JP7589571B2 - Printers and image inspection equipment - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a printer and an image inspection device.

A type of printer known in the art is a label printer that uses roll paper, which is a long continuous piece of paper (backing paper) wound into a roll, and prints images onto labels (printing areas) arranged in a line along the length of the continuous paper.

Some label printers have a scanner installed after the print head that prints the image, read the image printed on the label with the scanner, and judge the quality of the print result from the read image data. Some printers also rewind the continuous paper and print a specific image over the image judged to be defective, in order to notify the user of the defective print result (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

JP 2004-160981 A

However, it was discovered that in such label printers, there were cases where a specific image was not printed over the image with dirt on it.

The object of the present invention is to provide a printer and an image inspection device that can improve the accuracy of notifying a user that the print results do not meet a specified standard.

In order to achieve the above object, a printer according to one aspect of the present invention includes a housing having an outlet that is open to the outside, a transport unit that transports continuous paper having a plurality of print areas along a transport path that extends within the housing toward the outlet in a direction in which the plurality of print areas are arranged, a printing unit that prints an image on at least a portion of the plurality of print areas of the continuous paper being transported along the transport path, and a control unit, and the control unit controls the transport unit and the printing unit to transport the continuous paper in a feed direction toward the outlet within the housing, print an image on at least a portion of the plurality of print areas during the transport, and reads at least a portion of the plurality of print areas by a reading unit that is provided downstream in the feed direction from the printing unit. When an image printed in at least a portion of the good print area is read and the print result determined from the read image data does not satisfy a predetermined standard, the transport unit is controlled to transport the continuous paper a predetermined amount in a return direction that is the opposite direction to the feed direction, and when it is recognized that at least one of the multiple print areas has moved beyond the discharge port in the return direction from outside the housing by transporting the continuous paper a predetermined amount in the return direction, the transport unit is controlled to transport the continuous paper in the feed direction and instructs the reading unit to re-read the image printed in at least a portion of the good print area of the multiple print areas whose print result has been determined to satisfy the predetermined standard.

According to this configuration, the continuous paper is transported in the feed direction, i.e., in the direction in which it is discharged from the discharge port, and while it is being transported, an image is printed in the print area by the printing unit. The image in the print area is then read by a reading unit provided downstream in the feed direction from the printing unit. Then, it is determined from the image data read by the reading unit whether the print result meets a predetermined standard, and if the print result does not meet the predetermined standard, the continuous paper is transported in the return direction opposite to the feed direction.

When the continuous paper is transported in the retraction direction, the print area that was outside the housing may move in the retraction direction beyond the discharge outlet. The print area may have been soiled when it was outside the housing, or may become soiled with paper dust or other contaminants when it passes the discharge outlet in the retraction direction. Therefore, when at least one print area moves from outside the housing in the retraction direction beyond the discharge outlet, at least a portion of the good print area whose print result is determined to meet a predetermined standard is set as the print area to be reread, and when the continuous paper is transported again in the feed direction, the image of the print area to be reread is read again by the reading unit. This makes it possible to again determine whether the print result meets the predetermined standard from the image data that has been read again, and if the print result does not meet the predetermined standard, it becomes possible to notify the user that the print result does not meet the predetermined standard.

As a result, it is possible to improve the accuracy of notifying the user when the print results do not meet the specified criteria.

An image inspection device according to another aspect of the present invention is an image inspection device coupled to a printer that includes a housing having an outlet that is open to the outside, a transport unit that transports continuous paper having a plurality of print areas in a direction in which the plurality of print areas are arranged along a transport path that extends within the housing toward the outlet, and a printing unit that prints an image in at least a portion of the plurality of print areas while the continuous paper is being transported within the housing in a feed direction toward the outlet, and inspects an image printed in at least a portion of the plurality of print areas. The image inspection device includes a reading unit that is provided downstream of the printing unit in the feed direction and that reads an image printed in at least a portion of the plurality of print areas, and a control unit, and the control unit reads the image printed by the printing unit when the image is printed by the printing unit. For the good print areas, the printer determines whether the print result satisfies a predetermined condition from the image data read by the reading unit, and in response to determining that the print result does not satisfy the predetermined condition, if it recognizes that the printer transports the continuous paper a predetermined amount in a retraction direction that is the opposite direction to the feed direction, and that the transport of the continuous paper a predetermined amount in the retraction direction has caused at least one of the multiple print areas to move beyond the discharge port in the retraction direction from outside the housing, the printer reads images by the reading unit for at least a portion of the good print areas for which the print result has been determined to satisfy the predetermined condition, and re-determines whether the print result satisfies the predetermined condition from the image data read by the reading unit.

This image inspection device can achieve the same effects as the printer described above.

The present invention can improve the accuracy of notifying the user that the print results do not meet a specified standard.

1 is a cross-sectional view diagrammatically illustrating a configuration of a label printer according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the electrical configuration of the label printer. 13 is a flowchart showing the flow of a printing process. 1 is a flowchart (part 1) showing the flow of an inspection process. 11 is a flowchart (part 2) showing the flow of the inspection process. 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a label printer showing a state when the print result of an image is determined to be “NG”. 4 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the label printer, showing the state when the continuous paper P is pulled back. FIG. 13 is a flowchart showing another example of the inspection process. 13 is a cross-sectional view of the label printer for explaining another method of determining a re-evaluation target. FIG.

The following describes in detail an embodiment of the present invention with reference to the attached drawings.

<Label printer configuration>
1, the label printer 1 is a device that prints images on long continuous paper P (an example of paper). The printed continuous paper P is discharged from an outlet 12 formed on the side of a housing 11 that forms the outer shell of the label printer 1.

For the purposes of the following explanation, the front, back, left and right of the label printer 1 are defined based on the state in which the label printer 1 is viewed from the front side, with the side on which the discharge outlet 12 is formed being regarded as the front. Furthermore, the top and bottom are defined with the label printer 1 installed on a horizontal surface. The cross-sectional view shown in Figure 1 is a cross-section of the label printer 1 cut along a cutting line extending in the front-to-rear direction, viewed from the right side.

The continuous paper P may be die-cut paper with labels L affixed in a line along its length on a long backing, or it may be non-fixed-length paper (continuous paper) on which a base image that sets print areas at regular intervals has already been printed on the printing surface of a long piece of plain paper, or it may be non-fixed-length paper made of plain paper on which no such base image has been printed. With die-cut paper, the printing surface opposite the adhesive surface of each label L is the print area. Below, we will take the example of the continuous paper P being die-cut paper.

The exhaust port 12 is a rectangular opening that extends in the left-right direction and connects the inside and outside of the housing 11.

A roll holder 13 is provided within the housing 11 to hold the continuous paper P in the form of a roll R. When in the form of a roll R, the continuous paper P is wound around a roll core with the printed surface facing outward. The roll holder 13 is substantially cylindrical, and the roll R is held in the roll holder 13 by fitting the roll core onto the outside of the roll holder 13.

In addition, a direction-changing roller 14 is provided inside the housing 11, above and behind the roll holder 13. A transport path 15 along which the continuous paper P is transported is provided in front of the direction-changing roller 14. The transport path 15 extends from a position above the direction-changing roller 14 toward the front, and its front end is connected to the discharge opening 12. The continuous paper P is pulled out from the roll R toward the rear side of the direction-changing roller 14, and is redirected toward the front by being guided along the circumferential surface of the direction-changing roller 14, and is passed through the transport path 15 toward the discharge opening 12.

A transport roller 16 (an example of a transport section) that transports the continuous paper P is provided on the transport path 15. The transport roller 16 is disposed in front of and spaced apart from the direction change roller 14. In addition, a discharge roller 17 is disposed behind the discharge port 12 and in front of and spaced apart from the transport roller 16.

With the continuous paper P passing between the rollers of the transport roller 16, the power generated by the forward rotation of the motor M (see FIG. 2) is transmitted to the transport roller 16, which rotates to transport the continuous paper P in the feed direction along the transport path 15 toward the discharge port 12. The transmission path of the driving force of the motor M is also connected to the roll holder 13 (an example of a transport section). The power generated by the reverse rotation of the motor M is transmitted to the roll holder 13, which rotates the roll holder 13 in the opposite direction to the direction in which the continuous paper P is transported in the feed direction, and the roll R rotates integrally with the roll holder 13 to transport the continuous paper P in the retraction direction opposite to the feed direction.

When the continuous paper P transported by the transport roller 16 slows down or stops, the roll holder 13 is driven forward or reverse by the driving force of the motor M to adjust the inertial force acting on the roll R. The direction change roller 14 is configured to apply tension to the continuous paper P between the roll holder 13 and the transport roller 16, and a mechanism for detecting the magnitude of the tension of the continuous paper P is provided in association with the direction change roller 14.

Between the transport rollers 16 and 17, a print head 21 (an example of a printing unit) and a CIS (Contact Image Sensor) unit 22 (an example of a reading unit) are arranged in this order in the feed direction.

The print head 21 is disposed facing the transport path 15 from above. The print head 21 prints an image, for example, by inkjet recording on the printing surface of the continuous paper P transported along the transport path 15. The printing position of the print head 21 is a position a predetermined distance downstream from the upstream end of the print head 21 in the feed direction (pullback direction), and the print head 21 prints an image on the printing surface of the continuous paper P at the printing position.

The CIS unit 22 is disposed downstream of the print head 21 in the feed direction, facing the transport path 15 from above. The CIS unit 22 reads the print surface of the continuous paper P transported along the transport path 15. Specifically, the CIS unit 22 has a built-in light source, a rod lens array, and a linear image sensor (not shown), and a line of light is irradiated from the light source onto the print surface of the continuous paper P, and the light reflected from the print surface enters the linear image sensor through the rod lens array. As a result, one line of the original is read in the main scanning direction at the reading position of the CIS unit 22. The linear image sensor is configured with multiple image sensors (image sensors) arranged in a row in the main scanning direction, and the image data read by each image sensor becomes image data (pixel value) of one pixel. The main scanning direction is a direction that extends parallel to the transport path 15, perpendicular to the feed direction (pullback direction) of the continuous paper P in the transport path 15.

A cutter 23 (an example of a cutting unit) is provided at the downstream end of the conveying path 15 in the feed direction, and upstream of the discharge port 12 in the feed direction. The cutter 23 cuts the continuous paper P in the main scanning direction, and separates the continuous paper P into individual labels L (printing areas).

As shown in FIG. 2, the label printer 1 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 31, a ROM (Read Only Memory) 32, and a RAM (Random Access Memory) 33.

The CPU 31 (an example of a control unit) controls the operation of the print head 21, CIS unit 22, cutter 23, and motor M by executing programs for various processes.

The ROM 32 is a rewritable non-volatile memory such as a flash memory. The ROM 32 stores programs executed by the CPU 31 and various data.

RAM 33 is a volatile memory such as DRAM (Dynamic Random Access Memory) and is used as a work area when CPU 31 executes programs.

An encoder 34 is also provided in association with the motor M, and an encoder signal, which is a pulse signal synchronized with the rotation of the motor M, is input from the encoder 34 to the CPU 31. The RAM 33 is used by the CPU 31 as a step number counter. The CPU 31 can grasp the position of the continuous paper P by counting, with the step number counter, the number of pulses of the encoder signal input from the encoder 34 when the motor M is driven in the forward direction and the number of pulses of the encoder signal input from the encoder 34 when the motor M is driven in the reverse direction.

The label printer 1 is equipped with a communication interface 35. The communication interface 35 is an interface for data communication with the outside, for example, a USB (Universal Serial Bus), and is equipped with a USB connector and a USB controller that controls the USB connection with a USB device.

The label printer 1 is also provided with an operation panel 36 (an example of a notification unit). The operation panel 36 includes an operation unit that is operated for various settings, and a display unit for displaying information. The operation unit and the display unit may be provided separately, or may be in the form of a touch panel in which an operation unit such as a pressure-sensitive or capacitive transparent film switch is overlaid on a display unit such as a liquid crystal display.

<Printing process>
When the CPU 31 of the label printer 1 receives a command to execute a print job from an external terminal via the communication interface 35, it starts the print process shown in FIG.

In the printing process, the CPU 31 drives the motor M in the forward direction (S11). The forward driving of the motor M rotates the transport rollers 16, 17, and transports the continuous paper P in the sending direction. When the leading print area approaches the printing position of the print head 21, the CPU 31 controls the print head 21 to cause the print head 21 to start printing the image of the first page (S12). This causes the image of the first page to start printing on the leading label L (print area) of the continuous paper P.

When printing of the image on the label L is completed, the CPU 31 determines whether a print stop instruction has been issued (S13). A print stop instruction is issued when the print result is judged to be "NG" in the inspection process described below. When a print stop instruction is issued, a print stop flag set in the RAM 33 is turned on, and when the print stop instruction is released, the print stop flag is turned off. The CPU 31 determines whether a print stop instruction has been issued based on the state of the print stop flag.

If no instruction to stop printing has been issued (S13: NO), the CPU 31 determines whether printing of images for all pages related to the print job has been completed (S14).

If printing of all pages of images has not been completed (S14: NO), i.e., if there are pages that have not been printed, the CPU 31 controls the print head 21 to print the next page of images (S12).

In this way, printing of the images of each page progresses, and when printing of the images of all pages related to the print job is completed (S14: YES), the CPU 31 ends the printing process.

On the other hand, if a printing stop instruction is issued (S13: YES), the CPU 31 stops the printing sequence when printing of the image being printed is completed (S15) and ends the printing process. In this case, the image of the page that has not been printed is printed on the label L of the continuous paper P by performing the printing process in response to the printing resume instruction being issued. The printing resume instruction will be described later.

<Inspection process>
In response to the start of printing on the labels L of the continuous paper P, the CPU 31 starts the inspection process shown in FIGS. 4A and 4B.

In the inspection process, the CPU 31 judges the print result of the image on each label L of the continuous paper P (S21 in FIG. 4A). Specifically, when the label L (print area) on which the image of the first page is formed approaches the reading position of the CIS unit 22, the CPU 31 controls the CIS unit 22 to have the CIS unit 22 read the image printed on that label L. Then, the CPU 31 judges from the data read by the CIS unit 22 (read data) whether the print result of the image meets a predetermined standard (OK) or does not meet a predetermined standard (NG) (S22). For example, if the image includes a barcode symbol, the CPU 31 checks from the read data whether the optical characteristics of the barcode symbol (reflectance, reflection density, PCS (Print Contrast Signal) value, etc.) meet the JIS standard (Japanese Industrial Standards). If the optical characteristics of the barcode symbol meet the JIS standard, the CPU 31 determines that the print result of the image containing the barcode symbol is "OK," and if the optical characteristics of the barcode symbol do not meet the JIS standard, the CPU 31 determines that the print result of the image containing the barcode symbol is "NG."

When the CPU 31 determines that the printing result of the image on the label L is not "NG", i.e., is "OK" (S22: NO), it determines each time whether printing of the images of all pages related to the print job and judgment of the print results have been completed (S23). When the CPU 31 determines that printing of the images of all pages related to the print job and judgment of the print results have not been completed (S23: NO), it continues to judge the print results (S21). Then, when the printing result of all pages related to the print job has been completed without being judged as "NG" (S23: YES), the CPU 31 ends the inspection process.

On the other hand, if the CPU 31 determines that the print result of the image on the label L is "NG" (S22: YES), it issues a print stop instruction (S24). In response to the issuance of the print stop instruction, as described above, printing of the image related to the print job is stopped.

When printing by the print head 21 stops (S25: YES), the CPU 31 stops the motor M and then drives it in the reverse direction to pull back the continuous paper P a predetermined amount (S26). For example, as shown in FIG. 5A, if the print result of the image on the label L' is "NG", the predetermined amount is set to the amount by which the downstream end of the label L' in the feed direction, which is the defective print area (hereinafter referred to as the "defective label"), moves to a position that coincides with the printing position of the print head 21 or to a position upstream of the printing position, as shown in FIG. 5B.

Then, the CPU 31 stops the motor M once and then drives it in the forward direction. The forward driving of the motor M rotates the transport rollers 16 and 17, and the continuous paper P is transported again in the feed direction. The CPU 31 then controls the print head 21 to execute void printing (S27). That is, the CPU 31 controls the print head 21 to print a specific image, a void image, superimposed on the print image of the defective label L'.

When printing of the void image is completed, the CPU 31 generates a print resume instruction (S28 in FIG. 4B). In response to the issuance of the print resume instruction, the print process shown in FIG. 3 is performed to print the images of the pages not printed in the image related to the print job.

The CPU 31 also determines as the good print area the label L on which an image whose print result was determined to be "OK" in the previous print result determination is printed. Then, as shown in FIG. 5B, the CPU 31 determines as the label Lr to be re-determined the good print area whose upstream end in the feed direction is located upstream in the feed direction from the reading position of the CIS unit 22 when the continuous paper P is transported in the rewind direction to print the void image. The CPU 31 then re-determines the print result of the image printed on each label Lr to be re-determined (S29).

When the CPU 31 determines that the print result of the image on any one of the labels Lr to be re-evaluated is "NG" (S30: YES), i.e., when there is a label Lr for which the print result of the image was determined to be "OK" in the first evaluation but the print result of the image was determined to be "NG" in the re-evaluation, the CPU 31 issues a notification by displaying a predetermined message on the operation panel 36 (S31). Note that the notification is not limited to a mode of displaying a predetermined message on the operation panel 36, which is an example of a notification unit, but may be performed by sounding a buzzer, which is an example of a notification unit, or by lighting a lamp, which is an example of a notification unit. The same applies below.

When the CPU 31 judges again that the print result of the image is not "NG", i.e., "OK", for all of the labels Lr to be re-evaluated (S30: NO), it judges the print result of the image printed on the label L by the print process started in response to the issuance of the print resume instruction (S32). That is, starting from the adjacent label Ln adjacent to the defective label L' on which the void image is printed in the feed direction, the print result of each of the labels L on which an image is printed that is located upstream of the defective label L' in the feed direction is judged.

If the CPU 31 determines that the print result of the image of the adjacent label Ln is "NG" (S33: YES), that is, if there are consecutive defective print areas where the print result of the image is "NG", it is possible that the inside of the label printer 1 is dirty, so it notifies the user by displaying a specified message on the operation panel 36 (S31).

In addition, even if the print result of the image of the adjacent label Ln is not "NG", i.e., "OK" (S33: NO), if "NG" appears in the print result of the image of the label Lu that is located upstream of the adjacent label Ln in the feed direction and the number of print results determined to be "NG" reaches a predetermined number of two or more (S34: YES), the CPU 31 still considers it possible that the inside of the label printer 1 is dirty, so it notifies the user by displaying a predetermined message on the operation panel 36 (S31).

Then, if the CPU 31 judges the print results of the images of all pages related to the print job (all labels L on which images related to the print job are printed) while the number of labels L for which the print results of the images are judged to be "NG" remains less than the predetermined number (S35: YES), it does not notify the operation panel 36 and ends the inspection process.

<Action and effect>
As described above, the continuous paper P is transported in the feed direction, that is, the direction in which it is discharged from the discharge port 12, and during this transport, an image is printed by the print head 21 on the label L, which is the printing area. The image on the label L is then read by the CIS unit 22, which is provided downstream in the feed direction from the print head 21. Then, it is determined from the image data read by the CIS unit 22 whether the print result meets a predetermined standard, and if the print result does not meet the predetermined standard, i.e. "NG", the continuous paper P is transported in the return direction opposite to the feed direction.

When the label L that was located downstream of the reading position of the CIS unit 22 in the feed direction moves upstream of the reading position in the feed direction due to the transport of the continuous paper P in the retraction direction, there is a possibility that the label L may become stained with paper dust, ink, or the like. Therefore, among the labels L (good print areas) on which images whose print results were determined to be "OK" in the previous print result determination are printed, when the continuous paper P is transported in the retraction direction, all of the labels L whose upstream end in the feed direction is located upstream of the reading position of the CIS unit 22 in the feed direction are determined to be the labels Lr to be re-evaluated. Then, the image of each label Lr is re-read, and it is re-evaluated from the re-read image data whether the print result meets the specified criteria. This makes it possible to re-evaluate the print result of the image for all labels Lr that may have become stained due to the transport of the continuous paper P in the retraction direction.

For defective labels L' that are judged as "NG" in the initial print result judgment, meaning that the print result does not meet the specified criteria, a void image is printed over the original image. If a void image is printed on the defective label L', the user can tell at a glance that the print result of the image on that defective label L' does not meet the specified criteria. This makes it possible to notify the user of the defective print result in an easy-to-understand manner.

For adjacent labels Ln adjacent to the defective label L' (overwritten label L') on which a void image has been overwritten, which are located upstream in the sending direction (downstream in the retracting direction), if the print result of the image does not meet a predetermined standard and is "NG", a notification is issued by displaying a predetermined message on the operation panel 36.

In addition, if the print result of the image on any one of the labels Lr to be re-evaluated is determined to be "NG," a notification is given by displaying a specified message on the operation panel 36.

Furthermore, if "NG" appears in the print result of the image of label Lu that is located upstream of the adjacent label Ln in the feed direction, and the number of print results judged to be "NG" reaches a predetermined number of 2 or more, a notification is given by displaying a predetermined message on the operation panel 36.

These notifications can notify the user that the print results do not meet the specified criteria, and can improve the accuracy of notifying the user that the print results do not meet the specified criteria. The notifications can also prompt the user to eliminate the causes of the print results not meeting the specified criteria.

<Other Examples of Inspection Processing>
In the inspection process, instead of the determinations in steps S33 and S34 shown in FIG. 4B, the determinations in steps S36 to S39 shown in FIG. 6 may be performed.

That is, the CPU 31 judges the print result of each of the labels L that have an image printed on them, one by one, starting from the adjacent label Ln adjacent to the defective label L' on which the void image is printed in the feed direction and located upstream of the defective label L' in the feed direction (S32), and determines whether at least one label L has been found for which the print result of the image has been judged to be "NG" (S36).

If the print results of the images of multiple labels L, including the defective label L' whose print result was previously determined to be "NG" (S36: YES), the CPU 31 compares the image data obtained by reading the images of the defective labels L', L and determines whether or not there is commonality between the image data (S37). For example, if the images of the defective labels L', L have dirt on them, and the size and position of the dirt are almost the same between the images of the defective labels L', L and the dirt is similar, it is determined that there is commonality between the image data of the defective labels L', L.

If the CPU 31 determines that there is commonality in the image data of the defective labels L', L (S37: YES), it determines whether the number of print results determined to be "NG" has reached a predetermined number of 2 or more (S38). If the predetermined number has been reached (S38: YES), it is possible that the inside of the label printer 1 is dirty, so the CPU 31 issues a notification by displaying a predetermined message on the operation panel 36 (S31).

On the other hand, if the CPU 31 determines that there is no commonality in the image data of the defective labels L', L (S37: NO), it determines whether the number of times the cutter 23 has cut the continuous paper P is equal to or greater than a predetermined number (S39). The number of times the cutter 23 has cut is counted using the RAM 33. If the number of times the cutter 23 has cut is equal to or greater than the predetermined number (S39: YES), the CPU 31 notifies the user by displaying a predetermined message on the operation panel 36 (S31).

When the number of times the cutter 23 cuts the continuous paper P reaches a predetermined number, an alert is issued to prompt the user to clean the cutter 23, reset the count of the number of cuts, etc.

In addition, when the inspection process is not being performed and the cutter 23 has cut the continuous paper P a predetermined number of times, a notification may be given by displaying a predetermined message on the operation panel 36.

<Other examples of items to be reevaluated>
In the embodiment described above, the label Lr to be re-evaluated is determined to be the label Lr to be re-evaluated when the continuous paper P is transported in the retraction direction to print a void image, out of the labels L which are good print areas, and whose upstream end in the feed direction is located upstream of the reading position of the CIS unit 22 in the feed direction. Alternatively, as shown in Fig. 7, all of the labels L which are good print areas and that are located upstream of the downstream end in the feed direction of the print head 21 when the continuous paper P is transported in the retraction direction to print a void image may be determined to be the label Lr to be re-evaluated.

With this configuration, the upstream label L that faces the print head 21 when the continuous paper P is transported in the retraction direction is likely to be dirty, so the image is reread and the print result is reassessed only for the upstream label L that is likely to be dirty. This reduces the load on the CPU 31 caused by rereading the image and reassessing the print result.

The method of determining the label to be re-evaluated shown in FIG. 7 may be adopted when the number of times the continuous paper P is cut by the cutter 23 is less than a predetermined number, and when the number of times the continuous paper P is cut by the cutter 23 is equal to or greater than a predetermined number, the method of determining the label to be re-evaluated shown in FIG. 5B may be adopted, that is, a method of determining the label L whose upstream end in the feed direction is located upstream in the feed direction from the reading position of the CIS unit 22 as the label Lr to be re-evaluated.

If the cutter 23 cuts the continuous paper P less than the specified number of times, the continuous paper P is unlikely to become dirty as it passes through the cutting section, so the images are reread and the print results are determined only for labels L that are likely to become dirty as a result of facing the print head 21. This reduces the load on the CPU 31 caused by rereading the images and re-determining the print results.

In addition, as the continuous paper P is transported in the retraction direction, a label L that was outside the housing may move in the retraction direction beyond the discharge outlet 12. The label L may have been soiled when it was outside the housing, or may become soiled with paper dust or ink when it passes through the discharge outlet 12 in the retraction direction. Therefore, when at least one label L moves beyond the discharge outlet 12 in the retraction direction from outside the housing, all of the labels L that have moved beyond the discharge outlet 12, among the labels L that are in the good print area and whose print results have been determined to satisfy a predetermined standard, may be determined to be the labels Lr to be re-evaluated.

<Modification>
Although the embodiment of the present invention has been described above, the present invention can be embodied in other forms.

For example, the print head 21 is not limited to a configuration that prints images using an inkjet recording method, but may be configured to print images on the printing surface of the continuous paper P using a thermal transfer method, or may be configured to print images using an electrophotographic method.

In addition, in the above embodiment, a configuration was described in which the functions of the image inspection device according to the present invention are incorporated into the label printer 1, but an image inspection device equipped with a control unit (including a CPU) having functions similar to the functions related to the inspection processing of the CIS unit 22 and CPU 31 may be attached externally to the label printer 1. In addition, the functions related to the inspection processing of the CIS unit 22 and CPU 31 may be added as an option to a label printer that does not have the functions of the image inspection device according to the present invention.

For example, in the above embodiment, the CPU 31 executes each process. However, the label printer 1 may be provided with multiple CPUs, and the multiple CPUs may cooperate to execute each process.

In addition, various design modifications can be made to the above-mentioned configuration within the scope of the claims.

1: Label printer 11: Housing 12: Discharge port 15: Transport path 16, 17: Transport rollers 21: Print head 22: CIS unit 23: Cutter 31: CPU
36: Operation panel L: Label P: Continuous paper

Claims (12)

A housing having an exhaust port that is open to the outside;
a transport section that transports a continuous paper having a plurality of print areas arranged along a transport path that extends within the housing toward the discharge outlet in a direction in which the plurality of print areas are arranged;
a printing unit that prints an image in at least a portion of the plurality of print areas of the continuous paper that is being transported along the transport path;
A control unit,
The control unit is
controlling the transport unit and the printing unit to transport the continuous paper in a sending direction toward the discharge port within the housing, and printing images on at least a portion of the plurality of printing areas during the transport;
a reading unit provided downstream of the printing unit in the feed direction reads images printed in at least a portion of the plurality of printing areas, and if the print result determined from the read image data does not satisfy a predetermined standard, the transport unit is controlled to transport the continuous paper a predetermined amount in a return direction that is the opposite direction to the feed direction;
When the printer recognizes that at least one of the multiple printing areas has moved from outside the housing in the retraction direction past the discharge outlet by transporting the continuous paper the specified amount in the retraction direction, it controls the transport unit to transport the continuous paper in the feed direction and instructs the reading unit to re-read an image printed in at least a portion of a good printing area among the multiple printing areas whose print result is determined to satisfy the specified standard. 2. The printer of claim 1,
The reading unit,
The reading unit reads an image printed in at least a portion of the plurality of print areas of the continuous paper transported along the transport path. 3. The printer according to claim 1,
the predetermined amount is an amount by which a defective print area, the print result of which is determined not to satisfy the predetermined standard, among the plurality of print areas is moved to a position upstream of the print unit in the feed direction,
The control unit transports the continuous paper a predetermined amount in the retraction direction, and then controls the transport unit and the printing unit to transport the continuous paper in the feed direction within the housing, and overwrites and prints a specific image in the defective printing area during the transport. 4. The printer according to claim 3,
A notification unit is further provided,
The control unit of the printer causes the reading unit to read an image printed in an adjacent printing area that is adjacent in the pullback direction to an overwrite printing area in which the specific image has been overwritten by printing the specific image over the defective printing area, and when the print result determined from the read image data does not satisfy the specified standard, causes the notification unit to notify the notification. The printer according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
When the control unit instructs the reading unit to re-read an image printed in at least a portion of the good print area, the control unit instructs the reading unit to re-read the images in all of the upstream read print areas among the multiple print areas that are located upstream in the feed direction from the image reading position by the reading unit after transporting the continuous paper a predetermined amount in the rewind direction. The printer according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
When the control unit instructs the reading unit to re-read an image printed in at least a portion of the good print area, the control unit instructs the reading unit to re-read the images in all of the upstream print area that is located upstream of the downstream end of the printing unit in the feed direction after transporting the continuous paper a predetermined amount in the rewind direction. The printer according to any one of claims 1 to 6,
A notification unit is further provided,
The control unit of the printer causes the notification unit to notify when there is a re-defective print area whose print result is determined to not satisfy the specified standard from image data read by the reading unit in accordance with an instruction to have the reading unit re-read an image printed in at least a portion of the good print area among the multiple print areas. The printer according to any one of claims 1 to 7,
A notification unit is further provided,
The control unit causes the notification unit to notify when the number of times that the print result is determined to not satisfy the specified standard from the image data read by the reading unit reaches a specified number of two or more. The printer according to any one of claims 1 to 8,
A notification unit is further provided,
a cutting unit that is provided downstream of the printing unit in the feed direction and cuts the continuous paper,
The control unit counts the number of times the continuous paper is cut by the cutting unit, and when the counted number of cuts reaches a predetermined number, causes the notification unit to notify the user. 10. The printer of claim 9,
When the control unit instructs the reading unit to re-read images printed in at least a portion of the good print area when the number of times the continuous paper has been cut by the cutting unit is less than the specified number, the control unit instructs the reading unit to re-read images in all of the cutting upstream print areas among the multiple print areas that are located upstream of the downstream end of the printing unit in the feed direction after transporting the continuous paper in the retraction direction by the specified amount. 11. The printer according to claim 9 or 10,
The control unit is
If there are a plurality of defective print areas determined to have print results that do not satisfy the predetermined standard from the image data read by the reading unit, the image data of the plurality of defective print areas is compared to determine whether or not there is a commonality between the image data;
When it is determined that there is commonality, and the number of times that it is determined that the print result does not satisfy the predetermined standard from the image data read by the reading unit reaches a predetermined number of times equal to or greater than two, the notification unit is caused to notify the notification.
When it is determined that there is no commonality, the printer counts the number of times the continuous paper is cut by the cutting unit, and when the counted number of cuts reaches a predetermined number, causes the notifying unit to notify. A housing having an exhaust port that is open to the outside;
a transport section that transports a continuous paper having a plurality of print areas arranged along a transport path that extends within the housing toward the discharge outlet in a direction in which the plurality of print areas are arranged;
a printing unit that prints an image on at least a part of the plurality of printing areas while the continuous paper is being transported in a sending direction toward the discharge port within the housing;
a printer control unit that controls transport of the continuous paper by the transport unit, and an image inspection device that is coupled to a printer and inspects an image printed in at least a portion of the plurality of printing areas,
a reading unit that is provided downstream of the printing unit in the feed direction and that reads images printed in at least a portion of the plurality of printing areas;
A control unit,
The control unit is
determining whether or not a print result of the printing area in which an image is printed by the printing unit satisfies a predetermined condition based on the image data read by the reading unit;
An image inspection device in which, in response to determining that the print result does not satisfy the specified condition, the printer control unit of the printer transports the continuous paper a predetermined amount in a retraction direction, which is the opposite direction to the feed direction, and then recognizes that the predetermined amount of transport has caused at least one of the multiple print areas to move from outside the housing in the retraction direction and beyond the discharge outlet, reads images by the reading unit for at least a portion of the good print areas for which the print result has been determined to satisfy the specified condition, and re-determines whether the print result satisfies the specified condition from the image data read by the reading unit.

Images