JP2009061756A - Ink jet recording apparatus and control method thereof - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide an ink jet recording apparatus capable of continuing suction processing and preliminary discharge without stopping the operation of a printer body even when a detachable waste ink tank is detached from the printer apparatus, and a control method therefor. With the goal.
In a printer apparatus including a detachable waste ink tank, a sub tank capable of temporarily storing waste ink is provided separately from a main tank. The waste ink collected by the suction process is first stored in the sub tank, and when it is confirmed that the main tank is mounted, the waste ink is discharged from the sub tank to the main tank. Further, when the waste ink is discharged, the amount of waste ink stored in the sub tank is measured, and the value of the measurement result is cumulatively added and recorded.
[Selection] Figure 2

Description

The present invention relates to a waste ink processing method for a print head of an ink jet printer apparatus, and relates to waste ink processing for an ink jet printer having a detachable waste ink tank for storing waste ink discharged from the print head.

  In a printer apparatus using an inkjet method, an image is formed by performing a printing process for ejecting ink from a print head onto a printing paper surface. In this case, if the printing process is continued, the condition of the print head gradually decreases, and there is a possibility that the image cannot be formed normally.

  In order to prevent such a problem, a process called cleaning is generally used. This cleaning is a process in which the pump sucks from the discharge port of the print head and forcibly discharges the ink (hereinafter referred to as “suction process”). There is also a process for keeping the print head in good condition by continuously ejecting a certain amount of ink without aiming at image formation (hereinafter referred to as “preliminary ejection”).

  Although these processes make it possible to keep the print head in good condition, a waste ink tank is required to collect and store the waste ink discharged during the process. Usually, an ink jet printer device includes a detachable waste ink tank. By adopting a configuration in which the waste ink tank is detachable, when the waste ink tank is full of waste ink, the configuration can be replaced.

  A conventional general ink jet printer is provided with a sensor for detecting whether the waste ink tank is attached or detached. An invention is known in which waste ink is prevented from leaking inside the printer device by stopping suction processing and preliminary discharge when it is detected that the waste ink tank has been removed (for example, Patent Documents). 1).

  In this printer apparatus, when it is detected that the waste ink tank has been removed during the operation of the printer, the operation of the printer cannot be resumed until the main body operation is stopped and the user installs the waste ink tank.

  In order to detect that the waste ink tank is full, it is necessary to detect the amount of waste ink stored in the waste ink. In a conventional general inkjet printer, a method is known in which the amount of waste ink generated based on the amount of ink ejected from a print head is calculated (for example, see Patent Document 2).

In the printer apparatus having such a configuration, since the amount of waste ink is obtained by calculation rather than measuring the amount of waste ink actually generated, there is a possibility that the actual amount of waste ink and the calculated value may deviate.
Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 2005-254791 (FIG. 22) JP 2003-127433 A (paragraphs 0024 to 0026)

  In the above conventional example, if the waste ink tank is not attached to the printer device, the printer device cannot perform suction processing or preliminary discharge, and the operation of the entire printer device may stop.

  Further, in the conventional method for obtaining the amount of waste ink generated by calculation, there is a problem that the waste ink may leak from the waste ink tank, and the waste ink cannot be stored up to the full capacity of the waste ink tank. There is a problem that there is a possibility.

The present invention provides an ink jet recording apparatus capable of continuing suction processing and preliminary discharge without stopping the operation of a printer body even when a detachable waste ink tank is detached from the printer apparatus, and a control method therefor. For the purpose.

  In the present invention, in a printer apparatus having a detachable waste ink tank, a sub tank capable of temporarily storing waste ink is provided separately from the main tank. The waste ink collected by the suction process is first stored in the sub tank, and when it is confirmed that the main tank is mounted, the waste ink is discharged from the sub tank to the main tank.

Further, when the waste ink is discharged, the amount of waste ink stored in the sub tank is measured, and the value of the measurement result is cumulatively added and recorded.

  According to the present invention, since the sub-tank for temporarily storing the waste ink is provided, the suction process and the preliminary discharge can be performed without stopping the operation of the printer body even if the detachable waste ink tank is detached from the printer device. There is an effect that it can continue.

  According to the present invention, since the sub-tank for temporarily storing the waste ink is provided, it is possible to prevent the waste ink from leaking into the printer even when the detachable waste ink tank is detached from the printer device. There is an effect.

  According to the present invention, the amount of waste ink stored in the sub tank is measured, and the value of the amount of waste ink measured when the waste ink in the sub tank is discharged to the main tank is cumulatively added. It is possible to accurately measure the amount of waste ink that is present.

According to the present invention, the waste ink can be stored up to the full capacity of the main tank without the waste ink leaking.

  The best mode for carrying out the invention is the following embodiment.

  FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating a configuration of a printer apparatus PR1 that is Embodiment 1 of the present invention.

  The printer device PR1 is an ink jet recording device that uses a recording head that ejects ink and ejects ink from the recording head onto a recording medium for recording. The printer device PR1 is a printer device that can be equipped with a detachable waste ink tank.

  The printer apparatus PR1 includes a guide rail 3, a black cartridge 4, a cyan cartridge 5, a magenta cartridge 6, a yellow cartridge 7, a print head 8, a carriage 9, and a wiper blade 10. The printer apparatus PR1 includes a black cap 11, a cyan cap 12, a magenta cap 13, a yellow cap 14, and a suction pump 15.

  The printer device PR1 has a waste ink tank and other devices therein.

  The print head 8 ejects ink onto the printing paper 1 while reciprocating in the arrow X direction, and the printing paper 1 is conveyed at a predetermined pitch in the arrow direction Y. An image is formed on the print paper 1 by repeating the process of ejecting ink while moving the print head 8 by a predetermined amount according to the contents of the print data and transporting the print paper 1 by a predetermined amount.

  The print head 8 is detachably mounted on the carriage 9. The carriage 9 is slidably supported on the guide rail 3 and is reciprocated along the guide rail 3 by driving means such as a motor (not shown).

  The printing paper 1 is transported in the direction of the arrow Y by the transport roller 2 while maintaining a constant facing distance between the print head 8 and the ink ejection surface of the print head 8 (formation surface of the ejection port).

  The print head 8 is formed with a plurality of nozzle rows (discharge port rows) for discharging different inks. In the first embodiment, nozzle rows that can eject black, cyan, magenta, and yellow ink are formed. In order to supply each ink ejected from the print head 8, a black cartridge 4, a cyan cartridge 5, a magenta cartridge 6, and a yellow cartridge 7 are detachably mounted independently of each other.

  In the first embodiment, the printer is a cartridge type ink supply method printer using four color inks. However, when the ink color is six colors, eight colors, or the like, the ink supply method is a tube method or a pit-in method. Even in this case, the same effects as those of the first embodiment can be obtained.

  A cap that can cover the ink ejection surface of the print head 8 is provided in a non-recording area other than the area occupied by the printing paper 1 within the slidable range of the carriage 9. A cap is provided for each type of ink ejected from the print head 8, and in the first embodiment, a black cap 11, a cyan cap 12, a magenta cap 13, and a yellow cap 14 are provided independently of each other. Yes.

  Each cap is connected to the suction pump 15, and in a state where the cap covers the print head, the suction pump 15 creates a negative pressure inside the cap, and thereby waste ink that does not contribute to the printing process accumulated in the print head. Can be sucked out.

  The wiper blade 10 removes unnecessary ink adhering to the ink discharge surface (discharge port formation surface) of the print head 8. By using the cap and wiper blade 10 as described above and recovering the print head 8 by suction, the output result of the printed image is kept good.

  FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating the configuration of the suction recovery device 20 according to the first embodiment.

  The suction recovery device 20 includes a yellow cartridge 7, a yellow cap 14, a suction pump 15, an ink tank 21, an ink discharge port 22, a sub tank 23, a waste ink metering sensor 24, a valve device 25, a waste device. And an ink tank 26. Further, the suction recovery device 20 includes a waste ink tank mounting portion 27 and a waste ink tank detection sensor 28.

  The ink tank 21 is provided inside the yellow cartridge 7 and stores yellow ink therein. The ink stored in the ink tank 21 is ejected from the ink ejection port 22 toward the yellow cap 14.

  The yellow cap 14 can cover the ejection surface of the print head 8, and in a state of being in close contact with the ejection surface, the suction pump 15 applies a negative pressure to the inside of the cap, thereby accumulating in the ink ejection ports 22. Unnecessary waste ink can be sucked out.

  The waste ink sucked out by the suction pump 15 is collected in the sub tank 23. A waste ink metering sensor 24 is provided in the sub tank 23 to measure the amount of waste ink stored in the sub tank 23. The valve device 25 is a valve device that can be opened and closed arbitrarily. By opening and closing the valve device 25, it is possible to select whether the waste ink in the sub tank 23 is arbitrarily stored or discharged to the waste ink tank 26. it can.

  The waste ink tank 26 stores the waste ink released from the sub tank 23. The waste ink tank 26 is also called a main tank.

  When the waste ink is discharged from the sub tank 23, the waste ink metering sensor 24 measures the amount of waste ink stored in the sub tank 23, and this value is accumulated and accumulated in the waste ink tank 26. It is possible to accurately count the amount of waste ink.

  In the method of calculating the waste ink amount based on the amount of ink ejected from the print head (dot count method), there may be a difference between the calculated value and the actual waste ink amount. However, in the system according to the first embodiment, the capacity of the sub tank 23 is much smaller than the capacity of the waste ink tank 26, so that the amount of stored waste ink can be accurately measured. By using a value obtained by cumulatively adding the measurement results as the amount of waste ink in the waste ink tank 26, the amount of waste ink accumulated in the waste ink tank 26 can be accurately detected.

  The waste ink tank 26 can be attached to and detached from the printer apparatus PR1, and is attached to the waste ink tank attachment portion 27 in a detachable state. The waste ink tank detection sensor 28 is a sensor that detects whether the waste ink tank 26 is attached to the waste ink tank attachment portion 27.

  With the above configuration, the waste ink tank detection sensor 28 can detect whether or not the waste ink tank 26 is attached to the printer apparatus PR1. Thus, if the waste ink tank 26 is not attached, the waste ink is stored in the sub tank 23 by controlling the valve device 25 not to be released. Therefore, even when the waste ink tank 26 is removed, the waste ink does not leak into the printer apparatus PR1, and the operation can be continued without stopping the operation of the printer body.

  FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of the printer apparatus PR1 according to the first embodiment.

  The printer PR1 includes an operation panel 30, an operation panel control unit 31, a nonvolatile memory 32, a CPU 33, an interface 34, a bus 36, a motor driver 37, a print head 8, a RAM 39, and a ROM 40. Have. Further, the printer apparatus PR1 includes a waste ink metering sensor 24 in the sub tank, a waste ink tank detection sensor 28, a suction pump control unit 43, and a waste ink valve control unit 44.

  On the operation panel 30, operation keys and a display panel are arranged.

  The operation panel control unit 31 monitors the state of the keys on the operation panel 30 and issues an appropriate control command to the control circuit of the printer apparatus PR1 including the CPU 33 according to the pressed key. A character string to be displayed on the screen 30 is created and the operation panel 30 is controlled. Further, the user can input keys through keys arranged on the operation panel 30, and the operation of the printer apparatus PR1 such as the start of recovery processing from an error occurrence state can be performed using the operation keys. Enter the specification.

  The interface 34 connects the printer PR1 and the host computer 35, has a function of receiving data from the host computer 35 and transmitting a status, and operates as a data transmission / reception communication port with the host computer 35. The bus 36 of the control circuit connects the CPU 33 and other devices.

  The non-volatile memory 32 is a recording device that stores and records various kinds of information, and can keep the recorded information even when power supply is cut off. In the first embodiment, it is used as means for storing the amount of accumulated waste ink in the waste ink tank 26.

  The motor driver 37 includes a carriage motor (operating the print head) for performing the printing operation of the printer apparatus PR1, a paper feed motor (moving the printing paper, feeding and discharging), and a recovery motor (recovering the print head). A control circuit for controlling motors such as an operation).

  The print head 8 has a function of printing an image on printing paper. In the case of a replaceable head, each head has a unique head ID, and by comparing the head ID, it can be determined whether the head has been replaced. Further, there are individual differences such as a head rank (amount of heat generated by the head internal member) and a temperature sensor correction value (a correction value for variation in the sensor indicating the temperature inside the head) for each head, and these are initializations of the printer PR1. Checked during operation.

  The RAM 39 is a recording device that holds information only while power is being supplied, and the stored information disappears when power supply is cut off. The ROM 40 is a storage device that can only be read, stores a control program for the printer PR1, and refers to the control program by the CPU 33 to execute a control operation.

  Next, the operation state of the circuit will be described.

  CPU33 reads a control program from ROM40, and performs control of each control apparatus according to a program. The interface 34 receives print data from the host computer 35, writes it in the RAM 39, and the CPU 33 controls the motor driver 37 and the print head 8 based on the written data to print the print data on the paper.

  A waste ink measuring sensor 24 provided in the sub tank 23 can measure the waste ink stored in the sub tank 23. The waste ink tank detection sensor 28 determines whether the ink tank is attached.

  The suction pump control unit 43 controls the suction pump 15 and executes a waste ink suction process. The waste ink valve control unit 44 arbitrarily selects whether the waste ink in the sub tank 23 is stored or discharged to the waste ink tank 26 by controlling opening and closing of the valve device 25.

  When the suction pump control unit 43 controls the suction pump 15 to execute the waste ink suction process, the waste ink sucked out from the ink discharge port 22 is collected in the sub tank 23. When executing the suction process, the waste ink measuring sensor 24 in the sub tank 23 measures the waste ink stored in the sub tank 23. As a result of the measurement, if the waste ink has reached the storage limit value, the waste ink valve control unit 44 releases the valve device 25 to release the waste ink in the sub tank 23 to the waste ink tank 26.

  When the waste ink in the sub tank 23 is discharged to the waste ink tank 26, if the waste ink in the sub tank 23 measured by the waste ink metering sensor 24 in the sub tank 23 is cumulatively added, the waste ink tank 26 has accumulated the waste ink. The total amount of waste ink can be obtained. Since the total amount of waste ink accumulated in the waste ink tank 26 is obtained based on the amount of waste ink actually stored in the sub tank 23, the amount of waste ink can be accurately detected, and the waste ink is discarded. Leakage from the ink tank 26 can be prevented.

  When the waste ink valve control unit 44 releases the valve device 25, the waste ink tank detection sensor 28 determines whether or not the waste ink tank 26 is attached to the printer device PR1. When the waste ink tank detection sensor 28 determines that the waste ink tank 26 is attached to the printer PR1, the waste ink valve control unit 44 releases the valve device 25, and the waste ink in the sub tank 23 is removed from the waste ink tank. To 26. When the waste ink tank detection sensor 28 determines that the waste ink tank 26 has been removed from the printer device PR1, the waste ink valve control unit 44 does not release the valve device 25, and the waste ink enters the sub tank 23. It remains stored.

  The waste ink metering sensor 24 measures the waste ink stored in the sub tank 23. If the amount of waste ink exceeds the storage limit value (if it is full), the operation panel control unit 31 A warning is displayed on the display section 30 indicating that the waste ink is full. As a result, the user can be notified that the waste ink is full.

  Therefore, even when the waste ink tank 26 is not attached to the printer apparatus PR1, the suction recovery process of the print head can be continued, and waste ink is prevented from leaking into the printer apparatus PR1 and being contaminated. You can also.

  The suction pump 15 and the suction pump control unit 43 are examples of a cleaning unit that performs a cleaning process of the recording head.

  The waste ink tank 26 is an example of a detachable waste ink storage unit that stores the waste ink discharged by the cleaning unit. The sub tank 23 is an example of a temporary waste ink storage unit located between the cleaning unit and the waste ink storage unit.

  Next, the suction recovery process of the print head 8 in the above embodiment will be described.

  FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing the suction recovery process of the print head 8 in the printer apparatus PR1.

  First, in S1, the waste ink measuring sensor 24 measures the waste ink in the sub tank 23. In S2, it is determined whether the amount of waste ink in the sub tank 23 has reached the limit value. If the amount of waste ink has reached the limit value, the process proceeds to S9, a warning indicating that the waste ink is full is displayed on the panel, and the suction recovery process is terminated.

  If the amount of waste ink has not reached the limit value, the state of the waste ink tank detection sensor 28 is checked in S3, and the waste ink tank 26 is attached to the printer PR1 based on the detection result of the sensor in S4. Determine whether or not.

  If the waste ink tank 26 is attached, the process proceeds to S5, and if it is removed, the process proceeds to S8. By performing the processing in this manner, if the waste ink tank 26 is not attached to the printer apparatus PR1, the processing from S5 onward is skipped, so that the waste ink in the sub tank 23 is not released. Accordingly, it is possible to avoid the waste ink from leaking into the printer apparatus PR1.

  In S5, it is determined whether or not the amount of waste ink accumulated in the detachable waste ink tank 26 that is cumulatively added exceeds a limit value. If the amount of waste ink does not exceed the limit, the process proceeds to S6, and if it exceeds, the process proceeds to S8. In this way, if the waste ink in the waste ink tank 26 is full, the processing in S6 and subsequent steps is skipped, so that the waste ink in the sub tank 23 is not released. Accordingly, it is possible to avoid the waste ink from leaking into the printer apparatus PR1.

  In S6, the waste ink valve is released, and the waste ink in the sub tank 23 is released to the detachable waste ink tank 26.

  In S7, the amount of waste ink stored in the sub-tank 23 released in S6 is added to the value of the amount of waste ink in the removable waste ink tank 26 that has been cumulatively added. By this addition process, the amount of waste ink in the detachable waste ink tank 26 can be updated. In S8, the suction pump is operated to perform the suction recovery process of the print head 8.

  With the above processing, the operation of the suction recovery processing of the print head 8 is completed.

  According to the first embodiment, waste ink is not leaked into the printer apparatus PR1, and when the waste ink tank 26 is not installed, the printer apparatus PR1 can continue the suction recovery operation.

  The valve device 25 is an example of waste ink retention means that is provided between the waste ink temporary storage means and the waste ink storage means and prevents the inflow of waste ink. The waste ink valve control unit 44 is an example of means for arbitrarily discharging and stopping the waste ink stored in the waste ink temporary storage means to the waste ink storage means.

  The waste ink metering sensor 24 is an example of waste ink amount detection means for detecting the amount of waste ink stored in the waste ink temporary storage means. The waste ink valve control unit 44 controls the waste ink retention unit based on the detection result by the waste ink amount detection unit, so that the waste ink stored in the waste ink temporary storage unit is appropriately used as the waste ink storage unit. It is an example of the waste ink stop control means to discharge and stop at timing. The waste ink tank detection sensor 28 is an example of a waste ink storage means detection means for detecting whether a detachable waste ink storage means is attached to the printing apparatus main body.

  Further, the waste ink stop control means, based on the detection result by the waste ink storage means detection means, when the waste ink storage means is not attached to the printing apparatus main body, the waste ink storage means stored in the waste ink temporary storage means. Stop the ink. And it is a means to control the waste ink retention means so that it is not discharged to the waste ink storage means.

  The waste ink metering sensor 24 is a waste ink metering unit that measures the waste ink flowing from the waste ink temporary storage unit to the waste ink storage unit based on the detection result by the waste ink amount detection unit provided in the waste ink temporary storage unit. It is an example.

  The operation panel 30 detects that the waste ink stored in the temporary waste ink storage means is full and that the waste ink metering means detects that the waste ink storage means is not attached to the printing apparatus main body. This is an example of warning means for performing the next warning when the means detection means detects. That is, the cleaning process is stopped and the user is warned that the waste ink is full.

Moreover, the said Example can be grasped | ascertained as invention of a method. That is, the above embodiment is a method for controlling an ink jet recording apparatus that uses a recording head that discharges ink and discharges ink from the recording head onto a recording medium. In the above embodiment, the cleaning unit performs a cleaning process of the recording head, and the removable ink storage unit stores the waste ink discharged by the cleaning unit. In the embodiment, the waste ink temporary storage means is located between the cleaning means and the waste ink storage means.

1 is a schematic diagram illustrating a configuration of a printer apparatus PR1 that is Embodiment 1 of the present invention. FIG. It is a schematic diagram which shows the structure of the suction recovery apparatus 20 in Example 1. FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a printer device PR1 in Embodiment 1. FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing suction recovery processing of the print head 8 in the printer apparatus PR1.

Explanation of symbols

PR1 ... Printer device,
1 ... printing paper,
2 ... Conveying roller,
3 ... guide rail,
4 ... Black cartridge,
5 ... Cyan cartridge,
6 ... Magenta cartridge,
7 ... Yellow cartridge,
8 ... Print head,
9 ... carriage,
10 ... wiper blade,
11 ... Cap for black,
12 ... Cyan cap,
13 ... Cap for magenta
14 ... yellow cap,
15 ... suction pump,
20 ... Suction recovery device 21 ... Ink tank,
22: Ink ejection port,
23 ... Sub tank,
24 ... Waste ink metering sensor,
25 ... Valve device,
26 ... Waste ink tank,
27: Waste ink tank mounting part,
28 ... Waste ink tank detection sensor,
30 ... operation panel,
31. Operation panel control unit,
32 ... non-volatile memory,
33 ... CPU,
34 ... Interface,
35 ... Host computer,
36 ... Bus
37 ... Motor driver,
39 ... RAM,
40 ... ROM,
43 ... Suction pump control unit,
44: Waste ink valve controller.

Claims (7)

In an inkjet recording apparatus that uses a recording head that discharges ink and discharges and records ink from the recording head to a recording medium.
Cleaning means for performing a cleaning process of the recording head;
A waste ink storage means for storing and removing the waste ink discharged by the cleaning means;
Waste ink temporary storage means positioned between the cleaning means and the waste ink storage means;
An ink jet recording apparatus comprising: In claim 1,
Waste ink retaining means provided between the waste ink temporary storage means and the waste ink storage means to prevent inflow of waste ink;
Means for arbitrarily discharging and stopping the waste ink stored in the waste ink temporary storage means to the waste ink storage means;
An ink jet recording apparatus comprising: In claim 1,
Waste ink amount detection means for detecting the amount of waste ink stored in the waste ink temporary storage means;
Waste ink retaining means provided between the waste ink temporary storage means and the waste ink storage means to prevent inflow of waste ink;
Based on the detection result by the waste ink amount detection means, the waste ink retention means is controlled to release the waste ink stored in the waste ink temporary storage means to the waste ink storage means at an appropriate timing. Waste ink stop control means for stopping;
An ink jet recording apparatus comprising: In claim 3,
Waste ink storage means detecting means for detecting whether or not the detachable waste ink storage means is attached to the printing apparatus main body;
Waste ink retaining means provided between the waste ink temporary storage means and the waste ink storage means to prevent inflow of waste ink;
And the waste ink stop control means stores the waste ink temporary storage means in the waste ink storage means when the waste ink storage means is not attached to the printing apparatus main body based on the detection result by the waste ink storage means detection means. An ink jet recording apparatus, comprising: means for controlling the waste ink retaining means so that the waste ink is retained and not discharged to the waste ink storage means. In claim 3,
A waste ink metering unit for metering waste ink flowing from the waste ink temporary storage unit into the waste ink storage unit based on a detection result by the waste ink amount detection unit provided in the waste ink temporary storage unit; An ink jet recording apparatus. In claim 5,
A waste ink storage means detecting means for detecting whether the detachable waste ink storage means is attached to the printing apparatus main body;
The waste ink storage means detects that the waste ink stored in the waste ink temporary storage means is full, and that the waste ink storage means is not attached to the printing apparatus main body. An ink jet recording apparatus comprising: warning means for stopping the cleaning process and warning the user that the waste ink is full when the detection means detects it. In a control method of an ink jet recording apparatus that uses a recording head that discharges ink and discharges and records ink from the recording head to a recording medium.
A process in which the cleaning means performs a cleaning process of the recording head;
A step of storing waste ink discharged by the cleaning means by a removable waste ink storage means;
And a waste ink temporary storage means located between the cleaning means and the waste ink storage means.

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