JP4717223B2 - Inkjet printer device - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to an ink jet printer apparatus.
[0002]
[Prior art]
Inkjet printers have dynamic energy by filling the liquid chamber in the head with ink that has the property of drying and fixing when in contact with air, and adding energy using a heating element, piezo element, etc. A principle is known in which ink is ejected from a nozzle to a medium to be printed, and liquid ink is dried and fixed on the medium.
[0003]
In such a configuration, there is a problem that the ink in the nozzles is dried and fixed by the outside air after a certain period of time after the printing process is completed, and the printing process is not performed to solve this problem In order to prevent the nozzles from being blocked due to ink drying, a configuration in which the nozzles are sealed with a cap member has been conventionally employed.
[0004]
In a conventional apparatus employing such a configuration, a configuration in which a cap closing process for closely contacting the head with the cap member and a cap opening process for releasing the head from the cap member are generally unique.
[0005]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
However, in the above-described conventional configuration, it is impossible to reflect the difference in the cause of the cap closing process when the cap is opened, and the processing is inappropriate.
[0006]
For example, optical ink residual detection means is known as means for detecting the ink remaining amount and tank mounting. Depending on the characteristics of the sensor and the position of the optical ink residual detection means, the optical ink residual detection means The correct detection result cannot be obtained due to the influence.
[0007]
On the other hand, when the inside of the head and tank changing means by the cover open is considered as a situation in which the cap is closed, it is performed when there is a risk that a certain time elapses during the cover open and that more time elapses causes the nozzle to be blocked. There are two types of processes: automatic cap closing processing (hereinafter referred to as time-out capping processing) and head and tank exchange means normal termination processing due to the cover being closed. In the time-out capping process, the optical ink remaining detection means cannot be correctly performed due to the influence of external light, and the ink remaining amount and the tank installation are completed without being identified. However, in the normal end process, the cover is closed. Therefore, there is no influence of external light, and the optical ink residual detection means can be performed correctly, and the process is completed after identifying the remaining ink amount and the installation of the tank.
[0008]
If the next printing process is performed after opening the cap without recognizing the difference between the above two cap closed states, in the case of time-out capping, the printing process is performed without recognizing the remaining amount of ink and the installation of the tank. Therefore, there is a problem that there is a risk that normal printing is not performed.
[0009]
The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide an ink jet printer apparatus capable of optimal control in any capping state.
[0010]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a carriage for mounting a recording head that performs recording by discharging ink in accordance with recording data, and stores ink supplied to the recording head, and is detachable from the carriage. An ink tank mounted on the carriage, mounting detection means for detecting whether the ink tank is mounted on the carriage, and opening / closing with respect to the apparatus main body to attach / detach the ink tank to / from the carriage A cover, an opening / closing detection means for detecting opening / closing of the cover, and a cap for capping the ejection port surface of the recording head, and detecting that the cover has been opened by the opening / closing detection means. In the ink jet recording apparatus, the carriage is moved to an exchange position where the ink tank can be attached to and detached from the carriage. If it is detected by the open / close detection means that the cover has been closed before a predetermined time has elapsed since the carriage moved to the replacement position, an ink tank is attached to the mounting detection means with respect to the carriage. Control means for detecting whether or not the cover is mounted; the control means that the cover is closed by the open / close detection means even after the predetermined time has elapsed since the carriage moved to the replacement position; Is not detected, the carriage is moved so that the cap is capped with the ejection port surface, and after the recording data is received, before the recording head performs a recording operation, the mounting detection unit is in contact with the carriage. Whether or not an ink tank is attached is detected.
[0011]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.
[0012]
FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of a printing system according to the present invention. In FIG. 1, 101 is a host device having a CPU represented by a personal computer, 102 is an inkjet printer device, 103 is an interface cable, and interface cable 103 is a host. It functions as information transmission / reception means represented by a parallel interface and a serial interface for connecting the apparatus 101 and the printer apparatus 102.
[0013]
FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the control system of the printing system according to the present invention. In FIG. 2, the same components as those in FIG.
[0014]
In the host apparatus 101, 201 is a central processing unit (CPU) that is in charge of the main control, and the BIOS ROM 202 instructs the basic control, and each device in the input / output device environment configured thereby. The I / O means is controlled overall.
[0015]
The CPU 201 reads an application program from a floppy disk (FDD) 203 and a hard disk (HDD) 204 which are writable nonvolatile memory devices via a floppy disk controller (FDC) 205 and a hard disk controller (HDC) 206, and The system main memory 207 composed of a RAM or the like is expanded, and a program is executed using the system main memory 207.
[0016]
At this time, as a display method of the screen, a character or the like written in the video memory (VRAM) 210 is displayed on the liquid crystal (LCD) 209 using the video graphic array controller (VGAC) 208 and the key from the keyboard 211 is displayed. Input is performed via a keyboard controller (KBC) 212. Here, the numerical operation processor (FPU) 213 supports arithmetic processing for the CPU 201.
[0017]
A real time clock (RTC) 214 indicates the elapsed time at the present time, and the operation is performed by the dedicated battery even when the entire system is turned off.
[0018]
The SRAM memory (not shown) stores system information such as the system operating state. The contents of this memory are retained even when the power is not turned on by the dedicated battery. A DMA controller (DMAC) 215 performs data transfer without CPU intervention in order to perform high-speed data transfer between memory memories, between memory I / Os, and between I / O-I / Os. The interrupt controller (IPQC) 216 receives an interrupt from each I / O and performs processing according to the priority order. The timer has several channels of free-running timers and performs various time management. In addition, there are a serial interface (SIO) 217 and an expansion port (PORT) 218 connected to the outside, and an LED for transmitting an operation state to the user.
[0019]
The host apparatus 101 can communicate with the interface 231 of the printer apparatus 102 by the interface cable 103 via the interface 230.
[0020]
FIG. 3 is a schematic perspective view showing a mechanical configuration of the ink jet printer apparatus 102 shown in FIG.
[0021]
In the printer apparatus 102, reference numeral 301 denotes a carriage, which slidably engages with two guide shafts 304 and 305 extending in parallel with each other. Thus, the carriage 301 can be moved along the guide shafts 304 and 305 by a driving force transmission mechanism (not shown) such as a driving motor and a belt for transmitting the driving force.
[0022]
An ink jet unit 302 having an ink jet head and an ink tank as an ink container for storing ink used in the head is mounted on the carriage 301.
[0023]
The ink jet unit 302 includes a head for discharging ink and a tank as a container for storing ink supplied to the head. That is, three heads that discharge inks of three colors, cyan (C), magenta (M), and yellow (Y), respectively, and tanks provided corresponding to these heads are arranged on the carriage 301 as an inkjet unit 302. Installed.
[0024]
Each head and tank are detachable alternately, and are provided so that only the tank can be replaced for each individual ink color as necessary when the ink or processing liquid in the tank runs out. Of course, only the head can be replaced as required. It should be noted that the configuration for attaching and detaching the head and the tank is not limited to the above example, and it is needless to say that the configuration in which the head and the tank are integrally formed may be used.
[0025]
A sheet 306 as a print medium is inserted from an insertion port provided at the front end of the apparatus. Finally, the conveyance direction is reversed, and the sheet is conveyed by a feed roller 309 to the lower part of the moving area of the carriage 301. As a result, printing is performed from the head mounted on the carriage 301 to the print area on the paper 306 supported by the platen as the head moves.
[0026]
As described above, printing is performed on the entire sheet 306 while alternately repeating printing with a width corresponding to the width of the ejection opening array of the head accompanying the movement of the carriage 301 and feeding of the sheet 306. To be discharged.
[0027]
At the left end of the movable area of the carriage 301, there is provided a recovery system unit 310 that can be opposed to each head on the carriage 301 at the lower portion thereof, thereby capping the ejection port of each head during non-printing or the like In addition, it is possible to perform an operation such as sucking ink from the ejection port of each head. In FIG. 3, the recovery system unit 310 is provided at the left end, but may be moved to the right end or the like depending on the design arrangement requirement. Further, the predetermined position of the recovery system unit 310 may be set as the home position of the head.
[0028]
On the other hand, an operation unit 307 including a switch and a display element is provided at the right end of the apparatus. The switch here is used when the apparatus power is turned on / off or various print modes are set, and the display element serves to display various states of the apparatus.
[0029]
Reference numeral 311 denotes a light emitting device as means for irradiating light to the ink tank, and a light emitting diode element or the like is generally adopted for this. The light emitted from the light emitting device 311 is irradiated toward the ink tank, and the reflected light is detected by the optical sensor 312.
[0030]
FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating a control configuration of the printer apparatus 102 shown in FIG. 1, and the same components as those in FIG.
[0031]
In FIG. 4, a CPU 401 for controlling the printer of the printer apparatus 102 controls print processing using a printer control program, printer emulation, and print font stored in the ROM 402.
[0032]
Reference numeral 403 denotes a RAM, which stores development data for printing and data received from the host. Reference numeral 404 denotes a printer head, reference numeral 405 denotes a motor driver that drives a motor, and reference numeral 406 denotes a printer controller. The printer controller 406 controls access to the RAM 403, exchanges data with the host device 101, and sends control signals to the motor driver 405. I do. Reference numeral 407 denotes a temperature sensor composed of a thermistor or the like, which detects the temperature of the printer apparatus 102.
[0033]
The CPU 401 reads out information such as an emulation command sent from the host apparatus 101 to the printer apparatus 102 from the I / O data register in the printer controller 406 while performing mechanical / electrical control of the main body by the control program in the ROM 402. The control corresponding to the command is written to the I / O register and the I / O port in the printer controller 406 and read out. Further, the light emitting device 311 is controlled, and the remaining amount of ink or the presence or absence of an ink tank is determined based on information obtained by the optical sensor 312.
[0034]
FIG. 5 is a block diagram for explaining the detailed configuration of the printer controller 406 shown in FIG. 4. In FIG. 5, the same components as those in FIG. 4 are denoted by the same reference numerals.
[0035]
In FIG. 5, reference numeral 501 denotes an I / O register, which exchanges data with the host at the command level. Reference numeral 502 denotes a reception buffer controller, which directly writes reception data from the register to the RAM 403. Reference numeral 503 denotes a print buffer controller, which reads print data from the print data buffer of the RAM 403 during printing and sends the data to the printer head 404.
[0036]
Reference numeral 504 denotes a memory controller, which controls memory access in three directions with respect to the RAM 403. Reference numeral 505 denotes a print sequence controller which controls the print sequence. Reference numeral 231 denotes a host interface which controls communication with the host.
[0037]
6 to 8 show the physical concept of the tank presence / absence detecting means and the influence of external light in the present invention. In the following description, since there is no correlation between the color types of inks such as cyan (C), magenta (M), and yellow (Y) and the gist of the present invention, description about the color types is omitted. In addition to the tank presence / absence detection, the optical residual detection means also detects the remaining amount of ink. However, the influence of external light, which is a problem in the apparatus according to the present embodiment, is the same. Description of is omitted.
[0038]
FIG. 6 shows the presence / absence detection of the tank by optical processing for the carriage 301 on which the ink tank is mounted.
[0039]
In FIG. 6, reference numeral 601 denotes an ink tank and 605 denotes an ink liquid, which are arranged on the carriage 301. The ink tank 601 is provided with a reflecting portion 604 in order to realize an optical specification for enabling detection of the presence or absence of the tank.
[0040]
Here, the reflection unit 604 has a characteristic of reflecting the incident light 603 irradiated by the light emitting device 311 toward the optical sensor 312. In FIG. 6, the optical sensor 312 can detect the incident light 603 by the action of the reflecting portion 604.
[0041]
FIG. 7 shows tank presence / absence detection by optical processing for the carriage 301 to which no ink tank is mounted. Here, there is no input to the optical sensor 313.
[0042]
FIG. 8 shows detection of the presence / absence of a tank by optical processing for a carriage 301 in which no ink tank is mounted when there is an influence of external light. Here, external light 801 has entered the optical sensor 312.
[0043]
In the apparatus according to the present embodiment, the case where there is an input to the optical sensor 312 is considered to be a tank, and the case where there is no input is regarded as no tank. Therefore, under the influence of external light as shown in FIG. Even if there is no tank, the detection result is that there is a tank. In other words, it can be understood that the optical residual detection means does not function normally when the influence of external light works.
[0044]
FIG. 9 is a diagram showing a general concept regarding the configuration of the nozzle and the cap in the ink jet printer apparatus.
[0045]
In FIG. 9, reference numeral 901 denotes a nozzle, 902 denotes a discharge port, 903 denotes a heating element, 904 denotes a liquid chamber, 905 denotes ink liquid to be supplied, 906 denotes ink droplets to be discharged, and 907 denotes a cap member.
[0046]
The ink liquid 905 is supplied from the ink tank, and energy is applied by the heating element 903 in the liquid chamber 904 to be discharged as droplets 906 from the discharge port 902. In order to prevent the droplet 906 from adhering to the ejection port 902 during the non-printing operation, the ejection port 902 is sealed by the cap member 907.
[0047]
FIG. 10 shows an exterior of the printer apparatus 102 in the apparatus according to the present embodiment. In FIG. 10, reference numeral 1001 denotes a main body, and 1002 denotes a cover.
[0048]
FIG. 11 shows a state where the cover 1002 is opened in the printer apparatus 102 in the apparatus according to the present embodiment. In this apparatus, when a cover switch is provided on the cover 1002 and it is detected that the cover 1002 is opened, it is assumed that the user intends to replace the head and tank, and the user can easily replace the head and tank. When the carriage 301 is moved to the position and it is detected that the cover 1002 is closed, it is assumed that the replacement process is completed, and the capping process is performed after detecting the presence / absence of the tank and the ink remaining amount by the optical residual detection means. The structure shall be taken.
[0049]
When the cover 1002 is opened, the inkjet unit 302, the light emitting device 311, the optical sensor 312, and the cap member 907 are exposed, and it is clear that external light enters the optical sensor 312. Even when the cover 1002 is opened as described above, capping is automatically performed on the basis of the nozzle principle as described with reference to FIG. 9 when a certain period of time has elapsed (hereinafter referred to as time-out capping). However, if the optical residual inspection is performed at this time, it can be seen that the presence or absence of the tank and the residual ink amount cannot be detected due to the phenomenon described with reference to FIG. For example, it is considered that there is a tank even though there is no tank, and when the next printing process is performed, printing is performed without the tank, so that ink is not discharged, resulting in thermal destruction of the head and incorrect printing results. May occur.
[0050]
FIG. 12 is a flowchart showing the entire processing of the apparatus according to the present embodiment.
[0051]
When the apparatus is powered on in step 1201, the process proceeds to step 1203 to check the state of the cover. If the cover is open, it is assumed that the user intends to replace the head and tank, and the process proceeds to step 1220. If the cover is closed, the process proceeds to step 1204.
[0052]
In step 1204, the presence / absence of print data is checked. If print data is received, it is determined that the user intends to print, and the process proceeds to step 1230. Otherwise, the process proceeds to step 1205.
[0053]
In step 1205, the state of the power-off key is checked. If the power-off key is pressed, it is assumed that the user intends to power off, and the process proceeds to step 1250. Otherwise, the process proceeds to step 1206. .
[0054]
In step 1206, 0.1 msec is waited. In step 1207, the counter Timer Counter used for measuring the elapsed time after the cap is opened is incremented.
[0055]
In step 1208, the current capping state is checked using CapCondition. The CapCondition stores a value OPEN when the cap is open and a value CLOSE when the cap is closed by each process described later. If the cap is closed in step 1208, the process returns to step 1203. Otherwise, the process proceeds to step 1209.
[0056]
In step 1209, the value of Timer Counter is compared with a value 3000 which means 5 minutes of the time-out capping activation time. In the apparatus according to the present embodiment, the description will be made assuming that the maximum time for which the cap can be kept open without causing the ink droplets to adhere to the nozzles described with reference to FIG. 9 is 5 minutes. Here, since today's CPU is high-speed, it is the waiting process of step 1206 that determines the processing time among the processes from step 1203 to step 1209, and the value 3000 of the Timer Counter is 3000 for the process of 0.1 msec. It means 5 minutes to do it once.
[0057]
If 5 minutes have not elapsed since the cap was opened, the process returns from step 1209 to step 1203, and otherwise the process proceeds to step 1210.
[0058]
In step 1210, the carriage is moved to the capping position to perform capping. In step 1211, the value CLOSE is substituted into CapCondition to store the cap closed state, and the process returns to step 1203.
[0059]
Steps 1220 to 1224 show processing when the user opens the cover and suggests replacement of the head and tank.
[0060]
In step 1220, the capping state is checked by referring to CapCondition. If the cap is in the open state, the process proceeds to step 1224 and the head and tank exchange unit is performed. Otherwise, go to Step 1221.
[0061]
In step 1221, cap opening means is executed. In step 1222, the value OPEN is substituted for CapCondition, and the process proceeds to step 1223. In step 1223, initialization is performed by substituting 0 into TimerCounter, and in step 1224, the head and tank exchange unit is performed. Then, the process returns to step 1203, which is the same as immediately after power-on.
[0062]
Steps 1230 to 1235 show processing when the user suggests printing.
[0063]
In step 1230, the capping state is checked by referring to CapCondition. If the cap is in the cap open state, the process proceeds to step 1233 and the pre-printing process is performed. Otherwise, go to Step 1231.
[0064]
In step 1231, cap opening means is performed. In step 1232, the value OPEN is substituted for CapCondition, and the process proceeds to step 1233. When step 1233 is completed, printing is performed by the printing unit 1234. At the end of printing, initialization is performed by substituting 0 for TimerCounter in step 1235, and the process returns to step 1203, which is the same as immediately after power-on.
[0065]
Steps 1250 to 1253 show processing when the user suggests power-off.
[0066]
In step 1250, the capping state is checked with reference to CapCondition. If the cap is closed, the process proceeds to step 1253 and power is turned off as it is. Otherwise, the process proceeds to step 1251.
[0067]
In step 1251, the carriage is moved to the capping position to perform capping. In step 1252, a value CLOSE is substituted into CapCondition to store the fact that the cap is closed, and then in step 1253, the power is turned off.
[0068]
FIG. 13 is a flowchart showing details of the head and tank exchange means shown in step 1224.
[0069]
When processing is started in step 1301, the carriage 301 is moved to a position where the user can easily replace the head and tank in step 1302. In step 1303, 0.1 msec is waited, and in step 1304, TimerCounter is incremented.
[0070]
In step 1305, the state of the cover is checked, and if the cover is opened, the process proceeds to step 1330 to continue the head and tank replacement means, otherwise the user indicates the end of the head and tank replacement means. Proceed to step 1306.
[0071]
In step 1306, the current time is immediately after the user wears the head. That is, assuming that it is the first time when the nozzle is exposed to the atmosphere, initialization is performed by substituting 0 into TimerCounter, and in step 1307, optical ink residual detection means is performed.
[0072]
In step 1308, the presence / absence of a tank is detected using the result of step 1307. If the tank does not exist, the process returns to step 1302 and the above processing is performed again. If the tank exists, the process proceeds to step 1309. .
[0073]
In step 1309, the presence / absence of ink is detected using the result of step 1307. If the ink is not present, the process returns to step 1302 and the above processing is performed again. If the ink is present, the process returns to step 1310. Proceed with
[0074]
In step 1310, the carriage is moved to the home position, and in step 1311, a value 1 is substituted for CappingType and the process ends in step 1312.
[0075]
Here, CappingType is information for identifying whether the optical ink residual detection means has been normally performed or capped when the cap is opened, and in the former case, 1 is In the latter case, 2 is substituted. In step 1311, the head has not been capped yet, and the capping is performed after that in step 1210 or step 1251 in FIG. 12. In the next pre-printing process 1233, the process is branched according to the CappingType value.
[0076]
In step 1330, as in step 1209, timeout capping is determined. If the time is not yet full, the process returns to step 1303. Otherwise, the process proceeds to step 1331.
[0077]
In step 1331, the carriage is moved to the capping position to perform capping, and in step 1332 the value CLOSE is substituted into CapCondition to store the fact that the cap is closed. Further, in step 1333, the value 2 indicating that the optical ink residual detection means has not been normally performed is capped and substituted for CappingType, and the processing ends in step 1312.
[0078]
FIG. 14 is a flowchart showing details of the pre-printing process shown in step 1233.
[0079]
The purpose of this pre-printing process is to check whether or not the optical ink residual detection means has been performed normally. If not, the optical ink residual detection means is performed again, and the head and tank are replaced. If necessary, it is performed to prevent printing processing in a state where the state of the tank and ink is unknown.
[0080]
When the process is started in step 1401, the CappingType is confirmed in step 1402. If the optical ink residual detection process is normally performed, the process proceeds to step 1406 and the process is terminated. If the value 2 indicating that the operation has not been normally performed is entered, the process proceeds to step 1403 to perform the optical ink residual detection means.
[0081]
In step 1404, the presence / absence of a tank is checked. If the tank does not exist, the process proceeds to step 1420 for replacement, and otherwise the process proceeds to step 1405.
[0082]
In step 1405, the presence / absence of ink is checked. If ink does not exist, the process proceeds to step 1420 to perform replacement again. Otherwise, the process proceeds to step 1406 and the process is terminated.
[0083]
The purpose of steps 1420 to 1427 is cover open detection for exchanging the head and tank before performing the printing means. At the time of step 1420, the cap is opened by step 1231. When a predetermined time has elapsed, time out capping must be performed.
[0084]
Step 1420 is a means for notifying the user that the tank needs to be replaced, and means for realizing buzzer sounding, LED blinking, etc. can be considered. Since it is not a place to do, explanation is omitted.
[0085]
In step 1421, 0.1 msec is waited, and in step 1422, a counter TimerCounter used for measuring the elapsed time after the cap is opened is incremented.
[0086]
In step 1423, the state of the cover is checked. If the cover is open, the process proceeds to step 1440; otherwise, the process proceeds to step 1424.
[0087]
In step 1424, the current capping state is checked using CapCondition. The CapCondition stores a value OPEN when the cap is open, and a value CLOSE when the cap is closed. If the cap is closed in step 1424, the process returns to step 1421; otherwise, the process proceeds to step 1425.
[0088]
In step 1425, the value of TimerCounter is compared with a value 3000 which means 5 minutes of the timeout capping activation time. If 5 minutes have not elapsed since the cap was opened, the process returns to Steps 1425 to 1421, otherwise the process proceeds to Step 1426.
[0089]
In step 1426, the carriage is moved to the capping position to perform capping. In step 1427, the value CLOSE is substituted into CapCondition to store the cap closed state, and the process returns to step 1421.
[0090]
Steps 1440 to 1446 show the replacement of the head and tank before the printing means is performed.
[0091]
In step 1440, the capping state is checked with reference to CapCondition. If the cap is in the open state, the process proceeds to step 1444 as it is to perform the head and tank exchange means. Otherwise, go to step 1441.
[0092]
In step 1441, the cap opening means is executed. In step 1442, the value OPEN is assigned to CapCondition, and the flow proceeds to step 1443. In step 1443, 0 is substituted into TimerCounter for initialization. In step 1444, the head and tank changing means are executed, and then the process returns to step 1443. In step 1444, the same processing as in step 1224 is performed.
[0093]
In step 1445, it is checked by referring to CappingType whether or not the optical ink residual detection means has been normally executed in step 1444. If the optical ink has been normally completed, the process returns to step 1402 to indicate that the optical ink has not been normally completed. If 2 is assigned, the process proceeds to step 1446, waits until the cover is closed, and returns to step 1402 after the cover is closed. The infinite loop until the cover is closed in step 1446 includes a power-off process by detecting the power-off key on the actual product. However, the explanation is omitted because it is not the focus of the apparatus of this embodiment. .
[0094]
Even if print data is received in a situation in which the state of the ink and the tank is uncertain due to the configuration described above, the cap is closed without performing the optical ink residual detection means during the head and tank replacement process. The state of the ink and the tank can be determined by activating the optical ink residual detection means again. That is, when the printing means is performed, it can be ensured that the state of the ink and the tank is appropriate for printing, and appropriate control can be realized.
[0095]
It should be noted that instead of the “optical ink residual detection means” in each drawing of the first embodiment, an automatic registration adjustment means for the head may be applied. The automatic registration adjustment means is a known means as described in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 9-220809 and will not be described in detail. However, the optical scanner for reading the registration adjustment pattern is affected by external light. Due to the influence of external light during the head and tank replacement process, the cap is closed without being able to complete the cap and the registration adjustment value is uncertain due to the configuration of the present invention. Even when the signal is received, the automatic registration adjustment means can always be activated again to determine the registration adjustment value. That is, when the printing unit is executed, it can be guaranteed that the registration adjustment value is in an appropriate state for printing, and appropriate control can be realized.
[0096]
【The invention's effect】
As is apparent from the above description, according to the present invention, it is possible to obtain an effect that the optimum printer apparatus can be controlled in any capping state.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of a printing system including an ink jet printer apparatus according to the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a control configuration of a printing system including an ink jet printer apparatus according to the present invention.
FIG. 3 is a schematic perspective view of an ink jet printer apparatus according to the present invention.
FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing a control configuration of the ink jet printer apparatus according to the present invention.
FIG. 5 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a printer controller of the printing system.
FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating tank presence / absence detection by optical processing for a carriage equipped with an ink tank.
FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating tank presence / absence detection by optical processing for a carriage that is not equipped with an ink tank.
FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating tank presence / absence detection by optical processing for a carriage that is not mounted with an ink tank when there is an influence of external light.
FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating a general concept regarding the configuration of a nozzle and a cap in an inkjet printer apparatus.
FIG. 10 is a front view of the ink jet printer apparatus according to the present invention.
FIG. 11 is a front view showing a state in which the cover of the ink jet printer apparatus according to the present invention is opened.
FIG. 12 is a flowchart illustrating the entire processing of the printing system.
FIG. 13 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure of a head and tank exchange means.
FIG. 14 is a flowchart showing pre-printing processing.
[Explanation of symbols]
101 Host device
102 Inkjet printer device
301 Carriage
302 Inkjet unit
401 CPU
402 ROM
403 RAM
406 Printer Controller
901 nozzle
902 Discharge port
907 cap member
1001 Printer body
1002 Cover

Claims (4)

A carriage for mounting a recording head that performs recording by discharging ink according to recording data, an ink tank that stores ink supplied to the recording head and is detachably mounted on the carriage, and the carriage Mounting detecting means for detecting whether or not the ink tank is mounted; a cover that is opened and closed with respect to the apparatus main body for attaching and detaching the ink tank to and from the carriage; and opening and closing for detecting opening and closing of the cover Detecting means and a cap for capping the ejection port surface of the recording head, and when the opening / closing detecting means detects that the cover is opened, the carriage is moved to the carriage with respect to the carriage. In an ink jet recording apparatus that moves to a detachable exchange position,
If it is detected by the open / close detection means that the cover has been closed before a predetermined time has elapsed since the carriage moved to the replacement position, an ink tank is attached to the mounting detection means with respect to the carriage. Comprising a control means for detecting whether or not it is mounted;
If the opening / closing detection means does not detect that the cover has been closed after the predetermined time has elapsed since the carriage moved to the replacement position, the control means moves the carriage to move the cap. And capping the ejection port surface to allow the mounting detection means to detect whether an ink tank is mounted on the carriage after the recording data is received and before the recording head performs a recording operation. An ink jet recording apparatus.   2. The ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the mounting detection unit optically detects whether an ink tank is mounted on the carriage.   The ink tank has a reflection portion, and the attachment detection means has a light emitting device for irradiating light toward the reflection portion and an optical sensor for detecting light reflected by the reflection portion. The ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 2, wherein:   4. The storage device according to claim 1, further comprising a storage unit configured to store that the mounting detection unit detects whether or not the ink tank is mounted on the carriage. The ink jet recording apparatus described.

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