JP2017087575A - Printer - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a printer dedicated for monochrome printing that allows a user to notice erroneous mounting before printing when the user erroneously mounts a container other than a balance container to a holder section.SOLUTION: A printer 10 includes: a holder section 200 having a first housing section 210a for housing a first container 100a and a second housing section 210b for housing a second container 100b; and a processing section 21 performing container identification processing based on container identification information. The processing section 21 executes printing processing when the first container 100a is determined to be a black ink container based on first container identification information and the second container 100b is determined to be a balance container based on second container identification information, and does not execute printing processing when the first container 100a is determined to be the black ink container and the second container 100b is determined to be a container other than the balance container.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

  The present invention relates to a printing apparatus and the like.

  As an aspect of the printing apparatus, for example, an ink jet printer (hereinafter also simply referred to as “printer”) is known. The printer forms an image by ejecting ink droplets onto the printing surface. The printer receives ink supply via an ink cartridge (hereinafter, also simply referred to as “cartridge” or “container (liquid storage container)”) which is an embodiment of the liquid supply unit. Each of the printer and the cartridge includes an electrical connection section such as a terminal section for exchanging electrical signals with each other.

  The cartridge includes a black ink cartridge (black ink container) filled with black ink and a color ink cartridge (color ink container) filled with various color inks. When the color ink cartridge is mounted on the printer, the printer can perform color printing. However, in actual use scenes, even color printers are often used exclusively for monochrome printing, and the demand for monochrome printing apparatuses is still high.

  In the invention disclosed in Patent Document 1, when a user wants to use a color printer exclusively for monochrome printing, a dummy cartridge is mounted on the color ink cartridge mounting portion. The printer of Patent Document 1 determines whether the mounted cartridge is a color ink cartridge or a dummy cartridge based on data stored in the memory of the cartridge, and if the color ink cartridge is mounted. If it is determined, color printing is executed, and if it is determined that a dummy cartridge is mounted, monochrome printing is executed.

  In the invention disclosed in Patent Document 2, a carriage (cartridge holder) can be used in common between printer models having different numbers of colors. For this reason, in a printer model with a small number of colors, a dummy cartridge is attached to an empty area of the color ink cartridge mounting portion of the holder portion. For example, the dummy cartridge is fixedly installed on the holder portion, and is difficult for the user to remove.

JP 2002-292904 A JP 2005-81689 A

  Even when a general color printer performs only monochrome printing, monochrome printing cannot be performed unless all the color ink cartridges are mounted in the holder portion, in addition to the black ink cartridge. Thus, when a color printer is used exclusively for monochrome printing, it is necessary for the user to prepare an unnecessary color ink cartridge, which is inconvenient for the user and increases the cost of introducing the printer.

  On the other hand, in the invention of Patent Document 1, as described above, monochrome printing can be performed by mounting a dummy cartridge instead of the color ink cartridge. However, even when a printer is used exclusively for monochrome printing, the user may inadvertently install a color ink cartridge at the dummy cartridge mounting location. In this case, it is determined that the color ink cartridge is normally installed, and color printing is performed. In this case, the user often does not notice that the color ink cartridge has been installed by mistake until printing is started, and a wasteful printing process may be performed.

  Further, in the invention of Patent Document 2, it is necessary to manufacture a printer as an original monochrome machine, such as the need to fix a dummy cartridge to the holder. Therefore, for example, when the current color printer is to be modified to a monochrome printing apparatus, the changes are large and the manufacturing cost is increased.

  According to some aspects of the present invention, in the monochrome printing apparatus, when the user erroneously attaches a container other than the balance container to the holder portion, printing that allows the user to notice the erroneous attachment before printing A device or the like can be provided.

  One embodiment of the present invention includes a holder portion having a first storage portion that stores a first container, a second storage portion that stores a second container, and a container type based on container identification information. A first container identification stored in the first storage unit of the first container stored in the first storage unit. Based on the information, it is determined that the first container is a black ink container, and the second container identification stored in the second storage unit of the second container stored in the second storage unit When it is determined that the second container is a balance container based on the information, a printing process is executed, and the first storage of the first container stored in the first storage unit is performed. Based on the first container identification information stored in the section, the first container is the black ink. The second container is determined based on the second container identification information stored in the second storage unit of the second container stored in the second storage unit. When it is determined that the container is other than the balance container, the present invention relates to a printing apparatus that does not execute the printing process.

  In one aspect of the present invention, when it is determined that the black ink container is attached to the first storage portion and the balance container is attached to the second storage portion, the printing process is executed, If it is determined that a black ink container is attached to the storage unit and a container other than the balance container is attached to the second storage unit, the printing process is not executed. Therefore, in the monochrome printing apparatus, when the user erroneously attaches a container other than the balance container to the holder, the user can notice the erroneous attachment before printing.

  Further, in one aspect of the present invention, it includes a main body side mounting detection terminal used for detecting the mounting state of the container, and the black ink container and the balance container are connected to the main body side mounting detection terminal when the container is mounted. A container side mounting detection terminal, and the processing unit executes a mounting state detection process for detecting the mounting state of the container using the main body side mounting detection terminal and the container side mounting detection terminal. And in the said mounting state detection process, when it determines with the said container being a non-mounting state, it is good also as not performing the said container identification process.

  Thereby, when the mounting state of the container is not appropriate, it is possible to reduce the processing amount by not executing unnecessary container identification processing.

  In the aspect of the invention, the balance container includes an ink storage unit, but may be a container in which ink is not stored in the ink storage unit.

  Thereby, for example, the design data of the color ink container can be used to reduce the manufacturing cost of the balance container.

  In one embodiment of the present invention, the first storage unit and the second storage unit are configured by a nonvolatile memory, and the processing unit is configured to store the first container of the first container at least when power is turned on. The writing inspection process may be executed for the storage unit, and the writing inspection process may not be executed for the second storage unit of the second container.

  As a result, it is possible to reduce the number of times data is written to the second storage unit.

  In one embodiment of the present invention, the processing unit performs a process of writing ink estimated amount information on the first storage unit of the first container, and the second container of the second container. The writing process of the estimated ink amount information may not be executed for the storage unit.

  Thus, it is possible to suppress the number of times data is written to the second storage unit without performing unnecessary data writing processing to the second storage unit.

  In one aspect of the present invention, a nozzle plate is provided on the head side of the holder portion, and the nozzle plate has a plurality of nozzle holes formed at positions corresponding to the first storage portion. No nozzle hole may be formed at a position corresponding to the second storage portion.

  Thereby, for example, even when the color ink container is mistakenly attached to the second storage unit, it is possible to prevent ink from the color ink container from being ejected onto the printing surface.

  In the aspect of the invention, the processing unit may perform printing when it is determined that the first container is the black ink container and the second container is the balance container. Transition to the ready state, when it is determined that the first container is the black ink container and the second container is determined to be a container other than the balance container, the process proceeds to the print preparation state. You don't have to.

  As a result, when it is determined that the black ink container is mounted in the first storage unit and the balance container is mounted in the second storage unit, the printing process is executed, and the black storage unit is set in the first storage unit. When it is determined that an ink container is attached and a container other than the balance container is attached to the second storage unit, the printing process can be disabled.

Explanatory drawing of the system configuration example of this embodiment. FIG. 2 is a schematic perspective view illustrating an external configuration of a printing apparatus. FIG. 2 is a schematic perspective view illustrating an external configuration of a printing mechanism unit included in the printing apparatus. FIG. 3 is a schematic perspective view showing a carriage in a state where first and second ink cartridges are mounted. The upper perspective view when the holder part is viewed from the front. The upper perspective view when a holder part is seen from the back side. The lower perspective view of a holder part. The exploded perspective view of a holder part. The upper perspective view of a 1st cartridge. The lower perspective view of a 1st cartridge. FIG. 3 is a schematic sectional view of a first cartridge. The upper perspective view of a 2nd cartridge. The lower perspective view of a 2nd cartridge. The flowchart explaining the flow of a process of this embodiment. Schematic which shows the structure of the printing apparatus of a modification.

  Hereinafter, this embodiment will be described. In addition, this embodiment demonstrated below does not unduly limit the content of this invention described in the claim. In addition, all the configurations described in the present embodiment are not necessarily essential configuration requirements of the present invention.

1. Outline As described above, even in the case of a color printer, there is a user's desire to use a printer as a monochrome-dedicated printing apparatus in order to reduce printing costs. However, in many color printers, monochrome printing cannot be performed unless all the color ink cartridges are mounted in the holder portion in addition to the black ink cartridge. Thus, when a color printer is used exclusively for monochrome printing, it is necessary to prepare a color ink cartridge that the user does not plan to use. This color ink cartridge is unnecessary for the user, and requires a preparation cost for the color ink cartridge that should not be necessary.

  In addition, when monochrome printing is performed with the color ink cartridge attached, color ink may leak from the color ink cartridge.

  On the other hand, a method of simply removing the color ink cartridge from the holder and allowing monochrome printing even when only the black ink cartridge is mounted is conceivable. However, as described above, the color printer is configured so that the position of the carriage (for example, 27 in FIG. 3 described later) can be appropriately controlled on the assumption that all the cartridges are mounted in the holder portion. . The carriage is provided with a holder portion in which a cartridge is mounted. Therefore, if monochrome printing is performed with the unused color ink cartridge removed from the holder, the carriage's weight balance will change, making it impossible to properly control the carriage movement position, and the ink ejection position will shift. As a result, the printing accuracy deteriorates.

  It is also possible to employ a configuration in which the carriage position can be controlled normally with the unused color ink cartridge removed. However, in that case, if an attempt is made to manufacture a monochrome printer based on the design specifications of the current color printer, the changes from the original color printer become enormous and the development cost of the printer increases.

  The present applicant is diverting the current color printer design to manufacture a monochrome printer and reducing the manufacturing cost. Therefore, there is a demand for enabling monochrome printing with high printing accuracy while minimizing changes from the original color printer.

  Therefore, in this embodiment, a balance cartridge (balance container) is attached to the holder portion instead of the color ink cartridge attached to the holder portion (for example, 200 in FIG. 4 described later) of the current color printer. The balance cartridge is a cartridge that is used to keep the weight balance of the holder portion equivalent to the state in which the color ink cartridge is mounted on the holder portion. The balance cartridge is mounted on the holder portion at a position corresponding to the original color ink cartridge mounting position.

  Here, as a method of mounting a cartridge (dummy cartridge) other than the color ink cartridge at the color ink cartridge mounting position, there are methods disclosed in Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2 described above.

  For example, in the invention of Patent Document 1 described above, when a user wants to use a color printer exclusively for monochrome printing, a dummy cartridge is mounted on the color ink cartridge mounting portion. The printer of Patent Document 1 determines whether the mounted cartridge is a color ink cartridge or a dummy cartridge based on data stored in the memory of the cartridge, and if the color ink cartridge is mounted. If it is determined, color printing is executed, and if it is determined that a dummy cartridge is mounted, monochrome printing is executed.

  However, even in the case of monochrome printing only, the user may erroneously install a color ink cartridge or the like at the dummy cartridge mounting location. In this case, no error occurs even if the color ink cartridge is erroneously attached, and it is determined that the color ink cartridge is normally attached, and color printing is performed. For this reason, the user may not be aware that the color ink cartridge has been installed incorrectly until printing starts. Since the user originally wanted to perform monochrome printing, the user would have to perform monochrome printing again, and this color printing would be wasted. Further, since the color ink cartridge is mounted, there is a possibility of color ink leakage.

  In the invention of Patent Document 2, a carriage (cartridge holder) can be used in common between printer models having different colors. Install a dummy cartridge in the empty area. The dummy cartridge is manufactured, for example, by being fixed to the holder portion, and is difficult for the user to remove. That is, in the invention of Patent Document 2, it is necessary to fix the dummy cartridge to the holder portion in advance, and it is necessary to manufacture a printer as a monochrome-dedicated printing apparatus originally. For this reason, the demand for sharing the production line for the color printer and the monochrome printer cannot be solved as in the case of the present applicant, and the development cost increases.

  Therefore, in the present embodiment, a black ink cartridge and a balance cartridge can be attached to a holder portion provided on the carriage of the printer. When it is detected that the black ink cartridge and the balance cartridge are attached to the holder portion, (monochrome) printing processing is executed. Further, when it is detected that a black ink cartridge and a cartridge other than the balance cartridge (for example, a color ink cartridge) are erroneously attached to the holder unit, the printing process is not executed.

  Specifically, FIG. 1 shows a system configuration example of the printing apparatus 10 of the present embodiment. As illustrated in FIG. 1, the printing apparatus 10 according to the present embodiment includes a holder unit 200 and a processing unit 21. The holder part 200 includes a first storage part 210a for detachably storing the first container 100a and a second storage part 210b for detachably storing the second container 100b. The processing unit 21 performs container identification processing for identifying the type of container based on the container identification information. The printing apparatus 10 is not limited to the configuration shown in FIG. 1, and various modifications such as omitting some of these components or adding other components are possible.

  Then, the processing unit 21 determines that the first container 100a is black based on the first container identification information stored in the first storage unit 132a of the first container 100a stored in the first storage unit 210a. Based on the second container identification information stored in the second storage unit 132b of the second container 100b determined to be an ink container (black ink cartridge) and stored in the second storage unit 210b. When it is determined that the second container 100b is a balance container (balance cartridge), a printing process is executed.

  Further, the processing unit 21 determines that the first container 100a is black based on the first container identification information stored in the first storage unit 132a of the first container 100a stored in the first storage unit 210a. The second container 100b is determined based on the second container identification information stored in the second storage unit 132b of the second container 100b that is determined to be an ink container and stored in the second storage unit 210b. If it is determined that the container is other than the balance container (for example, a color ink cartridge), the printing process is not executed (not executed). The container identification information and the container identification process will be described in detail later.

  At this time, when the processing unit 21 determines that the first container 100a is a black ink container and determines that the second container 100b is a balance container, the processing unit 21 shifts to a print preparation state, When it is determined that the first container 100a is a black ink container and the second container 100b is determined to be a container other than the balance container, the print preparation state is not entered.

  As described above, when the black ink cartridge and the balance cartridge are mounted on the holder unit 200 in accordance with the original application (monochrome printing application), the printing process is executed. If the cartridge is mounted in a combination, the printing process is not executed. For example, when the printing process is not executed, an error message may be displayed on the display unit of the operation unit 16 illustrated in FIG.

  Thus, before the printing process is executed, the user can know that an incorrect cartridge has been installed. In other words, in the monochrome printing apparatus, when the user erroneously attaches a container other than the balance container to the holder portion, the user can notice the erroneous attachment before printing.

  Further, as described above, the balance cartridge has a mass balance equivalent to that of the color ink cartridge. Therefore, when the balance cartridge is attached to the holder portion, the carriage can hold the same weight balance as when the color ink cartridge is attached to the holder portion. Thus, when a monochrome printer is manufactured by diverting the design of the color printer, and the black ink cartridge and the balance cartridge are installed in the holder unit 200, the processing unit 21 has the black ink cartridge in the holder unit 200, The carriage movement can be controlled in the same manner as when the color ink cartridge is installed. Therefore, the position control of the carriage can be appropriately performed, and a decrease in the printing accuracy of monochrome printing can be suppressed.

  And since there is no need to mount an unnecessary color ink cartridge, color ink does not leak.

  Furthermore, unlike the invention of Patent Document 2 described above, the balance cartridge used in this embodiment is mounted on the holder portion 200 after manufacture. Accordingly, it is possible to reduce the difference in configuration with the original color printer. As a result, development costs and manufacturing costs can be reduced by sharing a production line between the color printer and the monochrome printer of the present embodiment.

2. Printing Device FIG. 2 is a schematic perspective view showing an external configuration of the printing device 10 of the present embodiment. FIG. 2 shows arrows X, Y, and Z indicating three directions orthogonal to each other. An arrow X indicates a horizontal direction parallel to the horizontal direction (width direction) of the printing apparatus 10, and indicates a direction from the left side to the right side when the user faces the printing apparatus 10. In the present embodiment, the axial direction of the arrow X is parallel to the main scanning direction of the carriage 27 in the printing apparatus 10. An arrow Y indicates a direction parallel to the front-rear direction of the printing apparatus 10 and indicates a direction from the rear side (back side) to the front side (front side) when the user faces the printing apparatus 10. . In the present embodiment, the axial direction of the arrow Y coincides with the sub-scanning direction. An arrow Z indicates the height direction of the printing apparatus 10 and indicates a vertically upward direction with respect to the placement surface on which the printing apparatus 10 is placed. In other drawings used for describing the present embodiment, the arrows X, Y, and Z are also shown as corresponding to FIG. 2 as appropriate. In the present embodiment, the term “left” or “right” means a direction based on the direction of the arrow X. Similarly, “front (front)” or “rear (rear)” means a direction based on the direction of the arrow Y of the printing apparatus 10, and is “up (upward)” or “lower ( “Down”) means a direction based on the direction of the arrow Z of the printing apparatus 10.

  The printing apparatus 10 is an inkjet printer, for example. The printing apparatus 10 forms an image by ejecting ink droplets onto printing paper in accordance with print data supplied from the outside. The printing apparatus 10 includes a housing 11, a paper feed port 12, a top cover 13, a paper discharge port 14, and an operation unit 16. The housing 11 is an exterior member that houses a printing mechanism unit (described later with reference to FIG. 3) of the printing apparatus 10. The paper feed port 12 is an opening provided so as to open upward at the rear of the housing 11. Printing paper, which is a printing medium, is supplied to the main body inside the housing 11 through the paper feed port 12.

  The top cover 13 is a plate-like member that is rotatably attached to the housing 11 in the vicinity of the paper feed port 12. When the top cover 13 is in the open state (the state shown in the figure), it functions as a guide plate for feeding printing paper into the paper feed slot 12, and when it is in the closed state, it covers and protects the center of the top surface of the housing 11. Functions as a lid. The paper discharge port 14 is an opening provided on the front surface of the housing 11. The printing paper fed into the housing 11 through the paper supply port 12 is discharged to the outside through the paper discharge port 14. The operation unit 16 includes a button for receiving a user operation and a display unit for displaying information to the user. The operation unit 16 is provided on the upper surface of the housing 11, and the user can access the operation unit 16 when the upper surface cover 13 is open.

  FIG. 3 is a schematic perspective view showing an external configuration of the printing mechanism unit 20 taken out from the housing 11 of the printing apparatus 10. In FIG. 3, the movement trajectory of the carriage 27 is schematically shown by broken lines. The printing mechanism unit 20 includes a control unit 21 (corresponding to the processing unit 21 in FIG. 1), a transport unit 22, and a printing unit 23. The control unit 21 is configured by a microcomputer including a central processing unit and a main storage device. The control unit 21 controls each component of the printing apparatus 10 in accordance with a user operation via the operation unit 16 or a command from an external computer, and executes a printing process.

  The transport unit 22 transports the printing paper introduced from the paper feed port 12 (FIG. 2) in the direction of the arrow Y inside the printing mechanism unit 20 by the rotation drive of the transport roller 25 ( The paper is conveyed to the paper discharge port 14 via a not-shown illustration. Below the carriage 27 of the printing apparatus 10, the sub-scanning direction that is the paper feeding direction coincides with the direction of the arrow Y.

  The printing unit 23 is arranged on the printing paper conveyance path, and executes printing on the printing paper conveyed by the conveyance unit 22. The printing unit 23 includes a carriage 27 and a guide rail 28. The carriage 27 corresponds to a carriage unit. The printing apparatus 10 of this embodiment is a so-called on-carriage type, and two cartridges 100 a and 100 b are detachably mounted on the carriage 27 via a holder part 200.

  A print head (not shown) that ejects ink droplets is provided below the carriage 27. The print head has an ink flow path, a nozzle for ejecting ink, and a mechanism for generating a driving force for ejecting ink (for example, a piezo element in the case of the piezo method, a heater in the case of the thermal method). ing. Under the control of the control unit 21, the carriage 27 reciprocates along the guide rails 28 laid in the axial direction of the arrow X, and on the surface of the printing paper conveyed in the sub-scanning direction by the conveyance unit 22. Ink droplets are ejected toward the camera. The main scanning direction in which the carriage 27 reciprocates is parallel to the axial direction of the arrow X.

  FIG. 4 is a schematic perspective view showing the carriage 27 in a state where the first cartridge 100a and the second cartridge 100b are mounted. The holder part 200 of the carriage 27 is configured as a substantially rectangular parallelepiped box having an upper opening. Inside the holder part 200, each of the first cartridge 100a and the second cartridge 100b is accommodated in parallel with the entire upper surface exposed upward. The print head is provided on the lower surface of the holder unit 200. The print head is illustrated in FIG. 7 which is referred to in the description of the holder unit 200.

  Each of the first cartridge 100a and the second cartridge 100b has a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape. The length (length in the direction of arrow Y) and height (length in the direction of arrow Z) of the first cartridge 100a are substantially the same as those of the second cartridge 100b. The first cartridge 100a and the second cartridge 100b are accommodated in parallel in the holder part 200 in a state in which the length and height are substantially aligned. The configurations of the first cartridge 100a and the second cartridge 100b are almost the same. In the following description, the first cartridge 100a and the second cartridge 100b are collectively referred to as “cartridge 100” when it is not necessary to distinguish between them.

  The first cartridge 100a corresponds to a liquid supply unit and contains ink to be supplied to the print head. As described above, in the present embodiment, the first cartridge 100a contains one type of color ink (black ink). Further, it is assumed that a balance cartridge is mounted as the second cartridge 100b. In this case, the second cartridge 100b does not contain ink (is not contained), and does not supply ink to the print head.

  Here, the cartridge 100 has a circuit board for exchanging electrical signals with the printing apparatus 10, and an electrical connection for electrical connection is provided between the holder unit 200 and the cartridge 100. Connection is provided. Below, the structure of the holder part 200 and each structure of the 1st cartridge 100a and the 2nd cartridge 100b are demonstrated in order.

3. Holder Unit Next, a schematic configuration of the holder unit 200 will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 5 is an upper perspective view of the holder unit 200 as viewed from above the front side. FIG. 6 is an upper perspective view of the holder part 200 when viewed from the back side. FIG. 7 is a lower perspective view of the holder part 200. FIG. 8 is an exploded perspective view of the holder part 200. The holder unit 200 includes a first cartridge storage chamber 210a (first storage unit 210a shown in FIG. 1) in which the first cartridge 100a is stored, and a second cartridge storage chamber in which the second cartridge 100b is stored. 210b (second storage portion 210b shown in FIG. 1) (FIGS. 5 and 6). In the following description, the areas of the first cartridge storage chamber 210a and the second cartridge storage chamber 210b are collectively referred to as the cartridge storage chamber 210. The cartridge storage chamber 210 corresponds to a liquid supply unit arrangement region and is surrounded by five walls 201 to 205 (FIGS. 5 to 7).

  The bottom wall 201 constitutes the bottom surface of the cartridge storage chamber 210 on which the first cartridge 100a and the second cartridge 100b are placed. The front wall portion 202 and the back wall portion 203 extend substantially vertically upward from the front-side end portion and the back-side end portion of the bottom wall portion 201, respectively, and constitute the front and back surfaces of the cartridge storage chamber 210. . The first side wall 204 and the second side wall 205 extend substantially vertically upward from the left end and the right end of the bottom wall 201, respectively, and constitute the left side and right side of the cartridge storage chamber 210. ing.

  In the present embodiment, the front wall 202, the back wall 203, the first side wall 204, and the second side wall 205 are formed by the side walls of the outer peripheral wall member 206 having a substantially rectangular tube shape formed by integral molding. It is configured (FIG. 8). Further, the bottom wall 201 is formed separately from the outer peripheral wall member 206. For example, the bottom wall portion 201 is configured by a plate member 207 (nozzle plate) disposed in the bottom surface side opening of the outer peripheral wall member 206. Two lever portions 230, two connector units 250, a wiring board 280, and a cover member 300 are integrally combined and attached to the front wall portion 202 of the outer peripheral wall member 206.

  The two lever portions 230 have the same configuration, and are arranged in a line in the direction of the arrow X (FIGS. 5 to 7). One lever portion 230 is provided to correspond to each of the first cartridge 100a and the second cartridge 100b. Each lever portion 230 is attached to the front wall portion 202 so as to be rotatable in the direction of arrow Y. The lever portion 230 engages with the engaged portion of the cartridge 100 by rotating movement. In the present embodiment, “engage” means engaging with a predetermined part of the object so that the moving direction of the object is limited.

  Each of the two connector units 250 has the same configuration, and one connector unit 250 is disposed below each of the two lever portions 230. The connector unit 250 is a terminal portion that can be electrically connected to a circuit board (130 in FIG. 11 described later) of the cartridge 100. The wiring board 280 electrically connects each connector unit 250 and the electrical system of the printing apparatus 10. The cover member 300 is disposed between the wiring board 280 and the front wall 202, and the lever part 230, the connector unit 250, and the wiring board 280 are integrated together from the front wall 202 side.

  The above-described print head 190 is attached to the lower surface of the bottom wall 201 (FIG. 7). As described above with reference to FIG. 8, the printing apparatus 10 according to this embodiment includes the nozzle plate 207 provided on the head (printing head 190) side of the holder unit 200. Furthermore, ink receiving portions 211 to 214 are provided on the upper surface of the bottom wall portion 201 (nozzle plate 207) (FIGS. 5 and 6). As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the nozzle plate 207 has a plurality of nozzle holes 290 formed at positions corresponding to the first cartridge storage chamber 210a (first storage portion 210a). No nozzle hole is formed (not formed) at a position corresponding to the cartridge storage chamber 210b (second storage portion 210b). In other words, a plurality of nozzle holes 290 are formed in the ink receiving portion 211 of the first cartridge storage chamber 210a, but a plurality of nozzles are provided in the ink receiving portions 212 to 214 of the second cartridge storage chamber 210b. No holes are formed. The ink receiving ports 211 to 214 are connected to the ink supply ports of the cartridges 100a and 100b. The ink of the first cartridge 100 a is introduced into the ink flow path of the print head 190 through the plurality of nozzle holes 290 of the ink receiving portion 211. On the other hand, since the plurality of nozzle holes are not formed in the ink receiving portions 212 to 214, for example, even when a color ink cartridge is mistakenly attached as the second cartridge 100b, the color ink is received by the ink receiving portion 212. ˜214 is not introduced into the ink flow path of the print head 190. Further, a seal portion 215 is provided on the outer periphery of each of the ink receiving portions 211 to 214. The seal portion 215 suppresses intrusion of outside air into the ink path and suppresses leakage of the ink to the outside.

  As a result, for example, even if the color ink cartridge is accidentally attached to the second storage unit 210b, it is possible to prevent ink from the color ink cartridge from being discharged onto the printing surface (printing paper). Become.

  The bottom wall 201 is provided with an urging mechanism 217. The urging mechanism 217 urges the cartridges 100 a and 100 b placed on the bottom wall portion 201 in a direction (upward) away from the holder portion 200. In the present embodiment, the urging mechanism 217 is configured by a string spring. The urging mechanism 217 improves the fixability of the cartridges 100a and 100b in the holder portion 200 and improves the operability when removing the cartridges.

4). First Cartridge Next, details of the configuration of the first cartridge 100a will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 9 is a top perspective view of the first cartridge 100a. FIG. 10 is a lower perspective view of the first cartridge 100a. FIG. 11 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the first cartridge 100a taken along the line BB ′ shown in FIG. In FIG. 11, the detailed configuration of the ink chamber 108 is not shown.

  The first cartridge 100a has six wall portions 101 to 106 surrounding an ink chamber 108 for containing ink. The first wall portion 101 shown in FIG. 10 constitutes a bottom surface that faces the bottom wall portion 201 of the holder portion 200 when attached to the holder portion 200. An ink supply port 110 that communicates with the ink chamber 108 is provided in the center of the first wall portion 101. The ink supply port 110 is connected to the ink receiving unit 211 of the holder unit 200 when the first cartridge 100 a is mounted on the holder unit 200.

  The second wall portion 102 shown in FIG. 9 is a wall portion facing the first wall portion 101, and constitutes the upper surface of the first cartridge 100a. The second wall portion 102 is configured by a lid body 102c (FIG. 11) that can be separated from the main body of the first cartridge 100a. The second wall portion 102 seals the ink receiving port 115 that is a through hole for filling the ink chamber 108 with ink, the air inflow path 116 for introducing outside air into the ink chamber 108, and the above from above. A film-like seal member 117.

  The fourth wall portion 104 is provided with a main engagement portion 120 that is engaged with the lever portion 230 of the holder portion 200. The main engagement portion 120 corresponds to the engaged portion.

  A circuit board 130 for exchanging electrical signals with the printing apparatus 10 is disposed below the main engagement portion 120. The circuit board 130 is fixed to the fourth wall portion 104 with an inclination angle of, for example, 10 ° to 45 ° with respect to the arrow Z direction so that the surface having the terminal portion 131 faces downward.

  The circuit board 130 includes a terminal portion 131 and a storage device 132 (FIG. 11). The terminal part 131 has a plurality of terminals that are in electrical contact with the terminals of the connector unit 250 of the holder part 200. The storage device 132 is configured by a rewritable nonvolatile memory such as a flash ROM, for example. The storage device 132 of the first cartridge 100a is the first storage unit 132a of FIG. The storage device 132 stores information related to ink in a nonvolatile manner such as the color and remaining amount of ink stored in the first cartridge 100a, the type of cartridge, and container identification information described later. The type of cartridge is information indicating, for example, whether the cartridge is a black ink cartridge, a color ink cartridge, or a balance cartridge.

5. Second Cartridge Next, the configuration of the second cartridge 100b will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 12 is a top perspective view of the second cartridge 100b. In FIG. 12, for convenience, the ink chambers 108a to 108c formed in the second cartridge 100b are indicated by broken lines. FIG. 13 is a lower perspective view of the second cartridge 100b. 12 and 13, the same reference numerals are given to the components common to the components of the first cartridge 100 a described in FIGS. 9 to 11. The second cartridge 100b has substantially the same configuration as the first cartridge 100a except for the points described below, and has six wall portions 101 corresponding to the wall portions 101 to 106 of the first cartridge 100a. ~ 106.

  As described above, in the present embodiment, it is assumed that a balance cartridge is mounted as the second cartridge 100b.

  This balance cartridge has substantially the same structure as the color ink cartridge. For this reason, the balance container (balance cartridge) of the present embodiment includes the ink storage portions (ink chambers 108a to 108c), but the ink storage portions (108a to 108c) do not store (not store) ink. It is.

  Specifically, since the second cartridge 100b (balance cartridge) originally contains three colors of ink, the width in the direction of the arrow X is larger than that of the first cartridge 100a, and the inside thereof has three ink chambers 108a. It is partitioned into ~ 108c. The first ink chamber 108 a is formed in a front area facing the fourth wall portion 104. Each of the second ink chamber 108b and the third ink chamber 108c is formed by dividing a region behind the first ink chamber 108a into two in the direction of the arrow X. The second ink chamber 108 b is formed on the side facing the fifth wall portion 105, and the third ink chamber 108 c is formed on the side facing the sixth wall portion 106. Each of the three ink chambers 108a to 108c is provided with one corresponding ink receiving port 115a to 115c.

  The first wall 101 (FIG. 12) is provided with three ink supply ports 110a to 110c corresponding to the ink chambers 108a to 108c. Each of the ink supply ports 110a to 110c is connected to a corresponding one of the ink receiving portions 212 to 214 (FIG. 5) when the second cartridge 100b is mounted on the holder portion 200. However, as described above, since the ink is not stored in the balance cartridge, the ink is not introduced into the ink receiving portions 212 to 214 through the ink supply ports 110a to 110c and the ink receiving ports 115a to 115c. Absent.

  For example, a balance cartridge can be manufactured by placing a weight of a given mass into a color ink cartridge that does not contain ink. Here, the given mass is, for example, a mass equivalent to the mass of the ink stored in the color ink cartridge. In addition to the example of placing a weight, the material constituting the wall surface of the balance cartridge is heavier than the material constituting the wall surface of the color ink cartridge, and the mass of the balance cartridge is adjusted to the ink cartridge when storing ink. It may be equivalent to the mass.

  Thereby, for example, it is possible to manufacture a balance cartridge by diverting design data of a color ink cartridge. That is, the manufacturing cost of the balance cartridge can be reduced.

6). Details of Processing Next, details of processing in the present embodiment will be described.

  The printing apparatus 10 of the present embodiment includes a main body side mounting detection terminal used for detecting the mounting state of the container. For example, the main body side mounting detection terminal is provided in the connector unit 250 of the holder unit 200 shown in FIGS.

  Further, the black ink container (first container 100a) and the balance container (second container 100b) have container-side mounting detection terminals that are (electrically) connected to the body-side mounting detection terminals when the containers are mounted. . For example, the container side mounting detection terminal is provided in the terminal portion 131 of the circuit board 130 shown in FIGS.

  And the process part 21 performs the mounting state detection process which detects the mounting state of a container using the main body side mounting detection terminal and the container side mounting detection terminal. In the mounting state detection process, the processing unit 21 confirms whether or not the main body side mounting detection terminal and the container side mounting detection terminal are electrically connected, and the container is in the mounting state (main body side mounting detection). If it is determined that the container terminal and the container-side mounting detection terminal are electrically connected), the container identification process is executed, and in the mounting state detection process, it is determined that the container is not mounted In this case, the container identification process is not executed (not executed).

  Here, the mounting state detection process is a process of detecting (determining) the mounting state of the container (cartridge 100). The mounted state is a state where the cartridge 100 is mounted on the holder unit 200 or not mounted. For example, when the cartridge 100 is appropriately mounted on the holder unit 200, it can be said that the cartridge 100 is in an appropriate mounting state. On the other hand, for example, the cartridge 100 is completely removed from the holder part 200, or the cartridge 100 is stored in the holder part 200, but the cartridge 100 and the holder part 200 are not firmly fitted, and the main body side When the attachment detection terminal and the container-side attachment detection terminal are not electrically connected, it can be said that they are in a non-attachment state.

  Further, it can be said that the mounting state detection process is a process for determining an error without a cartridge. The cartridge no error is an error state indicating that the cartridge 100 is not properly attached to the holder unit 200 (is not attached). For example, as described above, when the processing unit 21 determines that the mounting state is appropriate, the processing unit 21 determines that no cartridge error has occurred (the cartridge is present), and the mounting state is not appropriate ( If it is determined that there is no cartridge, it is determined that a cartridge no error has occurred.

  In contrast, it can be said that the container identification process is an error determination process in the presence of a cartridge. Specifically, the container identification process is a process for determining whether or not the mounted cartridge 100 is of an appropriate type. As described above, in this embodiment, the black ink cartridge and the balance cartridge need to be mounted on the holder unit 200. For this reason, when a cartridge other than this combination is mounted on the holder unit 200, the processing unit 21 determines that a cartridge error has occurred. The cartridge presence error is an error state indicating that the cartridge 100 is properly mounted on the holder unit 200 but the type of the mounted cartridge 100 is not appropriate. For example, when the processing unit 21 determines that a color ink cartridge is mounted as the second container 100b, the processing unit 21 determines that an error with a cartridge has occurred. On the other hand, for example, when the processing unit 21 determines that a balance cartridge is mounted as the second container 100b, the processing unit 21 determines that no cartridge error has occurred.

  This container identification process is performed based on the container identification information. Here, the container identification information is information indicating the type of container (cartridge) provided with the storage unit 132 in which the container identification information is stored, and is information such as an ID, for example. The container identification information is stored in the storage unit 132 of the cartridge 100. The container identification information is read out by the processing unit 21 via the container side mounting detection terminal and the main body side mounting detection terminal when the cartridge 100 is mounted on the holder unit 200, and the container identification process described above is performed. Used in

  As a result, when the container is not properly mounted, unnecessary container identification processing is not executed, and the processing amount can be reduced. For example, it can be displayed on the display unit of the operation unit 16 shown in FIG. 2 to notify the user that a cartridge-out error has occurred.

  In this embodiment, the printing apparatus 10 is used in a state where the balance cartridge is mounted on the holder unit 200 as the second container 100b. However, it is not usually necessary to replace the balance cartridge during use. Accordingly, since the printing apparatus 10 is started to be used, the printing apparatus 10 is continuously used with the same balance cartridge mounted.

  Here, as described above, the balance cartridge (second container 100b) is provided with the second storage unit 132b. The first storage unit 132a and the second storage unit 132b are configured by a nonvolatile memory such as an EEPROM (Electrically Erasable Programmable Read-Only Memory), for example. These nonvolatile memories have a limit on the number of times of writing (for example, up to 50,000 times). Therefore, while the same balance cartridge is continuously used, there is a possibility that the number of times of writing to the storage unit 132b of the balance cartridge exceeds the upper limit of the number of times of writing. If the upper limit of the number of times of writing is exceeded, the writing process cannot be performed normally, and the processing unit 21 may perform an error operation.

  Therefore, the processing unit 21 performs a writing inspection process on the first storage unit 132a of the first container 100a at least when the power is turned on, and the second storage unit 132b of the second container 100b. In this case, the write check process is not executed (not executed).

  Here, the write check process is a process for checking whether or not data is correctly written in the storage unit 132. For example, in the write check process, the processing unit 21 writes predetermined data, reads the written data, and checks whether the written data matches the read data. For example, if it is determined that the written data matches the read data, it is determined to be normal, and if it is determined that the written data does not match the read data, an error has occurred. It is determined that Note that the write check process can employ a process other than this example, and various modifications can be made.

  This makes it possible to reduce the number of times data is written to the second storage unit 132b. As a result, the number of writes to the second storage unit 132b can be prevented from exceeding the upper limit of the number of writes, and the processing unit 21 can be prevented from performing an error operation.

  For the same reason, the processing unit 21 performs a process of writing the estimated ink amount information on the first storage unit 132a of the first container 100a, and stores it in the second storage unit 132b of the second container 100b. On the other hand, the ink estimated amount information writing process is not executed (not executed).

  Originally, in this embodiment, since it is assumed that a balance cartridge is used as the second container 100b, the remaining ink amount in the second container 100b is always 0, and ink estimation is performed with respect to the second storage unit 132b. There is no need to write quantity information.

  Accordingly, it is possible to suppress the number of times data is written to the second storage unit 132b without performing unnecessary data write processing to the second storage unit 132b.

  Next, the processing flow of the present embodiment will be described using the flowchart of FIG. The series of processing shown in FIG. 14 is processing performed for each cartridge (100a, 100b) when the printing apparatus 10 is powered on, for example.

  First, the processing unit 21 performs the above-described wearing state detection process (S101). When it is determined in the wearing state detection process that the state is not an appropriate wearing state (non-wearing state) (S102), the processing unit 21 performs an error notification process (S103) and ends the process. The error notification process in step S103 is a process for notifying the user of the above-described cartridge-free error, for example.

  On the other hand, if it is determined in the wearing state detection process that the wearing state is appropriate (S102), the processing unit 21 performs a container identification process (S104). When the processing unit 21 determines in the container identification process that the container attached to the holder unit 200 is a black ink container (S105), the processing unit 21 performs the above-described writing inspection process (S106). If the processing unit 21 determines that the writing process has been successfully performed in the writing inspection process (S107), the processing unit 21 continues the writing process of the estimated ink amount information (S108) and ends the process.

  Further, when the processing unit 21 determines that the writing process cannot be normally performed in the writing check process (S107), the processing unit 21 performs an error notification process (S109) and ends the process. The error notification processing in step S109 is processing for notifying the user of an error in writing to the storage unit 132, for example.

  Further, when the processing unit 21 determines in the container identification process that the container mounted on the holder unit 200 is not a black ink container (S105) but a balance container (S110), the writing inspection process and the ink are performed. The process ends without performing the process of writing the estimated amount information.

  Further, if the processing unit 21 determines in the container identification process that the container mounted on the holder unit 200 is not a black ink container (S105) and is not a balance container (S110), the writing inspection process and the ink are performed. An error notification process is performed without performing the estimated amount information writing process (S111), and the process is terminated. The error notification process in step S111 is a process for notifying the user of the above-described error with a cartridge, for example. The above is the processing flow when the power is turned on in the present embodiment. However, the flow of processing shown in FIG. 14 is an example, and various modifications can be made. For example, the processing unit 21 performs the mounting state detection processing for all of the cartridges mounted in the holder unit 200, and if even one cartridge error is detected, the processing is performed without performing other processing. You may end.

7). Modification FIG. 15 is a schematic diagram illustrating a configuration of a printing apparatus 10A according to a modification of the present embodiment. In FIG. 15, the components other than the carriage 27, the ink supply unit 400, and the ink introduction tube 401 are not shown for convenience. The printing apparatus 10A includes a carriage 27 having the same configuration as that described above, and a cartridge 100 having the same configuration as the cartridge 100 described above is mounted. The printing apparatus 10 </ b> A of the present modification is substantially the same as the configuration of the printing apparatus 10 of FIG. 1 except that the ink can be continuously supplied to the cartridge 100.

  The printing apparatus 10 </ b> A of this modification includes an ink supply unit 400 and a plurality of ink introduction tubes 401. The ink supply unit 400 corresponds to a liquid container and has an ink container that stores black ink. The plurality of ink introduction pipes 401 connect the black ink container of the ink supply unit 400 and the ink receiving port 115 of the cartridge 100a. The plurality of ink introduction tubes 401 are configured by, for example, flexible resin tubes.

  In the case of the printing apparatus 10A according to the present modified example, in the same way as the printing apparatus 10 in FIG. 1, in the monochrome dedicated printing apparatus, when a user erroneously attaches a container other than the balance container to the holder, before printing, Users can be aware of mis-installation. Moreover, the other effects mentioned above can be obtained similarly.

  Note that the printing apparatus or the like of the present embodiment may realize part or most of the processing by a program. In this case, the printing apparatus according to the present embodiment is realized by a processor such as a CPU executing a program. Specifically, a program stored in a non-temporary information storage device is read, and a processor such as a CPU executes the read program. Here, an information storage device (device readable by a computer) stores programs, data, and the like, and functions as an optical disk (DVD, CD, etc.), HDD (hard disk drive), or memory (card type). It can be realized by memory, ROM, etc. A processor such as a CPU performs various processes according to the present embodiment based on a program (data) stored in the information storage device. That is, in the information storage device, a program for causing a computer (an apparatus including an operation unit, a processing unit, a storage unit, and an output unit) to function as each unit of the present embodiment (a program for causing a computer to execute the processing of each unit). Is memorized.

  In addition, the printing apparatus and the like according to the present embodiment may include a processor and a memory. The processor here may be, for example, a CPU (Central Processing Unit). However, the processor is not limited to the CPU, and various processors such as a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit) or a DSP (Digital Signal Processor) can be used. The processor may be a hardware circuit based on ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit). The memory stores instructions that can be read by a computer. When the instructions are executed by the processor, each unit of the printing apparatus according to the present embodiment is realized. The memory here may be a semiconductor memory such as an SRAM (Static Random Access Memory) or a DRAM (Dynamic Random Access Memory), or may be a register or a hard disk. In addition, the instruction here may be an instruction of an instruction set constituting the program, or an instruction for instructing an operation to the hardware circuit of the processor.

  Although the present embodiment has been described in detail as described above, it will be easily understood by those skilled in the art that many modifications can be made without departing from the novel matters and effects of the present invention. Accordingly, all such modifications are intended to be included in the scope of the present invention. For example, a term described at least once together with a different term having a broader meaning or the same meaning in the specification or the drawings can be replaced with the different term in any part of the specification or the drawings. Further, the configuration and operation of the printing apparatus are not limited to those described in the present embodiment, and various modifications can be made.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Printing apparatus, 10A ... Printing apparatus, 11 ... Housing | casing, 12 ... Paper feed opening, 13 ... Top cover,
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 14 ... Paper discharge port, 16 ... Operation part, 20 ... Printing mechanism part, 21 ... Processing part (control part), 22 ... Conveyance part,
23 ... Printing section, 25 ... Conveying roller, 27 ... Carriage, 28 ... Guide rail,
100 ... cartridge, 100a ... first container (first cartridge),
100b ... second container (second cartridge), 101 ... first wall, 102 ... second wall,
102c ... lid, 103 ... third wall, 104 ... fourth wall, 105 ... fifth wall,
106: sixth wall portion, 108: ink chamber, 108a: first ink chamber,
108b ... second ink chamber, 108c ... third ink chamber, 110 ... ink supply port,
110a ... ink supply port, 110b ... ink supply port, 110c ... ink supply port,
115 ... Ink receiving port, 115a ... Ink receiving port, 115b ... Ink receiving port,
115c, an ink receiving port, 116, an air inflow path, 117, a seal member, 120, a main engaging portion,
130 ... Circuit board, 131 ... Terminal part, 132 ... Storage device (storage part),
132a ... first storage unit, 132b ... second storage unit, 190 ... print head,
200 ... Holder part, 201 ... Bottom wall part, 202 ... Front wall part, 203 ... Back wall part,
204 ... 1st side wall part, 205 ... 2nd side wall part, 206 ... outer peripheral wall member,
207 ... Nozzle plate (plate member), 210 ... Cartridge housing chamber,
210a ... 1st accommodating part (1st cartridge accommodating chamber),
210b ... second storage section (second cartridge storage chamber),
211: Ink receiving unit, 212 ... Ink receiving unit, 213 ... Ink receiving unit,
214 ... Ink receiving portion, 215 ... Seal portion, 217 ... Biasing mechanism, 230 ... Lever portion,
250 ... Connector unit, 280 ... Wiring board, 290 ... Nozzle hole,
300 ... Cover member, 400 ... Ink supply section, 401 ... Ink introduction tube

Claims (7)

A holder portion having a first storage portion for storing the first container and a second storage portion for storing the second container;
A processing unit for performing container identification processing for identifying the type of the container based on the container identification information;
Including
The processor is
Based on the first container identification information stored in the first storage unit of the first container stored in the first storage unit, it is determined that the first container is a black ink container; When it is determined that the second container is a balance container based on the second container identification information stored in the second storage section of the second container stored in the second storage section Execute the printing process,
Based on the first container identification information stored in the first storage unit of the first container stored in the first storage unit, the first container is the black ink container. Based on the second container identification information stored in the second storage unit of the second container that is determined and stored in the second storage unit, the second container is other than the balance container If it is determined that the container is a container, the printing process is not executed. In claim 1,
Including a body side mounting detection terminal used to detect the mounting state of the container;
The black ink container and the balance container are:
A container-side mounting detection terminal connected to the body-side mounting detection terminal when the container is mounted;
The processor is
Performing a mounting state detection process for detecting the mounting state of the container using the main body side mounting detection terminal and the container side mounting detection terminal;
In the mounting state detection process, when it is determined that the container is in a non-mounted state, the container identification process is not executed. In claim 1 or 2,
The balance container is
A printing apparatus having an ink storage portion, wherein the ink storage portion is a container in which ink is not stored. In any one of Claims 1 thru | or 3,
The first storage unit and the second storage unit are
Consists of non-volatile memory,
The processor is
At least when the power is turned on, the writing inspection process is performed on the first storage unit of the first container, and the writing inspection process is performed on the second storage unit of the second container. A printing apparatus that is not executed. In any one of Claims 1 thru | or 4,
The processor is
Write processing of ink estimated amount information is performed on the first storage unit of the first container, and the ink estimated amount information of the second storage unit of the second container A printing apparatus, wherein writing processing is not executed. In any one of Claims 1 thru | or 5,
Having a nozzle plate provided on the head side of the holder part;
The nozzle plate is
A printing apparatus, wherein a plurality of nozzle holes are formed at positions corresponding to the first storage section, and nozzle holes are not formed at positions corresponding to the second storage section. In any one of Claims 1 thru | or 6.
The processor is
When it is determined that the first container is the black ink container and the second container is determined to be the balance container, the process proceeds to a print preparation state.
When the first container is determined to be the black ink container and the second container is determined to be a container other than the balance container, the printing preparation state is not shifted. Printing device.

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