Printing apparatus, printing method and non-transitory recording medium storing printing program

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10464347-B2
Application number	US-201715716749-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 27, 2017
Priority date	May 31, 2017
Publication date	Nov 5, 2019
Grant date	Nov 5, 2019

Abstract

There is provided a printing apparatus including: a frame; a platen; a moving mechanism having a first roller, a second roller, and a supporting member rotatably supporting the first and second rollers; a motor; a transmitting mechanism connected to the motor and the moving mechanism; a clutch provided on the transmitting mechanism; a sensor detecting a position of the moving mechanism; and a controller. The controller executes: starting driving of the motor so that the motor is rotated toward the other direction in a state that conveyance of the print medium by an external apparatus is stopped and that the clutch is in a connected state; performing determination as to whether the moving mechanism is located at an end, on a second side in the specified direction, of the moving range; and stopping the rotation of the motor.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A printing apparatus comprising:
a frame;
a platen supported by the frame and configured to face a thermal head;
a moving mechanism supported by the frame, the moving mechanism being movable in a moving range along a specified direction, the moving mechanism comprising:
a first roller positioned upstream of the platen in a conveyance path of a print medium;
a second roller positioned downstream of the platen in the conveyance path; and
a supporting member rotatably supporting the first roller and the second roller, the first roller, the second roller and the supporting member being configured to move with and as parts of the moving mechanism in the moving range along the specified direction,
the moving mechanism being configured such that a part, of the conveyance path, between the platen and the first roller becomes short in a case that the moving mechanism is moved toward a first side in the specified direction, and that the part, of the conveyance path, between the platen and the first roller becomes long in a case that the moving mechanism is moved toward a second side, opposite to the first side, in the specified direction;

a motor provided on the frame;
a transmitting mechanism connected to the motor and the moving mechanism, the transmitting mechanism being configured to move the moving mechanism toward the first side along an entirety of the moving range in accordance with driving of the motor toward one direction, and being configured to move the moving mechanism toward the second side along the entirety of the moving range in accordance with driving of the motor toward another direction, opposite the one direction;
a clutch provided on the transmitting mechanism, the clutch transmitting a driving force of the motor to the moving mechanism under a condition that the clutch is in a connected state, and the clutch not transmitting the driving force to the moving mechanism under a condition that the clutch is in a cutoff state;
a sensor configured to detect a position of the moving mechanism and to output a signal in accordance with the detected position; and
a controller configured to execute:
starting rotation of the motor toward the other direction in a state that conveyance of the print medium by an external apparatus is stopped and that the clutch is in the connected state;
performing determination as to whether the moving mechanism is located at an end, on the second side, of the moving range, based on the signal outputted from the sensor; and
stopping the rotation of the motor toward the other direction, under a condition that the controller determines that the moving mechanism is located at the end on the second side of the moving range.

2. The printing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the controller stops the rotation of the motor toward the other direction while maintaining the clutch at the connected state.

3. The printing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the sensor comprises a first sensor provided on the end on the second side of the moving range and configured to detect the moving mechanism in accordance with proximity or contact of the moving mechanism with respect to the first sensor, and
the controller is configured to determine that the moving mechanism is located at the end on the second side of the moving range, under a condition that a predetermined time has elapsed since detection of the moving mechanism by the first sensor.

4. The printing apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising a communication interface configured to perform communication with the external apparatus,
wherein the controller is configured to execute moving the moving mechanism toward the first side by driving the motor such that the motor is rotated toward the one direction, under a condition that the printing apparatus receives a print signal, indicating that the print medium is located at a printable position, from the external apparatus via the communication interface in a case that the conveyance of the print medium by the external apparatus is started after the controller has stopped the rotation of the motor toward the other direction.

5. The printing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the transmitting mechanism comprises:
a rack gear provided on the supporting member;
a pinion gear configured to mesh with the rack gear;
a driving shaft connected to the pinion gear and rotatably supported by the frame, the driving shaft being rotatable about a first rotation axis orthogonal to the specified direction, in accordance with the driving force of the motor; and
a gear or pulley provided coaxially with the driving shaft and to which the driving force of the motor is transmitted,
wherein the clutch comprises a first part to which the driving shaft is fixed and a second part to which the gear or the pulley is fixed, the clutch being switchable between the connected state in which the driving force of the motor is transmitted between the first part and the second part and the cutoff state in which the driving force is not transmitted between the first part and the second part.

6. The printing apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a casing attached to the frame; and
the thermal head arranged in the casing.

7. A printing apparatus comprising:
a frame;
a platen supported by the frame and configured to face a thermal head;
a moving mechanism supported by the frame, the moving mechanism being movable in a moving range along a specified direction, the moving mechanism comprising:
a first roller positioned upstream of the platen in a conveyance path of a print medium;
a second roller positioned downstream of the platen in the conveyance path; and
a supporting member rotatably supporting the first roller and the second roller,
the moving mechanism being configured such that a part, of the conveyance path, between the platen and the first roller becomes short in a case that the moving mechanism is moved toward a first side in the specified direction, and that the part, of the conveyance path, between the platen and the first roller becomes long in a case that the moving mechanism is moved toward a second side, opposite to the first side, in the specified direction;

a motor provided on the frame;
a transmitting mechanism connected to the motor and the moving mechanism, the transmitting mechanism being configured to move the moving mechanism toward the first side in accordance with driving of the motor toward one direction, and being configured to move the moving mechanism toward the second side in accordance with driving of the motor toward the other direction;
a clutch provided on the transmitting mechanism, the clutch transmitting a driving force of the motor to the moving mechanism under a condition that the clutch is in a connected state, and the clutch not transmitting the driving force to the moving mechanism under a condition that the clutch is in a cutoff state;
a sensor configured to detect a position of the moving mechanism and to output a signal in accordance with the detected position; and
a controller configured to execute:
starting rotation of the motor toward the other direction in a state that conveyance of the print medium by an external apparatus is stopped and that the clutch is in the connected state;
performing determination as to whether the moving mechanism is located at an end, on the second side, of the moving range, based on the signal outputted from the sensor; and
stopping the rotation of the motor toward the other direction, under a condition that the controller determines that the moving mechanism is located at the end on the second side of the moving range,

wherein the sensor includes:
a first sensor provided at the end on the second side of t

Assignees

• Brother Ind Ltd

Inventors

• Hojo Kazuma

Classifications

• B41J15/04

  Supporting, feeding, or guiding devices; Mountings for web rolls or spindles · CPC title

• B41J29/393

  Devices for controlling or analysing the entire machine {; Controlling or analysing mechanical parameters involving printing of test patterns} · CPC title

• B41M5/382

  Contact thermal transfer or sublimation processes (sublistatic printing using a pre-formed image B41M5/035; ink-, dye- or pigment-receptive coatings B41M5/52) · CPC title

• B41J2202/31

  Thermal printer with head or platen movable · CPC title

• G03G21/1647

  Mechanical connection means · CPC title