JP2005219288A - Printing device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To eliminate a transmission line for feeding the driving force of a head to a carriage side. <P>SOLUTION: This printing device is equipped with the carriage to move the head which discharges an ink. The head is driven while the carriage is moving, and an image is printed on a medium. Then, the carriage is equipped with a driving force generating section which generates a driving force for driving the head, and the driving force generating section generates the driving force with a liquid as a fuel. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a printing apparatus that ejects ink to print an image on a medium (paper, cloth, OHP sheet, etc.).

2. Related Art Inkjet printers that include a carriage that moves a head that ejects ink are known. In such a printer, in order to transmit a print signal to the carriage side, the printer body and the carriage are connected by a flexible flat cable having good flexibility.
However, when the printer body and the carriage are connected with a cable, the cable must follow the reciprocating movement of the carriage. Therefore, fewer transmission lines in the cable are desirable. In addition, a transmission method that is resistant to electronic noise without causing unnecessary radiation is desirable.

Therefore, it is known to optically transmit a print signal in order to transmit a control signal without contact.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 7-214869

A head for ejecting ink is provided on the carriage side. In order to drive this head, a driving force is required. However, the driving force for driving the head cannot be optically transmitted as in the above prior art. For this reason, a transmission line for supplying the driving force of the head is necessary. However, in order to drive the head, a large amount of power (a large current) is required, and a large number of cores are provided in the cable in order to flow a large current. I needed a number. As a result, the transmission line for supplying the driving force of the head to the carriage side is wide and becomes an obstacle to the mechanism and increases the load of the motor for moving the carriage.
Further, a large current for driving the head and a large voltage change may cause noise to the logic signal lines parallel in the cable and cause malfunction.

  An object of the present invention is to eliminate the need for a transmission line for supplying the driving force of the head to the carriage side.

  A main invention for achieving the above object is a printing apparatus that includes a carriage that moves a head that ejects ink, drives the head while the carriage is moving, and prints an image on a medium. And a driving force generator that generates a driving force for driving the head, wherein the driving force generator generates the driving force using liquid as fuel.

  Other features of the present invention will become apparent from the description of the present specification and the accompanying drawings.

According to the present invention, since the driving force can be generated on the carriage side, a transmission line for supplying the driving force of the head to the carriage side can be eliminated.

=== Summary of disclosure ===
At least the following matters will become clear from the description of the present specification and the accompanying drawings.

A carriage that moves a head that ejects ink;
A printing apparatus that drives the head during movement of the carriage and prints an image on a medium,
The carriage includes a driving force generation unit that generates a driving force for driving the head,
The printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the driving force generation unit generates the driving force using liquid as fuel.
According to such a printing apparatus, a transmission line for supplying the driving force of the head to the carriage side can be eliminated. In addition, since the fuel of the driving force generation unit can be handled in the same manner as ink, the configuration of the printing apparatus can be simplified.

  In this printing apparatus, it is preferable that the driving force generation unit generates water when generating the driving force, and the printing apparatus further includes a recovery mechanism for recovering the water. As a result, the water can be collected without the ink bleeding due to the generated water.

  In this printing apparatus, it is preferable that the recovery mechanism recovers the ink ejected from the head. Thereby, the apparatus can be reduced in size.

  In such a printing apparatus, when ink is ejected from the head, it is preferable that the portion that ejects water is located closer to the recovery mechanism than the portion that ejects ink. Accordingly, it is possible to apply water to the recovery mechanism before the ink is discharged to the recovery mechanism.

  In this printing apparatus, it is preferable that the water is discharged to the recovery mechanism when the carriage moves to a position where the head faces the recovery mechanism. Thereby, water can be apply | coated to the whole surface of a collection | recovery mechanism.

  In this printing apparatus, it is preferable that the recovery mechanism recovers the water in a cartridge that is detachable from the carriage. As a result, the configuration of the printing apparatus main body can be simplified.

  In such a printing apparatus, it is preferable that a cartridge for storing the liquid serving as the fuel and a cartridge for storing the water are provided integrally. Thereby, replenishment of fuel and collection | recovery of water can be performed simultaneously.

  In this printing apparatus, it is preferable that the recovery mechanism is a tube that discharges the water to the outside of the carriage. Even with such a configuration, the water generated from the driving force generator can be recovered.

  In this printing apparatus, it is preferable that the liquid serving as the fuel and the ink ejected from the head are supplied to the carriage via a tube. Thereby, since the fuel can be handled in the same manner as the ink, the configuration of the printing apparatus can be simplified.

  In this printing apparatus, it is preferable that a tube for discharging to the outside of the carriage, a tube for supplying a liquid as the fuel, and a tube for supplying the ink are integrally provided. Thus, the tube does not interfere with the carriage movement.

  In this printing apparatus, the ink ejected from the head is contained in an ink cartridge, the liquid serving as the fuel is contained in a fuel cartridge, and the ink cartridge and the fuel cartridge are arranged in the carriage. Desirable to be removable. Thereby, since the fuel can be handled in the same manner as the ink, the configuration of the printing apparatus can be simplified.

  In this printing apparatus, it is preferable that the driving force generation unit is a fuel cell. As a result, it is possible to provide a clean driving force generator with high power generation efficiency.

  The head ejects the ink based on the generated driving waveform, and the printing apparatus preferably generates the driving waveform using the driving force. Thereby, the transmission line which transmits a drive waveform can be made unnecessary.

  The head ejects the ink in accordance with a print signal, and the print signal is preferably transmitted from the printing apparatus main body to the carriage wirelessly. This eliminates the need for a cable for connecting the printing apparatus main body and the carriage.

=== Configuration of Printing System ===
Next, an embodiment of a printing system (computer system) will be described with reference to the drawings. However, the description of the following embodiments includes embodiments relating to a computer program and a recording medium on which the computer program is recorded.

  FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram showing an external configuration of a printing system. The printing system 100 includes a printer 1, a computer 110, a display device 120, an input device 130, and a recording / reproducing device 140. The printer 1 is a printing apparatus that prints an image on a medium such as paper, cloth, or film. The computer 110 is electrically connected to the printer 1 and outputs print data corresponding to the image to be printed to the printer 1 in order to cause the printer 1 to print an image. The display device 120 has a display and displays a user interface such as an application program or a printer driver. The input device 130 is, for example, a keyboard 130A or a mouse 130B, and is used for operating an application program, setting a printer driver, or the like along a user interface displayed on the display device 120. As the recording / reproducing device 140, for example, a flexible disk drive device 140A or a CD-ROM drive device 140B is used.

  A printer driver is installed in the computer 110. The printer driver is a program for realizing the function of displaying the user interface on the display device 120 and the function of converting the image data output from the application program into print data. This printer driver is recorded on a recording medium (computer-readable recording medium) such as a flexible disk FD or a CD-ROM. Alternatively, the printer driver can be downloaded to the computer 110 via the Internet. In addition, this program is comprised from the code | cord | chord for implement | achieving various functions.

  The “printing apparatus” means the printer 1 in a narrow sense, but means a system of the printer 1 and the computer 110 in a broad sense.

=== Configuration of Printer ===
<Inkjet printer configuration>
FIG. 2 is a block diagram of the overall configuration of the printer of this embodiment. FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of the overall configuration of the printer of this embodiment. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the overall configuration of the printer of this embodiment. Hereinafter, the basic configuration of the printer of this embodiment will be described.

  The printer of this embodiment includes a transport unit 20, a carriage unit 30, a head unit 40, a detector group 50, and a controller 60. The printer 1 that has received print data from the computer 110, which is an external device, controls each unit (the conveyance unit 20, the carriage unit 30, and the head unit 40) by the controller 60. The controller 60 controls each unit based on the print data received from the computer 110 and forms an image on paper. The situation in the printer 1 is monitored by a detector group 50, and the detector group 50 outputs a detection result to the controller 60. The controller 60 that receives the detection result from the detector group 50 controls each unit based on the detection result.

  The transport unit 20 is for feeding a medium (for example, the paper S) to a printable position and transporting the paper by a predetermined transport amount in a predetermined direction (hereinafter referred to as a transport direction) during printing. That is, the transport unit 20 functions as a transport mechanism (transport means) that transports paper. The transport unit 20 includes a paper feed roller 21, a transport motor 22 (also referred to as a PF motor), a transport roller 23, a platen 24, and a paper discharge roller 25. However, in order for the transport unit 20 to function as a transport mechanism, all of these components are not necessarily required. The paper feed roller 21 is a roller for automatically feeding the paper inserted into the paper insertion slot into the printer. The paper feed roller 21 has a D-shaped cross section, and the length of the circumferential portion is set to be longer than the transport distance to the transport roller 23. 23 can be conveyed. The transport motor 22 is a motor for transporting paper in the transport direction, and is constituted by a DC motor. The transport roller 23 is a roller that transports the paper S fed by the paper feed roller 21 to a printable area, and is driven by the transport motor 22. The platen 24 supports the paper S being printed. The paper discharge roller 25 is a roller for discharging the printed paper S to the outside of the printer. The paper discharge roller 25 rotates in synchronization with the transport roller 23.

  The carriage unit 30 is for moving (also referred to as “scanning”) the head in a predetermined direction (hereinafter referred to as a moving direction). The carriage unit 30 includes a carriage 31 and a carriage motor 32 (also referred to as a CR motor). The carriage 31 can reciprocate in the moving direction. (Thus, the head moves along the moving direction.) In addition, the carriage 31 detachably holds an ink cartridge 90 that stores ink. The carriage motor 32 is a motor for moving the carriage 31 in the movement direction, and is constituted by a DC motor. In addition, the carriage 31 of this embodiment holds a methanol cartridge 95 in addition to the ink cartridge 90 in a detachable manner.

  The head unit 40 is for ejecting ink onto paper. The head unit 40 has a head 41. The head 41 has a plurality of nozzles that are ink discharge portions, and discharges ink intermittently from each nozzle. The head 41 is provided on the carriage 31. Therefore, when the carriage 31 moves in the movement direction, the head 41 also moves in the movement direction. Then, by intermittently ejecting ink while the head 41 is moving in the moving direction, dot lines (raster lines) along the moving direction are formed on the paper. The head unit 40 acquires data for driving the head via the cable 45 from the control unit on the printer main body side. The cable 45 is a flexible belt-like cable, and electrically connects the printer main body and the carriage 31.

  The detector group 50 includes a linear encoder 51, a rotary encoder 52, a paper detection sensor 53, an optical sensor 54, and the like. The linear encoder 51 is for detecting the position of the carriage 31 in the moving direction. The rotary encoder 52 is for detecting the rotation amount of the transport roller 23. The paper detection sensor 53 is for detecting the position of the leading edge of the paper to be printed. The paper detection sensor 53 is provided at a position where the position of the leading edge of the paper can be detected while the paper feed roller 21 feeds the paper toward the transport roller 23. The paper detection sensor 53 is a mechanical sensor that detects the leading edge of the paper by a mechanical mechanism. More specifically, the paper detection sensor 53 has a lever that can rotate in the transport direction, and this lever is disposed so as to protrude into the paper transport path. For this reason, since the leading edge of the paper comes into contact with the lever and the lever is rotated, the paper detection sensor 53 detects the position of the leading edge of the paper by detecting the movement of the lever. The optical sensor 54 is attached to the carriage 31. The optical sensor 54 detects the presence or absence of paper by the light receiving unit detecting reflected light of light irradiated on the paper from the light emitting unit. The optical sensor 54 detects the position of the edge of the paper while being moved by the carriage 41. Since the optical sensor 54 optically detects the edge of the paper, the detection accuracy is higher than that of the mechanical paper detection sensor 53.

  The controller 60 is a control unit (control means) for controlling the printer. The controller 60 includes an interface unit 61, a CPU 62, a memory 63, and a unit control circuit 64. The interface unit 61 is for transmitting and receiving data between the computer 110 which is an external device and the printer 1. The CPU 62 is an arithmetic processing unit for controlling the entire printer. The memory 63 is for securing an area for storing the program of the CPU 62, a work area, and the like, and has storage means such as a RAM and an EEPROM. The CPU 62 controls each unit via the unit control circuit 64 in accordance with a program stored in the memory 63.

  Further, the printer of this embodiment includes an ink recovery mechanism 71. The ink recovery mechanism 71 is a mechanism for recovering ink discharged during the flushing operation. Here, the flushing operation is an operation of ejecting ink from the nozzles in order to recover clogging of the nozzles. The ink recovery mechanism 71 includes an absorbing material for absorbing ink and a discharge port for discharging the ink absorbed by the absorbing material. When performing the flushing operation, the carriage 31 moves to a flushing position (a position where the head 41 faces the ink recovery mechanism 71), and the head discharges ink at the flushing position.

<About printing operation>
FIG. 5 is a flowchart of processing during printing. Each process described below is executed by the controller 60 controlling each unit in accordance with a program stored in the memory 63. This program has a code for executing each process.

  The controller 60 receives a print command from the computer 110 via the interface unit 61 (S001). This print command is included in the header of print data transmitted from the computer 110. Then, the controller 60 analyzes the contents of various commands included in the received print data, and performs the following paper feed processing, transport processing, ink ejection processing, and the like using each unit.

  First, the controller 60 performs a paper feed process (S002). The paper feed process is a process of supplying paper to be printed into the printer and positioning the paper at a print start position (also referred to as a cue position). The controller 60 rotates the paper feed roller 21 and sends the paper to be printed to the transport roller 23. The controller 60 rotates the transport roller 23 to position the paper fed from the paper feed roller 21 at the print start position. When the paper is positioned at the print start position, at least some of the nozzles of the head 41 are opposed to the paper.

  Next, the controller 60 performs dot formation processing (S003). The dot forming process is a process of forming dots on paper by intermittently ejecting ink from a head that moves in the moving direction. The controller 60 drives the carriage motor 32 to move the carriage 31 in the movement direction. Then, the controller 60 ejects ink from the head based on the print data while the carriage 31 is moving. When ink droplets ejected from the head land on the paper, dots are formed on the paper.

  Next, the controller 60 performs a conveyance process (S004). The conveyance process is a process of moving the paper relative to the head along the conveyance direction. The controller 60 drives the carry motor and rotates the carry roller to carry the paper in the carrying direction. By this carrying process, the head 41 can form dots at positions different from the positions of the dots formed by the previous dot formation process.

  Next, the controller 60 determines whether or not to discharge the paper being printed (S005). If there is still data to be printed on the paper being printed, no paper is discharged. Then, the controller 60 alternately repeats the dot formation process and the conveyance process until there is no data to be printed, and gradually prints an image composed of dots on paper. When there is no more data for printing on the paper being printed, the controller 60 discharges the paper. The controller 60 discharges the printed paper to the outside by rotating the paper discharge roller. The determination of whether or not to discharge paper may be based on a paper discharge command included in the print data.

  Next, the controller 60 determines whether or not to continue printing (S006). If printing is to be performed on the next paper, printing is continued and the paper feeding process for the next paper is started. If printing is not performed on the next paper, the printing operation is terminated.

<About nozzle>
FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram showing the arrangement of nozzles on the lower surface of the head 41. On the lower surface of the head 41, a black ink nozzle group K, a cyan ink nozzle group C, a magenta ink nozzle group M, and a yellow ink nozzle group Y are formed. Each nozzle group includes a plurality of nozzles (180 in this embodiment) that are ejection openings for ejecting ink of each color.
Furthermore, in the present embodiment, a nozzle group W for discharging water is formed on the lower surface of the head 41. The nozzle group W is for discharging water generated from the fuel cell 96, as will be described later. The nozzle group W includes a plurality (180 in this embodiment) of nozzles, as with other nozzle groups that eject ink.

  The plurality of nozzles of each nozzle group are aligned at a constant interval (nozzle pitch: k · D) along the transport direction. Here, D is the minimum dot pitch in the carrying direction (that is, the interval at the highest resolution of dots formed on the paper S). K is an integer of 1 or more. For example, when the nozzle pitch is 180 dpi (1/180 inch) and the dot pitch in the transport direction is 720 dpi (1/720), k = 4.

  The nozzles in each nozzle group are assigned a lower number in the downstream nozzle (# 1 to # 180). That is, the nozzle # 1 is located downstream of the nozzle # 180 in the transport direction. Each nozzle is provided with a piezo element (not shown) as a drive element for driving each nozzle to eject ink droplets. Further, the optical sensor 54 is substantially at the same position as the nozzle # 180 on the most upstream side with respect to the position in the paper transport direction.

<About driving the head>
FIG. 7A is an explanatory diagram of a drive circuit of the head unit 40. This drive circuit is provided in the unit control circuit 64 described above, and includes an original drive signal generation unit 644A and a drive signal shaping unit 644B, as shown in FIG. Such drive circuits for the nozzles # 1 to # 180 are provided for each nozzle group, that is, for each nozzle group of black (K), cyan (C), magenta (M), and yellow (Y). Yes. In addition, the piezo elements are individually driven for each nozzle. In the figure, the numbers in parentheses at the end of each signal name indicate the number of the nozzle to which the signal is supplied.

  When a voltage having a predetermined time width is applied between the electrodes provided at both ends of the piezoelectric element, the piezoelectric element expands according to the voltage application time and deforms the side wall of the ink flow path. As a result, the volume of the ink flow path contracts in accordance with the expansion and contraction of the piezo element, and the ink amount corresponding to the contraction amount is ejected from the nozzles # 1 to # 180 of the respective colors as ink droplets.

  The original drive signal generator 644A generates an original signal ODRV that is used in common by the nozzles # 1 to # 180. The original signal ODRV is a signal including a plurality of pulses within the main scanning period for one pixel (within the time during which the carriage 41 crosses the interval of one pixel).

  The drive signal shaping unit 644B receives the original signal ODRV from the original drive signal generation unit 644A and the print signal PRT as serial data. The print signal PRT is serial-parallel converted by a circuit as shown in FIG. 7B using 360 shift registers, and converted to PRT (i) indicating ON / OFF of each nozzle. The drive signal shaping unit 644B shapes the original signal ODRV according to the level of the print signal PRT (i), and outputs it as the drive signal DRV (i) toward the piezoelectric elements of the nozzles # 1 to # 180. The piezoelectric elements of the nozzles # 1 to # 180 are driven based on the drive signal DRV from the drive signal shaping unit 644B.

<About the head drive signal>
FIG. 8 is a timing chart for explaining each signal. In other words, the timing chart of each signal of the original signal ODRV, the print signal PRT (i), and the drive signal DRV (i) is shown in FIG. Here, PRT (i) is formed from PRT.

  The original signal ODRV is a signal supplied in common to the nozzles # 1 to # 180 from the original drive signal generator 644A. In the present embodiment, the original signal ODRV includes two pulses of a first pulse W1 and a second pulse W2 within a main scanning period for one pixel (within a time during which the carriage crosses the interval of one pixel). The original signal ODRV is output from the original drive signal generation unit 644A to the drive signal shaping unit 644B.

  The print signal PRT (i) is a signal corresponding to the pixel data assigned to one pixel. That is, the print signal PRT (i) is a signal corresponding to the pixel data included in the print data. In the present embodiment, the print signal PRT (i) is a signal having 2-bit information per pixel for the nozzle #i. Note that the drive signal shaping unit 644B shapes the original signal ODRV according to the signal level of the print signal PRT (i) and outputs the drive signal DRV.

  The drive signal DRV is a signal obtained by blocking the original signal ODRV according to the level of the print signal PRT. That is, when the print signal PRT (i) is 1 level, the drive signal shaping unit 644B passes the corresponding pulse of the original signal ODRV as it is to obtain the drive signal DRV. On the other hand, when the print signal PRT is 0 level, the drive signal shaping unit 644B blocks the pulse of the original signal ODRV. The drive signal shaping unit 644B outputs the drive signal DRV to the piezo element provided for each nozzle. The piezo element is driven according to the drive signal DRV.

  The control signal S1 is input to the latch circuit and the data selector as shown in FIG. 7B. The control signal S2 is input to the data selector. The control signals S1 and S2 indicate the timing when the print signal PRT (i) changes as shown in FIG.

  The serially transmitted print signal PRT is converted into 180 pieces of 2-bit data (parallel data) as described below. First, the print signal PRT is input to 360 shift registers. When the pulse of the control signal S1 is input to the latch circuit, 360 data of each shift register is latched. The data selector selects and outputs the data latched by the latch circuit. When the pulse of the control signal S1 is input to the latch circuit, the pulse of the control signal S1 is also input to the data selector. The data selector is in an initial state when the control signal S1 is input. The data selector in the initial state selects the data stored in the shift register W2-i before latching, and outputs it as PRT (i). Next, the data selector selects the data stored in the shift register W1-i before being latched by the pulse of the control signal S2, and outputs it as PRT (i). In this way, the serially transmitted print signal PRT is converted into 180 pieces of 2-bit data. Then, ejection / non-ejection relating to the second pulse W2 is determined by the control signal S1, and ejection / non-ejection relating to the first pulse W1 is determined by the control signal S2.

  A print signal PRT for determining ejection / non-ejection within a certain cycle is transmitted in the previous cycle. For example, the print signal PRT for determining ejection / non-ejection in the cycle T2 is transmitted in the previous cycle T3.

  When the print signal PRT (i) corresponds to the 2-bit data “01”, only the first pulse W1 is output in the latter half of one pixel interval. As a result, small ink droplets are ejected from the nozzles, and small dots (small dots) are formed on the paper. When the print signal PRT (i) corresponds to the 2-bit data “10”, only the second pulse W2 is output in the first half of one pixel section. As a result, medium-sized ink droplets are ejected from the nozzles, and medium-sized dots (medium dots) are formed on the paper. When the print signal PRT (i) corresponds to the 2-bit data “11”, the first pulse W1 and the second pulse W2 are output in one pixel section. Thereby, a large ink droplet is ejected from the nozzle, and a large dot (large dot) is formed on the paper. When the print signal PRT (i) corresponds to the 2-bit data “00”, neither the first pulse W1 nor the second pulse W2 is output. Thereby, in this section, ink is not ejected and dots are not formed.

  As described above, the drive signal DRV (i) in one pixel section is shaped to have four different waveforms according to four different values of the print signal PRT (i).

=== Reference Example ===
FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram of a reference example. In this reference example, an original drive signal generator 644A is provided on the printer main body side. Therefore, the original signal ODRV output from the original drive signal generator is sent out to the carriage side via the cable 45.
However, since the original signal ODRV is a signal for driving the piezo element, it is a relatively high voltage (42V). Further, as can be understood from FIG. 8, the original signal ODRV has a large change in current and voltage. For these reasons, when the original signal ODRV passes through the cable, noise is generated around the cable. As a result, other signals passing through the cable may be affected by noise.
Further, since the current flowing as the original signal ODRV is large, if four cores in the cable are assigned for each color and four ground lines of the original signal ODRV are also assigned, eight cores are required for each color. is there. Furthermore, since the printer ejects four colors of ink, a total of 32 cores are required for driving the piezo.

On the other hand, the signals related to the control are one print signal PRT for each color (four in total), and one transfer clock (not shown) for the control signals S1 and S2 and the print signal PRT is common for all colors. , Only 7 in total. Furthermore, the cores relating to the power supply circuit are a logic power supply and a 42B power supply for the drive signal shaping unit 644B, respectively, and two logic grounds, for a total of four.
That is, the number of cores related to the control signal and the power supply is 11 (7 + 4), which is about 1/3, compared with 32 cores for driving the piezo.

  Therefore, in the present embodiment, an original drive signal generation unit 644A is provided in the carriage. In addition, since the original drive signal generator 644A itself causes a large current to flow by itself, it is necessary to cause the power source to also flow a large current. Therefore, in the present embodiment described below, a fuel cell is provided in the carriage. The original drive signal generator 644A generates the original signal ODRV using the power generated by the fuel cell. This eliminates the need for a large current to flow between the main body and the carriage, reduces the possibility that a signal passing through the cable is affected by noise, and significantly reduces the number of cores of the cable.

=== Configuration of the Embodiment ===
FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram of the configuration of the present embodiment. The carriage of this embodiment is equipped with a methanol cartridge 95 and a fuel cell 96.
Similar to the ink cartridge 90, the methanol cartridge 95 is detachably held on the carriage 31. The methanol cartridge 95 contains liquid methanol (CH ₃ OH) so that the ink cartridge 90 contains ink therein. The ink stored in the ink cartridge 90 is supplied to the nozzles of the head 41, but the methanol stored in the methanol cartridge 95 is supplied to the fuel cell 96 as fuel.

The fuel cell 96 generates driving force using liquid methanol as fuel. This fuel cell generates electricity by reacting methanol (CH ₃ OH) with oxygen in the air (O ₂ ) (CH ₃ OH + 3 / 2O ₂ → CO ₂ + 2H ₂ O). Here, the fuel cell 96 generates a voltage of 42V as a driving force for the original drive signal generator 644A to generate the original signal ODRV. The electric power generated by the fuel cell 96 is supplied to the original drive signal generator 644A and the DC-DC converter.

  The original signal generation parameter and the print signal PRT are supplied to the head unit 40 from the printer main body via a cable. In the present embodiment, since the original signal ODRV does not pass through the cable, the possibility that these signals are affected by noise can be reduced.

  The DC-DC converter converts the 42V voltage supplied from the fuel cell into a 3.3V voltage. A voltage of 3.3 V is supplied to each circuit (original drive signal generation unit and drive signal generation unit) as a drive power supply.

  The original drive signal generator 644A generates the original signal ODRV based on the original signal generation parameter using the voltage of 42V supplied from the fuel cell. Here, the original signal generation parameter is a parameter for determining the drive waveform of the original signal ODRV. In this embodiment, since the original signal generation parameter is hardly affected by noise, the original drive signal generation unit 644A can accurately generate the original signal ODRV based on the original signal generation parameter. The original drive signal generation unit 644A supplies the original signal ODRV to the drive signal shaping unit 644B.

  The original signal ODRV and the print signal PRT are input to the drive signal shaping unit 644B. In this embodiment, since the print signal PRT is hardly affected by noise, the drive signal shaping unit 644B can accurately shape the drive signal DRV (i) based on the print signal PRT. The drive signal shaping unit 644B supplies the drive signal DRV (i) to the head 41 (nozzle # 1 to nozzle # 180).

The fuel cell 96 discharges carbon dioxide (CO ₂ ) and water (H ₂ O) when generating electricity by reacting methanol with oxygen in the air (CH ₃ OH + 3 / 2O ₂ → CO ₂ + 2H ₂ O). . In the present embodiment, carbon dioxide generated during power generation is discharged into the air. That is, carbon dioxide is discharged out of the printer. On the other hand, in order to discharge water generated during power generation into the air (outside of the printer) as water vapor, a device for vaporizing water into water vapor is required, which increases the size of the device.
Therefore, as described below, the printer of the present embodiment discharges water generated during power generation from the nozzle group W and discharges it to the ink recovery mechanism 71 before the flushing operation.

=== Water discharge method ===
11A to 11C are explanatory diagrams of a method for discharging water. Among the nozzle groups shown in the figure, the nozzle group painted black is a nozzle group that ejects liquid, and the nozzle group that is not painted is a nozzle group that does not eject liquid.

  FIG. 11A is an explanatory diagram of the dot formation process. During the dot formation process, the carriage 31 is moving, the head 41 is opposed to the paper S, and a nozzle group (black ink nozzle group K, cyan ink nozzle group C, magenta ink nozzle group M, yellow ink) that ejects ink. The nozzles of the nozzle group Y) eject ink while moving. At this time, the nozzle group W that discharges water does not discharge water. This is because if the nozzle group W discharges water during the dot formation process, the paper gets wet and the ink is blotted, and the printed image is blotted.

  FIG. 11B is an explanatory diagram when the carriage 31 moves to the flushing position. The flushing position is a position where the head 41 faces the ink recovery mechanism 71. In this embodiment, during the dot formation process, the nozzle group W is provided in the head 41 so that the nozzle group W is closer to the flushing position than the other nozzle groups (black ink nozzle group K and the like). Yes. For this reason, the nozzle group W faces the ink collection mechanism 71 before the other nozzle groups face the ink collection mechanism 71. In this embodiment, when the carriage 31 moves to the flushing position, water is discharged to the ink collection mechanism 71 while the nozzle group W moves. Thereby, water is applied over the entire surface of the ink recovery mechanism 71.

  FIG. 11C is an explanatory diagram of the flushing operation. During the flushing operation, the carriage 31 stops, and the nozzle group (black ink nozzle group K or the like) that ejects ink ejects ink to the ink recovery mechanism 71. Since water is applied to the surface of the ink recovery mechanism 71 immediately before the ink lands, the ink is less likely to set when the ink lands on the ink recovery mechanism 71, and the ink is quickly absorbed by the ink absorber. And discharged from the outlet. Note that since water is discharged to the ink recovery mechanism 71 before the flushing operation, water is not discharged during the flushing operation in this embodiment. Thereby, the width | variety of the ink collection | recovery mechanism 71 can be made small.

=== Other Embodiments ===
The above embodiment is mainly described for a printer, but it goes without saying that the disclosure includes a printing apparatus, a printing method, a printing system, a program, a storage medium storing the program, and the like.

  Moreover, although the printer etc. as one embodiment were demonstrated, said embodiment is for making an understanding of this invention easy, and is not for limiting and interpreting this invention. The present invention can be changed and improved without departing from the gist thereof, and it is needless to say that the present invention includes equivalents thereof. In particular, the embodiments described below are also included in the present invention.

<About configuration 1>
According to the above-described embodiment, the carriage is provided with the DC-DC converter. However, this is not essential.
FIG. 12 is an explanatory diagram of another configuration. In this configuration, the voltage (3.3 V) supplied to each circuit is sent to the carriage side through the cable. The voltage for controlling the original drive signal generation unit 644A and the drive signal generation unit 644B is lower than the original signal ODRV, and the change in voltage is small, so there is little influence on the outside.

<About configuration 2>
According to the above-described embodiment, the water generated from the fuel cell 96 is discharged from the head. However, this is not essential.
FIG. 13 is an explanatory diagram of another configuration. In this configuration, the water generated from the fuel cell is recovered in the water recovery cartridge. This water recovery cartridge has a storage portion for storing water, and is held by the carriage 31 so as to be detachable similarly to the ink cartridge. The water recovery cartridge is desirably provided integrally with the methanol cartridge 95. Thus, when the methanol cartridge 95 becomes empty, the water recovery cartridge is filled with water and can be replaced at the same time.
According to this configuration, it is not necessary to provide the nozzle group W on the lower surface of the head 41.

<About configuration 3>
According to the above-described embodiment, the fuel is supplied to the fuel cell by the methanol cartridge. However, this is not essential.
FIG. 14 is an explanatory diagram of another configuration. In this configuration, methanol as fuel is supplied to the fuel cell through the tube. According to this configuration, since it is not necessary to mount a large amount of fuel on the carriage 31, the carriage can be reduced in size. However, in this configuration, it is necessary to connect not only a cable but also a tube to the carriage.
When the fuel is supplied to the carriage side through the tube, it is desirable to supply the ink discharged from the head 41 to the carriage side through the tube as well. Thereby, since it is not necessary to mount a large amount of ink on the carriage 31, the carriage can be reduced in size. If the tube for supplying fuel and the tube for supplying ink are integrated, it is desirable that the tube does not interfere with the movement of the carriage 31. For the same reason, when fuel is supplied to the carriage through the tube, it is desirable to collect water generated from the fuel cell through the tube.

<About configuration 4>
According to the above-described embodiment, the original signal generation parameter and the print signal PRT are transferred from the main body side to the carriage side through the cable. However, this is not essential.
FIG. 15 is an explanatory diagram of another configuration. In this configuration, the printer includes a laser irradiation unit 81 and a photoelectric conversion unit 82. The laser irradiation unit 81 is provided on the printer main body side, and transfers data such as an original signal generation parameter and a print signal PRT as laser light. The photoelectric conversion unit 82 is provided on the carriage side, and converts the laser beam from the laser irradiation unit 81 into an electrical signal. Laser light from the laser irradiation unit is irradiated in parallel with the moving direction of the carriage 31. As a result, the laser irradiation unit 81 can irradiate the photoelectric conversion unit 82 with laser light over the moving range of the carriage 31.
With this configuration, it is possible to transfer data such as the original signal generation parameter and the print signal PRT to the carriage side without providing the cable 45 described above. This eliminates the need to connect a cable to the carriage 31, so that the carriage 31 can be accurately moved and the mechanism is simplified.
In the case of such a configuration, it is desirable to supply the fuel to the fuel cell not by the tube but by the methanol cartridge 95.

<About fuel>
According to the above-described embodiment, methanol is used as the fuel for the fuel cell. However, it is not limited to this. Other liquids such as alcohol may be used. In short, if the fuel is liquid, it can be handled in the same way as ink.

<About nozzle>
In the above-described embodiment, ink is ejected using a piezoelectric element (piezo element). However, the method for discharging the liquid is not limited to this. For example, other methods such as a method of generating bubbles in the nozzle by heat may be used.

=== Summary ===
(1) The printer (printing apparatus) includes a carriage 31 that moves a head 41 that ejects ink. The printer drives the head 41 while the carriage 31 is moving, and prints an image on paper (medium).
In such a printer, it is necessary to supply a driving force to the moving head. However, if the driving force is supplied by the transmission line, the transmission line must follow the movement of the carriage.

Therefore, the carriage 31 includes a fuel cell 96 that generates a voltage (driving force) of 42V for driving the head 41. The fuel cell 96 generates driving force using methanol (liquid) as fuel.
This eliminates the need for a transmission line for supplying the driving force of the head to the carriage side. Also, with this configuration, since the original signal ODRV does not need to pass through the cable, it is possible to reduce the possibility that signals passing through the cable (for example, the original signal generation parameter and the print signal PRT) are affected by noise. .

  The fuel of the fuel cell is liquid methanol. Since both methanol and ink, which are fuels, are liquids, the printer described above can handle the fuel of the fuel cell in the same way as ink. For example, in the above example, methanol, which is fuel for the fuel cell, can be stored in a cartridge or supplied to the fuel cell by a tube. As described above, since the fuel of the fuel cell can be handled in the same manner as the ink, the configuration of the printer can be simplified.

(2) The fuel cell 96 generates water when generating driving force. Specifically, the fuel cell 96 generates carbon dioxide and water when reacting methanol (CH ₃ OH) with oxygen (O ₂ ) in the air to generate driving force (CH ₃ OH + 3 / 2O ₂ → CO ₂ + 2H ₂ O). Here, since carbon dioxide is a gas, it can be discharged into the air, but in order to discharge water, another configuration is required.
If water is converted into water vapor and discharged into the air, a device for vaporizing water into water vapor is required, which increases the size of the device. In addition, if water is simply discharged as it is, there is a situation peculiar to a printer that water adheres to an image formed on paper and the ink constituting the printed image is blurred.
Therefore, the above printer is further provided with a recovery mechanism for recovering water. Thereby, the water generated by the fuel cell can be recovered.

(3) In the printer described above, the recovery mechanism that recovers water is the ink recovery mechanism 71 that recovers the ink ejected from the head. As a result, the mechanism for collecting water and the mechanism for collecting ink can be used together, and the apparatus can be miniaturized.

(4) In the above printer, when ink is ejected from the head, the nozzle group W that ejects water (the portion that ejects water) collects ink more than the nozzle group that ejects ink (the portion that ejects ink). Located near the mechanism 71.
As a result, the nozzle group W faces the ink collection mechanism 71 before the other nozzle groups face the ink collection mechanism 71. Thus, water can be applied to the ink recovery mechanism 71 before the ink is discharged to the ink recovery mechanism 71. If water is applied to the surface of the ink recovery mechanism 71 immediately before the ink lands, the ink is less likely to set when the ink lands on the ink recovery mechanism 71, and the ink can be recovered quickly.

(5) In the printer described above, when the carriage 31 moves to a position where the head 41 faces the ink recovery mechanism 71, water is discharged to the ink recovery mechanism 71. Accordingly, water is discharged to the ink recovery mechanism 71 while moving, so that the water is applied over the entire surface of the ink recovery mechanism 71.

(6) It is also possible to collect water from the carriage 31 to a removable cartridge. With such a configuration, the ink recovery mechanism 71 and the nozzle group W may not be provided.

(7) In addition, a cartridge that stores methanol (liquid) serving as a fuel and a cartridge that stores water may be provided integrally. With such a configuration, when the methanol cartridge 95 becomes empty, the water recovery cartridge is filled with water and can be replaced at the same time.

(8) The recovery mechanism may be a tube that discharges water to the outside of the carriage. Even with such a configuration, water generated each time the fuel cell generates driving force can be recovered.

(9) In this case, it is desirable that the methanol (liquid serving as fuel) and the ink ejected from the head 41 are supplied to the carriage 31 via a tube. With such a configuration, the fuel of the fuel cell can be handled in the same manner as ink, so that the configuration of the printer can be simplified.

(10) Further, in this case, it is desirable that the tube for discharging to the outside of the carriage, the tube for supplying methanol (liquid serving as fuel), and the tube for supplying ink are integrally provided. With such a configuration, the tube does not interfere with the movement of the carriage 31.

(11) In the printer described above, the ink ejected from the head 41 is contained in the ink cartridge 90, and the methanol (liquid serving as fuel) is contained in the methanol cartridge 95 (fuel cartridge). The methanol cartridge is detachable from the carriage 31. Accordingly, the fuel of the fuel cell can be handled in the same manner as ink, so that the configuration of the printer can be simplified.

(12) In the above-described printer, a fuel cell is used as a driving force generator that generates a driving force of the head. However, it is not limited to this. In short, if the fuel is liquid, it can be handled in the same way as ink.

(13) The head 41 ejects ink based on the generated drive signal DRV (drive waveform). Then, the printer (printing apparatus) uses the driving force generated by the fuel cell to generate the original signal ODRV, and shapes the driving signal DRV. Thereby, a transmission line for transmitting the original signal ODRV and the drive signal DRV can be eliminated.

(14) The head 41 ejects ink in accordance with the print signal PRT. The print signal PRT is transmitted to the carriage 41 wirelessly from the printing apparatus main body. For example, in the above-described example, the print signal is transmitted by laser light. Thereby, a cable for connecting the printer main body and the carriage 31 can be eliminated. However, it is not limited to laser light. For example, the print signal may be transmitted by electromagnetic waves or the like.

It is explanatory drawing of the whole structure of a printing system. 1 is a block diagram of an overall configuration of a printer. 1 is a schematic diagram of an overall configuration of a printer. 1 is a cross-sectional view of the overall configuration of a printer. It is a flowchart of the process at the time of printing. It is explanatory drawing which shows the arrangement | sequence of a nozzle. 4 is an explanatory diagram of a drive circuit of a head unit 40. It is explanatory drawing of a drive circuit. It is a timing chart for explanation of each signal. It is explanatory drawing of a reference example. It is explanatory drawing of the structure of this embodiment. 11A to 11C are explanatory diagrams of a method for discharging water. It is explanatory drawing of another structure. It is explanatory drawing of another structure. It is explanatory drawing of another structure. It is explanatory drawing of another structure.

Explanation of symbols

1 printer,
20 transport unit, 21 paper feed roller, 22 transport motor (PF motor),
23 transport roller, 24 platen, 25 discharge roller,
30 Carriage unit, 31 Carriage,
32 Carriage motor (CR motor),
40 head units, 41 heads,
50 detector groups, 51 linear encoder, 52 rotary encoder,
53 Paper detection sensor, 54 Optical sensor,
60 controller, 61 interface unit, 62 CPU,
63 memory, 64 unit control circuit,
81 laser irradiation unit, 82 photoelectric conversion unit,
90 ink cartridge, 95 methanol cartridge, 96 fuel cell,
100 printing system,
110 computers,
120 display device,
130 input device, 130A keyboard, 130B mouse,
140 recording / reproducing apparatus, 140A flexible disk drive apparatus, 140B CD-ROM drive apparatus

Claims (15)

A carriage that moves a head that ejects ink;
A printing apparatus that drives the head during movement of the carriage and prints an image on a medium,
The carriage includes a driving force generation unit that generates a driving force for driving the head,
The printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the driving force generation unit generates the driving force using liquid as fuel. The printing apparatus according to claim 1,
The driving force generator generates water when generating the driving force,
The printing apparatus further includes a collection mechanism for collecting the water. The printing apparatus according to claim 2,
The printing apparatus, wherein the collection mechanism collects the ink ejected from the head. The printing apparatus according to claim 3,
When discharging ink from the head, the portion for discharging water is located closer to the recovery mechanism than the portion for discharging ink. The printing apparatus according to claim 4,
The printing apparatus, wherein the water is discharged to the recovery mechanism when the carriage moves to a position where the head faces the recovery mechanism. The printing apparatus according to claim 2,
The printing apparatus, wherein the collection mechanism collects the water in a cartridge that is detachable from the carriage. The printing apparatus according to claim 6,
A printing apparatus comprising: a cartridge that contains a liquid that serves as the fuel; and a cartridge that contains the water. The printing apparatus according to claim 2,
The printing apparatus, wherein the recovery mechanism is a tube that discharges the water to the outside of the carriage. The printing apparatus according to claim 8, wherein
The printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the liquid serving as the fuel and the ink ejected from the head are supplied to the carriage through a tube. The printing apparatus according to claim 9, wherein
A printing apparatus, wherein a tube for discharging to the outside of the carriage, a tube for supplying a liquid as fuel, and a tube for supplying the ink are provided integrally. The printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein
The ink ejected from the head is contained in an ink cartridge,
The liquid as the fuel is contained in a fuel cartridge,
The printing apparatus, wherein the ink cartridge and the fuel cartridge are detachable from the carriage. The printing apparatus according to claim 1,
The printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the driving force generator is a fuel cell. The printing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 12,
The head discharges the ink based on the generated drive waveform,
The printing apparatus generates the driving waveform using the driving force. The printing apparatus according to claim 1,
The head discharges the ink in accordance with a print signal,
The printing apparatus, wherein the print signal is wirelessly transmitted from the printing apparatus main body to the carriage. A carriage that moves a head that ejects ink;
A printing apparatus that drives the head during movement of the carriage and prints an image on a medium,
The carriage includes a driving force generation unit that generates a driving force for driving the head,
The driving force generation unit generates the driving force using liquid as fuel,
The driving force generator generates water when generating the driving force,
The printing apparatus further includes a recovery mechanism for recovering the water,
The collection mechanism collects the ink ejected from the head,
When discharging ink from the head, the portion that discharges the water is located closer to the recovery mechanism than the portion that discharges the ink,
When the carriage moves to a position where the head faces the recovery mechanism, the water is discharged to the recovery mechanism;
The recovery mechanism recovers the water from a carriage to a removable cartridge;
A cartridge for storing the liquid as the fuel and a cartridge for storing the water are provided integrally,
The ink ejected from the head is contained in an ink cartridge,
The liquid as the fuel is contained in a fuel cartridge,
The ink cartridge and the fuel cartridge are detachable from the carriage,
The driving force generator is a fuel cell,
The head discharges the ink based on the generated drive waveform,
The printing apparatus generates the driving waveform using the driving force,
The head discharges the ink in accordance with a print signal,
The printing apparatus, wherein the print signal is wirelessly transmitted from the printing apparatus main body to the carriage.

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