JPH09109378A - Print recorder - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a print recorder capable of simplifying the detection of the mounting state of printing means on a carriage such as an ink cartridge and the detection of the position of the carriage. SOLUTION: This print recorder has ink cartridges 1 to 4 of a printing means mounted at a carriage 5 and prints while moving the carriage 5 along a carriage shaft 10, and comprises a first shut-off plate 20 for detecting the mounting states of the cartridges 1 to 4 at the carriage 5 side, and a second shut-off plate 11 for detecting the position of the carriage 5 provided on the same straight line. The plates 20, 11 are so provided as to detect by the same detecting sensor 6 of the body side. Accordingly, since the reference position of the carriage 5 and the mounting states of the cartridge 1 to 4 on the carriage 5 are detected by the one sensor 6, the cost and the size can be reduced.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a print recording apparatus provided with a carriage for carrying printing means such as an ink cartridge.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, in a printing / recording apparatus, printing means such as an ink cartridge is mounted on a carriage, and desired printing is performed while moving the carriage. Hereinafter, a conventional print recording device will be described.

FIG. 6A is a sectional view of a carriage of a conventional print recording apparatus, and FIG. 6B is a front view of a carriage of the conventional print recording apparatus. FIG. 7 is a block diagram of a drive system of a carriage of a conventional print recording apparatus, FIG. 8 is an explanatory view of ink cartridge mounting state detection of the carriage of the conventional print recording apparatus, and FIG. 9 is a carriage of the conventional print recording apparatus. FIG. 10A and FIG. 10B are flowcharts of the ink cartridge mounting state detection, FIG. 11A is a circuit configuration diagram of the sensor portion of the carriage of the conventional print recording apparatus, and FIG.
FIG. 6B is an output diagram of the sensor portion of the carriage of the conventional print recording apparatus.

In FIGS. 6 (a) and 6 (b), a plurality of ink cartridges 1 to 4 operate as a printer while mounted on a carriage 5. The ink cartridges 1 to 4 have a detection sensor 6 First to cut off
It has a structure integrated with the blocking plate 20 of FIG. The first blocking plate 20 of the ink cartridges 1 to 4 mounted on the carriage 5 is projected from the carriage 5, and is attached to the main body side at a predetermined point moved by the movement of the carriage 5 for detection. The sensor light of the sensor 6 is blocked. 7 is a control board provided on the main body side, 8 is a linear encoder sensor, 9 is an encoder sheet, 10 is a carriage shaft, 11 is a second blocking plate for a home sensor, 12 is a home sensor, and 13 is a small home sensor. The substrate.

In FIG. 7, a CPU 101 controls the movement of the entire printer. ROM 102 is CPU 10
1 stores the programs and data for operating, and the RAM 103 stores the data for operating. The carriage motor 106 includes the carriage driving circuit 1 from the CPU 101 via the carriage driving logic 104.
Driven at 05. The slit of the encoder sheet 9 is detected according to the movement of the carriage motor 106, and a pulse is output from the linear encoder sensor circuit 107. The carriage counter 108 counts up or counts down the pulse, and by reading this value, the CPU 101 can know where the carriage 5 is now. The home sensor circuit 109 detects a reference position of the carriage 5, and in this case, the position of the carriage detected by the home sensor 12 is the starting position (0c).

Next, with reference to FIG. 8, a procedure for detecting the mounting state of the ink cartridges 1 to 4 will be described. Each of the ink cartridges 1 to 4 is integrated with the first blocking plate 20 as shown in FIG. 6, and when the four ink cartridges 1 to 4 are mounted, the carriage 5
Can move only in the A and B directions on the left and right of the figure.
For convenience of explanation, it is assumed that the carriage counter 108 counts down when it moves in the A direction and counts up when it moves in the B direction. When the ink cartridges 1, 2, 3 and 4 are mounted on the carriage 5, the first blocking plate 20 is projected from each ink cartridge and is projected from the carriage 5.

Now, after the initialization operation is completed and the home sensor 12 temporarily sets the count number of the carriage counter 108 to 0c, the carriage 5 moves in the direction B when the ink cartridges 1 to 4 are detected. Suppose Here, the carriage counter 108
The carriage 5 moves in the B direction while counting up the number of slits in the encoder sheet 9 via the linear encoder sensor circuit 107. In the illustrated example, the first blocking plate 20 of the ink cartridge 1 is at a position that should be detected when the carriage counter 108 reaches 210c, so when the count number of the carriage counter 108 reaches 210c. By detecting the state of the detection sensor 6 by the CPU 101, it can be determined whether or not the ink cartridge 1 is mounted. Next, when the carriage 5 further moves and the count number of the carriage counter 108 reaches 220c, it is possible to determine whether or not the ink cartridge 2 is mounted by detecting the state of the detection sensor 6. You can Thereafter, similarly, the CPU 101 sequentially determines whether or not the ink cartridges 1 to 4 are attached by determining the count number of the carriage counter 108 and the state of the detection sensor 6 at that time (whether or not the sensor is shut off). You can do it. FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing the above series of operations.

FIGS. 10 and 11 show the circuit configuration of the sensor portion and the sensor output in the above operation. In the example shown in FIG. 10, the detection sensor 6 is + 5v (H state) when the sensor light is blocked, and 0v (L state) when the sensor light is not blocked. FIG. 11A is a model of a sensor output waveform when all four ink cartridges 1 to 4 are properly mounted.
(A) is when the home position is detected, and at (B), the CPU 101 reads the output of the detection sensor 6 to detect the mounting state of the ink cartridge 1. Similarly, by sequentially reading the sensor output according to the movement amount of the carriage 5, it is possible to detect the mounting state of the ink cartridge 2 in (c), the ink cartridge 3 in (d), and the ink cartridge 4 in (e).

FIG. 11B shows a sensor output waveform when only the ink cartridge 2 is not mounted. CP
U101 sequentially reads the sensor output as in the case of (a), but 0v is read only at the time of (c). As a result, the CPU 101 can detect that only the ink cartridge 2 is not mounted.

[0010]

In the prior art, the mounting state of the ink cartridge is detected by such a method. However, in the conventional method, on the fixed side (main body side),
In addition to the detection sensor 6 on the carriage 5 side, a home sensor 12 for knowing the position of the carriage 5 is required,
There was a problem that problems such as an increase in cost and a lack of mechanical mounting space occurred.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a print recording apparatus capable of simplifying the mounting state detection of the printing means on the carriage such as an ink cartridge and the position detection of the carriage.

[0012]

To this end, the present invention provides a plurality of printing means, a carriage that mounts and moves these printing means, and a first means for detecting the mounting state of these printing means. And a second blocking plate for detecting the position of the carriage, wherein the first blocking plate and the second blocking plate are provided on the same straight line on the carriage side,
The first blocking plate and the second blocking plate are detected by a common sensor on the main body side.

[0013]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION The invention according to claim 1 of the present invention is for detecting a plurality of printing means, a carriage which mounts and moves these printing means, and a mounting state of these printing means. A first blocking plate and a second blocking plate for detecting the position of the carriage, wherein the first blocking plate and the second blocking plate are provided on the same straight line on the carriage side. The first and second shut-off plates are detected by a common sensor on the main body side.
With a very simple structure, it is possible to detect the mounting state of the printing unit and the position of the carriage.

Next, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1A is a sectional view of a carriage of a print recording apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 1B is a front view of a carriage of the print recording apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. 2 is a block diagram of a drive system of a carriage of the print recording apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram of detection of an ink cartridge mounting state of the carriage of the print recording apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4 is a flowchart for detecting the mounting state of the ink cartridge of the carriage of the print recording apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 5A is a flowchart of the sensor portion of the carriage of the print recording apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 5B and FIG. 5C are circuit configuration diagrams showing an output diagram of the sensor portion of the carriage of the print recording apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention.

The basic configuration of this embodiment is almost the same as the above-mentioned conventional example, and in FIGS. 1 (a) and 1 (b),
The difference from the conventional one is that the second blocking plate 11 for home detection is also the first blocking plate 2 of the ink cartridges 1 to 4.
That is, it is provided on the same straight line N on the carriage 5 side so as to block the same detection sensor 6 as 0. As a result, the home detection sensor 12 that has been conventionally required is no longer necessary.

The block diagram of FIG. 2 is basically the same as that of the conventional system, but since the home sensor 12 is not provided, the home sensor circuit 109 shown in FIG. 7 of the conventional system and the port of the CPU 101 for reading it are provided. It's gone.

Next, referring to FIG. 3, the ink cartridge 1
The procedure for detecting the wearing states of Nos. 4 to 4 will be described. As shown in FIG. 1, each of the ink cartridges 1 to 4 has a first
In the state where the four ink cartridges 1 to 4 are mounted, the carriage 5 moves only in the left or right direction A or B in the figure. be able to. For convenience of explanation, it is assumed that the carriage counter 108 counts down when it moves in the A direction and counts up when it moves in the B direction.

The ink cartridges 1 to 4 are attached to the carriage 5.
When installed in each ink cartridge 1
The first blocking plate 20 extends from 4 to 4, and is in a state of protruding from the carriage 5. Similarly, the second blocking plate 11 for detecting the home position also projects from the carriage 5.

Now, the power of the printer main body is turned on, the printer performs an initial operation, and the carriage 5 is moved in the A direction. At this time, the carriage counter 108 counts down, but only when it is first detected by the sensor,
The CPU 101 temporarily resets the count value of the carriage counter 108 to 0c. As a result, the reference position of the carriage 5 is determined. After that, the carriage counter 108 is further counted down by continuing to move the carriage 5. When the count value of the carriage counter indicates -20c, the CPU 101 can read the state of the sensor, and by observing the state of the sensor at this time, the CPU 101 can determine whether or not the ink cartridge 1 is mounted.

Since the carriage counter continues to count down as the carriage 5 moves, the carriage counters in this example are -30c and -40c.
When -50c is reached, the CPU 101 can determine whether or not each of the ink cartridges 2, 3, and 4 is attached by reading the state of the sensor.

In this example, the value of the counter in the description is for convenience of description, and in practice, an appropriate arbitrary value can be set by each mechanical and electrical configuration. . FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing the above series of operations.

FIG. 5 shows the circuit configuration of the sensor portion and the sensor output in the above operation. The circuit configuration of the sensor is the same as the conventional method. FIG. 5B shows a model of the sensor output waveform when all four ink cartridges 1 to 4 are properly mounted. The difference from the conventional method is that the two waveforms of the conventional method appear in an overlapping form because the sensor is shared. (A) is when the sensor is first detected, and means that the home position is detected.
At the time of (b), the CPU 101 reads the output of the detection sensor 6 and detects the mounting state of the ink cartridge 1. Similarly, by sequentially reading the sensor output according to the movement amount of the carriage 5, it is possible to detect the mounting state of the ink cartridge 2 in (c), the ink cartridge 3 in (d), and the ink cartridge 4 in (e).

FIG. 5C shows the sensor output waveform when only the ink cartridge 2 is not mounted. CPU
Similarly to the case of (b), 101 sequentially reads the sensor output, but 0v is read only at the time of (c). As a result, the CPU 101 can detect that only the ink cartridge 2 is not mounted. If it is not known where the carriage 5 is when the power of the printer is turned on, it is possible to prevent a malfunction by performing a detection operation after the carriage 5 is sufficiently moved in the direction B in the figure during the initialization operation. it can.

[0024]

According to the present invention, the sensor on the main body side is the first
Since it can be commonly used for detecting the second blocking plate and the second blocking plate, the structure can be simplified, and a compact and inexpensive print recording apparatus can be realized.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1A is a sectional view of a carriage of a print recording apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1B is a front view of a carriage of a print recording apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a drive system of a carriage of the print recording apparatus according to the embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram for detecting a mounting state of an ink cartridge of a carriage of the print recording apparatus according to the embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart for detecting the mounting state of the ink cartridge of the carriage of the print recording apparatus according to the embodiment of the invention.

5A is a circuit configuration diagram of a sensor portion of a carriage of a print recording apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 5B is an output diagram of a sensor portion of a carriage of a print recording apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. c) Output diagram of the sensor portion of the carriage of the print recording apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6A is a sectional view of a carriage of a conventional print recording apparatus. FIG. 6B is a front view of a carriage of a conventional print recording apparatus.

FIG. 7 is a block diagram of a drive system of a carriage of a conventional print recording apparatus.

FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram of detection of a mounting state of an ink cartridge of a carriage of a conventional print recording apparatus.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart for detecting a mounting state of an ink cartridge of a carriage of a conventional print recording apparatus.

FIG. 10A is a circuit configuration diagram of a sensor portion of a carriage of a conventional print recording apparatus. FIG. 10B is a circuit configuration diagram of a sensor portion of a carriage of a conventional print recording apparatus.

FIG. 11A is an output diagram of a sensor section of a carriage of a conventional print recording apparatus. FIG. 11B is an output diagram of a sensor section of a carriage of a conventional print recording apparatus.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Ink cartridge 2 Ink cartridge 3 Ink cartridge 4 Ink cartridge 5 Carriage (movable part) 6 Sensor 7 Control board 8 Linear encoder sensor 9 Encoder sheet 10 Carriage shaft 11 Second blocking plate 20 First blocking plate 101 CPU 102 ROM 103 RAM 104 Carriage drive logic 105 Carriage drive circuit 106 Carriage motor 107 Linear encoder sensor circuit 108 Carriage counter

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A plurality of printing means, a carriage which mounts and moves these printing means, a first blocking plate for detecting a mounting state of these printing means, and a position of the carriage. A second blocking plate for
And the second blocking plate are provided on the same straight line on the carriage side, and the first blocking plate and the second blocking plate are detected by a common sensor on the main body side. Characteristic printing and recording device.