JPS63295289A - Printer - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To enable printing to be performed by using two kinds of single color and multi color ink ribbon cassettes with one printer, by performing appropriate printing process according to an output of a detection means by which whether the set ink ribbon cassette is for single color or for multi color is distinguished. CONSTITUTION:In a cassette detection means 2 and a single color/multi color detection means 6, for instance, switches SW1 and SW2 are provided in relation to a mounting part of an ink ribbon cassette. SW1 constitutes the cassette detection means 2, and SW2 constitutes the single color/multi color detection means 6. That is, for a side of the cassette for single color, a notch is provided on the side part opposed SW2 when mounted, and such a notch is not provided for the cassette for multi color. Therefore, when the cassette for multi color is mounted, the switches SW1 and SW2 are turned on, and when the cassette for single color is mounted SW1 is turned on and SW2 is kept off.

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] [Industrial Application Field] The present invention relates to a printer device, and particularly to a printer device that heats ink in an ink ribbon stored in a cassette with a print head and transfers it onto recording paper to print characters and other characters. The present invention relates to such a printer device.

[Prior Art] FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing a conventional printer device disclosed in, for example, Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 59-150761.

As shown in the figure, this printer device includes a paper selection means 1, a cassette detection means 2, a control means 3, a printing drive means 4, and a buzzer drive means 5. Paper selection means 1 is for selecting whether printing paper is thermal paper or plain paper. The cassette detection means 2 is for detecting whether or not an ink ribbon cassette is installed in the printer device. Print drive means 4 is for driving the print head. The buzzer driving means 5 is for driving a buzzer for warning.

Next, the operation of the above conventional example will be explained.

Before performing a printing operation, the user must load a predetermined ink ribbon cassette and printing paper into the printer I It +:B It.

The paper selection means 1 selects whether the printing paper loaded by the user (3) is thermal paper or regular paper. Cassette detection means 2
The ink ribbon cassette is now included in the printer! Ii@
detect whether or not the When Vi@ of the ink ribbon cassette is detected by the cassette detection means 2, the control means 3 changes the duty of the printing pulse to the heating resistor of the printing drive means 4 according to the information from the paper selection means 1, and Differentiate printing on paper. On the other hand, when the cassette detection means 2 detects that the ink ribbon cassette is not installed, when the user attempts to print, the control means 3 controls the buzzer drive hand fQ5.
generates a warning sound to notify the user that there is no ink ribbon cassette.

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention] Since the conventional printer device is configured as described above, it can only detect the presence or absence of one type of ink ribbon cassette. There was a problem that printing could not be performed using the printer.

The present invention has been made in order to solve the above-mentioned problems, and it is an object of the present invention to provide a printer device that is capable of determining the type of a single-color or multi-color ink ribbon cassette and performing a printing operation regardless of whether it is installed in the ink ribbon cassette. With the goal.

[Means for Solving the Problems] The printer device according to the present invention includes an ink ribbon single color/multicolor detection means for identifying whether the installed ink ribbon cassette is a single color cassette or a multicolor cassette, and a detection means for detecting the ink ribbon single color/multicolor. and control means for performing a corresponding printing process in accordance with the output of the means.

[Function] The printer gia in this invention is! By identifying whether the Aη ink ribbon cassette is a single-color cassette or a multi-color cassette, and performing the corresponding printing process according to the identification result, one printer can print two types of ink ribbon cassettes: single-color and multi-color. You can print using .

[Embodiment] FIG. 1 is a schematic block diagram showing an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in the figure, this embodiment includes a cassette detection means 2, a cassette single color/multicolor detection means 6, a control hand Q7, and a drive means 8.

The cassette detection means 2, similar to the one shown in FIG. 4, is for detecting whether or not an ink ribbon cassette is installed in the printer device. The cassette single color/multicolor detection means 6 is for identifying whether the attached ink ribbon cassette is a single color cassette or a multicolor cassette.The driving means 8 is for detecting the printing mechanism in the printer device. It is for driving. The control means 7 is for controlling the driving means 8 according to predetermined driving methods in accordance with information from the cassette detecting means 2 and the cassette single color 7' multicolor detecting means 6, respectively. Such control means 7 is constituted by, for example, a microcomputer.

FIG. 2 is a diagram for explaining an example of the configuration and detection operation of the cassette detection means 2 and the cassette single color/multicolor detection means 6, which are not shown in FIG. 1. In the figure, switch SW1
and SW2 are provided in connection with the ink ribbon cassette mounting section in the printer device, and the switch S
W1 constitutes the cassette detection means 2, and the switch S
W 2 constitutes a cassette single color/multicolor detection means 6 .

As these switches SW1 and SW2, microswitches or the like are used, for example. On the other hand, a notch is provided on the side surface of the single-color cassette in the surface area facing the switch SW2 when the cassette is mounted. Such a notch is not provided in the multicolor utility cellars 1 to 1. Therefore, when the multicolor cassette is IAMed, the
), both switches SW1 and SW2 are turned on. On the other hand, if a single color cassette is installed, switch S as shown in Figure 2 (C).
W1 is turned on and switch SW2 remains off.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart for explaining the operation of the above embodiment. The operation of the above embodiment will be explained below with reference to FIG.

The user can use the two types of ink ribbon cassettes (
That is, one of the cassettes (single-color cassette and multi-color cassette) is selected and installed in the printer to perform a printing operation. When the start of the printing operation is determined in step S1, it is determined in step S2 whether or not switch SW1 is turned on. If the switch SW1 is off, no ink ribbon cassette is installed in the printer, and the printer returns to the initial operation. On the other hand, switch S
If W1 is turned on, it is determined in step S3 whether switch SW2 is turned on, that is, whether a multicolor cassette or a single color cassette is loaded. Here, when it is determined that the switch SW2 is in the on state, it is determined that the multicolor cassette is installed since the state is as shown in FIG. 2(b), and printing processing in the multicolor mode is performed in step S4. On the other hand, when it is determined that the switch SW2 is in the OFF state, it is determined that the single-color cassette has been installed since the state is shown in FIG. 2(C), and printing processing in the single-color mode is performed in step S5.

Note that the print processing in steps S4 and S5 is a well-known matter in conventional printer devices, so the details thereof will not be explained in particular.

[Effects of the Invention] As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to identify whether the installed ink ribbon cassette is a single-color cassette or a multi-color cassette, and perform the corresponding printing process according to the identification result. Since this is done, two types of ink ribbon cassettes can be used with one printer, and its uses can be expanded.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a schematic block diagram showing one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a diagram for explaining the configuration and detection operation of the cassette detection means 2 and the cassette single color/multicolor detection means 6 shown in FIG. 1. FIG. 3 is a flowchart for explaining the operation of the embodiment shown in FIG. FIG. 4 is a schematic block diagram showing an example of the configuration of a conventional printer device. In the figure, 2 is a cassette detection means, 6 is a cassette single color/multicolor detection means, 7 is a control means, 8 is a drive means, SWl
and SW2 indicate a switch.

Claims (2)

[Claims] (1) In a printer device that prints characters and other items by heating ink from an ink ribbon stored in a cassette with a print head and transferring it onto recording paper, check whether the installed ink ribbon cassette is a single-color cassette or a multi-color cassette. Ink ribbon cassette to identify single color/
What is claimed is: 1. A printer apparatus comprising: multicolor detection means; and control means for performing corresponding printing processing in response to the detection output of the ink ribbon cassette single color/multicolor detection means. (2) The printer apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the ink ribbon cassette single color/multicolor detection means includes means for detecting the presence or absence of a notch formed in the ink ribbon cassette.