JP7213128B2 - printer with cutting head - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to printers with cutting heads.

Conventionally, a cutting head that prints an image on a medium such as a backing paper and a sealing material consisting of a release paper laminated on the backing paper and coated with an adhesive, and then cuts the periphery of the image printed on the medium. printers are known. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses such a printer with a cutting head.

Japanese Patent No. 4855510

By the way, in the above-described printer with a cutting head, in order to suppress ejection failures such as clogging of the nozzles of the ink head that ejects ink, the ink head is periodically tapped at predetermined intervals while the printer is on standby. A cleaning process is performed. The cleaning process includes a suction process for sucking ink from the nozzles of the ink head, and the suction process is a process that consumes ink. The ink consumed in the cleaning process is difficult to reuse on the spot and is discarded.

Users who use a printer with a cutting head as described above include users who mainly only print on media and users who mainly only cut media. The cleaning process described above is also performed for printers used by users who mainly only cut media. Therefore, even printers that do not print very often waste ink even though they do not use ink heads.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide a printer with a cutting head capable of reducing ink consumption associated with cleaning.

A printer with a cutting head according to the present invention includes a support base, an ink head, a cutting head, a cap unit, a wiper unit, a mode setting device, and a control device. The support table supports a medium. The ink head has a nozzle surface formed with nozzles for ejecting ink onto the medium supported by the support base. The cutting head cuts the medium supported by the support base. The cap unit has a cap that can be attached to the nozzle surface, a capping mechanism that attaches and separates the cap from the nozzle surface, and a suction pump that is connected to the cap. The wiper unit has a wiper that can come into contact with the nozzle surface, and a wiping mechanism that brings the wiper into contact with the nozzle surface and separates it from the nozzle surface. The mode setting device uses the ink head to perform printing on the medium supported by the support base as a printing process, and cuts the medium supported on the support base by the cutting head. is set as a cut process, one mode is set by the user from setting modes having at least a cut mode in which the cut process is performed and the print process is not performed, and a print mode in which at least the print process is performed. do. The control device includes a suction control section, a wiping control section, a capping control section, a mode acquisition section, and a non-cleaning control section. The suction control section attaches the cap to the nozzle surface and performs a suction process of controlling the cap unit to suck ink from the nozzles. The wiping control section performs a wiping process of controlling the wiper unit to wipe the nozzle surface with the wiper. After the wiping process, the capping control section performs a capping process of controlling the cap unit to attach the cap to the nozzle surface. The mode acquisition unit acquires the set mode set by the mode setting device. A process in which the suction process by the suction control unit, the wiping process by the wiping control part, and the capping process by the capping control part are performed at predetermined time intervals is defined as regular cleaning process. The non-cleaning control unit does not perform the regular cleaning process when the setting mode acquired by the mode acquiring unit is the cut mode during standby when printing and cutting are not performed on the medium.

According to the printer with a cutting head according to the present invention, control is performed so that the regular cleaning process is not executed according to the set mode acquired by the mode acquisition section. When the setting mode is the cut mode, there is a low possibility that print processing using the ink head will be performed. Therefore, during standby in the cut mode, the consumption of ink is suppressed without performing regular cleaning processing. Therefore, since the periodic cleaning process may not be performed depending on the set mode, it is possible to reduce consumption of ink associated with the cleaning process.

According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a printer with a cutting head capable of reducing ink consumption accompanying cleaning processing.

1 is a front view of a printer with a cutting head according to an embodiment; FIG. It is a front view of an inkjet head and a cutting head. It is a front view of an inkjet head and a cutting head. 1 is a schematic diagram of an ink supply system; FIG. 4 is a bottom view showing the nozzle surface of the ink head; FIG. It is a front view of a wiper unit. It is a schematic diagram which shows an operation panel. 1 is a block diagram of a printer with a cutting head; FIG. It is a figure which shows the kind of setting mode. 4 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure of cleaning processing; 7 is a flowchart showing a procedure for switching between presence and absence of regular cleaning processing; 7 is a flowchart showing a procedure of wiper replacement notification processing; 4 is a flow chart showing a procedure of empty ink notification processing; 7 is a flowchart showing the procedure of manual cleaning notification processing; It is the flowchart which showed the procedure which switches the presence or absence of a notification process. It is a figure which shows the setting mode screen which concerns on a modification.

An embodiment of a printer with a cutting head according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. It should be noted that the embodiments described herein are, of course, not intended to specifically limit the present invention.

FIG. 1 is a front view of a printer 100 with a cutting head according to this embodiment. Hereinafter, the printer 100 with a cutting head is simply referred to as the printer 100. FIG. In the following description, symbols F, Rr, L, R, U, and D in the drawings are used when the printer 100 is viewed from the front (here, when the printer 100 is viewed from the side on which the medium 5 is conveyed during printing). ) shall mean before, after, left, right, above and below, respectively. Symbol Y in the drawing indicates the main scanning direction. In this embodiment, the main scanning direction Y is the horizontal direction. Symbol X in the drawing indicates the sub-scanning direction. In this embodiment, the sub-scanning direction X is the front-rear direction, and is orthogonal to the main scanning direction Y in plan view. However, the above directions are merely directions determined for convenience, and should not be construed as limited.

As shown in FIG. 1, the printer 100 is an inkjet printer with a cutting head. The printer 100 has a cutting function and can print and cut the medium 5 . For example, although illustration is omitted, the medium 5 is a sealing material composed of a backing paper and a release paper laminated on the backing paper and coated with an adhesive. However, the medium 5 is not particularly limited as long as it can be printed and cut.

In this specification, the terms "cutting" and "cutting" refer to cutting the entire medium 5 in the thickness direction (for example, cutting both the mount and release paper of the sealing material), and cutting the medium 5 in the thickness direction. A case of cutting a part (for example, a case of cutting only the release paper without cutting the mounting paper of the sealing material) is included.

As shown in FIG. 1, the printer 100 has a main body 10 and legs 11 . The main body 10 has a casing extending in the main scanning direction Y. As shown in FIG. The legs 11 support the main body 10 and are provided on the lower surface of the main body 10 .

The printer 100 has a platen 16 and guide rails 17 . Platen 16 is an example of a support base. The platen 16 supports the medium 5 while printing and cutting the medium 5 . Printing and cutting of medium 5 is performed on platen 16 . The platen 16 extends in the main scanning direction Y. As shown in FIG. The guide rail 17 is arranged above the platen 16 . The guide rail 17 extends in the main scanning direction Y. As shown in FIG.

2A and 2B are front views of the inkjet head 20 and the cutting head 30. FIG. As shown in FIG. 2A, printer 100 includes inkjet head 20 and cutting head 30 . The inkjet head 20 prints on the medium 5 supported by the platen 16 . The inkjet head 20 is configured to be movable in the main scanning direction Y. As shown in FIG. The inkjet head 20 includes a carriage 21 and a plurality of ink heads 22 that eject ink. The ink head 22 will be described later. The carriage 21 is supported by guide rails 17 . The carriage 21 is engaged with the guide rail 17 so as to be movable in the main scanning direction Y. As shown in FIG. Here, the carriage 21 supports five ink heads 22 .

A cutting head 30 cuts the media 5 supported by the platen 16 . The cutting head 30 is configured to be movable in the main scanning direction Y. As shown in FIG. The cutting head 30 has a carriage 31 , a solenoid 32 and a cutter 33 . A cutter 33 is attached to the carriage 31 via a solenoid 32 . When the solenoid 32 is turned on/off, the cutter 33 moves vertically toward the medium 5 or away from the medium 5 . The carriage 31 is supported by the guide rails 17 . The carriage 31 is engaged with the guide rail 17 so as to be movable in the main scanning direction Y. As shown in FIG.

As shown in FIG. 1, the printer 100 has a head moving mechanism 40. As shown in FIG. The head moving mechanism 40 is a mechanism for moving the ink head 22 (see FIG. 2A) and the cutting head 30 in the main scanning direction Y. As shown in FIG. The head moving mechanism 40 is configured to move the carriage 21 of the inkjet head 20 and the carriage 31 of the cutting head 30 in the main scanning direction Y. As shown in FIG. In this embodiment, the head moving mechanism 40 includes a pulley 41 , a pulley 42 , a belt 43 and a carriage motor 44 . The pulley 41 is provided on the left end side of the guide rail 17 . The pulley 42 is provided on the right end side of the guide rail 17 . The belt 43 is endless and is wound around the pulleys 41 and 42 . The belt 43 is fixed to the upper back surface of the carriage 31 . A carriage motor 44 is connected to the right pulley 42 . When the carriage motor 44 is driven to rotate the pulley 42 , the belt 43 runs between the pulleys 41 and 42 . This causes the carriage 31 to move in the main scanning direction Y. As shown in FIG.

As shown in FIG. 2A, the left portion of the carriage 21 is provided with a connecting member 24 made of a magnet. A connecting member 34 made of a magnet is provided on the right side of the carriage 31 . The connecting member 24 is detachably connected to the connecting member 34 of the cutting head 30 . In this embodiment, the connecting member 24 and the connecting member 34 utilize magnetic force. However, the connecting member 24 and the connecting member 34 are not limited to those utilizing magnetic force, and may be provided with other configurations such as engaging members. An L-shaped receiving metal fitting 25 is provided on the right side of the carriage 21 .

The left end and right end of the platen 16 are supported by the left side frame 7L and the right side frame 7R, respectively. The guide rail 17 is supported by the left side frame 7L and the right side frame 7R. The right side frame 7R is provided with a lock device 35 for locking the inkjet head 20 at the standby position HP (see FIG. 2B). The locking device 35 includes a receiving metal fitting 36 hooked on the receiving metal fitting 25, and a locking solenoid 37 (see FIG. 7) for moving the receiving metal fitting 36 between a locking position (see FIG. 2B) and an unlocking position (see FIG. 2A). ) and

When printing with the inkjet head 20, the receiving metal fitting 36 is set to the unlocked position as shown in FIG. 2A. When the carriage 31 of the cutting head 30 moves to the right and the connecting member 34 and the connecting member 24 come into contact with each other, the carriage 31 and the carriage 21 are connected. As a result, the inkjet head 20 can move in the main scanning direction Y together with the cutting head 30 . On the other hand, when the cutting head 30 cuts the medium 5, as shown in FIG. 2B, the inkjet head 20 is positioned at the standby position HP, and the receiving metal fitting 36 of the lock device 35 is set at the lock position. Movement of the inkjet head 20 is restricted by this. When the carriage 31 moves to the left, the connecting member 34 and the connecting member 24 are separated, and the connection between the carriage 31 and the carriage 21 is released. As a result, the cutting head 30 can move in the main scanning direction Y while the inkjet head 20 is waiting at the waiting position HP.

As shown in FIG. 1, the printer 100 has a medium moving mechanism 45. As shown in FIG. The medium moving mechanism 45 moves in the sub-scanning direction X the medium 5 supported by the platen 16 . The medium moving mechanism 45 has a grit roller 46, a pinch roller 47, and a feed motor 48 (see FIG. 7). A grit roller 46 is provided on the platen 16 . Although not shown, the grit roller 46 is embedded in the platen 16 so that the upper portion of the grit roller 46 is exposed to the outside.

The pinch roller 47 presses the medium 5 from above and is arranged above the grit roller 46 . The pinch roller 47 sandwiches the medium 5 together with the grit roller 46 and faces the grit roller 46 . Also, the pinch roller 47 is configured to be vertically movable. The number of grit rollers 46 and pinch rollers 47 is not particularly limited. In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1, eight grit rollers 46 and eight pinch rollers 47 are provided. A plurality of grit rollers 46 are arranged side by side in the main scanning direction Y, and a plurality of pinch rollers 47 are arranged side by side in the main scanning direction Y. As shown in FIG.

As shown in FIG. 7, feed motor 48 is connected to grit roller 46 . When the feed motor 48 is driven to rotate the grit roller 46 while the medium 5 is sandwiched between the grit roller 46 and the pinch roller 47, the medium 5 is conveyed in the sub-scanning direction X.

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram showing the ink supply system 50. As shown in FIG. 4 is a bottom view showing the nozzle surface 26 of the ink head 22. FIG. The printer 100 includes multiple ink supply systems 50 (see FIG. 3). The ink supply system 50 is a system that supplies ink from an ink tank 51 (to be described later) toward the ink head 22 . The ink supply system 50 is provided for each nozzle row 27a (see FIG. 4), which will be described later. As shown in FIG. 4, in this embodiment, the number of nozzle rows 27a is five, so the number of ink supply systems 50 is five. However, the number of ink supply systems 50 is not limited. Here, all of the plurality of ink supply systems 50 have the same configuration. FIG. 3 shows one ink supply system 50 out of a plurality of ink supply systems 50, and illustration of the other ink supply systems 50 is omitted. Among the plurality of ink supply systems 50 , some of the ink supply systems 50 may have different configurations from other ink supply systems 50 . The configuration of one ink supply system 50 shown in FIG. 3 will be described below.

As shown in FIG. 3 , the ink supply system 50 includes an ink tank 51 , an ink head 22 , a damper 55 , an ink flow path 56 , an open/close valve 58 and a liquid feed pump 59 .

The ink tank 51 stores ink. The ink tank 51 is, for example, an ink cartridge. The shape of the ink tank 51 is not particularly limited, and is, for example, a pouch shape. In this embodiment, the number of ink tanks 51 is five, which is the same as the number of ink supply systems 50 . However, the number of ink tanks 51 is not particularly limited. The inks stored in one ink tank 51 include, for example, process color inks such as cyan ink, magenta ink, yellow ink, light cyan ink, light magenta ink, and black ink, white ink, metallic ink, orange ink, and black ink. , special color ink such as clear ink.

Incidentally, in this embodiment, the printer 100 is equipped with a remaining amount sensor 52 . The remaining amount sensor 52 is an example of an ink amount detection device. The remaining amount sensor 52 is provided in the ink tank 51 and detects the amount of ink stored in the ink tank 51 (in other words, the amount of ink stored). In this embodiment, the remaining amount sensor 52 is a sensor that detects when the amount of ink stored in the ink tank 51 is equal to or less than a predetermined determination amount. This determination amount is a value that indicates that the ink in the ink tank 51 is empty or that the amount of ink in the ink tank 51 is small. It is determined that it is time to replace the Note that the type of the remaining amount sensor 52 is not particularly limited, and is, for example, a photointerrupter.

The ink head 22 ejects ink toward the medium 5 (see FIG. 1) supported by the platen 16 (see FIG. 1). As shown in FIG. 2A, the ink head 22 is provided on the carriage 21 and is movable in the main scanning direction Y along the guide rails 17 together with the carriage 21 . As shown in FIG. 4, the ink head 22 has a nozzle surface 26 formed with a plurality of nozzles 27 for ejecting ink. A plurality of nozzles 27 are arranged side by side in the sub-scanning direction X in one ink head 22 . Here, a row of a plurality of nozzles 27 arranged in the sub-scanning direction X is called a nozzle row 27a. The nozzle surface 26 forms the lower surface of the ink head 22 and faces the platen 16 .

The number of ink heads 22 is not particularly limited. In this embodiment, the number of ink heads 22 is five, which is the same as the number of ink supply systems 50 . The five ink heads 22 are arranged side by side in the main scanning direction Y. As shown in FIG. However, the number of ink heads 22 need not be the same as the number of ink supply systems 50 . For example, two nozzle rows 27 a may be formed on the nozzle surface 26 of one ink head 22 . In this case, each nozzle row 27a of one ink head 22 may constitute a different ink supply system 50. FIG. In this case, the number of ink heads 22 is half the number of ink supply systems 50 .

As shown in FIG. 3, the damper 55 moderates pressure fluctuations of the ink and stabilizes the ink ejection operation of the ink head 22 . The damper 55 detects, for example, the flow rate of ink flowing into the damper 55 (in other words, the pressure inside the damper 55). Then, the liquid feed pump 59 is controlled based on the detection result of the ink flow rate. A damper 55 is connected to the ink head 22 . Here, the damper 55 is arranged above the ink head 22 .

The ink channel 56 is a channel for supplying the ink stored in the ink tank 51 to the ink head 22 . One end of the ink channel 56 is connected to the ink tank 51 . The other end of the ink channel 56 is connected to the ink head 22 via the damper 55 . In this embodiment, an open/close valve 58 and a liquid feed pump 59 are provided in the middle of the ink flow path 56 . The ink channel 56 has a first channel 56a, a second channel 56b, and a third channel 56c.

The first flow path 56 a is a flow path through which the ink stored in the ink tank 51 flows toward the open/close valve 58 . One end of the first flow path 56 a is detachably connected to the ink tank 51 . The other end of the first flow path 56a is connected to an opening/closing valve 58. As shown in FIG. The second flow path 56 b is a flow path through which ink flows from the open/close valve 58 toward the liquid transfer pump 59 . One end of the second flow path 56b is connected to an opening/closing valve 58. As shown in FIG. The other end of the second flow path 56b is connected to the liquid transfer pump 59. As shown in FIG. The third flow path 56 c is a flow path through which ink flows from the liquid-sending pump 59 toward the ink head 22 . One end of the third flow path 56 c is connected to the liquid transfer pump 59 . The other end of the third flow path 56 c is connected to the damper 55 and connected to the ink head 22 via the damper 55 .

The opening/closing valve 58 is a valve that can be opened and closed and that opens and closes the ink flow path 56 . By opening the open/close valve 58 , the ink stored in the ink tank 51 can be supplied to the ink head 22 . The open/close valve 58 is provided between the first flow path 56a and the second flow path 56b. Note that the type of the opening/closing valve 58 is not particularly limited. Here, the on-off valve 58 is an electrically controlled valve, such as a choke valve.

The liquid-sending pump 59 is a pump for supplying the ink in the ink tank 51 to the ink head 22 and promoting ejection of the ink from the ink head 22 . Although the type of liquid-sending pump 59 is not particularly limited, it is, for example, an openable and closable tube pump. The liquid-sending pump 59 is provided between the second flow path 56b and the third flow path 56c.

As shown in FIG. 3, the printer 100 has a cap unit 60. As shown in FIG. The cap unit 60 includes a cap 61 , a capping mechanism 62 and a suction pump 63 . The cap 61 is arranged at the standby position HP (see FIG. 2B) located at the right end of the guide rail 17 . Here, the standby position HP is a position where the ink head 22 waits when printing is not performed. The cap 61 prevents ink adhering to the nozzles 27 of the ink head 22 from hardening and causing ejection failures such as clogging of the nozzles 27 . The cap 61 is attached to the nozzle surface 26 of the ink head 22 . The cap 61 can be attached to the ink head 22 so as to cover the nozzles 27 of the ink head 22 during non-printing.

The capping mechanism 62 supports the cap 61 and moves the cap 61 as indicated by arrow A in FIG. The capping mechanism 62 is a mechanism that attaches the cap 61 to the nozzle surface 26 or separates it from the nozzle surface 26 . A capping mechanism 62 is connected to the cap 61 . The capping mechanism 62 is a mechanism that moves the cap 61 toward the nozzle surface 26 of the ink head 22 at the standby position HP (see FIG. 2B). The configuration of this capping mechanism 62 is not particularly limited. For example, the capping mechanism 62 includes a drive motor and a link mechanism that connects the drive motor and the cap 61 . By driving the drive motor, the cap 61 moves toward the nozzle surface 26 or separates from the nozzle surface 26 via the link mechanism.

The suction pump 63 sucks the ink inside the ink head 22 when the cap 61 is attached to the nozzle surface 26 . Also, the suction pump 63 sucks the ink inside the cap 61 . A suction pump 63 is connected to the cap 61 . Here, the cap 61 is connected to a waste liquid tank 65 via a discharge channel 64, which is an example of a tube. The suction pump 63 is provided in the middle of the discharge channel 64 . Ink sucked by the suction pump 63 is discharged to the waste liquid tank 65 .

FIG. 5 is a front view of the wiper unit 70. FIG. As shown in FIG. 5, the printer 100 has a wiper unit 70. As shown in FIG. The wiper unit 70 is arranged at the right end portion of the guide rail 17 near the standby position HP (see FIG. 2B) (for example, to the left of the standby position HP). The wiper unit 70 is a mechanism for wiping the nozzle surface 26 of the ink head 22 . As shown in FIG. 5 , the wiper unit 70 has a wiper 71 and a wiping mechanism 72 . The wiper 71 is a member that wipes the nozzle surface 26 of the ink head 22 and can come into contact with the nozzle surface 26 . The wiper 71 is a flat member extending in the front-rear direction and the up-down direction. The length of the wiper 71 in the front-rear direction is longer than the length of the ink head 22 in the front-rear direction. The wiper 71 is made of rubber, for example.

The wiping mechanism 72 supports the wiper 71 and brings the wiper 71 into contact with or away from the nozzle surface 26 of the ink head 22 . The wiping mechanism 72 includes a rotary shaft 73 , a cleaning liquid tank 74 and a rotary motor 75 . The rotating shaft 73 supports one end of the wiper 71 and is connected to the one end of the wiper 71 . The wiper 71 is rotatable around a rotating shaft 73 . The rotating shaft 73 extends in the front-rear direction. When the wiper 71 is arranged in a rotational position in which the end remote from the rotation shaft 73 faces upward, the end is positioned slightly higher than the nozzle surface 26 of the ink head 22 . Therefore, when the carriage 21 is moved while the wiper 71 is arranged at such a rotational position, the nozzle surface 26 can be wiped by the wiper 71 . On the other hand, the wiper 71 is immersed in the cleaning liquid in the cleaning liquid tank 74 installed below the rotating shaft 73 when the wiper 71 is placed in the rotating position so that the end remote from the rotating shaft 73 faces downward. The wiper 71 is rotated by a rotary motor 75 .

In the present embodiment, the ink head 22 is moved in the main scanning direction Y relative to the wiper 71 by moving the ink head 22 in the main scanning direction Y by the head moving mechanism 40 (see FIG. 1). ing.

As shown in FIG. 1, the printer 100 has an operation panel 80. As shown in FIG. The operation panel 80 is used by the user to perform operations related to printing and cutting. For example, the operation panel 80 can perform various settings related to printing such as resolution and ink density, various settings related to cutting, and can display various settings for printing and cutting. The installation position of the operation panel 80 is not particularly limited. In this embodiment, the operation panel 80 is arranged on the right front surface of the main body 10 . Also, the configuration of the operation panel 80 is not particularly limited.

FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram showing the operation panel 80. As shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 6 , the operation panel 80 has a display screen 81 and an operation section 82 . The display screen 81 is a screen that displays information about printing and cutting. The configuration of the display screen 81 is not particularly limited. For example, the display screen 81 may display only characters, or may display images in addition to characters. The display screen 81 is, for example, an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display).

The operation unit 82 is for the user to input various parameters and the like when making settings related to printing and cutting, and is operated by the user. The configuration of the operation unit 82 is not particularly limited. Here, the operation unit 82 has a plurality of buttons. Specifically, the operation unit 82 has a power button 83 , a function button 84 , a menu button 85 , an enter button 86 , a cursor button 87 , a pause button 88 and a mode button 89 .

The power button 83 is a button for setting the standby state of the printer 100 to ON or OFF. The function button 84 is a button for displaying a function menu screen on the display screen 81 . Here, the function menu screen is a screen on which settings of items such as printing, cutting, and cleaning are displayed. The menu button 85 is a button for displaying a main menu screen on the display screen 81 . Here, the main menu screen is a screen that displays, for example, the model number of the printer 100, the firmware version, network-related information, various parameter settings, and the like. The enter button 86 is a button for determining an item or the like that the user wants to set from among a plurality of items displayed on the display screen 81 .

The cursor button 87 is a button for selecting an item that the user wants to set from a plurality of items displayed on the display screen 81 . For example, the cursor button 87 has an up button 87U, a down button 87D, a left button 87L, and a right button 87R. The user can select items displayed on the display screen 81 by appropriately operating the up button 87U, the down button 87D, the left button 87L, and the right button 87R. A pause button 88 is a button for temporarily stopping printing or cutting during printing or cutting. A detailed description of the mode button 89 will be given later.

As shown in FIG. 1, the printer 100 has a control device 90 . The control device 90 is a device that controls printing on the medium 5 and cutting of the medium 5 . The configuration of the control device 90 is not particularly limited. The control device 90 is, for example, a microcomputer. Although the hardware configuration of the microcomputer is not particularly limited, it includes, for example, an I/F, a CPU, a ROM, a RAM, and a storage device. The control device 90 is provided inside the main body 10 . However, the control device 90 may not be provided inside the main body 10 . For example, the control device 90 may be a computer or the like installed outside the main body 10 . In this case, the control device 90 is communicably connected to the main body 10 via wire or wireless.

FIG. 7 is a block diagram of the printer 100. As shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 7, the control device 90 electrically and communicatively connected to control the operation panel 80, the feed motor 48, the carriage motor 44, the ink head 22, and the solenoid 32; In addition, the control device 90 can electrically and communicate with the remaining amount sensor 52, the open/close valve 58, the liquid feed pump 59, the capping mechanism 62 and the suction pump 63 of the cap unit 60, and the rotary motor 75 of the wiping mechanism 72 of the wiper unit 70. and controls the remaining amount sensor 52 , open/close valve 58 , liquid feed pump 59 , capping mechanism 62 , suction pump 63 , and rotary motor 75 .

In this embodiment, the control device 90 includes a storage unit 91, a print control unit 92, a cutting control unit 93, a suction control unit 95, a wiping control unit 96, a capping control unit 97, and a mode acquisition unit 98. , a normal cleaning control unit 101 , a cleaning control unit 102 , and a non-cleaning control unit 103 . The control device 90 further includes a number acquisition unit 105, a number determination unit 106, a wiper replacement notification control unit 107, a wiper replacement non-notification control unit 108, an ink amount determination unit 111, an empty ink notification control unit 112, It includes an empty ink non-notification control unit 113 , a cleaning date/time acquisition unit 115 , a cleaning determination unit 116 , a manual cleaning notification control unit 117 , and a manual cleaning non-notification control unit 118 . Each unit of the control device 90 may be configured by software or may be configured by hardware. Also, each part of the control device 90 may be realized by a processor or by a circuit. Moreover, when each part of the control device 90 is realized by a processor, it may be realized by one processor or by a plurality of processors. A detailed description of the function of each unit of the control device 90 will be given later.

By the way, the printer 100 according to this embodiment is a printer with a cutting head as described above, and can print and cut the medium 5 . FIG. 8 is a diagram showing types of the setting mode M1. In FIG. 8, process 1 indicates the first process performed in the corresponding mode, and process 2 indicates the second process performed in the corresponding mode.

In the following description, the process of printing with the ink head 22 on the medium 5 supported by the platen 16 is referred to as print process P1 (see FIG. 8). The printing process P1 is a process of printing an image by ejecting ink from the ink head 22 onto the medium 5 based on print data to be printed. In this embodiment, the print process P1 is executed by the print control unit 92 (see FIG. 7). When printing, the print control unit 92 drives the carriage motor 44 to move the ink head 22 in the main scanning direction Y, and ejects ink from the ink head 22 at a position based on the print data. As a result, an image is printed in one scanning line. After the ink head 22 has been moved in the main scanning direction Y, the print control unit 92 drives the feed motor 48 to transport the medium 5 forward to the position of the next scanning line. After the medium 5 has been transported forward, the print control unit 92 again drives the carriage motor 44 and the ink head 22 to print the image of the next scan line. By repeating the same operation until the end of the image, the printing process P1 for the medium 5 is completed.

In this embodiment, the process of cutting the medium 5 supported by the platen 16 with the cutting head 30 is called a cutting process P2 (see FIG. 8). The cutting process P2 is a process of cutting the medium 5 by bringing the cutter 33 of the cutting head 30 into contact with the medium 5 based on the cut data. In this embodiment, the cutting process P2 is executed by the cutting control section 93 (see FIG. 7). When cutting the medium 5 , the cutting control unit 93 cuts the medium 5 along the cut line preset in the cut data. The cutting control unit 93 drives the carriage motor 44 and the feed motor 48 to two-dimensionally move the cutting head 30 relative to the medium 5 . When the cutting control unit 93 turns on the solenoid 32 , the cutter 33 can be pressed against the medium 5 . By moving the cutting head 30 relative to the medium 5 while the cutter 33 is pressed against the medium 5, the medium 5 can be cut along the cutting line.

As shown in FIG. 8, the printer 100 according to this embodiment is preset with a plurality of setting modes M1. A user can set one mode from a plurality of setting modes M1. The printer 100 executes processing such as printing and cutting based on the setting mode M1 selected by the user. In this embodiment, the setting mode M1 has a print mode M11, a cut mode M12, a print cut mode M13, and a cut print mode M14. The print mode M11 is a mode in which the print process P1 is performed and the cut process P2 is not performed. The cut mode M12 is a mode in which the cut process P2 is performed and the print process P1 is not performed. The print cut mode M13 is a mode in which the cut process P2 is performed after the print process P1. The cut print mode M14 is a mode in which the print process P1 is performed after the cut process P2.

Note that the setting mode M1 may have other modes than the above modes. For example, the setting mode M1 may have a non-processing mode M15. The non-processing mode M15 is a mode in which processing such as printing and cutting is not performed, and none of the print mode M11, cut mode M12, print cut mode M13, and cut print mode M14 is set. This non-processing mode M15 is a mode automatically set by the control device 90 when the mode is not set by a mode button 89 (see FIG. 6), which will be described later. The non-processing mode M15 is a mode that is set when the power of the printer 100 is turned on, for example, when there is no print or cut job.

In this embodiment, the user operates the mode button 89 (see FIG. 6) of the operation section 82 of the operation panel 80 to set one mode from the setting mode M1. Mode button 89 is an example of a mode setting device. For example, each time the mode button 89 is pressed, the setting mode M1 selected by the user is switched. For example, every time the mode button 89 is pressed, the setting mode M1 is switched in the order of print mode M11, cut mode M12, print cut mode M13, and cut print mode M14. For example, the setting mode M1 selected by pressing the mode button 89 may be displayed on the display screen 81 . The setting mode M1 displayed on the display screen 81 becomes the currently set setting mode M1. For example, when the print cut mode M13 is displayed on the display screen 81, the print cut mode M13 is selected as the setting mode M1. However, the setting mode M1 set by the user may be displayed by lighting an LED (not shown) provided on the operation panel 80 . For example, different colors of LEDs are set for each of the modes M11 to M14, and each time the mode button 89 is pressed, the LED may be lit in a color corresponding to the set setting mode M1. The currently selected setting mode M1 is stored in the storage section 91 . For example, when none of the modes M11 to M14 is set as the setting mode M1 and the mode button 89 is not operated at all, the non-processing mode M15 is set as the setting mode M1.

Note that this mode button 89 may be omitted. In this case, for example, an item for selecting the setting mode M1 may be displayed on the function menu screen. In this case, as shown in FIG. 6, the function menu screen is displayed on the display screen 81 when the user presses the function button 84 . The user appropriately operates the cursor button 87 and the enter button 86 to select an item for setting the setting mode M1. Then, the user appropriately operates the cursor button 87 and the enter button 86 to select one mode from the setting modes M1. In this case, the mode setting device of the present invention consists of function button 84, cursor button 87 and enter button 86. FIG.

FIG. 9 is a flow chart showing an example of the cleaning process P3. In the printer 100, a cleaning process P3 (see FIG. 9) is performed on the ink head 22 in order to prevent clogging of the nozzles of the ink head 22 and ejection failure. The cleaning process P3 includes, for example, a suction process P41, a wiping process P42, and a capping process P43, and is performed in the order of the suction process P41, the wiping process P42, and the capping process P43. Here, the suction process P41 is a process of attaching the cap 61 (see FIG. 3) to the nozzle surface 26 of the ink head 22 and sucking ink from the nozzles 27 of the ink head 22 . In other words, the ink in the nozzles 27 of the ink head 22 is discharged to the cap 61 in the suction process P41. In this embodiment, the suction process P41 is performed by the suction control unit 95 (see FIG. 7). The suction control section 95 controls the capping mechanism 62 of the cap unit 60 so that the cap 61 is attached to the nozzle surface 26 of the ink head 22 . At this time, a closed space is formed between the nozzle surface 26 and the cap 61 . After the cap 61 is attached to the nozzle surface 26, the suction controller 95 drives the suction pump 63 to reduce the pressure in the closed space. As a result, the ink inside the nozzles 27 is sucked.

The wiping process P42 is a process of controlling the wiping mechanism 72 so that the nozzle surface 26 of the ink head 22 is wiped by the wiper 71 (see FIG. 5). In this embodiment, the wiping process P42 is performed by the wiping control section 96 (see FIG. 7). The wiping control section 96 controls the head moving mechanism 40 so that the ink head 22 moves above the wiper unit 70 . When the ink head 22 passes over the wiper unit 70 , the wiping control unit 96 rotates the wiper 71 by controlling the wiping mechanism 72 to wipe the nozzle surface 26 of the ink head 22 with the wiper 71 . Here, the nozzle surfaces 26 of all the ink heads 22 are not wiped simultaneously, but the nozzle surfaces 26 of the ink heads 22 are wiped one by one.

The capping process P43 is a process for attaching the cap 61 to the nozzle surface 26 of the ink head 22 after the wiping process P42. Here, the capping process P43 is performed by the capping control section 97 (see FIG. 7). The capping control section 97 controls the capping mechanism 62 so that the cap 61 is attached to the nozzle surface 26 of the ink head 22 . By attaching the cap 61 to the nozzle surface 26 in this way, it is possible to prevent the ink in the nozzle 27 from hardening.

The cleaning process P3 is, for example, a process performed while the printer 100 is on standby. Here, "waiting" means that the printer 100 is not executing both the printing process P1 and the cutting process P2, and the ink head 22 and the cutting head 30 are at the standby position HP (FIG. 2B). (see reference). In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 9, the cleaning process P3 includes a regular cleaning process P31 and a normal cleaning process P32. The regular cleaning process P31 and the normal cleaning process P32 are processes automatically performed by the control device 90, and at least the suction process P41, the wiping process P42, and the capping process P43 are processes performed in order. Note that in the periodic cleaning process P31 and the normal cleaning process P32, a flushing process ( not shown) may be executed.

The periodic cleaning process P31 is the cleaning process P3 that is performed at predetermined time intervals while the printer 100 is on standby. The predetermined time is not particularly limited and is appropriately set by the printer 100 . The predetermined time is, for example, 8 hours. In this embodiment, in the periodic cleaning process P31, the cleaning process P3 is performed every eight hours while the printer 100 is on standby. The periodic cleaning process P31 is performed by the cleaning control unit 102 (see FIG. 7). The normal cleaning process P32 is, for example, a process that is executed before the print process P1 is performed. Further, the normal cleaning process P32 is executed after the manual cleaning process, which will be described later. The normal cleaning process P<b>32 is performed by the normal cleaning control unit 101 .

In this embodiment, the amount of ink sucked in the suction process P41 differs between the regular cleaning process P31 and the normal cleaning process P32. Here, the amount of ink sucked in the suction process P41 of the normal cleaning process P32 is greater than the amount of ink sucked in the suction process P41 of the regular cleaning process P31. For example, the suction amount of ink in the suction process P41 of the periodic cleaning process P31 is the first amount. The suction amount of ink in the suction process P41 of the normal cleaning process P32 is a second amount that is larger than the first amount.

In this embodiment, a manual cleaning process (not shown) can be performed in addition to the regular cleaning process P31 and the normal cleaning process P32 automatically performed by the control device 90 . Here, manual cleaning processing refers to processing in which the user manually cleans the nozzle surface 26 of the ink head 22 . The specific contents of the manual cleaning process are not particularly limited. For example, in the manual cleaning process, the user uses a cleaning tool such as a cotton swab (not shown) and wipes the nozzle surface 26 with the cleaning tool. As a result, the ink adhering to the nozzle surface 26 can be wiped off.

In this embodiment, the printer 100 has a function of recording that manual cleaning processing has been performed. For example, a function menu screen displayed on the display screen 81 of the operation panel 80, which is displayed by pressing the function button 84 (see FIG. 6), includes manual cleaning execution items. The user operates the cursor button 87 and the enter button 86 to select and confirm the manual cleaning execution item, and the manual cleaning date and time, which is the date and time when the manual cleaning process was performed, is stored in the storage unit 91 . be. In this embodiment, the manual cleaning execution item, the cursor button 87, and the enter button 86 on the function menu screen function as a cleaning input device.

Further, in the present embodiment, at the timing when the manual cleaning execution item is selected and determined and the fact that the manual cleaning process has been performed is input, the normal cleaning control unit 101 performs the normal cleaning process P32 (see FIG. 9). I do. As a result, the ink ejected from the nozzles 27 can be stabilized.

By the way, in the case of the printer 100 with a cutting head as in this embodiment, a user who mainly uses the printer 100 only for the printing process P1 without performing the cutting process P2, or a user who uses the printer 100 mainly for the printing process P1 without performing the cutting process P1. There are users who mainly use the printer 100 only in P2 (in other words, only cut mode M12). For example, when the printer 100 is used mainly for the cutting process P2, the cutting head 30 is in use, but the ink head 22 is not in use. Does not dispense.

Conventionally, the regular cleaning process P31 shown in FIG. 9 is a process that is performed at predetermined intervals while the printer 100 is on standby, and is also performed for the printer 100 that mainly performs only the cutting process P2. is. In the periodical cleaning process P31, the ink in the ink tank 51 is consumed because the suction process P41 is performed. Therefore, even if the printer 100 mainly performs only the cutting process P2, the ink in the ink tank 51 is consumed because the periodic cleaning process P31 is performed. The ink consumed by the regular cleaning process P31 is wasted ink, and especially for the printer 100 that mainly performs only the cutting process P2, it is preferable that the ink consumption caused by the regular cleaning process P31 is as small as possible. .

Therefore, in the present embodiment, the presence or absence of the periodic cleaning process P31 is switched based on the setting mode M1. For example, when the cut mode M12 is set as the setting mode M1, the periodic cleaning process P31 is not performed. A periodical cleaning process P31 is to be performed. Further, when the non-processing mode M15 is set as the setting mode M1, the regular cleaning process P31 is performed. As a result, in the setting mode M1 in which only the cutting process P2 is performed, the periodic cleaning process P31 is not performed, and wasteful consumption of ink can be suppressed.

A specific procedure for switching the presence/absence of the regular cleaning process P31 based on the setting mode M1 will be described below with reference to the flowchart of FIG. Here, it is assumed that each step of the flowchart in FIG. 10 is executed while the printer 100 is on standby.

First, in step S101 of FIG. 10, the mode acquisition unit 98 acquires the setting mode M1. Here, the storage unit 91 stores the type of the setting mode M1 set by the user operating the operation unit 82 (see FIG. 6) of the operation panel 80 . Therefore, the mode acquisition unit 98 acquires the setting mode M1 stored in the storage unit 91 and set by the user operating the operation unit 82 of the operation panel 80 .

Next, in step S103, it is determined whether or not the setting mode M1 acquired by the mode acquisition unit 98 is the cut mode M12. When the setting mode M1 is the cut mode M12, the process proceeds to step S105.

In step S105, the non-cleaning control unit 103 does not perform the periodic cleaning process P31 (see FIG. 9). That is, in step S105, when the printer 100 is on standby and in the cut mode M12, the ink in the nozzle 27 is not discharged, so the ink in the ink tank 51 is not consumed.

On the other hand, in step S103, if the setting mode M1 acquired by the mode acquisition unit 98 is not the cut mode M12, that is, if the setting mode M1 is the print mode M11, the print cut mode M13, the cut print mode M14, or the non-processing mode M15. If any, the process proceeds to step S107. In step S107, the cleaning control unit 102 performs regular cleaning processing P31. That is, in step S107, the ink in the ink tank 51 is consumed because the periodic cleaning process P31 is performed at predetermined intervals while the printer 100 is on standby.

As described above, in the present embodiment, whether or not the regular cleaning process P31 is performed is determined based on the setting mode M1 set in the printer 100. FIG. However, based on the setting mode M1 set in the printer 100, it may be determined whether or not each of the notification processes P51, P52, and P53 (to be described later) other than the regular cleaning process P31 is performed.

FIG. 11 is a flow chart showing the procedure of the wiper replacement notification process P51. FIG. 12 is a flow chart showing the procedure of the empty ink notification process P52. FIG. 13 is a flow chart showing the procedure of the manual cleaning notification process P53. Examples of the notification processes include wiper replacement notification process P51 (see FIG. 11), empty ink notification process P52 (see FIG. 12), and manual cleaning notification process P53 (FIG. 13).

The wiper replacement notification process P51 is a process of notifying the user that the wiper 71 (see FIG. 5) will be replaced. In this embodiment, the wiper 71 is a consumable item, and the wiper 71 is consumed each time the wiping process P42 (see FIG. 9) of the cleaning process P3 is performed. Therefore, when the number of times of wiping by the wiper 71 reaches a certain number, it is better to replace the wiper 71 so that the wiping process P42 can be performed appropriately. In view of the above, in the wiper replacement notification process P51, notification is made when the number of times of wiping by the wiper 71 exceeds the predetermined determination number of times.

In this embodiment, the wiper replacement notification process P51 is executed by the number acquisition unit 105, the number determination unit 106, and the wiper replacement notification control unit 107 according to the flowchart of FIG. Specifically, first, in step S201 of FIG. 11, the number acquisition unit 105 acquires the number of times the wiper 71 has wiped the nozzle surface 26. FIG. Here, the number of times of wiping is counted by the control device 90 and stored in the storage unit 91 each time the wiping process P42 is performed. Therefore, the number acquisition unit 105 acquires the number of times of wiping stored in the storage unit 91 . Here, the number of times of wiping is one, for example, means that the wiper 71 moves the nozzle surface 26 once in a predetermined direction (for example, the main scanning direction Y).

Next, in step S203, the number-of-times determination unit 106 determines whether or not the number of times of wiping acquired by the number-of-times acquisition unit 105 is greater than a predetermined number of determinations. Here, the number of determinations is stored in advance in the storage unit 91 and is appropriately set depending on the material of the wiper 71 and the like. If it is determined in step S203 that the number of times of wiping is greater than the predetermined determination number of times, the process proceeds to step S205. In step S205, the wiper replacement notification control unit 107 notifies the user that the wiper 71 should be replaced.

The empty ink notification process P52 is a process for notifying the user that the amount of ink in the ink tank 51 is low and that the ink tank 51 should be replaced. The ink in the ink tank 51 is consumed as the ink is ejected from the nozzles 27 of the ink head 22 . For example, the ink in the ink tank 51 is consumed during printing, suction processing P41, and flushing processing (not shown). In the present embodiment, the empty ink notification process P52 is executed by the ink amount determination unit 111 and the empty ink notification control unit 112 using the remaining amount sensor 52 (see FIG. 3), and is performed according to the flowchart of FIG. is done.

Specifically, first, in step S301 of FIG. 12, the ink amount determination unit 111 determines whether or not the amount of ink stored in the ink tank 51 is equal to or less than a predetermined determination amount. Here, it is determined by the remaining amount sensor 52 whether or not the amount of ink in the ink tank 51 is equal to or less than a predetermined determination amount. Therefore, based on the signal transmitted from the remaining amount sensor 52, the ink amount determination unit 111 can determine whether the amount of ink in the ink tank 51 is equal to or less than the predetermined determination amount. Here, the predetermined determination amount is stored in advance in the storage unit 91 and is appropriately set according to the capacity of the ink tank 51 and the like.

If it is determined in step S301 that the amount of ink in the ink tank 51 is equal to or less than the predetermined determination amount, the process proceeds to step S303. In step S303, the empty ink notification control unit 112 notifies the user that the ink in the ink tank 51 is low.

The manual cleaning notification process P53 is a process for notifying that the user should manually perform the manual cleaning process. In this embodiment, when the printer 100 is on standby and in the cut mode M12, the periodic cleaning process P31 is not performed. At this time, in order to perform a minimum cleaning process for the nozzle surface 26, it is preferable to periodically perform a manual cleaning process. Therefore, in the manual cleaning notification process P53, if the user has not performed the manual cleaning process for a predetermined elapsed time, the user is notified that the manual cleaning process will be performed. In this embodiment, the manual cleaning notification process P53 is executed by the cleaning date/time acquisition unit 115, the cleaning determination unit 116, and the manual cleaning notification control unit 117 according to the flowchart of FIG.

Specifically, in step S401 of FIG. 13 , the cleaning date/time acquisition unit 115 acquires the manual cleaning date/time input by the user operating the operation panel 80 . In this embodiment, the storage unit 91 stores the manual cleaning date and time input by the user by operating the operation panel 80 . Therefore, the cleaning date/time acquisition unit 115 acquires the manual cleaning date/time from the storage unit 91 .

Next, in step S<b>403 , the cleaning determination unit 116 determines whether or not a predetermined elapsed time has passed since the latest manual cleaning date and time acquired by the cleaning date and time acquisition unit 115 . When it is determined in step S403 that the predetermined elapsed time has elapsed since the latest manual cleaning date and time, the process proceeds to step S405.

In step S405, the manual cleaning notification control unit 117 notifies the user that the manual cleaning process will be performed when the cleaning determination unit 116 determines that the elapsed time has passed since the latest manual cleaning date and time.

Next, the control of whether or not the notification processes P51, P52, and P53 described above are performed will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. In addition, in steps S505 and S507 of FIG. 14, "YES" indicates that the process is to be performed, and "NO" indicates that the process is not to be performed. Here, it is assumed that each step of the flowchart in FIG. 14 is executed while the printer 100 is on standby.

First, in step S501, the mode acquisition unit 98 acquires the setting mode M1. Note that step S501 is the same step as step S101 in FIG. 10, so description thereof will be omitted here.

Next, in step S503, it is determined whether or not the setting mode M1 acquired by the mode acquisition unit 98 is the cut mode M12. If the setting mode M1 is the cut mode M12, the process proceeds to step S505.

In step S505, the wiper replacement notification process P51 and the empty ink notification process P52 are not performed, and the manual cleaning notification process P53 is performed. In step S505, the wiper replacement non-notification control unit 108 is configured not to perform the wiper replacement notification process P51, and the empty ink non-notification control unit 113 is configured not to perform the empty ink notification process P52. Further, in step S505, the manual cleaning notification control unit 117 is configured to perform manual cleaning notification processing P53. Therefore, in step S505, when the printer 100 is on standby and a predetermined time has elapsed since the latest manual cleaning date and time, the user is notified that the manual cleaning process will be performed.

On the other hand, in step S503, if the setting mode M1 acquired by the mode acquisition unit 98 is not the cut mode M12, that is, if the setting mode M1 is the print mode M11, the print cut mode M13, the cut print mode M14, or the non-processing mode M15. If any, the process proceeds to step S507. In step S507, the wiper replacement notification process P51 and the empty ink notification process P52 are performed, and the manual cleaning notification process P53 is not performed. In step S507, the wiper replacement notification control unit 107 is configured to perform wiper replacement notification processing P51, and the empty ink notification control unit 112 is configured to perform empty ink notification processing P52. Further, in step S507, the manual cleaning non-notification control unit 118 is configured not to perform the manual cleaning notification process P53.

Therefore, in step S507, when the number-of-times determination unit 106 determines that the number of times of wiping is greater than the determined number of times while the printer 100 is on standby, a process of notifying the user to replace the wiper 71 is performed. In step S507, when the ink amount determination unit 111 determines that the amount of ink in the ink tank 51 is equal to or less than the determination amount while the printer 100 is on standby, it is notified that the amount of ink in the ink tank 51 is small. processing takes place.

Note that, in the present embodiment, a specific notification method is not particularly limited for the notification of the notification processes P51, P52, and P53 described above. For example, as a notification method, a corresponding notification message may be displayed on the display screen 81 (see FIG. 6) of the operation panel 80, or an LED (not shown) provided on the main body 10 may be turned on. and may be notified to the user. Moreover, as a notification method, a buzzer (not shown) provided in the printer 100 may be sounded to notify the user.

As described above, in the present embodiment, execution or non-execution of the periodic cleaning process P31 (see FIG. 9) is controlled according to the setting mode M1 acquired by the mode acquisition unit 98. FIG. As shown in FIG. 10, when the setting mode M1 is any one of the print mode M11, the print cut mode M13, and the cut print mode M14, there is a high possibility that the print process P1 using the ink head 22 will be performed. Therefore, during standby in any of the print mode M11, the print cut mode M13, and the cut print mode M14, the regular cleaning process P31 is performed in order to prevent ejection failures such as clogging of the nozzles 27. On the other hand, when the setting mode M1 is the cut mode M12, the possibility that the print processing P1 using the ink head 22 is performed is low. Therefore, during standby in the cut mode M12, ink consumption is suppressed without performing the regular cleaning process P31. Therefore, since the regular cleaning process P31 may not be performed depending on the setting mode M1, it is possible to reduce ink consumption associated with the regular cleaning process P31.

In this embodiment, the cleaning control unit 102 performs the regular cleaning process P31 when the setting mode M1 acquired by the mode acquisition unit 98 is the non-processing mode M15. In the case of the non-processing mode M15, it is not clear whether the print processing P1 is being performed before or after it. Therefore, during standby in the non-processing mode M15, there is a possibility that the printing process P1 using the ink head 21 will be performed. I do. As a result, even if any of the print mode M11, the print cut mode M13, and the cut print mode M14 is set after the non-processing mode M15 and the print process P1 is performed, ink ejection failure will occur. can be made difficult.

In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 14, the wiper replacement notification process P51 is not performed during standby when the setting mode M1 is the cut mode M12. On the other hand, during standby when the setting mode M1 is a mode other than the cut mode M12, a wiper replacement notification process P51 is performed. During standby in the cut mode M12, the regular cleaning process P31 is not performed, so the wiping process P42 is not performed. Therefore, the wiper 71 is less likely to be worn out. Therefore, in the cut mode M12, even if the wiper replacement notification process P51 is omitted, the accuracy of the cleaning process P3 is unlikely to be lowered. Therefore, the processing can be simplified during the standby of the cut mode M12.

In this embodiment, the empty ink notification process P52 is not performed during standby when the setting mode M1 is the cut mode M12. On the other hand, during standby when the setting mode M1 is a mode other than the cut mode M12, an empty ink notification process P52 is performed. Since the regular cleaning process P31 is not performed during standby in the cut mode M12, the ink in the ink tank 51 is less likely to be consumed. Therefore, during standby in the cut mode M12, the empty ink notification process P52 may be omitted. Therefore, the processing can be simplified during the standby of the cut mode M12.

In this embodiment, the manual cleaning notification process P53 is performed during standby when the setting mode M1 is the cut mode M12. On the other hand, during standby when the setting mode M1 is a mode other than the cut mode M12, the manual cleaning notification process P53 is not performed. Since the periodical cleaning process P31 is not performed while the printer is on standby in the cut mode M12, it is preferable that the user periodically perform the manual cleaning process. Therefore, by performing the manual cleaning notification process P53 while waiting in the cut mode M12, the user can easily perform the manual cleaning process without forgetting.

In this embodiment, the regular cleaning process P31 is performed during standby in any mode other than the cut mode M12, that is, the print mode M11, the print cut mode M13, the cut print mode M14, or the non-processing mode M15. , the manual cleaning process may not be performed. Therefore, the manual cleaning notification process P53 may be omitted in the print mode M11 other than the cut mode M12, the print cut mode M13, the cut print mode M14, and the non-processing mode M15. Therefore, it is possible to simplify the processing during standby in a mode other than the cut mode M12.

In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 9, the cleaning process P3 includes a regular cleaning process P31 and a normal cleaning process P32. The suction amount of ink in the suction process P41 differs between the regular cleaning process P31 and the normal cleaning process P32. For example, in the suction process P41 of the regular cleaning process P31, the ink suction amount is the first amount. In the suction process P41 of the normal cleaning process P32, the suction amount of ink is the second amount that is larger than the first amount. The normal cleaning process P32 is performed, for example, before the start of printing, and is easily affected by the print quality. Therefore, in the normal cleaning process P32, by increasing the suction amount of ink, it is possible to make it more difficult for the ejection failure of the nozzles 27 to occur.

In the above embodiment, the mode setting device is the mode button 89 of the operation section 82 of the operation panel 80, and the user presses the mode button 89 to switch the setting mode M1. For example, if part of the control device 90 is configured by software executed on a personal computer, the mode setting device may be executed by the software. In this case, the setting mode screen SC1 as shown in FIG. 15, which is implemented by the software, is displayed on the display screen of the personal computer, for example. For example, a pull-down menu 189 and an enter button 190 are arranged on this setting mode screen SC1. As items of this pull-down menu 189, print mode M11, cut mode M12, print cut mode M13, and cut print mode M14 are set. The user selects one setting mode M1 from among print mode M11, cut mode M12, print cut mode M13, and cut print mode M14 from pull-down menu 189 using an operation unit such as a mouse. By pressing the enter button 190, the type of setting mode M1 of the printer 100 is determined. Information on the setting mode M1 determined by pressing the enter button 190 is transmitted to the printer 100 and stored in the storage unit 91 .

A pull-down menu 189 is arranged on the setting mode screen SC1, and the setting mode M1 can be selected by the pull-down menu 189. However, in order to select the setting mode M1, the pull-down menu 189 Others may be used. For example, instead of the pull-down menu 189, radio buttons in which print mode M11, cut mode M12, print cut mode M13, and cut print mode M14 are set may be used.

In the above embodiment, as shown in FIG. 2A, the inkjet head 20 and the cutting head 30 are connected by the connecting members 24, 34 made of magnets. For example, at the time of cutting, only the cutting head 30 moves in the main scanning direction Y in a state in which the connection between the inkjet head 20 and the cutting head 30 by the connecting members 24 and 34 is released. For example, during printing, the inkjet head 20 moves in the main scanning direction Y together with the cutting head 30 while the inkjet head 20 and the cutting head 30 are connected. However, the configuration for moving the inkjet head 20 and the cutting head 30 in the main scanning direction Y is not particularly limited. For example, a connecting carriage that engages the guide rails 17 may be provided between the inkjet head 20 and the cutting head 30 . The connecting carriage is configured to be movable in the main scanning direction Y along the guide rail 17 and to selectively connect the inkjet head 20 and the cutting head 30 . In this case, for example, when cutting, the cutting head 30 moves in the main scanning direction Y together with the connecting carriage while the cutting head 30 is connected to the connecting carriage. For example, during printing, the inkjet head 20 moves in the main scanning direction Y together with the connecting carriage while the inkjet head 20 is connected to the connecting carriage.

16 Platen (support base)
22 ink head 26 nozzle surface 27 nozzle 30 cutting head 60 cap unit 61 cap 62 capping mechanism 63 suction pump 70 wiper unit 71 wiper 72 wiping mechanism 89 mode button (mode setting device)
90 control device 95 suction control unit 96 wiping control unit 97 capping control unit 98 mode acquisition unit 100 printer (printer with cutting head)
102 cleaning control unit 103 non-cleaning control unit

Claims (10)

a support for supporting the medium;
an ink head having a nozzle surface formed with nozzles for ejecting ink onto the medium supported by the support base;
a cutting head that cuts the medium supported by the support;
a cap unit having a cap attachable to the nozzle surface, a capping mechanism for attaching and separating the cap from the nozzle surface, and a suction pump connected to the cap;
a wiper unit having a wiper capable of contacting the nozzle surface and a wiping mechanism for bringing the wiper into contact with the nozzle surface and away from the nozzle surface;
A process of printing with the ink head on the medium supported by the support base is defined as a print process, and a process of cutting the medium supported by the support base with the cutting head is defined as a cut process. a mode setting device for setting one mode by a user from setting modes having at least a cut mode in which the cutting process is performed and the printing process is not performed and a print mode in which at least the printing process is performed;
a controller;
with
The control device is
a suction control unit that performs a suction process of mounting the cap on the nozzle surface and controlling the cap unit to suction ink from the nozzle;
a wiping control unit that performs a wiping process that controls the wiper unit to wipe the nozzle surface with the wiper;
a capping control unit that performs a capping process of controlling the cap unit to attach the cap to the nozzle surface after the wiping process;
a mode acquisition unit that acquires the setting mode set by the mode setting device;
When a process in which the suction process by the suction control unit, the wiping process by the wiping control part, and the capping process by the capping control part are performed at predetermined time intervals is defined as a regular cleaning process,
a non-cleaning control unit that does not perform the regular cleaning process when the set mode acquired by the mode acquisition unit is the cut mode during standby when printing and cutting are not performed on the medium;
A printer with a cutting head. 2. The cutting head according to claim 1, wherein the control device comprises a cleaning control unit that performs the regular cleaning process when the set mode acquired by the mode acquisition unit is the print mode during the standby time. printer with. the setting mode has a non-processing mode in which the printing process and the cutting process are not performed;
3. The printer with a cutting head according to claim 2, wherein said cleaning control section performs said regular cleaning process when said set mode acquired by said mode acquisition section is said non-processing mode. the printing mode is a mode in which the printing process is performed and the cutting process is not performed;
The setting mode further has a print cut mode in which the cut process is performed after the print process,
4. The printer with a cutting head according to claim 2, wherein said cleaning control unit performs said regular cleaning process when said setting mode acquired by said mode acquisition unit is said print cut mode during said standby time. . the printing mode is a mode in which the printing process is performed and the cutting process is not performed;
The setting mode further has a cut print mode in which the print process is performed after the cut process,
5. The cleaning control unit according to claim 2, wherein the cleaning control unit performs the regular cleaning process when the setting mode acquired by the mode acquisition unit is the cut print mode during the standby time. printer with a modified cutting head. The control device is
a number acquisition unit for acquiring the number of times the wiper wipes the nozzle surface;
a number-of-times determination unit that determines whether the number of wiping times acquired by the number-of-times acquisition unit is greater than a predetermined number of determinations;
When the wiper replacement notification process is a process of notifying the user that the wiper is to be replaced when the number of times of wiping is greater than the number of times determined by the number of times determination unit,
a wiper replacement notification control unit that performs the wiper replacement notification process when the setting mode acquired by the mode acquisition unit is the print mode during the standby time;
a wiper replacement non-notification control unit that does not perform the wiper replacement notification process when the set mode acquired by the mode acquisition unit is the cut mode during the standby time;
A printer with a cutting head according to any one of claims 1 to 5, comprising a an ink tank in which ink is stored;
an ink channel having one end connected to the ink tank and the other end connected to the ink head;
an ink amount detection device for detecting whether or not the amount of ink stored in the ink tank is equal to or less than a predetermined judgment amount;
with
The control device is
an ink amount determination unit that determines whether the ink amount stored in the ink tank is equal to or less than the determination amount by the ink amount detection device;
When the ink amount determining unit determines that the amount of ink is equal to or less than the determination amount, and the process of notifying that the amount of ink in the ink tank is small is an empty ink notification process,
an empty ink notification control unit that performs the empty ink notification process when the setting mode acquired by the mode acquisition unit is the print mode during the standby;
an empty ink non-notification control unit that does not perform the empty ink notification process when the setting mode acquired by the mode acquiring unit is the cut mode during the standby;
A printer with a cutting head according to any one of claims 1 to 6, comprising a When the user manually cleans the nozzle surface as a manual cleaning process,
a cleaning input device for inputting that the user has performed the manual cleaning process when the user has performed the manual cleaning process;
The control device is
a cleaning date and time acquiring unit that acquires the manual cleaning date and time when the fact that the manual cleaning process has been performed is input to the cleaning input device;
a cleaning determination unit that determines whether a predetermined elapsed time has passed since the latest manual cleaning date and time acquired by the cleaning date and time acquisition unit;
When the cleaning determination unit determines that the elapsed time has passed since the latest manual cleaning date and time, and the manual cleaning notification process is a process for notifying that the manual cleaning process is to be performed,
a manual cleaning notification control unit that performs the manual cleaning notification process when the setting mode acquired by the mode acquisition unit is the cut mode during the standby time;
A printer with a cutting head according to any one of claims 1 to 7, comprising a 9. The control device according to claim 8, further comprising a manual cleaning non-notification control unit that does not perform the manual cleaning notification process when the set mode acquired by the mode acquisition unit is the print mode during the standby time. Printer with cutting head as described. an ink suction amount during the suction process of the regular cleaning process is a first amount;
a process other than the regular cleaning process, in which the suction process is performed with a second amount of ink suctioned that is larger than the first amount, and the wiping process and the capping process are performed; When normal cleaning is performed,
10. The cutting head according to claim 8, wherein the control device comprises a normal cleaning control section that performs the normal cleaning process when the manual cleaning process is input to the cleaning input device. printer with.

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