JP2019199042A - Recording apparatus and control method - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a recording apparatus that reduces the risk that charging may be stopped due to a rise in temperature.SOLUTION: In a recording apparatus to/from which a device having a plurality of functions and including a battery capable of being charged can be attached/detached, the functions of the device are restricted in association with the progress of execution of a job, when the job is executed and the battery is in a state midway through the operation of being charged from the recording apparatus.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 7

Description

  The present invention relates to a recording apparatus to which a device including a battery can be attached and detached, and a control method.

  In recent years, printers are required to be small in size and low in cost, and there are printers that can connect a tablet PC or the like instead of an operation unit without incorporating an operation unit. In that case, the tablet PC as the operation panel and the recording apparatus are connected by a USB cable or the like to perform communication and power supply. This operation panel is equipped with a secondary battery to prevent the memory information stored in the operation panel from being saved when the power input supplied to the recording device suddenly cuts off. The apparatus performs a recording operation while charging the secondary battery. When the operation panel on which the secondary battery is mounted is integrally attached to a conventional small printer, the operation panel and the drive system motor may be close to each other in space. Therefore, in addition to the temperature rise that occurs in the tablet during the charging of the secondary battery, the recording apparatus is affected by heat generation due to the temperature rise of the motor that is driven during recording.

  Patent Document 1 discloses a technique in which the temperature of a secondary battery (battery) is monitored with a thermistor during charging, charging is stopped when the temperature exceeds a certain value, and charging is started when the temperature falls to a certain value. Is disclosed.

JP 2007-151350 A

  Conventionally, as a control method for charging a secondary battery, a configuration is known in which an increase in temperature is detected and charging is stopped so that the temperature does not increase when the temperature rises. However, if the charging of the secondary battery is stopped, the previous information is suddenly lost without being stored in the memory, or the data communication is interrupted, so that there is a possibility that the recording cannot be continued.

  An object of the present invention is to solve such conventional problems. In view of the above, it is an object of the present invention to provide a recording apparatus and a control method that reduce the risk of stopping charging due to a temperature rise.

  In order to solve the above problems, a recording apparatus according to the present invention is a recording apparatus, includes a battery that can be charged from the recording apparatus, is detachable from the recording apparatus, has a plurality of functions, and a job. Execution means for executing, and in a state where the job is executed by the execution means and the battery is being charged from the recording apparatus, the function of the device is limited as the execution of the job progresses And limiting means.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to reduce the risk of stopping charging due to a temperature rise.

It is a figure which shows the structure of a recording system. It is a figure which shows the internal structure of an inkjet recording device. It is a figure which shows the block structure of the control system of an inkjet recording device. It is a figure which shows the structure for supplying a power supply to an operation panel. It is a figure which shows the list of the function of an operation panel. It is a figure showing the temperature rise value with respect to the number of printed sheets. It is a flowchart which shows the function restriction | limiting process of an operation panel. It is a figure which shows a temperature change. It is a flowchart which shows the function restriction | limiting process of an operation panel.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. The following embodiments do not limit the present invention according to the claims, and all combinations of features described in the embodiments are not necessarily essential to the solution means of the present invention. . The same constituent elements are denoted by the same reference numerals, and the description thereof is omitted.

  FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a schematic configuration example of a recording system according to the present embodiment. The recording system shown in FIG. 1 includes an ink jet recording apparatus 120 that performs recording (image formation) on a recording medium such as paper, and a host PC 100 that exchanges various data with the ink jet recording apparatus 120. The host PC 100 and the inkjet recording apparatus 120 are connected to each other via a communication cable 110 so that they can communicate with each other. Although shown as the communication cable 110 in FIG. 1, it may be a wired or wireless LAN. The host PC 100 performs a recording or other required operation by transmitting a required command such as a drawing command corresponding to the image data to be recorded or a print job to the inkjet recording apparatus 120. Further, the inkjet recording apparatus 120 transmits a printer status such as error information to the host PC 100, whereby the host apparatus 100 recognizes the state of the inkjet recording apparatus 120.

  The host PC 100 is realized as having a general personal computer (PC) configuration. That is, it includes a main body 101, a display device 102 such as a CRT or LCD, a keyboard 103 and a pointing device 104 as input units. On the front surface of the inkjet recording apparatus 120, a power switch 122 that accepts a user power ON / OFF operation and an operation panel 121 that accepts a required operation from the user and displays various screens and messages are provided. ing. The ink jet recording apparatus 120 does not have a built-in display unit, and a tablet terminal or the like can be attached to and detached from the ink jet recording apparatus 120 instead of the display unit. In that case, the tablet terminal and the inkjet recording apparatus 120 are connected by a USB cable or the like, and communication and power supply are performed.

  A main body door 121 is provided on the front surface of the ink jet recording apparatus 120 that is opened when maintenance such as ink replacement or paper jam is performed. A sheet feeding port 124 is provided on one side surface of the inkjet recording apparatus 120, and a recording medium 125 in the form of, for example, a predetermined size cut sheet inserted from the deck 123 into the sheet feeding port 124 is disposed on the opposite side surface. The paper is conveyed in the direction of the arrow toward the paper mouth 127 using the conveyance roller 126 as a drive source.

  FIG. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view for explaining the internal configuration of the inkjet recording apparatus 120. The inkjet recording apparatus 120 mainly includes the following units. The paper detection sensor 201 detects whether or not the recording medium 125 is placed on the deck 123 of the paper supply port 124. The conveyance motor 202 rotationally drives the conveyance roller 126. The conveyance belt 203 conveys the recording medium 125 in the sheet conveyance direction by driving the conveyance roller 126. A TOF (Top Of Form) sensor 204 detects the tip position of the recording medium 125. The recording head lifting / lowering motor 205 moves the recording head 206 up and down between a retracted position during non-recording and a recording position during recording.

  The ink tank unit 207 supplies ink used for recording to the recording head 206. The door sensor 208 detects opening / closing of the main body door 121. The ink tank unit 207 is connected to the recording head 206 via a tube (not shown), and supplies ink to the recording head 206 by driving a recovery motor (not shown). Note that FIG. 2 shows an example in which the recording head has one color, but four colors Bk (black), C (cyan), M (magenta), and Y (yellow) are used for recording a color image. May be used, or a configuration including an ink tank of another ink color such as a special color may be used.

  When the recording medium 125 is placed on the deck 123 of the paper feed port of the inkjet recording apparatus 120 and detected by the paper detection sensor 201, the recording head 206 moves to the recording position. When the conveyance motor 202 is driven, one recording medium 125 is fed by the conveyance belt 203 in the sheet conveyance direction indicated by an arrow in the figure. When the recording medium 125 is detected by the TOF sensor 204, the conveyance of the recording medium 125 is temporarily stopped and image data is developed in an image buffer RAM 305 described later. When the image development is completed, the recording medium 125 is transported again, and ink droplets are ejected from the nozzles of the recording head 206 based on the image data at the recording position facing the recording head 206, thereby causing the image on the surface of the recording medium 125. Is recorded.

  FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating a control system of the inkjet recording apparatus 120. The main controller 301 that controls the entire inkjet recording apparatus 120 has functions as an input data storage unit, a data control unit, a setting unit, and the like. The main controller 301 communicates with an external host PC 100 and exchanges signals such as data and jobs. The CPU 302 is configured as a semiconductor chip in which, for example, a dedicated function circuit specialized for a specific device is mixed in a microcontroller, and is a processor that controls the entire main controller 301. A control program or the like is stored in the ROM 303, and the main controller 301 executes the program using the RAM 304 as a working memory according to these programs. The image buffer RAM 305 stores image data to be recorded transmitted from the external host PC 100. The recording head driving circuit 308 drives an ejection energy generating element provided in the recording head 206. In the present embodiment, an electrothermal conversion element (heater) is used as the discharge energy generating element. Based on the bitmap format image data stored in the image buffer RAM 305, the recording head driving circuit 308 drives the ejection energy generating element provided in the recording head 206, thereby ejecting ink droplets from the nozzles of the recording head 206. Is done. The carriage motor driving unit 306 drives the recording head lifting / lowering motor 205. The carriage motor drive unit 306 is controlled by the main controller 301. The sensor circuit 307 outputs detection signals from various sensors such as the paper detection sensor 201, the TOF sensor 204, and the door sensor 208 to the CPU 302.

  In the present embodiment, a tablet-type display device (hereinafter simply referred to as a tablet) that uses color display and can be operated with a touch panel is used as the operation panel 121 of the inkjet recording apparatus 120. A power cable 311 for supplying power from a power source 309 built in the inkjet recording apparatus 120 and a USB cable 310 are connected to the tablet. The USB cable 310 is a communication cable for communicating with the CPU 302. For example, the CPU 401 acquires print start information and print number information from the CPU 302 via the USB cable 310. Hereinafter, the operation panel 121 is also referred to as a tablet 121.

  In the present embodiment, the tablet 121 is configured to operate as a display unit of the inkjet recording apparatus 120. For example, the tablet 121 includes functional blocks such as a CPU, a memory controller, a graphic processor, a charge controller, and the like. The tablet 121 may include an appropriate communication device that enables wireless communication on the network. The tablet 121 can be supplied with power from two power supplies, that is, a battery on the tablet 121 side and a power source 309 on the inkjet recording apparatus 120 side, and these can be switched by a charge control circuit. That is, the battery of the tablet 121 is configured to be rechargeable from the inkjet recording apparatus 120.

  FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a power supply circuit for supplying power to the tablet 121. The CPU 401 of the tablet 121 is a device that is connected to the main controller 301 and has a function of transmitting and receiving signals (referred to as function 3). For example, a dedicated function circuit specialized for a specific device is mixed in a microcontroller. It is configured as a semiconductor chip. Further, the CPU 401 has a function (function 1) for controlling the entire tablet 121 and performing arithmetic processing. Further, the CPU 401 may operate under the control of the CPU 302. The ROM 403 stores control programs and the like, and the CPU 401 operates according to those programs. The non-volatile RAM 404 is used as a memory for storing the operation state of the tablet 121 (function 2). The ROM 403 stores the tables shown in FIGS. 5 and 6 used in the present embodiment. The LCD 405 is used as a display unit of the ink jet recording apparatus 120 when executing a function (function 5) for displaying the state of the ink jet recording apparatus 120 and various information. The battery 402 is configured inside the tablet 121 separately from the power supply 309 mounted on the inkjet recording apparatus 120. The remaining capacity of the battery 402 is detected by a sensor (not shown), and the detection result is output to the CPU 401.

  When the tablet 121 is connected to the control board 301 of the inkjet recording apparatus 120 via the USB cable 310 and the power cable 311, the charging control circuit 406 controls charging of the battery 402 in the tablet 121 (function 6 and To do). The tablet 121 is equipped with a function (function 4) for connecting to the Internet by the WiFi (registered trademark) Module 407, which is a wireless LAN chip, in addition to the print status display function (function 5) of the inkjet recording apparatus 120. In addition, by searching for a moving image or the like existing on the Internet, for example, a moving image that is not related to the direct recording operation showing the method of using the inkjet recording apparatus 120 can be downloaded and reproduced.

  When the power supply of the inkjet recording apparatus 120 is cut off, the power supply 309 of the inkjet recording apparatus 120 stops supplying power to the inside of the apparatus. For this reason, when the power supply from the power supply 309 is interrupted at a timing not intended by the user, the tablet 121 cannot store the data that has been operating so far in the nonvolatile RAM 404. Therefore, the power supply from the battery 402 is switched to the power supply for backup, and necessary information is stored in the nonvolatile RAM 404, and then the tablet 2001 itself is turned off (shutdown process).

  FIG. 5 is a diagram showing the correspondence between the function of the tablet 121 and the temperature rise value. FIG. 5 shows how much the temperature rise value received by the battery 402 which is a secondary battery by each necessary power (power consumption) when each of a plurality of functions 1 to 6 executable by the tablet 121 is executed. It shows what will be.

  For example, when the battery 402 is charged, the function 6 is executed, and the temperature rise value at that time is 7 ° C. That is, when the environmental temperature of the tablet 121 is 25 ° C., the CPU 302 recognizes that the temperature of the battery 402 increases to 7 ° C. + 25 ° C. = 32 ° C. When function 1 is further executed in addition to function 6, CPU 302 recognizes that the temperature of battery 402 rises to 7 ° C. + 25 ° C. + 1.5 ° C. = 33.5 ° C. The temperature rise value shown in FIG. 5 is determined in advance based on experimental data when the tablet 121 is used in the arrangement shown in FIG. Therefore, depending on the mounting position of the tablet 121, the temperature increase value may take another value for each function.

  FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating a temperature rise value with respect to the number of printed sheets of the conveyance motor 202. The transport motor 202 has a longer operation time as the number of printed sheets increases. As a result, as shown in FIG. 6, the temperature rise value due to heat generated by the conveyance motor 202 itself increases in proportion to the number of printed sheets. In this embodiment, the tables in FIGS. 5 and 6 are stored in the ROM 403 of the tablet 121. However, the tables are stored in the ROM 303 of the main controller 301 and transmitted to the tablet 121 by the CPU 302 when printing is started. You may be made to do.

  Hereinafter, an operation when the inkjet recording apparatus 120 receives image data to be recorded when the charge amount of the battery 402 as a secondary battery is small will be described.

  FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing a process when the inkjet recording apparatus 120 receives image data when the charge amount (remaining capacity) of the battery 402 is equal to or less than the threshold value. The processing in FIG. 7 is realized, for example, when the CPU 401 loads a program stored in the ROM 403 into the RAM 404 and executes it. When receiving a print start command from the host PC 100, the CPU 302 notifies the CPU 401 of the start of printing, and the CPU 401 acquires information on the number of printed sheets from the CPU 302, and performs the following processing according to the information in FIG.

  When printing is started, in step S701, the CPU 401 determines whether the charge amount of the battery 402 is equal to or less than a threshold value. If it is determined that the charge amount is equal to or less than the threshold value, the process proceeds to S702. If it is determined that the charge amount is greater than the threshold value, the process proceeds to S901 in FIG.

  When it is determined that the charge amount is equal to or less than the threshold value, the CPU 401 acquires count information of the number of printed sheets from the CPU 302. In step S702, the CPU 401 determines whether the number of printed sheets has reached 20. If it is determined that the number of printed sheets has not reached 20, the process of S702 is repeated. On the other hand, if it is determined that the number of printed sheets has reached 20, the CPU 401 restricts the function (function 5) for displaying the state of the tablet 121 in step S703. As a result, the power required for charging the tablet 121 is reduced, and the amount of heat generated by the tablet 121 itself is suppressed.

  Subsequently, the CPU 401 acquires count information of the number of printed sheets from the CPU 302. In step S <b> 704, the CPU 401 determines whether the number of printed sheets has reached 35. If it is determined that the number of printed sheets has not reached 35, the process of S704 is repeated. On the other hand, if it is determined that the number of prints has reached 35, in step S705, the CPU 401 restricts the WiFi function (function 4) for connecting the tablet 121 to the Internet. As a result, the power required for charging the tablet 121 is further reduced, and the amount of heat generated by the tablet 121 itself is further suppressed.

  Subsequently, the CPU 401 acquires count information of the number of printed sheets from the CPU 302. In step S706, the CPU 401 determines whether the number of printed sheets has reached 50. If it is determined that the number of printed sheets has not reached 50, the process of S706 is repeated. On the other hand, if it is determined that the number of printed sheets has reached 50, in step S707, the CPU 401 calculates a function for transmitting / receiving data of the tablet 121 (function 3), a function for storing data in memory (function 2), billing information, and the like. Function to be performed (function 1) is limited. As a result, the power required for charging the tablet 121 is further reduced, and the amount of heat generated by the tablet 121 itself is further suppressed.

  FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating a change in temperature due to the above flow. In FIG. 8, the temperature distribution 801 represents the amount of heat generated by the transport motor 202, and the temperature distribution 802 represents the environment temperature. The temperature distribution 803 represents the temperature increase due to the execution of the function 5, and the temperature distribution 804 represents the temperature increase due to the execution of the function 4. The temperature distribution 805 represents the temperature increase due to the execution of the function 3, and the temperature distribution 806 represents the temperature increase due to the execution of the function 2. The temperature distribution 807 represents a temperature increase due to execution of the function 1, and the temperature distribution 808 represents a temperature increase due to charging of the battery 402. Further, the horizontal axis of FIG. 8 represents time. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 8, as the number of printed sheets increases as the job execution proceeds, the functions of the tablet 121 are sequentially limited, and as a result, the temperature of the battery 402 of the tablet 121 is suppressed to 50 ° C. or lower. I understand.

  As described above, in this embodiment, even when the printing time has elapsed and the number of printed sheets has increased, the influence of the temperature increase on the battery 402 inside the tablet 121 can be suppressed. As a result, even if the temperature rise is detected by a thermistor or the like and the charging is stopped, the chance of stopping the charging can be reduced.

  In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 8, control is performed so that the temperature is suppressed to 50 ° C. or lower, but is not particularly limited to 50 ° C. For example, in accordance with the specification of the battery 402, for example, the function restriction of the tablet 121 may be executed so as to be suppressed to 45 ° C. or lower.

  Again referring to FIG. Until S707, the function execution of the tablet 121 is restricted, and then in S708, the CPU 401 determines whether or not the temperature rise value is equal to or greater than a threshold value. The threshold is 15 ° C., for example. If it is determined that the value is less than the threshold value, the process of S708 is repeated. On the other hand, if it is determined that the value is equal to or greater than the threshold value, in step S709, the CPU 401 requests the CPU 302 to stop the recording operation, and then ends the processing in FIG. At that time, it may be requested in accordance with the CPU 302 so as to notify a warning of temperature rise by an LED or the like. By requesting the CPU 302 to stop the recording operation in step S709, it is possible to avoid a situation in which information stored up to that point cannot be stored in the memory due to an unexpected stop of charging.

  In S703, S705, and S707 of FIG. 7, the function execution restriction of the tablet 121 is performed. The restriction order of these functions is determined based on the fact that the relevance to image recording is low and the influence of the temperature rise on the battery 402 is large. In other words, the status display restriction in S703 is the least relevant to the image recording among the functions to be restricted in S703, S705, and S707, and the influence of the temperature rise on the battery 402 is large. . By restricting execution preferentially from such functions, it is possible to effectively suppress the influence of temperature rise on the battery 402 during charging.

  FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing processing when the inkjet recording apparatus 2002 receives image data to be recorded when the charge amount of the battery 402 is larger than the threshold value. The processing in FIG. 9 is realized, for example, when the CPU 401 loads a program stored in the ROM 403 into the RAM 404 and executes it.

  When printing is started upon receiving a print start command from the host PC 100, the CPU 302 notifies the CPU 401 of the print start, and the CPU 401 is a function that is a function of charging the battery 402 mounted on the tablet 121 in S901. 6 is stopped. Then, the CPU 401 acquires count information for the number of printed sheets from the CPU 302. In step S <b> 902, the CPU 402 determines whether the temperature rise value is equal to or greater than a threshold value. The threshold is 10 ° C., for example. If it is determined that the value is less than the threshold value, the process of S902 is repeated. On the other hand, if it is determined that the value is greater than or equal to the threshold value, in step S903, the CPU 401 requests the CPU 302 to stop the recording operation, and then ends the processing in FIG. At that time, it may be requested in accordance with the CPU 302 so as to notify a warning of temperature rise by an LED or the like.

  In the case of the process of FIG. 9, since the charge amount of the battery 402 is larger than the threshold value, there is no problem even if the charging function is stopped in S901. In that case, since the temperature ratio 808 in FIG. 8 is eliminated, the temperature rise is suppressed more than in FIG. Therefore, unlike the steps S702, S704, and S706 in FIG. 7, it is not necessary to determine the timing for restricting the execution of the function step by step. By requesting the CPU 302 to stop the recording operation in step S903, it is possible to avoid a situation in which information stored up to that point cannot be stored in the memory due to an unexpected stop of charging.

  As described above, according to this embodiment, as the operation unit of the ink jet recording apparatus, the secondary battery is charged while the recording head performs recording in a state where the unit (tablet 121) on which the secondary battery is mounted is mounted. When performing, it can charge while suppressing the temperature rise of a secondary battery, and it becomes possible to record a recording apparatus continuously.

  Further, in the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 6, a control method is used that restricts the functions of the tablet in order from the function with the highest temperature rise in accordance with the temperature rise related to the operation time of the actuator called the transport motor. . However, not only the conveyance motor but also any one other than the conveyance motor may be used as long as it affects the charging temperature of the secondary battery mounted on the tablet due to temperature rise. For example, a temperature increase value with respect to the number of prints of the recording head 206 may be used. In the present embodiment, the recording apparatus that employs the ink jet recording system has been described. However, the recording system is not limited to the ink jet recording system, and may be a recording apparatus that employs another recording system such as an electrophotographic system. .

  100 Host PC: 120 Inkjet recording apparatus: 121 Operation panel: 302, 401 CPU: 303, 403 ROM: 304, 404 RAM: 402 Battery

Claims (12)

A recording device,
A battery that can be recharged from the recording device; a device that is detachable from the recording device and has a plurality of functions;
An execution means for executing the job;
In a state where the job is executed by the execution unit and the battery is being charged from the recording apparatus, a limiting unit that limits the function of the device as the execution of the job progresses;
A recording apparatus comprising:   The recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the restriction unit sequentially restricts a plurality of functions that can be executed by the device as the execution of the job progresses.   The recording apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the restricting unit restricts functions in order from a function having a low relevance to the job as the execution of the job progresses.   The recording apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the restriction unit restricts functions in descending order of power consumption as the execution of the job progresses.   The recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the device is a display device.   The recording apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the restriction unit preferentially restricts a display function of the device as the execution of the job progresses. Determination means for determining whether or not the remaining capacity of the battery is equal to or less than a threshold,
When the determination unit determines that the remaining capacity of the battery is equal to or less than the threshold value, the limiting unit limits the function of the device as the execution of the job progresses. Item 7. The recording device according to any one of Items 1 to 6.   The recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the job is a print job.   The recording apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the limiting unit limits the function of the device when the number of printed sheets by execution of the job reaches a predetermined number. A recording device,
A battery having a plurality of functions including a battery that is rechargeable from the recording apparatus, removable from the recording apparatus, and including a display function;
An execution means for executing the job;
Limiting means for limiting the display function of the device as the execution of the job progresses while the job is being executed by the execution means and the battery is being charged from the recording device;
A recording apparatus comprising: A control method executed in a recording apparatus in which a device including a rechargeable battery having a plurality of functions is removable,
An execution process to execute the job;
In a state where the job is executed in the execution step and the battery is being charged from the recording apparatus, a limiting step of restricting the function of the device as the execution of the job progresses;
A control method characterized by comprising: A control method executed in a recording apparatus in which a device including a rechargeable battery having a plurality of functions including a display function is detachable,
An execution process to execute the job;
In a state where the job is executed in the execution step and the battery is being charged from the recording device, a limiting step of limiting a display function of the device as the execution of the job progresses;
A control method characterized by comprising:

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