JP2009137118A - Inkjet recorder - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an inkjet recorder capable of performing display adjusted to user's skill level by switching the display stepwise in accordance with working time for every item of maintenance work (changing a roll sheet or changing an ink tank or the like). <P>SOLUTION: When it is necessary to perform work such as changing the roll sheet or changing the ink tank in the inkjet recorder having a display part, assumed working time is displayed and also a screen showing the start of work is displayed. When a user starts the work, time measurement is started for every working item, and the display is switched in accordance with the measured time. For example, when changing the roll sheet, if assumed time is defined as Ta=zero minute, Tb=two minutes, and Tc=five minutes, a slide for changing the roll sheet is displayed at intervals of one second in a period from zero minute-two minutes or less, and the slide is displayed at intervals of five seconds in a period from two minutes or more-five minutes or less, then the part of the slide which can not be understood is selected, and enlarged and displayed when five minutes or more elapse. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an ink jet recording apparatus, and more particularly to an ink jet recording apparatus characterized by a display unit that illustrates various maintenance operations and explains to a user.

  In recent years, OA equipment such as personal computers, copying machines, word processors, and the like has become widespread, and a recording apparatus that performs digital image recording by an ink jet method as a kind of image forming (recording) apparatus of these equipment has been rapidly developed and spread. ing. In particular, along with the enhancement of the functions of OA devices, the colorization of these devices is progressing, and various color ink jet recording apparatuses have been developed accordingly.

  In general, an ink jet recording apparatus includes a carriage on which a recording head and an ink tank are mounted, a transport mechanism that transports recording paper, and a control circuit that controls these. In such a recording apparatus, ink is ejected while serially scanning a recording head having a plurality of ejection openings for ejecting ink droplets in the direction (main scanning direction) perpendicular to the recording paper conveyance direction (sub-scanning direction). I do. On the other hand, the recording operation is performed by intermittently conveying the recording paper by an amount equal to the recording width of the recording head while ink is not ejected from the recording head. Further, in the case of a recording apparatus capable of color recording, a color image is formed by superimposing ink droplets ejected from a plurality of recording heads.

  The following two methods are conventionally known as methods for ejecting ink in an ink jet recording apparatus.

(1) A heating element (electrothermal energy converter) is provided in the vicinity of the ejection port, and an electric signal is applied to the heating element to locally heat the ink, causing a pressure change, and ejecting the ink from the ejection port. (2) A method of ejecting ink by applying a mechanical pressure to ink using a piezoelectric element such as a piezo element. This ink jet recording method records ink from a discharge port as fine droplets according to a recording signal. Characters and figures are recorded by discharging onto a medium. The non-impact has advantages such as low noise, low running cost, easy downsizing of the apparatus, and relatively easy colorization. Therefore, it is widely used as an image forming (recording) means in a recording apparatus such as a copying machine, a printer, or a facsimile machine that is used in combination with a computer, a word processor, or the like or used alone.

  Some of such ink jet recording apparatuses are provided with a liquid crystal screen for displaying the state of the apparatus, operation guidance, and the like to the user to improve user operability.

  Among them, in recent years, in order to have the user perform maintenance work such as roll paper replacement and ink tank replacement effectively, the maintenance processing procedure is displayed in order on the liquid crystal screen. Since the user can work while looking at the processing procedure, it is not necessary to look at the manual or the like, thereby improving convenience.

  However, even when the maintenance processing procedure is displayed graphically in order on the liquid crystal screen, since there are various levels of users, the display content is not necessarily information suitable for each user. For this reason, when the user has little experience, it cannot be understood, or conversely, it is redundant for the experienced user.

In order to cope with this problem, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2004-228561 stores guidance with different levels for each maintenance step by step according to the proficiency level of the user. Furthermore, if it is determined that the content of the guidance is insufficient, more detailed guidance information is downloaded from the external information processing apparatus to the image forming apparatus.
JP 2005-172902 A

  However, in this example, the memory capacity had to be increased because different levels of guidance had to be stored. Furthermore, when the guidance is insufficient, it is necessary to take a configuration for obtaining an image from a server or the like using a line, and a memory capacity for storing the captured image is also required, so that the configuration becomes expensive. It was.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above-described problem, and for each item of maintenance work, display according to the user's proficiency is realized at low cost by switching the display method step by step according to the proficiency. be able to.

In order to solve the above problems, the present invention
In an ink jet recording apparatus that prints by ejecting ink onto a recording medium from a plurality of ejection openings,
Maintenance detection means for detecting the necessity of various maintenance operations;
Display means for displaying a plurality of images in order to explain the maintenance operation of the inkjet recording apparatus;
Proficiency level determination means for determining the proficiency level of the user;
It is comprised from the display control means which switches the method displayed on the said display means according to the said maintenance detection means and the said skill level determination means.

Further, the present invention is the invention according to claim 1,
The proficiency level determination means determines the proficiency level based on the time required for the work or the number of times detected by various sensors.

Further, the present invention is the invention according to claim 1,
The display control means switches the interval of images to be displayed in accordance with the proficiency level determined by the proficiency level determination means.

Further, the present invention is the invention according to claim 1,
The display control means enlarges and displays a part of an image to be displayed in accordance with the proficiency level determined by the proficiency level determination means.

Further, the present invention provides another means for solving the above-described problems.
In an ink jet recording apparatus that prints by ejecting ink onto a recording medium from a plurality of ejection openings,
Maintenance detection means for detecting the necessity of various maintenance operations;
Display means for displaying a plurality of images in order to explain the maintenance operation of the inkjet recording apparatus;
Measuring means for measuring the time taken for maintenance detected by the maintenance detecting means;
Comparing means for comparing the time measured by the measuring means with a plurality of set times,
It comprises display control means for switching the method of display on the display means in accordance with the result of comparison by the comparison means.

Further, the present invention is the invention according to claim 5,
The timing for determining the start of maintenance by the measuring means is opening / closing of a maintenance opening provided in the inkjet recording apparatus or an operation input to the operation unit, and the timing for determining the end of maintenance is the inkjet recording. It is a time when the apparatus is ready for printing.

In addition, the present invention provides another means for solving the above-described problems.
In an ink jet recording apparatus that prints by ejecting ink onto a recording medium from a plurality of ejection openings,
Maintenance detection means for detecting the necessity of various maintenance operations;
Display means for displaying a plurality of images in order to explain various maintenance operations of the inkjet recording apparatus;
Counting means for counting extra work performed by the user in the maintenance detected by the maintenance detecting means;
Comparing means for comparing the count number counted by the counting means with a plurality of set count numbers,
It comprises display control means for switching the method of display on the display means in accordance with the result of comparison by the comparison means.

Further, the present invention is the invention according to claim 7,
Even if the counting factor that the extra work has been performed by the counting means is the opening and closing of unnecessary portions of the opening for maintenance provided in the ink jet recording apparatus, the multiple opening and closing of the same place, or even after closing all the openings It is characterized by not being in a printable state.

Further, the present invention is the invention according to claim 5 or claim 7,
The display control means switches an interval of images to be displayed in accordance with a result of comparison by the comparison means.

Further, the present invention is the invention according to claim 5 or claim 7,
The display control means enlarges and displays a part of an image to be displayed in accordance with the result of comparison by the comparison means.

  According to the present invention, in an inkjet recording apparatus having a display unit, display corresponding to a user's proficiency is realized at low cost by switching display methods step by step according to the proficiency for each item of maintenance work. can do.

Example 1
Hereinafter, a first embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an example of an ink jet recording apparatus according to the present invention.

  In the printer 150 shown in FIG. 1, the CPU 101 is connected to the host computer 104 via the input interface 119. The ROM 103 stores control programs, the EEPROM 104 stores updatable control programs, processing programs, various constant data, and the like, and the RAM stores command signals and image information received from the host computer 151. The CPU 101 accesses the ROM 103, the EEPROM 104, and the RAM 102, and controls the recording operation based on information stored in these memories. Instruction information input from the keys of the operation panel 122 is transmitted to the CPU 101 via the operation panel interface 122. Similarly, the LED lighting and LCD display on the operation panel 122 are controlled via the operation panel interface 121 in accordance with a command from the CPU 101. The expansion interface 120 is an interface for performing function expansion by connecting an expansion card such as a wireless LAN or HDD. Image information is converted into dot data of each ink color by an image data processing block 116. The band memory control unit 112 converts the print head data format into the RAM 118 and stores it in the RAM 118. The head data generation unit 112 generates data to be sent to the head in consideration of multi-pass, connection lines, discharge failure nozzles, and the like. A cleaning timer 117 is connected to the print head control block 114, and the type of cleaning to be performed prior to printing is determined by the value of the cleaning timer 117. A plurality of sensor units 124 indicate various states of the printer 150 such as opening / closing of various covers, setting of various levers, presence / absence of an ink tank, presence / absence of paper, and the like. Based on the output signal detected by the sensor unit 124, the sensor output detection circuit 123 detects what state the printer 150 is in, and the CPU 101 reads this information to perform maintenance work on the LCD of the operation panel 122. Is displayed. The carriage 111 is moved by operating the carriage motor 109 via the output port 105 and the carriage motor control circuit 107. Further, by operating the paper feed paper feed motor 108 via the output port 105 and the paper feed motor control circuit 106, the paper transport mechanism 110 such as a transport roller is operated. Further, the CPU 101 can record a desired image on a recording medium by controlling the print head control block 114 based on various information stored in the EEPROM 104 and driving the print head 115.

  Further, from a power supply circuit (not shown), a logic drive voltage Vcc (for example, 3.3 V) for operating the CPU 101 and various control circuits, various motor drive voltages Vm (for example, 24 V), and a heat voltage for driving the recording head. Vh (for example, 12V) is output.

  FIG. 2 shows a configuration for displaying maintenance work of the ink jet recording apparatus according to the present invention.

  The proficiency level determination unit 207 first determines whether or not to perform maintenance work based on information of the sensor output detection circuit 206 that detects sensor outputs from various sensor units, operation keys (not shown) of the operation panel 122, or the like. . Next, when maintenance work is started, measurement is started by the timer 208, and the proficiency level of the user is determined by comparison with a plurality of assumed times that are assumed in advance. The LCD display control unit 202 reads a display image from the ROM 203 and controls the LCD display unit 201. The LCD display control unit 202 switches the display method according to the determination result of the proficiency level determination unit 207. Reference numeral 204 denotes an enlarged view creation unit. If the work does not end even after a certain estimated time, the enlarged portion selection circuit 205 asks the user to select the portion to be enlarged, and the enlarged image is displayed. . For example, as shown in FIG. 4, when the paper alignment is within an assumed time, a normal maintenance work screen is displayed (FIG. 4 (a)). When a certain estimated time is exceeded, it is determined that the user cannot understand on the normal maintenance work screen, and the screen is switched to a screen on which a portion to be enlarged can be selected (FIG. 4B). The enlargement method is not limited to a specific method such as linear interpolation, spline interpolation, or bicubic interpolation.

  Next, the display method of the maintenance work screen according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to FIG.

  When maintenance work such as roll paper exchange or ink tank exchange becomes necessary, an assumed work time is displayed and a screen indicating the work start is displayed (S301). When the user enters work, measurement is started for each work item (S302), and the display is switched according to the measured time. For example, when replacing the roll paper, (1) remove the roll paper from the main unit, (2) attach the roll paper to the roll holder, (3) attach the roll paper to the main unit, (4) insert the paper, (5) paper position There are work items such as matching. The work contents are displayed with about several tens of slides for each item. Each work item is switched in stages according to the detection of several sensors.

  For example, it is assumed that “(1) roll paper removal from main body” is the estimated time of Ta, Tb, Tc, and T is the elapsed time of work. When Ta <T ≦ Tb (S303), the slide of “Removing roll paper from the main body” is displayed at intervals of 1 second (S304). When Tb <T <Tc (S305), the slide is displayed at an interval of 5 seconds. When T ≧ Tc (S307), an enlarged portion of the slide that cannot be understood as shown in FIG. 4B is displayed. Selection is performed and enlarged display is performed (S308). When the work is finished and the printer is ready for printing (S309), the measurement is also finished and the time taken for the current work item is stored (S310). The stored work time is reflected in the estimated time for the next work. For example, a user who takes a long working time determines that the experience is inexperienced, and shortens the estimated time Tb, thereby increasing the display interval from an earlier time. Further, when work items remain (S310), the same display switching can be performed, so that an optimal display can be performed for each item according to the user's proficiency level.

  In this embodiment, three assumed times are provided to describe 1) no display, 2) display interval of 1 second, 3) display interval of 5 seconds, and 4) enlarged display. However, the present invention is limited to this. It is not a thing. It is obvious that the same effect can be achieved by only the display interval and only the enlarged display, and can be realized by the configuration of this embodiment.

(Example 2)
In the second embodiment, the user's proficiency level is determined by opening / closing unnecessary portions of the maintenance opening, multiple opening / closing at the same location, or not being ready for printing even after all the openings are closed. Is described.

  FIG. 5 shows a configuration for displaying maintenance work of the ink jet recording apparatus according to the second embodiment of the present invention.

  The proficiency level determination unit 507 first determines whether or not to perform maintenance work based on information from the sensor output detection circuit 506 that has detected sensor outputs from various sensor units, or operation keys (not shown) on the operation panel 122. . Next, when the maintenance work is started, measurement is started by the counter 508, and the user's proficiency level is determined by comparing with a plurality of assumed times detected by a sensor such as opening / closing of a cover necessary for the work. The LCD display control unit 502 reads a display image from the ROM 503 and controls the LCD display unit 501. The LCD display control unit 502 switches the display method according to the determination result of the proficiency level determination unit 507. Reference numeral 504 denotes an enlarged view creation unit. When the work does not end even after a certain number of times, the enlarged portion selection circuit 505 causes the user to select a portion to be enlarged, and the enlarged image is displayed. . As in the first embodiment, the enlargement method is not limited to a specific method such as linear interpolation, spline interpolation, or bicubic interpolation.

  Next, the display method of the maintenance work screen according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to FIG.

  When maintenance work such as roll paper exchange or ink tank exchange becomes necessary, the number of assumed works detected by a sensor such as opening and closing of a cover necessary for the work is displayed and a screen indicating the start of work is displayed (S601). ). When the user enters work, measurement is started for each work item (S602), and the display is switched according to the measured number of times. A certain maintenance work is composed of a plurality of work items, and the work content is displayed by about several tens of slides for each item. Each work item is switched in stages according to the detection of several sensors.

  For example, assume that a certain work item is Na, Nb, and Nc are the number of times of sensor detection, and N is the number of times of work. When Na <N ≦ Nb (S603), the slide “Removing roll paper from the main body” is displayed at intervals of 1 second (S604). When Nb <N <Nc (S605), the slides are displayed at intervals of 5 seconds, and when N ≧ Nc (S607), a slide that is not known is selected as shown in FIG. S608). When the work is finished and the print is ready ((S609)), the measurement is also finished and the number of sensor detections for the current work item is stored (S610). For example, a user who has detected a large number of times of sensor detection determines that the user has little experience, and shortens the assumed number of times Nb, thereby increasing the display interval from an earlier number. Even when it remains (S610), by performing the same display switching, it is possible to perform an optimal display for each item depending on the user's proficiency level.

  The ink jet recording apparatus of the present invention is not limited by the operation principle or configuration of the recording head. That is, the recording head is provided with a heating element (electrical / thermal energy conversion element) in the vicinity of the ejection port, and by applying an electrical signal to the heating element, the ink is locally heated to cause a pressure change. A thermal system that ejects ink from an ejection port may be used, or a piezoelectric system that ejects ink by applying mechanical pressure to the ink using an electrical / pressure converting means such as a piezoelectric element.

It is a block diagram which shows an example of the inkjet recording device which concerns on this invention. 1 shows a configuration for displaying maintenance work of an ink jet recording apparatus according to the present invention. It is a flowchart explaining the display method of the maintenance work screen which concerns on this invention. 2 shows an example of an enlarged display selection screen according to the present invention. 2 shows a configuration for displaying maintenance work of an ink jet recording apparatus according to a second embodiment of the present invention. It is a flowchart explaining the display method of the maintenance work screen which concerns on 2nd Example of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

101 CPU
104 EEPROM
121 Operation Panel Interface 122 Operation Panel 150 Printer 151 Host Computer 201 LCD Display Unit 202 LCD Display Control Unit 203 ROM
204 enlarged view generation unit 205 enlarged portion selection circuit 206 sensor output detection circuit 207 proficiency level determination unit 208 timer

Claims (10)

In an ink jet recording apparatus that prints by ejecting ink onto a recording medium from a plurality of ejection openings,
Maintenance detection means for detecting the necessity of various maintenance operations;
Display means for displaying a plurality of images in order to explain the maintenance operation of the inkjet recording apparatus;
Proficiency level determination means for determining the proficiency level of the user;
An ink jet recording apparatus comprising: the maintenance detection unit and a display control unit that switches a display method on the display unit according to the proficiency level determination unit.   The inkjet recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the proficiency level determination unit determines the proficiency level based on time required for work or the number of times detected by various sensors.   The inkjet recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the display control unit switches an interval between images to be displayed in accordance with the proficiency level determined by the proficiency level determination unit.   2. The inkjet recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the display control unit enlarges and displays a part of an image to be displayed in accordance with the proficiency level determined by the proficiency level determination unit. In an ink jet recording apparatus that prints by ejecting ink onto a recording medium from a plurality of ejection openings,
Maintenance detection means for detecting the necessity of various maintenance operations;
Display means for displaying a plurality of images in order to explain the maintenance operation of the inkjet recording apparatus;
Measuring means for measuring the time taken for maintenance detected by the maintenance detecting means;
Comparing means for comparing the time measured by the measuring means with a plurality of set times,
An ink jet recording apparatus comprising: a display control unit that switches a display method on the display unit according to a result of comparison by the comparison unit.   The timing for determining the start of maintenance by the measuring means is opening / closing of a maintenance opening provided in the inkjet recording apparatus or an operation input to the operation unit, and the timing for determining the end of maintenance is the inkjet recording. 6. The ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the apparatus is ready for printing. In an ink jet recording apparatus that prints by ejecting ink onto a recording medium from a plurality of ejection openings,
Maintenance detection means for detecting the necessity of various maintenance operations;
Display means for displaying a plurality of images in order to explain various maintenance operations of the inkjet recording apparatus;
Counting means for counting extra work performed by the user in the maintenance detected by the maintenance detecting means;
Comparing means for comparing the count number counted by the counting means with a plurality of set count numbers,
An ink jet recording apparatus comprising: a display control unit that switches a display method on the display unit according to a result of comparison by the comparison unit.   Even if the counting factor that the extra work has been performed by the counting means is the opening and closing of unnecessary portions of the maintenance opening provided in the ink jet recording apparatus, the multiple opening and closing of the same location, or even after closing all the openings 8. The ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the ink jet recording apparatus is not ready for printing.   8. The ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the display control unit switches an interval between images to be displayed in accordance with a result of comparison by the comparison unit.   8. The inkjet recording apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the display control unit enlarges and displays a part of an image to be displayed in accordance with a result of comparison by the comparison unit.

Images