JP7734508B2 - Printing press, printing press control program, and printing press control method - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a printing press, a printing press control program, and a printing press control method.

Today, printing machines employing a variety of printing methods are used in a variety of situations. One example of such a printing machine is the multifunction machine disclosed in Patent Document 1.

JP 2019-176250 A

The multifunction device disclosed in Patent Document 1 outputs an OFF signal from a document sensor when no document is supported on the ADF (Auto Document Feeder) formed integrally with the document cover, and outputs an ON signal from the document sensor when no document is supported on the document cover. The multifunction device also uses an open/close interlock actuator to detect whether the document cover is in the closed or open position.

However, because the above-mentioned multifunction device is equipped with both a document sensor and an open/close interlocking actuator, the number of parts increases, which can raise concerns about increased design difficulty, increased development costs, increased manufacturing costs, and increased difficulty in quality control.

The present invention was made in consideration of the above-mentioned problems, and aims to provide a printing press that can detect the presence or absence of printing paper and the opening or closing of a cover using a smaller number of parts, as well as a printing press control program and printing press control method for controlling such a printing press.

In order to achieve the above object, a printing machine according to one aspect of the present invention comprises a casing that stores a release paper to which an adhesive label is affixed, a cover that is opened when the release paper is stored in the casing and that is closed after the release paper is stored in the casing, and that forms with the casing a gap through which the release paper and the adhesive label are fed when printing on the adhesive label, a first photoelectric sensor element attached to the casing or the cover, and a photoelectric sensor element attached to the casing or the cover on which the first photoelectric sensor element is not attached, and that detects the presence of the first photoelectric sensor element when the cover is closed. and a determination unit that performs an open/close determination process to determine whether the cover is closed or open based on the intensity of light detected by the first or second photoelectric sensor element, and a paper feed determination process to determine whether the release paper and adhesive label are present in the gap, or whether only the release paper is present in the gap, or whether neither the release paper nor the adhesive label is present in the gap.

In a printing press according to one aspect of the present invention, the photoelectric sensor includes a first photoelectric sensor element that is a light emitter attached to the casing, and a second photoelectric sensor element that is a light receiver attached to the cover.

In a printing press according to one aspect of the present invention, the photoelectric sensor includes a first photoelectric sensor element that is a light receiver attached to the casing, and a second photoelectric sensor element that is a light emitter attached to the cover.

In a printing press according to one aspect of the present invention, the determination unit determines that the cover is closed when the voltage output based on the intensity of light detected by the first photoelectric sensor element or the second photoelectric sensor element is equal to or lower than a predetermined open/close determination voltage.

In a printing press according to one aspect of the present invention, the determination unit determines that the cover is open when the voltage output based on the intensity of light detected by the first photoelectric sensor element or the second photoelectric sensor element exceeds a predetermined open/close determination voltage.

In addition, in a printing machine according to one aspect of the present invention, if the voltage output based on the intensity of light detected by the first photoelectric sensor element or the second photoelectric sensor element is equal to or less than a predetermined paper feed determination voltage, the determination unit determines that only the release paper is present in the gap, or that neither the release paper nor the adhesive label is present in the gap.

In a printing machine according to one aspect of the present invention, the determination unit determines that the release paper and the adhesive label are present in the gap when the voltage output based on the intensity of light detected by the first photoelectric sensor element or the second photoelectric sensor element exceeds a predetermined paper feed determination voltage and is equal to or less than a predetermined open/close determination voltage.

To achieve the above object, a printing press control program according to one aspect of the present invention executes an open/close determination process to determine whether the cover is closed or open based on the intensity of light detected by either a first photoelectric sensor element attached to a casing that stores a release paper to which an adhesive label is affixed, or to a cover that is opened when the release paper is stored in the casing and closed after the release paper is stored in the casing, and that, together with the casing, forms a gap through which the release paper and the adhesive label are fed when printing on the adhesive label, or a second photoelectric sensor element attached to the side of the casing or the cover that does not have the first photoelectric sensor element and that faces the first photoelectric sensor element at least when the cover is closed; and causes a computer to implement a determination function to execute a paper feed determination process to determine whether the release paper and the adhesive label are present in the gap, or whether only the release paper is present in the gap or neither the release paper nor the adhesive label is present in the gap.

To achieve the above object, one aspect of the present invention provides a printing press control method that performs an open/close determination process to determine whether the cover is closed or open, based on the intensity of light detected by either a first photoelectric sensor element attached to a casing that stores a release paper to which an adhesive label is affixed, or a cover that is opened when the release paper is stored in the casing and closed after the release paper is stored in the casing, and that forms with the casing a gap through which the release paper and the adhesive label are fed when printing on the adhesive label, or a second photoelectric sensor element that is attached to the side of the casing or the cover that does not have the first photoelectric sensor element and faces the first photoelectric sensor element at least when the cover is closed, and performs a paper feed determination process to determine whether the release paper and the adhesive label are present in the gap, or whether only the release paper is present in the gap or neither the release paper nor the adhesive label is present in the gap.

The present invention provides a printing press that can be implemented with fewer parts, as well as a printing press control program and printing press control method for controlling the printing press.

FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a state in which a cover of the printing machine according to the embodiment is closed. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a state in which a cover of the printing machine according to the embodiment is open. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a light projector, a light receiver, and a printing press control device according to an embodiment. 1A and 1B are diagrams illustrating an example of a release paper and an adhesive label according to an embodiment. FIG. 10 is a diagram for explaining a process executed by a determination function according to the embodiment. 6 is a flowchart illustrating an example of processing executed by a printing machine according to an embodiment. FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of a printing press according to an embodiment.

[Embodiment]
A printing press, a printing press control program, and a printing press control method according to an embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 6. FIG.

First, an example of a printing press according to an embodiment will be described with reference to Figures 1 to 5. Figure 1 is a diagram showing an example of a printing press according to an embodiment with its cover closed. Figure 2 is a diagram showing an example of a printing press according to an embodiment with its cover open. Figure 3 is a diagram showing an example of a light emitter, a light receiver, and a printing press control device according to an embodiment. The printing press 1 is, for example, a thermal printer, and as shown in Figures 1 and 2, includes a casing 10, a cover 20, a hinge 30, and a photoelectric sensor 40. Furthermore, as shown in Figure 3, the printing press 1 includes a printing press control device 50.

The casing 10 houses the components that make up the printing press 1 and is a housing that stores the release paper R wound in roll form. The cover 20 is a plate-shaped member that covers the space in which the release paper R is stored, and is attached to the casing 10 by a hinge 30 in a manner that allows it to swing. The cover 20 is closed as shown in Figure 1 after the release paper R is stored in the casing 10. On the other hand, the cover 20 is opened as shown in Figure 2 when the release paper R is stored in the casing 10. Furthermore, as shown in Figure 1, the cover 20, together with the casing 10, forms a gap G through which the release paper R and adhesive label L are fed when printing is performed on the adhesive label L affixed to the release paper R.

Figure 4 shows an example of a release paper and adhesive label according to an embodiment. The release paper R is paper with a release coating applied to at least one side, and as shown in Figure 4, adhesive labels L are attached at regular intervals to the release-coated side. The adhesive labels L are pieces of paper with glue applied to one side and printed on the unglued side by the printer 1.

As shown in Figures 1 to 3, the photoelectric sensor 40 includes a light emitter 41 and a light receiver 42.

The light projector 41 is attached to the casing 10, for example, as shown in Figures 1 and 2. Furthermore, as shown in Figure 3, the light projector 41 is a light-emitting diode (LED) whose anode is connected to one end of a resistor 41R and whose cathode is grounded, and outputs light. The light projector 41 is an example of a first photoelectric sensor element attached to the casing 10.

The optical receiver 42 is attached to the cover 20, for example, as shown in Figures 1 and 2. Also, as shown in Figure 3, the optical receiver 42 is, for example, a phototransistor with its collector connected to one end of a resistor 42R and its emitter grounded. As shown in Figure 1, the optical receiver 42 faces the light emitter 41 when the cover 20 is closed. Therefore, when the cover 20 is closed, the light-receiving portion of the optical receiver 42 faces the light-emitting portion of the light emitter 41. Furthermore, the higher the intensity of the light received by the optical receiver 42 from the light emitter 41, the higher the emitter voltage of the optical receiver 42 relative to the ground plane. The optical receiver 42 receives the light output by the light emitter 41 and outputs voltage data to the printing press control device 50 indicating the emitter voltage, which is determined based on the light intensity. The optical receiver 42 is an example of a second photoelectric sensor element attached to the cover 20.

The printing press control device 50 is, for example, a CPU (Central Processing Unit), which reads and executes the printing press control program 500 shown in FIG. 3 to realize each function of the printing press 1, including the determination function 550. The printing press control program 500 is pre-stored in a main storage device, such as RAM (Random Access Memory), installed in the printing press 1.

Figure 5 is a diagram illustrating the processing executed by the determination function according to the embodiment. The determination function 550 executes an open/close determination process that determines whether the cover 20 is closed or open based on the intensity of light detected by the light receiver 42.

Specifically, when the voltage output based on the intensity of light detected by the optical receiver 42 is equal to or less than the predetermined open/close determination voltage shown in FIG. 5, the determination function 550 determines that the cover 20 is closed, as shown in FIG. 1. On the other hand, when the voltage output based on the intensity of light detected by the optical receiver 42 exceeds the predetermined open/close determination voltage shown in FIG. 5, the determination function 550 determines that the cover 20 is open, as shown in FIG. 2.

In addition, the judgment function 550 executes a paper feed judgment process to determine whether the gap G is in a state where a release paper R and an adhesive label L are present, a state where only a release paper R is present in the gap G, or a state where neither a release paper R nor an adhesive label L is present in the gap G.

Specifically, if the voltage output based on the intensity of light detected by the light receiver 42 is equal to or less than a predetermined paper feed determination voltage, the determination function 550 determines that only the release paper R is present in the gap G, or that neither the release paper R nor the adhesive label L is present in the gap G. On the other hand, if the voltage output based on the intensity of light detected by the light receiver 42 exceeds the predetermined paper feed determination voltage and is equal to or less than a predetermined open/close determination voltage, the determination function 550 determines that the release paper R and the adhesive label L are present in the gap G. Also, as shown in FIG. 5, the paper feed determination voltage is set to a voltage lower than the open/close determination voltage.

Next, an example of processing executed by the printing machine 1 will be described with reference to Figure 6. Figure 6 is a flowchart showing an example of processing executed by the printing machine according to an embodiment.

In step S10, the determination function 550 determines whether the output voltage exceeds a predetermined open/close determination voltage. If the determination function 550 determines that the output voltage based on the intensity of light detected by the optical receiver exceeds the predetermined open/close determination voltage (step S10: YES), the process proceeds to step S20. On the other hand, if the determination function 550 determines that the output voltage based on the intensity of light detected by the optical receiver is equal to or less than the predetermined open/close determination voltage (step S10: NO), the process proceeds to step S30.

In step S20, the determination function 550 determines that the cover 20 is open.

In step S30, the determination function 550 determines that the cover 20 is closed.

In step S40, the determination function 550 determines whether the output voltage exceeds the predetermined paper feed determination voltage and is equal to or less than the predetermined open/close determination voltage. If the determination function 550 determines that the output voltage based on the intensity of light detected by the optical receiver exceeds the predetermined paper feed determination voltage and is equal to or less than the predetermined open/close determination voltage (step S40: YES), the process proceeds to step S50. On the other hand, if the determination function 550 determines that the output voltage based on the intensity of light detected by the optical receiver is equal to or less than the predetermined paper feed determination voltage (step S40: NO), the process proceeds to step S60.

In step S50, the determination function 550 determines that release paper and adhesive labels are present in the gap and ends the process.

In step S60, the determination function 550 determines that only release paper is present in the gap, or that neither release paper nor an adhesive label is present in the gap, and ends the process.

The above describes the printing press 1 according to the embodiment. The printing press 1 includes a casing 10, a cover 20, a photoelectric sensor 40, and a determination function 550.

The casing 10 is a housing that stores the release paper R to which the adhesive label L is affixed. The cover 20 is opened when the release paper R is stored in the casing 10, and is closed after the release paper R is stored in the casing 10. The cover 20 is a member that, together with the casing 10, forms a gap G through which the release paper R and adhesive label L are fed when printing is performed on the adhesive label L.

The photoelectric sensor 40 has a first photoelectric sensor element attached to the casing 10 or the cover 20, and a second photoelectric sensor element attached to the casing 10 or the cover 20 on which the first photoelectric sensor element is not attached, and which faces the first photoelectric sensor element at least when the cover 20 is closed.

The determination function 550 performs an open/close determination process to determine whether the cover 20 is closed or open, based on the intensity of light detected by the first photoelectric sensor element or the second photoelectric sensor element. The determination function 550 also performs a paper feed determination process to determine whether the gap G contains a release paper R and an adhesive label L, or whether the gap G contains only a release paper R or neither a release paper R nor an adhesive label L.

As a result, the printing press 1 can execute both the open/close determination process and the paper feed determination process described above using the light projector 41, the light receiver 42, and the determination function 550. In other words, the printing press 1 does not need to be equipped with mechanical elements such as actuators to execute the open/close determination process, and does not need to be equipped with separate components such as sensors to execute the paper feed determination process. Therefore, the printing press 1 can detect the presence or absence of printing paper and the open/close status of the cover with fewer components, thereby reducing the difficulty of design, development costs, manufacturing costs, difficulty of quality control, etc.

In the above-described embodiment, the printer 1 is a thermal printer and the adhesive label L is thermal paper, but this is not limiting. The printer 1 may be a printer other than a thermal printer. In this case, the adhesive label L is preferably a piece of paper that matches the printing method used by the printer 1. Furthermore, the printer 1 may be a printer that prints on printing paper other than the release paper R to which the adhesive label is affixed.

In addition, in the above-described embodiment, an example was described in which the light projector 41 is attached to the casing 10 and the light receiver 42 is attached to the cover 20, but this is not limiting. For example, the light projector 41 may be attached to the cover 20 and the light receiver 42 may be attached to the casing 10.

In addition, in the above-described embodiment, an example was described in which the first photoelectric sensor element is the light-emitter 41 and the second photoelectric sensor element is the light-receiver 42, but this is not limiting. In other words, the first photoelectric sensor element may be the light-receiver 42 and the second photoelectric sensor element may be the light-emitter 41.

Furthermore, at least a portion of the determination function 550 shown in FIG. 3 may be realized by hardware including circuitry such as an LSI (Large Scale Integration), an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), an FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array), or a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit). Alternatively, at least a portion of the determination function 550 shown in FIG. 3 may be realized by a combination of software and hardware. Furthermore, these pieces of hardware may be integrated into one, or may be separated into multiple pieces.

The printing press control device 50 described above may also be installed in a printing press other than the printing press 1. For example, the printing press control device 50 may be installed in the printing press 1a shown in FIG. 7. FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of a printing press according to an embodiment. The printing press 1a is, for example, a thermal printer, and as shown in FIG. 7, includes a casing 10a, a cover 20a, and a photoelectric sensor 40a.

The casing 10a houses the components that make up the printing machine 1a and is a housing that stores the release paper R wound in roll form. The cover 20a is a plate-shaped member that covers the space where the release paper R is stored. As shown in Figure 7, the cover 20a slides relative to the casing 10a to be in an open or closed state. When the cover 20a is closed as shown in Figure 7, it forms a gap G together with the casing 10a through which the release paper R and adhesive label L are fed when printing is performed on the adhesive label L affixed to the release paper R.

As shown in FIG. 7, the photoelectric sensor 40a includes a light emitter 41a and a light receiver 42a. The light emitter 41a is an example of a first photoelectric sensor element attached to the casing 10a, as shown in FIG. 7, and outputs light. The light receiver 42a is an example of a second photoelectric sensor element attached to the cover 20a, as shown in FIG. 7, and receives the light output by the light emitter 41a. As shown in FIG. 7, the cover 20a is opened or closed by sliding relative to the casing 10a, so the light receiver 42a faces the light emitter 41a whether the cover 20a is closed or opened. Therefore, the light-receiving portion of the light receiver 42a faces the light-outputting portion of the light emitter 41a whether the cover 20a is closed or opened.

Embodiments of the present invention have been described above with reference to the drawings. However, the printing press, printing press control program, and printing press control method are not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications, substitutions, combinations, and/or design changes can be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

Furthermore, the effects of the above-described embodiments of the present invention are described as examples. Therefore, in addition to the effects described above, the embodiments of the present invention may also achieve other effects that a person skilled in the art would recognize from the description of the above-described embodiments.

1, 1a...printing press, 10, 10a...casing, 20, 20a...cover, 30...hinge, 40, 40a...photoelectric sensor, 41, 41a...light emitter, 42, 42a...light receiver, 50...printing press control device, 500...printing press control program, 550...determination function, G...gap, R...release paper, L...adhesive label, 41R, 42R...resistor

Claims (3)

a casing for storing a release paper on which an adhesive label is attached;
a cover that is opened when the release paper is stored in the casing, and that is closed after the release paper is stored in the casing, and that forms with the casing a gap through which the release paper and the adhesive label are fed when printing is performed on the adhesive label;
a photoelectric sensor including one light-emitter attached to the casing and one light-receiver attached to the cover and facing the one light-emitter at least when the cover is closed;
a determination unit that executes an open/close determination process to determine whether the cover is in a closed state or an open state based on the intensity of light detected by the one light receiver , and executes a paper feed determination process to determine whether the cover is in a state where the release paper and the adhesive label are present in the gap, a state where only the release paper is present in the gap, or a state where neither the release paper nor the adhesive label is present in the gap;
Equipped with
The determination unit
If a sensor output voltage output based on the intensity of light detected by the one light receiver is equal to or less than a predetermined open/close determination voltage, it is determined that the cover is closed;
If the sensor output voltage exceeds the open/close determination voltage, it is determined that the cover is open;
When the sensor output voltage is equal to or lower than a predetermined paper feed determination voltage that is set lower than the opening/closing determination voltage, it is determined that only the release paper is present in the gap, or that neither the release paper nor the adhesive label is present in the gap,
When the sensor output voltage exceeds the paper feed determination voltage and is equal to or lower than the open/close determination voltage, it is determined that the release paper and the adhesive label are present in the gap.
printing machine. a photoelectric sensor including one light projector attached to a casing in which a release paper having an adhesive label affixed thereto is stored, and one light receiver attached to a cover that is opened when the release paper is stored in the casing and closed after the release paper has been stored in the casing , and that forms with the casing a gap through which the release paper and the adhesive label are fed when printing on the adhesive label, and that faces the one light projector at least when the cover is closed;
The paper feed determination process includes:
If a sensor output voltage output based on the intensity of light detected by the one light receiver is equal to or less than a predetermined open/close determination voltage, it is determined that the cover is closed;
If the sensor output voltage exceeds the open/close determination voltage, it is determined that the cover is open;
When the sensor output voltage is equal to or lower than a predetermined paper feed determination voltage that is set lower than the opening/closing determination voltage, it is determined that only the release paper is present in the gap, or that neither the release paper nor the adhesive label is present in the gap,
When the sensor output voltage exceeds the paper feed determination voltage and is equal to or lower than the open/close determination voltage, it is determined that the release paper and the adhesive label are present in the gap.
Printing press control program. a photoelectric sensor including one light projector attached to a casing in which a release paper having an adhesive label affixed thereto is stored, and one light receiver attached to a cover that is opened when the release paper is stored in the casing and closed after the release paper has been stored in the casing, and that forms with the casing a gap through which the release paper and the adhesive label are fed when printing on the adhesive label, and that faces the one light projector at least when the cover is closed, the photoelectric sensor comprising: one light projector attached to a casing in which a release paper having an adhesive label affixed thereto is stored; and one light receiver attached to a cover that is opened when the release paper is stored in the casing and closed after the release paper has been stored in the casing, and that forms with the casing a gap through which the release paper and the adhesive label are fed when printing on the adhesive label, the one light receiver facing the one light projector when the cover is closed, the photoelectric sensor comprising:
The paper feed determination process includes:
If a sensor output voltage output based on the intensity of light detected by the one light receiver is equal to or less than a predetermined open/close determination voltage, it is determined that the cover is closed;
If the sensor output voltage exceeds the open/close determination voltage, it is determined that the cover is open;
When the sensor output voltage is equal to or lower than a predetermined paper feed determination voltage that is set lower than the opening/closing determination voltage, it is determined that only the release paper is present in the gap, or that neither the release paper nor the adhesive label is present in the gap,
When the sensor output voltage exceeds the paper feed determination voltage and is equal to or lower than the open/close determination voltage, it is determined that the release paper and the adhesive label are present in the gap.
Printing press control method.