JP2010247485A - Printing control device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To prevent ink from being wastefully consumed by efficiently performing replacement of an ink cartridge. <P>SOLUTION: Since an ink cartridge having an ink residual amount Iz which is lower than an ink end threshold Ie, is selected to be a replacement target and an ink cartridge having an ink residual amount Iz which is lower than the sum of the ink end threshold Ie and a necessary amount Icl for cleaning, is added to the replacement target (S210 to S230), the cartridge of which the ink residual amount becomes lower than the ink end threshold Ie by cleaning can be replaced together. Since a cartridge having an ink residual amount Iz which is lower than the sum of the ink end threshold Ie, the necessary amount Icl for cleaning and an amount Ip required for printing, is added to the replacement target (S240 to S270), the cartridge of which the ink residual amount becomes lower than the ink end threshold Ie by performing cleaning and printing operations can be also replaced together so that it is possible to prevent frequent replacement of cartridges in a short period of time. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2011,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a print control apparatus, and more specifically, prints an image by ejecting a plurality of types of ink stored in a plurality of individually replaceable ink cartridges from nozzles of a print head, and the plurality of inks. The present invention relates to a printing control apparatus that controls a printing apparatus that performs cleaning of the nozzles with consumption of ink in all ink cartridges when any of the cartridges is replaced.

  Conventionally, as this type of print control apparatus, printing is performed by ejecting ink of each color stored in a plurality of ink cartridges that can be individually replaced from nozzles formed on the print head, and nozzles of the print head There is proposed a printer that controls a printer that performs cleaning for sucking ink from all nozzles by sealing the formation surface with a cap and making the internal space negative with a suction pump (for example, Patent Documents). 1). In such an apparatus, the remaining amount of ink stored in the ink cartridge is monitored, and an instruction to prompt the user to replace the ink cartridge when the remaining amount of ink falls below a predetermined threshold that is not suitable for printing. Is output.

JP 2007-7960 A

  By the way, when the ink cartridge is replaced, bubbles may be generated in the ink supply path from the ink cartridge to the nozzle or in the nozzle. It is desirable to clean the nozzles after replacing the ink cartridge in order to prevent this bubble from affecting the print quality. However, as described above, if cleaning is performed, ink is sucked from all nozzles. Ink in the ink cartridge that has not been used is wasted. For this reason, if the replacement of the ink cartridge is repeated in a short time, cleaning is frequently performed, and the amount of ink that is wasted is increased.

  The main object of the printing control apparatus of the present invention is to efficiently replace ink cartridges and prevent wasteful consumption of ink.

  The print control apparatus of the present invention employs the following means in order to achieve the main object described above.

The print control apparatus of the present invention includes:
When a plurality of types of ink stored in a plurality of individually replaceable ink cartridges are ejected from the nozzles of the print head to print an image, all of the plurality of ink cartridges are replaced when all of the ink cartridges are replaced. A printing control device that controls a printing device that performs cleaning of the nozzles with consumption of ink in an ink cartridge,
Ink remaining amount acquisition means for respectively acquiring the remaining ink amounts of the plurality of ink cartridges;
When there is an ink cartridge whose acquired ink remaining amount is lower than a predetermined threshold, an ink cartridge that is lower than the predetermined threshold is selected for replacement, and the acquired ink remaining amount does not fall below the predetermined threshold. A replacement target selection means for selecting, as a replacement target, an ink cartridge whose remaining ink level is expected to fall below the predetermined threshold when the cleaning is performed among the ink cartridges;
And a notifying means for notifying a user of an instruction for prompting replacement of the ink cartridge selected as the replacement target.

  In the printing control apparatus according to the present invention, the remaining ink levels of a plurality of ink cartridges are respectively acquired, and when there is an ink cartridge whose acquired remaining ink level is lower than a predetermined threshold value, the ink cartridge lower than the predetermined threshold value is replaced. Among the ink cartridges that are selected as the target and whose acquired ink remaining amount does not fall below the predetermined threshold, the ink cartridge that is expected to fall below the predetermined threshold when cleaning is selected is selected as the replacement target, and is selected as the replacement target An instruction is given to the user to prompt the user to replace the ink cartridge. Accordingly, the ink cartridge whose acquired ink remaining amount is lower than the predetermined threshold value and the ink cartridge whose ink remaining amount is lower than the predetermined threshold value by executing cleaning can be exchanged together. Therefore, even when nozzle cleaning is performed after replacing the ink cartridge, the ink remaining amount of each ink cartridge does not fall below a predetermined threshold, and the replacement of the ink cartridge is repeated in a short time. Can be prevented. As a result, it is possible to efficiently replace the ink cartridge and prevent the ink from being wasted.

  In such a print control apparatus of the present invention, the replacement object selecting unit executes the cleaning of the ink cartridges in which the acquired ink remaining amount does not fall below the predetermined threshold when a print instruction is accepted. It may be a means for selecting an ink cartridge whose remaining ink amount is expected to fall below the predetermined threshold when printing an image according to the print instruction as a replacement target. In this way, it is possible to replace the ink cartridge whose ink remaining amount is lower than the predetermined threshold value and the ink cartridge whose ink remaining amount is lower than the predetermined threshold value by executing cleaning and printing, It is possible to more reliably prevent the replacement of the ink cartridge within a short time. In this aspect of the printing control apparatus of the present invention, the replacement target selecting unit is configured such that when the printing instruction is instructed to print a plurality of images, the acquired ink remaining amount does not fall below the predetermined threshold. Among the ink cartridges, when the cleaning is performed and the printing of a plurality of images according to the printing instruction is performed, an ink cartridge that is expected to have a remaining ink level below the predetermined threshold during the printing of the plurality of images is obtained. In some cases, based on the acquired ink remaining amount of the ink cartridge, the timing at which the ink remaining amount of the ink cartridge actually falls below the predetermined threshold value or the acquired ink remaining amount falls below the predetermined threshold value. Suppose that it is a means for selecting an object to be replaced at any timing of replacing the ink cartridge. And it can also be. By doing so, it is possible to make the replacement timing of the ink cartridge more suitable for the ink remaining amount to fall below a predetermined threshold during printing of a plurality of images. Further, in the printing control apparatus of the present invention of this aspect, the replacement selection unit is an ink amount of each ink cartridge that is consumed by the cleaning in which the ink remaining amount of the ink cartridge that is expected to be lower than the predetermined threshold value. When the total required cleaning amount is exceeded, the ink cartridge is selected for replacement at a timing when the ink remaining amount of the ink cartridge actually falls below the predetermined threshold value, and the ink remaining amount of the ink cartridge expected to fall below the predetermined threshold value When the total required cleaning amount is not exceeded, it may be a means for selecting a replacement target at a timing for replacing an ink cartridge whose acquired ink remaining amount falls below the predetermined threshold value. In this way, it is possible to determine the replacement timing of the ink cartridge, in which the remaining amount of ink falls below a predetermined threshold during printing of a plurality of images, by a simple process.

  The printing device may be a device that absorbs ink consumed by the cleaning by a predetermined volume of waste liquid pad. By doing so, it is possible to delay the amount of ink absorbed in the waste liquid pad from reaching a predetermined capacity, and therefore, the significance of applying the present invention is great. In this aspect of the printing control apparatus of the present invention, the printing apparatus may be an apparatus configured so that the waste liquid pad cannot be replaced by a user. By doing so, it is possible to reduce the trouble of requesting the manufacturer of the printing apparatus to replace the waste liquid pad, so that the significance of applying the present invention becomes greater.

1 is a configuration diagram showing an outline of the configuration of an inkjet printer 20. The block diagram which shows the outline of a structure of the capping apparatus 40 and the waste liquid tank 50. FIG. Explanatory drawing which shows a mode that cleaning is performed with the capping apparatus. 6 is a flowchart illustrating an example of an ink cartridge replacement processing routine. The flowchart which shows an example of the additional selection process of exchange object. 4 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an example of an ink cartridge replacement instruction screen 82a. FIG. The flowchart which shows the additional selection process of the exchange object of a modification.

  Next, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram showing an outline of the configuration of an ink jet printer 20 equipped with the print control apparatus of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a configuration diagram showing an outline of the configuration of a capping device 40 and a waste liquid tank 50. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the inkjet printer 20 according to the present embodiment performs a printing process by ejecting ink droplets from the nozzles 23 formed on the print head 24 onto the paper P conveyed on the platen 36. The mechanism 21 is disposed near the right end of the platen 36 and the surface of the print head 24 on which the nozzles 23 are formed (hereinafter referred to as the nozzle formation surface) is sealed, and ink in the nozzles 23 is sucked and cleaned as necessary. Capping device 40, waste liquid tank 50 for storing ink (waste liquid) sucked by cleaning, controller 70 for controlling the entire device, display unit 82 for notifying the user of various information, and various types of users And an operation panel 80 including an operation unit 84 for inputting the instruction. Here, the controller 70 corresponds to the print control apparatus of the present invention.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the printer mechanism 21 is driven by a drive motor 33 to feed a paper P onto a platen 36 from the back to the front in the figure, and a carriage motor 34 attached to a carriage belt 32. A carriage 22 that is driven to reciprocate in the left-right direction (main scanning direction) along the guide 28, a linear encoder 25 that detects the position of the carriage 22, and cyan (C) and magenta (M ), Yellow (Y) and black (K) inks are stored and individually replaceable ink cartridges 26C, 26M, 26Y, and 26K, and ink cartridges 26C, 26M, 26Y, and 26K, respectively. Printing in which a plurality of nozzles 23 that pressurize ink and eject ink droplets are formed And a head 24. In the following description, the ink cartridges 26 are collectively referred to unless the ink cartridges need to be described separately. Although not shown, a chip IC that can read and write data by the controller 70 is attached to the ink cartridge 26. The chip IC stores manufacturing information of the ink cartridge 26, data such as an initial ink amount at the time of shipment, and an ink remaining amount. Here, the ink remaining amount calculated by an ink remaining amount calculating process (not shown) executed by the controller 70 is written. The calculation of the remaining amount of ink is performed by, for example, a capping device for an ink ejection amount calculated by multiplying the number of shots, which is the number of times ink droplets are ejected from the nozzles 23 in the printing process, and the amount of ink droplets ejected for each shot. This is performed by subtracting the value obtained by adding the required amount of cleaning consumed in the cleaning executed at 40 from the ink remaining amount written last time. The print head 24 can adopt a method of applying pressure to the piezoelectric element to deform the piezoelectric element and pressurizing the ink, and can also apply a voltage to the heating resistor (for example, a heater). It is also possible to employ a method in which the ink is pressurized with bubbles generated by heating the ink.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the capping device 40 includes a substantially rectangular parallelepiped cap 42 that is open upward and has a sponge 41 for absorbing ink therein, and a stretchable tube 43 that is connected to the bottom of the cap 42. A suction pump 44 attached to the cap 42, an air release valve 46 attached to a stretchable tube 45 connected to the bottom of the cap 42, and the cap 42 and the print head 24 to contact and release. And a lifting device 48 that lifts and lowers the cap 42. The capping device 40 performs cleaning in a state where the print head 24 is moved to a position on the capping device 40 (so-called home position), or seals the nozzle formation surface of the print head 24 during printing pause. 23 is used to suppress thickening (drying) of ink in the ink. FIG. 3 shows how the capping device 40 performs the cleaning. In the cleaning, the nozzle forming surface of the print head 24 moved to the home position is sealed by the cap 42 raised by the elevating device 48, and then the suction pump 44 is driven with the atmosphere release valve 46 closed. This is performed by forcibly sucking the ink in the nozzles 23 by setting the internal space formed by the print head 24 and the cap 42 to a negative pressure. For this reason, ink is sucked from all the nozzles 23 formed in the print head 24. In this embodiment, the driving time of the suction pump 44 is constant. For this reason, when cleaning is performed, a required amount of cleaning, which is a substantially constant amount of ink, is consumed from each ink cartridge 26. Of the ink sucked at this time, the portion absorbed by the sponge 41 wets the inside of the cap 42, and the portion not absorbed by the sponge 41 is discharged to the waste liquid tank 50 as the suction pump 44 is driven. The timing at which the cleaning is executed includes immediately after the replacement of the ink cartridge 26 is completed or when the user gives an instruction for cleaning by operating the operation unit 84. Here, the cleaning is executed immediately after the replacement of the ink cartridge 26 is completed, and bubbles may be generated in the nozzle 23 or in the ink supply path (not shown) from the ink cartridge 26 to the nozzle 23 during the replacement. This is to remove this.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the waste liquid tank 50 is connected to a tube 43 on the upper surface, and is filled with a waste liquid pad 52 that can absorb ink (waste liquid). When the capping device 40 performs cleaning, the waste liquid tank 50 absorbs and stores the ink sucked by the suction pump 44 and discharged through the tube 43 by the waste liquid pad 52. The waste liquid pad 52 can absorb a predetermined volume of ink and needs to be replaced when the predetermined volume is reached. Although illustration is omitted here, the waste liquid tank 50 is disposed at a position in the inkjet printer 20 where maintenance by the user is not possible, and the user must request the manufacturer to replace the waste liquid pad 52. Further, the controller 70 determines whether or not the waste liquid pad 52 has reached a predetermined capacity. In this determination, for example, the amount of ink discharged to the waste liquid tank 50 with the execution of cleaning is obtained in advance by experiments and the amount of absorption of the waste liquid pad 52 calculated by multiplying this amount of ink and the number of times of cleaning is obtained. This is done by comparing the accumulated accumulated amount with a predetermined capacity of the waste liquid pad 52 or the like.

  The controller 70 is configured as a microprocessor centered on the CPU 72, and writes various data such as a ROM 73 storing a processing program, a RAM 74 temporarily storing data, and the accumulated absorption amount of the waste liquid pad 52 described above. An erasable flash memory 75, an interface (I / F) 76 for exchanging information with an external device, and an input / output port (not shown) are provided. The RAM 74 is provided with a print buffer area, and print data sent from the user PC 90 via the I / F 76 is stored in the print buffer area. In addition to a position detection signal from the linear encoder 25 and an operation signal from the operation unit 84 of the operation panel 80 being input to the controller 70 via an input port, a print job from the user PC 90 is input via the I / F 76. Is input. Further, from the controller 70, a control signal to the print head 24, the drive motor 33, the carriage motor 34, a control signal to the suction pump 44 and the lifting device 48 of the capping device 40, and a display command to the display unit 82 of the operation panel 80. Signals and the like are output via the output port, and print status information and the like are output to the user PC 90 via the I / F 76.

  Next, the operation of the ink jet printer 20 of the embodiment configured as described above will be described. FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating an example of an ink cartridge replacement processing routine executed by the CPU 72 of the controller 70. This routine is executed every predetermined timing when ink is consumed. Examples of the predetermined timing include a timing at which cleaning is performed, a timing at which a printing process based on a print job is performed, and the timing at which the printing process is performed is a timing at which printing of one sheet P is completed. Alternatively, it may be the timing when the print head 24 during the printing operation completes one reciprocating operation.

  When this ink cartridge replacement processing routine is executed, the CPU 72 of the controller 70 firstly has the remaining ink levels Iz (C), Iz (M), Iz (Y), and ink of the ink cartridges 26C, 26M, 26Y, and 26K, respectively. Iz (K) (hereinafter simply referred to as ink remaining amount Iz) is input. Here, as described above, the ink remaining amount Iz is read and input from the data written in the chip IC of the ink cartridge 26. When the ink remaining amount Iz is input, it is determined whether or not the input ink remaining amount Iz is lower than the ink end threshold value Ie (step S110). Here, the ink end threshold value Ie is set to a predetermined value that can be determined that the ink cartridge 26 has not yet been completely emptied, but does not have an adequate remaining amount for printing. When it is determined in step S110 that the remaining ink amount Iz is lower than the ink end threshold value Ie, it is determined that the ink cartridge 26 is in the ink end state and is selected as an ink cartridge replacement target (step S120). On the other hand, when it is determined in step S110 that the ink remaining amount Iz does not fall below the ink end threshold Ie, or when an ink cartridge replacement target is selected in step S120, the determination regarding the ink remaining amount Iz of all the ink cartridges 26 is made. Until the process is completed (step S130), the process returns to step S110 and is repeated. When the determination process for the ink remaining amount Iz of all the ink cartridges 26 is completed, it is determined whether there is an ink cartridge 26 in an ink end state (step S140). When it is determined that there is an ink cartridge 26 in the ink end state, an additional selection process for additionally selecting an ink cartridge replacement target is executed (step S150), and the ink selected as the replacement target including the additionally selected one is executed. An instruction to replace the cartridge 26 is displayed on the display unit 82 (step S160), and this routine is terminated. On the other hand, when it is determined in step S140 that there is no ink cartridge 26 in the ink end state, this routine is finished as it is. Hereinafter, the details of the additional selection process for replacement in step S150 will be described. FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating an example of an additional selection process for replacement.

  In the additional selection process for replacement, the CPU 72 of the controller 70 first determines whether or not there is print data from the user PC 90 in the print buffer area of the RAM 74 (step S200). When it is determined that there is no print data, it is determined whether or not the remaining ink amount Iz input in step S100 of the ink cartridge replacement processing routine described above is less than the value obtained by adding the required cleaning amount Icl to the ink end threshold value Ie. (Step S210). This process is a process for determining whether or not the ink remaining amount Iz of the ink cartridge 26 is expected to fall below the ink end threshold value Ie when cleaning is executed. As described above, in the present embodiment, the required cleaning amount Icl is a constant value. If it is determined in step S210 that the remaining ink amount Iz is less than the value obtained by adding the required cleaning amount Icl to the ink end threshold value Ie, the ink cartridge 26 is added to the replacement target (step S220). On the other hand, when it is determined in step S210 that the remaining ink amount Iz does not fall below the value obtained by adding the required cleaning amount Icl to the ink end threshold value Ie, or when a replacement target is added in step S220, the ink cartridge replacement process described above. Until the determination process for the ink remaining amount Iz of all the ink cartridges 26 excluding the ink cartridges 26 already selected for replacement in the routine is completed (step S230), the process returns to step S210 and the process is repeated. When the determination process for the ink remaining amount Iz of all the ink cartridges 26 is completed, this process is ended as it is. As a result, the ink cartridge 26 that is expected to be lower than the ink end threshold value Ie due to the consumption of ink accompanying the execution of cleaning is selected as a replacement object together with the ink cartridge 26 determined to be in the ink end state, and replaced by the user. I will tell you. For example, in the above-described ink cartridge replacement processing routine, it is determined that the remaining amount of cyan (C) ink Iz (C) is lower than the ink end threshold value Ie, and the ink cartridge 26C is selected as a replacement target. In this processing, magenta (M) When it is determined that the remaining ink amount Iz (M) is less than the value obtained by adding the required cleaning amount Icl to the ink end threshold value Ie, the ink cartridge 26M is added to the replacement target. FIG. 6 shows an example of the ink cartridge replacement instruction screen 82a displayed on the display unit 82 in the process of step S160 of the ink cartridge replacement process routine described above. As illustrated, a cyan (C) ink cartridge 26C and a magenta (M) ink cartridge 26M are displayed as replacement targets. Here, as described above, after the ink cartridge 26 is replaced, cleaning is executed to remove bubbles generated in the nozzles 23 and in the ink supply path. In this process, the ink cartridge 26 that is expected to be lower than the ink end threshold value Ie due to consumption of ink accompanying the execution of cleaning is added to the replacement target. Therefore, the ink cartridge that is determined to be lower than the ink end threshold value Ie after cleaning. 26 does not occur. Therefore, repeated replacement of the ink cartridge 26 in a short time can be prevented.

  On the other hand, when it is determined in step S200 that there is print data, the required print amount Ip of each ink obtained based on the print data for the amount of ink ejected from the nozzles 23 in the print process is input (step S240). When the required printing amount Ip is input, it is determined whether or not the remaining ink amount Iz of each ink cartridge 26 is less than a value obtained by adding the cleaning required amount Icl and the required printing amount Ip to the ink end threshold value Ie (step S250). For example, when the determination is made for the cyan (C) ink cartridge 26C, the remaining ink amount Iz (C) is a value obtained by adding the required amount of cleaning Icl and the required amount of printing Ip (C) for cyan (C) to the ink end threshold value Ie. A process of determining whether or not the value is below is performed. This process is a process for determining whether or not the remaining ink amount Iz is expected to fall below the ink end threshold value Ie when the cleaning process is executed and the printing process is executed. If it is determined in step S250 that the remaining ink amount Iz is less than the value obtained by adding the required cleaning amount Icl and the required printing amount Ip to the ink end threshold value Ie, the ink cartridge 26 is added to the replacement target (step S260). On the other hand, when it is determined in step S250 that the remaining ink amount Iz does not fall below the value obtained by adding the required amount of cleaning Icl and the required amount of printing Ip to the ink end threshold value Ie, or when a replacement target is added in step S260, Until the determination process is completed for the remaining ink amount Iz of all ink cartridges 26 except the ink cartridges 26 that have already been selected for replacement (step S270), the process returns to step S250 and the process is repeated. When the determination process for the ink remaining amount Iz of all the ink cartridges 26 is completed, this process is ended as it is. As a result, the ink cartridge 26 that is expected to be lower than the ink end threshold value Ie due to the consumption of ink accompanying the execution of cleaning and the consumption of ink accompanying the execution of the printing process can be used together with the ink cartridge 26 determined to be in the ink end state. It will be selected as an exchange target and the user will be instructed to exchange. Here, as described above, cleaning is performed after the ink cartridge 26 is replaced, and printing processing is performed when print data exists in the print buffer area of the RAM 74 after the cleaning is performed. In this processing, however, cleaning is performed. In addition, since the ink cartridge 26 that is expected to be lower than the ink end threshold value Ie due to consumption of ink accompanying the execution of the printing process is added to the replacement object, it is determined that the ink cartridge is below the ink end threshold value Ie immediately after execution of the printing process after cleaning. No ink cartridge 26 is generated. Therefore, repeated replacement of the ink cartridge 26 within a short time can be prevented more reliably. Here, as described above, the ink consumed in the cleaning is absorbed as the waste liquid in the waste liquid pad 52 in the waste liquid tank 50, but the number of cleanings after replacement is prevented by preventing the ink cartridge 26 from being repeatedly replaced. Therefore, it is possible to delay the ink absorption amount of the waste liquid pad 52 from reaching a predetermined capacity. For this reason, it is possible to reduce the trouble for the user to request the manufacturer to replace the waste liquid pad 52.

  Here, the correspondence between the components of the present embodiment and the components of the present invention will be clarified. The ink jet printer 20 of the present embodiment corresponds to a “printing apparatus” of the present invention, and the ink remaining amount Iz calculated by the ink remaining amount calculating process (not shown) executed by the controller 70 and written to the chip IC of the ink cartridge 26 is used. The input controller 70 that executes the process of step S100 of the ink cartridge replacement process routine of FIG. 4 corresponds to “ink remaining amount acquisition means”, and the process of steps S110 to S150 of the ink cartridge replacement process routine of FIG. The controller 70 that executes the additional selection process of the ink cartridge replacement target corresponds to the “replacement target selection means”, and the ink cartridge replacement instruction screen 82a is displayed on the display unit 82 in the process of step S160 of the ink cartridge replacement process routine of FIG. Display Roller 70 is equivalent to the "notification means".

  According to the ink jet printer 20 of the present embodiment described in detail above, when there is an ink cartridge 26 whose ink remaining amount Iz is lower than the ink end threshold value Ie, the ink cartridge 26 is selected as a replacement target and the ink remaining amount Iz is A value that is less than the value obtained by adding the cleaning required amount Icl to the ink end threshold value Ie is added to the replacement target, and an instruction for prompting replacement of the ink cartridge 26 selected as the replacement target is displayed on the display unit 82. The ink cartridge 26 whose ink remaining amount Iz is lower than the ink end threshold value Ie and the ink cartridge 26 lower than the ink end threshold value Ie can be exchanged together. Therefore, even when cleaning is performed after the replacement of the ink cartridge 26, the ink remaining amount Iz of each ink cartridge 26 does not fall below the ink end threshold value Ie, and the replacement of the ink cartridge 26 is repeated within a short time. Can be prevented. As a result, it is possible to efficiently replace the ink cartridge 26 and prevent wasteful consumption of ink. In addition, since the ink cartridge 26 whose ink remaining amount Iz is lower than the ink end threshold value Ie is also replaced by the cleaning and the printing process, the replacement of the ink cartridge 26 is more surely repeated in a short time. Can be prevented.

  In addition, this invention is not limited to the embodiment mentioned above at all, and it cannot be overemphasized that it can implement with a various aspect, as long as it belongs to the technical scope of this invention.

  In the above-described embodiment, in the additional selection process to be replaced in FIG. 5, it is determined that the remaining ink amount Iz is lower than the value obtained by adding the cleaning required amount Icl and the required printing amount Ip based on the print data to the ink end threshold value Ie. Although the ink cartridge 26 is added to the replacement target at that timing, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, when a plurality of print instructions are issued, the replacement target may be selected at any one of the timing described above and the timing when the ink remaining amount Iz actually falls below the ink end threshold value Ie. In this case, FIG. 7 shows a replacement target additional selection process of the modification executed by the CPU 72 of the controller 70. In FIG. 7, the same step number is assigned to the same process as that of each step of the replacement target addition selection process of FIG. 5, and the description thereof is omitted. If this additional selection process for replacement is executed and it is determined in step S200 that there is print data, it is determined whether or not a plurality of sheets are printed based on the same print data (step S310). When printing a plurality of sheets, the ink required amount Ip of each ink necessary for printing one sheet is input based on the print data and the number of printed sheets n is input (step S320). The total required printing amount TIp of each ink is calculated by multiplying the amount Ip and the number of printed sheets n (step S330). When the total required printing amount TIp is calculated, it is determined whether or not the remaining ink amount Iz is less than a value obtained by adding the cleaning required amount Icl and the total required printing amount TIp to the ink end threshold value Ie (step S340). This process is a process for determining whether or not the remaining ink amount Iz is expected to be lower than the ink end threshold value Ie when the cleaning process is performed and a plurality of printing processes are performed. If it is determined in step S340 that the ink remaining amount Iz is less than a value obtained by multiplying the required cleaning amount Icl by a value 4 (the reason for the value 4 will be described below) (step S350), the ink is added to the replacement target (step S350). Step S360). Such processing is performed for all target ink cartridges 26 (step S370), and this processing ends. Here, for example, the ink remaining amount Iz (C) of cyan (C) is determined to be lower than the ink end threshold value Ie in the ink cartridge replacement processing routine described above, and is selected as an ink cartridge replacement target. In this processing, magenta (M ) Is considered to be less than the value obtained by adding the required cleaning amount Icl and the required printing amount TIp to the ink end threshold value Ie. At this time, the cyan (C) ink cartridge 26C and the magenta (M) ink cartridge 26M are exchanged together, and the cyan (C) ink cartridge 26C and the magenta (M) ink cartridge 26M are separately provided. It may be the case of exchanging. When the replacement is performed collectively, the cleaning after the replacement of the ink cartridge 26 can be omitted once compared to the case where the replacement is performed separately. That is, the ink consumption is reduced by the value obtained by multiplying the required cleaning amount Icl of each ink by the value 4 which is the number of inks. On the other hand, when the ink cartridge 26M is replaced when the ink remaining amount Iz (M) of the magenta (M) falls below the ink end threshold value Ie, that is, when the ink cartridges 26M are replaced separately, compared to the case where they are replaced together, The remaining ink amount Iz (M) of magenta (M) can be consumed in the printing process. From these facts, the value obtained by multiplying the required amount of cleaning Icl by the value 4 that is the number of inks and the amount of remaining ink Iz (M) of magenta (M) are compared, and the case where they are replaced separately is summarized. It can be determined which of the cases where the ink consumption is reduced in the case of replacement. Therefore, in this modification, it is determined whether or not the remaining ink amount Iz is less than the value obtained by multiplying the required cleaning amount Icl of each ink by the value 4 that is the number of inks in the process of step S350. It is determined that the amount of consumption in cleaning due to not being replaced at a time is larger than the amount of consumption in the printing process of Iz, and is added to the replacement object and replaced in advance. Thereby, it is possible to determine a more appropriate replacement timing of the ink cartridge 26 with a simple process.

  In the above-described embodiment, the remaining ink amount Iz calculated by the remaining ink amount calculation process (not shown) is used as the remaining ink amount. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the remaining ink amount directly detected by various sensors or the like. It is good also as what uses quantity. For example, it is possible to use the remaining amount detected by making light enter the ink cartridge using an optical sensor and receiving reflected or transmitted light that changes according to the remaining amount of ink, or use a weight sensor. The remaining amount detected by measuring the weight of the ink cartridge that changes according to the remaining amount of ink may be used.

  In the embodiment described above, the ink colors are four colors of cyan (C), magenta (M), yellow (Y), and black (K). However, the present invention is not limited to this, and for example, light cyan (LC). 5 colors or 6 colors including light magenta (LM) or the like, or a plurality of more colors.

  In the embodiment described above, the ink cartridge replacement instruction screen 82a is displayed on the display unit 82 provided in the inkjet printer 20. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and a warning lamp may be used instead of the screen display. The replacement instruction screen may be displayed on the display of the user PC 90.

  In the above-described embodiment, the print control apparatus of the present invention is mounted on the ink jet printer 20, but may be configured as a printer driver incorporated in the user PC 90 or the like.

  In the above-described embodiment, the printing apparatus is described as being applied to the ink jet printer 20, but the present invention is not limited to this, and any facsimile apparatus that can print by supplying ink from an ink cartridge to the print head will be described. The present invention may be applied to an apparatus or a multifunction machine.

  20 ink jet printer, 21 printer mechanism, 22 carriage, 23 nozzle, 24 print head, 25 linear encoder, 26, 26C, 26M, 26Y, 26K ink cartridge, 28 guide, 32 carriage belt, 33 drive motor, 34 carriage motor, 35 Paper feed roller, 36 Platen, 40 Capping device, 41 Sponge, 42 Cap, 43, 45 Tube, 44 Suction pump, 46 Air release valve, 48 Lifting device, 50 Waste liquid tank, 52 Waste liquid pad, 70 Controller, 72 CPU, 73 ROM, 74 RAM, 75 flash memory, 76 interface (I / F), 80 operation panel, 82 display unit, 82a ink cartridge replacement instruction screen, 84 operation Copies, 90 user PC, P paper.

Claims (6)

When a plurality of types of ink stored in a plurality of individually replaceable ink cartridges are ejected from the nozzles of the print head to print an image, all of the plurality of ink cartridges are replaced when all of the ink cartridges are replaced. A printing control device that controls a printing device that performs cleaning of the nozzles with consumption of ink in an ink cartridge,
Ink remaining amount acquisition means for respectively acquiring the remaining ink amounts of the plurality of ink cartridges;
When there is an ink cartridge whose acquired ink remaining amount is lower than a predetermined threshold, an ink cartridge that is lower than the predetermined threshold is selected for replacement, and the acquired ink remaining amount does not fall below the predetermined threshold. A replacement target selection means for selecting, as a replacement target, an ink cartridge whose remaining ink level is expected to fall below the predetermined threshold when the cleaning is performed among the ink cartridges;
A printing control apparatus comprising: notifying means for notifying a user of an instruction for prompting replacement of the ink cartridge selected as the replacement target.   When the print instruction is accepted, the replacement object selection unit executes the cleaning of the ink cartridge whose acquired ink remaining amount does not fall below the predetermined threshold and prints an image according to the print instruction. 2. The print control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the print control apparatus is a means for selecting an ink cartridge whose remaining amount of ink is expected to fall below the predetermined threshold when executed.   The replacement object selection unit executes the cleaning of the ink cartridges in which the acquired ink remaining amount does not fall below the predetermined threshold when the printing instruction is instructed to print a plurality of images. When printing of a plurality of images according to a print instruction is performed, when there is an ink cartridge in which the remaining amount of ink is expected to fall below the predetermined threshold during the printing of the plurality of images, the acquired ink cartridge is acquired. Based on the remaining amount of ink, either the timing at which the remaining amount of ink in the ink cartridge actually falls below the predetermined threshold or the timing at which the ink cartridge whose replacement level is less than the predetermined threshold is replaced The printing control apparatus according to claim 2, which is a means for selecting a replacement target in step 1.   The replacement selection means determines the ink of the ink cartridge when the remaining amount of ink in the ink cartridge that is expected to fall below the predetermined threshold exceeds the total amount of cleaning that is the ink amount of each ink cartridge consumed in the cleaning. When the remaining amount of the ink cartridge is selected as a replacement target at a timing when the remaining amount actually falls below the predetermined threshold value, and the remaining amount of ink of the ink cartridge that is expected to fall below the predetermined threshold value does not exceed the sum of the required cleaning amount, the acquired value is acquired. The print control apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the print control apparatus is a means for selecting a replacement target at a timing of replacing an ink cartridge whose ink remaining amount falls below the predetermined threshold.   5. The print control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the printing apparatus is an apparatus that absorbs ink consumed by the cleaning by a predetermined volume of a waste liquid pad. 6.   The printing control apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the printing apparatus is an apparatus configured such that the waste liquid pad cannot be replaced by a user.

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