JPH02143890A - Printer device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To conduct a ribbon initialization after the replacement of a ribbon without newly mounting a sensor for recognizing the replacement of the ribbon by a method wherein at the time of changing over from a deselect mode to a select mode a ribbon initialization is conducted with the judgement that the ribbon has been replaced. CONSTITUTION:An operation panel control circuit 20 judges that a ribbon has been replaced by identifying the change-over of a mode change-over switch 24 from a deselect mode to a select mode, thereafter conducting a ribbon initialization through a ribbon position control circuit 21 and a ribbon position determining circuit 22. Namely, the ribbon position control circuit 21 drives a ribbon shift motor 15 to slide a ribbon cassette 11 loaded on a ribbon holder 12 toward a ribbon initializing position. At this time, the ribbon position determining circuit 22 judges that the ribbon cassette 11 has been set to the ribbon initializing position by detecting a hole 13a provided on a ribbon shaft 13 through a ribbon position detection sensor 18 and informs the result to the circuit 21. In this manner, the ribbon position control circuit 21 immediately stops the drive of the ribbon shift motor 15.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Object of the Invention] (Industrial Application Field) The present invention relates to a printer device equipped with a ribbon shift mechanism, and particularly to a printer device suitable for performing ribbon initialization after ribbon replacement.

(Prior Art) By using a ribbon cassette that stores ribbons wider than normal ribbons such as color ribbons, all-color ribbons, etc. in a printer device equipped with a ribbon shift mechanism, this ribbon cassette/sort can be used as desired. Special printing can be performed by controlling the shift to the position.

In other words, color ribbons include, for example, "black", "blue",
Multiple bands of different colors such as "red" and "yellow" are formed, and by placing each band opposite the tip of the print head, multiple colors can be printed with one ribbon cassette. In addition, an all-color ribbon has multiple bands of the same color, such as "black", "black", "black", and "black", and in this case, By the way, the shift control of the ribbon cassette that stores this type of ribbon is based on the preset ribbon initial position (ribbon home position). This is done on the basis of
By shifting the ribbon cassette by a predetermined amount from this ribbon initial position, each band is made to face the tip of the print head. Therefore, when controlling the shift of the ribbon cassette, it is first necessary to set the ribbon cassette to the ribbon initial position.

This initial setting of the ribbon cassette is called ribbon initialization, and is normally executed when the power is turned on. However, when replacing the currently installed ribbon cassette with another ribbon cassette, the motor for driving the ribbon shift mechanism is in a de-energized state, so the ribbon shift mechanism is not exposed to external force when replacing the ribbon. There is a problem in that the ribbon position is shifted due to the movement of the ribbon. For this reason,
Even after ribbon replacement, ribbon initialization as described above is required.

In this case, in order to perform ribbon initialization after ribbon replacement, it is necessary to recognize that ribbon replacement has been performed, and conventionally, ribbon replacement has been recognized using a cover oven recognition sensor. The cover oven recognition sensor is a sensor for detecting whether or not the front cover covering the upper part of the apparatus main body has been opened. In a printer equipped with such a front cover, the front cover is always opened and closed when replacing the ribbon, so by monitoring this cover oven recognition sensor, it is possible to recognize that the ribbon has been replaced. .

However, this method is effective only for printer devices equipped with a front cover. Therefore, it cannot be applied to a printer device without a front cover, and in this case, there is a drawback that a sensor for recognizing ribbon replacement is newly provided, which causes problems.

(Problem to be Solved by the Invention) As mentioned above, conventionally, a cover oven recognition sensor has been used to recognize ribbon replacement. There were drawbacks that led to problems such as the provision of

The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and an object of the present invention is to provide a printer device that can perform ribbon initialization after ribbon replacement without newly providing a sensor for recognizing ribbon replacement.

[Structure of the Invention (Means for Solving the Problem) When replacing the ribbon, the procedure is usually to first temporarily suspend printing and set the printer to a state in which data cannot be received from the host device (day select state). . During this time, replace the ribbon cassette, and then return to a state where data can be received (
(selected state) and resume printing. Therefore, it can be assumed that ribbon replacement is performed in the day select state.

Therefore, the present invention focuses on a select/deselect mode changeover switch that is commonly provided in various printer devices, and when the switch switches from deselect mode to select mode, ribbon replacement is performed. The configuration is such that the ribbon is initialized as if it had been received.

(Function) According to the above configuration, since ribbon initialization is performed by switching the mode from the deselect mode to the select mode, ribbon initialization can be performed after ribbon replacement without providing a new sensor for ribbon replacement recognition.

(Embodiment) Hereinafter, a printer device according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the configuration of the ribbon cassette 1.
1 stores color ribbons having bands of a plurality of different colors, such as "black,""blue,""red," and "yellow." This ribbon cassette 11 is shifted in the direction of arrow A so that each band faces the tip of the print head 16 by a ribbon shift mechanism consisting of a ribbon holder 12, a ribbon shift shirt 13, a gear 14, and a ribbon shift motor 15. 'do.

The ribbon holder 12 is for fixing the ribbon cassette 11, and is attached to the carriage 17 so as to be shiftable in the direction of arrow A using a shaft 12a as a fulcrum. The ribbon shift shaft 13 is for shifting the ribbon holder 12, and is driven by a ribbon shift motor 15 to slide in the vertical direction via a gear 14. The ribbon shift motor 15 is, for example, a step motor.

Further, a hole 13a is provided at a specific position of the ribbon shift shaft 13. This hole 13a is arranged so that it is detected by the ribbon position detection sensor 18 when the ribbon cassette 11 is at a preset ribbon initial position. This ribbon position detection sensor 18 is, for example, a photo sensor.

On the other hand, in the circuit configuration of the control system, an operation panel control circuit 20, a ribbon position control circuit 21, and a ribbon position determination circuit 22 are connected to the data bus 19, respectively.

The operation panel control circuit 20 monitors various switches provided on the operation panel 23 and executes operations according to the operated switches. This operation panel 23 has select/
A mode changeover switch 24 for a deselect mode is provided. Note that the select mode is a mode in which data can be received from a host device (not shown). Further, the deselect mode is a mode in which data reception is disabled. The ribbon position control circuit 21 controls the shift of the ribbon cassette 11 by driving the ribbon shift motor 15. Ribbon position determination circuit 22 monitors ribbon position detection sensor 18 to determine the initial ribbon position.

Next, the operation of this embodiment will be explained with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG.

When replacing the ribbon, first operate the mode changeover switch 24 to set it to the day select state.

When in the day select state, printing is temporarily interrupted. During this time, the ribbon cassette 11 is replaced, and then the mode changeover switch 24 is operated again to set it to the selected state. When set to the selected state, printing will resume.

Here, the operation panel control circuit 20 monitors various switches provided on the operation panel 23, and when it confirms that the mode changeover switch 24 has been switched from the deselect mode to the select mode (step S1), the ribbon It is determined that the exchange has been performed, and ribbon initialization is executed through the ribbon position control circuit 21 and ribbon position determination circuit 22 (steps S2 to S4).

Specifically, the ribbon position control circuit 21 drives the ribbon shift motor 15 (step S2) to move the ribbon cassette 11 mounted on the ribbon holder 12 via the ribbon shift shaft 13 in the direction of the ribbon initial position (for example, downward). Slide it. At this time, the ribbon position determination circuit 22 monitors the ribbon position detection sensor 18 at regular intervals, and when the hole 13a provided in the ribbon shift shaft 13 is detected through the ribbon position detection sensor 18, the ribbon cassette 11 is It is determined that the initial position has been set (step S3), and the ribbon position control circuit 21 is notified of this fact. As a result, the ribbon position control circuit 21
immediately stops driving the ribbon shift motor 15 (
Step S4).

In this way, when switching from the deselect mode to the select mode, ribbon initialization for setting the ribbon cassette 11 to the ribbon initial position is executed. Thereafter, the ribbon cassette 11 is controlled to be shifted to a designated position using this ribbon initial position as a reference. As a result, the designated band in the ribbon stored in the ribbon cassette 11 faces the tip of the print head 16. Here, when printing is started, the carriage 17 moves in the axial direction of the platen (not shown in the figure), and with this movement, the printing pins built into the print head te move toward the platen. stand out. The protruding print pins abut the paper on the platen via opposing bands. Due to this contact of the printing pin, the ink of the band is applied onto the paper, forming dot characters.

In this way, by executing ribbon initialization when switching from deselect mode to select mode, there is no need for a sensor to recognize ribbon replacement.
Ribbon initialization can be performed after ribbon replacement. In this case, the select/deselect mode changeover switch is a switch that is commonly provided to all of the various printer devices. Therefore, this method of performing ribbon initialization by switching modes can be applied to all types of printer devices. Also,
Since it does not require a sensor to recognize ribbon replacement, it can be realized at low cost.

[Effects of the Invention] As described above, according to the present invention, ribbon initialization is executed when switching from deselect mode to select mode. Ribbon initialization can be performed.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a configuration according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a flowchart for explaining the operation of the embodiment. 11... Ribbon cassette, 12... Ribbon holder,
13... Ribbon shift shaft, 13a... Hole, 1
4... Gear, 15... Ribbon shift motor, 16...
... Print head, 17... Carriage, 18... Ribbon position detection sensor, 19... Data bus, 20...
- Operation panel control circuit, 21... Ribbon position control circuit, 22... Ribbon position determination circuit, 23... Operation panel, 24... Mode changeover switch. Applicant's agent Patent attorney Takehiko Suzue Figure 1 Figure 2

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] A ribbon cassette storing a ribbon having a plurality of bands; a ribbon shift mechanism that shifts the ribbon cassette so that each of the bands faces a tip of a print head; and a select/deselect mechanism. a mode switching means for switching the mode; and a ribbon initialization for driving the ribbon shift mechanism to set the ribbon cassette at an initial position when the mode switching means switches from the deselect mode to the select mode. 1. A printer device comprising: ribbon initialization control means.