JP2001150779A - Detecting method for end of ribbon - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a method for detecting the end of a ribbon, with which the running-out of an ink ribbon can be surely detected. SOLUTION: A reflecting type photosensor 14 for detecting an end detecting optical pattern 5 formed at the terminal part of the ink ribbon 1 is equipped. However, when a reflected pattern from the photosensor 14 coincides with a standard pattern memorized in advance, the arrival of the end of the ribbon is not immediately judged and the arrival of the end of the ribbon is judged under an assumption that the photosensor 14 detects the optical pattern 5 only under the condition that the residual amount of the ribbon is a predetermined value such as 10% or less.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a method for detecting a ribbon end used in a thermal transfer printer or the like, and more particularly, to a method for detecting a ribbon end using an optical sensor to detect an optical pattern provided at an end of an ink ribbon. .

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, as a means for notifying a user that an ink ribbon has run out, a method of detecting a ribbon end as described in, for example, Japanese Patent No. 2652933 is known.

In the ribbon end detection method disclosed in the publication, as shown in FIG. 5, a light source 2 and a light receiving element 3 which constitute an optical sensor are arranged in a transport path of an ink ribbon 1,
The light from the light source 2 is applied to the ink ribbon 1 and the reflected light is detected by the light receiving element 3. Light receiving element 3
Is reflected by a control circuit (not shown), and the control circuit compares the reference pattern stored in advance with the reflection pattern from the light receiving element 3. In addition, as shown in FIG.
Is formed on the surface of the color transfer layer four colors of yellow (Y), magenta (M), cyan (C), and black (Bk) as one unit sequentially and successively. An optical pattern 5 is formed at the end. The optical pattern 5 is also referred to as a zebra mark, in which light reflecting portions 5a made of an aluminum vapor-deposited film or the like and light absorbing portions 5b made of a black ink layer or the like are alternately arranged at regular intervals.

In such a configuration, the ink ribbon 1
Is sent in the direction of the arrow in FIG. 5, and when the optical pattern 5 reaches the end position facing the light source 2 and the light receiving element 3, light from the light source 2 is reflected by the light reflecting portion 5a and absorbed by the light absorbing portion 5b. Therefore, the reflection pattern output from the light receiving element 3 changes as shown in FIG. Here, when the reflection pattern from the light receiving element 3 matches the reference pattern stored in advance, it is determined that the ink ribbon 1 is at the end, and for example, the printer is automatically stopped based on the determination result. Can know that the ink ribbon 1 has run out.

[0005]

By the way, until the ink ribbon 1 reaches the end position as described above, the light source 2
Is reflected by the yellow, magenta, cyan, and black regions and detected by the light receiving element 3. The reflection pattern detected by the light receiving element 3 during this period is significantly different from the case where the optical pattern 5 is detected. Normally, no error is made in comparison with the reference pattern for detecting the ribbon end. However, when the ink ribbon 1 whose surface reflectance is not stable is used, or when the ink ribbon 1
When the wrinkles occur, the reflection pattern from the light receiving element 3 detects the optical pattern 5 even though the ink ribbon 1 is located in a region other than the end, and the ink ribbon 1 in the middle of the ribbon is moved to the ribbon. There is a possibility that the end may be erroneously detected.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances of the prior art, and has as its object to provide a ribbon end capable of reliably detecting the absence of an ink ribbon irrespective of the type and use state of the ink ribbon. To provide a detection method for

[0007]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide an ink ribbon having an end-detecting optical pattern at the end, and an optical sensor for irradiating the ink ribbon with light and detecting the reflected light. End detecting means for determining whether or not the end of the ribbon is based on reflected light detected from the optical sensor; and remaining amount calculating means for calculating a remaining amount of the ribbon of the ink ribbon, This is achieved by determining that the optical sensor has detected the optical pattern only when the remaining amount of the ribbon calculated by the remaining amount calculating unit is equal to or less than a predetermined value when the detecting unit determines that the ribbon is the end. .

[0008] Another object of the present invention is to provide an ink ribbon having an end-detecting optical pattern at its end.
An optical sensor for irradiating the ink ribbon with light to detect reflected light thereof; end detecting means for determining whether or not the end of the ribbon is based on the reflected light detected from the optical sensor; A remaining amount calculating unit that can calculate a remaining amount of the ribbon, and when the remaining amount of the ribbon calculated by the remaining amount calculating unit is equal to or more than a predetermined value, it is determined that the ribbon is not the end of the ribbon regardless of the determination result of the end detecting unit. Achieved by:

As described above, not only the reflection pattern from the optical sensor for detecting the optical pattern for detecting the end, but also
Ribbon remaining amount calculated by remaining amount calculating means (for example, 10%)
In addition to the conditions, if it is determined whether or not the end of the ribbon is reached, if a reflection pattern similar to the optical pattern is detected from the optical sensor in the middle of the ribbon, if the reflection pattern is not the end of the ribbon, it is canceled and the ink is not printed. The transfer of the ribbon can be continued, and even if an ink ribbon having an unstable surface reflectance is used, it is possible to reliably detect that the ink ribbon has run out.

[0010]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a carriage provided in a thermal transfer printer, and FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a ribbon cassette mounted on the carriage. FIGS. 3 and 4 are flowcharts showing a method of detecting the ribbon end, and FIGS.
Are given the same reference numerals.

As shown in FIG. 1, a delivery bobbin 11 and a take-up bobbin 12 are disposed on a carriage 10.
The carriage 10 is reciprocally movable along a platen (not shown) of the thermal transfer printer. Winding bobbin 1
Reference numeral 2 denotes a rotation control of a motor (not shown) as a drive source, and a rotation speed of the delivery bobbin 11 is detected by a ribbon remaining amount detection sensor (not shown). Further, a thermal head 13 and a reflection type photo sensor 14 are mounted on the carriage 10, and this photo sensor 14 is an integrated one of the light source 2 and the light receiving element 3 shown in FIG.

As shown in FIG. 2, a feed reel 4 and a take-up reel 6 are provided on the ribbon cassette 15,
When the ribbon cassette 15 is mounted on the carriage 10, the delivery reel 4 and the take-up reel 6 are engaged with the delivery bobbin 11 and the take-up bobbin 12, respectively. An ink ribbon 1 is wound around these reels 4 and 6, and the ink ribbon 1 has the same configuration as that shown in FIG. That is, on the surface of the ink ribbon 1, the four colors of the color transfer layer yellow (Y), magenta (M), cyan (C), and black (Bk) are sequentially and continuously formed as one unit, and An optical pattern (zebra mark) 5 is formed at the end on the side. A notch 15a is formed in the ribbon cassette 15, and the thermal head 13 is inserted into the notch 15a.

The transport operation of the ink ribbon 1 is performed by the winding bobbin 1
When the take-up reel 6 rotates with the rotation of the take-up bobbin 12, the ink ribbon 1 is fed out from the delivery reel 4 side, and the take-up reel 6 is rotated.
Winded to the side. During the conveyance of the ink ribbon 1, an end detection judgment is made to judge whether or not the reflection pattern detected by the photo sensor 14 matches the reference pattern, and the sending-out bobbin detected by the above-described ribbon remaining amount detection sensor. 11 based on the rotation speed of the ink ribbon 1
The remaining amount calculation for calculating the remaining amount of the ribbon is executed, and it is determined whether or not the ribbon end is reached in consideration of these two conditions. Hereinafter, a method of detecting the ribbon end will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

First, in step S-1, the level of the reflected light from the ink ribbon 1 is detected by the photo sensor 14, and in step S-2, the reflection pattern detected from the photo sensor 14 matches the reference pattern. It is determined whether or not. If the reflection pattern does not match the reference pattern in step S-2, the process returns to step S-1 and the above operation is repeated. If the reflection pattern matches the reference pattern in step S-2, the rotational speed of the sending-out bobbin 11 is detected from the ribbon remaining amount detection sensor in step S-3. It is determined whether the rotation speed is not zero. If the rotation speed of the delivery bobbin 11 is zero in step S-4, that is, even though the take-up reel 6 is rotating, the delivery reel 4
Is stopped, it is determined in step S-5 that the ink ribbon 1 is cut.

On the other hand, if the rotation speed of the delivery bobbin 11 is not zero in step S-4, an approximate value of the remaining amount of the ribbon is calculated from the rotation speed of the delivery bobbin 11 in step S-6. Then, it is determined whether the remaining amount of the ribbon is within a predetermined value (for example, 10%). Here, as a method of calculating the remaining amount of the ribbon from the rotation speed of the delivery bobbin 11, the fact that the winding diameter of the ink ribbon 1 and the rotation speed of the delivery bobbin 11 are substantially proportional to each other is used. The remaining amount of the ribbon can be obtained from a correlation table between the winding diameter of the ribbon 1 and the rotation speed of the delivery bobbin 11. That is, since the winding amount of the ink ribbon 1 is constant, if the winding diameter of the ink ribbon 1 wound around the sending reel 4 is large, the sending bobbin 1
The rotation speed of the delivery bobbin 11 increases when the winding diameter of the ink ribbon 1 is small. Therefore, if the rotation speed of the sending-out bobbin 11 is detected by the ribbon remaining amount detection sensor, the winding diameter of the ink ribbon 1 at that time can be obtained from the correlation table, and the approximate value of the remaining amount of the ribbon can be obtained.

In step S-7, the remaining amount of the ribbon is 10%.
Only when the calculation is within the range, it is determined in step S-8 that the ribbon is the end, and the user is notified that the ink ribbon 1 has run out by, for example, automatically stopping the printer. On the other hand, if it is calculated in step S-7 that the remaining amount of the ribbon exceeds 10%, the ribbon end is not the ribbon end despite the fact that the reflection pattern from the photosensor 14 matches the reference pattern. Is determined,
In this case, the procedure returns to step S-1, and the above operation is repeated.

In this embodiment, when the reflection pattern from the photo sensor 14 matches the reference pattern, the end of the ribbon is not immediately determined, and the remaining amount of the ribbon is not more than a predetermined value (for example, 10%). Only in the case of (1), the photo sensor 14 is assumed to have detected the optical pattern 5 of the ink ribbon 1 and is determined to be the ribbon end. Even if a reflection pattern similar to the optical pattern 5 is detected from the photo sensor 14, this can be canceled. Therefore, the risk of erroneously detecting the ink ribbon 1 in the middle of the ribbon as the ribbon end is greatly reduced, and the detection accuracy of the ribbon end can be improved.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing a ribbon end detecting method according to another embodiment. In the present embodiment, first, in step S-1, after detecting the rotation speed of the sending-out bobbin 11 from the ribbon remaining amount detection sensor, it is determined in step S-2 whether the rotation speed of the sending-out bobbin 11 is not zero. Is done. If the rotation speed of the sending-out bobbin 11 is zero in step S-2, it is determined in step S-3 that the ink ribbon 1 has been cut, while the rotation speed of the sending-out bobbin 11 is zero in step S-2. If not, the approximate value of the remaining amount of the ribbon is calculated from the rotation speed of the sending-out bobbin 11 in step S-4, and then, in step S-5.
It is determined whether the remaining amount of the ribbon is within a predetermined value (for example, 10%).

Then, in step S-5, the remaining amount of the ribbon is 10%.
If not, that is, if the remaining ribbon amount exceeds 10%, the process returns to step S-1 and the above operation is repeated. On the other hand, only when it is calculated in step S-5 that the remaining amount of the ribbon is within 10%, the process proceeds to step S-6. In step S-6, the level of the reflected light from the ink ribbon 1 is determined by the photo sensor 14. After the detection in step S-7, it is determined in step S-7 whether the reflection pattern detected from the photo sensor 14 matches the reference pattern. If the reflection pattern does not match the reference pattern in step S-7, step S-1
And the above operation is repeated. Step S-7
If the reflection pattern matches the reference pattern in step S
At -8, it is determined that the ribbon is the end, and the user is notified that the ink ribbon 1 has run out, for example, by automatically stopping the printer.

In the embodiment configured as described above, only when the remaining amount of the ribbon is equal to or less than a predetermined value (for example, 10%), it is determined whether or not the reflection pattern from the photo sensor 14 matches the reference pattern. In other words, when the remaining amount of the ribbon exceeds the predetermined value, even if a reflection pattern similar to the optical pattern 5 is detected from the photo sensor 14, this is canceled and the ribbon end must be reached. Since the determination is made, the risk of erroneously detecting the ink ribbon 1 in the middle of the ribbon as the ribbon end is greatly reduced, and the detection accuracy of the ribbon end can be improved.

[0021]

The present invention is embodied in the form described above and has the following effects.

In addition to the reflection pattern from the optical sensor for detecting the optical pattern for detecting the end, the remaining amount of the ribbon calculated by the remaining amount calculating means is added to the condition to determine whether or not the ribbon is the end. Then, if a reflection pattern similar to the optical pattern is detected from the optical sensor in the middle of the ribbon, if the reflection pattern is not at the end of the ribbon, it can be canceled and the conveyance of the ink ribbon can be continued, and the reflectance of the surface is unstable. Even if you use a simple ink ribbon,
It is possible to reliably detect that the ink ribbon has run out.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a carriage provided in a thermal transfer printer.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a ribbon cassette mounted on the carriage of FIG.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating a ribbon end detection method.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating a ribbon end detection method.

FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram illustrating an arrangement relationship between an ink ribbon and an optical sensor.

FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram of an ink ribbon.

FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram of a reflection pattern detected from an optical sensor.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Ink ribbon 4 Send-out reel 5 Optical pattern 6 Take-up reel 10 Carriage 11 Send-out bobbin 12 Take-up bobbin 14 Photosensor (optical sensor) 15 Ribbon cassette

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. An ink ribbon having an end-detecting optical pattern at its end, an optical sensor for irradiating the ink ribbon with light to detect reflected light, and a reflected light detected from the optical sensor. An end detecting unit that determines whether or not the end of the ink ribbon is based on the remaining end, and a remaining amount calculating unit that can calculate a remaining amount of the ribbon of the ink ribbon. A method of detecting a ribbon end, comprising: determining that the optical sensor has detected an optical pattern only when the remaining amount of ribbon calculated by the remaining amount calculating means is equal to or less than a predetermined value. 2. An ink ribbon having an end-detecting optical pattern at its end, an optical sensor for irradiating the ink ribbon with light and detecting the reflected light, and a light sensor for detecting reflected light from the optical sensor. End detecting means for determining whether or not the end of the ink ribbon is based on the remaining amount of the ink ribbon, and remaining amount calculating means for calculating a remaining amount of the ribbon of the ink ribbon. When the value is equal to or greater than the value, it is determined that the ribbon is not the ribbon end regardless of the determination result of the end detecting means.