阅读说明：本技术 打印系统 (Printing system ) 是由 藤田圭佑 于 2019-10-30 设计创作，主要内容包括：一种打印系统包括打印装置、压板辊、控制器和接口。打印装置包括热头、色带驱动源和头驱动源。当接收到打印命令时,控制器执行用于移动热头的头移动控制和用于将墨色带的输送速度加速至目标速度的色带加速控制。在完成头移动控制和色带加速控制之后,控制器被构造成控制热头的通电处于待机,直到从完成色带加速控制和头移动控制的时间起经过待机时间为止,且当从完成色带加速控制和头移动控制的时间起已经经过了待机时间时,控制器被构造成控制热头在打印介质上进行打印。(A printing system includes a printing device, a platen roller, a controller, and an interface. The printing apparatus includes a thermal head, a ribbon drive source, and a head drive source. When a print command is received, the controller executes head movement control for moving the thermal head and ribbon acceleration control for accelerating the conveyance speed of the ink ribbon to a target speed. After the head movement control and the ribbon acceleration control are completed, the controller is configured to control energization of the thermal head to be in standby until a standby time elapses from a time at which the ribbon acceleration control and the head movement control are completed, and when the standby time has elapsed from the time at which the ribbon acceleration control and the head movement control are completed, the controller is configured to control the thermal head to perform printing on a printing medium.)

1. A printing system, comprising:

a printing apparatus, the printing apparatus comprising:

a thermal head;

a ribbon drive source configured to feed an ink ribbon through a space between the thermal head and a platen roller; and

a head driving source configured to move the thermal head in a direction approaching or separating from the platen roller,

the platen roller is disposed opposite to the ink ribbon with respect to a transport path of a printing medium transported by an external apparatus;

a controller; and

an interface is connected with the power supply and the power supply,

wherein the head driving source is configured to move the thermal head between a first position at which the ink ribbon is urged toward the platen roller and a second position which is farther from the platen roller than the first position and at which the urging of the ink ribbon against the platen roller is released,

when receiving a print command, the controller is configured to execute head movement control for moving the thermal head from the second position to the first position with the head drive source and ribbon acceleration control for accelerating a feeding speed of the ink ribbon to a target speed by the ribbon drive source,

after the head movement control and the ribbon acceleration control are completed, the controller is configured to control energization of the thermal head to be in standby until a standby time elapses from a time at which the ribbon acceleration control and the head movement control are completed, and

when the standby time has elapsed from the time when the ribbon acceleration control and the head movement control are completed, the controller is configured to control the thermal head at the first position to perform printing on the printing medium being fed and disposed between the ink ribbon and the platen roller using the ink ribbon fed at the target speed by the ribbon drive source.

2. The printing system of claim 1, wherein

The controller is configured to: the standby time is determined based on a standby distance from completion of the head movement control and the ribbon acceleration control to start of energization of the thermal head when the printing medium is conveyed.

3. The printing system of claim 2, wherein

The controller is configured to: and determining the standby distance according to the conveying speed of the printing medium.

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a printing system and a printing system control method.

Background

There is known a thermal printer that performs printing on a printing medium by heating an ink ribbon with a thermal head. For example, the thermal printers of JP- ｃA-2010-36425 and JP- ｃA-2013-49281 are provided with ｃA thermal head unit including ｃA head, ｃA carriage, and ｃA head drive unit.

A plurality of heating elements are disposed at the chamfered ends of the head. The carriage holds the head. The head drive unit rotates the head and the carriage about a predetermined rotation axis. The head unit is disposed in the vicinity of the ink ribbon fed in the printing section. The head driving unit rotates a head fixed to the carriage from an initial position inside the main body to a printing position outside the main body. The head at the printing position prints on the wrapping film as a printing medium using an ink ribbon in contact with the head.

The printers illustrated in JP- ｃA-2010-. The transport of the print medium continues while the acceleration of the ribbon and the movement of the head are ongoing. When the acceleration of the ribbon and the movement of the head are completed, the printer that has received the print command can print on the print medium being conveyed. Therefore, the printer cannot start printing upon receiving a print command, and the printer can start printing upon completion of acceleration of the ribbon and movement of the head. The shortest conveyance distance of the printing medium from when the printer receives the print command to when the printer can actually print is referred to as the shortest preparation distance. The minimum preparation distance is determined by the required time for the ribbon to accelerate and the head to move and the transport speed of the print medium within the required time.

It is assumed that the printer as described above is equipped with a function of allowing the user to arbitrarily set the distance from when the print command is issued to when the print medium is conveyed at the start of printing. However, when the set distance is smaller than the shortest preparation distance, acceleration of the ink ribbon and movement of the head are not completed until the printing medium has been conveyed by the set distance, and thus the printer cannot perform printing and generates an error. When such an error occurs, the user may have to set the distance again.

Disclosure of Invention

The invention aims to provide a printing system capable of preventing a user from having to set a distance again.

According to one aspect of the present invention, a printing system includes:

a printing apparatus, the printing apparatus comprising:

a thermal head;

a ribbon drive source configured to feed an ink ribbon through a space between the thermal head and a platen roller; and

a head driving source configured to move the thermal head in a direction approaching or separating from the platen roller,

the platen roller is disposed opposite to the ink ribbon with respect to a transport path of a printing medium transported by an external apparatus;

a controller; and

an interface is connected with the power supply and the power supply,

wherein the head driving source is configured to move the thermal head between a first position at which the ink ribbon is urged toward the platen roller and a second position which is farther from the platen roller than the first position and at which the urging of the ink ribbon against the platen roller is released, and

when receiving a print command, the controller is configured to execute head movement control for moving the thermal head from the second position to the first position with the head drive source and ribbon acceleration control for accelerating a feeding speed of the ink ribbon to a target speed by the ribbon drive source.

After the head movement control and the ribbon acceleration control are completed, the controller is configured to control the thermal head at the first position to print on the printing medium being fed and disposed between the ink ribbon and the platen roller using the ink ribbon fed at the target speed by the ribbon drive source.

At least before receiving the print command, the controller is configured to determine a printable distance that the printing medium is conveyed from the reception of the print command until the head movement control and the ribbon acceleration control are completed, and the controller outputs the determined printable distance through the interface.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a diagram showing an outline of a printing system;

fig. 2 is a block diagram showing an electrical configuration of the printing system;

fig. 3 is a diagram for explaining a printing operation in the printing system;

FIG. 4 is a flow chart of a main process;

FIG. 5 is another flow chart of the main process;

FIG. 6 is a flow chart of a distance calculation process;

FIG. 7 is a diagram for explaining an acceleration schedule;

fig. 8 is a diagram for explaining a head moving velocity chart;

fig. 9 is a diagram for explaining the flow of a printing operation of one block; and is

Fig. 10 is another diagram for explaining the flow of the printing operation of one block.

Detailed Description

< overview of printing System 8 >

An embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. The printing system 8 is a system for performing thermal transfer printing. The printing system 8 prints on the printing medium P conveyed by the external apparatus 100 (see fig. 2). A specific example of the external device 100 is a packaging machine that conveys packaging material. In this case, the printing system 8 is used, for example, by incorporating the printing system 8 into a part of a conveying line on which the printing medium P is conveyed by the packaging machine.

As shown in fig. 1, the printing system 8 includes a printing apparatus 1, controllers 7 and 111 (see fig. 2), a platen roller 20, and an inter-apparatus controller 110 (see fig. 2). Hereinafter, in order to help understanding the description of the drawings, upper, lower, left, right, front, and rear of the printing system 1 will be defined. The upper, lower, left, right, front, and rear of the printing apparatus 1 correspond to the upper, lower, left, right, front, and rear sides of fig. 1, respectively. In fig. 1, the conveying direction of the printing medium P coincides with the horizontal direction. The printing medium P is conveyed from right to left by the external apparatus 100.

The printing apparatus 1 is a thermal transfer type thermal printer. The printing apparatus 1 includes a thermal head 3, a first motor 81, a second motor 82, and a third motor 83 (see fig. 2). As shown in fig. 1, the printing apparatus 1 includes a box-shaped housing 10. The substrate 10A is fixed inside the case 10. The ribbon attachment portion 2, the thermal head 3, the guide shaft 60, the controller 7 (see fig. 2), and the motor 80 (see fig. 2) are provided on the substrate 10A. The guide shaft 60 is a general term of the guide shafts 61, 62, 65, and 66. The motor 80 is a general term for the first motor 81, the second motor 82, and the third motor 83.

A cylindrical platen roller 20 is provided below the printing apparatus 1. The thermal head 3 and the platen roller 20 face each other in the vertical direction. The first motor 81 and the second motor 82 (see fig. 2) feed the ink ribbon 9 through a space between the thermal head 3 and the platen roller 20. The printing apparatus 1 is adjacent to the printing medium P in a state where the lower end of the printing apparatus 1 faces the printing surface (the surface on the upper side in fig. 1) of the printing medium P. The printing medium P fed by an external apparatus passes between the ink ribbon 9 and the platen roller 20. That is, the platen roller 20 is provided opposite to the ink ribbon 9 with respect to the conveyance path of the printing medium P conveyed by the external apparatus.

< ribbon Assembly 90>

The printing apparatus 1 prints on the printing medium P by heating the ink ribbon 9 of the ribbon assembly 90 accommodated inside the casing 10 with the thermal head 3. The ribbon assembly 90 has mandrels 90A and 90B and ink ribbon 9. Mandrels 90A and 90B are both cylindrical. The ink ribbon 9 is a tape-like film, and an ink layer is applied to the surface of a substrate including polyethylene terephthalate (PET). The ink layer includes, for example: a pigment component comprising carbon; and a binder component including a wax and/or a resin. The ink is melted by heating and transferred to the printing medium P. The ink ribbon 9 may have functional layers including a back coat layer, a release layer, and a bonding layer, as necessary. One end of the ink ribbon 9 is connected to the side surface of the spindle 90A, and the other end is connected to the side surface of the spindle 90B.

In a state where the ink ribbon 9 is wound around the spindle 90A, the ribbon assembly 90 is attached to the ribbon attachment portion 2 of the printing apparatus 1. The ink ribbon 9 wound around the spindle 90A is referred to as a "supply roll 9A". In printing with the thermal head 3, the ink ribbon 9 is fed from the supply roll 9A of the spindle 90A, the ink ribbon 9 is guided by the guide shaft 60 and the thermal head 3, and the ink ribbon 9 is wound around the spindle 90B. The ink ribbon 9 wound around the mandrel 90B is referred to as a "wound roll 9B".

< ink ribbon attachment part 2>

The ribbon attaching portion 2 includes a first spool 21 and a second spool 22. The first spool 21 and the second spool 22 are each rotatable about a rotation axis extending in the front-rear direction. The first reel 21 is disposed substantially at the center of the substrate 10A in the vertical direction and on the right side of the center in the horizontal direction. The second reel 22 is disposed substantially at the center of the substrate 10A in the vertical direction and on the left side of the center in the horizontal direction. A supply roll 9A wound around a spindle 90A of the ribbon assembly 90 is attached to the first spool 21. A wind-up roll 9B wound around a spindle 90B of the ribbon assembly 90 is attached to the second spool 22.

The first reel 21 is directly connected to a first motor 81 (see fig. 2) and is rotated by the first motor 81. The second spool 22 is directly connected to a second motor 82 (see fig. 2) and rotated by the second motor 82. Since the first reel 21 and the second reel 22 are rotated by different motors 80, respectively, they can be rotated at different rotational speeds. The first and second reels 21 and 82 may be indirectly connected to the first and second motors 81 and 82, respectively.

In a state where the printing apparatus 1 in fig. 1 is viewed from the front side, when the first spool 21 and the second spool 22 rotate counterclockwise, the mandrels 90A and 90B rotate in the forward rotation direction. In this case, the ink ribbon 9 is fed from the supply roll 9A and the ink ribbon 9 is wound around the winding roll 9B. In a state where the printing apparatus 1 in fig. 1 is viewed from the front side, when the first spool 21 and the second spool 22 rotate clockwise, the spindles 90A and 90B rotate in the reverse rotation direction. The ink ribbon 9 is fed from the wind roll 9B, and the ink ribbon 9 is wound around the supply roll 9A.

The ink ribbon 9 stretched between the supply roll 9A and the take-up roll 9B is conveyed in the casing 10 with the rotation of the first spool 21 and the second spool 22. The path through which the ink ribbon 9 is fed is referred to as "feeding path R". The ink ribbon 9 is conveyed and guided along the conveyance path R by coming into contact with the guide shaft 60. The thermal head 3 is adjacent to the ink ribbon 9 stretched between the supply roll 9A and the take-up roll 9B.

< thermal head 3>

The thermal head 3 is disposed below the first reel 21 and the second reel 22 and on the front surface of the substrate 10A. The thermal head 3 is provided at a part of the conveyance direction of the ink ribbon 9. The thermal head 3 includes a plurality of heating elements linearly arranged in the front-rear direction. The front-rear direction is a direction corresponding to the width direction of the ink ribbon 9, which is a direction intersecting the conveyance direction of the ink ribbon 9. The thermal head 3 performs printing using a partial area of the ink ribbon 9 by causing a part of the plurality of heating elements arranged in the width direction of the ink ribbon 9, which faces the partial area of the ink ribbon 9 for printing, to generate heat.

The thermal head 3 is movable between head positions 3A and 3B. The head position 3A is a position where the thermal head 3 is disposed above the lower end portion of the housing 10. The head position 3B is a position where the thermal head 3 is disposed below the lower end portion of the housing 10. The head positions 3A and 3B are respectively provided substantially at the center of the housing 10 in the horizontal direction and are arranged in the vertical direction. The third motor 83 (see fig. 2) moves the thermal head 3 in the vertical direction between the head positions 3A and 3B. The head position 3B is a position where the ink ribbon 9 is pressed toward the platen roller 20. The head position 3A is a position which is farther from the platen roller 20 than the head position 3B is from the platen roller 20 and the pressing of the ink ribbon 9 against the platen roller 20 is released. That is, the third motor 83 moves the thermal head 3 in a direction approaching the platen roller 20 and separating from the platen roller 20.

< guide shaft 60>

The guide shaft 60 is cylindrical, and extends from a front surface, which is a surface of the substrate 10A, toward the front side. The guide shaft 60 is rotatable about a rotation axis extending in the front-rear direction. The guide shaft 61 is provided near the upper right corner of the substrate 10A. The guide shaft 62 is provided near the lower right corner of the substrate 10A. The guide shaft 65 is provided near the lower left corner of the substrate 10A. The guide shaft 66 is provided near the upper left corner of the substrate 10A.

The ink ribbon 9 contacts a part of the circumferential surface of the guide shaft 60. The conveyance path R of the ink ribbon 9 extends obliquely upward to the right from the supply roll 9A attached to the first spool 21, the conveyance path R of the ink ribbon 9 contacts the guide shaft 61 to change the direction of the conveyance path R, the conveyance path R of the ink ribbon 9 extends downward toward the guide shaft 62, the conveyance path R of the ink ribbon 9 contacts the guide shaft 62 to change the direction of the conveyance path R, and the conveyance path R of the ink ribbon 9 extends leftward toward the guide shaft 65. The conveyance path R of the ink ribbon 9 changes direction by contacting the thermal head 3 at a halfway portion between the guide shaft 62 and the guide shaft 65. The conveyance path R of the ink ribbon 9 further contacts the guide shaft 65 to change the direction of the conveyance path R, the conveyance path R of the ink ribbon 9 extends upward toward the guide shaft 66, the conveyance path R of the ink ribbon 9 contacts the guide shaft 66 to change the direction of the conveyance path R, and the conveyance path R of the ink ribbon 9 extends obliquely rightward and downward toward the wound roll 9B. At least the guide shafts 61, 62, 65, and 66 may be provided in the printing apparatus 1. For example, another guide shaft that changes the direction of the conveying path R may be provided between the guide shaft 62 and the guide shaft 65.

< Electrical construction of printing System 8 >

The electrical configuration of the printing system 8 will be described with reference to fig. 2. The printing apparatus 1 includes a controller 7. The controller 7 includes a CPU that controls the printing apparatus 1 and various driving circuits that operate according to instructions of the CPU. The various driving circuits include, for example, a circuit for supplying signals (e.g., driving currents) to the first motor 81, the second motor 82, and the third motor 83 as the motor 80, a circuit for supplying signals (e.g., driving currents) to the thermal head 3, and the like. The controller 7 is electrically connected to the storage unit 71, the operation unit 73, the thermal head 3, the first motor 81, the second motor 82, and the third motor 83 as the motor 80, and the communication interface (communication I/F)72 through an interface circuit (not shown).

The thermal head 3 generates heat in response to a signal output from the controller 7. The motor 80 is a stepping motor that rotates in synchronization with the pulse signal. The first motor 81 rotates the first reel 21 in accordance with a pulse signal output from the controller 7. The second motor 82 rotates the second reel 22 in accordance with a pulse signal output from the controller 7. The third motor 83 rotates in accordance with a pulse signal output from the controller 7 to move the thermal head 3. The communication I/F72 is an interface element for communicating with the inter-device controller 110.

The inter-device controller 110 is provided outside the printing apparatus 1, and controls communication between the printing apparatus 1 and an external device. The inter-device controller 110 includes a controller 111, a storage unit 112, a communication I/F113, and a communication I/F114. The communication I/F113 is connected to the communication I/F72 of the printing apparatus 1 in a wired or wireless manner. The communication I/F114 is connected to the external device 100 and the external terminal 150 as external devices in a wired or wireless manner. In this embodiment, the external apparatus 100 is an apparatus for conveying the printing medium P (for example, a packing machine for conveying a packing material). The external terminal 150 is a terminal (e.g., PC) that allows the user to issue various instructions to the printing apparatus 1.

The storage unit 71 of the printing apparatus 1 includes various storage media including, for example, ROM, RAM, and flash memory. The storage unit 71 stores programs of processes executed by the controller 7. The storage unit 71 stores print data, a medium speed V, setting information, an acceleration time table 30 (see fig. 7), a head movement speed table 40 (see fig. 8), and the like. The print data, the medium speed V, and the setting information are set in the storage unit 71 by being input to the controller 7 from the external apparatus 100 or the external terminal 150 via the inter-apparatus controller 110. The setup information includes ribbon type and head speed setup. The ribbon type is the type of ribbon 9, for example, the width and length of the ribbon 9. The head speed setting is setting information of the moving speed of the thermal head 3. The acceleration time table 30 (see fig. 7) and the head movement speed table 40 (see fig. 8) are stored in the storage unit 71 in advance.

The program executed by the controller 7 may be downloaded from, for example, the external terminal 150 through the communication I/F72. The controller 7 may store a program acquired from the external terminal 150 through the communication I/F72 in the storage unit 71. The print data, the medium speed V, and the setting information may be input from the operation unit 73 of the printing apparatus 1 and set in the storage unit 71.

< summary of printing operation >

An outline of a printing operation of forming a print image of a plurality of patches on a print medium P in the printing system 8 will be described with reference to fig. 3. For easy understanding, in fig. 3 (a) to (e), the ink ribbon 9 and the printing medium P are shown in a straight line and are separated from each other. However, in reality, the ink ribbon 9 and the printing medium P may be bent. The ink ribbon 9 and the printing medium P contact each other at least at a position where the thermal head 3 contacts the ink ribbon 9.

In the printing system 8, the printing medium P is conveyed by the external apparatus 100 (see fig. 2) at a medium speed V, which is a conveyance speed set by the external apparatus 100. In a state where the printing medium P is conveyed at the medium speed V, the printing apparatus 1 performs a printing operation. The external device 100 transmits a print command to the printing apparatus 1 at predetermined timing through the inter-device controller 110. In this example, each time a print image of one patch is formed on the print medium P, the external device 100 transmits a next print command to the printing apparatus 1. In the printing apparatus 1, when a print command is received from the external device 100, the head-down control and the ribbon acceleration control are executed while the printing medium P is conveyed by the predetermined preparation distance L.

In this embodiment, the preparation distance L is a set value of the distance from when the print command is issued to when the print medium P conveyed is started, and the preparation distance L can be arbitrarily set by the user in the external apparatus 100 or the external terminal 150. The print command transmitted from the external device 100 to the printing apparatus 1 further includes information for instructing the preparation distance L. When the preparation distance L is set in the external terminal 150, the inter-device controller 110 includes information for instructing the preparation distance L set in the external terminal 150 in a print command output from the external device 100, and transmits the print command to the printing apparatus 1. Therefore, when the print command is received, the printing apparatus 1 starts printing by the thermal head 3 when the print medium P has been conveyed by the preparation distance L from the time when the print command is received. Fig. 3 shows a case where a distance by which the printing medium P is conveyed (i.e., a printable distance described later) is equal to the preparation distance L instructed by the print command until the head lowering control and the ribbon acceleration control are completed.

In the head lowering control, the thermal head 3 is moved from the head position 3A to the head position 3B at a head speed Vh (see fig. 8) corresponding to the head speed setting set in the storage unit 71. With this configuration, the thermal head 3 approaches the platen roller 20 from above and pushes the ink ribbon 9 to the printing surface of the printing medium P. The platen roller 20 contacts a surface of the printing medium P opposite to the printing surface and pushes the ink ribbon 9 and the printing medium P to the thermal head 3.

In the ribbon acceleration control, the first motor 81 and the second motor 82 are driven, and the first spool 21 and the second spool 22 are rotated. The ink ribbon 9 is fed from the supply roll 9A of the first spool 21, and the ink ribbon 9 is wound around the wound roll 9B of the second spool 22. Then, the conveyance speed of the ink ribbon 9 is accelerated from zero to the ribbon speed Vr. The ribbon speed Vr is a target speed of the ink ribbon 9 according to the medium speed V set from the external apparatus 100 or the external terminal 150.

After the head lowering control and the ribbon acceleration control are completed, the ink ribbon 9 is conveyed downstream at the ribbon speed Vr as shown in (a) of fig. 3. The thermal head 3 moves upstream with respect to the ink ribbon 9 while contacting the use area 91 of the ink ribbon 9. That is, the relative position in the conveyance direction between the heating position of the thermal head 3 and the ink ribbon 9 is changed by the conveyance of the ink ribbon 9. In this case, the thermal head 3 is heated by energization based on the print data set in the storage unit 71. The ink in the use area 91 of the ink ribbon 9 is transferred to the printing surface of the printing medium P. Thus, a print image G1 of one patch is formed on the print medium P.

After the print image G1 is formed as shown in (a) of fig. 3, the heating of the thermal head 3 is stopped, and the head-up control and the ribbon deceleration control are performed. As shown in (B) of fig. 3, in the head up control, the thermal head 3 is moved from the head position 3B to the head position 3A at a head speed Vh (see fig. 8) corresponding to the head speed setting set in the storage unit 71. In the ribbon deceleration control, the conveyance speed of the ink ribbon 9 is reduced from the ribbon speed Vr to zero. By stopping the rotation of the first spool 21 and the second spool 22, the conveyance of the ink ribbon 9 is stopped. Thus, the printing operation of the print image G1 is completed. The printing medium P is continuously conveyed at the medium speed V by the external apparatus 100.

After that, the printing operation of the next block is started. That is, in the printing apparatus 1, when a print command is received from the external device 100, the head-down control and the ribbon acceleration control are executed while the printing medium P is conveyed by the preparation distance L. With this configuration, as shown in (c) of fig. 3, the thermal head 3 is moved from the head position 3A to the head position 3B, and the ink ribbon 9 is conveyed downstream at the ribbon speed Vr. The thermal head 3 moves upstream with respect to the ink ribbon 9 while contacting the use area 92 of the ink ribbon 9. The thermal head 3 is heated, and the ink in the use area 92 of the ink ribbon 9 is transferred to the printing surface of the printing medium P. Thus, a print image G2 is formed on the print medium P.

After the print image G2 is formed as described in (c) of fig. 3, the heating of the thermal head 3 is stopped, and the head-up control and the ribbon deceleration control are performed. With this configuration, as shown in (d) of fig. 3, the thermal head 3 moves from the head position 3B to the head position 3A, and the conveyance of the ink ribbon 9 is stopped. Thus, the printing operation of the print image G2 is completed. Similarly to the above, as shown in (e) of fig. 3, the printing operation of the next patch is performed, and a print image G3 is formed on the print medium P.

The printing apparatus 1 repeats the above-described printing operation for each tile a prescribed number of times in accordance with a print command from the external device 100. Thereby, the print images G1, G2, G3 … are formed on the print medium P. That is, heating is performed by the thermal head 3 whose position in the conveyance direction does not move with respect to the ink ribbon 9 conveyed downstream at the medium velocity V. Thereby, a print image is formed on the print medium P conveyed downstream at the medium speed V.

< Main Process >

The main process of the printing apparatus 1 will be described with reference to fig. 4 and 5. The controller 7 of the printing apparatus 1 starts the main process by reading and executing the program stored in the storage unit 71 in response to the turning on of the printing device 1.

As shown in fig. 4, first, the controller 7 performs an initial operation (S1). The initial operation is a process of controlling the printing apparatus 1 in an initial state. Specifically, the controller 7 performs an operation of moving the thermal head 3 to the head position 3A and an operation of detecting the roll diameter of each of the supply roll 9A and the winding roll 9B using a sensor that detects the number of rotations of the guide shaft 61.

Next, the controller 7 determines whether there is a setting change (S3). For example, when an instruction to change the type of the ink ribbon and the head speed setting is issued from the external device 100, the external terminal 150, or the operation unit 73 of the printing apparatus 1, the controller 7 determines that there is a setting change (yes in S3). In this case, the controller 7 performs a distance calculation process for calculating the printable distance (S5). The printable distance is a printable distance in which the printing medium P is conveyed between the reception of the print command to the completion of the head movement control and the ribbon acceleration control. The details of the distance calculation process will be described later.

Next, the controller 7 determines whether the latest printable distance calculated in S5 is different from the previous calculation result of the printable distance stored in the storage unit 71 (S7). When determining that the calculated printable distance is the same as the previous calculation result, the controller 7 does not determine that the latest printable distance is different from the previous calculation result (no in S7). In this case, the controller 7 returns the process to S3.

On the other hand, when it is determined that the calculated printable distance is different from the previous calculation result, or when the previous calculation result is not stored in the storage unit 71, the controller 7 determines that the latest printable distance is different from the previous calculation result (yes in S7). In this case, the controller 7 outputs the calculated printable distance through the inter-device controller 110 (S9). In detail, the controller 7 notifies the external device 100 of the printable distance through the inter-device controller 110. During execution of S5 to S9, the controller 7 has not received an unprocessed print instruction to be executed. Therefore, at least before receiving the print command, the controller 7 calculates a printable distance that the printing medium P is conveyed between the reception of the print command to the completion of the head lowering control and the ribbon acceleration control, and outputs the calculated printable distance through the inter-device controller 110. After that, the controller 7 returns the process to S3.

When it is determined that there is no setting change (no in S3), the controller 7 determines whether an error has occurred (S11). For example, when the ink ribbon 9 is not attached to the printing apparatus 1 or when a malfunction occurs in the printing apparatus 1, the controller 7 determines that an error has occurred (yes in S11). In this case, the controller 7 shifts the process to S33.

When it is determined that no error has occurred (no in S11), the controller 7 determines whether a print start instruction has been issued (S13). For example, when a print start instruction is input from the external terminal 150, the external device 100, or the operation unit 73 of the printing apparatus 1, the controller 7 determines that the print start instruction is issued (yes in S13). In this case, the controller 7 controls the printing apparatus 1 to be in a printable standby state. When it is determined that the print start instruction has not been issued (no in S13), the controller 7 returns the process to S3.

When it is determined that the print start instruction is issued (yes in S13), the controller 7 determines whether a print stop instruction is issued (S15). For example, when a print stop instruction is input from the external terminal 150, the external device 100, or the operation unit 73 of the printing apparatus 1, the controller 7 determines that the print stop instruction is issued (yes in S15). In this case, the controller 7 controls the printing apparatus 1 to be in a stopped state, and returns the process to S3.

When it is determined that the print stop instruction has not been issued (no in S15), the controller 7 determines whether an error has occurred (S17) similarly to S11. When it is determined that an error has occurred (yes in S17), the controller 7 shifts the process to S33. When it is determined that no error has occurred (no in S17), the controller 7 determines whether a print command has been issued from the external apparatus 100 (S19). When it is determined that the print command has not been issued (no in S19), the controller 7 returns the process to S15.

When it is determined that the print command is issued (yes in S19), the controller 7 executes a drive start process (S21). In the drive start process, head-down control and ribbon acceleration control are performed. With this configuration, the thermal head 3 moves from the head position 3A to the head position 3B, and the conveyance speed of the ink ribbon 9 is accelerated from zero to the ribbon speed Vr. That is, when receiving a print command, the controller 7 performs head lowering control of moving the thermal head 3 from the head position 3A to the head position 3B by the third motor 83 and ribbon acceleration control of accelerating the conveyance speed of the ink ribbon 9 to the target speed (ribbon speed Vr) by the first motor 81 and the second motor 82.

Next, the controller 7 executes a print execution process (S23). During the execution of printing, the thermal head 3 is heated by energization to form a print image of one patch on the printing medium P conveyed at the medium speed V using the ink ribbon 9 conveyed at the ribbon speed Vr. That is, after the head lowering control and the ribbon acceleration control are completed, the controller 7 controls the thermal head 3 located at the head position 3B to perform printing on the printing medium P being fed and set between the ink ribbon 9 and the platen roller 20, using the ink ribbon 9 fed at the target speed (ribbon speed Vr) by the first motor 81 and the second motor 82.

During execution of the print execution process, the controller 7 determines whether an error has occurred, similarly to S11 (S25). When it is determined that an error has not occurred (no in S25), the controller 7 determines whether printing of one tile based on the print command has been completed (S27). When it is determined that the printing of one tile is not completed (no in S27), the controller 7 returns the process to S25.

When it is determined that the printing of one tile is completed (yes in S27), the controller 7 performs a drive stop process (S29). In the drive stop process, head-up control and ribbon deceleration control are executed. With this configuration, the energization of the thermal head 3 is interrupted, the thermal head 3 is moved from the head position 3B to the head position 3A, and the conveyance speed of the ink ribbon 9 is reduced from the ribbon speed Vr to zero. After that, the controller 7 returns the process to S15 to wait for a print stop instruction or a next print command.

When it is determined that an error has occurred (yes in S25), the controller 7 performs a drive stop process (S31) similarly to S29. In this case, the controller 7 determines whether the error is cancelled (S33). For example, when it is determined that the error is cancelled by the operation of the user or the like, the controller 7 determines that the error is cancelled (yes in S33). In this case, the controller 7 returns the process to S1. When it is determined that no error is canceled (no in S33), the controller 7 returns the process to S31.

< distance calculation Process >

The distance calculation process will be described with reference to fig. 6. In the following distance calculation process, the controller 7 calculates the printable distance based on the required time for the head-down control or the required time for the ribbon acceleration control and the conveyance speed of the printing medium P.

As shown in fig. 6, first, the controller 7 acquires the ribbon acceleration time Ta (S41). The ribbon acceleration time Ta is a required time for ribbon acceleration control, and is determined by the ribbon type of the ink ribbon 9 and the ribbon speed Vr corresponding to the medium speed V. As shown in fig. 7, in the acceleration schedule 30, the ribbon acceleration time Ta is determined according to the combination of the ribbon type and the ribbon speed Vr. When the ribbon speed Vr is the same, the greater the width and length of the ink ribbon 9, the longer the ribbon acceleration time Ta. When the types of the ribbon are the same, the greater the ribbon speed Vr, the longer the ribbon acceleration time Ta. In S41, the controller 7 refers to the acceleration schedule 30 to acquire the ribbon acceleration time Ta corresponding to the combination of the ribbon type and the ribbon speed Vr set in the storage unit 71.

Next, the controller 7 acquires the head-down time Tb (S43). The head-down time Tb is a time required for head-down control. In the present embodiment, the elevating distance H (see fig. 1) by which the thermal head 3 moves between the head positions 3A and 3B is constant, for example, the elevating distance H is "1.0 mm". Therefore, the head-down time Tb is determined by the head speed Vh. As shown in fig. 8, in the head moving speed table 40, the correspondence between the head speed setting and the head speed Vh is determined. In step S43, the controller 7 refers to the head moving speed table 40 to acquire the head speed Vh corresponding to the head speed setting set in the storage unit 71. The controller 7 acquires a value obtained by dividing the lifting distance H by the head speed Vh as the head lowering time Tb.

Next, the controller 7 determines whether the ribbon acceleration time Ta is equal to or greater than the head descent time Tb (S45). When it is determined that the ribbon acceleration time Ta is equal to or greater than the head descent time Tb (yes in S45), the controller 7 calculates the printable distance X by the following (equation 1) (S47). The printable distance X represents a distance in units of 1mm that the printing medium P is conveyed from when the print command is received to when the head lowering control and the ribbon acceleration control are completed.

Ta · V + C (equation 1)

In this way, when the required time of the ribbon acceleration control is equal to or greater than the required time of the head lowering control, the controller 7 calculates the printable distance based on the required time of the ribbon acceleration control and the conveyance speed of the printing medium P.

When determining that the ribbon acceleration time Ta is less than the head descent time Tb (no in S45), the controller 7 calculates the printable distance X by the following (equation 2) (S49). Here, "V" is the medium speed V set in the storage unit 71, and "C" is the standby distance C of a specified value (for example, 0.1mm) in (equation 1) and (equation 2).

X ═ Tb · V + C (equation 2)

In this way, when the required time of the ribbon acceleration control is smaller than the required time of the head-down control, the controller 7 calculates the printable distance based on the required time of the head-down control and the conveyance speed of the printing medium P.

Next, when the calculated printable distance X has a fraction after the decimal point, the controller 7 acquires the printable distance Y obtained by rounding up the fraction (S51). That is, the printable distance Y represents a distance by which the printing medium P is conveyed from when the print command is received to when the head-down control and the ribbon acceleration control are completed, as an integer value in millimeters obtained by rounding up the numbers after the decimal point. The controller 7 stores the acquired printable distance Y in the storage unit 71 as the latest printable distance (S53).

Next, the controller 7 calculates the driving delay time Td by the following (equation 3) (S55). The driving delay time Td is a delay time that delays the start timing of the head-down control and the ribbon acceleration control from the time when the print command is received. Where "V" is the medium speed V set in the storage unit 71, "Y" is the latest printable distance Y acquired in S53, and "X" is the printable distance X before rounding up the numbers after the decimal point in S51.

Td ═ Y-X)/V (Eq.3)

The controller 7 stores the calculated driving delay time Td in the storage unit 71 (S57), and returns the process to the main process.

In the main process shown in fig. 4, the controller 7 notifies the external device 100 of the printable distance Y stored in the storage unit 71 as the latest printable distance (S9). That is, when a score occurs in the calculated printable distance X, the controller 7 outputs a value of the printable distance Y obtained by rounding up the score through the inter-device controller 110. The controller of the external device 100 displays the received printable distance Y on the display unit of the external device 100. Accordingly, the user can recognize the printable distance Y in the external device 100. When the user sets the preparation distance L in the external device 100, the user sets the preparation distance L to the printable distance Y or more. With this configuration, when the printing apparatus 1 performs printing according to a print command, when the print medium P is conveyed by the preparation distance L from the time when the print command is received, the head-down control and the ribbon acceleration control are completed. Therefore, the printing apparatus 1 can appropriately form a print image on the print medium P.

Each time the ribbon type or the head speed setting is changed in the printing apparatus 1, the external device 100, or the external terminal 150, a new printable distance Y according to the changed content is calculated and transmitted to the external device 100 (yes in S3, S5 to S9). Therefore, even when the user changes the ribbon type and the head speed setting, the user can set the optimum preparation distance L in the external apparatus 100 according to the changed contents.

< details of printing operation >

Details of the printing operation of one block will be described with reference to fig. 9 and 10. In fig. 9 and 10, the standby time Tc is a value obtained by dividing the standby distance C (e.g., 0.1mm) by the medium speed V. Fig. 9 and 10 show a flow from the start to the end of the printing operation for one tile in response to receiving a print command. The preparation distance L instructed by the print command is equal to the printable distance Y notified to the external apparatus 100 before the print command is received.

In the example shown in fig. 9, a case where the ribbon acceleration time Ta is longer than the head descent time Tb is illustrated. In this case, in the distance calculation process (see fig. 6), the printable distance X is calculated based on the above (equation 1), and the printable distance Y and the driving delay time Td are calculated (S47, S51 to S57). In the drive start process (S21), when the drive delay time Td has elapsed from the time when the print command is received, the ribbon acceleration control is started. When the time difference between the ribbon acceleration time Ta and the head lowering time Tb has elapsed since the ribbon acceleration control was started, the head lowering control is started. With this configuration, the ribbon acceleration control and the head lowering control are completed at the same timing. That is, when rounding up the fraction of the calculated printable distance X, the controller 7 delays the start timings of the head lowering control and the ribbon acceleration control in accordance with the conveyance time P (drive delay time Td) of the printing medium P corresponding to the amount of rounding up the fraction.

Next, in the print execution process (S23), the ink ribbon 9 is fed at a constant speed at the ribbon speed Vr, but the energization of the thermal head 3 is in standby until the standby time Tc elapses from the time when the ribbon acceleration control and the head lowering control are completed. On the other hand, when the standby time Tc has elapsed from the time when the ribbon acceleration control and the head lowering control are completed, the total time of the driving delay time Td, the ribbon acceleration time Ta, and the standby time Tc has elapsed from the time when the print command is received. In this case, since the printing medium P has been conveyed by the printable distance Y, energization of the thermal head 3 is started, and printing on the printing medium P is started.

Thereafter, when a print image of one patch is formed, in the drive stop process (S29), the energization of the thermal head 3 is first ended, then the head-up control is performed, finally the ribbon deceleration control is performed, and the printing operation of one patch is completed.

In the example shown in fig. 10, a case where the head-down time Tb is longer than the band acceleration time Ta is illustrated. In this case, in the distance calculation process (see fig. 6), the printable distance X is calculated based on the above (equation 2), and the printable distance Y and the driving delay time Td are calculated (S49, S51 to S57). In the drive start process (S21), when the drive delay time Td has elapsed from the time when the print command is received, the head down control is started. When the time difference between the ribbon acceleration time Ta and the head lowering time Tb has elapsed from the time when the head lowering control is started, the ribbon acceleration control is started. With this configuration, the ribbon acceleration control and the head lowering control are completed at the same timing. That is, similarly to the case of fig. 9, the controller 7 delays the start timings of the head down control and the ribbon acceleration control in accordance with the driving delay time Td.

Next, in the print execution process (S23), when the standby time Tc has elapsed since the ribbon acceleration control and the head-down control were completed, the total time of the driving delay time Td, the head-down time Tb, and the standby time Tc has elapsed since the time when the print command was received. In this case, since the printing medium P has been conveyed by the printable distance Y, energization of the thermal head 3 is started, and printing on the printing medium P is started. Thereafter, when the print image of one tile is formed, the printing operation of one tile is ended during the stop of driving (S29).

According to the printing operations shown in fig. 9 and 10, the ribbon acceleration control and the head lowering control are started after the driving delay time Td has elapsed from the time when the print command is received, in consideration of the difference between the printable distance X and the printable distance Y. With this configuration, the printing apparatus 1 can accurately start printing on the printing medium P from the point in time when the printing medium P has been conveyed the printable distance Y from the time when the print command is received.

In the ribbon acceleration control and the head lowering control, the control requiring a long time is started first. The control requiring a long time and the control requiring a short time are completed at the same time. With this configuration, it is possible to suppress the time required to complete the ribbon acceleration control and the head lowering control, and thus suppress the time required for the printing operation of one block.

Vibration may occur in the printing apparatus 1 due to acceleration of the ink ribbon 9 caused by ribbon acceleration control or movement of the thermal head 3 caused by head lowering control. In a state where vibration occurs in the printing apparatus 1, the printing position of the thermal head 3 may be blurred, which may deteriorate the printing quality. In this embodiment, after the ribbon acceleration control and the head lowering control are executed, a standby time Tc during which energization of the thermal head 3 is in a standby state is provided. Even when vibration occurs in the printing apparatus 1, the vibration of the printing apparatus 1 is stabilized for the standby time Tc, and thus good printing quality can be maintained.

< example of action of embodiment >

According to the printing system 8 of this embodiment, the ink ribbon 9 is fed through the space between the thermal head 3 and the platen roller 20. The thermal head 3 moves between a head position 3B where the ink ribbon 9 is pressed toward the platen roller 20 and a head position 3A where the head position 3A is farther from the platen roller 20 than the head position 3B is from the platen roller 20 to release the pressing of the ink ribbon against the platen roller. When receiving the print command, the controller 7 executes head lowering control and ribbon acceleration control (S21). After the head lowering control and the ribbon acceleration control are completed, the controller 7 controls the thermal head 3 located at the head position 3B to perform printing on the printing medium P being conveyed and disposed between the ink ribbon 9 and the platen roller 20 using the ink ribbon 9 conveyed at the ribbon speed Vr (S23). At least before receiving the print command, the controller 7 outputs a printable distance, by the inter-device controller 110, that the printing medium is conveyed between the reception of the print command to the completion of the head-down control and the ribbon acceleration (S9).

Accordingly, when the user of the printing system 8 sets the distance to convey the printing medium P from the issuance of the print command to the start of printing, the user can set the distance to be equal to or greater than the printable distance output by the inter-device controller 110. If the set distance is equal to or greater than the printable distance, the head-down control and the ribbon acceleration control have been completed when the printing medium P is conveyed by the set distance, and therefore the printing apparatus 1 is in a state in which printing can be appropriately performed. Therefore, the user can be prevented from having to set the distance again.

The controller 7 calculates the printable distance based on the required time for the head-down control or the required time for the ribbon acceleration control and the conveyance speed of the printing medium P (S5). Accordingly, the printable distance can be accurately calculated so as to be the shortest conveyance distance of the printing medium P from when the printing apparatus 1 receives the print command to when the printing apparatus 1 can actually print.

When the required time of the ribbon acceleration control is equal to or greater than the required time of the head lowering control, the controller 7 calculates the printable distance Y based on the required time of the ribbon acceleration control and the conveyance speed of the printing medium P (S47 and S51). Accordingly, the printable distance can be accurately calculated based on the time required for the ribbon acceleration, which is longer than the time required for the head-down control.

When the required time of the ribbon acceleration control is less than the required time of the head lowering control, the controller 7 calculates the printable distance X based on the required time of the head lowering control and the conveyance speed of the printing medium P (S49 and S51). Accordingly, the printable distance can be accurately calculated based on the required time of the head-down control having the required time longer than the required time of the color-band acceleration control.

When the score occurs in the calculated printable distance X, the controller 7 outputs the value of the printable distance Y obtained by rounding up the score through the inter-device controller 110 (S51, S53, and S9). Accordingly, the printable distance Y output by the inter-device controller 110 is an integer value. Therefore, based on the printable distance Y that is easier to recognize than the printable distance X, the user can easily set the distance from when the print instruction is issued to when the print medium P is conveyed at the start of printing.

When rounding up the fraction of the calculated printable distance X, the controller 7 delays the start timing of the head-down control and the ribbon acceleration control in accordance with the conveyance time of the printing medium P corresponding to the amount of rounding up of the fraction (S21). Accordingly, the printable distance Y output by the inter-device controller 110 is slightly longer than the accurate printable distance X. By delaying the start timings of the head lowering control and the ribbon accelerating control according to the conveyance time of the printing medium P corresponding to the rounding-up amount of the printable distance X, the difference between the printable distance Y and the printable distance X can be absorbed at the start of the printing operation. Compared with the case where such a delay process is not performed, it is possible to suppress the unused ink ribbon 9 from being fed between the completion of the ribbon acceleration control and the start of energization of the thermal head 3, and to improve the use efficiency of the ink ribbon 9.

< others >

In the above-described embodiments, the controllers 7 and 111 are examples of "controller" in the invention. The inter-device controller 110 is an example of an "interface" in the present invention. The first motor 81 and the second motor 82 are examples of "ribbon drive source" in the present invention. The third motor 83 is an example of a "head driving source" in the present invention. The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications are possible.

The timing at which the external device 100 transmits the print command to the printing apparatus 1 can be arbitrarily set in the external device 100. For example, the external device 100 may include a sensor that detects a plurality of sensor marks printed on the printing medium P at intervals in the length direction at predetermined positions. In this case, when the sensor detects the sensor mark from the printing medium P being conveyed, the external device 100 may transmit a print command to the printing apparatus 1.

In the above-described embodiment, the controller 7 of the printing apparatus 1 executes the main process (see fig. 4 and 5), but the controller 111 of the inter-device controller 110 may execute a part or all of the main process. For example, the controller 111 may perform a process of calculation and output on the printable distance in the main process (S3 to S9).

In the printing system 8, when the printing apparatus 1 is not connected to the external device 100 and the external terminal 150 through the inter-device controller 110, the inter-device controller 110 may not be provided. In this case, the controller 7 of the printing apparatus 1 may execute a process to be executed by the controller 111 of the inter-device controller 110. In the printing system 8, when the controller 111 of the inter-device controller 110 is capable of executing a process to be executed by the controller 7 of the printing apparatus 1, the controller 7 of the printing apparatus 1 may not be set.

Regardless of whether there is a setting change, the controller 7 may output the printable distance immediately after starting the main process (S9). In this case, the controller 7 may perform a distance calculation process (S5) to calculate the printable distance, or may output a previous calculation result of the printable distance stored in the storage unit 71.

In the above-described embodiment, the case where the controller 7 outputs the printable distance to the external device 100 through the inter-device controller 110 in S9 of the main process is exemplified. Alternatively, the controller 7 may output the printable distance to the external terminal 150 or the operation unit 73 of the printing apparatus 1. When the inter-device controller 110 includes a display unit, the controller 7 may output the printable distance to the display unit of the inter-device controller 110.

In the above-described embodiment, the case where the controller 7 outputs the rounded-up printable distance Y in S9 of the main process is exemplified. Alternatively, the controller 7 may output the printable distance X before rounding up the printable distance X. In this case, the standby distance C is not necessary in (equation 1) and (equation 2). The calculation of the driving delay time Td (S55 and S57) and the driving delay control based on the driving delay time Td (see fig. 9 and 10) can be omitted.

In the distance calculation process (S5), the standby distance C is not limited to 0.1mm, and may be another value. The standby distance C is not limited to a fixed value, and may be a value that changes according to, for example, the medium speed V. In the above embodiment, the printable distance is calculated. Alternatively, the printable distance may be determined by referring to a data table.

According to the printing system of this aspect, the ink ribbon is fed through a space between the thermal head and the platen roller. The thermal head moves between a first position where the ink ribbon is urged toward the platen roller and a second position which is farther from the platen roller than the first position, and where the urging of the ink ribbon against the platen roller is released. When receiving a print command, the controller executes head movement control for moving the thermal head from the second position to the first position and ribbon acceleration control for accelerating the conveyance speed of the ink ribbon to a target speed. After the head movement control and the ribbon acceleration control are completed, the controller controls the thermal head at the first position to perform printing on a printing medium being conveyed and disposed between the ink ribbon and the platen roller using the ink ribbon conveyed at the target speed. At least before receiving the print command, the controller outputs a printable distance, by which the printing medium is conveyed, between the reception of the print command to the completion of the head movement control and the ribbon acceleration control through the interface.

Accordingly, when the user of the printing system sets a distance for transporting the printing medium from the issuance of the print command to the start of printing, the distance can be set to a distance larger than the printable distance output through the interface. If the set distance is equal to or greater than the printable distance, when the printing medium is conveyed by the set distance, the head movement control and the ribbon acceleration control are completed, and thus the printing apparatus is ready to properly print. Therefore, it is possible to suppress the user from having to set the distance again.