JP2007216395A - Printer - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a printer capable of controlling the driving of a solenoid in a simple structure. <P>SOLUTION: This printer comprises various motors such as a CR motor 4 for driving a carriage (a driven body), a PF motor 5 for conveying a printing paper sheet or the like (a driven body) and the like, the solenoid 56, and first to third integrated circuits 79-81 having a plurality of motor drive circuits 83 for controlling the driving of motors. In the printer, the solenoid 56 is controlled to be driven by the motor drive circuit 83. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a printer.

  The printer is equipped with various motors such as a paper feed motor for driving a conveyance roller for conveying printing paper and a carriage motor for driving a carriage on which a print head is mounted (for example, Patent Documents). 1). In other words, printers employ many motors as actuators for driving driven members such as transport rollers and carriages. Also known is a printer using a solenoid as an actuator for driving a cutter for cutting printing paper (see, for example, Patent Document 2).

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2004-9702 (see drawings, etc.) Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 2005-238818 (see paragraph 0025, etc.)

  Due to recent demands for multifunctional, high quality, and simplified construction of printers, there is a movement to adopt solenoids as actuators for driven bodies other than cutters in printers. However, Patent Document 2 that describes a printer that employs a solenoid as an actuator does not specifically disclose what configuration is used to drive and control the solenoid.

  SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide a printer capable of performing solenoid drive control with a simple configuration.

  In order to solve the above-described problems, a printer of the present invention includes a motor and a solenoid for driving a driven body, and an integrated circuit having a plurality of motor drive circuits for motor drive control. It is characterized by being controlled by a circuit.

  The printer of the present invention includes an integrated circuit having a plurality of motor drive circuits for driving and controlling various motors generally employed as actuators of various driven bodies constituting the printer. The solenoid is driven and controlled by the motor drive circuit. Therefore, it is not necessary to provide a drive circuit for exclusive use of the solenoid for driving and controlling the solenoid in the printer. As a result, the configuration of the printer is simplified. Further, in the printer of the present invention, it is not necessary to separately design a drive circuit dedicated to the solenoid, and the design work of the printer is simplified.

  In the present invention, the printer has m2 integrated circuits having m1 motor drive circuits, where m1 is an integer of 2 or more, m2 is an integer of 1 or more, and m3 is an integer from 1 to (m1-1). And (m1 × m2−m3) motors are preferably provided. With this configuration, there is a motor drive circuit that is not used for motor drive control in any of the integrated circuits. Therefore, it is possible to drive and control the solenoid using a motor drive circuit that is not used for motor drive control, and there is no need to provide a separate integrated circuit for solenoid drive control. As a result, the configuration of the printer is further simplified.

  In the present invention, the solenoid is preferably PWM controlled by a motor drive circuit. With this configuration, the solenoid drive voltage can be controlled and the drive voltage can be finely adjusted with a simple configuration such as changing the duty cost of the solenoid drive voltage. Also, since PWM control is often adopted as a motor control method used in printers, the configuration of the motor drive circuit for driving and controlling the solenoid and the motor drive circuit for driving and controlling the motor are made common. can do.

  In the present invention, the printer includes a main body frame, a carriage mounted with a print head for ejecting ink droplets onto a predetermined print object, and movable inside the main body frame, and ink supplied to the print head attached to the main body frame. Cartridge, a cartridge cover which is attached to the main body frame so as to be openable and closable and covers the ink cartridge, and a lock member which keeps the cartridge cover in a closed state. Is preferably open.

  In the case of a printer in which the ink cartridge is attached to the main body frame, the ink cartridge and the print head mounted on the carriage are connected by an ink supply tube. Further, the ink is pressurized in order to supply the ink from the ink cartridge to the print head via this tube. Therefore, if the user can arbitrarily open the cartridge cover when replacing the ink cartridge, the ink cartridge may be replaced while the ink is pressurized, and ink leakage may occur. Here, when the lock member that maintains the cartridge cover that covers the ink cartridge is driven by a solenoid to open the cartridge cover, the user cannot arbitrarily open the cartridge cover. Therefore, if the cartridge cover is configured to open after the pressure reduction of the ink is completed, ink leakage when replacing the ink cartridge can be reliably prevented. Even if a solenoid for driving the lock member is adopted as a new configuration in the printer, the solenoid can be driven and controlled with a simple configuration using a motor drive circuit.

  In the present invention, the printer includes a plurality of integrated circuits and, as a motor, takes at least a print object into the printer, discharges the print object from the printer, and prints on the print object. It is preferable that the solenoid is driven and controlled by another motor driving circuit in the integrated circuit which includes a motor to be driven and which has a motor driving circuit for driving and controlling the motor.

  In a printer, when a print object is taken into the printer, when a print object is discharged from the printer, or when printing is performed on the print object, the motor that is driven is used frequently. The relative voltage application time becomes longer. Therefore, a relatively high load is applied to the motor drive circuit that drives and controls the motor. On the other hand, since the cartridge cover is opened only when the ink cartridge is replaced, the frequency of use of the solenoid that drives the lock member that keeps the cartridge cover closed is low. For this reason, the load applied to the motor drive circuit for driving and controlling the solenoid is not relatively high. Therefore, a motor drive circuit that drives and controls a motor that drives at least one of when the print target is taken into the printer, when the print target is discharged from the printer, and when printing is performed on the print target is provided. By driving and controlling the solenoid with another motor drive circuit in the integrated circuit, the load on the entire integrated circuit can be reduced. As a result, heat generation of the integrated circuit can be prevented and appropriate drive control of the motor and solenoid can be performed.

  In the present invention, the printer includes a take-in motor that takes a printing object into the printer and a carriage motor that drives the carriage, and the integrated circuit includes three motor drive circuits, and controls the take-in motor. Preferably, the solenoid is driven and controlled by another motor driving circuit in the integrated circuit having a motor driving circuit for driving and a motor driving circuit for driving the carriage motor. The intake motor and carriage motor are frequently used. Further, the take-in motor and the carriage motor frequently start and stop depending on the number of prints and the print mode. Therefore, the entire integrated circuit is controlled by driving and controlling a solenoid that is less frequently used by another motor driving circuit in the integrated circuit having a motor driving circuit that drives and controls the take-in motor and a motor driving circuit that drives the carriage motor. Can be reduced. As a result, heat generation of the integrated circuit can be prevented and appropriate drive control of the take-in motor, carriage motor and solenoid can be performed.

  Hereinafter, a printer according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

(Schematic configuration of the printer)
FIG. 1 is a front view showing a printer 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a schematic configuration inside the printer 1 of FIG. FIG. 3 is a side view showing a schematic configuration of a portion related to paper feeding of the printer 1 of FIG. FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing a part of the gap adjusting mechanism 10 of the printer 1 of FIG. FIG. 5 is a side view showing the gap adjusting mechanism 10 of FIG. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an arrangement relationship between the cartridge cover 31 and the lock mechanism 32 of FIG. FIG. 7 is a conceptual diagram for explaining a connection relationship between the print head 2 of FIG. 3 and the ink cartridge 8 of FIG. FIG. 8 is a list summarizing the use of various motors and the like provided in the printer 1 of FIG.

  The printer 1 of this embodiment is an ink jet printer that performs printing by ejecting ink onto a printing paper P or the like that is a printing target. As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the printer 1 includes a carriage 3 on which a print head 2 (see FIG. 3) for ejecting ink droplets is mounted, and a carriage motor (CR that drives the carriage 3 in the main scanning direction MS. Motor) 4, a paper feed motor (PF motor) 5 for conveying the printing paper P in the sub-scanning direction SS, a PF drive roller 6 connected to the PF motor 5, and a nozzle surface of the print head 2 (lower surface in FIG. 3) ), Nine ink cartridges 8a to 8i filled with various inks supplied to the print head 2, and a main body frame 9 on which these components are mounted. Yes. Both the CR motor 4 and the PF motor 5 of this embodiment are DC (direct current) motors. Hereinafter, the nine ink cartridges 8a to 8i are collectively referred to as an ink cartridge 8. In this embodiment, the carriage 3 is a driven body driven by the CR motor 4, and the PF driving roller 6 and a later-described discharge driving roller 15 are driven bodies driven by the PF motor 5.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 3, the printer 1 includes a hopper 11 on which the printing paper P before printing is placed, and a paper feed roller for taking the printing paper P placed on the hopper 11 into the printer 1. 12, a separation pad 13, a paper detector 14 for detecting the passage of the printing paper P taken into the printer 1 from the hopper 11, and a paper discharge driving roller 15 for discharging the printing paper P from the inside of the printer 1. I have. Further, the printer 1 includes a gap adjusting mechanism 10 (see FIGS. 4 and 5) that adjusts a gap (gap) between the nozzle surface of the print head 2 and the platen 7 according to the type of the printing paper P or the like. .

  As shown in FIG. 2, each of the ink cartridges 8a to 8i of the present embodiment is detachably attached to the main body frame 9 via a predetermined attachment member (not shown). Further, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 6, a cartridge cover 31 that covers the ink cartridge 8 is attached to the main body frame 9 so that the main body frame 9 can be opened and closed. The cartridge cover 31 is opened and closed mainly when the ink cartridge 8 is replaced. Further, as shown in FIG. 6, the printer 1 of this embodiment includes a lock mechanism 32 that maintains the cartridge cover 31 in a closed state, and a cover lock detector 33 that detects the open / closed state of the cartridge cover 31. ing.

  The carriage 3 is configured to be movable in the main scanning direction MS inside the main body frame 9 by a guide shaft 17 supported by a support frame 16 fixed to the main body frame 9 and a timing belt 18. That is, a part of the timing belt 18 is fixed to the carriage 3 (see FIG. 3), and the pulley 19 attached to the output shaft of the CR motor 4 and the pulley 20 attached to the support frame 16 to be rotatable. It is arrange | positioned so that it may have fixed tension in the state hung over. The guide shaft 17 slidably holds the carriage 3 so as to guide the carriage 3 in the main scanning direction MS.

  The paper feed roller 12 is connected to a paper feed motor (ASF motor) 36 through a gear 35 and is driven by the ASF motor 36. In this embodiment, the ASF motor 36 is a take-in motor that takes the printing paper P into the printer 1, and the paper feed roller 12 is a driven body that is driven by the ASF motor 36. The ASF motor 36 of this embodiment is a stepping motor. As shown in FIG. 3, the hopper 11 is a plate-like member on which the printing paper P can be placed. The hopper 11 can swing around a rotation shaft 22 provided on the upper portion by a cam mechanism (not shown). ing. The lower end portion of the hopper 11 is elastically pressed against the paper feed roller 12 by the cam mechanism and is separated from the paper feed roller 12. The separation pad 13 is formed of a member having a high friction coefficient, and is disposed at a position facing the paper feed roller 12. When the paper feed roller 12 rotates, the surface of the paper feed roller 12 and the separation pad 13 are pressed against each other. Therefore, when the paper feeding roller 12 rotates, the uppermost printing paper P among the printing paper P placed on the hopper 11 passes through the pressure contact portion between the surface of the paper feeding roller 12 and the separation pad 13. Although it is sent to the paper discharge side, the printing paper P placed on the second and subsequent pages from the top is prevented from being conveyed to the paper discharge side by the separation pad 13.

  The PF drive roller 6 is connected to the PF motor 5 directly or via a gear not shown. As shown in FIG. 3, the printer 1 is provided with a PF driven roller 23 that conveys the printing paper P together with the PF drive roller 6. The PF driven roller 23 is rotatably held on the paper discharge side of a driven roller holder 24 configured to be rotatable about a rotation shaft 25. The driven roller holder 24 is urged counterclockwise by an unillustrated spring so that the PF driven roller 23 always receives the urging force toward the PF drive roller 6. When the PF driving roller 6 is driven, the PF driven roller 23 is rotated together with the PF driving roller 6. As shown in FIG. 3, a gear 37 is fixed to the rotary shaft 25, and the gear 37 is connected to a release motor 38. Then, when printing on special printing paper thicker than normal printing paper P, or when a paper jam occurs inside the printer 1, the release roller 38 causes the driven roller holder 24 to move the timepiece of FIG. Rotate in the direction to separate the PF driven roller 23 from the PF drive roller 6. The release motor 38 of this embodiment is a DC motor. The driven roller holder 24 is a driven body that is driven by a release motor 38.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the paper detector 14 includes a detection lever 26 and a sensor 27, and is provided in the vicinity of the driven roller holder 24. The detection lever 26 is rotatable about the rotation shaft 28. When the printing paper P passes through the lower side of the detection lever 26 from the passage state of the printing paper P shown in FIG. 3, the detection lever 26 rotates counterclockwise. When the detection lever 26 rotates, the light that travels from the light emitting portion to the light receiving portion of the sensor 27 is blocked, and the passage of the printing paper P can be detected.

  The paper discharge drive roller 15 is disposed on the paper discharge side of the printer 1 and is connected to the PF motor 5 via a gear (not shown). As shown in FIG. 3, the printer 1 is provided with a paper discharge driven roller 29 that discharges the printing paper P together with the paper discharge driving roller 15. Similarly to the PF driven roller 23, the paper discharge driven roller 29 is always urged toward the paper discharge drive roller 15 by a spring (not shown). When the paper discharge driving roller 15 is driven, the paper discharge driven roller 29 is rotated together with the paper discharge driving roller 15.

  The gap adjusting mechanism 10 is configured to move the guide shaft 17 up and down with respect to the support frame 16 by a cam mechanism. The gap adjusting mechanism 10 is provided on both sides of the side surface 16a (right side surface in FIG. 2) of the support frame 16 and the other side surface 16b (left side surface in FIG. 2). Hereinafter, the configuration of the gap adjustment mechanism 10 will be described by taking the gap adjustment mechanism 10 provided on the one side surface 16a side of the support frame 16 as an example. As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the gap adjusting mechanism 10 includes an eccentric cam 40 fixed to one end portion of the guide shaft 17, a driven gear 41 fixed to one end portion of the guide shaft 17, and the eccentric cam 40. A gear wheel train 43 that transmits the power of a drive motor (APG motor) 42 that rotates the motor to the driven gear 41, and a fixed pin 44 that is fixed to one side surface 16a and that abuts the cam surface 40a of the eccentric cam 40. ing. The APG motor 42 of this embodiment is a stepping motor. The eccentric cam 40 is a driven body driven by the APG motor 42.

  As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, an elongated through hole 16 c that is long in the vertical direction is formed on one side surface 16 a of the support frame 16. The guide shaft 17 is inserted through the through hole 16c. An eccentric cam 40 and a driven gear 41 are fixed in this order from the inside to the end of the guide shaft 17 protruding from the one side surface 16a. The fixed pin 44 is fixed to the lower side of the through hole 16c, and the cam surface 40a of the eccentric cam 40 is in contact with the fixed pin 44 with a predetermined contact force due to the weight of the carriage 3 or the like. The cam surface 40a of the eccentric cam 40 is formed so that the radius with respect to the rotation center changes stepwise. For example, the radius of the cam surface 40a with respect to the rotation center of the eccentric cam 40 changes in five steps in the circumferential direction so that the gap between the nozzle surface of the print head 2 and the platen 7 can be adjusted in five steps.

  In the gap adjusting mechanism 10, when the APG motor 42 rotates, the driving force of the APG motor 42 is transmitted to the driven gear 41 via the gear train 43, and the guide shaft 17 and the eccentric cam 40 rotate together with the driven gear 41. . When the eccentric cam 40 rotates, the distance between the guide shaft 17 serving as the center of rotation of the eccentric cam 40 and the fixing pin 44 with which the cam surface 40a of the eccentric cam 40 abuts changes, and the guide shaft 17 with respect to the support frame 16 changes. Goes up and down. That is, the carriage 3 moves up and down, and the gap between the nozzle surface of the print head 2 and the platen 7 is adjusted.

  As shown in FIG. 7, the print head 2 mounted on the carriage 3 and the ink cartridges 8a to 8i attached to the main body frame 9 are connected by a flexible tube 46 for supplying ink. Further, in the printer 1 of this embodiment, since ink is supplied from the ink cartridges 8 a to 8 i to the print head 2 through the tube 46, the ink in the ink cartridges 8 a to 8 i can be pressurized by the pump 47. ing. The pump 47 is driven by a pressurizing motor 48. The pressurizing motor 48 of this embodiment is a DC motor. The pump 47 is a driven body that is driven by a pressure motor 48.

  In the printer 1, two types of black ink are selectively used according to the type of printing paper P. Specifically, in the printer 1 of this embodiment, two types of black ink are filled in the ink cartridges 8 a and 8 b, and the black ink in the ink cartridge 8 a is changed according to the type of the printing paper P. Or whether the black ink in the ink cartridge 8b is ejected from the print head 2. That is, the printer 1 includes an ink selector 49 for selecting black ink to be supplied to the print head 2 as shown in FIG. The ink selector 49 is connected to two tubes 46 connected to the ink cartridges 8 a and 8 b, and is driven by a selector motor 50. The selector motor 50 of this embodiment is a DC motor. The ink selector 49 is a driven body that is driven by the selector motor 50. Both the ink selector 49 and the selector motor 50 are mounted on the carriage 3.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 7, the printer 1 discharges the black ink remaining inside the print head 2 when the type of black ink to be used is changed, or cleans the inside of the print head 2. In order to perform (flushing), a pump 51 for discharging ink remaining in the print head 2 is provided. The pump 51 is driven by a pump motor 52, and the ink inside the print head 2 is ejected (discharged) by the pump 51 toward an ink absorbing member (not shown) disposed at a predetermined position. In this embodiment, the pump 51 and the pump motor 52 are attached to the home position side (right side in FIG. 2) of the carriage 3 in the main body frame 9 via a predetermined mounting bracket. Note that the pump motor 52 of this embodiment is a stepping motor. The pump 51 is a driven body that is driven by a pump motor 52.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 6, the cartridge cover 31 is provided on the front side of the printer 1 (the front side in FIG. 1 and the right side in FIG. 6). The cartridge cover 31 of this embodiment is configured to rotate about the upper end side as a rotation center and open upward. For example, the cartridge cover 31 is pivoted about the upper end side and the rear surface side (the back side of the paper surface in FIG. 1, the left side in FIG. 6) to open upward. Further, the cartridge cover 31 is always biased in a direction to be opened by a biasing member such as a spring (not shown). As described above, the cartridge cover 31 is maintained in the closed state by the lock mechanism 32, and the cartridge cover 31 is engaged with a first claw portion 58 a to be described later constituting the lock mechanism 32. An engagement portion 31b having an engagement hole 31a is provided. As shown in FIG. 1, the engaging portion 31b is formed, for example, on the lower end side of the cartridge cover 31 and on the left end side of FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the lock mechanism 32 is attached to the main body frame 9 so as to be adjacent to the inner side (right side in FIG. 1) of the engaging portion 31b, for example. The detailed configuration of the lock mechanism 32 will be described later. The cover lock detector 33 is, for example, a mechanical contact switch. As shown in FIG. 6, the cover lock detector 33 is attached to the main body frame 9 so that the lower end of the cartridge cover 31 is in contact with the switch portion when the cartridge cover 31 is closed. Further, when the lower end of the cartridge cover 31 is in contact with the switch portion (that is, the cartridge cover 31 is closed), the cover lock detector 33 outputs an L (low) level detection signal, and the cartridge cover When 31 is open, the cover lock detector 33 outputs an H (high) level detection signal.

  In the printer 1 of this embodiment, the printing paper P taken into the printer 1 from the hopper 11 by the paper feed roller 12 and the separation pad 13 is moved in the sub scanning direction SS by the PF driving roller 6 rotated by the PF motor 5. While feeding, the carriage 3 driven by the CR motor 4 reciprocates in the main scanning direction MS. When the carriage 3 reciprocates, ink droplets are ejected from the print head 2 and printing on the printing paper P is performed. When printing on the printing paper P is completed, the printing paper P is discharged to the outside of the printer 1 by the paper discharge drive roller 15 and the like.

  Here, FIG. 8 shows a summary of the use of the eight motors included in the printer 1 of the present embodiment (when the motors are driven). That is, the PF motor 5 is used when feeding the printing paper P into the printer 1, when performing printing on the printing paper P, and when discharging the printing paper P after printing. As described above, the release motor 38 separates the PF driven roller 23 from the PF drive roller 6 at the time of setting the special printing paper when printing on the printing paper or when the paper jam occurs. Used for. The CR motor 4 is used at the time of printing, and is also used at the time of paper discharge to return the carriage 3 to the home position. The APG motor 42 is used when setting special printing paper and when a paper jam occurs. The ASF motor 36 is used during paper feeding and paper ejection. The pump motor 52 is used when ink is discharged from the print head 2 as described above. The pressure motor 48 is used not only when ink is discharged from the print head 2 but before printing, when paper is fed, when printing and when paper is discharged, when special printing paper is set, and when a paper jam occurs. As described above, the selector motor 50 is used when black ink supplied to the print head 2 is selected. A later-described solenoid 56 constituting the lock mechanism 32 is used when the cartridge cover 31 is opened.

  In the printer 1, a paper feeding operation, a printing operation, and a paper discharging operation are main operations. Therefore, in this embodiment, as can be seen from FIG. 8, the usage frequency of the CR motor 4, the PF motor 5, the ASF motor 36, and the pressure motor 48 that are used at least during paper feeding, printing, and paper ejection. Is expensive. That is, the frequency of use of the release motor 38, APG motor 42, selector motor 50, and pump motor 52 used in other operations is not so high. Further, the frequency of use of the solenoid 56 is not so high.

(Configuration of lock mechanism)
FIG. 9 is a front view showing the lock mechanism 32 of FIG. 10A and 10B are side views showing the main part of the lock mechanism 32 from the Y-Y direction of FIG. 9. FIG. 10A shows a state in which the engaging part 31b is held by the lock mechanism 32, and FIG. A state where the joint portion 31b is released from the lock mechanism 32 is shown. FIG. 11 is a side view showing the second lock member 59 from the Y-Y direction of FIG. 9. 9 shows a state in which the lock mechanism 32 is viewed from the X direction in FIG. FIG. 11 shows a state in which the first lock member 58 is removed.

  In the following, the upward direction in FIG. 10 and FIG. 11 (front side in FIG. 9) is upward, the downward direction in FIG. 10 and FIG. 11 (back direction in FIG. 9) is downward, and FIG. 9 in FIG. 9 is the front direction, the back direction in FIG. 10 (upward direction in FIG. 9) is the back direction, the right direction in FIGS. 9 to 11 is the right direction, and FIG. The configuration of the lock mechanism 32 will be described with the left direction in FIGS. 9 to 11 as the left direction.

  As shown in FIGS. 9 to 11, the lock mechanism 32 accommodates the lock member 55 that engages with the engaging portion 31 b of the cartridge cover 31, the solenoid 56 that drives the lock member 55, and the lock member 55 and the solenoid 56. The case body 57 is provided.

  As shown in FIGS. 9 to 11, the lock member 55 includes a first lock member 58 having a first claw portion 58a that engages with the engagement hole 31a, and the engagement portion 31b together with the first claw portion 58a. A second lock member 59 formed with a second claw portion 59a to be held, and a drive member 60 that rotates a first lock member 58 and a second lock member 59 to which a later-described plunger 68 constituting a solenoid 56 is connected. I have. As shown in FIG. 9, the first lock member 58 and the second lock member 59 are arranged so as to be adjacent to each other in the front direction and the back direction, and the drive member 60 includes the first lock member 58 and the second lock member. It is arranged on the left side of 59.

  As shown in FIG. 10, the first lock member 58 includes a vertical piece portion 58b and a horizontal piece portion 58c, and the vertical piece portion 58b and the horizontal piece portion 58c are substantially in the shape viewed from the side surface side. It is formed to have a T shape. In addition, a shaft portion 58d serving as a rotation center of the first lock member 58 is formed at the intersection of the vertical piece portion 58b and the horizontal piece portion 58c so as to extend in the front direction. Furthermore, in the 1st lock member 58, the arm part 58e is formed so that it may extend in the back direction from the right end of the horizontal piece part 58c. The 1st nail | claw part 58a is formed so that it may protrude upward from the edge part of the back direction of the arm part 58e.

  As shown in FIG. 9, the front end portion (lower end in FIG. 9) of the shaft portion 58 d is rotatably held by the case body 57. At the center of the shaft portion 58d, an insertion hole 58f into which a small-diameter shaft portion 59e described later formed in the second lock member 59 is rotatably inserted is from the back side to the front side (from the upper side to the lower side in FIG. 9). It is formed toward. As shown in FIG. 10, the lower end of the vertical piece 58b is attached with the left end of a tension coil spring 61 with the right end attached to the case body 57, and the first lock member 58 has the shaft 58d. The center of rotation is urged counterclockwise in FIG. Further, curved processing is applied to the left and right ends of the upper end portion of the first claw portion 58a.

  As shown in FIG. 11, the second lock member 59 includes a vertical piece portion 59b and a horizontal piece portion 59c, and the vertical piece portion 59b and the horizontal piece portion 59c have substantially the same shape as viewed from the side. It is formed to have a T shape. In addition, a shaft portion 59d serving as a rotation center of the second lock member 59 is formed at the intersection of the vertical piece portion 59b and the horizontal piece portion 59c so as to extend in the front direction and the back direction. A small-diameter shaft portion 59e formed to have a smaller diameter than the shaft portion 59d and rotatably inserted into the insertion hole 58f is formed at the front-side end of the shaft portion 59d formed in the front direction so as to protrude toward the front side. ing. The 2nd nail | claw part 59a is formed so that it may protrude upward from the right end of the horizontal piece part 59c. As shown in FIG. 9, the second claw portion 59a is disposed adjacent to the first claw portion 58a while maintaining a predetermined distance in the left-right direction with respect to the first claw portion 58a.

  As shown in FIG. 9, the back end (upper end in FIG. 9) of the shaft portion 59 d formed so as to extend in the back direction is rotatably held by the case body 57. Further, as described above, the small-diameter shaft portion 59e is rotatably inserted into the insertion hole 58f. In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 9, the rotation center of the first lock member 58 and the rotation center of the second lock member 59 are substantially equal. As shown in FIG. 11, the lower end of the vertical piece 59b is attached with the left end of a tension coil spring 62 whose right end is attached to the case body 57, and the second lock member 59 has a shaft 59d. The center of rotation is urged counterclockwise in FIG. Furthermore, similarly to the 1st nail | claw part 58a, the curved surface process is given to the right-and-left both ends of the upper end part of the 2nd nail | claw part 59a.

  As shown in FIG. 10, the drive member 60 includes a vertical piece 60b and a horizontal piece 60c. The vertical piece 60b and the horizontal piece 60c allow the drive member 60 to have a substantially L shape when viewed from the side. It is formed to become. In addition, a shaft portion 60d serving as a rotation center of the driving member 60 is formed at the intersection of the vertical piece portion 60b and the horizontal piece portion 60c so as to extend in the front direction and the back direction. Further, at the right end of the horizontal piece portion 60c, there is a contact portion 60e where the left end portion of the horizontal piece portion 58c of the first lock member 58 and the left end portion of the horizontal piece portion 59c of the second lock member 59 contact from above. It is formed so as to extend in the front and back directions.

  As shown in FIG. 9, both end portions of the shaft portion 60d are rotatably held by the case body 57. As shown in FIG. 10, the lower end of the vertical piece 60b is attached with the left end of a tension coil spring 63 with the right end attached to the case body 57, and the drive member 60 rotates the shaft 60d. The center is biased counterclockwise in FIG. Furthermore, a connecting pin 64 for connecting a plunger 68 described later is fixed to the lower end side of the vertical piece 60b so as to protrude to the near side.

  In this embodiment, a stopper (not shown) that restricts the clockwise rotation of the drive member 60 in FIG. 10 is fixed to the case body 57, and the drive member 60 is in the state shown in FIG. Further, it is configured not to rotate clockwise. Similarly, a stopper (not shown) that restricts counterclockwise rotation of the driving member 60 in FIG. 10 is also fixed to the case body 57, and the driving member 60 is further counteracted from the state shown in FIG. It is configured not to rotate clockwise.

  As shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, the solenoid 56 is attached to two drive coils 66, 66 wound in a cylindrical shape on a bobbin (not shown) and to the right side of the drive coils 66, 66. A permanent magnet 67 and a plunger 68 inserted into the drive coils 66 and 66 are provided. As shown in FIG. 10, the two drive coils 66 and 66 are arranged so as to be adjacent in the vertical direction. The two driving coils 66 and 66 are connected in series, for example. A driving voltage for driving the plunger 68 is applied to the driving coils 66 and 66. Further, as shown in FIG. 10, the plunger 68 has two connecting portions 68b formed with connecting holes 68a through which the connecting pins 64 are inserted and two driving coils 66 and 66, respectively. It is provided with the parts 68c and 68c, and is formed so that the shape seen from the side surface side may become a substantially U shape. In the following description, the two drive coils 66 and 66 are referred to as drive coils 66.

  In the lock mechanism 32, when the drive voltage is not applied to the drive coil 66, the force with which the permanent magnet 67 attracts the plunger 68 is stronger than the urging force of the tension coil spring 63. Therefore, when no voltage is applied to the drive coil 66, the plunger 68 is attracted by the permanent magnet 67 and the two insertion portions 68c are respectively placed in the drive coil 66 as shown in FIG. It enters the state. Accordingly, the horizontal piece portions 58c, 59c, 60c of the first lock member 58, the second lock member 59, and the drive member 60 are substantially horizontal, and the first claw portion 58a can be engaged with the engagement hole 31a. . The state shown in FIG. 10A is a state where the lock mechanism 32 keeps the cartridge cover 31 closed. That is, the first claw portion 58a is inserted through the engagement hole 31a, and the end portion (left end portion in FIG. 10) of the engagement portion 31b is sandwiched between the first claw portion 58a and the second claw portion 59a. The engaging portion 31 b is held by the lock member 55.

  On the other hand, when a drive voltage is applied to the drive coil 66, if the drive voltage exceeds a predetermined value, the force that the plunger 68 tends to move in the right direction is greater than the force that the permanent magnet 67 attracts the plunger 68. The force applied with the urging force of the tension coil spring 63 becomes stronger. Therefore, at this time, as shown in FIG. 10B, from the state shown in FIG. 10A, the plunger 68 protrudes rightward and the drive member 60 rotates counterclockwise, and the first locking member 58 and the second lock member 59 rotate clockwise. By the rotation of the first lock member 58 and the second lock member 59, the first claw portion 58a is disengaged from the engagement hole 31a, and the engagement portion 31b is released from the lock mechanism 32. When the engaging portion 31b is released, the cartridge cover 31 is opened to the upper side of the printer 1 by a biasing force of a biasing member (not shown). That is, the cartridge cover 31 is opened by driving the lock member 55 with the solenoid 56.

  The state of the lock mechanism 32 when the cartridge cover 31 is open is also the state shown in FIG. When the cartridge cover 31 is closed, first, the engaging portion 31b comes into contact with the curved surface portion of the upper end portion of the first claw portion 58a from the right side. When the engaging portion 31b comes into contact with the first claw portion 58a, the first locking member 58 is slightly rotated in the clockwise direction until the first claw portion 58a engages with the engaging hole 31a. Gets over the first claw 58a. When the first claw portion 58a is engaged with the engagement hole 31a, the engagement portion 31b is held by the lock member 55, and the lock mechanism 32 keeps the cartridge cover 31 closed.

(Schematic configuration of printer control unit)
FIG. 12 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of the control unit 71 and peripheral devices of the printer 1 of FIG. FIG. 13 is a circuit diagram of the motor drive circuit 83 of FIG. FIG. 14 is a diagram illustrating an example of a drive voltage output from the motor drive circuit 83 of FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 12, the control unit 71 of the printer 1 includes a bus 72, a CPU 73, a ROM 74, a RAM 75, a character generator (CG) 76, a nonvolatile memory 77, an ASIC 78, first to third integrated circuits 79 to 81, A head drive circuit 82 and the like are provided.

  In the present embodiment, each of the first to third integrated circuits 79 to 81 includes three motor drive circuits 83 for driving control of various motors. Specifically, the first integrated circuit 79 includes three motor drive circuits 83 that respectively drive and control the PF motor 5, the selector motor 50, and the APG motor 42, and the third integrated circuit 81 includes a pressure motor. 48, three motor drive circuits 83 for driving and controlling the release motor 38 and the pump motor 52, respectively. Further, in this embodiment, the drive control of the solenoid 56 is performed by the motor drive circuit 83 for motor drive control, and the second integrated circuit 80 includes a motor drive circuit 83 that controls the drive of the CR motor 4, and an ASF. A motor drive circuit 83 for driving and controlling the motor 36 and a motor drive circuit 83 for driving and controlling the solenoid 56 are provided.

  The CPU 73 performs arithmetic processing for executing the control program for the printer 1 stored in the ROM 74, the nonvolatile memory 77, and the like and other necessary arithmetic processing. The ROM 74 stores a control program for controlling the printer 1 and data necessary for processing. The RAM 75 temporarily stores programs being executed by the CPU 73 and data being calculated. In the CG 76, a dot pattern corresponding to the print signal input to the ASIC 78 is developed and stored. The nonvolatile memory 77 stores various data that needs to be saved even after the printer 1 is turned off.

  Various detection signals from the paper detector 14 and the cover lock detector 33 are input to the ASIC 78. The ASIC 78 supplies a control signal for controlling various motors to the motor driving circuit 83 and supplies a control signal for controlling the print head 2 to the head driving circuit 82. The ASIC 78 incorporates an interface circuit, and is configured to receive various control commands supplied from the control command unit 84.

  Various motors and drive control of the solenoid 56 are performed by the cooperation of the CPU 73 and the ASIC 78. That is, a part of the CPU 73 and a part of the ASIC 78 constitute a DC unit 85 that is a control circuit for performing drive control of various motors and the solenoid 56. More specifically, in the DC unit 85, for example, a part of the CPU 73 performs various calculations for performing drive control of various motors and solenoids 56 based on various detection signals input via the ASIC 78. I do. In the DC unit 85, a part of the ASIC 78 receives various detection signals, or outputs a control signal to the motor drive circuit 83 or the like based on the calculation result in the CPU 73.

  The motor drive circuit 83 drives and controls various motors and the solenoid 56 by a control signal from the DC unit 85 (specifically, ASIC 78). As shown in FIG. 13, the motor drive circuit 83 of the present embodiment is a so-called full bridge circuit using four semiconductor switches 88 including FETs (Field Effect Transistors) 86 and diodes 87. The motor drive circuit 83 includes a power supply terminal 89 connected to a power supply (not shown) and a detection resistor 90 for voltage detection. A control signal is input from the DC unit 85 to the gate terminal 86 a of each FET 86. FIG. 13 shows a motor drive circuit 83 that controls the drive of the solenoid 56.

  In this embodiment, PWM control is employed as a control method for various motors that are controlled by the motor drive circuit 83. That is, based on the control signal input from the ASIC 78 to the gate terminal 86a, the motor drive circuit 83 outputs a pulsed drive voltage that repeatedly turns on and off at a predetermined switching period T as shown in FIG. Similarly, in this embodiment, the solenoid 56 is also PWM-controlled by the motor drive circuit 83. That is, as shown in FIG. 14, a drive voltage controlled by the PWM method is applied to the drive coil 66. In the printer 1 of this embodiment, the voltage of the power supply connected to the power supply terminal 89 is 42 V, for example, and a drive voltage of about 5 V controlled by the PWM method is applied to the drive coil 66.

  The head drive circuit 82 drives the nozzles (not shown) of the print head 2 based on the control signal sent from the ASIC 78.

  The bus 72 is a signal line that connects the components of the control unit 71 described above. The CPU 73, the ROM 74, the RAM 75, the CG 76, the nonvolatile memory 77, the ASIC 78, and the like are connected to each other by the bus 72, and are configured to exchange data between them.

(Solenoid drive control method)
FIG. 15 is a flowchart showing a drive control method of the solenoid 56 when the cartridge cover 31 of FIG. 1 is opened.

  Hereinafter, a drive control method of the solenoid 56 when the cartridge cover 31 is opened will be described.

When a control command for opening the cartridge cover 31 is input from the control command unit 84 to the control unit 71, drive control of the solenoid 56 for opening the cartridge cover 31 starts. First, the initial value Vo of the driving voltage V of the plunger 68 applied to the driving coil 66 is set (initial value setting step, step S1). Specifically, the initial value Vo is calculated from the initial drive voltage V1 stored in advance in the non-volatile memory 77 and the correction value Vr stored in advance in the ROM 74 or non-volatile memory 77 by the following equation (1). To set.
Vo = V1-Vr (Formula 1)
That is, in the initial value setting step S <b> 1, the DC unit 85 prepares for output of a control signal for the motor drive circuit 83 to apply a predetermined drive voltage V to the drive coil 66. The initial drive voltage V1 is calculated in an initial drive voltage calculation storage step S8 described later and stored in the nonvolatile memory 77. The correction value Vr is a small value, for example, about 1/10 to 1/50 of the initial drive voltage V1. This correction value Vr is set in advance for each model of the printer 1, for example.

  Thereafter, the counter in the DC unit 85 is reset (step S2). Specifically, the value of n is reset to n = 1, where n is the number of repetitions of drive voltage application step S3 described later. Also in this step S <b> 2, the DC unit 85 makes preparations for outputting a control signal input to the gate terminal 86 a of the motor drive circuit 83.

Thereafter, the drive voltage V is applied to the drive coil 66 (drive voltage application step, step S3). Specifically, the drive voltage V calculated by the following equation (2) is applied to the drive coil 66 for a predetermined application time t1.
V = {Vo + Vr (n−1)} (Formula 2)
That is, in the first drive voltage application step S3 (when n = 1), the initial value Vo is applied to the drive coil 66 as the drive voltage V. In this drive voltage application step S 3, a control signal for applying the drive voltage V calculated by Equation 2 to the drive coil 66 is output from the DC unit 85 and input to the gate terminal 86 a of the motor drive circuit 83. The application time t1 is, for example, 10 msec (milliseconds).

  After that, it waits for the reading time t2 of the cover lock detector 33 (step S4). That is, the operation time of the lock mechanism 32 after the drive voltage V is applied to the drive coil 66 and the operation time of the cartridge cover 31 after the engagement portion 31b is released from the lock mechanism 32 are taken into consideration. During the reading time t2. This reading time t2 is, for example, 50 msec.

  Thereafter, it is determined whether or not the level of the detection signal output from the cover lock detector 33 is H (high) level (step S5). That is, whether or not the plunger 68 is operated by the drive voltage V applied to the drive coil 66 (whether or not it protrudes), whether or not the lower end of the cartridge cover 31 is in contact with the switch portion (the cartridge cover 31 is It is determined indirectly by determining whether it is open or not. This determination is made by the DC unit 85 based on the detection signal from the cover lock detector 33.

  If it is determined in step S5 that the level of the detection signal from the cover lock detector 33 is H level, the process waits for the information confirmation time t3 of the cover lock detector 33 (step S6). That is, in order to avoid erroneous detection of the cover lock detector 33 due to chattering or the like, the detection signal output from the cover lock detector 33 is again at the H level after waiting for a predetermined information confirmation time t3. It is determined whether or not there is (step S7). Note that the information confirmation time t3 is, for example, 100 msec.

  In this embodiment, steps S5, S6, and S7 constitute an operation determination step for determining whether or not the plunger 68 is operating after the drive voltage application step S3. In this embodiment, the presence or absence of the operation of the plunger 68 is indirectly determined by detecting whether or not the cover lock detector 33 detects the lower end of the cartridge cover 31. In addition to this, for example, a detector that directly detects the operation of the plunger 68 may be provided to directly determine whether the plunger 68 is operating. Further, both the detector for directly detecting the operation of the plunger 68 and the cover lock detector 33 may be provided to detect the presence or absence of the operation of both the plunger 68 and the cartridge cover 31. In this case, for example, when an operation is detected by one detector but an operation is not detected by the other detector, it can be known that some trouble occurs.

If it is determined in step S7 that the detection signal level of the cover lock detector 33 is H level, the initial drive voltage V1 is calculated and stored (initial drive voltage calculation storage step, step S8). Specifically, when it is determined in step S7 that the detection signal level of the cover lock detector 33 is H level (that is, when it is determined that the plunger 68 has been operated), and the current non-volatile memory 77, the initial drive voltage V1 (this initial drive voltage V1 is expressed as “initial drive voltage V1o”) is calculated from the following equation (3) and stored.
V1 = (V + V1o) / 2 (Formula 3)
In this initial drive voltage calculation storage step S <b> 8, the DC unit 85 calculates the initial drive voltage V <b> 1 and stores the calculated new initial drive voltage V <b> 1 in the nonvolatile memory 77. The new initial drive voltage V1 stored in the nonvolatile memory 77 is used for setting the initial value Vo in the initial value setting step 1 when the plunger 68 is driven next time. The initial value of the initial drive voltage V1 is stored in the nonvolatile memory 77 or the ROM 74 when the printer 1 is shipped.

  When the calculation and storage of the initial drive voltage V1 in the initial drive voltage calculation storage step S8 is completed, the fact that the plunger 68 has been operated and the cartridge cover 31 has been opened (“cover open”) is reported to the host (ie, DC The unit 85 outputs a “cover open” signal to the control command section 84), and the drive control of the solenoid 56 ends.

  On the other hand, if it is determined in step S5 or step S7 that the detection signal level from the cover lock detector 33 is not H level (that is, the plunger 68 is not operating), the number n of repetitions of the drive voltage application step S3 is predetermined. It is determined whether the number is less than N (step S9). For example, the predetermined number N is set in advance and stored in the ROM 74 or the like. The determination in step S9 is performed by the DC unit 85.

  If it is determined in step S9 that the number of repetitions n is equal to or greater than the predetermined number N, it is determined that some malfunction has occurred in the lock mechanism 32 or the cartridge cover 31, or that something has been placed on the cartridge cover 31. Then, the fact that the cartridge cover 31 is not opened (“the cover cannot be opened”) is reported to the host (that is, the DC unit 85 outputs a “cover cannot be opened” signal) to the control command unit 84, and the solenoid 56. This completes the drive control.

  On the other hand, if it is determined in step S9 that the number of repetitions n is less than the predetermined number N, the number of repetitions n + 1 is set as a new number of repetitions n (step S10), and after waiting for a predetermined waiting time t4 (standby) Step S11), the process returns to the drive voltage application step S3 again. For example, when it is determined that the plunger 68 is not operating by applying the drive voltage V in the first (n = 1) drive voltage application step S3, n = 2 is set in step S10, and the drive voltage is passed through the standby step S11. Return to the application step S3. In the second drive voltage application step S 3, (Vo + Vr) is applied to the drive coil 66 as the drive voltage V according to Equation 2. The waiting time t4 is, for example, 500 msec to 1 sec.

  As described above, in the drive control method for the solenoid 56 according to the present embodiment, the number of repetitions of the drive voltage application step S3 until it is determined that the plunger 68 is operated in the operation determination step (steps S5 to S7) or in step S9. The drive voltage application step S3 and the operation determination step are repeated until it is determined that n is a predetermined number N or more. If it is determined in the operation determining step that the plunger 68 is not operating, and it is determined in step S9 that the number of repetitions n is less than the predetermined number N, the driving voltage is repeated (that is, the second and subsequent times). In the application step S3, a new drive voltage V (= Vo + Vr (n−1)) obtained by adding the correction value Vr to the drive voltage V applied in the previous drive voltage application step S3 is applied to the drive coil 66.

(Main effects of this form)
As described above, in this embodiment, the control unit 71 includes the first to third integrated circuits 79 to 81 having a plurality of motor drive circuits 83 for driving and controlling various motors included in the printer 1. The solenoid 56 is driven and controlled by the motor drive circuit 83 in the second integrated circuit 80. Therefore, it is not necessary to provide a drive circuit dedicated to the solenoid for controlling the solenoid 56 in the control unit 71. As a result, the configuration of the control unit 71 is simplified.

  In particular, in this embodiment, the control unit 71 includes first to third integrated circuits 79 to 81 each having three motor drive circuits 83, and the printer 1 includes eight various motors. Therefore, the second integrated circuit 80 includes a motor drive circuit 83 that is not used for drive control of various motors, and the solenoid 56 is driven using the motor drive circuit 83 that is not used for drive control of these various motors. Can be controlled. Therefore, it is not necessary to provide a new integrated circuit for driving and controlling the solenoid 56, and the configuration of the control unit 71 is simplified.

  In this embodiment, the solenoid 56 is PWM controlled by the motor drive circuit 83. Therefore, the drive voltage V applied to the drive coil 66 can be controlled with a simple configuration in which the duty ratio that is the ratio of the on-time to the switching period T is changed. In addition, the drive voltage V can be finely adjusted with a simple configuration. Further, in this embodiment, PWM control is adopted as a control method for various motors, and therefore a configuration of a motor drive circuit 83 for driving and controlling the solenoid 56 and a motor drive circuit 83 for driving and controlling various motors. Can be shared. As a result, the configuration of the control unit 71 is simplified. In addition, it is not necessary to separately design a motor drive circuit for driving and controlling the solenoid 56, and the design work of the control unit 71 is simplified.

  When the ink cartridge 8 is attached to the main body frame 9 as in the present embodiment (that is, when the ink cartridge 8 is not mounted on the carriage 3), the ink cartridge is passed through the tube 46 as described above. In order to supply ink from 8 to the print head 2, the ink is pressurized. Therefore, if the user can arbitrarily open the cartridge cover 31 when replacing the ink cartridge 8, the ink cartridge 31 is replaced while the ink is pressurized, and ink leakage may occur. In this embodiment, the cartridge cover 31 is opened by driving a lock member 55 that keeps the cartridge cover 31 closed by a solenoid 56. Therefore, the user cannot arbitrarily open the cartridge cover 31. Therefore, by controlling the drive of the solenoid 56 so that the cartridge cover 31 is opened after the decompression of the ink is completed, it is possible to reliably prevent ink leakage when the ink cartridge 8 is replaced.

  In this embodiment, a motor drive circuit 83 that drives and controls the CR motor 4 used during printing and paper discharge, and a motor drive circuit 83 that drives and controls the ASF motor 36 used during paper feed and paper discharge are provided. The solenoid 56 is driven and controlled by another motor driving circuit 83 of the second integrated circuit 80. The CR motor 4 and the ASF motor 36 used at the time of paper supply, paper discharge and / or printing are frequently used. Further, the CR motor 4 and the ASF motor 36 may frequently start and stop depending on the number of prints, the print mode, and the like. Therefore, a relatively high load is applied to the motor drive circuit 83 that drives and controls the CR motor 4 and the ASF motor 36. On the other hand, since the cartridge cover 31 is opened only when the ink cartridge 8 is replaced, the frequency of use of the solenoid 56 that drives the lock member 55 is low. Therefore, the load applied to the motor drive circuit 83 that drives and controls the solenoid 56 is not so high. Therefore, the motor driving circuit 83 in the second integrated circuit 80 can drive and control the solenoid 56 that is less frequently used, thereby reducing the load on the second integrated circuit 80 as a whole. As a result, heat generation of the second integrated circuit 80 can be prevented, and appropriate drive control of the CR motor 4, the ASF motor 36, and the solenoid 56 can be performed.

  Further, since the three motor drive circuits 83 that drive and control the CR motor 4, the ASF motor 36, and the solenoid 56 are provided in the second integrated circuit 80, the motor drive circuit 83 of the PF motor 5 that is frequently used is provided. The third integrated circuit 81 can be provided with the motor driving circuit 83 of the pressurizing motor 48 that is provided in the first integrated circuit 79 and frequently used. That is, four motors that are frequently used can be distributed and arranged in the first to third integrated circuits 79 to 81. Therefore, the load on the entire integrated circuits of the first to third integrated circuits 79 to 81 can be reduced.

(Other embodiments)
The above-described embodiment is an example of a preferred embodiment of the present invention. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and various modifications can be made without departing from the gist of the present invention.

  In the embodiment described above, the driven body driven by the solenoid 56 is the lock member 55, but the driven body driven by the solenoid is not limited to the lock member 55. For example, as shown in FIG. 16, a solenoid 92 may be used to drive a cutter 91 that cuts the printing paper P or the like. That is, the cutter 91 may be driven by the solenoid 92 that is driven and controlled by the motor drive circuit 83. The cutter unit 93 including the cutter 91 and the solenoid 92 is mounted on the carriage 3, for example, and the printing paper P is cut by moving the carriage 3 with the cutter 91 protruding. FIG. 16 shows a cross section of the cutter unit 93, but for the sake of convenience, the hatched portion of the cross section is not shown.

  A solenoid 92 shown in FIG. 16 includes a cylindrical wound drive coil 94, a cylindrical permanent magnet 95, a plunger 96 with a cutter 91 fixed to the tip, and a bottomed cylindrical case. And a body 97. In the solenoid 92, a permanent magnet 95 and a driving coil 94 are arranged in this order from the bottom surface side of the case body 97, and a plunger 96 is arranged on the inner peripheral side of the permanent magnet 95 and the driving coil 94. Yes. When the driving voltage V is not applied to the driving coil 94, the plunger 96 is attracted by the permanent magnet 95, and when the driving voltage V is applied to the driving coil 94, the plunger 96 protrudes downward in the figure. .

  In the embodiment described above, the lock mechanism 32 including the solenoid 56 as a constituent element is provided to maintain the cartridge cover 31 in the closed state. However, the cover maintained in the closed state by the lock mechanism 32 is The cartridge cover 31 is not limited. For example, the cover that covers the carriage movement space, which is the space in which the carriage 3 reciprocates, may be kept closed by the lock mechanism 32. In the conventional printer, the cover that covers the carriage movement space is not provided with a lock mechanism, and the user can arbitrarily open the cover. Therefore, even when the user opens the cover while the carriage 3 is moving, the moving speed of the carriage 3 is limited so that the user is not injured. Here, if the cover that covers the carriage movement space is kept closed by the lock mechanism 32, the user cannot arbitrarily open the cover. Therefore, the moving speed of the carriage 3 can be increased, and as a result, the printing speed can be increased.

  Further, the configuration of the lock mechanism 32 is not limited to the above-described configuration, and for example, the plunger 68 may be directly engaged with the engagement hole 31a of the cartridge cover 31 or other cams. A configuration in which a predetermined claw portion or the like engages with the engagement hole 31a using a mechanism or the like may be used.

  Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, the drive control of the solenoid 56 is performed by the motor drive circuit 83 in the second integrated circuit 80 having the motor drive circuit 83 that drives and controls the CR motor 4 and the ASF motor 36. . That is, the second integrated circuit 80 includes a motor drive circuit 83 that drives and controls the CR motor 4, a motor drive circuit 83 that drives and controls the ASF motor 36, and a motor drive circuit 83 that drives the solenoid 56. . In addition to this, for example, an integrated circuit having a motor drive circuit 83 for driving and controlling the CR motor 4 and the ASF motor 36 and another integrated circuit having a motor drive circuit 83 for driving the solenoid 56 are provided in the control unit 71. May be.

  In the embodiment described above, the control unit 71 includes first to third integrated circuits 79 to 81 each having three motor drive circuits 83, and the printer 1 includes eight various motors. In addition, for example, when m1 is an integer of 2 or more, m2 is an integer of 1 or more, and m3 is an integer from 1 to (m1-1), the control unit 71 has m1 motor drive circuits 83. In addition to the m2 integrated circuits, the printer 1 may include (m1 × m2−m3) various motors. With such a configuration, there is a motor drive circuit 83 that is not used for drive control of various motors in any of the integrated circuits. Therefore, it is possible to drive and control the solenoid 56 using the motor driving circuit 83 that is not used for driving control of various motors. As a result, it is possible to obtain the same effect as the above-described embodiment that it is not necessary to provide a new integrated circuit for driving and controlling the solenoid 56.

  Furthermore, in the embodiment described above, the solenoid 56 is PWM controlled by the motor drive circuit 83. In addition, for example, the solenoid 56 may be controlled by other voltage control such as PAM (Pulse Amplitude Modulation) control by a motor drive circuit having a configuration different from that of the motor drive circuit 83, or may be controlled by current control. May be. Further, the control method of various motors may be other voltage control methods or current control methods. Furthermore, the control method of various motors and the control method of the solenoid 56 may be different.

  Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, the drive control of the solenoid 56 is performed by the motor drive circuit 83 in the second integrated circuit 80 having the motor drive circuit 83 that drives and controls the CR motor 4 and the ASF motor 36. In addition, for example, an integrated circuit (a first integrated circuit 79 in the above-described embodiment) having a motor drive circuit 83 that drives and controls the PF motor 5 or a motor drive circuit 83 that drives and controls the pressure motor 48 is provided. The drive control of the solenoid 56 may be performed by the motor drive circuit 83 in the integrated circuit (the third integrated circuit 81 in the embodiment described above). That is, even if the solenoid is driven and controlled by another motor driving circuit 83 in the integrated circuit having the motor driving circuit 83 that controls the driving of the motor that is driven at least during paper feeding, printing, and paper discharging. good. With this configuration, the solenoid 56 having a low use frequency can be driven and controlled by another motor drive circuit 83 in the integrated circuit having the motor drive circuit 83 that controls the motor having a high use frequency. The load can be reduced.

  In the above-described embodiment, the configuration of the present invention has been described by taking the printer 1 as an example. However, the configuration of the present invention is, for example, a printer multifunction device, a scanner, an ADF (Auto Document Feeder) device, a copier, a facsimile device, or the like. Thus, the present invention can also be applied to a device including a motor and a solenoid. The solenoid is not limited to the so-called linear solenoid in the above-described form, and may be a rotary solenoid.

1 is a front view showing a printer according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a schematic configuration inside the printer of FIG. 1. FIG. 2 is a side view showing a schematic configuration of a portion related to paper feeding of the printer of FIG. 1. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a part of a gap adjustment mechanism of the printer of FIG. 1. The side view which shows the gap adjustment mechanism of FIG. The figure which shows the arrangement | positioning relationship between the cartridge cover of FIG. 1, and a locking mechanism. FIG. 4 is a conceptual diagram showing a connection relationship between the print head of FIG. 3 and the ink cartridge of FIG. 2 is a list summarizing the use of various motors provided in the printer of FIG. 1. The front view which shows the locking mechanism of FIG. The side view which shows the principal part of a locking mechanism from the YY direction of FIG. The side view which shows a 2nd locking member from the YY direction of FIG. FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of a control unit of the printer of FIG. 1 and its peripheral devices. The circuit diagram of the motor drive circuit of FIG. The figure which shows an example of the drive voltage output from the motor drive circuit of FIG. The flowchart which shows the drive control method of the solenoid when opening the cartridge cover of FIG. Sectional drawing which shows the solenoid and cutter concerning other form of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Printer, 2 Print head, 3 Carriage (driven body), 4 CR motor (motor, carriage motor), 5 PF motor (motor), 6 PF drive roller (driven body), 15 Paper discharge drive roller (driven) Body), 8 (8a-8i) Ink cartridge, 9 body frame, 12 paper feed roller (driven body), 24 driven roller holder (driven body), 31 cartridge cover, 36 ASF motor (motor, take-in motor) , 38 Release motor (motor), 40 Eccentric cam (driven body), 42 APG motor (motor), 47 Pump (driven body), 48 Pressure motor (motor), 49 Ink selector (driven body), 50 Selector motor (motor), 51 Pump (driven body), 52 Pump motor (motor), 55 Lock member, 56, 92 Maytansinoid, 79 first integrated circuit (IC), 80 second integrated circuit (IC), 81 third integrated circuits (integrated circuits), 83 motor driving circuit, P printing paper (printing medium).

Claims (6)

A motor and a solenoid for driving a driven body, and an integrated circuit having a plurality of motor drive circuits for motor drive control,
The solenoid is driven and controlled by the motor drive circuit. When m1 is an integer of 2 or more, m2 is an integer of 1 or more, and m3 is an integer from 1 to (m1-1),
2. The printer according to claim 1, comprising m2 integrated circuits each having m1 motor driving circuits, and (m1 × m2−m3) motors.   3. The printer according to claim 1, wherein the solenoid is PWM (Pulse Width Modulation) controlled by the motor driving circuit. A main body frame, a carriage mounted with a print head for ejecting ink droplets onto a predetermined print object, and movable inside the main body frame, and an ink attached to the main body frame and supplied to the print head are filled. An ink cartridge, a cartridge cover that is attached to the main body frame so as to be openable and closable, and covers the ink cartridge; and a lock member that maintains the cartridge cover in a closed state.
4. The printer according to claim 1, wherein the cartridge cover is opened by driving the lock member with the solenoid. A plurality of the integrated circuits,
As the motor, a motor that is driven when at least one of taking in the print object into the printer, discharging the print object from the inside of the printer, and printing on the print object,
5. The printer according to claim 4, wherein the solenoid is driven and controlled by another motor driving circuit in the integrated circuit having the motor driving circuit for driving and controlling the motor. A take-in motor that takes the print object into the printer and a carriage motor that drives the carriage;
The integrated circuit includes three motor drive circuits,
The solenoid is driven and controlled by another motor driving circuit in the integrated circuit having the motor driving circuit for driving and controlling the take-in motor and the motor driving circuit for driving the carriage motor. The printer according to claim 4 or 5.

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