JP2013139155A - Inkjet recording apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an inkjet recording apparatus that prompts a user to replace an ink cartridge in which ink is run out, and also allows a print request thereafter to be printed as required.SOLUTION: When an ink remaining amount control unit 601b detects that an ink amount remaining in an ink cartridge is run out, a printing control unit 601a brings a recording apparatus into a state that printing is temporarily impossible even if a following print request is inputted, and brings the recording apparatus into a first printer abnormal state that the following print request is possible to be printed by a user operation. When a following print request is inputted during the first printer abnormal state, the printing control unit prompts a user to operate a user operation for determining whether to execute or cancel printing for the following print request.

Description

  The present invention relates to an ink jet recording apparatus.

  In general, as an image forming apparatus that combines a printer / fax / copier or a combination of these functions, an image forming unit that employs an electrophotographic method is known. For example, liquid discharge that discharges liquid droplets of recording liquid is known. Recording is performed while a recording medium (hereinafter also referred to as “paper” is not limited to a material, and the recording medium, a transfer material, and the like are also used synonymously) using a recording head constituted by a head. Some are equipped with an image forming unit of an ink jet system that performs image formation (recording, printing, printing, and printing are also used synonymously) by attaching liquid droplets (hereinafter also referred to as ink droplets) to paper. is there.

  In such an image forming apparatus (hereinafter also referred to as an ink jet recording apparatus), since ink is a consumable item, an ink cartridge containing an ink bag is used as a removable cartridge, and ink is supplied from the ink cartridge to the recording head. Some have a configuration to supply (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

  Further, as an ink jet recording apparatus having another configuration, a sub tank for storing ink in the recording head is mounted on the recording head, ink is supplied from the ink cartridge to the sub tank, and ink is supplied from the sub tank to the recording head. Yes (see, for example, Patent Document 2).

  In such an ink jet recording apparatus, printing can be performed as long as there is ink in the sub tank. Therefore, printing control is adopted in which printing is continued even when ink in the ink cartridge runs out, and printing is stopped when ink in the sub tank runs out. It was.

  Here, if printing is continued after the ink runs out, the recording head runs out of ink and the recording head is damaged. For this reason, after the printing is stopped as described above, printing can be performed again when ink is replenished. In the ink jet recording apparatus having the above-described configuration, this can be achieved by installing a new ink cartridge. However, if there is no new ink cartridge at hand, the next printing could not be performed until the ink cartridge was obtained.

  Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2004-151867 recognizes the remaining amount of ink in the ink cartridge by detection and / or calculation, and stops or restricts the continuation of printing when the remaining amount of ink is recognized based on the recognition result. A mode setting that sets either the ink-out prevention mode to be performed or the ink-out-of-use mode that allows printing to continue regardless of the determination result of the remaining ink level. A configuration that can be easily released is disclosed. According to the present invention, printing can be performed even after the ink in the ink cartridge runs out. However, since the printing is performed using a small amount of ink remaining in the ink cartridge, the print job that has stopped in the middle of printing ( It was of a level that can handle the subsequent printing (print request).

  The present invention has been made in view of the above-described problems in the prior art, and promotes the replacement of an ink cartridge that has run out of ink, and enables ink jet recording that enables printing after that as required. An object is to provide an apparatus.

The present invention provided to solve the above problems is as follows.
[1] A recording head (recording head 34) that forms an image by ejecting ink, a sub tank (sub tank 35) that stores ink to be supplied to the recording head, and an ink cartridge (ink cartridge 10) that supplies ink to the sub tank ), An ink remaining amount management unit (ink remaining amount management unit 601b) for managing the ink remaining amount of the ink cartridge, and a control unit (printing control unit 601a) for controlling printing by the recording head, When the remaining ink management means detects that there is no remaining ink in the ink cartridge, the control means temporarily disables printing even if the next print request is input, and the next print request is made by a user operation. The first printer is in an abnormal state enabling printing, and the next print request is input in the first printer abnormal state. An inkjet recording apparatus that requests a user operation to execute or cancel printing for the next print request (FIG. 1, FIG. 2, FIG. 7, FIG. 11A).
[2] A recording head (recording head 34) that forms an image by ejecting ink, a sub tank (sub tank 35) that stores ink to be supplied to the recording head, and an ink cartridge (ink cartridge 10) that supplies ink to the sub tank ), An ink remaining amount management unit (ink remaining amount management unit 601b) for managing the ink remaining amount of the ink cartridge, and a control unit (printing control unit 601a) for controlling printing by the recording head, When the remaining ink management means detects that there is no remaining ink in the ink cartridge, the control means temporarily disables printing even if the next print request is input, and the next print request is made by a user operation. The first printer is in an abnormal state enabling printing, and the next print request is input in the first printer abnormal state. An ink jet recording apparatus which is in a standby state for the next print request until operated by the user.
[3] A recording head (recording head 34) that forms an image by ejecting ink, a sub tank (sub tank 35) that stores ink to be supplied to the recording head, and an ink cartridge (ink cartridge 10) that supplies ink to the sub tank ), An ink remaining amount management unit (ink remaining amount management unit 601b) for managing the ink remaining amount of the ink cartridge, and a control unit (printing control unit 601a) for controlling printing by the recording head, When the remaining ink management means detects that there is no remaining ink in the ink cartridge, the control means temporarily disables printing even if the next print request is input, and the next print request is made by a user operation. The first printer is in an abnormal state that enables printing, and the ink remaining amount management means And when the printing is being executed in the first printer abnormal state, the control means determines the first printer abnormality for the printing being executed based on the ink remaining amount in the sub-tank detected by the ink remaining amount management means. An ink jet recording apparatus that selects either maintaining a state or setting a second printer abnormal state in which printing is disabled.
[4] When the ink remaining amount management unit detects that there is no ink remaining in the sub tank during printing in the first printer abnormal state, the control unit selects the second printer abnormal state, The inkjet recording apparatus according to [3], wherein a print request that is being executed is canceled.
[5] A recording head (recording head 34) that forms an image by discharging ink, a sub tank (sub tank 35) that stores ink to be supplied to the recording head, and an ink cartridge (ink cartridge 10) that supplies ink to the sub tank ), An ink remaining amount management unit (ink remaining amount management unit 601b) for managing the ink remaining amount of the ink cartridge, and a control unit (printing control unit 601a) for controlling printing by the recording head, When the remaining ink management means detects that there is no remaining ink in the ink cartridge, the control means temporarily disables printing even if the next print request is input, and the next print request is made by a user operation. The first printer is in an abnormal state enabling printing, and the print request prints a plurality of pages continuously. In some cases, the user operation is performed only once (see FIG. 11B).
[6] A recording head (recording head 34) that forms an image by ejecting ink, a sub tank (sub tank 35) that stores ink to be supplied to the recording head, and an ink cartridge (ink cartridge 10) that supplies ink to the sub tank ), An ink remaining amount management unit (ink remaining amount management unit 601b) for managing the ink remaining amount of the ink cartridge, and a control unit (printing control unit 601a) for controlling printing by the recording head, When the remaining ink management means detects that there is no remaining ink in the ink cartridge, the control means temporarily disables printing even if the next print request is input, and the next print request is made by a user operation. The first printer is in an abnormal state that enables printing, and the ink remaining amount management means performs an ink cart during printing. When it is detected that there is no ink remaining in the ridge, the control unit continuously performs printing for a print request during printing (FIG. 11C).
[7] The inkjet recording apparatus according to [6], wherein when the ink remaining amount management unit detects that there is no ink remaining in the sub tank during the execution of the printing, the control unit immediately stops printing.
In order to solve the above problems, the following may be performed.
(1) A recording head (recording head 34) that discharges ink to form an image, a sub tank (sub tank 35) that stores ink to be supplied to the recording head, and an ink cartridge (ink cartridge 10) that supplies ink to the sub tank ), An ink remaining amount management unit (ink remaining amount management unit 601b) for managing the ink remaining amount of the ink cartridge, and a control unit (printing control unit 601a) for controlling printing by the recording head, When the remaining ink management means detects that there is no remaining ink in the ink cartridge, the control means causes the printer to enter an abnormal state in which printing is not performed even if the next print request is input (FIG. 1, FIG. 2 and 7).
(2) A recording head (recording head 34) that forms an image by discharging ink, a sub tank (sub tank 35) that stores ink to be supplied to the recording head, and an ink cartridge (ink cartridge 10) that supplies ink to the sub tank ), An ink remaining amount management unit (ink remaining amount management unit 601b) for managing the ink remaining amount of the ink cartridge, and a control unit (printing control unit 601a) for controlling printing by the recording head, When the remaining ink management means detects that there is no remaining ink in the ink cartridge, the control means temporarily disables printing even if the next print request is input, and the next print request is made by a user operation. An ink jet recording apparatus (FIGS. 1, 2, and 7) in which the first printer is in an abnormal state that enables printing.
(3) The ink remaining amount managing means manages the ink remaining amount in the sub tank, and when the next print request is inputted in the first printer abnormal state, the control means detects the ink remaining amount managing means. The ink jet recording according to (2), wherein either the first printer abnormal state or the second printer abnormal state in which printing is disabled is selected for the next print request based on the remaining ink amount in the sub tank. apparatus.
(4) A recording head (recording head 34) that forms an image by ejecting ink, a sub tank (sub tank 35) that stores ink to be supplied to the recording head, and an ink cartridge (ink cartridge 10) that supplies ink to the sub tank ), Ink remaining amount managing means (ink remaining amount managing unit 601b) for managing the ink remaining amount of the ink cartridge, and control means (printing control unit 601a) for controlling printing by the recording head. In the printing control method in the apparatus (the ink jet recording apparatus of FIGS. 1 and 2), when the ink remaining amount management means detects that the ink cartridge has no remaining ink, the control means Even if is entered, the printer temporarily disables printing, and the next print request is made by the user operation. A printing control method for making the first printer abnormal state that enables printing.
(5) A recording head (recording head 34) that forms an image by discharging ink, a sub tank (sub tank 35) that stores ink to be supplied to the recording head, and an ink cartridge (ink cartridge 10) that supplies ink to the sub tank ), Ink remaining amount managing means (ink remaining amount managing unit 601b) for managing the ink remaining amount of the ink cartridge, and control means (printing control unit 601a) for controlling printing by the recording head. A program relating to print control in the apparatus (the ink jet recording apparatus of FIGS. 1 and 2), and when the remaining ink management means detects that there is no remaining ink in the ink cartridge, the control means Even if a request is input, the printer is temporarily disabled, and the next operation is performed by a user operation. A program for making a first printer abnormal state that enables printing in response to a print request.
(6) A recording medium on which the program according to (5) is recorded so as to be executable by the inkjet recording apparatus.

  According to the present invention, as printing control in the ink jet recording apparatus, when the remaining amount of ink in the ink cartridge becomes 0%, notification of ink empty (first printer abnormal state) that causes an abnormal printer state is performed and temporarily. The user is urged to replace the ink cartridge as a typical print disabled state. In addition, even in a situation where no ink remains in the ink cartridge by printing control, it is possible to improve printing utilization efficiency by providing an environment in which an urgent print request can be printed without damaging the recording head. That is, at this time, the printer state is shifted to a printable warning state by a specific user operation until the ink remaining amount in the sub tank reaches 0% (main body print end state (second recording head for preventing recording head damage) It is possible to print until the printer abnormal state). As a result, even when there is no usable ink cartridge, if the number of the ink cartridges is a predetermined number, the next print request can be printed, and a printing environment can be provided to an urgent user.

1 is a schematic side view illustrating an overall configuration of a mechanism unit of an ink jet recording apparatus according to the present invention. It is principal part plane explanatory drawing of the mechanism part. FIG. 3 is a diagram of the recording head viewed from the nozzle surface side. FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram illustrating a configuration of a recording head and a sub tank. FIG. 6 is an explanatory perspective view illustrating a configuration of an ink cartridge. FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram of the ink jet recording apparatus of FIG. 1. FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram of a print control function configured in a control microcomputer of the ink jet recording apparatus of FIG. 1. FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating a relationship among a printer status state, a remaining ink level, and a display state according to the present invention. It is a user interface flow when a print request is received in the first printer abnormal state. FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating a relationship among a conventional printer status state, a remaining ink state, and a display state. FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating print permission determination timings of the print control unit after the first printer is in an abnormal state.

Hereinafter, an ink jet recording apparatus, a print control method, a program, and a recording medium according to the present invention will be described.
FIG. 1 is a schematic side view illustrating the overall configuration of the mechanism of the inkjet recording apparatus according to the present invention. FIG. 2 is a plan view illustrating the overall configuration of the mechanism of the inkjet recording apparatus. With reference to FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, an outline of an internal configuration and a mechanism part of the ink jet recording apparatus will be described.

  1 and 2, a carriage 33 is slidably held in a main scanning direction by a guide rod 31 and a stay 32, which are guide members horizontally mounted on left and right side plates 21A and 21B constituting the frame 21. Then, a main scanning motor (not shown) moves and scans in the direction indicated by the arrow (carriage main scanning direction) in FIG.

  The carriage 33 is provided with a recording head 34 composed of four droplet ejection heads that eject ink droplets of yellow (Y), cyan (C), magenta (M), and black (Bk). The outlets are arranged in a direction crossing the main scanning direction, and the ink droplet ejection direction is directed downward.

  As an inkjet head constituting the recording head 34, a piezoelectric actuator such as a piezoelectric element, a thermal actuator that uses a phase change caused by film boiling of a liquid using an electrothermal transducer such as a heating resistor, and a metal phase change caused by a temperature change. It is possible to use a shape memory alloy actuator to be used, an electrostatic actuator using an electrostatic force, or the like provided as pressure generating means for generating a pressure for discharging a droplet.

  In the present invention, in addition to driving all the ink discharge ports simultaneously, the ink discharge ports can be driven divided in time. If all the ink discharge ports are driven at the same time, there will be disadvantages such as a decrease in recording quality due to the influence of crosstalk between all the ink discharge ports and a large amount of power due to a temporary large current required. In some cases, these disadvantages can be avoided by time-division driving.

  A driver IC is mounted on the recording head 34 and is connected to a control unit (not shown) via a harness (flexible print cable) 22.

  The carriage 33 is equipped with a sub tank 35 for each color for supplying each color ink to the recording head 34. The ink tanks 10k, 10c, 10m, and 10y of the respective colors mounted on the cartridge holder 4 serving as the cartridge loading section are connected to the sub tanks 35 of the respective colors via the ink supply tubes 36 of the respective colors (“ink cartridge 10” when not distinguished). In other words, each color ink is replenished and supplied. The cartridge loading section 4 is provided with a supply pump unit 24 for feeding the ink in the ink cartridge 10, and the ink supply tube 36 is attached to the rear plate 21 </ b> C constituting the frame 21 in the middle of turning. It is held by the locking member 25.

  On the other hand, as a paper feeding unit for feeding the papers 42 stacked on the paper stacking unit (pressure plate) 41 of the paper feeding tray 2, a half-moon roller (feeding) that separates and feeds the papers 42 one by one from the paper stacking unit 41. The sheet roller 43 and the sheet feeding roller 43 are opposed to each other, and a separation pad 44 made of a material having a large friction coefficient is provided. The separation pad 44 is urged toward the sheet feeding roller 43 side.

  In order to feed the paper 42 fed from the paper feeding unit to the lower side of the recording head 34, a guide member 45 for guiding the paper 42, a counter roller 46, a transport guide member 47, and a tip pressure roller. And a holding belt 48 which is a conveying means for electrostatically attracting the fed paper 42 and conveying it at a position facing the recording head 34.

  The transport belt 51 is an endless belt, and is configured to wrap around the transport roller 52 and the tension roller 53 and circulate in the belt transport direction (sub-scanning direction). The transport belt 51 is, for example, a surface layer that is a sheet adsorbing surface formed of a pure resin material having a thickness of about 40 μm that is not subjected to resistance control, for example, ETFE pure material, and resistance control by carbon using the same material as the surface layer. And a back layer (medium resistance layer, earth layer).

  A charging roller 56 is provided as charging means for charging the surface of the conveyor belt 51. The charging roller 56 is disposed so as to come into contact with the surface layer of the conveyor belt 51 and to be rotated by the rotation of the conveyor belt 51, and applies a predetermined pressing force to both ends of the shaft as a pressing force. The transport roller 52 also functions as an earth roller, and is in contact with the middle resistance layer (back layer) of the transport belt 51 and is grounded.

  In addition, a guide member 57 is disposed on the back side of the conveyance belt 51 so as to correspond to a printing area by the recording head 34. The guide member 57 has an upper surface that protrudes toward the recording head 34 from the tangent line of the two rollers (the conveyance roller 52 and the tension roller 53) that support the conveyance belt 51, thereby maintaining high-precision flatness of the conveyance belt 51. Like to do.

  The conveyance belt 51 rotates in the belt conveyance direction (sub-scanning direction) in FIG. 2 when the conveyance roller 52 is rotationally driven by a sub-scanning motor (not shown).

  Further, as a paper discharge unit for discharging the paper 42 recorded by the recording head 34, a separation claw 61 for separating the paper 42 from the conveying belt 51, a paper discharge roller 62, and a paper discharge roller 63 are provided. The paper discharge tray 3 is provided below the paper discharge roller 62. Here, the height from between the paper discharge roller 62 and the paper discharge roller 63 to the paper discharge tray 3 is increased to some extent in order to increase the amount that can be stored in the paper discharge tray 3.

  A duplex unit 71 is detachably mounted on the back surface of the apparatus body 1. The duplex unit 71 takes in the paper 42 returned by the reverse rotation of the conveyance belt 51, reverses it, and feeds it again between the counter roller 46 and the conveyance belt 51. The upper surface of the duplex unit 71 is a manual feed tray 72.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 2, a maintenance / recovery mechanism 81 including a recovery means for maintaining and recovering the nozzle state of the recording head 34 is disposed in the non-printing area on one side of the carriage 33 in the scanning direction. Yes. The maintenance / recovery mechanism 81 includes a cap member (hereinafter referred to as “cap”) 82a to 82d (hereinafter referred to as “cap 82” when not distinguished) and a nozzle surface for capping each nozzle surface of the recording head 34. A wiper blade 83 that is a blade member for discharging, and an empty discharge receiver 84 that receives liquid droplets when performing empty discharge for discharging liquid droplets that do not contribute to recording in order to discharge the thickened recording liquid. . Here, the cap 82a is a suction and moisture retention cap, and the other caps 82b to 82d are moisture retention caps.

  Then, the waste liquid of the recording liquid generated by the maintenance / recovery operation by the maintenance / recovery mechanism 81, the ink discharged to the cap 82, the ink attached to the wiper blade 83 and removed by the wiper cleaner, and the idle ejection receiver 84 are idled. The discharged ink is discharged and stored in a waste liquid tank (not shown).

  In addition, as shown in FIG. 2, in the non-printing area on the other side in the scanning direction of the carriage 33, idle discharge is performed to discharge liquid droplets that do not contribute to recording in order to discharge the recording liquid thickened during recording or the like. An empty discharge receiver 88 for receiving the droplets at the time is disposed, and the empty discharge receiver 88 is provided with an opening 89 along the nozzle row direction of the recording head 34.

  Further, a communication circuit unit (interface) such as a USB for transmitting / receiving data to / from the host is provided on the inner rear side of the apparatus main body 1 and constitutes a control unit that controls the entire image forming apparatus. A control circuit board is provided.

  In the ink jet recording apparatus configured as described above, the sheets 42 are separated and fed one by one from the sheet feeding tray 2, and the sheet 42 fed substantially vertically upward is guided by the guide 45, and the transport belt 51 and the counter roller 46, and the leading end is guided by the conveying guide 47 and pressed against the conveying belt 51 by the leading end pressing roller 49, and the conveying direction is changed by approximately 90 °.

  At this time, a positive voltage output and a negative output are alternately repeated from the AC bias supply unit to the charging roller 56 by a control circuit (not shown), that is, a charging voltage pattern in which an alternating voltage is applied and the conveying belt 51 alternates. That is, plus and minus are alternately charged in a band shape with a predetermined width in the sub-scanning direction which is the circumferential direction. When the paper 42 is fed onto the conveyance belt 51 charged alternately with plus and minus, the paper 42 is attracted to the conveyance belt 51, and the paper 42 is conveyed in the sub-scanning direction by the circular movement of the conveyance belt 51.

  Therefore, by driving the recording head 34 according to the image signal while moving the carriage 33, ink droplets are ejected onto the stopped paper 42 to record one line, and after the paper 42 is conveyed by a predetermined amount, Record the next line. Upon receiving a recording end signal or a signal that the trailing edge of the paper 42 has reached the recording area, the recording operation is finished and the paper 42 is discharged onto the paper discharge tray 3.

  Further, during printing (recording) standby, the carriage 33 is moved to the maintenance / recovery mechanism 81 side, and the recording head 34 is capped by the cap 82 to keep the nozzles in a wet state, thereby preventing ejection failure due to ink drying. . In addition, the recording liquid is sucked from the nozzle by a suction pump (not shown) with the recording head 34 capped by the cap 82 (referred to as “nozzle suction” or “head suction”), and the recovered recording liquid and bubbles are discharged. Perform the action. In addition, an idle ejection operation for ejecting ink not related to recording is performed before the start of recording or during recording. As a result, the stable ejection performance of the recording head 34 is maintained.

Next, an example of the head configuration of the recording head will be described with reference to FIG.
The recording head 34 has four nozzle rows 134k including a plurality of nozzles 134n for ejecting droplets of each color of black (K) ink, cyan (C) ink, magenta (M) ink, and yellow (Y) ink. , 134c, 134m, 134y (hereinafter referred to as “nozzle row 134N” when not distinguished) are formed on one nozzle surface 134a.

Next, an example of the configuration of the recording head 34 and the sub tank 35 provided in the carriage 33 will be described with reference to FIG.
The carriage 33 includes a recording head 34 including four droplet discharge heads that discharge ink droplets of yellow (Y), cyan (C), magenta (M), and black (Bk). A sub tank 35 for each color for supplying ink of each color is mounted on 34. Ink is supplied from the ink cartridge 10 to the sub tank 35 via the ink supply tube 36.

  In addition, the sub tank 35 is provided with a full filler 90 for detecting the ink capacity. In the case of supplying ink to the sub tank 35, when it is detected that the full tank filler 90 blocks the full tank filler detection sensor 91 from a predetermined position, it is determined that the sub tank 35 is in an ink full state.

An example of the ink cartridge 10 will be described with reference to FIG.
The ink cartridge 10 includes an ink bag 111 filled with ink, and a housing 112 in which the ink bag 111 is detachably mounted. The casing 112 includes a first casing 112A and a second casing 112B that can be divided into at least two parts, and constitute a casing portion that serves as a protective cover for protecting the side surface of the ink bag 111. That is, the housing 112 is divided into a first housing 112A and a second housing 112B that house the ink bag 111 on a surface parallel to the ink supply direction (ink discharge direction).

  The ink bag 111 is provided with an ink discharge port portion 114 provided on the back side of the cartridge loading portion 4 and connected to the supply needle when loaded in the cartridge loading portion 4 of the apparatus main body 1. . Further, information relating to the ink cartridge 10 such as ink color, ink type, ink remaining amount, expiration date, ID number and the like is stored on the surface (rear surface) of the housing 112 on the ink supply port 114 side. When the non-volatile memory (for example, EEPROM) 115 serving as the storage means is provided and is loaded in the cartridge loading unit 4, it is electrically connected to the electrode on the apparatus body 1 side provided on the back side of the cartridge loading unit 4. The information stored in the nonvolatile memory 115 is connected to the control unit on the apparatus main body 1 side.

FIG. 6 is an overall block diagram of the control unit of the ink jet recording apparatus shown in FIGS.
The control unit includes a control microcomputer 601 configured by a microcomputer that controls the entire inkjet recording apparatus (including a print control microcomputer that controls print control).

  When there is a print command from the user through the application 98, an OS (GDI; here, GDI (Graphic Device Interface) mounted on a Windows (registered trademark) OS such as Windows XP (registered trademark) is taken as an example. 99) transmits the image data output by the ink jet recording apparatus to the printer driver 100.

  The printer driver 100 converts the image data transmitted from the application 98 into print image data in a format that can be processed by the ink jet recording apparatus main body, and inputs the converted image data to the control microcomputer 601 via the communication path 101.

  As described above, the control microcomputer 601 uses a carriage drive motor drive circuit 603 that includes a carriage drive motor and a transport motor (not shown) to form an image on the paper 42 based on the printed image data input from the communication circuit 101. In addition, driving control is performed via the transport motor driving circuit 605, and data for driving pressure generating means for ejecting droplets of the recording head 34 is generated and given to the head driving circuit 609. .

  The control microcomputer 601 receives a detection signal from a carriage position detection circuit 602 that detects the position of the carriage 33, and the control microcomputer 601 controls the movement position and movement speed of the carriage 33 based on this detection signal. The carriage position detection circuit 602 detects the position of the carriage 33 by, for example, reading and counting the number of slits of an encoder sheet arranged in the scanning direction of the carriage 33 with a photosensor mounted on the carriage 33. The carriage drive motor drive circuit 603 rotates the carriage drive motor in accordance with the carriage movement amount input from the control microcomputer 601 and moves the carriage 33 to a predetermined position at a predetermined speed.

  A detection signal from a conveyance amount detection circuit 604 that detects the movement amount of the conveyance belt 51 is input to the control microcomputer 601, and the control microcomputer 601 controls the movement amount and movement speed of the conveyance belt 51 based on this detection signal. To do. The carry amount detection circuit 604 detects the carry amount by, for example, reading and counting the number of slits of the rotary encoder sheet attached to the rotation shaft of the carry roller 52 with a photo sensor. The conveyance motor drive circuit 605 rotates the conveyance motor in accordance with the conveyance amount input from the control microcomputer 601 and rotates the conveyance roller 52 to move the conveyance belt 51 to a predetermined position at a predetermined speed. .

  The control microcomputer 601 rotates the sheet feeding roller 43 by giving a sheet feeding roller driving command to the sheet feeding roller driving circuit 610. The control microcomputer 601 rotates the motor via the maintenance / recovery mechanism driving motor drive circuit 611 to move the cap 82 up and down and the wiper blade 83 up and down.

  The control microcomputer 601 drives and controls the ink supply motor for driving the pump of the supply unit 24 via the ink supply motor drive circuit 612, and the ink cartridge 10 loaded in the cartridge loading unit 4 controls the sub tank 35. Supply ink.

  The control microcomputer 601 includes a detection signal from a sub tank full tank sensor (full tank filler detection sensor) 91 that detects that the sub tank 35 is full, and a cartridge cover sensor that detects opening and closing of the front cover of the cartridge loading unit 4. A detection signal or the like from 614 is input.

  Further, the control microcomputer 601 stores information stored in the non-volatile memories 115k, 115c, 115m, and 115y, which are storage means provided in each ink cartridge 10 attached to the cartridge loading unit 4 through the cartridge communication circuit 615 ( The remaining amount of ink is taken in, and necessary processing is performed, and stored in a non-volatile memory (for example, EEPROM) 616 serving as main body storage means.

  The head driving circuit 609 drives the pressure generating means (piezoelectric element in the case of a piezo head) of the recording head 34 based on the print data from the control microcomputer 601, and discharges droplets from a required nozzle.

  The control microcomputer 601 detects the size of the paper being passed from the paper size sensor 606, and if the input image data can be arranged on the paper, and if there is image data outside the paper, the image data The print control microcomputer can be set so as to trim and draw the image. As a method for detecting the paper size, it is possible to detect the paper width by disposing a reflective sensor on the side of the carriage and detecting the difference in reflectance between the paper and the conveyance path when the carriage scans. In addition, it is possible to detect the sheet width by arranging a line sensor perpendicular to the transport direction on the transport path. As for the sheet length in the conveyance direction, a reflection type sensor is similarly arranged on the conveyance path, and the sheet length can be detected by counting the conveyance amount after the sheet is detected.

  The control microcomputer 601 can detect the position in the machine where the paper 42 is located from a plurality of paper position sensors 607 arranged on the transport path, and if the paper is in an unintended position during printing. It can be detected as a jam and an abnormality can be detected by the user. The location where the abnormality has occurred can also be indicated.

  Next, an example of the print control function block will be described with reference to FIG. The figure is a functional block diagram of a print control function configured in the control microcomputer 601 of the ink jet recording apparatus. The print control function block includes a print control unit 601a, a remaining ink management unit 601b, a data reception unit 601c, a device control unit 601d, and a user interface unit 601e.

  As a print control process, when there is a print command from the user through the application 98, the OS (GDI) 99 transmits image data to be printed to the printer driver. The transmitted image data is processed in the printer driver 100, and this image data is notified as a print request (also referred to as a print job) to the print control unit 601a via the data receiving unit 601c. Next, the print control unit 601a inquires of the ink remaining amount management unit 601b about the ink remaining amount for printing, and determines whether or not printing is possible based on the ink remaining amount data notified from the ink remaining amount management unit 601b.

  The ink remaining amount management unit 601b manages the ink remaining amount in each of the ink cartridge 10 and the sub tank 35. Specifically, regarding the ink remaining amount in the sub tank 35, first, the ink remaining amount is counted by subtracting the ink consumption amount due to printing or maintenance from the total amount when the sub tank 35 is full due to the detection of the full tank filler detection sensor 91. To do. That is, the ink consumption in printing is the size of a droplet that is known in advance by counting the number of ejections for each droplet size (large droplet, medium droplet, small droplet) ejected from the recording head 34. This is an amount obtained by multiplying the volume per droplet by the total number of ejections. The ink consumption in maintenance is the same as that in printing in the case of idle ejection, and is an amount calculated based on the amount of rotation of the motor that drives the suction pump in the case of suction. The remaining amount of ink in the sub tank 35 is managed as a percentage display such as 0% (no remaining ink) to 100% (full ink).

  Further, the remaining amount of ink in the ink cartridge 10 is counted by subtracting the amount of ink supplied to the sub tank 35 (the increased amount of ink in the sub tank 35) from the remaining amount of ink in the ink cartridge 10 at that time. The ink remaining amount of the ink cartridge 10 counted at this time is written in the nonvolatile memory 616 of the control microcomputer 601 and the nonvolatile memory 115 of the ink cartridge 10. Also in the ink cartridge 10, the remaining amount of ink is managed in a percentage display such as 0% (no remaining ink) to 100% (full ink).

  Here, the print control unit 601a performs control related to printing as follows according to the state of the remaining ink amount received from the remaining ink amount management unit 601b. FIG. 8 shows the relationship between the printer status (printer status), the remaining ink level, and the display status.

(1) When the remaining amount of ink in the ink cartridge 10 is equal to or greater than a predetermined amount (for example, ≧ 10% or ≧ 20%) and the sub tank 35 has remaining ink (> 0%) (normal state)
Assuming that the printable printer is in a normal state, the device control unit 601d is notified of a print device operation request such as the recording head 34, and printing is started.

(2) When the remaining amount of ink in the ink cartridge 10 is greater than 0, less than a predetermined amount (for example, greater than 0%, less than 10% or less than 20%), and there is a remaining amount of ink in the sub tank 35 (> 0%) ( Ink near empty)
Assuming that printing is possible, the device control unit 601d is notified of a request for operating a printing device such as the recording head 34, and printing is started. However, since the ink remaining in the ink cartridge 10 is very small, a notification to that effect is sent to the user interface unit 601e, and the user interface unit 601e displays the message on the display unit (LED or liquid crystal display panel) of the apparatus main body 1. To do. For example, the LED is in a yellow lighting state, and “printing is possible” and “the ink is scarce” are displayed on the liquid crystal display panel. Thereby, the user can prepare the ink cartridge 10 for replacement at an earlier time.

(3) When the ink cartridge 10 has no remaining ink (0%) and the sub tank 35 has the remaining ink (> 0%) (first printer abnormal state (ink empty))
Since there is ink in the sub tank 35, even if printing is performed, the recording head 34 is not immediately damaged. However, if printing is continued, the ink in the sub tank 35 will be exhausted in the near future. For this reason, even if the next print request is input, a temporary print disabled state (print stop state) is set, and the first printer abnormal state (ink empty) is set in which the next print request can be printed by a user operation. Specifically, the user interface unit 601e is notified of waiting for a user instruction as to whether printing is to be performed as a temporary print disabled state, and the process for the print request is set to a standby state. Next, the user interface unit 601e displays a message prompting replacement of the ink cartridge 10 on the display unit of the apparatus main body 1, a message requesting user operation to execute or cancel printing, or a message indicating that forced printing is possible. (For example, the LED is blinking red, and “change ink or forced printing” is displayed on the liquid crystal display panel.)

The user sees this display and performs a predetermined operation (user operation). FIG. 9 shows a user interface flow at this time.
First, as described above, “ink change (ink replacement)” and “matahako insatsu (or forced printing)” are alternately displayed on the panel. Here, by notifying the user of forced printing, the state in which printing can be temporarily performed is notified. At this time, the user can select either “forced printing” that allows temporary printing, “job reset” that cancels printing, or “ink cartridge replacement”. This is a user operation.

  At this time, when “forced printing” is selected (for example, when the forced button (forced paper discharge key) is pressed), the print control unit 601a temporarily prints the target print request from the print disabled state. The device control unit 601d is notified of a printing device operation request, and printing is started. When “job reset” is selected (in the case of a print cancel instruction), the print control unit 601a performs processing for discarding image data regarding the target print request. If “Replace ink cartridge” is selected, the printer state is changed from the unprintable state to the printable state, and printing is started.

  Printing is performed using the ink remaining in the sub tank 35. For example, when the sub tank 35 is full, it is possible to print 100 pages of monochrome A4 size paper 42 and 50 pages of color.

(4) When the ink cartridge 10 and the sub tank 35 have no remaining ink (0%) (second printer abnormal state (main body print end))
Since there is no ink in the sub-tank 35, the recording head 34 is immediately damaged when printing is performed, so that the second printer abnormal state (main body print end) in which printing is disabled is set. Specifically, the user interface unit 601e is notified of a complete print disabled state that does not accept a forced print instruction. The user interface unit 601e displays a message indicating that printing cannot be performed and a message indicating that the ink cartridge 10 needs to be replaced on the display unit of the apparatus main body 1. For example, the LED is lit in red, and “Open the right front cover and replace the ink” is displayed on the liquid crystal display panel.

  In addition, at the same time as or in place of the display on the LED or liquid crystal display panel of the ink jet recording apparatus described above, a display message in each printer state is sent to a personal computer (PC running the application 98) connected to the ink jet recording apparatus. You may make it display. Further, when the first printer is in an abnormal state (ink empty), the forced printing operation may be enabled from the personal computer.

FIG. 10 shows a relationship among a printer status state (printer state), an ink remaining amount state, and a display state in a conventional ink jet recording apparatus. In this case, as long as the remaining amount of ink in the ink cartridge 10 is present (> 0%), the printable printer is in a normal state (normal state), and the ink cartridge is replaced without remaining ink in the ink cartridge 10 (0%). Only a warning display for prompting is displayed, and printing is completely stopped when there is no ink remaining in the sub tank 35 (0%). This also makes it possible to avoid damage to the recording head 34, but once printing is stopped, printing cannot be executed unless the ink cartridge is replaced, which is inconvenient.
In the present invention (FIG. 8), the timing for stopping printing is earlier than in the prior art, and it is possible to prompt the user to replace the ink cartridge 10 more effectively.

FIG. 11 shows print permission determination timings of the print control unit 601a after the first printer abnormal state (ink empty) is reached.
FIG. 11A shows basic print permission determination timing. That is, when there is no remaining ink in the ink cartridge 10 at the end of printing of the print request (1) which is the first print request, and the first printer is in an abnormal state, each subsequent print request (print request (2)) , For each print request (3)), a panel display requesting user operation is performed. Then, the print control unit 601a performs processing according to the user operation for each print request. In the figure, for each print request, forced printing is selected by operating the temporary permission print key and printing is executed.

  When the next print request is input in the first printer abnormal state, the print control unit 601a determines the next print request based on the ink remaining amount in the sub tank 35 detected by the ink remaining amount management unit 601b. One of the first printer abnormal state and the second printer abnormal state in which printing is disabled is selected. In the case of FIG. 11A, the first printer abnormal state is selected because the sub tank 35 has a remaining amount of ink.

  Further, the user operation is performed only once in a print request for continuously printing a plurality of pages after the first printer is in an abnormal state. In FIG. 11B, a panel display requesting a user operation is performed at the beginning of a print request (2) for continuously printing two pages, and once a temporary permission print key (forced printing) is operated, two pages are continuously displayed. Printing is being performed.

  During printing in the first printer abnormal state, the print control unit 601a determines the first printer abnormal state for printing being performed based on the ink remaining amount in the sub tank 35 detected by the ink remaining amount management unit 601b. It is preferable to select one of the following two conditions: maintaining the image quality, or setting the second printer abnormal state in which printing is disabled. For example, if the remaining ink management unit 601b detects that there is no remaining ink in the sub tank 35 while printing a plurality of pages in the first printer abnormal state, the print control unit 601a is used to prevent the recording head 34 from being damaged. Selects the second printer abnormal state, and cancels the print request that was being executed.

  When the remaining ink management unit 601b detects that the ink cartridge 10 has no remaining ink during printing, the print control unit 601a performs a user operation on the print request (1) during printing. It is preferable to continue printing without obtaining the above (FIG. 11C). When the next print request (2) is input, a panel display requesting a user operation is performed, and printing is executed by operating a temporary permission print key (forced printing).

  In FIG. 11C, the ink remaining amount management unit 601b performs the ink in the sub tank 35 while the first printer is in an abnormal state during printing of the print request (1). When it is detected that there is no remaining amount, the print control unit 601a immediately stops printing to prevent the recording head 34 from being damaged. It is preferable to leave the image data of the print request (1) at this time and print the remaining after ink replenishment. Alternatively, the user may be allowed to select whether or not to print the remaining pages after ink replenishment. Further, when there is no target image data after ink replenishment, an error display may be performed.

  Heretofore, the contents of the printing control in the ink jet recording apparatus of FIGS. 1 and 2, particularly the printing control when the first printer abnormal state is detected, have been described with reference to FIGS. 7 to 9 and 11. However, the present invention can also be applied to a program in which the execution of each unit is controlled to execute the printing control in the inkjet recording apparatus of FIG.

  That is, a recording head (recording head 34) that discharges ink to form an image, a sub tank (sub tank 35) that stores ink to be supplied to the recording head, and an ink cartridge (ink cartridge 10) that supplies ink to the sub tank And an ink remaining amount managing means (ink remaining amount managing section 601b) for managing the ink remaining amount of the ink cartridge, and a control means (printing control section 601a) for controlling printing by the recording head. A program relating to printing control in the ink jet recording apparatus (FIGS. 1 and 2), wherein when the ink remaining amount management means detects that there is no ink remaining in the ink cartridge, the control means Even if is entered, it is temporarily disabled from printing and is Is a program for the first printer abnormal states can be printed on the print request.

  The above processing can be executed by a program stored in a main memory such as a ROM. This program can be provided, for example, by downloading from the Internet, and can be installed in the inkjet recording apparatus from the information processing apparatus (host) side. The processing of the present invention may be configured to be performed by a printer driver on the information processing apparatus (host) side. The present invention is also applied to an aspect of a recording medium in which the program of the present invention is recorded, stored, or stored so as to be executable by the ink jet recording apparatus (the ink jet recording apparatus of FIG. 1).

  Although the present invention has been described with the embodiments shown in the drawings, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments shown in the drawings, and other embodiments, additions, modifications, deletions, etc. Can be changed within the range that can be conceived, and any embodiment is included in the scope of the present invention as long as the effects and advantages of the present invention are exhibited.

2 Feeding tray 3 Discharging tray 4 Cartridge loading unit 10, 10k, 10c, 10m, 10y Ink cartridge 21 Frame 21A, 21B Side plate 21C Rear plate 22 Harness 24 Supply unit 25 Locking member 31 Guide rod 32 Stay 33 Carriage 34 Recording Head 35 Sub tank 36 Ink supply tube 41 Paper stacking section 42 Paper 43 Paper feed roller 44 Separation pad 45 Guide member 46 Counter roller 47 Transport guide member 48 Pressing member 49 Tip pressure roller 51 Transport belt 52 Transport roller 53 Tension roller 56 Charging roller 57 Guide member 61 Separation claw 62 Paper discharge roller 63 Paper discharge roller 71 Double-sided unit 72 Manual feed tray 81 Maintenance recovery mechanism 82, 82a, 82b, 82c, 82d Cap 83 Wiper braid 84 and 88 idle ejection receiver 89 opening 90 full filler 91 full filler detection sensor 98 application 99 OS (GDI)
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 100 Printer driver 101 Communication circuit 111 Ink bag 112 Case 112A 1st case 112B 2nd case 114 Ink supply port part 115 Non-volatile memory 134a Nozzle surface 134k, 134c, 134m, 134y, 134N Nozzle row 134n Nozzle 601 Control microcomputer 601a Print control unit 601b Ink remaining amount management unit 601c Data reception unit 601d Device control unit 601e User interface unit 602 Carriage position detection circuit 603 Carriage drive motor drive circuit 604 Conveyance amount detection circuit 605 Conveyance motor drive circuit 606 Paper size sensor 607 Paper position Sensor 609 Head drive circuit 610 Paper feed roller drive circuit 611 Maintenance drive mechanism drive motor drive circuit 612 Ink supply motor drive circuit 613 Sub tank full sensor 614 Cartridge cover sensor 615 Cartridge communication circuit 616 Non-volatile memory

JP 2004-174832 A JP 2007-015153 A

Claims (7)

A recording head for ejecting ink to form an image;
A sub tank for storing ink to be supplied to the recording head;
An ink cartridge for supplying ink to the sub tank;
Ink remaining amount management means for managing the ink remaining amount of the ink cartridge;
Control means for controlling printing by the recording head;
With
When the remaining ink management means detects that the ink cartridge has no remaining ink,
The control means sets the first printer abnormal state in which the next print request is temporarily disabled even if the next print request is input, and the next print request can be printed by a user operation.
An ink jet recording apparatus that requests a user operation to execute or cancel printing for a next print request when the next print request is input in an abnormal state of the first printer. A recording head for ejecting ink to form an image;
A sub tank for storing ink to be supplied to the recording head;
An ink cartridge for supplying ink to the sub tank;
Ink remaining amount management means for managing the ink remaining amount of the ink cartridge;
Control means for controlling printing by the recording head;
With
When the remaining ink management means detects that the ink cartridge has no remaining ink,
The control means sets the first printer abnormal state in which the next print request is temporarily disabled even if the next print request is input, and the next print request can be printed by a user operation.
An ink jet recording apparatus that, when a next print request is input in the first printer abnormal state, waits for the next print request until operated by the user. A recording head for ejecting ink to form an image;
A sub tank for storing ink to be supplied to the recording head;
An ink cartridge for supplying ink to the sub tank;
Ink remaining amount management means for managing the ink remaining amount of the ink cartridge;
Control means for controlling printing by the recording head;
With
When the remaining ink management means detects that the ink cartridge has no remaining ink,
The control means sets the first printer abnormal state in which the next print request is temporarily disabled even if the next print request is input, and the next print request can be printed by a user operation.
The ink remaining amount management means manages the ink remaining amount of the sub tank,
During execution of printing in the first printer abnormal state, the control unit maintains the first printer abnormal state for the printing being performed based on the ink remaining amount in the sub tank detected by the ink remaining amount management unit. Or an ink jet recording apparatus that selects either the abnormal state of the second printer that disables printing.   When the remaining ink management means detects that there is no ink remaining in the sub tank during printing in the first printer abnormal state, the control means selects the second printer abnormal state and is executing printing. The inkjet recording apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the print request is canceled. A recording head for ejecting ink to form an image;
A sub tank for storing ink to be supplied to the recording head;
An ink cartridge for supplying ink to the sub tank;
Ink remaining amount management means for managing the ink remaining amount of the ink cartridge;
Control means for controlling printing by the recording head;
With
When the remaining ink management means detects that the ink cartridge has no remaining ink,
The control means sets the first printer abnormal state in which the next print request is temporarily disabled even if the next print request is input, and the next print request can be printed by a user operation.
An inkjet recording apparatus in which the user operation is performed only once when the print request is to continuously print a plurality of pages. A recording head for ejecting ink to form an image;
A sub tank for storing ink to be supplied to the recording head;
An ink cartridge for supplying ink to the sub tank;
Ink remaining amount management means for managing the ink remaining amount of the ink cartridge;
Control means for controlling printing by the recording head;
With
When the remaining ink management means detects that the ink cartridge has no remaining ink,
The control means sets the first printer abnormal state in which the next print request is temporarily disabled even if the next print request is input, and the next print request can be printed by a user operation.
When the ink remaining amount management unit detects that the ink cartridge has no remaining ink amount during execution of printing, the control unit continuously performs printing for a print request during execution of printing.   The inkjet recording apparatus according to claim 6, wherein when the remaining ink management unit detects that there is no remaining ink in the sub tank during the execution of the printing, the control unit immediately stops printing.