JPH08224885A - Recorder - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: To provide a recorder in which the ink residue can be easily and accurately managed at each of an ink cartridge with a low cost. CONSTITUTION: A serial number 104 is given to an ink cartridge 103, and ink residue detecting means 11 of the cartridge and memory means 113 for storing the residue at each of the numbers of the cartridges are provided.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a recording apparatus, and more particularly, to a recording apparatus which is supplied with ink from a replaceable ink cartridge for recording and is capable of detecting the amount of ink remaining in the ink cartridge. .

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, in this type of recording apparatus, the amount of ejected ink is measured by counting the number of ejections, and the integrated value of the number of ejections is compared with a limited number of ejections to find the amount of ink remaining in the ink cartridge. It is known to detect the amount. A recording apparatus having such an ink remaining amount detecting means is provided with only means for counting the number of ejections, means for storing the counted number of ejections, and means for comparing the count value with a predetermined limit value. It has an advantage that the ink remaining amount can be always known.

[0003]

However, in such a conventional recording apparatus, as a general rule, each time the ink cartridge is replaced with a new ink cartridge, it is necessary to detect the remaining ink amount of the ink cartridge. In order to know the amount of ink remaining in each cartridge, it is necessary to have a storage means for storing and storing the amount of ink remaining in each ink cartridge.

Therefore, it is difficult to manage the remaining ink amount when, for example, an ink cartridge of a different color is replaced, and if a storage means for storing the remaining ink amount is provided for each ink cartridge, the ink cartridge itself may be stored. The structure becomes complicated, and it becomes expensive as a single-use item, which causes an increase in maintenance cost of the recording apparatus.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide a recording apparatus which pays attention to the above-mentioned conventional problems and aims to solve them, at low cost, yet easily and accurately capable of managing the remaining ink amount for each ink cartridge. To provide.

[0006]

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a recording apparatus in which ink is supplied from an interchangeable ink cartridge section to recording means,
A serial number is given to the ink cartridge unit, an ink remaining amount detecting unit for detecting the ink remaining amount of the ink cartridge unit, and a storage unit for storing the ink remaining amount for each serial number given to the ink cartridge unit. It is characterized by including.

[0007]

According to the present invention, the serial number given to the ink cartridge unit is read out together with the ink remaining amount of the ink cartridge unit from the storage means of the recording apparatus every time the ink cartridge unit is replaced. The remaining ink amount is detected by the remaining ink amount detecting means together with the consumption of the ink when the ink cartridge portion is removed for replacement, and the remaining ink amount at that time is stored in the storing means. Stored in. Thus, it becomes possible to easily carry out accurate management of the ink remaining amount for each of a plurality of replaceable ink cartridges by using the storage means on the recording device side without any extra cost, and to reduce the running cost. It can also contribute to reduction.

[0008]

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

FIG. 1 shows an example of a circuit configuration according to the present invention. Here, 101 is a recording device of the present invention, 102 is a control unit provided in the recording device 101, and having a CPU function.
Reference numeral 3 denotes a replaceable ink cartridge (hereinafter, referred to as an ink cartridge unit to be distinguished from the conventional ink cartridges) for supplying ink to a recording unit (not shown) of the recording apparatus 101. Ink cartridge part 1
A serial number (serial number) is recorded in 03, for example, as a bar code, and the serial number of the ink cartridge unit 103 is read from such a serial number recording unit 104 by a reading unit (not shown) when the ink cartridge unit 103 is mounted.

Reference numeral 105 denotes a serial number detecting means provided in the control unit 102.
At 5, the serial number of the ink cartridge unit 103 is detected based on the data read by the reading means. Reference numeral 106 is a calculation circuit for calculating the remaining ink amount of the ink cartridge unit 3, 107 is storage means (RAM) for storing the remaining ink amount for each individual ink cartridge unit 3 together with the serial number, and 108 is the present invention. The storage means (ROM) stores the procedure of the control operation related to the recording operation in addition to the control related to. In addition to the above, in the control unit 102, a circuit 110 for controlling the drive of the recording unit 109, and an ink residual amount for detecting the ink residual amount based on the ink amount consumed for the recording operation by the recording unit 109. It comprises detection means 111.

Next, FIG. 2 shows the construction of each part related to the control of the present invention. Here, 112 is a reading unit configured to read a serial number from the serial number recording unit 104 of the ink cartridge unit 103, for example, an optical unit, 113 is a storage unit including a RAM 107 and a ROM 108, and 114 is out of ink as described later. Alternatively, the display unit 114 is a display unit for notifying the operator of the presence or absence of ink, and the display unit 114 is configured, for example, by an LED (light emitting diode) or LCD (liquid crystal) so that it can be turned on or display information and messages. ing. Note that the display unit 114 may be one that can display other recording-related elements.

Further, reference numeral 115 is a recording means, for example, an ink jet recording head, for recording by scanning the recording signal according to a recording signal sent through the controller 102, and the amount of ink ejected from the recording head 115 is, for example, the same. The number of dots is counted by the control unit 102 to be measured,
In addition, the remaining ink amount is calculated by the calculation unit 106 (see FIG. 1) and stored in the RAM 107. Furthermore,
Whenever the ink cartridge unit 3 is newly installed, the control unit 102 determines from the serial number whether the ink cartridge unit 3 has been used so far or not, the serial number stored in the storage unit 113. The function to judge by comparing with. Reference numeral 116 denotes an attachment / detachment detection unit that detects attachment / detachment of the ink cartridge unit 103 to / from the recording unit 115.

FIG. 3 shows a procedure of a control operation relating to the detection of the remaining amount of ink or the presence / absence of ink in the ink jet cartridge according to the present invention.

First, at step S1, the attachment / detachment detection means 116
It is determined whether or not the ink cartridge unit 103 is removed from the recording unit 115 based on the detection signal from the. Here, the control unit 102 stores the range of use, the serial number of the ink cartridge unit 103 in use, and the remaining ink amount in the ink cartridge unit for each number in the ROM 108 to the RAM 107 of the storage unit 113. Therefore, in step S2, the serial number of the removed ink cartridge unit, that is, the ink cartridge unit that has been used until then, and the remaining ink amount are stored again in the storage unit 113.
In step S3, the ink cartridge unit 103
Wait for the to be installed. If it is determined in step S3 that the ink cartridge unit 103 has been attached based on the detection signal from the attachment / detachment detection means 116, step S3
In step 4, it is determined whether the installed ink cartridge unit 103 is new.

If an affirmative determination is made, the process proceeds to step S5, where the remaining ink amount is FULL, that is, it is assumed that the ink is filled with a predetermined amount, together with the new serial number of the ink cartridge unit 103. It is stored in the storage unit 113, and in step S6, the ink ejection amount by the recording or recovery operation is calculated based on, for example, the number of ejections from all ink ejection ports, and the remaining ink amount is calculated. If the newly installed ink cartridge unit 103 is not new in step S4, the serial number of the ink cartridge unit 103 and the remaining ink amount up to that point are already stored in the storage unit 113. In step S9, the remaining ink amount is read out, and in step S6, the remaining ink amount is calculated based on the remaining ink amount according to the ink consumption by the recording unit 109 later.

Thus, in step S7, it is determined whether or not the ink remaining amount is less than or equal to a predetermined value, that is, the remaining amount unsuitable for recording, and if it is less than or equal to the predetermined value, the process proceeds to step S8 and the display unit 114 is operated. Indicates that the ink has run out. If the ink remaining amount does not reach the predetermined value in step S7,
Returning to step S6, the remaining ink amount is continuously detected for the remaining ink consumption. Furthermore, in the case of negative determination in step S1, the process proceeds to step S6, and the remaining ink amount for the ink cartridge unit 103 in use is detected.

In the above description, both the control relating to the recording operation and the control relating to the ink remaining amount management for each ink cartridge are performed by the control unit 102, but the control relating to the ink remaining amount management is performed. The control may be performed separately from the control relating to the recording operation. Further, as the configuration of the storage unit 113, the ROM 108 and the RAM
Although 107 is mentioned, it is preferable to use a known one that is writable and non-volatile and that can store the respective ink remaining amounts freely along with the serial number. Furthermore, in the above-mentioned embodiment, the display means is provided as means for making the operator recognize that the ink is exhausted. However, instead of this, a means for issuing an alarm may be provided, or both the display means and the alarm means may be provided. Alternatively, both means may prompt the operator to replace the ink cartridge.

Further, the present invention is not limited to the ink cartridge which is detachably attached to the recording means, and needless to say, the present invention is applied to an ink cartridge which is detachably attached to a predetermined position of the recording apparatus. , Containing ink cartridges for color recording devices and inks of different colors,
It can also be applied to a recording device that can record in different colors by exchanging the replacement.

[0019]

As described above, according to the present invention, a serial number is given to an ink cartridge portion, an ink remaining amount detecting means for detecting the ink remaining amount of the ink cartridge portion, and the ink remaining portion. Since the storage means for storing the amount for each serial number given to the ink cartridge is provided, the ink of the ink cartridge for each serial number can be detected only by detecting the serial number at the time of mounting from the serial number recording portion of the ink cartridge portion. Since you can read the remaining amount and manage the remaining ink amount,
Even if the ink cartridge unit is replaced, the amount of ink remaining in each ink cartridge can be easily known. Moreover, since all the information relating to the remaining ink amount can be stored in the storage section of the recording apparatus itself, it is not necessary to hold the information in the ink cartridge section itself, and the price of the ink cartridge section does not rise, and running is possible. It can contribute to cost reduction.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a basic configuration of a recording apparatus of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an example of a configuration according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing a procedure of a control operation related to ink remaining amount management at the time of ink cartridge replacement according to the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 101 Recording Device 102 Control Unit 103 Ink Cartridge (Part) 104 Serial Number Recording Unit 105 Serial Number Detection Means 106 Arithmetic Circuit 107 RAM 108 ROM 109 Recording Means 110 Recording Means Control Circuit 111 Ink Remaining Amount Means 112 Reading Unit 113 Storage Unit 114 Display unit 116 (cartridge) attachment / detachment detection means

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. A recording apparatus in which ink is supplied to a recording means from a replaceable ink cartridge section, wherein an ink residual quantity for giving a serial number to the ink cartridge section and for detecting an ink residual quantity of the ink cartridge section. A recording apparatus comprising: an amount detecting unit; and a storage unit that stores the remaining ink amount for each serial number given to the ink cartridge. 2. A serial number detecting means for detecting whether the ink cartridge is mounted or not, and a serial number detecting means for detecting the serial number based on the mounting detection by the mounting / dismounting detection means. 2. The recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the remaining ink amount detecting means detects the remaining ink amount based on the serial number detected by the means. 3. The storage device is capable of storing a serial number and a FULL ink remaining amount assigned to a new ink cartridge unit when the new ink cartridge unit is mounted. The recording device according to 2. 4. An ink depletion unit having at least a warning unit capable of displaying and / or informing of ink depletion, and said ink depletion when the ink remaining amount of said ink cartridge detected by said ink remaining amount detection unit is below a predetermined value. The recording device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein is displayed and / or notified by the warning means. 5. The remaining ink amount detecting means detects the remaining ink amount based on the measurement of the amount of ink ejected by the recording means.
The recording device according to any one of 1.