JP3787553B2 - Printing apparatus and control method thereof - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a technique for performing printing using a printing apparatus including an ink tank that stores a predetermined volume of ink.
[0002]
[Prior art]
2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, in an ink jet printer, a phenomenon is known in which ink is evaporated from an ink tank for storing ink, and the ink density in the ink tank gradually increases. However, the capacity of the ink tank for storing ink is very large with respect to the evaporation amount, and the increase in ink density is not a problem.
[0003]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
However, depending on the application, the capacity of the ink tank may be, for example, about the amount of ink necessary for printing one sheet, and in this case, the amount of ink evaporation cannot be ignored. . That is, after printing, the remaining ink remaining in the ink tank evaporates from the nozzle surface of the print head, the surface of the ink tank, etc. until the next printing, and the ink density in the ink tank increases. However, when printing is performed next time, there arises a problem that the printing density becomes high.
[0004]
Accordingly, the present invention has been made in view of the above-described problems, and an object of the present invention is to maintain a constant print density even when an ink tank having a small capacity is used.
[0005]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
  In order to solve the above-described problems and achieve the object, a printing apparatus according to the present invention includes:An ink containing portion for containing ink, and supplied from the ink containing portionAn ink tank for storing a predetermined volume of ink, and an ink supply from the ink tank;On print mediaAn inkjet head for printing;Supply means for supplying ink from the ink containing portion to the ink tank; elapsed time acquisition means for acquiring an elapsed time since the previous printing;A remaining amount detecting means for detecting the remaining amount of ink in the ink tank;Based on environmental measuring means for measuring environmental conditions, the elapsed time, the ink remaining amount, and the environmental conditionsBased on the evaporation amount estimation means for estimating the evaporation amount of ink in the ink tank, the remaining amount of ink detected by the remaining amount detection means, and the evaporation amount of ink estimated by the evaporation amount estimation means ,Before printing, ink is supplied from the ink container to the ink tank.An arithmetic means for calculating the density of the ink and a density correction means for correcting the density during printing based on the ink density calculated by the arithmetic means are provided.
  According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a printing apparatus control method comprising: an ink storage unit that stores ink; an ink tank that stores a predetermined amount of ink supplied from the ink storage unit; and an ink supply from the ink tank. A printing apparatus control method for controlling a printing apparatus including an inkjet head that receives and prints on a print medium, the ink supply unit supplying ink to the ink tank, and a previous printing An elapsed time acquisition step for acquiring an elapsed time from time, a remaining amount detection step for detecting the remaining amount of ink in the ink tank, an environmental measurement step for measuring environmental conditions, the elapsed time and the remaining ink amount And an evaporation amount estimation step for estimating the evaporation amount of ink in the ink tank based on the environmental conditions and the remaining amount detection step. When ink is supplied from the ink container to the ink tank before printing based on the remaining amount of ink detected in this way and the ink evaporation estimated in the evaporation amount estimation step. An arithmetic step for calculating the density of the ink, and a density correction step for correcting the density at the time of printing based on the ink density calculated in the arithmetic step.
[0006]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described.
[0007]
First, an outline of the present embodiment will be described.
[0008]
The printing apparatus according to the present embodiment includes an ink tank that stores a predetermined amount of ink, an ink jet head that receives ink from the ink tank and performs printing, and a remaining amount that detects the remaining amount of ink in the ink tank. An amount detection means; an evaporation amount estimation means for estimating the evaporation amount of ink in the ink tank; an ink remaining amount detected by the remaining amount detection means; and an ink evaporation estimated by the evaporation amount estimation means. Computation means for calculating the ink density based on the amount, and density correction means for performing density correction during printing based on the ink density calculated by the computation means.
[0009]
In the printing apparatus according to the present embodiment, it is preferable that the evaporation amount estimation unit estimates the ink evaporation amount based on at least one of environmental temperature, environmental humidity, and elapsed time from the previous printing.
[0010]
In the printing apparatus according to the present embodiment, it is preferable that the calculation unit calculates an ink density immediately before printing.
[0011]
Also, a control method for a printing apparatus according to the present embodiment is for controlling a printing apparatus that includes an ink tank that stores a predetermined volume of ink and an inkjet head that receives ink from the ink tank and performs printing. A control method for a printing apparatus, the remaining amount detecting step for detecting the remaining amount of ink in the ink tank, the evaporation amount estimating step for estimating the evaporation amount of ink in the ink tank, and the remaining amount detecting step Based on the remaining amount of ink detected in step 1 and the ink evaporation amount estimated in the evaporation amount estimation step, and on the basis of the ink concentration calculated in the calculation step. And a density correction step for performing density correction during printing.
[0012]
In the control method of the printing apparatus according to the present embodiment, the evaporation amount estimation step may estimate the ink evaporation amount based on at least one of environmental temperature, environmental humidity, and elapsed time from the previous printing. preferable.
[0013]
In the control method of the printing apparatus according to the present embodiment, it is preferable that the calculation step calculates the ink density immediately before printing.
[0014]
Further, the program according to the present embodiment causes a computer to execute the above-described control method of the printing apparatus.
[0015]
Hereinafter, the present embodiment will be specifically described with reference to the drawings.
[0016]
In this specification, “print” (sometimes referred to as “recording”) is not only used to form significant information such as characters and figures, but also whether it is significant or unintentional, and is perceived visually by humans. Regardless of whether or not it has been manifested, it means a case where an image, a pattern, a pattern, or the like is widely formed on a print medium, or a case where a print medium is processed.
[0017]
“Print media” refers not only to paper used in general printing equipment, but also to materials that can accept ink, such as cloth, plastic film, metal plate, glass, ceramics, wood, leather, etc. Say it.
[0018]
Furthermore, “ink” (sometimes referred to as “liquid”) is to be interpreted widely as the definition of “print” above, and is applied to a print medium so that an image, a pattern, a pattern, etc. A liquid that is used for forming a film, processing a print medium, or processing an ink (for example, solidification or insolubilization of a coloring material in ink applied to the print medium).
[0019]
Basic configuration
First, the basic configuration of an apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.
[0020]
The apparatus of this embodiment is configured as a printer built-in camera. In the apparatus main body A001, a printer unit (recording device unit) B100 is integrally incorporated on the back side of the camera unit A100. The printer unit B100 records an image using ink and a print medium supplied from the media pack C100. In this configuration, as is apparent from FIG. 5 when the exterior is removed from the apparatus main body A001, the media pack C100 is inserted into the right hand side of the apparatus main body A001 in the drawing, and the apparatus main body A001 is shown in FIG. The printer unit B100 is disposed on the left hand side. When recording is performed by the printer unit B100, the apparatus main body A001 can be placed so that a liquid crystal display unit A105 (to be described later) in the camera unit A100 is on the upper side and the lens A101 is on the lower side. In this recording posture, a later-described recording head B120 in the printer unit B100 is in a posture for ejecting ink downward. The recording posture can be the same as the posture in the shooting state by the camera unit A100, and is not limited to the above recording posture. From the viewpoint of the stability of the recording operation, a recording posture in which the above ink is discharged downward is preferable.
[0021]
In the following, the basic mechanical configuration of the apparatus of this example will be described separately for A “camera unit”, C “media pack”, and B “printer unit”, and the basic configuration of the signal processing system is D. It will be described as a “signal processing system”.
[0022]
A “Camera”
The camera unit A100 basically constitutes a general digital camera. When the camera unit A100 is integrally combined with the apparatus main body A001 together with a printer unit B100 described later, the appearance of the camera unit A100 is as shown in FIGS. Configure a digital camera with a built-in printer. 1 to 3, A101 is a lens, A102 is a finder, A102a is a finder window, A103 is a strobe, A104 is a release button, and A105 is a liquid crystal display (external display). As will be described later, the camera unit A100 processes data captured using a CCD, stores an image in a CompactFlash (registered trademark) memory card (CF card) A107, displays an image, and communicates with the printer unit B100. Send and receive various data. A109 is a discharge unit that discharges the print medium C104 on which the image is recorded when the photographed image is recorded on the print medium C104 described later. A108 shown in FIG. 5 is a battery as a power source for the camera unit A100 and the printer unit B100.
[0023]
C “Media Pack”
The media pack C100 is detachable from the apparatus main body A001. In this example, the media pack C100 is attached to the apparatus main body A001 as shown in FIG. 1 by being inserted from the insertion portion A002 (see FIG. 3) of the apparatus main body A001. Is done. The insertion portion A002 is closed as shown in FIG. 3 when the media pack C100 is not attached, and is opened when the media pack C100 is attached. FIG. 5 shows a state where the exterior is removed from the apparatus main body A001 in which the media pack C100 is mounted. As shown in FIG. 4, the pack body C101 of the media pack C100 includes a shutter C102 that is slidable in the arrow D direction. The shutter C102 slides to the position of the two-dot chain line in FIG. 4 when the media pack C100 is not attached to the apparatus main body A001, and when the media pack C100 is attached to the apparatus main body A001, the solid line in FIG. Slide to the position.
[0024]
The pack main body C101 contains an ink pack C103 and a print medium C104. In FIG. 4, the ink pack C103 is stored below the print medium C104. In this example, the ink pack C103 is provided with three Y (yellow), M (magenta), and C (cyan) inks individually, and about 20 print media C104 are stacked. Contained. The ink and the print medium C104 are selected in an optimal combination for image recording, and are stored in the same media pack C100. Accordingly, various media packs C100 (for example, media packs for ultra-high image quality, normal image quality, and stickers (divided seals)) having different combinations of ink and print media are prepared and images to be recorded are recorded. Depending on the type and use of the print medium on which the image is formed, the media pack C100 is selectively mounted on the apparatus main body A001, so that an optimal combination of ink and print medium is used according to the purpose. The recorded image can be recorded reliably. Further, the media pack C100 is provided with an EEPROM (identification IC) to be described later, and the EEPROM stores identification data such as the type and remaining amount of ink and print medium contained in the media pack.
[0025]
When the media pack C100 is attached to the apparatus main body A001, the ink pack C103 is connected to an ink supply system on the apparatus main body A001 side, which will be described later, through three joints C105 corresponding to the respective Y, M, and C inks. The On the other hand, the print medium C104 is taken out by a feed roller C110 (see FIG. 9) described later, separated one by one by a separation mechanism (not shown), and sent out in the direction of arrow C. The driving force of the paper feed roller C110 is supplied from a later-described transport motor M002 (see FIG. 9) provided on the apparatus main body A001 side via a connecting portion C110a.
[0026]
Further, the pack body C101 is provided with a wiper C106 for wiping a recording head of a printer unit, which will be described later, and an ink absorber C107 for absorbing waste ink discharged from the waste liquid joint B313. . The recording head in the printer unit reciprocates in the main scanning direction indicated by an arrow A as will be described later. When the media pack C100 is removed from the apparatus main body A001, the shutter C102 slides to the position of the two-dot chain line in FIG. 4 to protect the joint C105, the wiper C106, the ink absorber C107, and the like.
[0027]
B “Printer”
The printer unit B100 of the present embodiment is a serial type that uses an inkjet recording head. The printer unit B100 will be described separately in B-1 “print operation unit”, B-2 “print medium conveyance system”, and B-3 “ink supply system”.
[0028]
B-1 “Print Operation Unit”
FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the entire printer unit B100, and FIG. 7 is a perspective view with a part of the printer unit B100 removed.
[0029]
As shown in FIG. 5, the front end portion of the media pack C100 attached to the apparatus main body A001 is positioned at a fixed position inside the main body of the printer unit B100. The print medium C104 sent out from the media pack C100 in the direction of the arrow C in FIG. 6 is sandwiched between the LF roller B101 and the LF pinch roller B102 in the print medium transport system, which will be described later, on the platen B103. It is conveyed in the sub-scanning direction. B104 is a carriage that reciprocates in the main scanning direction indicated by the arrow A along the guide shaft B105 and the lead screw B106.
[0030]
As shown in FIG. 8, the carriage B104 is provided with a bearing B107 for the guide shaft B105 and a bearing B108 for the lead screw B106. At a fixed position of the carriage B104, as shown in FIG. 7, a screw pin B109 protruding inside the bearing B108 is attached by a spring B110. The rotation of the lead screw B106 is converted into the reciprocating movement of the carriage B104 when the tip of the screw pin B109 fits into the spiral groove formed in the outer peripheral portion of the lead screw B106.
[0031]
The carriage B104 is mounted with an inkjet recording head B120 that can eject Y, M, and C inks, and a sub tank (not shown) that stores ink supplied to the recording head B120. The recording head B120 is formed with a plurality of ink ejection ports B121 (see FIG. 8) arranged along the direction intersecting with the main scanning direction of the arrow A (in this example, the direction perpendicular to the main scanning direction). The ink discharge port B121 constitutes a nozzle that can discharge the ink supplied from the sub tank. As an energy generating means for ejecting ink, an electrothermal converter provided for each nozzle can be used. The electrothermal converter is driven to generate heat, thereby generating bubbles in the ink in the nozzle, and ejecting ink droplets from the ink ejection port B121 by the foaming energy.
[0032]
The sub tank has a smaller capacity than the ink pack C103 accommodated in the media pack C100, and is sized to accommodate at least an amount of ink necessary for image recording of one print medium C104. In the sub tank, an ink supply portion and a negative pressure introduction portion are formed in each of the ink containing portions for Y, M, and C inks, and these ink supply portions are individually provided to the corresponding three hollow needles B122. These negative pressure introducing portions are connected to a common supply air port B123. As will be described later, such a sub tank is supplied with ink from the ink pack C103 of the media pack C100 when the carriage B104 moves to the home position as shown in FIG.
[0033]
In the carriage B104 of FIG. 8, B124 is a needle cover. When the needle B122 and the joint C105 are not connected, the needle B122 is moved to a position for protecting the needle B122 by the force of the spring as shown in FIG. When the needle B122 and the joint C105 are connected, they are pushed upward in the figure against the force of the spring to release the protection of the needle B122. The movement position of the carriage B104 is detected by an encoder sensor B131 on the carriage B104 side and a linear scale B132 (see FIG. 6) on the main body side of the printer unit B100. Further, the movement of the carriage B104 to the home position is detected by an HP (home position) flag B133 on the carriage B104 side and an HP sensor B134 (see FIG. 7) on the main body side of the printer unit B100.
[0034]
In FIG. 7, at both ends of the guide shaft B105, support shafts (not shown) are provided at positions eccentric from the center axis. By rotating and adjusting the guide shaft B105 about its support shaft, the position of the carriage 104 is adjusted, and the distance between the recording head B120 and the print medium C104 on the platen B103 (“paper spacing”). Distance ”) is adjusted. The lead screw B106 is rotationally driven by a carriage motor M001 through a screw gear B141, an idler gear B142, and a motor gear B143. B150 is a flexible cable for electrically connecting a control system, which will be described later, and the recording head B120.
[0035]
The recording head B120 records an image for one line on the print medium on the platen B103 by ejecting ink from the ink ejection port B121 according to an image signal while moving in the main scanning direction of the arrow A together with the carriage B104. To do. By repeating such a recording operation for one line by the recording head B120 and a transport operation for a predetermined amount of the print medium in the sub-scanning direction of an arrow B by a print medium transport system, which will be described later, sequentially on the print medium. An image is recorded.
[0036]
B-2 “Print Media Conveyance System”
FIG. 9 is a perspective view of the components of the print medium transport system in the printer unit B100. In FIG. 9, B201 is a pair of paper discharge rollers, and the upper one paper discharge roller B201 in the figure is driven by a transport motor M002 via a paper discharge roller gear B202 and a relay gear B203. Similarly, the LF roller B101 described above is driven by the transport motor M002 via the LF roller gear B204 and the relay gear B203. The paper discharge roller B201 and the LF roller B101 convey the print medium C104 in the sub-scanning direction indicated by the arrow B by the driving force during normal rotation of the conveyance motor M002.
[0037]
On the other hand, when the transport motor M002 rotates in the reverse direction, the pressure plate head B213 and a lock mechanism (not shown) are driven via the switching slider B211 and the switching cam B212, and the driving force is applied to the paper feeding roller C110 on the media pack C100 side. Communicated. That is, the platen head B213 causes the print medium C104 accumulated in the media pack C100 to pass through the window C102A (see FIG. 4) of the shutter C102 of the media pack C100 by the driving force when the transport motor M002 rotates in the reverse direction. Press downward in FIG. As a result, the lowermost print medium C104 in FIG. 4 is pressed onto the paper feed roller C110 in the media pack C100. The lock mechanism (not shown) is activated by the driving force when the conveyance motor M002 is reversely rotated, and locks the media pack C100 with respect to the apparatus main body A001 to prohibit the removal of the media pack C100. Further, the paper feeding roller C110 on the side of the media pack C100 carries out the driving force at the time of reverse rotation of the transport motor M002 to carry out the one print medium C104 at the lowest position in FIG.
[0038]
As described above, when the transport motor M002 rotates in the reverse direction, only one print medium C104 is taken out from the media pack C100 in the direction of the arrow C in FIG. 9, and then when the transport motor M002 rotates forward, the print medium C104 is rotated. Is conveyed in the direction of arrow B.
[0039]
B-3 "Ink supply system"
FIG. 10 is a perspective view of components of the ink supply system in the printer unit B100, and FIG. 11 is a plan view when the media pack C100 is attached to the components of the ink supply system.
[0040]
The joint C105 of the media pack C100 attached to the printer unit B100 is positioned below the needle B122 (see FIG. 8) on the carriage B104 side that has moved to the home position. The main body of the printer unit B100 is provided with a joint fork B301 (see FIG. 10) positioned below the joint C105, and the joint fork B301 moves the joint C105 upward so that the joint C105 is connected to the needle B122. Is done. Thus, an ink supply path is formed between the ink pack C103 on the media pack C100 side and the ink supply unit of the sub tank on the carriage B104 side. Further, the main body of the printer unit B100 is provided with a supply joint B302 positioned below the supply air port B123 (see FIG. 8) of the carriage B104 moved to the home position. The supply joint B302 is connected to a pump cylinder B304 of a pump as a negative pressure generation source via a supply tube B303. The supply joint B302 is connected to the supply air port B123 on the carriage B104 side by being moved up by the joint lifter B305. As a result, a negative pressure introducing path is formed between the negative pressure introducing portion of the sub tank on the carriage B104 side and the pump cylinder B304. The joint lifter B305 moves the joint fork B301 up and down together with the supply joint B302 by the driving force of the joint motor M003.
[0041]
A gas-liquid separation member (not shown) that allows passage of air and prevents passage of ink is provided in the negative pressure introducing portion of the sub tank. The gas-liquid separation member allows the passage of air in the sub tank sucked through the negative pressure introduction path, whereby ink is supplied from the media pack C100 to the sub tank. Then, when the ink is sufficiently replenished until the ink in the sub tank reaches the gas-liquid separation member, the gas-liquid separation member prevents the ink from passing, whereby the ink replenishment is automatically stopped. The gas-liquid separation member is provided in an ink supply portion in an ink storage portion for each ink in the sub tank, and automatically stops ink supply for each ink storage portion.
[0042]
Further, the main body of the printer unit B100 is provided with a suction cap B310 capable of capping the recording head B120 (see FIG. 8) on the carriage B104 side moved to the home position. The suction cap B310 can suck and discharge ink (suction recovery process) from the ink discharge port B121 of the recording head B120 by introducing a negative pressure from the pump cylinder B304 through the suction tube B311 into the suction cap B310. Moreover, the recording head B120 discharges ink that does not contribute to image recording into the suction cap B310 as necessary (preliminary discharge processing). The ink in the suction cap B310 is discharged from the pump cylinder B304 to the ink absorber C107 in the media pack C110 through the waste liquid tube B312 and the waste liquid joint B313.
[0043]
The pump cylinder B304 constitutes a pump unit B315 together with a pump motor M004 for reciprocally driving the pump cylinder B304. The pump motor M004 also functions as a drive source for moving the wiper lifter B316 (see FIG. 10) up and down. The wiper lifter B316 moves the wiper C106 to a position where the recording head B120 can be wiped by moving the wiper C106 of the media pack C100 attached to the printer unit B100 upward.
[0044]
10 and 11, B321 is a pump HP sensor that detects that the operating position of the pump constituted by the pump cylinder B304 is at the home position. B322 is a joint HP sensor that detects that the ink supply path and the negative pressure introduction path described above are formed. B323 is a chassis constituting the main body of the printer unit B100.
[0045]
D "Signal processing system"
FIG. 12 is a schematic block diagram of the camera unit A100 and the printer unit B100.
[0046]
In the camera unit A100, 101 is a CCD as an image sensor, 102 is a microphone for voice input, 103 is an ASIC that performs hardware processing, 104 is a first memory that temporarily stores image data, and 105 is a captured image. Is a CF card (corresponding to “CF card A107”), 106 is an LCD (corresponding to “liquid crystal display unit A105”) that displays a captured image or a reproduced image, and 120 is a first CPU that controls the camera unit A100. is there.
[0047]
In the printer unit B100, 210 is an interface between the camera unit A100 and the printer unit B100, 201 is an image processing unit (including a binarization processing unit that binarizes an image), and 202 is for performing image processing. Second memory to be used, 203 is a band memory control unit, 204 is a band memory, 205 is a mask memory, 206 is a head control unit, 207 is a recording head (corresponding to “recording head B120”), 208 is an encoder (“encoder sensor”). B131 ”), 209 is an encoder counter, 220 is a second CPU for controlling the printer unit B100, 221 is a motor driver, 222 is a motor (corresponding to“ motors M001, M002, M003, M004 ”), and 223 is a sensor (“ HP sensors B134, B321, B322 ”), 224 EEPROM incorporated in the pack C100, 230 audio encoder, 250 (corresponding to the "battery A108") power supply unit for supplying power to the entire device, it is.
[0048]
FIG. 13 is an explanatory diagram of signal processing in the camera unit A100. In the photographing mode, an image captured by the CCD 101 through the lens 107 is subjected to signal processing (CCD signal processing) by the ASIC 103 and converted into a YUV luminance two-color difference signal. Further, the image is resized to a predetermined resolution, JPEG compressed, and recorded on the CF card 105. In addition, audio is input from the microphone 102 and stored in the CF card 105 via the ASIC 103. The recording of the sound can be stored at the same time as shooting or after recording after shooting. In the playback mode, a JPEG image is read from the CF card 105, JPEG decompressed by the ASIC 103, further resized to a display resolution, and displayed on the LCD 106.
[0049]
FIG. 14 is an explanatory diagram of signal processing in the printer unit B100.
[0050]
An image reproduced on the camera unit A100 side, that is, an image read from the CF card 105 is JPEG-decompressed by the ASIC 103 as shown in FIG. The resized image data (YUV) is sent to the printer unit B100 via the interface unit 210. As shown in FIG. 14, the printer unit B100 performs image processing on the image data sent from the camera unit A100 by the image processing unit 201, converts the image data into RGB signals, corrects input γ according to camera characteristics, looks Color correction and color conversion using an up table (LUT), and conversion to a binary signal for printing. In the binarization process, the second memory 202 is used as an error memory in order to perform an error diffusion (ED) process. In the present embodiment, the binarization processing unit in the image processing unit 201 performs error diffusion processing, but other processing such as binarization processing using a dither pattern can also be performed. The binarized print data is temporarily stored in the band memory 204 by the band memory control unit 203. The encoder counter 209 of the printer unit B100 receives an encoder pulse from the encoder 208 every time the carriage B104 on which the recording head 207 and the encoder 208 are mounted moves a certain distance. In synchronization with the encoder pulse, print data is read from the band memory 204 and the mask memory 205, and the head control unit 206 controls the recording head 207 to perform recording based on the print data.
[0051]
Although not shown in the drawing, there are a thermistor for measuring the temperature and a real time clock for recording the time and date, which are read by the CPU 220 that controls the printer unit. The time / date of printing is stored in a flash memory built in the CPU 220.
[0052]
The hand memory control in FIG. 14 will be described as follows.
[0053]
The plurality of nozzles in the recording head 207 are formed in a row so as to have a density of 1200 dpi, for example. In order to record an image using such a recording head 207, when the carriage is scanned once, in the sub-scanning direction (hereinafter, also referred to as “vertical (Y direction)”), the main scanning direction (hereinafter referred to as “the number of nozzles”). , “Also referred to as horizontal (X direction)”), it is necessary to prepare in advance the recording data for the recording area (recording data for one scan). The recording data is created by the image processing unit 201 and then temporarily stored in the band memory 204 by the band memory control unit 203. After the recording data for one scan is stored in the band memory 204, the carriage is scanned in the main scanning direction. At that time, the encoder pulse input from the encoder 208 is counted by the encoder counter 209, and the recording data is read from the band memory 204 in accordance with the encoder pulse, and ink droplets are ejected from the recording head 207 based on the image data. The When a bidirectional recording method in which an image is recorded during forward scanning and backward scanning of the recording head 207 (forward recording and backward recording) is adopted, image data is received from the band memory 204 according to the scanning direction of the recording head 207. Read out. For example, the image data address read from the band memory 204 is sequentially incremented during forward recording, and the image data address read from the band memory 204 is sequentially decremented during backward recording.
[0054]
Thus, the recording data is read from the band memory 204 and the ink droplets are ejected from the recording head 207. The amount of the projected ink is counted by an ink dot counter (not shown). Then, after the printing of one sheet is completed, how much ink is consumed is stored in a flash ROM (not shown) in the CPU 220 for each color by the CPU 220.
[0055]
Actually, when the image data (C, M, Y) created by the image processing unit 201 is written in the band memory 204 and image data for one band is prepared, the recording head 207 can be scanned. Become. Then, the recording head 207 is scanned, image data is read from the band memory 204, and the recording head 207 records an image based on the image data. During the recording operation, image data to be recorded next is created by the image processing unit 201, and the image data is written in an area of the band memory 204 corresponding to the recording position.
[0056]
As described above, the band memory control is performed in accordance with the operation of writing the recording data (C, M, Y) created by the image processing unit 201 into the band memory 204 and the scanning operation of the carriage. , Y) is performed while switching between the reading operation for sending to the head control unit 206.
[0057]
The mask memory control in FIG. 14 will be described as follows.
[0058]
This mask memory control is necessary when the multi-pass printing method is adopted. In the case of the multi-pass recording method, a recording image for one line having a width corresponding to the length of the nozzle row of the recording head 207 is recorded by being divided into a plurality of scans of the recording head 207. That is, the transport amount of the print medium that is intermittently transported in the sub-scanning direction is 1 / N of the length of the nozzle row. For example, when N = 2, the recorded image for one row is scanned twice. When N = 4, the recorded image for one row is recorded in four scans (4-pass recording). Similarly, when N = 8, 8-pass printing is performed, and when N = 16, 16-pass printing is performed. Therefore, the recorded image for one line is completed by scanning the recording head 207 a plurality of times.
[0059]
Actually, mask data for allocating image data to a plurality of scans of the recording head 207 is stored in the mask memory 205, and recording is performed based on the logical product (AND) data of the mask data and the image data. The head 207 discharges ink and records an image.
[0060]
In FIG. 14, the audio data stored in the CF card 105 is sent to the printer unit B100 via the interface 210 by the ASIC 103 in the same manner as the image data. The audio data sent to the printer unit B100 is encoded (encoded) by the audio encoder 230 and recorded as code data in an image to be printed. When it is not necessary to put audio data in the print image or when an image without audio data is printed, naturally the encoded audio data is not printed and only the image is printed.
[0061]
In the present embodiment, the description has been given as a camera with a built-in printer in which the camera unit A100 and the printer unit B100 are integrated. However, the same function can be realized by configuring the camera unit A100 and the printer unit B100 as separate devices and connecting them through the interface 210 in the same manner.
[0062]
Next, FIG. 15 is a diagram showing the structure of the sub tank of this embodiment.
[0063]
300 is a carriage (corresponding to “carriage B104”), 301 is a gas-liquid separation film, 302 is a sub tank chamber, 303 is ink in the sub tank chamber, 304 is an ink jet head (corresponding to “recording head B120”), and 305 is a cap. (Corresponding to “suction cap B310”), 306 is a joint needle (corresponding to “needle B122”) for supplying ink, and 307 is a suction port (corresponding to “supply air port B123”).
[0064]
In this embodiment, ink is supplied to the sub tank 302 on the carriage 300 to perform printing. Prior to printing, the joint needle 306 is coupled to the joint C105, and air is drawn from the suction port 307 to generate a negative pressure, whereby the pressure in the sub tank 302 becomes negative via the gas-liquid separation film 301, and ink is supplied. Ink is supplied into the sub tank 302 through the joint needle 306. When ink is supplied into the sub-tank 302, the sub-tank 302 becomes full and reaches the gas-liquid separation membrane 301, it is no longer possible to draw air in the sub-tank any more, and therefore no negative pressure in the sub-tank 302 is generated. . The gas-liquid separation film 301 has a property of allowing gas (air) to pass but not liquid (ink), so that ink supply stops when the ink in the sub tank 302 reaches the gas-liquid separation film 301. That is, the gas-liquid separation membrane 301 plays the role of an automatic full valve, and the ink is always supplied to the sub tank 302 so as to become full.
[0065]
Normally, by performing printing in this state, the amount of ink in the sub tank 302 is full before printing, but after printing, the ink is consumed and the remaining ink is reduced. Since the capacity of the sub tank 302 is known in advance, if the amount of ink required for printing is known, the amount of remaining ink remaining in the sub tank 302 can be estimated. This is possible by using a dot count function that counts the amount of ink discharged during printing when printing. It is also possible to grasp the remaining ink amount remaining in the sub tank 302 by directly measuring the amount of remaining ink in the sub tank 302.
[0066]
For example, in the present embodiment in which an image is printed on a card size, as specific numerical values, the capacity of the sub tank is approximately 0.1 ml, of which the amount of ink sucked for the recovery system is 0.02 ml, and the average image is Assume that when printing, the remaining half of the ink is consumed. The amount of residual ink remaining in the sub tank after printing an average image is about 0.04 ml. Here, due to the structure of the sub-tank, the ink evaporates not a little. The ink evaporation amount is about 0.002 ml per day, although it depends on environmental conditions such as humidity. That is, the remaining ink remaining in the sub tank will evaporate in about 20 days. This evaporated material is a solvent contained in the ink, and the dye component of the ink does not evaporate. Therefore, when fresh ink is supplied to the sub tank at the next printing, the dye of the remaining ink remaining in the sub tank Ingredients are mixed in freshly supplied fresh ink, resulting in an ink density of about 1.4 times.
[0067]
FIG. 16 is a flowchart showing the operation of the present embodiment.
[0068]
First, before printing, an elapsed time from the previous printing is acquired (step S100). This is because the elapsed time can be acquired by taking the difference between the current time and the printing time stored when the previous printing was performed.
[0069]
Next, it is determined whether or not the acquired elapsed time exceeds a preset number of days (step S101).
[0070]
If the preset elapsed time has not been reached (No in step S101), normal printing processing is performed without performing processing such as density correction (step S106 to step S109).
[0071]
If the elapsed time from the previous printing has passed more than the preset time (Yes in step S101), it is determined that the remaining ink in the sub-tank is largely evaporated and density correction is performed. Proceed to the routine.
[0072]
Here, the remaining ink amount after the previous printing is acquired (step S102).
[0073]
Next, the evaporation amount of the acquired residual ink amount is estimated (step S103). Here, the evaporation amount is estimated in consideration of the elapsed time, the remaining ink amount, the environment at that time, and the like. Here, the amount of evaporation varies greatly depending on conditions such as the structure, material, surface area, head nozzle, cap, and joint needle of the sub tank. However, if the mechanism and structure around the sub-tank are determined as the printer device, the degree of evaporation can be empirically examined, and the amount of evaporation can be estimated roughly.
[0074]
Next, in order to perform printing from now on, ink is supplied to the sub-tank. As a result, the ink in the sub-tank remains with a higher concentration obtained by subtracting the evaporation amount from the previous remaining ink amount. This is filled with fresh, i.e., a prescribed concentration of ink. Therefore, the ink density in the sub tank can be estimated as a result of newly supplying ink (step S104). Based on this, the print density table is corrected as a result of estimating the ink density in the sub-tank for the color processing routine that performs color processing as the normal ink density.
[0075]
In particular,
(1) Change the curve of the γ table for performing γ conversion of the input image.
(2) Correction of conversion coefficients when CMY conversion is performed on the input RGB image.
(3) Similarly, a three-dimensional table for performing CMY conversion is changed.
It is possible to perform density correction by, for example.
[0076]
After the ink density in the sub-tank is estimated as described above (step S104) and corrected using the print density correction table as described above (step S105), a print image is input as usual, Density correction, color processing, color conversion, ED processing, etc. are performed (step S106). Then, ink is supplied to the sub tank (step S107), and printing is performed (step S108). After printing, the current printing date and time are updated and the printing ink amount is stored so that it can be referred to when printing next time (step S109). The amount of printing ink can be obtained by directly detecting the required amount of ink (number of printing dots) at the time of printing, the ink remaining amount in the sub tank, and the like.
[0077]
FIG. 17 shows an example of a table for performing density correction. In the γ table 1, R′G′B ′ output is given to RGB input. This corresponds to the input γ correction block in FIG. The horizontal axis is the input data value, and the vertical axis is the output data value.
[0078]
Normally, input / output conversion is performed with the lower line, but when the density in the ink tank becomes high, the table is changed to the upper line so that the output is reduced according to the ink density in the ink tank. As a result, when printing is performed, correction can be performed so that the print density becomes appropriate.
[0079]
The γ table 2 gives C′M′Y ′ to the CMY input. Here, it corresponds to a correction block for output γ conversion (not shown) after color conversion in FIG. Since the ink density has increased due to evaporation, density correction is performed so as to reduce the CMY level to be printed. In this way, not only the input γ correction but also the RGB to CMY conversion is performed by the color correction / color conversion part, or the same density correction is possible in the LUT unit for color correction / color conversion.
[0080]
As described above, according to the present embodiment, when performing printing, the capacity of the ink tank is known, the amount of remaining ink when the previous printing is performed, the elapsed time since the previous printing, Considering conditions such as temperature and humidity, estimate the evaporation amount of the remaining ink in the ink tank, estimate the ink concentration in the ink tank when ink is injected for printing, and against this changed concentration By performing density correction, an optimum print density can be obtained in accordance with the ink density in the ink tank.
[0081]
The above embodiment includes means (for example, an electrothermal converter, a laser beam, etc.) that generates thermal energy as energy used for performing ink discharge, particularly in the ink jet recording system, and the ink is generated by the thermal energy. By using a system that causes a change in the state of recording, it is possible to achieve higher recording density and higher definition.
[0082]
As its typical configuration and principle, for example, those performed using the basic principle disclosed in US Pat. Nos. 4,723,129 and 4,740,796 are preferable. This method can be applied to both the so-called on-demand type and continuous type. In particular, in the case of the on-demand type, it is arranged corresponding to the sheet or liquid path holding the liquid (ink). By applying at least one drive signal corresponding to the recorded information and applying a rapid temperature rise exceeding nucleate boiling to the electrothermal transducer, the thermal energy is generated in the electrothermal transducer, and the recording head This is effective because film boiling occurs on the heat acting surface of the liquid, and as a result, bubbles in the liquid (ink) corresponding to the drive signal on a one-to-one basis can be formed. By the growth and contraction of the bubbles, liquid (ink) is ejected through the ejection opening to form at least one droplet. It is more preferable that the drive signal has a pulse shape, since the bubble growth and contraction is performed immediately and appropriately, and thus it is possible to achieve discharge of a liquid (ink) having particularly excellent responsiveness.
[0083]
As this pulse-shaped drive signal, those described in US Pat. Nos. 4,463,359 and 4,345,262 are suitable. Further excellent recording can be performed by employing the conditions described in US Pat. No. 4,313,124 of the invention relating to the temperature rise rate of the heat acting surface.
[0084]
Further, although the above embodiment is a serial type recording apparatus that performs recording by scanning the recording head, it is a full line type recording apparatus that uses a recording head having a length corresponding to the width of the recording medium. May be. As a full-line type recording head, either a configuration satisfying the length by a combination of a plurality of recording heads as disclosed in the above-mentioned specification, or a configuration as a single recording head formed integrally. But you can.
[0085]
In addition to the cartridge-type recording head in which the ink tank is integrally provided in the recording head itself described in the above embodiment, it can be electrically connected to the apparatus body by being attached to the apparatus body. A replaceable chip type recording head that can supply ink from the apparatus main body may be used.
[0086]
In addition, it is preferable to add recovery means, preliminary means, and the like for the recording head to the configuration of the recording apparatus described above because the recording operation can be further stabilized. Specific examples thereof include a capping unit for the recording head, a cleaning unit, a pressurizing or sucking unit, an electrothermal converter, a heating element different from this, or a preheating unit using a combination thereof. In addition, it is effective to provide a preliminary ejection mode for performing ejection different from recording in order to perform stable recording.
[0087]
Further, the recording mode of the recording apparatus is not limited to the recording mode of only the mainstream color such as black, but the recording head may be integrated or may be a combination of a plurality of colors. An apparatus having at least one of full colors can also be provided.
[0088]
In the embodiment described above, the description is made on the assumption that the ink is a liquid, but it may be an ink that is solidified at room temperature or lower, or an ink that is softened or liquefied at room temperature, Alternatively, the ink jet method generally controls the temperature of the ink so that the viscosity of the ink is within a stable discharge range by adjusting the temperature within a range of 30 ° C. or higher and 70 ° C. or lower. It is sufficient if the ink sometimes forms a liquid.
[0089]
[Other Embodiments]
In addition, an object of each embodiment is to supply a storage medium (or recording medium) on which a program code of software for realizing the functions of the above-described embodiments is recorded to a system or apparatus, and the computer (or CPU) of the system or apparatus Needless to say, this can also be achieved by reading and executing the program code stored in the storage medium. In this case, the program code itself read from the storage medium realizes the functions of the above-described embodiments, and the storage medium storing the program code constitutes the present invention. Further, by executing the program code read by the computer, not only the functions of the above-described embodiments are realized, but also an operating system (OS) operating on the computer based on the instruction of the program code It goes without saying that a case where the function of the above-described embodiment is realized by performing part or all of the actual processing and the processing is included.
[0090]
Furthermore, after the program code read from the storage medium is written into a memory provided in a function expansion card inserted into the computer or a function expansion unit connected to the computer, the function is determined based on the instruction of the program code. It goes without saying that the CPU or the like provided in the expansion card or the function expansion unit performs part or all of the actual processing and the functions of the above-described embodiments are realized by the processing.
[0091]
When the present invention is applied to the above-mentioned storage medium, the storage medium stores program codes corresponding to the procedure described above.
[0092]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, according to the present invention, the print density can be kept constant even when an ink tank having a small capacity is used.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a front view of a printer built-in camera to which the present invention can be applied.
FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the camera of FIG.
FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the camera of FIG.
4 is a perspective view of a media pack that can be attached to the camera of FIG. 1. FIG.
5 is a perspective view showing an arrangement relationship of main components inside the camera of FIG. 1. FIG.
6 is a perspective view of the printer unit in FIG. 5. FIG.
FIG. 7 is a perspective view in which a part of the printer unit of FIG. 6 is removed.
8 is a perspective view of a carriage in the printer unit of FIG.
9 is a perspective view of components of a print medium transport system in the printer section of FIG. 6. FIG.
10 is a perspective view of components of an ink supply system in the printer unit of FIG. 6. FIG.
11 is a plan view when a media pack is mounted on the constituent parts of the ink supply system of FIG. 10;
12 is a schematic block configuration diagram of a camera unit and a printer unit in the camera of FIG. 1. FIG.
13 is an explanatory diagram of signal processing in the camera unit of FIG. 12;
14 is an explanatory diagram of signal processing in the printer unit of FIG. 12. FIG.
FIG. 15 is a cross-sectional view showing a structure of a sub tank.
FIG. 16 is a flowchart showing the operation of one embodiment.
FIG. 17 is a diagram illustrating an example of γ conversion according to an embodiment.
[Explanation of symbols]
A001 Main unit
A002 insertion part
A100 Camera section
A101 lens
A102 finder
A102a Viewfinder window
A103 Strobe
A104 Release button
A105 finder
A106 Liquid crystal display (external display)
A107 Compact Flash (registered trademark) memory card (CF card)
A108 battery
A109 discharge part
B100 Printer unit (recording device unit)
B101 LF roller
B102 LF pinch roller
B103 Platen
B104 Carriage
B105 Guide shaft
B106 Lead screw
B107 Bearing
B108 Bearing
B109 Screw pin
B110 Spring
B120 recording head
B121 Ink ejection port
B122 Needle
B123 Supply air port
B124 Needle cover
B131 Encoder sensor
B132 linear scale
B133 HP flag
B134 HP sensor
B141 Screw gear
B142 idler gear
B143 Motor gear
B150 Flexible cable
B201 Paper discharge roller
B202 Paper discharge roller gear
B203 Relay gear
B204 LF roller gear
B211 switching slider
B212 switching cam
B213 Pressure plate head
B216 switching gear
B220 switching arm
B224 slide shaft
B228 slide gear
B234 Drive gear
B236 Ratchet support shaft
B246 Lock mechanism
B270 Pressure plate head link mechanism
B301 Joint fork
B302 Supply joint
B303 Supply tube
B304 Pump cylinder
B305 Joint lifter
B310 Suction cap
B311 Suction tube
B312 Waste liquid tube
B313 Waste liquid joint
B315 Pump unit
B316 Wiper lifter
B321 Pump HP sensor
B322 Joint HP sensor
B323 chassis
C100 media pack
C101 pack body
C102 shutter
C102A Window
C103 ink pack
C104 print media
C105 joint
C106 wiper
C107 Ink absorber
C110 paper feed roller
C110a connecting part
C118 Gap separation part
M001 Carriage motor
M002 Transport motor
M003 Joint motor
M004 Pump motor
101 CCD
102 microphone
103 ASIC
104 First memory
105 CF card
106 LCD
107 lenses
120 1st CPU
201 Image processing unit
202 Second memory
203 Band memory controller
204 band memory
205 Mask memory
206 Head controller
207 Recording head
208 Encoder
209 Encoder counter
210 interface
220 2nd CPU
221 Motor driver
222 motor
223 sensor
224 EEPROM
226 Contact pad
230 Speech encoder
250 Power supply
300 carriage
301 Gas-liquid separation membrane
302 Sub tank room
303 ink
304 Inkjet head
305 cap
306 Joint needle
307 Suction port

Claims (10)

An ink containing portion for containing ink;
An ink tank for storing a predetermined volume of ink supplied from the ink storage unit ;
An inkjet head that receives ink from the ink tank and prints on a print medium ;
Supply means for supplying ink from the ink containing portion to the ink tank;
An elapsed time acquisition means for acquiring an elapsed time from the previous printing;
A remaining amount detecting means for detecting the remaining amount of ink in the ink tank;
Environmental measuring means for measuring environmental conditions;
An evaporation amount estimation means for estimating an evaporation amount of ink in the ink tank based on the elapsed time, the ink remaining amount, and the environmental condition ;
Based on the ink remaining amount detected by the remaining amount detecting means and the ink evaporation amount estimated by the evaporation amount estimating means , ink is supplied from the ink containing portion to the ink tank before printing. Calculating means for calculating the density of ink when
A printing apparatus comprising: density correction means for performing density correction during printing based on the ink density calculated by the calculation means. Said environmental measuring unit, printing apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the measuring environment temperature, one of the environmental humidity as environmental conditions.   The printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the calculation unit calculates an ink density immediately before printing. The printing apparatus, printing apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the Ru detachably mountable der exchange member having the ink storage portion. The printing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the ink tank is capable of storing an amount of ink that allows image recording on at least one print medium that can be recorded by the printing apparatus.   The printing apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the replacement member can accommodate a print medium. Wherein when the elapsed time does not exceed the predetermined time, printing apparatus as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that no correction of the density by the density correction means. An ink storage unit that stores ink, an ink tank that stores a predetermined amount of ink supplied from the ink storage unit , and an inkjet head that receives supply of ink from the ink tank and prints on a print medium A control method of a printing apparatus for controlling the printing apparatus,
A supply step of supplying ink from the ink container to the ink tank;
An elapsed time acquisition step of acquiring the elapsed time from the previous printing,
A remaining amount detecting step for detecting the remaining amount of ink in the ink tank;
An environmental measurement process for measuring environmental conditions;
An evaporation amount estimation step of estimating an evaporation amount of ink in the ink tank based on the elapsed time, the ink remaining amount, and the environmental conditions ;
Based on the ink remaining amount detected in the remaining amount detecting step and the ink evaporation amount estimated in the evaporation amount estimating step, ink is supplied from the ink containing portion to the ink tank before printing. A calculation step for calculating the density of the ink when
A printing apparatus control method comprising: a density correction process for performing density correction during printing based on the ink density calculated in the calculation process. 9. The method of controlling a printing apparatus according to claim 8 , wherein in the environmental measurement step, either environmental temperature or environmental humidity is measured as an environmental condition . 9. The method of controlling a printing apparatus according to claim 8 , wherein in the calculation step, an ink density immediately before printing is calculated.

Images