JP6447238B2 - Recording device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a recording apparatus for recording an image.

  Patent Document 1 describes a recording apparatus that detects attachment / detachment of an ink cartridge based on a change in an output signal from an optical sensor.

JP 2004-001480 A

  On the other hand, some recording apparatuses perform authentication communication with a storage unit provided in a cartridge in order to determine whether or not an appropriate cartridge is accommodated when the cartridge is replaced.

  It is also considered that the above-described authentication communication is performed in a recording apparatus that employs an optical sensor to detect attachment / detachment of the cartridge described in Patent Document 1. However, such a recording apparatus has the following problems.

  In order to detect the attachment / detachment of the cartridge with the optical sensor, it is necessary to keep supplying power to the light emitting element and the light receiving element of the optical sensor and to turn on the optical sensor. For this reason, in a recording apparatus that detects the attachment / detachment of a cartridge with an optical sensor, for example, an apparatus that turns on the optical sensor only when the cover of the insertion slot of the cartridge is opened is known. However, in such a configuration that supplies power only when the cover is opened, if the open / close sensor for detecting opening / closing of the cover does not react due to a failure or the like, the optical sensor is powered even if the cover is opened. Is not supplied. In this case, since attachment / detachment of the cartridge cannot be detected, there is a problem that the authentication communication of the cartridge is not performed even if the cartridge is replaced. In this case, since authentication has not been performed, there is a problem in that the recording process is executed as it is when a recording command is received even if the cartridge is replaced with a cartridge of a different color by mistake.

  SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a recording apparatus that can prevent a recording process from being executed in a state where an erroneous cartridge is accommodated.

  The recording apparatus of the present invention includes a storage unit that can store a cartridge having a storage unit that stores printing fluid, a first storage unit, and a first contact that is electrically connected to the first storage unit, A second contact provided at a position in contact with the first contact of the cartridge when the cartridge is mounted in a housing portion; a third contact provided at a position different from the second contact; Two storage units and a control unit. The control unit interferes with the cartridge in an insertion process of inserting the cartridge into the storage unit and a removal process of removing the cartridge from the storage unit. The first information storage process for storing the first information indicating that it is necessary to perform authentication in the second storage unit, and a predetermined trigger before receiving the recording command. A first authentication process for performing authentication communication with the first storage unit via the first contact and the second contact when the first information is stored in a storage unit; and authentication of the first authentication process. A second information storage process for storing, in the second storage unit, second information indicating that it is not necessary to perform authentication when successful, and when the recording command is received, the second storage unit stores the second information in the second storage unit. 2 information is stored If the first information is stored in the second storage unit when the recording command is received and the recording command is received, the first contact and the second contact are set. And a second authentication process for performing authentication communication with the first storage unit.

Further, according to another aspect, the recording apparatus of the present invention accommodates a cartridge having a storage unit that stores printing fluid, a first storage unit, and a first contact that is electrically connected to the first storage unit. A possible receiving portion, a second contact provided at a position where the cartridge comes into contact with the first contact when the cartridge is mounted in the receiving portion, and a position different from the second contact. A third contact, a second storage unit, and a control unit. The control unit interferes with the cartridge in an insertion process of inserting the cartridge into the storage unit and a removal process of removing the cartridge from the storage unit. And the first authentication process for performing authentication communication with the first storage unit via the first contact and the second contact, and when the authentication of the first authentication process fails, authentication is performed. A first information storage process for storing first information indicating that it is necessary to be performed in the second storage unit, and a second information indicating that it is not necessary to perform the authentication when the authentication of the first authentication process is successful. a second information storage process of storing information in the second storage unit, when receiving the record instruction, when said second information in the second storage unit is stored, for recording on a recording medium Recording processing is performed.

According to the recording apparatus of the present invention, the first information indicating that it is necessary to perform authentication in response to the conduction between the second contact and the third contact during the cartridge insertion and removal process is stored in the second storage unit. Remembered. Even when the first authentication process is not performed before receiving the recording command for some reason even when the first information is stored in the second storage unit, the control unit receives the recording command. Since the second authentication process is performed when the first information is stored, it is possible to prevent the recording from being executed in a state where the wrong cartridge is accommodated. Further, as a result of the first authentication process being performed, if the second information is stored in the second storage unit, the authentication communication is not performed after the recording command is received. Therefore, it is possible to shorten the time required from when the recording command is received to when recording is started.
According to another aspect of the recording apparatus of the present invention, the first authentication process is performed when the second contact and the third contact are conducted in the cartridge insertion / removal process. The first information or the second information is stored in the second storage unit according to the failure or success of the authentication communication in the first authentication process. When the second information is stored when the control command is received, the control unit performs the recording process, so that it is possible to prevent the recording from being executed in a state where the wrong cartridge is accommodated. Further, as a result of the first authentication process being performed, if the second information is stored in the second storage unit, the authentication communication is not performed after the recording command is received. Therefore, it is possible to shorten the time required from when the recording command is received to when recording is started.

It is a schematic sectional drawing which shows typically the internal structure of the inkjet printer which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. FIG. 2 is a perspective view illustrating an appearance of the ink cartridge illustrated in FIG. 1. (A) is a fragmentary sectional view which shows the process in which an ink cartridge is inserted in a cartridge accommodating part, (b) is a fragmentary sectional view which shows the state with which the ink cartridge was mounted in the cartridge accommodating part. (A) is explanatory drawing which shows the state before two contact and a connection electrode contact | abut, (b) is explanatory drawing which shows a state when two contact and a connection electrode contact | abut, (c) is explanatory drawing which shows a state when three contacts contact | abut 3 electrodes other than a connection electrode. (A) is a circuit diagram which shows the structure of a communication circuit part, (b) is a wave form diagram of the signal which a communication circuit part outputs. FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating an electrical configuration of the printer illustrated in FIG. 1. It is a flowchart which shows the 1st control content which the control part shown in FIG. 1 performs. It is a flowchart which shows the 2nd control content which the control part shown in FIG. 1 performs. It is a flowchart which shows the 3rd control content which the control part shown in FIG. 1 performs. It is a flowchart which shows the 4th control content which the control part shown in FIG. 1 performs. It is a flowchart which shows the 1st control content which the control part of a 1st modification form performs. It is a flowchart which shows the 2nd control content which the control part of a 1st modification form performs. It is a flowchart which shows the 3rd control content which the control part of a 1st modification form performs. It is a flowchart which shows the 4th control content which the control part of a 1st modification form performs. It is principal part sectional drawing of the printer of a 2nd modification, (a) is explanatory drawing which shows the state before two contacts and a conduction | electrical_connection part contact | abut, (b) is two contact points and a conduction | electrical_connection part. It is explanatory drawing which shows a state when contact | abutting, (c) is explanatory drawing which shows a state when two contacts and a conduction | electrical_connection part space apart and three contacts contact | abut with the corresponding electrode.

  Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. This embodiment is an example in which the present invention is applied to an ink jet printer as a recording apparatus.

[Overview of Printer 10]
As shown in FIG. 1, the printer 10 includes a recording head 21, a carriage 27, a paper feed roller 23, a transport roller pair 25, a discharge roller pair 22, a paper feed tray 15, a paper discharge tray 16, an ink supply device 100, and a display unit. 150 (see FIG. 6), a control unit 120, and the like. The display unit 150 displays an error under the control of the control unit 120. Thereby, it can be notified to the user that an error has occurred.

  The ink supply device 100 is provided with a cartridge housing portion 110. The cartridge storage unit 110 stores four ink cartridges 30 that store four colors (black, yellow, cyan, and magenta), respectively. In the following description, for inks corresponding to black (K), yellow (Y), cyan (C), and magenta (M), which ink corresponds to the constituent elements. As can be seen, “K” indicating black, “Y” indicating yellow, “C” indicating cyan, and “M” indicating magenta may be attached. For example, the ink cartridge 30K refers to the ink cartridge 30 that stores black ink. Each ink cartridge 30 is inserted into or removed from the cartridge housing portion 110 via the insertion port 110 a of the cartridge housing portion 110.

  The ink cartridge 30 stores ink that can be used by the printer 10. The ink cartridge 30 and the recording head 21 are connected by the ink supply unit 70 in a state where the cartridge is stored in the cartridge storage unit 110. The recording head 21 is provided with a sub tank 28. The sub tank 28 temporarily stores ink supplied through the tube 71 of the ink supply unit 70. A plurality of nozzles 29 are formed on the lower surface of the recording head 21 facing the platen 26.

  The recording head 21 is fixed to the carriage 27. The carriage 27 can reciprocate in the scanning direction which is perpendicular to the paper surface in FIG. 1 along the two guide rails 7 and 8 in the region facing the platen 26. An endless belt (not shown) is connected to the carriage 27, and the endless belt is driven by a carriage motor 27m (see FIG. 6), whereby the carriage 27 moves in the scanning direction.

  When receiving the recording command, the control unit 120 drives the paper feed motor 23m that drives the paper feed roller 23, the transport motor 25m that drives the transport roller pair 25, and the discharge motor 22m that drives the discharge roller pair 22. As a result, the paper in the paper feed tray 15 is sent out from the paper feed tray 15 to the transport path 24. The sheet sent to the transport path 24 is transported onto the platen 26 by the transport roller pair 25. At this time, the control unit 120 controls the carriage motor 27m and the recording head 21, and selectively ejects the ink stored in the sub tank 28 from the plurality of nozzles 29 while moving the recording head 21 in the scanning direction. In this way, an image is recorded on the sheet passing over the platen 26. The paper that has passed through the platen 26 is discharged by a discharge roller pair 22 to a paper discharge tray 16 provided on the most downstream side of the transport path 24.

[Ink cartridge 30]
As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the ink cartridge 30 is a container for storing ink. Note that the four ink cartridges 30 housed in the cartridge housing portion 110 have the same configuration, and thus only one ink cartridge 30 will be described.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the ink cartridge 30 includes a substantially rectangular parallelepiped main body 31. As shown in FIG. 3, a storage portion 36 for storing ink is formed inside the main body 31.

  The ink cartridge 30 is in the upright state shown in FIG. 3, that is, with the lower surface in the drawing as the bottom surface and the upper surface in the drawing as the top surface, the ink cartridge 30 is inserted into and removed from the cartridge housing portion 110 as indicated by the arrow 50 Inserted and removed along the direction.

  As shown in FIG. 2, an ink outflow portion 80 is provided on the front wall 40 of the main body 31. The ink outflow portion 80 has a cylindrical outer shape and projects forward from the front wall 40, that is, in the insertion direction 56 (see FIG. 3). An ink outlet 81 is formed at the front end surface of the ink outflow portion 80.

  As shown in FIG. 3A, the ink outflow portion 80 is formed with an ink flow path 82 that extends from the ink outlet 81 in the removal direction 55. The ink outlet 81 is configured to be opened and closed by an ink outlet valve 83 urged toward the ink outlet 81 by a coil spring 84. When the ink cartridge 30 is mounted in the cartridge housing portion 110, the ink needle 73 is inserted into the ink outlet 81 and the ink outflow valve 83 is opened. As a result, ink flows out from the reservoir 36 to the ink needle 73 through the ink flow path 82.

  As shown in FIG. 2, an IC substrate 74 is provided on the upper wall 41 of the main body 31. An IC 78 is mounted on the IC substrate 74. On the upper surface of the IC substrate 74, a HOT electrode 75, a signal electrode 76, and a GND electrode 77 are formed. The IC 78 is a semiconductor integrated circuit, and stores information about the ink cartridge 30 such as data indicating information such as ink color, capacity, and country of use in a readable manner. The IC 78 also stores a calculation formula, and has a function of outputting a calculation result calculated by the calculation formula to the control unit 120 when a certain number is input from the control unit 120.

  The HOT electrode 75, the signal electrode 76, and the GND electrode 77 are electrically connected to the IC 78. As shown in FIG. 2, each of the HOT electrode 75, the signal electrode 76, and the GND electrode 77 extends along the front-rear direction 52 and is spaced apart from each other in the width direction 53. The HOT electrode 75, the signal electrode 76, and the GND electrode 77 are exposed so as to be accessible from the upper side of the main body 31 in the mounting posture.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 2, connection electrodes 79 are formed on the upper surface of the IC substrate 74. The connection electrode 79 is disposed in front of the three electrodes 75 to 77. That is, the connection electrode 79 is disposed downstream of the three electrodes 75 to 77 along the insertion direction 56. The connection electrode 79 extends in the in-plane direction on the upper surface of the IC substrate 74 and in the width direction 53 orthogonal to the insertion direction 56. The connection electrode 79 extends in the width direction 53 to the position where it overlaps with the signal electrode 76 and the GND electrode 77 along the insertion direction 56. Accordingly, the connection electrode 79 is configured to be connected to the contact 106c while being connected to a contact 106b described later.

  In this configuration, when the ink cartridge 30 is inserted into the cartridge housing portion 110, the IC substrate 74 approaches three contact points 106a to 106c, which will be described later, as shown in FIG. When the insertion of the ink cartridge 30 is further advanced, as shown in FIG. 4B, the connection electrode 79 simultaneously contacts the two contact points 106b and 106c, and these contact points 106b and 106c are in a conductive state in which they are conductive with each other. It becomes. Then, when the ink cartridge 30 is further pushed in from the position in the conductive state and the insertion of the ink cartridge 30 is completed, each of the three contacts 106a, 106b, 106c corresponds as shown in FIG. 4C. The IC 78 and the control unit 120 are electrically connected to contact with the electrodes 75 to 77. At this time, the connection electrode 79 is separated from the two contact points 106b and 106c, and is brought into a non-conductive state in which the contact points 106b and 106c are not conductive with each other. In this way, the connection electrode 79 makes the contact 106b and the contact 106c conductive before the signal electrode 76 and the contact 106b and the GND electrode 77 and the contact 106c contact each other in the process of inserting the ink cartridge 30. In the removal process of removing the ink cartridge 30 from the cartridge housing portion 110, the connection electrode 79 is connected to the contact electrode 106b and the contact 106c after the signal electrode 76 and the contact 106b are separated from each other and the GND electrode 77 and the contact 106c are separated from each other. The contacts 106b and 106c are brought into conduction with each other. When the ink cartridge 30 is further pulled out from the conductive position, the connection electrode 79 is separated from the two contact points 106b and 106c, and the contact points 106b and 106c are not connected to each other. Thus, in the insertion process and the removal process of the ink cartridge 30, the two contact points 106 b and 106 c alternately take a conductive state and a non-conductive state by the connection electrode 79.

[Ink supply apparatus 100]
The ink supply device 100 supplies ink to the recording head 21. The ink supply device 100 includes a cartridge housing part 110, a cartridge cover 111, an ink supply part 70, and an open / close sensor 115. In FIG. 1, a state where the ink cartridge 30 is mounted in the cartridge housing portion 110 is shown.

  As shown in FIG. 3A, the cartridge housing part 110 has a case 101 in which an insertion port 110 a is formed on the front side of the printer 10. The ink cartridge 30 is inserted into and removed from the case 101 through the insertion port 110a. The case 101 can accommodate four ink cartridges 30 corresponding to each color of magenta, cyan, yellow, and black side by side in the direction perpendicular to the paper surface in FIGS. 1 and 3 show the space of the case 101 that can accommodate one ink cartridge 30.

  The cartridge cover 111 is rotatably supported by the cartridge housing part 110. More specifically, the cartridge cover 111 is supported so as to be rotatable about a support shaft 111a near the lower end of the insertion port 110a. As a result, the cartridge cover 111 is less likely to be lost than the removable cover. The cartridge cover 111 rotates between a position shown in FIG. 3A and an open position where the insertion port 110a is opened, and a position shown in FIG. 3B and a closed position where the insertion port 110a is closed. It is mounted movably. By disposing the cartridge cover 111 in the open position, the insertion port 110a is opened. By placing the cartridge cover 111 in the closed position, the insertion port 110a is closed. The cartridge cover 111 is fixed at the open position by engaging with an engaging portion 112 provided in the vicinity of the open / close sensor 115.

  The open / close sensor 115 is provided near the upper end of the insertion slot 110a. As shown in FIG. 3A, the open / close sensor 115 has an abutting portion 115a that abuts when the cartridge cover 111 is in the closed position. The open / close sensor 115 outputs a close signal indicating that the cartridge cover 111 is in the closed position to the control unit 120 when the cartridge cover 111 comes into contact with the contact part 115a. On the other hand, when the cartridge cover 111 is not in contact with the contact portion 115a, the open / close sensor 115 outputs an open signal indicating that the cartridge cover 111 is in the open position to the control unit 120. Thus, by detecting the position of the cartridge cover 111 with the open / close sensor 115, it is possible to detect whether the insertion port 110a is in an open state or a closed state.

  As shown in FIG. 3A, the ink supply unit 70 is provided below the end surface 102 of the case 101. The ink supply unit 70 includes four tubes 71, four ink needles 73, and a connection unit 72. The four tubes 71 and the four ink needles 73 correspond to the ink cartridges 30 of the respective colors, and are arranged side by side in the direction perpendicular to the paper surface in FIG. Therefore, only one tube 71 and one ink needle 73 are shown in FIG. 3, and the remaining tubes 71 and ink needles 73 are not shown. The connection portion 72 is fixed to the case 101 and supports the four ink needles 73. The connecting portion 72 is also connected to each of the four tubes 71 and has a plurality of flow paths (not shown) that allow the tubes 71 and the ink needles 73 to communicate individually. The four tubes 71 are connected to the recording head 21.

  The four ink needles 73 are disposed on the end surface 102 at positions corresponding to the ink outflow portions 80 of the ink cartridges 30 attached to the case 101. Specifically, the four ink needles 73 are arranged in a horizontal direction perpendicular to the insertion / removal direction 50 in a state of extending in the insertion / removal direction 50.

  As shown in FIG. 3B, as the ink cartridge 30 is inserted into the cartridge housing portion 110, the ink needle 73 is inserted into the ink outlet 81 and the ink outflow valve 83 is opened. As a result, as described above, the ink in the storage portion 36 flows into the ink needle 73 through the ink flow path 82.

  The ink supply device 100 corresponds to the four ink cartridges 30 and has four sets of one set including three contact points 106a to 106c. Since each set has the same configuration, one set will be mainly described.

  The three contacts 106a to 106c are provided on the top surface 104 of the case 101 as shown in FIG. The three contacts 106a to 106c are also arranged side by side in the direction perpendicular to the paper surface in FIG. Therefore, only the contact 106c is shown in FIG. 3, and the remaining two contacts 106a and 106b are not shown. The three contact points 106 a to 106 c in each group are spaced apart from each other in the horizontal direction perpendicular to the insertion / extraction direction 50. The arrangement of the three contacts 106 a to 106 c corresponds to the arrangement of the HOT electrode 75, the signal electrode 76, and the GND electrode 77 on the IC substrate 74 of the corresponding ink cartridge 30. That is, the contact 106a is disposed corresponding to the HOT electrode 75, the contact 106b is disposed corresponding to the signal electrode 76, and the contact 106c is disposed corresponding to the GND electrode.

  The three contact points 106 a to 106 c have a bent shape that protrudes obliquely downward from the top surface 104 and has a distal end bent toward the top surface 104. These contacts 106a to 106c are composed of members having conductivity and elasticity, and can be elastically deformed toward the top surface 104 side. That is, the three contacts 106a to 106c are slightly elastically deformed upward by contacting the electrodes 75 to 77 of the IC substrate 74 when the ink cartridge 30 is mounted in the cartridge housing portion 110, and the electrodes 75 to A predetermined pressing force is applied to 77. Thereby, the reliability of the electrical connection between the three contacts 106a to 106c for each ink cartridge 30 and the electrodes 75 to 77 is improved. The two contact points 106 b and 106 c are slightly elastically deformed upward and apply a predetermined pressing force to the connection electrode 79 even when contacting the connection electrode 79 in the process of inserting and removing the ink cartridge 30.

  The three contacts 106a to 106c in each group are connected to a communication circuit unit 125 included in the control unit 120, as shown in FIG. The communication circuit unit 125 includes four circuits 126M, 126C, 126Y, and 126K corresponding to the ink cartridges 30 (see FIG. 6). Each circuit 126 includes four wirings 107 a to 107 d and a resistor 108. Further, the four circuits 126M, 126C, 126Y, and 126K are respectively connected to four terminals 127 provided in the ASIC 124 described later (see FIG. 6). Since each circuit 126 has the same configuration, only one circuit 126 will be mainly described.

  As shown in FIG. 5A, the wiring 107a connects the contact 106a and a power source. A positive potential of 3.3 V is applied to the contact 106a in the present embodiment. The wiring 107b connects the contact 106b and the ASIC 124. The wiring 107c connects the contact 106c to the ground. In other words, a potential of 0 V is applied to the contact 106c in the present embodiment. The wiring 107d connects the wiring 106b and a power source. That is, a positive potential of 3.3 V is also applied to the contact 106b in the present embodiment. The potential applied to the two contacts 106b and 106c may be any potential as long as they are different from each other, and may be set as appropriate. The resistor 108 is provided in the middle of the wiring 107d. The circuit 126 enables communication between the IC substrate 74 of the ink cartridge 30 accommodated in the cartridge accommodating portion 110 and the ASIC 124.

  As shown in FIG. 5A, the contact 106 a and the HOT electrode 75 come into contact with each other, so that a potential of 3.3 V is applied to the HOT electrode 75. The contact between the contact 106c and the GND electrode 77 causes the GND electrode 77 to be grounded. When the two contact points 106a and 106c come into contact with the HOT electrode 75 and the GND electrode 77, power is supplied to the IC 78. When the contact 106 b and the signal electrode 76 come into contact with each other, the control unit 120 can access the IC 78.

  Further, a positive potential of 3.3 V is applied to the contact 106b as shown in FIG. For this reason, when the two contact points 106b and 106c are not conductive by the connection electrode 79, the circuit 126 is a signal when the ASIC 124 is in the non-conductive state shown in FIG. 3. Output a signal held at a positive potential of 3.3V. On the other hand, in the process of inserting and removing the ink cartridge 30, when the conductive state is established between the connection electrode 79 and the two contact points 106b and 106c, the circuit 126 is connected to the ASIC 124 as shown in FIG. In this state, a signal (rectangular pulse signal) that once falls from a positive potential of 3.3 V to a potential of 0 V is output. That is, the circuit 126 outputs different signals when the two contact points 106b and 106c are brought into a non-conductive state by the connection electrode 79 and when they are brought into a conductive state. As described above, when each of the circuits 126 of the communication circuit unit 125 is inserted or removed, the corresponding ink cartridge 30 is turned off from the non-conductive state to the non-conductive state as shown in FIG. Signals that are in a conductive state are output to the ASIC 124, respectively. Since the potentials applied to the two contacts 106b and 106c only apply different potentials to each other, they can be made relatively small. For this reason, an increase in power consumption can be suppressed.

  Next, the control unit 120 will be described. The control unit 120 includes a central processing unit (CPU) 121, a read only memory (ROM) 122, a random access memory (RAM) 123, an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC) 124, the communication circuit unit 125 described above, and the like. including. The ROM 122 stores programs executed by the CPU 121, various fixed data, and the like. The RAM 123 temporarily stores data necessary for program execution. The ASIC 124 rewrites and rearranges image data (image processing). The ASIC 124 is individually connected to the four circuits 126 of the communication circuit unit 125 via terminals 127 different from each other, and the contact corresponding to which ink cartridge 30 is based on a signal indicating the conduction state from each circuit 126. A process is performed to determine whether or not 106b and 106c are electrically connected. That is, the ASIC 124 is connected between the contacts 106 b and 106 c corresponding to which ink cartridge 30 depending on which of the four terminals 127 connected to the circuit 126 the signal indicating the conduction state is input. It is configured to understand. Further, the ASIC 124 also performs authentication communication processing of the ink cartridge 30. Note that the control unit 120 has one CPU 121 and one ASIC 124, but the control unit 120 includes only one CPU 121, and the one CPU 121 may perform necessary processing all at once. Alternatively, a plurality of CPUs 121 may be included, and the plurality of CPUs 121 may share and perform necessary processing. Further, the control unit 120 may include only one ASIC 124, and the one ASIC 124 may perform the necessary processing in a lump. Alternatively, the control unit 120 may include a plurality of ASICs 124, and the plurality of ASICs 124 may share the necessary processing. May be performed.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 6, the control unit 120 is connected to the recording head 21, various motors 22 m, 23 m, 25 m, and 27 m, the open / close sensor 115, and the display unit 150. The control unit 120 is configured to be communicable with four ICs 78M, 78C, 78Y, 78K corresponding to the four ink cartridges 30.

  Next, the first to fourth controls executed by the control unit 120 will be described with reference to FIGS. In the standby state after the printer 10 is turned on, the control unit 120 repeatedly executes the first steps (SA1, SB1, SC1) of the first to third controls shown in FIGS. At this time, the first control is executed when proceeding from SA1 to SA2, the second control is performed when proceeding from SB1 to SB2, and the third control is performed when proceeding from SC1 to SC2. The fourth control is executed when the printer 10 is turned off.

  The first and second controls are controls for detecting the mounting of the ink cartridge 30. Among these, the second control is a control for detecting the mounting of the ink cartridge 30 even when a signal indicating that is not output from the opening / closing sensor 115 when the cartridge cover 111 is opened due to some trouble such as a failure. The third control is control when a recording command is received. The fourth control is control when the printer 10 is turned off. In the present embodiment, four ink cartridges are stored in the cartridge storage unit 110 in advance.

[First control flow]
As shown in FIG. 7, the control unit 120 first determines whether the cartridge cover 111 is opened based on a signal from the open / close sensor 115 (SA1). That is, it is determined whether or not the cartridge cover 111 has changed from the closed state in which the cartridge cover 111 is in the closed position to the open state in which the cartridge cover 111 is in the open position. When the cartridge cover 111 is not open (SA1: NO), the control unit 120 repeats the process of SA1. When replacing the ink cartridge 30, the user opens the cartridge cover 111. When the cartridge cover 111 is opened (SA1: YES), the control unit 120 proceeds to SA2.

  Next, in SA2, the control unit 120 determines whether or not the two contacts 106b and 106c respectively corresponding to the ink cartridge 30 are conducted. As described above, when the ink cartridge 30 is inserted into and removed from the cartridge housing portion 110, the two contacts 106 b and 106 c are conducted by the connection electrode 79, and a signal indicating the conduction state from the circuit 126 corresponds to the ink cartridge 30 of the ASIC 124. Is output to the terminal 127. Therefore, the control unit 120 determines whether or not the two contacts 106b and 106c corresponding to the four cartridges 30 are conducted based on the signal indicating the conduction state from each circuit 126 of the communication circuit unit 125. be able to.

  If the ink cartridge 30 is not inserted into or removed from the cartridge housing unit 110 and no signal indicating the conduction state is output from any of the circuits 126, it is determined that the control unit 120 is not conducting (SA2: NO), which will be described later. Proceed to SA4. On the other hand, when it is determined that the control unit 120 is conducting (SA2: YES), the control unit 120 sets a flag corresponding to the inserted and removed ink cartridge 30 (SA3). That is, the flag K is set for the black ink cartridge 30K, the flag Y is set for the yellow ink cartridge 30Y, the flag C is set for the cyan ink cartridge 30C, and the flag M is set for the magenta ink cartridge 30M. SA2 and SA3 are performed for each ink cartridge 30 inserted into and removed from the cartridge housing portion 110.

  Next, the control unit 120 determines whether the cartridge cover 111 is closed based on a signal from the open / close sensor 115 (SA4). That is, it is determined whether or not the cartridge cover 111 has changed from the open state in which the cartridge cover 111 is in the open position to the closed state in which the cartridge cover 111 is in the closed position. In the open state (SA4: NO), the control unit 120 returns to the process of SA2.

  Normally, when the user replaces the ink cartridge 30, a new ink cartridge 30 is mounted after the mounted ink cartridge 30 is removed and before the cartridge cover 111 is closed. In this case, detachment of the ink cartridge 30 causes conduction, and the flags K, Y, C, and M are set. Therefore, when the ink cartridge 30 is mounted, the flags K, Y, C, and M are already set. ing. As described above, when the flags K, Y, C, and M are already set, SA3 is skipped.

  In the closed state (SA4: YES), the control unit 120 determines whether at least one of the four flags K, Y, C, and M is set (SA5). When the flags K, Y, C, and M are not set (SA5: NO), the cartridge cover 111 is simply opened and then closed by the user, so the first control is finished. On the other hand, when at least one of the four flags K, Y, C, and M is set (SA5: YES), the control unit 120 proceeds to SA6.

  Next, in SA6, the control unit 120 transmits an authentication command to the IC 78 of the ink cartridge 30 corresponding to any of the set flags K, Y, C, and M, and starts authentication communication. At this time, if a plurality of flags K, Y, C, and M are set, an authentication command is transmitted to the IC 78 of any one of the ink cartridges 30 in which the flags K, Y, C, and M are set. A numerical value derived by the control unit 120 is transmitted as the authentication command in the present embodiment.

  After SA6, the control unit 120 determines whether or not the authentication is successful in the ink cartridge 30 to which the authentication command has been transmitted (SA7). Unlike the standard corresponding to the printer 10, when an ink cartridge that does not have an IC board is erroneously mounted, there is no response to the authentication command. An ink cartridge different from the standard corresponding to the printer 10 may have some IC board and respond to an authentication command. However, in the case of an ink cartridge having a different standard, the response value is incorrect. When the cartridge cover 111 is closed but no new ink cartridge 30 is attached, there is no response to the authentication command. In such a case, the control unit 120 determines that authentication has failed (SA7: NO), and controls the display unit 150 to display an authentication error message for the ink cartridge 30 that has failed authentication (SA8). Accordingly, it is possible to notify the user that an ink cartridge having a different standard is installed in the cartridge housing portion 110 and that the ink cartridge 30 is not installed. As a result, the user can mount an appropriate ink cartridge 30. Even when a new ink cartridge 30 is installed, the above-described SA1 to SA7 are executed.

  On the other hand, when the ink cartridge 30 to which the authentication command is transmitted is an appropriate one corresponding to the printer 10 (when there is a response to the authentication command and the output value is correct), the control unit 120 determines that the authentication is successful. A determination is made (SA7: YES), and the process proceeds to SA9.

  In SA9, the control unit 120 resets the flags K, Y, C, and M corresponding to the ink cartridge 30 that has been successfully authenticated.

  Next, the control unit 120 determines whether or not at least one of the four flags K, Y, C, and M is set (SA10). When the flags K, Y, C, and M are set (SA10: YES), the control unit 120 proceeds to SA6. In this way, authentication is performed for all the ink cartridges 30 in which the flags K, Y, C, and M are set. When the flags K, Y, C, and M are all reset (SA10: NO), the first control is finished and the process returns to the standby state.

[Second control flow]
As shown in FIG. 8, the control unit 120 first executes SB1 similar to SA2. In SB1, the control unit 120 determines whether or not conduction has occurred. When a signal is not output from the open / close sensor 115 due to some trouble such as a failure, the first control is not executed. Even in this case, since SB1 is executed, when the ink cartridge 30 is inserted into and removed from the cartridge housing portion 110, it can be determined whether or not the ink cartridge 30 has become conductive. When it is determined that the control unit 120 is not conducting (SB1: NO), the process of SB1 is repeated. On the other hand, when it is determined that the control unit 120 has become conductive (SB1: YES), the corresponding flags K, Y, C, and M are set (SB2), similarly to SA3. SB1 and SB2 are also performed for each ink cartridge 30 inserted into and removed from the cartridge housing portion 110. In this way, the second control is finished and the standby state is restored.

[Third control flow]
As shown in FIG. 9, the control unit 120 first determines whether or not a recording command including image data transmitted from an external device has been received (SC1). When the recording command is not received (SC1: NO), the control unit 120 repeats the process of SC1. When the recording command is received (SC1: YES), the control unit 120 executes SC2 similar to SA5.

  When the flags K, Y, C, and M are not set (SC2: NO), that is, when the ink cartridge 30 has been replaced but the new ink cartridge 30 has been successfully authenticated, When the exchange has not been performed, the control unit 120 proceeds to SC8.

  When the first control enters the standby state via SA8, at least one of the four flags K, Y, C, and M remains set. Even when the second control is executed and enters a standby state, at least one of the four flags K, Y, C, and M remains set. Further, when a standby state is entered via SD5 in the fourth control described later, at least one of the four flags K, Y, C, and M remains set. Thus, when at least one of the four flags K, Y, C, and M is set (SC2: YES), that is, the authentication of the ink cartridge 30 has failed and the authentication of the ink cartridge 30 has not been performed. In this case, the control unit 120 executes SC3 to SC7 similar to SA6 to SA10. That is, when an authentication command is transmitted to the IC 78 of the ink cartridge 30 corresponding to any of the set flags K, Y, C, and M and the authentication fails (SC4: NO), the control unit 120 displays the display unit 150. And an authentication error message for the ink cartridge 30 for which authentication has failed is displayed (SC5). In this way, the third control is completed and the standby state is restored. In this way, it is possible to prevent the recording process from being executed in a state where the wrong ink cartridge 30 is attached or in a state where the ink cartridge 30 is not attached.

  On the other hand, when the authentication for the ink cartridge 30 to which the authentication command is transmitted is successful in SC4 (SC4: YES), the control unit 120 sets the flags K, Y, C, and M corresponding to the ink cartridge 30 for which the authentication is successful. Reset (SC6). Thereafter, when there is an ink cartridge 30 in which the flags K, Y, C, and M are set (SC7: YES), the control unit 120 returns to SC3. In this way, authentication is performed for all the ink cartridges 30 in which the flags K, Y, C, and M are set. When flags K, Y, C, and M are all reset (SC7: NO), control unit 120 proceeds to SC8.

  If it is determined that the flags K, Y, C, and M are not set after SC7 and in SC2, the control unit 120 executes recording processing in SC8. That is, the control unit 120 controls each unit so as to execute a recording operation on the sheet based on the recording command. The control unit 120 controls the paper feed motor 23m, the transport motor 25m, and the discharge motor 22m to transport the paper in the paper feed tray 15. Further, the control unit 120 controls the recording head 21 and the carriage motor 27m based on the image data, ejects ink onto the paper, and records a desired image on the paper. Thereafter, the sheet on which the image is recorded is discharged to the discharge tray 16 by the discharge roller pair 22, and the recording operation is completed. In this way, the third control is completed and the standby state is restored.

[Fourth control flow]
As shown in FIG. 10, when the power of the printer 10 is turned on (SD1), the control unit 120 transmits an authentication command to the IC 78 of any one of the ink cartridges 30 and starts authentication communication (SD2). At this time, a transmission flag is set for the ink cartridge 30 that has transmitted the authentication command in SD2. That is, the transmission flag K is set for the black ink cartridge 30K, the transmission flag Y is set for the yellow ink cartridge 30Y, the transmission flag C is set for the cyan ink cartridge 30C, and the transmission flag M is set for the magenta ink cartridge 30M. After SD2, SD3 similar to SA7 is executed. When it is determined in SD3 that the authentication has failed (SD3: NO), the control unit 120 controls the display unit 150 to display an authentication error message for the ink cartridge 30 in which the authentication has failed (SD4). In SD4, the control unit 120 sets flags K, Y, C, and M for the ink cartridge 30 that has failed authentication. In this way, the fourth control is completed and the standby state is restored.

  On the other hand, when the authentication for the ink cartridge 30 is successful in SD3 (SD3: YES), the control unit 120 resets the flags K, Y, C, and M for the ink cartridge 30 for which the authentication is successful (SD5). Thereafter, the control unit 120 determines whether or not the four transmission flags K, Y, C, and M are set (SD6). When the four transmission flags K, Y, C, and M are not set (SD6: NO), the control unit 120 returns to SD2, and returns to the ink cartridge 30 in which the transmission flags K, Y, C, and M are not set. An authentication command is transmitted to the IC 78. In this way, authentication is performed for all ink cartridges 30, and the flags K, Y, C, and M for the ink cartridge 30 that has been successfully authenticated are reset.

  When the first control enters the standby state via SA8, at least one of the four flags K, Y, C, and M remains set. When the second control is executed and enters a standby state, at least one of the four flags K, Y, C, and M remains set. When the third control enters the standby state via SC5, at least one of the four flags K, Y, C, and M remains set. Even when the printer 10 is turned off in such a standby state and an appropriate ink cartridge 30 corresponding to the printer 10 is attached when the power is off, all the ink cartridges 30 are turned on when the power is turned on. On the other hand, since the authentication is performed, the flags K, Y, C, and M can be reset.

  When the four transmission flags K, Y, C, and M are set (SD6: YES), the control unit 120 resets all of these transmission flags. In this way, the fourth control is completed and the standby state is restored.

  As described above, according to the printer 10 according to the present embodiment, in the first and second controls, the contact 106b and the contact 106c are brought into conduction in the process of inserting and removing the ink cartridge 30. Flags K, Y, C, M are set (SA3, SB2). In the first control, when the cartridge cover 111 changes from the open position to the closed position, authentication communication (SA6) is performed for the ink cartridge 30 in which the flags K, Y, C, and M are set. However, if the signal is not output from the opening / closing sensor 115 due to some trouble after the flags K, Y, C, and M are set, the authentication communication is not started even if the carriage cover 111 changes from the open position to the closed position. For example, even if the flags K, Y, C, and M are set for this reason, even if the authentication communication (SA6) is not performed before receiving the recording command, the control unit 120 When the recording command is received, that is, in the third control, when flags K, Y, C, and M are set, authentication communication (SC3) is performed. Even if the first control is not executed because no signal is output from the open / close sensor 115 due to some trouble before the cartridge cover 111 is opened, the flags K, Y, C, M is set (SB2). If the flags K, Y, C, and M are set, authentication communication (SC3) is performed when a recording command is received. Accordingly, it is possible to prevent the recording from being executed in a state where the wrong ink cartridge 30 is accommodated.

  For example, when the open / close sensor is out of order, it is conceivable that the ink cartridge is authenticated before recording, triggered by the reception of the recording command. However, in this case, it is necessary to authenticate the ink cartridge every time a recording command is received, and it takes time to start recording. In the present embodiment, if the flags K, Y, C, and M are reset as a result of the SA6 authentication communication in the third control (SA9), the authentication is performed after the recording command is received. Communication is not performed (SC2: NO). Therefore, it is possible to shorten the time required from when the recording command is received to when recording is started.

  In the first control, authentication communication is started when the flags K, Y, C, and M are set by moving the cartridge cover 111 from the open position to the closed position. In this case, it is not necessary to perform authentication communication every time a recording command is received, and the number of authentication communication can be reduced. For this reason, it is possible to shorten the time required from when the recording command is received to when recording is started. Furthermore, if authentication communication is performed in a state where the cartridge cover 111 is in the closed position, the ink cartridge 30 is not easily removed from the cartridge housing portion 110 during authentication communication. For this reason, it is possible to prevent problems such as a failure of the IC 78 of the ink cartridge 30 that is caused by the ink cartridge 30 being removed during authentication communication, and the control unit 120 of the printer 10 being unable to read or write correct data.

  In the fourth control, authentication communication of the ink cartridge 30 is performed when the printer 10 is turned on (SD2). When authentication by authentication communication is successful, the flags K, Y, C, and M are reset (SD5). On the other hand, if the authentication fails, flags K, Y, C, and M are set (SD4). Then, in SC2, it is determined whether or not the authentication in the fourth control is successful. For this reason, even when the ink cartridge 30 is inserted / removed when the power is not turned on, it can be determined whether or not the proper ink cartridge 30 is inserted into the cartridge housing portion 110. It is possible to prevent recording from being executed in a state where the ink cartridge 30 is accommodated.

  When the power is not turned on, the ink cartridge 30 is inserted and removed, and when an appropriate ink cartridge 30 is inserted into the cartridge housing 110, the flags K, Y, and C are used in the processing after the power is turned on (SD5). , M are reset, authentication communication is not performed when a recording command is received (SC2: NO). For this reason, it is possible to shorten the time required from when the recording command is received to when recording is started.

  In the third control, when the authentication in SC4 is successful, the flags K, Y, C, and M are reset. As a result, even if the next recording command is received before the ink cartridge 30 is inserted or removed, it is not necessary to perform authentication communication, and the number of authentication communication can be reduced. For this reason, it is possible to shorten the time required to start recording after receiving the next recording command.

  The contact 106 c contacts the GND electrode 77 and is electrically connected when the ink cartridge 30 is mounted in the cartridge housing portion 110. This eliminates the need to provide a dedicated contact for conducting the contact 106b.

  A connection electrode 79 is provided on the ink cartridge 30. The two contact points 106 b and 106 c alternately take a conductive state and a non-conductive state by the connection electrode 79 in the process of inserting and removing the ink cartridge 30. For this reason, it is not necessary to separately provide a dedicated sensor for detecting insertion and removal of the ink cartridge 30.

  The connection electrode 79 is disposed downstream of the signal electrode 76 and the GND electrode 77 in the insertion direction 56, and extends in the width direction 53 so as to contact the contact 106c while contacting the contact 106b. Thereby, before the contact between the signal electrode 76 and the contact 106b, and between the GND electrode 77 and the contact 106c in the insertion process, the contact 106b and the contact 106c are brought into conduction, and in the removal process, the contact between the signal electrode 76 and the contact 106c. It is possible to make the contact 106b and the contact 106c conductive after the 106b and the GND electrode 77 and the contact 106c are separated.

  In the present embodiment described above, the printer 10 corresponds to the “recording apparatus” of the present invention. The cartridge housing part 110 corresponds to the “housing part” of the present invention. The cartridge cover 111 corresponds to the “cover” of the present invention. The open / close sensor 115 corresponds to the “sensor” of the present invention. The ink cartridge 30 corresponds to the “cartridge” of the present invention. The reservoir 36 corresponds to the “reservoir” of the present invention. The IC 78 corresponds to the “first storage unit” of the present invention. The RAM 123 corresponds to the “second storage unit” of the present invention. The signal electrode 76 corresponds to the “first contact” of the present invention. The GND electrode 77 corresponds to the “fourth contact” of the present invention. The connection electrode 79 corresponds to the “conductor constituting the conductive portion” of the present invention. The contact 106b corresponds to the “second contact” of the present invention. The contact 106c corresponds to the “third contact” of the present invention. The control unit 120 corresponds to the “control unit” of the present invention. Each process of SA3 and SB2 corresponds to the “first information storage process” of the present invention. The process of SA6 corresponds to the “first authentication process” of the present invention. The process of SA9 corresponds to the “second information storage process” of the present invention. The process of SC7 corresponds to the “recording process” of the present invention. The process of SC3 corresponds to the “second authentication process” of the present invention. The process of SC6 corresponds to the “success information storage process” of the present invention. The process of SD2 corresponds to the “power-on authentication process” of the present invention. The process of SD4 corresponds to the “third information storage process” of the present invention. The process of SD5 corresponds to the “fourth information storage process” of the present invention. The setting of the flag corresponds to “store the first information in the second storage unit” of the present invention. The resetting of the flag corresponds to “storing the second information in the second storage unit” of the present invention.

  Next, modified embodiments in which various modifications are made to the above-described embodiment will be described. However, components having the same configuration as those of the above-described embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals and description thereof is omitted as appropriate.

1] In the above-described embodiment, the flag is set when the ink cartridge 30 is inserted into and removed from the cartridge housing portion 110 and the contact 106b and the contact 106c are brought into conduction, but as shown in FIGS. Authentication communication may be performed without setting a flag when the contact 106b and the contact 106c are brought into conduction and without the condition that the cartridge cover 111 takes the closed position. The 1st-4th control in this 1st modification form is demonstrated below, referring FIGS. 11-14. Also in this modified embodiment, four ink cartridges 30 are accommodated in the cartridge accommodating portion 110 in advance.

[First control flow]
As shown in FIG. 11, the control unit 120 first executes TA1 and TA2 similar to SA1 and SA2 in the above-described embodiment. In TA2, as in the above-described embodiment, the control unit 120 determines whether the contact 106b, 106c corresponding to which ink cartridge 30 is conductive based on a signal indicating the conductive state from each circuit 126. Can do. If the control unit 120 determines that TA2 is not conducting (TA2: NO), the control unit 120 proceeds to TA7. On the other hand, when it is determined that the connection is established (TA2: YES), that is, when the ink cartridge 30 is inserted / removed, the control unit 120 performs authentication communication similar to that in the above-described embodiment with respect to the inserted / removed ink cartridge 30. Start (TA3).

  After TA3, the control unit 120 determines whether or not the authentication is successful in the ink cartridge 30 to which the authentication command has been transmitted (TA4). At this time, if it is determined that the authentication has failed as in the above-described embodiment (TA4: NO), the control unit 120 sets the flags K, Y, C, and M (TA5). In TA5, the control unit 120 controls the display unit 150 to display an authentication error message for the ink cartridge 30 that has failed authentication. Accordingly, it is possible to notify the user that an ink cartridge having a different standard is installed in the cartridge housing portion 110 and that the ink cartridge 30 is not installed. As a result, the user can mount an appropriate ink cartridge 30. If a new ink cartridge 30 is installed before the cartridge cover 111 is closed, the above TA2 to TA4 are executed.

  On the other hand, when the replaced ink cartridge 30 is an appropriate one corresponding to the printer 10 (TA4: YES), the control unit 120 executes TA6 similar to SA9 described above. That is, the control unit 120 resets the flags K, Y, C, and M when the flags K, Y, C, and M are set.

  After TA6, the control unit 120 determines whether or not the cartridge cover 111 is closed based on a signal from the open / close sensor 115 (TA7). If not closed (TA7: NO), the control unit 120 returns to the TA2 process. If another ink cartridge 30 is inserted and removed before the cartridge cover 111 is closed, TA2 to TA6 similar to those described above are executed. As described above, in this modified embodiment, authentication is performed for each inserted and removed ink cartridge 30. When it is closed (TA7: YES), the first control is finished and a standby state is entered. In this modified embodiment, when another ink cartridge 30 is inserted and connected while authentication of the previously inserted ink cartridge 30 is performed, the authentication of the other ink cartridge 30 is also performed in parallel. However, the authentication of another ink cartridge 30 may be performed after the authentication of the previously inserted ink cartridge 30 is completed.

[Second control flow]
As shown in FIG. 12, the control unit 120 first executes TB1 similar to SB1 of the above-described embodiment. When no signal is output from the open / close sensor 115 due to some trouble such as a failure of the open / close sensor 115, the first control is not executed. Even in this case, since TB1 is executed, it can be determined whether or not the ink cartridge 30 is turned on when the ink cartridge 30 is inserted into or removed from the cartridge housing portion 110. Also in TB1, the control unit 120 can determine which ink cartridge 30 has been inserted or removed. And the control part 120 repeats the process of TB1, when it determines with not being electrically conductive (TB1: NO). On the other hand, if it is determined that the control unit 120 is conductive (TB1: YES), the control unit 120 executes the processing of TB2 to TB5 similar to TA3 to TA6. TB1 to TB5 are also performed for each ink cartridge 30 inserted into and removed from the cartridge housing portion 110. In this way, the second control is finished and the standby state is restored.

[Third control flow]
As shown in FIG. 13, the control unit 120 first executes TC1 similar to SC1 of the above-described embodiment. When the recording command is not received (TC1: NO), the control unit 120 repeats the process of TC1. When the recording command is received (TC1: YES), the control unit 120 executes TC2 similar to SC2 of the above-described embodiment.

  In TC2, when determining that the flags K, Y, C, and M are set (TC2: YES), the control unit 120 ends the third control and returns to the standby state. For this reason, it is possible to prevent the recording process from being executed in a state where the wrong ink cartridge 30 is attached or in a state where the ink cartridge 30 is not attached.

  When the flags K, Y, C, and M are not set (TC2: NO), that is, when the ink cartridge 30 has been replaced but the new ink cartridge 30 has been successfully authenticated, the control unit 120 TC3 similar to SC8 of the above-described embodiment is executed. In this way, the third control is completed and the standby state is restored.

[Fourth control flow]
As shown in FIG. 14, the control unit 120 executes TD1 to TD6 similar to SD1 to SD6 of the above-described embodiment. When the authentication for the ink cartridge 30 is successful in TD3 (TD3: YES), the control unit 120 resets the flags K, Y, C, and M when the flags K, Y, C, and M are set ( TD5). That is, when the first control enters the standby state via TA5, the flags K, Y, C, and M remain set. When the standby state is entered via TB4 in the second control, the flags K, Y, C, and M remain set. When the standby state is entered via TC2 (NO) in the third control, the flags K, Y, C, and M remain set. Even when the printer 10 is turned off in such a standby state and an appropriate ink cartridge 30 corresponding to the printer 10 is attached when the power is off, all the ink cartridges 30 are turned on when the power is turned on. On the other hand, since the authentication is performed, the flags K, Y, C, and M can be reset. In this way, the fourth control is completed and the standby state is restored.

  As described above, according to the printer of the first modification, in the first and second controls, the contact 106b and the contact 106c are brought into conduction in the process of inserting and removing the ink cartridge 30. Authentication communication (TA3, TB2) is performed on the replaced ink cartridge 30. If authentication fails, flags K, Y, C, and M are set (TA5, TB4). If authentication succeeds, flags K, Y, C, and M are reset (TA6, TB5). When the control unit 120 receives the recording command and performs the recording process when the flags K, Y, C, and M are reset, the recording is executed in a state where the wrong ink cartridge 30 is accommodated. Can be prevented.

  In the third control, when the flag K, Y, C, M is reset as a result of the TA3 or TB2 authentication communication (TA6, TB5), after receiving the recording command, Authentication communication is not performed (TC2: NO). Therefore, it is possible to shorten the time required from when the recording command is received to when recording is started. Moreover, the same effect can be acquired also in the structure similar to the above-mentioned embodiment.

  When the controller 120 becomes conductive at TA2, the controller 120 executes authentication communication even if the cartridge cover 111 is not closed. If the authentication communication is performed before the cartridge cover 111 is closed in this way, the start time of the authentication communication is advanced. For this reason, even when authentication communication takes time, the end time of the authentication communication can be advanced.

  Further, when all four ink cartridges 30 are replaced, authentication communication is executed in order from the replaced ink cartridge 30. When the authentication communication is executed after the cartridge cover 111 is closed as in the above-described embodiment, the end time of the authentication communication of the four ink cartridges 30 is delayed. However, in this modified embodiment, authentication communication is executed for the replaced ink cartridge 30 as soon as it becomes conductive. While one ink cartridge 30 is being mounted, authentication communication can be executed for another ink cartridge 30. For this reason, the end time of the authentication communication of the four ink cartridges 30 is advanced. As a result, even when the recording command is received during the authentication communication, the authentication communication is completed relatively quickly, so that the time required to start recording can be shortened.

2] In the above-described embodiment, as long as at least one of the four ink cartridges 30 is inserted and removed, a commonly used flag may be set. In this case, authentication is performed for the four ink cartridges 30, and if at least one of the authentications fails, the control unit 120 controls the display unit 150 to display an authentication error message for the ink cartridge 30. If the authentication of all four ink cartridges 30 is successful, the flag is reset. Even in this case, as in the above-described embodiment, it is possible to prevent the recording from being executed in a state where the wrong ink cartridge 30 is accommodated.

3] In the above-described embodiment, the connection electrode 79 that temporarily connects the two contacts 106b and 106c is provided in the ink cartridge 30 in the process of inserting and removing the ink cartridge 30, but the two contacts 106b are provided. , 106c may be provided.

  As shown in FIG. 15, the conduction portion 109 is provided on the top surface 104 of the case 101 of the cartridge housing portion 110 in the second modification. The conducting portion 109 is disposed on the end surface 102 side with respect to the insertion / extraction direction 50 with respect to the contact points 106a to 106c. Similarly to the contacts 106 a to 106 c, the conduction portion 109 has a bent shape that protrudes obliquely downward from the top surface 104 and has a tip portion bent toward the top surface 104. The conduction portion 109 is formed of a member having conductivity and elasticity, and can be elastically deformed toward the top surface 104 side. The conductive portion 109 is disposed along the insertion / extraction direction 50 at a position overlapping the two contact points 106b and 106c.

  The connection electrode 79 is not provided on the IC substrate 74 of the ink cartridge 30. A protrusion 37 is provided at the front end of the upper wall 41 of the main body 31. The protruding portion 37 is disposed at a position overlapping the conducting portion 109 along the insertion / extraction direction 50. Further, the protrusion 37 engages with the conduction portion 109 in the process of inserting and withdrawing the ink cartridge 30, thereby pushing up the two contacts 106b and 106c upward, and the conduction portion 109 and the two contacts 106b and 106c. Contact.

  In this configuration, when the ink cartridge 30 is inserted into the cartridge housing portion 110, the IC substrate 74 approaches the three contacts 106a to 106c as shown in FIG. When the insertion of the ink cartridge 30 is further advanced, as shown in FIG. 15B, the projecting portion 37 pushes up the conducting portion 109, and the conducting portion 109 comes into contact with the two contact points 106b and 106c. 106c will be in the conduction | electrical_connection state which is a state mutually electrically connected. Then, when the ink cartridge 30 is further pushed in from the position in the conductive state and the insertion of the ink cartridge 30 is completed, each of the three contacts 106a, 106b, 106c corresponds as shown in FIG. The IC 78 and the control unit 120 are electrically connected to contact with the electrodes 75 to 77. At this time, the protruding portion 37 and the conducting portion 109 are separated from each other, and the conducting portion 109 is elastically returned to the original position. For this reason, the conduction part 109 is separated from the two contact points 106b and 106c, and the contact points 106b and 106c are in a non-conduction state where they are not connected to each other. In the removal process of removing the ink cartridge 30 from the cartridge housing part 110, the conduction part 109 is connected to the signal electrode 76 and the contact 106b, and the GND electrode 77 and the contact, similarly to the connection electrode 79 in the above-described embodiment. The contact 106b and the contact 106c come into contact with each other after the distance 106c is separated, and the contacts 106b and 106c are brought into a conductive state. Then, when the ink cartridge 30 is further pulled out from the conductive position, the conductive portion 109 is separated from the two contact points 106b and 106c, and the contact points 106b and 106c are not connected to each other. As described above, in the insertion process and the removal process of the ink cartridge 30, the two contact points 106 b and 106 c alternately take a conductive state and a non-conductive state by the conductive part 109. In the printer according to the second modification, the same effect as that of the above-described embodiment can be obtained.

4] After determining that the insertion port 110a has changed from the closed state to the open state based on the open signal from the open / close sensor 115, the control unit 120 opens the insertion port 110a based on the close signal from the open / close sensor 115. Authentication communication may be performed for the replaced ink cartridge 30 until it is determined that the state has changed to the closed state. In this case, for example, when the cartridge cover 111 is open, authentication communication may be performed every 10 seconds after the cartridge cover 111 is turned on. Thus, the authentication communication is started after the change from the closed state to the open state and before the change from the open state to the closed state. For this reason, the start time of authentication communication becomes relatively early, and even when authentication communication takes time, the end time of authentication communication can be advanced.

5] In the process of inserting and removing the ink cartridge 30, the two contacts that are temporarily brought into conduction may be contacts other than the signal contact and the contact connected to the ground. In short, any contact that can apply different potentials may be used. The GND electrode 77 that contacts the contact 106c may not be provided. That is, the contact corresponding to the fourth contact may not be provided.

6] As authentication of authentication communication, information on the ink cartridge may be read, and it may be determined whether to authenticate based on whether the information corresponds to the printer. As an authentication method for the ink cartridge, a well-known authentication method such as a one-time password method, a public key encryption method, or a challenge and response method may be employed. In addition, a dedicated IC chip for performing authentication processing may be separately provided in the printer body in accordance with the authentication method employed.

7] An external storage device connected to the control unit 120 of the printer may be further provided, and the first information and the second information may be stored in the storage device.

  In the above-described embodiments and modifications thereof, the present invention is applied to a printer that ejects ink onto paper and records an image or the like. For example, a cartridge that contains toner as a printing fluid other than ink is used. The present invention can also be applied to an electrophotographic recording apparatus that can be accommodated.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Printer 30 Ink cartridge 36 Storage part 76 Signal electrode 77 GND electrode 78 IC
79 Connection electrode 106b Contact 106c Contact 109 Conducting part 110 Cartridge housing part 110a Insertion port 111 Cartridge cover 115 Open / close sensor 120 Control part 123 RAM

Claims (10)

A storage section that can store a cartridge having a storage section that stores printing fluid, a first storage section, and a first contact that is electrically connected to the first storage section;
A second contact provided at a position in contact with the first contact of the cartridge when the cartridge is mounted in the accommodating portion;
A third contact provided at a position different from the second contact;
A second storage unit;
And a control unit,
In the insertion process of inserting the cartridge into the housing part and the removal process of removing the cartridge from the housing part, the control unit causes the second contact and the third contact to interfere with the cartridge. A first information storage process for storing, in the second storage unit, first information indicating that it is necessary to perform authentication when the connection is established;
When the first information is stored in the second storage unit at a predetermined opportunity before receiving the recording command, authentication communication with the first storage unit is performed via the first contact and the second contact. A first authentication process to be performed;
A second information storage process for storing, in the second storage unit, second information indicating that it is not necessary to perform authentication when the authentication of the first authentication process is successful;
A recording process for recording on a recording medium if the second information is stored in the second storage unit when the recording command is received;
If the first information is stored in the second storage unit when the recording command is received, the first storage unit performs authentication communication with the first storage unit via the first contact and the second contact. 2. A recording apparatus that performs two authentication processing. It further includes a sensor that outputs a different signal depending on whether the insertion port of the housing portion is open or in a closed state where the insertion port is closed,
The recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the predetermined trigger is when the control unit determines that the open state has changed to the closed state based on a signal from the sensor. The controller is
A power-on authentication process for performing the authentication communication with the first storage unit via the first contact and the second contact when the power is turned on;
A third information storage process for storing the first information in the second storage unit when authentication of the power-on authentication process fails;
3. The recording apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a fourth information storage process for storing the second information in the second storage unit when the authentication of the power-on authentication process is successful. . The controller is
The success information storage process of storing the second information in the second storage unit when the authentication of the second authentication process is successful is further performed. Recording device. The cartridge further includes a fourth contact electrically connected to the first storage unit,
The said 3rd contact is arrange | positioned in the position contact | abutted with a said 4th contact, when the said cartridge is mounted | worn in the said accommodating part, The any one of Claims 1-4 characterized by the above-mentioned. Recording device.   In the insertion process and the withdrawal process, conduction that alternately takes a conduction state in which the second contact and the third contact are conducted and a non-conduction state in which the second contact and the third contact are not conducted. The recording apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a unit. It further comprises a cartridge having the conducting part,
The conducting portion is configured by a conductor disposed downstream of the first contact along the insertion direction in which the cartridge is inserted into the housing portion.
The recording apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the conductor extends in an in-plane direction including the insertion direction so as to contact the third contact while being in contact with the second contact. It further comprises a cover that can open and close the insertion port by selectively taking an open position for taking the open state and a closed position for taking the closed state,
The recording apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the sensor is a cover sensor that outputs a signal according to whether the cover is in the open position or the closed position.   The recording apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the cover is configured to be rotatable between the open position and the closed position about an axis. A storage section that can store a cartridge having a storage section that stores printing fluid, a first storage section, and a first contact that is electrically connected to the first storage section;
A second contact provided at a position in contact with the first contact of the cartridge when the cartridge is mounted in the accommodating portion;
A third contact provided at a position different from the second contact;
A second storage unit;
And a control unit,
In the insertion process of inserting the cartridge into the housing part and the removal process of removing the cartridge from the housing part, the control unit causes the second contact and the third contact to interfere with the cartridge. A first authentication process for performing authentication communication with the first storage unit via the first contact and the second contact when conducting,
A first information storage process for storing, in the second storage unit, first information indicating that authentication is required when authentication of the first authentication process fails;
A second information storage process for storing, in the second storage unit, second information indicating that it is not necessary to perform authentication when the authentication of the first authentication process is successful;
Upon receiving the record instruction, the case where the second information is stored in the second storage unit, a recording unit and performs a recording process for recording on the recording medium.