KR20240143325A - Device for separating and ejecting paper printed and cut in printer - Google Patents

Abstract

In a printer (1) including a thermal head (10) having a heating element, a platen roller (20) that is engaged with the thermal head and transports printing paper (P) by rotational driving, a cutting unit (30) comprising a fixed upper blade and a movable lower blade that cuts printing paper (P) having a surface as a printing surface and a back surface as an adhesive surface coated with an adhesive, and a driving unit, a printing paper discharge device (100) comprises: a pressure roller (110) installed on the inner surface of a printer cover (2); a driving roller (120) that is installed on the printer body (3) to face the pressure roller (110) and rotates forward or reversely to transport printing paper (P) cut by the cutting unit (30) forward or backward by rotational driving while engaging with the pressure roller (110); It includes a paper guide plate (130) that is arranged horizontally and has an opening (131) through which a part of the upper surface of the drive roller (120) is exposed; a printing paper detection sensor (140) that is installed in a location close to the cutting unit (30); and a control unit that controls forward or reverse rotation of the drive roller (120).

Description

DEVICE FOR SEPARATING AND EJECTING PAPER PRINTED AND CUT IN PRINTER

The present invention relates to a cut paper separation and discharge device for a printer, and more specifically, to a cut paper separation and discharge device for a printer capable of separating and discharging paper cut in a cutting unit after printing in the printer is completed from the cutting unit.

In general, for example, a printer for printing documents may be a printer that stores a paper tray (cassette) loaded with standardized paper (e.g., A4, B4, etc.) in the printer body and supplies the printing paper in individual sheets; a printer for printing labels, invoices, etc. may be a printer that continuously supplies printing paper in a roll form and cuts it into unit lengths and discharges it after printing is complete.

The printing paper used in the latter printer (hereinafter referred to as a “label printer”) has an adhesive applied to the back surface, and information about the product’s name, price, barcode, distribution period, etc., or the sender and receiver’s name, address, phone number, etc. for product delivery are printed on the front surface of the paper, and labels, invoices, etc. printed using this printing paper are attached to products or delivery boxes.

Labels and invoice paper used in label printers are wound in roll form and stored inside the printer body or stored in a paper feed section outside the printer body, and the printing paper is fed to the printing unit while being fed a predetermined length by the paper feed unit.

And the printing paper that has completed printing in the printing unit is transported to the cutting unit by the driving roller and cut by the cutter.

In a cutter typically installed in a label printer, a movable blade that is movably installed in the printer body cuts the printing paper while engaging with a fixed blade that is fixedly installed in the printer body while moving by a movable member.

However, in the label printer as described above, when the cutting unit of the label printer cuts the label paper while the moving blade and the fixed blade are engaged, some of the adhesive applied to the back of the label paper may adhere to the moving blade or the fixed blade and accumulate at the engaging portion of the moving blade and the fixed blade, and as a result, the cut printing paper may remain attached to the fixed blade or the moving blade. If this occurs, the printing paper may not pass between the moving blade and the fixed blade and may become caught, which may cause a defect that interferes with the cutting operation of the next printing paper, and it may also be inconvenient for the user to take the printing paper out of the printer and pick it up.

In addition, when printing is performed while the paper cut by the cutting unit remains in the paper discharge unit after printing is completed in the printing unit of the printer, a paper jam may occur when the printing paper passes between the moving blade and the fixed blade and enters the paper discharge unit for the cutting operation of the next printing paper.

In this way, if the printed paper does not pass through the paper discharge unit and gets caught between the paper discharge unit and the cutting unit, the drive motor of the drive means may be overloaded, causing the printer to malfunction, and if printing continues, a print paper jam may occur or the printed paper may get caught in the platen roller.

In order to solve this problem, Korean Patent No. 10-2058404 discloses that, in a printing device (500) as shown in FIG. 1a, an adhesive discharge unit (503) is provided in the main body (502) of a movable cutter (501), as shown in FIG. 1b. By this configuration, Korean Patent No. 10-2058404 prevents overload and malfunction due to adhesive accumulation by discharging the adhesive on the back surface of the label paper, which accumulates in the overlapping portion of the movable cutter main body (502) and the fixed cutter (504) when repeatedly cutting the label paper, to the upper surface of the cutter main body (502).

However, even in the case of the Korean registered patent No. 10-2058404, a phenomenon may occur in which the cut printing paper remains attached to the movable cutter blade or the fixed cutter blade.

Meanwhile, Korean Patent No. 10-0505813, illustrated in FIG. 2, discloses that when a receipt printed by a printer (600) and cut and separated is left in the discharge port for a predetermined period of time, the discharge rollers (601, 602) are rotated in reverse to return the receipt in reverse, thereby sequentially recovering it into the recovery tray (603) inside the printer. Korean Patent No. 10-0505813 is used in a printer for printing receipts, and since no adhesive is applied to the back of the printing paper, the phenomenon of a receipt that has been cut after printing being stuck to the paper cutting mechanism (604) is not considered. Therefore, when printing using printing paper with an adhesive applied to the back surface by applying the printer of the above-mentioned Korean Patent No. 10-0505813, the adhesive applied to the back surface of the printing paper may accumulate on the paper cutting mechanism (604), and as a result, the cut printing paper may remain attached to the paper cutting mechanism (604).

The present invention is intended to solve the above problems, and provides a cut paper separation and discharge device of a printer and a control method thereof, which can separate cut paper that is still attached to a fixed blade or a movable blade after printing is completed in a printer, and detect that the cut and separated printing paper is left in a paper discharge unit and restrict the next printing operation, thereby preventing the paper to be printed next from passing through the paper discharge unit and getting caught between the paper discharge unit and the cutting unit, thereby preventing a printing paper jam from occurring. However, these tasks are exemplary and the scope of the present invention is not limited thereby.

According to one embodiment of the present invention, a printing paper discharge device in a printer including a thermal head having a heating element, a platen roller which is engaged with the thermal head and rotates to transport printing paper while printing predetermined content on the printing paper according to printing data supplied to the heating element of the thermal head, a cutting unit which is formed of an upper fixed blade and a lower movable blade for cutting printing paper having a surface as a printing surface and a back surface as an adhesive surface applied with an adhesive, and a driving unit, comprises: a pressure roller which is installed on an inner surface of a printer cover; a driving roller which is installed on a printer body to face the pressure roller and rotates in a forward or reverse direction to rotate printing paper cut by the cutting unit forward or backward while engaging with the pressure roller; a paper guide plate which has an opening through which a portion of an upper surface of the driving roller is exposed and is horizontally arranged at a position lower than a blade portion of a fixed blade of the cutting unit; a printing paper detection sensor which is installed at a position close to the cutting unit; And it may include a control unit that controls forward or reverse rotation of the driving roller.

In a paper ejection device of a printer according to one embodiment of the present invention, the control unit rotates the drive roller in the forward direction immediately after the paper is cut by the cutting unit, and when it is detected that the paper passes the detection sensor and no paper is present at the detection sensor portion, the control unit rotates the drive roller in the reverse direction, and when the paper returns to the detection sensor again and it is detected that the paper is present at the detection sensor portion, the control unit can stop the operation of the drive roller.

In addition, in the paper discharge device of the printer according to one embodiment of the present invention, when the presence of paper in the detection sensor portion is detected, the printing operation of the printer can be stopped.

In addition, in the paper discharge device of the printer according to one embodiment of the present invention, the pressure roller is formed of an idle roller that can rotate freely, and the printer cover can be connected by a hinge at one side of the upper part of the printer body.

Additionally, in the paper discharge device of the printer according to one embodiment of the present invention, the drive roller may be made of a non-adhesive material or may have a non-adhesive material layer formed on the outer surface.

In addition, in the paper discharge device of the printer according to one embodiment of the present invention, the paper guide plate may be provided with a plurality of protrusions that extend along the transport direction of the paper and are spaced apart from each other.

Meanwhile, a printer according to another embodiment of the present invention can use any one of the aforementioned printing paper discharge devices.

According to another embodiment of the present invention, a method for controlling discharge of printing paper in a printer, which includes a thermal head having a heating element, a platen roller which is engaged with the thermal head and rotates to transport printing paper while printing predetermined content on the printing paper according to printing data supplied to the heating element of the thermal head, a cutting unit which is formed of an upper fixed blade and a lower movable blade for cutting printing paper having a surface as a printing surface and a back surface as an adhesive surface applied with an adhesive, a printing paper discharge unit, and a control unit, comprises the steps of: a step of detecting by a detection sensor that printing is completed in the printer and the cut printing paper has been transported to the discharge unit; a step of rotating a drive roller of the printing paper discharge unit in a forward direction when the presence of printing paper is detected at a portion of the detection sensor in the step; a step of rotating the drive roller in a reverse direction when the presence of printing paper is not detected at a portion of the detection sensor after the driving roller of the printing paper discharge unit has been rotated in the forward direction; And it may include a step of stopping the printing operation of the printer by stopping the driving roller when the presence of printing paper is detected at the detection sensor portion after the driving roller is rotated in the reverse direction.

In a method for controlling discharge of printing paper of a printer according to another embodiment of the present invention, the method may further include a step of returning the printing operation of the printer to a normal state when it is detected that there is no printing paper at the detection sensor portion.

According to the printer's printing paper discharge device and its control method, which are made as described above, after printing is completed in the printer, the cut paper that is still attached to the fixed blade or the movable blade can be separated, and by detecting that the cut and separated printing paper is left in the paper discharge unit, the next printing operation can be restricted, thereby preventing the paper to be printed next from passing through the paper discharge unit and getting caught between the paper discharge unit and the cutting unit, thereby preventing a printing paper jam in advance, and thereby preventing a printer malfunction. However, these effects are exemplary and the scope of the present invention is not limited thereby.

Figure 1a is a cross-sectional view of a printer in which an adhesive discharge portion is formed in a movable cutter of a cutting unit in the prior art.
Figure 1b is a schematic diagram of the movable cutter and the fixed cutter of the cutting unit in the printer of Figure 1a.
Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of a receipt printer according to the prior art.
FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a printer to which a printing paper discharge device according to one embodiment of the present invention is applied.
FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a printer cover separated from a printer body of a printer to which a paper discharge device according to one embodiment of the present invention is applied.
FIG. 5 is an exploded perspective view of a paper discharge device of a printer according to one embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram showing a drive roller and a paper guide plate of a paper discharge device of a printer according to one embodiment of the present invention.
Figure 7 is a perspective view of a printer according to one embodiment of the present invention, with the housing of the printer body and the housing of the printer cover separated.
Figure 8 is a cross-sectional view of a printer to which a printing paper discharge device according to one embodiment of the present invention is applied.
FIG. 9 is a drawing showing a state in which cut printing paper is attached to an adhesive accumulation portion of a cutting unit in a printer to which a printing paper discharge device according to one embodiment of the present invention is applied.
FIG. 10 is a drawing showing a state in which cut printing paper attached to an adhesive accumulation area of a cutting unit is separated from the cutting unit by the operation of a driving roller in a printer to which a printing paper discharge device according to one embodiment of the present invention is applied.
Figure 11 is a flow chart of a method for controlling discharge of printing paper of a printer according to another embodiment of the present invention.

The objects, features and advantages of the present invention described above will become more apparent through the following examples taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

The specific structural and functional descriptions below are merely exemplified for the purpose of explaining embodiments according to the concept of the present invention, and embodiments according to the concept of the present invention may be implemented in various forms and should not be construed as being limited to the embodiments described in this specification or application.

Since embodiments according to the concept of the present invention can have various changes and can have various forms, specific embodiments are illustrated in the drawings and described in detail in this specification or application. However, this is not intended to limit embodiments according to the concept of the present invention to specific disclosed forms, but should be understood to include all modifications, equivalents, or substitutes included in the spirit and technical scope of the present invention.

The terms first and/or second, etc. may be used to describe various components, but the components are not limited to the terms. The terms are only intended to distinguish one component from other components, for example, without departing from the scope of the invention, a first component may be referred to as a second component, and similarly, a second component may also be referred to as a first component.

When it is said that a component is "connected" or "connected" to another component, it should be understood that it may be directly connected or connected to that other component, but that there may be other components in between. On the other hand, when it is said that a component is "directly connected" or "directly connected" to another component, it should be understood that there are no other components in between. Other expressions used to describe the relationship between components, such as "between" and "directly between" or "adjacent to" and "directly adjacent to", should be interpreted similarly.

The terminology used herein is only used to describe particular embodiments and is not intended to limit the present invention. The singular expression includes the plural expression unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It should be understood that the terms "comprises" or "has" as used herein specify that a described feature, number, step, operation, component, part, or combination thereof is present, but do not exclude in advance the possibility of the presence or addition of one or more other features, numbers, steps, operations, components, parts, or combinations thereof.

Unless otherwise defined, all terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this invention belongs. Terms defined in commonly used dictionaries should be interpreted as having a meaning consistent with the meaning they have in the context of the relevant art, and will not be interpreted in an idealized or overly formal sense unless explicitly defined herein.

Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail by describing embodiments of the present invention with reference to the attached drawings. The same reference numerals presented in each drawing represent the same components.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a printer cover separated from a printer body of a printer to which a paper discharge device according to one embodiment of the present invention is applied, FIG. 5 is an exploded perspective view of a paper discharge device of a printer according to one embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view of a printer to which a paper discharge device according to one embodiment of the present invention is applied.

Referring to FIGS. 3 to 8, a printer paper discharge device (100) according to one embodiment of the present invention and a printer (1) to which the same is applied will be described.

As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, a printer (1) to which a paper discharge removal device according to one embodiment of the present invention is applied may be composed of a printer body (3) and a printer cover (2). The printer cover (2) may be connected to the printer body (3) by a hinge (4) on one side and may be coupled to the printer body by a catch means (not shown) on the other side. When the catch means of the printer body and the printer cover are released, the printer cover can be rotated relative to the printer body to open the upper part of the printer body, thereby exposing the paper discharge device to the outside.

A printer (1) to which a printing paper discharge device (100) according to one embodiment of the present invention is applied may be configured to include, as main components, a thermal head (10) having a heating element, a platen roller (20) that is engaged with the thermal head and rotates to transport printing paper (P) and prints predetermined content on the printing paper according to character data supplied to the heating element (not shown) of the thermal head, a cutting unit (30) including a fixed blade (31) on the upper side and a movable blade (32) on the lower side for cutting printing paper (P) having a surface formed as a printing surface and a back surface formed as an adhesive surface applied with an adhesive, and a driving unit.

Referring to FIGS. 4 and 5, the printer body (3) is formed in a body shape with an approximately open upper portion, and a paper jam detection and removal device (100), a platen roller (20), a paper transport unit, a movable blade (32) of a cutting unit (30), a driving unit (121, 122), a control unit (not shown), etc. may be installed in the printer body (3). A thermal head (100), a fixed blade (31) of a cutting unit (30), etc. may be installed in a printer cover (2) that can be opened and closed in a hinged manner at the upper portion of the printer body (3). However, the present invention is not limited to this configuration, and the movable blade (32) may be installed in the printer cover (2) and the fixed blade (31) may be installed in the printer body (3), or the thermal head (10) may be installed in the printer body (3), and a control unit (not shown) may be installed in the printer cover (2).

In FIGS. 3 and 4, the printing paper supply roll (R) is rotatably installed on the outside of the printer body in the printer (1) to which the printing paper discharge device (100) according to one embodiment of the present invention is applied, but is not limited thereto. For example, the printing paper supply roll (R) can be manufactured in various forms as long as it has a structure capable of continuously supplying printing paper in a roll form, such as being installed inside the printer body (3).

Printing paper (P) has one side as a printing surface on which information is printed, and the other side as an adhesive surface that is applied with an adhesive to be attached to an item. Labels, invoices, etc. are printed by the printing unit and then cut by the cutting unit.

The printing unit may be composed of a thermal head (10) and a platen roller (20), and the printing paper (P) may be composed of thermal paper that reacts to heat and may be printed using a thermal recording method by the thermal head (10). For example, the printing paper (P) composed of thermal paper that reacts to heat may be fed between the thermal head (10) and the platen roller (20) to be sandwiched, and may be conveyed forward by the rotational drive of the platen roller (20) while supplying print data to a heating element (not shown) of the thermal head (10) to print labels or invoice information such as letters, numbers, symbols or shapes on the surface of the printing paper (P).

The printing unit can be configured in various ways depending on the printing method. For example, the printing unit can be configured with a thermal head that converts electrical energy into thermal energy, and can record information by generating heat under the control of the control unit and thermally heating the printing paper (P). In addition, the printing unit can apply a known printing technology such as an inkjet printing method or a laser printing method, and a detailed description thereof will be omitted.

The printing paper (P) may be of a linerless type in which there is no release paper on the surface to which the adhesive is applied, or alternatively, a separate release paper may be attached to the upper surface of the adhesive and the release paper may be removed after being cut by a cutting unit (30).

The paper transport unit is a component that, for example, transports printing paper (P) to print a label or invoice information on one side of the printing paper (P) and transports the completed printing paper (P) toward the cutting unit (30) of the printer.

As illustrated in FIG. 8, this paper transport unit rotates under the control of a control unit (not illustrated) while keeping the printing paper (P) in close contact with the thermal head (10) of the printing unit against the platen roller (20), and extracts the printing paper (P) from the paper supply roll (R) rotatably stored on the take-up roller installed on the outside of the printer body (3) and transports it toward the cutting unit (30).

The cutting unit (30) is a component that cuts the printing paper (P) that has been printed by the printing unit. In the printer (1) according to one embodiment of the present invention, the cutting unit (30) may be configured in a guillotine manner in which the movable blade (32) and the fixed blade (31) are configured separately from each other and the movable blade (32) reciprocates in a straight direction. For example, the fixed blade (31) of the cutting unit (30) is fixed to the cover (2) of the printer (1), and the movable blade (32) of the cutting unit (30) installed in the main body (3) of the printer (1) reciprocates with respect to the fixed blade (31), so that the blade portion of the fixed blade (31) and the blade portion of the movable blade (32) overlap each other to cut the printing paper (P) positioned between the fixed blade and the movable blade.

In the embodiment of Fig. 8, the fixed blade (31) and the movable blade (32) are shown as being arranged vertically, but the fixed blade (31) and the movable blade (32) may also be arranged horizontally.

Next, with reference to FIGS. 4 to 6, a paper discharge device (100) in a printer (1) according to one embodiment of the present invention will be described.

Printing paper (P) for printing labels or invoice paper, etc., has an adhesive applied to the back side and label or invoice information printed on the front side. A linerless type without a release paper on the back side to which the adhesive is applied or a type with a release paper attached can be used.

Since both linerless type printing paper (P) and release paper type printing paper (P) have adhesive applied to the back surface, when the printed printing paper (P) is cut by a cutting unit, some of the adhesive on the back surface of the printing paper (P) may adhere to and accumulate on the fixed blade or movable blade of the cutting unit. Accordingly, a defect may occur in which the cut printing paper remains attached to the adhesive accumulation portion of the fixed blade or movable blade, causing the next printing paper to be caught and prevented from passing between the fixed blade and the movable blade of the cutting unit, thereby hindering the cutting operation of the printing paper.

Therefore, it is necessary to prevent the phenomenon of cut printing paper sticking to the fixed or movable blade during printer operation.

A printing paper discharge device (100) according to one embodiment of the present invention is a device that can eliminate the phenomenon of printing paper (P) sticking to a fixed blade (31) or a movable blade (32) with a simple configuration. As shown in FIG. 4 and FIG. 8, the printing paper discharge device (100) is placed in front of the cutting unit (30) of the printer (1).

Referring to FIG. 5, a printing paper discharge device (100) according to one embodiment of the present invention may be composed of a pressure roller (110) installed on the inner surface of a printer cover (2), a drive roller (120) installed on a printer body (3) opposite to the pressure roller (110) and rotating in a forward or reverse direction, a paper guide plate (130) having an opening (131) through which a portion of the upper surface of the drive roller (120) is exposed and is arranged horizontally, a printing paper detection sensor (140) installed on a portion of the body plate (50) close to the cutting unit (30), and a control unit (not shown) that controls the forward or reverse rotation of the drive roller (120).

The above control unit rotates the drive roller (120) in the forward direction immediately after the printing paper (P) is cut by the cutting unit (30), and when the printing paper (P) passes the detection sensor (140) and it is detected that the printing paper (P) does not exist in the area of the detection sensor (140), the drive roller (120) is rotated in the reverse direction, and when the printing paper (P) returns back toward the detection sensor (140) and it is detected that the printing paper (P) exists in the area of the detection sensor (140), the operation of the drive roller (120) can be stopped.

The control unit rotates the drive roller (120) in the forward direction immediately after the printing paper (P) is cut by the cutting unit (30) to transport the cut printing paper (P) forward and prevent the rear end of the cut printing paper (P) from sticking to the adhesive accumulated on the fixed blade (31) or the movable blade (32) of the cutting unit. FIG. 9 is a drawing showing that the rear end of the printing paper (P) is at the position of the fixed blade (31) or the movable blade (32) of the cutting unit immediately after the printing paper (P) is cut by the cutting unit (30).

In addition, when the printing paper (P) passes through the detection sensor (140) and it is detected that the printing paper (P) does not exist at the detection sensor (140) area, the driving roller (120) is rotated in the reverse direction to position the printing paper (P) in the paper discharge unit until the user takes the printing paper (P) out of the printer after printing is completed and the printing paper is cut.

In addition, when the printing paper (P) returns back to the detection sensor (140) and the presence of the printing paper (P) is detected at the detection sensor (140), the operation of the driving roller (120) is stopped to recognize that the printing paper (P) that has been cut after printing is present in the paper discharge unit, thereby notifying that the printing paper (P) has not yet been completely discharged from the printer. FIG. 10 is a drawing showing a state in which the printing paper (P) that has been cut by the cutting unit (30) is conveyed forward by the forward rotation of the driving roller (120) and then conveyed backward by the reverse rotation.

In the paper discharge device (100) of the printer according to one embodiment of the present invention, when the presence of paper (P) is detected at the detection sensor (140) portion, the printing operation of the printer (1) can be stopped. By this configuration, the user has not yet taken out the paper (P) from the printer (1), so that the paper (P) that has been cut and separated is detected and left in the paper discharge unit, thereby restricting the next printing operation, thereby preventing the paper to be printed next from passing through the paper discharge unit and being caught between the paper discharge unit and the cutting unit (30), thereby causing a paper jam.

In a printing paper discharge device (100) of a printer according to one embodiment of the present invention, as shown in FIG. 5, a driving roller (120) can be driven by a driving unit including a driving motor (121) and a reduction gear train (122).

The pressure roller (110) that is engaged with the driving roller (120) may be formed of an idle roller that can rotate freely, and the pressure roller (110) may be installed on the inner surface of the printer cover (2). The printer cover (2) may be connected to one side of the upper portion of the printer body (3) by a hinge (4), and with this configuration, the printer cover (2) can be opened to release the engagement between the pressure roller (110) and the driving roller (120), and in this state, inspection and maintenance of the printing paper discharge device (100) can be performed.

In a printer (1) to which a printing paper discharge device (100) according to one embodiment of the present invention is applied, printing paper (P) having a surface as a printing surface and a back surface as an adhesive surface to which an adhesive is applied is used, so it is preferable that the driving roller (120) that comes into contact with the back surface of the printing paper (P) is made of a non-adhesive material or has a non-adhesive material layer formed on the outer surface. The non-adhesive material may be, for example, a silicone rubber layer, but is not limited thereto and other known non-adhesive materials may also be used.

The pressing roller (110) of the printing paper discharge device (100) according to one embodiment of the present invention may also be made of a non-adhesive material.

In addition, when printing using linerless type printing paper (P) in a printer (1) to which a printing paper discharge device (100) according to one embodiment of the present invention is applied, in order to prevent the adhesive applied to the back surface of the printing paper (P) from sticking to the upper surface of the paper guide plate (130), a peelable material may be used on the upper surface of the paper guide plate (130) to secure non-stickiness, or the surface may be treated to have peelability (non-stickiness). For example, a silicone rubber layer may be formed on the upper surface of the paper guide plate (130). In addition, as illustrated in FIGS. 5 and 6, a plurality of protrusions (132) extending along the printing paper transport direction and spaced apart from each other may be formed on the upper surface of the paper guide plate (130).

Next, referring to FIG. 11, a method for controlling discharge of printing paper of a printer (1) according to another embodiment of the present invention will be described.

A printer (1) to which a printing paper discharge device (100) according to the present invention is applied includes a thermal head (10) having a heating element; a platen roller (20) which is engaged with the thermal head and conveys printing paper (P) by rotational driving and prints predetermined content on the printing paper according to the character data supplied to the heating element of the thermal head; a cutting unit (30) which is formed by a fixed upper blade and a movable lower blade for cutting printing paper (P) having a surface as a printing surface and a back surface as an adhesive surface to which an adhesive is applied; a printing paper discharge unit and a control unit (not shown), which can be controlled by the following steps.

In step S10, a detection sensor (140) detects that printing is completed in the printer (1) and the cut printing paper (P) has been transported to the discharge unit. When the detection sensor (140) detects that the printing paper (P) is present in the discharge unit, preparations for transporting the printing paper (P) forward within the printing paper discharge unit are completed.

Next, in step S20, if it is detected that printing paper (P) exists at the detection sensor portion in step (S10), the drive roller (120) of the printing paper discharge unit (100) is rotated in the forward direction. Immediately after printing is completed and the printing paper (P) is cut in the cutting unit (30), in order to separate the rear end of the printing paper (P) that is still attached to the adhesive adhered to the fixed blade (31) or the movable blade (32) of the cutting unit, the drive roller (120) of the printing paper discharge unit (100) is rotated in the forward direction to transport the printing paper (P) that is engaged between the drive roller (120) and the pressing roller (110) forward.

Next, in step S30, the drive roller (120) of the printing paper discharge unit (100) is rotated in the forward direction, and when it is detected that there is no printing paper (P) at the detection sensor (140), the drive roller (120) is rotated in the reverse direction. By this process, the printing paper (P) is positioned in the paper discharge unit until the user takes the printing paper (P) out of the printer (1).

Next, in step S40, when the drive roller (120) is rotated in the reverse direction and the presence of printing paper (P) is detected at the detection sensor (140), the drive roller (120) is stopped and the printing operation of the printer (1) is stopped. By this process, the user has not yet taken out the cutting and separated printing paper (P) from the printer (1) and the printing paper (P) is left in the paper discharge unit, thereby restricting the next printing operation, thereby preventing the paper to be printed next from passing through the paper discharge unit and getting caught between the paper discharge unit and the cutting unit (30), thereby causing a printing paper jam.

In addition, in a method for controlling the discharge of printing paper of a printer (1) according to another embodiment of the present invention, after the step S40, if it is detected that there is no printing paper (P) at the detection sensor (140), a step (S50) of returning the printing operation of the printer to a normal state may be further included. By this step S50, it is possible to ensure that the printing operation of the printer (1) is performed in a state where there is no printing paper (P) at the paper discharge unit.

Although the present invention has been described with reference to the embodiments shown in the drawings, these are merely exemplary, and those skilled in the art to which the present invention pertains will understand that various modifications and equivalent other embodiments are possible therefrom. Therefore, the true technical protection scope of the present invention should be determined by the technical idea of the appended claims.

1: Printer 2: Printer cover
3: Printer body 10: Thermal head
20: Platen roller 30: Cutting unit
31: Fixed blade 32: Movable blade
50: Main body plate 100: Paper discharge device
110: Compression roller 120: Drive roller
130: Paper guide plate 140: Detection sensor
P: Printing paper R: Printing paper supply roll

Claims (9)

A printing paper discharge device (100) in a printer (1) including a thermal head (10) equipped with a heating element, a platen roller (20) that is engaged with the thermal head and rotates to transport printing paper (P) and prints predetermined content on the printing paper according to the data supplied to the heating element of the thermal head, a cutting unit (30) including a fixed upper blade and a movable lower blade that cuts the printing paper (P) having a surface as a printing surface and a back surface as an adhesive surface applied with an adhesive, and a driving unit,
A pressing roller (110) installed on the inner side of the printer cover (2);
A drive roller (120) that is installed in the printer body (3) opposite to the above-mentioned pressing roller (110) and rotates forward or backward to interlock with the pressing roller (110) and transport the printing paper (P) cut by the above-mentioned cutting unit (30) forward or backward by rotational driving;
A paper guide plate (130) having an opening (131) through which a portion of the upper surface of the driving roller (120) is exposed and is horizontally positioned at a lower position than the blade portion of the fixed blade (31) of the cutting unit (30);
A printing paper detection sensor (140) installed in a location close to the above cutting unit (30); and
It is characterized by including a control unit that controls the forward or reverse rotation of the driving roller (120).
The printer's paper ejector.
In the first paragraph,
The control unit rotates the drive roller (120) in the forward direction immediately after the printing paper (P) is cut by the cutting unit (30), and when the printing paper (P) passes the detection sensor (140) and it is detected that the printing paper (P) does not exist in the detection sensor (140) area, it rotates the drive roller (120) in the reverse direction, and when the printing paper (P) returns to the detection sensor (140) again and it is detected that the printing paper (P) exists in the detection sensor (140) area, it stops the operation of the drive roller (120).
The printer's paper ejector.
In the first paragraph,
It is characterized in that when the presence of printing paper (P) is detected in the above detection sensor (140) area, the printing operation of the printer (1) is stopped.
The printer's paper ejector.
In the first paragraph,
The above pressing roller (110) is composed of an idle roller that can rotate freely.
The above printer cover (2) is characterized in that it is connected to one side of the upper part of the printer body (3) by a hinge (4).
The printer's paper ejector.
In the first paragraph,
The above driving roller (120) is characterized by being made of a non-adhesive material or having a non-adhesive material layer formed on the outer surface.
The printer's paper ejector.
In the first paragraph,
The above paper guide plate (130) is characterized in that it is provided with a plurality of protrusions (132) that extend along the transport direction of the printing paper and are spaced apart from each other.
The printer's paper ejector.
A printer using a printing paper discharge device according to any one of claims 1 to 6.
A method for controlling discharge of printing paper in a printer (1) including a thermal head (10) equipped with a heating element, a platen roller (20) that is engaged with the thermal head and conveys printing paper (P) by rotational driving and prints predetermined content on the printing paper according to the data supplied to the heating element of the thermal head, a cutting unit (30) including a fixed upper blade and a movable lower blade that cuts printing paper (P) having a surface as a printing surface and a back surface as an adhesive surface to which an adhesive is applied, a printing paper discharge unit, and a control unit,
Step (S10) in which a detection sensor (140) detects that printing is completed in the printer (1) and the cut printing paper (P) is transferred to the discharge unit;
In the above step (S10), if the presence of printing paper (P) is detected at the detection sensor part, a step (S20) of rotating the driving roller (120) of the printing paper discharge unit (100) in the forward direction;
When the drive roller (120) of the printing paper discharge unit (100) is rotated in the forward direction and then the detection sensor (140) detects that there is no printing paper (P), the step (S30) of rotating the drive roller (120) in the reverse direction; and
When the drive roller (120) is rotated in the reverse direction and the presence of printing paper (P) is detected at the detection sensor (140), the step (S40) of stopping the printing operation of the printer (1) by stopping the drive roller (120) is included.
A method for controlling the discharge of printing paper from a printer (1).
In Article 8,
After the above step S40, if it is detected that there is no printing paper (P) in the detection sensor (140) area, it is characterized by further including a step (S50) of returning the printing operation of the printer to a normal state.
A method for controlling the discharge of printing paper from a printer.

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