JPH0584921A - Printing recording device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To enable users to set up a cap operation starting time conforming to respective use, by a method wherein a time setting device setting up a time up to starting time of the cap oparation from a completion time of printing by a printing head is provided. CONSTITUTION:Upon power up, a value set up on a dip switch is led and after setting-up of a cap operation starting time Tc, early operation such as detection of a home position is performed. When a printing device is in an on-line state with a host computor, printing is performed by driving a carriage and printing head through data which is being sent away. When the printing for one line is completed, a timer begins counting, the printing head is not capped but becomes a state of standby while a value of the timer is within the cap operation starting time Tc and when the printing data is sent away, the printing operation is started again. When the time exceeds the cap operation starting time Tc, cap ovation is performed and made into a state where the printing data from the host computor is waited for.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a print recording apparatus having a mechanism for preventing clogging of a print head.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, an ink jet type recording apparatus has a means for capping a print head in order to prevent clogging of the print head. The print head performs a cap operation when a print command is not sent from the host computer for a certain period after printing is completed.
The print head was prevented from clogging due to ink drying.

[0003]

However, in the above-mentioned conventional example, since the time from the end of printing to the start of the cap operation is constant, the user or the like can set the optimum cap operation start time according to his or her application. It is impossible to set. Further, the degree of drying of the ink depends on the surrounding environment (temperature, humidity, etc.). However, since the cap operation start time is constant, it is impossible to set the optimum cap operation start time in consideration of the surrounding environment.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a print recording apparatus capable of arbitrarily setting the cap operation start time within a predetermined range.

[0005]

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention relates to a print recording apparatus having an ink jet type print head, a means for capping the print head, and a method for finishing printing by the print head. And a time setting means for setting a time until the cap operation is started. The time setting means may be a DIP switch. It may also include a key panel for setting the cap operation start time. Further, the time setting means may optimally set the cap operation start time based on data from various sensors.

[0006]

In the present invention, since the means for setting the cap operation start time is provided, the cap operation start time can be arbitrarily set within the predetermined range.

Here, the predetermined range is a range in which the basic performance of the printing device can be secured. That is, if the time until the cap operation is started is too short, the frequency of the cap operation increases and the throughput of the printing device significantly decreases.
On the contrary, if the time until the cap operation is started is too long, the print head is liable to cause ink ejection failure.

[0008]

Embodiments of the present invention will now be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

(First Embodiment) FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an ink jet printer. The print head 1 is mounted on a carriage 4, driven by a carriage motor 6 via a carriage belt 5, reciprocates along carriage shafts 7a and 7b, and the print head prints one line. The recording paper 3 is conveyed by a conveyance roller (not shown) driven by a paper feed motor 10 and held by a paper pressing plate 8 and a platen 9. After the print head 1 finishes printing, if the print command is not sent from the host computer (not shown) even after the cap operation start time Tc set by the DIP switch 12 as the time setting means has elapsed, the carriage motor 6 By carriage 4
Are moved to the position of the cap 11, and the cap operation is performed on the print head 1. When the next print command is sent from the host computer, the print head 1
Is released from the cap 11 and printing is started again. The recording paper 3 for which printing has been completed is discharged to the upper part of the printer.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the main control configuration of the apparatus shown in FIG. In FIG. 2, reference numeral 10
0 is a CP that executes control processing of the operation and processing of this device
U, 100A is a ROM for storing the processing procedure described later in FIG. 3, 100B is a RAM used as a work area for the CPU 100 to execute processing, and 12 is for setting the cap operation start time Tc which is a feature of the present invention. This is the DIP switch. For example, with an n-bit dip switch, it is possible to set 2 n powers. CPU
100 is a carriage motor driver 6A, a paper feed motor driver 10A,
The head driver 1A is controlled and driven to perform the printing operation. Further, the encoder 6B counts the rotation amount of the carriage motor 6, and the CPU 100 detects the position of the carriage 4 by this.

FIG. 3 is a flow chart showing the operation processing procedure of the printer of this embodiment. When the power is turned on in step S1, the RAM 100B is initialized in step S2, the value set in the dip switch 12 is read in step S3, and the capping time is set (S
After 4), an initial operation such as home position detection is performed (S5). Next, it is judged whether or not the printing apparatus is in an online state with the host computer or the like (S6), and when the online state is selected and print data is sent from the host computer (S7), the carriage 6 and the print head 1 Is driven to print (S8). When the printing for one line is completed (S9), the timer for determining the time to start the cap operation is reset (S10), and then the timer starts counting (S11). As long as the timer value does not exceed the cap operation start time Tc (S12),
The print head is not capped and is in a standby state (S13). When print data is sent from the host computer, the printing operation is started again (S8). When the value of the timer exceeds the cap operation start time Tc in step S12, the cap operation is performed (S13), and the print data from the host computer is waited (S7).

Printing is performed by repeating the above processing procedure.

In this embodiment, when the print head is left in the atmosphere in the print waiting state for a time longer than the cap operation start time Tc set by the DIP switch 12 as the cap operation start time setting, the cap operation is automatically performed. By doing so, the non-ejection of ink due to ink drying of the print head is prevented.

(Embodiment 2) In FIG. 1, reference numeral 13 is a key panel capable of controlling the printing operation of the ink jet printer and setting the cap operation time.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing the main control configuration of this embodiment. The user sets the cap operation start time Tc using the key panel 13, and the data is stored in the nonvolatile RAM 100C (hereinafter referred to as NVRAM 100C).
Will be stored in. This allows the user to register the desired cap operation start time from the key panel.

FIG. 5 is a flow chart showing the operation processing procedure of the printer of this embodiment. When the power is turned on in step S1, the RAM 100B is initialized in step S2, the data in the NVRAM 100C is read in step S3, and the cap operation start time Tc is set in step S4. The subsequent operation is similar to that of the first embodiment.
Further, when the cap operation start time setting mode is designated by the key panel 13 (SS1), the printer can set the cap operation start time Tc from the key panel 13 (SS2), and the data is stored in the NVRAM1.
It is registered in 00C (SS3). When the registration is completed, the process returns to the previous processing loop. Then, at the next power-on, the cap operation start time Tc is set based on the data registered in the NVRAM 100C (S4).

(Third Embodiment) In the first and second embodiments, the user or the service person needs to set the cap operation start time. Therefore, in this embodiment, the trouble is eliminated and the printer automatically sets the optimum cap operation start time for the environment in which the printer is installed.

Therefore, this embodiment requires a sensor for sensing the environment. That is the sensor 2 (temperature, humidity, etc.) of FIG.

FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing the main control configuration of this embodiment. The analog data such as temperature and humidity detected by the sensor 2 is converted into digital data by the D / A converter 101 and read by the CPU 100.
The CPU 100 sets the optimum cap operation start time based on the above data.

FIG. 7 is a flow chart showing the operation processing procedure of the printer of the third embodiment. When the power is turned on in step S1, the RAM 100B is initialized in step S2, the value of the sensor 2 (temperature, humidity, etc.) is read in step S3, and the optimum cap operation start time for the environment is read in step S4. Set Tc. The subsequent operation is similar to that of the first embodiment.

[0021]

As described above, the present invention has the following effects.

(1) In the ink jet printer, the measure for preventing the clogging of the print head conflicts with the throughput. That is, if the frequency of starting the cap operation of the print head is reduced, the throughput is improved. The reverse is also true. That is, by making the cap operation start time variable, the user can set the cap operation start time that suits his or her application.

(2) The clogging of the print head depends on the surrounding environment. Therefore, the reliability of the printer can be improved by setting the optimum cap operation start time for the environment.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an embodiment of a print recording apparatus of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a main control configuration according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing a main control configuration according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing a predetermined procedure according to the second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing a main control configuration according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 Print Head 2 Sensor (Temperature, Humidity, etc.) 3 Recording Paper 4 Carriage 5 Carriage Belt 6 Carriage Motors 7a, 7b Carriage Shaft 8 Paper Press Plate 9 Platen 10 Paper Feed Motor 11 Cap 12 Dip Switch (Time Setting Means) 13 Key Panel

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. A print recording apparatus having an ink jet type print head, means for capping the print head, and time setting means for setting a time from the end of printing by the print head to the start of the cap operation. A printing / recording apparatus comprising: 2. The print recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the time setting means is a DIP switch. 3. The print recording apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a key panel for setting a cap operation start time. 4. The print recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the time setting means optimally sets the cap operation start time based on data from various sensors.