JP2008296535A - Ink controller and printer - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To safely replenish ink in a printer introducing a system to replenish the ink from a replenishing bottle. <P>SOLUTION: A replenishment amount acquisition part 73 and a calculation part 75 are provided in a control section of the printer. Further, ink information 10 including an ink identifier and the current residual amount as the attribute thereof is stored in a hard disc 71 of the control section. In the case of replenishing the ink from the replenishing bottle, the operator inputs the identification information 20 attached to the replenishing bottle by operating the operation part 5. The replenished ink amount 22 is acquired by the replenishment amount acquisition part 73 based on the bottle contents included in the identification information 20. The calculation part 75 calculates a residual amount 21 after the processing (residual ink amount after the ink is replenished) by adding the replenished amount 22 to the current residual amount 25 read out from the hard disc 71. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a technique for managing ink stored in an ink tank.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a technique for determining whether or not ink has run out in a printing apparatus based on the remaining amount of ink has been proposed. For example, Patent Document 1 describes a technique for determining whether or not ink has run out based on the remaining amount of ink in an ink cartridge and issuing a warning to an operator. In the technique described in Patent Document 1, when a suitable ink cartridge is set, the remaining amount of ink is reset to the initial amount of the set ink cartridge.

  On the other hand, a relatively large printing apparatus having a non-exchangeable ink tank is also known. Such a large printing apparatus employs a method of replenishing ink from the refill bottle into the ink tank when the ink in the ink tank is insufficient.

JP 2000-326518 A

  However, in a printing apparatus that replenishes ink from a refill bottle, ink remaining in the ink tank remains in the ink tank even after refilling. Therefore, the technique described in Patent Document 1 is used. There was a problem that the remaining amount of ink thereafter was incorrect.

  Further, when an ink cartridge is set in the printing apparatus, ink mixes from the set ink cartridge into the ink flow path in the printing apparatus. Generally, ink is a chemical substance, and even if it is a small amount, mixing of different inks can seriously affect the printing apparatus. That is, in the technique described in Patent Document 1, since conformity / nonconformity is determined after the ink cartridge is set in the printing apparatus, when it is determined that the ink cartridge is not suitable, the ink that has already been incompatible is entered into the apparatus. There was a problem that allowed the entry of.

  That is, the technique described in Patent Document 1 has a problem that ink cannot be replenished safely.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to safely replenish ink in a printing apparatus that replenishes ink from a refill bottle.

  In order to solve the above problems, an invention of claim 1 is an ink management apparatus that manages ink in an ink tank, and at least for the ink in the ink tank, the identifier of the ink and the current in the ink tank. Storage means for storing ink information whose attribute is the remaining amount of ink, information acquisition means for acquiring identification information relating to ink replenished in the ink tank, identification information acquired by the information acquisition means, and storage means Based on the ink information stored in the ink tank, determination means for determining whether or not the ink to be refilled in the ink tank can be replenished with respect to the ink in the ink tank; When it is determined that the ink to be refilled in the tank can be refilled with respect to the ink in the ink tank, the ink A replenishment amount acquisition unit for acquiring a replenishment amount of ink to be replenished to the ink, and a replenishment amount of the replenished ink acquired by the replenishment amount acquisition unit of the ink information stored in the storage unit. Computation means for calculating the remaining amount of ink to be replenished in addition to the current remaining amount of ink, and output means for outputting the remaining amount after replenishment calculated by the computing means. It is characterized by.

  The invention of claim 2 is the ink management apparatus according to the invention of claim 1, wherein the storage means detects that the ink has been replenished by an operator, and is calculated by the calculation means. The ink information is updated using the remaining amount after replenishment of the ink as the current remaining amount of the ink.

  The invention according to claim 3 is the ink management apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the ink information has an allowable amount of ink in the ink tank as an attribute, and the output means A warning is output when the remaining amount of replenished ink calculated by the calculating means exceeds the allowable amount.

  According to a fourth aspect of the invention, there is provided an ink management apparatus according to any one of the first to third aspects, wherein the output means refers to the ink information stored in the storage means, and the ink tank Whether or not the ink needs to be replenished is output according to the current remaining amount of the ink.

  A fifth aspect of the present invention is the ink management apparatus according to any one of the first to fourth aspects, wherein the output means outputs a determination result of the determination means.

  According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a printing apparatus for printing an image on a recording medium, the ink tank storing ink for printing the image, and the ink tank based on the print information representing the image. Image forming means for forming the image on a recording medium with the supplied ink, and an ink management device for managing the ink in the ink tank, the ink management device for at least the ink in the ink tank Storage means for storing ink information whose attributes are an identifier of ink and the current remaining amount in the ink tank, information acquisition means for acquiring identification information relating to ink replenished in the ink tank, and the information acquisition means The ink tank is replenished based on the identification information acquired by the printer and the ink information stored in the storage means. Determining means for determining whether or not the ink in the ink tank can be replenished; and ink to be replenished to the ink tank by the determining means can be replenished to the ink in the ink tank. When it is determined that there is a replenishment amount, the replenishment amount acquisition means for acquiring the replenishment amount of the ink replenished to the ink tank, and the replenishment amount of the replenished ink acquired by the replenishment amount acquisition means is stored in the storage means. Calculating means for calculating the remaining amount of the replenished ink after adding the replenished ink to the current remaining amount of the replenished ink, and the remaining amount after replenishment calculated by the calculating unit. Output means for outputting the quantity.

  The invention according to claim 7 is the printing apparatus according to the invention according to claim 6, wherein the storage means detects that the ink has been replenished by an operator and is calculated by the calculating means. The ink information is updated with the remaining amount of ink after replenishment as the current remaining amount of the ink.

  The invention according to claim 8 is the printing apparatus according to claim 6 or 7, wherein the ink information has an allowable amount of ink in the ink tank as an attribute, and the output means includes the calculation unit. A warning is output when the remaining amount of replenished ink calculated by the means exceeds the allowable amount.

  The invention according to claim 9 is the printing apparatus according to any one of claims 6 to 8, wherein the output means refers to the ink information stored in the storage means and stores the ink in the ink tank. Whether or not the ink needs to be replenished is output according to the current remaining amount of the ink.

  The invention of claim 10 is the printing apparatus according to any one of claims 6 to 9, wherein the calculation means uses the used ink based on the used amount of the used ink. The remaining amount is calculated, and the storage unit updates the ink information using the remaining amount of the used ink calculated by the calculating unit as the current remaining amount of the ink.

  The invention according to claim 11 is the printing apparatus according to the invention according to claim 10, wherein the calculation means calculates the amount of ink used based on the halftone dot area ratio of the image represented by the print information. It is characterized by calculating.

  A twelfth aspect of the invention is the printing apparatus according to the tenth or eleventh aspect of the invention, wherein the calculation means calculates the amount of ink used according to the maintenance type of the image forming means. It is characterized by.

  A thirteenth aspect of the present invention is the printing apparatus according to any one of the sixth to twelfth aspects, wherein the output unit outputs a determination result of the determination unit.

  According to a fourteenth aspect of the present invention, there is provided the printing apparatus according to any one of the sixth to thirteenth aspects, wherein the ink in the ink tank is directed to the image forming unit in accordance with a determination result of the determination unit. And further comprising a pressure feeding means for pressure feeding.

  In the invention according to any one of claims 1 to 14, the replenished amount of ink to be replenished is added to the current remaining amount of ink to be replenished of the ink information stored in the storage means, thereby replenishing ink. By calculating the remaining amount after replenishing the ink, the remaining amount of ink can be managed with high accuracy. Therefore, the safety of the replenishment work performed based on the remaining amount of ink is improved.

  According to the third and eighth aspects of the present invention, when the remaining amount after replenishment of ink to be replenished calculated by the calculating means exceeds an allowable amount, a warning is output before replenishment work is performed. A warning can be output. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the operator from replenishing ink exceeding the allowable amount by mistake.

  In the inventions according to claims 4 and 9, by referring to the ink information stored in the storage means and outputting the necessity of ink replenishment according to the current remaining amount of ink in the ink tank, The operator can easily know that the ink replenishment work is necessary.

  According to the fifth and thirteenth aspects of the present invention, by outputting the determination result of the determination means, it is possible to prevent the ink tank from being erroneously replenished with ink.

  In the tenth aspect of the present invention, the remaining amount of used ink after use is calculated based on the used amount of used ink, and the calculated remaining amount of used ink is calculated. By updating the ink information as the current remaining amount, the usage amount is reflected, so that the ink can be managed with high accuracy.

  In the invention according to the eleventh aspect, by calculating the amount of ink used based on the halftone dot area ratio of the image expressed by the print information, the amount of ink used can be accurately calculated.

  In the invention described in claim 12, the amount of ink used can be calculated accurately by calculating the amount of ink used according to the type of maintenance of the image forming means.

  DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

<1. Embodiment>
FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view showing a printing apparatus 100 according to the present invention. FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating the configuration of the printing apparatus 100.

  In FIG. 1, for the sake of illustration and explanation, the Z-axis direction is defined as the vertical direction and the XY plane is defined as the horizontal plane, but these are defined for convenience in order to grasp the positional relationship. The directions described below are not limited. The same applies to the following figures. In FIG. 1, the casing of the printing apparatus 100 is omitted as appropriate.

  The printing apparatus 100 includes an ink tank 1, a print head 2, a substrate holding table 3, and a pressure feeding mechanism 4, and ink is replenished by a method in which an operator transfers ink in a refill bottle 8 to the ink tank 1.

  The ink tank 1 is a container that can store ink for printing an image therein, and includes a lid (not shown). The lid is removable by the operator when refilling ink. Although only four ink tanks 1 are shown in FIG. 1, the printing apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment has a plurality of colors (Y, M, C, K, Lc, Lm, W, Cl) to be used. Eight ink tanks 1 are provided for each ink. However, the number of ink tanks 1 is not limited to this.

  The print head 2 forms an image with ink supplied from the ink tank 1 on the substrate 9 based on the print information 23 (FIG. 3) representing the image. That is, the print head 2 in the present embodiment employs an ink jet system using UV ink. In FIG. 2, only one print head 2 is illustrated, but the print head 2 is provided corresponding to each of a plurality of colors, and the printing apparatus 100 includes eight print heads 2. However, the number of print heads 2 is not limited to this.

  The substrate holding table 3 has a function of holding the substrate 9 as a recording medium for forming an image in a predetermined position in a horizontal posture. The base material 9 used by the printing apparatus 100 is not limited to paper, but may be a cloth or a panel.

  The pressure feeding mechanism 4 has a function of pressure feeding ink in the ink tank 1 toward the print head 2 in accordance with a control signal from the control unit 7 described later. In other words, the pumping mechanism 4 is prohibited from pumping ink by the control unit 7 and is driven only when there is a permission signal from the control unit 7. Although not shown in detail, the pressure feeding mechanism 4 is provided for each ink tank 1 and includes a liquid feeding pump, an electromagnetic valve, and the like.

  The printing apparatus 100 includes an operation unit 5, a display unit 6, and a control unit 7, and functions as a device that prints an image on the base material 9.

  The operation unit 5 includes various buttons, keys, a mouse, a touch panel, and the like, and is operated by an operator to input instructions to the printing apparatus 100. The operation unit 5 may be a scanner (barcode reader) that optically reads a barcode or the like.

  In the present embodiment, the operator operates the operation unit 5 to identify identification information 20 (FIG. 3) described later, information (completion information) indicating that the work is completed when ink replenishment is completed, and the like. Enter.

  The identification information 20 input by the operator using the operation unit 5 is information attached to the refill bottle 8 and is composed of a plurality of digits. Thus, since the identification information 20 is composed of a plurality of numbers, the identification information 20 in this embodiment has at least “genuine ink identification code” and “bottle capacity” as its attributes. The “bottle capacity” is the internal capacity of the refill bottle 8 to which the identification information 20 is attached.

  The identification information 20 may include attributes such as “bottle identifier”, “color”, “manufacturing date”, or “expiration date”. Although details will be described later, the printing apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment permits replenishment only by ink match / mismatch, but may be configured not to allow refilling of ink whose expiration date has expired.

  The display unit 6 corresponds to a general liquid crystal display, a lamp, or the like.

  FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of the control unit 7. The control unit 7 includes a CPU and a ROM (not shown), a RAM 70 used as a temporary working area of the CPU, and a hard disk 71 as a relatively large capacity storage medium.

  The hard disk 71 stores ink information 10 and maintenance information 11.

  FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a data structure of the ink information 10. The ink information 10 is information of a structure corresponding to one record for each ink tank 1 provided in the printing apparatus 100, and is information for managing ink used in the printing apparatus 100.

  The ink information 10 has “tank identifier” for identifying each ink tank 1 from the eight ink tanks 1 and “allowable amount” of the ink tank 1 as its attributes. The allowable amount of the ink tank 1 is the maximum amount of ink that can be safely stored in the ink tank 1 or a recommended amount in design, and is 5 liters in the present embodiment.

  Further, the ink information 10 has “ink identifier” and “current remaining amount” as attributes for each ink stored in the ink tank 1. The “current remaining amount” is read to the RAM 70 as the current remaining amount 25 of the ink in the ink tank 1. The “ink identifier” in the present embodiment is information for identifying ink, and is information that is compared with a “genuine ink identification code” included in the identification information 20.

  Returning to FIG. 3, the maintenance information 11 is information that stores the amount of ink used for each type of maintenance (such as cleaning) that the printing apparatus 100 can perform on the print head 2. That is, the maintenance information 11 stores a maintenance type indicating individual maintenance and the amount of ink used in the maintenance in association with each other.

  In the present embodiment, when the maintenance of the print head 2 is selected and executed in the printing apparatus 100 in accordance with the selection / execution instruction from the operation unit 5, the amount of ink used corresponding to the executed maintenance is displayed in the maintenance information 11. To the RAM 70 as the maintenance amount 24. The maintenance information 11 is created by previously measuring and storing the amount of ink used for each maintenance.

  As shown in FIG. 3, in the control unit 7, the CPU described above operates according to the program stored in the ROM, so that the determination unit 72, the supplement amount acquisition unit 73, the output control unit 74, the calculation unit 75, and the data management A functional block such as unit 76 is realized.

  Based on the identification information 20 (genuine ink identification code) acquired by the operation unit 5 and the ink information 10 (ink identifier) stored in the hard disk 71, the determination unit 72 removes the ink tank 1 from the refill bottle 8. It is determined whether or not the ink to be replenished can be replenished with respect to the ink in the ink tank 1. The determination unit 72 acquires the ink information 10 from the hard disk 71 via the data management unit 76.

  In the present embodiment, the determination unit 72 determines that replenishment from the replenishment bottle 8 is possible when the ink replenished from the replenishment bottle 8 matches the ink in the ink tank 1. If not, it is determined that replenishment from the refill bottle 8 is impossible. That is, it is determined that the ink can be replenished only when the genuine ink identification code of the identification information 20 attached to the refill bottle 8 matches the ink identifier of the ink information 10. However, if the inks are allowed to be mixed with each other, it may be determined that they can be replenished even if they do not match.

  In addition, the determination unit 72 transmits a signal indicating the determination result (whether ink can be replenished) to the replenishment amount acquisition unit 73 and the output control unit 74. In the following description, the signal transmitted from the determination unit 72 to the replenishment amount acquisition unit 73 and the output control unit 74 is referred to as a “determination signal”, and among the determination signals, a signal indicating that replenishment is possible is “ The “conformance signal” and the signal indicating that replenishment is impossible are referred to as “nonconformance signal”.

  Further, the determination unit 72 refers to the “allowable amount” included in the ink information 10 via the data management unit 76, compares the “allowable amount” with the post-processing remaining amount 21, and indicates the comparison result. The signal is output to the output control unit 74. Specifically, if the post-processing remaining amount 21 is not less than the allowable amount, a warning signal is transmitted to the output control unit 74.

  The replenishment amount acquisition unit 73 generates the replenishment amount 22 based on the “bottle capacity” included in the identification information 20 and stores the replenishment amount 22 in the RAM 70 when the matching signal is transmitted from the determination unit 72. That is, when the determination unit 72 determines that the ink to be replenished to the ink tank 1 can be replenished with respect to the ink in the ink tank 1, the replenishment of the ink to be replenished to the ink tank 1 by the replenishment bottle 8. Get the quantity.

  The output control unit 74 has a function of controlling the pressure feeding mechanism 4 and the display unit 6. When the output control unit 74 acquires a non-conformance signal from the determination unit 72, the output control unit 74 transmits a control signal (prohibition signal) for prohibiting ink pressure feeding to the pressure feeding mechanism 4. Further, the output control unit 74 causes the display unit 6 to display the content of the determination signal transmitted from the determination unit 72, a warning message based on the warning signal, the current remaining amount 25, and the like.

  The calculation unit 75 calculates the post-processing remaining amount 21 based on the replenishment amount 22, the print information 23, the maintenance amount 24, and the current remaining amount 25.

  The post-processing remaining amount 21 in this embodiment is a general term for the remaining amount of ink after the printing process, the remaining amount of ink after the cleaning process of the print head 2, and the remaining amount of ink after replenishment. Details will be described later. The processing executed by the calculation unit 75 will also be described later.

  The data management unit 76 provides a function of accessing the ink information 10 and the maintenance information 11 stored in the hard disk 71. For example, when it is detected via the operation unit 5 that ink replenishment has been executed by the operator, the post-processing remaining amount 21 calculated by the calculating unit 75 is stored in the hard disk 71 as the current remaining amount of ink. The ink information 10 being updated is updated. Details of processing executed by the data management unit 76 will be described later.

  The above is the description of the configuration and functions of the printing apparatus 100. Next, the operation of the printing apparatus 100 will be described.

  FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating the operation of the printing apparatus 100. The printing apparatus 100 monitors whether it is a check timing, whether a printing process is instructed, a nozzle cleaning process is instructed, and an ink replenishment process is instructed.

  If the predetermined time has elapsed and the check timing has been reached, the printing apparatus 100 determines Yes in step S1, and executes display update processing (step S2). Note that “predetermined time has passed” means that a predetermined time has passed since the display update process was executed last time. That is, when the display update process is executed, the control unit 7 of the printing apparatus 100 holds the elapsed time thereafter.

  When the display update process in step S2 is started, the data management unit 76 refers to the ink information 10 and stores the current remaining amount for each ink tank 1 stored as the ink information 10 in the RAM 70 as the current remaining amount 25. Forward. That is, a plurality of current remaining amounts 25 are created in the display update process.

  Next, the output control unit 74 acquires the current remaining amount 25 for each ink tank read into the RAM 70, and compares the acquired current remaining amount 25 with a predetermined threshold value. The predetermined threshold value is set and stored in advance based on the allowable amount of the ink tank 1.

  Further, when the compared current remaining amount 25 is smaller than the threshold value, the output control unit 74 displays on the display unit 6 that the ink corresponding to the current remaining amount 25 needs to be replenished. As a result, the printing apparatus 100 issues a warning to the operator to replenish ink for the ink tank 1 with a small amount of ink remaining.

  On the other hand, when the current remaining amount 25 is equal to or greater than the threshold value, the display unit 6 is displayed that the ink corresponding to the current remaining amount 25 does not need to be replenished. That is, the printing apparatus 100 informs the operator that ink replenishment is unnecessary for the ink tank 1 in which ink remains sufficiently.

  As described above, the display unit 6 refers to the ink information 10 stored in the hard disk 71 via the data management unit 76 and the output control unit 74, and the current remaining amount of ink in the ink tank 1 (current remaining amount). 25), whether or not ink replenishment is necessary is output to the screen.

  Thereby, the operator can easily know that the ink replenishment work is necessary only by checking the display screen of the display unit 6. Further, the display screen of the display unit 6 is updated at a predetermined timing, so that the operator can make an accurate determination based on the latest situation.

  When instructed to execute the printing process, the printing apparatus 100 determines Yes in step S3 and executes the printing process (step S4).

  When the printing process is started, first, the control unit 7 transmits the print information 23 to the print head 2. The print information 23 is data designated by the operator who has instructed the printing process, and is RIP-completed data generated for each color. That is, the control unit 7 transmits the print information 23 for each color to the corresponding print head 2. Specifically, the print information 23 representing a black image is transmitted to the print head 2 that ejects black ink, and the print information 23 representing a cyan image is transmitted to the print head 2 that ejects cyan ink. Communicated.

  When the print information 23 is transmitted, each print head 2 forms an image on the base material 9 held on the base material holding table 3 based on the transmitted print information 23.

  When the image is formed, the calculation unit 75 calculates the remaining amount of the used ink after use based on the amount of ink used in the printing process, and generates the processed remaining amount 21. That is, the post-processing remaining amount 21 generated in the printing process is information indicating the remaining amount of ink in each ink tank 1 after the printing process is executed.

  Specifically, first, the calculation unit 75 obtains the halftone dot area ratio of the image represented by the print information 23 for each color print information 23 and forms the image based on the halftone dot area ratio. The amount of ink used for the operation is calculated. Thereby, the amount of ink used in the printing process is obtained for each color.

  Next, the calculation unit 75 reads the ink information 10 (current remaining amount 25 of each color) from the hard disk 71 via the data management unit 76, subtracts the usage amount of the corresponding color ink, and uses each ink. Find the remaining amount. In this way, the post-processing remaining amount 21 in the printing process is generated.

  When the post-processing remaining amount 21 is generated, the data management unit 76 uses the post-processing remaining amount 21 (the remaining amount after use of each used ink calculated by the calculating unit 75) as the current remaining amount of each ink. The ink information 10 stored in the hard disk 71 as the amount (current remaining amount) is updated.

  As a result, since the ink usage amount used in the printing process is reflected in the ink information 10 stored in the hard disk 71, the accuracy of the current remaining amount in the ink information 10 is improved. Further, by determining the ink usage based on the halftone dot area ratio of the image expressed by the print information 23, the ink usage can be accurately determined.

  When the cleaning process for the print head 2 is instructed, the printing apparatus 100 determines Yes in step S5 and executes the cleaning process (step S6). When instructing the cleaning process, the operator selects desired maintenance and inputs a maintenance type indicating the maintenance from the operation unit 5. The maintenance designated here is an operation for discharging ink from the print head 2 to recover from the ink clogging of the print head 2. Although not described in detail, the printing apparatus 100 is capable of performing a plurality of types of maintenance that can be selected according to the degree of contamination.

  When the cleaning process is started, the data management unit 76 generates the maintenance amount 24 based on the maintenance information 11 according to the maintenance type transmitted from the operation unit 5. That is, from the maintenance information 11 stored in the hard disk 71, the amount of ink used in the maintenance to be performed is read as the maintenance amount 24 into the RAM 70. In parallel with this process, the selected maintenance (cleaning) is performed on the print head 2.

  When the maintenance for the print head 2 is completed, the calculation unit 75 calculates the remaining amount of the used ink after use based on the amount of ink used in the cleaning process, and generates the remaining amount 21 after processing. . That is, the post-processing remaining amount 21 generated in the cleaning process is information indicating the remaining amount of ink in each ink tank 1 after the cleaning process is executed.

  Specifically, the calculation unit 75 reads the ink information 10 (the current remaining amount 25 of each color) from the hard disk 71 via the data management unit 76, and subtracts the maintenance amount 24 of the corresponding color ink, respectively. Obtain the remaining amount of ink after use. In this way, the post-processing remaining amount 21 in the cleaning process is generated.

  When the post-processing remaining amount 21 is generated, the data management unit 76 uses the post-processing remaining amount 21 (the remaining amount after use of each used ink calculated by the calculating unit 75) as the current remaining amount of each ink. The ink information 10 stored in the hard disk 71 as the amount (current remaining amount) is updated.

  Thereby, since the ink usage amount used in the cleaning process is reflected in the ink information 10 stored in the hard disk 71, the accuracy of the current remaining amount in the ink information 10 is improved.

  When it is instructed to perform ink replenishment work on the ink tank 1, the printing apparatus 100 determines Yes in step S7 and executes replenishment work processing (step S8). The instruction to perform the replenishment operation includes the tank identifier of the ink tank 1 that is the target of the replenishment operation.

  FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing the replenishment work process in the printing apparatus 100.

  When the replenishment work process in step S8 is started, the printing apparatus 100 waits until the identification information 20 is acquired (step S10). In the present embodiment, identification information 20 is attached to the replenishment bottle 8, and the operator inputs the identification information 20 by operating the operation unit 5.

  When the identification information 20 is input (Yes in step S10), the determination unit 72 determines whether or not the ink in the refill bottle 8 to which the acquired identification information 20 is attached can be replenished to the ink tank 1. (Step S11).

  In step S <b> 11, first, the determination unit 72 acquires the ink information 10 via the data management unit 76 and determines whether the genuine ink identification code included in the identification information 20 is included in the ink identifier of the ink information 10. judge.

  The case where the ink identifier that matches the genuine ink identification code is not included in the ink information 10 indicates that the ink in the refill bottle 8 is not currently used in the printing apparatus 100. Therefore, in this case, the determination unit 72 determines that it is impossible to replenish the ink in the refill bottle 8.

  On the other hand, if the ink information 10 includes an ink identifier that matches the genuine ink identification code, the tank identifier corresponding to the matched ink identifier (the ink tank 1 in which the ink identified by the ink identifier is stored) The tank identifier). Further, the acquired tank identifier is compared with the tank identifier of the ink tank 1 that is the target of the replenishment operation to determine whether or not they match.

  The case where the tank identifiers do not match indicates that the ink in the replenishment bottle 8 and the ink in the ink tank 1 to be replenished do not match (stored in another ink tank 1). Ink). Therefore, also in this case, the determination unit 72 determines that it is impossible to replenish the ink in the refill bottle 8.

  When the tank identifiers match, the ink in the replenishing bottle 8 to which the identification information 20 acquired in step S10 is attached and the ink stored in the ink tank 1 that is the target of the replenishing operation are included. Indicates a match. Accordingly, in this case, the determination unit 72 determines that the ink in the replenishment bottle 8 can be replenished to the ink tank 1 that is the subject of the replenishment operation.

  When it is determined that replenishment is impossible (No in step S11), the determination unit 72 outputs a non-conforming signal to the replenishment amount acquisition unit 73 and the output control unit 74. With this non-conforming signal, the output control unit 74 causes the display unit 6 to display the determination result of the determination unit 72 (step S12). That is, the display unit 6 displays that the ink in the refill bottle 8 is incompatible.

  By executing step S12, the operator can easily confirm that ink refilling with the refilling bottle 8 is inappropriate. Therefore, it is possible to effectively prevent the operator from replenishing incompatible ink, so that the safety of replenishment work processing is improved.

  Further, since step S12 is executed before the ink is replenished by the operator, the operator can appropriately stop (suspend) the replenishment work process. Therefore, the safety is improved as compared with the case where it is not possible to determine that the bottle is not compatible until the refill bottle is set as in the prior art.

  When step S12 is executed, the printing apparatus 100 forcibly ends the replenishment work process and returns to the process shown in FIG.

  As described above, if the ink to be refilled is incompatible (No in step S11), the printing apparatus 100 ends the refill operation process without executing step S18 described later. That is, the pressure feeding mechanism 4 does not feed ink. Thereby, even if the operator misidentifies the determination result by the determination unit 72 and ink is replenished by mistake from the refill bottle 8, the ink is pumped from the ink tank 1 toward the print head 2. Never happen. Therefore, for example, the printing apparatus 100 can be returned by a simple operation that only cleans the ink tank 1.

  For example, when the remaining amount of ink is managed by a sensor in the ink tank 1 or the like, the remaining amount is updated even when non-conforming ink is replenished. is there. However, when step S12 is executed, the printing apparatus 100 ends the replenishment work process without executing step S19 described later. That is, when it is determined that the ink is incompatible, the data management unit 76 does not update the ink information 10. Thereby, even if the operator misidentifies the determination result by the determination unit 72 and refills the ink from the refill bottle 8 by mistake, the current remaining amount of ink in the ink tank 1 is updated. Therefore, the ink shortage state remains displayed on the display unit 6. Therefore, the operator can immediately recognize a work error.

  If it is determined that replenishment is possible (Yes in step S <b> 11), the determination unit 72 outputs a matching signal to the replenishment amount acquisition unit 73 and the output control unit 74.

  When the conformance signal is transmitted, the replenishment amount acquisition unit 73 refers to the identification information 20 and acquires the amount of ink replenished by the replenishment bottle 8 (replenishment amount) based on the “bottle capacity”. (Step S13), the replenishment amount 22 is transferred to the RAM 70. In parallel with this processing, the output control unit 74 to which the conformity signal has been transmitted causes the display unit 6 to display a message indicating that the ink has conformed.

  Next, the data management unit 76 reads the current remaining amount of ink to be replenished by the refill bottle 8 from the ink information 10 stored in the hard disk 71 as the current remaining amount 25 to the RAM 70. The calculating unit 75 adds the replenishment amount 22 acquired in step S13 to the current remaining amount 25 read in this way, thereby calculating the remaining amount after replenishment of ink to be replenished (step S14). The post-processing remaining amount 21 is transferred to the RAM 70. In other words, the post-processing remaining amount 21 created in the replenishment work process is the case where the ink in the replenishment bottle 8 is replenished at the time of creation (whether or not it is actually replenished at this point). Indicates the remaining ink level.

  Thus, in the printing apparatus 100, the post-processing remaining amount 21 is calculated in consideration of the amount of ink remaining in the ink tank 1 (current remaining amount 25). Will improve.

  When the post-processing remaining amount 21 is created, the determination unit 72 acquires the “allowable amount” of the ink tank 1 that is the target of the replenishment operation from the ink information 10 via the data management unit 76 and performs processing. It is determined whether the remaining amount 21 is equal to or less than the allowable amount (step S15).

  When the post-processing remaining amount 21 (the remaining amount of ink when ink replenishment is performed) is larger than the allowable amount (No in step S15), the determination unit 72 transmits a warning signal to the output control unit 74. In response to this warning signal, the output control unit 74 displays a predetermined warning message on the display unit 6 (step S16). Thus, the operator can easily recognize before refilling that the ink in the ink tank 1 overflows when the ink in the refill bottle 8 is refilled into the ink tank 1. Therefore, the safety of the replenishment work process is improved.

  On the other hand, if the post-processing remaining amount 21 is less than or equal to the allowable amount (Yes in step S15), the printing apparatus 100 waits until the replenishment by the operator is completed (step S17). At this time, it is preferable that the output control unit 74 that has received the comparison result of the determination unit 72 causes the display unit 6 to display a message for prompting the supplementary work.

  When the operator operates the operation unit 5 and inputs completion information indicating that the replenishment work has been completed, the output control unit 74 controls the pressure feeding mechanism 4 to start ink feeding. Accordingly, the pressure feeding mechanism 4 opens the valve and drives the pump to pressure feed the ink in the ink tank 1 toward the print head 2 (step S18).

  In parallel with this processing, the data management unit 76 updates the ink information 10 as the current remaining amount of the supplemented remaining amount 21 (step S19). Thus, when the display update process (step S2) is subsequently executed, the remaining amount after the replenished ink is replenished is displayed on the display unit 6. As described above, since the amount of ink replenished by the replenishment operation is reflected in the ink information 10, the accuracy of the ink information 10 is improved. At this time, since the amount of ink remaining in the ink tank 1 before refilling (currently remaining amount 25) is also reflected, the accuracy is further improved.

  When the update by the data management unit 76 ends, the printing apparatus 100 ends the replenishment work process and returns to the process shown in FIG.

  As described above, the printing apparatus 100 according to this embodiment includes the hard disk 71 that stores the ink information 10 having the attributes of the ink identifier and the current remaining amount in the ink tank, at least for the ink in the ink tank 1. Based on the operation unit 5 that acquires the identification information 20 relating to the ink that is replenished in the ink tank 1, the identification information 20 acquired by the operation unit 5, and the ink information 10 stored in the hard disk 71, the ink tank 1 A determination unit 72 that determines whether or not the ink to be replenished can be replenished with respect to the ink in the ink tank 1, and the ink that is replenished to the ink tank 1 by the determination unit 72 with respect to the ink in the ink tank 1 If it is determined that the ink can be replenished, the replenishment amount 22 for acquiring the replenishment amount 22 of ink replenished in the ink tank 1 is acquired. The replenishment amount 22 of the replenished ink acquired by the acquisition unit 73 and the replenishment amount acquisition unit 73 is set to the current remaining amount of ink to be replenished (current remaining amount 25) of the ink information 10 stored in the hard disk 71. In addition, a calculation unit 75 that calculates the remaining amount after replenishment of ink to be replenished (remaining amount 21 after processing) and a display unit 6 that outputs the remaining amount after replenishment calculated by the calculation unit 75 are provided. As a result, the remaining amount of ink can be managed with high accuracy. Therefore, the safety of the replenishment work performed based on the remaining amount of ink is improved as compared with the conventional technique.

  In the present embodiment, it has been described that the replenishment work process is forcibly terminated when the ink to be refilled is incompatible (No in step S11). However, it may be configured to allow replenishment of incompatible ink according to an instruction from the operator. In that case, log information indicating that the incompatible ink has been replenished is preferably stored in the hard disk 71 and used as information for identifying a faulty part and investigating the cause during maintenance.

  In addition, the identification information 20 attached to the replenishment bottle 8 includes information (serial number) for identifying each replenishment bottle 8, and the serial of the replenishment bottle 8 once used in the replenishment work process. You may comprise so that a number may be memorize | stored. Then, when the replenishment work process is executed, it may be configured so that it cannot be reused by collating with the serial number of the replenishment bottle 8 that has already been used.

<2. Modification>
Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and various modifications can be made.

  For example, the flowchart shown in FIG. 5 is an example, and is not limited to such processing. That is, when the same effect can be obtained, the contents and order of processing in each step may be changed as appropriate.

  Moreover, although the functional block (determination part 72, supplement amount acquisition part 73, etc.) shown in the said embodiment was demonstrated as software by the program, a part or all of the function of these functional blocks is dedicated. You may implement | achieve in hardware with a logic circuit.

  In the above embodiment, it has been described that the display update process is executed every time a predetermined time elapses. However, the timing for executing the display update process is not limited to this. For example, it may be executed when a printing process is instructed or when a check instruction is received from an operator.

  In the above embodiment, the “bottle capacity” is included in the identification information 20 attached to the refill bottle 8. That is, the identification information 20 has the ink replenishment amount as its attribute. With this configuration, the printing apparatus 100 according to the modified example can distribute a plurality of types of replenishment bottles 8 having different internal capacities. However, if the ink replenishment amount is simply acquired, the ink information 10 may have the ink replenishment amount as its attribute. That is, the replenishment amount acquisition unit 73 may acquire the replenishment amount 22 from the ink information 10 via the data management unit 76. In this case, since the number of digits of the identification information 20 can be suppressed, the input load of the identification information 20 by the operator is reduced.

  In addition, it has been described that the lid portion of the ink tank 1 is manually removed by the operator when the replenishment operation is performed. However, a lock mechanism that locks the lid portion to the lid portion according to a control signal from the control unit 7. May be provided. And only when it determines with Yes in step S15, you may comprise so that the lock | rock by the said locking mechanism may be cancelled | released. In that case, the ink can be actually replenished only when the ink is compatible (can be replenished) and is less than or equal to the permissible amount.

1 is a schematic perspective view showing a printing apparatus according to the present invention. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a printing apparatus. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of a control part. It is a figure which illustrates the data structure of ink information. It is a figure which shows operation | movement of a printing apparatus. It is a flowchart which shows the replenishment work process in a printing apparatus.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Ink tank 10 Ink information 100 Printing apparatus 11 Maintenance information 2 Print head 20 Identification information 21 Remaining amount after processing 22 Replenishment amount 23 Print information 24 Maintenance amount 25 Current remaining amount 3 Substrate holding table 4 Pressure feed mechanism 5 Operation unit 6 Display unit DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 7 Control part 71 Hard disk 72 Judgment part 73 Replenishment amount acquisition part 74 Output control part 75 Calculation part 76 Data management part 8 Replenishment bottle 9 Base material

Claims (14)

An ink management device for managing ink in an ink tank,
Storage means for storing ink information having attributes of the identifier of the ink and the current remaining amount in the ink tank, at least for the ink in the ink tank;
Information acquisition means for acquiring identification information relating to ink replenished in the ink tank;
Whether ink to be refilled in the ink tank can be replenished with respect to the ink in the ink tank based on the identification information acquired by the information acquisition means and the ink information stored in the storage means Determination means for determining whether or not
Replenishment amount acquisition for acquiring a replenishment amount of ink to be replenished to the ink tank when the determination means determines that the ink replenished to the ink tank can be replenished with respect to the ink in the ink tank. Means,
The replenishment amount of ink to be replenished acquired by the replenishment amount acquisition means is added to the current remaining amount of ink to be replenished in the ink information stored in the storage means to replenish the replenished ink. Calculation means for calculating the remaining amount after,
Output means for outputting the remaining amount after replenishment calculated by the calculating means;
An ink management apparatus comprising: The ink management device according to claim 1,
The storage means detects that ink replenishment has been executed by an operator, and updates the ink information with the ink remaining amount calculated by the computing means as the current remaining amount of ink. An ink management device. The ink management device according to claim 1, wherein:
The ink information has an allowable amount of ink in the ink tank as an attribute,
The ink management apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the output means outputs a warning when the remaining amount of the replenished ink calculated by the calculating means exceeds the allowable amount. The ink management apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
The output means refers to ink information stored in the storage means, and outputs the necessity of replenishment of the ink according to the current remaining amount of ink in the ink tank. Management device. The ink management device according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
The ink management apparatus, wherein the output unit outputs a determination result of the determination unit. A printing apparatus for printing an image on a recording medium,
An ink tank for storing ink for printing an image;
Image forming means for forming the image on a recording medium with ink supplied from the ink tank based on print information representing the image;
An ink management device for managing ink in the ink tank;
With
The ink management device includes:
Storage means for storing ink information having attributes of the identifier of the ink and the current remaining amount in the ink tank, at least for the ink in the ink tank;
Information acquisition means for acquiring identification information relating to ink replenished in the ink tank;
Whether ink to be refilled in the ink tank can be replenished with respect to the ink in the ink tank based on the identification information acquired by the information acquisition means and the ink information stored in the storage means Determination means for determining whether or not
Replenishment amount acquisition for acquiring a replenishment amount of ink to be replenished to the ink tank when the determination means determines that the ink replenished to the ink tank can be replenished with respect to the ink in the ink tank. Means,
The replenishment amount of ink to be replenished acquired by the replenishment amount acquisition means is added to the current remaining amount of ink to be replenished in the ink information stored in the storage means to replenish the replenished ink. Calculation means for calculating the remaining amount after,
Output means for outputting the remaining amount after replenishment calculated by the calculating means;
A printing apparatus comprising: The printing apparatus according to claim 6,
The storage means detects that ink replenishment has been executed by an operator, and updates the ink information with the ink remaining amount calculated by the computing means as the current remaining amount of ink. A printing apparatus characterized by the above. The printing apparatus according to claim 6 or 7, wherein
The ink information has an allowable amount of ink in the ink tank as an attribute,
The printing apparatus is characterized in that the output means outputs a warning when the remaining amount of replenished ink calculated by the calculating means exceeds the allowable amount. The printing apparatus according to any one of claims 6 to 8,
The output means refers to the ink information stored in the storage means, and outputs whether or not the ink needs to be replenished according to the current remaining amount of ink in the ink tank. apparatus. The printing apparatus according to any one of claims 6 to 9,
The calculation means calculates a remaining amount of the used ink after use based on a used amount of the used ink,
The printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the storage unit updates the ink information by using the remaining amount of the used ink calculated by the calculating unit as the current remaining amount of the ink. The printing apparatus according to claim 10,
The printing device is characterized in that the amount of ink used is calculated based on a halftone dot area ratio of an image expressed by print information. The printing apparatus according to claim 10 or 11,
The printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the calculation unit calculates a usage amount of ink used according to a maintenance type of the image forming unit. The printing apparatus according to any one of claims 6 to 12,
The printing apparatus, wherein the output unit outputs a determination result of the determination unit. The printing apparatus according to any one of claims 6 to 13,
A printing apparatus, further comprising: a pressure feeding unit that pressure-feeds ink in the ink tank toward the image forming unit according to a determination result of the determination unit.

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