JP2004255732A - Method for initially setting cutter part in printer - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an initial setting method for a cutter part in a printer which is prevented from the trouble in the operation of the cutter part by eliminating the generation of cutting dust of a printing paper sheet when initially setting the cutter part. <P>SOLUTION: This initial setting method for the cutter part pays attention to carry out an initial setting operation for the cutter part after the printing paper sheet is slightly fed backward to the upstream side in its transfer direction when a power supply is on. When turning on the power supply, initial setting of the cutter part is controlled to be carried out after the printing paper sheet having its leading end part located at the cutter part is fed backward by only a predetermined length. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2004,JPO&NCIPI

Description

[0001]
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to an initial setting method of a cutter unit in a printer, and more particularly to an initial setting method of a cutter unit provided in various printers for price tags or other information display, such as a label printer and a tag printer. .
[0002]
[Prior art]
In conventional label printers and tag printers, when the power is turned on, the cutter's home position is determined by performing the cutter operation of the cutter unit for one cycle in advance before the printing operation of the printing unit. There is something.
An outline will be given based on FIG. 3 and FIG.
FIG. 3 is a schematic side view showing a main part of a conventional tag printer 1 (printer). The tag printer 1 includes a printing unit 2, a detection unit 3, a cutter unit 4, an input unit 5, a display unit, and a display unit. It has a unit 6 and a control unit 7.
[0003]
The printing unit 2 has a thermal head 8 and a platen roller 9, and rotates a plate-shaped printing paper 10 (label or tag) at a predetermined printing speed between the thermal head 8 and the rotating head of the platen roller 9. And print information of a predetermined pattern is supplied from the heating element 11 of the thermal head 8 to enable printing on the printing paper 10.
The printing paper 10 has a heat-sensitive coloring layer on its surface, and can be colored by heating. However, any type of printing paper can be used according to the method of the printing unit 2. May use an ink ribbon (not shown).
[0004]
The detection unit 3 has a sensor 12 of any type such as a reflection type or a transmission type. For example, as a detection target, a detection hole 10A or a leading end 10B of the printing paper 10 or a detection mark 10C (a virtual line in the drawing) ) Is detected.
[0005]
The cutter unit 4 has a fixed blade 13 and a movable blade 14 that reciprocates with respect to the fixed blade 13, and cuts the printed printing paper 10 transported between the blades to a predetermined length.
[0006]
The input unit 5 inputs data or commands necessary for the tag printer 1.
The display unit 6 displays data or commands necessary for the tag printer 1.
[0007]
The control unit 7 controls the entire tag printer 1, and is connected to an external personal computer 15 to enable data transmission and reception.
FIG. 4 is a block diagram of the control unit 7. The control unit 7 includes a CPU 16, a ROM 17, a RAM 18, a print control unit 19, a motor control unit 20, a sensor control unit 21, and a cutter control unit 22. , An internal interface 23, an external interface 24, and a bus 25 connecting these.
[0008]
The ROM 17 stores various software for overall control.
The RAM 18 stores various data.
The print control unit 19 controls the thermal head 8.
The motor control unit 20 controls the rotation of the platen roller 9 via a stepping motor 26.
The sensor control section 21 controls the sensor 12.
The cutter control unit 22 controls the movable blade 14 of the cutter unit 4.
[0009]
In the tag printer 1 having such a configuration, since a predetermined interval is required between the printing unit 2 and the cutter unit 4, after the cutting operation in the cutter unit 4 following the printing operation in the printing unit 2, the printing paper 10 is removed. The printing paper 10 is once back-fed to the upstream side (to the printing unit 2 side) by an interval L1 therebetween to return the leading end 10B of the printing paper 10 to the position of the heating element 11 of the thermal head 8 in the printing unit 2, and then to the printing unit By performing printing on the printing paper 10 using the printing method 2, the printing area of the printing paper 10 can be effectively used, and useless use thereof can be avoided.
Further, when the power is turned off, the position of the printing paper 10 after the operation of the cutter unit 4 is such that the leading end 10B is stopped at the position of the movable blade 14 of the cutter unit 4 as shown in the figure.
In this state, the power is turned on, the tag printer 1 is started, and the initial setting (initial setting) operation of the cutter unit 4 is performed. That is, the movable blade 14 is reciprocated by one cycle while the printing paper 10 is on the fixed blade 13.
However, the state of the printing paper 10 at the stop position of the cutter unit 4 is slightly changed each time the cutter unit 4 stops, such as protruding slightly downstream of the movable blade 14 or slightly tilting with respect to the transport direction. It is different and unstable or uncertain, and there is a problem that the initial setting operation of the cutter unit 4 slightly cuts the leading end portion 10B of the printing paper 10 to generate elongated chips 10D.
Therefore, there is a problem that the chips 10 </ b> D accumulate in a lower portion of the cutter unit 4, and a problem occurs in the operation of the cutter unit 4.
[0010]
[Patent Document 1]
JP-A-4-11448
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above-described problems, and has as its object to provide an initial setting method of a cutter unit in a printer, the cutter unit being provided in a printer that performs back-feed of printing paper.
[0012]
Another object of the present invention is to provide an initial setting method of a cutter unit in a printer which prevents generation of chips on a printing sheet at the time of initial setting of the cutter unit.
[0013]
The present invention also provides an initial setting of a cutter unit in a printer in which even if the cutter unit is driven for one cycle while the leading end of the printing paper is positioned at the cutter unit, no problem occurs in the operation of the cutter unit. It is an object to provide a method.
[0014]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
That is, the present invention focuses on the fact that when the power is turned on, the printing paper is slightly back-fed to the upstream side in the transport direction, and then the initial setting operation of the cutter unit is performed. , A detecting unit that detects the position of the printing paper, a cutter unit that cuts the printing paper printed by the printing unit to a predetermined length, and driving the cutter unit for one cycle when the power is turned on. And a control unit for controlling the cutter unit so as to perform initial setting.The method according to claim 1, wherein the control unit is configured such that when the power is turned on, the tip of the cutter unit is positioned at the cutter unit. After the specified printing paper is back-fed by a predetermined length, the cutter section is initially set. It is initial setting process of the cutter unit in the printer, characterized by.
[0015]
The control unit can feed back the printing paper toward the printing unit at a transfer speed lower than the printing speed of the printing unit when the power is turned on.
[0016]
The control unit can feed back the printing paper toward the printing unit until the detected portion of the printing paper is located at the detection unit when the power is turned on.
[0017]
When the power is turned on, the control unit back-feeds the printing paper toward the printing unit until the detected portion of the printing paper is positioned at the detection unit, and then further prints the printing paper to the printing unit. Can be fed back.
[0018]
In the initial setting method of the cutter unit in the printer according to the present invention, before the operation of the cutter unit when the power is turned on, the printing paper is slightly back-fed to the upstream side in the transport direction of the printing paper, and then the initial setting operation of the cutter unit is performed. Therefore, during the initial setting operation of the cutter unit, there is no printing paper at that portion, and no chips are generated. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the malfunction of the operation of the cutter unit.
Further, by making the transfer speed of the back feed of the printing paper slower than the normal printing speed, the printing paper can be accurately positioned at a predetermined portion of the printing section (for example, a portion of the heating element of the thermal head), and The printing position can be set accurately at the first movement.
[0019]
BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
Next, an initial setting method of the cutter unit in the printer according to the embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. However, the same parts as those in FIGS. 3 and 4 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and detailed description thereof will be omitted.
FIG. 1 is a schematic side view of a tag printer 1 mainly showing a printing unit 2, a detection unit 3 and a cutter unit 4, similarly to FIG. The plane is shown.
As illustrated, the distance between the movable blade 14 of the cutter unit 4 and the sensor 12 of the detection unit 3 is represented by L2. The distance between the sensor 12 and the heating element 11 of the thermal head 8 in the printing unit 2 is defined as L3. When the detection hole 10A is located at the position of the sensor 12 (when the sensor 12 detects the detection hole 10A), the distance between the leading end 10B of the printing paper 10 and the cutter unit 4 (the movable blade 14) is L4. I do.
[0020]
FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing a procedure of an initial setting method of the cutter unit 4. When the power is turned on and the tag printer 1 is turned on in step S <b> 1, the printing paper 10 is attached to the sensor 12 of the detection unit 3. It is determined whether or not there is (step S2).
When the printing paper 10 is detected by the sensor 12, the printing paper 10 is back-fed by a predetermined length (interval L4) in step S3, and is transported to the upstream side until the detection hole 10A is located at the sensor 12.
It is desirable that the transfer speed of the back feed be lower than the printing speed of the normal printing paper 10, so that the accuracy of setting the printing paper 10 in the printing unit 2 when the power is turned on can be improved.
[0021]
When the detection hole 10A of the printing paper 10 is detected in step S4, the cutter operation by the initial setting of the detection unit 3 is performed for one cycle in step S5, but the printing paper 10 (the leading end 10B) is located in the cutter unit 4. Therefore, no chips 10D (FIG. 3) are generated unlike the related art.
The length of the back feed in step S3 is arbitrary. When the cutter operation in step S5 is performed, the leading edge 10B of the printing paper 10 is cut by the fixed blade 13 and the movable blade 14 so that no chips 10D are generated. However, as described above, by setting the interval L4 between the leading end portion 10B of the printing paper 10 and the cutter unit 4 when the sensor 12 detects the detection hole 10A, the printing paper 10 It is possible to reliably realize that no chips 10D are generated at the site. Further, the back feed length can be defined by the number of steps of the stepping motor 26 or the number of dots for printing.
[0022]
Next, in step S6, the printing paper 10 is back-fed further upstream (to the printing unit 2).
When the leading end 10B of the printing paper 10 is detected in step S7, the back feed is further performed in step S8.
In this state, the printing paper 10 is back-fed by the interval L3, and the leading end 10B of the printing paper 10 is located at the position of the heating element 11 of the thermal head 8 in the printing unit 2. In the conventional setting operation described with reference to FIG. 3, after the initial setting of the cutter unit 4 has been completed, the printing paper 10 needs to be back-fed to the printing unit 2. However, in the present invention, the initial setting of the cutter unit 4 is required. The printing paper 10 can be set on the printing unit 2 together with the setting.
[0023]
That is, as described above, after the setting of the printing unit 2 and the cutter unit 4 is completed, a predetermined printing operation (step S9) and a cutter operation (step S10) are performed as a normal operation by receiving a print signal. Do.
Note that, after the initial cut operation of the cutter unit 4 in step S5, the supply of a print signal is waited, and after the print signal is received, the back feed in steps S6 to S8 is performed, and the process proceeds to the print operation in step S9. Can also be controlled.
[0024]
If the printing paper 10 is not present in step S2, the printing paper 10 is front-fed to the downstream side in step S11, and it is determined whether or not the printing paper 10 is present in step S12. If an error occurs (step S13), the process proceeds to step S8 if the printing paper 10 is present.
[0025]
Thus, as described in step S5 and step S6, when the cutter initial operation of the cutter unit 4 is performed, there is no printing paper 10 at the movable blade 14, and the cutting of the printing paper 10 as in the related art is performed. Debris 10D is not generated, and it is also possible to prevent the operation of the cutter unit 4 from being defective.
[0026]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, according to the present invention, the timing of the back feed of the printing paper is set earlier than the timing of the initial setting of the cutter unit, so that the problem of the cutter unit can be avoided without generating chips of the printing paper. it can.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a view for explaining an initial setting method of a cutter unit in a printer according to an embodiment of the present invention, and schematically shows a tag printer 1 mainly showing a printing unit 2, a detection unit 3 and a cutter unit 4; It is a side view.
FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing a procedure of an initial setting method of the cutter unit 4;
FIG. 3 is a schematic side view showing a main part of a conventional tag printer 1.
FIG. 4 is a block diagram of the control unit 7;
[Explanation of symbols]
1 Tag printer (printer)
2 Printing unit 3 Detecting unit 4 Cutter unit 5 Input unit 6 Display unit 7 Control unit 8 Thermal head 9 Platen roller 10 Printing paper 10A Detection hole 10B of printing paper 10 Tip 10C of printing paper 10 Mark to be detected on printing paper 10 10D Chips from printing paper 10 (Fig. 3)
Reference Signs List 11 heating element 12 sensor 13 fixed blade 14 movable blade 15 personal computer 16 CPU (FIG. 4)
17 ROM
18 RAM
19 Print control unit 20 Motor control unit 21 Sensor control unit 22 Cutter control unit 23 Internal interface 24 External interface 25 Bus 26 Stepping motor L1 Distance between printing unit 2 (heating element 11) and cutter unit 4 (movable blade 14) (Fig. 3)
L2 Distance between the movable blade 14 of the cutter unit 4 and the sensor 12 of the detection unit 3 (FIG. 1)
Distance between the L3 sensor 12 and the heating element 11 of the thermal head 8 in the printing unit 2 (FIG. 1)
L4 Distance between the leading end 10B of the printing paper 10 and the cutter unit 4 (movable blade 14) when the detection hole 10A is at the position of the sensor 12 (FIG. 1).

Claims (4)

A printing unit for printing on printing paper,
A detection unit for detecting the position of the printing paper;
A cutter unit for cutting the printing paper printed in the printing unit to a predetermined length,
A control unit that controls the cutter unit so that the cutter unit is driven for one cycle and is initially set when the power is turned on, and an initial setting method of the cutter unit in the printer having the printer,
The control unit includes:
In the printer, when the power is turned on, after the printing paper, the leading end of which is positioned on the cutter unit, is back-fed by a predetermined length, the cutter unit is controlled to perform initial setting. Initial setting method of the cutter part. The control unit includes:
2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the printing paper is back-fed toward the printing unit at a transfer speed lower than a printing speed of the printing unit when the power is turned on. The control unit includes:
2. The printer according to claim 1, wherein when the power is turned on, the printing paper is back-fed toward the printing unit until a detected portion of the printing paper is positioned at the detection unit. How to set. The control unit includes:
When the power is turned on, the printing paper is back-fed toward the printing unit until a detected portion of the printing paper is positioned at the detection unit, and then the printing paper is further back-fed to the printing unit. 2. The method for initial setting a cutter section in a printer according to claim 1, wherein:

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