JP2007196693A - Printer - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To improve operability of a printer by minimizing an operation member of the printer. <P>SOLUTION: The printer is provided a with detachable cartridge containing a print material therein can be detachably mounted, the printer comprising an operation member, a detection means for detecting that the cartridge has been mounted, and an operation member switching means for switching a function allocated to the operation member corresponding to a state for mounting the cartridge detected by the detection means, wherein the operation member switching means allocates the function of setting a print output to the operation member when the cartridge is in a mounted state. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a photographing apparatus with a printer that is a kind of a composite camera, and more specifically to a printer in which a still camera, a video camera, and an image printer are integrated, and a cartridge containing a print material is removable. It is.

  In the past, there was a voice that wanted to see a photo print on the spot taken with a camera. In response to this demand, there is a system in which a print can be appreciated in a short time after shooting with a so-called instant camera and instant film, such as the apparatus shown in Patent Documents 1-5 and the like, and a film cartridge also shown in Patent Document 6. It is disclosed.

  However, the conventional apparatus has the following problems.

  (1) All the images taken at the moment of shooting are only recorded on the instant film, and even if a plurality of prints are to be obtained, the image formed on the instant film can only be copied. The storage method is inconvenient compared to silver salt films.

  (2) Not all shooting scenes need to be printed out on the spot. But with instant photos, you can't print out on the spot and print them out later.

  As a method for making up for the shortcomings of such instant photographs, a camera with a printer is conceivable in which image information captured by a solid-state image sensor is taken into a memory and printed out arbitrarily.

  In general, (a) a melt type thermal transfer printer, (b) a sublimation type thermal transfer printer, (c) an ink jet type printer, and the like are suitable for printing out such color image information.

  Among them, the ink jet printer is excellent in running cost, downsizing, power saving, output speed, and the like, and is very effective as a camera with a printer that requires portability.

On the other hand, devices such as Patent Document 7 and Patent Document 8 disclose a camera with a printer that prints out information electrically captured by a solid-state image sensor or the like. Further, in the apparatus described in Patent Document 9, a printer built-in camera capable of loading several types of ink ribbons and several types of recording paper is disclosed.
U.S. Pat.No. 3,709,122 U.S. Pat.No. 3,727,529 U.S. Patent No. 4,000,500 U.S. Pat.No. 4,249,811 U.S. Pat.No. 4,212,524 U.S. Pat.No. 3,707,116 U.S. Pat.No. 4,074,324 JP 54-136325 A JP-A-4-200191 U.S. Pat.No. 4,723,129 U.S. Pat.No. 4,740,796 U.S. Pat.No. 4,463,359 U.S. Pat.No. 4,345,262 U.S. Pat.No. 4,313,124 U.S. Pat.No. 4,558,333 U.S. Pat.No. 4,459,600 JP 59-123670 A JP 59-138461 A

  However, in the above conventional example, a device for taking a still image and a printer device for outputting image information to a medium such as paper are integrally configured. This does not prevent complication of operability, and does not provide a solution sufficient to perform photographing and print output intended simply by the user, such as the configuration and cost of the apparatus.

  Now consider the consumable materials mounted on the device. In general, in a thermal sublimation type or thermal transfer type printer, a material containing an ink component called an ink sheet or an ink ribbon and a printer paper for visually observing and storing a desired image are separately attached to the apparatus. It was.

  On the other hand, even when an ink jet recording apparatus is used in the printer unit, a tank unit for an aqueous ink solution (sometimes provided with a print head) and printer paper are separately mounted on the apparatus.

  As an example of the above, in the printer built-in camera described in Patent Document 9, printer paper is supplied from the outside.

  However, when considering the form as a photographing apparatus, there were the following problems.

  (1) Because it is a portable device, batteries are mainly used as a power source, so power source battery replacement work occurs. In addition, ink tank replacement work, printer paper replenishment work, and a number of materials and work are required. Necessary and therefore the operability is extremely poor.

  (2) If each of the consumable materials is handled separately, the replacement time of the ink tank and the replenishment time of the printer paper or the replacement time of the power supply battery do not always coincide with each other.

  Therefore, if the consumable material is made into a cartridge unit and can be attached to and detached from the main body of the photographing apparatus with a printer, the operability is remarkably improved and it is very effective.

  When considering such a form, if you are devoted to shooting work and want to perform printout later, it is convenient to separate the printer paper and ink, which are consumables, from the main body of the device. It is.

  Here, considering the operation member of the photographing apparatus with a printer, it generally has both an operation member necessary for the photographing apparatus and an operation member necessary for the printer apparatus. However, disposing many operation members on the apparatus main body has a problem that the operability is poor and miniaturization is hindered.

  The present invention has been made in consideration of the above-described problems. When a cartridge containing a print material is detachable, the operation member of the printer is minimized and the operability is improved. Objective.

  In order to achieve the above object, according to the present invention, there is provided a printer in which a cartridge containing a print material is detachable, an operating member, a detecting means for detecting that the cartridge is mounted, Operation member switching means for switching the function assigned to the operation member in accordance with the mounting state of the cartridge detected by the detection means.

  According to the present invention, in a printer in which a cartridge containing a print material is detachable, it is detected that the cartridge is mounted, and the function assigned to the operation member is switched according to the mounted state of the cartridge. As a result, functions can be assigned to the operation members only by attaching and detaching the cartridge, so that the operability can be improved, the number of operation members can be reduced to the minimum number, and the operability can be achieved even if the apparatus is further downsized. It has the effect of being good.

(First embodiment)
A first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the main configuration of the apparatus of the present invention. 2 and 3 are flowcharts showing the flow of operation. 4 (a), 4 (b) and 5 are perspective views showing the appearance of the apparatus of the present invention. FIG. 6 is a schematic configuration diagram of the central section of the apparatus. FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the cartridge. FIG. 8 is an exploded view of the consumable material cartridge unit.

  This photographing device with a printer adopts an ink jet recording system in the printer engine unit, and can store electronic images in a memory and print out video information stored in an arbitrary memory for an arbitrary number of prints. It is. A photographing operation by an image pickup means for converting an optical image of a field to be photographed into an electric signal and a printing operation by a printing means are performed.

  In FIG. 1, an imaging apparatus with a printer includes an imaging unit 2 including an imaging lens and a photoelectric conversion element, an imaging control unit 3 that controls the imaging unit 2, a printer engine unit 4 that outputs a print, and the printer engine. A printer control unit 5 that controls the unit 4. Also, an operation member switching means 6 for switching the function assigned to the operation member, a display section 8 for notifying the photographer of various information, a memory means 7 including an A / D conversion section for recording a captured image signal, And cartridge mounting detection means 9. Further, there are operation switches 10 to 13 including an interface between the photographer and the apparatus, a CPU for controlling each of the above parts, and a control means 1 including the program.

  4 and 5 includes a cartridge unit 102 which is a consumable material such as print paper, a battery, a cartridge main body, and the like, which is mounted on the main body of the printer before being printed, and the photographing apparatus and the printer apparatus. And the apparatus main body 101. The apparatus main body includes a zoom button 104, a display device 114 of the display means 8, a shutter button 112, a forced light emission button 115 (SWC12), a shooting mode setting button 116 (SWD13), and the like. The forced light emission button 115 also functions as a size setting button, and the shooting mode setting button 116 also functions as a print output number button.

  This apparatus will be described in accordance with the operation procedure, particularly according to FIGS. When the photographer inputs the power of the main switch (S1), the control means 1 determines whether or not a predetermined period, for example, 3 days or more (72 hours or more) has elapsed since the apparatus was last used and the power was turned off. (S2). If more than three days have passed, the control means 1 issues a recovery pumping instruction to the printer control section 5 which is in charge of controlling the printer section, and drives the printer engine section 4 (S3).

  Here, the recovery pumping is to make the recording more effective in an inkjet recording type apparatus, which will be described later, and to clean the recording head by means such as a suction pump before recording on the paper. As a guideline for this cleaning, in this embodiment, this is performed at the time of power input when there is an unused period of 3 days or more.

  Here, depending on whether or not a cartridge unit 102, which is a consumable material to be described later, including a print material to be printed and a cartridge cover, is attached or detached, it can be determined whether the apparatus of the present embodiment functions as an imaging apparatus or a printer apparatus. It has become. That is, the operation buttons and the like function as a printer device when the consumable material cartridge unit 102 is mounted by the cartridge mounting detecting means 9 that detects the mounting state of the consumable material cartridge unit 102. When it is not attached, the same operation buttons function as the photographing apparatus, so that the types of operation buttons can be greatly reduced.

  Specifically, the control unit 1 detects the mounting state of the consumable material cartridge unit 102 based on the state of the mounting detection contact 126 described later, and switches to the function assigned to each operation member via the operation member switching unit 6 (S4). ). The operation member switching unit 6 assigns a shooting setting or print output setting function to the operation member according to the mounting state of the consumable material cartridge unit 102.

  Now, after the recovery pumping process is completed (S3), it is determined whether or not the cartridge 102 is mounted (S4). If it is not mounted, that is, the photographer has removed the consumable material cartridge unit 102. It is. A case of operating as a photographing apparatus in this state will be described ((A) shown in FIG. 3 of the flowchart). When the shutter button 112 is pushed down to the first stroke during shooting, the SW1 signal is input to the SWA 10 (S11).

  The control unit 1 drives the imaging unit 2 via the imaging control unit 3 to determine exposure control values, determination of distance measurement information, and various conditions necessary for the exposure operation such as the presence or absence of strobe light emission (S12).

  When the photographer further presses the shutter button 112 in order to actually perform photographing, the SW2 signal is input to the SWB 11 in the control means 1 (S13).

  The control means 1 drives the imaging unit 2 via the imaging control unit 3 to drive a series of lens driving for focusing, shutter speed control, aperture opening amount control, and if necessary, strobe light emission. Perform exposure operation. Then, the image information input to the solid-state imaging device 800-a is taken into the memory means 7 (S14, S15).

  The control means 1 calls the stored image information from the memory means 7 and displays it on the display means 8, specifically, the liquid crystal display plate 114, so that the photographing contents and photographing conditions can be confirmed (S16).

  As the photographing operation, the video information is accumulated in the memory means 7 by repeating the above.

  On the other hand, the consumable material cartridge unit 102 is attached to the camera body 101 when performing print output. With this attachment, the cartridge unit 102 is mounted in step S4.

  When the new consumable material cartridge unit 102 is mounted, as shown in FIG. 7, the lock release portion 127-a formed on a part of the lock claw 127 moves the lock pin 125 of the camera body 101 to the lock pin spring 129. Pressed against the spring force. When the lock pin 125 is pushed, the lock lever 124 is released from the locked state, and is pulled by the lock spring 128 to slide. As a result, the claw portion 124-a of the lock lever and the lock claw 127 of the consumable material cartridge unit 102 are engaged, and the consumable material cartridge unit 102 is fixed to the camera body 101.

  At this time, when the end of the lock lever 124 turns on the mounting detection contact 126, the control means 1 detects the mounting of the consumable material cartridge unit 102 (S4).

  The controller 1 energizes the paper feed motor 600 to feed the printer paper 300 into the camera body 101.

  In addition, the recovery pumping is instructed again through the printer control unit 5 to restore the printable state (S5).

  Next, the image information fetched into the memory means 7 is searched while looking at the liquid crystal display board 114 by the image advance button 104-a and the image return button 104-b, and the image information to be printed out is displayed (S6).

  Here, the image advance button T104-a and the image return button W104-b shown in FIG. 4 are functions of keys when the consumable material cartridge unit 102 is mounted. When used as the above-described photographing apparatus, the telephoto side is 104-a and the wide-angle side is 104-b, which is used to change the zoom magnification of the imaging optical system. The print output setting is a print output size setting or an output number setting, and includes a size setting button 115 (SWC12) for determining the size of the print output size and a print output number button 116 (SWD13) for determining the number of print outputs. They are configured to function as a forced flash button (115) and a shooting mode setting button (116) of the strobe respectively as a photographing device, but the distribution of functions to each operation switch member is not limited to this. .

  Next, in the apparatus shown in FIG. 4, when the print start button 112 (functioning as a shutter button when used as a photographing apparatus) is pressed in order to perform a printing operation, the control means 1 is switched to the SWA 10. A print signal is input (S7).

  The printer controller 5 first performs preliminary ejection to make the printing operation more effective at the home position of the recording head (400, which will be described later) to eliminate clogging of the recording head 400 and to recover the evaporated nozzles. Do.

  Next, the printer control unit 5 outputs the video information stored in the memory means 7 from the printer engine unit 4 after performing image processing for print output (S8).

  As shown in FIG. 4, the printed printer paper 108 printed by the printer engine unit 4 is automatically fed to a position where it is separated from the printer paper 300 wound in a roll (S9).

  Here, the consumable material cartridge unit 102 including the ink, the printer paper, and the power supply battery has a rewritable output number memory 14 inside, and stores the number of printed outputs.

  The control means 1 adds to the output number memory 14 of the consumable material cartridge unit 102 for each print output. At the same time, the remaining amount of print paper is checked after output. If there is no print paper, a warning is displayed on the liquid crystal display panel 114 to prompt the user to replace the consumable cartridge 102.

  The user who is a photographer removes the consumable material cartridge unit 102 from the camera body 101 and replaces it with a new consumable material cartridge unit 102 in accordance with the warning. The consumable cartridge unit 102 can be detached from the camera body 101 by pressing the cartridge removal button 111.

  FIG. 5 shows a state in which the consumable material cartridge unit 102 is separated from the camera body 101. The consumable cartridge unit 102 has lock claws 117 at four corners, and is inserted into the lock claw holes 118 of the camera body 101. The camera body 101 includes ink connection portions 119 (119-Y, 119-M, 119-C, and 119-K) that supply yellow, magenta, cyan, and black ink to the recording head 400. A power supply terminal 120 for transmitting power from the power supply battery 200 shown in FIG. 6, a memory terminal 121 for information transmission with the output number memory 14, and a connection gear 122 for feeding the printer paper 300 are also provided. Further, a paper feed port 123 through which the printer paper 300 fed from the consumable material cartridge unit 102 is guided into the camera body 101 is provided. The memory terminals 121 are four terminals in this embodiment, but are not limited to this depending on the memory capacity and the like.

  The power supply battery 200 shown in FIG. 6 supplies power to the entire apparatus by mounting the consumable material cartridge unit 102. On the other hand, when the consumable material cartridge unit 102 is not attached, the control means 1 controls to supply power from the main battery 149 built in the main body.

  Further, the control means 1 monitors the state of both power source batteries of the main body battery 149 and the power source battery 200. If the supply capacity of one of the power supply batteries is insufficient when the consumable material cartridge unit 102 is mounted, the other power supply battery that can be supplied can be used efficiently.

  FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view showing a cross-sectional state of the upper surface and side surfaces of the entire apparatus, and shows only main components.

  The camera body 101 processes the image information input from the imaging unit 800 by a circuit provided on the substrate unit 900 and prints it by the recording head 400. The recording head 400 is supported by two support bars 400-a and 400-b, and is driven to reciprocate in a direction perpendicular to the feeding of the printer paper 300 from the head driving motor 700 via the gear unit 700-a and the belt 700-b. Is done.

  The printer paper 300 is fed by a paper feed motor 600, passes through a spring-supported roller 600-a, and is discharged from the print outlet 107 to the outside of the camera body.

  FIG. 8 is an exploded view of the consumable material cartridge unit 102. The consumable material cartridge unit 102 is disposed coaxially with the ink tank 500 containing ink of four colors of yellow, magenta, cyan, and black, the printer paper 300 wound in a roll shape, and the printer paper 300. A power supply battery 200 is included. The output number memory 14 is mounted on the memory substrate 130 and fixed to the cartridge upper cover 102-a. The printer paper 300 is fitted with bearings 300-a and 300-b from both sides after the power supply battery 200 is inserted into the center of the shaft.

  On the bearing 300-a side, a paper feeding gear 301 is assembled with the two-way portion 301-a and the lead wire 302 is drawn from the power supply battery 200 from the bearing 300-b side. The consumable material cartridge unit 102 is configured by assembling the printer paper 300 together with the guide bar 300-c for guiding the printer paper 300 and the cartridge lower cover 102-b together with the cartridge upper cover 102-a.

  The consumable material cartridge unit 102 can be reused after collecting the covers 102-a, b and the like because of such a configuration.

  The apparatus of the present invention is provided with means for generating thermal energy (for example, an electrothermal converter, a laser beam, etc.) as energy used for ejecting ink, particularly in the ink jet recording system. For this reason, an excellent effect is brought about in the recording head and the recording apparatus of the system in which the state change of the ink is caused by the thermal energy.

  As the typical configuration and principle, for example, those performed using the basic principle disclosed in Patent Document 10 and Patent Document 11 are preferable. In the case of the on-demand type, this method is particularly suitable for electrothermal transducers arranged corresponding to the sheet (liquid) holding liquid (ink) and corresponding to the recording information, and rapidly exceeding the nucleate boiling corresponding to the recorded information. Apply at least one drive signal that gives a high temperature rise. As a result, heat energy is generated in the electrothermal transducer and the film is boiled on the heat acting surface of the recording head. As a result, it is possible to form a bubble in the liquid (ink) corresponding to this drive signal on a one-to-one basis. It is. By the growth and contraction of the bubbles, liquid (ink) is ejected through the ejection opening to form at least one droplet.

  It is more preferable that the drive signal has a pulse shape, since the bubble growth and contraction is performed immediately and appropriately, and thus it is possible to achieve discharge of a liquid (ink) having particularly excellent responsiveness.

  As this pulse-shaped drive signal, those described in Patent Document 12 and Patent Document 13 are suitable. Note that further excellent recording can be performed by employing the conditions described in Patent Document 14 of the invention relating to the temperature increase rate of the heat acting surface.

  As a configuration of the recording head, a combination configuration (a linear liquid channel or a right-angle liquid channel) of an ejection port, a liquid channel, and an electrothermal transducer as disclosed in each of the above-mentioned specifications is adopted. In addition, the present invention includes a configuration using Patent Document 15 and Patent Document 16 that disclose a configuration in which the heat acting portion is arranged in a bent region.

  In addition, for a plurality of electrothermal converters, Patent Document 17 discloses a configuration in which a common slit is used as the discharge part of the electrothermal converter, and an opening that absorbs a pressure wave of thermal energy corresponds to the discharge part. The present invention is also effective as a configuration based on Patent Document 18 that discloses a configuration to be performed.

  Furthermore, there is a full-line type recording head having a length corresponding to the width of the maximum recording medium that can be recorded by the recording apparatus unit. Depending on the combination of a plurality of recording heads as disclosed in the above-described specification, either a configuration satisfying the length or a configuration as a single recording head formed integrally may be used. Thus, the present invention can be more effectively exhibited.

  In addition, it is mounted on the main body of the device so that it can be electrically connected to the main body of the device and supplied with ink from the main body of the device. The present invention is also effective when a cartridge type recording head is used.

  In addition, it is preferable to add recovery means for the recording head, preliminary auxiliary means, etc. provided as a configuration of the recording apparatus section of the present invention, since the effects of the present invention can be further stabilized.

  Specifically, there are capping means for the recording head, cleaning means, pressurizing or suction means, electrothermal converter, a heating element different from this, or a preheating means using a combination thereof. It is also effective for performing stable recording to perform a preliminary ejection mode in which ejection other than recording is performed.

  Further, as a recording mode of the recording apparatus unit, not only a recording mode of only a mainstream color such as black, but also a recording head may be integrally formed or a plurality of combinations may be used. A device having at least one of multiple colors of different colors or full color by mixing colors is extremely effective.

(Second Embodiment)
A second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 9 is a block diagram showing the main configuration of the photographing apparatus with a printer of the present invention, and the mode setting means has a function of switching between large and medium print areas. 11 and 11 are flowcharts showing the flow of operation. The structural contents described in the first embodiment are substantially the same, and FIGS. 4A, 4B, and 5 are perspective views showing the appearance of the apparatus of the present invention. FIG. 6 is a schematic configuration diagram of the central section of the apparatus. FIG. 7 is a perspective view. FIG. 8 is an exploded view of the consumable material cartridge unit.

  This apparatus employs an ink jet recording method in the printer engine unit, and stores electronic image data in a memory and can print out video information stored in an arbitrary memory for an arbitrary number of prints. . This apparatus will be described according to the operation procedure.

  When the photographer inputs the power of the photographing apparatus with the printer (S21), the control means 1 has passed a predetermined period, for example, three days or more (72 hours or more) since the apparatus was last used and the power was turned off. It is determined whether or not there is (S22). If three days or more have elapsed, the control means 1 issues a recovery pumping instruction to the printer control section 5 which is in charge of controlling the printer section, and drives the printer engine section 4 (S23).

  Next, when the photographer pushes the shutter button 112 to the first stroke during photographing, the SW1 signal 9 is input (S24). The control means 1 drives the imaging unit 2 via the imaging control unit 3 to determine exposure control values, range information, and various conditions necessary for the exposure operation, such as the presence or absence of flash emission (S25).

  When the photographer further presses the shutter button 112 to actually perform photographing, the SW2 signal 10 is input to the control means 1 (S26). The control means 1 drives the imaging unit 2 via the imaging control unit 3 to drive a series of exposures such as lens driving for focusing, shutter speed control, aperture opening amount control, and if necessary, strobe light emission. Perform the action. Then, the image information input to the solid-state imaging device 800-a shown in FIG. 6 is taken into the memory means 7 (S27, S28).

  The control means 1 calls up the stored image information of the memory image from the memory means 7 and displays it on the display means 8, specifically, the liquid crystal display plate 114 shown in FIG. 4, so that the photographing contents and photographing conditions can be confirmed. (S29).

  As the photographing operation, the video information is accumulated in the memory means 7 by repeating the above.

  When the photographer desires print output, the mode setting means 6 performs print output mode setting. Specifically, for print output, a size setting button 115 and a print number setting button 116 for switching between large and medium print areas of an image to be printed out are used.

  Next, the image information fetched into the memory means 7 is retrieved by looking at the liquid crystal display board 114 with the image advance button 110 and the image return button 109, and the image information to be printed out is displayed (S30).

  Here, when the print button 103 is pressed, the print signal PR11 is input, and the control means 1 starts the printing operation (S31). In order to make the printing operation more effective at the home position position of the recording head (400, which will be described later) shown in FIG. 6, the printer control unit 5 first performs preliminary ejection to eliminate the clogging of the recording head 400 or the nozzles that have evaporated. Recovery or the like is performed (S32).

  Next, the printer control unit 5 outputs the image information stored in the memory means 7 from the printer engine unit 4 after performing image processing for print output (S33).

  The printed printer paper 108 printed by the printer engine unit 4 is automatically fed to a position where it is separated from the printer paper 300 wound in a roll (S34). Here, the consumable material cartridge unit 102 including the ink, the printer paper, and the power supply battery has a rewritable output number memory 14 inside, and the number of printouts is stored.

  The control means 1 adds to the output number memory 14 of the consumable material cartridge unit 102 for each print output. At the same time, the remaining amount of printer paper is checked after output, and if there is no printer paper 300, a warning display is displayed on the liquid crystal display panel 114 to urge replacement of the consumable material cartridge unit 102 (S35, S36).

  The user removes the consumable cartridge unit 102 from the camera body 101 and replaces it with a new consumable cartridge unit 102 in accordance with the warning. The consumable cartridge unit 102 can be detached from the camera body 101 by pressing the cartridge removal button 111.

  FIG. 5 shows a state in which the consumable material cartridge unit 102 is separated from the camera body 101. The consumable cartridge unit 102 has lock claws 117 at four corners, and is inserted into the lock claw holes 118 of the camera body 101. The camera body 101 includes ink connection portions 119 (119-Y, 119-M, 119-C, and 119-K) that supply yellow, magenta, cyan, and black ink to the recording head 400. A power supply terminal 120 for transmitting power from the power supply battery 200, a memory terminal 121 for transmitting information to and from the output number memory 14, and a connection gear 122 for feeding the printer paper 300 are also provided. Further, a paper feed port 123 through which the printer paper 300 fed from the consumable material cartridge unit 102 is guided into the camera body 101 is provided.

  Now, when a new consumable cartridge unit 102 is mounted, the unlocking portion 127 formed on a part of the lock claw 117 pushes the lock pin 125 of the camera body 101 against the spring force of the lock pin spring 129. (FIG. 7). When the lock pin 125 is pushed, the lock lever 124 is released from the locked state, and is pulled by the lock spring 128 to slide. As a result, the claw portion 124-a of the lock lever and the lock claw 117 of the consumable material cartridge unit 102 are engaged, and the consumable material cartridge unit 102 is fixed to the camera body 101.

  At this time, the end of the lock lever turns on the attachment detection contact 126, so that the control means 1 detects and determines whether or not the printable cartridge unit 102 is attached (S37). If it is mounted, the control means 1 energizes the paper feed motor 600 to feed the printer paper 300 into the camera body 101 (S38).

  Also, recovery pumping is instructed via the printer control unit 5 to restore the printable state (S39).

  FIG. 8 is an exploded view of the consumable material cartridge unit 102. The consumable material cartridge unit 102 is disposed coaxially with the ink tank 500 containing ink of four colors of yellow, magenta, cyan, and black, the printer paper 300 wound in a roll shape, and the printer paper 300. A power supply battery 200 is included. The output number memory 14 rides on the memory board 130 and is fixed to the cartridge upper cover 102-a. The printer paper 300 is fitted with bearings 300-a and 300-b from both sides after the power supply battery 200 is inserted into the center of the shaft.

  A gear 301 for paper feed is assembled on the bearing 300-a side together with the two-way portion 301-a, and a lead wire 302 is drawn from the power supply battery 200 from the bearing 300-b side. The consumable material cartridge unit 102 is configured by assembling the printer paper 300 together with the guide bar 300-c for guiding the printer paper 300 together with the cartridge lower cover 102-b together with the cartridge upper cover 102-a.

(Third embodiment)
A third embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. In addition, the same code | symbol is attached | subjected about the part which performs the same operation as 2nd Embodiment, and description is abbreviate | omitted.

  The photographing apparatus with a printer according to the third embodiment is configured such that a power battery disposed in a removable cartridge main body installed in the apparatus main body is detachable by a single power battery.

  According to this, all the consumables of printer paper, printing ink, and power supply battery can be handled all at once. At the same time, due to various conditions such as being left for a long time or changing usage environment, the power battery capacity is insufficient, and it is impossible to shoot and print out while other consumables still remain Can be prevented. In addition, since the power supply battery can be attached and detached, a rechargeable power supply battery (nickel battery or lithium ion battery) can be used, which is more economical.

  FIG. 12 is a central cross-sectional view as seen from the top surface similar to the second embodiment. The power battery 2006 is detached by opening and inserting a battery lid 2008 disposed on the side surface of the consumable material cartridge unit 2000.

  FIG. 13 is an exploded view of the consumable material cartridge unit 2000. Printer paper 2003 is wound around a bobbin 2002. A battery holder 2006 is disposed at the central axis portion of the bobbin 2002, and a two-way portion 2006-a at an end of the battery holder 2006 is engaged with and fixed to the wall groove 2009-a of the cartridge lower case 2009. . In addition, a battery contact piece 2010 is disposed on the battery holder 2006 and is connected to a power supply terminal (first embodiment 120).

  The printer paper 2003 is fed by a bobbin gear 2005 that meshes with a gear train on the main body side. The bobbin gear 2005 has a hole in the center of the shaft so as not to interfere with the power supply battery 2007 and the battery holder 2006. The bobbin gear 2005 is fixed by being engaged by a shaft 2005-a and a bobbin hole 2004, and the bobbin 2005 and the printer paper 2003 are rotatable.

  After these are assembled, the consumable material cartridge unit 2000 is completed by covering the cartridge upper cover 2001.

  As a result, the consumable material cartridge unit 2000 can handle all the consumable materials all at once, and at the same time, the power supply battery can be replaced in any state.

(Fourth embodiment)
A fourth embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. Note that portions that perform the same operations as those of the second and third embodiments are denoted by the same reference numerals and description thereof is omitted.

  The apparatus of the fourth embodiment is a type in which an ink tank for printing, which is one of the consumables, is directly connected to the recording head unit, and can handle consumables in a batch operation. It is.

  This simplifies the piping of the connecting portion between the recording head unit and the ink tank, and can reduce the amount of waste ink by suction pumping.

  FIG. 14 is a perspective view of the fourth embodiment. FIG. 15 is a central sectional view as seen from above, FIG. 16 is a sectional view as seen from the side, and FIG. 17 is a detailed view of the carriage portion.

  As shown in FIGS. 14 and 15, the consumable material cartridge unit 3000 has an ink tank 3001 on the outside and is held by a claw portion 3002. The claw portion 3002 is formed of a plastic material that constitutes the exterior portion of the consumable material cartridge unit 3000, and fixes the ink tank 3001 using spring properties. The consumable material cartridge unit 3000 is attached to the side surface of the main body 101, and the protruding portion of the ink tank 3001 is inserted into the hole 3005 formed in the main body 101.

  On the other hand, the head carriage 3003 provided inside the main body 101 is provided with a pressure contact valve 3004 (having four inks for four colors), an ink supply pipe 3006 and a recording head 3007 for supplying ink. Ink is supplied from the connected ink tank 3001.

  The head carriage 3003 has wedge-shaped grooves 3010 and 3011 for guiding the ink tank 3001 and fixing as shown in FIG. These grooves are accurately positioned and fixed. Further, a lock pin 3013 is engaged with the lock hole 3015 of the ink tank 3001 as a stopper for preventing the removal. The lock pin 3013 is biased in the protruding direction via a lock spring 3014 applied to the lock lever 3012.

  Here, as shown in FIG. 15, the ink tank 3001 is replaced at the position A which is the replacement position of the head carriage 3003. In this A position, the lock lever 3012 abuts against the side wall surface portion of the camera body 101 and rotates clockwise to push down the lock pin 3013. As a result, the consumable material cartridge unit 3000 can be pulled out.

  The ink tank 3001 is configured such that wedge-shaped convex portions 3008 and 3009 are engaged with the grooves 3010 and 3011 of the head carriage 3003.

  That is, as shown in FIG. 17, when the consumable material cartridge unit 3001 is inserted in the T direction, the wedge portions 3008 and 3009 are engaged and attached to the groove portions 3010 and 3011 of the head carriage 3003. Thereafter, when the head carriage 3003 moves in the S direction, the claw portion 3002 is removed, the lock pin 3013 of the head carriage 3003 is inserted, and the head carriage 3003 and the ink tank 3001 are integrally configured.

  The head carriage 3003 is controlled by the control means 1 to move to the A position only when the ink tank 3001 is replaced, and is normally controlled to reciprocate between the standby position B and the printing positions C to D.

(Fifth embodiment)
A fifth embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 18 to 21 and FIGS. 4 to 8. FIG. 18 is a block diagram showing the main configuration of the apparatus according to the present invention. Cartridge type discriminating means 15 is added to FIG. 1 described in the first embodiment. 19 to 21 are flowcharts showing the flow of operation. 4 (a), 4 (b), and 5 are perspective views showing the appearance of the apparatus of the present invention. FIG. 6 is a schematic configuration diagram of the central section of the apparatus. FIG. 7 is a perspective view. FIG. 8 is an exploded view of the consumable material cartridge unit. FIG. 22 is a cross-sectional view with the manual cartridge unit mounted, and FIG. 23 is an exploded view of the manual cartridge unit.

  This photographing device with a printer adopts an ink jet recording system in the printer engine unit, and can store electronic images in a memory and print out video information stored in an arbitrary memory for an arbitrary number of prints. It is. The operation procedure of this apparatus will be described with reference to FIGS.

  When the photographer inputs power (S41), the control means 1 determines whether or not a predetermined period, for example, 3 days or more (72 hours or more) has elapsed since the apparatus was last used and the power was turned off. (S42). If three days or more have elapsed, the control means 1 issues a recovery pumping instruction to the printer control section 5 which is in charge of controlling the printer section, and drives the printer engine section 4 (S43).

  When the photographer presses the shutter button 112 to the first stroke during photographing, the SW1 signal 9 is input (S44).

  The control unit 1 drives the image pickup unit 2 via the image pickup control unit 3 to determine exposure control values, distance measurement information, and various conditions necessary for an exposure operation such as the presence or absence of strobe light emission (S45).

  When the photographer further presses the shutter button 112 to actually perform photographing, the SW2 signal 10 is input to the control means 1 (S46).

  The control means 1 drives the imaging unit 2 via the imaging control unit 3 to drive a series of lens driving for focusing, shutter speed control, aperture opening amount control, and if necessary, strobe light emission. Perform exposure operation. Then, the image information input to the solid-state imaging device 800-a is taken into the memory means 7 (S47, S48).

  The control means 1 calls up the stored image information of the memory image from the memory means 7 and displays it on the display means 8, specifically the liquid crystal display board 114, so that the photographing contents and photographing conditions can be confirmed (S49). ).

  As the photographing operation, the video information is accumulated in the memory means 7 by repeating the above.

  When the photographer desires print output, the mode setting means 6 performs print output mode setting. Specifically, for print output, a size setting button 115 and a print number setting button 116 for switching between large and medium print areas of an image to be printed out are used.

  Next, the image information fetched into the memory means 7 is retrieved by looking at the liquid crystal display board 114 with the image advance button 110 and the image return button 109, and the image information to be printed out is displayed (S50).

  Here, when the print button 103 is pressed, the print signal PR11 is input, and the control means 1 starts the printing operation (S51).

  When the manual cartridge unit 150 shown in FIG. 22 is mounted, the control unit 1 reads a signal indicating the type of the mounted cartridge from the output number memory 14 of the cartridge unit 150. For example, if the normal consumable cartridge unit 102 is represented by a 1-bit signal with 0 for the manual feed cartridge unit 150, the cartridge type discriminating means 14 detects this, and the control means 1 is transmitted. The control means 1 controls the feeding operation of printer paper and postcards adapted to each cartridge (S52). If the manual feed cartridge unit 150 is mounted, the control unit 1 checks whether or not there is a sheet to be printed by the paper detection switch 151 that detects insertion of a manually inserted sheet such as a postcard (S53). If no paper is set, a paper feed warning display for prompting insertion of the paper is displayed (S54).

  The printer control unit 5 first performs preliminary ejection in order to make the printing operation more effective at the home position of the recording head (400, which will be described later), thereby eliminating clogging of the recording head 400 and restoring evaporated nozzles. (S55).

  Next, when a manual feed cartridge is inserted or the print paper 300 is prepared, the printer control unit 5 performs image processing for print output on the image information stored in the memory means 7 and then the printer engine unit 4. (S56).

  The printed printer paper 108 printed by the printer engine unit 4 is automatically fed to a position where it is separated from the printer paper 300 wound in a roll. In the case of manual feeding, the manually fed paper is fed until it is completely discharged (S57).

  Here, the print exit 107 of the print paper shown in FIG. 4A may be any one of the print exits 127 shown in FIG. 4B, and it is legally determined which output is to be output. In addition, the consumable material cartridge unit 102 including ink, printer paper, and a power supply battery has a rewritable output number memory 14 and stores the number of printed sheets.

  The control means 1 adds to the output number memory 14 of the consumable material cartridge unit 102 for each print output. At the same time, the remaining amount of printer paper is checked after output (S58), and it is determined whether or not the cartridge unit 102 is to be removed (S59). If there is no printer paper, a warning is displayed on the liquid crystal display panel 114 to prompt replacement of the consumable material cartridge unit 102 (S60, S61).

  On the other hand, it is detected from the mounting detection contact 126 and the output number memory 14 that the manual cartridge unit 150 is mounted. If the manual cartridge unit 150 is removed, a warning display prompting the replacement of the cartridge is similarly performed (S58, S59, S61).

  In accordance with the warning, the photographer removes the consumable material cartridge unit 102 from the camera body 101 and replaces it with a new consumable material cartridge unit 102 or a manual feed cartridge unit 150. The consumable cartridge unit 102 or the manual cartridge unit 150 can be detached from the camera body 101 by pushing the cartridge removal button 111.

  FIG. 5 shows a state where the consumable material cartridge unit 102 is separated from the camera body 101. The consumable cartridge unit 102 has lock claws 117 at four corners, and is inserted into the lock claw holes 118 of the camera body 101. The camera body 101 includes ink connection portions 119 (119-Y, 119-M, 119-C, and 119-K) that supply yellow, magenta, cyan, and black ink to the recording head 400. A power supply terminal 120 for transmitting power from the power supply battery 200 shown in FIG. 6, a memory terminal 121 for transmitting information to and from the output number memory 14, and a connection gear 122 for feeding the printer paper 300 are also provided. Further, a paper feed port 123 through which the printer paper 300 fed from the consumable material cartridge unit 102 is guided into the camera body 101 is provided. The memory terminals 121 are four terminals in the embodiment, but are not limited to this depending on the memory capacity and the like.

  Now, when a new consumable cartridge unit 102 is mounted, the unlocking portion 127 formed on a part of the lock claw 117 pushes the lock pin 125 of the camera body 101 against the spring force of the lock pin spring 129. (FIG. 7). When the lock pin 125 is pushed, the lock lever 124 is released from the locked state, and is pulled by the lock spring 128 to slide. As a result, the claw portion 124-a of the lock lever 124 and the lock claw 117 of the consumable material cartridge unit 102 are engaged, and the consumable material cartridge unit 102 is fixed to the camera body 101.

  At this time, when the end of the lock lever 124 turns on the mounting detection contact 126, the control means 1 detects the mounting of the consumable material cartridge unit 102 (S63) and reads a signal recording the cartridge type in the number memory 14. (S63). The controller 1 energizes the paper feed motor 600 to feed the printer paper 300 into the camera body 101 (S64). Regardless of whether or not it is the manual feed cartridge 150, the recovery pumping is instructed via the printer control unit 5 to restore the printable state (S66).

  On the other hand, when the manual feed cartridge unit 150 is mounted, it is detached and attached by the same operation as when the consumable material cartridge unit is mounted.

  FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view showing a cross-sectional state of the upper surface and side surfaces of the entire apparatus, and shows only main components. Since this configuration is the same as that described in the first embodiment, a description thereof will be omitted.

  FIG. 22 shows a sectional view when the manual feed cartridge unit 150 is mounted. FIG. 23 is an exploded view of the manual feed cartridge unit 150. When the photographer inserts a manual feed paper such as a postcard paper 159, the paper detection switch 151 inputs the actual print operation. When the feed gear a152 that meshes with the paper feed connection gear 122 on the camera body 101 side shown in FIG. 5 rotates, the paper feed rubber roller 155 rotates via the coaxial feed gear b153 and feed gear c154. Thus, the postcard paper 159 is inserted into the camera body 101 while being guided by the pressing roller 156 and the paper feed roller 157.

  Here, in the paper transport unit 123 of the camera body 101, a roller 600-a portion shown in FIG. 6 is a part in which the paper is directly driven by the paper feed motor 600 and transported, and the paper feed accuracy affects the image quality. To do. In the present embodiment, the sheet conveyance unit of the manual cartridge unit 150 is configured to be linearly disposed so as to face the sheet conveyance unit of the camera body 101. This makes it possible to minimize problems in paper conveyance such as the thickness of the manually fed paper.

  The manual feed cartridge unit 150 includes an ink tank 500, a power supply battery 200, and a number-of-sheets memory 14, as in the normal consumable cartridge unit 102. The number-of-sheets memory 14 is mounted on the memory board 130, but the manual cartridge unit 150 counts the number of times of print output of manual paper such as postcards, and the remaining capacity of the ink capacity of the ink tank 500 and the consumed power battery 200. It is used for estimating capacity and the like.

(Sixth embodiment)
A sixth embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. In addition, the same code | symbol is attached about the part which performs the same operation | movement as 4th Embodiment, and description is abbreviate | omitted.

  In the sixth embodiment, the manual cartridge unit 2000 is configured such that when a manual paper 159 such as a postcard is inserted, the paper is conveyed by a paper feed roller 600-a on the camera body 101 side. In this case, almost no paper transport mechanism is required on the manual cartridge unit 2000 side, so that a lightweight and low-cost cartridge unit can be supplied.

  FIG. 24 shows a cross-sectional view of the apparatus in which the manual cartridge unit 2000 is mounted, and FIG. 25 shows an exploded view of the manual cartridge unit 2000. The manual cartridge unit 2000 includes an upper cover 2000-a and a lower cover 2000-b. A manual paper guide surface 2001 is linearly formed on the upper cover 2000-a so as to face the paper conveyance unit of the camera body 101, and thus the manual paper 159 can be linearly inserted. Yes. When manual paper 159 is inserted from insertion slot 2004, paper detection switch 2002 inputs. The signal of the paper detection switch 2002 is transmitted to the camera body 101 side through the memory board. The control unit 1 receives this signal and drives the paper feed motor 600 to drive the paper feed roller 600-a. As the manual paper 159 is inserted, the conveyance direction is adjusted by the guide roller 2003, and the printing operation is performed by being conveyed by the paper supply roller 600-a on the camera body 101 side.

  The manual feed cartridge unit 2000 includes an ink tank 500, a power supply battery 200, and a number memory 14 as in other types of cartridge units.

  Since the power supply battery 200 does not require a transport mechanism or the like in the cartridge of the printer paper or the manual paper, it is possible to mount a battery having a large capacity according to the space margin.

(Seventh embodiment)
A seventh embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 26 to 30 and FIGS. 4 to 7. FIG. 26 is a block diagram showing the main configuration of the photographing apparatus with a printer according to the present invention, which is provided with waste liquid absorbing paper detecting means 16, and other parts are the same as those in the first embodiment, and redundant description is omitted. 27 and 28 are flowcharts showing the flow of operation. 4 (a), 4 (b), and 5 are perspective views showing the appearance of the apparatus of the present invention. FIG. 6 is a schematic configuration diagram of the central section of the apparatus. FIG. 7 is a perspective view. FIG. 29 is an exploded view of the consumable material cartridge unit.

  This apparatus employs an ink jet recording system in the printer engine unit, and can store electronic image data in a memory and print out video information stored in an arbitrary memory for an arbitrary number of prints. This apparatus will be described according to the operation procedure.

  When the photographer inputs the power of the photographing apparatus with the printer (S71), the control means 1 has passed a predetermined period, for example, three days or more (72 hours or more) since the apparatus was last used and the power was turned off. It is determined whether or not (S72). If three days or more have elapsed, the control means 1 issues a recovery pumping instruction to the printer control section 5 responsible for controlling the printer section and drives the printer engine section 4 (S73). The above operation is the same as in the first, second, and fourth embodiments. At this time, the control unit 1 performs the recovery pumping operation only when the waste liquid absorbent paper 160 is securely attached by a signal from the waste liquid absorbent paper detection means 16 that detects the presence or absence of the waste liquid absorbent paper 160. As a result, it is possible to prevent a malfunction such as a waste liquid jumping around in the event of an emergency.

  Here again, recovery pumping makes recording more effective in an ink jet recording type apparatus to be described later, and cleans the recording head by means such as a suction pump in advance before recording on a sheet ( Details of the recovery operation will be described later). As a guideline for this cleaning, in this embodiment, this is performed at the time of power input when there is an unused period of 3 days or more.

  When the photographer presses the shutter button 112 to the first stroke during photographing, the SW1 signal 9 is input (S74). The control unit 1 drives the imaging unit 2 via the imaging control unit 3 to determine exposure control values, determination of distance measurement information, and various conditions necessary for the exposure operation such as the presence or absence of strobe light emission (S75). When the photographer further presses the shutter button 112 to actually execute photographing, the SW2 signal 10 is input to the control means 1 (S76).

  The control means 1 drives the imaging unit 2 via the imaging control unit 3 to drive a series of exposures such as lens driving for focusing, shutter speed control, aperture opening amount control, and if necessary, strobe light emission. Perform the action. Then, the image information input to the solid-state imaging device 800-a is taken into the memory means 7 (S77, S78).

  The control means 1 calls the stored memory image from the memory means 7 and displays it on the display means 8, more specifically, the liquid crystal display board 114, so that the photographing contents and photographing conditions can be confirmed (S79).

  As the photographing operation, the video information is accumulated in the memory means 7 by repeating the above. When the number of repetitions increases, when the memory capacity of the memory means 7 is exceeded, a warning display to that effect is given by the display means.

  When the photographer desires print output, the mode setting means 6 performs print output mode setting. Specifically, for print output, a size setting button 115 and a print number setting button 116 for switching between large and medium print areas of an image to be printed out are used.

  Next, the image information fetched in the memory means 7 is searched for by looking at the liquid crystal display board 114 with the image advance button 110 and the image return button 109, and the image information to be printed out is displayed (S80).

  Here, when the print button 103 is pressed, the print signal PR11 is input, and the control means 1 starts the printing operation (S81).

  The printer control unit 5 first performs preliminary ejection in order to make the printing operation more effective at the home position of the recording head (400, which will be described later), thereby eliminating clogging of the recording head 400 and restoring evaporated nozzles. (S82).

  Next, the printer control unit 5 outputs the video information stored in the memory means 7 from the printer engine unit 4 after performing image processing for print output (S83).

  The printed printer paper 108 printed by the printer engine unit 4 is automatically fed to a position where it is separated from the printer paper 300 wound in a roll (S84).

  Here, the consumable material cartridge unit 102 including the ink, the printer paper, and the power supply battery has a rewritable output number memory 14 in the inside, and the number of printouts is stored. The control means 1 adds to the output number memory 14 of the consumable material cartridge unit 102 for each print output. At the same time, even if the remaining amount of printer paper is checked after output, if there is no printer paper, a warning display is displayed on the liquid crystal display panel 114 to prompt the user to replace the consumable material cartridge unit 102 (S85, S86).

  The user removes the consumable cartridge unit 102 from the camera body 101 and replaces it with a new consumable cartridge unit 102 in accordance with the warning. The consumable cartridge unit 102 can be detached from the camera body 101 by pressing the cartridge removal button 111.

  Now, when a new consumable cartridge unit 102 is mounted, the unlocking portion 127 formed on a part of the lock claw 117 pushes the lock pin 125 of the camera body 101 against the spring force of the lock pin spring 129. (FIG. 7). When the lock pin 125 is pushed, the lock lever 124 is released from the locked state, and is pulled by the lock spring 128 to slide. As a result, the claw portion 124-a of the lock lever and the lock claw 117 of the consumable material cartridge unit 102 are engaged, and the consumable material cartridge unit 102 is fixed to the camera body 101.

  At this time, when the end of the lock lever 124 turns on the attachment detection contact 126, the control means 1 detects the attachment of the consumable material cartridge unit 102 (S87). The controller 1 energizes the paper feed motor 600 to feed the printer paper 300 into the camera body 101 (S88).

  Also, recovery pumping is instructed via the printer control unit 5 to restore the printable state (S89).

  As described above, FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view showing the cross-sectional state of the upper surface and side surfaces of the entire apparatus, and shows only the main configuration. The imaging apparatus body 101 with a printer processes image information input from the imaging unit 800 by a circuit disposed on the substrate unit 900 and prints it by the recording head 400.

  On the other hand, FIG. 29 is an exploded view of the consumable material cartridge unit 102. This includes an ink tank 500 containing four colors of yellow, magenta, cyan, and black ink, a printer paper 300 wound in a roll shape, and a power supply battery 200 arranged coaxially with the printer paper 300. A waste liquid absorbing paper 160 is provided. The output number memory 14 rides on the memory board 145 and is fixed to the cartridge upper cover 102-a. The printer paper 300 is fitted with bearings 300-a and 300-b from both sides after the power supply battery 200 is inserted into the center of the shaft. Other parts are the same as those described in FIG. Further, the consumable material cartridge unit 102 can be reused after collection because of such a configuration.

  Next, the above-described recovery pumping configuration will be described. FIG. 30 is a structural conceptual diagram of recovery pumping provided in the camera main body 101. When the consumable material cartridge unit 102 is mounted and the waste liquid absorbing paper 160 is set at a predetermined position, the control unit 1 inputs a signal of the mounting detection contact 126 of the consumable material cartridge unit 102. At the same time, the input of the signal of the waste liquid absorbing paper mounting detection switch 170 is confirmed, and the recovery pumping operation is performed only when it is securely mounted.

  When the waste liquid absorbing paper 160 is attached, it comes into close contact with the pressure bonding portion 113-b of the waste liquid discharge nozzle 113. The pressure-bonding portion 113-b is biased by a pressure-bonding spring 139 so that the pressure-bonding portion 113-b is in close contact with the waste liquid absorbing paper 160. The control means 1 performs a recovery pumping operation at each timing in the flowchart such as replacement of the consumable material cartridge unit 102 or power-on.

  The control unit 1 drives the printer engine unit 4 via the printer control unit 5, specifically, divides the driving force from the paper feed motor 600 and transmits power from the idler gear 132 to the piston gear 133. The piston gear 133 is engaged with the screw shaft 136 and is rotatable together. A piston valve 135 is engaged with a groove portion of the screw shaft 136, and these reciprocate in the cylinder 134. The screw shaft 136 is provided with a lever 140 having a spring property on the same axis. When the piston valve 135 moves from A to B, the lever 140 rotates counterclockwise using friction, and the relay lever 141 is rotated. Then, the pumping pad 131 is pushed up to make contact with the recording head 400. At this time, the internal pressure of the cylinder 134 decreases due to the piston valve 135 moving in the B direction, and the pressure at the contact between the pumping pad 131 and the recording head 400 also decreases via the pad tube 138. As a result, the ink inside the recording head 400 is sucked out and collected in the cylinder 134.

  Next, the control means 1 controls the printer engine unit 4 so that the piston gear 133 rotates in the reverse direction. At the same time as the piston valve 135 moves from B to A, the lever 140 also rotates clockwise, and the pumping pad 131 is pushed down via the relay lever 141 to return to atmospheric pressure.

  The piston valve 135 is made of a soft material such as rubber so that the piston valve 135 is in close contact with the cylinder in the A → B direction and has a clearance with the cylinder in the B → A direction. When the piston valve 135 returns in the A direction, suction is performed. The discharged ink is pushed out of the piston valve 135.

  Thereafter, when the piston valve moves again in the A → B direction by the next drive, the ink is further pushed out and led to the waste liquid discharge nozzle 113 through the relay tube 137, and the water absorption force of the waste liquid absorption paper 160 is used. Then, it moves to the waste liquid absorbing paper 160. By performing such suction and discharge operations several times in succession, ink fixed in the recording head 400, air mixed in the flow path, and the like are removed.

  Further, when exchanging the consumable material cartridge unit 102, it is more preferable to change the number of times of pumping depending on circumstances, such as performing suction and discharge operations for pumping longer than the normal recovery pumping operation.

(Eighth embodiment)
The eighth embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. In addition, the same code | symbol is attached | subjected about the part which performs the same operation | movement as 6th Embodiment, and description is abbreviate | omitted.

  The waste ink storage means in the cartridge unit of the eighth embodiment is disposed in the gap of the cartridge unit, and is an example in which miniaturization is achieved by effectively using the volume of the cartridge unit.

  The waste liquid absorbing paper 4000 is arranged so that the printer paper 300 escapes into a gap below the printer paper 300 having an axial center offset with respect to the outer shape of the consumable material cartridge unit 102 and the power supply battery 200.

  By arranging in this way, the inside of the cartridge can be used effectively while maintaining the exterior shape.

  Further, a partial shape 4000-a that receives waste ink from the waste liquid discharge nozzle 113 is formed at the end of the waste liquid absorbing paper 4000. Accordingly, the positional relationship between the waste liquid discharge nozzle 113 and the waste liquid absorbent paper 4000 can be designed with a high degree of freedom.

  In the above embodiment, it has been described that the remaining waste liquid processing printed on the printing paper is stored in the cartridge unit. By this waste liquid treatment, the number of prints of the head of the apparatus main body can be increased, the operation is long-lived, and the troublesome operation of the photographer can be prevented.

    Hereinafter, the effect by embodiment of this invention is demonstrated. Since the camera mode and the print mode can be switched only by attaching and detaching the ink cartridge, the operability is improved. In addition, since the function of the operation member is assigned according to each mode, it has the effect that the number of operation members can be reduced to the minimum number, and also has the effect that the operability is good even if the device is further downsized. Yes.

  Further, since the cartridge unit is unnecessary in the camera mode, there is an effect that further downsizing is possible.

  In addition, by using the power supply battery suitable for each mode, a smaller power supply battery can be used in the camera mode, and at the same time, a large power supply battery is used in the print mode that consumes a large amount of power. is doing.

  In addition, when the power supply of one power source battery on the apparatus main body side and the cartridge unit side is insufficient, power is supplied from the other power source, so that there is also an effect that it does not stop during operation. .

  In addition, an ink tank for storing at least one color ink and a recording paper for printing are incorporated in a removable cartridge main body mounted on a camera with a printer, and when the cartridge main body is mounted, the ink and the recording paper for printing are supplied. To be. As a result, the consumables necessary for print output can be handled in a lump, so that it is not necessary to always pay attention to the remaining amount of each item or to prepare them separately, and the operability is good.

  In addition, when the ink tank part is installed, the ink tank part is detached from the cartridge body, so that even if the recording head and the ink tank part are driven integrally, other consumables Can be handled collectively. As a result, it is possible to cope with various types of recording heads, and the user can obtain easy-to-handle operability without worrying about these recording head types.

  In addition, since the recording head unit and the ink tank unit can be configured integrally, less ink is wasted due to the short flow path for recovery pumping that discharges air that enters the ink flow path when the ink tank is replaced. This also has the effect that the time required is short.

  In addition, the image pickup apparatus with a printer is provided with a detection unit to which a cartridge is mounted, and the image pickup apparatus with a printer is controlled based on the detection unit. It has the effect.

  In addition, a power supply battery is provided inside the cartridge body, and this can be provided or replaced at the central portion of the recording paper shaft for printing, so that the power supply battery can be handled together with other consumables. The operability is improved. In addition, the use of a rechargeable battery is also possible due to the replacement. In addition, the arrangement at the center of the shaft has the effect that the entire apparatus can be reduced in size.

  Further, in the photographing apparatus with a printer, the cartridge unit is a detachable cartridge unit, and has an ink tank of at least one color and a manual sheet feeding unit, and the manual sheet feeding unit is opposed to the sheet conveying unit of the photographing apparatus body with the printer. And arranged linearly. Accordingly, there is an effect that the print output can be easily performed when the print output to the manual feed paper is desired while the consumables are handled as a collective cartridge unit.

  In addition, since manual feed paper can be inserted linearly facing the paper transport unit that performs the printing operation, it is less affected by the paper quality and paper thickness of the paper to be printed, and can be output to various types of paper. It also has an effect.

  Further, the photographing apparatus with a printer has an identification means for identifying the mounting of a plurality of cartridge units, and the control of the sheet conveyance and the printing operation of the photographing apparatus with a printer is changed based on this signal. As a result, it is possible to automatically perform the sheet transport and printing operation most suitable for the cartridge unit simply by exchanging the cartridge unit.

  In addition, since there is no burden on the photographer even if various types of cartridges are prepared, there is an effect that it is possible to easily provide a cartridge suitable for the application.

  Furthermore, in a detachable ink cartridge unit that is attached to a printer-equipped camera incorporating an ink jet recording type printer device, an ink waste liquid storage means is disposed inside the ink cartridge unit. This eliminates the need for the camera body to have the waste ink discharged by the suction pumping operation and the means for storing the waste ink, so that the camera body can be downsized.

  In addition, since the ink cartridge unit has a waste liquid storage means, it can be reused by collecting it after replacement and replacing it with a new waste liquid storage means.

  In addition, since the approximate amount of waste ink can be grasped from the amount of ink used in the ink cartridge unit, the waste liquid storage means can be made to an optimum size, and the cost can be made appropriate. is doing.

  Further, the photographing apparatus with a printer has a detecting means for detecting a mounting state of the waste liquid storage means for storing the waste ink sucked by the suction pumping operation, and controls the photographing apparatus with the printer based on a signal from the detecting means. Control means. Accordingly, it is possible to check the mounting status of the waste liquid storage means separately from the mounting of the ink cartridge unit. Therefore, when the waste liquid storage means is not in close contact with the camera body due to some problem, it is possible to prevent a defect that the waste liquid leaks due to the suction pumping operation.

1 is a configuration block diagram of a first embodiment according to the present invention. FIG. It is a flowchart of 1st Embodiment by this invention. It is a flowchart of 1st Embodiment by this invention. 1 is a perspective view of a first embodiment according to the present invention. 1 is a perspective view of a first embodiment according to the present invention. It is the center sectional drawing of the upper surface and side surface of 1st Embodiment by this invention. It is a see-through | perspective perspective view of 1st Embodiment by this invention. FIG. 3 is an exploded view of the consumable material cartridge unit according to the first embodiment of the present invention. It is a block diagram of the configuration of the second embodiment according to the present invention. It is a flowchart of 2nd Embodiment by this invention. It is a flowchart of 2nd Embodiment by this invention. It is a center sectional view (upper surface) of a 3rd embodiment by the present invention. It is a consumable material cartridge unit exploded view of a third embodiment according to the present invention. It is a perspective view of 4th Embodiment by this invention. It is a center sectional view (upper surface) of a 4th embodiment by the present invention. It is sectional drawing (side surface) of 4th Embodiment by this invention. It is a carriage part detailed drawing of 4th Embodiment by this invention. It is a block diagram of 5th Embodiment by this invention. It is a flowchart of 5th Embodiment by this invention. It is a flowchart of 5th Embodiment by this invention. It is a flowchart of 5th Embodiment by this invention. FIG. 6 is a central sectional view 2 (side view) of a fifth embodiment according to the present invention. FIG. 10 is an exploded view of a manual cartridge unit according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention. It is center sectional drawing (side surface) of 6th Embodiment by this invention. It is a manual cartridge unit exploded view of 6th Embodiment by this invention. It is a structure block diagram of 7th Embodiment by this invention. It is a flowchart of 7th Embodiment by this invention. It is a flowchart of 7th Embodiment by this invention. It is a consumable material cartridge unit exploded view of a seventh embodiment according to the present invention. It is a recovery pumping block diagram of 7th Embodiment by this invention. It is a consumable material cartridge unit exploded view of 8th Embodiment by this invention. It is a center sectional view (side view) of an 8th embodiment by the present invention.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Control means 2 Imaging part 3 Imaging control part 4 Printer engine part 5 Printer control part 6 Mode switching means (operation member switching means)
7 Memory means 8 Display section 9 Cartridge mounting detection means 10, 11, 12, 13 Operation switch 14 Output number memory 15 Cartridge type discrimination means 16 Waste liquid absorbing paper detection means 101 Camera body 102 Consumable material cartridge unit 104 Zoom button (image feed) button)
105 Imaging Lens 106 Optical Viewfinder 107 Print Exit 108 Printed Printer Paper 111 Cartridge Removal Button 112 Shutter Button (Print Button)
113 Waste liquid discharge nozzle 114 Liquid crystal display panel 115 Size setting button (flash emission button)
116 Number of prints setting button (shooting mode setting button)
117 Lock claw 118 Lock claw hole 119 Ink connection part 120 Power supply terminal 121 Memory terminal 122 Paper feed gear 123 Paper feed port 124 Lock lever 125 Lock pin 126 Attachment detection contact 127 Lock release part 128 Lock spring 129 Lock pin spring 130 Detection switch 131 Pumping Pad 132 Idler gear 133 Piston gear 134 Cylinder 135 Piston valve 136 Screw shaft 137 Relay tube 138 Put tube 139 Crimp spring 140 Lever 141 Relay lever 145 Memory board 149 Main battery 150 Manual cartridge unit 151 Paper detection switch 152 Feeding gear a
153 Feeding gear b
154 Feeding gear c
155 Feed roller rubber 156 Press roller 157 Feed roller 158 Manual feed port 159 Postcard paper 200 Power supply battery 300 Printer paper 400 Recording head 500 Ink tank 600 Paper feed motor 700 Head drive motor 800 Imaging unit 900 Substrate unit 2000 Manual cartridge unit 3000 Consumable cartridge unit 4000 Waste liquid absorbing paper

Claims (6)

A printer in which a cartridge containing a print material is removable,
An operation member;
Detecting means for detecting that the cartridge is mounted;
An operation member switching means for switching a function assigned to the operation member in accordance with a mounting state of the cartridge detected by the detection means.   The printer according to claim 1, wherein the operation member switching unit assigns a function for print output setting to the operation member when the cartridge is mounted.   The printer according to claim 2, wherein the print output setting includes one of a print output size setting and an output number setting. The printer further includes imaging means for converting an optical image of the object scene to be photographed into an electrical signal,
2. The printer according to claim 1, wherein the operation member switching unit assigns a function of shooting setting or print output setting to the operation member in accordance with a mounting state of the cartridge. The printer further includes an imaging means for converting an optical image of a field to be photographed into an electrical signal;
The printer according to claim 1, further comprising: a photographing operation by the imaging unit and a control unit that switches a printing operation by the printing unit according to the mounting state of the cartridge detected by the detection unit. A method for controlling a printer in which a cartridge containing a print material is detachable,
Detecting that the cartridge is mounted by a detecting means;
A control method for a printer, wherein control is performed so as to switch a function assigned to an operation member in accordance with the detected mounting state of the cartridge.

Images