JP2016190429A - Consumable supply information communication system of printer - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To stably carry out communication between storage means and a printer so that the printer obtains information stored in the storage means of a consumable supply unit.SOLUTION: A control part 10 selects a group of a main body side R/W part 32a and a signal line 32g used in communication with an IC tag 34a of an ink cartridge 34 among groups of a plurality of main body side reader-writer (R/W) parts 32a and signal lines 32g of a replenishment part 32 at every occurrence of a selection event. The control part 10 outputs a carrier wave from the main body side R/W part 32a of the selected group to read and write ink information in the storage part 34b of the IC tag 34a at every occurrence of a communication event. When the ink information is read from the storage part 34b of the IC tag 34a, the carrier wave from the IC tag 34a modulated by the ink information is received by the main body side R/W part 32a of the selected group, and is transmitted to the control part 10 through the signal line 32g.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

  The present invention relates to a consumable product information communication system of a printing apparatus that communicates consumable product information between a consumable product unit including a consumable product and a storage unit that stores the consumable product information and a printing apparatus in which the consumable product unit is set.

  For example, in a printing apparatus such as an ink jet recording apparatus or a stencil printing apparatus, the operation of the apparatus is optimized according to the characteristics of consumables such as ink to be used and stencil paper, and the remaining amount of consumables is managed. Therefore, the necessary information is stored in the storage means of the IC tag attached to the consumable unit set in the printing apparatus, and the IC tag reader / writer of the printing apparatus stores the information of the consumable unit set in the printing apparatus as necessary. Information is read from the IC tag (for example, Patent Document 1).

JP 2012-53742 A

  The amount of consumable information read from the IC tag of the consumable unit by the IC tag reader / writer of the printing apparatus is not so large. Therefore, the consumable information read from the IC tag by the IC tag reader / writer is transmitted to the control unit of the printing apparatus. In addition, a large capacity communication means is not required. For this reason, there is usually one communication path used to transmit the consumable information to the print control means, and the above-mentioned printing apparatus transmits the consumable information through one communication path.

  However, if communication on one communication path becomes impossible due to communication troubles, the operation of the printing apparatus may be delayed or the printing apparatus may become inoperable due to resetting of the communication path.

  In other words, when communication with the consumable unit is interrupted by the printing device in order to acquire consumable information, operation optimization according to the characteristics of the consumables and management of the remaining amount of consumables are printed. The device cannot be used, and in some cases, the printing device becomes inoperable. Therefore, there has been a demand for a technology that can immediately cope with the inability to communicate using a stable backup even when communication between one printing path and the consumable unit becomes impossible.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to stably perform communication between the two in order for the printing apparatus to acquire information stored in the storage unit of the consumable unit. It is an object of the present invention to provide a consumable information communication system for a printing apparatus.

In order to achieve the above object, a consumables information communication system for a printing apparatus according to the first aspect of the present invention comprises:
Consumables comprising storage means (for example, storage unit 34b in FIG. 2) for storing consumables (for example, ink circulating in ink circulation unit 31 in FIG. 2) and consumable information (for example, ink information in FIG. 3). When a unit (for example, the ink cartridge 34 in FIG. 2) is set in a printing apparatus (for example, the ink jet recording apparatus 1 in FIG. 1), communication of the consumable information between the consumable unit and the printing apparatus. A consumable information communication system for a printing apparatus that performs
Print control means (for example, the control unit 10 in FIG. 1) for controlling the operation of the printing apparatus using the consumable information stored in the storage means;
A plurality of communication units (for example, the communication unit 32c in FIG. 4, the wireless interface unit 32i in FIG. 8, and the communication interface in FIG. 9) communicate with the storage unit and are connected in parallel to the print control unit. 32k)
Each time a predetermined read event (for example, step S71 in FIG. 7) occurs, a plurality of communication paths (for example, the main body side reader / writer (R / W in FIG. 4) between the respective communication units and the print control unit. ) Part 32a, processing units 32h and 32j in FIGS. 8 and 9, and signal line selection means (for example, FIGS. 4, 8 and 9) for selecting one communication path from the signal line 32g in FIGS. Communication control unit 32d) of FIG.
Communication that performs communication for reading the consumable information between the communication unit corresponding to the one communication path and the storage unit, using the one communication path selected by the communication path selection unit. Control means (for example, the communication control unit 32d in FIGS. 4, 8 and 9);
It is characterized by providing.

  In the printing apparatus consumable information communication system according to the second aspect of the present invention, the printing apparatus consumable information communication system according to the first aspect of the present invention is characterized in that the printing control means further includes the storage means. Update information is generated for consumable information that needs to be updated according to a result of a printing operation among stored consumable information, and the communication path selection unit further selects the communication path every time a predetermined write event occurs. The communication control means further uses the one communication path selected by the communication path selection means to perform the update between the communication means corresponding to the one communication path and the storage means. Communication is performed for writing information.

  Furthermore, a consumable information communication system for a printing apparatus according to a third aspect of the present invention is the consumable information communication system for a printing apparatus according to the first or second aspect of the present invention, wherein the consumable information is transmitted by the communication execution means. Communication error detecting means (for example, the control unit 10 in FIG. 1) for detecting a communication path in which an error has occurred in the communication, and the communication path selecting means is a communication in which the communication error detecting means detects an error. One communication path is selected from the communication paths excluding the path.

  A consumable information communication system for a printing apparatus according to a fourth aspect of the present invention is the consumable information communication system for a printing apparatus according to the first, second or third aspect of the present invention, wherein the storage means is a communication function. 8 is provided in a consumable side processing unit (for example, the processing units 34g and 34i in FIGS. 8 and 9), and the communication means has a communication function with the consumable side processing unit. Provided in a unit (for example, the processing units 32h and 32j in FIGS. 8 and 9), and the communication path selection means from the consumable side processing unit to the printing apparatus side processing unit when selecting the communication path. The communication route specified by the route selection command notified to is selected.

  Furthermore, the consumables information communication system of the printing apparatus according to the fifth aspect of the present invention is the consumables information communication system of the printing apparatus according to the first, second or third aspect of the present invention, wherein the communication path selection means is The communication path corresponding to the content of the event that occurred when the communication path was selected is selected.

  According to the present invention, since the printing apparatus acquires the information stored in the storage unit of the consumable unit, the communication performed between the two can be performed stably.

  That is, according to the consumable information communication system of the printing apparatus according to the first aspect of the present invention, when a consumable information read event occurs, the consumable information is read from the storage means of the consumable unit set in the printing apparatus. Communication is performed under the control of the communication control means between the communication means and the storage means.

  At this time, for the communication of the consumable information, one communication path selected by the communication path selection means is used every time a consumable information read event occurs among a plurality of communication paths, and a specific communication path is biased. It is never used.

  For this reason, when providing a plurality of communication paths for backup between the communication means and the print control means, confirm that they can be used for communication of consumables information between the two while operating those communication paths without bias, It is possible to easily secure a plurality of communication paths that can be used for communication of consumable information. Therefore, since the printing apparatus acquires the information stored in the storage unit of the consumable unit, the communication performed between the two can be performed stably.

  According to the consumable information communication system of the printing apparatus according to the second aspect of the present invention, a consumable information writing event occurs, and communication for writing update information about consumable information is performed with the communication means. Even when it is performed with the storage unit, the same effect as the consumable information communication system of the printing apparatus according to the first aspect of the present invention can be obtained.

  Further, according to the consumable information communication system for the printing apparatus according to the third aspect of the present invention, the consumable information communication system for the printing apparatus according to the first or second aspect of the present invention is used for communicating consumable information. When a communication error occurs in the specified communication path, this is detected by the communication error detection means. For this reason, when a communication path that cannot be used for communication of consumables information exists in a plurality of communication paths, the communication path is specified.

  Then, the communication path in which the communication error detecting unit has detected the communication error is excluded from the communication paths selected by the communication path selecting unit. For this reason, it is possible to transmit communication of consumables information from the reading unit to the print control unit using a communication path in which no communication error occurs.

  Further, according to the consumable information communication system for the printing apparatus according to the fourth aspect of the present invention, in the consumable information communication system for the printing apparatus according to the first, second, or third aspect of the present invention, When there is a processing unit having a communication function on both sides of the printing apparatus, the consumable information is transmitted from the communication means to the printing control means by a path selection command notified from the consumable side processing unit to the printing apparatus side processing unit. The communication path to be used is determined by the consumable side processing unit, and the determined communication path can be selected as the communication path used for communication of the consumable information by the communication path selection means.

  Further, according to the consumable information communication system for the printing apparatus according to the fifth aspect of the present invention, in the consumable information communication system for the printing apparatus according to the first, second, or third aspect of the present invention, the communication means and the storage are provided. When there are multiple event contents that trigger communication with the device, the communication route selection unit selects the communication route used for communication of consumables information between the communication unit and the print control unit according to the event content. In this way, it is possible to prevent specific communication paths from being biased and used for communication of consumables information.

It is explanatory drawing which shows schematic structure of the inkjet recording device by which the consumable goods information communication system which concerns on embodiment of this invention is mounted. FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram schematically showing an ink path of the ink jet recording apparatus of FIG. 1. FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an example of ink information stored in a storage unit of an IC tag of the ink cartridge of FIG. 2. 2. Concerning communication of ink information between the IC tag of the ink cartridge mounted on the replenishment unit of the ink jet recording apparatus of FIG. 2 and the main body side reader / writer unit, which constitutes the consumable information communication system according to the first embodiment of the present invention. It is explanatory drawing which shows schematic structure of a part. 5 is a flowchart illustrating a procedure when the IC tag reader / writer of the replenishing unit reads out ink information from the IC tag memory of the ink cartridge of FIG. 4 performed by the control of the control unit of FIG. It is a flowchart which shows the procedure of the communication route selection process of FIG. It is a flowchart which shows the procedure of the communication process of FIG. 2 is related to the wireless communication of ink information between the processing units of the replenishment unit of the ink jet recording apparatus of FIG. 2 and the ink cartridge attached to the replenishment unit, which constitutes the consumable information communication system according to the second embodiment of the present invention. It is explanatory drawing which shows schematic structure of a part. Involved in wired communication of ink information between the processing units of the replenishment unit of the ink jet recording apparatus of FIG. 2 and the ink cartridge attached to the replenishment unit, which constitutes the consumable information communication system according to the third embodiment of the present invention. It is explanatory drawing which shows schematic structure of a part.

  Embodiments of a consumable information communication system for a printing apparatus according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. Throughout the drawings, the same or equivalent parts and components are denoted by the same or equivalent reference numerals. However, it should be noted that the drawings are schematic and different from the actual ones. Moreover, it is a matter of course that portions having different dimensional relationships and ratios are included between the drawings.

  Further, the embodiment described below exemplifies an apparatus or the like for embodying the technical idea of the present invention, and the technical idea of the present invention is to arrange the components and the like as follows. Not specific. The technical idea of the present invention can be variously modified within the scope of the claims.

  In the following description, in the drawing, the sheet conveyance direction is the X-axis direction or the sub-scanning direction, and the direction orthogonal to the conveyance direction is the Y-axis direction, the main scanning direction, or the width direction of the recording medium. Further, a direction orthogonal to the X-axis and Y-axis directions is taken as a Z-axis direction or a vertical direction.

  FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram showing a schematic configuration of an ink jet recording apparatus equipped with a consumable information communication system according to an embodiment of the present invention. An ink jet recording apparatus 1 shown in FIG. 1 mainly includes a paper feed unit 2, a transport unit 3, an image forming unit 4, a paper discharge unit 6, and a control unit 10.

  The paper feed unit 2 picks up the sheets 9 stacked on the paper feed tray 7 one by one by the pickup roller 8 and feeds them to the transport unit 3.

  The transport unit 3 transports the paper 9 fed by the paper feed unit 2 to the transport belt 16 by the registration rollers 12, and further transports the paper 9 to the paper discharge unit 6 side by the transport belt 16. The conveyor belt 16 is an endless belt that is stretched around the driven roller 13, the tension roller 14, and the driving roller 15, and a platen 17 is disposed inside (downward) the conveyor belt 16.

  The transport belt 16 and the platen 17 are provided with a number of holes (not shown). In the transport unit 3, the suction fan 18 sucks air through the holes, whereby the paper 9 is adsorbed to the transport belt 16. Are transported.

  The image forming unit 4 includes four head units 21, 22, 23, 24 of K color (black), C color (cyan), M color (magenta), and Y color (yellow) held by the head unit holding unit 25. And is disposed to face the conveyance unit 3.

  Each of the head units 21 to 24 is a line head having a width equal to or larger than the recording area width of the paper 9 in a direction orthogonal to the conveyance direction of the paper 9. Each head unit 21 to 24 discharges ink droplets of each color from a nozzle (not shown) over the entire width in the main scanning direction of the paper 9 that the transport unit 3 transports in the sub-scanning direction. Images of each color are printed on the paper 9 by the ink droplets.

  The paper discharge unit 6 sandwiches the paper 9 on which the image is formed by the image forming unit 4 with the discharge roller pair 27 and discharges the paper 9 to the discharge tray 28. The discharge tray 28 can accommodate a plurality of discharged recording media.

  Next, the configuration of the ink path in the inkjet recording apparatus 1 will be described. FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram schematically showing the ink path of the ink jet recording apparatus 1. FIG. 2 shows an ink path representatively related to one color ink among the four color inks related to the head units 21 to 24 of K color, C color, M color, and Y color. Therefore, the ink path having the configuration shown in FIG. 2 is provided independently for each of the K, C, M, and Y colors.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the ink path 30 of the ink jet recording apparatus 1 is roughly classified into an ink circulation part 31, a replenishment part 32 for replenishing ink to the ink circulation part 31, and the ink circulation part 31. A waste liquid portion 33 that stores the ink that has become overflowed or overflowed, and a pressure adjustment portion 57 that adjusts the pressure in the ink circulation portion 31 are provided.

  The ink circulation unit 31 can be roughly divided into a first ink path 44 and a second ink path 45.

  The first ink path 44 passes from the image forming unit 4 via the ink distributor 49 and the line head 50 (head units 21 to 24) from the upper tank 38 disposed above the image forming unit 4 in the gravity direction. Is a path through which ink flows due to gravity (water head difference) to the lower tank 39 disposed below the gravity direction.

  The second ink path 45 is a path through which ink flows from the lower tank 39 to the upper tank 38 via the pump 41, the heat exchanger 42, and the filter 43 by the power of the pump 41.

  The heat exchanger 42 heats and / or cools the ink flowing in the ink circulation unit 31 to adjust the temperature of the ink to a temperature suitable for ejection from the nozzles of the line head 50 (head units 21 to 24). To do. The filter 43 removes foreign matters from the ink flowing through the ink circulation unit 31 and supplies the foreign matter to the line head 50 (head units 21 to 24), thereby preventing nozzle clogging.

  When the joint portion 36 of the replenishing unit 32 is connected to the supply port 35 of the ink cartridge 34 attached (set) to the replenishing unit 32 by the operation of an actuator (not shown), the ink in the ink cartridge 34 is transferred to the lower tank 39. It is supplied via a refill valve 37.

  The ink cartridge 34 filled with genuine ink is initially attached to the replenishing unit 32. However, when the ink cartridge 34 filled with general-purpose ink is attached to the replenishing unit 32 at the time of replacement. There is also.

  An IC tag 34a is attached to the surface of the ink cartridge 34 filled with genuine ink. The IC tag 34a includes a nonvolatile storage unit 34b. The storage unit 34b has a non-rewritable system area and a rewritable data area. In these areas, ink information relating to ink filled in the ink cartridge 34 is stored.

  Ink information stored in the storage unit 34b of the IC tag 34a of the ink cartridge 34 attached to the replenishing unit 32 is stored in the IC tag 34a of the ink cartridge 34 by the main body side reader / writer (R / W) unit 32a. Can be read out by communication performed between the two. Further, the main body side R / W unit 32a can store new information (including overwriting storage) in the data area of the storage unit 34b through communication performed with the IC tag 34a of the ink cartridge 34.

  FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of ink information written in advance in the storage unit 34b of the IC tag 34a when the ink cartridge 34 is shipped. As illustrated in FIG. 3, the ink information includes fixed information that is stored in the system area of the storage unit 34 b in an unrewritable manner and variable information that is stored in the data area of the storage unit 34 b in a rewritable manner.

  The fixed information includes the ID for identification of the IC tag 34a, viscosity information indicating the viscosity of the ink, model information of the ink jet recording apparatus 1 suitable for use of the ink, and the ink jet recording apparatus 1 using the ink in the ink cartridge 34 normally. It includes control data for operation, an authentication password set for the ink cartridge 34, and the like. The variable information includes ink remaining amount information and the like.

  The ink remaining amount information indicates the remaining ink amount of the ink cartridge 34 and is updated to a value corresponding to the ink consumption in the inkjet recording apparatus 1 by the control of the control unit 10 every time an update event occurs. This update event may occur, for example, at regular intervals, or may occur every time print processing of a print job ends.

  Specifically, the control unit 10 stores the default remaining ink amount of the ink cartridge 34 in the storage unit 34b of the IC tag 34a, and then accompanies the amount of ink circulating through the ink circulation unit 31, processing of the print job, and the like. The remaining ink amount in the storage unit 34b is sequentially rewritten to the remaining ink amount calculated in consideration of the ink consumption amount.

  Note that details of communication performed between the IC tag 34a of the ink cartridge 34 attached to the replenishing unit 32 and the main body side R / W unit 32a of the replenishing unit 32 will be described in detail later with reference to the drawings. .

  Returning to the description of the ink path in the ink jet recording apparatus 1, as shown in FIG. 2, the space above the ink liquid levels 46 and 54 of the upper tank 38 and the lower tank 39 is the upper tank solenoid valve 53 and the lower tank solenoid. Each is connected to an overflow tank 52 via a valve 56. Since the overflow tank 52 is always exposed to the atmosphere, the upper tank 38 and the lower tank 39 are opened to the atmosphere by opening and closing (opening / closing) the upper tank solenoid valve 53 and the lower tank solenoid valve 56, respectively. Can be sealed.

  A bellows 58 of the pressure adjustment unit 57 is connected to the second ink path 45. The bellows 58 extends by the weight of the weight 59 when the bellows lifting mechanism 61 is moved downward. When the lower tank 39 is sealed and the bellows 58 is extended, a negative pressure is applied to the space above the ink surface 55, and a meniscus is formed at the nozzles of the line head 50 (head units 21 to 24). Thereby, it is possible to prevent ink from leaking from the nozzle when ink droplets are not ejected.

  The waste liquid unit 33 shown in FIG. 2 includes a tank tray 62, a waste liquid tank 63, a waste ink amount detection unit 64, a tank attachment detection unit 65, and the overflow tank 52 described above.

  As described above, the overflow tank 52 is connected to the space on the ink liquid levels 46 and 54 of the upper tank 38 and the lower tank 39. Therefore, even if ink overflows from the upper tank 38 or the lower tank 39 due to an abnormality in the apparatus, the leaked ink can be stored in the overflow tank 52.

  The overflow tank 52 is connected to the waste liquid tank 63 through a tube. The waste liquid tank 63 is disposed on the tank tray 62 and is detachable from the tank tray 62.

  The waste liquid tank 63 is also connected to the replenishing unit 32 through a tube. Thereby, the ink leaked to the outside when the ink cartridge 34 is replaced is sent to the waste liquid tank 63 as waste liquid through the tube.

  The waste liquid tank 63 is shared by all colors, not K color, C color, M color, and Y color, and ink is supplied to the waste liquid tank 63 from the line heads 50 (head units 21 to 24) of the respective colors. A configuration for collecting may be provided for each color.

  The tank tray 62 has a waste ink amount detection unit 64 that detects the amount of ink stored in the waste liquid tank 63, and a tank that detects whether or not the waste liquid tank 63 is mounted by weight detection or optical detection. An attachment detection unit 65 is provided. When the waste ink amount detection unit 64 detects that a predetermined amount of waste liquid has accumulated in the waste liquid tank 63, the control unit 10 suggests replacement to the user by, for example, display on a display (not shown) of the operation panel 68. An alarm is announced.

  In the inkjet recording apparatus 1 of the present embodiment configured as described above, the fixed information acquired from the IC tag 34a of the ink cartridge 34 by the main body side R / W unit 32a of the replenishing unit 32 is used to The control part 10 determines the control content. Accordingly, the ink jet recording apparatus includes an ink replenishment operation from the ink cartridge 34 to the lower tank 39, an ink circulation operation in the ink circulation unit 31, and an ink ejection operation of each color from the line head 50 (head units 21 to 24). 1 is executed according to the control content determined by the control unit 10.

  Next, the consumable information communication system according to the present invention is configured, and the gap between the IC tag 34a of the ink cartridge 34 attached to the replenishing unit 32 of the ink jet recording apparatus 1 and the main body side R / W unit 32a of the replenishing unit 32. Elements for executing communication will be described with reference to the explanatory diagram of FIG. FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram showing a schematic configuration of elements constituting the consumable information communication system according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

  FIG. 4 shows a case where ink information is communicated between the IC tag 34 a of the ink cartridge 34 shown in FIG. 2 and the main body side R / W unit 32 a of the replenishing unit 32 of the inkjet recording apparatus 1.

  In this case, reading and writing of ink information to the storage unit 34b of the IC tag 34a of the ink cartridge 34 attached to the replenishing unit 32 shown in FIG. 4 is performed on the main body side R of the replenishing unit 32 based on the control of the control unit 10. / W unit 32a.

  The main body side R / W unit 32a of the replenishing unit 32 can be configured by, for example, an IC chip. The main body side R / W unit 32a includes a communication unit 32c with a built-in antenna that performs communication with the IC tag 34a of the ink cartridge 34, a communication control unit 32d that controls the operation thereof, and an overall control unit 32e for overall control. And a storage unit 32f having a work area used for control processing of the overall control unit 32e and a data area for holding data.

  The IC tag 34a of the ink cartridge 34 can be constituted by an IC chip, for example. The IC tag 34a includes a communication unit 34c with a built-in antenna that performs communication with the main body side R / W unit 32a of the replenishment unit 32, a communication control unit 34d that controls the operation thereof, and an overall control unit 34e for overall control. have. The storage unit 34b of the IC tag 34a described above is connected to the overall control unit 34e, and has a work area used for control processing of the overall control unit 34e and a data area for holding data.

  The replenishment unit 32 of the inkjet recording apparatus 1 is provided with a plurality of main body side R / W units 32a (two cases are illustrated in FIG. 4), and each main body side R / W unit 32a is individually provided. The signal line 32g is connected to the control unit 10. Each main body side R / W unit 32 a is operated by electric power supplied from the same power source (not shown) as that of the control unit 10.

  The IC tag 34a does not have its own power source, and the main body side R / W unit 32a and the IC tag 34a are called a so-called passive system that generates electromagnetic induction between the built-in antennas of both communication units 32c and 34c. Power supply from the main body side R / W unit 32a to the IC tag 34a and data transmission / reception between them are performed by a known method.

  The frequency of the carrier wave that each main body side R / W unit 32a outputs to the IC tag 34a of the ink cartridge 34 may be the same, and the communication units 32c and 34c of the main body side R / W unit 32a and the IC tag 34a are built in. You may make it differ within the range of the frequency band which can be transmitted / received with an antenna.

  Next, the procedure when the main body side R / W unit 32a of the replenishing unit 32 reads out the ink information from the storage unit 34b of the IC tag 34a of the ink cartridge 34 performed by the control unit 10 will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. To do. Note that the control unit 10 executes the control of the procedure of FIG. 5 periodically and repeatedly.

  Then, as shown in FIG. 5, the control unit 10 confirms whether the power of the inkjet recording apparatus 1 is turned on (step S1). If the power is not turned on (NO in step S1), the series of processing ends, and if it is turned on (YES in step S1), the control unit 10 mounts the ink cartridge 34 on the replenishing unit 32 ( It is confirmed whether it is set (step S3).

  Whether or not the ink cartridge 34 is attached (set) to the replenishing unit 32 is determined, for example, by whether the joint portion 36 of the replenishing unit 32 is not connected to the supply port 35 of the ink cartridge 34 attached (set) to the replenishing unit 32. It can be confirmed by whether or not they are connected by the operation of the illustrated actuator.

  If the ink cartridge 34 is not attached (set) to the replenishing unit 32 (NO in step S3), the control unit 10 returns to step S1, and if attached (set) (in step S3). YES), the control unit 10 sequentially performs the communication path selection process (step S5) and the communication process (step S7), and ends the series of processes.

  Among these, in the communication path selection process of step S5, as shown in FIG. 6, the control unit 10 reads ink information with the IC tag 34a of the ink cartridge 34 mounted (set) on the replenishing unit 32. Whether or not a selection event for selecting a pair of the main body side R / W unit 32a and the signal line 32g used for communication for writing has occurred (step S51).

  The selection event may occur, for example, at regular intervals, or may occur when a communication event occurs.

  The communication event is an event that causes the control unit 10 to perform communication for reading or writing ink information with the IC tag 34a of the ink cartridge 34 attached (set) to the replenishing unit 32. is there.

  The communication event includes, for example, the power-on of the inkjet recording apparatus 1, the return of the inkjet recording apparatus 1 from the power saving mode to the normal mode, and the mounting of the ink cartridge 34 to the replenishment unit 32 (not shown). It may be generated when the control unit 10 needs to acquire ink information, such as being detected by a sensor.

  The communication event can also be generated when the printing operation by the print job ends and the control unit 10 needs to update the remaining ink amount information. Alternatively, the communication event may occur at regular intervals.

  If a selection event has not occurred (NO in step S51), the communication path selection process is terminated and the process returns to the flowchart of FIG. 5. If it has occurred (YES in step S51), communication such as ink information is performed. After selecting a set of the main body side R / W unit 32a and the signal line 32g to be used (step S53), the communication path selection process is terminated and the procedure returns to the flowchart of FIG.

  In step S53, when selecting a set of the main body side R / W unit 32a and the signal line 32g used for communication of ink information or the like, an error is caused in an internal memory (not shown) of the control unit 10 in the procedure described later. A set of the main body side R / W unit 32a and the signal line 32g registered as a route is excluded from candidates to be selected.

  Further, the set of the main body side R / W unit 32a and the signal line 32g used when performing communication such as ink information may be determined at random based on a random number generated by a random number generator, for example. Alternatively, when a selection event is generated due to the occurrence of a communication event and a combination of the main body side R / W unit 32a and the signal line 32g is selected, the main body side R / W to be selected is selected according to the content of the generated communication event. A set of the W unit 32a and the signal line 32g may be determined.

  Note that when the set of the main body side R / W unit 32a and the signal line 32g used at the time of performing communication such as ink information is randomly determined, the set of the main body side R / W unit 32a and the signal line 32g that has already been used is determined. You may make it remove from an option sequentially. Alternatively, the number of times used when performing communication such as ink information is counted for each set of the main body side R / W unit 32a and the signal line 32g, and each set is averaged (for example, each set for each predetermined period). The pair of the main body side R / W unit 32a and the signal line 32g used for the communication of ink information or the like may be determined so that the count number of the same is used.

  Further, when determining the set of the main body side R / W unit 32a and the signal line 32g used for communication according to the content of the generated communication event, for example, when the ink jet recording apparatus 1 is turned on (on), and ink jet recording Immediately after the power saving mode of the apparatus 1 is canceled, ink information is written to the storage unit 34b of the IC tag 34a, and when ink information is read from the storage unit 34b of the IC tag 34a immediately after the power saving mode is canceled. The set of the main body side R / W unit 32a and the signal line 32g used for communication may be individually determined.

  Next, in the communication process of step S7 in FIG. 5, as shown in FIG. 7, the control unit 10 checks whether or not the communication event described above has occurred (step S71). In step S71, NO), the communication process is terminated and the procedure returns to the flowchart of FIG.

  On the other hand, if a communication event has occurred (YES in step S71), the control unit 10 selects the main body side R / W unit 32a and the signal line 32g that are currently selected for use when communicating ink information and the like. Is used to communicate with the IC tag 34a of the ink cartridge 34 attached (set) to the replenishing section 32 for reading and writing ink information (step S73).

  Subsequently, the control unit 10 confirms whether or not an error has occurred in the communication performed in step S73 (step S75). If no error has occurred (NO in step S75), the communication process is terminated and the process returns to the flowchart of FIG. 5. If it has occurred (YES in step S75), the control unit 10 performs communication in step S73. 5 is registered as an error path in an internal memory (not shown) (step S77), the communication process is terminated, and the flow chart of FIG. Return to.

  As described above, as shown in FIG. 4, the main body side R / W unit 32 a of the replenishment unit 32 of the ink jet recording apparatus 1 reads and writes the ink information with respect to the storage unit 34 b of the IC tag 34 a of the ink cartridge 34. When the configuration is performed, the control unit 10 causes the main body side R / W used for communication with the IC tag 34a from among the plurality of main body side R / W unit 32a and the signal line 32g each time a selection event occurs. A set of the W unit 32a and the signal line 32g is selected.

  Each time a communication event occurs, the control unit 10 causes the selected set of main body side R / W units 32a to output a carrier wave, and reads and writes ink information to the storage unit 34b of the IC tag 34a of the ink cartridge 34. To do. When the ink information is read from the storage unit 34b of the IC tag 34a, the main body side R / W unit 32a of the selected set receives the carrier wave from the IC tag 34a modulated by the ink information, and passes through the signal line 32g. The data is transmitted to the control unit 10.

  When a communication error occurs in the set of the main body side R / W unit 32a and the signal line 32g used for reading and writing ink information, the set is used as the main body side R / W used for communication with the IC tag 34a. It is not selected as a set of the part 32a and the signal line 32g.

  For this reason, as a communication path between the IC tag 34a of the ink cartridge 34 and the control unit 10, a plurality of sets of the main body side R / W unit 32a and the signal line 32g including a backup are provided. A set that causes a communication error can be specified while operating the main body side R / W unit 32a and the signal line 32g.

  For this reason, it is easy to exclude the group of the main body side R / W unit 32a and the signal line 32g that cause a communication error from the operation, or to perform maintenance on the group, and to read and write ink information. Therefore, it is possible to easily secure a set of a plurality of main body side R / W units 32a and signal lines 32g that can be used for communication.

  Accordingly, since the control unit 10 of the inkjet recording apparatus 1 acquires the ink information stored in the storage unit 34b of the IC tag 34a of the ink cartridge 34, communication performed between the two can be performed stably.

  Note that the method of performing wireless communication between the replenishing unit 32 and the ink cartridge 34 attached (set) to the replenishing unit 32 is not limited to the above-described IC tag standard, for example, a wireless LAN standard or Bluetooth (registered trademark). (Bluetooth) standard may be used.

  In that case, the replenishment unit 32 and the ink cartridge 34 of the inkjet recording apparatus 1 are arranged as shown in the explanatory diagram of FIG. 8 which shows the schematic configuration of the elements constituting the consumable information communication system according to the second embodiment of the present invention. Instead of the main body side R / W unit 32a and the IC tag 34a in the first embodiment, processing units 32h and 34g having a wireless communication function are provided.

  A plurality of processing units 32h of the replenishing unit 32 are provided and are connected to the control unit 10 by individual signal lines 32g. FIG. 8 illustrates a case where the number of processing units 32h is two.

  The processing unit 32h of the replenishing unit 32 can be configured by, for example, an IC chip. The processing unit 32h includes a wireless interface unit 32i that performs communication with the processing unit 34a of the ink cartridge 34, a communication control unit 32d that controls the operation thereof, an overall control unit 32e for overall control, and an overall control unit 32e. A storage unit 32f having a work area used for the control process and a data area for data holding.

  The processing unit 34g of the ink cartridge 34 can be constituted by an IC chip, for example. The processing unit 34g includes a wireless interface unit 34h that performs communication with the processing unit 32h of the replenishment unit 32, a communication control unit 34d that controls the operation thereof, an overall control unit 34e for overall control, and an overall control unit 34e. And a storage unit 34b having a work area used for the control processing and a data area for holding data.

  In this case, reading and writing of ink information to the storage unit 34 b of the processing unit 34 g of the ink cartridge 34 attached to the replenishing unit 32 can be performed under the control of the control unit 10.

  Further, as the set of the processing unit 32h and the signal line 32g used for communication between the processing unit 34g of the ink cartridge 34 and the control unit 10, the set of the main body side R / W unit 32a and the signal line 32g in FIG. 4 is selected. As in the case, the control unit 10 may make a selection.

  Alternatively, the processing unit 34g of the ink cartridge 34 selects instead of the control unit 10, and a route selection command indicating the result is sent to the set of the processing unit 32h and the signal line 32g that are currently selected before the start of communication. You may make it notify to the control part 10 via this.

  In this case, the control unit 10 determines that a selection event has occurred (YES) when a path selection command is received from the processing unit 34g of the ink cartridge 34 in step S51 of FIG.

  Then, in step S53 of FIG. 5, the control unit 10 uses the processing unit 32h and the signal line 32g specified in the path selection command for the communication between the processing unit 34g and the control unit 10, and the processing unit 32h A set of signal lines 32g is selected.

  Further, the communication between the replenishing unit 32 and the ink cartridge 34 attached (set) to the replenishing unit 32 may be performed not only wirelessly but also by wire. In that case, the replenishment unit 32 and the ink cartridge 34 of the ink jet recording apparatus 1 are arranged as shown in the explanatory diagram of FIG. 9 which shows the schematic configuration of the elements constituting the consumable information communication system according to the third embodiment of the present invention. Instead of the main body side R / W unit 32a and the IC tag 34a in the first embodiment, processing units 32j and 34i having a communication function are provided.

  A plurality of processing units 32j of the replenishment unit 32 are provided and connected to the control unit 10 by individual signal lines 32g. FIG. 9 illustrates a case where there are two processing units 32j.

  The processing unit 32j of the replenishing unit 32 can be configured by, for example, an IC chip. The processing unit 32h is configured in the same manner as the processing unit 32h of the second embodiment shown in FIG. 8 except that the wireless interface 32i is changed to the communication interface 32k.

  The processing unit 34i of the ink cartridge 34 can be constituted by, for example, an IC chip. The processing unit 34i is configured in the same manner as the processing unit 34g of the second embodiment shown in FIG. 8 except that the wireless interface 34h is changed to the communication interface 34j.

  The connection between the processing unit 34g of the ink cartridge 34 and the processing unit 32j of each set of the replenishing unit 32 may be performed by contacts 34k and 32l provided respectively. Also in this case, the processing unit 34i and the control unit of the ink cartridge 34 have the same pattern as the pattern of FIG. 8 in which communication between the replenishing unit 32 and the ink cartridge 34 mounted (set) on the replenishing unit 32 is performed wirelessly. The group of the processing unit 32j and the signal line 32g used for communication with 10 can be selected.

  A plurality of IC tags 34a and processing units 34i exist in the ink cartridge 34, and data is read from the storage unit 34b of each IC tag 34a, or a large amount of data is read from the storage unit 34b of one IC tag 34a. If read in batches, there is usually a traffic jam phenomenon in data transmission on the communication path, which may slow down the communication process.

  On the other hand, in the consumable information communication system of each embodiment described above, a plurality of paths used for communication between the IC tag 34a or the processing units 34g and 34i of the ink cartridge 34 and the control unit 10 can be provided and switched. . For this reason, control is performed so that the route is switched randomly so that the traffic of each route is averaged (for example, the control unit 10 switches the route randomly in a predetermined time unit via the communication control unit 34d. By measuring the amount of communication and controlling so that the amount of communication of each route becomes the same during a predetermined period), it is possible to prevent communication processing delay due to a congestion phenomenon due to the amount of communication data being biased to a specific route.

  In each of the embodiments described above, the main body side R / W unit 32a and the processing units 32h and 32j used for communication between the IC tag 34a and the processing units 34g and 34i of the ink cartridge 34 and the control unit 10 are provided. When an error occurs in the pair with the signal line 32g, it is detected and cannot be selected for the subsequent communication. However, some or all of the configuration that prevents a group that has caused a communication error from being selected for subsequent communication and the configuration that detects a group that has caused a communication error as a premise thereof may be omitted.

  Also, the main body side R / W unit 32a in the first embodiment and the processing units 32h and 32j in the second and third embodiments are not provided in a plurality as in the case of the signal line 32g, but a single signal line 32g. May be connected to a single main body side R / W unit 32a or processing units 32h, 32j so that only the signal line 32g used for ink information communication is selected.

  Further, in each of the above-described embodiments, an example has been described in which the ink cartridge 34 containing ink that is a consumable item in the inkjet recording apparatus 1 is the consumable unit of the present invention. However, the present invention can also be applied to, for example, a stencil printing apparatus in which a stencil sheet roll wound with a stencil sheet, which is a consumable, is a consumable unit. In other words, if the printing apparatus performs a printing operation using consumables based on information stored in the storage unit of the consumable unit, printing is performed by a method other than an inkjet method such as an electrophotographic method or a stencil printing method. The present invention can be widely applied to apparatuses.

1 Inkjet recording device (printing device)
2 paper feeding unit 3 transport unit 4 image forming unit 6 paper ejection unit 7 paper feed tray 8 pickup roller 9 paper 10 control unit (printing control means, communication error detection means)
12 Registration Roller 13 Driven Roller 14 Tension Roller 15 Drive Roller 16 Conveyor Belt 17 Platen 18 Suction Fan 21 K Color Head Unit 22 C Color Head Unit 23 M Color Head Unit 24 Y Color Head Unit 25 Head Unit Holding Unit 27 Discharge Roller Pair 28 Discharge tray 30 Ink path 31 Ink circulation part 32 Replenishment part 32a Main body side reader / writer (R / W) part (communication path)
32c, 34c communication unit 32d, 34d communication control unit (communication path selection means)
32e, 34e Overall control unit 32f Storage unit 32g Signal line (communication path)
32h, 32j processing unit (communication path, printing device side processing unit)
32i wireless interface (communication path)
32k communication interface (communication path)
33 Waste liquid part 34 Ink cartridge (consumable unit)
34a IC tag 34b Storage section (storage means)
34g, 34i processing unit (consumable side processing unit)
34i wireless interface unit (communication means)
34k communication interface (communication means)
35 Supply port 36 Joint part 37 Supply valve 38 Upper tank 39 Lower tank 41 Pump 42 Heat exchanger 43 Filter 44 First ink path 45 Second ink path 46, 54, 55 Ink level 50 Line head 52 Overflow tank 53 Upper tank solenoid valve 56 Lower tank solenoid valve 57 Pressure adjusting part 58 Bellows 59 Weight 61 Bellows lifting mechanism 62 Tank tray 62a Tag reader / writer 63 Waste liquid tank 64 Waste ink amount detection part 65 Tank mounting detection part 68 Operation panel

Claims (5)

When a consumable unit including a consumable and a storage unit that stores consumable information is set in the printing apparatus, the printing apparatus performs communication of the consumable information between the consumable unit and the printing apparatus. A consumable information communication system,
Print control means for controlling the operation of the printing apparatus using consumable information stored in the storage means;
A plurality of communication means for communicating with the storage means and connected in parallel to the print control means;
A communication path selection unit that selects one communication path from a plurality of communication paths between each of the communication units and the print control unit each time a predetermined read event occurs;
Communication that performs communication for reading the consumable information between the communication unit corresponding to the one communication path and the storage unit, using the one communication path selected by the communication path selection unit. Control means;
A consumables information communication system for a printing apparatus.   The printing control means further generates update information for consumable information that needs to be updated according to a result of a printing operation among the consumable information stored in the storage means, and the communication path selecting means further includes a predetermined information. Each time a write event occurs, the communication path is selected, and the communication control means further uses the one communication path selected by the communication path selection means to perform the communication corresponding to the one communication path. 2. The consumable information communication system for a printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein communication for writing the update information is performed between the storage unit and the storage unit.   The communication execution means further comprises a communication error detection means for detecting a communication path in which an error has occurred in communication of the consumable information, and the communication path selection means is a communication path in which the communication error detection means has detected an error. The consumable information communication system for a printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein one communication path is selected from the communication paths excluding.   The storage means is provided in a consumable side processing unit having a communication function, and the communication means is provided in a printing apparatus side processing unit having a communication function with the consumable side processing unit. 2. The path selection unit, when selecting the communication path, selects a communication path specified by a path selection command notified from the consumable unit processing unit to the printing apparatus side processing unit. 4. A consumable information communication system for a printing apparatus according to 2 or 3.   4. The consumable information communication system for a printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the communication path selection unit selects a communication path corresponding to the content of an event that occurs when the communication path is selected. .

Images