JP2005254495A - Printer and liquid droplet discharging method - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a printer which can more easily be miniaturized than a conventional one while being a composite type printer equipped with functions other than a printing function, and to provide a liquid droplet discharging method. <P>SOLUTION: This printer has a discharging section 21 which discharges a liquid body as liquid droplets, a scanning section 22 which detects light, and guides 31 and 32 which form a common conveying passage for the discharging section 21 and the scanner section 22. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a printer and a droplet discharge method.

  Conventional printers include various functions to achieve high-quality printing, such as an ink system mechanism and a paper feed mechanism, and also have a cost problem. It is difficult. Recently, composite printers having functions other than printing have also been developed. Some composite printers have both a printing function and a scanner function, and the shape is often a type in which a scanner is mounted on an office printer.

For example, a composite printer having a detachable scanner in the printer has been devised (for example, see Patent Document 1). Further, a small printer equipped with a thermal head has been devised that can separate the paper supply / discharge mechanism and the printing unit (see, for example, Patent Document 2). Also, a device having a recognition function for recording audio data and image data on a receiver and a printer function has been devised (for example, see Patent Document 3).
JP-A-7-87253 JP-A-7-101128 JP-A-11-261955

  However, the conventional printer described in Patent Document 1 may be inconvenient to carry because the scanner is detachable. That is, this conventional printer requires a mechanism for attaching and detaching the scanner to and from the printer, and the printer has been enlarged. Further, since this conventional printer includes a reading unit (scanner unit) having the same size as the width of the paper, there is a problem that the outer shape is further increased. The conventional printer described in Patent Document 2 has a configuration in which the paper supply / discharge mechanism and the printing unit can be separated. As a result, this conventional printer also requires a mechanism that can separate the paper supply / discharge mechanism and the printing unit, resulting in a problem that the apparatus itself becomes large. In addition, the conventional printer described in Patent Document 3 has a problem that the functions are limited to voice recognition and image recognition, and there is no versatility.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and is a composite printer having functions other than a printing function, and provides a printer and a droplet discharge method that can be more easily downsized than before. Objective.
The present invention also provides a composite printer having functions other than the printing function, the printer having a function that can be exchanged, and a method of ejecting droplets that can be more easily reduced than before. Objective.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a composite printer having functions other than the printing function, the functions provided being exchangeable, and a printer equipped with a line scan type scanner and a droplet discharge method. .

In order to achieve the above object, a printer of the present invention includes an ejection unit that ejects a liquid material as droplets, a scanner unit that detects light, and a guide that forms a common conveyance path for the ejection unit and the scanner unit. It is characterized by having.
According to the present invention, since the discharge unit and the scanner unit can move along a common guide, a compact printer including the scanner unit can be easily configured. That is, in the conventional printer, since the guide for moving the ejection unit (print head) and the mechanism for moving the scanner unit (light receiving means) are provided separately, the outer shape becomes large. In the present invention, since the printing unit and the image detection unit are moved by a common guide, the scanner unit can be greatly reduced in space as compared with the prior art, and a compact and lightweight composite printer can be simply configured. Therefore, the present invention can provide a composite printer that is convenient to carry at low cost.

In the printer of the present invention, it is preferable that the discharge unit and the scanner unit are integrally formed.
According to the present invention, since the discharge unit and the scanner unit are integrally formed, both the discharge unit and the scanner unit can be moved by one drive mechanism. Therefore, the printer of the present invention can be easily reduced in size as compared with a conventional printer in which a drive mechanism is provided in each of the discharge unit (print head) and the scanner unit.

In the printer of the present invention, it is preferable that a discharge port for discharging droplets is disposed on a side surface of the discharge unit. It is preferable that the ejection unit ejects droplets in the horizontal direction.
According to the present invention, for example, it is possible to print on paper in a vertical state. As a result, the degree of freedom in designing the paper supply / discharge mechanism for the print target can be improved. Therefore, according to the present invention, the printer can be easily downsized.

In the printer according to the aspect of the invention, it is preferable that the light receiving unit in the scanner unit is disposed above the ejection port in the ejection unit.
ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, it can avoid that the droplet discharged from the discharge part adheres to the light-receiving part of a scanner part, and can prevent easily that the light-receiving part becomes optically dirty. For example, when a droplet is ejected from the ejection unit in the horizontal direction and directly hits the paper, the droplet is always pulled downward by gravity. Therefore, it is avoided that such droplets reach the light receiving unit disposed above the ejection unit.

Further, the printer of the present invention includes a plurality of discharge ports through which the discharge unit discharges droplets, and the plurality of discharge ports are arranged in a row to form a nozzle row, and the nozzle row includes the nozzle row It is preferable that the nozzle rows are arranged so that the direction of the nozzle rows and the longitudinal direction of the guides intersect substantially perpendicularly.
According to the present invention, droplets (such as ink) can be ejected from a plurality of ejection ports almost simultaneously to print on paper or the like, and printing can be performed at high speed. In addition, it is possible to easily provide a compact printer capable of easily narrowing the interval between the discharge ports and printing high-resolution images or characters at high speed.

In the printer according to the aspect of the invention, it is preferable that the scanner unit includes a linear light receiving unit in which a plurality of light receiving elements are arranged on a straight line. Here, a CCD (Charge Coupled Devices) or the like can be applied as the light receiving element.
According to the present invention, reflected light from a plurality of parts can be detected simultaneously by a plurality of light receiving elements. Therefore, it is possible to detect an image or character in a predetermined area at high speed.

In the printer of the present invention, the scanner unit has a structure in which the linear light receiving unit, a microlens array disposed in the vicinity of the linear light receiving unit, and a light source that irradiates light to be detected are integrally configured. It is preferable to have.
According to the present invention, the scanner unit having a plurality of light receiving units and light sources can be configured in a compact manner. Therefore, the printer provided with the scanner unit can be easily downsized.

In the printer of the present invention, it is preferable that the nozzle row and the linear light receiving portion are arranged so that the direction of the nozzle row and the linear direction of the linear light receiving portion are substantially the same direction. .
According to the present invention, the positioning mechanism for the nozzle array and the linear light receiving unit can be shared, and the positioning can be performed with high accuracy. Therefore, the present invention can provide a printer having a compact and high-precision printing function and scanning function.

In addition, the printer of the present invention preferably includes a head orientation changing unit that changes an angle formed by the direction of the nozzle row and the linear direction of the linear light receiving unit and the longitudinal direction of the guide.
According to the present invention, the angle formed between the direction of the nozzle row and the longitudinal direction of the guide (that is, the moving direction of the nozzle row) can be changed. Thereby, it is possible to arbitrarily change the interval between the discharge ports forming the nozzle row. That is, during the scanning of the ejection part, the nozzle row moves along the guide, but the interval of the trajectory formed by each ejection port during the scanning is arbitrarily changed by changing the angle. The interval is maximized when the angle is 90 degrees, and the interval decreases as the angle decreases. For example, if the angle is θ and the interval between the discharge ports is x, the interval y between the tracks formed by the discharge ports is xSinθ. Therefore, the printing resolution can be easily changed by changing the angle.
In addition, according to the present invention, the angle formed by the linear direction of the linear light receiving unit and the longitudinal direction of the guide can be changed. Thereby, it is possible to arbitrarily change the interval between the light receiving elements in the linear light receiving unit. In other words, the linear light-receiving unit moves along the guide, and at this time, the interval of the locus formed by each light-receiving element is arbitrarily changed by changing the angle. The interval is maximized when the angle is 90 degrees, and the interval decreases as the angle decreases. For example, if the angle is θ ′ and the interval between the light receiving elements is x ′, the interval y ′ between the trajectories formed by the discharge ports is x′Sinθ ′. Therefore, the resolution of the scanner formed by the linear light receiving unit can be easily changed by changing the angle.
In the present invention, the angle formed by the direction of the nozzle row and the linear direction of the linear light receiving portion and the longitudinal direction of the guide may be a predetermined constant value. For example, by setting such an angle to a value close to 0 degrees, it is possible to make a printing unit and a scanner unit with extremely high resolution compact.

The printer of the present invention preferably includes an ink container that stores a liquid material supplied to the ejection unit, and the ink container is disposed below the ejection port of the ejection unit.
According to the present invention, it is possible to reduce by gravity that the supply pressure of the liquid material in the discharge unit becomes excessive. Therefore, the supply pressure of the liquid material can be controlled with a compact configuration.

The printer of the present invention preferably includes a discharge unit cleaning unit that removes deposits at least near the discharge port in the discharge unit, and a scanner unit cleaning unit that removes deposits on the scanner unit.
According to the present invention, the discharge port can be cleaned by the discharge unit cleaning means, and the droplet discharge from the discharge port can always be performed satisfactorily. That is, it is possible to avoid a deviation in the direct bullet position or a variation in the discharge amount due to the adhesion of ink or the like in the vicinity of the discharge port. Further, according to the present invention, the scanner unit can be cleaned by the scanner unit cleaning means, and the optical unit can always be in a good state.

In the printer according to the aspect of the invention, it is preferable that the discharge unit cleaning unit and the scanner unit cleaning unit are integrally formed.
According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a printer that can discharge liquid droplets well over a long period of time and maintain the accuracy of the scanner unit while having a compact configuration.

The printer according to the present invention may further include a discharge unit wiper made of a longitudinal member that is disposed so that the discharge unit cleaning unit is in contact with at least the vicinity of the discharge port of the discharge unit. It is preferable to have a scanner wiper made of a longitudinal member disposed so as to be in contact with the scanner unit.
According to the present invention, for example, the region including the discharge port can be cleaned by bringing the discharge unit wiper into contact with a region near the discharge port. Further, the scanner unit can be cleaned by bringing the scanner wiper into contact with the scanner unit.

In the printer of the present invention, it is preferable that the ejection unit wiper and the scanner wiper are arranged on the same straight line.
According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a printer that can maintain printing performance and scanner performance over a long period of time while having a configuration that is simple and easy to manufacture and that can be easily downsized.

In the printer according to the aspect of the invention, the discharge unit cleaning unit may include a sealing unit (cap unit) that seals at least the discharge port of the discharge unit, and the sealing unit is in the vicinity of the wiper for the discharge unit. It is preferable that they are arranged.
According to the present invention, when the discharge part is not performing a printing operation, the liquid body (ink) in the discharge part is dried by sealing the discharge port of the discharge part with the sealing part, or An increase in viscosity can be avoided. Moreover, immediately after the discharge part is cleaned with the wiper for the discharge part, the discharge port of the discharge part can be sealed. Therefore, according to the present invention, the liquid in the discharge unit can always be in a desired good state.

Further, the printer of the present invention includes a pump unit that makes the sealed space have a negative pressure when the sealing unit seals at least a discharge port in the discharge unit, and the discharge unit cleaning unit It is preferable to have a waste liquid tank part into which the liquid material removed from at least the discharge port or the vicinity of the discharge port in the discharge unit is placed.
According to the present invention, when the discharge port is sealed, the liquid material in the vicinity of the discharge port (including the inside of the discharge unit) can be sucked by the pump unit. Therefore, according to the present invention, it is possible to more strictly avoid the adhesion of the liquid material around the discharge port and the fluctuation of the viscosity of the liquid material in the discharge portion, and more accurate printing over a long period of time. Can do.

In addition, the printer of the present invention has a scanner unit cleaning control unit that removes deposits on the scanner unit using the scanner unit cleaning unit before the scanner unit performs a predetermined light detection operation (scanning). Is preferred.
According to the present invention, it is possible to remove dirt from a scanner unit immediately before the scanner unit performs an operation of detecting an image or the like. Therefore, the performance of the scanner unit can be maintained over a long period.

In addition, the printer of the present invention preferably includes a scanner unit cleaning control unit that removes deposits on the scanner unit using the scanner unit cleaning unit after a predetermined droplet discharge operation by the discharge unit is completed. .
According to the present invention, even when some of the droplets adhere to the scanner unit by the droplet discharge operation (printing operation) of the discharge unit, the attached droplets can be removed without taking time. Therefore, the printer of the present invention can efficiently clean the scanner unit.

In order to achieve the above object, a printer of the present invention includes a discharge unit that discharges a liquid material as droplets, and a function exchange unit that mounts at least one of a plurality of functions interchangeably with other functions. Interface portion).
According to the printer of the present invention, since any one of a plurality of recognition functions can be installed, it can be used for various purposes. In addition, since the functions of the printer according to the present invention can be exchanged, the printer can be used alone, and a system configuration corresponding to the application can be simplified.

In the printer of the present invention, it is preferable that the plurality of functions are respectively mounted on a card or a chip, and the function exchanging unit provides an interface for at least one of the card or the chip.
According to the present invention, since only a necessary recognition function can be selected by mounting a card or a chip in a printer in a replaceable manner, a printer with high cost performance can be provided for each user.

In the printer of the present invention, the plurality of functions may include a speech recognition function for recognizing information included in sound, an image recognition function for recognizing information included in light, and a speech synthesis function for outputting a sound signal. It preferably includes at least one function. Therefore, the printer of the present invention has a scanner unit that detects light and a microphone unit that detects sound, and the image recognition function recognizes characters based on information of light detected by the scanner unit. It preferably has a function of recognizing characters, and the speech recognition function preferably has a function of identifying speech based on information contained in sound detected by the microphone unit.
According to the present invention, for example, the content of speech (voice information) in a meeting can be captured by a printer, and the content of the speech can be printed out by the printer. In the printer of the present invention, the speech synthesis function can output speech information such as the content of speech as speech. In addition, the character recognized by the character recognition function can be output as speech by the speech synthesis function.

In addition, the printer of the present invention preferably has a personal identification function for identifying an individual whose voice is recognized by the voice recognition function. In the printer of the present invention, it is preferable that the personal identification function has a voice data selection function for storing, printing out, or displaying voice data for each identified individual.
According to the present invention, for example, the contents of a plurality of people in a meeting can be classified and stored for each person and printed out for each person. In addition, according to the present invention, it is possible to store and print out only the content of a specific person's remarks in the conference.

In addition, the printer of the present invention preferably has a personal authentication function that releases a restriction on the functions of the printer only when the voice recognition function identifies a specific individual by the personal identification function.
According to the present invention, for example, a printer having a security function can be configured such that a specific function such as a printing function can be operated only when the voice of the owner of the printer is recognized.

The printer of the present invention preferably has a display for displaying information output from any of the plurality of functions.
According to the present invention, for example, information recognized by the voice recognition function can be displayed on the display. Then, after the user confirms the information displayed on the display, the display content can be selectively printed out.

In addition, the printer of the present invention preferably has a correction function for correcting information displayed on the display.
According to the present invention, for example, information recognized by the voice recognition function can be displayed on a display, and the information can be corrected and printed out and stored. Therefore, when an unclear voice is input at a meeting or the like, the unclear portion can be corrected and printed out.

In addition, the printer of the present invention has storage means for storing at least one of information output by any of the plurality of functions and information corrected by the correction function as a document file or an image file. Is preferred.
According to the printer of the present invention, for example, audio information in a meeting or image information input by a scanner can be easily stored as a document file or an image file.

In order to achieve the above object, the printing method of the present invention is characterized in that a recognition target is optically detected while printing.
According to the present invention, for example, it is possible to print on the paper while detecting the state of the paper to be printed. Further, for example, it is possible to print at a position corresponding to a mark while optically detecting a mark or the like provided in advance on the paper to be printed. When printing on paper on which ruled lines are written, it is also possible to print at positions corresponding to the ruled lines.

In the printing method of the present invention, the printing object and the optical detection object are the same, and the optical detection area is moved in accordance with the movement of the printing area. Is preferred.
According to the printing method of the present invention, for example, the printing result can be detected while printing, and feedback control can be performed to an appropriate printing state. Here, when a head in which the ejection unit and the scanner unit are integrally formed is used, the printing result can be detected by the scanner unit immediately after printing by the ejection unit, with a compact configuration. Therefore, according to the present invention, the feedback control of the printing state can be executed at extremely high speed, and high-precision printing can be performed.

Hereinafter, a printer and a droplet discharge method according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
(Appearance of printer)
FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view showing the appearance of a printer according to an embodiment of the present invention. The printer 1 according to this embodiment includes a connection terminal 11, a display 12, an operation switch 13, a paper feed / discharge port 14, and a discharge port 15. The printer 1 is preferably small and light so that it can be easily carried. The outer shape of the printer 1 is preferably a so-called notebook type or book type, and has a structure in which a large area portion of the notebook type or book type shape is placed vertically.

  The connection terminal 11 serves as an interface of the card 100 having a predetermined function. As the connection terminal 11, for example, a connection terminal conforming to the USB (Universal Serial Bus) standard is applied. Note that USB is a data transmission path standard that connects peripheral devices such as a keyboard, mouse, modem, and joystick to a personal computer or the like. Details of the card 100 will be described later.

  The display 12 is composed of, for example, an organic EL (electroluminescence) panel. Then, information (image information) to be printed out can be displayed on the display 12 as a print preview. The display 12 may be configured with a touch panel. In this case, various information can be input from the display 12. The operation switch 13 serves as an input unit for signals for controlling the operation of the printer 1. For example, the operation switch 13 includes a print start button, a print stop button, a paper feed / discharge button, a head cleaning button, a print number setting button, and the like.

  The paper feed / discharge port 14 is a part that serves as a paper feed port and a paper discharge port for the paper 16 to be printed. The paper discharge port 15 is also a portion serving as a paper discharge port for the paper 16, but relatively thin paper is discharged from the paper feed / discharge port 14, and relatively thick paper (such as a postcard) is discharged from the paper discharge port 15. It has a paper structure.

(Head structure)
FIG. 2 is a partial perspective view of the vicinity of the head portion of the printer 1 as viewed from the front. FIG. 3 is a partial perspective view of the vicinity of the head portion of the printer 1 as viewed from the rear surface. The printer 1 includes a head unit 20, guides 31 and 32, a head drive motor 33, a cleaning unit 40, a circuit board 51, an ink cartridge 52, and a paper discharge unit 53 as a peripheral structure of the head unit. ing.

  The head unit 20 of the printer 1 includes an ejection unit 21 and a scanner unit 22. The discharge unit 21 discharges a liquid material (for example, ink) as droplets, and forms a so-called inkjet head. The scanner unit 22 includes a light receiving element that detects light, and serves as means for inputting image information such as characters. The ejection unit 21 and the scanner unit 22 are integrally configured to form the head unit 20.

  Moreover, the head part 20 is supported by the guides 31 and 32 which consist of two rod-shaped members so that a movement is possible. Therefore, the guides 31 and 32 form a common conveyance path for the discharge unit 21 and the scanner unit 22. Here, since the guides 31 and 32 are arranged so that the longitudinal direction of the guides 31 and 32 is horizontal, the head unit 20 is movable in the horizontal direction. The paper 16 to be printed can be moved in the vertical direction by a paper discharge unit 53 or the like. With these mechanisms, the head unit 20 can be moved to an arbitrary position on the paper 16.

  The head drive motor 33 is a power source that moves the head unit 20. The cleaning unit 40 cleans the ejection unit 21 and the scanner unit 22 in the head unit 20. The circuit board 51 constitutes an electronic circuit that controls various operations of the printer 1. The ink cartridge 52 is a cartridge filled with a liquid material (such as ink) discharged from the discharge unit 21. In other words, the ink cartridge 52 is an ink container that stores a liquid material (such as ink) supplied to the ejection unit 21. The ink cartridge 52 is installed so as to be replaceable with a new ink cartridge 52.

  As a result, according to the present embodiment, the discharge unit 21 and the scanner unit 22 are integrally configured so as to be movably supported by the common guides 31 and 32, so that the printer 1 is provided with the scanner unit 22. It is possible to easily reduce the size and weight. In addition, according to the present embodiment, the ejection unit 21 and the scanner unit 22 can be moved by the single head drive motor 33, so that the size and weight can be further reduced.

  Further, in the printer 1 of the present embodiment, the ink cartridge 52 is disposed below the discharge unit 21, so that it is possible to reduce the excessive supply pressure of the liquid material in the discharge unit 21 due to the water head value difference. it can. Therefore, the printer 1 of this embodiment can control the supply pressure of the liquid material with a compact configuration. The ink cartridge 52 and the head unit 20 are connected by an ink-resistant tube that forms a liquid supply path.

  The discharge unit 21 and the scanner unit 22 may be configured separately, and the discharge unit 21 and the scanner unit 22 may be movably supported by common guides 31 and 32. Even with this configuration, it is significantly smaller and lighter than the configuration in which the drive mechanism (guide, motor, etc.) for the ejection part and the drive mechanism (guide, etc.) for the scanner part are provided separately as in the conventional printer. Can be planned.

(Detailed structure of the head)
4 is a diagram showing a detailed structure of the head unit 20 in the printer 1, FIG. 4 (a) is a front perspective view, FIG. 4 (b) is a rear perspective view, and FIG. It is a schematic diagram which shows the discharge direction of a droplet. The discharge part 21 in the head part 20 has a plurality of discharge ports 21a for discharging droplets. Each discharge port 21 a is disposed on the side surface of the head unit 20 (that is, the side surface of the discharge unit 21). And as shown in FIG.4 (c), the droplet 21b is discharged in the horizontal direction from the discharge outlet 21a. In a conventional inkjet printer, droplets are ejected in the direction of gravity, that is, downward.

  By adopting such a configuration, the printer 1 of the present embodiment can print on the print area of the paper 16 in a vertical state, for example. Therefore, the printer 1 of the present embodiment can improve the degree of design freedom for the paper 16 supply / discharge mechanism and the drive mechanism of the head unit 20, and can be easily reduced in size and weight.

  As shown in FIG. 4A, in the head unit 20, the discharge unit 21 and the scanner unit 22 are arranged in parallel. The scanner unit 22 preferably includes a linear CCD 22a in which a plurality of light receiving elements are arranged on a straight line, a microlens array 22b, and a light source 22c. The microlens array 22b is composed of a plurality of microlenses arranged in the vicinity of the linear CCD 22a. Each microlens is focused on each light receiving element of the linear CCD 22a. The light source 22 c irradiates the detection area of the scanner unit 22 on the paper 16 with light. For example, a white LED is used as the light source 22c. With this configuration, the scanner unit 22 can be reduced in thickness and size.

  A light receiving element 22 a of the scanner unit 22 is disposed above the ejection unit 21. With such a configuration, it is possible to avoid that the droplet 21b discharged from the discharge port 21a of the discharge unit 21 adheres to the linear CCD 22a, the microlens array 22b, and the light source 22c of the scanner unit 22. That is, since the droplet 21b ejected in the horizontal direction from the ejection port is always pulled downward by gravity, the droplet 21b is prevented from reaching the scanner unit 22 disposed above the ejection port 21a. As a result, the printer 1 according to the present embodiment can avoid optical contamination of the linear CCD 22a, the microlens array 22b, and the light source 22c of the scanner unit 22 by the droplets 21b, and is compact and has high performance over a long period of time. The scanner function can be maintained.

  Moreover, as shown to Fig.4 (a), the discharge part 21 is provided with the several discharge outlet 21a. Each discharge port 21a is arranged at regular intervals on a straight line to constitute a nozzle row. For example, in the ejection unit 21, four nozzle rows may be provided, and the color of the droplets ejected for each nozzle row may be different. Each nozzle row has a configuration in which, for example, 360 ejection ports 21a are arranged in one inch. And it is preferable to arrange | position so that the row direction (vertical direction) of a nozzle row and the longitudinal direction of the guides 31 and 32 (refer FIG. 3) may cross | intersect substantially perpendicularly.

  In this way, droplets 21b can be discharged almost simultaneously from the plurality of discharge ports 21a and printed on the paper 16, and printing can be performed at high speed. In addition, the interval between the discharge ports 21a can be easily reduced, and the compact printer 1 that can print high-resolution images or characters at high speed can be easily configured.

  In the head unit 20 of the present embodiment, the nozzle array direction in the ejection unit 21 and the arrangement direction of each light receiving element of the linear CCD 22a in the scanner unit 22 are arranged in substantially the same direction. As a result, the positioning mechanism for the nozzle array and the linear CCD 22a can be shared, and the positioning accuracy can be improved. Therefore, the printer 1 of the present embodiment can be provided with a highly accurate printing function and scanning function while being compact.

  The printer 1 according to the present embodiment may include a head orientation changing unit (not shown) that changes the orientation of the head unit 20. In other words, the head orientation changing means changes the angle formed by the direction of the nozzle row in the ejection unit 21 and the linear direction of the linear CCD 22a and the longitudinal direction of the guides 31 and 32. If it does in this way, the angle which the row direction of a nozzle row and the movement direction of a nozzle row make can be changed. Thereby, the interval between the discharge ports 21a forming the nozzle row can be apparently arbitrarily changed. That is, during the scanning of the head unit 20, the nozzle row moves along the guides 31 and 32, and the interval between the trajectories formed by the ejection ports 21a during the scanning is arbitrarily changed by changing the angle. Therefore, by changing the angle, it is possible to easily change to an arbitrary print resolution.

  Further, the angle formed by the linear direction of the linear CCD 22a and the longitudinal direction of the guides 31 and 32 can be changed by the head orientation changing means. Thereby, the interval between the light receiving elements in the linear CCD 22a can be apparently changed arbitrarily. That is, the linear CCD 22a moves along the guides 31 and 32. At this time, the interval of the trajectory formed by each light receiving element is arbitrarily changed by changing the angle. Therefore, by changing the angle, the resolution of the scanner formed by the linear CCD 22a can be easily changed to an arbitrary resolution.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 4B, a damper portion 24 is provided on the back surface of the head portion 20. The damper section 24 adjusts the pressure of the liquid material supplied from the ink cartridge 52 to the ejection section 21 of the head section 20. The ink cartridge 52 is disposed below the ejection unit 21, but a predetermined pressure is applied to the liquid material in the ink cartridge 52. Therefore, if the ink cartridge 52 and the discharge port 21a of the discharge unit 21 are directly connected, there is a risk that the liquid material leaks from the discharge port 21a. In order to avoid this inconvenience, the damper unit 24 reduces the pressure of the liquid material supplied from the ink cartridge 52 to a predetermined value. The liquid material having the predetermined pressure is sent from the damper portion 24 to the discharge portion 21 and then discharged from the discharge port 21a of the discharge portion 21. Since the printer 1 of this embodiment is provided with such a damper portion 24 in the head 20, it is possible to perform good printing while being compact. The damper unit 24 may have a function of supplying the liquid material to the discharge unit 21 at a predetermined constant pressure even when the pressure of the liquid material fluctuates in the ink cartridge 52.

(Cleaning unit)
FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing a detailed structure of the cleaning unit 40 in the printer 1. The cleaning unit 40 cleans the ejection unit 21 and the scanner unit 22 in the head unit 20. The cleaning unit 40 includes a scanner wiper 41, a discharge unit wiper 42, a cap unit (sealing unit) 43, a suction port 44, a pump unit 45, and a waste liquid tank unit 46. It is configured.

  The scanner wiper 41 serves as a scanner unit cleaning unit that removes deposits on the scanner unit 22. The discharge part wiper 42, the cap part 43, the suction port 44, the pump part 45, and the waste liquid tank part 46 constitute a discharge part cleaning unit that removes at least the deposits in the vicinity of the discharge port 21 a in the discharge part 21. . The scanner unit cleaning unit and the discharge unit cleaning unit are integrally configured as a cleaning unit 40.

  The scanner wiper 41 is made of a longitudinal member disposed so as to be in contact with the scanner unit 22 and is made of, for example, a cylindrical rubber. The discharge part wiper 42 is made of a longitudinal member disposed so as to be able to come into contact with at least the vicinity of the discharge port in the discharge part 21, and is made of, for example, a cylindrical rubber. The scanner wiper 41 and the discharger wiper 42 are preferably arranged on the same straight line as shown in FIG.

  With such a configuration, the cleaning unit 40 can clean the head unit 20 only by moving the head unit 20 along the guides 31 and 32 and bringing it to the position of the cleaning unit 40. That is, only by bringing the head unit 20 to the position of the cleaning unit 40, the scanner wiper 41 can contact the linear CCD 22a, the microlens array 22b and the light source 22c to clean these surfaces, and at the same time, the discharge unit wiper 42. Can clean the surface of the discharge portion 21 near the discharge port 21a. Therefore, according to this embodiment, it is possible to provide a printer that can maintain printing performance and scanner performance over a long period of time while having a compact configuration.

  The cap portion 43 forms a sealing portion that seals at least the discharge port 21 a in the discharge portion 21. That is, when the head unit 20 is moved along the guides 31 and 32 and positioned at a predetermined position of the cleaning unit 40, the periphery of the discharge port 21 a of the discharge unit 21 is sealed with the cap unit 43. As a result, it is possible to avoid the liquid material (ink) in the discharge section 21 from being dried or the viscosity from being increased even when printing is not performed for a long period of time. Further, immediately after the discharge unit 21 is cleaned with the discharge unit wiper 42, the discharge port 21a of the discharge unit 21 can be sealed. Therefore, according to the present embodiment, the liquid in the discharge unit 21 can always be in a desired good state.

  The pump unit 45 is a pump that makes the sealed space have a negative pressure when the cap unit 43 seals at least the discharge port 21 a in the discharge unit 21. That is, the pump unit 45 and the cap unit 43 are connected via the suction port 44. The waste liquid tank unit 46 is a tank in which the liquid material removed from at least the discharge port 21a or the vicinity of the discharge port 21a in the discharge unit 21 is placed. That is, when the pump unit 45 is driven, the liquid material put into the suction port 44 from the surface of the discharge unit 21 is collected in the waste liquid tank 46. It is preferable that an absorbent material for absorbing and treating the liquid material is disposed in the waste liquid tank 46.

  Thus, according to the present embodiment, when the discharge port 21a is sealed, the liquid in the vicinity of the discharge port 21a (including the inside of the discharge unit 21) can be sucked by the pump unit 45. Therefore, the printer 1 of the present embodiment can more strictly avoid the adhesion of the liquid material around the discharge port 21a and the fluctuation of the viscosity of the liquid material in the discharge unit 21, and can be performed over a long period of time. Printing with higher accuracy.

  The cleaning unit 40 preferably includes a scanner unit cleaning control unit that removes deposits on the scanner unit 22 using the scanner wiper 41 before the scanner unit 22 performs predetermined scanning. In this way, it is possible to remove dirt from the scanner unit 22 immediately before the scanner unit 22 performs the scanning operation.

  In addition, it is preferable that the scanner unit cleaning control unit performs control to remove the deposit on the scanner unit 22 using the scanner wiper 41 after a predetermined droplet discharge operation, that is, a printing operation by the discharge unit 21 is completed. In this way, even when some of the droplets adhere to the scanner unit 22 by the printing operation of the discharge unit 21, the attached droplets can be removed without taking time. Therefore, the printer 1 of the present embodiment can clean the scanner unit 22 efficiently and precisely.

(Function exchange means)
FIG. 6 is a schematic perspective view showing the connection terminals 11 and the like in the printer 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention. The connection terminal 11 serves as an interface, and serves as a function exchanging means for mounting any at least one of a plurality of functions in a replaceable manner with other functions. The connection terminal 11 has, for example, a USB standard port 11a, and can be connected to the card 100 through the port 11a. The card 100 includes a card body 101, a function chip 102, and a USB standard connection terminal 103.

  The functional chip 102 is built in the card body 101. The functional chip 102 includes a CPU that is a central processing unit, a RAM that is a data processing memory, a ROM that is a program memory, an EEPROM that is a data memory, and the like. The function chip 102 includes at least one of the plurality of functions. Here, examples of the plurality of functions include a voice recognition function for recognizing information held by voice, an image recognition function for recognizing information held by light, and a voice synthesis function for outputting a voice signal.

  The image recognition function is a function for recognizing image information input by the scanner unit 22. For example, a character (printed or handwritten character) image written on the paper 16 is read by the scanner unit 22 and converted into an electrical signal, and the electrical recognition function identifies the electrical signal as a specific character (character recognition function). Further, assuming that the printer 1 is provided with a microphone, the voice recognition function identifies a voice signal converted into an electric signal by the microphone into a specific sound (for example, Japanese). The voice synthesizing function can output, for example, a character read by the scanner unit 22 and identified by the image recognition function as a voice.

  Accordingly, the printer 1 according to the present embodiment can be installed for any of a plurality of functions, and can be used for various purposes. The printer 1 according to the present embodiment can be replaced by a function to be mounted, so that it can be used as a single printer and can be simply configured as a system according to the application. Therefore, since the user can select only the necessary recognition function and install it in the printer 1, it is possible to provide a printer with high cost performance for each user.

  Further, according to the printer 1 of the present embodiment, for example, the printer 1 can capture the content of speech (voice information) in a conference and the printer 1 can print out the content of the speech. In addition, the printer 1 can temporarily store voice information such as the content of a statement, and thereafter, the voice synthesis function can output the voice information as voice. In addition, the printer 1 can output characters recognized by the character recognition function as speech by the speech synthesis function.

  FIG. 7 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a processing procedure of functions of the card 100 connected to the connection terminal 11 of the printer 1. FIG. 7 shows a case where the card 100 has a voice recognition function as an example. The functional chip 102 of the card 100 includes a control processing unit 111 and a voice recognition unit 112. The control processing unit 111 controls the operation of the entire card 100. The voice recognition unit 112 has the voice recognition function described above.

  The printer 1 includes an audio data input unit 61, a control processing unit 62, a USB interface 63, and an audio display unit 64. The audio data input unit 61 includes a microphone or the like provided in the printer 1 and converts audio into an electrical signal. The control processing unit 62 controls the operation of the entire printer 1. The USB interface 63 corresponds to the port 11 a of the connection terminal 11. The voice display unit 64 controls to display voice data on the monitor.

  First, the sound emitted in the vicinity of the printer 1 is input to the sound data input unit 61 on the printer 1 side (step S1). The sound is converted into an electric signal (analog signal) by the sound data input unit 61 and output to the control processing unit 62 (step S2). The control processing unit 62 converts the received analog audio signal into a digital audio signal and outputs the digital audio signal to the USB interface 63 (step S3).

  The USB interface 63 outputs the transmitted digital audio signal to the control processing unit 111 on the card 100 side (step S4). The control processing unit 111 performs a predetermined process on the audio signal and outputs it to the audio recognition unit 112 (step S5). The speech recognition unit 112 performs speech recognition processing for converting the received speech signal into text information including, for example, “Hiragana” and “Kanji”, and outputs the text information to the control processing unit 111 (step S6). ).

The control processing unit 111 outputs the sent text information to the USB interface 63 (step S7). The USB interface 63 outputs the sent text information to the control processing unit 62 on the printer 1 side (step S8). The control processing unit 62 performs a predetermined process on the sent text information and outputs it to the voice display unit 64 (step S9). The voice display unit 64 displays the sent text information on the display 12 that is a monitor (step S10).
Further, the voice display unit 64 may perform control to print out the sent text information on the paper 16.

  FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram showing another embodiment of the voice recognition function that the printer 1 and the card 100 have. The speech recognition unit (speech recognition function) 112 of the card 100 is assumed to have a personal identification function for identifying each person (speaker A, speaker B, speaker C, speaker D) who has emitted speech. In the control processing unit 111 of the card 100 or the control processing unit 62 of the printer 1, the personal identification function of the voice recognition unit 112 has a voice data selection function for storing and printing out voice data for each identified individual. preferable.

  For example, as shown in FIG. 8, when a meeting is held with four speakers A, B, C, and D, the content of each speaker A, B, C, and D is expressed as characters for each person. Can be displayed on the display 12. In addition, the printer 1 can classify and store the contents of speech of each speaker A, B, C, and D, and can print out the information for each person.

  The display 12 includes a confirmation / editing screen area 12a for displaying voice data recognized by the voice recognition unit 112, a first input area 12b in which various characters and symbols are displayed like a keyboard layout, And a second input area 12c for displaying the above functions. The confirmation / editing screen area 12a is not limited to audio data, and may be an area for displaying information output by any of a plurality of functions mounted on various cards 100.

  The first input area 12b is a touch panel and serves as input means for inputting various characters or symbols. The first input area 12b has a print setting mode for setting parameters for printing in addition to a keyboard mode in which various characters and symbols are arranged like a keyboard, and data storage for executing calling / saving of various data. It is preferable that the mode can be switched to various modes. The second input area 12c is a touch panel and functions as a function selection execution unit that selects and executes any of various functions. Further, the second input area 12c may constitute setting means for making various settings for the printer 1 in addition to the function selection execution means.

  The printer 1 or the card 100 has a correction function for correcting the information displayed in the confirmation / edit screen area 12a by operating the first input area 12a or the second input area 12b.

  Thus, for example, the printer 1 according to the present embodiment can display information recognized by the voice recognition function of the card 100 on the display 12, modify the information, print out, and store the information. Therefore, when an unclear voice is input at a meeting or the like, the unclear portion can be corrected and printed out and stored. Further, the printer 1 stores at least one of information output from any of a plurality of functions mounted on various cards 100 and information corrected by the correction function as a document file or an image file. It is preferable to have a means. In this way, for example, audio information in a meeting or image information input by a scanner can be easily stored as a document file or an image file.

  In addition, the printer 1 according to the present embodiment preferably has a personal authentication function that removes restrictions on the functions of the printer 1 only when the voice recognition function of the card 100 identifies a specific individual by the personal identification function. . In this way, for example, a printer having a security function can be configured such that a specific function such as a print function can be operated only when the voice of the owner of the printer is recognized.

(Other embodiments)
The printer 1 of the present embodiment can execute printing by the ejection unit 21 and image detection by the scanner unit 22 separately and independently. In addition, the printer 1 according to the embodiment can simultaneously execute printing by the discharge unit 21 and image detection by the scanner unit 22 for one sheet 16. That is, an image of a desired area of the paper 16 can be optically detected by the scanner unit 22 while printing on the paper 16 by the discharge unit 21. For example, the printer 1 can print on the paper 16 while detecting the state of the paper 16. For example, it is possible to print at a position corresponding to the mark while detecting a mark or the like provided in advance on the paper 16. Therefore, when printing on the paper 16 on which ruled lines are written, the printer 1 can also print at a position corresponding to the ruled lines.

  Further, according to the printer 1 of the present embodiment, since the discharge unit 21 and the scanner unit 22 are integrally configured, the printing result can be detected by the scanner unit 22 immediately after printing by the discharge unit 21. Therefore, according to the printer 1 of the present embodiment, the feedback control of the printing state can be executed at extremely high speed, and high-precision printing can be performed.

  The technical scope of the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention. The specific configurations and functions described in the embodiment are not limited thereto. These are merely examples, and can be changed as appropriate.

1 is a schematic perspective view illustrating an appearance of a printer according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is the fragmentary perspective view which looked at the head part periphery in the printer same as the above from the front. It is the fragmentary perspective view which looked at the head part periphery in the printer same as the above from the rear surface. It is a figure which shows the detailed structure of the head part in a printer same as the above. It is a perspective view which shows the structure of the cleaning unit in a printer same as the above. It is a model perspective view which shows the connection terminal etc. in a printer same as the above. It is a flowchart of the process example which the card | curd etc. which are connected to a printer same as the above do. It is explanatory drawing which shows the example of embodiment of the speech recognition function which a card | curd etc. have.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Printer, 11 ... Connection terminal, 11a ... Port, 12 ... Display, 12a ... Confirmation / edit screen area, 12b ... First input area, 12c ... Second input area, 13 ... Operation switch, 14 ... Paper feed / discharge Paper mouth, 15... Paper ejection port, 16... Paper, 20... Head part, 21... Ejection part, 21 a... Ejection port, 22 ... Scanner part, 22 a. Damper part 31, 32 ... guide, 33 ... head drive motor, 40 ... cleaning unit, 41 ... scanner wiper, 42 ... discharge part wiper, 43 ... cap part (sealing part), 44 ... suction port, 45 ... Pump unit 46 ... Waste liquid tank unit 51 ... Circuit board 52 ... Ink cartridge 53 ... Discharge unit 61 ... Audio data input unit 62 ... Control processing unit 63 ... USB Centers face, 64 ... audio presentation unit, 100 ... card, 101 ... card body section, 102 ... function chip, 103 ... connection terminal, 111 ... control unit, 112 ... voice recognition unit

Claims (31)

A discharge section for discharging the liquid material as droplets;
A scanner unit for detecting light;
A printer comprising a guide that forms a common conveyance path for the discharge unit and the scanner unit.   The printer according to claim 1, wherein the discharge unit and the scanner unit are integrally formed.   The printer according to claim 1, wherein a discharge port for discharging droplets is disposed on a side surface of the discharge unit.   The printer according to claim 1, wherein the ejection unit ejects liquid droplets in a horizontal direction.   The printer according to claim 1, wherein the light receiving unit in the scanner unit is disposed above a discharge port in the discharge unit. The discharge unit includes a plurality of discharge ports for discharging droplets,
The plurality of discharge ports are arranged in a row to form a nozzle row,
The printer according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the nozzle row is arranged so that a direction of the nozzle row and a longitudinal direction of the guide intersect substantially perpendicularly.   The printer according to claim 1, wherein the scanner unit includes a linear light receiving unit in which a plurality of light receiving elements are arranged on a straight line.   The scanner unit has a structure in which the linear light receiving unit, a microlens array disposed in the vicinity of the linear light receiving unit, and a light source for irradiating light to a detection target are integrally configured. The printer according to claim 7.   9. The nozzle row and the linear light receiving portion are arranged so that the direction of the nozzle row and the linear direction of the linear light receiving portion are substantially the same direction. The printer described.   10. The head direction changing unit according to claim 7, further comprising a head orientation changing unit configured to change an angle formed by the direction of the nozzle row and the linear direction of the linear light receiving unit and the longitudinal direction of the guide. Printer. An ink container for storing a liquid material supplied to the ejection unit;
The printer according to claim 1, wherein the ink container is disposed below a discharge port of the discharge unit. A discharge unit cleaning means for removing deposits at least near the discharge port in the discharge unit;
The printer according to claim 1, further comprising a scanner unit cleaning unit that removes deposits on the scanner unit.   The printer according to claim 12, wherein the discharge unit cleaning unit and the scanner unit cleaning unit are integrally formed. The discharge unit cleaning means includes a discharge unit wiper made of a longitudinal member disposed so as to be able to come into contact with at least the vicinity of the discharge port in the discharge unit,
14. The printer according to claim 12, wherein the scanner unit cleaning unit includes a scanner wiper made of a longitudinal member disposed so as to be in contact with the scanner unit.   The printer according to claim 14, wherein the ejection unit wiper and the scanner wiper are arranged on the same straight line. The discharge part cleaning means has a sealing part that seals at least the discharge port in the discharge part,
The printer according to claim 14, wherein the sealing portion is disposed in the vicinity of the ejection portion wiper. The sealing part has a pump part that makes the sealed space negative pressure when at least the discharge port in the discharge part is sealed;
The printer according to claim 16, wherein the discharge unit cleaning unit includes a waste liquid tank unit into which a liquid material removed from at least the discharge port or the vicinity of the discharge port in the discharge unit is placed.   18. The scanner unit cleaning control unit according to any one of claims 12 to 17, further comprising a scanner unit cleaning control unit that removes deposits on the scanner unit using the scanner unit cleaning unit before the scanner unit performs a predetermined light detection operation. A printer according to claim 1.   18. The scanner section cleaning control means for removing deposits on the scanner section using the scanner section cleaning section after a predetermined droplet ejection operation by the ejection section is completed. The printer according to any one of the above. A discharge section for discharging the liquid material as droplets;
A printer comprising: a function exchanging unit that mounts at least one of a plurality of functions in a replaceable manner with other functions. The plurality of functions are mounted on a card or a chip, respectively.
21. The printer according to claim 20, wherein the function exchanging unit provides an interface for at least one of the card or the chip.   The plurality of functions include at least one of a voice recognition function for recognizing information contained in speech, an image recognition function for recognizing information contained in light, and a speech synthesis function for outputting a speech signal. The printer according to claim 20 or 21, characterized in that A scanner unit for detecting light and a microphone unit for detecting sound;
The image recognition function has a function of recognizing characters based on information held by light detected by the scanner unit,
The printer according to claim 22, wherein the voice recognition function has a function of discriminating voice based on information of sound detected by the microphone unit.   The printer according to claim 22 or 23, wherein the voice recognition function has a personal identification function for identifying an individual who has made a voice.   25. The printer according to claim 24, wherein the personal identification function has a voice data selection function for storing, printing out, or displaying voice data for each identified individual.   26. The printer according to claim 24 or 25, wherein the voice recognition function has a personal authentication function that releases a restriction on the function of the printer only when a specific individual is identified by the personal identification function.   27. The printer according to claim 20, further comprising a display that displays information output by any of the plurality of functions.   28. The printer according to claim 27, further comprising a correction function for correcting information displayed on the display.   21. Storage means for storing at least one of information output by one of the plurality of functions and information corrected by the correction function as a document file or an image file. The printer according to any one of 28.   A printing method characterized by optically detecting a recognition target while printing. The object of printing and the object of optical detection are the same;
31. The printing method according to claim 30, wherein the optical detection area is moved in accordance with the movement of the printing area.

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