JP6434322B2 - Printing device and consumable container - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a printing apparatus that prints using consumables such as ink and a consumable container.

  In recent years, the use of recycled products has been recommended due to the growing awareness of environmental considerations. For this reason, also in printing apparatuses, the reuse of consumable containers that contain consumables such as ink, that is, ink containers, is in progress. Specifically, in the printing apparatus, when the ink stored in the ink container (ink cartridge) is used up, the ink container is refilled with refill ink (so-called refill ink) and the ink container is reused. Is spreading.

  Further, if the ink container is repeatedly reused, the ink container may be deteriorated. In view of this, there has also been proposed a technique for determining whether or not an ink container can be reused based on the number of times the ink container has been regenerated when refilling the ink container with refill ink (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

  By the way, the ink container has a socket part that is detachably fitted to a joint part in the printing apparatus, and an ink storage part that stores ink is attached to the rear end of the socket part.

  The socket portion of the ink container has an ink supply port opened at the distal end side of the socket portion, and an inner plug that is movable in the front-rear direction with respect to the ink supply port is provided in the socket portion. .

  Furthermore, an O-ring is fitted on the inner end of the inner plug, and the O-ring fitted with the O-ring moves to the ink supply port side, so that the O-ring comes into close contact with the wall surface of the ink supply port. This prevents ink from leaking out of the unused ink container.

  On the other hand, an insertion shaft that is inserted into and removed from the ink supply port of the socket portion is formed in the joint portion of the printing apparatus at the center portion of the joint portion, and ink supply for passing ink from the ink container around the insertion shaft A path is formed.

  Then, when the ink container is mounted on the printing apparatus, the fitting mechanism causes the fitting mechanism to perform a fitting operation for moving the insertion shaft formed at the central portion in the joint portion, thereby removing the inner plug of the ink container. Push in the opposite side of the ink supply port.

  By pressing the inner plug by this fitting operation, an ink supply path for passing ink toward the ink supply port side is formed in the socket portion, and the ink in the ink container flows into the joint portion of the printing apparatus from the ink supply port.

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2004-314643

  The above-described fitting operation is performed when the power is turned on or when the user replaces the ink container. In particular, at the time of replacement, all the ink containers are replaced by replacing only one ink container. Executed in a container. For this reason, the number of times of performing the fitting operation is larger than the number of times of reusing the ink container.

  In addition, in the ink container, when the number of times the fitting operation is performed increases, members such as an O-ring fitted in the inner plug are consumed due to sliding in the fitting operation, causing ink leakage during transportation of the ink container. there is a possibility. Furthermore, when a member such as an O-ring is consumed, air enters the ink container, and the ink supply mechanism that supplies ink to the printing apparatus cannot obtain the ink flow rate to be supplied, and erroneously detects ink outage. There is also a risk of malfunction.

  As described above, since the ink container has a consumable member that is consumed by the fitting operation, the degree of deterioration of the ink container cannot be accurately determined only by the number of reuse of the ink container as in the technique according to Patent Document 1. As a result, there has been a problem that ink leakage and troubles are caused when the ink container is transported. Such a problem is a problem common to all consumable containers such as ink containers, and countermeasures have been desired.

  The present invention has been made in view of such a situation, and provides a printing apparatus and a consumable container that can more reliably prevent ink leakage and malfunction due to deterioration of a consumable container such as an ink container. The purpose is to do.

  In order to achieve the above object, a first feature of a printing apparatus according to the present invention is provided with a fitting mechanism that performs a fitting operation for fitting a consumable container that contains a consumable, and is supplied from the consumable container. A printing device that prints an image using the consumables, the fitting number management unit that counts the number of fittings that indicates the number of times the fitting operation has been performed on the consumables container, and the fitting And a deterioration determining unit that determines deterioration of the consumable container based on the number of times.

  A second feature of the printing apparatus according to the present invention is related to the above feature, further comprising a joint portion detachably attached to a socket portion provided in the consumable container, wherein the fitting operation is performed on the socket portion. The operation is to fit the joint portion.

  A third feature of the printing apparatus according to the present invention is related to the above feature, wherein a consumable storage tank that stores the consumable supplies supplied from the consumable container, and a consumable amount stored in the consumable storage tank. A consumable supply control unit that performs a replenishment operation for replenishing the consumables from the lower limit value to a predetermined replenishment value through a consumable supply path formed by the fitting operation when When the replenishment operation is not completed within a predetermined permissible time by the consumable supply control unit, a consumable item depletion detection unit is provided for detecting a consumable item depletion, and the consumable item depletion detection unit is based on a determination result of the deterioration determination unit. The predetermined allowable time is changed.

  A fourth feature of the printing apparatus according to the present invention is related to the above feature, wherein a consumable storage tank for storing consumable supplies supplied from the consumable container, and a consumable amount stored in the consumable storage tank are provided. A consumable supply control unit that performs a replenishment operation for replenishing the consumable from the lower limit to a predetermined replenishment value when the lower limit value is reached, and the fitting mechanism performs the replenishment operation Only in the fitting operation.

  A feature of the consumable container according to the present invention is a consumable container that supplies a consumable to the printing apparatus by performing a fitting operation for fitting to the printing apparatus. It is provided with a consumable container side storage unit for storing the number of times of fitting indicating the number of times that the combined operation has been executed.

  According to the first feature of the printing apparatus according to the present invention, the fitting number management unit that counts the number of fittings that indicates the number of times that the fitting operation has been performed on the consumable container, and the consumption based on the number of fittings. A deterioration determination unit for detecting the deterioration degree of the product container. As a result, it is possible to determine the deterioration of the consumable part consumed by the fitting operation, such as an O-ring provided in the consumable container. Therefore, as in the prior art, the consumable container is based on the number of times the consumable container is reused. The deterioration of the consumable container can be detected more accurately as compared with the case where the deterioration is determined. That is, it is possible to prevent the leakage of the consumables during transportation due to the deterioration of the consumable part of the consumables container and the trouble caused by the air mixing into the consumables container.

  According to the second feature of the printing apparatus according to the present invention, the fitting operation is an operation of fitting a joint part provided in the printing apparatus to a socket part provided in the consumable container. This fitting operation is performed not only when the printer is turned on or when the consumable container is replaced, but also when the consumable container is simply attached or detached. Thus, the value is obtained by counting the number of fitting operations that are performed many times. Therefore, according to the second feature of the printing apparatus according to the present invention, the deterioration determination unit is consumed by the fitting operation based on the number of times of fitting that indicates the number of times of the fitting operation that is performed many times. In order to determine the degree of deterioration of consumable parts, the deterioration of consumable containers is detected more accurately than in the case of determining the deterioration of consumable containers based on the number of reuse of consumable containers, as in the prior art. can do.

  According to the third feature of the printing apparatus according to the present invention, the consumable item run-out detection unit changes the predetermined allowable time based on the determination result of the deterioration determination unit. Here, for example, when the consumable is ink, when the deterioration of the consumable part of the consumable container progresses, air is mixed into the consumable in the consumable container, and the flow rate of the supplied consumable decreases. As a result, even if there are enough consumables left in the consumable container, the replenishment operation may not be completed within a predetermined allowable time. In such a case, the consumable item detection unit determines that no consumable item remains even though the consumable item remains in the consumable item container, and erroneously detects the expendable item. According to the printing apparatus according to the present invention, the consumable item out-of-consumption detection unit changes the predetermined allowable time based on the determination result of the deterioration determination unit. As a result, when supplying consumables from the consumable container, even if the flow rate of consumables decreases due to air contamination, for example, if the replenishment operation is completed within a predetermined permissible time that has been extended due to the change, the consumables will be detected. Can be prevented. For this reason, when a consumable item remains in the consumable item container, it is possible to suppress a problem of erroneously detecting the expendable item. In addition, the consumables remaining in the consumables container can be used as much as possible, and even consumable containers that have been discarded due to the expiry of expendable supplies can continue to be used as much as possible. The life of the container can be extended.

  According to the fourth feature of the printing apparatus of the present invention, the fitting mechanism executes the fitting operation only when the replenishment operation is executed, and thus is executed at the time of power-on and replacement by the user. Compared with the case, the frequency | count of performing fitting operation | movement can be suppressed. Thereby, it can suppress that deterioration of the consumable part of a consumable container progresses by fitting operation | movement.

  According to the feature of the consumable container according to the present invention, since the consumable container side storage unit for storing the number of fittings is provided, the number of fittings of the own container can be stored. Thereby, even when the consumable container is mounted on another printing apparatus, the other printing apparatus can determine the deterioration of the consumable part of the consumable container based on the number of times of fitting.

1 is a configuration diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of a printing system according to a first embodiment. FIG. 3 is a perspective view illustrating an appearance shape of the ink container according to the first embodiment. (A) is a perspective view for demonstrating the state which connects an ink container to the ink container attachment mechanism part of a printing apparatus, (b) is sectional drawing along the centerline of (a). (A)-(c) is the operation | movement figure which showed the operation | movement which fits the socket part of an ink container in the joint part of a printing apparatus in order. It is a block diagram for demonstrating the structure of the printing system which concerns on 1st Embodiment. It is a figure which shows an example of the information memorize | stored in the ink container side memory | storage part with which the ink container which concerns on 1st Embodiment is equipped. FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing the operation of the printing apparatus according to the first embodiment.

  Hereinafter, a first embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In addition, the same or equivalent code | symbol is attached | subjected to the same or equivalent site | part or component through each drawing. However, it should be noted that the drawings are schematic and different from the actual ones. Moreover, it is a matter of course that portions having different dimensional relationships and ratios are included between the drawings.

  Further, the embodiment described below exemplifies an apparatus or the like for embodying the technical idea of the present invention, and the technical idea of the present invention includes the material, shape, structure, The layout is not specified as follows. The technical idea of the present invention can be variously modified within the scope of the claims.

[First embodiment of the present invention]
FIG. 1 shows a schematic configuration of the printing system 1. The printing system 1 according to the present embodiment includes a printing apparatus 2 that prints an image using ink, and an ink container (ink cartridge) 40 that stores ink. In the present embodiment, ink is assumed to be a consumable and the ink container 40 is assumed to be a consumable.

The printing apparatus 2 is an inkjet printing apparatus to which an inkjet printing method is applied.
The printing apparatus 2 includes a joint unit 30 supported by a holder 21 of an ink container mounting mechanism unit 20 provided in the printing apparatus 2. The joint part 30 is configured to be detachable from a socket part 50 provided in the ink container 40.

  The holder 21 of the ink container mounting mechanism unit 20 is integrally formed with a front plate 21a and an ink container mounting table 21b connected to the lower side of the front plate 21a. On the ink container mounting table 21b, an ink is mounted. A container 40 is mounted.

  Further, after the ink container 40 is connected to the ink container mounting mechanism portion 20, the joint portion 30 supported by the front plate 21 a of the holder 21 is placed in the ink container 40 by the fitting mechanism 11 provided in the printing apparatus 2. The socket unit 50 is configured to be driven in the front-rear direction.

  In the ink container 40, the socket portion 50 is disposed toward the front surface 41 a side of the outer box 41. Further, the ink container 40 is attached with an ink storage unit 60 that stores the ink IK at the rear end of the socket unit 50.

  Further, the ink container 40 is provided with an ink container side storage unit 42 constituted by an IC tag. In the printing apparatus 2, a communication unit 12 is installed to face the ink container side storage unit 42, and information such as color information of the ink IK stored in the ink container side storage unit 42 by the communication unit 12. It is comprised so that it can transmit / receive. In this embodiment, the ink container side storage unit 42 constitutes a consumable container side storage unit.

  In the printing apparatus 2, for example, a plurality of ink containers 40 that contain multicolor inks IK such as yellow (Y), magenta (M), cyan (C), and black (K) are mounted for each color. However, here, one ink container 40 is illustrated and described below.

  Ink IK from the ink container 40 is filled into the ink tank 15 by opening / closing the electromagnetic opening / closing valve 14 through the container-side ink supply path 13 from the socket part 50 through the joint part 30 of the printing apparatus 2. In this way, the ink tank 15 stores the ink supplied from the ink container 40.

  Further, the ink tank 15 is provided with a liquid level sensor S for measuring the amount of the filled ink IK, and the control unit 100 opens and closes the electromagnetic opening / closing valve 14 in accordance with detection data of the liquid level sensor S. To control. The liquid level sensor S includes a lower limit value sensor S1 that detects a lower limit value L1 and a replenishment value sensor S2 that detects a specified replenishment value (predetermined replenishment value) L2. The lower limit value sensor S1 and the replenishment value sensor The detection data of S2 is transmitted to the control unit 100.

  The ink IK is supplied from the ink container 40 to the ink tank 15 by a pressure difference between the ink container 40 disposed at a high place and the ink tank 15 disposed at a lower position than the ink container 40.

  The ink IK filled in the ink tank 15 is sent to the ink distributor 17 through the head-side ink supply path 16 and is distributed to the plurality of inkjet heads 18 by the ink distributor 17. The plurality of inkjet heads 18 eject ink IK toward the paper P, whereby images and characters are printed on the paper P.

  In the present embodiment, the ink tank 15 constitutes a consumable storage tank.

  Next, the configuration of the connecting portion between the printing apparatus 2 and the ink container 40 will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the external shape of the ink container 40. 3A is a perspective view for explaining a state in which the ink container 40 is connected to the ink container mounting mechanism 20 of the printing apparatus 2. FIG. 3B is a perspective view of FIG. It is sectional drawing.

  First, as shown in FIG. 2, an ink container 40 according to the present invention includes an outer box 41 formed in a box shape using a paper material or the like.

  On the front surface 41a side of the outer box 41, a connecting member 43 is integrally attached to the outer box 41 using a plate material having rigidity such as a resin material.

  The connecting member 43 has a function of connecting the ink container 40 to the printing apparatus 2 and a function of connecting the socket unit 50 in the ink container 40.

  Locking recesses 43 a and 43 b that are connected to the ink container mounting mechanism 20 of the printing apparatus 2 are formed on the upper and lower portions of the outer central portion of the connecting member 43.

  A pair of convex portions 43c and 43c are formed on both sides of the locking concave portion 43a on the outer upper portion of the connecting member 43, and the pair of convex portions 43c and 43c are attached to the upper portion of the front plate 21a of the holder 21. The ink container mounting sensor 24 (see FIG. 3A) is configured to detect the ink container.

  The connecting member 43 is formed with a round hole 43d penetrating through the central portion of the front surface 41a, the socket part 50 faces the inside of the round hole 43d, and the ink supply formed on the socket main body 51 of the socket part 50. The mouth 51e is exposed toward the printing apparatus 2 side.

  The ink supply port 51e has a large diameter, for example, about φ2.5 mm, and is configured so that a large amount of ink IK can be supplied from the ink supply port 51e formed to have a large diameter to the printing apparatus 2 side. ing.

  The ink container 40 is formed in a bag shape using a film material at a rear portion of the socket body 51 of the socket unit 50, while the socket unit 50 is disposed to face the joint unit 30 in the printing apparatus 2. The ink storage unit 60 (see FIG. 3B) is attached by thermal welding.

  Next, as shown in FIGS. 3A and 3B, when the ink container 40 is connected to the ink container mounting mechanism 20 in the printing apparatus 2, the ink container mounting mechanism 20 includes the holder 21. A substantially vertical front plate 21a, an ink container mounting base 21b horizontally connected to the lower side of the front plate 21a, and a pair of side plates 21d and 21d vertically connected to the left and right of the front plate 21a (one is not shown) ) And a rigid frame body.

  At the center portion of the front plate 21a of the holder 21, an annular portion 21e having a through hole 21e1 with a guide groove is formed protruding toward the rear side opposite to the ink container 40 side.

  The first and second outer cylindrical portions 31a and 31b formed in the joint body 31 of the joint portion 30 are slidably fitted in the front-rear direction in the through hole 21e1 with the guide groove of the annular portion 21e of the holder 21. It is supported.

  A stopper 21f is integrally provided at the rear end of the annular portion 21e of the holder 21 to restrict the joint portion 30 from coming out of the guide groove through hole 21e1 of the annular portion 21e. In this stopper 21f, the outer peripheral side convex part 31c formed in the joint main body 31 is comprised so that it may contact / separate.

  In addition, the ink container mounting base 21b of the holder 21 has a bottom surface 21b1 formed horizontally, and the inclined surface 21b2 is about 2 ° above the bottom surface 21b1 so that the height decreases toward the front plate 21a. Inclined.

  When the ink container 40 is mounted on the inclined surface 21b2 of the ink container mounting base 21b, the ink IK in the ink container 40 flows toward the joint portion 30 side.

  On the top and bottom of the holder 21 are provided lock members 22 and 23 which are elastically displaced by attaching rollers 22a and 23a to one end of a leaf spring material, respectively. The locking recesses 43a and 43b are formed on the upper and lower sides of the connecting member 43 provided on the front surface 41a side of the outer box 41 of the ink container 40 so as to face the lock members 22 and 23.

  The ink container 40 is manually pushed into the holder 21 side of the ink container mounting mechanism 20 to be connected. At this time, the rollers 22a and 23a of the lock members 22 and 23 provided on the upper and lower sides of the holder 21 are fitted into the lock recesses 43a and 43b of the connecting member 43 provided on the ink container 40. 40 is connected, and the connected state of the ink container 40 is detected by the ink container mounting sensor 24 attached to the upper part of the holder 21 and the convex portion 43c of the connecting member 43 (see FIG. 2).

  On the other hand, when the ink container 40 is manually pulled out from the holder 21 side, the connection to the holder 21 side is released.

  Further, when the ink container 40 is pushed into the holder 21 side of the ink container mounting mechanism portion 20 and the ink container 40 is connected to the holder 21 side, the joint portion 30 and the socket portion 50 face each other with a slight gap therebetween. Yes. The joint portion 30 is movable in the front-rear direction with respect to the socket portion 50 in the ink container 40 by the fitting mechanism 11 provided in the printing apparatus 2 after the connection.

  Thereby, the joint part 30 and the socket part 50 are fitted only when the ink container 40 and the holder 21 are connected.

  The reason for this is that the color information of the ink IK output from the ink container side storage unit 42 attached to the outer box 41 of the ink container 40 is received by the communication unit 12 and the color of the ink IK in the ink container 40 is correct. This is because it is necessary to fit the joint portion 30 to the socket portion 50 after confirmation.

  Next, the fitting operation between the ink container 40 and the printing apparatus 2 will be specifically described with reference to FIGS.

  4A to 4C are schematic cross-sectional views sequentially illustrating a fitting operation for fitting the socket portion 50 of the ink container 40 to the joint portion 30 of the printing apparatus 2.

  First, FIG. 4A shows that the joint portion 30 supported by the holder 21 so as to be movable back and forth is immediately after the ink container 40 is connected to the holder 21 fixedly disposed on the ink container mounting mechanism portion 20. 50 shows a state before fitting.

  The state in which the joint portion 30 is fitted into the socket portion 50 means that the cap 37 side of the joint portion 30 enters the tip-side annular recess 51af of the socket body 51 and is provided in the joint body 31. A state 36 is in sliding contact with an inner peripheral cylindrical portion 51f formed on the inner peripheral tip side of the socket body 51. The state shown in FIG. 4 (a) is a state before fitting in which the O-ring 36 is separated from the inner peripheral cylindrical portion 51f. That is, it is the same as the state shown in FIG.

  Further, the joint portion 30 of the printing apparatus 2 and the socket portion 50 of the ink container 40 are opposed to each other with a slight gap, and the fitting mechanism 11 that moves the joint portion 30 toward the socket portion 50 is stopped. And it has reached a standby state.

  On the other hand, on the socket portion 50 side, the inner plug 53 in which the O-ring 54 is fitted into the distal end side cylindrical portion 53a is compressed in the first circular recess 51g, the tapered recess 51h, and the second circular recess 51i of the socket body 51. The ink supply port 51e is closed by moving to the front ink supply port 51e side by the biasing force of the spring 55.

  Next, FIG. 4B shows a state immediately before the inner plug 53 in the socket main body 51 is pushed backward by the insertion shaft 31 f of the joint main body 31.

  Here, the fitting mechanism 11 is started and the joint part 30 is moved forward toward the socket part 50. Then, the side of the cap 37 attached to the first outer peripheral side cylindrical portion 31 a of the joint body 31 enters the distal end side annular recess 51 af formed on the distal end side of the socket body 51.

  Accordingly, the ink supply port 51 e side of the socket body 51 enters the cap 37, the O-ring 36 and the O-ring pressing member 35 in the joint body 31 in order, so that the ink flows out by the urging force of the compression spring 33 in the joint body 31. The three protrusions formed on the prevention member 34 come into contact with the outer surface of the socket main body 51 that forms the ink supply port 51e.

  At the same time, the insertion shaft 31 f of the joint body 31 is inserted into a conical recess formed on the distal end side of the distal end side cylindrical portion 53 a of the inner plug 53 moving forward in the first circular recess 51 g of the socket body 51. The

  Then, the tip sharp part 31f1 of the insertion shaft 31f of the joint body 31 contacts the bottom of the conical recess formed in the tip side cylindrical part 53a of the inner plug 53, but the inner plug 53 has not yet moved rearward. Therefore, the ink IK in the socket main body 51 is shielded by the inner plug 53.

  Next, FIG. 4C shows a state in which the inner plug 53 in the socket main body 51 is pushed backward by the insertion shaft 31 f of the joint main body 31.

  Here, when the fitting mechanism 11 is continuously operated from the state of FIG. 4B and the joint portion 30 is further moved toward the socket portion 50 side, the first outer peripheral side cylindrical portion 31a of the joint body 31 is moved to the first outer peripheral side cylindrical portion 31a. The attached cap 37 side enters to the back in the front end side annular recess 51af formed on the front end side of the socket body 51.

  Along with this, the three protrusions formed on the ink outflow prevention member 34 in the joint body 31 are pushed backward on the outer surface of the socket body 51 forming the ink supply port 51e, so that the compression spring 33 in the joint body 31 is pressed. Shrink.

  Then, the tip sharp part 31f1 of the insertion shaft 31f of the joint body 31 pushes the inner plug 53 accommodated in the socket body 51 against the compression spring 55 to the opposite side to the ink supply port 51e. An ink supply path 51j is formed in the first circular recess 51g, the tapered recess 51h, and the second circular recess 51i.

  In this manner, the fitting mechanism 11 performs a fitting operation for fitting into the ink container 40. Specifically, when the fitting mechanism 11 performs a fitting operation for fitting the joint portion 30 to the socket portion 50, the inner plug 53 provided in the socket portion 50 is moved to supply ink from the ink container 40. An ink supply path 51j is formed. In the present embodiment, the ink supply path 51j constitutes a consumable supply path.

  Further, since the inner peripheral cylindrical portion 51 f of the socket main body 51 abuts on the inner peripheral surface of the O-ring 36 housed in the joint main body 31, ink leakage in the joint main body 31 can be prevented.

  Thus, the ink IK in the socket body 51 enters the joint body 31 from the ink supply port 51e through the ink supply path 51j formed in the socket body 51, and the ink supply path formed in the joint body 31. It flows to the container side ink supply path 13 of the printing apparatus 2 via (not shown). In this way, the ink container 40 supplies ink to the printing apparatus 2 by performing the above-described fitting operation.

  When the above-described fitting operation is repeated, in the ink container 40, the contact portion with the joint portion 30 of the printing apparatus 2 deteriorates due to sliding caused by the fitting operation. In particular, in the ink container 40, the O-ring 54 is likely to deteriorate due to wear.

  In addition, after the fitting operation is performed, when the power is shut off, the fitting mechanism 11 waits in the standby state of FIG. 4A by performing a pulling operation for pulling the joint portion 30 from the socket portion 50.

(Print system block configuration)
Next, a block configuration of the printing system 1 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 5 is a block diagram for explaining the configuration of the printing system 1. FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of information stored in the ink container side storage unit 42 provided in the ink container 40.

  In the printing system 1, the printing apparatus 2 includes a control unit 100 that performs overall control of various functions in the printing apparatus 2, a main body storage unit 110 that stores various types of information used for control of the control unit 100, and displays and inputs various types of information. And an operation panel 120 for performing the operation.

  The control unit 100 includes an arithmetic processing function configured by a CPU or the like. The control unit 100 communicates wirelessly with the ink container side storage unit 42 of the ink container 40 via the communication unit 12 and uses the information stored in the ink container side storage unit 42 to use the printing apparatus 2. Controls the printing operation in.

  The control unit 100 according to the present embodiment includes an ink management unit 111, a fitting operation control unit 112, a fitting frequency management unit 113, a deterioration determination unit 114, and an ink supply control unit 115.

  The ink management unit 111 manages information stored in the ink container side storage unit 42 provided in the ink container 40.

  When the ink container 40 is connected to the holder 21, the ink management unit 111 receives the color information of the ink IK from the ink container side storage unit 42 of the ink container 40 via the communication unit 12, and the ink IK It is determined whether the color information matches the holder 21 to which the corresponding color ink container 40 is attached.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 6, the ink management unit 111 starts to supply “identification information” for individually identifying the ink containers 40, “manufacturing date” of the ink containers 40, and ink from the ink containers 40. Information such as “use start date” and “number of times of mating” in which the ink container 40 has been mated is stored in the ink container side storage unit 42 in association with each other.

  The fitting operation control unit 112 controls the fitting operation executed by the fitting mechanism 11. The fitting operation control unit 112 performs the fitting operation when the power is turned on or when the user replaces the ink container 40. It should be noted that the fitting operation control unit 112 performs the pulling operation to pull out the joint unit 30 from the socket unit 50 of the ink container 40 when the power is shut off after performing the fitting operation. Control.

  The fitting number management unit 113 counts the number of fittings indicating the number of times that the fitting operation has been performed on the ink container 40. Specifically, when the fitting operation is performed by the fitting operation control unit 112, the “number of times of fitting” stored in the ink container side storage unit 42 is incremented by one, and the ink container side storage unit 42 is added. To remember. At this time, when the ink containers 40 of a plurality of colors are mounted, the fitting number management unit 113 adds one “fitting number” stored in the ink container side storage unit 42 of all the ink containers 40. .

  Thus, the “number of mating times” includes the number of mating operations performed when the power is turned on, the number of mating operations performed when the self-ink container 40 is replaced, and the time when another ink container 40 is replaced. A value obtained by adding the number of mating operations to be performed is included. Since the fitting operation is also executed when the ink container 40 is simply attached / detached without exchanging the ink container 40, the “number of times of fitting” is the fitting executed when the own ink container 40 and other ink containers 40 are attached / detached. Includes the number of combined actions.

  The deterioration determination unit 114 determines the deterioration of the ink container 40 based on the “number of times of fitting” counted by the number of times of fitting management unit 113. Specifically, the deterioration determination unit 114 determines whether or not the “number of times of fitting” added by the number of times of fitting management unit 113 is equal to or greater than a predetermined number of times threshold set in advance. When the deterioration determination unit 114 determines that the “number of times of fitting” is equal to or greater than a predetermined number of times threshold set in advance, the deterioration determination unit 114 notifies the ink out detection unit 116.

  The ink supply control unit 115 controls the supply of ink sent from the ink container 40 in the printing apparatus 2. When the amount of ink stored in the ink tank 15 reaches the lower limit value L1, the ink supply control unit 115 passes the ink supply path 51j formed by the fitting operation from the lower limit value L1 to the specified replenishment value (predetermined replenishment value). Value) Replenishment operation for replenishing ink to L2 is executed.

  Specifically, when the detection data is transmitted from the lower limit sensor S1, the ink supply control unit 115 controls the electromagnetic on-off valve 14 to open and supplies ink to the ink tank 15. Thereafter, when the detection data is transmitted from the replenishment value sensor S2, the ink supply control unit 115 controls the electromagnetic on-off valve 14 to close and stops the supply of ink to the ink tank 15. In this way, the ink supply control unit 115 performs the replenishment operation.

  In the present embodiment, the ink supply control unit 115 constitutes a consumable supply control unit.

  The ink out detection unit 116 detects ink out when the ink supply control unit 115 does not complete the replenishment operation within an allowable time (predetermined allowable time). Specifically, the ink out detection unit 116 starts a timer when the replenishment operation is started by the ink supply control unit 115. Then, if the ink supply control unit 115 does not complete the replenishment operation within the preset allowable time, the ink out detection unit 116 indicates that the ink in the ink container 40 has been consumed, that is, the ink has been exhausted. To detect. When the ink out detection unit 116 detects that the ink has run out, the fact is displayed on the operation panel 120 or the like to notify the user.

  Further, in this embodiment, the ink out detection unit 116 changes the allowable time based on the determination result of the deterioration determination unit 114. Specifically, the ink shortage detection unit 116 changes the allowable time when the deterioration determination unit 114 determines that the “number of times of fitting” is equal to or greater than a predetermined number of times threshold.

  Here, with reference to FIG. 7, the operation in the case where the number of fittings is equal to or greater than a predetermined number threshold in the printing apparatus 2 will be specifically described. FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing the operation of the printing apparatus 2.

  In step S11, the fitting operation control unit 112 performs the fitting operation at a specific timing.

  In step S <b> 12, the fitting number management unit 113 adds one “fitting number” (for example, “99”) stored in the ink container side storage unit 42 of the ink container 40, and adds the “fitting number” "(For example," 100 ") is stored in the ink container side storage unit 42.

  In step S <b> 13, the deterioration determination unit 114 determines whether the “number of times of fitting” (for example, “100”) added by the number of times of fitting management unit 113 is equal to or greater than a predetermined number of times threshold.

  In step S14, the deterioration determination unit 114 determines that the “number of times of fitting” (for example, “100”) added by the number of times of fitting management unit 113 is equal to or greater than a predetermined number of times threshold value (for example, “100”). When it has been performed (step S13; Yes), the deterioration determination unit 114 determines that the ink container 40 has deteriorated, and notifies the ink out detection unit 116 of this fact.

  Upon receiving this notification, the ink shortage detection unit 116 sets the allowable time (for example, 10 seconds) to the extended allowable time (for example, 15 seconds).

  On the other hand, when the deterioration determining unit 114 determines that the “number of times of fitting” added by the number of times of fitting management unit 113 is not equal to or greater than a predetermined number of times threshold (step S13; No), the permissible time by the ink shortage detecting unit 116. Do not change for a long time. At this time, if the allowable time by the ink out detection unit 116 is the extension allowable time, the deterioration determination unit 114 sets the extension allowable time to the original allowable time.

  In this embodiment, the ink out detection unit 116 constitutes a consumable item out detection unit.

(Function and effect)
In the printing apparatus 2 according to the present embodiment, the fitting number management unit 113 counts the number of fittings, which is the number of times the fitting operation has been performed on the ink container 40, and the deterioration determination unit 114 determines based on the number of fittings. Thus, the deterioration (degradation degree) of the ink container 40 is determined. As a result, it is possible to determine the deterioration of a consumable part such as an O-ring provided in the ink container 40 that is consumed by the fitting operation. Therefore, as in the prior art, the ink container 40 is based on the number of times the ink container 40 is reused. The deterioration of the ink container 40 can be detected more accurately than in the case of determining the deterioration of the ink container 40. In other words, it is possible to prevent ink leakage due to deterioration of the consumable part of the ink container 40 and problems due to air being mixed into the ink container 40.

  In the present embodiment, the fitting operation is an operation of fitting the joint portion 30 provided in the printing apparatus 2 to the socket portion 50 provided in the ink container 40. Since the operation is performed not only when the container 40 is replaced, but also when the ink container 40 is simply attached / detached, the number of times of fitting is counted as the number of times of fitting operation executed in this manner. It becomes the value. Therefore, according to the printing apparatus 2 according to the present embodiment, the deterioration determination unit 114 is consumed by the fitting operation based on the number of times of fitting indicating the number of times of the fitting operation executed as described above. In order to determine the degree of deterioration of the portion, the deterioration of the ink container 40 can be detected more accurately than in the case of determining the deterioration of the ink container 40 based on the number of reuses of the ink container 40 as in the prior art. Can do.

  Further, in the printing apparatus 2 according to the present embodiment, the out-of-ink detection unit 116 sets the permissible time to the extended permissible time based on the determination result of the deterioration determination unit 114. Here, as the deterioration of the consumable portion of the ink container 40 progresses, air is mixed into the ink in the ink container 40, and the supplied ink flow rate is reduced. As a result, sufficient ink is left in the ink container 40. Even in such a case, the replenishment operation may not be completed within the allowable time. In such a case, the ink shortage detection unit 116 determines that no ink is left in the ink container 40 and erroneously detects ink shortage.

  The out-of-ink detection unit 116 according to the present embodiment sets the permissible time to the extended permissible time based on the determination result of the deterioration determination unit 114. As a result, when ink is supplied from the ink container 40, even if the ink flow rate decreases due to air mixing, if the replenishment operation is completed within the extended allowable time that has been changed for a long time, ink shortage is erroneously detected. Can be suppressed.

  In the past, the ink container 40 was immediately replaced by the ink out detection. However, according to the ink out detection unit 116 according to the present embodiment, when ink remains in the ink container 40, it remains. Ink can be used as much as possible. In addition, since the ink container 40 that has been discarded due to the detection of running out of ink can be used as much as possible, the life of the ink container 40 as a recycled product can be extended.

  In addition, since the ink container 40 according to the present embodiment includes the ink container side storage unit 42 that stores the number of times of fitting, the number of times of fitting of the container can be stored. Thereby, even when the ink container 40 is mounted on another printing apparatus, the other printing apparatus can determine the deterioration of the consumable portion of the ink container 40 based on the number of times of fitting. That is, according to the ink container 40 according to the present embodiment, it is possible to prevent ink leakage and malfunction due to deterioration of the ink container 40.

(Modification 1)
Next, a modification according to the first embodiment of the present invention will be described. In the first embodiment described above, the fitting operation control unit 112 is configured to perform the fitting operation when the power is turned on or when the ink container 40 is replaced by the user, but is not limited thereto.

  In the present embodiment, the fitting operation control unit 112 controls the fitting mechanism 11 so as to execute the fitting operation only when the replenishment operation is executed. That is, the fitting operation is performed only when the fitting mechanism 11 performs the replenishment operation.

  Specifically, the fitting operation control unit 112 performs the fitting operation only when the ink supply control unit 115 receives detection data from the lower limit sensor S1, such as when the user replaces the ink container 40. The fitting mechanism 11 is controlled. That is, the fitting operation control unit 112 stands by without executing the fitting operation at least when the power is turned on.

  According to the printing apparatus 2 according to the present embodiment, the fitting mechanism 11 performs the fitting operation only when the fitting mechanism 11 performs the replenishment operation under the control of the fitting operation control unit 112. Compared with the case where it performs at the time of replacement | exchange by, the frequency | count of performing fitting operation | movement can be suppressed. As a result, the deterioration of the consumable portion of the ink container 40 can be suppressed by the fitting operation, so that the life of the ink container 40 as a recycled product can be extended.

[Other Embodiments of the Present Invention]
Next, other embodiments of the present invention will be described. In the first embodiment of the present invention described above, the ink container side storage unit 42 of the ink container 40 is configured to store the “number of times of fitting”, but is not limited thereto. For example, the main body storage unit 110 of the printing apparatus 2 may store information such as “identification information” and “number of times of fitting” of the ink container 40 in association with each other.

  Further, in the first embodiment of the present invention described above, the deterioration determination unit 114 removes the chest from the ink when the “fitting number” added by the fitting number management unit 113 is equal to or greater than a predetermined number of times threshold. Although the detection unit 116 has been notified, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the deterioration determination unit 114 may notify the external device of this via an external network such as the Internet. In this case, if an external device is held by a maintenance manager or the like, the maintenance manager can be notified of the deterioration of the ink container 40, so that maintenance support can be performed more quickly.

  Further, in the first embodiment of the present invention described above, the case where only one of the predetermined number threshold and the allowable time is set is taken as an example, but there are a plurality of frequency thresholds and a plurality of allowable times. It may be set. In this case, when the deterioration determination unit 114 determines that the “number of times of fitting” is equal to or greater than the first number threshold, the ink out detection unit 116 sets the first allowable time as the allowable time. When the deterioration determination unit 114 determines that the “number of times of fitting” is equal to or greater than the second number threshold larger than the first number threshold, the out-of-ink detection unit 116 sets the allowable time to be longer than the first allowable time. Change to a long second tolerance time.

  Further, when the deterioration determination unit 114 determines that the “number of times of fitting” is equal to or greater than the first number threshold, the deterioration determination unit 114 displays the deterioration of the ink container 40 on the operation panel 120, but controls to execute the printing operation. If it is determined that the value is equal to or greater than the second number of times threshold, control may be performed so as to prohibit the printing operation. In other words, the deterioration determination unit 114 may perform control so as to limit the printing operation according to the size of the plurality of times thresholds.

  Further, in the first embodiment of the present invention described above, the case where the printing apparatus 2 is an inkjet printing apparatus to which an inkjet printing method is applied has been described as an example, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the printing apparatus according to the present invention can be applied to various printing apparatuses such as an electrophotographic system and a stencil printing system. Furthermore, in the first embodiment of the present invention described above, the case where the ink is a consumable and the ink container 40 (ink cartridge) is a consumable is described as an example. However, the present invention is not limited to this. . The toner applied to the electrophotographic printing device may be a consumable, the toner container may be a consumable, the ink applied to the stencil printing device is a consumable, and the drum ink container is a consumable. It is good also as a container.

  The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments as they are, and can be embodied by modifying the components without departing from the scope of the invention in the implementation stage. Various inventions can be formed by appropriately combining a plurality of constituent elements disclosed in the embodiments. For example, some components may be deleted from all the components shown in the embodiment.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Printing system 2 ... Printing apparatus 11 ... Fitting mechanism 12 ... Communication part 13 ... Container side ink supply path 14 ... Electromagnetic on-off valve 15 ... Ink tank 16 ... Head side ink supply path 17 ... Ink distributor 18 ... Inkjet head 20 ... Ink container attachment mechanism 21 ... Holder 24 ... Ink container attachment sensor 30 ... Joint part 31f ... Insertion shaft 35 ... Member 36 ... O-ring 40 ... Ink container 42 ... Ink container side storage part 50 ... Socket part 51j ... Ink supply path 53 ... Inner plug 100 ... Control unit 111 ... Ink management unit 112 ... Fitting operation control unit 113 ... Fitting frequency management unit 114 ... Degradation determination unit 115 ... Ink supply control unit 116 ... Detection unit

Claims (5)

A printing apparatus that includes a fitting mechanism that performs a fitting operation for fitting into a consumable container that contains a consumable, and that prints an image using the consumable supplied from the consumable container,
A fitting number management unit that counts the number of fittings indicating the number of times the fitting operation has been performed on the consumable container;
A deterioration determining unit that determines deterioration of the consumable container based on the number of times of fitting,
The number of mating times is at least the number of mating operations performed when the power is turned on, the number of mating operations performed when exchanging its own consumable container, and other consumable containers, A printing apparatus comprising: a value obtained by adding any of the number of fitting operations executed when the other consumable container is replaced . Further comprising a joint part detachable from a socket part provided in the consumable container,
The printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the fitting operation is an operation of fitting the joint portion to the socket portion. A consumable storage tank for storing the consumables supplied from the consumable container;
When the amount of consumables stored in the consumable storage tank reaches a lower limit value, the consumable supplies are replenished from the lower limit value to a predetermined replenishment value through the consumable supply path formed by the fitting operation. A consumable supply control unit that performs a replenishment operation;
If the replenishment operation is not completed within a predetermined permissible time by the consumable supply control unit, a consumable item shortage detection unit that detects a consumable item shortage,
3. The printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the expendable supplies detection unit changes the predetermined permissible time based on a determination result of the deterioration determination unit. A consumable storage tank for storing consumables supplied from the consumable container;
A consumable supply control unit that performs a replenishment operation for replenishing the consumables from the lower limit value to a predetermined replenishment value when the amount of consumables stored in the consumable storage tank reaches a lower limit value,
The printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the fitting mechanism performs the fitting operation only when the replenishing operation is performed. A consumable container that supplies consumables to the printing apparatus by performing a mating operation for mating with the printing apparatus,
E Bei consumables container side storage unit for storing the fitting number indicating the number of times the connecting operation in the consumable container is executed,
The number of mating times is at least the number of mating operations performed when the power is turned on, the number of mating operations performed when exchanging its own consumable container, and other consumable containers, A consumable container characterized by including a value obtained by adding any of the number of fitting operations executed when the other consumable container is replaced .

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