JPS62144979A - Centering system for printing head - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To enable appropriate centering to be performed irrespective of the set position of a paper, by providing a means for calculating a centering position for a printing head based on printing column information. CONSTITUTION:A means 14 for calculating a centering position for a printing head based on printing column information and a means 15 for moving the head to the centering position when a paper is supplied. Printing setting information received is stored into a printing setting information memory 18, the centering calculating part 14 extracts the first printing column C1 and the last printing column C2, calculates (C1+C2)X1/2, and sets the calculated centering column into a spacing-controlling part 15. The part 15 centers a head 13 from the current position to the centering column. Accordingly, the centering position can be set based on the first printing column and the last printing column which correspond go the width of the paper.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention [Required] When paper is fed to the print head position, the print head is moved to the vicinity of the center of the paper (hereinafter referred to as centering), but the centering position is located at the printer's reference position ( The number of digits is fixed from the left end). Therefore,
If the paper is set with the right edge as a reference, the head position may be out of alignment with the paper.

The present invention provides a centering method that calculates a centering position based on printed digit information such as the first printed digit and the last printed digit.

[Industrial application field]

TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to printers, and more particularly to improvements in print head centering methods.

Paper feeding mechanisms for printers include a continuous form mechanism that uses continuous forms and a cut paper feeder that uses cut sheets.

Paper set in these mechanisms, especially cut paper, is fed to a predetermined position using the head mask as a guide.
The head position is centered near the center of the paper and the paper is fed to the print head position.

The printing digits of the printer are set from the first digit to the maximum digit with the left end as a reference, and the paper is also set accordingly, with the left end as a reference.

Therefore, in order to accommodate various paper widths, the centering position is usually set at the 40th to 50th digits.

However, there is also a cut paper feeder in which the paper is set based on the right end, for example, the 136th digit, and there are also cases in which the paper is sorted from the center digit, so the head may come off the paper at the fixed centering position.

Therefore, there is a need for a centering method that can center the paper regardless of the reference position of the paper set and the paper width.

[Conventional technology]

A conventional example will be explained with reference to FIG.

FIG. 3(a) is an external view of a printer equipped with a cut paper feeder, FIG. 3 (bl is an explanatory diagram of a cut paper supply mechanism, and FIG. 3 (C1 is a conventional centering system).

In FIG. 3(a), 1 is a cut paper feeder mechanism that can be attached or detached from the printer body, including a left paper guide 2, a right paper guide 3, a lock lever 4, a digit scale 5 with a single digit at the left end, a stacker 6, etc. The cut paper 7 is guided by the right and left paper guides 2 and 3 and supplied to the head position.

FIG. 3 (bl is a side cross-sectional view of the cut paper supply mechanism. The cut paper 7 is fed to the head position by the feed roller 8 and platen 10, guided by the paper guide 9 and the head mask 11.

Note that 12 is a carrier and 13 is a head portion.

As described above, cut paper is supplied using the head mask 11 as a guide, so when page printing is completed and new paper is supplied, the paper is centered so that the head mask 11 serves as a guide. .

The above centering position is as shown in Figure 3 (C1).
Normally, paper is set by adjusting the right paper guide 3 with the left edge as a reference.
It is fixed at digits 0 to 50.

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention] As described above, the centering of the head during paper feeding is normally fixed at the 40th to 50th digit positions with respect to the left end.

However, there is also a cut paper feeder that loads paper with the right edge as a reference, and in this case, narrow paper (e.g. 80 digits)
When using this, there was a problem in that the head position was off the paper, causing trouble in paper supply.

Therefore, it is an object of the present invention to provide a centering method that performs proper centering regardless of the paper set position.

[Means for solving problems]

For the above purpose, the printer of the present invention, as shown in the principle explanatory diagram of FIG. means (15) for moving the print head, and centering the print head based on print digit information.

[Effect]

The host computer has conventionally sent left margin information and right margin information to the printer as setting information.

This left and right margin information represents the first digit and last digit of printing, respectively.Continuous printing character codes are printed based on the left margin position, and if there is no carriage return signal (CR double signal) The carriage return is performed at the right margin position.

The present invention calculates the centering position by referring to the left margin information (hereinafter referred to as the first printing digit C1) and the right margin information (hereinafter referred to as the last printing digit C2) information, for example, as shown in FIG. 2(b). , (C1+c2)×1/2, this value is approximately the center of the print digit width excluding the left and right margins of the paper, so centering can be performed near the center of the paper.

Note that the centering for feeding paper does not necessarily have to be at the center of the paper, but rather (first digit of printing) + (constant loss number)
But that's fine.

〔Example〕

The details of the present invention will be explained according to the embodiment shown in FIG.

FIG. 2(a) is a block diagram of the printer according to the embodiment; 16 is an interface unit that receives print setting information, print character codes, etc. from the host; 17 is a reception buffer that stores the received print character codes; 18 is a print setting information memory that stores print setting information such as the first digit of printing and the last digit of printing, 19 is a line buffer that stores pattern data for one line, and 21 is for driving the platen 10 and feed roller 8 to feed the paper. 22 is a print control unit that reads the line buffer 19 and drives a print head (not shown) to print; 15 is a print control unit that drives a space motor M to perform spacing, carriage return, centering, etc. on the head 13; 14 is a centering calculation section; 20 is a main control section that controls each section.

With the above configuration, the centering operation is performed as follows. [See Figure 2 fc)] (11 The received print setting information is stored in the print setting information memory 18, and the centering calculation unit 14 calculates the first print digit (CI) and the last print digit (CI).
C2) and calculate (C1+02)XI/2.

(2) After printing up to the set number of lines (end of page printing), the centering calculation unit 14 sets the calculated centering digit in the space control unit 15.

The space control unit 15 drives the space motor M from the current position to the centering digit to center the head 13.

(3) Next, the line feed control unit 21 drives a line feed motor (not shown) to rotate the feed roller 8 and platen 10 to feed the paper to a predetermined position.

As described above, the centering position can be set using the first printing digit and the last printing digit corresponding to the paper width, and centering for paper supply can be performed regardless of the paper set position.

Note that when the first digit to be printed and the number of digits to be printed are specified, centering can be performed by calculating (printing start digit) + (number of printing digits) XI/2.

The centering position in the above embodiment is calculated by calculating the center of the print digit width sent out from the post.
Even if you take left and right margins into consideration, you can center it near the center of the paper.

In addition, as mentioned above, the centering position does not necessarily have to be at the center of the printing digit, and the head position can be placed within the paper width even at a certain number of digits from the first printing digit. can be achieved.

In FIG. 2 (al), the centering calculation section 14 can be included in the main control section 20.

〔Effect of the invention〕

As explained above, the present invention sets the centering position based on the print digit information sent from the host.
The effect is that centering for paper supply can be easily performed regardless of the paper width and the paper set position.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram explaining the principle of the present invention, FIG. 2 (a) is a printer block diagram of an embodiment, FIG. 2 (b) is a diagram explaining centering position calculation, and FIG. 2 (C) is an operation flow chart diagram. Figure 3 (a) is an external view of the printer with a cut paper feeder attached, Figure 3 (bl is an illustration of the cut paper supply mechanism, Figure 3 (C1
is a diagram showing a conventional centering method. In the figure, 1 is a paper supply mechanism, 2 is a left paper guide, 3 is a right paper guide, 7 is a cut paper, 8 is a feed roller,
9 is a paper guide, IO is a platen, 11 is a head mask, 13 is a head, 14 is a centering calculation section, 15 is a space control section, 16 is an interface section, 17 is a receiving buffer, 18 is a print setting information memory, 19 is a line 20 is the main control unit, 21 is the line feed control unit, CI is the first printing digit (left margin), C2 is the last printing digit (right margin), and M is the space motor.

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] A method for centering a print head in a printer that supplies paper using a head mask as a guide, comprising means (14) for calculating the centering position of the print head based on print digit information; A method for centering a print head, comprising means (15) for moving the print head to a calculated centering position.