JPH06971A - Color recorder - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To enable a color recorder in which ink of a plurality of color are used to carry out recording by substituting automatically ink of the optimum color according to color of a recording medium when ink of any color becomes short in a remaining quantity. CONSTITUTION:A color recorder is composed by providing a substitution color priority order setting means 4 which sets a priority order for color of ink in a tank 1 in an order of a large distance in a color space for color of a recording medium 10, and a recording color substituting means 5 wherein when shortage of the ink remaining quantity in any tank 1 is detected by an ink remaining quantity shortage-detecting means 2, recording is carried out by using ink of the color of which the highest priority order is set by the substitution color priority order setting means 4 among the ink of which the remaining quantity is not short instead of recording to be carried out by the ink of which the remaining quantity has been shorted.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a color recording apparatus using a plurality of color inks. In a color inkjet printer that uses multiple colors of ink, if there is insufficient ink remaining in any one of the multiple tanks that contain different inks, recording will be lost. It needs to be avoided.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Detecting a shortage of ink in a tank,
There is a device for displaying the alarm and interrupting the recording. However, when the recording is interrupted, it is necessary to perform the recording again, so that it is burdensome and inefficient when a large amount of recording is continuously processed.

Therefore, priorities are assigned to the ink colors, and when the ink remaining amount in any one of the tanks is insufficient, instead of the recording to be performed with that ink, the priority is given to the inks of other colors. Apparatus (Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 3-2040) that records using the highest color ink, and when the remaining amount of black ink is insufficient, instead of recording that should be performed using that ink, yellow, magenta, and cyan are used. Apparatus for recording by superposing three color inks (Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 3-234)
No. 679).

[0004]

However, if the ink colors are simply prioritized, the priorities will be set regardless of the color of the recording paper. Therefore, when you replace ink with a color with a higher priority and perform recording,
Depending on the color of the recording paper, the recording state may be very difficult to see.

Further, when the remaining amount of black ink is insufficient, the inks of the other three colors are superposed, and the remaining amount of ink of any one of yellow, magenta or cyan is insufficient before the black ink. When it is set, it may be replaced with an unexpected color.

Therefore, according to the present invention, when the remaining amount of ink of any one of the colors becomes insufficient, the ink can be automatically replaced with the ink of the most suitable color according to the color of the recording medium to perform recording. It is an object to provide a recording device.

[0007]

In order to achieve the above object, the color recording apparatus of the present invention comprises, as shown in FIG. 1, at least three tanks 1 for accommodating inks of different colors, and each of the above tanks. Ink remaining amount shortage detecting means 2 for detecting that the ink remaining amount in 1 is less than the minimum amount necessary for recording, and the color of the recording medium 10 on which recording is performed by the ink in each tank 1 The medium color detecting means 3 for detecting the color of the ink in the tank 1 is set in order of increasing distance in color space from the color of the recording medium 10 detected by the medium color detecting means 3. When the replacement color priority setting means 4 and the ink remaining amount shortage detecting means 2 detect that the ink remaining amount of one of the tanks 1 is insufficient, the recording to be performed with the ink having the insufficient remaining amount is performed. In addition, the recording color replacing means 5 is provided for performing the recording using the color ink having the highest priority set by the replacement color priority setting means 4 among the inks whose remaining amount is not insufficient. It is characterized by

In this case, black may be given the highest priority in the replacement color priority setting means 4.

[0009]

The replacement color priority setting means 4 sets priorities for ink colors in order of increasing distance in the color space with respect to the color of the recording medium 10.

When the shortage of ink in one of the tanks 1 is detected by the shortage of ink detecting means 2, the recording color replacing means 5 replaces the remaining ink in place of the recording to be performed with the ink having the shortage of remaining ink. Printing is performed using the ink of the highest priority color among the inks that have not run out of ink.

[0011]

Embodiments will be described with reference to the drawings. Figure 2
1 shows an inkjet printer to which the present invention is applied, in which a recording paper 10 is wound around a platen 12, and a carriage 13 having an inkjet print head 11 mounted thereon is guided along a guide 14 arranged in parallel with the platen 12. Driven to reciprocate.

The four print heads 11 are provided side by side, and the ink tank 1 is connected to each of them. Yellow ink is stored in the first ink tank 1Y, and yellow ink droplets are ejected toward the recording paper 10 from the first print head 11Y.

The second, third and fourth ink tanks 1M, 1C and 1BK contain magenta, cyan and black inks, and the second, third and fourth print heads 11M, Ink droplets of those colors are ejected from 11C and 11BK toward the recording paper 10.

Reference numeral 20 is a control circuit in which a print controller for controlling the ink droplet ejection operation of each print head 11 is stored. Further, reference numeral 3 is a paper color detection sensor arranged to detect the color of the recording paper 10.

FIG. 3 schematically shows the overall circuit configuration centered on the control circuit 20. Print data is input to a print control unit 21 including a CPU (central processing unit) from a main control unit (not shown), and the print control unit 21 outputs the print heads 11Y, 11 for each color according to the input data.
Full-color printing is performed by individually controlling M, 11C, and 11BK to eject yellow, magenta, cyan, and black ink droplets on the surface of the recording paper 10.

A detection signal from the paper color detection sensor 3 is input to the recording color replacement control unit 22 including a CPU and the like. Further, when the ink remaining amount in each tank 1Y, 1M, 1C, 1BK becomes less than the minimum amount required for recording, the ink remaining amount is independently detected for each tank 1Y, 1M, 1C, 1BK. Detection sensors 2Y, 2M, 2C, 2B
The detection signal from K is input. Reference numeral 23 is a random access memory for storing the ink color replacement priority order calculated by the recording color replacement control unit 22.

The paper color detection sensor 3 is formed by, for example, three reflection type photosensors 3R, 3G and 3B juxtaposed with each other, and a red, green or blue color is provided at the reflection light inlet of each reflection type photosensor 3R, 3G and 3B. Filters 31R, 31G and 31B are attached.

Therefore, the reflected light from the recording paper 10 is separated into colors by the three color filters 3R, 3G and 3B, and the light intensity of the separated components is photoelectric conversion elements 32R and 32R.
Recording color replacement control unit 2 after being converted into an electric signal by G and 32B
Entered in 2.

Ink remaining amount detection sensors 2Y, 2M, 2C,
As the 2BK, for example, a float floated on the ink in the tank 1 to detect the position of the ink liquid surface can be used.

Alternatively, the wall surface of the tank 1 is formed of a transparent member so that light can pass therethrough, and a light source and an optical sensor are provided so as to face each other across the tank 1 at a liquid surface position corresponding to a predetermined amount, and ink remaining When the amount falls below a predetermined amount,
It is also possible to use a device in which the light from the light source directly reaches the optical sensor.

Alternatively, a pair of electrodes is provided in the ink in the tank 1 so that the electrodes are exposed from the ink and the conduction between the electrodes is cut off when the remaining amount of the ink is below a predetermined amount. But it's okay. As described above, various types of sensors can be used as the remaining ink amount detection sensor.

Next, the operation of the above embodiment when the remaining amount of ink is insufficient will be described with reference to the flow charts of FIGS. 4 and 5 showing the control processing of the recording color replacement control unit 22. S indicates a processing step.

Here, first, as shown in FIG. 4, the priority order of the colors of the inks used for the replacement is determined. That is, the reflection type optical sensors 3R and 3R of three colors of red, green and blue
The detection signals from G and 3B are input to the recording color replacement control unit 22 (S1), the three color components are combined, and the recording paper 1
The color of 0 is determined (S2).

When the color of the recording paper 10 is determined, the color is compared with the colors of the four inks contained in the tank 1, and the colors of the recording paper 10 are arranged in descending order of distance in the color space. , Priorities are set for the four colors (S3). When the color of the recording paper 10 is white, the priority order is black, cyan, magenta, and yellow.

Note that black is always the first priority because black is the highest priority unless a recording paper of very dark color is used. Generally this is harmless in most cases.

However, when the color of the recording paper 10 is black or close to black, the priority order is reverse to the above, yellow, cyan, and
Magenta and then black. When the priority order is determined in this way, the result is output to the memory 23 and stored.

During the printing operation, the recording color replacement control unit 22
As shown in FIG. 5, while outputting a signal for instructing the print control unit 21 to perform a printing operation (S11), a new ink level shortage is detected from each of the ink level detection sensors 2Y, 2M, 2C, 2BK. It is checked whether or not a signal is input (S12).

When a new ink level shortage is detected by any of the ink level detection sensors 2Y, 2M, 2C and 2BK, the priority of the ink color stored in the memory 23 is read (S13). The ink of the color having the highest priority among the inks of which the ink level is not insufficient is determined as the replacement color of the ink of the color whose ink level is insufficient.

Then, a signal for replacing the print data to be printed with the color in which the remaining amount is insufficient with the replacement color and printing is output to the print control unit 21 (S15), and the printing operation is subsequently repeated (S15). S11).

In this way, the ejection operation from the print head 11 for ejecting the ink whose remaining amount in the tank 1 is insufficient is stopped, and instead the highest priority among the inks whose remaining amount is not insufficient is given. Color inks are ejected from the print heads 11 for the respective colors, and no printing loss occurs on the recording paper 10.

The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments. For example, not only an ink jet type recording apparatus but also a thermal transfer type, an impact type, a laser type in which recording is performed using a plurality of color inks. The present invention can be applied to various color recording devices such as a formula.

[0032]

According to the color recording apparatus of the present invention, the ink colors are prioritized in the order of increasing distance in the color space with respect to the color of the recording medium, and there is a shortage of ink in any of the tanks. When it occurs, instead of printing with ink that has run out of ink, the ink with the highest priority of the ink that has not run out of ink is used to print. When a shortage occurs,
It has an excellent effect that the clearest recording can be automatically obtained according to the color of the recording medium to be used without stopping the recording operation.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a configuration diagram of an embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a circuit block diagram of an embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a control processing flowchart of the embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a control processing flowchart of the embodiment.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 Tank 2 Ink Remaining Insufficiency Detection Means 3 Medium Color Detection Means 4 Replacement Color Priority Setting Means 5 Recording Color Replacement Means 10 Recording Media

─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of the front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁵ Identification code Office reference number FI technical display location 8306-2C B41J 3/04 102 Z

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. At least three tanks (1) containing inks of different colors, and an ink for detecting that the remaining amount of ink in each tank (1) is less than a minimum amount required for recording. Insufficient remaining amount detection means (2), medium color detection means (3) for detecting the color of the recording medium (10) on which recording is performed with the ink in each tank (1), and the medium color detection means Replacement color priority setting means (4) for setting priorities for the colors of ink in the tank (1) in descending order of distance in color space with respect to the color of the recording medium (10) detected by (3). And when the ink level shortage detection means (2) detects that the ink level of one of the tanks (1) is insufficient, the ink level is insufficient instead of the recording to be performed with the ink. Ink cartridge not A color recording means (5) for making a recording using ink of the color having the highest priority set by the replacement color priority setting means (4) is provided. apparatus. 2. A color recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the replacement color priority setting means (4) gives the highest priority to black.