JPH04246583A - Printing controller of tape printer - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To improve an operation property of the title printing controller of the tape printer by automatizing printing density control of the tape printer to be used by combining an ink ribbon cassette with a tape cartridge. CONSTITUTION:An information means indicating each-kind-identifying information is provided respectively to an ink ribbon cassette 2 and a tape cartridge 3, and a detection means of the identifying information is provided to a tape printer 1. A printing control part 23 of the tape printer 1 controls printing density so that an optimum printed result is obtained in combination of the ink ribbon cassette 2 and the tape cartridge 3 which are installed by read information of the detection means.

Description

[Detailed description of the invention]

0001

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a tape printer, and more particularly to a printing control device for a tape printer that is used with a tape cartridge and an ink ribbon cassette installed therein.

0002

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, some tape printers for producing lettering tapes for pasting onto drawings and documents have separate tape cartridges and ink ribbon cassettes. This type of tape cartridge allows ink ribbon cassettes of various colors to be combined into one tape cartridge, making it more economical than having multiple types of tape and ink ribbon stored in one cartridge. It has the advantage of being

0003

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention] The ink ribbon cassettes mentioned above include standard wax type, heat resistant and
Ribbons using abrasion-resistant resin-based inks are available, and the appropriate amount of printing energy for these ink ribbons varies depending on the material composition. Similarly, there are standard types and heat-resistant/abrasion-resistant types of tape cartridges.
Heat-resistant and wear-resistant tape cartridges are used in combination with heat-resistant and wear-resistant ink ribbon cassettes, and standard tape cartridges are used in combination with wax-type ink ribbon cassettes.

[0004] Since the melting points of the wax-type ink ribbon and the heat-resistant and abrasion-resistant ink ribbon described above are significantly different, the user must operate the printer's print density adjustment dial according to the type of ink ribbon cassette installed. , it is necessary to adjust the amount of printing energy. If this adjustment operation is mistaken or forgotten, for example, when a heat-resistant and abrasion-resistant ink ribbon cassette is installed and printing is performed with standard printing density settings, the result will be that almost no printing will be performed.

On the other hand, if a standard tape cartridge and ink ribbon are installed and printing is performed with the print density setting of the heat-resistant and wear-resistant ink ribbon, an accident may occur in which the ink ribbon and tape melt due to high printing energy. do. It is also possible to erroneously attach tape and ink ribbon of the same color, for example, black tape and black ink ribbon.

[0006] Therefore, it is possible to prevent accidents such as printing defects and melting of the ink ribbon due to incorrect print density settings, eliminate the possibility of printing errors due to incorrect combination of tape and ink ribbon, and improve operability. A technical problem arises that must be solved in order to improve the efficiency and prevent a decrease in work efficiency, and the present invention aims to solve this problem.

[0007]

[Means for Solving the Problems] The present invention has been proposed to achieve the above-mentioned object, and includes an ink ribbon cassette 2 and a tape cartridge 3 containing a tape 5 which is a transfer base material, and a tape cartridge 3 containing a tape 5 which is a transfer base material. In the tape printer 1 that prints on the tape 5, the ink ribbon cassette 2 and the tape cartridge 3 are provided with information means for identifying the types of the ink ribbon 6 and the tape 5, respectively, and the tape printer 1 is provided with information means for identifying the types of the ink ribbon 6 and tape 5. A print control device for a tape printer characterized in that a detection means is provided, and information read out from the detection means is input to a print control section 23 to perform printing control, and the information means is provided in a light reflection section R. The photosensors 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 2
1 as the above-mentioned detection means, a print control device of a tape printer configured to transmit identification information depending on whether or not reflected light is detected, and a print control section 23 installed in the ink ribbon cassette 30 and tape cartridge 31 installation site of the tape printer 1, respectively. multiple input terminals 32, 33, 34, 35
, 36, 37, 38, and 39 to constitute a detection means,
The ink ribbon cassette 30 and the tape cartridge 31 are provided with the plurality of input terminals 32, 33, 34, 35.
, 36, 37, 38, 39 are provided as information means, and the input terminal 3
The present invention provides a printing control device for a tape printer configured to transmit identification information depending on the presence or absence of electrical conduction of terminals 2, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, and 39.

[0008]

[Operation] The ink ribbon cassette and the tape cartridge are provided with information means for indicating the types of ink ribbons and tapes stored therein. When the ink ribbon cassette and tape cartridge are installed in a tape printer, a detection means provided in the tape printer detects the identification information of the information means. Based on the detected identification information, the printing control section performs appropriate control of printing energy and determines whether or not printing can be executed for the combination of the attached ink ribbon and tape.

According to the second aspect of the invention, a photo sensor is used as the detection means, and a light reflection section is used as the information means. The light reflecting portion is formed by, for example, printing or pasting a metal film, and a photosensor detects the presence or absence of reflected light. Based on the binary information thus obtained, the type of the ink ribbon cassette and tape cartridge installed is determined. In the third aspect of the present invention, the circuit patterns provided for each type of ink ribbon and tape cartridge selectively conduct the plurality of input terminals of the tape printer. The print control unit determines the type of ink ribbon and tape cartridge based on the combination of input terminals that are turned on.

0010

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the drawings. For convenience of explanation, conventionally known techniques will also be explained at the same time. 1 and 2 show the invention according to claims 1 and 2, and FIG. 1 shows a tape printer 1. FIG. The tape printer 1 has an ink ribbon cassette 2 and a tape cartridge 3 mounted on the upper right side, and prints on a tape 5 stored in the tape cartridge 3 using a thermal head 4 of the tape printer 1 main body. The tape 5 stored in the tape cartridge 3 is an adhesive tape with a backing paper, and like the ink ribbon 6 of the ink ribbon cassette 2, various colors are available. In addition, the tape 5 and ink ribbon 6 are of a standard type used at normal transfer temperatures, and a heat-resistant type used for copying originals, etc.
There are wear-resistant types, and heat-resistant and wear-resistant ink ribbons require high printing energy.

When the arbitrarily selected ink ribbon cassette 2 and tape cartridge 3 are installed in the predetermined positions of the tape printer 1, the ink ribbon 6 and tape 5 are connected to the thermal head 4 and drive roller 7 of the main body of the tape printer 1.
is set between. Then, by rotating a locking knob 9 provided on the tape printer 1 and protruding upward through the center hole 8 of the tape cartridge 3 in the direction of arrow L, the tape cartridge 3 is fixed and the thermal head 4 is fixed. The ink ribbon 6 and the tape 5 are pressed against each other by the drive roller 7 and the thermal head 4 by being urged toward the drive roller 7 side.

When characters, symbols, etc. are input from the keyboard 10 of the tape printer 1, the contents are displayed on the display section 11, and the drive roller 7 rotates in accordance with a print command by pressing the print key 12 in the keyboard 10, and the tape 5 is At the same time, the ink ribbon 6 is moved to the left in the figure,
The thermal head 4 transfers the thermal transfer ink of the ink ribbon 6 onto the surface of the tape 5 according to the input contents. The ink ribbon 6 is attached to the take-up reel shaft 1 of the tape printer 1.
3, the tape 5 is wound onto the take-up reel 14 in conjunction with the running of the tape 5. The printed tape 5 is discharged to the left side of the tape cartridge 3, and is cut by actuating a cutting mechanism (not shown) provided in the tape printer 1 by pressing a cut key 15.

In the tape printer 1, three photosensors 16, 17, 18, 19,
20 and 21 to detect the amount of reflected light on the left side of the ink ribbon cassette 2 and tape cartridge 3. The ink ribbon cassette 2 and tape cartridge 3
Light reflecting parts R, R... are provided in the parts facing each of the photosensors 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21 by pasting reflective stickers or printing reflective paint, respectively, and the binary values are determined by the presence or absence of reflection. In this embodiment, both the tape cartridge 3 and the ink ribbon cassette 2 are 23.
=8 types of identification codes can be displayed. If the non-reflective state 000 is used as a code to detect whether the tape cartridge 3 or ink ribbon cassette 2 is not installed, the remaining seven codes from 001 to 111 can be used to detect the type of tape cartridge 3 or ink ribbon cassette 2. Can be displayed.

Therefore, the codes are assigned to each type of ink ribbon cassette 2, such as black, red, blue, green, white, and heat-resistant/abrasion-resistant black, and the tape cartridge 3 is also assigned transparent, translucent, and white. , black, gold, silver, heat-resistant/abrasion-resistant transparent, and the like. FIG. 2 is a circuit block diagram of the tape printer 1, and the photosensors 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21 are A/D
It is connected to a print control section 23 via a converter 22. Character data input through the keyboard 10 is transferred from the ROM 25 to the RAM 2 by the CPU 24 of the print control unit 23.
6 and transferred to the thermal head 4 via the I/O port 27. Then, the CPU 24 controls the energization timing and printing energy amount of the head driver 28 and the rotation of the feed motor 29 that rotates the drive roller 7 to print on the tape 5. In this printing operation, read data from the photosensors 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, and 21 and a look-up table (not shown) stored in the ROM 25 are referred to. Type data of the tape cartridge 3 and ink ribbon cassette 2 and combination information of the data are stored in advance in the lookup table,
As described above, when it is detected that either the tape cartridge 3 or the ink ribbon cassette 2 is not attached, the print control section 23 does not execute a printing operation even if a print command is input from the keyboard 10. In addition, the printing operation can also be performed when either the ink ribbon cassette 2 or the tape cartridge 3 is a heat-resistant/abrasion-resistant type and the other is a standard type, or when a combination of the same color is used, such as a white tape cartridge 3 and a white ink ribbon cassette 2. Not executed.

When it is detected that the heat-resistant and abrasion-resistant ink ribbon cassette 2 and the tape cartridge 3 are attached, the print control unit 2 uses the data in the look-up table.
3 controls the head driver 28 to a high output to apply high printing energy to the thermal head 4 to obtain an appropriate printing density. Further, when it is detected that the standard ink ribbon cassette 2 and the tape cartridge 3 are attached, the printing energy amount is naturally controlled to a predetermined value by changing the amount of printing energy for each color according to the type information obtained from the read data. Efforts are being made to improve printing quality. For example, in the case of a white ink ribbon, the coating thickness is increased so that the base layer cannot be seen through, giving high printing energy, and even if the tape 5 of the tape cartridge 3 is semi-transparent or white, the printing energy is higher than that of a transparent one. Apply printing energy to homogenize printing results.

FIG. 3 shows an embodiment of the invention as claimed in claim 3. As shown in the figure, a tape printer 1
The input terminals 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39 of the print control unit 23 are exposed on the bottom of the ink ribbon cassette 30 and tape cartridge 31 mounting area, respectively. On the bottom surface, the input terminals 32, 3
Terminals 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47 are provided to contact the terminals 3, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39. The input terminals 33, 34, 35, 37, 3
8 and 39 are connected to the printing control unit 23 as shown in FIG.
By the combination of connecting one to three of 42, 43, 45, 46, and 47 with circuit patterns 48 and 49, FIG.
Seven different identification codes can be expressed, similar to those shown in
The same effects can be obtained.

It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiment, and may be applied to the photosensors 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21 or the input terminals 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38,
The quantity of 39, etc. can be variously modified. Naturally, this invention extends to modified versions of these.

[0018]

As described in detail in the above embodiment, the present invention identifies the respective types of ink ribbon cassettes and tape cartridges, and controls print density based on this identification information, thereby eliminating the need for complicated print density adjustment work. is not required, improving operability and providing high-quality printing results.

[0019] Also, an invention that significantly improves the functions of a tape printer by preventing accidents caused by installing the ink ribbon cassette and tape cartridge in the wrong combination, and eliminating the possibility of a decrease in work efficiency due to accidents. It is.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a plan view of a tape printer.

FIG. 2 is a circuit block diagram of a tape printer according to the invention according to claim 2.

FIG. 3 is a side view of main parts showing a tape printer, an ink ribbon cassette, and a tape cartridge according to the invention according to claim 3;

FIG. 4 is a circuit block diagram of a tape printer according to the invention according to claim 3.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 Tape printer 2, 30 Ink ribbon cassette 3, 31 Tape cartridge 5 Tape 6 Ink ribbon 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21 Photo sensor 23 Print control section 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39
Input terminals 48, 49 Circuit pattern R Light reflecting part

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. In a tape printer 1 which is equipped with an ink ribbon cassette 2 and a tape cartridge 3 containing a tape 5 which is a transfer base material, and which prints on the tape 5, the ink ribbon cassette 2 and the tape cartridge 3 are installed. , information means for identifying the types of the ink ribbon 6 and tape 5 are provided, the tape printer 1 is provided with a detection means for the identification information, and the information read by the detection means is input to the printing control section 23 to print. A printing control device for a tape printer, characterized in that it performs control. 2. The information means is constituted by a light reflecting section R, and uses the photo sensors 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, and 21 as the detection means to transmit identification information depending on whether or not reflected light is detected. 2. A printing control device for a tape printer according to claim 1. 3. A plurality of input terminals 32, 33, 34,
35, 36, 37, 38, 39 are provided to constitute a detection means, and the plurality of input terminals 32, 33, 34,
35, 36, 37, 38, 39 are provided as information means, and depending on the presence or absence of conduction of the input terminals 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 2. The print control device for a tape printer according to claim 1, wherein the print control device is configured to transmit identification information.