JP2004358894A - Recorder - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To solve the problem that in the case where an apparatus with an imaging device is connected to a recorder, it is necessary to increase a capacity of a power source of the recorder in order to supply power to the apparatus. <P>SOLUTION: This recorder is to be connected to an apparatus with an imaging device or a host computer. When it is detected that the apparatus with the imaging device is connected to the printer, a timing of a driving means in the recording operation is switched corresponding to a power supplied to the apparatus with the imaging device. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

[0001]
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a recording device.
[0002]
[Prior art]
2. Description of the Related Art With the spread of personal computers, digital cameras, and the like, recording devices such as printers for recording digital images have been developed with higher definition. Among the recording apparatuses, an ink jet recording apparatus using an ink jet type recording head is rapidly spreading, and a device which realizes a high-definition image and is inexpensive is demanded.
[0003]
In a serial scan type ink jet recording apparatus, recording is performed while scanning a recording head in a direction (main scanning direction) orthogonal to a transport direction (sub scanning direction) of a recording medium such as recording paper, and recording for one scan is performed. At the end of the process, the recording medium is transported, and an image is formed by repeating the recording medium.
[0004]
FIG. 4 is a diagram showing the current consumption of the carriage motor and the transport motor for feeding and discharging the recording medium. As shown in FIG. 4, in order to reduce the recording time of one page, the transport motor is simultaneously driven when the carriage is accelerated or decelerated.
[0005]
FIG. 4A shows a change in the current consumption of the operation of the carriage motor when a printing operation is performed. In this figure, the current consumption reaches a peak after a lapse of a predetermined time from the start of driving of the carriage motor. (B) shows a change in current consumption in the operation of the transport motor. (C) shows a change in the current consumption value obtained by adding the two.
[0006]
In recent years, there has been an increasing demand for users who want to print directly from a digital camera to a recording device without using a host computer. The printing function has also become a necessary function for the recording apparatus.
[0007]
2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a recording apparatus that supports a direct printing function uses a USB as an interface. One of the features of the USB is that power can be supplied from a host to peripheral devices via a USB cable. The supply current is up to 500 mA per peripheral device. Conventionally, a recording device has a USB host function and is connected to a digital camera as a function. However, the number of connectable digital cameras has been limited. The connectable digital camera is a so-called self-powered device that can operate without being supplied with power from the host. That is, it is sufficient for the recording apparatus to have a capability of supplying a current of 100 mA or less to Vbus, which is a USB power line. When a connected USB device is pulled by 100 mA or more from Vbus, it is detected that 100 mA or more is pulled, and Vbus is forcibly disconnected. Since the current supplied by Vbus is small, the load on the power supply of the recording apparatus is also light, and it is necessary to change the print mode or the like depending on the load of the power supply when the digital camera is connected to the USB host or not. Did not.
[0008]
[Patent Document 1]
JP-A-9-95023
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
In recent years, with diversification of USB devices to be connected, it is necessary to enable connection of bus-powered devices that operate by receiving power supply from a USB host. Therefore, the power supply capacity that must be supplied from the Vbus of the USB interface is increasing. Specifically, it must be possible to supply a maximum of 500 mA. In order to solve this problem, it is sufficient to increase the power supply capability (power supply capability) of the recording apparatus, but the power supply cost increases. Another issue is whether it is possible to supply 500 mA of power to Vbus while simultaneously driving the carriage motor and the transport motor in the printing apparatus.
[0010]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
In order to solve the above problems and achieve the object, a recording apparatus according to the present invention receives recording data from an apparatus or a host computer having an image pickup element that operates by receiving power supply through an interface, and What is claimed is: 1. A recording apparatus for performing a recording operation on a recording medium using a recording head, comprising: a power supply unit configured to supply predetermined power to a device including the image pickup device; and an apparatus including the image pickup device. Detecting means for detecting the connection, a scanning means for scanning the recording head, a conveying means for conveying the recording medium, and the scanning means and the conveying means when the detecting means detects the connection. Are prohibited from being driven simultaneously.
[0011]
BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
【Example】
<First embodiment>
Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration example of the recording apparatus of the present invention. In the figure, reference numeral 100 denotes a control board on which electric components for controlling the printing apparatus are mounted.
[0012]
Reference numeral 101 denotes a system LSI, an interface control circuit 103 for transmitting and receiving data to and from a host computer 118 and a digital camera 119 via a CPU_CORE 102 and an interface 110, and reading / writing of data from / to a reception buffer and a print buffer in a RAM 109. A data control circuit 104 for performing control; a print data generating circuit 105 for generating print data (print data); and a head for transferring the generated print data to the print head 115 and controlling the ejection of ink from the print head. A control circuit 106, a carriage motor for scanning a carriage on which the recording head 115 is mounted, a transport motor for transporting a recording medium (for example, recording paper), a supply / discharge motor for supplying / discharging paper, cleaning of the recording head, etc. And a drive control circuit 107 for controlling the driving of a motor such as a maintenance motor. Reference numeral 108 denotes a ROM in which a program for controlling the printer is stored.
[0013]
The printing operation of the recording device will be described. When image data and the like are received from the host computer 118 via the interface (interface) 110, the received data is temporarily stored in the reception buffer allocated to the RAM 109 by the data control circuit 104 from the interface control circuit 103 in the SYSTEM LSI 101. . The received data stored in the receiving buffer is subjected to command analysis, and image data (recording data) is subjected to print data processing by the print data generation circuit 105 and then stored in a print buffer allocated to the RAM 109. When a required amount of data is stored (stored) in the print buffer, the print data is read from the print buffer by the head control circuit 106 at a predetermined timing and transferred to the recording head 115.
[0014]
Further, during the scanning of the recording head, a driving pulse is applied to the recording head 115 by the head control circuit 106, whereby an actual printing operation is performed, and an image is formed. The scanning of the recording head 115 and the conveyance of the recording medium are performed by driving the carriage motor, the conveyance motor, and the paper supply / discharge motor via the motor driver 113 by the drive control circuit 107.
[0015]
In data reception from the digital camera 119 as well, after performing image processing such as binarization, print data is generated and the same processing is performed to perform a printing operation (recording operation).
[0016]
The power supply means will be described with reference to FIG. Reference numeral 201 denotes a power supply of the recording apparatus. In this embodiment, there are two power outputs, VM, which is a power source for driving the motor, and VH, which is used for ink ejection of the recording head. In the logic power supply creating means 202, a logic power supply is created from a VM power supply by a step-down DC / DC converter. In this embodiment, 1.5 V (volt), which is a power supply for the internal logic of the SYSTEM LSI, and 3.3 V (volt) and 5 V (volt) which are mainly used for I / O of ROM, RAM, and SYSTEM LSI. We have created three power supplies. In this embodiment, the connection with the digital camera is established by a USB interface. The signal line is composed of D + of the data line, Vbus of the D-power supply, and GND.
[0017]
In this embodiment, the means for detecting the connection of the device having the image pickup device conforms to the USB standard. Specifically, a USB device has a pull-up resistor on one of the data lines, and when the device is connected to a hub or host port, one of the data lines remains above the high threshold for more than 2.5 us. It can be detected by being pulled up. No USB device requires more than 100 mA of power when first installed. The host normally requests configuration information from the USB device, checks the function of the device, and configures the device. At this time, when the host detects the attachment of the USB device using the bus power supply, it estimates the power consumption of the device and performs the configuration.
[0018]
In the present embodiment, when a device including the image pickup device capable of receiving and operating power supply via an interface is connected, the connection is detected by the interface control circuit 103 of the recording device, It is intended to perform printing (recording) so as to suppress the power load of the recording device.
[0019]
FIG. 3 is a view for explaining the relationship of the time change (horizontal axis) of the current consumption value (vertical axis) in the recording operation. In FIG. 3, after the carriage motor is driven and the carriage is scanned, the recording paper is conveyed by driving the conveyance motor (the conveyance amount corresponds to the number of recording nozzles used for printing), and then the carriage motor is again driven. Indicates that the carriage is scanning by driving. This operation is repeated to form an image on the recording paper.
[0020]
(A) shows a change in current consumption of the carriage motor when a printing operation is performed. In this figure, the current consumption reaches a peak after a lapse of a predetermined time from the start of driving of the carriage motor. (B) shows a change in current consumption of the transport motor. (C) shows a change in the current consumption value obtained by adding the two. From FIGS. 3A and 3B, the transport motor is stopped (not driven) during the period when the carriage motor is operating to scan the carriage. The peak of the power consumption can be made lower than the conventional peak of the current consumption value shown in FIG. That is, power consumption of the recording apparatus can be suppressed.
[0021]
The power consumption of the recording apparatus includes the power consumption for driving the recording head and the power consumption for supplying power as a USB host, in addition to the power consumption shown in (C).
[0022]
When a digital camera or the like is connected to the recording apparatus, by performing control to switch the drive timing so that the carriage motor and the transport motor are not driven at the same time, the drive timing of the motor can be dispersed.
[0023]
FIG. 5 shows a flowchart of this embodiment. This control is performed, for example, in print job units (one page unit or a plurality of page units), and is performed before recording of the job is started. The recording device operates as a USB host. The recording device detects that a USB function such as a digital camera is connected according to the USB standard (501). Further, the USB host of the recording apparatus requests configuration information from the connected function, and checks the function of the device. As one of them, it is confirmed whether or not the function USB device is a bus-powered device that operates by receiving power supply from Vbus (502).
[0024]
When the function USB device is a bus-powered device, the operation mode is set to an operation mode in which the carriage motor and the transport motor are not simultaneously driven (503). Therefore, the drive start timing of the carriage motor or the transport motor (or both motors) is changed. If the USB device of the function is not a bus-powered device, the printing (recording) mode is not changed and the normal printing mode is set (504). That is, printing is performed by simultaneously driving the carriage motor and the transport motor.
[0025]
In this embodiment, the connection with the digital camera is established by a USB interface. The signal line is composed of D + of the data line, Vbus of the D-power supply, and GND.
[0026]
In this embodiment, the means for detecting that the digital camera is connected is in accordance with the USB standard. Specifically, a USB device has a pull-up resistor on one of the data lines, and when the device is connected to a hub or host port, one of the data lines remains above the high threshold for more than 2.5 us. It can be detected by being pulled up.
[0027]
<Second embodiment>
In the first embodiment, in (503) of FIG. 5, the operation mode in which the carriage motor and the transport motor are not driven at the same time is set, but the time for simultaneously driving the carriage motor and the transport motor is shortened (for example, to 1/4). ) Control may be used. That is, during a period when the power consumption of the carriage motor is relatively low (for example, during a predetermined period from the start of driving), the drive timing is changed so as to drive the transport motor.
[0028]
For example, after the transport motor starts to be driven, control is performed to delay the timing at which the carriage motor starts to be driven (that is, the drive start time of the carriage motor after the start of the transport motor drive is increased). This can be applied, for example, when the acceleration driving time of the carriage motor is long (when it takes time to increase the power consumption of the carriage motor). Thus, it is possible to prevent the throughput from being greatly reduced as compared with the case where the simultaneous driving of the carriage motor and the transport motor is prohibited.
[0029]
The other description is the same as that of the first embodiment, and therefore, the description is omitted.
[0030]
<Other Examples>
Although the first and second embodiments have been described above, the control shown in FIG. 5 is performed, for example, in print job units (one page unit or a plurality of page units), but is not limited to this. Instead, it may be performed at the start of the recording operation (each page).
[0031]
Accordingly, the recording apparatus can perform the recording operation while balancing the power consumption and the recording speed according to the connection / disconnection state of the USB function of the digital camera or the like.
[0032]
Furthermore, in order to further ensure the operation of the printing apparatus, the connection detection processing may be performed in units of one main scanning printing operation. That is, even when a USB function such as a digital camera is connected while recording data with a large power load is being recorded, power consumption can be reduced immediately.
[0033]
Further, the drive timing of the motor is not limited to the relationship between the transport motor and the carriage motor, but may be applied to the drive of another paper supply / discharge motor or maintenance motor.
[0034]
When the host computer and the printer are connected by a USB cable and the printer receives data from the host computer and starts a recording operation, it is determined whether or not a device (such as a digital camera) is connected. May not be performed. That is, during the period from the start of the printing operation of the printer to the completion of the printing operation, a process of prohibiting the detection of the connection of the device may be performed. Alternatively, during the period from the start of the printing operation of the printer to the completion of the printing operation, the connection of the device may be detected, or control may be performed such that power is not supplied to the device until the printing operation is completed. I do not care.
[0035]
Although a digital camera has been described as an example of a USB function conforming to the USB standard, the present invention is not limited to a digital camera, but is applicable to electronic devices (memory devices, communication devices) that satisfy the USB standard (conform to the USB standard). Alternatively, it may be applied. Further, the present invention may be applied to a case where a fan, a light emitting device (light), or the like is connected.
[0036]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, according to the present invention, the peak of the power supply load can be suppressed by changing the operation timing of the driving unit of the recording apparatus according to the connection / disconnection state of an electronic device such as a digital camera. In addition, a decrease in throughput can be suppressed. As a result, power can also be supplied to the connected electronic device, and the cost of the power supply can be reduced.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a schematic configuration example of a recording apparatus according to an embodiment.
FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram of a power supply unit according to the embodiment.
FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating current consumption of a carriage motor and a transport motor according to the embodiment.
FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating current consumption of a conventional carriage motor and a transport motor.
FIG. 5 is a flowchart of an embodiment.
100 Control board 101 SYSTEM LSI
102 CPU CORE
103 Interface control circuit 104 Data control circuit 105 Print data generation circuit 106 Head control circuit 107 Motor control circuit 108 ROM
109 RAM
110 Interface 113 Motor Driver 114 Motor 115 Recording Head 118 Host Computer 119 Digital Camera 201 Recording Device Power Supply 202 Logic Power Supply Creation Means 203 USB Connector

Claims (2)

A recording apparatus that receives recording data from an apparatus or a host computer including an image pickup device that operates and receives power supply via an interface, and performs a recording operation on a recording medium using a recording head,
Power supply means for supplying a predetermined power to an apparatus including the image pickup device,
Detecting means for detecting that a device having the image pickup device is connected,
Scanning means for scanning the recording head,
Conveying means for conveying the recording medium,
A recording apparatus, wherein when the detecting means detects the connection, the simultaneous driving of the scanning means and the conveying means is prohibited. 2. The recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the interface conforms to a USB standard.

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