 40. In the held state shown in Fig. 4, the protruding piece 402 is inserted into a detection space in a sensor 120 provided in the accommodation space of the housing 10. The sensor 120 will be described in detail later.

[0021] The upper rear portion of paper guide 40 protrudes upward, and has an insertion hole 401 drilled at its tip. A support shaft 140, which is provided to extend in the left-right direction within the storage space of housing 10 shown in FIG. 3, is inserted into insertion hole 401. By inserting support shaft 140 into insertion hole 401, paper guide 40 is rotatably supported on support shaft 140. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 5, paper guide 40 can rotate upward about support shaft 140. Such rotation of paper guide 40 can be easily performed by the user, for example, by grasping the front tip and pulling it upward.

[0022] When the paper guide 40 is rotated upward, the protruding piece 402 is removed from the detection space of the sensor 120. When the paper guide 40 is rotated upward in this manner and the protruding piece 402 is removed from the sensor 120, the paper guide 40 is in a moving state. In the moving state, the pair of paper guides 40 can move relatively toward and away from each other in the left-right direction along the support shaft 140.

[0023] The sensor 120 is a non-contact sensor that is C-shaped in plan view and has a light-emitting section and a light-receiving section that are spaced apart in the left-right direction. The space between the light-emitting section and the light-receiving section is the detection space described above. When the protruding piece 402 is inserted between the light-emitting section and the light-receiving section, the sensor 120 sends a detection signal as a detection result to an MPU (Micro Processing Unit) 81 (see FIG. 10 ), which will be described later. Examples of such non-contact sensors include photointerrupters and reflector-type photoelectric sensors. Note that a contact-type sensor such as a contact displacement sensor may also be used. However, considering the possibility of malfunction due to repeated contact, it is preferable to use a non-contact sensor.

[0024] In this embodiment, four sensors 120 are provided, aligned in the left-right direction and spaced apart from each other. Reference numerals 121 to 124 shown in FIG. 6 indicate sensors 120 positioned at different positions. When the sensor positions need to be distinguished, they will be referred to as sensors 121 to 124, and when they are not, they will be referred to as sensor 120 in the following description. As shown in FIG. 6, in this embodiment, one of the pair of paper guides 40 can be moved and positioned to either sensor 121 or sensor 122. In addition, the other of the pair of paper guides 40 can be moved and positioned to either sensor 123 or sensor 124.

[0025] As shown in FIG. 6 , a pair of engagement grooves 101, 102 aligned in the front-to-rear direction is provided on the floor of the storage space in front of the sensor 122. The engagement groove 101 is located behind the engagement groove 102 and is elongated in the front-to-rear direction. A pair of engagement grooves 101, 102 is also provided in front of each of the sensors 121, 123, and 124. Therefore, a total of four pairs of engagement grooves 101, 102 are formed on the floor of the storage space. In a holding state in which the protruding piece 402 is inserted into the sensor 120 located directly behind it, portions of the paper guide 40 are individually inserted into the pair of engagement grooves 101, 102. This causes the pair of engagement grooves 101, 102 to engage with one paper guide 40. This engagement restricts movement of the paper guide 40 at least in the left-to-right direction, making it possible to maintain a good holding state. In this embodiment, a protrusion 403 formed on the lower part of the guide 40 shown in FIGS. 4 and 5 engages with the engagement groove 101, and a protrusion 404 engages with the engagement groove .

[0026] The distances between the sensors 121 to 124 correspond to the different widths of roll paper R used in the printer 1. In other words, when the protruding pieces 402 are inserted into any two of the sensors 121 to 124 and the pair of paper guides 40 enters a holding state, it becomes possible to hold the roll paper R corresponding to the distance between the two sensors.

[0027] For example, the distance between sensors 121 and 124 is set so that roll paper R with a width of 80 mm can be held between the pair of paper guides 40. The distance between sensors 122 and 123 is set so that roll paper R with a width of 40 mm can be held between the pair of paper guides 40. The distance between sensors 121 and 123, and the distance between sensors 122 and 124, are each set so that roll paper R with a width of 58 mm can be held between the pair of paper guides 40. With these settings, the printer 1 of this embodiment uses the four sensors 121 to 124 to enable roll paper R of three different widths to be held between the pair of paper guides 40.

[0028] 7 to 9 show, as an example, a holding state in which a pair of paper guides 40 are positioned at sensors 122 and 124. Meanwhile, FIGS. 2 and 3 show a holding state in which a pair of paper guides 40 are positioned at sensors 121 and 124. Therefore, the roll paper R shown in FIGS. 8 and 9 is 58 mm wide, while the roll paper R shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 is 80 mm wide. It can be seen from FIGS. 2, 3, and 8 that roll paper R is securely held by the pair of paper guides 40, whether it is 58 mm wide or 80 mm wide. Note that in FIG. 7, the paper guide 40 positioned at sensor 124 has been omitted for illustrative purposes.

[0029] 9, the pair of paper guides 40 are formed so that their approximate center in the front-to-rear direction is recessed downward. By being formed in this manner, the pair of paper guides 40 can hold the roll paper R so as to cover both lower end surfaces of the roll paper R. This allows the user to grasp both upper end surfaces of the roll paper R, making it easy to set the roll paper R in the storage space of the housing 10.

[0030] (Control system configuration and operation) The configuration and operation of the control system of the printer according to this embodiment will be described below with reference to Fig. 10, which is a block diagram showing the configuration of the control system of the printer according to this embodiment.

[0031] As shown in FIG. 10, in addition to the above-mentioned MPU 81, platen motor 51, print head 60, cutter unit 70, and four sensors 120 (sensors 121 to 124), printer 1 also includes RAM (Random Access Memory) 82, ROM (Read Only Memory) 83, and communication I / F (InterFace) 84.

[0032] The communication I / F 84 communicates with a host device of the printer 1. The MPU 81 cooperates with the RAM 82 to control the platen motor 51, the print head 60, and the cutter unit 70. Through this control, the MPU 81 forms an image received from the host device via the communication I / F 84 onto continuous paper, and cuts the continuous paper after conveying it a predetermined amount.

[0033] Furthermore, the MPU 81 acquires detection signals from any two of the four sensors 120 and executes a paper width setting process that automatically sets the width of the roll paper R based on the acquired detection signals. The MPU 81 can determine which sensor acquired the detection signal. The detection signal may also contain information that uniquely identifies the sensor. The ROM 83 stores programs and data used in processing by the MPU 81. In particular, in this embodiment, it stores a paper width determination table. The paper width determination table will be described in detail later.

[0034] (How to set the paper roll R) When loading roll paper R into the printer 1 described above, the user first opens the cover 20 and moves the pair of paper guides 40 inside the housing 10 to match the width of the roll paper R they want to load. Specifically, they transition one of the pair of paper guides 40 from a held state to a movable state. After the transition, the user positions one of the paper guides 40 over one of the four sensors 121 to 124 and rotates it downward so that the protruding piece 402 is inserted into that sensor. The user then rotates one of the paper guides 40 further downward, inserting and engaging the protrusions 402, 403 into a pair of engagement grooves 101, 102 located in front of that sensor.

[0035] This engagement places one of the paper guides 40 in a retaining state. After that, if necessary, the user also transitions the other paper guide 40 from the retaining state to the moving state, positioning it at one of the four sensors 121-124 and placing it in the retaining state. When the pair of paper guides 40 are each placed in the retaining state in this way, the printer 1 according to this embodiment automatically determines the width of the roll paper R through a paper width setting process. After placing the pair of paper guides 40 in the retaining state, the user sets the roll paper R between the pair of paper guides 40.

[0036] (Paper width setting process) The paper width setting process will be described below. Fig. 11 is a flowchart showing the paper width setting process according to this embodiment. The process shown in Fig. 11 is executed at predetermined intervals after the power is turned on.

[0037] 11, the MPU 81 first determines whether or not it has received detection signals as detection results from two of the four sensors 121-124 (S101). This determination makes it possible to determine whether or not the pair of paper guides 40 are in a holding state, positioned at one of the four sensors 121-124. If it determines that it has received detection signals as detection results from two sensors (S101, YES), the MPU 81 determines whether or not the width information for the roll paper R in the printer 1 has been initialized (S102).

[0038] If initialization has been completed (S102, YES), the MPU 81 reads the paper width determination table from the ROM 83 (S103). After reading, the MPU 81 determines the width of the roll paper R based on the paper width determination table and sets the width of the roll paper R to be used in the printer 1 (S104). Specifically, the MPU 81 stores the width of the roll paper R in a storage device such as RAM 82, and sets the printing range of the print head 60 according to that width. After setting, the paper width setting process for this cycle ends.

[0039] The paper width determination table is information that associates combinations of detection signals from the four sensors 121-124 with the width of roll paper. For example, the combination of sensor 121 and sensor 124 is associated with a width of roll paper R of 80 mm. Similarly, the combination of sensors 122 and 123 is associated with a width of roll paper R of 40 mm. Furthermore, the combination of sensors 121 and 123, and the combination of sensors 122 and 124 are each associated with a width of roll paper R of 58 mm. Therefore, by referencing the paper width determination table, the MPU 81 can determine the width of roll paper R from the obtained detection results.

[0040] Note that when sensors 121 and 123 are combined, the roll paper R is positioned in the storage space toward the left as viewed from the printer 1. Similarly, when sensors 122 and 124 are combined, the roll paper R is positioned in the storage space toward the right as viewed from the printer 1. For this reason, it is preferable that the paper width determination table also associate information indicating whether the roll paper R is positioned to the left or right in the storage space with each sensor combination. By associating this information with the sensor combination, the MPU 81 can change the image formation range (printing range), for example, by controlling the heating elements of the print head 60 to be limited to either the left or right. Changing the image formation range can distribute wear on the print head 60.

[0041] If, in the processing of step S101, it is determined that detection signals have not been received as detection results from the two sensors (S101, NO), the MPU 81 initializes the set roll paper width information (S105). If detection signals have not been received as detection results from the two sensors, at least one of the pair of paper guides 40 is in a moving state. Therefore, it is highly likely that the width of the roll paper R will change. Therefore, the set roll paper width information is initialized to prepare for setting the width of the roll paper R in the next cycle or later.

[0042] Furthermore, if initialization has not been completed in step S102 (S102, NO), the paper width setting process for this cycle ends. This is because there is no change in the two detection signals acquired in the cycle immediately preceding this cycle, meaning that there is no change in the width of the roll paper R.

[0043] According to the present embodiment described above, the width of the roll paper R can be set automatically simply by moving the pair of paper guides 40 and positioning them over the sensor 120. This allows for more accurate setting than when a person sets the width manually. Also, while manually setting the width of the roll paper R takes a considerable amount of time, this embodiment allows for the setting to be completed in an extremely short time. Furthermore, because the pair of paper guides 40 are configured to be movable relative to each other, it is possible to accommodate roll paper R of various widths. Also, depending on the width, it is possible to hold the roll paper R by selectively biasing it to either the left or right.

[0044] In the embodiment described above, four sensors 120 are provided, but this is not limited to this. Three or more sensors 120 may be provided so that roll paper R of at least two different widths can be set.

[0045] Also, in the paper width setting process described above, when either of the pair of paper guides 40 is moved, the information about the width of the roll paper R is initialized. However, initialization may be omitted, and the process may instead determine whether the two acquired detection signals are from the same source as the detection signal acquired in the previous cycle. In this case, if they are the same, the paper width setting process for the current cycle ends; if they are different, the process proceeds to step S103, where the width information of the roll paper R is updated in step S104.

[0046] In this embodiment, the printer 1 is described as printing using a direct thermal recording printing method, but other methods may be used. The roll paper R does not have to be thermal paper. The roll paper R may be continuous paper with multiple labels attached consecutively at intervals, or it may have a liner.

[0047] Although an embodiment of the invention has been described, this embodiment is presented as an example and is not intended to limit the scope of the invention. This novel embodiment can be embodied in various other forms, and various omissions, substitutions, and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention. This embodiment and its modifications are included within the scope and spirit of the invention, and are also included in the invention described in the claims and their equivalents. [Explanation of symbols]

[0048] 1. Printer 10. Cabinet 40 Pair of paper guides (guides) 81 MPU (processor) 120~124 Sensor (detection part) 140 Spindle R Roll paper

Claims

1. A printer that forms an image on roll paper, a housing that houses the roll paper; a pair of guides provided within the housing, each of which is configured to be movable along the width direction of the roll paper, and which are spaced apart from each other in the width direction and hold the roll paper therebetween; a detection unit that detects the positions of each of the pair of guides; a processor that determines the width of the roll paper based on the detection result of the detection unit; Equipped with the detection unit has a plurality of sensors that detect the approaching guide when one of the pair of guides approaches the approaching guide, The plurality of sensors are spaced apart from one another in the width direction, The processor: A detection signal is acquired as a detection result from a sensor that detects one of the pair of guides and a sensor that detects the other of the pair of guides, and the width of the roll paper is determined based on the detection results and correspondence information that associates the combination of the multiple sensors with the roll paper width to be set. Based on the correspondence information and the detection result, it is further determined whether the roll paper is positioned to one side or the other side in the width direction, and if it is determined that the roll paper is positioned to one side or the other side in the width direction, an image formation range is set corresponding to the side to which the roll paper is positioned. A printer characterized by:

2. a support shaft provided in the housing, extending in the width direction and supporting each of the pair of guides so that the guides are movable and rotatable; 2. The printer of claim 1, further comprising:

Images