JP4754933B2 - Image forming apparatus and program - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus and a program , and more particularly to an image forming apparatus in which a recording liquid cartridge containing a recording liquid to be supplied to a recording head that discharges recording droplets can be exchangeably mounted and a program used in the image forming apparatus. .

  An image forming apparatus such as a printer, a facsimile, a copying machine, a plotter, or a printer / facsimile / copier multifunction machine is provided with a recording head for discharging droplets of a recording liquid such as ink. There is a serial scan type or line type image forming apparatus capable of ejecting liquid droplets onto paper or the like and performing image formation (printing, recording, printing, printing, and image formation are all synonyms). is there.

In an image forming apparatus using such a recording liquid, as described in Patent Document 1 and the like, a recording liquid cartridge containing a recording liquid to be supplied to a recording head is replaceably attached to the apparatus main body. ing. In this case, as a method of supplying the recording liquid to the recording head, an ink cartridge, which is a recording liquid cartridge containing the recording liquid, is detachably attached to a carriage on which the recording head is mounted, and the ink cartridge is attached to the recording head. A recording liquid supply system and a small-capacity sub-tank as a recording liquid supply means for supplying the recording liquid to the recording head are mounted on the carriage, and a large-capacity ink cartridge (main tank) as a recording liquid cartridge is mounted on the main body of the apparatus. There is known a system in which the recording liquid is replenished and supplied from the ink cartridge on the apparatus main body side to the sub tank.
JP 2003-011361 A

  In such an inkjet image forming apparatus, when a plurality of image forming apparatuses are used in the same environment, the image forming apparatus used up to now is used before the ink in the ink cartridge runs out. In some cases, the ink cartridge may be replaced with another image forming apparatus. Even in such a case, it is known that the ink cartridge is provided with a storage element (storage means) in order to accurately manage information such as the remaining amount of ink in the ink cartridge. As a result, in the image forming apparatus, even when the ink cartridge to be used is changed, it is possible to perform a printing process according to the state of the ink by reading the information about the ink from the ink cartridge with the storage element.

For example, Patent Document 1 discloses information data relating to an ink cartridge, for example, unique information such as an identification number and a type of the ink cartridge, and an ink remaining amount relating to ink contained in the ink cartridge, a head driving condition, a head cleaning condition, or an ink cartridge. It is described that an information card in which information data composed of variable information such as the number of times of use is recorded can be mounted.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2000-6440

Regarding storage elements attached to ink cartridges, for example, Patent Documents 2 to 4 describe that low-cost EEPROM is used as a storage element and only low-speed EEPROM is used.
JP 2002-144603 A JP 2004-291645 A JP 2004-243780 A

  By the way, in the production of an image forming apparatus, not only a module unit inspection but also an image inspection is performed to ensure that the image forming apparatus assembled in the manufacturing process has a desired quality. It is. In the inspection process for inspecting the image, the image is actually printed, and it is confirmed that the printed image has the expected image quality.

  Therefore, in general, an inspection is performed by outputting an image in the normal printing mode. However, in the inspection process, only the printing function and the maintenance function that affects the image quality need be operated, and the inspection time is reduced. In order to shorten the image, it is also required that the image can be printed in a short time after the power is turned on.

  However, in the image forming apparatus including the recording liquid cartridge including the storage element as described above, information is exchanged between the ink cartridge and the apparatus main body even in the inspection process. And the manufacturing cost becomes high.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object thereof is to provide an image forming apparatus that shortens the time required for image inspection.

In order to solve the above problems, an image forming apparatus according to the present invention provides:
In an image forming apparatus in which a recording liquid supplied to a recording head for discharging recording droplets is stored and a recording liquid cartridge having a rewritable storage means can be replaced,
A discriminating means for discriminating a manufacturing machine number of the apparatus body;
Setting means for setting a mode for operating the apparatus main body based on the result of determination by the determination means;
The setting means, when the determining means determines that the manufacturing machine number is a character string other than a character string for distinguishing individual devices and is a rewritable specific character string, Set the mode to shift to a printable state without accessing the storage means of the recording liquid cartridge,
When it is determined that the character string is other than the specific character string, a mode is set in which the printer moves to a printable state after accessing the storage unit of the recording liquid cartridge .

The program according to the present invention is:
A discrimination process for discriminating a manufacturing machine number of an apparatus main body of an image forming apparatus that contains a recording liquid supplied to a recording head that discharges recording droplets and that can replace a recording liquid cartridge having a rewritable storage unit;
A program for causing a computer to execute a setting process for setting a mode for performing an operation of the apparatus main body based on a determination result by the determination process,
In the setting process, when the determination unit determines that the manufacturing machine number is a character string other than a character string for distinguishing individual devices and is a rewritable specific character string, Set the mode to shift to a printable state without accessing the storage means of the recording liquid cartridge,
If it is determined that the character string is other than the specific character string, the mode is set to shift to a printable state after accessing the storage unit of the recording liquid cartridge.
The configuration.

According to the image forming apparatus and the program according to the present invention, when the manufacturing machine number is determined to be a specific rewritable character string other than a character string for distinguishing each device. Is set to a mode for shifting to a printable state without accessing the storage means of the recording liquid cartridge, and if it is determined that the character string is not a specific character string, the storage means of the recording liquid cartridge is accessed. Since the mode is set to shift to a printable state after the operation, the operation related to the exchange of information with the storage means of the recording liquid cartridge is omitted, and the inspection time of the image inspection can be shortened. In addition, since the inspection can be performed using a recording liquid cartridge without storage means in the inspection process, the cost for the storage element can be reduced.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. 1 is a schematic overall schematic diagram for explaining the overall outline of the image forming apparatus according to the present invention, FIG. 2 is a side explanatory view for explaining the image forming apparatus, and FIG. is there.

  This image forming apparatus includes a paper feed tray 2 for loading paper, a paper discharge tray 3 for stocking paper on which an image is recorded (formed), and a recording liquid cartridge on the front side of the apparatus main body 1. A cartridge loading unit 4 for detachably mounting a certain ink cartridge, a switch for giving a required instruction to the apparatus, and an operation panel 5 including a display for displaying the remaining amount of the ink cartridge are formed, and an image is formed therein. An image forming mechanism unit is provided.

  The image forming mechanism unit holds the carriage 33 slidably in the main scanning direction with a guide rod 31 and a stay 32 which are guide members horizontally mounted on the left and right side plates 11A and 11B constituting the frame 11. The carriage 33 is moved and scanned in the direction indicated by the arrow in FIG. 3 (carriage main scanning direction) by the scanning motor 114 (see FIG. 1).

  The carriage 33 has four droplet discharge heads (inkjet heads) that discharge recording liquid droplets (ink droplets) of yellow (Y), cyan (C), magenta (M), and black (Bk). Are arranged in a direction crossing the main scanning direction and the ink droplet ejection direction is directed downward.

  As the ink-jet head constituting the recording head 35, a piezoelectric actuator such as a piezoelectric element, a thermal actuator that uses a phase change caused by film boiling of a liquid using an electrothermal transducer such as a heating resistor, and a metal phase change caused by a temperature change. A shape memory alloy actuator to be used, an electrostatic actuator using an electrostatic force, or the like as an energy generating means for discharging ink can be used.

  A driver IC is mounted on the recording head 35 and connected to the control circuit board 100 via a harness (flexible print cable) 102.

  The carriage 33 is equipped with a sub-tank 36 for each color for supplying the recording liquid (ink) for each color to the recording head 35. Each color sub-tank 36 receives ink of each color from an ink cartridge 38 (38k, 38c, 38m, 38y), which is a recording liquid cartridge that is detachably attached to the cartridge loading unit 4 via an ink supply tube 37 of each color. Replenished.

  The cartridge loading 4 is provided with a supply pump unit 39 for feeding ink in the ink cartridge 38, and the ink supply tube 37 is engaged with the rear plate 11C constituting the frame 11 in the middle of turning. It is held by a stop member 40.

  On the other hand, the sheets 42 are separated one by one from the sheet stacking section 41 as a sheet feeding section for feeding sheets 42 stacked on the sheet stacking section (pressure plate) 41 of the sheet feeding tray 2 mounted on the apparatus main body 1. A half paddle (feeding roller) 43 to be fed and a separation pad 44 made of a material having a large friction coefficient are provided opposite to the feeding roller 43, and this separation pad 44 is urged toward the feeding roller 43 side.

  A guide member 45 for guiding the paper 42, a counter roller 46, a transport guide member 47, and a tip pressurizing roller for feeding the paper 42 fed from the paper feeding unit to the lower side of the recording head 35. And a holding belt 48 which is a conveying means for electrostatically attracting the fed paper 42 and conveying it at a position facing the recording head 35.

  The transport belt 51 is an endless belt, and is configured to wrap around the transport roller 52 and the tension roller 53 and circulate in the belt transport direction (sub-scanning direction). This transport belt 51 is, for example, a surface layer that is a sheet adsorbing surface formed of a pure resin material having a thickness of about 40 μm that is not subjected to resistance control, such as ETFE pure material, and resistance control by carbon with the same material as this surface layer. And a back layer (medium resistance layer, ground layer).

  A charging roller 56 is provided as charging means for charging the surface of the conveyor belt 51. The charging roller 56 is disposed so as to come into contact with the surface layer of the conveyor belt 51 and rotate following the rotation of the conveyor belt 51, and 2.5 N is applied to both ends of the shaft as a pressing force. The transport roller 52 also functions as an earth roller, and is in contact with the middle resistance layer (back layer) of the transport belt 51 and is grounded.

  In addition, a guide member 57 is disposed on the back side of the conveyance belt 51 so as to correspond to a printing area by the recording head 35. The guide member 57 has an upper surface that protrudes toward the recording head 35 from the tangent line of two rollers (the conveyance roller 52 and the tension roller 53) that support the conveyance belt 51, thereby maintaining high-precision flatness of the conveyance belt 51. Like to do.

  The transport belt 51 rotates around when the transport roller 52 is rotationally driven by the sub-scanning motor 115 via the drive belt 59.

  Further, as a paper discharge unit for discharging the paper 42 on which an image is formed by the recording head 35, a separation claw 61 for separating the paper 43 from the transport belt 51, a paper discharge roller 62, and a paper discharge roller 63, And a paper discharge tray 3 below the paper discharge roller 62.

  A duplex unit 71 is detachably mounted on the back surface of the apparatus body 1. The duplex unit 71 takes in the paper 42 returned by the reverse rotation of the conveyance belt 51, reverses it, and feeds it again between the counter roller 46 and the conveyance belt 51. The upper surface of the duplex unit 71 is a manual feed tray 72.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 3, a maintenance / recovery mechanism 81 for maintaining and recovering the state of the nozzles of the recording head 35 is arranged in the non-printing area on one side of the carriage 33 in the scanning direction. The maintenance / recovery mechanism 81 includes a cap member 82 for capping each nozzle surface of the recording head 35, a wiper blade 83 for wiping the nozzle surface, and idle ejection (ejection of droplets that do not contribute to image recording). And an empty discharge receptacle 84 for receiving the droplets discharged when performing the operation. Similarly, a non-printing area on the other side of the carriage 33 in the scanning direction is provided with a blank ejection receiver 85 for receiving droplets during blank ejection.

  In the ink jet recording apparatus configured as described above, the sheets 42 are separated and fed one by one from the sheet feeding tray 2, and the sheet 42 fed substantially vertically upward is guided by the guide member 45, and the conveyance belt 51 and the counter It is sandwiched between the rollers 46 and conveyed, and further, the leading end is guided by the conveying guide member 47 and pressed against the conveying belt 51 by the leading end pressing roller 49, and the conveying direction is changed by approximately 90 °.

  At this time, a positive output and a negative output are alternately applied to the charging roller 56 from an AC bias supply unit (described later) provided on the control circuit board 101 (not shown), that is, an alternating voltage is applied, and the conveying belt 51 is In the alternating charging voltage pattern, that is, in the sub-scanning direction that is the rotating direction, plus and minus are alternately charged in a band shape with a predetermined width. When the paper 42 is fed onto the conveyance belt 51 charged alternately with plus and minus, the paper 42 is attracted to the conveyance belt 51, and the paper 42 is conveyed in the sub-scanning direction by the circular movement of the conveyance belt 51.

  Therefore, by driving the recording head 35 according to the image signal while moving the carriage 33, ink droplets are ejected onto the stopped paper 42 to record one line, and after the paper 42 is conveyed by a predetermined amount, Record the next line. Upon receiving a recording end signal or a signal that the trailing edge of the paper 42 has reached the recording area, the recording operation is finished and the paper 42 is discharged onto the paper discharge tray 3.

Next, an outline of the control unit of the image forming apparatus will be described with reference to FIG. This figure is an overall block diagram of the control unit.
The control unit 300 controls the entire image forming apparatus, and includes a main control unit 301 composed of a microcomputer also serving as a means for performing processing according to the present invention, and a print control unit composed of a microcomputer controlling print control. 302.

  The main control unit 301 then transfers the paper based on information such as print data transferred from the communication circuit 101 and transferred from the host 400 which is an information processing apparatus according to the present invention such as a personal computer equipped with the printer driver 401. As described above, the main scanning motor 114 and the sub-scanning motor 115 are driven and controlled via the main scanning motor driving circuit 303 and the sub-scanning motor 304, and the print control unit 302 is formed. Controls such as sending print data.

  The main control unit 301 receives a detection signal from a carriage position detection circuit 305 that detects the position of the carriage 33, and the main control unit 301 controls the movement position and movement speed of the carriage 33 based on the detection signal. To do. The carriage position detection circuit 305 detects the position of the carriage 33 by, for example, reading and counting the number of slits of an encoder sheet arranged in the scanning direction of the carriage 33 with a photosensor mounted on the carriage 33. The main scanning motor drive circuit 303 rotates the main scanning motor 201 according to the carriage movement amount input from the main control unit 301 to move the carriage 33 to a predetermined position at a predetermined speed.

  Further, the main control unit 301 receives a detection signal from a conveyance amount detection circuit 306 that detects the movement amount of the conveyance belt 51, and the main control unit 301 moves the movement amount and movement speed of the conveyance belt 51 based on the detection signal. To control. The conveyance amount detection circuit 306 detects the conveyance amount by, for example, reading and counting the number of slits of the rotary encoder sheet attached to the rotation shaft of the conveyance roller 52 with a photo sensor. The sub-scanning motor driving circuit 304 rotates the sub-scanning motor 205 in accordance with the conveyance amount input from the main control unit 301 and rotationally drives the conveyance roller 52 to move the conveyance belt 51 to a predetermined position at a predetermined speed. Move with.

  The main control unit 301 rotates the sheet feeding roller 43 once by giving a sheet feeding roller driving command to the sheet feeding roller driving circuit 307. The main control unit 301 rotates the motor, which is the drive source of the maintenance / recovery mechanism 81, via the maintenance / recovery mechanism drive motor drive circuit 308, thereby raising and lowering the cap 82 and sucking the inside of the cap 82 with a suction pump. For example, suction and lifting / lowering of the wiper blade 83 are performed.

  The main control unit 301 drives and controls the ink supply motor for driving the pump of the supply unit 24 via the ink supply motor drive circuit 311, and the ink cartridge 38 loaded in the cartridge loading unit 4 controls the sub tank 36. Replenish ink.

  The main control unit 301 includes a detection signal from the sub tank full sensor 312 that detects that the sub tank 36 is full, a detection signal from the cartridge cover sensor 312 that detects opening and closing of the front cover 6 of the cartridge loading unit 4, and the like. Is entered.

  In addition, the main control unit 301 stores, through the cartridge communication circuit 314, non-volatile memories 115k, 115c, 115m, and 115y that are storage units provided in the respective ink cartridges 38 attached to the cartridge loading unit 4 (“nonvolatile” if not distinguished) The information stored in the volatile memory 115 ") is taken in, required processing is performed, and the information is stored and held in a non-volatile memory (for example, EEPROM) 315 as a main body storage means.

  Here, the remaining amount of the ink cartridge 38 is detected by reading out the remaining amount information stored in the non-volatile memory 115 of the ink cartridge 38 and temporarily storing it in the non-volatile memory 315 on the main body side as well as the recording head 34. The number of ejected droplets from the ink is counted, the amount of ink used is calculated based on the count value, and the new ink remaining amount obtained based on the ink remaining amount and the ink amount used is sub-tanked from the ink cartridge 38 for each printing. Each time ink is supplied to 36, data is written in the nonvolatile memory 115 of the ink cartridge 38. Then, the remaining amount of ink stored in the non-volatile memory 115 of the ink cartridge 38 is read to detect the absence of ink (ink end or ink near end, hereinafter referred to as “no recording liquid remaining amount”).

  The print control unit 302 generates pressure for ejecting droplets of the recording head 34 based on the signal from the main control unit 301 and the carriage position and conveyance amount from the carriage position detection circuit 305 and the conveyance amount detection circuit 306. Data for driving the means is generated and supplied to the head drive circuit 310.

  The head drive circuit 310 drives the pressure generating means (piezoelectric element in the case of a piezo head) of the recording head 34 based on the print data from the print control unit 302, and discharges droplets from a required nozzle.

Therefore, processing related to the setting of the normal mode and the special mode in one embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG.
Here, when the power button (power switch) 5A provided on the operation panel 5 is pressed, all the buttons other than the power button 5A (here, the buttons 5B and 5C) are simultaneously pressed (this is referred to as “this”). Whether it is “input of a specific key operation”).

  When the power button 5A provided on the operation panel 5 is pressed, that is, when the power is turned on, all the buttons 5B and 5C other than the power button 5A are pressed at the same time (specific key operation ), The special mode is designated, and the processing to be performed in the normal mode and the operation to be performed in the special mode are performed as described later, and only the power button on the operation panel 5 is set. When it is pressed, it is set to operate in normal mode.

  As described above, when an input is performed by a specific key operation determined in advance from the operation panel, the processing is performed in a special mode that is different from the normal mode, so that the processing and the operation performed in the normal mode are omitted. By operating in the special mode in the image inspection process, the time from turning on the power to becoming ready for printing can be significantly reduced compared to the normal mode, and the inspection process takes The time can be shortened, and further, the cost per image forming apparatus can be reduced.

Next, processing relating to the setting of the special mode and the normal mode in another embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG.
In this embodiment, when the power is turned on, it is determined whether or not a connection means (cable) is connected to a connector (not shown) provided on the control circuit board 101, and the connection means is connected to the connector. If the special mode is designated, the setting for operating in the special mode is performed, and the setting for operating in the normal mode is performed when the connector is not connected to the connector.

  Even with this configuration, the time from when the power is turned on to when the printer is ready for printing can be significantly reduced as compared to the normal mode, as in the above embodiment. Further, the operation of key operation on the operation panel is not required, and it is only necessary to connect a cable to the connector, and the operation for specifying the special mode is facilitated.

Next, processing relating to the setting of the special mode and the normal mode in still another embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG.
In this embodiment, when the power is turned on, it is determined whether or not the manufacturing machine number of the device stored in advance in the ROM in the main control unit 301 is a predetermined special character string, for example, “temp”. If the character string is a special character string, the special mode is designated, and settings are made to operate in the special mode. If the character string is not a special character string, settings are made to operate in the normal mode.

  Even with this configuration, the time from when the power is turned on to when the printer is ready for printing can be significantly reduced as compared to the normal mode, as in the above embodiment. Further, the operation of key operation on the operation panel becomes unnecessary, and until the inspection process is completed, the special mode can be set simply by inputting a special character string in advance, and the special mode can be easily specified.

Next, operations in the normal mode (normal operation) and the special mode will be described with reference to FIG.
First, with reference to FIG. 8, the process of the initial operation performed when the power is turned on will be described.
In this initial operation process, first, it is determined whether the operating mode is a normal mode that performs the same operation as a normal operation or a special mode that is different from the normal operation.

  In the normal mode, initialization processing of the EEPROM 115 (hereinafter referred to as “storage element”) provided for each ink cartridge 38 is performed (cartridge mounting information notification processing). It is assumed that the ink cartridge is mounted when the initialization process ends normally. If all the ink cartridges are not installed, the ink cartridge is not installed. Thereafter, an information update process for the ink cartridge 38 is performed. If the storage element installed in the ink cartridge 38 is accessible, the remaining ink amount of the ink cartridge 38 is processed as the remaining ink amount acquired in the cartridge information update process. Then, the remaining amount of ink in the ink cartridge 38 is processed as unknown (ink remaining amount notification processing).

  On the other hand, in the case of the special mode, the process exits without performing the storage element initialization process, the cartridge information update process, and the ink remaining amount notification process performed in the normal mode.

  In the cartridge information update process (when the power is turned on), as shown in FIG. 9, manufacturing information, expiration date, new product information, color information, and ink amount information are obtained from the storage element installed in the ink cartridge 38. (Cartridge information acquisition). Based on the acquired new product information, it is determined whether or not the mounted ink cartridge 38 is a new product. If the new ink cartridge 38 is a new product, the storage element mounted on the ink cartridge 38 is initialized. When it is not new, the ink amount, the number of times of maintenance, and cartridge time information are acquired from the storage element installed in the ink cartridge 38.

  Next, processing when the cover 6 of the cartridge loading unit 4 is opened will be described with reference to FIG. In this process, first, it is determined whether the operating mode is a normal mode that performs the same operation as a normal operation or a special mode that is different from the normal operation.

  In the normal mode, access to the storage element installed in the ink cartridge 38 is prohibited, and the remaining amount of ink in the ink cartridge 38 is set to “0”. Thereafter, notification processing of cartridge mounting information is performed. When the front cover 6 for the ink cartridge is open, the ink cartridge is processed as not mounted.

  On the other hand, in the case of the special mode, the process is terminated without performing the access prohibition process and the cartridge mounting information notifying process of the ink cartridge 38 in the normal mode described above.

Next, processing when the cover 6 of the cartridge loading unit 4 is closed will be described with reference to FIG.
In this process, first, it is determined whether the operating mode is a normal mode that performs the same operation as a normal operation or a special mode that is different from the normal operation.

  In the normal mode, the storage element provided for each ink cartridge 38 is initialized (cartridge mounting information notification process). It is assumed that the ink cartridge is mounted when the initialization process ends normally. If all the ink cartridges are not installed, the ink cartridge is not installed. Thereafter, an information update process for the ink cartridge 38 is performed. If the storage element installed in the ink cartridge 38 is accessible, the remaining ink amount of the ink cartridge 38 is processed as the remaining ink amount acquired in the cartridge information update process. Then, the remaining amount of ink in the ink cartridge 38 is processed as unknown (ink remaining amount notification processing).

  On the other hand, in the case of the special mode, the process exits without performing the storage element initialization process, the cartridge information update process, and the ink remaining amount notification process performed in the normal mode.

  In the cartridge information update process (when the cover is closed), as shown in FIG. 12, manufacturing information, expiration date, new product information, color information, and ink amount information are obtained from a storage element installed in the ink cartridge 38. (Cartridge information acquisition). Then, based on the acquired new product information, it is determined whether or not the mounted ink cartridge 38 is a new product.

  If it is new, the storage element mounted on the ink cartridge 38 is initialized. If it is not new, it is determined whether or not the installed ink cartridge 38 is the same as that used before based on the new information.

  If it is the same as that used before, the ink amount, the number of times of maintenance, and cartridge time information are acquired from the storage element installed in the ink cartridge 38. If it is not the same as that used before, after acquiring the ink amount, the number of times of maintenance, and the cartridge time information from the storage element installed in the ink cartridge 38, information on the image forming apparatus in which the ink cartridge 38 is mounted The number information printed by the image forming apparatus is stored in a storage element installed in the ink cartridge 38 (information storage processing).

Next, processing after ink is supplied from the ink cartridge 38 to the sub tank 36 will be described with reference to FIG.
In this process, first, it is determined whether the operating mode is a normal mode that performs the same operation as a normal operation or a special mode that is different from the normal operation.

  In the normal mode, the ink remaining amount is calculated from the ink consumption consumed in the droplet ejection operation and the ink capacity of the ink cartridge 38. Thereafter, detection processing is performed to determine whether the ink cartridge 38 being used is a genuine product, and then information update processing of the ink cartridge 38 is performed, and the remaining ink amount is further processed as the calculated remaining ink amount (ink remaining amount). Amount notification processing).

  On the other hand, in the case of the special mode, the process exits without performing the remaining ink amount calculation process, the non-genuine product detection process, the cartridge information update process, and the remaining ink notification process performed in the normal mode.

  In the above non-genuine product detection process, as shown in FIG. 14, it is determined whether or not the ink supply operation from the ink cartridge 38 to the sub ink tank 35 has been normally completed, and the ink supply operation has not been completed ( When the ink supply operation is completed (if successful), the ink obtained from the storage element installed in the ink cartridge 38 is terminated. The history of whether the cartridge 38 is empty is referred to. If there is an empty history, the cartridge 38 being used is determined to be a non-genuine product, and if there is no history, it is determined to be a genuine product.

  Further, in the cartridge information update process (after ink supply), as shown in FIG. 15, when the ink supply operation from the ink cartridge 38 to the sub tank 36 is completed, it is determined whether or not the ink cartridge 38 is empty. When it is not empty, the process is terminated. When it is empty, the information of the image forming apparatus stored in the memory (EEPROM) 315) in the image forming apparatus and the image forming apparatus are used for printing. Information regarding the number of the printed images is stored in a storage element installed in the ink cartridge 38.

  As described above, unlike the normal mode, the special mode operates without accessing the storage element installed in the ink cartridge. Therefore, when the image is inspected during the manufacturing process of the image forming apparatus, the operation mode is set to the special mode. By setting, a dummy cartridge without a storage element can be used, and the cost for the storage element (ID chip) can be reduced. In other words, since an inspection can be performed using an ink cartridge without a storage element, the cost of “storage element cost × number of cartridges” per image forming apparatus compared to the case of using an ink cartridge with a storage element. You can go down. Further, since the storage element is not accessed, the time required for the access process can be reduced, and as a result, the total time required for the image inspection can be reduced.

  In the above embodiment, the image forming apparatus is not limited to such a configuration described in the example in which the image forming apparatus includes a sub tank. That is, the present invention can be applied to any configuration of an ink cartridge or an ink tank that is detachably attached to the carriage, or a configuration of a sub tank that is replenished and supplied from the apparatus main body side as described above.

  Further, the recording liquid cartridge may be any one having a means for generating a negative pressure inside, or one having a structure in which a storage section for storing a recording liquid and a negative pressure generation section are separated. For example, as conventional recording liquid supply means or recording liquid storage means called ink cartridges, ink tanks, sub tanks, etc., Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Nos. 2001-1539, 2001-58670, and 2001-63091 are available. There are some which are described in the gazette, Unexamined-Japanese-Patent No. 2003-53987, Unexamined-Japanese-Patent No. 2003-112435, etc., Any of these can apply this invention. Regarding these conventional recording liquid supply means or recording liquid storage means, the relationship between the ink storage part (tank) and the negative pressure generation means and the configuration of the negative pressure generation means are summarized as shown in FIG.

  The image forming apparatus according to the present invention is not limited to a printer having a single function configuration, and may be an image forming apparatus having a composite function such as a printer / facsimile / copying.

1 is an explanatory side view illustrating an overall configuration of an image forming apparatus according to the present invention. It is principal part plane explanatory drawing of the apparatus. It is principal part perspective explanatory drawing of the apparatus. It is a schematic block explanatory drawing of the control part of the apparatus. It is a flowchart with which it uses for description of the process regarding the setting of the normal mode and special mode in one Embodiment of this invention. It is a flowchart with which it uses for description of the process regarding the setting of the normal mode and special mode in other embodiment of this invention. It is a flowchart with which it uses for description of the process regarding the setting of the normal mode and special mode in other one Embodiment of this invention. It is a flowchart with which it uses for description of the process at the time of power-on in a normal mode and a special mode. FIG. 9 is a flowchart for explaining cartridge information update processing in FIG. 8. FIG. 6 is a flowchart for explaining processing when a cartridge cover is opened in a normal mode and a special mode. FIG. 6 is a flowchart for explaining processing when a cartridge cover is closed in a normal mode and a special mode. FIG. 12 is a flowchart for explaining the cartridge information update process of FIG. 11. It is a flowchart with which it uses for description of the process after the ink supply in a normal mode and a special mode. It is a flowchart with which it uses for description of the non-genuine product detection process of FIG. FIG. 14 is a flowchart for explaining cartridge information update processing of FIG. 13. It is explanatory drawing with which it uses for description of the relationship between the tank of a conventional recording liquid supply means and a negative pressure generation means, and the structure of a negative pressure generation means.

Explanation of symbols

33 ... Carriage 34 ... Recording head 36 ... Sub tank 38 ... Ink cartridge 115 ... EEPROM (storage means)

Claims (2)

In an image forming apparatus in which a recording liquid supplied to a recording head for discharging recording droplets is stored and a recording liquid cartridge having a rewritable storage means can be replaced,
A discriminating means for discriminating a manufacturing machine number of the apparatus body;
Setting means for setting a mode for operating the apparatus main body based on the result of determination by the determination means;
The setting means, when the determining means determines that the manufacturing machine number is a character string other than a character string for distinguishing individual devices and is a rewritable specific character string, Set the mode to shift to a printable state without accessing the storage means of the recording liquid cartridge,
An image forming apparatus characterized in that, when it is determined that the character string is other than the specific character string, the mode is set to shift to a printable state after accessing the storage unit of the recording liquid cartridge. . A discrimination process for discriminating a manufacturing machine number of an apparatus main body of an image forming apparatus that contains a recording liquid supplied to a recording head that discharges recording droplets and that can replace a recording liquid cartridge having a rewritable storage unit;
A program for causing a computer to execute a setting process for setting a mode for performing an operation of the apparatus main body based on a determination result by the determination process,
In the setting process, when the determination unit determines that the manufacturing machine number is a character string other than a character string for distinguishing individual devices and is a rewritable specific character string, Set the mode to shift to a printable state without accessing the storage means of the recording liquid cartridge,
If it is determined that the character string is other than the specific character string, the mode is set to shift to a printable state after accessing the storage unit of the recording liquid cartridge.
A program characterized by that.

Images