JP3874040B2 - Control method of auto cutter - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to an auto cutter used for a receipt issuing printer or the like of a POS system, and more particularly to a method for returning the lock state of an auto cutter.
[0002]
[Prior art]
Conventionally, many types of receipt issuing printers have built-in auto cutters that automatically cut roll paper for each receipt. These auto cutters have various methods such as a guillotine method in which a blade is thrust into a gap and a scissor method in which two blades are crossed and cut from the edge of the paper, depending on the mechanism, at least, The cutting operation is performed by moving one or more blades.
[0003]
Even if these auto cutters operate without any problems in normal operation, if a non-standard thick paper enters or a foreign object such as a clip falls into the auto cutter mechanism, the operation of the movable blade is normal. Cannot be locked.
[0004]
Therefore, in order to return from such a locked state, as described in Japanese Patent Publication No. 7-121514, a technique has been proposed in which when the locked state is detected, the motor is reversed to return the movable blade.
[0005]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
In the above-mentioned return method of the prior art, it is assumed that the reciprocating movable blade is in the locked state during the forward process in which it moves in the direction of cutting the paper, and the movable blade returns to the locked state during the returning process. Not assumed. This is because the normal autocutter locked state occurs when the movable blade is cut, so if the motor is reversed, the movable blade moves in the returning direction, so the locked state can be released. Because.
[0006]
However, in recent years, there has been proposed an auto cutter in which two cutter blades are separated into separate members as described in Japanese Patent Application No. 6-511781 for the purpose of improving roll paper setting. Yes. In such a cutter blade separation type auto cutter, if the relative positional relationship between the cutter blades is out of order, the movable blade may be locked. The relative position of the cutter blade is distorted, for example, when an abnormal force is applied from the outside, and can also occur during the return process in which the movable blade returns.
[0007]
When an abnormal position of the blade is detected with such an auto cutter, there is a possibility of locking, so the unlocking return processing is performed. However, the blade position is slightly out of position during the return process when the movable blade tries to return. However, since the load decreases, the movable blade can often be restored even if the motor is rotated as it is. Since the engagement amount increases, there is a problem that the lock is more strongly locked.
[0008]
Therefore, the present invention solves the above-mentioned conventional problems and provides a control method capable of unlocking even a cutter blade separation type auto cutter.
[0009]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
Therefore, according to the present invention, as described in claim 1, abnormality determining means for determining that the movable blade cannot move due to an external pressure load, and the movable blade cuts the sheet from the standby position to the turning point. A movable blade position detection sensor that detects that the movable blade is in the standby position and the cutting step a when determining the cutting stroke a and the return stroke b that returns from the turning point of the movable blade to the standby position. A movable blade stroke discriminating unit for discriminating the cutting step a by a timer for detecting the time required for the motor, and a motor driving unit for controlling and driving the rotation direction of the motor, and during the cutting step a of the paper When an abnormality is detected by the abnormality determining means, the motor driving means is controlled and controlled only when the detection result of the movable blade stroke determining means is the cut stroke a. Characterized in that reversing the drive motor.
[0010]
According to the above configuration, when an abnormality occurs during the paper cutting process, the movable blade is moved in the direction in which the load is reduced without moving in the direction in which the amount of engagement with the fixed blade or the like increases. The response at the time of abnormality becomes smooth.
[0011]
The auto-cutter mechanism can cut the movable blade and a movable blade receiving member that restricts the movement of the fixed blade disposed facing the movable blade through the paper or the paper urged by the moving movable blade. And a position detecting means for detecting whether or not the supporting mechanism is a position where the sheet can be cut, and the abnormality determining means is a position detecting means. It is characterized by being.
[0012]
According to the above configuration, when the support mechanism is located at a position other than the position where it can be cut, it is determined as an abnormality, and the return process at the time of the abnormality at the time of cutting is performed.
[0013]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, a preferred embodiment of an auto cutter according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to FIGS.
[0014]
1 and 2 are perspective views showing an internal configuration of a printer using the auto cutter of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is an external view of the printer, showing a state in which the cover of the cutter unit frame 11 is closed. FIG. 1 shows a state in which the cover 11a of the cutter unit frame 11 is opened so that the inside of the cutter mechanism can be seen.
[0015]
FIG. 3 is a side view showing a state in which the cover frame 8 is opened in order to set roll paper in the printer. FIG. 4 is a plan view showing the movement of the movable blade 9 of the cutter mechanism. FIG. 5 is a side view showing the main part of the cutter mechanism with the cover frame 8 closed.
[0016]
As shown in FIG. 2, in the printer according to the present embodiment, an openable / closable cover frame 8, a movable blade 9 (to be described later), and its driving means 10 are accommodated on a body frame 7 made of, for example, metal. The cutter unit frame 11 is provided.
[0017]
As shown in FIG. 3, the cover frame 8 is attached so as to be openable and closable around a support shaft 12 provided at the upper ends on both sides of the main body frame 7. Fixed blades 14 are disposed on groove-shaped fixed blade support portions provided on the left and right sides of the cover frame 8, and are pressed against the surface portion of the cover frame 8 by two pressing springs 17.
[0018]
As shown in FIG. 1, a fixed blade is disposed at an end of the upper surface of the cover frame 8 on the cutter unit frame 11 side. The fixed blade 14 is made of, for example, a metal long plate member. The fixed blade 14 is arranged so that the blade portion 14 a faces the cutter unit frame 11. Further, a slit-shaped paper discharge port 15 for conveying and discharging the recording paper S is provided between the blade portion 14 a of the fixed blade 14 and the bottom portion 11 b of the cutter unit frame 11.
[0019]
On the other hand, the main body 11 b of the cutter unit frame 11 is provided with a movable blade 9 that intersects with the fixed blade 14 and cuts the recording paper S. The movable blade 9 is attached so as to be rotatable about the support shaft 18 in the direction of arrow A or in the opposite direction.
[0020]
The cover 11a of the cutter unit frame 11 is provided with driving means 10 for driving the movable blade. That is, the worm wheel 23 is disposed so as to mesh with the worm gear 22 of the drive motor 21, and the worm wheel 23 is provided with a crank pin 24 that engages with the long hole 20 of the movable blade 9. Thus, when the drive motor 21 rotates once in one direction, the movable blade moves in the A direction and returns to the original position again. Whether the movable blade 9 is in the standby position is detected by a sensor 25 that engages with the worm wheel 23.
[0021]
FIG. 4 shows a state in which the movable blade 9 moves in the direction of arrow A and protrudes most. In this way, the movable blade 9 crosses over the fixed blade 14.
[0022]
Next, the relative positional relationship between the movable blade 9 and the fixed blade 14 will be described from the side with reference to FIG. In a state where the cover frame 8 is closed at a correct position, a part of the fixed blade 14 is engaged with a part of the cutter unit frame 11 containing the movable blade 9, and the relative positional relationship is determined correctly. Yes.
[0023]
As shown in FIG. 5, the recording paper S is fed in the direction of arrow C by the printing / paper feeding mechanism 51. The fixed blade 14 is disposed on the upstream side in the conveying direction, and the movable blade 9 is disposed on the downstream side. The movable blade 9 reciprocates in the direction of arrow A. This is because the recording sheet S2 cut at the point S1 is smoothly discharged without being caught by the movable blade 9 or the fixed blade 14.
[0024]
However, because of this positional relationship, if the operator mistakenly tries to open the cover frame 8 during the cutting operation, the fixed blade 14 and the movable blade 9 may collide with each other at the cutting edge to be locked. Therefore, a cover sensor 52 (see FIG. 6) for detecting whether or not the position of the cover frame 8 is correctly set is provided, and when the cover frame 8 is moved from the position where it is set, the cutting operation is promptly stopped and moved. It is necessary to perform a process of moving the blade back, that is, a return process in the event of an abnormality.
[0025]
Next, the configuration of the auto cutter control means 41 having the above configuration will be described with reference to FIG. The control means 41 includes a CPU 42 incorporating a timer 43, a ROM 44, a RAM 45, an I / O 46, a driver 47 for driving the cutter mechanism unit, and a driver 48 for driving the printing / paper feeding mechanism unit 51. The auto cutter mechanism is provided with a drive motor 21 for driving the movable blade 9 and a sensor 25 for detecting the standby position of the movable blade 9. The printer mechanism is also provided with a printing paper feed mechanism 51 and a cover sensor 52 that detects that the cover frame 8 is closed at the correct position.
[0026]
The cutter operation method will be described below. First, normal operation will be described. FIG. 7 is a timing chart showing the normal operation of the movable blade 9. First, the movable blade 9 is located at the standby position. This can be detected by the sensor 25 being in the OFF state. When the drive motor 21 is energized (motor energization), the movable blade 9 moves from the standby position in the direction of the arrow A, the sensor 25 is turned on, and it is detected that the movable blade is out.
[0027]
Then, after the movable blade 9 comes out to the maximum projecting position, the movable blade 9 moves in the arrow B direction opposite to the arrow A direction by the crank mechanism, and returns to the standby position again. Then, it is detected that the sensor 25 is turned off and returned to the standby position. From there, the motor energization is turned off, the brake is applied, and the movable blade 9 stops. This completes the one-cycle cutter operation.
[0028]
Here, a section where the movable blade 9 moves from the standby position to the maximum protruding position is a section, a section where the movable blade 9 returns from the maximum protruding position to the standby position is b section, and a section where the movable blade 9 is stopped at the standby position is c. Interval. During the cutter operation, the cover frame 8 is closed at the correct position, and the cover sensor 52 is always in the OFF state. If the cover frame 8 is lifted, the cover sensor 52 is turned on to detect that the relative position between the movable blade 9 and the fixed blade 14 is incorrect.
[0029]
Next, a description will be given of a return processing method in the case where an abnormality is detected by the operator trying to open the cover frame 8 by mistake during the cutter operation, with reference to the timing chart of FIG.
[0030]
If the cover sensor 52 is turned ON at the point a1 in the middle of the section a of the movable blade 9 and an abnormality is detected, the motor energization is immediately turned off to stop the movable blade 9, and then the drive motor 21 is reversed. Then, the movable blade 9 moves in the arrow B direction opposite to the arrow A direction and returns to the standby position.
[0031]
Here, it should be noted that the abnormality is detected by the cover sensor 52 only when the movable blade 9 is in the section a, and when the movable sensor 9 enters the section b after the section a, the cover sensor 52 The signal is ignored and the motor energization is continued as it is, and the same control method as shown in FIG. 7 is performed.
[0032]
This is because the movable blade 9 that has entered the section b has already moved in the returning direction, so that the load is lightened. Even if the relative position of the blade is somewhat out of order, the movable blade 9 can be driven by normal energization. This is because it can return to the standby position. If the motor is rotated in the reverse direction in the section b, the blades are opposed to each other and rather locked strongly.
[0033]
In the auto cutter of this printer, the time of section a is about 200 msec. Therefore, whether or not the movable blade 9 is in the section a can be determined by measuring the time after the drive motor 21 is energized by the timer 43.
[0034]
Next, FIG. 9 shows a flowchart of an example of this control method. First, it is determined by the cover sensor 52 whether or not the cover frame 8 is properly closed (sequence S1). That is, in this embodiment, the cutter blade is a separation type, and the cutting operation cannot be performed when the cover frame 8 is not properly closed.
[0035]
Next, it is determined by the sensor 25 whether the movable blade 9 is correctly at the standby position (sequence S2). When it is determined that the movable blade 9 is in the standby position, the time corresponding to the section a, 200 msec in this embodiment, is set in the termer 43 (sequence S3). The timer 43 is started, and energization of the forward rotation to the drive motor 21 is started (sequences S4 and S5).
[0036]
While energizing the drive motor 21 and moving the movable blade 9, it is necessary to determine whether the movable blade 9 is in the a section or the b section. Therefore, it is determined whether or not the timer 43 has expired (sequence S6). If NO, since the stroke of the movable blade 9 is the a section, it is determined whether or not the cover frame 8 is correctly closed (sequence S7). Here, if YES, that is, if it is closed correctly, the operation is continued, and during that time, it is determined whether or not the timer has expired. On the other hand, if NO, that is, if the relative positional relationship between the movable blade 9 and the fixed blade 14 becomes abnormal, the drive motor 21 is stopped (sequence S10), and the drive motor 21 is energized in the reverse direction (sequence S11).
[0037]
Thus, the drive motor 21 is reversely rotated to return the movable blade 9 to the standby position. Then, it is determined by the sensor 25 whether or not the movable blade 9 has returned to the standby position (sequence S12). When the movable blade 9 returns to the standby position, the drive motor 21 is stopped (sequence S13). Then, because of an abnormal state, an error is displayed to indicate that the movable blade 9 has been returned during the cutting operation (sequence S14).
[0038]
When the movable blade 9 is in the a section, if the cover frame 8 is closed, it is determined that the timer has timed up and the b section has been entered. Then, the signal of the cover sensor 52 cannot be read, and it is determined whether or not the movable blade 9 has returned to the standby position (sequence S8). Then, the operation is continued until the movable blade 9 returns to the standby position. When it is determined that the movable blade 9 has returned to the standby position, the drive motor 21 is stopped (sequence S9). This completes the normal cutting operation.
[0039]
As described above, in this embodiment, the timer 43 determines whether it is the cutting stroke (section a) or the returning return stroke (section b) in which the amount of engagement of the movable blade 9 with the fixed blade 14 increases. However, in addition, a method of determining by a position detecting sensor or the like, and a method of counting the number of steps when a stepping motor is used as the drive motor are also conceivable.
[0040]
In the present embodiment, as a means for determining whether or not the relative positional relationship between the movable blade 9 and the fixed blade 14 is appropriate, a method for determining whether or not the cover frame 8 is in the correct position by the cover sensor 52 is used. However, various means such as a method of measuring the position of the movable blade 9 and the fixed blade 14 with an optical detector are also conceivable. However, as in this embodiment, the fixed blade is attached to the cover member. If it is a mechanism to arrange, it is reasonable to use a cover member position detector, and it is not necessary to provide a detector for examining only the position of the cutter blade.
[0041]
In the present embodiment, the scissors type auto cutter has been described, but the present invention is not necessarily limited to the scissors type auto cutter. For example, in the case of a guillotine cutter with a saw blade, even when a slit-like movable blade receiving member is arranged on the cover member instead of a fixed blade, the position of the fixed blade in the above description is the movable blade receiving member. By changing the above, similar actions and effects can be obtained.
[0042]
As described above, according to the present invention, the movable blade is returned only when the movable blade is in an inappropriate position in the cutting process, and the cutter blade is improper in the process in which the movable blade returns. Even if it becomes a position, it is the feature that operation | movement is continued as it is, without reversing a motor. The present invention is intended to prevent cutter lock when the relative position of the cutter blade becomes inappropriate. Therefore, as shown in the embodiment, an open type printer in which the cutter blade is separated. This is a particularly effective technique in the auto cutter.
[0043]
【The invention's effect】
As described above in detail, according to the control method of the auto cutter of the present invention, when an abnormality occurs during the paper cutting step a, the movable blade cuts the paper from the standby position and cuts the paper to the turning point. The motor rotating means is controlled only when the detection result of the movable blade stroke discriminating means is the cut stroke a by the movable blade stroke discriminating means for discriminating a and the return stroke b returning from the turning point of the movable blade to the standby position. Since the drive motor is reversely rotated, the movable blade moves in a direction in which the engagement amount decreases without increasing the engagement amount with the fixed blade or the like, so that a severe cutter lock state can be prevented.
[0044]
According to claim 2, since it can be recognized as an abnormal situation except when the cutter mechanism is in a position where the paper can be cut, the automatic change of the relative position of the cutter blade such as a cutter blade separation type printer is possible. The cutter is very effective in preventing cutter lock and ensuring quality.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an internal configuration of an embodiment of a printer according to the present invention, and shows a state where a cover of a cutter unit frame is opened.
FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the internal configuration of the embodiment, showing a state in which the cover of the cutter unit frame is closed.
FIG. 3 is a side view showing a state in which the cover frame of the embodiment is opened.
FIG. 4 is a plan view showing a state where the movable blade protrudes to a maximum projecting position in the embodiment.
FIG. 5 is a side view of the main part showing the positional relationship between the movable blade and the fixed blade in the same embodiment.
FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a control device in the same embodiment.
FIG. 7 is a timing chart showing an auto cutter operation in a normal state in the embodiment.
FIG. 8 is a timing chart showing an auto-cutter operation at the time of abnormality in the embodiment.
FIG. 9 is a flowchart illustrating an auto cutter operation in the embodiment.
[Explanation of symbols]
8 Cover frame 9 Movable blade 11 Cutter unit frame 14 Fixed blade 17 Pressing spring 21 Drive motor 25 Sensor 41 Control means 43 Timer 51 Printing / paper feed mechanism section S Recording paper

Claims (2)

A movable blade for cutting the paper, a sensor for detecting that the movable blade is in a standby position where it does not contact the paper, a drive mechanism for reciprocating the movable blade, and rotating the drive mechanism in one direction In an auto cutter mechanism having a drive motor supplied by
An abnormality determining means for determining that the movable blade cannot move due to an external pressure load;
When the movable blade cuts the sheet from the standby position and determines a cut stroke a from the folding point to the folding point and a return stroke b from the folding point of the movable blade to the standby position, the movable blade is in the standby mode. A movable blade position detecting means for determining the cutting step a by a movable blade position detection sensor for detecting the presence of the cutting step and a timer for detecting the time required for the cutting step a;
Motor driving means for controlling and driving the rotation direction of the motor,
When an abnormality is detected by the abnormality determination unit during the cutting step a of the sheet, the motor driving unit is controlled to drive the drive only when the detection result of the movable blade stroke determination unit is the cut stroke a. A method for controlling an autocutter characterized by reversing a motor. The automatic cutter mechanism includes a movable blade and a movable blade receiving member that restricts the movement of the paper biased by the movable blade and the fixed blade disposed facing the movable blade through the paper or the movable blade. A support mechanism that supports a movable position to a position where cutting is possible and a position where cutting is impossible,
Position detecting means for detecting whether or not the support mechanism is a position capable of cutting the paper;
2. The method of controlling an auto cutter according to claim 1, wherein the abnormality determination unit is the position detection unit.

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