JP2010234566A - Cartridge detecting device and cartridge detecting method - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To more correctly identify types of liquid cartridges attached in a liquid ejecting apparatus to which a plurality of liquid cartridges different in type from each other are individually attached and detached. <P>SOLUTION: A cartridge detecting device includes a light accumulation member 21 provided in the liquid cartridge 3, a luminance detector 19 which is set in an apparatus body 2 to detect a luminance of a light emitted from the light accumulation member 21 of the liquid cartridge 3 attached to an attachment part 5, a light emitting device 20 set in the apparatus body 2, and a control part 13 which identifies the type of the liquid cartridge 3 attached to the attachment part 5. The light accumulation member 21 varies in light accumulation characteristics according to the type of a corresponding liquid cartridge. The control part 13 applies the light to the light accumulation member 21 set in the liquid cartridge 3 by driving the light emitting device 20 when the liquid cartridge 3 is present at a predetermined position of the attachment part 5, thereby identifying the type of the liquid cartridge 2 on the basis of the luminance of the light, emitted from the light accumulation member 21 and detected by the luminance detector 19 after driving of the light emitting device 20. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2011,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a detection device and a detection method for a cartridge that is detachably attached to a liquid ejection device.

  In an ink jet printer which is an example of a liquid ejecting apparatus, an ink cartridge for storing ink which is a consumable is detachably mounted on a cartridge mounting portion inside the apparatus main body. Some printers capable of full-color printing can individually attach and detach a plurality of ink cartridges of different types such as colors. In this case, the apparatus main body is configured to supply each ink to the inkjet head independently of each other so that different kinds of inks are not mixed, and each ink cartridge must be individually connected to a corresponding ink supply system appropriately. . For this reason, the mounting position of each ink cartridge is individually assigned to the cartridge mounting portion, and the relationship between the ink cartridge mounting position and the ink cartridge is appropriate when the ink cartridge is attached and detached. There is provided a cartridge detection device for detecting whether or not.

  Patent Document 1 includes a light emitting portion and a light receiving portion that face the main body side, and a detected portion that the cartridge has in the process of mounting the ink cartridge passes between the light emitting portion and the light receiving portion. The cartridge detected part is configured to detect the cartridge attachment / detachment state based on the light receiving state.

JP 2008-246999 A

  However, according to Patent Document 1, since the detection result of the photo interrupter during the movement of the ink cartridge is used according to the replacement operation of the ink cartridge by the operator, the moving speed of the ink cartridge at the time of attachment / detachment is high. There is a possibility that an appropriate signal corresponding to the type may not be output due to a difference. In addition, the mounted state cannot be confirmed again after the ink cartridge has been mounted.

  Therefore, the present invention can detect the attachment / detachment state regardless of any attachment / detachment work of the cartridge by the operator, and in the liquid ejection apparatus in which a plurality of liquid cartridges of different types are attached / detached individually, The purpose is to make it possible to identify the type more accurately.

  The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and a cartridge detection device according to the present invention includes a plurality of different types of liquid cartridges, and a mounting unit in which the plurality of liquid cartridges are detachably mounted. A cartridge detection device applied to a droplet discharge device including a device main body having a phosphorescent member provided in the liquid cartridge, and a liquid cartridge provided in the device main body and attached to the attachment portion A luminance detector for detecting the luminance of light emitted from the phosphorescent member, a light emitter provided in the apparatus main body, and a control unit for identifying the type of the liquid cartridge installed in the mounting unit, The phosphorescent characteristics of the phosphorescent member are different depending on the type of the corresponding liquid cartridge, and the control unit is configured so that the liquid cartridge is located at a predetermined position of the mounting unit. Sometimes the light emitter is driven to irradiate light toward the phosphorescent member provided in the liquid cartridge, and the luminance of the light emitted from the phosphorescent member detected by the luminance detector after the light emitter is driven is increased. The configuration is characterized in that the type of the liquid cartridge is identified based on this.

  The cartridge detection method according to the present invention is applied to a droplet discharge device including a plurality of liquid cartridges of different types and a device main body having a mounting portion on which the plurality of liquid cartridges are individually detachably mounted. In the cartridge detection method, when a liquid cartridge is mounted on the mounting portion, a first step in which a light emitter provided on the mounting portion emits light toward a light storing member provided on the liquid cartridge, the light storing member And a third step of identifying the type of the liquid cartridge attached based on the detected luminance.

  This makes it possible to identify the type only by changing the phosphorescent characteristics of the phosphorescent material according to the type of the ink cartridge, and it is possible to identify each type of a plurality of liquid cartridges including three or more. In addition, since the identification process can be executed after the liquid cartridge is mounted, the type of the liquid cartridge can be more accurately identified based on the luminance of the light emitted from the phosphorescent material.

  According to the present invention, in a liquid ejecting apparatus in which a plurality of liquid cartridges of different types are individually attached and detached, the type of liquid cartridge to be mounted can be more accurately identified.

1 is a perspective view of an ink jet printer exemplified as an embodiment of a liquid ejection apparatus according to the present invention. It is a block diagram of the cartridge detection apparatus with which the inkjet printer shown in FIG. 1 is equipped. It is a graph which shows the light attenuation characteristic of the phosphorescent material shown in FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing processing details of cartridge detection control executed by a control unit shown in FIG. 2. FIGS. 3A and 3B show a modified example of the cartridge detection device shown in FIG. 2, in which FIG. 2A is a schematic side cross-sectional view of an ink jet printer showing a state immediately after the start of mounting, and FIG. FIG. 2 is a schematic side sectional view of the printer, and FIG. 3C is a schematic side sectional view of the ink jet printer showing a state where the ink cartridge is in a horizontal posture.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to these drawings. FIG. 1 illustrates an ink jet printer 1 as an embodiment of a liquid ejection apparatus provided with a cartridge detection device according to the present invention. The ink jet printer 1 is configured by mounting four ink cartridges 3, 3,... As an ink supply source for an ink jet head on an apparatus main body 2 having an ink jet head (not shown) for ejecting ink. In each ink cartridge 3, inks of different colors (for example, black ink, cyan ink, magenta ink, yellow ink, etc.) are stored.

  The apparatus main body 2 includes a substantially rectangular box-shaped housing 4 incorporating an ink jet head, and is attached to the front left lower portion of the housing 4 in a detachable manner from the horizontal direction with four ink cartridges 3 standing upright. A cartridge mounting portion 5 is provided. A cartridge insertion opening 6 that allows access to the cartridge mounting portion 5 from the outside is formed in the lower left portion of the front wall of the housing 4, and a lid 7 that opens and closes the cartridge insertion opening 6 is attached. The cartridge insertion opening 6 is normally closed by the lid 7 and opened as shown in the drawing when the ink cartridge 3 is replaced. The cartridge mounting portion 5 is provided with a storage case 5a whose interior is divided into four spaces, and the cartridges 3 that store the inks of the respective colors are stored in the divided spaces. A panel 8 provided with a liquid crystal display, operation buttons, and the like is provided on the front surface of the housing 4 so that the user can confirm information from the printer side or give an input command to the printer side using the panel 8. can do.

  Each ink cartridge 3 includes a communication hole connected to an ink supply member (not shown) provided in the housing 4 when mounted in each housing case 5a. The ink flows out of the communication hole and is supplied to an ink jet head (not shown) through mutually independent paths formed by the ink supply member. For this reason, in the cartridge mounting portion 5, a mounting space for each ink cartridge 3 is individually assigned to each storage case 5a, and when each ink cartridge 3 is mounted horizontally and mounted in an appropriate position, Of ink is supplied to an inkjet head (not shown) through a corresponding path. FIG. 1 illustrates the case where the mounting spaces of the ink cartridges 3 are aligned left and right, and four ink cartridges 3, 3,... Are mounted side by side in a standing state. The present invention is not limited to this, and can be changed as appropriate.

  Referring to FIG. 2, the apparatus main body 2 of the inkjet printer 1 is provided with a control unit 10 that can be connected to the panel 8 and can be connected to the external information device 9. The control unit 10 includes a cartridge detection unit 11 and a remaining amount detection unit 12 as functional blocks.

The control unit 10 is a control unit for controlling all operations of the inkjet printer 1, and includes an ASIC (Application Specific) in addition to a ROM and a RAM (not shown).
Integrated circuit). The ROM stores control programs and drive waveform signals for discharging various inks of the ink jet printer, and the RAM is used as a recording area for temporarily recording various data used when executing the programs or for operating the programs. Used as a work area, the ASIC is connected to various motor drivers for driving the inkjet head and transporting the recording paper, a drive circuit and various power sources, and the ASIC selectively discharges ink. Can be done.

  The cartridge detection unit 11 executes “cartridge detection control” that determines whether the correspondence between the ink cartridge 3 and the installation space is correct or not when the ink cartridge 3 is installed in each housing case 5 a of the cartridge installation unit 5. To do. When it is determined by the control that the correspondence is appropriate, the “remaining amount detection control” for determining whether or not the remaining amount of ink in the ink cartridge 3 is less than a predetermined value by the remaining amount detection unit 12 is performed. Executed.

  In order to execute the “remaining amount detection control”, the control unit 10 includes four remaining amount sensors 13 provided corresponding to the four storage cases 5a of the cartridge mounting unit 5 (only one is shown in FIG. 2). Is connected. An opening is formed in the back wall of each housing case 5a so that each sensor 13, a luminance sensor 19 and a light emitter 20, which will be described later, can be exposed in the mounting space of the ink cartridge 3. It faces the rear of the case. In this embodiment, each remaining amount sensor 13 is a transmissive photo interrupter, and a light emitting element 15 and a light receiving element 16 are provided on a U-shaped main body 14 so as to face each other in the vertical direction. In the present embodiment, the light emitting element 15 is disposed on the lower side, and the light receiving element 16 is disposed on the upper side. On the other hand, a remaining amount detecting portion 17 that can be fitted to the U-shaped main body portion 14 protrudes from the rear lower portion of the case of the ink cartridge 3, and ink can be stored in the remaining amount detecting portion 17. It is like that. The remaining amount detection unit 17 is made of a resin such as nylon, polyethylene, or polypropylene, and has translucency. When the light emitting element 15 emits light in a state where the remaining amount detection unit 17 is fitted to the main body unit 14, the light receiving element 16 disposed to face the light receiving element 16 receives light through the ink in the remaining amount detection unit 17. The amount of light received by the light receiving element 16 varies depending on the amount of ink in the remaining amount detection unit 17, and the light receiving element 16 outputs a voltage signal corresponding to the amount of received light. The remaining amount detection unit 12 detects the remaining amount of ink in the ink cartridge 3 based on the correlation between the signal output from the light receiving element 16 stored in advance and the remaining amount of ink. When the remaining amount detection unit 12 determines that the amount of ink remaining in the ink cartridge 3 is less than the predetermined amount, the remaining amount detection unit 12 displays information indicating the fact on the liquid crystal display of the panel 8 or the external information device 9, and the user displays the ink cartridge 3 The exchange work is prompted.

  In order to execute “cartridge detection control”, the housing 4 of the ink jet printer 1 is provided with a mounting sensor 18, a luminance sensor 19, and a light emitter 20 provided corresponding to each housing case 5 a. (Only one is shown in FIG. 2).

  Each ink cartridge 3 is provided with a phosphorescent material 21. The phosphorescent material 21 is attached to the upper side of the case rear surface of each standing ink cartridge 3. That is, the cartridge detection device 22 according to the present embodiment includes the control unit 10, the mounting sensor 18, the luminance sensor 19, the light emitter 20, and the phosphorescent material 21.

  The mounting sensor 18 detects whether or not the ink cartridge 3 is mounted in each mounting space in the housing case 5 a of the cartridge mounting unit 5. For example, the mounting sensor 18 is mounted on the main body 14 of each remaining amount sensor 13. It consists of 4 limit switches. The mounting sensor 18 is connected to the control unit 10 and outputs either an ON signal indicating that the ink cartridge 3 is mounted or an OFF signal indicating that the ink cartridge 3 is not mounted to the control unit 10. To do.

  The luminance sensor 19 detects the luminance of light emitted from the phosphorescent material 21 provided in each ink cartridge 3. The luminance sensor 19 is fixed in the housing 4, and when the ink cartridge 3 is installed in the installation space in the housing case 5 a as shown in the figure, the luminance sensor 19 is provided in the ink cartridge 3. 21 is in close proximity to the front and rear.

  The light emitter 20 is fixed in the housing 4 and is provided side by side with the luminance sensor 19 in this embodiment. Therefore, when the ink cartridge 3 is mounted in the mounting space as shown in the drawing, the light emitter 20 is close to and opposed to the phosphorescent material 21 provided in the ink cartridge 3 in the front-rear direction.

  The mounting space in the housing case 5a is divided for each ink cartridge by the partition wall, and the luminance sensor 19 and the light emitter 20 are arranged in the mounting space partitioned by the partition wall. For this reason, each luminance sensor 19 does not detect the phosphorescence of the phosphorescent material 21 of the ink cartridge 3 mounted in another mounting space, and the light emitted from each light emitter 20 is transmitted to the other mounting space. Does not reach the phosphorescent material of the ink cartridge 3 attached to the ink cartridge 3.

  The phosphorescent material 21 is made of strontium aluminate, zinc oxide, zinc sulfide, or the like with a rare earth (eg, calcium, barium, europium, dysprosium, etc.) appropriately added to the base material, and under various manufacturing conditions in consideration of luminance and afterglow time. To be manufactured.

  As shown in an example of the embodiment in FIG. 3, the four phosphorescent materials 21 provided in each ink cartridge 3 are based on the difference in the composition of each other based on the consideration of the luminance and the afterglow time. The characteristics are different. Lines A to D in FIG. 3 indicate temporal changes in luminance of light emitted by the respective phosphorescent materials 21. At time T0 on the horizontal axis, each phosphorescent material 21 that has accumulated light until the brightness is saturated is placed in a dark room (in the case 5a in the present embodiment), and this state is maintained during the period from time T0 to time T1. In the period from time T1 to T2, light of a predetermined intensity is radiated to each phosphorescent material 21, and after the time T2, the state of being again put in the dark room is maintained. In addition, the time from T0 to T1 and the time from T1 to T2 can be appropriately changed according to the composition and manufacturing conditions.

  Referring to the luminance represented by the lines A to D at time T0 and time T2, the four phosphorescent materials 21 have different saturation luminance. Here, “saturated luminance” refers to the maximum luminance of light that the phosphorescent material 21 can emit. Moreover, when the transition of the brightness | luminance which each line AD shows in the period from the time T0 to T1 is referred, the four light storage materials 21 differ in each other's light attenuation pattern. Here, the “light attenuation pattern” refers to the transition of luminance with the time when the phosphorescent material 21 is put in the dark room as a parameter, that is, the expressions of the lines A to D from the time T0 to the time T1. For example, each of the lines A to D is nonlinear, but the luminance of the line A is gradually attenuated with respect to the passage of time with respect to the line D, and the phosphorescent material corresponding to the line A is the line D. It can be seen that the phosphorescent capacity is high with respect to the corresponding phosphorescent material.

  The details of the cartridge detection control process executed by the cartridge detection unit 11 of the control unit 10 and the accompanying replacement operation of the ink cartridge 3 will be described below with reference to FIG.

  The cartridge detection control shown in FIG. 4 starts when a certain mounting sensor 18 changes from a state in which an OFF signal is output to a state in which an ON signal is output. That is, in the replacement operation of the ink cartridge 3, after the ink cartridge 3 is removed from a certain mounting space of the cartridge mounting portion 5, and when a certain ink cartridge 3 is mounted in the mounting space, the cartridge detection control is started. . In the cartridge detection control, first, the luminance of the light detected by the luminance sensor 19 when the mounting sensor 18 becomes the ON signal is measured (step S1).

  Here, when the ink cartridge 3 is mounted on the cartridge mounting portion 5, the surface on which the phosphorescent material 21 is provided is directed rearward, and the ink cartridge 3 is inserted into the housing 4 from the cartridge insertion port 6. The ink cartridge 3 is pushed backward, and the fitting portion 18 is fitted to the main body portion 14 of the remaining amount sensor 13. Before the ink cartridge 3 is inserted, the phosphorescent material 21 is phosphorescent according to the installation environment of the inkjet printer 1. Since the inside of the housing 4 is in a dark room shape with respect to the cartridge insertion opening 6, the luminance of the light emitted by the light storage material 21 is attenuated after the light storage material 21 passes through the cartridge insertion opening 6. It should be noted that the time from when the phosphorescent material 21 passes through the cartridge insertion opening 6 until the mounting sensor 18 is in a state of outputting an ON signal varies depending on the user's skill. For this reason, the brightness measured in step S <b> 1 is measured with different values even for the same phosphorescent material 21 due to individual differences in the installation environment of the inkjet printer 1 and individual differences in the mounting speed of the ink cartridge 3. Will be.

  Therefore, the cartridge detection unit 11 determines whether or not the luminance measured in step S1 is equal to or higher than a predetermined threshold value α (see FIG. 3) (step S2). When the measured luminance is equal to or greater than the threshold value α, the process waits for a predetermined time t1 (see FIG. 3) to elapse (step S11), and measures the luminance of the light detected by the luminance sensor 19 again after the predetermined time t1 has elapsed. (Step S12). Then, a difference between the luminance measured in step S1 and the luminance measured in step S12 is taken, and a value K is calculated by dividing this difference by a predetermined time t1 (step S13). That is, this value K represents the decay rate of the luminance of light emitted by the phosphorescent material during the elapse of the predetermined time t1.

  Then, it is determined which of the four light attenuation patterns shown in FIG. 3 matches this value K, and which of the four installed ink cartridges 3 is identified (step S3). ). More specifically, as shown in FIG. 3, since the attenuation pattern of each phosphorescent material 21 is non-linear, the decay rate of the brightness of the light emitted by each phosphorescent material 21 does not have a single value, but is predetermined. If the luminance β (see FIG. 3) is exceeded, the attenuation rate values that each phosphorescent material can take are not equal to each other. Therefore, the control unit 10 stores in advance the threshold value α used in the determination process in step S2 as a value larger than the luminance β, and stores in advance the range of attenuation speed values that each phosphorescent material 21 can take. The stored four attenuation speed ranges are set so as not to overlap each other. In step S3, the cartridge detection unit 11 determines to which of the four attenuation speed ranges stored in advance the value K calculated in step S13 belongs.

  Next, it is determined whether or not the correspondence relationship between the ink cartridge 3 corresponding to the determined attenuation speed range and the mounting space corresponding to the mounting sensor 18 that has changed to a state in which an ON signal is output is appropriate (step). S4). That is, in the control unit 10, each attenuation speed range stored in advance is associated with the wearing sensor 18, and it is determined in step S4 whether or not the determined attenuation speed range matches this association. .

  If it is determined that the correspondence relationship is appropriate, the cartridge detection control is terminated and the remaining amount detection control is started. If it is determined that the correspondence relationship is not appropriate, information representing that fact is displayed on the liquid crystal display of the panel 8 and / or the display of the external information device 9 (step S31), and the user installs the appropriate ink cartridge 3 again. To warn you. Then, it is determined whether or not the mounting sensor 18 has changed to a state for outputting an OFF signal (step S32). If the state remains to output an ON signal, the warning display in step S31 is continued. When the mounted ink cartridge 3 is removed from the cartridge mounting section 5 and the mounting sensor 18 outputs an OFF signal, the warning display is stopped, and whether or not the mounting sensor 18 has changed to a state of outputting an ON signal. Is determined (step S33), and this determination process is repeated until an ON signal is output. When the ink cartridge 3 is mounted again and the mounting sensor 18 outputs an ON signal, the process returns to step S1.

  If it is determined in step S2 that the measured value in step S1 is less than the threshold value α, the cartridge detector 11 drives the light emitter 20 (step S21). Thereby, the light from the light emitter 20 is emitted to the phosphorescent material 21, and the phosphorescent material 21 accumulates the light. It waits for a predetermined time t2 (see FIG. 3) to elapse from the start of driving of the light emitter 20 (step S22). This predetermined time t2 ensures a sufficient time for the phosphorescent material 21 to accumulate light to saturation luminance. And the brightness | luminance of the light which the brightness | luminance sensor 19 detects again after progress of this predetermined time t2 is measured (step S23). That is, in step S23, the saturation luminance of the phosphorescent material 21 is measured.

  Then, it is determined which of the four saturated luminances shown in FIG. 3 corresponds to the measured value, and which of the four ink cartridges 3 is installed is identified (step S3). Next, it is determined whether or not the correspondence relationship between the ink cartridge 3 identified based on the measured value and the mounting space corresponding to the mounting sensor 18 that has changed to a state in which an ON signal is output is appropriate (step S4). ). Since the processing content performed after the determination processing in step S4 is as described above, a duplicate description is omitted.

  As described above, in the cartridge detection control, the saturation luminance of the phosphorescent material 21 provided in each ink cartridge 3 is made different from each other, and after the ink cartridge 3 is mounted, the phosphorescent material 21 is irradiated with light and then the phosphorescent material. The luminance of 21 is measured. Therefore, the type of the ink cartridge 3 can be accurately identified based on the measured brightness without being affected by the installation environment of the printer, the mounting speed of the ink cartridge, and the like.

  Further, the light attenuation patterns of the phosphorescent materials 21 provided in the respective ink cartridges 3 are different from each other, and the measured value of the luminance of the light emitted from the phosphorescent material 21 at the time when the ink cartridge 3 is mounted is equal to or greater than a threshold value. For example, the decay rate of the luminance of the light of the phosphorescent material 21 is calculated. When the decay rate of each phosphorescent material 21 is equal to or higher than a predetermined luminance, the decay rate from the brightness is different from each other. Therefore, the ink cartridge 3 is set based on the calculated decay rate by appropriately setting the threshold value. Can be identified accurately. Further, the ink cartridge 3 can be identified without driving the light emitter 20, and the power consumption of the ink jet printer 1 can be reduced. Furthermore, since the decay rate can be calculated if there is a slight time difference, the time t1 (see FIG. 3) to be secured for this calculation is the time t2 (to be secured for light irradiation to the phosphorescent material 20 ( (See FIG. 3). For this reason, by making it possible to identify the ink cartridge 3 based on the decay rate, it is possible to shorten the time required for identifying the ink cartridge 3.

  However, in the cartridge detection control, the processes of steps S1, S2, S11 to S13 can be omitted. When the mounting sensor 18 is in a state of outputting an ON signal, the process first proceeds to step S21, and may proceed to steps S3 and S4 via steps S22 and S23.

  Further, in the cartridge detection device 22, the light emitter 20 that irradiates the phosphorescent material 21 with light is dedicated, but even if the light emitting element 15 of the remaining amount sensor 13 is diverted as such a light emitter. Good. Hereinafter, a modified example of the cartridge detection device will be described with reference to FIG. 5, but the same components as those in the above configuration will be denoted by the same reference numerals and redundant description will be omitted.

  In the modification, the remaining amount sensor 13 is disposed above the cartridge mounting portion 8. For this reason, as shown in FIG. 5A, when the ink cartridge 3 is slid on the cartridge mounting portion 8, the rear end of the fitting portion 17 comes into contact with the front end of the main body portion 14 of the remaining amount sensor 13. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 5 (b), the rear portion of the ink cartridge 3 is inclined so as to be lifted upward so that the fitting portion 17 is received in the U-shaped main body portion 14, and FIG. As shown in the figure, the ink cartridge 3 is returned to the horizontal posture by lowering the rear portion of the ink cartridge 3 so that the fitting portion 17 is fitted in the main body portion 14 and the mounting sensor 18 outputs an ON signal. It becomes.

  The U-shaped main body 14 of the remaining amount sensor 13 is fixed in the housing 4 such that a pair of flanges are arranged apart from each other in the vertical direction, and a light emitting element 15 is provided on the flange disposed below, The light receiving element 16 is provided on the flange disposed above. A through hole 126 is formed in the flange disposed above the light receiving element 16 close to the installation location.

  Referring to FIG. 5B, in the state where the fitting portion 17 of the ink cartridge 3 is partially received by the main body portion 14 and is inclined so that the rear portion of the ink cartridge 3 is lifted upward, the light emitting element. The light emitted by the light 15 passes through the through-hole 126 and reaches the upper part and the outer part of the main body 14 so that the light storage material 21 of the ink cartridge 3 can be irradiated.

  For this reason, a work start sensor 127 for detecting the start of the mounting operation of the ink cartridge 3 is provided, and the light emitting element 15 is driven when the start of the mounting operation of the ink cartridge 3 is detected by the work start sensor 127. May be. Thereby, the light emitted from the light emitting element 15 is irradiated to the phosphorescent material 21 from the state shown in FIG. 5A to the state shown in FIG. 5C through the state shown in FIG. 5B. The luminance of the light emitted from the phosphorescent material 21 can be increased when the mounting sensor 18 is in a state of outputting an ON signal. Such a work start sensor 127 can be realized by a limit switch or the like provided at the front end portion of the cartridge mounting portion, for example.

  In this modified example, when it is determined in step S2 (see FIG. 4) that the luminance value measured in step S1 (see FIG. 4) is less than the threshold value, the light emitting element of the remaining amount sensor 13 It is necessary to irradiate the phosphorescent material 21 with light from 15. For this reason, the ink cartridge 3 is changed to the casing 4 from the horizontal posture shown in FIG. 5C to the inclined posture shown in FIG. 5B, and then the horizontal posture shown in FIG. 5C. It is preferable to provide a cartridge drive mechanism 128 that returns to the state of taking The cartridge driving mechanism 128 is realized by, for example, a plunger that can be attracted to the rear surface of the ink cartridge 3 and can move back and forth in the main body 14 in the front-rear direction.

  Further, in the inclined posture shown in FIG. 5B, the light emitted from the light emitting element is allowed to pass through the through-hole and irradiate the phosphorescent material, and in the horizontal posture shown in FIG. A light shielding member 129 that blocks light emitted from the light and restricts the light from reaching the through hole 126 may be provided in the fitting portion 17. Although FIG. 5 illustrates the case where it is provided on the upper surface of the fitting portion 17, the light-shielding member may be provided at any position of the fitting portion 17 as long as the above action is achieved.

  Although the embodiment according to the present invention has been described so far, the above configuration is only an example and can be appropriately changed within the scope of the present invention. For example, the remaining amount sensor 13 may be a reflective photo interrupter. At this time, a reflection plate that reflects the light emitted from the light emitting element may be provided on the outer surface of the remaining amount detection unit 17 of the ink cartridge 3.

  In this embodiment, the ink jet printer is exemplified as the liquid ejecting apparatus. However, a liquid other than ink, for example, a colored liquid is ejected to produce a color filter of a liquid crystal display device, and a conductive liquid is ejected to form an electrical wiring. You may apply to the droplet discharge apparatus used for the apparatus to perform.

  The present invention has the effect of being able to more accurately identify the type of liquid cartridge to be mounted in a liquid ejection apparatus in which a plurality of liquid cartridges of different types are individually attached and detached. It is beneficial to apply to an ink jet printer that is individually attached and detached.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Inkjet printer 2 Apparatus main body 3 Ink cartridge 4 Case 5 Cartridge mounting part 5a Storage case 6 Cartridge insertion port 7 Cover 8 Panel 10 Control part 11 Cartridge detection part 13 Remaining sensor 15 Light emitting element 18 Mounting sensor 19 Luminance sensor 20 Light emitter 21 Phosphorescent material 22, 122 Cartridge detection device

Claims (10)

A cartridge detection device applied to a droplet discharge device including a plurality of liquid cartridges of different types and a device main body having a mounting portion on which the plurality of liquid cartridges are detachably mounted.
A phosphorescent member provided in the liquid cartridge;
A luminance detector that is provided in the apparatus main body and detects the luminance of light emitted from the phosphorescent member of the liquid cartridge mounted on the mounting portion;
A light emitter provided in the apparatus body;
A control unit for identifying the type of the liquid cartridge mounted on the mounting unit,
The phosphorescent characteristics of the phosphorescent member are different depending on the type of the corresponding liquid cartridge,
The control unit drives the light emitter when the liquid cartridge is in a predetermined position of the mounting unit to irradiate light toward a light storage member provided in the liquid cartridge, and the brightness is increased after the light emitter is driven. A cartridge detection device characterized by identifying the type of the liquid cartridge based on the luminance of light emitted from the phosphorescent member detected by a detector.   The apparatus main body includes a remaining amount detecting unit having a light emitting element and a light receiving element for detecting the remaining amount of liquid in the liquid cartridge, and the light emitting element of the remaining amount detecting unit constitutes the light emitter. The cartridge detection device according to claim 1. The liquid cartridge includes a light-transmitting liquid remaining amount detection unit,
When mounting a liquid cartridge on the mounting portion,
In the process in which the liquid remaining amount detecting unit is fitted in the remaining amount detecting unit, light emitted from the light emitting element is allowed to reach the phosphorescent member,
When the liquid remaining amount detecting unit is fitted in the remaining amount detecting unit, light emitted from the light emitting element is allowed to reach the light receiving element via the liquid remaining amount detecting unit. The cartridge detection device according to claim 2.   When the liquid cartridge is mounted on the mounting unit, the control unit compares the luminance of light emitted from the phosphorescent member of the liquid cartridge detected by the luminance detector before driving the light emitter with a predetermined threshold value. 4. The cartridge detection device according to claim 1, wherein the light emitter is driven when the luminance falls below the predetermined threshold. 5. The phosphorescent member has different brightness saturation depending on the type of the corresponding liquid cartridge,
The controller drives the light emitter to emit light toward the light storage member provided in the liquid cartridge until the light storage member reaches each luminance saturation, and after the light emitter is driven, the brightness 5. The cartridge detection device according to claim 1, wherein the type of the liquid cartridge is identified based on the luminance emitted from the phosphorescent member detected by the detector. According to the type of the corresponding liquid cartridge, the phosphorescent member has a different luminance attenuation pattern over time,
The controller detects the first luminance detected by the luminance detector at a first time after the light emitter is driven, and is detected by the luminance detector at a second time after a lapse of a predetermined time from the first time. 5. The cartridge detection device according to claim 1, wherein the type of the liquid cartridge is identified based on a difference from the second luminance. 6. A cartridge detection method applied to a droplet discharge device comprising a plurality of different types of liquid cartridges and an apparatus main body having a mounting portion on which the plurality of liquid cartridges are detachably mounted.
A first step in which when a liquid cartridge is attached to the attachment portion, a light emitter provided in the attachment portion emits light toward a phosphorescent member provided in the liquid cartridge;
A cartridge detection method comprising: a second step of detecting a luminance of light emitted from the phosphorescent member; and a third step of identifying a type of a liquid cartridge mounted based on the detected luminance. Before the first step, further comprising a comparison step of detecting the luminance of light emitted from the phosphorescent member in advance and comparing the detected luminance with a predetermined threshold value.
8. The cartridge detection method according to claim 7, wherein the first to third steps are executed when the detected luminance in the comparison step is lower than the predetermined threshold value. The phosphorescent member has different brightness saturation depending on the type of the corresponding liquid cartridge,
The cartridge detection method according to claim 7 or 8, wherein in the first step, the light emitter emits light until the luminance of the phosphorescent member reaches saturation. According to the type of the corresponding liquid cartridge, the phosphorescent member has a different luminance attenuation pattern over time,
In the second step, a first luminance of light emitted from the phosphorescent member at a first time point is detected, and a second luminance of light emitted from the phosphorescent member at a second time point after a predetermined time has elapsed from the first time point. Detect
The cartridge identification method according to claim 7 or 8, wherein in the third step, the type of the liquid cartridge is identified based on a difference between the first luminance and the second luminance.

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