BATTERY-POWERED PRINTER, POS SYSTEM, AND METHOD FOR DRIVING BATTERY-POWERED PRINTER

• US 20180111400A1
• Filed: 09/04/2017
• Published: 04/26/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 10/24/2016
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Toshiba Tec Corporation (Toshiba Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toshiba Tec Corporation (Toshiba Corporation)
• Inventors: TSUCHIMOTO, Hiroshi
• Application Number:
  US15/694,964
• Publication Number:
  US 20180111400A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/0452 reducing demand in current or voltage
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/04551 using several operating modes
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/04568 Control according to number of actuators used simultaneously
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/0457 Power supply level being detected or varied
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/355 Control circuits for heating-element selection
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 29/023 with reduced dimensions
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 29/38 Drives, motors, controls or automatic cut-off devices for the entire printing mechanism
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 29/393 Devices for controlling or analysing the entire machine ; Controlling or analysing mechanical parameters involving printing of test patterns
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 3/36 for portability , i.e. hand-held printers or laptop printers B41J3/4075 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H02P 8/12 Control or stabilisation of current

Abstract

A battery-powered printer includes a battery receptacle in which a battery is detachably mounted, a printing mechanism driven by electric power output from the battery during printing on a recording medium, and processor configured to identify a type of the battery mounted in the battery receptacle according to output capacity, and change a drive parameter under which the printing mechanism is driven, depending on the identified type of battery.

Claims

1. A battery-powered printer, comprising:

a battery receptacle in which a battery is detachably mounted;

a printing mechanism driven by electric power output from the battery during printing on a recording medium; and

a processor configured to;

identify a type of the battery mounted in the battery receptacle according to output capacity; and

change a driving parameter under which the printing mechanism is driven, depending on the identified type of battery.

2. The printer according to claim 1, wherein the processor changes the driving parameter so as to set a higher printing speed for the printing mechanism, as the output capacity of the type of the battery becomes higher.

3. The printer according to claim 1, wherein

the printing mechanism includes a thermal head in which a plurality of heat generating elements for generating heat are arranged, and is configured to perform the printing on the recording medium by generating heat through the heat generating elements, and

the processor sets the number of the heat generating elements that are energized at the same time depending on the identified type of battery.

4. The printer according to claim 1, wherein

the printing mechanism includes a thermal head in which a plurality of heat generating elements for generating heat are arranged, and is configured to perform the printing on the recording medium by generating heat through the heat generating elements, and

the processor sets a time period during which the heat generating elements are energized depending on the identified type of battery.

5. The printer according to claim 1, wherein

the printing mechanism includes a transporting mechanism that transports the recording medium, and

the processor sets a transport speed of the transporting mechanism depending on the identified type of battery.

6. The printer according to claim 5, wherein

the transporting mechanism includes a stepping motor, and

the processor sets excitation modes under which the stepping motor is driven, depending on the identified type of battery.

7. The printer according to claim 1, wherein the processor changes the driving parameter under which the printing mechanism is driven depending on the identified type of battery and a drive parameter table in which drive parameters for the printing mechanism for each type of the battery are set.

8. The printer according to claim 1, wherein the processor sets the driving parameter under which the printing mechanism is driven depending on the identified type of battery and a relational expression with which a corresponding driving parameter can be derived from the type of the battery.

9. A POS system, comprising:

a POS terminal configured to generate print data; and

a battery-powered printer including a battery receptacle in which a battery is detachably mounted, a printing mechanism driven by electric power output from the battery during printing on a recording medium, and a processor configured to;

identify a type of the battery mounted in the battery receptacle according to output capacity; and

change a driving parameter under which the printing mechanism is driven, depending on the identified type of battery.

10. The system according to claim 9, wherein the processor changes the driving parameter so as to set a higher printing speed for the printing mechanism, as the output capacity of the type of the battery becomes higher.

11. The system according to claim 9, wherein

the printing mechanism includes a thermal head in which a plurality of heat generating elements for generating heat are arranged, and is configured to perform the printing on the recording medium by generating heat through the heat generating elements, and

the processor sets the number of the heat generating elements that are energized at the same time depending on the identified type of battery.

12. The system according to claim 9, wherein

the printing mechanism includes a thermal head in which a plurality of heat generating elements for generating heat are arranged, and is configured to perform the printing on the recording medium by generating heat through the heat generating elements, and

the processor sets a time period during which the heat generating elements are energized depending on the identified type of battery.

13. The system according to claim 9, wherein

the printing mechanism includes a transporting mechanism that transports the recording medium, and

the processor sets a transport speed of the transporting mechanism depending on the identified type of battery.

14. The system according to claim 13, wherein

the transporting mechanism includes a stepping motor, and

the processor sets excitation modes under which the stepping motor is driven, depending on the identified type of battery.

15. The system according to claim 9, wherein the processor changes the driving parameter under which the printing mechanism is driven, depending on the identified type of battery and a drive parameter table in which drive parameters for the printing mechanism for each type of the battery are set.

16. The system according to claim 9, wherein the processor sets the driving parameter under which the printing mechanism is driven, depending on the identified type of battery and a relational expression with which a corresponding driving parameter can be derived from the type of the battery.

17. A method for driving a battery-powered printer that includes a battery receptacle in which a battery is detachably mounted, and a printing mechanism driven by electric power output from the battery during printing on a recording medium, the method comprising:

identifying a type of the battery mounted in the battery receptacle according to output capacity; and

changing a driving parameter under which the printing mechanism is driven, depending on the identified type of battery.

18. The method according to claim 17, wherein the driving parameter is changed so as to set a higher printing speed for the printing mechanism, as the output capacity of the type of the battery becomes higher.

19. The method according to claim 17, wherein

the printing mechanism includes a thermal head in which a plurality of heat generating elements for generating heat are arranged, and is configured to perform the printing on the recording medium by generating heat through the heat generating elements, and

the number of the heat generating elements that are energized at the same time is set depending on the identified type of battery.

20. The method according to claim 17, wherein

the printing mechanism includes a thermal head in which a plurality of heat generating elements for generating heat are arranged, and is configured to perform the printing on the recording medium by generating heat through the heat generating elements, and

a time period during which the heat generating elements are energized is set depending on the identified type of battery.