JP2017189958A - Printer and control method for the same - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a printer capable of preventing contact between a carriage and a wiper even when aged deterioration occurs.SOLUTION: A printer comprises: a carriage 21 being formed with an abutting portion 110 while being mounted with a print head 22; a carriage drive motor 140 scanning the carriage 21 back and forth; a carriage position sensor 26 detecting a position of the carriage 21 in a scanning range of the carriage 21; and a CPU 120 (control section) executing first control for moving the carriage 21 to a target position on the basis of the position of the carriage 21 and second control for moving the carriage 21 until the abutting portion 110 abuts on an end portion of the scanning range of the carriage 21.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

  The present invention relates to a printing apparatus and a printing apparatus control method.

In general, in a recording apparatus that performs recording on a recording medium, when the carriage 3 is driven, the stop position accuracy required for the target stop position of the drive is determined. When the stop position accuracy is high, the servo control is ended at the end timing 1. To do. Further, there is a technique in which the servo control is ended at the end timing 2 when the stop position accuracy is medium, and the servo control is ended at the end timing 3 when the stop position accuracy is low (see, for example, Patent Document 1). .

JP 2011-161649 A

In the apparatus disclosed in Patent Document 1, when the load of the carriage to be controlled fluctuates due to aging or the like, it is difficult to maintain high accuracy because the carriage control is cut in time.
Here, in the case of a printing apparatus that performs printing by driving a carriage, it is known to perform cleaning for removing ink and the like of the nozzle by covering the nozzle of the print head with a cap and sucking it. Then, after cleaning is completed, wiping is performed by wiping off excess ink adhering to the nozzle portion of the print head with a wiper. The area where such cleaning is performed and the area where wiping is performed are arranged adjacent to each other.
However, as described above, when the carriage stop position accuracy decreases due to aging or the like, the wiper may come into contact with the carriage during cleaning. If the carriage and the wiper come into contact with each other, the ink attached to the wiper may adhere to the carriage. For this reason, when printing is performed by driving the carriage, there is a problem in that ink attached to the carriage adheres to the recording medium, causing printing stains and the like.
There is no problem if the distance between the carriage and the wiper can be secured more than the variation including the case where the parts accuracy and stop accuracy are poor so that the wiper does not come into contact with the wiper when the carriage is positioned at the cleaning position. However, due to the installation space of the printing apparatus, if a sufficient distance cannot be ensured, high carriage stop accuracy is required.

  In order to solve the above-described problems, an object of the present invention is to provide a printing apparatus and a printing apparatus control method capable of preventing contact between a carriage and a wiper even when aged deterioration occurs.

In order to achieve the above object, a printing apparatus according to the present invention includes a carriage having a print head mounted thereon, a butting portion formed thereon, a driving unit that reciprocates the carriage, and the carriage in a scanning range of the carriage. A first control for moving the carriage to a target position by operating the drive unit based on the position of the carriage detected by the detection unit; And a control unit that executes a second control for moving the carriage until it hits the end of the scanning range.
According to the present invention, by executing the second control by the control unit, it is possible to reliably position the carriage at the home position even when aged deterioration occurs. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the carriage and the wiper from coming into contact even when the distance between the carriage and the wiper cannot be sufficiently secured due to the installation space of the printing apparatus. As a result, ink does not adhere to the carriage due to contact with the wiper, and printing stains and the like do not occur on the recording medium.

In the printing apparatus, the printing head is an ink jet head, and the control unit executes the second control when the printing head is cleaned.
According to the present invention, the abutting portion is moved until it abuts against the end of the scanning range of the carriage when the print head is cleaned, so that the carriage can be positioned at the home position when the cleaning is performed.

In the printing apparatus, the control unit may execute the second control prior to an operation of moving the wiper to a wiping start position when cleaning is performed.
According to the present invention, prior to the operation of moving the wiper to the wiping start position, the abutting portion is moved until it abuts against the end of the scanning range of the carriage, so that the contact between the carriage and the wiper can be ensured during cleaning. Can be prevented.

In the printing apparatus according to the aspect of the invention, in the state where the movement path of the wiper overlaps the scanning range, and the abutting portion is in contact with an end of the scanning range, the carriage moves the wiper. It is characterized by being off the route.
According to the present invention, in a state in which the abutting portion of the carriage is in contact with the end portion of the scanning range of the carriage, the carriage is in a position out of the movement path of the wiper, so that the contact between the carriage and the wiper is reliably prevented. be able to.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a control method for a printing apparatus, wherein the control unit controls the drive unit to drive a carriage on which a print head is mounted, and the control unit is detected by the detection unit. A first control for moving the carriage to a target position by operating the driving unit based on a position of the carriage; and operating the driving unit to move the abutting portion of the carriage to an end of the scanning range of the carriage. And a second control for moving until hitting.
According to the present invention, by executing the second control by the control unit, it is possible to reliably position the carriage at the home position even when aged deterioration occurs. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the carriage and the wiper from coming into contact even when the distance between the carriage and the wiper cannot be sufficiently secured due to the installation space of the printing apparatus. As a result, ink does not adhere to the carriage due to contact with the wiper, and printing stains and the like do not occur on the recording medium.

1 is an external perspective view illustrating a printing apparatus according to an embodiment. It is a perspective view which shows the state which removed the front side cover from the printing apparatus. It is principal part sectional drawing which shows a printing apparatus. It is a side view which shows a carriage. It is a top view at the time of the cleaning of a carriage. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a control configuration of the printing apparatus. FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating a control method of the printing apparatus. 6 is a flowchart illustrating a printing operation on roll paper by the printing apparatus.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a printing apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment.

FIG. 1 shows an installation state when the printing apparatus 1 is used. The printing apparatus 1 is used by being placed on a plane such as a desk or a dedicated installation table. The printing apparatus 1 is an apparatus that performs a printing process for printing characters (including symbols) and images (including various graphics) on the cut sheet S and the roll paper R. In the following description, the front side in FIG. 1 is the front side of the printing apparatus 1 and the back side is the rear side of the printing apparatus 1. Further, the left and right sides of the printing apparatus 1 will be described as right and left toward the front.
The printing apparatus 1 is connected to, for example, a POS terminal device (not shown) that performs accounting processing associated with product sales, and shows the result of accounting processing on the roll paper R based on commands and data input from the POS terminal device. Print receipts and slips. In addition, the printing apparatus 1 prints, for example, written matters such as a payee, a date, and an amount of money on a cut sheet S that is a check or a payment form.

The printing apparatus 1 includes a main body case 2 formed in a rectangular parallelepiped shape as a whole, and a medium insertion port 3 for inserting the cut sheet S is opened at a portion near the left side of the front surface of the main body case 2. The cut sheet insertion slot 3 is provided with a predetermined width along the apparatus width direction. At the central portion of the upper surface of the main body case 2 in the front-rear direction of the apparatus, a cut sheet discharge port 4 through which the processed cut sheet S is discharged is provided with a predetermined width along the apparatus width direction.
Between the cut sheet insertion port 3 and the cut sheet discharge port 4, there is formed a medium transport path 5 that extends from the cut sheet insertion port 3 to the rear of the apparatus and then curves upward. The cut sheet insertion port 3, the cut sheet discharge port 4, and the medium conveyance path 5 are formed so as to open the left side of the main body case 2, and the cut sheet insertion port 3, the cut sheet discharge port 4, and the medium It is possible to transport the cut sheet S wider than the transport path 5.
The cut sheet S is a cut sheet of a predetermined size made of paper or synthetic resin, and may have a surface processed, for example, various forms such as a check. The cut sheet S is inserted from the cut sheet insertion opening 3 by a user using the printing apparatus 1 and is manually printed.

  On the upper surface of the main body case 2, the front side of the cut sheet discharge port 4 is covered with a front cover 6. An operation panel 7 is provided at the front end portion of the main body case 2, and switches for performing various operations of the printing apparatus 1 and indicators for displaying the operation state of the printing apparatus 1 are arranged on the operation panel 7. A display for displaying the operation state of the printing apparatus 1 may be disposed on the operation panel 7.

On the upper surface of the main body case 2, a roll paper discharge port 8 through which the printed roll paper R is discharged is provided in a part of the cut sheet discharge port 4 along the apparatus width direction.
The roll paper discharge port 8 is formed from the device width intermediate portion of the cut paper discharge port 4 to the right end portion of the cut paper discharge port 4.
On the upper surface of the main body case 2, an opening / closing lid 9 is provided behind the roll paper discharge port 8, and the opening / closing lid 9 is attached to the main body case 2 so as to be rotatable around its rear end. When the opening / closing lid 9 is opened, the roll paper storage portion 58 (see FIG. 3) for storing the roll paper R is exposed, and the roll paper R can be replaced. The roll paper R is configured by winding a long plain paper around a core tube in a roll shape.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view illustrating a state where the front cover 6 is removed from the main body case 2 of the printing apparatus 1.
The printing apparatus 1 includes an apparatus main body 11 inside a main body case 2, and the apparatus main body 11 conveys a cut sheet S (see FIG. 1) and performs a printing process on the cut sheet S and the roll paper R. A paper transport unit 12 and a roll paper transport unit 13 (see FIG. 3) that transports the roll paper R are provided.
The front cover 6 constitutes a part of the printing unit 10.
The printing unit 10 includes an ink cartridge (not shown) inside, and the ink cartridge can be replaced by opening the front cover 6.

The cut sheet transport unit 12 includes a front frame 17, a guide shaft 18, a carriage 21, a print head 22, a carriage drive motor 140 (see FIG. 6), a timing belt (not shown), a carriage position sensor 26, and a scale 27. .
The front frame 17 includes a base frame 31, a left side frame 32, a right side frame 33, a front connection frame 34, and an upper connection frame 36.
The base frame 31 is formed of left and right side walls 31a and 31a and a front wall 31b connecting the front end portions of the side walls 31a and 31a. The left side frame 32 and the right side frame 33 are raised from the left and right ends of the base frame 31, respectively. The front connection frame 34 extends in the apparatus width direction so as to connect the front end portions of the left side frame 32 and the right side frame 33. The upper connection frame 36 extends in the apparatus width direction so as to connect the upper ends of the left side frame 32 and the right side frame 33.

The guide shaft 18 is attached so as to extend in the apparatus width direction across the left side frame 32 and the right side frame 33 of the front frame 17.
The carriage 21 is mounted with the print head 22, and the carriage 21 is driven back and forth along the guide shaft 18 by being driven by the power of the carriage drive motor 140 via the timing belt.

In the present embodiment, the print head 22 is an ink jet print head 22. The print head 22 discharges the ink stored in the ink cartridge and attaches it to the surface (printed surface) of the cut sheet S and roll paper R transported through the medium transport path 5, thereby Characters and images are formed on the paper S and the roll paper R.
The carriage position sensor 26 as a detection unit is a transmissive photosensor that detects the position of the carriage 21, is provided at the front part of the carriage 21, and is provided along the guide shaft 18 as the carriage 21 reciprocates. The scale 27 is scanned. A plurality of slits having a predetermined width are formed in the scale 27, and when the carriage position sensor 26 scans the scale 27, an optical signal passing through the slits is acquired to detect a displacement amount of the carriage 21 to detect the carriage 21. Detect the position of.

FIG. 3 is a principal cross-sectional view showing the printing apparatus 1.
The printing apparatus 1 includes an apparatus main body 11 for performing a printing process, a control chamber 41 that controls the apparatus main body 11, a frame member 43 that supports the apparatus main body 11 and the control chamber 41, and a cover member 44 that covers the frame member 43. With.
The frame member 43 includes a front frame 46 and a main body frame 15.
The main body frame 15 includes a base frame 51, a left side frame (not shown), a right side frame 53, an upper frame 54, and a rear frame 56.
The base frame 51 is provided in the lower part of the printing apparatus 1 over substantially the longitudinal length of the printing apparatus 1. The left side frame and the right side frame 53 are raised from the left and right ends of the base frame 51, respectively. The upper frame 54 is attached so as to be passed to the upper ends of the left side frame and the right side frame 53. The rear frame 56 is attached so as to be passed to the rear end portions of the left side frame and the right side frame 53.

The cover member 44 includes a front cover 6, a rear cover 61, an opening / closing lid 9 and a lower cover 62.
The front cover 6 is provided in the printing unit 10 and covers the cut sheet transport unit 12. The rear cover 61 covers the left and right sides of the printing apparatus 1 excluding the printing unit 10 and a part of the rear side. The opening / closing lid 9 is attached to the rear upper end of the rear cover 61 so as to be openable and closable, and covers the upper side of the cut sheet transporting unit 12. The lower cover 62 covers the front, rear, and left and right sides of the lower portion of the printing apparatus 1.

  A cut paper transport unit 12 is disposed at the front of the apparatus main body 11, and a roll paper transport unit 13 is disposed at the rear. The cut sheet transport unit 12 includes respective units involved in transport of the cut sheet S, and specifically includes a transport roller 71 and a driven roller 72 described later, a lower guide surface 65, an upper guide surface 66, and a paper guide. The member 67, the cut sheet insertion port 3, and the cut sheet discharge port 4 may be included. The roll paper transport unit 13 includes each unit involved in transporting the roll paper R. Specifically, the roll paper transport unit 13 includes a transport roller 91, a driven roller 92, a transport roller 93, and a driven roller 94, and may include a roll paper storage unit 58, a roll paper holder 88, and a roll paper discharge port 8. . A platen 81 to be described later is positioned between the cut paper transport unit 12 and the roll paper transport unit 13 and can be considered to be included in both the cut paper transport unit 12 and the roll paper transport unit 13. Further, although the medium transport path 5 can be said to be included in the cut sheet transport section 12, a part of the medium transport path 5 can also be included in the transport path in which the roll paper R is transported.

The main body frame 15 is provided with a pair of upper and lower paper guide members 67 constituting a lower guide surface 65 and an upper guide surface 66, and a gap between the lower guide surface 65 and the upper guide surface 66 is formed as the medium transport path 5 described above. Is done.
The medium conveyance path 5 includes a horizontal conveyance path portion 5a extending rearward from the cut sheet insertion slot 3, a curved conveyance path portion 5b curved upward from the rear end of the horizontal conveyance path portion 5a, and a curved conveyance path portion 5b. A vertical conveyance path portion 5c extending upward from the upper end and continuing to the cut sheet discharge port 4 is formed.

In the curved conveyance path portion 5 b of the medium conveyance path 5, a conveyance roller 71 and a driven roller 72 are disposed to face the lower guide surface 65 side and the upper guide surface 66, respectively. The transport roller 71 rotates by driving of a transport motor (not shown), and transports the cut sheet S sandwiched between the transport roller 71 and the driven roller 72.
As described above, it can be said that the vertical conveyance path portion 5c of the medium conveyance path 5 constitutes a common conveyance path because the cut sheet S and the roll paper R are respectively conveyed. For example, the cut sheet S is inserted from the cut sheet insertion port 3 in a state where the roll sheet R is set in the roll sheet storage unit 58 and pulled out from the roll sheet storage unit 58 and positioned in the vertical conveyance path portion 5c. When transported, the cut sheet S and the roll paper R overlap in the vertical transport path portion 5c. In this case, the printing apparatus 1 can transport the cut sheet S and the roll paper R, respectively.

The carriage 21 of the cut paper transport unit 12 is supported by a plurality of guide shafts 74 in addition to the guide shaft 18 so as to be movable in the apparatus width direction. A fall prevention mechanism 77 is attached to prevent the trip path from falling down.
The guide shaft 74 is attached to the left side frame 32 and the right side frame 33 so as to extend in the apparatus width direction.
The fall prevention mechanism 77 includes a plate-like portion 78 that can protrude to the front side of the cut sheet S. The plate-like portion 78 is configured to be retractable by swinging from the movement path of the carriage 21 to the side of the carriage 21. Is done.

  The print head 22 has a nozzle row in which a plurality of nozzles are arranged in the vertical direction of the apparatus. The print head 22 is disposed in a state where the nozzle surface on which the nozzles are disposed faces the vertical conveyance path portion 5c. A platen 81 that defines the print position of the print head 22 is disposed in the roll paper transport unit 13 so as to face the nozzle surface across the vertical transport path portion 5c. The print head 22 is supplied with ink from an ink cartridge (not shown) which is an ink supply source mounted on an ink cartridge mounting portion (not shown) in the printing unit 10. In this way, the platen 81 and the print head 22 face each other with the vertical conveyance path portion 5c of the medium conveyance path 5 interposed therebetween, and ink is ejected onto the roll paper R or the cut sheet S located in the vertical conveyance path portion 5c. .

  The roll paper transport unit 13 includes a roll paper holder 88 provided across a pair of left and right left side frames (not shown) and the right side frame 53. The roll paper holder 88 forms a bottom wall 88a, a front wall 88b, and a rear wall 88c of the roll paper storage portion 58. In the roll paper holder 88, the bottom wall 88a, the front wall 88b, and the rear wall 88c are formed in a substantially semicircular cross section so that the rolled paper R can be easily held, and the roll wound around the bottom wall 88a. A roller 89 that rotatably supports the paper R is attached. Since the roller 89 can rotate while supporting the weight of the roll paper R from below, the roll paper R is held rotatably, and the roll paper R can be freely rolled by the roll paper storage portion 58. . A pair of transport rollers 91 and a driven roller 92 are disposed in front of the front wall 88b. The transport roller 91 is connected to a roll paper transport motor (not shown) and rotates by driving of the transport motor (not shown). The transport roller 91 and the driven roller 92 sandwich the roll paper R drawn from the roll paper storage unit 58, rotate by the driving force of the roll paper transport motor, and send the roll paper R to the vertical transport path portion 5c.

Between the left side frame and the right side frame 53, a pair of transport rollers 93 and a driven roller 94 are rotatably spanned in the vicinity of the roll paper discharge port 8 so as to face each other. The transport roller 93 is connected to a roll paper transport motor 144 (see FIG. 6), and rotates by driving a transport motor (not shown). The transport roller 93 and the driven roller 94 are located on the downstream side of the vertical transport path portion 5 c, sandwich the roll paper R printed by the print head 22, and send it to the roll paper discharge port 8.
A roll paper conveyance motor 144 (see FIG. 6) is disposed on the left side frame, and the rotation of the roll paper conveyance motor 144 is driven coaxially with the conveyance rollers 91 and 93 via a gear (not shown). It is transmitted to a gear (not shown), and the transport rollers 91 and 93 are rotated.

A cutter support member 97 and a cutter blade 98 supported by the cutter support member 97 are disposed at the roll paper discharge port 8. The cutter blade 98 is a fixed blade having, for example, a saw-shaped cutting blade, and the leading end portion of the roll paper R rolls between the rear inclined surface 8 a constituting the rear portion of the roll paper discharge port 8 and the cutter blade 98. It extends above the paper discharge port 8. The user can grasp the leading end portion of the roll paper R discharged from the roll paper discharge port 8 to the outside of the printing apparatus 1 and press it against the cutter blade 98 to cut the roll paper R. The left side frame is provided with a roll paper sensor 132 (see FIG. 6) for detecting the remaining amount of the roll paper R in the roll paper storage unit 58.
The roll paper R in the roll paper storage unit 58 is sandwiched between the transport roller 91 and the driven roller 92 and is transported between the platen 81 and the print head 22 by driving the roll paper transport motor. Then, desired printing is performed on the roll paper R by ejecting ink from the nozzles of the print head 22 while reciprocating the carriage 21. The roll paper R that has been printed is sandwiched between the transport roller 93 and the driven roller 94 and discharged from the roll paper discharge port 8. The discharged roll paper R is configured so as to be cut at a desired position by pulling against the cutter blade 98.

  A box body 101 is fixed to the lower part of the base frame 51, and a control chamber 41 is provided in the box body 101. The control chamber 41 includes a control board 102 on which control parts for controlling the cut sheet transport unit 12 and the roll paper transport unit 13 are arranged.

FIG. 4 is a side view showing the carriage 21. FIG. 5 is a plan view when the carriage 21 is cleaned.
As shown in FIG. 4, an abutting portion 110 is formed on the right side surface of the carriage 21 so as to slightly protrude from the side surface of the carriage 21.
The abutting portion 110 is configured to position the carriage 21 by abutting against the right side frame 53. The carriage 21 is a home position that is located on the most lateral side in a state where the abutting portion 110 abuts against the right side frame 53.

A slit 111 extending in the vertical direction is formed on the front surface of the carriage 21, and convex portions 112 protruding forward are formed on both sides of the slit 111 so as to extend in the vertical direction. Positioning recesses (not shown) are formed on the upper and lower ends of the protrusion 112.
A print head 22 is mounted on the carriage 21. The nozzles of the print head 22 are formed so as to protrude forward from the front surface of the print head 22 and are disposed so as to be exposed from the slits 111 of the carriage 21.

As shown in FIG. 5, a cleaning region 113 for cleaning is provided on the right side of the main body in FIG. 5 with the carriage 21 positioned on the rightmost side in FIG.
A cap mechanism 114 is provided in the cleaning region 113 at a position facing the nozzles of the print head 22. The cap mechanism 114 includes a cap body 115 for closing the nozzle, and positioning protrusions 116 that are positioned on both sides of the cap body 115 and engaged with the positioning recesses. The cap mechanism 114 is movable forward and backward with respect to the print head 22 by driving a cap drive motor 141 (see FIG. 6).
The cap drive motor 141 is driven to move the cap mechanism 114 to the print head 22 and the positioning projection 116 is engaged with the positioning recess of the carriage 21 so that the cap body 115 closes the nozzle. With the cap body 115 thus blocking the nozzle, suction is performed from the cap body 115 to remove the thickened ink and impurities from the nozzle.

A wipe mechanism 117 is disposed on the side of the cleaning area. The wipe mechanism 117 includes a wiper 118. The wiper 118 has a central portion formed in a flat shape, both side portions formed in a shape extending upward, and a distal end surface formed in a straight line shape. The wiper 118 is configured to be movable in the vertical direction by a wiper drive motor 142 (see FIG. 6).
The wiper 118 is located at the lowest position during normal printing, and is retracted so as not to hinder the movement of the carriage 21. That is, the movement path of the wiper 118 and the scanning range of the carriage 21 overlap each other, and the carriage 21 moves in the movement path of the wiper 118 in a state where the abutting portion 110 of the carriage 21 abuts the end of the scanning range of the carriage 21. It is in a position that is out of the range.
When wiping with the wiper 118 is performed, the wiper drive motor 142 is driven to position the wiper 118 at the uppermost position, and the carriage drive motor 140 is driven to move the carriage 21 to a wiping position where the nozzle faces the wiper 118. . Thereafter, by driving the wiper drive motor 142, the wiper 118 is moved downward, and the tip portion of the wiper 118 is slid on the nozzle portion of the print head 22, so that excess ink adhered to the nozzle is wiped off. Configured.

FIG. 6 is a block diagram illustrating a functional configuration of the printing apparatus 1.
As illustrated in FIG. 6, the printing apparatus 1 includes a CPU 120 as a control unit that is mounted on the control board 102 and executes a control program to control each unit. The printing apparatus 1 includes a RAM 121 that temporarily stores a program executed by the CPU 120, data to be processed, and the like, and a flash ROM 122 that stores a basic control program executed by the CPU 120 and various setting values.
The printing apparatus 1 includes a communication interface 123 that transmits and receives commands and data to and from the host computer 200 as an external apparatus. The RAM 121 includes a reception buffer 124 that temporarily stores commands and data received from the host computer 200 through the communication interface 123. The CPU 120 reads programs and data temporarily stored in the RAM 121 and reads and executes commands stored in the reception buffer 124 in the order of reception.

The printing apparatus 1 includes a sensor driving circuit 125 that converts detection values of various sensors into digital data and outputs the digital data to the CPU 120, a head driving circuit 126 that drives the print head 22 included in the printing apparatus 1, and a motor driver 127 that drives each motor. Is provided. These units are connected so that they can communicate with each other.
Each of the functional units described above may be implemented as an independent semiconductor device, or the functions of a plurality of functional units may be integrated in the form of an SOC (System-on-a-chip) or the like. Well, the specific implementation is arbitrary.
The head drive circuit 126 executes recording on the roll paper R or the cut sheet S by energizing the drive elements such as piezo elements and ejecting ink from the nozzles to the print head 22 according to the control of the CPU 120. Let

A BOF (Bottom of Form) sensor 130 and a TOF (Top of Form) sensor 131 disposed on the medium transport path 5 are connected to the sensor driving circuit 125.
The BOF sensor 130 detects the trailing edge of the cut sheet S inserted from the cut sheet insertion port 3. The TOF sensor 131 detects the leading edge of the cut sheet S inserted from the cut sheet insertion port 3.
The BOF sensor 130 and the TOF sensor 131 are configured by, for example, a transmissive or reflective photosensor, and detect the presence or absence of the cut sheet S at each position of the medium conveyance path 5 without contact.

A carriage position sensor 26 is connected to the sensor drive circuit 125. The sensor drive circuit 125 includes a roll paper sensor 132 that detects whether or not the remaining amount of the roll paper R stored in the roll paper storage unit 58 exceeds a predetermined level, and a cover open / close sensor that detects that the open / close lid 9 is opened. 133 is connected.
Further, an ink sensor 134 that detects the presence or absence of ink to be supplied to the print head 22 is connected to the sensor driving circuit 125.
The roll paper sensor 132 is a switch type sensor that is turned on when the outer diameter of the roll paper R is greater than or equal to a predetermined value. The cover open / close sensor 133 is a switch-type sensor that is turned on when the open / close lid 9 is opened, and outputs a High / Lo output value corresponding to the on / off state.
The carriage position sensor 26 detects the position of the carriage 21 by acquiring an optical signal that passes through the slit of the scale.
The sensor drive circuit 125 converts the output values of the BOF sensor 130, the TOF sensor 131, the carriage position sensor 26, the roll paper sensor 132, the cover open / close sensor 133, and the ink sensor 134 into digital data and outputs the digital data to the CPU 120.

The motor driver 127 is connected to a carriage drive motor 140, a cap drive motor 141, a wiper drive motor 142, a cut sheet transport motor 143, and a roll paper transport motor 144.
The motor driver 127 outputs drive power and drive pulses from the CPU 120 to the cap drive motor 141, the wiper drive motor 142, the carriage drive motor 140, the cut sheet transport motor 143, and the roll sheet transport motor 144.
The drive power supply that the motor driver 127 supplies to each motor is a 24V DC power supply that the power supply unit 145 supplies to each unit. The power supply unit 145 supplies DC power to each drive unit, that is, the print head 22 and each motor of the printing apparatus 1 shown in FIG.
Further, power from the power supply unit 145 is supplied to each sensor included in the printing apparatus 1 via the sensor driving circuit 125.
The output voltage of the power supply unit 145 is input to the sensor drive circuit 125, and the sensor drive circuit 125 outputs the voltage value of the power supply voltage of the power supply unit 145 to the CPU 120 as digital data. The CPU 120 determines whether or not the voltage of the power supply unit 145 is within the normal range based on the digital data.
When the operation panel 7 is operated, an operation signal is input to the CPU 120 from the operation panel 7, and the operation content of the operation panel 7 can be detected based on the operation signal.

The CPU 120 controls each unit mounted on the control board 40 by reading and executing the basic control program stored in the flash ROM 122. In addition, the CPU 120 inputs detection values of various sensors input via the sensor driving circuit 125. The CPU 120 monitors the operation state of the printing apparatus 1 based on the output values of the TOF sensor 131, the BOF sensor 130, the carriage position sensor 26, the roll paper sensor 23, the cover opening / closing sensor 133, and the ink sensor 134.
Further, the CPU 120 drives the print head 22 by the head drive circuit 126 and operates each motor by the motor driver 127 according to the operation status of the printing apparatus 1. As a result, the carriage 21 is reciprocated and the printing operation is performed while the roll paper R or the cut sheet S is being conveyed. Such operation control of the carriage 21 by the CPU 120 is referred to as first control (steps S7 to S9).

Further, the CPU 120 controls the carriage 21 to move to the cleaning area by driving the carriage drive motor 140 when the print head 22 is cleaned.
As described above, in the present embodiment, when the cleaning is performed, the carriage 21 is controlled to move until the abutting portion 110 of the carriage 21 contacts the side frame by driving the carriage drive motor 140. For example, the contact of the butting portion 110 of the carriage 21 may be detected by detecting the energization current of the carriage drive motor 140 or the like.
The operation control of the carriage 21 that brings the abutting portion 110 of the carriage 21 into contact with the right side frame 53 in this way is referred to as second control (steps S12 to S14).
In this state, the carriage 21 is positioned at the home position, and the position of the carriage 21 can be initialized by calibrating the position of the carriage 21.

Next, a method for controlling the printing apparatus 1 will be described. The operation described below is realized by the CPU 120 executing a program stored in the flash ROM 122.
FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing the operation of the printing apparatus 1, and specifically shows the operation related to the cut sheet processing.
The printing apparatus 1 shifts to a standby state after power is turned on. The CPU 120 determines whether there is an instruction to execute the cleaning operation in this standby state.
When the CPU 120 is instructed to perform cleaning in the standby state, the CPU 120 executes a cleaning process (step S1: Yes).

If there is no instruction to execute cleaning (step S1: No), the process waits for insertion of the cut sheet S from the cut sheet insertion port 3 (step S2).
When the CPU 120 detects that the cut sheet S has been inserted based on the output value of the BOF sensor 130 input from the sensor driving circuit 125 (step S2: Yes), the CPU 120 acquires print data from the host computer 200 ( Step S3).
The CPU 120 develops the print data acquired from the host computer in the reception buffer 124 and generates a print image (step S4).

The CPU 120 controls the motor driver 127, drives the cut sheet transport motor 143, starts transporting the cut sheet with the transport roller and the driven roller (step S5), and starts printing (step S6). .
When printing is started, the CPU 120 first detects the current position of the carriage 21 by the carriage position sensor 26 (step S7). Based on the generated print image, a target value for the position of the carriage 21 for moving the carriage 21 is determined (step S8).
When the target value of the position of the carriage 21 is determined, the CPU 120 drives the carriage drive motor 140 and the print head 22 to perform printing by ejecting ink from the nozzles of the print head 22 while reciprocating the carriage 21 ( Step S9).

If printing has not been completed (step S10: No), the above-described operations of steps S7 to S9 are repeated.
When printing is completed (step S10: Yes), the cut sheet transport motor 143 is driven, the cut sheet is transported by the transport roller and the driven roller, and the cut sheet paper is discharged from the cut sheet discharge port 4. (Step S11).

On the other hand, when there is an instruction to execute cleaning (step S1: Yes), the current position of the carriage 21 is detected by the carriage position sensor 26 (step S12). The CPU 120 controls the motor driver 127 from the current position of the carriage 21 to drive the carriage drive motor 140 to move the carriage 21 to the home position (step S13).
The CPU 120 determines whether or not the abutting portion 110 of the carriage 21 is abutted against the side frame from the energization current of the carriage drive motor 140 (step S14).
When the CPU 120 determines that the abutting portion 110 is abutted against the side frame (step S14: Yes), the CPU 120 stops the carriage drive motor 140 and stops the carriage 21 (step S15).
In this state, the CPU 120 controls the motor driver 127 to drive the cap drive motor 141 to cover the cap body 115 with the nozzles of the print head 22 (step S16). In this state, ink from the nozzle, impurities, and the like are sucked by sucking from the cap body 115 (step S17).

Subsequently, the CPU 120 drives the wiper 118 drive motor to raise the wiper 118 and move it to the wiping start position, that is, the uppermost position (step S18).
In this state, the CPU 120 drives the carriage drive motor 140 to move the carriage 21 to the wiping position where the nozzle faces the wiper 118 (step S19).
Thereafter, by driving the wiper 118 drive motor, the wiper 118 is moved downward and the tip surface of the wiper 118 is slid on the nozzle portion of the print head 22 to execute wiping (step S20). Thereby, excess ink adhering to the nozzle is wiped off.
Thereafter, the CPU 120 drives the carriage drive motor 140 to move the carriage 21 to the home position (step S21). Calibration is performed with the current position of the carriage 21 as the home position (step S22).

FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing a normal operation related to printing on the roll paper R.
When the CPU 120 receives a command for instructing printing on the roll paper R from the host computer 200 (step S30), the CPU 120 reads the received command from the reception buffer 124 and determines whether it is a print command (step S31). .
Here, if the received command is a print command and print data is received following this command (step S31: Yes), the CPU 120 drives the roll paper transport motor 144 and the print head 22 to roll paper R Is printed (step S32).
When printing is completed, the roll paper R is conveyed until the printing end position of the roll paper R reaches the roll paper discharge port 8 (step S33). And the roll paper R is cut | disconnected by pulling the roll paper R and contact | abutting to a cutter blade (step S34).
If the command received from the host computer 200 is not a print command (step S31: No), the CPU 120 conveys the roll paper R by a predetermined amount by the roll paper conveyance motor 144 (step S35), and cuts the roll paper R (step S35). S36).

As described above, according to the printing apparatus 1 according to the embodiment to which the present invention is applied, the carriage 21 on which the print head 22 is mounted and the abutting portion 110 is formed, and the carriage drive for reciprocatingly scanning the carriage 21. A motor 140 (drive unit). Further, a carriage position sensor 26 (detection unit) that detects the position of the carriage 21 in the scanning range of the carriage 21 is provided. Further, a first control for moving the carriage 21 to the target position based on the position of the carriage 21 and a second control for moving the carriage 21 until the butting portion 110 hits the end of the scanning range of the carriage 21 are performed. CPU120 (control part) to perform is provided.
According to this, by executing the second control by the CPU 120, the carriage 21 can be surely positioned at the home position even when aged deterioration occurs. Therefore, even when the distance between the carriage 21 and the wiper 118 cannot be sufficiently secured due to the installation space of the printing apparatus 1, it is possible to prevent the carriage 21 and the wiper 118 from contacting each other. As a result, the ink does not adhere to the carriage 21 due to the contact with the wiper 118, and the printing paper S or the roll paper R will not be stained.

According to the present embodiment, the print head 22 is an ink jet head, and the control unit executes the second control when the print head 22 is cleaned.
According to this, when the cleaning of the print head 22 is executed, the abutting portion 110 is moved until it comes into contact with the end of the scanning range of the carriage 21, so that the carriage 21 can be positioned at the home position when the cleaning is executed.

Further, according to the present embodiment, the CPU 120 executes the second control prior to the operation of moving the wiper 118 to the wiping start position when executing the cleaning.
According to this, before the wiper 118 is moved to the wiping start position, the abutting portion 110 is moved until it abuts against the end of the scanning range of the carriage 21, so that the contact between the carriage 21 and the wiper 118 is ensured at the time of cleaning execution. Can be prevented.

Further, according to the present embodiment, in a state where the movement path of the wiper 118 and the scanning range of the carriage 21 overlap and the abutting portion 110 is in contact with the end of the scanning range of the carriage 21, the carriage 21 is connected to the wiper 118. It is out of the travel path.
According to this, in the state where the abutting portion 110 of the carriage 21 is in contact with the end of the scanning range of the carriage 21, the carriage 21 is at a position deviated from the movement path of the wiper 118. Contact can be reliably prevented.

  Although one embodiment of the present invention has been described above, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, a program to be operated by the CPU 120 of the printing apparatus 1 that performs the above-described operation can be stored in a storage medium in the printing apparatus 1 or a storage medium of an external apparatus, and read and executed.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Printing apparatus, 18 ... Guide shaft, 21 ... Carriage, 22 ... Print head, 53 ... Right side frame, 74 ... Guide shaft, 81 ... Platen, 110 ... Butting part, 111 ... Slit, 112 ... Convex part, 113 ... cleaning area, 114 ... cap mechanism, 115 ... cap body, 116 ... projection, 117 ... wipe mechanism, 118 ... wiper, 120 ... CPU, S ... cut sheet paper, R ... roll paper.

Claims (5)

A carriage having a print head and a butted portion formed thereon,
A drive unit for reciprocating scanning of the carriage;
A detection unit for detecting a position of the carriage in a scanning range of the carriage;
First control for operating the drive unit based on the position of the carriage detected by the detection unit to move the carriage to a target position, and until the abutting unit hits an end of the scanning range. A printing apparatus comprising: a control unit that executes a second control for moving the carriage.   The printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the print head is an inkjet head, and the control unit executes the second control when the print head is cleaned.   3. The printing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the controller executes the second control prior to an operation of moving the wiper to a wiping start position when cleaning is performed.   In a state where the movement path of the wiper overlaps with the scanning range and the abutting portion is in contact with an end of the scanning range, the carriage is located at a position outside the movement path of the wiper. The printing apparatus according to claim 3. In a control method of a printing apparatus that drives a carriage mounted with a print head by controlling a drive unit by a control unit,
The control unit operates the drive unit based on the position of the carriage detected by the detection unit to move the carriage to a target position, and operates the drive unit to push the carriage. And a second control for moving the abutting portion until it abuts against an end of the scanning range of the carriage.

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