JP2023090441A - recording device - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a recording device that calculates a sheet residual amount according to each paper tube diameter in the recording device that can install roll paper of different paper tube diameters by attaching an adapter to a flange.SOLUTION: The recording device includes: a flange that is internally contacted with a roll on which a sheet is wound and supports an end portion of the roll in a longitudinal direction; and a residual amount acquisition unit that acquires a sheet residual amount of the roll supported by the flange. The flange further has an adapter engaging unit that is internally contacted with the roll and can engage with an adapter for supporting the roll. The recording device further includes an adapter detecting unit that detects the adapter being attached to the flange. The residual amount acquisition unit acquires the sheet residual amount based on detection information detected by the adapter detecting unit.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 15

Description

The present invention relates to a printing apparatus that prints on a sheet pulled out from a roll on which a continuous sheet is wound.

Conventionally, there has been disclosed a method for detecting the remaining amount of sheets in a roll in which a sheet is wound around a paper tube while the roll is attached to a recording apparatus. For example, in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2002-100001, a detection guide that swings in the contact direction in accordance with a decrease in the remaining amount of sheets is provided, and a common reference point for grasping the swinging position of the detection guide is set to allow any paper tube with a different diameter to be detected. A configuration is disclosed in which the remaining amount of sheets can be detected even for a roll of .

JP 2011-57435 A

However, the method of Patent Document 1 requires the addition of a large number of mechanical members such as detection guides that can be slidably displaced, and requires high assembly accuracy. . In addition, in order to be able to attach rolls with different paper tube diameters, a flange member corresponding to each paper tube diameter is required. also cause a decline in

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, the present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a recording apparatus capable of attaching roll paper of different paper tube diameters by attaching an adapter to a flange, in which sheet residuals are adjusted according to each paper tube diameter. An object of the present invention is to provide a recording device for calculating the amount.

In order to solve the above problems, the recording apparatus according to the present invention includes:
a flange that is inscribed in the roll around which the sheet is wound and supports the end in the longitudinal direction of the roll;
a remaining amount acquisition unit that acquires the remaining amount of sheets on the roll supported by the flange;
In a recording device that records an image on a sheet supplied from a roll,
The flange further has an engaging portion that can be engaged with an adapter for supporting the roll by inscribing the roll,
The recording device further comprises an adapter detection unit that detects that the adapter is attached to the flange,
The remaining amount acquisition unit acquires the remaining amount of sheets based on detection information detected by the adapter detection unit.

According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a recording apparatus capable of mounting roll paper with different paper tube diameters by attaching an adapter to a flange, and calculating the remaining amount of sheets according to each paper tube diameter. .

1 is a perspective view of a recording apparatus according to a first embodiment; FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing a sheet conveying path according to the first embodiment; FIG. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing how the large-diameter roll paper according to the first embodiment is supported; FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing how the small-diameter roll paper according to the first embodiment is supported; 1 is a block diagram of a control system according to a first embodiment; FIG. 2 is a perspective view of roll paper according to the first embodiment; FIG. It is a top view of a flange and a spool concerning a 1st embodiment. It is a perspective view of a flange and a peripheral member according to the first embodiment. It is a top view of the adapter concerning a 1st embodiment. 4A and 4B are diagrams showing a roll paper support mechanism according to the first embodiment; FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a paper tube diameter detection unit sensor according to the first embodiment; FIG. It is a figure which shows the detection operation of the outer detection sensor which concerns on 1st Embodiment. It is a figure which shows the detection operation of the inside detection sensor which concerns on 1st Embodiment. 1 is a block diagram of a sheet remaining amount detection system according to a first embodiment; FIG. 4 is a flow chart of the sheet remaining amount detection system according to the first embodiment; It is a top view of the adapter which concerns on 2nd Embodiment. FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram of mounting a roll paper support mechanism according to a second embodiment; FIG. 11 is a block diagram of a sheet remaining amount detection system according to a second embodiment; 9 is a flow chart of a sheet remaining amount detection system according to a second embodiment;

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION A mode for carrying out the present invention will be exemplarily described in detail below based on an embodiment with reference to the drawings. It should be noted that the dimensions, materials, shapes, and relative arrangement of the components described in this embodiment should be appropriately changed according to the configuration of the device to which the invention is applied and various conditions. That is, it is not intended to limit the scope of the present invention to the following embodiments.

<First embodiment>
A first embodiment according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 15. FIG. In the present embodiment, a serial type inkjet printing apparatus that performs printing by reciprocating a print head that ejects ink onto an intermittently conveyed print medium in a direction that intersects the conveying direction of the print medium is taken as an example. explain. However, the recording apparatus to which the present invention is applied is not limited to the serial type ink jet recording apparatus, and can also be applied to a line type ink jet recording apparatus that continuously prints using a long print head. In this specification, the term “ink” is used as a general term for liquids such as recording liquids.

1 to 5 are diagrams for explaining the basic configuration of an inkjet printing apparatus according to the first embodiment. The inkjet printing apparatus of the present embodiment includes a sheet conveying apparatus that pulls out and conveys a sheet as a printing medium from a roll, and a printing head that prints an image on the sheet. As shown in FIG. 1, in the description of the present embodiment, the longitudinal direction of the roll paper (roll) 400 is the X-axis direction, the direction in which the sheet 401 is discharged from the printing apparatus 300 is the Y-axis direction, and the direction of gravity is the Z-axis direction. and defined respectively.

Reference is made to FIG. FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a recording apparatus 300, which is an inkjet recording apparatus used in this embodiment. As shown in FIG. 1, in the recording apparatus 300, roll paper 400, which is a recording medium that is a long sheet wound into a roll, can be mounted in the upper and lower stages. A recording operation such as printing is performed on the sheet 401 selectively pulled out from the roll paper 400 . A user can perform operations such as various print settings using an operation unit of a user interface 320 (hereinafter referred to as UI).

Reference is made to FIG. FIG. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the recording apparatus 300 and shows a conveying path of the sheet 401 from the roll paper 400 to the recording unit 360. As shown in FIG. A sheet 401 pulled out from the roll paper 400 is conveyed to the recording unit 360 by the sheet conveying mechanism 350 . The recording unit 360 prints on the sheet 401 by ejecting ink from an ink jet recording head. A heating method using a heater or a piezoelectric method using a piezoelectric element is used for the ejection means of the recording head. In applying the present invention, ejection from the print head may be performed by means other than ink jet, and may be serial scan, full line, or the like. In the case of serial scanning, printing is performed by a conveying operation of the sheet 401 and a scanning operation of the recording head in a direction intersecting the conveying direction. In the case of a full line, a long recording head extending in a direction intersecting the conveying direction of the sheet 401 is used, and printing is performed while the sheet 401 is continuously conveyed.

The roll paper 400 is attached to the roll paper support mechanism with the spool 530 inserted therein, and the spool 530 is driven forward (direction C1) or reverse (direction C2) by the roll paper drive motor. The sheet 401 is pulled out from the roll paper 400 as the spool 530 rotates and is transported by the sheet transport mechanism 350 . The sheet conveying mechanism 350 includes a driving section 354 , an arm section 355 , an arm rotating shaft 356 , a sensor unit 307 , a swinging member 357 , a first driven rotating body 358 , a second driven rotating body 359 , a separation flapper 341 and a flapper rotating shaft 342 . Prepare.

The conveying guide 351 guides both sides of the sheet 401 pulled out from the sheet supply section 370 to the recording section 360 . The conveying roller 352 is provided on the upstream side of the recording unit 360 in the conveying direction of the sheet 401 and is rotated forward and reverse in the direction D1 or D2 by the conveying roller driving motor 305 . The nip roller 353 is provided opposite to the conveying roller 352 so as to sandwich the conveying roller 352 and the sheet 401 . Nip force adjustment is possible. The speed at which the sheet 401 is conveyed by the conveying roller 352 is set higher than the speed at which the sheet 401 is pulled out by the rotation of the roll paper 400, so that the sheet 401 can be conveyed while being tensioned. A sheet detection sensor 302 is provided on the upstream side of the conveying roller 352 in the conveying direction to detect passage of the sheet 401 .

A platen 343 of the recording unit 360 regulates the position of the sheet 401 , and a cutter 304 provided downstream of the recording unit 360 in the conveying direction cuts the printed sheet 401 . A cover 344 provided around the roll paper 400 prevents the printed sheet 401 from returning to the sheet supply section 370 . The platen 343 has an attracting means using negative pressure or electrostatic force, and by attracting the sheet 401 onto the platen, it is stably supported during printing. The above operations in the recording apparatus are controlled by the CPU.

3A and 3B will be described. 3A is a schematic cross-sectional view of the sheet feeding section 370, and FIG. 3B is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a swing member 357 and peripheral members provided in the sheet feeding section 370. FIG. FIG. 3A shows a state in which roll paper 400 having a relatively large outer diameter is attached. The transport guide 351 is attached to the arm portion 355 by an arm rotating shaft 356 so as to be rotatable in the A1 direction or the A2 direction. A guide portion 355b for guiding the lower surface of the sheet 401 pulled out from the roll paper 400 is formed on the upper portion of the arm portion 355. Between the arm portion 355 and the rotating cam 354a of the driving portion 354, the arm portion 355 is moved in the A1 direction. A pressing torsion coil spring 354c is interposed. The rotating cam 354a is rotated around a rotating shaft 354b by a pressing force adjusting motor, and the force with which the torsion coil spring 354c presses the arm portion 355 in the A1 direction changes according to its rotating position. When the leading end of the sheet 401 is set in the sheet supply path through between the arm portion 355 and the separation flapper 341, the pressing force of the arm portion 355 by the torsion coil spring 354c is applied in three stages (weak nip, strong nip, pressing force release). can be switched to

A swinging member 357 is swingably attached to the arm portion 355, and a first driven rotating member 358 and a second driven rotating member 359, which are shifted in the circumferential direction of the roll paper 400, are rotatable on the swinging member 357. attached to the The first driven rotator 358 and the second driven rotator 359 move according to the outer diameter of the roll paper 400, and the pressing force in the A1 direction against the arm portion 355 moves the roll paper 400 from below in the direction of gravity (Z direction). Press the periphery. That is, the first driven rotator 358 and the second driven rotator 359 press against the outer periphery of the roll paper 400 from below the horizontal central axis of the roll paper 400 in the direction of gravity. The pressing force is changed according to the pressing force pressing the arm portion 355 in the A direction.

In this embodiment, a plurality of arm portions 355 to which swing members 357 are attached are installed at different positions in the X-axis direction. The swinging member 357 is provided with a bearing portion 357a and a shaft fixing portion 357b shown in FIG.

The bearing portion 357a is provided at the center of gravity of the rocking member 357, and is supported by the rotating shaft 355a so that the rocking member 357 has a stable posture in each of the X-axis direction, the Y-axis direction, and the Z-axis direction. Further, since the rotating shaft 355a is received with play, the swinging member 357 is displaced along the outer circumference of the roll paper 400 at any position in the X-axis direction by the pressing force in the A1 direction against the arm portion 355. FIG. With such a configuration, a change in the pressure contact posture of the first driven rotor 358 and the second driven rotor 359 with respect to the roll paper 400 is allowed. Therefore, the contact area between the sheet 401 and the first driven rotator 358 and the second driven rotator 359 is always maximized. can be suppressed. By pressing the first driven rotator 358 and the second driven rotator 359 against the outer periphery of the roll paper 400, the occurrence of slack in the sheet 401 is suppressed and the conveying force is increased.

In the recording apparatus 300, a separation flapper 341 is installed above the arm portion 355 so as to be rotatable about the flapper rotation shaft 342 in the B1 direction or the B2 direction. The separation flapper 341 is configured to strongly press against the outer peripheral surface of the roll paper 400 by its own weight. In order to press the roll paper 400 more strongly, an urging force by an urging member such as a spring may be used. A driven roller 341a is rotatably provided at the portion of the separation flapper 341 that contacts the roll paper 400 in order to prevent the roll paper 400 from being excessively pressed by the pressing force. At the tip of the separation flapper 341 on the side of the roll paper 400, a separation portion 341b is formed so as to be positioned as close to the surface of the roll paper 400 as possible so that the tip of the sheet 401 can be easily separated from the roll paper 400. there is The roll paper 400 passes over the first driven rotator 358 and the second driven rotator 359 , and the sheet 401 pulled out from the roll paper 400 is guided by the guide portion 355 b of the arm portion 355 . After that, the sheet 401 is fed through a feed path formed between the lower surface 341 c of the separation flapper 341 and the arm portion 355 . In this way, the first driven rotating body 358 and the second driven rotating body 359 are pressed against the outer peripheral portion of the roll paper 400 from below, and the first driven rotating body 358 and the second driven rotating body 359 are passed over. The lower surface of the sheet 401 to be pulled out is guided by the guide portion 355b. As a result, the sheet 401 can be supplied smoothly using the weight of the sheet 401 itself. In addition, even if the outer diameter of the roll paper 400 changes, the roll paper 400 can be The sheet 401 can be reliably pulled out and conveyed.

The recording apparatus 300 has an automatic loading function for recording paper. In automatic loading, when the user sets an unused roll paper 400 in the apparatus, the roll paper 400 rotates in the direction opposite to the sheet feeding direction (direction C2 in FIG. 3A, hereinafter referred to as the reverse direction). The leading edge of the recording paper is detected while the Next, the roll paper 400 is rotated in the direction of rotation for sheet supply (direction C1 in FIG. 3A, hereinafter referred to as the forward direction), and the leading edge of the sheet separated from the roll paper 400 is automatically sent to.

The sensor unit 307 is a unit that includes a leading edge detection sensor that detects that the leading edge of the sheet 401 has peeled off from the outer peripheral surface of the roll paper 400 and that the sheet has been peeled off (sheet separation). The leading edge of the sheet 401 detected by the sensor unit 307 is automatically inserted into the sheet supply path between the arm portion 355 and the separation flapper 341, and the sheet 401 is sent out.

Further, the recording apparatus of this example includes two upper and lower sheet supply units 370 , and the state where the sheet 401 is supplied from one sheet supply unit 370 changes to the state where the sheet 401 is supplied from the other sheet supply unit 370 . can be switched to In such a case, one of the sheet supply units 370 rewinds the sheet 401 that has been supplied so far onto the roll paper 400 . The leading edge of the sheet 401 is retracted to a position detected by the sensor unit 307 .

Reference is made to FIG. FIG. 4 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the sheet supply unit 370, showing a state in which roll paper 400 having a relatively small outer diameter is attached. Since the arm portion 355 is always pressed in the A1 direction by the torsion coil spring 354c, it rotates in the A1 direction as the outer diameter of the roll paper 400 decreases. Further, by rotating the rotary cam 354a according to the change in the outer diameter of the roll paper 400, even if the outer diameter of the roll paper 400 changes, the pressing force of the arm portion 355 by the torsion coil spring 354c can be maintained within a predetermined range. can be done. Also, since the separation flapper 341 is always pressed in the B1 direction, it rotates in the B1 direction as the outer diameter of the roll paper 400 decreases. As a result, the separation flapper 341 forms a supply path with the transport guide 351 even when the outer diameter of the roll paper 400 becomes small, and guides the upper surface of the sheet 401 with the lower surface 341c. In this way, by rotating the arm portion 355 and the separation flapper 341 according to the change in the outer diameter of the roll paper 400, even if the outer diameter of the roll paper 400 changes, there is a substantially constant size between them. A feed path is formed.

Reference is made to FIG. FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the control system in the recording apparatus 300. As shown in FIG. The CPU 310 of the printing apparatus 300 controls each section of the printing apparatus including the sheet supply section 370 , the sheet conveying mechanism 350 and the printing section 360 according to the control program stored in the ROM 311 .

A UI (user interface) 320 inputs the type, width, and other setting information of the sheet 401 to the CPU 310 via an input/output interface 313 . The CPU 310 is also connected to various external devices 330 including a host device such as a personal computer via an external interface 314 and exchanges information such as print data with the external device 330 . Also, the CPU 310 writes and reads information about the sheet 401 to and from the RAM 312 .

A roll paper drive motor 309 is a motor for rotating the roll paper 400 forward and reverse through the spool 530 , and constitutes a driving mechanism capable of rotating the roll paper 400 . A pressing force adjusting motor 315 is a motor that rotates a rotary cam to adjust the pressing force on the arm portion 355, and a transport roller drive motor 305 is a motor that rotates the transport roller forward and backward. A roll paper detection sensor 306 is a sensor that detects the roll paper 400 when the roll paper 400 is set on the sheet supply unit 370 . A roll paper rotation amount detection sensor 303 is a sensor for detecting the rotation amount of the roll paper 400 .

In the recording apparatus 300, the UI 320 notifies the user of the status and receives an operation from the user. The UI 320 has an input device 321 such as a display or LED, and a display device 322 such as a touch panel or keys. In this embodiment, the user needs to set the sheet type of the set roll paper 400, and manually selects an appropriate sheet type from the sheet type list displayed on the UI 320 after shifting to the setting screen.

A method for detecting the remaining amount of sheets, which is the subject of this embodiment, will be described. First, the roll paper support mechanism and its components will be described.

Reference is made to FIG. FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the roll paper 400. FIG. As shown in FIG. 6, the roll paper 400 is formed by winding a sheet 401 around a cylindrical paper tube 402 .

Reference is made to FIG. FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram showing a support mechanism for the roll paper 400. As shown in FIG. The support mechanism consists of flange 500 and spool 530 . Both ends of the roll paper 400 in the axial direction are supported by flanges 500, and a spool 530 passes through the inside of the paper tube 402 in the axial direction of the flanges 500, thereby supporting the roll paper 400 in a freely rotatable manner. A configuration in which the flange 500 is provided with a rotating shaft without mounting the spool 530 may be adopted. The flange 500 also has a paper tube attachment portion 501 corresponding to the inner diameter of the paper tube 402 as an attachment portion for supporting the roll paper 400 . In order to attach the roll paper 400 directly to the paper tube attachment portion 501, the inner diameter of the paper tube 402 must be within the applicable range. 400 is not attached to the paper tube attachment portion 501 .

Description will be made with reference to FIGS. 8(a)-(d). 8A is a perspective view showing the flange 500 alone, and FIG. 8B is a perspective view showing how the spool 530 is attached to the flange 500. FIG. 8(c) is a perspective view showing how the small adapter 510 is attached to the flange 500, and FIG. 8(d) is a perspective view showing how the large adapter 520 is attached to the flange 500. FIG. When the inner diameter of the paper tube 402 is within the applicable range of the paper tube attachment portion 501 , the paper tube attachment portions 501 of the flanges 500 provided at both ends in the axial direction of the roll paper 400 are inscribed in the paper tube 402 and the roll paper 400 is supported. On the other hand, if the inner diameter of the paper tube 402 is outside the applicable range of the paper tube attachment portion 501, an adapter for enabling attachment of the roll paper 400 to the flange 500 can be attached to the roll paper 400 with a different paper tube diameter. Installation becomes possible.

In this embodiment, the flange 500 can be engaged with two types of adapters, a small adapter 510 and a large adapter 520, and the recording apparatus 300 can correspond to three types of inner diameters of the paper tube 402 roughly divided. The small adapter 510 is a member that inscribes and supports a second roll having a larger inner diameter than the first roll with which the paper tube mounting portion 501 of the flange 500 inscribes. Also, the large adapter 520 is a member that inscribes and supports a third roll having an inner diameter larger than that of the second roll. The flange 500 has, as engaging portions, an inner mounting hole (first engaging portion) 502 for mounting the small adapter 510 and an outer mounting hole (second engaging portion) 503 for mounting the large adapter 520 . The small adapter 510 has a small adapter fixing portion 511 and the large adapter 520 has a large adapter fixing portion 521 as engaged portions that can be inserted into the engaging portion of the flange 500 . When the small adapter 510 is attached to the flange 500, the small adapter fixing portion 511 is inserted through the inner mounting hole 502, and when the large adapter 520 is attached, the large adapter fixing portion 521 is inserted through the outer mounting hole 503. be.

9A and 9B will be described. 9A is an external view of the small adapter 510, and FIG. 9B is an external view of the large adapter 520. FIG. When the inner diameter of the paper tube 402 is out of the applicable range of the paper tube mounting portion 501 , the roll paper 400 is attached to the flange 500 via a small adapter 510 or a large adapter 520 corresponding to the inner diameter of the paper tube 402 . When attaching the adapter to the flange 500 , the small adapter fixing portion 511 of the small adapter 510 is inserted through the inner mounting hole 502 and the large adapter fixing portion 521 of the large adapter 520 is moved to the outer mounting hole 503 . The tip of the small adapter fixing portion 511 of the small adapter 510 is bent. is fixed. Such engagement between the small adapter fixing portion 511 and the inner mounting hole 502 prevents the small adapter 510 from unintentionally coming off the flange 500 . The tip of the large adapter fixing portion 521 of the large adapter 520 is similarly bent to prevent the large adapter 520 from coming off the flange 500 .

10(a)-(c) will be described. 10A to 10C are schematic diagrams showing a state in which the roll paper 400 is mounted on the roll paper support mechanism of the recording apparatus 300, and the roll paper 400 is shown translucent. 10A shows how the roll paper 400 is directly attached to the paper tube attachment portion 501 of the flange 500. FIG. FIG. 10B shows how the roll paper 400 is directly attached to the paper tube attachment portion 501 of the flange 500 via the small adapter 510 . FIG. 10C shows how the roll paper 400 is directly attached to the paper tube attachment portion 501 of the flange 500 via the large adapter 520 . A flange 500 to which the roll paper 400 is attached is supported by the roll paper support section 301 . The roll paper support portion 301 is equipped with an inner detection sensor 220 that detects the presence or absence of the small adapter fixing portion 511 in the inner mounting hole 502 and an outer detection sensor 230 that detects the presence or absence of the large adapter fixing portion 521 in the outer mounting hole 503. be done. These sensors are used to detect whether an adapter is attached to flange 500 and, if so, whether small adapter 510 or large adapter 520 is attached.

Description will be made with respect to FIG. FIG. 11 is a perspective view of an inner detection sensor 220 and an outer detection sensor 230 mounted as paper tube detection sensors. The paper tube detection sensor is a distance setting type photoelectric sensor that includes a light projecting portion 222 and a light receiving portion 221 . By receiving the reflected light of the light projected by the light projecting unit 222 with the light receiving unit 221, it is possible to detect the distance between the light projecting unit 222 and the place where the light is reflected.

Next, details of a method for detecting the paper tube diameter of the roll paper 400 by the inner detection sensor 220 and the outer detection sensor 230 will be described. In this embodiment, it is detected whether or not an adapter is attached to the flange 500, and if the adapter is attached, the type of the adapter is also detected. is detected.

12(a)-(c) will be described. FIGS. 12A to 12C are diagrams showing the paper tube diameter detection unit, and the arrows indicate how light is projected from the outer detection sensor 230 and reflected. 12(a) shows the case where the flange 500 is attached with the large adapter 520, FIG. 12(b) shows the case where the flange 500 is attached with the small adapter 510, and FIG. indicates the absence of The light projecting portion 222 of the outer detection sensor 230 includes a light projecting LED 223 and a light projecting lens 224 , and the light receiving portion 221 includes a light receiving element 225 and a light receiving lens 226 . A two-split photodiode is used for the light receiving element 225. If the position where the light from the light projecting LED 223 is reflected is the same as the preset distance, the reflected light is at the boundary between N and F. If it is closer than the preset distance, the N side is used. If the distance is greater than a preset distance, an image is formed on the F side. The light receiving element 225 identifies the position where the light from the light emitting LED 223 is reflected by calculating the difference in the amount of light received between the N side and the F side. The outside detection sensor 230 uses the tip of the large adapter fixing portion 521 as a set distance, and when the large adapter 520 is attached to the flange 500 as shown in FIG. Light forms an image. On the other hand, when the small adapter 510 is attached to the flange 500 as shown in FIG. 12B, and when the adapter is not attached to the flange 500 as shown in FIG. The light passes through the attachment hole 503 and is reflected by the side surface of the roll paper 400 . Therefore, since the position where the light is reflected is farther than the set distance, the reflected light forms an image on the F side of the light receiving element 225 . The outer mounting hole 503 is formed with a sufficiently large size so as not to block the reflected light from the light projecting LED 223 from reaching the light receiving element 225 . Therefore, the difference in the amount of received light between the N side and the F side of the light receiving element 225 of the outer detection sensor 230 changes depending on whether or not the large adapter 520 is present.

13(a)-(c) will be described. FIGS. 13A to 13C are diagrams showing the paper tube diameter detection unit, showing how the light projected from the inner detection sensor 220 is reflected. 13(a) shows the case where the large adapter 520 is mounted on the flange 500, FIG. 13(b) shows the case where the small adapter 510 is mounted on the flange 500, and FIG. 13(c) shows the case where the adapter is mounted on the flange 500. indicates the absence of The structure and operating principle of the inner detection sensor 220 are the same as the outer detection sensor 230 . The inside detection sensor 220 uses the tip of the small adapter fixing portion 511 as a set distance, and when the small adapter 510 is attached to the flange 500 as shown in FIG. Light forms an image. On the other hand, when the large adapter 520 is attached to the flange 500 as shown in FIG. 13(a), and when the adapter is not attached to the flange 500 as shown in FIG. The light passes through the inner attachment hole 502 and is reflected by the side surface of the roll paper 400 . Therefore, since the position where the light is reflected is farther than the set distance, the reflected light forms an image on the F side of the light receiving element 225 . In addition, the inner mounting hole 502 is formed with a sufficiently large size so as not to block the reflected light from the light projecting LED 223 from reaching the light receiving element 225 . Therefore, the difference in the amount of received light between the N side and the F side of the light receiving element 225 of the inner detection sensor 220 changes depending on whether or not the small adapter 510 is present.

Next, details of the internal configuration of the sheet remaining amount detection system 200, which is a part of the control system according to the present embodiment shown in FIG. 5, will be described. The sheet remaining amount detection system 200 calculates the sheet remaining amount of the roll paper 400 from detection information about the paper tube diameter detected by the inner detection sensor 220 and the outer detection sensor 230 described above.

Description will be made with respect to FIG. FIG. 14 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the sheet remaining amount detection system 200 as a remaining amount acquisition unit for acquiring the sheet remaining amount of the roll paper 400. As shown in FIG. The remaining sheet detection system 200 includes a paper tube diameter detection unit 210 that detects the paper tube diameter of the roll paper 400 as detection information, a transport amount table storage unit 202 that stores a transport amount table corresponding to the paper tube diameter, and a sheet and a conveyance detection unit 204 for detecting the presence or absence of conveyance 401 . The sheet remaining amount detection system 200 further includes a conveyance amount calculation unit (conveyance amount acquisition unit) 203 that calculates the amount of conveyance of the sheet 401, and a remaining amount calculation unit ( remaining amount acquisition unit) 201; A transport amount calculation unit 203 calculates the transport amount of the sheet 401 based on the transport amount table read from the transport amount table storage unit 202 and the detection result of the transport detection unit 204 . The paper tube diameter detection unit 210 includes an inner detection sensor 220 that detects the presence or absence of the small adapter fixing portion and an outer detection sensor 230 that detects the presence or absence of the large adapter fixing portion.

After using a new roll paper, replace it with another roll paper, and then replace it with the roll paper that was in the middle of use again. Enter the serial number of the roll paper from the UI and store it in memory. It is also possible to adopt a configuration in which the conveying amount is calculated.

Description will be made with respect to FIG. FIG. 15 is a flow chart of the sheet remaining amount detection operation of this embodiment. As a premise, the CPU of the recording apparatus is normally activated, and various actuators and sensors controlled by the CPU are in an operating state or an operating standby state.

In the sheet remaining amount detection operation, first, the roll paper detection sensor 306 detects whether the roll paper 400 is set in the sheet supply unit 370. If it is detected that the roll paper 400 is not set correctly [NO in S100], the normal state is entered. wait until If it is detected that it is correctly set [YES in S100], the roll paper drive motor 309 reciprocates the roll paper 400 by one revolution [S101].

After that, the states of the inner mounting hole 502 and the outer mounting hole 503 are confirmed by the inner detection sensor 220 and the outer detection sensor 230, respectively. First, the outer detection sensor 230 detects whether or not the large adapter fixing portion 521 is attached to the outer attachment hole 503 [S104]. If the presence of the large adapter fixing portion 521 is detected [YES in S104], and if the inner detection sensor 220 detects the presence of the small adapter fixing portion 511 in the inner mounting hole 502 [YES in S105], the adapter detection sensor is abnormal. The UI is notified to that effect [S120]. Further, the UI notifies the user to contact product support [S122], and the process ends abnormally. On the other hand, if the inner detection sensor 220 detects that there is no small adapter fixing portion 511 in the inner mounting hole 502 [NO in S105], the CPU 310 determines that the paper tube diameter is large [S106], and the target sheet type for the large paper tube diameter is displayed on the UI [S107].

If it is detected that the large adapter fixing portion 521 is absent [NO in S104], if the inner mounting hole 502 detection sensor detects that the small adapter fixing portion 511 is present in the inner mounting hole 502 [YES in S108], the CPU 310 It is determined that the diameter is medium [S109]. Then, the target sheet type within the paper tube diameter is displayed on the UI [S110]. On the other hand, if it is detected that there is no small adapter fixing portion 511 in the inner mounting hole 502 [NO in S108], the CPU 310 determines that the paper tube diameter is small [S111], and the target sheet type for which the paper tube diameter is small is displayed on the UI. [S112]. That is, when the adapter detection sensor detects that the adapter is not attached, the CPU 310 determines the paper tube diameter of the roll paper 400 according to the mounting portion information such as the diameter of the paper tube mounting portion 501 of the flange 500. .

When the user selects and inputs a sheet type from the selectable sheet types displayed on the UI according to each paper tube diameter [S113], the transport amount table corresponding to the selected sheet type is retrieved from the transport amount table storage unit 202. It is called [S114]. Then, the sheet conveying mechanism 350 starts conveying the sheet 401 [S115], and if the conveyance detection unit 204 does not detect conveyance [NO in S117], the conveyance detection unit 204 determines that there is an abnormality, and the conveyance is abnormal. The UI notifies that there is [S121]. Further, the UI notifies the user to contact product support [S122], and the process ends abnormally. On the other hand, if the conveyance detection unit 204 detects conveyance [YES in S117], the conveyance amount calculation unit 203 calculates the conveyance amount [S118], the remaining amount calculation unit 201 calculates the remaining amount of sheets [S119], It ends normally.

According to the above configuration, roll paper with different paper tube diameters can be attached to the flange simply by removing or replacing the adapter. It is possible to calculate the remaining amount.

<Second embodiment>
A second embodiment of the invention will now be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 8, the basic configuration of the ink jet recording apparatus, outline of the roll paper, roll paper support mechanism, outline of the flange, etc. are the same as those of the first embodiment described above, and are given the same reference numerals. I omit the explanation. The second embodiment differs from the first embodiment in the adapter detection method.

First, a specific configuration for detecting the paper tube diameter of the roll paper 400 in the second embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 16 and 17. FIG. In this embodiment, the flange 500 can be engaged with two types of adapters, a small adapter 540 and a large adapter 550 , and the recording apparatus can be roughly divided into three types of inner diameters of the paper tube 402 .

16(a) and 16(b) will be described. 16(a) is an external view of a small adapter 540 according to this embodiment, and FIG. 16(b) is an external view of a large adapter 550. FIG. The small adapter 540 is a member that inscribes and supports a second roll having a larger inner diameter than the first roll with which the paper tube mounting portion 501 of the flange 500 inscribes. The large adapter 550 is a member that inscribes and supports a third roll having an inner diameter larger than that of the second roll. If the inner diameter of the paper tube 402 is outside the applicable range of the paper tube mounting portion 501 , the roll paper 400 is attached to the flange 500 via a small adapter 540 or a large adapter 550 corresponding to the inner diameter of the paper tube 402 . The small adapter 540 has a small adapter fixing portion 541 and the large adapter 550 has a large adapter fixing portion 551 as engaged portions that can be inserted into the engaging portion of the flange 500 . When the small adapter 540 is attached to the flange 500, the small adapter fixing portion 541 is inserted through the inner mounting hole 502, and when the large adapter 550 is attached, the large adapter fixing portion 551 is inserted through the outer mounting hole 503. be.

The tip of the small adapter fixing portion 541 of the small adapter 540 is bent. is fixed. Such engagement between the small adapter fixing portion 541 and the inner mounting hole 502 prevents the small adapter 540 from unintentionally coming off the flange 500 . The tip of the large adapter fixing portion 551 of the large adapter 550 is similarly bent to prevent the large adapter 550 from coming off the flange 500 . Both the small adapter fixing portion 541 and the large adapter fixing portion 551 are conductors, and FIGS. 16A and 16B show the adapter fixing portion functioning as a conductor terminal portion with hatching.

Description will be made with reference to FIGS. 17(a) to (c). 17A to 17C are schematic diagrams showing a state in which the roll paper 400 is mounted on the roll paper support mechanism of the printing apparatus of this embodiment, and the roll paper 400 is shown translucent. 17A shows how the roll paper 400 is directly attached to the paper tube attachment portion 501 of the flange 500. FIG. FIG. 17B shows how the roll paper 400 is directly attached to the paper tube attachment portion 501 of the flange 500 via the small adapter 540 . FIG. 17C shows how the roll paper 400 is directly attached to the paper tube attachment portion 501 of the flange 500 via the large adapter 550 . Four conductor terminals 630 are mounted on the roll paper support section 301 , and the conductor terminals 630 are connected to the paper tube diameter detection section 610 via the detection circuit 620 . Two of the conductor terminals 630 are connected to the pull-up resistors of the sensing circuit 620 and the other two are connected to ground. One point connected to the pull-up resistor and one point connected to the ground are arranged at positions that contact the small adapter fixing portion 541 when the small adapter 540 is attached to the flange 500 . The other point connected to the pull-up resistor and the other point connected to the ground are arranged at positions where they come into contact with the large adapter fixing portion 551 when the large adapter 550 is attached to the flange 500. be. Both pull-up resistors are connected to the power supply.

When neither the small adapter 540 nor the large adapter 550 is installed as shown in FIG. 17A, both the line for detecting the small adapter 540 and the line for detecting the large adapter 550 are open in the paper tube diameter detection unit 610. HIGH level is detected by the CPU 310 in this state. When the small adapter 540 is attached as shown in FIG. 17B, the small adapter fixing portion 541 and the conductor terminal 630 come into contact with each other in the paper tube diameter detection portion 610, so the line for detecting the small adapter 540 is shorted to the ground. LOW level is detected by the CPU 310 in this state. Also, since the line for detecting the large adapter 550 is in an open state, the CPU 310 detects the HIGH level. When the large adapter 550 is attached as shown in FIG. 17C, the line for detecting the small adapter 540 in the paper tube diameter detection unit 610 is in an open state, so that the CPU 310 detects HIGH level. Further, since the large adapter fixing portion 551 and the conductor terminal 630 are in contact with each other, the line for detecting the large adapter 550 is detected as LOW level by the CPU 310 in the ground short state.

Description will be made with respect to FIG. FIG. 18 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the remaining sheet detection system 600. As shown in FIG. The remaining sheet detection system 600 includes a paper tube diameter detection unit 610 that detects the paper tube diameter of the roll paper 400 as detection information, a transport amount table storage unit 202 that stores a transport amount table corresponding to the paper tube diameter, and a sheet and a conveyance detection unit 204 for detecting the presence or absence of conveyance 401 . The sheet remaining amount detection system 600 further includes a conveyance amount calculation unit 203 that calculates the amount of conveyance of the sheet 401 and a remaining amount calculation unit that calculates the remaining amount of the sheet wound around the paper tube 402 based on the calculation result of the conveyance amount calculation unit 203. 201 and. The paper tube diameter detection section 610 includes a detection circuit 620 for detecting the presence or absence of the small adapter fixing section 541 and the large adapter fixing section 551 .

Description will be made with respect to FIG. FIG. 19 is a flow chart of the sheet remaining amount detection operation of this embodiment. As a premise, the CPU of the recording apparatus is normally activated, and various actuators and sensors controlled by the CPU are in an operating state or an operating standby state.

In the remaining sheet detection operation, first, the roll paper detection sensor 306 detects whether the roll paper 400 is set in the sheet supply unit 370. If it is detected that the roll paper 400 is not set correctly [NO in S700], the normal state is entered. wait until If it is detected that it is correctly set [YES in S700], the roll paper driving motor 309 reciprocates the roll paper 400 by one revolution [S701].

After that, in the paper tube diameter detection unit 610 , the states of the inner mounting hole 502 and the outer mounting hole 503 are confirmed by the conductor terminal 630 via the detection circuit 620 . First, the level at the line where the large adapter 550 is detected is detected [S704]. If a LOW level is detected in the line for detecting the large adapter 550 [YES in S704], and if a LOW level is detected in the line for detecting the small adapter 540 [YES in S705], there is an abnormality in the adapter detection sensor. is notified on the UI [S720]. Further, the UI notifies the user to contact product support [S722], and the process ends abnormally. On the other hand, if the LOW level is detected in the line for detecting the small adapter 540 [NO in S705], it is determined that the paper tube diameter is large [S706], and the target sheet type for the large paper tube diameter is displayed on the UI [ S707].

If the paper tube diameter detection unit 610 does not detect the LOW level in the line for detecting the large adapter 550 [NO in S704], if the LOW level is detected in the line for detecting the small adapter 540 [YES in S708], the paper It is determined that the pipe diameter is medium [S709]. Then, the target sheet type within the paper tube diameter is displayed on the UI [S710]. If the LOW level is detected in the line for detecting the small adapter 540 [NO in S708], it is determined that the paper tube diameter is small [S711], and the target sheet type for the small paper tube diameter is displayed on the UI [S712]. That is, when it is detected that the adapter is not attached by the line for detecting the adapter, the CPU 310 determines the paper tube diameter of the roll paper 400 in accordance with the mounting portion information such as the diameter of the paper tube mounting portion 501 of the flange 500. judge.

When the user selects and inputs a sheet type from the selectable sheet types displayed according to the paper tube diameter on the UI [S713], the transport amount table corresponding to the selected sheet type is retrieved from the transport amount table storage unit 202. It is called [S714]. Then, the sheet conveying mechanism 350 starts conveying the sheet 401 [S715], and if the conveyance detection unit 204 does not detect conveyance [NO in S717], the conveyance detection unit 204 determines that there is an abnormality, and the conveyance is abnormal. The UI notifies that there is [S721]. Further, the UI notifies the user to contact product support [S722], and the process ends abnormally. On the other hand, if the conveyance detection unit 204 detects conveyance [YES in S717], the conveyance amount calculation unit 203 calculates the conveyance amount [S718], the remaining amount calculation unit 201 calculates the remaining sheet amount [S719], It ends normally.

According to the above configuration, roll paper with different paper tube diameters can be attached to the flange simply by removing or replacing the adapter. It is possible to calculate the remaining amount.

In the above-described embodiment, two types of adapters can be attached, but application of the present invention is not limited to this. For example, it is applied to a configuration in which only one type of adapter can be attached, and the adapter detection unit detects only the presence or absence of the attachment of one type of adapter, detects the paper tube diameter, and calculates the remaining amount of sheets. Also good. Alternatively, the configuration may be such that three or more types of adapters can be attached. Furthermore, the present invention can be applied not only to the adapter for coping with a roll having a larger paper tube diameter, but also to a recording apparatus to which various adapters are attached.

In the above-described embodiment, a distance-setting type photoelectric sensor or a conductor terminal is used as the adapter detection sensor, but other detection methods may be used as long as they can detect the small adapter fixing portion and the large adapter fixing portion. . Furthermore, in the present embodiment, the type of adapter can be detected by changing the detection position for each adapter, but application of the present invention is not limited to this. For example, three engaging portions such as holes provided in the flange are provided, and two engaging portions engage when engaging with one adapter, and three engaging portions when engaging with the other adapter. It is good also as a structure which engages in a part. With such a configuration, it is possible to detect the type of adapter based on the number of engaging portions that engage with the engaged portion.

201... Remaining amount calculation unit (remaining amount acquisition unit) 210... Paper tube diameter detection unit (adapter detection unit) 300... Recording device 400... Roll paper (roll) 401... Sheet 500... Flange

Claims (10)

a flange that is inscribed in the roll around which the sheet is wound and supports the end in the longitudinal direction of the roll;
a remaining amount acquisition unit that acquires the remaining amount of sheets on the roll supported by the flange;
In a recording device that records an image on a sheet supplied from a roll,
The flange further has an engaging portion that can be engaged with an adapter for supporting the roll by inscribing the roll,
The recording device further comprises an adapter detection unit that detects that the adapter is attached to the flange,
The recording apparatus, wherein the remaining amount acquisition unit acquires the remaining amount of sheets based on detection information detected by the adapter detection unit. 2. A recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said flange has a mounting portion to which the roll is mounted so as to be inscribed in the roll. 3. A recording apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the inner diameter of the roll inscribed by said mounting portion is different from the inner diameter of the roll inscribed by said adapter. 3. When the adapter detection unit does not detect that the adapter is attached, the remaining amount acquisition unit acquires the remaining amount of sheets based on the information of the attachment unit. 4. The recording device according to 3. The engaging portion includes a first engaging portion capable of engaging with a small adapter inscribed in and supporting a second roll having an inner diameter larger than that of the first roll that can be attached to the mounting portion; a second engaging portion capable of engaging with a large adapter that inscribes and supports a third roll having an inner diameter larger than that of the roll;
5. The recording apparatus according to any one of claims 2 to 4, wherein when the adapter is attached to the flange, the adapter detection unit detects the type of the attached adapter. . 6. The engaging portion according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the engaging portion is a hole penetrating in the longitudinal direction, through which the engaged portion provided on the adapter can be inserted. recording device. The adapter detection unit is a photoelectric sensor including a light projecting unit and a light receiving unit,
7. The recording according to claim 6, wherein the photoelectric sensor detects the detection information by receiving the reflected light of the light projected toward the hole from the light projecting section with the light receiving section. Device. The adapter detection unit includes a conductor terminal that contacts a conductor terminal portion of the adapter provided on the flange, and a detection circuit that detects whether the conductor terminal is in contact with the conductor terminal portion. 6. The recording apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized by: A recording apparatus further comprising a user interface that indicates to a user a sheet type selectable as a sheet on which an image is to be recorded,
The printing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the user interface changes the sheet type indicated to the user based on the detection information. further comprising a conveying amount acquiring unit that acquires the conveying amount of the sheet based on a conveying amount table corresponding to the sheet type selected by the user;
10. The recording apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the remaining amount acquisition unit calculates and acquires the remaining amount of sheets based on the conveying amount.

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