JP2012096379A - Printing method, program, and printer - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a printing method by which ink residual amounts of individual ink cartridges are correctly controlled even when a plurality of ink cartridges of the same color are loaded.SOLUTION: A printer 1 includes: a printing head 30 including a plurality of ejection nozzle groups 31-36; a cartridge holder 10 including a plurality of ink supply ports for supplying ink to the plurality of ejection nozzle groups 31-36; and a plurality of channels 41-46 configured to supply the ink from the plurality of ink supply ports to the plurality of ejection nozzle groups 31-36 and made independent of each other. The printing method includes: supplying the ink from a plurality of ink storing parts 21-26 in which the same color ink is stored to the corresponding ejection nozzle groups 31-36 through the channels 41-46 independent respectively; and selectively ejecting the ink from the plurality of ejection nozzle groups 31-36, thereby performing printing.

Description

  The present invention relates to a printing method, a program, and a printer, in particular, a printer including a plurality of ink cartridges, a printing method, and a program thereof.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, as Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2004-133620, an ink jet printer that supplies ink from an ink cartridge to a print head and discharges the ink from the print head to print on a print medium is known.

JP 2008-44257 A

  By the way, there is a demand to reduce the frequency of ink cartridge replacement and increase the continuous usable time of the printer. In order to meet this requirement, it is conceivable to increase the size of the ink cartridge itself and increase the volume of the ink cartridge. However, newly designing and producing an ink cartridge having a large volume increases the cost.

  Therefore, it is conceivable to assemble a plurality of existing ink cartridges that store ink of the same color into the cartridge holder. However, when installing a plurality of ink cartridges that store ink of the same color, it is necessary to merge the ink flow paths, and if the ink flow paths are merged between the print head and the individual ink cartridges, Due to the variation in the ink amount, there is a possibility that the remaining amount of ink in each ink cartridge cannot be accurately managed.

  For example, the amount of ink used during printing in a plurality of ink cartridges varies due to variations in negative pressure within each ink cartridge and differences in water head pressure that occur when a plurality of ink cartridges are stacked. Therefore, even if the number of ejection shots is counted by the ejection nozzle, it is not possible to grasp the remaining amount of ink in each ink cartridge, and it is not possible to prompt the user to replace the ink cartridge if all the ink cartridges are used up. . For this reason, for example, when printing is executed in a situation where it is not possible to grasp the state that an ink cartridge is empty, a desired amount of ink cannot be ejected during printing, and the print image quality deteriorates. As a result, there is a possibility that the operation efficiency of the printer including ink replacement may be deteriorated.

  Accordingly, the present invention provides a printing method and printer that can select a nozzle group for ejecting ink in order to accurately manage the remaining amount of ink in each ink cartridge even when a plurality of ink cartridges of the same color are mounted. The purpose is to provide.

In order to achieve the above object, according to the present invention, a print head including a plurality of ejection nozzle groups;
A cartridge holder having a plurality of ink supply ports for supplying ink to the plurality of ejection nozzle groups;
In a printer comprising a plurality of mutually independent flow paths for supplying the ink from a plurality of ink supply ports to a plurality of the ejection nozzle groups,
Supplying the ink from the plurality of ink containing portions containing the same color ink to the corresponding ejection nozzle groups via the independent flow paths,
A printing method is provided, wherein printing is performed by selectively ejecting the ink from a plurality of the ejection nozzle groups.

  According to the printing method of the present invention, since the same color ink is supplied from the plurality of ink storage units to the corresponding discharge nozzle groups through independent flow paths without merging the same color inks, the discharge of the discharge nozzle groups By counting the number of times, it is possible to accurately manage the remaining amount of ink in each ink storage unit.

In addition, the printing method according to the present invention is as follows.
Among the plurality of ink storage units, printing is performed by discharging the ink from the discharge nozzle group connected to the ink storage unit with the largest remaining amount of ink,
You may make it alert | report the ink shortage when the ink remaining amount of all the said ink accommodating parts becomes empty.

  According to the printing method of the present invention, ink is ejected from the ink containing portion having the largest amount of remaining ink, so that the time when the ink in the ink containing portion is used up can be made uniform in the plurality of ink containing portions. Therefore, when the remaining amount of ink in all the ink storage units becomes empty, the user runs out of ink and replaces a plurality of ink storage units at a time, thereby reducing the replacement frequency and reducing the burden on the user. Can be reduced.

Furthermore, the printing method according to the present invention is as follows.
Of the plurality of ink storage units, printing is performed by discharging the ink from the discharge nozzle group connected to the ink storage unit with the least amount of ink remaining,
You may make it alert | report the ink shortage of the said ink accommodating part that the ink remaining amount became empty.

  According to the printing method of the present invention, ink is ejected from the ink containing portion with a small amount of remaining ink, and the ink out of the ink containing portion where the ink remaining amount is empty is notified. The accommodating part can be sequentially replaced. Therefore, by replacing the ink storage unit during the printing standby time of the printer, it is possible to improve the operation efficiency of the printer taking into account the replacement of the ink storage unit.

Furthermore, the printing method according to the present invention is as follows.
You may print by discharging the said ink from the said discharge nozzle group with few use frequency among the said several discharge nozzle groups.

  According to the printing method of the present invention, printing is performed by ejecting ink from the ejection nozzle group that is used the least number of times, so that a plurality of piezoelectric elements such as piezo elements that eject ink provided according to the plurality of ejection nozzle groups are used. It is possible to make the usage period of the entire print head on which a plurality of ejection nozzle groups are mounted long by equalizing the number of uses of the ink ejection means.

Furthermore, the printing method according to the present invention is as follows.
Of the plurality of ejection nozzle groups, the ink may be ejected from the ejection nozzle group having the longest elapsed time from the previous use time.

  According to the printing method according to the present invention, printing is performed by ejecting ink from the ejection nozzle group having the longest elapsed time from the previous use time, so that the ink is not ejected from the specific ejection nozzle group for a long time. Can be prevented. Therefore, it is possible to prevent an increase in the viscosity of the ink in the vicinity of the discharge nozzle hole, which progresses with time, and thus it is possible to prevent nozzle omission accompanying the increase in viscosity.

Furthermore, the printing method according to the present invention is as follows.
The plurality of ejection nozzle groups are arranged along the main scanning direction of the print head,
You may print by discharging the said ink from the said discharge nozzle group arrange | positioned among the several said discharge nozzle groups at the side nearest to the discharge position of print data.

  According to the printing method of the present invention, printing is performed by ejecting the ink from the ejection nozzle group disposed on the side closest to the ejection position of the print data, so that the amount of movement of the print head in the main scanning direction can be reduced. Printing speed can be improved.

Furthermore, the printing method according to the present invention is as follows.
Printing may be performed by ejecting the ink from the normal ejection nozzle group in place of the ejection nozzle group in which ejection abnormality has occurred due to ejection abnormality among the plurality of ejection nozzle groups.

  According to the printing method of the present invention, printing can be performed using a normal discharge nozzle group without using a discharge nozzle group including a discharge nozzle in a nozzle missing state, so that the print quality is improved.

Furthermore, the printing method according to the present invention is as follows.
The ejection nozzle group that ejects the ink by predetermined dots may be changed.

  According to the printing method of the present invention, even if a nozzle omission occurs in the ejection nozzle group, the ejection nozzle group in which the nozzle omission occurs is not continuously used, and thus printing defects due to the nozzle omission of the printed matter are made inconspicuous. be able to. In particular, it is preferable to use this printing method for a barcode printer because the readability of the printed barcode is improved.

  Furthermore, according to the present invention, there is provided a program for causing a computer mounted on a printer to execute the above printing method.

Also according to the invention,
A print head having a plurality of ejection nozzle groups;
A cartridge holder having a plurality of ink supply ports for supplying the same color ink to the plurality of ejection nozzle groups;
A printer is provided that includes a plurality of independent flow paths that supply the ink from a plurality of ink supply ports to a plurality of ejection nozzle groups.

  According to the printer of the present invention, since ink is supplied from a plurality of ink supply ports to a plurality of discharge nozzle groups through a plurality of independent flow paths, each ink is counted by counting the number of discharges of the discharge nozzle group. It is possible to accurately manage the remaining amount of ink in the container.

The printer according to the present invention is
A sub tank capable of storing the ink may be provided between the ink storage port and the ejection nozzle group.

  According to the printer of the present invention, by storing the ink necessary for cleaning the discharge nozzle group in the sub tank, a plurality of discharge nozzle groups can be combined at a time even if there is an empty ink cartridge. Can be cleaned.

The printer according to the present invention is
The plurality of ejection nozzle groups may be arranged along the main scanning direction of the print head.

  According to the printer of the present invention, the printing point to be printed by one ejection nozzle group can be printed by another ejection nozzle group by moving the print head in the main scanning direction. Therefore, it is possible to select and print an optimal discharge nozzle group according to the ink remaining amount.

1 is a perspective view illustrating an example of a printer to which the present invention is applied. It is a schematic diagram which shows the ink supply path | route of the printer shown in FIG. FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a method for controlling the printer illustrated in FIG. 1. FIG. 2 is an enlarged view of a print head of the printer shown in FIG. 1.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.
FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a printer 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The printer 1 is an ink jet printer. As shown in FIG. 1, cartridge mounting holes 2 are provided on the front side of the printer 1 on the left and right in the horizontal direction, which can be closed by a cover 3. Note that the front in the present embodiment refers to the front of the printer 1, for example, the front side of FIG.

  A cartridge holder 10 is attached inside the left and right cartridge mounting holes 2, and a cartridge block 20 is detachably attached to the left and right cartridge holders 10. The cartridge block 20 is an ink cartridge assembly in which a plurality (three in this embodiment) of ink cartridges 21 to 26 (see FIG. 2) are connected or not connected. When the ink in the ink cartridges 21 to 26 becomes empty, the user can open the cover 3 and replace the ink cartridges 21 to 26 together or individually.

  Each of the ink cartridges 21 to 26 includes an ink pack in which the same color ink is sealed. This ink pack is a bag-like member made of a flexible material. In addition, since the printer 1 of the present embodiment can mount the cartridge blocks 20 on both sides in the horizontal direction, a total of six ink cartridges 21 to 26 can be mounted. As described above, the printer 1 is equipped with a plurality of ink cartridges 21 to 26, whereby the ink capacity of the entire printer 1 is increased.

  FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating an ink supply path from the cartridge block 20 to the print head 30 of the printer 1. The cartridge block 20 is mounted on the cartridge holder 10, and a plurality of (six in this embodiment) supply needles (ink supply ports) provided on the cartridge holder 10 are inserted into the ink cartridges 21 to 26, respectively. Ink in each of the ink cartridges 21 to 26 is supplied to each discharge nozzle row (discharge nozzle group) 31 to 36 of the print head 30 of the printer 1 via the paths 41 to 46. In FIG. 2, each of the discharge nozzle rows 31 to 36 is shown as a block in order to clarify the connection relationship between the flow paths. However, in reality, the discharge surface facing the recording medium of the print head 30 as shown in FIG. 4. This is a set of discharge nozzles arranged on a plurality of lines provided in.

  The first to sixth ink cartridges 21 to 26 in the cartridge block 20 are connected to the first to sixth discharge nozzle rows 31 to 36 mounted on the print head 30 via the first to sixth flow paths 41 to 46, respectively. Yes. These first to sixth channels 41 to 46 are independent channels without joining together in the middle of the channel. Therefore, for example, ink from the first ink cartridge 21 is supplied only to the first discharge nozzle row 31 and is not supplied to the second discharge nozzle row 32. In the present embodiment, the first to sixth flow paths 41 to 46 are formed by a flow path provided in the cartridge holder 10 or a flexible ink tube that connects the cartridge holder 10 and the print head 30. .

  FIG. 3 is a control block diagram of the printer 1. When the printer 1 is powered on, the control unit 50 configured by a CPU or the like reads a program stored in a memory 60 such as a nonvolatile memory. When the control unit 50 receives the print data, the print head 30 is moved in the main scanning direction, and a recording medium such as paper is conveyed in the sub scanning direction, so that the ink supplied from the cartridge block 20 is transferred from the print head 30. By discharging, printing is performed on the recording medium.

  FIG. 4 is an enlarged view of the print head 30. First to sixth discharge nozzle rows 31 to 36 are provided on the surface of the print head 30 facing the recording medium. As shown in the drawing, for example, each of the discharge nozzle rows 31 to 36 includes 12 discharge nozzles, and the 12 discharge nozzles included in each of the discharge nozzle rows 31 to 36 are main to each other between the discharge nozzle rows 31 to 36. They are arranged in a parallel relationship with the scanning direction. That is, the nozzle holes 32a to the sixth discharge nozzle row 36 in the second discharge nozzle row 32 corresponding to the nozzle holes 31a on the straight line extending in the main scanning direction passing through the specific nozzle holes 31a in the first discharge nozzle row 31. An inner nozzle hole 36a is provided.

  As described above, the discharge nozzle holes are arranged along the main scanning direction, and the same color ink is supplied to each of the discharge nozzles 31 to 36, so that each discharge nozzle hole performs a mutual printing operation. It has been made possible to complement. For example, a printing point to be printed by ejecting ink from the nozzle holes 31a in the first ejection nozzle row 31 can be selected from any of the other corresponding nozzle holes 32a to 36a by moving the print head 30 in the main scanning direction. Printing can be performed by discharging ink from the nozzle holes.

  Further, the control unit 50 of the printer 1 drives the discharge holes of the discharge nozzle arrays 31 to 36 of the print head 30 to discharge ink and counts the number of discharges from the discharge nozzle holes. Since each of the ink cartridges 21 to 26 is connected to each of the discharge nozzle rows 31 to 36 by the independent flow paths 41 to 46, the control unit 50 can discharge the discharge nozzle without considering the influence of the other ink cartridges. By counting the number of ejections of the holes, the remaining amount of ink sealed in the ink cartridges 21 to 26 connected to the ejection nozzle holes can be accurately calculated.

  For example, if the remaining amount of ink in the first ink cartridge 21 at the time of shipment is N times in terms of the number of discharges and the number of discharges in the discharge nozzle row 31 to which the first ink cartridge 21 is connected is n times, the number of discharges is n times. At this time, the remaining amount of the first ink cartridge 21 is N−n times in terms of the number of ejections. In this way, the control unit 50 can accurately grasp the remaining amount of the individual ink cartridges 21 to 26. Therefore, various printing can be executed by controlling the ink discharge amount as follows.

  For example, in order to reduce the frequency of replacement of the ink cartridges 21 to 26 by the user as much as possible, the control unit 50 discharges ink in order from the discharge nozzle rows 31 to 36 connected to the ink cartridges 21 to 26 having the largest ink remaining amount. Can be printed.

  For example, when the remaining amount of ink in the first ink cartridge 21 is the largest, the control unit 50 first executes printing using only the first ejection nozzle row 31 to which the first ink cartridge 21 is connected. Next, when the next print data is sent to the control unit 50, and the remaining amount of ink in the second ink cartridge 22 is the largest, the control unit 50 performs printing using only the second ejection nozzle row 32. When printing is performed in this manner, the timing at which all of the first to sixth ink cartridges 21 to 26 are empty can be aligned. Therefore, the control unit 50 notifies the user that the ink has run out when all the ink cartridges 21 to 26 have run out of ink.

  Accordingly, since the continuous usable time during which printing can be performed without running out of ink can be extended, the frequency of ink cartridge replacement by the user can be reduced. In this case, it is preferable that the first to sixth ink cartridges 21 to 26 be the cartridge block 20 in which the six ink cartridges 21 to 26 are integrally bundled so that they can be replaced at a time.

  Contrary to the printing method described above, in order to sequentially replace the ink cartridges 21 to 26, the control unit 50 may perform printing so that ink is ejected in order from the ink cartridges 21 to 26 having the smallest ink remaining amount. it can.

  For example, when the remaining amount of ink in the second ink cartridge 22 is the smallest, the control unit 50 executes printing using only the second ejection nozzle row 32 to which the second ink cartridge 22 is connected. When the second ink cartridge 22 becomes empty, the control unit 50 performs printing by discharging ink from the third discharge nozzle row 33 connected to the third ink pack 23 having the next smallest remaining ink amount, for example. At the same time, the control unit 50 displays that the second ink cartridge 22 is empty, and displays that the user has run out of ink so as to prompt the user to replace the second ink cartridge 22.

  According to such a printing method, it is not necessary for the user to stop the printing operation of the printer 1 only for replacing one ink cartridge 20, and the operation efficiency of the printer 1 including the ink cartridge replacing operation is improved. Can do. In this case, the first to sixth ink cartridges 21 to 26 can be detached from the cartridge holder 10 independently of each other so that the first to sixth ink cartridges 21 to 26 can be taken out individually. It is preferable that Further, when the control unit 50 determines a print standby time during which no print data is input to the control unit 50, the control unit 50 displays an out-of-ink indication so that an empty ink cartridge is replaced for the user during the print standby time. You may do it.

  Further, the usage period of the print head 30 is determined by the life of the ink ejection means such as a piezo element that ejects ink droplets. If any one of the plurality of ink ejection means mounted on the print head 30 becomes inoperable, the print head 30 becomes unusable. Therefore, in order to lengthen the use period of the print head 30, the ink ejection means It is preferable to make the number of uses uniform.

  Therefore, the control unit 50 counts the number of times the piezoelectric element is driven (the number of times the nozzle hole is used), and preferentially drives the ejection nozzle rows 31 to 36 including the nozzle hole corresponding to the piezoelectric element with the smallest number of times of driving. Can be printed. According to this printing method, the number of times of use of the ink discharge means is made uniform, and only the single ink discharge means is used, and the entire print head 30 is not made unusable. The use period of the print head 30 on which .about.36 is mounted can be extended.

  Further, the water in the ink evaporates from the nozzle holes, so that the viscosity of the ink located in the vicinity of the nozzle holes is increased, and the nozzle holes are eventually clogged, so-called nozzle missing phenomenon occurs. Therefore, in order to prevent nozzle omission, the control unit 50 records the execution time of the previous ink discharge operation of each of the discharge nozzle arrays 31 to 36, and the most time has elapsed from the execution time of the previous ink discharge operation. Printing may be performed by ejecting ink from the ejected nozzle rows 31 to 36. According to such a printing method, it is possible to prevent the ink from being ejected from the specific ejection nozzle rows 31 to 36 for a long time without being ejected, and thus it is possible to prevent nozzle omission.

  In addition, the control unit 50 can execute printing so as to improve the printing speed. Since the plurality of ejection nozzle rows 31 to 36 according to the present embodiment are arranged along the main scanning direction of the print head 30, the plurality of ejection nozzle rows 31 to 36 are closest to the print data ejection position. Printing can be performed by discharging ink from the discharge nozzle rows 31 to 36 arranged on the side.

  For example, when the print head 30 is arranged so that the first discharge nozzle row 31 is located at the left end of the paper and the sixth discharge nozzle row 36 is located at the right end of the paper with respect to the paper as the print medium. Prints using only the first discharge nozzle row 31 at the discharge position of the print data located on the left side of the print head 30, and the sixth discharge at the discharge position of the print data located on the right side of the print head 30. Printing can be performed using only the nozzle array 36. According to this printing method, since the amount of movement of the print head 30 in the main scanning direction (left and right direction of the paper) is reduced, the printing speed can be improved.

  The control unit 50 can also perform printing while changing the ejection nozzle rows 31 to 36 that eject ink by a predetermined number of dots. According to such a printing method, for example, even if the control unit 50 gives a discharge command to the ink discharge means corresponding to the discharge nozzle row including the nozzle hole in which the nozzle is missing, the nozzle cannot be printed on the paper. The nozzle holes in which the omission occurs are not used continuously. Accordingly, since the defective print areas are not continuous, the defective print due to the missing nozzle on the paper can be made inconspicuous. In particular, it is preferable to use this printing method for a bar code printer because the bar code readability is improved.

  In addition, the control unit 50 has a nozzle check function that can determine the occurrence of missing nozzles, and the control unit 50 ejects ink from the ejection nozzle rows 31 to 36 with few missing nozzles to perform printing, thereby cleaning the print head 30. The required frequency can be reduced. Therefore, the amount of ink used for maintenance can be reduced.

  Further, when the occurrence of nozzle omission can be grasped in advance by the nozzle check function, the control unit 50 can perform printing by using other corresponding nozzle holes. For example, when a nozzle omission occurs in the nozzle hole 31a of the first ejection nozzle row 31, ink is ejected from any one of the other normal corresponding nozzle holes 32a to 36a in which the nozzle omission corresponding to the nozzle hole 31a has not occurred. It is possible to execute printing without any trouble by discharging the ink.

  Moreover, as shown in FIG. 2, you may provide the subtanks 71-76 which can store an ink in the middle of the 1st-6th flow paths 41-46. If the capacity of the sub tanks 71 to 76 is set to an amount necessary for cleaning the discharge nozzle rows 31 to 36, even if any of the ink packs 31 to 36 is emptied, a plurality of discharges are performed. Since it is possible to perform cleaning performed on the nozzle rows 31 to 36 all at once, the operation efficiency of the printer 1 can be improved.

  In the above-described example, the example in which the ink pack in which the same color ink is sealed is mounted in all the ink cartridges 21 to 26 has been described. However, if the same color ink is sealed in at least two ink cartridges. The cartridge block 20 can be configured to include a plurality of colors of ink. Even in this case, since there are at least two ejection nozzle arrays that can eject the same color ink, the above-described printing methods can be executed.

  In the above-described example, the discharge nozzle row is described as a set of a plurality of nozzle holes arranged linearly in the sub-scanning direction. However, the discharge nozzle rows are not necessarily arranged linearly.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Printer, 10 Cartridge holder, 20 Cartridge block, 21-26 Ink cartridge, 31-36 Discharge nozzle row, 41-46 Flow path, 50 Control part, 60 Memory, 71-76 Sub tank

Claims (12)

A print head having a plurality of ejection nozzle groups;
A cartridge holder having a plurality of ink supply ports for supplying ink to the plurality of ejection nozzle groups;
In a printer comprising a plurality of mutually independent flow paths for supplying the ink from a plurality of ink supply ports to a plurality of the ejection nozzle groups,
Supplying the ink from the plurality of ink containing portions containing the same color ink to the corresponding ejection nozzle groups via the independent flow paths,
A printing method, wherein printing is performed by selectively discharging the ink from a plurality of the discharge nozzle groups. Among the plurality of ink storage units, printing is performed by discharging the ink from the discharge nozzle group connected to the ink storage unit with the largest remaining amount of ink,
2. The printing method according to claim 1, wherein when the remaining amount of ink in all the ink storage units becomes empty, the ink shortage is notified. Of the plurality of ink storage units, printing is performed by discharging the ink from the discharge nozzle group connected to the ink storage unit with the least amount of ink remaining,
The printing method according to claim 1, further comprising notifying that the ink storage unit has run out of ink.   The printing method according to claim 1, wherein printing is performed by ejecting the ink from the ejection nozzle group that is used the least number of times among the plurality of ejection nozzle groups.   2. The printing method according to claim 1, wherein printing is performed by ejecting the ink from the ejection nozzle group having the longest elapsed time from the previous use time among the plurality of ejection nozzle groups. The plurality of ejection nozzle groups are arranged along the main scanning direction of the print head,
The printing method according to claim 1, wherein printing is performed by ejecting the ink from the ejection nozzle group arranged on the side closest to the ejection position of print data among the plurality of ejection nozzle groups.   The printing is performed by ejecting the ink from the normal ejection nozzle group instead of the ejection nozzle group in which the ejection abnormality has occurred and the nozzle is in a missing state among the plurality of ejection nozzle groups. The printing method described.   The printing method according to claim 1, wherein the ejection nozzle group that ejects the ink by predetermined dots is changed.   The program which makes the computer mounted in the printer perform each step of the method as described in any one of Claims 1-8. A print head having a plurality of ejection nozzle groups;
A cartridge holder having a plurality of ink supply ports for supplying the same color ink to the plurality of ejection nozzle groups;
A printer comprising: a plurality of independent flow paths that supply the ink from a plurality of ink supply ports to a plurality of ejection nozzle groups.   The printer according to claim 10, wherein a subtank capable of storing the ink is provided between the ink storage port and the ejection nozzle group.   The printer according to claim 10, wherein the plurality of ejection nozzle groups are arranged along a main scanning direction of the print head.

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