JP4484026B2 - Ink remaining amount display device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an ink remaining amount display device that displays information on the remaining amounts of a plurality of ink cartridges that store ink to be supplied to the recording head, and an error in a recording apparatus including a recording head that performs recording on a recording medium. The present invention relates to an error display device that displays information and a recording device including the error display device. The present invention also relates to a liquid ejecting apparatus.

  Here, the liquid ejecting apparatus uses an ink jet recording head, and is not limited to a recording apparatus such as a printer, a copying machine, and a facsimile machine that discharges ink from the recording head to perform recording on a recording medium. And a device that ejects the liquid corresponding to the application from the liquid ejecting head corresponding to the ink jet recording head to the ejected medium corresponding to the recording material, and adheres the liquid to the ejected medium. .

  In addition to the recording head, as a liquid ejecting head, a color material ejecting head used for manufacturing a color filter such as a liquid crystal display, and an electrode material (conductive paste) used for forming an electrode such as an organic EL display or a surface emitting display (FED) Examples thereof include an ejection head, a bioorganic matter ejection head used for biochip production, and a sample ejection head as a precision pipette.

  In an ink jet printer as an example of a recording apparatus or a liquid ejecting apparatus, an ink cartridge containing ink to be supplied to a recording head is detachably provided. In addition, the ink jet printer has a configuration using an ink cartridge having a plurality of ink storage chambers and storing a plurality of colors (for example, cyan, magenta, yellow, etc.), and an independent ink cartridge for each color. Some have an exchangeable structure for each color.

  On the other hand, as a means for displaying the ink remaining amount of the ink cartridge, conventionally, for example, an ink end lamp is provided on the front surface of the printer, and when any remaining amount of the ink cartridge is reduced or zero, a blinking display or the like is performed. It was configured to let you know that. In this case, it is necessary to confirm each time the remaining amount of the ink cartridge is reduced or zero by a printer driver or the like, which requires time and effort.

  Therefore, in order to solve such a problem, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. H10-228688 discloses that a mark is provided in a part of the reciprocating region of the carriage, and any one of a plurality of ink cartridges arranged in parallel in the main scanning direction is used as an ink. There is disclosed a first ink jet recording apparatus configured to drive and control a carriage so that an ink cartridge which has become an ink end stops at the position of the mark when the end is reached.

  Further, in Patent Document 1, as another configuration, an individual indicator lamp corresponding to each of the plurality of ink cartridges is provided, and when any one of the ink cartridges becomes an ink end, the ink cartridge corresponds to the ink cartridge. There is also disclosed a second ink jet recording apparatus configured to notify which ink cartridge has reached an ink end by turning on an indicator lamp.

JP 2003-63038 A

  However, in the first ink jet recording apparatus, it takes time to display the ink end, and when there are a plurality of ink cartridges that have become ink ends, it can be determined at a glance which ink cartridge has become the ink end. It was not necessarily user friendly. Further, in the second ink jet recording apparatus, a large number of indicator lights constitute the external appearance of the printer, resulting in excessive display, which is not necessarily preferable (giving a complicated feeling) in terms of external appearance. It was.

  Accordingly, the present invention has been made in view of such a situation, and an object of the present invention is to easily notify a user which one of a plurality of ink cartridges has reached an ink end without impairing the appearance. It is to provide a recording apparatus or a liquid ejecting apparatus.

  In order to solve the above problems, a first aspect of the present invention is a recording apparatus including a recording head that performs recording on a recording medium, and a remaining amount of a plurality of ink cartridges that store ink to be supplied to the recording head. Ink remaining amount display device for displaying information related to an entire display unit that collectively displays the remaining amount state of a plurality of ink cartridges, and an individual display that individually displays the remaining amount state of each of the plurality of ink cartridges And the whole display unit is provided outside the openable / closable cover constituting the appearance of the recording apparatus, and the individual display unit is provided inside the cover. To do.

  According to the above aspect, for example, when the remaining amount of one of the ink cartridges becomes zero, it is not clear which ink cartridge is specifically, but at least one of the ink cartridges is displayed by the overall display unit. It can be determined at a glance from the appearance configuration that the remaining amount of the cartridge is zero. When the cover is opened, the individual display portion is exposed, and it can be determined at a glance which ink cartridge has a remaining amount of zero.

  Therefore, for example, the remaining amount of the ink cartridge can be known without impairing the appearance as compared with the case where a large number of display lamps are provided on the appearance of the apparatus, and the remaining of the individual ink cartridges can be obtained by opening the cover. At first glance, the quantity state can be recognized immediately and becomes user-friendly.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect, an operation unit for operating the recording apparatus is provided inside the cover.
According to the above aspect, since the operation unit for operating the recording apparatus is provided inside the cover, the individual display unit is exposed when any operation is performed, thereby the individual display unit. It is not necessary to open the cover only to expose the image, that is, since the individual display unit can be confirmed when performing some operation, it becomes more user-friendly. In particular, if an operation button necessary for exchanging the ink cartridge is arranged in the operation unit, the individual display unit can be confirmed in accordance with a necessary operation, which is efficient.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the first or second aspect, the overall display unit is configured by a single display lamp capable of displaying a plurality of colors, and the plurality of ink cartridges. It is configured so that it is displayed in different colors according to the remaining amount state.
According to the above aspect, the entire display unit is configured by one display lamp capable of displaying a plurality of colors, and is displayed in different colors according to the remaining state of the plurality of ink cartridges. Even if the display unit is not exposed, a certain degree of standard (such as the urgency level of ink cartridge replacement) can be seen at first glance, making it even more user-friendly. For example, the color-coded display indicates that the first color indicating that the remaining amount of the ink cartridge with the least remaining amount is zero or near zero, and the remaining amount of the ink cartridge with the least remaining amount is the first color. The second color indicating that the remaining amount is greater than the remaining amount to be indicated by the color of the ink and less than the predetermined remaining amount, and the remaining amount of the ink cartridge with the smallest remaining amount is greater than the predetermined remaining amount. If it is constituted by the third color indicating that there are many, it is possible to determine at a glance the degree of the remaining amount of ink by the color-coded display of the three colors.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in any one of the first to third aspects, the individual display unit is configured by a display lamp capable of lighting display and blinking display, and the remaining ink cartridge is correspondingly left. The lighting display or the blinking display is selectively executed according to the amount.
According to the above aspect, the individual display unit is configured by the display lamp that can perform the lighting display and the blinking display, and the lighting display or the blinking display is selectively performed according to the remaining amount of the corresponding ink cartridge. Since it is configured to be executed, the degree of the remaining amount of the individual ink cartridge can be determined at a glance, and it becomes even more user-friendly.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in any one of the first to fourth aspects, a mark indicating a color of the corresponding ink cartridge is individually attached to the individual display unit. .
According to the above aspect, since the mark indicating the color of the corresponding ink cartridge is individually attached, which color ink cartridge the remaining amount display of the ink cartridge displayed on the individual display unit is. Can be easily discriminated, making it even more user-friendly.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in any one of the first to fifth aspects, the individual display section is configured by the same arrangement as that of the plurality of ink cartridges.
According to the above aspect, since the individual display unit is configured by the same arrangement as the arrangement of the plurality of ink cartridges, the remaining amount display of the ink cartridge displayed on the individual display unit is a plurality of ink cartridges. It can be easily determined from the arrangement, and it becomes more user-friendly.

  According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, there is provided an error display device that displays information relating to an error that occurs in the recording apparatus including a recording head that performs recording on a recording medium. Or an overall display unit that collectively displays the status of the operation, and an individual display unit that individually displays the status of each of a plurality of parts or operations in which an error occurs, and the overall display unit includes the recording device. And the individual display section is provided inside the cover.

  According to the above aspect, the error display device that displays information on the error of the recording device includes a plurality of portions where an error occurs or a whole display portion that displays the state of operation collectively, and a plurality of portions where an error occurs or An individual display unit that individually displays each state of operation, and the entire display unit is provided outside an openable / closable cover that constitutes the appearance of the recording apparatus, and the individual display unit includes the cover Since the entire display unit can be seen at a glance by the overall display unit, and then the cover is opened, the error occurrence state of each part or operation can be specifically understood. Therefore, the appearance is not impaired as compared with the case where a large number of display lamps are provided in the apparatus appearance.

According to an eighth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a recording apparatus comprising: a recording head that performs recording on a recording medium; and a plurality of ink cartridges that store ink to be supplied to the recording head. The ink remaining amount display device according to any one of the sixth aspects and / or the error display device according to the seventh aspect are provided.
According to the above aspect, in the recording apparatus that performs recording on the recording medium, the remaining ink amount display apparatus according to any one of the first to sixth aspects or the error display apparatus according to the seventh aspect. Alternatively, since both display devices are provided, the operational effects of any of the first to sixth aspects described above, and the operational effects of the seventh aspect described above when the error display device is further provided. Obtainable.

  According to a ninth aspect of the present invention, in a liquid ejecting apparatus including a liquid ejecting head that ejects liquid onto an ejected medium, information on the remaining amounts of a plurality of liquid cartridges that store liquid to be supplied to the liquid ejecting head is displayed. A liquid remaining amount display device that collectively displays a remaining amount state of a plurality of liquid cartridges, and an individual display portion that individually displays a remaining amount state of each of the plurality of liquid cartridges. The whole display unit is provided outside the openable / closable cover constituting the appearance of the liquid ejecting apparatus, and the individual display unit is provided inside the cover.

  According to a tenth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a liquid ejecting apparatus comprising: a liquid ejecting head that ejects liquid onto an ejected medium; and a plurality of liquid cartridges that store liquid to be supplied to the liquid ejecting head. The liquid remaining amount display device according to the ninth aspect is provided.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. Here, FIG. 1 is an external perspective view of an ink jet printer (hereinafter referred to as “printer”) 1 as an example of “recording apparatus” and “liquid ejecting apparatus” according to the present invention, and FIG. FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the operation unit, FIGS. 4 to 7 are front views of the operation unit, and FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing the contents of the ink remaining amount display.

  As shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, the printer 1 has a box shape, is about the size of a video tape recorder, and is used in a state of being stored in a TV rack or the like. It is assumed to be configured. As shown in the drawing, a front cover 5 is provided on the front surface of a box-shaped housing 3 to form a general structure, and the front cover 5 is opened toward the front side (used state: not shown). A disc tray (not shown) in which a recording sheet on which recording has been performed and an optical disc such as a CD-R can be set in the open state is provided. ) Can be taken in and out.

  On the right side of the front cover 5, an operation unit 13 including an “ink (liquid) remaining amount display device” configured to include a power button, a print setting button, and the like (see FIG. 4 for details) is provided. The operation unit 13 includes a cover 15 that can be freely opened and closed, and the power button, the print setting button, and the individual ink remaining amount display unit, which will be described later, are usually covered with the cover 15. When necessary, by opening the cover 15, various print setting operations and maintenance operations can be executed.

  A paper feed tray 7 is detachably provided at the lower portion of the front cover 5, and the recording paper can be set by pulling it out to the front side and removing it. An ink cartridge unit 9 is provided above the front cover 5 and forms an upper surface 3 a of the printer 1 together with the housing 3.

  The ink cartridge unit 9 includes ink cartridges 11a to 11f configured to contain ink as “liquid” individually configured for each of a plurality of colors (FIG. 2: hereinafter collectively referred to as “ink cartridge 11”). Are detachably provided in parallel with the width direction of the printer 1 (that is, the main scanning direction of a carriage (not shown)).

  More specifically, the printer 1 according to this embodiment includes a recording head (not shown) and has no ink cartridge mounted on a carriage (not shown) that is driven to reciprocate in the main scanning direction. Ink is supplied from the ink cartridge 11 mounted on the ink cartridge unit 9 to the recording head via an ink tube (not shown).

  The ink cartridge 11 is detached from the ink cartridge unit 9 by being pulled out toward the front side of the printer 1 at the time of replacement, and is pushed toward the rear side of the printer 1 at the time of mounting to supply ink supply not shown in the drawing of the ink cartridge 11. The ink cartridge unit 9 is configured so that a liquid supply needle (not shown) provided for each ink cartridge is inserted into the opening.

  An IC chip (not shown) that holds information about each ink cartridge is mounted on each ink cartridge 11. This IC chip has a built-in storage device that stores fixed information such as the color of the ink, as well as variation information such as the remaining amount of ink. Each IC chip is connected to a receiving antenna (not shown). On the other hand, a carriage (not shown) reciprocating in the main scanning direction has a transmitting antenna (not shown) for transmitting a radio signal to the receiving antenna. (Not shown) is provided. When the carriage moves in the main scanning direction, the IC chip of one ink cartridge of the plurality of ink cartridges 11 arranged side by side in the main scanning direction faces the transmission antenna, and the IC chip As a result of communication between them, various information stored in the IC chip can be taken out.

  The ink cartridge unit 9 including the ink cartridge 11 is provided with slide knobs 10a and 10b on the left and right sides. By operating the slide knobs 10a and 10b, the ink cartridge unit 9 slides toward the rear side of the printer, and the carriage The main scanning area is exposed so that the paper can be easily removed when a paper jam or the like occurs.

  Next, the contents of the remaining ink amount display will be described in detail. As shown in FIG. 3, as described above, the operation unit 13 includes the cover 15. Normally, only the main display unit 17 is exposed to the outside as shown in FIG. The operation buttons and the like are covered with the cover 15. When any operation is performed, the operation button group 21 and the sub display unit 19 (details will be described later) are exposed by opening the cover 15 as shown in FIG. 3B, and various operations can be performed. ing.

  In FIG. 4, the main display unit 17 includes three LED lamps, specifically, an error display lamp 23a, a paper out lamp 23b, and a total ink remaining amount warning lamp 23c. The error display lamp 23a is lit when a paper jam or the like occurs in the printer 1 or when another hardware error occurs, and the no-paper lamp 23b is lit when the paper cassette 7 is empty. The total ink remaining amount warning lamp 23c is a “total display unit” that collectively displays the remaining amount states of the ink cartridges 11a to 11f, and at least one of the ink cartridges 11a to 11f has a predetermined value. When it is less, it is configured to display blinking orange or display in red (normally, display in green).

  The sub display unit 19 includes five LED lamps, that is, individual ink remaining amount warning lamps 25a to 25f, and color marks 27a to 27f for displaying ink colors. The individual ink remaining amount warning lamps (hereinafter referred to as “individual lamps”) 25a to 25f are “individual display units” that individually display the remaining amount states of the plurality of ink cartridges 11a to 11f illustrated in FIG. For example, the individual lamp 25a corresponds to the ink cartridge 11a. Similarly, the individual lamp 25b corresponds to the ink cartridge 11b as follows. That is, in this embodiment, the ink cartridges 11a to 11f are arranged side by side in the main scanning direction, but the individual lamps 25a to 25f corresponding to the respective ink cartridges 11a to 11f are also arranged side by side in the main scanning direction. And the arrangement order is the same. Therefore, it can be determined at a glance which ink cartridge has to be replaced or prepared for replacement depending on which individual lamp is lit, which is user-friendly. In addition, since the individual lamps 25a to 25f are individually provided with color marks 27a to 27f indicating the colors of the corresponding ink cartridges 11a to 11f, the ink cartridges corresponding to the individual lamps 25a to 25f are provided below. Can be easily discriminated, and this makes it even more user-friendly.

  Next, the operation button group 21 includes a menu button, an up / down / left / right cursor movement button, an item selection (OK) button, a print start button, a print stop button, a CD / DVD button (as shown in FIG. A tray (not shown) is automatically pulled out to the front of the printer 1 or is automatically stored in the apparatus), a cleaning button, a feed / discharge button, and the printer 1 is connected. It is configured with operation buttons for performing various settings and execution via a user interface displayed on a display device (for example, a television).

  As for the ink remaining amount display, generally, all of the plurality (six in this embodiment) of ink cartridges 11a to 11f have a sufficient amount of ink (a certain amount or more) (that is, a certain amount or more). In a normal state, as shown in FIG. 5A, the total ink remaining amount warning lamp 23c is lit in green. In this state, for example, when the remaining amount of any one of the ink cartridges falls below a predetermined value (the remaining amount of ink is not zero but decreases), FIG. As shown in the figure, it blinks orange. Then, when the remaining amount of ink further decreases to zero (or is not zero at all, but the remaining amount is low enough to determine that normal printing cannot be performed), FIG. As shown, it is lit red.

  At this time, the state of the ink cartridges 11 a to 11 b can be confirmed by opening the cover 15. FIG. 6 shows a case where the remaining amount of the ink cartridge 11b is reduced as an example, and the individual lamp 25b is displayed blinking red. Here, since the remaining amount of the ink cartridges other than the ink cartridge 11b is equal to or greater than a certain amount, the portions other than the individual lamps 25b are turned off, and the total ink remaining amount warning lamp 23c is blinking orange. From this state, for example, when the remaining amount of the ink cartridge 11b becomes zero, the total ink remaining amount warning lamp 23c is lit in red as shown in FIG. For example, even if the remaining amount of the ink cartridge 11d is reduced, and the individual lamp 25d is displayed blinking, the individual lamp 25b is lit, so that the entire ink remaining amount warning lamp 23c is lit (this causes the ink to be displayed). The urgency of the exchange is high).

  Hereinafter, it will be described in more detail according to the flow shown in FIG. The determination of how to display the remaining amount of ink is first made when the remaining amount k of one of the ink cartridges (or the remaining amount k of the ink cartridge with the least remaining amount: the same applies below) is zero or extremely low. If it is small (capacity b or less) (Yes in step S101), the total ink remaining amount warning lamp (main lamp) is lit in red (step S104), and the corresponding individual lamp is lit in red (step S104). S105). Next, when there is a remaining amount k of other ink cartridges and the remaining amount will soon become zero (b <k ≦ a), the corresponding individual lamp blinks in red (step S107). Thus, for example, the state as shown in FIG. 7 is obtained, and the ink that needs to be replaced by the individual lamp (individual lamp 25b in FIG. 7) while indicating that normal printing cannot be performed by turning on the total ink remaining amount warning lamp 23c. The cartridge is shown, and further, another individual lamp (individual lamp 25d in FIG. 7) indicates an ink cartridge that needs to be replaced soon.

  Next, in step S101, if there is no ink cartridge that needs to be replaced immediately (negative branch of step S101), it is determined whether there is a cartridge whose remaining amount will soon become zero (b <k ≦ a) ( In step S102), if there is (Yes branch), the total ink remaining amount warning lamp 23c blinks in orange (step S108), and the corresponding individual lamp blinks in red (step S109). Accordingly, for example, the state as shown in FIG. 6 is obtained, and the total ink remaining amount warning lamp 23c can print normally for a certain amount of time, but soon the remaining amount of any ink cartridge becomes zero. As shown, the individual lamp (individual lamp 25b in FIG. 6) specifically identifies the ink cartridge that will soon need to be replaced.

Then, in step S102, when there is nothing that will soon become zero (b <k ≦ a) (negative branch), the total ink remaining amount warning lamp 23c is lit in green (step S103).
As described above, when the remaining amount of one of the ink cartridges becomes zero, the remaining amount of at least one of the ink cartridges is reduced by the overall ink remaining amount warning lamp 23c that can be always visually recognized from the outside. Whether the urgency of replacement is high or low can be determined at a glance from the appearance configuration, and the individual lamps 25a to 25f are exposed by opening the cover 15 as necessary. At a glance, you can see the remaining capacity. As a result, for example, the appearance of the printer 1 is not impaired (a complicated image is not given) and the cover 15 is opened as compared with a case where a large number of individual lamps are provided on the appearance of the apparatus (outside of the cover 15). As a result, the remaining state of the individual ink cartridges can be seen at a glance and become user-friendly.

  The ink remaining amount display and the determination method described above are examples, and can be displayed using various display means and display methods. That is, an entire display unit (total ink remaining amount warning lamp 23c in the present embodiment) that collectively displays the remaining amount states of the plurality of ink cartridges, and an individual display that individually displays the remaining amount states of the plurality of ink cartridges. Part (in this embodiment, individual lamps 23a to 23f), and the entire display unit is an openable / closable cover (in this embodiment) that forms the appearance of a recording apparatus or a liquid ejecting apparatus (in this embodiment, the printer 1). If it is provided outside the cover 15) and the individual display part is provided inside the cover, the effects of the present invention can be obtained.

  In addition, such a configuration is not limited to the ink cartridge remaining amount display. For example, when the error display lamp 23c is used as the entire display unit, a state of paper feeding operation (operation in which an error is considered to occur) is formed inside the cover 15. If the individual display unit is configured so as to indicate a specific error occurrence part or operation such as a paper feed error lamp indicating a carriage, a carriage error lamp indicating a state of a carriage (part where an error is considered to occur), the same as described above It is possible to obtain various effects.

  INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY The present invention can be used for a recording apparatus typified by a FAX or a printer, or a liquid ejecting apparatus, that is, an apparatus that ejects ink onto a recording medium from a head that ejects ink and adheres the ink to the recording medium. It is.

1 is a perspective view of a printer according to the present invention. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing an internal configuration of the printer according to the invention. FIG. 3 is a perspective view of an operation unit of the printer according to the invention. FIG. 3 is a front view of an operation unit of the printer according to the invention. FIG. 3 is a front view of an operation unit of the printer according to the invention. FIG. 3 is a front view of an operation unit of the printer according to the invention. FIG. 3 is a front view of an operation unit of the printer according to the invention. 6 is a flowchart showing the content of ink remaining amount display.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Inkjet printer, 3 Housing, 5 Front cover, 7 Paper feed cassette, 9 Ink cartridge unit, 11a-11f Ink cartridge, 13 Operation part, 15 Cover, 17 Main display part, 19 Sub display part, 21 Operation button group, 23a Error lamp, 23b No-paper lamp, 23c Ink level warning lamp (whole display part), 25a to 25f Ink level warning lamp (individual display part), 27a to 27f Color mark

Claims (1)

In a recording apparatus including a recording head for recording on a recording medium, an ink remaining amount display device that displays information on the remaining amounts of a plurality of ink cartridges that store ink to be supplied to the recording head,
An overall display that collectively displays the remaining amount of the plurality of ink cartridges;
An individual display unit that individually displays the remaining amount of each of the plurality of ink cartridges,
The overall display unit is provided on the outside of an openable / closable cover constituting the appearance of the recording apparatus, and the individual display unit is provided on the inside of the cover,
The overall display unit can be lit and blinked , and is configured by a display lamp capable of color-coded according to the remaining amount of the plurality of ink cartridges in the lit and blinked display .
When the remaining ink amount k satisfies k> a for all of the plurality of ink cartridges, the display lamp of the whole display unit is lit in green and displayed.
If the remaining ink level k of any of the plurality of ink cartridges satisfies b <k ≦ a and there is no remaining ink level k that satisfies 0 ≦ k ≦ b, it blinks orange. ,
When the ink remaining amount k of any of the plurality of ink cartridges satisfies 0 ≦ k ≦ b, it is lit and displayed in red ,
The individual display unit is configured to display any one of the plurality of ink cartridges that is turned off, lit, or flashed according to the remaining amount of the ink cartridge together with the entire display unit in a state where the cover is opened. Consists of indicator lamps provided for each,
The display lamps of the individual display portions are turned off when the ink remaining amount k of the corresponding ink cartridge satisfies k> a.
When the ink remaining amount k of the corresponding ink cartridge satisfies b <k ≦ a as the ink remaining amount decreases, it blinks in red .
When the ink remaining amount k of the corresponding ink cartridge satisfies 0 ≦ k ≦ b as the ink remaining amount further decreases, the display is lit in red .
An ink remaining amount display device.

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