JPH058475A - Printer - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To provide a printer with a cutter which performs the entire printer action including sheet printing and cutting efficiently. CONSTITUTION:When continuous sheets are printed and cut, a sheet at the head is cut without cutting it immediately after the completion of its printing process but when its following sheet comes to a cutting position for the preceding sheet by a sheet feed action following the printing action of the following its temporary interruption. The remaining part of the following sheet is printed after the mentioned process. In addition, a means for switching over to a routine cutting mode in which each sheet is cut each time it is printed, is provided.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a printer with a cutter, and in particular, work for cutting various sheets such as paper, plastic film and other sheets (hereinafter simply referred to as "sheets") into predetermined section sizes after printing. The present invention relates to a device that can efficiently perform the above.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art For example, on a postal addressing paper, label paper or other sheet having a predetermined form and size, required contents are printed for each section (for one sheet), and this is printed for each sheet. 2. Description of the Related Art Label printers that cut and automatically attach to a target article are widely used. The series of printing-cutting-pasting operations requires rapid and large-scale processing.

On the other hand, in a conventional label printer which performs a printing-cutting operation, when printing of one sheet is completed, the sheets are sequentially fed to the cutter position and cut, and then the print position is reversed. It was normal, and there was no choice but to attach a considerable amount of dead time to cutting the sheet (Figs. 5 and 6).
reference). There is also a method of cutting by moving the cutter itself to a required position at the time of cutting, but this is not preferable because the device structure is likely to be complicated.

(Problem to be Solved by the Invention) The present invention is intended to provide a printer with a cutter capable of efficiently performing the entire operation of printing and cutting, particularly the transition between the two.

[0005]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention is an apparatus for cutting a continuous sheet at a predetermined size including a portion where printing of one sheet has been completed, and cutting the nth sheet is the (n + 1) th sheet. By configuring the printing so that it is performed in the middle of printing, in detail, in a printer equipped with a cutter mechanism that cuts continuous sheets into a predetermined length including a printing space, printing before the front and back sheet pieces is performed. When the printing is completed, the sheet is fed while printing the subsequent sheet piece without cutting it immediately, and when the printing progresses until the cutting position of the previous sheet piece reaches the cutter position, the printing is temporarily interrupted. The present invention has been accomplished by achieving the intended purpose by a printer with a cutter configured to cut the preceding sheet piece and print the remaining portion of the succeeding sheet piece after the cutting.

By providing a signal switching means, two operation modes can be selected. The "one operation mode" is an operation of cutting the front (nth sheet) of successive sheet pieces as described above in the middle of printing the subsequent (n + 1st sheet). Also, "the other operation mode" is, as is conventionally used, when printing of one sheet is completed, the sheet is sequentially fed to the cutter position and cut,
This is an operation of moving the sheet backward to the printing position after cutting.

[0007]

In the present invention, after the printing of the nth sheet is completed, the process moves to the printing of the (n + 1) th sheet, and when the cutting position of the nth sheet of the sheet moves to the cutter position, printing and sheet feeding are performed. Stop and cut the nth sheet, and after cutting (n +
1) The remaining printing of the first sheet is processed.

As a result, the sheet feeding for printing can be used in common with the sheet feeding for cutting, and the sheet retreating after cutting is unnecessary, that is, the sheet feeding and retreating operation for cutting alone is unnecessary. As a result, the time required for the entire printing / cutting operation can be significantly reduced.
Since it has a function of easily selecting two operation modes by inputting an external signal, the operation modes can be changed in a timely manner according to the usage pattern.

[0009]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS FIG. 1 is a system configuration example diagram of a printer with a cutter according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. In FIG. 1, (B) is a bus line and (1) is a CP
U, (2) is a control program storage unit, (3) is a print control unit, (4) is a thermal head for printing and recording, (5) is a stepping motor for driving a recording sheet,
(6) is a cutter for cutting the sheet at a predetermined position,
(7) is a communication interface for exchanging information with the outside of the printer.

In the control program storage unit (2), in addition to basic programs such as a data editing program and a printing control program as a printer, a program for controlling the cutter operation in association with the printing operation and the sheet feeding operation, etc. Is stored, and based on this, the CPU (1) controls the thermal head (4), the stepping motor (5), and the cutter (6).

The signal switching section (23) stores a program which gives instruction information to the control program storage section (2) in order to select an operation by an external input signal and perform a predetermined operation. The control program storage unit (2) and the signal switching unit (23) are composed of memories such as ROM, and it is particularly preferable to use EPROM.
The program contents stored in (2) and (23) will be described later with reference to FIG.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of the mechanical structure of the apparatus shown in FIG. 1. (S) is a printing sheet such as paper, plastic film, tack paper or the like. (8) is a sheet feed roller, (9) is a pressure contact roller, (10) is a platen roll that feeds the sheet (S) during printing while being in pressure contact with the print head (4), (11) is a platen drive belt, and (13) , (1
4), (15) and (16) are belt wheels.

The cutter (6) is provided at the rear stage of the print head (4), for example, the fixed blade (17), the movable blade (18), an eccentric cam (19) for moving the movable blade (18) up and down, and a cutter motor. (20). The moving blade (18)
A rotary type (rotary blade) may be used instead of the vertical movement type.

Next, the operation of the present invention will be described with reference to the program configuration diagram of FIG. 3 and the operation explanatory diagram of FIG. 1) When the sheet (S) is a tack paper, a surface paper (21) coated with an adhesive as shown in FIG.
3) Layered on top of each other, the width of the surface base material, the length in the feeding direction, and the interval between the adjacent surface base materials are different depending on the type of tack paper and the object of use. Therefore, information such as the length of one tack paper, the distance between the tack paper, the position to be cut, and the print compatible range on the tack paper is input to the RAM memory of the control program storage unit (2) before cutting the print. Also, by inputting an external signal to the signal switching unit (23),
An operation mode instruction is given to the control program storage section (23). Based on this, the CPU (1) pre-calculates the print start position, to which position the print / sheet feeding is to be performed, at which point the sheet cutting operation is switched, and the like, and the print control unit (3) The stepping motor (5) and the cutter (6) are controlled. The external input signal of the signal switching unit (23) is
It may be manually input with a keyboard, or may be transferred via a host computer or communication line. 2) Start the device operation program (FIG. 3) as the label printer. The operation mode (1, 2) is selected by an external input signal to the signal switching unit (23).

3) When the operation mode 1 is selected, the following operation control is performed. When the printing of the first sheet is completed, the sheet is fed to the print start position of the second sheet, and the printing of the second sheet is started. Cutting position of the first sheet (C
When 1) comes to the cutter, the printing of the second sheet is temporarily stopped and the first sheet is cut at C1. After cutting C1, the remaining printing of the second sheet is performed.

Thereafter, similarly, the second and third sheets are processed. Generally, the relationship between the nth sheet and the (n + 1) th sheet is processed. 4) When the operation mode 2 is selected, the following operation control is performed. When the printing of the nth sheet is completed, n
The sheet is fed in the forward direction until the cutting position (cn) of the first sheet reaches the cutter, and when it reaches the cutting point, the sheet feeding is stopped and n
The second sheet is cut with Cn. After cutting Cn, the sheet is retracted to the print end position of the nth sheet. The operation is the same as the conventional method.

[0017]

As is apparent from the above description, the present invention has the following effects. B) The forward and backward movements of the sheet only for the purpose of cutting the sheet are not necessary, and the cutting position of the preceding sheet is sent to the cutter by the sheet feeding with the printing operation of the succeeding sheet, so the printing-cutting operation is effective. Can be done on a regular basis. (B) Since it is not necessary to provide a spare space in the printer for retracting the seat or moving the cutter, the printer can be made smaller. C) Since it has a means for selecting the operation mode, it can be selected in a timely manner according to the usage pattern and is highly convenient.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic system configuration diagram of a printer with a cutter according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a specific configuration example of a mechanical system of the apparatus shown in FIG.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a program configuration example of a sheet cutting operation of the apparatus of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram of a print-cut transition operation in the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating a program configuration example in a conventional device.

FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram of a print-cut transition operation in a conventional device.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 CPU 2 Control program storage 3 Print control unit 4 thermal head 5 Stepping motor 6 cutters 7 Communication interface 8 sheet feed rollers 9 Pressing roller 10 Platen roll 11 seat drive belt 12 Platen drive belt 13 belt car 14 belt car 15 belt car 16 belt car 17 fixed blade 18 moving blades 19 Eccentric cam 20 cutter motor 21 Surface material 22 Release paper 23 Signal switching unit B bus line C1-Cn + 1 sheet cutting position S sheet S1-Sn + 2 Sheet piece

Claims (7)

[Claims] 1. A printer in which a cutter operation and a sheet transfer operation are function-selected and controlled by an internal control means by an input signal from the outside. 2. The internal control means includes a built-in program, and is configured to perform cutting of the front (nth sheet) of successive sheet pieces in the middle of printing of the subsequent (n + 1st sheet). The printer according to claim 1. 3. An internal control means includes a print head, a sheet feeding mechanism, a sheet cutting cutter, a print control section, and a control program storage section, and prints a sheet piece before and after it. A means to shift to the printing of a sheet piece without cutting it immediately when finished, and a temporary interruption of printing when the printing of the subsequent sheet piece progresses until the cutting position of the previous sheet piece reaches the cutter position. 3. A means for cutting the preceding sheet piece, and a means for printing the remaining portion of the succeeding sheet piece after the cutting.
The listed printer. 4. The printer according to claim 3, wherein the control program storage unit comprises a ROM. 5. The internal control means has a signal switching means,
2. The printer according to claim 1, wherein the operation of claim 2 is selectable based on an external signal. 6. The printer according to claim 5, wherein the signal switching means comprises a ROM. 7. The printer according to claim 4 or 6, wherein the ROM is an EPROM.