JP2007261769A - Roll paper support member and roll paper unit - Google Patents

Abstract

Provided is a support member for supporting an end portion of a roll paper, which is highly practical when the roll paper is provided with a so-called memory tag.
A member for supporting an axial end portion of a roll paper, the roll paper supporting member having at least a shaft portion inserted into the roll paper, wherein the shaft portion is the shaft portion. When inserted into the roll paper, the groove provided along the axial direction so as to face the storage device provided inside the roll paper, and the shaft portion includes the roll paper. And a wireless antenna provided so as to face the storage device when inserted into the storage device.
[Selection] Figure 2

Description

  The present invention relates to a support member that supports an end portion of roll paper, and more particularly to a roll paper support member that is highly practical when the roll paper includes a so-called memory tag.

  Usually, the form of paper supplied to an image forming apparatus such as a printer includes a form of cut paper that has been cut into a predetermined size in advance, and a form of roll paper in which paper is wound around a core material. Of these, with roll paper that is continuously supplied with paper, it is difficult to determine the remaining amount of paper, and if the paper runs out during printing, the previous printing is often wasted. Therefore, it is important to accurately manage the remaining amount of paper. In addition, roll paper is generally applied to relatively large paper, and a plurality of paper types and sizes are prepared and used in accordance with purposes. In this way, it is often performed that an item in use is removed from the printer and stored, and shared among a plurality of printers. Therefore, in the case of roll paper, it is necessary to manage the information such as paper type and size in addition to the above-mentioned remaining amount of paper, and techniques for that have been proposed for some time.

  As one of the technologies, rather than storing and managing information related to each roll paper with a device such as a printer main body or a computer, each roll paper is managed with a so-called memory tag storing its own information. What has been proposed has been proposed (for example, Patent Document 1 below). In such a proposal, a memory tag that stores paper-related information is attached to a roll paper, and information recorded therein is read or changed by a device such as a printer as necessary.

  As a method of attaching the memory tag to the roll paper, for example, in Patent Document 1 below, the memory tag is formed on the roll paper so that the antenna of the memory tag extends in the inner peripheral direction of the core material of the roll paper. The method of providing in the core material in an edge part is taken.

As another proposal, there is a method in which a memory tag is attached to the outer periphery of the core material of the roll paper, and the antenna portion is placed along the side surface of the end portion of the roll paper.
JP-T-2002-053389

  However, the method of attaching the memory tag in Patent Document 1 described above is difficult and impractical for attaching the memory tag antenna as described above. Further, when the roll paper is mounted on a printer or the like, the support member inserted into the roll paper is likely to come into contact with the antenna, and the antenna is likely to be damaged by the friction stress.

  Further, in the above-mentioned other methods of attachment, since the memory tag is attached to the outer periphery of the core material of the roll paper, it is necessary to attach the memory tag during the roll paper manufacturing process. Usually, the roll paper is manufactured as a single piece of the maximum width (length) of the equipment, and then cut into a roll paper having a desired width. Therefore, in the method of attaching the memory tag, the core material having the maximum width needs to be attached at an accurate position so as to match the subsequent cutting position, which is difficult to manufacture. In addition, if the memory tag is defective, it cannot be replaced.

  As described above, in the conventional proposal, there is a problem to put it into practical use in the technique of attaching and managing the memory tag to the roll paper.

  SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide a support member for supporting an end portion of roll paper, which is highly practical when the roll paper is provided with a so-called memory tag.

  In order to achieve the above object, one aspect of the present invention is a member for supporting an axial end portion of a roll paper, and supporting the roll paper having at least a shaft portion inserted into the roll paper. In the member, when the shaft portion is inserted into the roll paper, the shaft portion is positioned so as to face a storage device provided in the roll paper. And a wireless antenna provided so as to face the storage device when the shaft portion is inserted into the roll paper.

  In order to achieve the above object, another aspect of the present invention provides a roll paper unit having a roll paper member and a support member that supports an axial end of the roll paper member, wherein the roll paper member is hollow. A storage device is provided on the inner surface, and the support member is a shaft portion that is inserted into a hollow portion of the roll paper member, and the roll paper member is inserted when the shaft portion is inserted. A shaft portion provided with a groove along the axial direction and a wireless antenna so as to face the storage device.

  Furthermore, in the above-described invention, a preferable aspect is that the roll paper member further includes a positioning plate provided at the same position in the circumferential direction as the storage device on the side surface of the axial end portion and projecting to the hollow portion. It is characterized by that.

  Further objects and features of the present invention will become apparent from the embodiments of the invention described below.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. However, such an embodiment does not limit the technical scope of the present invention. In the drawings, the same or similar elements are denoted by the same reference numerals or reference symbols.

  FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram according to an embodiment of a printer using a support member and roll paper to which the present invention is applied. A support member 3 and a roll paper member 2 shown in FIG. 1 are characteristic portions of the printer 1 according to this embodiment, and the roll paper member 2 has a roll paper wireless tag 20 storing information on the roll paper. On the other hand, a protective groove 33 and an antenna 34 are provided at a position facing the roll paper wireless tag 20 in the insertion portion of the support member 3 into the roll paper member 2 in view of manufacturing and use. Therefore, it is intended to provide a highly practical roll paper unit.

  A printer 1 shown in FIG. 1 is an example of an image forming apparatus that uses the support member 3 and the roll paper member 2, and is, for example, an ink jet printer.

  The roll paper member 2 is obtained by attaching the above-described roll paper wireless tag 20 to a commonly used roll paper, and is attached to the printer 1 when used as a print medium in the printer 1.

  Next, the support member 3 supports the roll paper member 2 at the end in the axial direction of the roll paper member 2 when the roll paper member 2 is attached to the printer 1. When supporting, the taper shaft 32 portion of the support member 3 is inserted into the roll paper member 2.

  A roll paper unit composed of the roll paper member 2 and the support member 3 is a characteristic part of the printer 1, and the specific contents thereof will be described later.

  The support member 4 supports the opposite end of the roll paper member 2 in the axial direction, like the support member 3.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 1, the printer main body 5 includes a control unit 51 and a mechanism unit 52. The control unit 51 is a so-called controller and includes a CPU, a ROM, a RAM, an ASIC, and the like. The control unit 51 controls the operation of each part of the printer 1. At the time of printing, the control unit 51 instructs the mechanism unit 52 to perform printing processing based on print data received from a host computer or the like. Further, it communicates with the roll paper wireless tag 20 affixed to the roll paper member 2 via the support member 3 to read out and update various information stored in the roll paper wireless tag 20.

  The mechanism unit 52 includes a mechanism for driving a head unit mounted on a carriage to eject ink and forming dots on a print medium (roll paper 21); a mechanism for reciprocating the carriage in the main scanning direction; And a mechanism for transporting the roll paper 21 supplied from the roll paper member 2.

  In the printer 1 according to this embodiment configured as described above, as described above, the roll paper member 2 is provided with the roll paper wireless tag 20 that stores the roll paper related information, and the roll paper related information is used. However, an example of the processing procedure at the time of use will be described below. First, the control unit 51 of the printer main body 5 accesses the roll paper wireless tag 20 when the power of the printer 1 is turned on (turned on) or when the roll paper member 2 is replaced. Various roll paper-related information stored in is read. In the communication process, the support member 3, a main body antenna 54, a transceiver 55, and the like which will be described later are used.

  Thereafter, the read information is held in a RAM (not shown) in the control unit 51 and used when a print request is made. For example, it is determined whether there is a sufficient amount for the print request from the remaining amount information of the roll paper 21 or whether the print request is suitable for the print request from the specification information of the roll paper 21. The Thereafter, when printing using the roll paper 21 is executed, the control unit 51 performs an update process on predetermined information stored in the roll paper wireless tag 20 based on the process (result). Specifically, the roll paper wireless tag 20 is accessed by the same communication means as described above, and information stored in a predetermined location is rewritten. For example, the remaining amount information is updated because the remaining amount of the roll paper 21 is changed.

  Next, the configuration of the roll paper member 2 and the support member 3 which are characteristic parts of the printer 1 will be specifically described. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating the configuration of the roll paper member 2, the support member 3, and the like. First, as shown in FIG. 2, the roll paper member 2 is obtained by winding a roll paper 21 around a hollow cylindrical core member 22, and the roll paper wireless tag 20 is attached to the inner peripheral surface of the core member 22. The Then, as shown in FIG. 2, this sticking position is a place slightly inside (inward) from the end portion on the support member 3 side in the axial direction of the roll paper member 2.

  The roll paper wireless tag 20 is a proximity type non-contact storage element that performs wireless communication, and is called a memory tag (IC tag) or the like, and various types are commercially available. FIG. 3 is a schematic configuration diagram of the roll paper wireless tag 20. As shown in FIG. 3, the roll paper wireless tag 20 includes an IC chip 201, an antenna 202, a plastic film 203, and the like. The IC chip 201 includes a memory cell, a rectifier, a control unit, and the like, and the roll paper related information such as the remaining amount information of the roll paper 21, the paper type, and the size is stored in the memory cell. Further, the antenna 202 communicates with the RFID tag communication antenna 34 to be described later when communicating with the control unit 51 described above. The IC chip 201 and the antenna 202 are mounted on a plastic film 203. One side of the plastic film 203 may be adhesive for pasting.

  Further, the high frequency magnetic field induced through the RFID tag communication antenna 34 which is the partner of data communication is absorbed through the antenna 202 and becomes a power source for driving each circuit in the IC chip 201.

  Thus, in this roll paper member 2, since the roll paper wireless tag 20 is provided on the inner peripheral surface of the core member 22, it can be easily attached to a normal roll paper member later. The roll paper member 2 is highly practical in production.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 2, the support member 3 includes a flange portion 31, a taper shaft 32, and a main body side support portion 36. A protective groove 33 and an RFID tag communication antenna 34 are provided on the taper shaft 32. The main body communication antenna 35 is provided on the flange portion 31.

  The protective groove 33 is a groove provided along the axial direction in a part of the taper shaft 32 in the circumferential direction. The protective groove 33 is aligned with the circumferential application position of the roll paper wireless tag 20 described above. By inserting the support member 3 into the roll paper member 2, the taper shaft 32 and the roll paper wireless tag 20 are not in contact with each other.

  FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the support member 3 inserted into the roll paper member 2. 4A is a cross-sectional view taken along a vertical plane parallel to the axial direction passing through the protective groove 33, and FIG. 4B is a cross-sectional view taken along line XX in FIG. It is sectional drawing. As is clear from both drawings, when the support member 3 is inserted, the taper shaft 32 and the roll paper wireless tag 20 do not come into contact with each other because the protective groove 33 is provided in a portion facing the roll paper wireless tag 20. . Accordingly, it can be said that the support member 3 is highly practical from the viewpoint of use, with little risk of being hit and broken when the support member 3 is attached or detached.

  As described above, the wireless tag communication antenna 34 is an antenna for communicating with the roll paper wireless tag 20 and is positioned so as to face the roll paper wireless tag 20 (antenna 202) when the support member 3 is inserted. Provided on the taper shaft 32. As shown in FIG. 4A, when the support member 3 is inserted, the RFID tag communication antenna 34 is close to the roll paper RFID tag 20, and the plane on which the RFID tag communication antenna 34 is placed and the plane on which the antenna 202 is placed are as follows. , Generally parallel. Thereby, reliable communication with the proximity type roll paper wireless tag 20 having a short communication distance can be performed.

  As shown in FIGS. 2 and 4A, the main body communication antenna 35 is provided on the flange portion 31. On the roll paper wireless tag 20 side, the main body communication antenna 35 communicates with the wireless tag communication antenna 34, and the printer main body 5 On the side, it communicates with a main body antenna 54 described later.

  Next, the part shown on the right side of FIG. 2 shows an apparatus on the printer main body 5 side related to communication with the roll paper wireless tag 20. The support member receiver 53 is a portion where the main body side support portion 36 of the support member 3 is placed when the roll paper member 2 is mounted on the printer 1. The main body side antenna 54 is an antenna on the printer main body 5 side provided at a position facing the main body communication antenna 35 when the roll paper member 2 is mounted. The transmitter / receiver 55 is a transmitter / receiver for communication performed between the control unit 51 and the roll paper wireless tag 20, which is connected to the main body antenna 54.

  As described above, the support member 3 has the protective groove 33. When the support member 3 is inserted into the roll paper member 2, it is necessary to align the protective groove 33 with the position of the roll paper wireless tag 20. In order to perform the operation more easily and accurately, the positioning plate 23 may be provided on the side surface of the end portion in the axial direction of the roll paper member 2. FIG. 5 is a view showing the positioning plate 23. 5A shows a cross-sectional view at the same position as FIG. 4A, FIG. 5B is a view taken in the direction of arrow Y in FIG. It is shown excluding. As shown in both drawings, the positioning plate 23 is attached to the side surface of the core member 22 at the same position in the circumferential direction as the roll paper wireless tag 20. The size is determined so as not to contact the tapered shaft 32 when the support member 3 is inserted. Similar to the roll paper wireless tag 20, such a positioning plate 23 is easy to attach, and as described above, the insertion of the support member 3 can be easily and accurately performed.

  Further, the positioning plate 23 may be integrated with the roll paper wireless tag 20. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing the positioning plate 23 and the roll paper wireless tag 20 when they are integrated. As shown in FIG. 6, when integrated, the roll paper wireless tag 20 is attached to the back surface of the positioning plate 23 described above (inside the roll paper member 2) in the direction shown in the figure. Therefore, when the integrated unit is attached to a normal roll paper member, the position of the roll paper wireless tag 20 approaches the end of the roll paper member 2 in the axial direction is substantially the same as that shown in FIG. Can make a state. Even when the integrated type is used, a roll paper member with a tag can be easily produced and can have the practicality as described above.

  As described above, by using the roll paper member 2 and the support member 3 according to this embodiment, a printer that attaches a memory tag (roll paper wireless tag 20) to the roll paper member and communicates with the printer main body. Practicality can be enhanced from various viewpoints such as production of roll paper, attachment / detachment of roll paper, and communication capability.

  In the present embodiment, the image forming apparatus is a printer. However, the present invention can be applied to other image forming apparatuses such as a copying machine and a facsimile.

  The protection scope of the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, but covers the invention described in the claims and equivalents thereof.

1 is a schematic configuration diagram according to an embodiment of a printer using a support member and roll paper to which the present invention is applied. It is a figure which shows the structure of the roll paper member 2, the supporting member 3, etc. FIG. FIG. 3 is a schematic configuration diagram of a roll paper wireless tag 20. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the support member 3 inserted into the roll paper member 2. FIG. 6 is a view showing a positioning plate 23. It is the figure which showed the positioning board 23 and the roll paper wireless tag 20 at the time of integrating.

Explanation of symbols

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Printer, 2 Roll paper member, 3 Support member, 4 Support member, 5 Printer main body, 20 Roll paper wireless tag (storage device), 21 Roll paper, 22 Core material, 23 Positioning plate, 31 Flange part, 32 Tapered shaft ( Shaft part), 33 protection groove, 34 RFID tag communication antenna, 35 body communication antenna, 36 body side support part, 51 control part, 52 mechanism part, 53 support member receiver, 54 body side antenna, 55 transceiver, 201 IC chip, 202 antenna, 203 plastic film

Claims (3)

A member that supports an axial end of the roll paper, and at least a support member for the roll paper having a shaft portion inserted into the roll paper,
The shaft portion is
A groove provided along the axial direction so that when the shaft portion is inserted into the roll paper, the position is opposed to a storage device provided in the roll paper;
A roll paper support member, comprising: a wireless antenna provided so as to face the storage device when the shaft portion is inserted into the roll paper. A roll paper unit having a roll paper member and a support member for supporting an axial end of the roll paper member,
The roll paper member is provided with a storage device on the hollow inner surface,
The support member is a shaft portion that is inserted into a hollow portion of the roll paper member, and when the shaft portion is inserted, the support member is positioned to face the storage device of the roll paper member. A roll paper unit comprising: a shaft portion provided with a groove along the axial direction and a wireless antenna. In claim 2,
The roll paper unit is further provided with a positioning plate that is provided at the same position in the circumferential direction as the storage device on the side surface of the end portion in the axial direction, and that projects from the hollow portion.

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