JP2016525030A - Inkjet image forming apparatus and light detection method - Google Patents

Abstract

The inkjet image forming apparatus according to the present invention includes a plurality of ink cartridges, a carriage movable along a guide rail, a light receiving unit, a time count unit, and a control unit. The ink jet image forming apparatus and the light detection method according to the present invention improve the method of detecting the mounting position of the ink cartridge, and whether or not the ink cartridge on which the compatible ink cartridge chip is mounted is mounted at an accurate position. Situations that cannot be detected by the inkjet image forming apparatus are reduced or avoided. In addition, problems of poor print quality or damage to the inkjet image forming apparatus are avoided. When a plurality of light receiving units are arranged in the inkjet image forming apparatus, the efficiency of detecting the mounting position of the ink cartridge is also improved. [Selection] Figure 11

Description

  The present invention relates to the field of inkjet printing and image formation, and more particularly to an inkjet image forming apparatus and a light detection method.

  In a conventional inkjet image forming apparatus, one light receiving unit is disposed inside the apparatus, and one light emitting unit (specifically, LED) is disposed in an ink cartridge chip. The inkjet image forming apparatus controls lighting or extinguishing of the light emitting unit by transmitting a control command corresponding to the ink cartridge chip. Thereby, functions such as detecting the position of the ink cartridge and displaying the state of the ink cartridge to the user are realized (see Patent Document 1). Specifically, the plurality of ink cartridge chips are connected to the inkjet image forming apparatus by the same bus connection. The ink cartridge chip stores its own identification information (identification information, abbreviated as ID information), and the inkjet image forming apparatus transmits one command including the ID information. The ink cartridge chip is specifically controlled. When the ID information included in the command received from the inkjet image forming apparatus is the same as the ID information stored in the ink cartridge chip, the ink cartridge chip confirms that the control is for itself. Based on the light control information, the LED in the ink cartridge chip is turned on or off. The inkjet image forming apparatus determines whether or not the ink cartridge is attached at an accurate position by detecting light emitted from the ink cartridge chip based on the process shown in FIGS. To do. The detection method is as follows. First, the LEDs in one ink cartridge chip are turned on. Next, the bracket to which the ink cartridge is attached is moved toward the optical receiver so that the lit ink cartridge faces the optical receiver. When the optical receiver can receive light, this indicates that the mounting position of the ink cartridge is accurate. Then, the other ink cartridges are sequentially turned on and the brackets are moved to detect whether light can be received. In this way, it is determined whether or not all the ink cartridges are attached at correct positions.

  However, since such detection methods are simple and have obvious regularity, some non-original manufacturers can easily circumvent this detection method, often using defects in this detection scheme. Compatible ink cartridge chips can be manufactured. When an ink cartridge equipped with these compatible ink cartridge chips is used, the inkjet image forming apparatus cannot detect it even though the ink cartridge is inadvertently installed in the wrong position. . In this case, quality problems such as color mixing occur in printing, and the ink jet head of the ink jet image forming apparatus is damaged. As one known method that can avoid this detection method, the ink cartridge chip needs to determine whether the command received from the inkjet image forming apparatus includes the same ID information as that stored in the ink cartridge chip. The LED in the ink cartridge chip is turned on or off directly based on the light control information (see Patent Document 2).

  Some other inkjet image forming apparatuses do not detect the mounting position of the ink cartridge by the method of Patent Document 1, but still have a problem that the detection method is simple and regular. There is also a problem that the detection time is too long. Therefore, it is necessary to improve the conventional detection means.

Chinese Patent Application Publication No. 1636744 Specification China Patent Application Publication No. 103182849 Specification

  The present invention improves the method of detecting the mounting position of an ink cartridge chip, and it is impossible to detect whether or not an ink cartridge having a compatible ink cartridge chip mounted in an inkjet image forming apparatus is mounted at an accurate position. An inkjet image forming apparatus and a light detection method capable of reducing or avoiding the problem are provided.

<Application example 1>
An inkjet image forming apparatus according to the present invention is
A plurality of ink cartridges each having a light emitting unit;
A movable carriage provided with a plurality of attachment positions including a first attachment position and a second attachment position different from the first attachment position in a movement direction;
A light receiving unit capable of receiving light emitted by the light emitting units of the plurality of ink cartridges;
A time count unit,
A control unit used to turn on or off the light emitting units in the plurality of ink cartridges and to determine whether or not an accurate ink cartridge is mounted at any of the plurality of mounting positions; I have.

  When the first attachment position faces the light receiving unit due to the movement of the carriage, the control unit turns on the light emitting unit of the ink cartridge awaiting attachment at the first attachment position. The luminous intensity received by the light receiving unit at this time is called the first luminous intensity.

  The time count unit is used to calculate a time difference between a time when the control unit turns on the light emitting unit and a time when the light receiving unit receives the first light intensity. When the second attachment position faces the light receiving unit due to the movement of the carriage, the control unit turns on the light emitting unit of the ink cartridge awaiting attachment at the first attachment position. The luminous intensity received by the light receiving unit at this time is referred to as second luminous intensity.

  The control unit determines whether an accurate ink cartridge is attached to the first attachment position based on the first light intensity, the second light intensity, and the calculated time difference.

  In another embodiment, as an alternative method, the inkjet image forming apparatus further includes a storage unit that stores at least a plurality of light emission modes having different blinking frequencies.

  When the first attachment position faces the light receiving unit due to the movement of the carriage, the control unit randomly selects one light emission mode from the plurality of light emission modes stored in the storage unit. The light emitting unit of the ink cartridge awaiting attachment at the first attachment position is controlled. The light intensity received by the light receiving unit at this time is referred to as third light intensity.

The control unit determines whether an accurate ink cartridge is attached to the first attachment position based on whether the third luminous intensity corresponds to the randomly selected light emission mode.

In another embodiment, as an alternative,
When the first attachment position faces the light receiving unit due to the movement of the carriage, the control unit turns on the light emitting unit of the ink cartridge awaiting attachment at the first attachment position. The luminous intensity received by the light receiving unit at this time is called the first luminous intensity. The control unit turns off the light emitting unit after the first preset time. When the second attachment position faces the light receiving unit due to the movement of the carriage, the control unit turns on the light emitting unit of the ink cartridge awaiting attachment at the first attachment position. The luminous intensity received by the light receiving unit at this time is referred to as second luminous intensity. The control unit turns off the light emitting unit after the second preset time. The difference between the first preset time and the second preset time is less than half of the first preset time. Alternatively, the length of the first preset time or the second preset time is determined by a random time generating unit.

The present invention further provides a light detection method for determining whether one of a plurality of ink cartridges is accurately attached to an inkjet image forming apparatus. The inkjet image forming apparatus is movable along a guide rail and includes a carriage provided with a plurality of attachment positions including a first attachment position and a second attachment position different from the first attachment position in the movement direction. And a light receiving unit for receiving light emitted by the light emitting units of the plurality of ink cartridges. The method
When the carriage is moved, the first mounting position faces the light receiving unit, and when the light emitting unit of the ink cartridge awaiting mounting is turned on at the first mounting position, the first light intensity received by the light receiving unit is detected. And steps to
Calculating a time difference between a time when the light emitting unit is turned on and a time when the light receiving unit receives the first luminous intensity;
When the carriage is moved, the second mounting position faces the light receiving unit, and the second light intensity received by the light receiving unit is detected when the light emitting unit of the ink cartridge waiting to be mounted is turned on at the first mounting position. And steps to
Determining whether an accurate ink cartridge is mounted at the first mounting position based on the first luminous intensity, the second luminous intensity, and the calculated time difference.

<Application example 2>
An inkjet image forming apparatus according to the present invention is
A plurality of ink cartridges each having a light emitting unit;
A movable carriage provided with a plurality of attachment positions including a first attachment position and a second attachment position different from the first attachment position in a movement direction;
A light receiving unit capable of receiving light emitted by the light emitting units of the plurality of ink cartridges;
A time count unit,
A control unit used to turn on or off the light emitting units in the plurality of ink cartridges and to determine whether or not an accurate ink cartridge is mounted at any of the plurality of mounting positions; I have.

  When the first attachment position faces the light receiving unit due to the movement of the carriage, the control unit turns on the light emitting unit of the ink cartridge awaiting attachment at the first attachment position. The luminous intensity received by the light receiving unit at this time is called the first luminous intensity.

The time count unit receives the first luminous intensity after the control unit turns on the light emitting unit until the light emitting unit is turned off, and the light receiving unit receives the first luminous intensity. It is used to calculate the time difference from the length of time until it stops.

  When the second attachment position faces the light receiving unit due to the movement of the carriage, the control unit turns on the light emitting unit of the ink cartridge awaiting attachment at the first attachment position. The luminous intensity received by the light receiving unit at this time is referred to as second luminous intensity.

  The control unit determines whether an accurate ink cartridge is attached to the first attachment position based on the first light intensity, the second light intensity, and the calculated time difference.

  In another embodiment, as an alternative method, the inkjet image forming apparatus further includes a storage unit that stores at least a plurality of light emission modes having different blinking frequencies.

  When the first attachment position faces the light receiving unit due to the movement of the carriage, the control unit randomly selects one light emission mode from the plurality of light emission modes stored in the storage unit. The light emitting unit of the ink cartridge awaiting attachment at the first attachment position is controlled. The light intensity received by the light receiving unit at this time is referred to as third light intensity.

  The control unit determines whether an accurate ink cartridge is attached to the first attachment position based on whether the third luminous intensity corresponds to the randomly selected light emission mode.

In another embodiment, as an alternative,
When the first attachment position faces the light receiving unit due to the movement of the carriage, the control unit turns on the light emitting unit of the ink cartridge awaiting attachment at the first attachment position. The luminous intensity received by the light receiving unit at this time is called the first luminous intensity. The control unit turns off the light emitting unit after the first preset time.

  When the second attachment position faces the light receiving unit due to the movement of the carriage, the control unit turns on the light emitting unit of the ink cartridge awaiting attachment at the first attachment position. The luminous intensity received by the light receiving unit at this time is referred to as second luminous intensity. The control unit turns off the light emitting unit after the second preset time.

  The difference between the first preset time and the second preset time is less than half of the first preset time. Alternatively, the length of the first preset time or the second preset time is determined by a random time generating unit.

  The present invention further provides a light detection method for determining whether one of a plurality of ink cartridges is accurately attached to an inkjet image forming apparatus. The inkjet image forming apparatus is movable along a guide rail and includes a carriage provided with a plurality of attachment positions including a first attachment position and a second attachment position different from the first attachment position in the movement direction. And a light receiving unit for receiving light emitted by the light emitting units of the plurality of ink cartridges.

The method
When the carriage is moved, the first attachment position faces the first light receiving unit, and the light emitting unit of the ink cartridge waiting to be attached is turned on at the first attachment position.
Detecting a first luminous intensity received by the light receiving unit;
A time difference between the length of time from when the light emitting unit is turned on until the light emitting unit is turned off, and the length of time from when the light receiving unit receives the first light intensity until the light intensity unit stops receiving the first light intensity. A step of calculating
When the carriage is moved, the second mounting position faces the light receiving unit, and the second light intensity received by the light receiving unit is detected when the light emitting unit of the ink cartridge waiting to be mounted is turned on at the first mounting position. And steps to
Determining whether an accurate ink cartridge is mounted at the first mounting position based on the first luminous intensity, the second luminous intensity, and the calculated time difference.

<Application example 3>
An inkjet image forming apparatus according to the present invention is
A plurality of ink cartridges each having a light emitting unit;
A carriage that is movable along the guide rail and includes a plurality of attachment positions including a first attachment position and a second attachment position different from the first attachment position in the movement direction;
A carriage control unit for controlling movement of the carriage on the guide rail;
A light receiving unit capable of receiving light emitted by the light emitting units of the plurality of ink cartridges;
A random selection unit used to randomly select one or more ink cartridges as an indeterminate ink cartridge from the plurality of ink cartridges based on a preset random selection algorithm;
A control unit used to turn on the light emitting units of the plurality of ink cartridges and to determine whether or not an accurate ink cartridge is mounted at any of the plurality of mounting positions. Yes.

  When the first attachment position faces the light receiving unit due to the movement of the carriage, the control unit turns on the light emitting unit of the ink cartridge awaiting attachment at the first attachment position. The luminous intensity received by the light receiving unit at this time is called the first luminous intensity.

  When the second attachment position faces the light receiving unit due to the movement of the carriage, the control unit turns on the light emitting unit of the ink cartridge awaiting attachment at the first attachment position. The luminous intensity received by the light receiving unit at this time is referred to as second luminous intensity.

  The control unit determines whether or not an accurate ink cartridge is mounted at the first mounting position based on the first luminous intensity and the second luminous intensity.

  After it is determined that an accurate ink cartridge is attached to the first attachment position, the carriage control unit moves the carriage so that the attachment position where the uncertain ink cartridge is awaiting attachment faces the light receiving unit. Then, the control unit turns on the light emitting unit of the indeterminate ink cartridge. The light intensity received by the light receiving unit at this time is referred to as third light intensity.

  The control unit determines, based on the third luminous intensity, whether or not an accurate ink cartridge is attached at an attachment position waiting for attachment of the indeterminate ink cartridge.

<Application Example 4>
An inkjet image forming apparatus according to the present invention is
A plurality of ink cartridges each having a light emitting unit;
A movable carriage provided with a plurality of attachment positions including a first attachment position and a second attachment position different from the first attachment position in a movement direction;
A first light receiving unit for receiving light emitted by the light emitting units of the plurality of ink cartridges;
A second light receiving unit for receiving light emitted by the light emitting units of the plurality of ink cartridges;
A control unit used to turn on or off the light emitting units in the plurality of ink cartridges and to determine whether or not an accurate ink cartridge is mounted at any of the plurality of mounting positions; I have.

  When the carriage is moved, the first mounting position faces the first light receiving unit, and the second mounting position faces the second light receiving unit, the control unit waits for mounting at the first mounting position. The light emitting unit of the ink cartridge is turned on. The light intensity received by the first light receiving unit and the second light receiving unit at this time is referred to as a first light intensity and a second light intensity, respectively.

  Next, the control unit turns off the light emitting unit of the ink cartridge awaiting attachment at the first attachment position, and turns on the light emission unit of the ink cartridge awaiting attachment at the second attachment position. The light intensity received by the first light receiving unit and the second light receiving unit at this time is referred to as a third light intensity and a fourth light intensity, respectively.

  Whether the control unit has an accurate ink cartridge attached to the first attachment position and the second attachment position based on the first light intensity, the second light intensity, the third light intensity, and the fourth light intensity, respectively. Judge whether or not.

  Since the ink jet image forming apparatus has a plurality of light receiving units, the number of times the carriage moves is reduced, whereby the mounting positions of the plurality of ink cartridges can be quickly detected.

  The ink jet image forming apparatus and the light detection method according to the present invention improve the method for detecting the mounting position of the ink cartridge, and whether or not the ink cartridge on which the compatible ink cartridge chip is mounted is mounted at an accurate position. Situations that cannot be detected by the inkjet image forming apparatus are reduced or avoided. In addition, problems of poor print quality or damage to the inkjet image forming apparatus are avoided. When a plurality of light receiving units are arranged in the inkjet image forming apparatus, the efficiency of detecting the mounting position of the ink cartridge is also improved.

It is a block diagram of the ink cartridge used for inkjet image formation. It is a perspective view of an inkjet printer. FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a state in which a main body cover of the inkjet printer is opened. It is an electrical connection relation diagram between each ink cartridge and a control circuit on the main body side. It is a circuit diagram which shows the light emission unit and light reception unit of an ink cartridge. FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of a process for determining a mounting position of a black ink cartridge in the first embodiment. FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of a process for determining a mounting position of a black ink cartridge in the first embodiment. FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of a process for determining a mounting position of a cyan ink cartridge in the first embodiment. FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of a process for determining a mounting position of a cyan ink cartridge in the first embodiment. FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of a process for determining a mounting position of a magenta ink cartridge in the first embodiment. FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of a process for determining a mounting position of a magenta ink cartridge in the first embodiment. FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of a process for determining a mounting position of a yellow ink cartridge in the first embodiment. FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of a process for determining a mounting position of a yellow ink cartridge in the first embodiment. FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram of a process for determining an ink cartridge attachment position when an ink cartridge attachment is incorrect. FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram of a process for determining an ink cartridge attachment position when an ink cartridge attachment is incorrect. It is a time axis showing the time difference from light emission to light reception. It is a time axis showing the length of time for continuous light emission and the length of time for continuous light reception. It is the schematic which illustrates the square wave signal of the light emission mode memorize | stored in the inkjet image forming apparatus. FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram of a process for determining mounting positions of black and cyan ink cartridges in a fifth embodiment. FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram of a process for determining mounting positions of black and cyan ink cartridges in a fifth embodiment. FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram of a process for determining the mounting positions of magenta and yellow ink cartridges in Embodiment 5. FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram of a process for determining the mounting positions of magenta and yellow ink cartridges in Embodiment 5.

  Hereinafter, an internal configuration and an operation principle of the inkjet image forming apparatus according to the present invention will be described in an exemplary manner with reference to the drawings. The scope of the present invention is not limited to specific examples in the embodiments.

  FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of an ink cartridge removably attached to an inkjet image forming apparatus according to the present invention. The ink cartridge 1 includes an ink discharge port 12 that supplies ink to an inkjet image forming apparatus (inkjet printer), and a case 11 that stores the ink. The case 11 includes a bottom surface, a front surface, and a top surface that faces the bottom surface. The ink discharge port 12 is provided on the bottom side surface of the case 11. A front side surface of the case 11 and one ink cartridge chip 100 are attached. The ink cartridge 1 includes a light emitting unit 101. The light emitting unit 101 is disposed at a position near the upper side surface on the front side surface. The ink cartridge chip 100 includes a circuit board 103, a control unit 102, and an interface circuit 104.

The control unit 102 includes a normal control circuit and a storage circuit. The control circuit performs each process based on a control program stored in the storage circuit and a command transmitted from the inkjet image forming apparatus. The storage circuit typically stores control program information such as ink cartridge identification information, manufacturer, date of manufacture, ink usage and ink remaining, and information associated with the imaging cartridge. The ink cartridge identification information may be ink color information, a device address of the control unit, or information that can distinguish different types of ink cartridges. As the storage circuit, a general nonvolatile memory such as EPROM, EEPROM, FLASH, ferroelectric memory, and phase change memory may be adopted. For example, SRAM + battery or capacitor, DRAM + battery or capacitor, etc. You may employ | adopt the solution means of adding electric power feeding power to.

  The interface circuit is electrically connected to the inkjet image forming apparatus and is used to receive a command transmitted from the inkjet image forming apparatus. The connection between the interface circuit and the inkjet image forming apparatus may be a wired system or a wireless system. Hereinafter, a wired connection will be described as an example.

  FIG. 2 shows an inkjet printer 200 that realizes image formation by mounting the above-described ink cartridge. FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the main body cover 201 shown in FIG. 2 in an opened state.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the main part of the ink jet printer 200 is formed by the following mechanism. The mechanism performs recording by scanning a carriage 205 (FIG. 3) to which a recording head and an ink cartridge are attached. The main part of the inkjet printer 200 is covered with a main body cover 201 and other case parts. A paper discharge tray 203 and an automatic sheet feeder (ASF) 202 are disposed in front of and behind the main part of the inkjet printer 200. The inkjet printer 200 further includes an operation unit 213 having a display. The display shows the status of the inkjet printer 200 in a state where the main body cover 201 is closed and a state where the main body cover 201 is opened. The operation unit 213 is further provided with a power switch and a reset switch.

  As shown in FIG. 3, in a state where the main body cover 201 is opened, the user can set the recording head unit 105 and the ink cartridges 1K, 1C, 1M, and 1Y (K, C, M, and Y are black, cyan, magenta, and These ink cartridges, which are abbreviated to yellow, may be displayed with the same drawing title “1” in some cases.) The movement range of the carriage 205 on which the carriage 205 is mounted can be seen. When the main body cover 201 is opened, the following operation is performed. The carriage 205 automatically moves to a substantially central position (hereinafter referred to as “ink cartridge replacement position”) shown in FIG. The user can replace each ink cartridge at this ink cartridge replacement position.

  The recording head unit 105 includes a sheet-like recording head (not shown in FIG. 3) corresponding to each color ink in the recording head unit 105. These recording heads scan a recording medium such as paper as the carriage 205 moves, and also perform recording by ejecting ink onto the recording medium during the scanning operation period. That is, the carriage 205 and the guide shaft 207 extending in the moving direction of the carriage 205 are slidably engaged with each other, and can move by receiving the driving force transmitted by the carriage motor and the driving belt. Accordingly, each recording head corresponding to K, C, M, and Y inks implements ink ejection based on ejection data transmitted from the main control circuit on the main body side via the flexible cable 206. The ink jet printer 200 further includes a sheet feed mechanism including a sheet feeding roller and a sheet discharging roller. A recording medium (not shown) supplied from the automatic sheet feeder 202 is transmitted to the discharge tray 203 by the sheet feed mechanism. The recording head unit 105 disposed integrally with the cartridge holder is detachably attached to the carriage 205. The cartridge holder is provided with a plurality of positions where ink cartridges can be attached. The mounting positions of these ink cartridges are provided along the movement direction of the carriage. Each ink cartridge 1 is detachably attached to these positions corresponding to the recording head unit 105.

  The recording head unit 105 has a connector corresponding to each ink cartridge 1. The connector is connected to the flexible cable 206. Each connector is electrically connected to the interface circuit 104 of the ink cartridge chip mounted on the corresponding ink cartridge 1. Therefore, the main control circuit on the main body side can control lighting and extinguishing of each light emitting unit 101 in the ink cartridge chip via the flexible cable 206.

  More specifically, when the remaining amount of ink in an ink cartridge 1 is insufficient at the ink cartridge replacement position described above, the light emitting units 101 in the ink cartridge 1 are alternately turned on or off, thereby A flashing optical signal is formed. In such a situation, the user can observe the blinking optical signal by examining the ink cartridge 1 from above the ink jet printer 200. This achieves the purpose of notifying the user of the remaining ink level.

  The light receiving unit 210 having a light receiving element is disposed at a position near the end of the carriage movement range. The light emitting unit 101 of each ink cartridge 1 is turned on (that is, emits light) when the light receiving unit 210 passes in the process in which the carriage 205 moves. The light receiving unit 210 receives the light emitted from the light emitting unit 101. Based on the position of the carriage 205 at this time, the position of each ink cartridge 1 in the carriage 205 can be detected.

  FIG. 4 shows a wiring structure for connecting the ink cartridge 1 and the main control circuit 300 on the main body side in the flexible cable 206 together with the circuit board 100 of each ink cartridge 1. As shown in FIG. 4, a line for electrically connecting the four ink cartridges 1 includes four signal lines and is shared (that is, “public bus connection”) for the four ink cartridges 1. That is, the connection line used for each ink cartridge 1 includes four signal lines (that is, the power signal line “VDD”, the ground signal line “GND”, the data signal line “DATA”, and the clock signal line “CLK”). Including. As will be described below, the power supply signal line “VDD” is used to supply power to the ink cartridge chip. The data signal line “DATA” transmits a control signal (control data) related to an operation such as lighting the light emitting unit 101 and blinking the light emitting unit 101 from the main control circuit 300 to the ink cartridge chip. In this embodiment, four signal lines are used, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, if the ground signal is obtained by another method, the ground signal line “GND” can be omitted. Further, the signal lines “CLK” and “DATA” may be combined. In this case, it is not necessary to provide one signal line “DATA” for each ink cartridge 1, and the number of signal lines of the flexible cable 206 is reduced. For example, in the printer, when one data signal line DATA is set for each of eight color ink cartridges, eleven signal lines (that is, eight data signal lines DATA, one power signal line) are set. VDD, one ground signal line GND, and one clock signal line CLK) are required. This complicates the wiring structure of the flexible cable 206 and increases the cost. Therefore, the above-described public bus connection has an advantage of providing a low cost for an ink jet printer having a plurality of color ink cartridges attached thereto. By using the identification information stored in the ink cartridge chip, the read / write operation command (for example, read command and write command) or the light beam control command (for example, optical command) having the identification information described above on the ink cartridge chip by the public bus connection described above. If a lighting command and a light extinction command are transmitted, a specific ink cartridge can be specifically controlled as in Patent Document 1 (CN1636744A).

The main control circuit 300 performs data processing and operation control in the inkjet printer 200. Accordingly, although not shown, the main control circuit 300 includes a normal CPU, a ROM storing a program used for operation control, and a RAM as a work area. Based on the program stored in the ROM in the main control circuit 300, the main control circuit 300 detects the light emission of the light emitting unit, the detection of the photocurrent performed based on the received light intensity, the movement of the carriage 205, and the position of the ink cartridge 1. And the like can be controlled.

  FIG. 5 shows a circuit diagram of the light emitting unit and the light receiving unit 210 of the ink cartridge chip. The light emitting unit is composed of an LED, and turns on or off the LED by controlling whether or not the cathode of the LED is connected to the ground GND via a switching transistor. Therefore, when the switching transistor is turned on, the cathode of the LED is connected to the GND terminal, and the LED is lit. The light emitting unit 210 may be composed of other elements that emit light. The light emitting unit 210 may emit visible light or may emit invisible light such as infrared light. The light receiving unit 210 is a sensor formed from a phototransistor, and its photocurrent changes depending on the light intensity received by the light receiving unit. As in the circuit shown in FIG. 5, the change in photocurrent directly affects the voltage division across the load resistance. That is, the change in luminous intensity is converted into a change in voltage, and the received luminous intensity may be displayed as a voltage.

<Embodiment 1>
The inkjet image forming apparatus according to the first embodiment includes the plurality of ink cartridges, the carriage 205, the carriage motor, the light receiving unit 210, and the main control circuit 300 described above.

  The main control circuit 300 determines whether or not an accurate ink cartridge is attached to the corresponding attachment waiting position by the process of detecting the position of the ink cartridge shown in FIGS. 6A, 6B to 9A, and 9B. The carriage 205 is movable along the guide shaft 207 and includes four positions provided in order from the left side. These four positions are a black position (K), a cyan position (C), a magenta position (M), and a yellow position (Y). The black ink cartridge 1K, cyan ink cartridge 1C, magenta ink cartridge 1M, and yellow ink cartridge 1Y are mounted at the black position (K), cyan position (C), magenta position (M), and yellow position (Y), respectively. . The light receiving unit 210 is fixed to the printer 200. 6A to 9B show a state in which the ink cartridge 1 is accurately attached at an accurate position in the carriage 205. The “ink cartridge attachment waiting position” according to the present invention is a position where the ink cartridge should be correctly attached (for example, the black ink cartridge 1K attachment waiting position is the black position (K)). Based on the program stored in the ROM in the main control circuit 300, the light emission of the light emitting unit to be described later, the detection of the photocurrent performed based on the received light intensity, the movement of the carriage 205, and the detection of the position of the ink cartridge 1 are controlled. To do.

6A and 6B, the LED 101 of the black ink cartridge 1K is lit first. FIG. 6A shows a position where the light receiving unit 210 faces the black ink cartridge 1K. In such a situation, the light intensity received by the light receiving unit 210 is 563 mV. Hereinafter, the process of turning on a specific ink cartridge chip in FIG. 6A and performing light detection on the mounting waiting position where the light receiving unit faces the specific ink cartridge is defined as front position detection. FIG. 6B shows a state where the carriage 205 has moved a distance corresponding to one ink cartridge to the left along the guide shaft 207 and the light receiving unit 210 faces the cyan ink cartridge 1C. In such a situation, the luminous intensity reaching the light receiving unit 210 when the LED 101 of the black ink cartridge 1K is lit is 20 mV. The light intensity of the light receiving unit 210 is determined by the black ink cartridge 1
It is much smaller than the light intensity when facing K. Hereinafter, the process in which a specific ink cartridge chip in FIG. 6B is turned on and the light receiving unit performs light detection on the adjacent position of the mounting waiting position facing the specific ink cartridge is defined as detection of the adjacent position. . The light intensity received by the light receiving unit in the front position detection stage when the ink cartridge is attached to the installation waiting position (that is, when the ink cartridge is correctly attached) is greater than the light intensity received by the light receiving unit in the adjacent position detection stage. Be sure to get much bigger. The light received by the light receiving unit 210 may include ambient light. For example, the luminous intensity 20 mV received by the light receiving unit in FIG. 6B may be light scattered from the light emitting unit 101 of the black ink cartridge 1K, or may be ambient light inside and around the inkjet image forming apparatus.

  7A to 9B show the operations described above in the state where the LED 101 of the cyan ink cartridge 1C is lit, the state where the LED 101 of the magenta ink cartridge 1M is lit, and the state where the LED 101 of the yellow ink cartridge 1Y is lit. It is the schematic of the condition which performs these in order. The table in each drawing shows the relationship between the lit ink cartridge and the light intensity received by the light receiving unit 210 at the position where the ink cartridge is waiting to be attached. Due to manufacturing errors, even if the same current flows in the same circuit, there is a change in the light intensity emitted by multiple LEDs in each ink cartridge, resulting in a change in the LEDs 101 attached to each ink cartridge There is. In addition, since the replacement frequency of the ink cartridge 1 is different, for example, dirt of ink mist formed of ink may adhere to the ink cartridge 1, thereby reducing the luminous intensity of the emitted light. Therefore, the luminous intensity of the light emitted from each ink cartridge 1 may change.

  Hereinafter, a method for determining the position of the ink cartridge 1 will be described.

  Data corresponding to the table in the above-described figure is stored in the storage unit of the inkjet printer 200. Based on the data, the mounting position of the ink cartridge is determined. First, it is preferable to determine the position of the black ink cartridge 1K. When the LED 101 of the black ink cartridge 1K is turned on, the light receiving unit 210 finds the position where the maximum luminous intensity is received. The luminous intensity at the black position K is 563 mV which is the maximum and exceeds a threshold value (for example, 100 mV). Therefore, it can be determined that the black ink cartridge 1K is attached to the black position (K). According to this method, when the color of the ink cartridge that is lit matches the color of the position of the carriage 205 that is the maximum location for receiving the luminous intensity, the ink cartridge is placed in an accurate position (that is, an attachment waiting position). It is judged that it is attached. Similarly, by searching for the maximum value for each color, it can be determined whether the cyan ink cartridge, magenta ink cartridge, and yellow ink cartridge are attached to the cyan position, magenta position, and yellow position, respectively.

  Next, a method for detecting the ink cartridge 1 attached at an incorrect position will be described.

10A and 10B show the case where the attachment positions of the cyan ink cartridge 1C and the magenta ink cartridge 1M are reversed (that is, the cyan ink cartridge 1C is attached to the magenta position (M), and the magenta ink cartridge 1M is attached to the cyan position (C ) Is a schematic diagram of the position detected. FIG. 10A shows a situation where the cyan ink cartridge 1C is lit and the light receiving unit 210 faces the magenta ink cartridge 1M attached to the cyan position (C). In such a situation, the light intensity received by the light receiving unit 210 is 20 mV. FIG. 10B shows a state in which the carriage 205 moves to the left along the guide shaft 207 by a distance corresponding to one ink cartridge, and the light receiving unit 210 faces the cyan ink cartridge 1C attached to the magenta position (M). Show. In such a situation, the luminous intensity reaching the light receiving unit 210 when the LED 101 of the cyan ink cartridge 1C is turned on is 320 mV. The position where the light receiving unit 210 receives the maximum luminous intensity when the LED 101 of the cyan ink cartridge 1C is lit is the magenta position (M). Therefore, the main control circuit of the ink jet printer 200 can determine that the cyan ink cartridge 1C is erroneously attached to the magenta position (M). Similarly, when the LED 101 of the magenta ink cartridge is turned on, it is determined that the magenta ink cartridge 1M is erroneously attached to the cyan position (C) by searching for a position where the light receiving unit 210 receives the maximum luminous intensity. it can.

  As described in the background art, the conventional inkjet image forming apparatus simply employs a regular detection method similar to FIGS. 6A to 9B of the present invention to determine the mounting position of the ink cartridge. , Detection method defects are easy to find. Therefore, in the first embodiment, after determining that an accurate ink cartridge is attached to each attachment waiting position based on the conventional method, one or more ink cartridges are further randomly sampled from the plurality of ink cartridges. Thus, additional detection of the ink cartridge mounting position is performed.

  The main control circuit of the ink jet printer may include a random selection module or a random selection program. Based on a preset random selection algorithm, one or more ink cartridges are indefinite. The ink cartridge may be selected at random.

  The preset random selection algorithm assigns numbers to a plurality of ink cartridges, and then employs a conventional random number generation method to randomly generate one or a plurality of numbers corresponding to the ink cartridges. be able to. Assume that the number of the plurality of ink cartridges is N, each of the N ink cartridges corresponds to one number from 1 to N, and one or a plurality of random numbers 1 to N are generated. Thereby, one or a plurality of indeterminate ink cartridges can be selected at random. The random number may be generated based on a clock of the current inkjet image forming apparatus. For example, the second hand numerical value of the internal clock of the current inkjet image forming apparatus is acquired. For example, when the second hand numerical value is 37, 37 is divided by N, and 1 is added to the acquired remainder to obtain a random number.

  After it has been determined that all the correct ink cartridges have been installed in their respective installation waiting positions, the carriage 205 is moved by the carriage control unit (ie, the carriage motor). As a result, the attachment position where the uncertain ink cartridge is awaiting attachment (that is, the attachment position corresponding to the color of the uncertain ink cartridge) faces the light receiving unit 210. Next, the main control circuit turns on or off the light emitting unit of the indeterminate ink cartridge based on the preset rule. In all of the detection methods shown in FIGS. 6A to 9B described above, the front position is detected first, and then the adjacent position is detected. For this reason, when additional detection is performed for an indeterminate ink cartridge, “front position-adjacent position” can be similarly detected in the preset rule described above. In addition, in order to avoid the same “front position-adjacent position” detection from being easily avoided, the adjacent position may be detected first, and then the front position may be detected. That is, detection of "adjacent position-front position", and detection of "adjacent position-front position-adjacent position" or detection of "front position-adjacent position-front position". The preset rule can be set according to needs.

On the other hand, the light intensity received by the light receiving unit 210 varies depending on the preset rule. The main control circuit determines whether the luminous intensity rule received by the light receiving unit 210 corresponds to the preset rule. Thereby, it is determined whether or not the indeterminate ink cartridge is attached to the attachment waiting position. That is, it is determined whether or not an accurate ink cartridge is attached to the attachment waiting position corresponding to the indeterminate ink cartridge. For example, when the main control circuit 300 turns on or off the light emitting unit of the indeterminate ink cartridge based on the rule “adjacent position-front position-adjacent position”, the light intensity received by the light receiving unit is “small-large”. If it matches the detection rule of “adjacent position-front position-adjacent position” such as “small”, it indicates that the indeterminate ink cartridge is installed in the installation waiting position.

  If there is not only one indeterminate ink cartridge selected by the random selection module or program, a similar preset rule is used for additional detection for the other indeterminate ink cartridges.

  In the inkjet image forming apparatus according to the first embodiment, since the added position detection has randomness, the method for detecting the mounting position of the ink cartridge is improved, and the ink cartridge on which the compatible ink cartridge chip is mounted is accurate. Whether or not it is attached to the ink jet image forming apparatus is reduced or avoided. This avoids the problem of poor print quality or damage to the inkjet image forming apparatus.

  In the first exemplary embodiment, the inkjet image forming apparatus may not first perform light detection on a plurality of ink cartridges by the conventional method illustrated in FIGS. 6A to 9B. Select an indeterminate ink cartridge directly using a random selection module or program, then turn on or off the light-emitting unit of the indeterminate ink cartridge based on the preset rule described above, and indeterminate depending on the light intensity received by the light receiving unit It is determined whether or not the ink cartridge is installed at the installation waiting position. When all of the randomly selected indeterminate ink cartridges are installed in the correct location, it may be roughly determined that all the ink cartridges are installed in the correct location.

<Embodiment 2>
In the first embodiment described above, the main control circuit does not limit the time with respect to the light intensity received by the light receiving unit 210 in the front position detection stage or the adjacent position detection stage, and a relatively large light intensity in the front position detection stage. The main control circuit is likely to be deceived by a compatible ink cartridge chip if only the requirement to receive is received. For example, the time of continuous light emission of the light emitting unit in the front position detection stage is 2 seconds, but the light receiving unit only determines whether or not the maximum light intensity has been received, and the time for which the received light intensity lasts. It is not judged whether it is about 2 seconds. In order to avoid such a situation, the main control circuit of the inkjet printer according to the second embodiment further includes a time count module or a time count program. The time count module or the time count program is used to perform time counting when the light receiving unit receives the preset luminous intensity for the front position detection stage or the adjacent position detection stage.

  6A and 6B will be described as an example. In FIG. 6A, when the black position (K) faces the light receiving unit 210 due to the movement of the carriage, the main control circuit turns on the light emitting unit 101 of the black ink cartridge 1K waiting to be mounted at the black position (K). The light intensity that the light receiving unit 210 receives at this time is referred to as a first light intensity. The time count module or the time count program is used to calculate the time difference between the time when the main control circuit turns on the light emitting unit and the time when the light receiving unit receives the first light intensity. As shown in FIG. 11, for example, time counting starts when the light emitting unit is turned on, and the time counted by the time counting module or the time counting program when the light receiving unit receives the first light intensity (for example, 600 milliseconds) Can be obtained as a time difference (600 milliseconds).

  Alternatively, as shown in FIG. 12, when the black position (K) faces the light receiving unit 210 by the movement of the carriage, the main control circuit causes the light emitting unit 101 of the black ink cartridge 1K waiting to be attached to the black position (K). Lights up. The light intensity that the light receiving unit 210 receives at this time is referred to as a first light intensity. The time count module or the time count program calculates the length T1 of time from when the main control circuit turns on the light emitting unit to when the light emitting unit is turned off, and after the light receiving unit 210 receives the first luminous intensity. A time length T2 until the first light intensity is not received is calculated and used to compare the time difference between the two time lengths T1 and T2.

  In FIG. 6B, when the cyan position (C) different from the black position (K) faces the light receiving unit 210 due to the movement of the carriage, the main control circuit emits light from the black ink cartridge 1K waiting to be mounted at the black position (K). The unit 101 is turned on. The light intensity received by the light receiving unit 210 at this time is referred to as the second light intensity.

  The main control circuit determines whether or not an accurate ink cartridge is attached to the black position (K) based on any one of the first luminous intensity, the second luminous intensity, and the calculated time difference. The principle by which the main control circuit determines whether or not the correct ink cartridge is attached at the correct position based on the first light intensity and the second light intensity described above has already been described in the first embodiment. Omitted. Since there are often small differences in parts between different batches, if the absolute value of the time difference described above is small (defined as being less than or equal to the first preset time length value, eg 50 milliseconds), the process or part is You can understand that it is the cause. However, if the above-described time difference is large (defined as being larger than the first preset time length value, for example, 100 milliseconds), it is understood to be illegal. Accordingly, only when the first luminous intensity, the second luminous intensity, and the calculated time difference satisfy the above-described requirements, it can be determined that the accurate ink cartridge is mounted at the accurate mounting position. For the remaining ink cartridges, it is possible to check whether or not the remaining ink cartridges are mounted at the correct mounting positions by employing the same method.

<Embodiment 3>
In the prior art, in order to improve the efficiency of light detection, the duration for which the main control circuit lights the light emitting units in the front position detection stage and the adjacent position detection stage is different. Specifically, the duration of lighting of the light emitting unit in the front position detection stage is long, and the duration of lighting of the light emitting unit in the adjacent position detection stage is short. Due to this regularity, compatible ink cartridge chips can be delayed in execution when receiving light control commands. If the adjacent position detection stage can be blocked by the delay time, it is ensured that a large luminous intensity is received in the front position detection stage, while light cannot be received in the adjacent position detection stage. Even in this case, the compatible ink cartridge chip can serve as the main control circuit of the ink jet printer.

  In order to avoid such a situation, the main control circuit of the inkjet printer according to the third embodiment further includes a random time generation module or a random time generation program. The random time generation module or random time generation program is used to generate a random length of time.

6A and 6B will be described as an example. In FIG. 6A, when the black position (K) faces the light receiving unit 210 due to the movement of the carriage, the main control circuit turns on the light emitting unit 101 of the black ink cartridge 1K waiting to be mounted at the black position (K). The light intensity that the light receiving unit 210 receives at this time is referred to as a first light intensity. The control unit turns off the light emitting unit after the first preset time. In FIG. 6B, when the cyan position (C) different from the black position (K) faces the light receiving unit 210 due to the movement of the carriage, the main control circuit emits light from the black ink cartridge 1K waiting to be mounted at the black position (K). The unit 101 is turned on. The light intensity received by the light receiving unit 210 at this time is referred to as the second light intensity. The control unit turns off the light emitting unit after the second preset time. That is, the continuous lighting time of the light emitting unit in the black ink cartridge is the first preset time and the second preset time, respectively, in the front position detection stage and the adjacent position detection stage. The difference between the first preset time and the second preset time is less than half of the first preset time. Alternatively, the length of the first preset time or the second preset time is determined by the random time generating unit.

  The main control circuit determines whether or not an accurate ink cartridge is attached to the black position (K) based on the first luminous intensity and the second luminous intensity. For the remaining ink cartridges, it is possible to determine whether or not the remaining ink cartridges are installed at the correct mounting position by employing the same method.

  In the third embodiment, the durations during which the light emitting units are turned on in the front position detection stage and the adjacent position detection stage are substantially the same as each other or determined by a random time generation unit. Thereby, it is avoided that the compatible ink cartridge chip deceives the inkjet image forming apparatus by a method of recording a rule of delay or light detection, and it is ensured that the function of detecting the mounting position of the ink cartridge is normally performed. Deterioration of print quality or damage to the inkjet image forming apparatus is avoided.

<Embodiment 4>
In the prior art, the light receiving unit in the inkjet image forming apparatus is used only to detect whether or not the light emitting unit emits light. That is, it is determined whether or not the light emitting unit emits light by determining whether or not the received light intensity exceeds a certain threshold value. However, such a fixed detection and determination method tends to form regularity and is easily deceived by a compatible ink cartridge chip. Therefore, the inkjet image forming apparatus (inkjet printer) according to the fourth embodiment includes a plurality of ink cartridges, a carriage, a light receiving unit, and a control unit, as in the first embodiment. Is further provided with a storage unit in which a plurality of (at least two) emission modes are stored. The light emission modes having different blinking frequencies include a light emission mode having a steady blinking frequency and a light emission mode having an unsteady blinking frequency. The square wave signal shown in FIG. 13 is used to control the switching transistor shown in FIG. The switching transistor is assumed to be conducting when the square wave signal is at a high potential. Both the light emission mode 1 and the light emission mode 2 are light emission modes having a steady blinking frequency. The blinking frequency of the light emission mode 1 is higher than the blinking frequency of the light emission mode 2. The light emission mode 3 is a light emission mode with an unsteady blinking frequency, and the blinking frequency is gradually decreased. In the fourth embodiment, the duty ratio of 50% shown in FIG. 13 is not limited to controlling the light emitting unit, and may be a duty ratio of another ratio or a variable duty ratio.

As a further example of FIG. 6A, when the black mounting position (K) faces the light receiving unit 210 due to the movement of the carriage, the main control circuit of the inkjet image forming apparatus selects from among a plurality of light emission modes stored in the storage unit. One light emission mode is selected at random, and the light emission unit of the black ink cartridge 1K waiting for attachment is controlled at the black attachment position (K). If it is assumed that the light emission mode 1 shown in FIG. 13 is selected at random, the light emitting units are turned on and off in order based on a method of blinking four times per second (that is, a blinking frequency of 4 Hz). The light intensity received by the light receiving unit at this time is a square wave signal having a duty ratio of about 50% and a frequency of about 4 Hz corresponding to the light emission mode 1 selected at random (factors such as noise) May not be a clear standard square wave signal). Since the light intensity received by the light receiving unit corresponds to the light emission mode 1, the main control circuit can determine that the black ink cartridge 1K is attached at the correct black attachment position (K).

  When the other light emission mode is selected at random, the main controller determines whether the correct ink cartridge is waiting for installation depending on whether the light intensity received by the light receiving unit corresponds to the light emission mode selected at random. It can be determined whether or not it is attached.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 6B, when the cyan position (C) different from the black position (K) faces the light receiving unit 210 due to the movement of the carriage, the main control circuit waits for attachment at the black attachment position (K). The light emitting unit 101 of the black ink cartridge 1K is turned on. The light intensity received by the light receiving unit 210 at this time is referred to as the second light intensity. In the detection of the front position, the control unit determines whether or not an accurate ink cartridge is attached to the attachment waiting position in addition to the second luminous intensity, in addition to performing inspection on the light emitted from the light emitting unit 210. You can also

<Embodiment 5>
When there are five ink cartridges attached to the ink jet image forming apparatus, it is necessary to move the carriage four times in order to determine the attachment position of the ink cartridge based on the method shown in FIGS. 6A to 9B. . Due to the increasing need for image forming colors, the number of ink cartridges attached to an inkjet image forming apparatus is eight (ie, eight colors), and in many cases, the number is as many as twelve. When moving and inspecting ink cartridges one by one as in the prior art, detection must be performed over a long time each time, which affects the work efficiency of the inkjet image forming apparatus. For this reason, the inkjet image forming apparatus according to the fifth embodiment includes at least two light receiving units in addition to the plurality of ink cartridges, the carriage, and the main control circuit described above. A specific solving means of the fifth embodiment will be described by taking the inkjet image forming apparatus including the first light receiving unit 210 and the second light receiving unit 220 shown in FIGS. 14A to 15B as an example.

  14A and 14B, the LED 101 of the black ink cartridge 1K and the LED 101 of the cyan ink cartridge 1C are lit in order. FIG. 14A shows a state in which the light receiving unit 210 is at a position facing the black ink cartridge 1K and the light receiving unit 220 is at a position facing the cyan ink cartridge 1C, and the LED 101 of the black ink cartridge 1K is first turned on. In such a situation, the light intensity received by the light receiving unit 210 is 563 mV. On the other hand, the light intensity received by the light receiving unit 220 is 20 mV, which is much smaller than the light intensity received by the light receiving unit 210 facing the black ink cartridge 1K. However, as shown in FIG. 14B, the main control circuit turns off the light emitting unit 101 of the black ink cartridge 1K waiting to be mounted at the black mounting position (K), and the cyan ink cartridge 1C waiting to be mounted at the cyan mounting position (C). The light emitting unit 101 is turned on. In such a situation, when the LED 101 of the cyan ink cartridge 1C is turned on, the luminous intensity reaching the light receiving unit 210 is 20 mV, and the luminous intensity reaching the light receiving unit 220 is 320 mV.

In FIG. 15A, the carriage 205 moves to the left along the guide shaft 207 by a distance corresponding to two ink cartridges, the light receiving unit 210 faces the magenta ink cartridge 1M, and the light receiving unit 220 faces the yellow ink cartridge 1Y. Indicates the state. Similar to the control method in FIGS. 14A and 14B, the above operations are executed in order, the light emitting units of the magenta ink cartridge 1M and the yellow ink cartridge 1Y are sequentially turned on, and the light intensity received by the light receiving unit 210 and the light receiving unit 220 is determined. Record. 14A to 1
The table in 5B shows the relationship between the lighted ink cartridges and the light intensity received by the light receiving unit at the attachment waiting position of each ink cartridge.

  Hereinafter, a method for determining the position of the ink cartridge 1 will be described.

  Data corresponding to the table in the above-described figure is stored in the storage unit of the inkjet printer 200. Based on the data, the mounting position of the ink cartridge is determined. First, it is preferable to determine the position of the black ink cartridge 1K. When the LED 101 of the black ink cartridge 1K is turned on, the light receiving unit (the light receiving unit 210 or the light receiving unit 220) that receives the maximum luminous intensity is found, and the position of the light receiving unit is found. The luminous intensity received by the optical receiver 210 at the black position K is 563 mV, which is a maximum and exceeds a threshold value (for example, 100 mV). Further, the light intensity received by the light receiving unit 220 not facing the black position K is very small (20 mV). Therefore, it can be determined that the black ink cartridge 1K is attached to the black position (K). According to this method, when the color of the lighted ink cartridge matches the color of the position of the light receiving unit that is the maximum location for receiving the luminous intensity, the ink cartridge is placed in an accurate position (that is, an attachment waiting position). It is judged that it is attached. Similarly, by searching for the maximum value for each color, when the light intensity received by the light receiving unit is one large and one small, respectively, the cyan ink cartridge, the magenta ink cartridge, and the yellow ink cartridge are respectively in the cyan position, magenta. It can be determined whether it is attached to the position and the yellow position.

  Accordingly, since the inkjet image forming apparatus has at least two light receiving units, the number of carriage movements is reduced. Thereby, it is possible to quickly detect the mounting positions of the plurality of ink cartridges. In the inkjet image forming apparatus including two or more light receiving units, the number of carriage movements is further reduced, and the detection speed is greatly improved. In particular, when the number of light receiving units arranged in the inkjet image forming apparatus is the same as the number of ink cartridges, the mounting position of the ink cartridge is determined at a time by the custom light emission control method without moving the carriage. And complete detection more quickly. There may be a plurality of custom light emission control methods. For example, the light emitting units in each ink cartridge are sequentially turned on and off by using a running light system, and the received light intensity is simultaneously detected by using the same number of light receiving units as the number of ink cartridges. If the light intensity rules received by the plurality of light receiving units correspond to the light emission method of the running light, it can be determined that all the ink cartridges are attached to the attachment waiting position (that is, the correct position).

<Modification>
For the sake of clarity, each of the above embodiments only employs a light emission control method that usually has irregularity, or an arrangement of the inkjet image forming apparatus and a corresponding detection method. In order to improve the degree of irregularity or detection efficiency of these solutions, two or more detection means in each of the above embodiments may be integrated. For example, the random selection unit of the first embodiment and the time count unit of the second embodiment may be integrated. Further, for example, the random time generation unit of the third embodiment and the plurality of light receiving units of the fourth embodiment may be integrated. Further, for example, any one or a plurality of solving means of the first to fourth embodiments may be applied to the fifth embodiment. Moreover, you may use the solution means acquired with the other integrated system.

As will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, all or some of the steps for implementing the method embodiments described above may be implemented via program commands or associated hardware. The above program can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium. When the program is executed, the steps including the embodiments of the above methods are executed. on the other hand,
The storage medium includes a medium capable of storing codes of various programs, such as a ROM, a RAM, a magnetic disk, and a compact disk (CD).

  The last thing to be described is that the above-described embodiments are only for describing the technical solution means according to the present invention, and do not limit the present invention. Although the present invention has been described in detail with reference to the above embodiments, those skilled in the art should understand the following points. The technical solutions described in the above embodiments can be modified or equivalently replaced for some or all of the technical features therein. By these modifications and substitutions, the essence of the corresponding technical solution does not depart from the scope of the technical solution of each embodiment according to the present invention.

Claims (10)

A plurality of ink cartridges each having a light emitting unit;
A movable carriage provided with a plurality of attachment positions including a first attachment position and a second attachment position different from the first attachment position in a movement direction;
A light receiving unit capable of receiving light emitted by the light emitting units of the plurality of ink cartridges;
A time count unit,
A control unit used to turn on or off the light emitting units in the plurality of ink cartridges and to determine whether or not an accurate ink cartridge is mounted at any of the plurality of mounting positions; Prepared,
When the first mounting position faces the light receiving unit due to the movement of the carriage, the control unit turns on the light emitting unit of the ink cartridge awaiting mounting at the first mounting position, and the light receiving unit is in this state. The light intensity received at 1 is called the first light intensity,
The time count unit is used to calculate a time difference between a time when the control unit turns on the light emitting unit and a time when the light receiving unit receives the first luminous intensity,
When the second mounting position faces the light receiving unit due to the movement of the carriage, the control unit turns on the light emitting unit of the ink cartridge awaiting mounting at the first mounting position, and the light receiving unit is in this state. The light intensity received at is called the second light intensity,
The control unit determines whether or not an accurate ink cartridge is attached to the first attachment position based on the first light intensity, the second light intensity, and the calculated time difference. Image forming apparatus.   The inkjet image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of ink cartridges are connected to the inkjet image forming apparatus by a public bus system.   The inkjet image forming apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the light emitting unit is turned on based on a light lighting command received from the public bus. The inkjet image forming apparatus further includes a storage unit that stores at least a plurality of light emission modes having different blinking frequencies,
When the first attachment position faces the light receiving unit due to the movement of the carriage, the control unit randomly selects one light emission mode from the plurality of light emission modes stored in the storage unit. , Controlling the light emitting unit of the ink cartridge waiting to be mounted at the first mounting position, and the light intensity received by the light receiving unit at this time is referred to as third light intensity,
The control unit determines whether an accurate ink cartridge is attached to the first attachment position based on whether the third luminous intensity corresponds to the randomly selected light emission mode. The inkjet image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein When the first mounting position faces the light receiving unit due to the movement of the carriage, the control unit turns on the light emitting unit of the ink cartridge awaiting mounting at the first mounting position, and the light receiving unit is in this state. The light intensity received at 1 is called the first light intensity,
The control unit turns off the light emitting unit after a first preset time, and the control unit is attached to the first attachment position when the second attachment position faces the light receiving unit by movement of the carriage. The light intensity of the waiting ink cartridge is turned on, and the light intensity received by the light receiving unit at this time is called the second light intensity,
The control unit turns off the light emitting unit after a second preset time, and the difference between the first preset time and the second preset time is less than half of the first preset time, or the first preset time The inkjet image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the length of the preset time or the second preset time is determined by a random time generation unit. A plurality of ink cartridges each having a light emitting unit;
A movable carriage provided with a plurality of attachment positions including a first attachment position and a second attachment position different from the first attachment position in a movement direction;
A light receiving unit capable of receiving light emitted by the light emitting units of the plurality of ink cartridges;
A time count unit,
A control unit used to turn on or off the light emitting units in the plurality of ink cartridges and to determine whether or not an accurate ink cartridge is mounted at any of the plurality of mounting positions; Prepared,
When the first mounting position faces the light receiving unit due to the movement of the carriage, the control unit turns on the light emitting unit of the ink cartridge waiting to be mounted at the first mounting position, and the light receiving unit is in this state. The light intensity received is called the first light intensity,
The time count unit receives the first luminous intensity after the control unit turns on the light emitting unit until the light emitting unit is turned off, and the light receiving unit receives the first luminous intensity. Used to calculate the time difference from the length of time until
When the second mounting position faces the light receiving unit due to the movement of the carriage, the control unit turns on the light emitting unit of the ink cartridge waiting for mounting at the first mounting position, and the light receiving unit is in this state. The light intensity received is called the second light intensity,
The control unit determines whether or not an accurate ink cartridge is mounted at the first mounting position based on the first luminous intensity, the second luminous intensity, and the calculated time difference. Image forming apparatus. The inkjet image forming apparatus further includes a storage unit that stores at least a plurality of light emission modes having different blinking frequencies,
When the first attachment position faces the light receiving unit due to the movement of the carriage, the control unit randomly selects one light emission mode from the plurality of light emission modes stored in the storage unit. , Controlling the light emitting unit of the ink cartridge waiting to be mounted at the first mounting position, and the light intensity received by the light receiving unit at this time is referred to as third light intensity,
The control unit determines whether an accurate ink cartridge is attached to the first attachment position based on whether the third luminous intensity corresponds to the randomly selected light emission mode. The inkjet image forming apparatus according to claim 6. When the first mounting position faces the light receiving unit due to the movement of the carriage, the control unit turns on the light emitting unit of the ink cartridge awaiting mounting at the first mounting position, and the light receiving unit is in this state. The light intensity received at 1 is called the first light intensity,
After the first preset time, the control unit turns off the light emitting unit, and when the second mounting position faces the light receiving unit due to the movement of the carriage, the control unit waits for the ink cartridge waiting to be mounted at the first mounting position. The light intensity that the light emitting unit is turned on and the light receiving unit receives at this time is referred to as a second light intensity,
The control unit turns off the light emitting unit after the second preset time,
The difference between the first preset time and the second preset time is less than half of the first preset time, or the length of the first preset time or the second preset time is determined by a random time generating unit. The inkjet image forming apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the inkjet image forming apparatus is determined. A photodetection method for determining whether one of a plurality of ink cartridges is accurately attached to an inkjet image forming apparatus,
The inkjet image forming apparatus is movable along a guide rail and includes a carriage provided with a plurality of attachment positions including a first attachment position and a second attachment position different from the first attachment position in the movement direction. A light receiving unit for receiving light emitted by the light emitting units of the plurality of ink cartridges,
The method
The first light intensity received by the light receiving unit is detected when the light emitting unit of the ink cartridge waiting for attachment is turned on at the first mounting position when the first mounting position faces the light receiving unit by the movement of the carriage. Steps,
Calculating a time difference between a time when the light emitting unit is turned on and a time when the light receiving unit receives the first luminous intensity;
When the carriage is moved, the second mounting position faces the light receiving unit, and when the light emitting unit of the ink cartridge awaiting mounting is turned on at the first mounting position, the second light intensity received by the light receiving unit is detected. Steps,
Determining whether or not an accurate ink cartridge is mounted at the first mounting position based on the first light intensity, the second light intensity, and the calculated time difference. Method. A photodetection method for determining whether one of a plurality of ink cartridges is accurately attached to an inkjet image forming apparatus,
The inkjet image forming apparatus is movable along a guide rail and includes a carriage provided with a plurality of attachment positions including a first attachment position and a second attachment position different from the first attachment position in the movement direction. A light receiving unit for receiving light emitted by the light emitting units of the plurality of ink cartridges,
The method
The first light intensity received by the light receiving unit is detected when the light emitting unit of the ink cartridge waiting for attachment is turned on at the first mounting position when the first mounting position faces the light receiving unit by the movement of the carriage. Steps,
A time difference between the length of time from when the light emitting unit is turned on until the light emitting unit is turned off, and the length of time from when the light receiving unit receives the first light intensity until the light intensity unit stops receiving the first light intensity. A step of calculating
When the carriage is moved, the second mounting position faces the light receiving unit, and when the light emitting unit of the ink cartridge awaiting mounting is turned on at the first mounting position, the second light intensity received by the light receiving unit is detected. Steps,
Determining whether or not an accurate ink cartridge is mounted at the first mounting position based on the first light intensity, the second light intensity, and the calculated time difference. Method.