The present application claims priority from Japanese Patent Application No. 2018-183220, which was filed on Sep. 28, 2018, the disclosure of which is herein incorporated by reference in its entirety.
The following disclosure relates to a printer.
Printers for performing printing on a printing medium are known. One example of the printers is a ticket issuing device. The ticket issuing device includes a supply unit, a printing unit, a cutting unit, an output unit, and an output opening. The printing unit performs printing on a sheet supplied from the supply unit. The cutting unit cuts the printed sheet to create a numbered ticket. The output unit includes a pair of conveying rollers opposed to each other. The pair of conveying rollers convey the nipped numbered ticket from the output opening toward the outside. The numbered ticket protrudes from the output opening to the outside in a state in which the numbered ticket is held by the pair of conveying rollers. When the numbered ticket is taken out from the output opening, the ticket issuing device performs printing on a succeeding sheet supplied from the supply unit.
In the above-described ticket issuing device, however, the numbered ticket needs to be taken out from the output opening to start printing on a succeeding sheet. This leads to a possibility that the ticket issuing device cannot perform printing on the sheet for a short time.
Accordingly, an aspect of the disclosure relates to a printer capable of performing printing on a printing medium for a short time.
In one aspect of the disclosure, a printer includes: a conveyor configured to convey a printing medium; a printing device configured to perform printing on the printing medium conveyed by the conveyor; a full-cut unit provided downstream of the printing device in a conveying direction in which the printing medium is conveyed, the full-cut unit being configured to fully cut the printing medium; a roller provided downstream of the full-cut unit in the conveying direction; a nip member configured to cooperate with the roller to nip the printing medium therebetween; a motor configured to drive the roller; and a controller configured to execute: a full-cut processing in which the controller controls the full-cut unit to fully cut the printing medium into a leading printing medium located downstream of the full-cut unit in the conveying direction and a succeeding printing medium located upstream of the full-cut unit in the conveying direction; a particular processing in which the controller controls the motor to establish a state in which the leading printing medium is nipped between the roller and the nip member; and a printing and conveying processing in which the controller controls the conveyor to convey the succeeding printing medium downstream in the conveying direction while controlling the printing device to perform printing on the succeeding printing medium in the state in which the leading printing medium is nipped between the roller and the nip member.
In another aspect of the disclosure, a printer includes: a conveyor configured to convey a printing medium; a printing device configured to perform printing on the printing medium conveyed by the conveyor; a full-cut unit provided downstream of the printing device in a conveying direction in which the printing medium is conveyed, the full-cut unit being configured to fully cut the printing medium; a roller provided downstream of the full-cut unit in the conveying direction; a nip member configured to cooperate with the roller to nip the printing medium therebetween; a motor configured to drive the roller; and a controller configured to execute: a full-cut processing in which the controller controls the full-cut unit to fully cut the printing medium into a leading printing medium located downstream of the full-cut unit in the conveying direction and a succeeding printing medium located upstream of the full-cut unit in the conveying direction; a particular processing in which the controller controls the motor to establish a state in which the leading printing medium is nipped between the roller and the nip member; and a backward conveying processing in which the controller controls the conveyor to convey the succeeding printing medium upstream in the conveying direction in the state in which the leading printing medium is nipped between the roller and the nip member.
In yet another aspect of the disclosure, a printer includes: a conveyor configured to convey a printing medium; a printing device configured to perform printing on the printing medium conveyed by the conveyor; a full-cut unit provided downstream of the printing device in a conveying direction in which the printing medium is conveyed, the full-cut unit being configured to fully cut the printing medium; a roller provided downstream of the full-cut unit in the conveying direction; a nip member configured to cooperate with the roller to nip the printing medium therebetween; a motor configured to drive the roller; and a controller configured to execute: a full-cut processing in which the controller controls the full-cut unit to fully cut the printing medium into a leading printing medium located downstream of the full-cut unit in the conveying direction and a succeeding printing medium located upstream of the full-cut unit in the conveying direction; an obtaining processing in which the controller obtains one of a plurality of pieces of distance information which are different from each other and each of which indicates a distance less than a first distance in the conveying direction from a full-cut position at which the printing medium is fully cut by the full-cut unit, to a nipping position at which the printing medium is nipped between the roller and the nip member; and a particular processing in which the controller controls the motor to convey the leading printing medium downstream in the conveying direction by a distance indicated by the distance information obtained in the obtaining processing, to establish a state in which the leading printing medium is nipped between the roller and the nip member.
The objects, features, advantages, and technical and industrial significance of the present disclosure will be better understood by reading the following detailed description of the embodiments, when considered in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:
Hereinafter, there will be described one embodiment by reference to the drawings. The drawings are for explanation of technical features employable in the present disclosure. It is to be understood that the configuration illustrated in the drawings does not limit the present disclosure and is only one example. It is further noted that teeth of gears are not illustrated in the drawings for simplicity.
There will be described a configuration of a printer 1 with reference to
The printer 1 is connectable to external terminals, not illustrated, via any of a network and a cable, not illustrated, for example. Examples of the external terminals include a personal computer and a smartphone. For example, the printer 1 obtains printing information transmitted from the external terminal. The printing information indicates characters.
As illustrated in
As illustrated in
A platen holder 63 is provided to the left of the mount portion 6. A rear end portion of the platen holder 63 is rotatably supported by a shaft 64. The shaft 64 extends in the up and down direction. The platen holder 63 supports a platen roller 65 and a conveying roller 66 rotatably in the clockwise direction and the counterclockwise direction in plan view, respectively. The platen roller 65 is disposed to the left of and opposed to the thermal head 60. The conveying roller 66 is provided in front of the platen roller 65 and to the left of the driving shaft 61. The conveying roller 66 is opposed to the driving shaft 61. The platen holder 63 pivots about the shaft 64 such that a front end portion of the platen holder 63 moves substantially in the right and left direction. This movement moves each of the platen roller 65 and the conveying roller 66 between a position (see
The driving shaft 61, the ribbon take-up shaft 62, the platen roller 65, and the conveying roller 66 are coupled to a conveying motor 68 (see
An internal unit 10 is provided in the housing 2 at a position near a rear portion of the output opening 11. The internal unit 10 includes a cutting unit 100 and an output unit 200. The cutting unit 100 performs a cutting operation for cutting the printing medium 5. The cutting operation performed by the cutting unit 100 includes a full cut of the printing medium 5. The full cut of the printing medium 5 is an operation of completely cutting the printing medium 5 in two parts. The full cut in the present embodiment is an operation of cutting the printing medium 5 in the form of a sheet across its width and thickness.
The cutting unit 100 includes a fixed blade 179, a full-cut blade 140, and a cutting motor 105 (see
There will be next described the cassette 7 with reference to
The support hole 75 is formed through the casing 70 in the up and down direction. The support hole 75 supports a first tape spool 41 such that the first tape spool 41 is rotatable. The first tape spool 41 extends in the up and down direction. The printing medium 5 is wound around the first tape spool 41. The printing medium 5 fed from the first tape spool 41 is drawn from a tape output opening 73. The tape output opening 73 is formed at a front end of a left end portion of the casing 70 and opened frontward. The printing medium 5 drawn from the tape output opening 73 is conveyed toward the internal unit 10 via a space located between the platen roller 65 and the thermal head 60, and a space located between the conveying roller 66 and the driving roller 72.
The support hole 76 is formed through the casing 70 in the up and down direction. The support hole 76 supports a second tape spool, not illustrated, such that the second tape spool is rotatable. The second tape spool extends in the up and down direction. A printing medium, not illustrated, different from the printing medium 5 is wound around the second tape spool. The support hole 77 is formed through the casing 70 in the up and down direction. The support hole 77 supports a ribbon spool 43 such that the ribbon spool 43 is rotatable. The ribbon spool 43 extends in the up and down direction. An ink ribbon 8 having not yet been used for printing is wound around the ribbon spool 43. The support hole 78 is formed through the casing 70 in the up and down direction. The support hole 78 supports a ribbon take-up spool 45 such that the ribbon take-up spool 45 is rotatable. The ribbon take-up spool 45 is a cylindrical member extending in the up and down direction. The ink ribbon 8 having already been used for printing is taken up and wound around the ribbon take-up spool 45. The ribbon take-up shaft 62 is inserted in the ribbon take-up spool 45. The ink ribbon 8 fed from the ribbon spool 43 is drawn from the tape output opening 73. The drawn ink ribbon 8 passes through a space between the printing medium 5 and the thermal head 60, enters again into the casing 70, and is taken up by the ribbon take-up spool 45.
The casing 70 has a head opening 71. The head opening 71 is formed through a left portion of the casing 70 in the up and down direction at a position located to the right of the tape output opening 73. The head holder 69 and the thermal head 60 are inserted into the head opening 71. The printing medium 5 and the ink ribbon 8 drawn from the tape output opening 73 passes through a front left portion of the head opening 71.
The cassette 7, which is of a receptor type, contains a receptor tape as the printing medium 5. The support hole 75 supports the first tape spool 41 around which the printing medium 5 is wound. In the case of the cassette 7 of the receptor type, tapes of other types cannot be used, and accordingly the support hole 76 does not support the second tape spool, not illustrated. The support hole 77 supports the ribbon spool 43. Explanations are omitted for configurations of the cassette 7 in the case where the cassette 7 is of a thermal type and the case where the cassette 7 is of a laminate type.
When the cover 3 is closed, the platen roller 65 and the conveying roller 66 are respectively moved to positions located near and to the left of the thermal head 60 and the driving shaft 61. As a result, the platen roller 65 presses the printing medium 5 and the ink ribbon 8 against the thermal head 60 in a state in which the ink ribbon 8 is placed on the printing medium 5. The conveying roller 66 presses the printing medium 5 against the driving roller 72. The state in which the cassette 7 is mounted on the mount portion 6, and the cover 3 is closed may be hereinafter referred to as “printing prepared state”.
Hereinafter, a direction in which the printing medium 5 is conveyed may be referred to as “conveying direction”. A position in the conveying direction at which the tape is nipped between the platen roller 65 and the thermal head 60 will be referred to as “printing position P1”. A position in the conveying direction at which the printing medium 5 is nipped between the conveying roller 66 and the driving roller 72 may be referred to as “roller nipping position P2”. Hereinafter, the downstream side and the upstream side in the conveying direction may be hereinafter simply referred to as “downstream side” and “upstream side”, respectively. A downstream end portion and an upstream end portion of the printing medium 5 may be hereinafter referred to as “leading end portion” and “trailing end portion”, respectively.
The printer 1 rotates the driving shaft 61, the platen roller 65, and the conveying roller 66 to convey the printing medium 5. The wording “conveyance” in the present embodiment includes forward conveyance and backward conveyance. The forward conveyance is conveyance of the printing medium 5 downstream in the conveying direction. That is, the forward conveyance is conveyance of the printing medium 5 such that the printing medium 5 is drawn from the first tape spool 41. The backward conveyance is conveyance of the printing medium 5 upstream in the conveying direction.
In the case where the printer 1 conveys the printing medium 5 forward, at least a portion of the printing medium 5 is nipped between the platen roller 65 and the thermal head 60. The printer 1 rotates the conveying motor 68 (see
In the case where the printer 1 conveys the printing medium 5 backward, at least a portion of the printing medium 5 is nipped between the platen roller 65 and the thermal head 60. The printer 1 rotates the conveying motor 68 in the backward-conveyance direction to rotate the driving shaft 61 in the clockwise direction in plan view and rotate the platen roller 65 and the conveying roller 66 in the counterclockwise direction in plan view. In this case, the driving roller 72 is rotated in the clockwise direction in plan view. As a result, the printing medium 5 is conveyed backward (that is, the printing medium 5 is conveyed upstream in the conveying direction).
The printer 1 performs a leading-end positioning operation before performing a printing operation. In the leading-end positioning operation, the printer 1 controls the conveying motor 68 to perform at least the backward-conveyance operation among the backward-conveyance operation and the forward-conveyance operation. As a result, leading-end positioning of the printing medium 5 is performed.
After the end of the leading-end positioning operation, the printer 1 performs the printing operation. In the printing operation, the printer 1 performs printing on the printing medium 5 while conveying the printing medium 5 forward. Specifically, the printer 1 generates heat in the thermal head 60 to heat the ink ribbon 8. This operation thermally transfers the ink of the ink ribbon 8 to the printing medium 5, whereby characters are printed at the printing position P1. The printer 1 rotates the conveying motor 68 in the forward-conveyance direction to rotate the ribbon take-up shaft 62, the driving shaft 61, the platen roller 65, and the conveying roller 66. The rotation of the ribbon take-up shaft 62 rotates the ribbon take-up spool 45, whereby the ribbon take-up spool 45 takes up the ink ribbon 8. The rotation of the driving shaft 61 rotates the driving roller 72 in the counterclockwise direction in plan view. The printing medium 5 nipped between the conveying roller 66 and the driving roller 72 at the roller nipping position P2 is conveyed forward by rotations of the driving roller 72 and the conveying roller 66. The printing medium 5 nipped between the platen roller 65 and the thermal head 60 is conveyed forward by rotation of the platen roller 65.
After discharged from the cassette 7, the printing medium 5 on which the characters are printed is conveyed forward toward the internal unit 10. The printing medium 5 on which the characters are printed is nipped between an output roller 220 and an opposed roller 230 of the output unit 200 which will be described below (see
In the following description, the distance in the conveying direction from the full-cut position P3 to the nipping position P5 will be referred to as “first distance” (the dimension L1 in
There will be next described a configuration of the output unit 200 in detail with reference to
As illustrated in
The first frame 211 is provided at a lower portion of the output unit 200 and extends in a direction orthogonal to the up and down direction. Each of the second frame 212 and the third frame 213 extends upward from the first frame 211 and extends in a direction orthogonal to the right and left direction. The third frame 213 is located to the left of the second frame 212 and opposed to the second frame 212 with a predetermined space therebetween. The space between the second frame 212 and the third frame 213 is a passage opening 201. The passage opening 201 is formed between the tape output opening 73 and the output opening 11 (see
The output roller 220 is provided to the left of the passage opening 201 (see
The opposed roller 230 is provided to the right of the passage opening 201 (see
The output motor 299 is a DC motor secured to a left end portion of the first frame 211. An output shaft 299A of the output motor 299 extends downward from the output motor 299. The output motor 299 is capable of rotating the output shaft 299A in any of the counterclockwise direction (indicated by arrow R1) and the clockwise direction (indicated by arrow R2) in bottom view. Hereinafter, an operation of the output motor 299 in which the output motor 299 is driven so as to be rotated to rotate the output shaft 299A in the counterclockwise direction in bottom view may be referred to as “forward rotation”. An operation of the output motor 299 in which the output motor 299 is driven so as to be rotated to rotate the output shaft 299A in the clockwise direction in bottom view may be referred to as “reverse rotation”.
The first coupling mechanism 280 is provided at the lower portion of the output unit 200 and power-transmittably couples the output motor 299 and the output roller 220 to each other. The first coupling mechanism 280 includes coupling gears 281-284, a moving gear 285, and a rotation shaft 285A. The rotation axis of each of the coupling gears 281-284 and the moving gear 285 extends in the up and down direction. The coupling gear 281 is a spur gear secured to a lower end portion of the output shaft 299A.
The coupling gear 282 is disposed on a front right side of the coupling gear 281. The coupling gear 282 is a double gear constituted by a large-diameter gear and a small-diameter gear. A rear left end portion of the large-diameter gear of the coupling gear 282 is engaged with a front right end portion of the coupling gear 281. A rotation shaft 282A is rotatably inserted in a central hole of the coupling gear 282. The rotation shaft 282A is a circular cylindrical member secured to the first frame 211 and extending downward from the first frame 211. The coupling gear 283 is disposed on a front right side of the coupling gear 282. The coupling gear 283 is a double gear constituted by a large-diameter gear and a small-diameter gear. A rear left end portion of the large-diameter gear of the coupling gear 283 is engaged with a front right end portion of the small-diameter gear of the coupling gear 282. A lower end portion of a rotation shaft 283A is inserted and secured in a central hole of the coupling gear 283. The rotation shaft 283A extends through the first frame 211 in the up and down direction. An upper end portion of the rotation shaft 283A is located above an upper surface of the first frame 211. The rotation shaft 283A is rotatably supported by the first frame 211. A portion of the rotation shaft 283A which is located above the first frame 211 has a circular cylindrical shape. A portion of the rotation shaft 283A which is located below the first frame 211 has a D-cut shape.
The coupling gear 284 is provided to the right of the coupling gear 283. The coupling gear 284 is a double gear constituted by a large-diameter gear and a small-diameter gear. A left end portion of the large-diameter gear of the coupling gear 284 is engaged with a right end portion of the small-diameter gear of the coupling gear 283. A rotation shaft 284A is rotatably inserted in a central hole of the coupling gear 284. The rotation shaft 284A is a circular cylindrical member secured to the first frame 211 and extending downward from the first frame 211. The moving gear 285 is a spur gear provided at a rear of the coupling gear 284. A front end portion of the moving gear 285 is engaged with a rear end portion of the small-diameter gear of the coupling gear 284. The rotation shaft 285A extends parallel with the rotation shaft 230A. A lower end portion of the rotation shaft 285A has a D-cut shape. The entire portion of the rotation shaft 285A which is different from its lower end portion has a circular cylindrical shape. The lower end portion of the rotation shaft 285A is located below the first frame 211 and inserted and secured in a central hole of the moving gear 285. The rotation shaft 285A extends upward to an upper end of the hole 213A and is inserted and secured in a central hole of the output roller 220.
The first frame 211 has a guide hole 211A. The guide hole 211A extends in the up and down direction through a portion of the first frame 211 which is located at a rear of the coupling gear 284. The guide hole 211A extends in an arc shape in plan view along an outer circumferential surface 284B of the coupling gear 284 on which teeth of the coupling gear 284 are provided (see
The moving mechanism 250 moves the output roller 220 toward and away from the opposed roller 230. In the present embodiment, the moving mechanism 250 moves the output roller 220 between a position at which the output roller 220 is located to the left of the opposed roller 230 and close to or in contact with the opposed roller 230 as illustrated in
The moving mechanism 250 includes a rotor 251, an eccentric member 252, and a roller holder 255. The rotor 251 is a cylindrical member disposed on an opposite side of the first frame 211 from the coupling gear 283. The upper end portion of the rotation shaft 283A is rotatably inserted in a central hole of the rotor 251. The eccentric member 252 is a circular cylindrical member extending upward from a position on the rotor 251 which is eccentric to the rotation shaft 283A. Thus, with rotation of the rotor 251, the eccentric member 252 is rotated about the rotation shaft 283A in plan view.
A larger-diameter portion 253 is provided at a lower end portion of the eccentric member 252. The larger-diameter portion 253 is a portion to which the eccentric member 252 and an upper surface of the rotor 251 are fixed. The larger-diameter portion 253 is greater in diameter than the eccentric member 252 and has a semicircular shape in plan view. The larger-diameter portion 253 has a recessed portion 253A (see
as illustrated in
A protrusion 265 and a detecting piece 269 are provided on a wall portion 260C as a left portion of the first member 260. The protrusion 265 protrudes frontward from a right end portion of a front surface of the wall portion 260C. The protrusion 265 has a first support hole 266. The first support hole 266 is formed through the protrusion 265 in the up and down direction and elongated in the front and rear direction. The eccentric member 252 (see
The second member 270 has a U-shape that opens rightward in front view. The second member 270 is smaller than the first member 260. The second member 270 is disposed on an inner side of a recessed portion of the first member 260. The output roller 220 (see
Engaging pieces 274 are provided on the respective wall portions 270A, 270B. It is noted that
As illustrated in
As illustrated in
As illustrated in
The one-way clutch 290 is provided between an inner wall of the rotor 251 and the upper end portion of the rotation shaft 283A. In
The one-way clutch 290 power-transmittably couples the output motor 299 and the rotor 251 to each other when the output motor 299 is rotated reversely. The one-way clutch 290 disengages power transmission between the output motor 299 and the rotor 251 (that is, the one-way clutch 290 decouples the output motor 299 and the rotor 251 from each other) when the output motor 299 is rotated forwardly. In the present embodiment, when the output motor 299 is rotated reversely (as indicated by arrow R2), the rotation shaft 283A is rotated via the coupling gears 281-283 in the clockwise direction in bottom view. When the rotation shaft 283A is rotated in the clockwise direction in bottom view, the one-way clutch 290 rotates the rotor 251 with the rotation shaft 283A. When the output motor 299 is rotated forwardly (as indicated by arrow R1), the rotation shaft 283A is rotated via the coupling gears 281-283 in the counterclockwise direction in bottom view. When the rotation shaft 283A is rotated in the counterclockwise direction in bottom view, the one-way clutch 290 idles the rotor 251 with respect to the rotation shaft 283A.
As illustrated in
There will be next described, with reference to
The forward driving force generated by the output motor 299 is transmitted by the second coupling mechanism 240 from the output shaft 299A to the coupling gears 281, 282, 283 and the rotation shaft 283A in this order. In this case, the one-way clutch 290 disengages power transmission between the output motor 299 and the rotor 251, so that the forward driving force generated by the output motor 299 is not transmitted from the rotation shaft 283A to the rotor 251. Thus, the rotor 251 is not rotated even when the output motor 299 is rotated forwardly. Accordingly, the printer 1 can rotate the output motor 299 forwardly to rotate the output roller 220 in the discharging direction in a state in which the output roller 220 is kept at its position. That is, the printer 1 can rotate the output motor 299 forwardly to rotate the output roller 220 in the discharging direction without movement of the output roller 220 between the nip position (see
There will be next described, with reference to
The reverse driving force generated by the output motor 299 is transmitted by the second coupling mechanism 240 from the output shaft 299A to the coupling gears 281, 282, 283 and the rotation shaft 283A in this order. In this case, the one-way clutch 290 power-transmittably couples the output motor 299 and the rotor 251 to each other, so that the reverse driving force generated by the output motor 299 is transmitted from the rotation shaft 283A to the rotor 251. Thus, when the output motor 299 is rotated reversely, the rotor 251 is rotated about the rotation shaft 283A in the clockwise direction in bottom view. In this case, the eccentric member 252 is rotated about the rotation shaft 283A in the clockwise direction in bottom view.
In this case, as illustrated in
In the case where the output roller 220 is moved between the nip position and the release position, the rotation shaft 285A is moved along the guide hole 211A while moving in the front and rear direction in the second support holes 271 (see
When the output roller 220 is located at the nip position, the printing medium 5 is nipped between the output roller 220 and the opposed roller 230. In the case where the printing medium 5 is not located between the output roller 220 and the opposed roller 230, the output roller 220 is in contact with the opposed roller 230. It is noted that the output roller 220 may be opposed to the opposed roller 230 at a distance less than the thickness of the printing medium 5. When the output roller 220 is located at the release position, the output roller 220 is located to the left of and separated from the printing medium 5. Hereinafter, a position in the conveying direction at which the printing medium 5 is nipped between the output roller 220 and the opposed roller 230 may be referred to as “second nipping position P5”. A load at which the printing medium 5 is nipped between the output roller 220 and the opposed roller 230 may be referred to as “nip load at the second nipping position P5”.
As illustrated in
In the present embodiment, as illustrated in
In the case where the first member 260 is moved toward the second member 270 and the output roller 220 against the urging force of the urging member 256, the urging force of the urging member 256 for urging the output roller 220 toward the opposed roller 230 increases. This configuration enables the printer 1 to adjust the nip load at the second nipping position P5 in accordance with the position of the eccentric member 252 in the right and left direction. When the output roller 220 is located at the nip position, the distance from the opposed roller 230 to the first member 260 is determined by the thickness of the printing medium 5. Increase in the thickness of the printing medium 5 decreases the distance from the second member 270 to the first member 260 and accordingly increases the urging force of the urging member 256. This configuration enables the printer 1 to change the nip load at the second nipping position P5 in accordance with the thickness of the printing medium 5.
As illustrated in
When the output roller 220 is located at the release position, the detecting piece 269 is located to the left of and separated from the movable piece 295A (not illustrated). The detecting piece 269 presses the movable piece 295A rightward in a process in which the output roller 220 is moved from the release position to the nip position. When the output roller 220 is moved to the nip position, the movable piece 295A pivots to the movable position while being pressed rightward by the detecting piece 269. In the present embodiment, when the eccentric member 252 is positioned at the right end of the moving area of the eccentric member 252 in the right and left direction, the detecting piece 269 is located at a right end of a moving area of the detecting piece 269 in the right and left direction. In this case, the movable piece 295A is located at the movable position. This configuration enables the position detecting sensor 295 to detect whether the output roller 220 is located at the nip position by detecting whether the detecting piece 269 (i.e., the first member 260) is located at the right end of the moving area of the detecting piece 269 in the right and left direction.
There will be next described an electric configuration of the printer 1 with reference to
The CPU 81 controls drivings of the thermal head 60, the conveying motor 68, the cutting motor 105, and the output motor 299. The input interface 4 outputs information intput by a user, to the CPU 81. The position detecting sensor 295 outputs a detection signal to the CPU 81. The takeout detecting sensor 32 is provided downstream of the nipping position P5, for example. The takeout detecting sensor 32 is a photo sensor of a transmission type and detects whether the printing medium 5 is present at a position located downstream of the full-cut position P3 in the conveying direction. Specifically, in the case where the printing medium 5 is present at a position located downstream of the full-cut position P3, the takeout detecting sensor 32 outputs an ON signal. In the case where the printing medium 5 is absent at a position located downstream of the full-cut position P3, the takeout detecting sensor 32 outputs an OFF signal.
There will be next described the main process with reference to
At the start of the main process, the printer 1 is in its initial state. In the case where the printer 1 is in the initial state, each of the cutting unit 100 and the output unit 200 is in its initial state. In the case where the cutting unit 100 is in the initial state, the full-cut blade 140 is located at the distant position. In the case where the output unit 200 is in the initial state, the output roller 220 is located at the release position. At the start of the main process, the leading end portion of the printing medium 5 is located on a front side of the nipping position P5 (see
As illustrated in
The CPU 81 at S13 accepts information indicating a print mode. In the present embodiment, the print mode includes a high-speed mode and a normal mode. A length of time required for successive printing on the printing medium 5 in the high-speed mode is less than a length of time required for successive printing on the printing medium 5 in the normal mode. The user, for example, operates the input interface 4 to input information indicating the normal mode as a desired print mode, whereby the CPU 81 accepts the information indicating the normal mode.
The CPU 81 at S15 accepts the presence or absence of the leading-end positioning operation. In this example, the user is allowed to operate the input interface 4 to input information indicating whether the leading-end positioning operation is to be performed. For example, when the user operates the input interface 4 to input information indicating that the leading-end positioning operation is not to be performed, the CPU 81 accepts that the leading-end positioning operation is not to be performed. In this example, when the CPU 81 at S13 accepts information indicating the high-speed mode, the CPU 81 cannot accept information indicating that the leading-end positioning operation is to be performed, regardless of input of the user, and accepts only the information indicating that the leading-end positioning operation is not to be performed.
The CPU 81 at S17 accepts the printing information. For example, the CPU 81 receives the printing information transmitted from the external terminal. The CPU 81 at S19 determines whether the CPU 81 at S15 has accepted the information indicating that the leading-end positioning operation is to be performed. In this example, the CPU 81 at S15 has not accepted the information indicating that the leading-end positioning operation is to be performed (S19: NO). Thus, the CPU 81 at S23 controls the conveying motor 68 and the thermal head 60 to perform printing on the printing medium 5. For example, the CPU 81 rotates the conveying motor 68 in the forward-conveyance direction. The platen roller 65, the conveying roller 66, and the driving roller 72 are rotated to convey the printing medium 5 forward. During this conveyance, the thermal head 60 prints characters represented by the printing information accepted at S17, on the printing medium 5 being conveyed forward. In this example, the leading end portion of the printing medium 5 is discharged from the output opening 11 to a front side thereof (see
The CPU 81 at S25 controls the output motor 299 to move the output roller 220 to the nip position. Specifically, the CPU 81 rotates the output motor 299 reversely to move the output roller 220 to the nip position. The printing medium 5 on which the characters are printed is nipped between the output roller 220 and the opposed roller 230 (see
The CPU 81 at S27 controls the cutting motor 105 to move the full-cut blade 140 from the distant position to the cutting position. As a result, the printing medium 5 on which the characters are printed is fully cut (see
The CPU 81 at S29 controls the cutting motor 105 to move the full-cut blade 140 from the cutting position to the distant position. The full-cut blade 140 is moved leftward away from the fixed blade 179 (see
As illustrated in
The CPU 81 at S35 determines whether the information indicating the high-speed mode is accepted at S13. When the information indicating the normal mode is accepted at S13 (S35: NO), the CPU 81 at S37 controls the output motor 299 to finish discharging the leading printing medium 5A. For example, the CPU 81 inputs a drive signal corresponding to the discharging distance accepted at S11, to the output motor 299 and then stops the forward rotation of the output motor 299. Since the discharging distance accepted at S11 is less than the first distance, the trailing end portion of the leading printing medium 5A is stopped at a position in the conveying direction at which the trailing end portion does not come out from between the output roller 220 and the opposed roller 230 (see
The CPU 81 at S39 determines whether the CPU 81 at S15 has accepted the information indicating that the leading-end positioning operation is to be performed. When the CPU 81 at S15 has not accepted the information indicating that the leading-end positioning operation is to be performed (S39: NO), the CPU 81 at S43 obtains a conveying distance by which the succeeding printing medium 5B is to be conveyed downstream. In this example, the CPU 81 obtains the conveying distance based on the discharging distance accepted at S11, information indicating the print mode indicated by the information accepted at S13, and information about whether the leading-end positioning operation is performed at S41 which will be described below. For example, in the case where the information indicating the normal mode is accepted at S13, the conveying distance obtained at S43 is less than the second distance (that is, the conveying distance obtained at S43 is less than the first distance), for example. This conveying distance is calculated based on the discharging distance accepted at S11. That is, the CPU 81 calculates such a conveying distance that the leading end portion of the succeeding printing medium 5B does not contact the trailing end portion of the leading printing medium 5A. It is noted that the conveying distance obtained in the case where the information indicating the high-speed mode is accepted at S13 will be described below.
The CPU 81 at S45 controls the conveying motor 68 and the thermal head 60 to perform printing on the succeeding printing medium 5B while conveying the succeeding printing medium 5B forward. After the succeeding printing medium 5B is conveyed forward by the conveying distance obtained at S43, the CPU 81 stops the conveying motor 68 and the thermal head 60. Since this conveying distance is less than the second distance, the leading end portion of the succeeding printing medium 5B conveyed forward is located on a rear side of the trailing end portion of the leading printing medium 5A (see
The CPU 81 at S47 determines whether the information accepted at S13 indicates the high-speed mode. Since the information indicating the normal mode is accepted at S13 (S47: NO), the CPU 81 at S51 determines whether the leading printing medium 5A is taken out, based on the result of detection of the takeout detecting sensor 32. While the takeout detecting sensor 32 outputs the ON signal (S51: NO), the CPU 81 waits. When the user has taken out the leading printing medium 5A, the signal output from the takeout detecting sensor 32 is switched from the ON signal to the OFF signal (S51: YES).
The CPU 81 at S53 controls the output motor 299 to move the output roller 220 to the release position. The output roller 220 is moved leftward away from the opposed roller 230 (see
The CPU 81 at S57 determines whether the printing operation is to be finished. For example, in the case where printing has not been performed for a predetermined number of the printing media 5, the CPU 81 determines that the printing operation is not to be finished (S57: NO), and this flow returns to S25. Thereafter, as a result of the processing at S27, the succeeding printing medium 5B located on a front side of the full-cut position P3 becomes a new leading printing medium 5A, and the succeeding printing medium 5B located on a rear side of the full-cut position P3 becomes a new succeeding printing medium 5B. When printing has been performed for the predetermined number of the printing media 5, the CPU 81 determines whether the printing operation is to be finished (S57: YES), and the main process ends.
It is noted that the user may at S11 operate the input interface 4 to input zero as the discharging distance in the main process. In this case, after executing the processings at S13-S29, the CPU 81 determines that the discharging distance accepted at S11 is equal to zero (S31: YES). The CPU 81 executes the processings at S39 and S41. The conveying distance obtained at S43 may be less than the first distance and greater than the second distance. In this case, after printing on the succeeding printing medium 5B (S45), the leading end portion of the succeeding printing medium 5B overlaps the trailing end portion of the leading printing medium 5A in the right and left direction (see
There will be next described the main process in the case where the information indicating the high-speed mode is accepted, with reference to
The CPU 81 accepts the distance less than the first distance and greater than zero, as the discharging distance. The CPU 81 at S13 accepts the information indicating the high-speed mode and at S15 accepts the information indicating that the leading-end positioning operation is not to be performed. The CPU 81 executes the processings at S19-S27. At S27, the leading printing medium 5A and the succeeding printing medium 5B are created (see
Since the information indicating the high-speed mode is accepted at S13 (S35: YES), this flow goes to S39. Since the information indicating that the leading-end positioning operation is not to be performed is accepted at S15 (S39: NO), the CPU 81 obtains the conveying distance for the succeeding printing medium 5B. When the information indicating the high-speed mode is accepted (S13), the CPU 81 at S43 obtains a distance less than the second distance, as the conveying distance. This conveying distance is calculated based on the conveying distance accepted at S11. The CPU 81 at S45 performs printing on the succeeding printing medium 5B. The succeeding printing medium 5B is conveyed forward (as indicated by arrow D2 in
Since the information indicating the high-speed mode is accepted at S13 (S47: YES), the CPU 81 at S49 controls the output motor 299 to finish discharging the leading printing medium 5A after the end of printing on the succeeding printing medium 5B.
There will be next described the main process in the case where the information indicating that the leading-end positioning operation is to be performed is accepted, with reference to
The CPU 81 at S11 accepts a distance less than the first distance and greater than zero, as the discharging distance. The CPU 81 at S13 accepts the information indicating the normal mode and at S15 accepts the information indicating that the leading-end positioning operation is to be performed. The CPU 81 determines that the information indicating that the leading-end positioning operation is to be performed is accepted (S19: YES), and at S21 performs the leading-end positioning operation for the printing medium 5. The CPU 81 rotates the conveying motor 68 in the backward-conveyance direction while obtaining the result of detection of the takeout detecting sensor 32. The platen roller 65, the conveying roller 66, and the driving roller 72 are rotated to convey the printing medium 5 backward. After the signal output by the takeout detecting sensor 32 is switched from the ON signal to the OFF signal, the CPU 81 drives the output motor 299 by a predetermined driving amount. The CPU 81 then stops driving of the output motor 299. In this example, the leading end portion of the printing medium 5 is positioned between the roller nipping position P2 and the printing position P1 (see
The CPU 81 at S23 performs printing on the printing medium 5. The CPU 81 drives the conveying motor 68 by a predetermined amount to convey the printing medium 5 forward by a predetermined conveying distance. The CPU 81 then stops driving of the conveying motor 68. The distance by which the printing medium 5 is conveyed forward at S23 is different between the case where the leading-end positioning operation is performed and the case where the leading-end positioning operation is not performed. In this example, the leading end portion of the printing medium 5 having been printed is positioned on a front side of the nipping position P5 at S23 (see
The CPU 81 at S27 drives the cutting motor 105 to move the full-cut blade 140 to the cutting position. The full-cut blade 140 fully cuts the printing medium 5 (see
Since the information indicating that the leading-end positioning operation is to be performed is accepted (S39: YES), the CPU 81 at S41 controls the conveying motor 68 to perform the leading-end positioning operation for the succeeding printing medium 5B. For example, the CPU 81 at S41 conveys the succeeding printing medium 5B backward by a distance less than the third distance and greater than zero. After the execution of the processing at S41, the leading end portion of the succeeding printing medium 5B is positioned between the roller nipping position P2 and the printing position P1 in the conveying direction (see
The CPU 81 at S45 performs printing on the succeeding printing medium 5B. After conveying the succeeding printing medium 5B forward by the conveying distance obtained at S43, the CPU 81 stops the conveying motor 68 and the thermal head 60. At the end of the processing at S45, the leading end portion of the succeeding printing medium 5B is located on a rear side of the trailing end portion of the leading printing medium 5A (see
In the main process in which the leading-end positioning operation is to be performed, the CPU 81 may at S11 accept zero as the discharging distance and at S43 obtain a conveying distance less than the fourth distance and greater than the fifth distance. In this case, as a result of the processing at S45, the leading end portion of the succeeding printing medium 5B overlaps the trailing end portion of the leading printing medium 5A in the right and left direction (see
In the present embodiment as described above, even after the CPU 81 controls the output motor 299 to start discharging the leading printing medium 5A (S31, S33, S37), the leading printing medium 5A is kept nipped between the output roller 220 and the opposed roller 230. In the state in which the leading printing medium 5A is nipped, the CPU 81 at S45 performs printing on the succeeding printing medium 5B while conveying the succeeding printing medium 5B. When compared with a case where the CPU 81 conveys the succeeding printing medium 5B and performs printing on the succeeding printing medium 5B after the leading printing medium 5A comes out from between the output roller 220 and the opposed roller 230, the timing of the start of printing on the succeeding printing medium 5B is made earlier. Thus, the timing of the end of printing on the succeeding printing medium 5B is made earlier. This enables the printer 1 to perform printing on the printing medium 5 for a short time.
When the information indicating the normal mode is accepted (S11), and the leading-end positioning is not to be performed (S39: NO), the conveying distance by which the succeeding printing medium 5B is conveyed at S45 is less than the second distance and greater than zero. Thus, it is difficult for the leading end portion of the succeeding printing medium 5B conveyed downstream at S45, to contact the trailing end portion of the leading printing medium 5A. This enables the printer 1 to stably convey the succeeding printing medium 5B.
In the case where the user has operated the input interface 4 to input a distance greater than zero and less than the first distance (S11), the CPU 81 controls the output motor 299 to discharge the leading printing medium 5A (S31, S33, S37). Since the CPU 81 conveys the leading printing medium 5A downstream, it becomes difficult for the succeeding printing medium 5B conveyed at S45, to contact the leading printing medium 5A. This enables the printer 1 to stably convey the succeeding printing medium 5B.
In the case where the user has operated the input interface 4 to input the normal mode as the information indicating the print mode (S13), the CPU 81 at S45 starts performing printing on the succeeding printing medium 5B after controlling the output motor 299 to finish discharging the leading printing medium 5A. Thus, it becomes difficult for the succeeding printing medium 5B conveyed at S45, to contact the leading printing medium 5A. This enables the printer 1 to stably convey the succeeding printing medium 5B.
In the case where the user has operated the input interface 4 to input the information indicating the high-speed mode (S13), the CPU 81 at S45 starts conveying the printing medium 5 after the start of discharge of the leading printing medium 5A by the output motor 299 (S33) and before the end of discharge of the leading printing medium 5A by the output motor 299 (S49). Thus, the timing of the start of printing on the succeeding printing medium 5B is made earlier. This enables the printer 1 to perform printing on the printing medium 5 for a shorter time.
The speed of the succeeding printing medium 5B discharged in response to the processing at S31 is greater than the speed of the succeeding printing medium 5B conveyed at S45. Thus, it becomes difficult for the succeeding printing medium 5B to contact the leading printing medium 5A. This enables the printer 1 to stably convey the succeeding printing medium 5B.
The CPU 81 at S45 starts conveying the succeeding printing medium 5B after moving the full-cut blade 140 to the distant position (S29). This makes it difficult for the succeeding printing medium 5B to contact the full-cut blade 140, enabling the printer 1 to stably convey the succeeding printing medium 5B.
Even after the CPU 81 controls the output motor 299 to discharge the leading printing medium 5A (S33, S37), the leading printing medium 5A is kept nipped between the output roller 220 and the opposed roller 230. In the state in which the leading printing medium 5A is nipped, the CPU 81 at S41 conveys the succeeding printing medium 5B backward. When compared with a case where the CPU 81 conveys the succeeding printing medium 5B backward after the leading printing medium 5A comes out from between the output roller 220 and the opposed roller 230, the timing of the start of printing on the succeeding printing medium 5B is made earlier. Thus, the timing of the end of printing on the succeeding printing medium 5B is made earlier. This enables the printer 1 to perform printing on the printing medium 5 for a short time.
The CPU 81 at S41 conveys the succeeding printing medium 5B backward by the distance less than the third distance. Since the distance by which the succeeding printing medium 5B is conveyed backward in the conveying direction is less than the third distance and greater than zero, it is difficult for the leading end portion of the succeeding printing medium 5B to move to a position located upstream of the printing position P1. Thus, it is difficult for the leading end portion of the succeeding printing medium 5B to come out from between the platen roller 65 and the thermal head 60. This enables the printer 1 to stably convey the succeeding printing medium 5B downstream at S49.
The CPU 81 at S45 conveys the leading printing medium 5A by the distance less than the fourth distance and greater than zero. Since this conveying distance for the leading printing medium 5A is less than the fourth distance, the printer 1 can prevent the trailing end portion of the leading printing medium 5A from being excessively pushed by the leading end portion of the succeeding printing medium 5B.
In the case where the leading-end positioning is performed (S41), the CPU 81 at S45 conveys the leading printing medium 5A downstream by the distance less than the fifth distance. Thus, it becomes difficult for the trailing end portion of the leading printing medium 5A to contact the leading end portion of the succeeding printing medium 5B conveyed at S45. This enables the printer 1 to stably convey the succeeding printing medium 5B.
The user can at S 11 operate the input interface 4 to input the discharging distance for the succeeding printing medium 5B. The CPU 81 discharges the leading printing medium 5A by the discharging distance set selectively (S31, S33, S37). Since the user can set the conveying distance for the leading printing medium 5A, the usability of the printer 1 is increased.
Even when the output motor 299 is rotated forwardly, the power transmission between the output motor 299 and the moving mechanism 250 is disengaged by the one-way clutch 290. Thus, the moving mechanism 250 does not move the output roller 220 between the nip position and the release position. This configuration enables the printer 1 to rotate the output roller 220 in the discharging direction (indicated by arrow R3) in the state in which the output roller 220 is kept at the predetermined position. That is, by controlling the rotational direction of the one output motor 299, the printer 1 can control rotation of the output roller 220 in the discharging direction and movement of the output roller 220 between the nip position and the release position. This eliminates the need for the printer 1 to include a motor for rotating the output roller 220 in the discharging direction and a motor for moving the output roller 220 between the nip position and the release position. This can reduce increase in size of the printer 1.
The first coupling mechanism 280 includes the coupling gear 284 and the moving gear 285. The coupling gear 284 is power-transmittably coupled to the output motor 299. The moving gear 285 is provided on the rotation shaft 285A of the output roller 220 and engaged with the coupling gear 284. In any of the case where the output roller 220 is moved to the nip position and the case where the output roller 220 is moved to the release position, the moving mechanism 250 moves the rotation shaft 285A of the output roller 220 along the outer circumferential surface 284B on which the teeth of the coupling gear 284 are provided on. Thus, the output roller 220 is moved to any of the nip position and the release position in the state in which the moving gear 285 is engaged with the coupling gear 284. As a result, even when the output roller 220 is moved to any of the nip position and the release position, the driving force generated by the output motor 299 is transmitted to the coupling gear 284, the moving gear 285, and the output roller 220 in this order. Thus, even in the case where the output roller 220 is positioned at any of the nip position and the release position, the printer 1 can drive the output motor 299 to rotate the output roller 220 in the discharging direction (indicated by arrow R3).
The printer 1 includes the first frame 211. The first frame 211 has the guide hole 211A. The guide hole 211A extends along the outer circumferential surface 284B. The rotation shaft 285A of the output roller 220 is inserted in the guide hole 211A. With this configuration, in the case where the output roller 220 is moved to any of the nip position and the release position, the guide hole 211A guides the rotation shaft 285A of the output roller 220 along the outer circumferential surface 284B of the coupling gear 284. Thus, in the case where the output roller 220 is moved to any of the nip position and the release position, the printer 1 reliably keeps the moving gear 285 engaged with the coupling gear 284.
The moving mechanism 250 includes the rotor 251, the eccentric member 252, and the roller holder 255. The rotor 251 is coupled to the output motor 299 by the second coupling mechanism 240. The eccentric member 252 is secured to the rotor 251 so as to be eccentric to the rotation shaft 283A of the rotor 251. The roller holder 255 has the first support hole 266 and the second support hole 271. The first support hole 266 supports the eccentric member 252. The second support hole 271 supports the rotation shaft 285A of the output roller 220 such that the rotation shaft 285A is rotatable. Thus, the roller holder 255 supports the output roller 220. When the rotor 251 is rotated by the output motor 299, the eccentric member 252 is moved in the right and left direction. As a result, the eccentric member 252 moves the roller holder 255 in the right and left direction. The movement of the roller holder 255 in the right and left direction moves the output roller 220 in the right and left direction. Thus, the moving mechanism 250 is capable of moving the output roller 220 to any of the nip position and the release position.
The eccentric member 252 is supported by the first support hole 266 so as to be movable in the front and rear direction. The rotation shaft 285A of the output roller 220 is supported by the second support hole 271 so as to be movable in the front and rear direction. The front and rear direction of the printer 1 is orthogonal to each of the direction in which the rotation shaft 283A of the rotor 251 extends (the up and down direction of the printer 1) and the direction in which the roller holder 255 is moved (the right and left direction of the printer 1). With this configuration, even in the case where the eccentric member 252 is rotated about the rotation shaft 283A of the rotor 251, and the rotation shaft 285A of the output roller 220 is rotated about the rotation shaft 284A of the coupling gear 284, the rotation shafts 283A, 285A are movable in the front and rear direction with respect to the roller holder 255. Thus, in the case where the output roller 220 is moved between the nip position and the release position, the printer 1 need not make a manner of movement of the roller holder 255 the same as a manner of movement of the output roller 220 and the eccentric member 252. This increases the design flexibility of the roller holder 255.
In the case where the user has operated the input interface 4 to input the discharging distance greater than zero (S11), the CPU 81 controls the output motor 299 to convey the leading printing medium 5A forward by the discharging distance accepted at S11 (S33, S37) to establish a state in which the leading printing medium 5A is nipped between the output roller 220 and the opposed roller 230. Since the leading printing medium 5A is discharged toward the output opening 11, the leading printing medium 5A is taken out more easily. That is, the timing at which the leading printing medium 5A is taken out is made earlier. This enables the printer 1 to perform printing on the printing medium 5 for a short time.
In the above-described embodiment, the thermal head 60 is one example of a printing device. The cutting unit 100 is one example of a full-cut unit. The output roller 220 is one example of a roller. The opposed roller 230 is one example of a nip member. The output motor 299 is one example of a motor. The fixed blade 179 is one example of a medium support. The forward direction (indicated by arrow R1) is one example of a forward direction. The reverse direction (indicated by arrow R2) is one example of a reverse direction. The discharging direction (indicated by arrow R3) is one example of a first direction. The first coupling mechanism 280 is one example of a first coupling mechanism. The nip position is one example of a first position. The release position is one example of a second position. The moving mechanism 250 is one example of a moving mechanism. The one-way clutch 290 is one example of a switching mechanism. The second coupling mechanism 240 is one example of a second coupling mechanism. The coupling gear 284 is one example of a first gear. The rotation shaft 285A is one example of a rotation shaft of the roller. The moving gear 285 is one example of a second gear. The outer circumferential surface 284B is one example of an outer circumferential surface. The guide hole 211A is one example of a guide hole. The first frame 211 is one example of a guide member. The rotor 251 is one example of a rotor. The rotation shaft 283A is one example of a rotation shaft of the rotor. The eccentric member 252 is one example of an eccentric member. The first support hole 266 is one example of a first supporter. The second support hole 271 is one example of a second supporter. The roller holder 255 is one example of a holder. The front and rear direction of the printer 1 is one example of a second direction.
The processing at S27 is one example of a full-cut processing. The processings at S31, S33, S37 are one example of a particular processing. The processing at S45 is one example of a printing and conveying processing. The processing at S41 is one example of a backward conveying processing. The processing at S11 is one example of an obtaining processing.
While the embodiment has been described above, it is to be understood that the disclosure is not limited to the details of the illustrated embodiment, but may be embodied with various changes and modifications, which may occur to those skilled in the art, without departing from the spirit and scope of the disclosure. For example, the printing medium 5 may be a flexible tube instead of the tape. The discharging distance accepted at S11 may be less than the second distance and greater than zero. The main process may be configured such that the leading-end positioning operation is acceptable when the information indicating the high-speed mode is accepted. The output unit 200 may discharge the succeeding printing medium 5B (S33, S37) before the full-cut blade 140 is moved from the cutting position to the distant position. Printing on the succeeding printing medium 5B (S43) may be started before the start of movement of the full-cut blade 140 from the cutting position to the distant position.
In the case where the information indicating the normal mode is accepted (S13), and the leading-end positioning is not to be performed (S39: NO), the conveying distance by which the succeeding printing medium 5B is to be conveyed at S45 may be less than the first distance and greater than the second distance. In this case, the leading end portion of the succeeding printing medium 5B conveyed downstream at S45 is conveyed to a position overlapping the trailing end portion of the leading printing medium 5A in the right and left direction (see
In the above-described embodiment, the CPU 81 at S25 controls the output motor 299 to move the output roller 220 to the nip position, at S27 drives the cutting motor 105 to cause the full-cut blade 140 to fully cut the printing medium 5, at S33 controls the output motor 299 to start discharging the leading printing medium 5A, and at S37 controls the output motor 299 to finish discharging the leading printing medium 5A. However, the present disclosure is not limited to these processings. For example, after cutting the printing medium 5 at S27, the CPU 81 may control the output motor 299 to temporaily move the output roller 220 to the release position and then move the output roller 220 to the nip position again. In another modification, the CPU 81 may omit the processing at S25 not to move the output roller 220 to the nip position and may at S27 drive the cutting motor 105 to cause the full-cut blade 140 to fully cut the printing medium 5 in the state in which the output roller 220 is not located at the nip position. In this case, the CPU 81 controls the output motor 299 to move the output roller 220 to the nip position after completion of the processing at S27.
A plurality of pieces of information about the discharging distances may be stored in the flash memory 82 in advance. In this case, the CPU 81 may obtain a predetermined distance from among the discharging distances stored in the flash memory 82, in accordance with the print mode accepted at S13, for example. The CPU 81 controls the output motor 299 to discharge the leading printing medium 5A by the obtained discharging distance (S33, S37). In this modification, the discharging distance for the leading printing medium 5A is changeable, thereby increasing the usability of the printer 1.
The takeout detecting sensor 32 may be provided downstream of the full-cut blade 140 and upstream of the output roller 220. In this case, the takeout detecting sensor 32 is capable of detecting whether the printing medium 5 is present between the full-cut position P3 and the nipping position P5. For example, in the case where the discharging distance accepted at Si 1 is zero, the CPU 81 can determine whether the leading printing medium 5A is taken out, based on the result of detection of the takeout detecting sensor 32 in the present modification (S51).
The output unit 200 may include a driving device different from the output motor 299 and the output motor 299. One example of the driving device is a solenoid that moves the output roller 220 between the nip position and the release position. The output motor 299 only has to be capable of rotating the output roller 220 in the discharging direction and the returning direction. In this case, the output unit 200 may not include the one-way clutch 290, and so on.
A device such as a microcomputer, an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), and a field-programmable gate array (FPGA) may be used as a processor instead of the CPU 81. The main process is executed by a plurality of processors, that is, distributed processing may be performed. The nonvolatile (non-transitory) storage medium may be any storage medium as long as the nonvolatile storage medium can store information regardless of a period in which the information is stored. The nonvolatile storage medium may not contain a volatile storage medium, e.g., a signal to be transmitted. The programs may be downloaded from a server connected to a network (that is, the programs may be transmitted as transmission signals) and stored into the flash memory 82, for example. In this case, the programs at least need to be stored in a nonvolatile storage medium such as a hard disc drive provided in a server.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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2018-183220 | Sep 2018 | JP | national |