JP2002292899A - Apparatus for recognizing mark - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an apparatus for recognizing a mark in which data obtained by reading out a trademark logotype can be recognized as the data unique to that trademark logotype through a simple arrangement. SOLUTION: In a printer 10, a print head 11, a carriage 12 and an ink cartridge 17 (17a, 17b) reciprocate integrally in the main scanning direction shown by an arrow A to print a character or an image on a sheet 15. A specific mark label 18, printed with a trademark logotype 'ABC' as a specific mark, is pasted to a position for sealing the ink filling opening of the ink cartridge 17. A photosensor 19 for reading out 1 dot line is arranged randomly at an arbitrary position on the frame of the printer 10. When the ink cartridge 17 passes directly under the photosensor 19 at the time of starting operation, the photosensor 19 reads out 1 dot line of the trademark logotype 'ABC' corresponding to its own position. Serial data thus read out is collated with data prestored in a memory, and printing is permitted if they match each other, otherwise printing is prohibited.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention prevents a function of a main unit from deteriorating by reading a mark of a consumable which is detachably attached to a main unit to prevent use of an improper consumable. The present invention relates to a mark recognition device that maintains an operation state.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, consumables which are detachably mounted on a main body device include, for example, an ink cartridge which is mounted on an ink jet printer and which is used, and ink which is contained in the ink cartridge. 2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, with the spread of personal computers, ink jet printers have been widely used as data recording apparatuses thereof, and ink cartridges containing ink used for the printers are widely available from ink jet printer manufacturers.

The above-mentioned printing (printing and recording) methods of the ink jet printer include a method using a piezo element and a method using a heating element in a print head. In each case, ink from an ink cartridge is supplied to the print head. Meanwhile, printing is performed on recording paper by discharging ink droplets from fine ink discharge ports of the print head. And
In general, the above-mentioned ink cartridges include a print head and a separate one from the print head.

FIG. 9 is an external perspective view schematically showing such an ink jet printer. The ink jet printer 1 shown in FIG. 1 is, for example, a thermal inkjet printer using a heating element as a printing element. In the ink jet printer 1, a print head 2 is held by a carriage 3 and faces a platen 4.
The carriage 3 is slidably held by a guide shaft 5 and is engaged with a toothed belt (not shown). The toothed belt is driven to rotate forward or backward by a motor (not shown) rotating in both forward and reverse directions. Thus, the print head 2 prints characters, images, and the like on the paper 6 while reciprocating along the platen 4 in the width direction (main scanning direction) indicated by the double-headed arrow A in the drawing of the paper 6.

The paper 6 is intermittently conveyed by a paper feed roller and a paper discharge roller (not shown) provided on the upstream side and the downstream side of the platen 4 in the paper feed direction, at every print timing of one print line. The printing by No. 2 proceeds line by line. A head standby place is located at the right end (the obliquely upper right direction in the figure) of the platen 4. At the head standby position, a capping member 7 for sealing the head ejection surface is provided. The capping member 7
When the inkjet printer 1 is on standby or when the power is off, the ink ejection surface of the print head 2 is sealed to prevent the ink from drying. In addition, there is a cleaning member (not shown) near the standby location, and the ink discharge surface of the print head 2 is cleaned by the cleaning member as needed or periodically.

Further, two ink cartridges 8 (a black ink cartridge 8a and a color ink cartridge 8b) are detachably mounted on the carriage 3. That is, FIG. 4 shows an example in which the ink cartridge 8 is of a separate type from the print head 2. The black ink cartridge 8a and the color ink cartridge 8b are detachably mounted on the carriage 3, and are fixed to the carriage 3 by a lock member (not shown) provided on the carriage 3. Although not particularly shown, one end of a flexible communication cable is connected to the carriage 3. The other end of the flexible communication cable is also connected to a control unit (not shown), and the control unit controls printing of the print head 2 via the flexible communication cable.

By the way, the ink cartridge 8 as described above is provided as a consumable item corresponding to the ink jet printer 1 from an apparatus maker. However, conventionally, ink used for the ink jet printer is genuine in order to ensure print quality. It is assumed that products are used,
If the ink cartridge runs out of ink and it becomes necessary to refill the printer with ink, the used manual attached to the printer body should be replaced with a new (genuine) used ink cartridge. It was instructed to replace the used ink cartridge and discard the used ink cartridge.

However, many users purchase an inexpensive commercially available non-genuine ink replenishment kit for a replacement genuine ink cartridge, and forcibly replenish the used cartridge by piercing a hole. I was going to use it. However, this method is forcibly replenished to a configuration that cannot be replenished, and because the ink is non-genuine, it does not fit functionally with the print head, and is also applicable to print control methods. As a result, the print quality is degraded such that a desired print color is not produced, and a serious failure of the ink jet printer main body such as clogging of an ink discharge nozzle is caused. Was something.

When such a defect occurs, it is extremely difficult to determine whether the defect is caused by consumables other than the genuine product or the printer device itself. Have If the cause of the failure cannot be clearly identified, the responsibility for the occurrence of the failure becomes ambiguous, and the generated failure cannot be used for improving or improving the device. If the device cannot be improved or improved in such a manner, similar problems may occur frequently in the future.

In such a case, as a result, the user often mistakenly recognizes that the problem is not caused by a consumable product other than a genuine product but is caused by the printer device main body. There is a problem that it leads to image down.

On the other hand, if the used ink cartridge is replaced with a new genuine ink cartridge and the used cartridge is disposable according to the usage manual, the recycling movement against environmental protection in recent years is reversed. In this case, social problems will be built in.

In order to prevent such a problem from occurring, only the genuine ink is used, and the ink is replenished on the premise that the genuine ink is refilled. 2. Description of the Related Art An ink jet printer has been proposed that minimizes the use of waste ink cartridges as waste and achieves both reliable printing operation and contribution to environmental protection.

FIG. 9A is a perspective view showing an ink cartridge indicating that genuine ink has been filled in order to prevent occurrence of such a problem and generation of waste, together with a print head and a carriage. FIG. 3B is an enlarged view showing a print mark ("ABC" in the example of FIG. 3B) of the label 9 attached to the ink cartridge.
As shown in FIGS. 7A and 7B, the upper surfaces 8a-1 and 8b-1 of the ink cartridges 8a and 8b are provided with a trademark of a maker of a genuine ink filled in the ink cartridges 8 (8a and 8b). A label 9 on which a certain “ABC” logo is printed is stuck. Since the “ABC” logo is a trademark that can be used only by the genuine ink manufacturer, it cannot be used by other similar manufacturers of the ink without permission.

Such a label is designed so that once it is peeled off, it cannot be used again. The user can use genuine ink in an ink cartridge attached to a printer at the time of shipment from the factory or a replacement ink cartridge for refilling ink. Used as a sealing label for filling and sealing the ink filling port. The genuine refill ink and the label 9 are sold as a set.

In this method, when the printer equipped with the ink cartridge to which the label 9 is attached starts printing, the above logo is always printed on a CCD (charge coupled device: a light-coupled device) provided in the printer body. The image data is read by an image pickup device such as a semiconductor light receiving element that converts the signal into a signal, and the read image data and an EEPROM are stored in advance.
The image recognition device performs a process of comparing the image data of the same logo stored in a memory such as a memory, and starts printing if they match, and issues an alarm if they do not match to disable the printing operation.

Thus, the ink cartridge filled with the genuine ink and the genuine replenishment ink are replenished,
Only ink cartridges with a label bearing the trademark "ABC" can be used, and of course ink cartridges other than genuine products can be used. The use of other consumables can be prevented.

[0017]

However, as described above, a logo such as a trademark of a label attached to an ink cartridge is read by a CCD and compared with a logo pattern stored in an EEPROM or the like in advance to obtain a proper logo. In order to recognize the image so that it can be determined whether the cartridge is a cartridge or not, a reader that reads the trademark logo with high accuracy is required, and a comparison for storing the image pattern of the trademark logo in advance is required. A memory device having a large target capacity is required, and an image recognition device for comparing a pattern obtained by reading with a stored pattern is required.

Such a device for recognizing the logo of an ink cartridge is quite expensive, and on the other hand, it is a device having functions which are not originally related to the printing function of the printer. There is a problem in that it imposes an unnecessary burden on persons.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned conventional circumstances,
An object of the present invention is to provide a mark recognition device having a simple configuration that can recognize that data obtained by reading a trademark logo is data unique to the trademark logo.

[0020]

The structure of a mark recognition device according to the present invention will be described below. First, a mark recognition device according to the first aspect of the present invention is a mark recognition device for recognizing a specific mark representing a trademark displayed on a consumable attached to a main body device, wherein the mark recognition device is located at a position facing the specific mark. A light-emitting element provided for irradiating the specific mark with light, a light-receiving element for receiving the light emitted by the light-emitting element via the specific mark, and storage means for storing an output of the light-receiving element When the width of the specific mark is W and the effective reading width of the light receiving element is w, the relation is such that w <W.

The mark recognition apparatus further includes a moving means for relatively moving the light emitting element, the light receiving element, and the consumable item. Further, the light receiving element may be, for example,
As described, it is configured to read the pattern data for one line of the specific mark.

The mark recognizing device may further comprise, for example, storage means for reading one line of pattern data from the specific mark and storing the read one line pattern data in advance, And determining means for determining whether the pattern data of one line read by the light receiving element matches the pattern data stored in the storage means. As described in 5, the main unit is permitted to operate when it is determined by the determination means that the pattern data stored in advance and the putter data read by the light receiving element match, while the mismatch is determined. And a control unit for prohibiting operation of the main unit when the main unit is operated.

The specific mark may be, for example,
As described, it is configured to be printed on a label attached to a predetermined position of the consumable. Next, a mark recognition device according to a sixth aspect of the present invention is a mark recognition device for recognizing a specific mark indicating a trademark displayed on a consumable to be mounted, provided at a position facing the specific mark. A light emitting element for irradiating the specific mark with light,
A light receiving element for receiving the light emitted from the light emitting element via the specific mark, a storage means for storing an output of the light receiving element, and a mode setting means for setting a mark recognition mode; When the initial mark recognition mode is set by the means, the storage means is configured to store the output of the light receiving element in a nonvolatile manner. For example, assuming that the width of the specific mark is W and the effective reading width of the light receiving element is w,
It is configured to have a relation of <W.

[0024]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the inkjet printer according to the first embodiment. In an ink jet printer 10 (hereinafter simply referred to as printer 10 or main unit 10) shown in FIG.
1, carriage 12, platen 13, guide shaft 1
4, paper 15, capping member 16, two ink cartridges 17 (black ink cartridge 17a and color ink cartridge 17b), and specific mark label 18 attached to ink cartridge 17 have the following structures and functions. The configuration of the print head 2, the carriage 3, the platen 4, the guide shaft 5, the paper 6, the capping member 7, the two ink cartridges 8, and the labels 9 attached to the ink cartridges 8 of the ink cartridge 1 shown in FIG. 9 And functions.

Also in this example, the specific mark label 18 is printed with the trademark logo "ABC". Also,
A flexible communication cable is connected between the carriage 12 and a control unit described later in detail, and the control unit controls printing of the print head 11 via the flexible communication cable.

In this embodiment, a photosensor 19 having a simple configuration as a mark recognition device is provided slightly above the head standby place where the above-mentioned capping member 7 is provided and near the center. As will be described in detail later, the photo sensor 19 does not read the entirety of the specific mark label 18, but
It is configured to read only the line.

FIG. 2 shows the trademark logo “AB” of the specific mark label 18 attached on the ink cartridge 17.
FIG. 2 is an enlarged view showing a positional relationship between “C” and a photosensor 19 provided on a frame of the printer 10. 1 is a view of the printer 10 of FIG. 1 as viewed from above as indicated by an arrow B in FIG. Further, the characters of the trademark logo “ABC” are shown in outline for convenience of explanation, and only one line portion corresponding to the reading of the photosensor 19 is partially blackened, but actually “ABC” is used. The character "" is entirely black.

As shown in FIG. 2, the photo sensor 19
A light-emitting element 19a that irradiates light to the trademark logo "ABC" as a specific mark, and a light-receiving element 19b that receives light emitted by the light-emitting element 19a via the trademark logo 18, that is, reflected light from the trademark logo 18 And is fixed to the main unit 10 via the support member 21. Note that in FIG.
Reference numeral 9 is attached to the opposite side of the support member 21. Therefore, the photo sensor 19 is indicated by a virtual line (broken line) in FIG.

In this embodiment, the photo sensor 19 is of a reflection type. However, for example, as described later, a transmission type photo sensor is used when reading a logo on a paper, especially when reading a logo on an OHP paper. May be used. Also in this case, the light emitted from the light emitting element is received by the light receiving element via the trademark logo, that is, transmitted light from the trademark logo.

In the above configuration, the ink cartridge 17 mounted on the carriage 12 shown in FIG.
When it is guided along and moves to the left as shown in the figure, it passes under the photo sensor 19 (on the other side of the support member 21 in FIG. 2). At this time, the photo sensor 19 reads a part of the trademark logo “ABC” of the specific mark label 18 attached to the upper surface of the ink cartridge 17 (part shown in black in FIG. 2).

As described above, in this embodiment, instead of using the CCD sensor to recognize the image pattern of the entire trademark logo, as shown in FIG. 2, the read line 22 of the photo sensor 19 for the trademark logo "ABC" Is read for a part corresponding to. Therefore, a simple photosensor can be used as the sensor used for this reading. Also, as compared to reading the image of the entire trademark logo, one line (1
Since reading is performed for (dot line) minutes, the amount of read data is extremely small, and the arrangement of data is linear and simple. Therefore, the recognition device is simple and sufficiently usable.

FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating the positional relationship between the above-mentioned trademark logo “ABC” and the photosensor 19 in more detail. In the figure, the width W of the trademark logo “ABC” is indicated by a broken line by 1.
It is shown by dividing it into 0, and each divided part is represented by “1” from the top.
The numbers “2”,..., “10” are given. The photosensor 19 can be arbitrarily arranged by being moved to the center position of any of the ten divided parts as shown by the upward arrow C or the downward arrow D in FIG.

In this example, the width W of the trademark logo "ABC" is divided into ten parts for easy understanding of the description. However, the width W is not limited to this and is actually n parts (n is an arbitrary integer). May be divided. In order to arbitrarily dispose the photo sensor 19 at the n divided positions of the trademark logo “ABC”, the support member 21 includes the trademark logo “AB” (not shown).
An elongated hole corresponding to the width W of “C” may be provided, and a fixing member of the photosensor 19 may be slidably fitted into the elongated hole, and the photosensor 19 may be fixed to the support member 21 at an arbitrary position. Although this positioning will be further described later, it is preferable to perform the positioning at the final stage of manufacturing in a factory, that is, at the time of assembling the printer 10. In the example shown in FIG.
It is fixed at the position of the division position “4” of ten divisions. The output of the reading result of the photo sensor 19 is input to the control device of the main device 10 via a connection wiring (not shown).

FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing a system configuration of the printer 10. As shown in FIG.
Is divided into a control unit 23 and a print execution unit 24 which are fixedly arranged. One control unit 23
MPU (micro processing unit) 25 and this MPU2
5, an I / F (interface) 27, a memory A28, and a head control unit 29 connected via a bus 26, and a memory B31 and a memory C32 connected to the head control unit 29 connected to the I / F27. The print execution unit 24 includes the print head 11, a driver 33 for driving the print head 11, and a motor (not shown) for reciprocating the print head 11. The memory A28 is composed of, for example, a nonvolatile EEPROM, a RAM backed up by a battery, and the like, and retains stored data even after the power is turned off.

The printer 10 receives an I / F from a host device such as a PC (personal computer) 34.
The print data and control data are input via 27. M
The PU 25 receives the above-described print data and control data while controlling the memory B31 via the / F27. Further, the MPU 25 includes a photo sensor 19 for monitoring each unit.
And the output 35 of a sensor (not shown)
From U25, a motor for driving a paper feed roller and a paper discharge roller for transporting the paper 15 and a toothed drive belt for reciprocating the carriage 12 in which the print head 11 and the ink cartridge 17 are integrally assembled are driven. A driving signal 36 for rotating the motor to be driven is output.

The MPU 25 expands the received print data into print data for each line in the memory C 32 via the head control unit 29, and transfers the expanded print data to the driver 33 via the flexible communication cable 37. I do. Further, as described later, the MPU 25 compares the output of the photo sensor 19 with the serial data (read reference data unique to each printer 10 described later) stored in advance in the memory A 28, thereby obtaining the correct trademark logo. Specific mark label 1 with “ABC” printed
8 is attached to the carriage 1
Only when it is determined whether or not it is mounted on the printer 2 and when it is determined that the trademark logo "ABC" is correct, the above-described units are drive-controlled with reference to the output 35 of another sensor to execute printing.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing the relationship between the mounting position of the photosensor 19 and the output when the trademark logo "ABC" is read. The figure shows the trademark logo "ABC" in the center.
Is shown above, the waveform of the read clock of the photo sensor 19 is shown from the period “1” to the period “21”, and the division position number obtained by dividing the trademark logo “ABC” into 10 is shown on the left from the position “1” to the position “1”. 10 ", to the left and right of these,
The photo sensor 19 (19 ', 19 ") is
(21 ', 21 ").

For convenience of explanation, it is assumed that the carriage 12 shown in FIG. 1 is at a standby position on the capping member 16, and the trademark logo "ABC" 18 shown in FIG. Is the trademark logo "ABC" of the specific mark label 18 affixed to the black ink cartridge 17a mounted on the left side of "." At this time, the photo sensor 19 is at the position of the photo sensor 19 'shown on the left side of FIG.

From this state, at the time of initial setting before shipment from the factory or at the time of test drive before starting printing when used by the user,
When the carriage 12 starts moving from the standby position to the left in FIG. 1, the photo sensor 19 'shown in the left in FIG.
Reads the position of the trademark logo "ABC" 18 at the position 4 at the read clock cycle shown at the top of FIG. 5 while relatively moving to the position of the photo sensor 19 "shown at the right of FIG.

Assuming that the photosensor 19 reads the portion at the position 4 at the rising edge of the waveform of the reading cycle, as shown in FIG.
The output of read data as pattern data for one line up to “1” is “010001001000100110001”.

If the photosensor 19 is located at the position 2 instead of the position 4, the output of the read data is "001010001000100010010".

If the photosensor 19 reads the position 4 at the falling edge of the waveform of the reading cycle, the clock cycles "12", "15", "1" in FIG.
The signals of “7”, “20” and “21” are reversed from the case of reading at the rising edge, and the output of the read data changes as “010001001001101100010” even at the same position 4. Also, the reading may be performed during the "H" level of the clock instead of the rising or falling. Note that the higher the clock speed, the finer the waveform shown in the upper part of FIG. 5, so that the reading resolution increases and the number of digits of the read data increases. Therefore, the trademark logo "AB
C "is less likely to be forged.

In this configuration, at the time of assembling the printer 10 at the factory, the above-described initial reading of the trademark logo "ABC" is performed. The mounting position of the photo sensor 19 on the support member 21 is in relation to the trademark logo "ABC".
As shown relatively in FIG. 2 or FIG.
Any position within the range of position 10 may be used. And
It is preferable that the printers be mounted at positions that are as discrete as possible among a plurality of printers, that is, at positions that are not identical in each printer.

The read data read from the trademark logo “ABC” by the photo sensor 19 attached to the main body device 10 in this manner is stored in the storage device of the main body device 10, that is, the memory A28, and the stored read data is read. The data is data unique to the printer 10.

As described above, since the data arrangement of the read data changes depending on the mounting position of the photosensor 19, the difference in the mounting position of the photosensor 19,
That is, depending on the division position of the trademark logo “ABC” read by the photo sensor 19, each printer 10
Can be initialized in the memory A28.

When the user uses the printer after shipping from the factory, the newly installed ink cartridge 1
By reading the trademark logo "ABC" of No. 7 and comparing it with the data initially set in the memory A28, it can be easily recognized that the data is unique to the trademark logo "ABC". As described above, a part of a trademark can be read by a simple reading sensor having only one dot line to recognize that the trademark is a legitimate trademark.

The trademark logo "ABC" is a trademark as a whole and cannot be counterfeited. However, anyone can freely create an image display of only one line read in 10 divisions. For example, if an image print such that the read data is the same as the read data for one line at position 4 is pasted at the position of position 4, this can be read and recognized as correct, and the printer can be used.

However, depending on the printer, the arrangement positions of the photosensors are randomly varied among the ten locations.
Since it is not known from the outside which position is being read, the side using the irregular consumables attaches an appropriate black image mark to an appropriate position on the top of the ink cartridge and inserts the mark into the memory. It can be said that it is almost impossible to read the data so as to match the reference data initially set in A28 because it can occur only by a very small chance.

FIG. 6 shows that the initial data of the trademark logo "ABC" is read by the MPU 25 of the control unit 23 when the printer 10 having the above configuration is assembled at the factory, and the read data is initialized in the memory A28 as reference data. It is a flowchart of the processing operation performed. In this process, a temporary register (not shown) is used as a temporary storage device.

First, at the factory, the assembly worker sets an initial setting mode of the trademark logo "ABC" (step S).
1) This setting process is basically set only once at the time of production. Therefore, the setting process is performed by using a jig or a tool or by operating a key on a printer operation panel in a special combination. Either way, it is done in a way that the user cannot.

Subsequently, the data in the storage device is cleared (step S2). This process is a process of erasing data stored in or temporarily stored in a temporary register that temporarily processes data or a memory A28 that stores final data. If data has been written, accurate data may not be able to be written later, so the current data is erased first.

Next, the reading scan by the photo sensor 19 is started (step S3). In this process, the carriage 12 shown in FIG. 1 moves leftward from the rightmost end position in FIG. 1 so that the photosensor 19 relatively moves from the position of the left photosensor 19 ′ in FIG. This is a process of starting reading of the trademark logo "ABC" while moving to the position of the photo sensor 19 ". In this reading, as described above, only one line is read in the printing main scanning direction.

Then, it is determined whether or not the data of the portion read in the first clock cycle is a black dot (step S4). In this process, the character portion of the trademark logo "ABC" (in FIG. 2, FIG. 3, and FIG. 5, the character portion is shown in white, but the actual character "ABC" is a solid black character as shown in FIG. 1). Is a "black dot" when scanning is performed, and a "white dot" when scanning the background portion.

In this determination, if the scanned portion is a "black dot" (S4 is Y), "1" is added to the end of the data (step S5), and if it is a "white dot" (S4 is N). ), “0” is added to the end of the data (step S)
6) These processes are processes for adding the read data to the end of the data stored (stored) in the temporary register.

As a result, the read one-dot data of black ("1") or white ("0") is always shifted to the end of the data of the temporary register, that is, the preceding data is shifted in the upper digit direction. Stored in the first digit. Further, in the first processing cycle of the clock cycle “1”, no data has yet been stored in the temporary register.
That is, the preceding data is not stored. In this case, the 1-dot data to be stored is stored in the first digit as the last position, and the next digit is sequentially shifted to the upper digit, and the read data is added to the first digit.

For example, assuming that the photo sensor 19 corresponds to the division position 4 of the trademark logo “ABC” as shown in FIG. 5, a white background is scanned in the first processing cycle of the clock cycle “1”. Therefore, the read data is a "white dot", and data "0" is stored in the first digit of the temporary register.

Subsequent to the above processing, it is determined whether or not reading has been completed (step S7). If reading has not been completed (N in S7), the process returns to step S4 to repeat steps S4 to S7. Thereby, reading for each dot is repeated from the clock cycle “1” to “21”.

As a result, in the example of the position 4 in FIG. 5, the leading data is shifted to the left, such as "0" at the beginning, "1" at the next, and three "0s" successively. The read data is shifted to the upper digit direction and the read data is sequentially added to the first digit. This is repeated until the clock cycle "21", and as described above, "0100010010"
The data “00100110001” is formed in the temporary register.

If it is determined in step S7 that the reading is completed (S7: Y), the data is written (step S8), and the process is terminated. This data writing process is a process of storing the last read data stored in the temporary register in the memory A28 as reference data.

Thus, the reference data is stored in the memory A2.
The printer 10 set to 8 and shipped to the market is purchased and used by the user. FIG. 7 is a flowchart of a process performed when the printer 10 is used to check whether a regular sealing label (specific mark label 18) is attached to the ink cartridge 17 mounted on the carriage 12. .

In the figure, first, when the power is turned on by the user (step S11), the reading scan by the photo sensor 19 is started (step S12). The processing here is performed in step S described in FIG.
3 and steps S4 to S7, and
Is the same as the processing until the determination becomes Y.

Subsequently, it is determined whether the logo is a legitimate logo (step S13). This process is a process for determining whether or not the final read data stored in the temporary register by the above readout matches the reference data registered (stored) in the memory A28.

When they match (Y in S13),
The printer 10 is set in a printable state, and enters a print data reception standby state (step S14). On the other hand, if they do not match in step S13 (S13 is N), a logo different from the trademark logo "ABC" has been detected. In this case, the installed ink cartridge is filled with regular ink. It is determined that there is no printer 10 and processing for disabling the printer 10 is performed (step S1).
5). When this process is performed, printing cannot be performed unless the power is once turned off and replaced with a proper ink cartridge.

As described above, using a sensor having a simple configuration such as the photo sensor 19, it is correctly determined whether or not the logo is the genuine trademark logo “ABC”. The use of the product is prohibited (prevented), and only the genuine consumables provided by the genuine product maker and the genuine ink replenishment kit provided by the genuine product maker can be used to guarantee the correct operation of the main unit 10. it can.

When refilling the ink of the genuine ink replenishment kit, the specific mark label 18 that is currently stuck is peeled off, and the ink is replenished from the ink replenishment hole provided thereunder. What is necessary is just to affix the specific mark label 18 included in the kit at the same position as that before the replenishment.

By the way, the consumables are attached to the main unit 10 as in the ink cartridge 17 described above, and
In addition to those used as a part of zero, there are also consumables such as paper 15 that are simply inserted through the main body device 10 and pass through. In some inkjet printers, when printing full-color image data such as a photograph, there is a printer that is designated to use a special paper for exclusive use in order to improve the quality of a printed image.

In a printer that uses a roll paper or a cut sheet of a special size with a small printer, even if it is not a photo print, in order to guarantee the normal operation of the main unit,
Printer manufacturers offer genuine paper for their printers. However, even with such paper, there is a possibility that a similar product made of an inappropriate material whose only material is inexpensive is provided from a non-authorized maker and put on the market. If this happens, such similar paper can be correctly fed because the paper shape and the genuine paper shape can be matched, but the paper material and the state of the ink affinity on the surface are different. In addition to problems such as not being able to be performed, paper dust being generated, and a desired printing color being not being produced, this also causes a failure of the printer body.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view showing a configuration of a printer and consumables according to the second embodiment for preventing such a problem from occurring. In the figure, the same components as those of the printer 10 shown in FIG. 1 are not numbered except for the components necessary for the description.

As shown in FIG.
At a predetermined position on the surface 38-2 opposite to the printing surface 38-1, the trademark logo "AB
C "39 is described in advance. A photo sensor 19 having the same function as that of FIG. 1 is provided on the upstream side of the sheet transport path of the platen 13 of the main unit 10 '. The paper 38 fed to the main unit 10 ′ by the photo sensor 19
The trademark logo "ABC" 39 on the back side of "1" is partially read by only one dot line. Also in this case, it is determined whether the paper is a genuine paper by comparing it with data preset in the memory A38 in advance, and if it is determined that an invalid paper is used, the printing operation is stopped.

In this way, even if the user inadvertently tries to use improper paper, the user is warned, and an unnecessary image must be printed and discarded. Can be prevented. In the first embodiment, the entire trademark logo affixed on the ink cartridge is partially read by one photosensor to recognize the pattern. May be respectively attached to two types of ink cartridges and read by two photosensors arranged at different reading positions.

The number of photo sensors is not limited to one or two, and scanning may be performed using n-1 or less photo sensors with respect to the division number n of the reading position of the product logo. . The greater the number of photosensors, the more the chance that the read data matches the reference data with an illegal mark other than the same trademark is greatly reduced.

[0072]

As described above in detail, according to the present invention, a specific mark representing a trademark displayed on a consumable used in the main body is read by one dot line at an arbitrary position and the mark is read. Since it recognizes that the read data is data specific to the specific mark, the conventional CCD
An expensive recognition system such as a sensor or a pattern recognition device is not required, and a specific mark can be identified simply by processing with a conventional control device using a simple and inexpensive photo sensor. With a configuration that hardly burdens the user, it is possible to prevent the use of similar products other than the consumables provided by the genuine product maker and to guarantee the correct operation of the main unit.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an ink jet printer according to an embodiment.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged view showing a positional relationship between a trademark logo written on an ink cartridge and a photosensor provided on a printer main body.

FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating the positional relationship between a trademark logo and a photosensor in more detail.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating a system configuration of the inkjet printer.

FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating a relationship between a mounting position of a photosensor and an output when a trademark logo is read.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart of a processing operation of reading initial data of a trademark logo at the time of assembling in a factory and initial setting in a memory as reference data.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart of a process performed when using a printer to check whether a proper ink cartridge is mounted.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view illustrating a configuration of a printer and consumables according to a second embodiment for preventing occurrence of a problem due to irregular paper.

FIG. 9 is an external perspective view schematically showing a conventional inkjet printer.

10A is a perspective view showing a genuine ink cartridge for preventing occurrence of a conventional problem together with a print head and a carriage, and FIG. 10B is an enlarged view showing a specific mark displayed on the ink cartridge. It is.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Ink jet printer 2 Print head 3 Carrier 4 Platen 5 Guide shaft 6 Paper 7 Capping member 8 Ink cartridge 8a Black ink cartridge 8b Color ink cartridge 9 Label 10 Inkjet printer 11 Print head 12 Carrier 13 Platen 14 Guide shaft 15 Paper Reference Signs List 16 Capping member 17 Ink cartridge 17a Black ink cartridge 17b Color ink cartridge 18 Specific mark label 19 Photosensor 19a Light emitting element 19b Light receiving element 21 Support member 23 Control unit 24 Print execution unit 25 MPU (micro processing unit) 26 Bus 27 I / F (interface) 28 memory A 29 head controller 31 memory B 32 memory C 33 driver 34 P (Personal computer) 35 sensor output 36 drive signal 37 flexible communication cable 38 Paper

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page F term (reference) 2C056 EA14 EA19 EA26 EB20 EB45 EC26 EC67 KC01 KC06 2C061 AQ05 BB15 HH03 HJ01 HK11 HN02 HN08 HN22 HV01 HV44 2C064 CC04 CC14

Claims (8)

[Claims] 1. A mark recognizing device for recognizing a specific mark representing a trademark displayed on a consumable attached to a main body device, wherein the mark recognizing device is provided at a position facing the specific mark and emits light to the specific mark. A light-emitting element for irradiating, a light-receiving element for receiving the light irradiated by the light-emitting element via the specific mark, and storage means for storing an output of the light-receiving element; Wherein the effective reading width of the light receiving element is w, and w <W. 2. The mark recognition device according to claim 1, further comprising a moving unit that relatively moves the light emitting element and the light receiving element and the consumable. 3. The mark recognition device according to claim 1, wherein the light receiving element reads pattern data for one line of the specific mark. 4. A storage means for reading one line of pattern data from the specific mark and pre-storing the read one line pattern data, and storing one line of the pattern data read by the light receiving element. 4. The mark recognition device according to claim 3, further comprising: a determination unit configured to determine whether the pattern data matches the pattern data stored in the storage unit. 5. When the determining means determines that the pattern data stored in advance and the putter data read by the light receiving element match, the operation of the main unit is permitted, and on the other hand, the mismatch is determined. 5. The mark recognition device according to claim 4, further comprising control means for prohibiting the operation of the main unit. 6. A mark recognizing device for recognizing a specific mark representing a trademark displayed on a consumable to be mounted, wherein the light emitting device is provided at a position facing the specific mark and emits light to the specific mark. An element; a light-receiving element that receives the light emitted from the light-emitting element via the specific mark; storage means for storing an output of the light-receiving element; and mode setting means for setting a mark recognition mode. The mark recognition device, wherein when the initial mark recognition mode is set by the mode setting means, the storage means stores the output of the light receiving element in a nonvolatile manner. 7. The mark recognition according to claim 1, wherein the specific mark is printed on a label attached to a predetermined position of the consumable. apparatus. 8. The mark recognition device according to claim 6, wherein, when the width of the specific mark is W and the effective reading width w of the light receiving element is w, the relation w <W is satisfied.