JP2010188574A - Image forming apparatus, ink cartridge mounting confirmation method, and program - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To eliminate failures due to the fact that a cartridge different from the type of ink scheduled according to a loading position is mounted, in an image forming apparatus using the ink cartridge which can be mounted and dismounted on and from a plurality of loading positions. <P>SOLUTION: A signal is transmitted from an ASIC 30 for control on an image forming apparatus body side to the terminals (A0, A1 and A2) of EEPROMs(R) 18 to 21 mounted on the ink cartridge mounted on each loading position and the slave address of I2C communication is set by data where the loading position and an ink color used in the loading position are associated with each other, to access the EEPROM by using the set slave address, read the ink color stored as control information and confirm the coincidence of the read ink color and the ink color predicted to be used. Presence/no presence of the ink cartridge to be mounted of the ink color to be used and located in each loading position is surely checked by the cartridge checking function. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus such as a printer or a multifunction machine, and more particularly, to an image forming apparatus including means for preventing defective image output due to erroneous mounting of an ink cartridge that is replaceably mounted at a plurality of loading positions. The present invention relates to an apparatus, an ink cartridge mounting confirmation method, and a program for causing a computer to perform the method.

Printers and multi-function machines that use inkjet heads as recording means are small and relatively inexpensive, and many are widely used for individuals. Ink jets are usually provided in the form of an ink cartridge, and when the ink is consumed and the ink stored in the cartridge runs out, the cartridge is usually replaced by the user.
Such an exchangeable cartridge is mounted with an EEPROM (Electrically Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory), which stores various information for managing the cartridge, and a main control unit such as a printer and a serial bus (I2C: Inter Integrated). Circuit) to access data necessary for control.

Communication with the EEPROM is also used to confirm whether the cartridge is attached to a printer or the like. This is a method of confirming whether or not a cartridge is mounted at the loading location based on whether or not communication with an EEPROM mounted on the cartridge has been established. After confirming the mounting, the printing operation is started.
However, in the confirmation method of reading the EEPROM by I2C, if a slave address is set in the EEPROM, the communication is established and the operation procedure is advanced. However, there is a problem that the printing operation is started.

  The following patent document 1 can be cited as a conventional technique proposed for solving this problem. In Patent Document 1, a slave address is defined for each type of cartridge, and at the time of serial communication, transmission is performed with a slave address that defines the type of cartridge to be mounted, and an ACK signal is returned from the cartridge. It is a method of confirming by whether or not it comes. That is, if an ACK signal can be confirmed in the reply from the cartridge, it is considered that an appropriate cartridge is mounted.

However, in the illustrated prior art, the slave address is defined for each type of cartridge. Therefore, when using many types of cartridges, it is necessary to increase the data amount of the slave address and the mounting location of the cartridge, and the structure It becomes complicated and leads to cost increase. Further, when the upper limit of the number of usable cartridges is actually reached, it is difficult to avoid that the intended image quality cannot be obtained if many types are used in a limited mounting place.
Also, if different types of ink cartridges are used at the same loading location, including incorrect installation, the ink cartridge and the ink supply path on the printer body side will be connected, so different ink will not remain in the ink supply path of the device. There is also a problem that color mixing occurs and image quality is lowered.
An object of the present invention is to provide an image forming apparatus that uses an ink cartridge that is replaceably mounted at a plurality of loading positions. The solution is to solve technical problems.

The present invention relates to an ink cartridge that is replaceably mounted at a plurality of loading positions, and a memory that is held in the ink cartridge and that can be erased and written in at least an ink type as management information of the ink cartridge. An image forming apparatus comprising: communication means for accessing the memory of the mounted ink cartridge; and image forming means for forming an image using ink supplied from the ink cartridge, Address generating means for generating address data determined based on a predetermined correspondence relationship between the ink type and the ink type, and the address data generated by the address generating means as address data in the memory of the ink cartridge mounted at the corresponding loading position Address setting means to set and when image formation is instructed An access unit that designates an address set by the address setting unit and accesses the memory by the communication unit, an ink type of the ink cartridge obtained by access of the access unit, and an ink type corresponding to a loading position The presence / absence of a predetermined ink cartridge cannot be determined by the presence / absence determination unit of the cartridge and the presence / absence determination unit of the cartridge. It is characterized by comprising stop control means for performing control to stop execution.
The present invention relates to an ink cartridge that is replaceably mounted at a plurality of loading positions, and a memory that is held in the ink cartridge and that can be erased and written in at least an ink type as management information of the ink cartridge. And an ink cartridge mounting confirmation method for confirming proper mounting of an ink cartridge in an image forming apparatus having a communication means for accessing the memory of the mounted ink cartridge, and a predetermined correspondence between a loading position and an ink type An address generation step for generating address data determined based on the relationship, an address setting step for setting the data generated in the address generation step in the memory of the ink cartridge mounted at the corresponding loading position, and an instruction for image formation The address set in the address setting process when The memory access step of accessing the memory by means of the communication means and designating whether or not the ink type of the ink cartridge obtained as an access result in the memory access step matches the ink type corresponding to the loading position And a cartridge presence / absence determination step for determining the presence / absence of a predetermined ink cartridge.

  According to the present invention, even if the number of types of ink cartridges that can be mounted increases, an ink cartridge that can be used at a loading position without increasing the number of loading locations of the cartridge or complicating a circuit for detecting the cartridge. By determining the presence / absence and performing a normal print operation by the control operation according to the determination, it is possible to prevent deterioration of image quality due to incorrect mounting etc. without adopting a complicated structure and circuit configuration that leads to cost increase Can do.

FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a functional block configuration of a processing system for managing cartridges in the inkjet image forming apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention. It is a figure which shows an example of the structure which connects between devices by I2C communication. It is a schematic diagram which shows the data structure according to the standard of I2C communication. It is a figure which shows an example of the PCB circuit which uses EEPROM mounted in the ink cartridge with which an inkjet image forming apparatus (FIG. 1) is mounted as a circuit element. It is a figure which shows the signal line connection state of EEPROM of the ink cartridge with which the inkjet image forming apparatus (FIG. 1) was mounted | worn. FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating a control flow until a print output is started after determining whether there is an ink cartridge suitable for an image formation instruction. FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a switch provided on the image forming apparatus main body side for confirming a mechanical installation state of the ink cartridge. FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a conventional example of a PCB circuit having an EEPROM mounted on an ink cartridge mounted on an image forming apparatus as a circuit element.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.
The following embodiment of the image forming apparatus according to the present invention shows an application example to an image forming apparatus using an inkjet head for image recording.
This image forming apparatus drives an ink jet head (hereinafter also simply referred to as “head”) with image data, and forms an image on a recording medium (paper) with ink ejected from the head. The ink ejected from the head is supplied from a tank of an ink cartridge (hereinafter also simply referred to as “cartridge”), and the ink is consumed when the ink is consumed and is exchanged, or when the ink is replaced with another type of ink. Removed and replaced. In general, color printing uses three colors of C, M, Y (C: cyan, M: magenta, Y: yellow) or four-color inks with Bk (black) added thereto. A loading place for mounting this number of cartridges is prepared. Hereinafter, an example in which the above four-color component ink is used will be described.

When the cartridges of the respective colors used in the image forming apparatus capable of color printing are mounted in the loading place, the cartridges that supply ink to the heads equipped for four colors have predetermined loading positions. Therefore, in order to obtain a normal output image, it is not permitted to mount the cartridges of the respective colors by mistaken loading positions determined corresponding to the colors.
Furthermore, the relationship between the heads for four colors and the types of inks requires that the heads be operated under optimal conditions in accordance with the ink characteristics. First, it is desirable to determine suitability for the type of ink.
Therefore, in this embodiment, when the cartridge is mounted, the type of ink is not limited to four colors C, M, Y, and Bk corresponding to the number of loading positions determined in advance with respect to the head, but at a finer level. By checking, it is determined whether or not there is a cartridge that can perform a normal print operation and does not cause a decrease in image quality (hereinafter referred to as “cartridge check function”).
Hereinafter, an image forming apparatus having a cartridge check function will be described in detail based on examples.

First, the basic configuration of an inkjet image forming apparatus having a processing system for managing ink cartridges will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 1 shows a basic configuration of the processing system mainly for processing for managing ink cartridges, particularly processing related to the cartridge check function. Therefore, an image forming system that drives the recording head and forms an image on a recording medium (paper) with ink ejected from the head can be implemented by adopting the configuration of an existing inkjet printer, and is therefore omitted. ing.
As shown in FIG. 1, four ink cartridges 14, 15, 16, and 17 of Bk, C, M, and Y that can be attached to and detached from the main body of the inkjet image forming apparatus 5 are mounted at four loading positions, respectively.

The main controller 6 on the main body side controls the entire inkjet image forming apparatus 5 and includes an engine control unit 7, an operation / display unit 9, a NIC (Network Interface Controller) 10, and the like as elements for realizing a printer function. Under control, for example, control of print output data processing performed based on an image input from an external PC (Personal computer) 70 as a host through the NIC 10, output conditions instructed by the operation / display unit 9, etc. In response, the operation of the output device (equipment such as a recording head or a paper feeding device) is controlled.
In addition, if the inkjet image forming apparatus 5 is a multi-function machine equipped with functions such as copying, facsimile (FAX), and scanner in addition to the printer function, the main control device 6 performs processing instructed by the operation / display unit 9. It functions as a control means for controlling image processing necessary for each function according to conditions and the like, and controlling a scanner as a peripheral device, an ADF (automatic document feeder), a FAX transceiver, etc. (all not shown).

By the way, although not shown, the main control device 6 that controls the entire inkjet image forming apparatus 5 has, as a hardware configuration, a CPU (Central Processing Unit) that operates software (program) and a ROM (Read Only Memory) that stores the program. ), And a RAM (Random Access Memory) used as a work memory when the program is operated.
In the ROM constituting the main control device 6, a program for executing an operation such as a cartridge check function shown in a control flow chart of FIG. The CPU of the device 6 constitutes means for realizing this function. The medium for recording the program is not limited to the ROM, and various storage media including disk types such as HDD (hard disk), CD-ROM, and MO (Magnet Optical Disk) can be used.

EEPROMs (Electrically Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory) 18, 19, 20, and 21 are mounted on the ink cartridges 14, 15, 16, and 17 of the respective colors to store various information for managing the cartridges. The information stored in each EEPROM can be accessed from the main controller 6 at the time of mounting.
As a means for this purpose, in this embodiment, I2C (Inter Integrated Circuit) communication that performs serial communication is used. Specifically, the main control device 6 is mounted with an IC constituting the I2C control device 11 that becomes a master when performing I2C communication.
As shown in FIG. 1, the master I2C control device 11 includes an EEPROM 12 in the main control device 6, EEPROMs 18, 19, 20, and 21 in each color cartridge, and an ink cartridge detection device provided in the engine control unit 7. Serial communication is performed by using the EEPROM 13 in FIG.

Here, a basic connection configuration and communication operation when devices are connected by I2C communication will be described.
FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a basic configuration when devices are connected by I2C communication.
I2C communication uses a serial interface that transmits information between a master device and a slave device using two signal lines SCL (Serial Clock) and SDA (Serial Data). As shown in FIG. 2, the master 1 is a device having a control function of I2C communication, and a plurality of slaves A to C 2 to 4 are connected to the two signal lines SCL and SDA connected to the master 1, Information (data) can be exchanged with these slaves. In this embodiment, the EEPROM in each color cartridge is used as a slave, and data is written to and read from the EEPROM using I2C communication from the I2C control device 11 serving as a master.

I2C communication has the following 1. ~ 5. It has the characteristics of.
A plurality of devices can be connected in a bus configuration using only 1.2 types of signals SCL and SDA.
2. The connected devices are divided into a master and a slave, and each has a unique address. One-to-one communication can be performed by specifying an address from the master.
3. High-speed serial communication (for example, communication speed 100 kbps, 400 kbps, 3.4 Mbps, etc.) is possible.
4). Since the bus interface circuit is built in each device, it is not necessary to add a new component for connection.
5). Any number of devices can be connected on one bus as long as the capacitance of the bus is within 400 pF.
Since I2C communication has the above-described features, it is widely used in home appliances, audio equipment, digital cameras, and the like.

A communication operation in I2C will be described with reference to FIG. 3 showing a schematic diagram of a data configuration used for communication between a master and a slave in accordance with the I2C communication standard.
At the beginning of the communication procedure, data is transmitted from the master side to the slave side with a data configuration conforming to the I2C communication standard.
As shown in the format of FIG. 3A, the configuration of data to be transmitted / received corresponds to a slave address (Slave Address), data (RW) designating Read / Write indicating whether the master is transmitting or receiving, and this. The format is composed of ACK, transmission target data (8 bits), ACK corresponding thereto, and data specifying Stop / Repeat Start indicating the transmission state on the master side. At the beginning of the communication procedure, since transmission is from the master side, data (RW) designating Read / Write is designated as 0.

The slave that receives the data to be transmitted by the master according to the format shown in FIG. 3A receives the Slave Address, RW, and Data (8 bits), and after confirming the reception, returns an ACK to the master for each 1-byte transfer. Proceed with the process. However, in the case of transmission from the slave side, the master can be made to wait in order to secure the processing time, and as shown in FIG. Since this is an operation received by the master at this time, data (RW) designating Read / Write is designated as 1.
This I2C communication procedure ends with Stop Condition. Furthermore, the master side can continuously communicate with another slave address by issuing a Repeat Start Condition instead of an end Stop Condition.
In addition, as a setting method of the slave address (Slave Address) shown in the format of FIG. 3A, two methods of 7 bits and 10 bits can be used. In the embodiment, the procedure will be described by taking as an example the case of employing 7 bits.

Next, the circuit configuration of the EEPROM mounted on each color ink cartridge that receives data write and read access using I2C communication from the I2C control device 11 of the main control device 6 will be described.
In this embodiment, the EEPROM in each color cartridge is a slave of I2C communication whose basic connection configuration is shown in FIG. 2, and the I2C control device 11 as a master performs data write / read access to these EEPROMs. As an EEPROM, each has an address.

Conventionally, the address given to each EEPROM has been set by a setting circuit incorporated in a PCB (printed circuit board) on which the EEPROM is mounted.
FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a conventional example of a PCB circuit including an EEPROM mounted on an ink cartridge as an element.
As shown in the figure, signals input to the slave address setting terminals A0, A1, and A2 of the EEPROM 28 can be determined by a combination of mounting and non-mounting resistors R4 to R5 and R6 to R9. For example, if (000) is written in the color information in the EEPROM 28 indicating the ink color of the mounted cartridge, R4, R5, and R6 are not mounted, and R7, R8, and R9 are mounted in combination. The signals inputted to the address setting terminals A0, A1, A2 are made to coincide with the color information of the ink written in the EEPROM 28 as the cartridge management information.
In this way, the mounting and non-mounting of the resistance of the setting circuit incorporated in the PCB on which the EEPROM is mounted is determined by the color information indicating the ink color of the cartridge on which the EEPROM 28 is mounted. For black, (000), for cyan (001), Different slave addresses such as magenta (010) and yellow (100) are set for each color.

  However, in the case of the conventional method described above, the ink color in the cartridge matches the ink type written in the mounted EEPROM, but this cartridge corresponds to the ink color as in the image forming apparatus of FIG. Therefore, it is not possible to check for errors that occur when mounting at a predetermined loading position. For this reason, in order to prevent the wrong color cartridge from being erroneously mounted at the ink cartridge loading position, the shape of each ink cartridge is made different to prevent it. However, if the countermeasure is not effective because the shape is damaged for some reason such as the user forcibly inserting the cartridge, it is recognized that the cartridge is normally installed.

In order to solve the above-described problems, in this embodiment, first, based on the correspondence relationship between the loading position and the ink type used at the loading position for the ink cartridge mounted at each loading position from the main controller. A set slave address is set, the EEPROM of the ink cartridge connected by I2C communication is accessed by the set slave address, the ink type stored as management information is read, and the read ink type and the used ink type Check for a match.
By providing the cartridge check function as described above, it is possible to access the EEPROM by a slave address corresponding to the loading position on a one-to-one basis, and confirm that the obtained ink type matches the type of ink that should be used at the loading position. The presence or absence of an ink cartridge to be mounted at each loading position can be reliably checked.

FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of a PCB circuit including an EEPROM mounted on the ink cartridge of the present embodiment as an element.
As shown in the figure, the EEPROM 29 mounted on the PCB circuit has an SCL terminal and an SDA terminal connected to two signal lines SCL and SDA for I2C communication, a Vcc terminal to a power supply Vcc, and a GND terminal and a WP terminal. Connect to GND. This connection is not different from the conventional circuit shown in FIG. However, in the present embodiment, the slave addresses A0, A1, and A2 for setting the slave address of the EEPROM 29 are not set on the cartridge (EEPROM) side, and from the image forming apparatus main body side under the control of the main controller 6. Since it is performed (details will be described later with reference to FIG. 5), it is connected to the external terminals LP5 to LP7.
In the EEPROM 29, ink color information, date of manufacture, ink capacity, expiration date, etc. are written in advance as ink cartridge management information before being mounted on the inkjet image forming apparatus. It is also possible to write the remaining amount of ink, the date of attachment to the inkjet image forming apparatus, the date of ink end, and the like.

Next, means for setting a slave address from the image forming apparatus main body side to the EEPROM mounted on the ink cartridge shown in FIG. 4 will be described.
FIG. 5 is a diagram showing signal line connection states of the EEPROMs 18 to 21 mounted on the ink cartridges for four colors mounted on the inkjet image forming apparatus (FIG. 1).
As shown in FIG. 5, in this embodiment, the input signals of the slave address setting terminals A0, A1, and A2 of the EEPROMs 18 to 21 mounted on the ink cartridges for four colors are mounted on the inkjet image forming apparatus side. (Application Specific Integrated Circuit) 30 is set. The ASIC 30 uses an ASIC for IO control that controls sensors, motors, solenoids and the like provided in the engine control unit 7. Under the control of the main control device 6, the ASIC 30 and the EEPROM 13 constitute a cartridge detection device 8.

For example, as shown in FIG. 5, when the connector CN (2) 31 on the ink jet image forming apparatus side and the black ink cartridge 14 are connected properly, the slave corresponds one-to-one with the loading position. If the color information of the management information stored in the EEPROM 18 mounted on the black ink cartridge 14 is (000) as an address, a specific pin (see FIG. 4) of the ASIC 30 of the ink cartridge detection device 8 corresponds to this data. 5, the pins corresponding to this loading position are B3, B4, and B5) If the “0” (LOW) signal is output from each of the three pins, it matches the color information (000) in the EEPROM 18 of the ink cartridge 14. .
Thus, since the slave address is set by the signal input from the ASIC 30, the slave address (000) is sent from the main controller 6 to the EEPROM (EEPROM 18 in the example of FIG. 5) mounted on the ink cartridge at the loading position. By accessing, reading out the color information stored as the management information, and confirming the coincidence with the color information (000) of the used ink that should be in the loading position, it is possible to check the presence or absence of an appropriate cartridge.
Here, only the connector CN (2) 31 of the ink cartridge detection device 8 has been described. Similarly, the other connectors CN (3) to (5) 32 to 34 also change the color information in the ink cartridges of the respective colors from the ASIC 30. The slave address is set by the corresponding input signal.

Further, the ASIC 30 is connected to the EEPROM 13 and generates a signal output from specific three pins for setting a slave address based on data stored in the EEPROM 13 for setting the slave address. Further, since the EEPROM 13 can store and rewrite data from the main controller 6 using I2C communication, the slave address output from specific three pins can be rewritten by rewriting the slave address setting data. The setting signal can also be changed.
For example, in the above description, when a black ink cartridge is mounted on the connector CN (2) 31 and a magenta ink cartridge is mounted on the connector CN (3) 32, it is recognized that the ink cartridge is mounted at each loading position. When it is desired to change the ink cartridge loading position according to the user's preference, the user can perform an operation for instructing a setting change on the operation panel of the operation / display unit 9 provided in the image forming apparatus. The main control device 6 can set the slave address according to the instruction in the EEPROM 13 and change the slave address corresponding to the loading position.
This point is greatly different from the EEPROM 28 which does not consider changing the slave address setting of the conventional example described with reference to FIG.

As described above, when the slave address is set by the user, it is possible to select a loading position or use only a part of the loading positions. For example, when monochrome output is mainly performed, If the slave address is not set for cartridges other than the ink cartridge, the maintenance operation of the ink discharge ports at the start of the image forming apparatus is a method for discharging all colors of ink. Problems such as consumption have occurred, but these points can be improved. In other words, if a slave address setting signal is not sent to a cartridge that does not require maintenance, and a slave address setting signal is sent only to the necessary black ink cartridge, an extra load is not determined at the unused loading position. Ink consumption can also be suppressed.
FIG. 5 shows an example in which there are three slave address setting terminals of the EEPROM of the ink cartridge. However, when an EEPROM having four setting terminals is used and signals are input from the ASIC to all four, The combination patterns can be further increased, and the types of color information of the ink cartridge can be increased. Thus, by increasing the number of setting terminals, for example, an ink cartridge different from the color density of the conventional ink cartridge can be inserted, and the color can be adjusted according to the user's preference.

Next, a control operation for causing the above-described ink cartridge check function to perform normal image formation will be described based on the control flow of FIG.
The control flow of FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a control flow until printing is started through determination of the presence or absence of a suitable ink cartridge when an image formation (print output) is instructed by the user.
When the user uses the copy function of the image forming apparatus 5, the print output instruction by the user is a copy instruction input by the user on the operation panel of the operation / display unit 9 or a printer function. This is recognized by a print command issued by the user from the external PC 70 and received via the NIC 10.

In response to the print output instruction, the main control device 6 starts the control flow of FIG. 6 and first accesses the EEPROM of the ink cartridge mounted by the I2C control device 11 (step S101). This access takes the form normally performed at the start of print output in which data stored in the EEPROM is accessed as management information for the installed ink cartridge.
The EEPROM can be accessed in the data format of the I2C controller 11 serving as the master in the I2C communication data format (see FIG. 3 (a)) with the slave address corresponding to the loading position on a one-to-one basis. Send to. At that time, in the EEPROM of the cartridge mounted in the loading position, the slave address should already be set by a signal sent from the ASIC 30 of the ink cartridge detection device 8 on the main body side (see description of FIG. 5).
Therefore, when there is no response to the transmission data from the I2C control device 11 as the master of I2C communication, the cartridge EEPROM does not exist at the loading position, or the loading position is wrong even though it exists ( Depending on how the EEPROM data is managed, if the loading position can be checked, it can be checked when the position is changed.

In the control flow, it is confirmed whether or not there is a response from the EEPROM of the cartridge to the transmission data from the I2C control device 11 (step S102).
Here, if the response from the EEPROM of the cartridge can be confirmed (YES in step S102), it is possible to check for the wrong loading position and the presence of the cartridge.
However, although the slave address is associated with the type of ink used (color), it is set by a signal sent from the ASIC 30 of the ink cartridge detection device 8 on the main body side, so the type of ink stored in the ink cartridge The agreement with is not confirmed.
Therefore, it is next checked whether or not the ink type (color) described in the management information read by accessing the EEPROM of the ink cartridge is the predetermined ink type (color) used in association with the slave address ( Step S103).
If the ink color read from the EEPROM matches the predetermined used ink color associated with the slave address (YES in step S103), it is determined that the proper ink cartridge is present at the loading position, and the procedure is followed for print output. Proceed to

Next, the mechanical installation state of the ink cartridge is confirmed (step S104). Here, it is confirmed by the operation of the mechanical switch that the cartridge is correctly installed.
FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating the configuration of a switch provided on the main body side of the inkjet image forming apparatus 5 for confirming the mechanical installation state of the ink cartridge.
The switch 35 shown in FIG. 7 detects the ink cartridge in order to confirm that the mechanism (not shown) on the main body side that holds the ink cartridge operates normally and the ink cartridge is properly installed at the loading position. Means 8 are provided. The switch 35 is a normally open switch in which the height of the terminal is a movable range from the default height (before mounting) from the height H1 to the height H2, and is biased by a spring or the like toward the height H1.

When the ink cartridge is inserted into the loading position, the terminal of the switch 35 is pushed, and the switch is closed in the vicinity of the height H2. The mechanism (not shown) on the main body side that holds the cartridge is locked so that the installed ink cartridge is locked so that the cartridge is not pulled out due to the operation vibration of the main body of the device, and the correct installation state is maintained. The terminal at 35 attempts to return to the default height H1, but the cartridge does not move, so the switch 35 remains in the vicinity of the height H2 and the switch remains closed.
If the terminal of the switch 35 is kept closed in the vicinity of the height H2, it can be confirmed that the holding mechanism (not shown) of the cartridge operates normally, and the cartridge is in a correct installation state. There is no problem in the ink supply operation.

When it is confirmed in step S104 that the ink cartridge is properly installed, a path for supplying ink from the ink cartridge to the recording head is connected to prepare for printing (step S105).
In this embodiment, the ink path connecting means that can connect and separate the path for supplying ink from the ink tank in the ink cartridge to the recording head is provided, and it can be confirmed that the proper cartridge has been mounted by the above check. Only after the cartridge is properly installed is the ink supply path connected. This means that if an ink supply path is connected to a cartridge that is installed in any installation state, different ink will remain in the ink supply path if an incorrect cartridge is installed, resulting in color mixing and image quality. This is to prevent this problem.

The ink path connecting means used here, for example, connects the ink tank of the ink cartridge and the ink supply path on the image forming apparatus main body side by a thin tube such as a needle when the ink cartridge is mounted on the image forming apparatus. Is in a connected state when it takes an appropriate installation state, and when it is in an inappropriate installation state, the ink supply path is separated to prevent ink from being supplied. For this reason, connection and separation of the connection path are matched with the operation of the switch 35 (see FIG. 7) for detecting that the cartridge is correctly installed. That is, since the switch 35 is closed in a state where it is held in the correct loading position and locked by a mechanism (not shown) on the main body side that holds the cartridge, an ink path connection is made from the image forming apparatus when this installation state is taken. The needle tube of the means is stuck in the ink cartridge, and the ink supply path is connected.
Since the connection and separation operations of the ink supply path as described above are performed, if the detection switch 35 can confirm that the ink cartridge is properly installed in step S104, it can be considered that the connection of the ink supply path is completed at the same time.

When it can be confirmed that the ink cartridge is properly installed, the connection between the ink supply path of the image forming apparatus and the ink tank of the ink cartridge is completed, and the preparation for printing is completed, the main controller 6 operates normally. In order to notify the user that the printing operation can be performed, a message to that effect is displayed on the operation panel of the operation / display unit 9 (step S106).
At this time, if the ink cartridge is not properly installed, a message prompting the user to install the ink cartridge in an appropriate state is displayed on the operation panel, and the cartridge is correctly installed. This is confirmed by the detection switch 35.
After performing the process of step 106, this control flow is finished and it respond | corresponds to the execution instruction of printing.

On the other hand, if there is no response from the EEPROM of the cartridge in response to the transmission from the I2C control device 11 in step S102 (step S102-NO), or the ink type (color) read by accessing the EEPROM of the cartridge in step S103 is When it is not the predetermined ink type (color) used in association with the slave address (step S103-NO), the main control device 6 sends an appropriate ink cartridge to the user through the display unit of the operation panel of the operation / display unit 9. Is not attached (step S107).
In addition to the above notification, a message prompting the user to remount an appropriate ink cartridge, a display element for selecting whether to replace the ink cartridge, and an input operation to the display element The instructions are given.

Next, the result of selection as to whether or not to replace and install the ink cartridge shown to the user in step S107 is confirmed (step S108).
Here, when it is selected that the ink cartridge is to be remounted (YES in step S108), the process returns to step S101 to access the EEPROM of the ink cartridge again.
On the other hand, when it is not selected to remount the ink cartridge (step S108-NO), the main control device 6 performs an abnormal stop process (step S109).
The main control device 6 performs control to stop execution of the instructed print output (image formation) as an abnormal stop process, and notifies the user that the instructed print output is not to be executed. Notify through the panel display.
After performing the abnormal stop process of step 109, this control flow is finished.

As described in the above embodiment, for the ink cartridge mounted at each loading position from the main control device 6, it is determined based on the correspondence between the loading position and the ink type (color) that is scheduled to be used at that loading position. The slave address is set, the EEPROM 18 to 21 of the ink cartridge connected by I2C communication is accessed by the set slave address, the ink type stored as management information in the EEPROM 18 to 21 is read, and the read ink type (color ) And the above-mentioned ink type scheduled to be used, it is possible to reliably check whether or not there is an ink cartridge to be mounted at each loading position.
Therefore, even if the number of types of ink cartridges that can be mounted increases, the control operation according to the check result of the cartridge check function does not cause a normal operation without increasing the number of cartridge mounting locations or complicating the circuit for detecting the cartridge. By performing a simple print operation, it is possible to prevent a decrease in image quality due to erroneous mounting or the like without adopting a complicated structure or circuit configuration that leads to an increase in cost.

  5 .... Inkjet image forming device, 6 .... Main control device, 7 .... Engine control unit, 8 .... Ink cartridge detection device, 9 .... Operation / display unit, 10 .... NIC, 12 .... I2C control device, 12, 13, 18 to 21, 28, 29 ··· EEPROM, 30 · · ASIC, 31 to 34 · · Connectors (2) to (5), 35 · · switches.

JP 2001-290407 A

Claims (10)

An ink cartridge that is replaceably mounted in a plurality of loading positions;
A memory that is held in the ink cartridge and that can be erased and written in at least the ink type as management information of the ink cartridge,
Communication means for accessing the memory of the mounted ink cartridge;
An image forming apparatus comprising: an image forming unit that forms an image using ink supplied from the ink cartridge;
Address generating means for generating address data determined based on a predetermined correspondence between the loading position and the ink type;
Address setting means for setting the address data generated by the address generation means as address data in the memory of the ink cartridge mounted at the corresponding loading position;
An access unit that designates an address set by the address setting unit when image formation is instructed and accesses the memory by the communication unit;
A cartridge presence / absence determining unit that determines whether or not an ink cartridge of a predetermined ink type exists by checking whether or not the ink type of the ink cartridge obtained by accessing the access unit matches the ink type corresponding to the loading position; ,
An image forming apparatus comprising: a stop control unit that performs control to stop execution of an instructed image formation if the presence of the predetermined ink cartridge cannot be determined by the cartridge presence determination unit. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1,
An image forming apparatus using I2C (Inter Integrated Circuit) communication as the communication means. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 or 2,
The memory is an EEPROM;
The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the address setting means inputs the address data generated as address data to be set in a memory to a slave address setting terminal of the EEPROM. The image forming apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
An operation means for changing an address set in the memory;
The image forming apparatus, wherein the address setting unit changes the setting to the memory in response to an address changing operation by the operation unit and records the set address. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1,
An installation state detection means for confirming that the ink cartridge maintains the correct installation state at the loading position;
An image forming apparatus that causes image formation to be executed on condition of confirmation by the installation state detecting means. The image forming apparatus according to claim 5.
In the installation state of the ink cartridge, the ink supply path from the ink tank in the ink cartridge to the image forming unit is separated in the installation state of the ink cartridge that cannot be confirmed by the installation state detection unit, and the installation state detection unit An image forming apparatus comprising: an ink path connecting unit that can connect the ink supply path in the installed state of the ink cartridge in which it can be confirmed that the correct state is maintained. The image forming apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 6,
Informing means for informing the user of the state of the device in the image forming apparatus,
If the presence / absence of a predetermined ink cartridge cannot be determined by the cartridge presence / absence determination unit, the stop control unit causes the notification unit to notify the user when the execution of image formation is stopped. . An ink cartridge that is replaceably mounted in a plurality of loading positions, and a memory that is held in the ink cartridge and that can be erased and written in at least the ink type as management information of the ink cartridge is mounted. An ink cartridge mounting confirmation method for confirming proper mounting of an ink cartridge in an image forming apparatus having communication means for accessing the memory of the ink cartridge,
An address generation step for generating address data determined based on a predetermined correspondence between the loading position and the ink type;
An address setting step for setting the data generated in the address generation step in the memory of the ink cartridge mounted in the corresponding loading position;
A memory access step of designating an address set in the address setting step when image formation is instructed and accessing the memory by the communication means;
A cartridge presence / absence determination step of determining whether or not a predetermined ink cartridge is present by examining whether or not the ink type of the ink cartridge obtained as an access result in the memory access step matches the ink type corresponding to the loading position. An ink cartridge mounting confirmation method characterized by the above.   The program for making a computer perform each process of the ink cartridge mounting | wearing confirmation method described in Claim 8. A computer-readable recording medium on which the program according to claim 9 is recorded.

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