JP4052337B2 - Printing apparatus, ink unit, element capable of storing information, and computer system - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a printing apparatus, an ink unit, an element capable of storing information, and a computer system.

  When an ink unit (ink cartridge) for an ink jet printer is opened, for example, after a period of about 6 months, the quality of the ink deteriorates depending on the use environment. As a result, high print quality may not be achieved, and the print head of the printer may be adversely affected. As a countermeasure technique, for example, a memory such as an EEPROM may be provided in the ink unit, and information for specifying the expiration date of the ink may be held in the memory. A transmission / reception unit provided on the printer main body side communicates with the memory via a contact terminal to read information on the expiration date of the ink. In addition to the information related to the expiration date, information related to the ink remaining amount of each ink unit may be stored.

  Further, a configuration in which a non-contact type storage element is provided instead of the above-described contact type memory such as an EEPROM and wireless communication is performed by a read / write sensor provided on the printer main body side is also conceivable. There are types of non-contact type storage elements such as a close contact type and a proximity type depending on the accessible distance, and wireless communication is possible as long as both are within a predetermined distance. When such a non-contact type storage element is used, communication is possible even if the ink unit stop position for reading / writing varies somewhat, so the ink unit stop position needs to be positioned. It does not have to be strictly performed.

  However, when wireless communication is performed using such a non-contact type storage element, information on an element different from a desired element may be erroneously read due to the wide communication range. For example, in the case of a color inkjet printer, a plurality of ink units different for each color are arranged in a carriage (ink unit support member) at a short pitch with each other, so that they are not adjacent to the desired ink unit, but are adjacent to each other by mistake. Communication with the ink unit element may occur.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a printing apparatus, an ink unit, and information that can communicate without difficulty with an element capable of storing information provided in the ink unit. It is to realize an element capable of storing the information and a computer system.

    The main present invention includes a plurality of ink units having elements capable of storing information, an ink unit support member in which the plurality of ink units are arranged and movable in a predetermined movement direction, and information stored in the elements. A non-contact reading member, wherein the reading member can read only information stored in an element provided in an ink unit arranged at the head in the moving direction. The ink unit support member is moved, and after the reading member reads the ID information stored in the element, the element that has finished reading the ID information, and the ID information adjacent to the element and still reading the ID information The ink unit support member is moved to a position where the reading member can access only the unfinished element, and the reading is performed. Wood, characterized in reading the ID information stored in the device is not yet finished reading the ID information.

  Other features of the present invention will become apparent from the accompanying drawings and the description of this specification.

=== Summary of disclosure ===
The following disclosure will reveal at least the following.

  A printing apparatus comprising: a plurality of ink units each including an element capable of storing information; an ink unit support member in which the plurality of ink units are arranged; and a reading member that reads information stored in the elements in a non-contact manner. In each of the ink units, the reading member reads ID information stored in an element provided in the ink unit, the arrangement order of the ink units on the ink unit support member, and the ink unit. A printing apparatus that identifies a relationship with ID information stored in the element.

  A printing apparatus comprising: a plurality of ink units each including an element capable of storing information; an ink unit support member in which the plurality of ink units are arranged; and a reading member that reads information stored in the elements in a non-contact manner. In this case, since the reading member reads information in a non-contact manner, information on an element different from a desired element may be erroneously read.

  Therefore, in the present invention, for each ink unit, the reading member reads ID information stored in an element provided in the ink unit, whereby the arrangement order of the ink units on the ink unit support member, The relationship with the ID information stored in the element provided in the ink unit is specified.

  According to such a printing apparatus, the relationship between the arrangement order of the ink units on the ink unit support member and the ID information stored in the element provided in the ink unit is specified and stored in the memory or the like of the printing apparatus main body. Therefore, when reading the information stored in the elements provided in the ink units having a specific arrangement order, the information of other elements is erroneously checked by using the ID information stored in the elements. Reading can be prevented.

  The ID information may be information unique to the element stored in the element before the element is attached to the ink unit.

  According to such a printing apparatus, since the ID information is unique information stored in the element before the element is attached to the ink unit, the ID information is arranged on the ink unit support member. In addition, it is possible to reliably identify the elements provided in the individual ink units.

  Further, the ink unit may be detachable from the ink unit support member.

  In such a printing apparatus in which the ink unit is detachable from the ink unit support member, the arrangement of the ink units attached to the ink unit support member may be changed by the user. Even in such a case, first, the ID information stored in the element provided in the ink unit is read, the arrangement order of the ink unit on the ink unit support member, and the ink unit provided in the ink unit. By specifying the relationship with the ID information stored in the element, when reading the information stored in the element provided in the ink unit having the specific arrangement order, the information of the other element is erroneously read. Can be prevented.

  Further, the ink unit support member is movable, and the ink unit is positioned at a position where the reading member can read only information stored in an element provided in the ink unit arranged at the head in the movement direction. After the support member is moved and the reading member reads the ID information stored in the element, the information stored in the element that has finished reading the ID information and the ID information adjacent to the element and still reading the ID information The ink unit support member is sequentially moved to a position where only the information stored in the element not finished can be read by the reading member, and the reading member has not yet finished reading the ID information. The printer may be characterized by reading ID information stored in the printer.

  According to such a printing apparatus, it is possible to reliably read all the ID information of the elements provided in the ink units arranged on the ink unit support member in order from the top, and when reading the ID information of a certain element, Since only the element that has already read the ID information and the element that has already read the ID information are read at a position where it can be read, elements other than the desired element are not read, so that all elements can be read reliably.

  For all the ink units arranged on the ink unit support member, after identifying the relationship between the arrangement order of the ink unit support member and the ID information stored in the element provided in the ink unit, The reading member may read information other than the ID information stored in each element provided in the ink unit arranged on the ink unit supporting member while identifying each element by the ID information.

  According to such a printing apparatus, for all the ink units arranged on the ink unit support member, the relationship between the arrangement order on the ink unit support member and the ID information stored in the element provided in the ink unit. After the identification, since the reading member reads information other than the ID information stored in the element provided in each ink unit, the ID stored in the element provided in the ink unit of a specific arrangement order When information other than information is read while collating using the ID information, information on other elements is not erroneously read.

  The ink unit support member is movable, and the ink unit support member is moved to a position where the reading member can read information from a plurality of elements, and each element is identified by the ID information. However, the reading member may read information other than the ID information stored in each element.

  According to such a printing apparatus, the reading member moves each ink unit support member to a position where the reading member can read information from a plurality of elements and identifies each element based on the ID information. Since information other than the ID information stored in the element is read, the number of movements of the ink unit support member for reading information other than the ID information is reduced, and the total reading time can be shortened.

  Further, the ink unit support member is positioned at a position where the reading member can read information from the elements provided in the odd-numbered and even-numbered ink units adjacent to each other in the arrangement order of the ink unit support members. The reading member may read information other than the ID information stored in each element while sequentially moving the elements to identify each element based on the ID information.

  According to such a printing apparatus, the reading member can read information from the elements provided in the odd-numbered and even-numbered ink units adjacent to the odd-numbered ink units in the arrangement order of the ink unit support members. Ink for reading information other than ID information since the reading member reads information other than ID information stored in each element while sequentially moving the ink unit support member and identifying each element based on the ID information The number of movements of the unit support member is reduced, and the total reading time can be shortened.

  Further, in an ink unit that includes an element capable of storing information, and is arranged in a plurality of ink unit support members, and the information stored in the element can be read in a non-contact manner by a reading member provided in the printing apparatus main body. The ID information stored in the element provided in the ink unit is read by the reading member, the arrangement order of the ink unit on the ink unit support member, and the ID stored in the element provided in the ink unit. An ink unit in which the relationship with information is specified by the printing apparatus can also be realized.

  In addition, the ID information is information unique to the element stored in the element before the element is attached to the ink unit, and an ink unit can be realized.

  Further, the ink unit can be realized by being detachable from the ink unit support member.

  In addition, after the relationship between the arrangement order in the ink unit support member and the ID information stored in the element provided in the ink unit is specified by the printing apparatus, the relationship is stored in the element provided in the ink unit. It is also possible to realize an ink unit in which information other than the ID information is read by the reading member while the element is identified by the ID information.

  In addition, information can be stored, and the ink unit is provided in the ink unit, and a plurality of ink unit support members are arranged together with the ink unit. In the element to be read, the ID information stored in the element is read by the reading member, and the relationship between the arrangement order of the ink units in the ink unit support member and the ID information stored in the element is the print. Elements characterized by being specified by the device are also feasible.

  Further, it is possible to realize an element characterized in that the ID information is information unique to the element stored in the element before the element is attached to the ink unit.

  In addition, the ink unit provided with the element can also be realized as an element that is detachable from the ink unit support member.

  Further, after the relationship between the arrangement order in the ink unit supporting member and the ID information stored in the element is specified by the printing apparatus, information other than the ID information stored in the element is indicated by the ID information. An element characterized by being read by the reading member while the element is identified can also be realized.

  Further, a computer main body, a display device connected to the computer main body, and a printing device connected to the computer main body, each including a plurality of ink units each having an element capable of storing information, and the plurality of ink units For each ink unit, and the reading member is stored in an element provided in the ink unit. A printing apparatus that reads the ID information and identifies the relationship between the arrangement order of the ink units on the ink unit support member and the ID information stored in the element provided in the ink unit. A characteristic computer system can also be realized.

  A plurality of ink units including elements capable of storing information; an ink unit support member in which the plurality of ink units are arranged; and a reading member that reads information stored in the elements in a non-contact manner. In the printing apparatus, for each of the ink units, the reading member reads ID information stored in an element provided in the ink unit, the arrangement order of the ink units on the ink unit support member, and the ink unit. The ID information stored in the element is stored before the element is attached to the ink unit. The printing apparatus identifies a relationship with the ID information stored in the element. The ink unit is detachable from the ink unit support member, and the ink unit The ink support member is movable, and the ink unit support member is placed at a position where the reading member can read only information stored in an element provided in the ink unit arranged at the head in the moving direction. After the reading member reads the ID information stored in the element, the information stored in the element that has finished reading the ID information, and the ID information adjacent to the element has not yet been read. The ink unit support member is sequentially moved to a position where the reading member can read only the information stored in the non-element, and the reading member is stored in the element that has not yet finished reading the ID information. The ink unit supporting member for all the ink units arranged on the ink unit supporting member. After the relationship between the arrangement order in the ink unit and the ID information stored in the element provided in the ink unit is specified, the reading member is adjacent to the odd number in the arrangement order on the ink unit support member. The ink unit support member is sequentially moved to a position where information can be read from the elements provided in the even-numbered ink units, and each element is identified by the ID information. The printer may be characterized by reading information other than the ID information stored in the printer.

  According to such a printing apparatus, when information stored in the elements provided in the ink units having a specific arrangement order is read, the ID information stored in the elements is collated to check information on other elements. Can be read by mistake. Further, at that time, the ID information is unique information stored in the element before the element is attached to the ink unit, and is thus arranged on the ink unit support member. It is possible to reliably identify the elements provided in the individual ink units. In this case, the arrangement of the detachable ink units mounted on the ink unit support member may be changed by the user. Even in such a case, the arrangement of the ink units in a specific arrangement order may be changed. When reading the information stored in the provided elements, it is possible to prevent the information of other elements from being read erroneously. At that time, all the ID information of the elements provided in the ink units arranged on the ink unit support member can be reliably read in order from the top, and when reading the ID information of a certain element, Since only the element and the element that has already read the ID information are read at a position where they can be read, elements other than the desired element that do not know the ID information are not read, so that all elements can be read reliably. Further, at that time, the ink is placed at a position where the reading member can read information from the elements provided in the odd-numbered and even-numbered ink units adjacent thereto in the arrangement order of the ink unit support members. An ink unit for reading information other than ID information because the reading member reads information other than the ID information stored in each element while sequentially moving the unit support member and identifying each element based on the ID information The total number of reading times can be shortened by reducing the number of movements of the support member.

  A plurality of ink units each including an element capable of storing information; a movable ink unit support member in which the plurality of ink units are arranged; and a reading member that reads information stored in the elements in a non-contact manner. The ink unit support member moves to a position where the reading member can read information stored in elements provided in the plurality of ink units, and the reading member is located at the position. Respectively reading the information.

  According to such a printing apparatus, the ink unit support member is moved to a position where the reading member can read information from a plurality of elements, and the reading member is not ID information or ID information stored in each element. Therefore, the number of movements of the ink unit supporting member for reading information other than the ID information is reduced, and the total reading time can be shortened.

=== Outline of Inkjet Printer ===
Next, an outline of an inkjet printer as a printing apparatus to which the present invention is applied will be described. FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a schematic appearance of an inkjet printer.

  Here, a color inkjet printer is shown. The color printer 10 is an ink jet printer capable of outputting a color image. In addition to standard four color inks of cyan (C), magenta (M), yellow (Y), and black (K), the light printer 10 is a light cyan printer. This is an ink jet printer that forms an image by ejecting a total of six colors (light cyan, LC) and light magenta (light magenta, LM) onto a printing medium such as cut paper to form dots. A configuration using an ink set other than six colors such as a standard four-color ink set may be used.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the color printer 10 has a paper feed structure that discharges a printing medium such as cut paper supplied from the upper side of the back side from the front side. An operation panel 11 and a paper discharge unit 12 are provided on the front surface of the printer main body 10, and a paper supply unit 13 is provided on the back surface. Various operation buttons 111 and a display lamp 112 are provided on the operation panel 11. The paper discharge unit 12 includes a paper discharge tray 121 that closes the paper discharge port when not in use. The paper feed unit 13 is provided with a paper feed tray 131 that holds cut paper (not shown). The printer 10 may include a paper feed structure that can print not only on a single sheet of printed material such as cut paper but also on a continuous printed material such as roll paper.

=== Configuration of carriage and its surroundings ===
Next, the configuration of the carriage 20 provided in the color printer 10 as an ink unit support member and its periphery will be described. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a configuration around the carriage 20. The carriage 20 is connected to a carriage motor 23 via a pulley 22 by a driving belt 21 and is driven so as to move in parallel with the platen 25 while being guided by a sliding shaft 24.

  An ink unit (ink cartridge) INC1 that contains black ink and five ink units INC2 to 6 that contain five color inks are attached to the carriage 20. On the surface of the carriage 20 facing the printing paper, there are provided a print head IH1 having nozzles for discharging black ink and print heads IH2 to IH6 having nozzle rows for discharging five color inks. Ink supplies are supplied from the ink units INC1 to INC6, ink droplets are ejected onto the printing paper, and characters and images are printed.

  Further, a capping device 26 for sealing the nozzle openings of the heads IH1 to IH6 and a pump unit 27 having a pump motor (not shown) are provided in the right non-printing area of the carriage 20 during non-printing. When the carriage 20 moves from the printing area to the right non-printing area, the carriage 20 comes into contact with a lever (not shown), and the capping device 26 moves upward to seal the heads IH1 to IH6.

  When clogging occurs in the nozzle opening rows of the heads IH1 to IH6, or when ink is forcibly discharged or discharged from the heads IH1 to IH6 when the ink units INC1 and INC2 are replaced, the head IH1 The pump unit 27 is operated in a state where .about.IH6 is sealed by the caps 261 and 262, and ink is sucked out from the nozzle opening row by the negative pressure from the pump unit 27. As a result, dust and paper dust adhering to the vicinity of the nozzle opening row are washed, and bubbles in the heads IH1 to IH6 are discharged to the caps 261 and 262 together with the ink.

  Each of the ink units INC1 to INC6 is provided with one element 311 to 316 capable of storing information on the front side (sheet discharge direction side), and is not shown in FIG. A transmitting / receiving unit as a reading member is provided at an appropriate position in the left non-printing area so as to face each storage element.

  3A and 3B show the carriage 20, the ink units INC1 to INC6, the storage elements 311 to 316 provided in each ink unit, and the main body of the printer 10 as the main body of the printing apparatus (the ink unit INC1 of the printer 10). It is the schematic diagram which showed clearly the positional relationship of the transmission / reception part 30 provided in the part) side except ~ 6. 3A is a perspective view seen from the front side in FIG. 2, and FIG. 3B is a plan view seen from directly above.

  Each of the ink units INC1 to INC6 accommodated in the carriage 20 is detachable. When the ink is consumed by the user, when the expiration date has passed, or when changing to another color, etc. Exchanges are made.

  As can be seen from FIG. 3B, the transmission / reception unit 30 of the present embodiment is sized to face approximately two storage element arrangement surfaces of the ink unit (and the storage element provided thereon). . The transmission / reception unit 30 sequentially reads and writes ID information from the near side toward the left end, that is, from the storage element 311 toward the right end storage element 316. Details of the read / write operation will be described later.

=== Configuration of Storage Element and Transmission / Reception Unit ===
Next, the configuration of the storage element 311 and the transmission / reception unit 30 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 4A is a plan perspective view showing the configuration of the memory element 311. The storage element 311 is a proximity non-contact storage element having a data transmission / reception possible distance with the transmission / reception unit 30 of about 10 mm. As a whole, it is very small and thin, and can be adhered to an object as a seal with adhesiveness on one side. It is called a memory tag or the like and is commercially available. Note that since the memory elements other than the memory element 311 have the same configuration, the description thereof is omitted.

  In the memory element 311, a non-contact IC chip 3111, a resonance capacitor 3112 and a planar coil 3113 formed by etching a metal film are mounted on a plastic film and covered with a transparent cover sheet. On the other hand, the transmission / reception unit 30 includes a coil antenna 301 similar to the storage element 311 and a transmission / reception circuit 302, although a plan view and the like are not shown.

  FIG. 4B is a block diagram illustrating the internal configuration of the storage element 311 and the transmission / reception unit 30. The transmission / reception unit 30 includes an antenna coil 301 and a transmission / reception circuit 302 connected to a peripheral device input / output unit (PIO) 54 of a printer main body control circuit described later. The IC chip 3111 of the memory element 311 includes a rectifier 3114, a signal analysis unit RF (Radio Frequency) 3115, a control unit 3116, and a memory cell 3117. The memory cell 3117 is an electrically readable / writable memory such as a NAND flash ROM.

  The antenna 3113 of the memory element 311 and the antenna 301 of the transmission / reception unit 30 communicate with each other, and read ID information stored in the memory cell 3117 and write to the memory cell 3117. A high frequency signal generated by the transmission / reception circuit 302 of the transmission / reception unit 30 is induced as a high frequency magnetic field via the antenna 301. This high-frequency magnetic field is absorbed via the antenna 3113 of the memory element 311 and rectified by the rectifier 3114 to become a DC power source that drives each circuit in the IC chip 3111.

  In the memory cell 3117 of the storage element 311, information unique to each storage element such as the serial number of the element, that is, ID information is recorded. This ID information data may be written at the time of factory manufacture of the storage element. By reading this ID information by the transmission / reception unit 30 on the main body side of the printer 10, the individual storage elements 311 to 316 can be identified.

  In addition to the ID information, the memory cell 3117 of the storage element 311 may include manufacturing information of the ink unit INC1 to which the storage element 311 is attached, information about an expiration date, and the like. By reading such information on the main body side of the printer 10 and performing comparison processing with the current date and time, it is possible to issue a warning to the user when the expiration date of the ink unit INC1 approaches. .

  Further, the remaining ink amount information of the ink unit INC1 may be written in the memory cell 3117. It is also possible to read the remaining amount information on the main body side of the printer 10 and to give a warning to the user when the remaining amount becomes small. Each storage element 311 to 316 may appropriately include information other than the above information.

=== Internal structure of inkjet printer ===
Next, the internal configuration of the color inkjet printer 10 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an internal configuration of the printer 10 according to the present embodiment.

  As shown in the figure, the printer 10 reciprocates the carriage 20 in the axial direction of the platen 25 by a mechanism that drives the print heads IH 1 to IH 6 mounted on the carriage 20 to discharge ink and form dots. A mechanism for moving the sheet, a mechanism for transporting a printing medium such as a cut sheet 133 supplied from the sheet feeding tray 131 by the sheet feeding motor 40, and a control circuit 50.

  A mechanism for reciprocating the carriage 20 in the axial direction of the platen 25 is installed in parallel with the axis of the platen 25 and is driven endlessly between the slide shaft 24 slidably holding the carriage 20 and the carriage motor 23. A pulley 29 is provided to stretch the belt 21.

  The mechanism for conveying the printing medium includes a platen 25, a paper feed auxiliary roller (not shown), a paper feed motor 40 that rotates the platen 25, and a gear mechanism 41 that transmits the rotation of the paper feed motor 40 to the platen 25 and the like. And an encoder 42 for detecting the rotation angle of the platen 25. A transmission / reception unit 30 is provided at an appropriate position such as the casing of the printer 10 and the left non-printing area of the carriage 20.

  The control circuit 50 appropriately controls the movement of the paper feed motor 40, the carriage motor 23, and the print heads IH1 to IH6 while exchanging signals with the operation panel 11 of the printer, the transmission / reception unit 30, an externally connected personal computer, and the like. . The cut sheet supplied from the sheet feeding tray 131 is set so as to be sandwiched between the platen 25 and the sheet feeding auxiliary roller, and is conveyed by a predetermined amount according to the rotation angle of the platen 25.

  Ink units INC1 to INC6 are mounted on the carriage 20. Each of the ink cartridges INC1 to INC6 includes storage elements 311 to 316 that store the remaining amount of ink. The ink cartridge INC1 contains black (K) ink, and the ink cartridges INC2 to 6 contain cyan (C), magenta (M), yellow (Y), light cyan (LC), and light magenta (LM), respectively. Has been.

=== Internal structure of control circuit ===
Next, the internal configuration of the control circuit 50 of the ink jet printer will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing an internal configuration of the control circuit 50 of the ink jet printer according to the present embodiment.

  As shown in the figure, a CPU 51, a PROM 52, a RAM 53, a peripheral device input / output unit (PIO) 54, a timer 55, a drive buffer 56, and the like are provided in the control circuit 50.

  The operation panel 11, personal computer PC, carriage motor 23, paper feed motor 40, encoder 42, and transmission / reception unit 30 are connected to the PIO 54. The drive buffer 56 is used as a buffer for supplying on / off signals for dot formation to the print heads IH1 to IH6. These are connected to each other by a bus 57 and can exchange data with each other. The control circuit 50 is also provided with an oscillator 58 that outputs a drive waveform at a predetermined frequency, and a distribution output device 59 that distributes the output from the oscillator 58 to the print heads IH1 to IH6 at a predetermined timing.

  When the power is turned on, the control circuit 50 moves the carriage 20 to the left non-printing area in which the transmission / reception unit 30 is provided, and sequentially from the storage element 311 provided in the left end ink unit INC1 to the right end storage element 316. Read. Then, the control circuit 50 acquires ID information from the storage elements 311 to 316. Once ID information is acquired from all the storage elements 311 to 316, information other than the ID information is read or written while identifying the storage element (and ink unit) based on the ID information. Details of these ID information reading processing and printing processing executed while performing identification based on the ID information will be described later.

=== Operation of Inkjet Printer ===
Next, with reference to FIGS. 7 and 8, the access operation of the inkjet printer 10 with respect to the storage elements 311 to 316 will be described.

  FIG. 7 illustrates a case where the transmission / reception unit 30 reads ID information recorded in the storage elements 311 to 316 when the power is turned on or when the user replaces any ink unit with the power on. It is a figure which shows the operation | movement sequence of the carriage 20 (and ink unit INC1-6). A command for instructing execution of the ID information reading operation other than when the power is turned on may be executed by the user using the printer driver software on the screen of the personal computer PC or by the operation panel 11 of the printer 10.

  The transmission / reception unit 30 of the present embodiment is sized to face almost two storage element arrangement surfaces of the ink units INC1 to INC6 (and the storage elements 311 to 316 provided thereon). When the carriage 20 is stopped so as to be located at the exact center between a certain storage element and a storage element adjacent thereto, data can be transmitted / received to / from both storage elements. The transmission / reception unit 30 sequentially reads and writes ID information from the left end in the drawing, that is, from the storage element 311 toward the right end storage element 316.

  First, in the non-access state (s100) in which the transmission / reception unit 30 does not access any of the storage elements 311 to 316, the carriage 20 is positioned farther to the right than the left non-printing area where the transmission / reception unit 30 is provided. The storage elements 311 to 316 of any of the ink units INC1 to INC6 cannot be accessed.

  Next, in the ink unit INC1 access state (s101), the carriage 20 moves to the left non-printing area and stops at a position where only the leftmost ink unit INC1 and the transmission / reception unit 30 can transmit and receive data. That is, the vicinity of the right end of the antenna coil 301 of the transmission / reception unit 30 is a position facing the vicinity of the center of the storage element 311, and at this position, the transmission / reception unit 30 is too far from the storage element 312 of the ink unit INC2. The location where data cannot be transmitted or received. At this stop position, first, ID information recorded in the storage element 311 is read.

  Next, the carriage 20 is stopped when it is moved to the left by one ink unit, and ID information reading of the storage element 312 of the ink unit INC2 is executed (s102). Since the storage element 311 is also accessible at this stop position, the ID information read command transmitted from the transmission / reception unit 30 to the storage element 312 is accompanied by the ID information of the storage element 311 that has already been read in order to prevent data interference. . By using the ID information of the storage element 311 to perform identification on the storage elements 311 and 312 side, the ID information from the storage element 312 can be definitely read.

  Thereafter, similarly, the reading operation of the storage elements 313 to 316 of the ink units INC3 to 6 is sequentially performed (s103 to s106). After reading the ID information of the storage element 316 (s106), the carriage 20 is returned to a position such as the right non-printing area, and the ID information reading routine is terminated. Since all the ID information of the storage elements 311 to 316 has been acquired as described above, the main body of the printer 10 can grasp the arrangement. That is, the ink unit (INC1) corresponding to the ID information read from the storage element 311 is arranged on the leftmost side, and the ink unit corresponding to the ID information read from the storage element 312 is positioned adjacent to the right side. The arrangement order of all the ink units INC1 to INC6 in the carriage 20 is recorded such that (INC2) is arranged.

  Next, information other than the ID information recorded in the storage elements 311 to 316 is transmitted / received by using information relating to the relationship between the ID information obtained in each step and the arrangement order of the ink units INC1 to INC6. The operation of reading from 30 will be described. FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating an operation sequence of the carriage 20 (and the ink units INC1 to INC6) when the transmission / reception unit 30 reads information other than the ID information recorded in the storage elements 311 to 316.

  First, in the non-access state (s200) in which the transmission / reception unit 30 does not access any of the storage elements 311 to 316, the carriage 20 is positioned farther to the right than the left non-printing area where the transmission / reception unit 30 is provided. The storage elements 311 to 316 of any of the ink units INC1 to INC6 cannot be accessed.

  Next, in the access state (s201) to the ink units INC1 and INC2, the carriage 20 moves to the left non-printing area, and the transmission / reception unit 30 transmits data to the left end ink unit INC1 and the ink unit INC2 adjacent thereto. Stop at a position where transmission and reception are possible. That is, the vicinity of the center of the antenna coil 301 of the transmission / reception unit 30 is a position facing the vicinity between the storage element 311 and the storage element 312, and at this position, the transmission / reception unit 30 has both the ink units INC1 and ICN2. It is possible to transmit / receive data to / from the storage elements 311 and 312.

  At this stop position, data read commands are transmitted to the storage elements 311 and 312 respectively. At that time, the storage element 311 is accompanied by the ID information of the storage element 311 that has already been read. The storage element 311 that has received this command confirms that the accompanying ID information is indeed the ID information of the storage element 311 itself, and then sends back information other than the requested ID information to the transmission / reception unit 30. The reading process for the storage element 312 is performed in the same manner.

  Next, the carriage 20 is stopped when it has moved to the left by two ink units, and data is read from the storage elements 313 and 314 of the ink units INC3 and INC4 (s202). At this stop position, similarly to the reading process for the storage elements 311 and 312, the storage elements 313 and 314 are reliably identified using the ID information of the storage elements 313 and 314, and information other than the respective ID information is used. Read.

  Similarly, the carriage 20 is moved to the left by two ink units to stop, and after reading information other than the ID information stored in the storage elements 315 and 316, this routine is terminated.

  As in this embodiment, the carriage 20 is stopped at a position where two storage elements can be accessed at a time, and information other than the ID information is read, so that the carriage 20 can be moved and positioned three times. While it is possible to read information stored in the storage element one by one while moving and positioning one storage element at a time, this embodiment requires only half of the movement / positioning operation, and thus the entire reading process is required. The time can be shortened, which is more preferable.

  Note that information such as the ink remaining amount of each of the ink units INC1 to INC6 can be written to the storage elements 311 to 316 via the transmission / reception unit 30 as needed. The operation in that case can be performed while reliably identifying each storage element using the ID information of each storage element 311 to 316 that has already been read, as in the process of reading information other than the ID information.

=== Other Embodiments ===
As described above, the printing apparatus and the like according to the present invention have been described based on some embodiments. However, the above-described embodiments are for facilitating the understanding of the present invention, and the present invention is limited. Not what you want. The present invention can be changed and improved without departing from the gist thereof, and the present invention includes the equivalents thereof.

  Further, a computer main body, a display device connected to the computer main body, a printing device according to the above-described embodiment connected to the computer main body, an input device such as a mouse and a keyboard provided as necessary, a flexible disk A computer system having a drive device and a CD-ROM drive device can also be realized, and the computer system realized in this way is an overall system superior to the conventional system.

  In addition, the printing apparatus according to the above-described embodiment may have a part of functions or mechanisms respectively included in the computer main body, the display device, the input device, the flexible disk drive device, and the CD-ROM drive device. For example, the printer includes an image processing unit that performs image processing, a display unit that performs various displays, and a recording medium attachment / detachment unit for attaching / detaching a recording medium that records image data captured by a digital camera or the like. Also good.

  In each of the embodiments described above, the inkjet printer 10 that uses cut paper as a printing medium is used as the printing apparatus. However, the printing medium may be other than cut paper such as roll paper. Any printing apparatus that can perform printing processing is not limited to a color inkjet printer, and may be applied to, for example, a monochrome printer, a laser printer, a facsimile machine, or the like.

  Further, in each of the above embodiments, the memory element includes a non-contact IC chip, a resonance capacitor formed by etching a metal film, and a planar antenna coil. However, information can be stored. However, the configuration is not limited to such a configuration. For example, the resonance capacitor may be connected to the outside of the memory element, and various modifications are conceivable, such as a configuration in which the IC chip and the antenna coil are connected to each other while not being integrated.

1 is a diagram schematically illustrating the appearance of an inkjet printer. It is the perspective view which showed the structure of the carriage periphery of an inkjet printer. It is the model which showed clearly the positional relationship of a memory element and the transmission / reception part provided in the printer main body side. (A) is the perspective view seen from the near side, (b) is the top view seen from right above. (A) is a plane perspective view showing the configuration of the storage element, (b) is a block diagram showing the internal configuration of the storage element and the reading sensor. It is the figure which showed the internal structure of the inkjet printer. It is the block diagram which showed the internal structure of the control circuit of an inkjet printer. It is a figure which shows the operation | movement sequence of a carriage when a transmission / reception part reads ID information of a memory element. It is a figure which shows the operation | movement sequence of a carriage when a transmission / reception part reads information other than ID information recorded on the memory element.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Printer main body 11 Operation panel 12 Paper discharge part 20 Carriage 21 Drive belt 22 Pulley 23 Carriage motor 24 Slide shaft 25 Platen 26 Capping device 27 Pump unit 30 Transmission / reception part 40 Paper feed motor 41 Gear mechanism 42 Encoder 50 Control circuit 51 CPU 52 PROM
53 RAM 54 Peripheral device input / output unit (PIO)
55 Timer 56 Drive buffer 57 Bus 58 Oscillator 59 Distribution output device 111 Operation button 112 Display lamp 261, 262 Cap 301 Coil antenna 302 Transceiver circuit 311-316 Memory element 3111 IC chip 3112 Resonance capacitor 3113 Antenna coil 3114 Rectifier 3115 Signal analysis unit 3116 Control unit 3117 Memory cell PC Personal computer INC1 to INC6 Ink cartridge IH1 to IH6 Print head

Claims (6)

A plurality of ink units having elements capable of storing information;
An ink unit support member in which the plurality of ink units are arranged and movable in a predetermined movement direction;
A printing apparatus having a reading member that reads information stored in the element in a non-contact manner;
The reading unit moves the ink unit support member to a position where only the information stored in the element provided in the ink unit arranged at the head in the moving direction can be read, and the reading member moves the element. After reading the ID information stored in
The ink unit supporting member is moved to a position where the reading member can access only the element that has finished reading ID information and the element that has not yet finished reading ID information. ,
The printing apparatus, wherein the reading member reads ID information stored in an element that has not yet finished reading ID information. The printing apparatus according to claim 1,
For each ink unit, the reading member reads ID information stored in an element provided in the ink unit, the arrangement order of the ink units on the ink unit support member, and the element provided in the ink unit. A printing apparatus characterized by specifying a relationship with ID information stored in the printer. The printing apparatus according to claim 1 or 2,
The printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the ID information is information unique to the element stored in the element before the element is attached to the ink unit. The printing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
The printing apparatus, wherein the ink unit is detachable from the ink unit support member. A computer body, and
A printing apparatus connected to the computer main body, comprising: a plurality of ink units having elements capable of storing information; and an ink unit support member in which the plurality of ink units are arranged and movable in a predetermined movement direction. And a reading member that reads the information stored in the element in a non-contact manner, and only the information stored in the element provided in the ink unit in which the reading member is arranged at the head in the moving direction. The ink unit supporting member is moved to a position where the ID information can be read, and after the ID information stored in the element is read by the reading member, the element that has finished reading the ID information and adjacent to the element However, the ink unit support is positioned at a position where the reading member can access only the elements that have not yet finished reading ID information. By moving the member, the reading member, reads the ID information stored in the element which is not yet finished reading the ID information printing apparatus,
A computer system comprising: A plurality of ink units having elements capable of storing information, an ink unit support member in which the plurality of ink units are arranged and movable in a predetermined movement direction, and information stored in the elements in a non-contact manner A method of reading ID information stored in the element using a printing apparatus having a reading member for reading,
The reading unit moves the ink unit support member to a position where only the information stored in the element provided in the ink unit arranged at the head in the moving direction can be read, and the reading member moves the element. After reading the ID information stored in
The ink unit supporting member is moved to a position where the reading member can access only the element that has finished reading ID information and the element that has not yet finished reading ID information. ,
A method for reading ID information stored in an element, wherein the reading member reads ID information stored in an element that has not yet finished reading ID information.

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