JP2009006625A - Liquid identification device and liquid identification method - Google Patents

Abstract

When an ink cartridge has a sealed structure or a structure close to a sealed structure, it is not easy to take out the ink for composition analysis, and the ink contained in the ink cartridge is an ink having a preferable composition. It was difficult to detect whether or not.
A detection unit 17 acquires liquid amount information from a liquid amount information recording unit 16a provided on a circuit board 150. When the detecting unit 17 detects that the liquid amount is full, the measuring unit 11 converts the electromotive force generated between the two electrodes into digital data by analog-digital (A / D) conversion, and the converted digital data is recorded in the recording unit 12. Send to. The recording unit 12 records the sent digital data in a predetermined area of the RAM 53. The storage unit 13 acquires and stores a correspondence table sent from the PC. The identification unit 14 identifies the type of ink stored in the ink cartridge from the digital data and the correspondence table. The notification unit 15 notifies the identified ink type.
[Selection] Figure 3

Description

  The present invention relates to a liquid identification device and a liquid identification method for identifying a liquid contained in a liquid container.

  A liquid stored in a liquid container is sprayed from a jet head onto a recording medium such as paper, glass, a resinous substrate, or even a cloth, and predetermined characters, figures, or images (hereinafter collectively referred to as “ A liquid ejecting apparatus that forms an image) is used. As an example of such a liquid ejecting apparatus, there is an ink jet printer that ejects ink as liquid from a ejecting head onto a recording medium to form a predetermined image on the recording medium.

  In order to form high-quality images on the above-described various recording media using an ink jet printer, preferred ink compositions corresponding to the recording media have been conventionally disclosed (for example, Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2). reference). In an ink jet printer, ink having a preferred composition for such a recording medium is supplied from an ink cartridge as a liquid container and ejected from an ejection head to form an image. Therefore, in order to form a high-quality image, it is necessary that ink having a preferable composition for the recording medium is contained in the ink cartridge to be used.

Japanese Patent No. 3582448 Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2003-3101

  In order to check that the ink contained in the ink cartridge is an ink having a preferable composition, it is necessary to perform an operation of taking out the ink from the ink cartridge and analyzing the composition. At this time, when the ink cartridge has a sealed structure or a structure close to a sealed structure, it is not easy to take out the ink for composition analysis. Therefore, it has been difficult to detect whether the ink contained in the ink cartridge is an ink having a preferable composition.

  By the way, it has been known for a long time that a power is generated between two electrodes by putting two electrodes having different ionization tendency into an electrolyte solution (for example, a voltaic battery). The present inventors have found that ink having the composition disclosed in Patent Documents 1 and 2 described above is a liquid that can be used as such an electrolyte solution. Therefore, if two electrodes with different ionization tendencies are inserted into the ink cartridge, the ink cartridge forms a voltaic battery and a voltage is generated between the two electrodes, and the generated voltage also changes the composition of the ink. It has been found that it changes with

  Accordingly, the present invention has been made to solve at least a part of the above problems by using a voltage generated in an ink cartridge, and can be realized as the following forms or application examples.

  [Application Example 1] A liquid identification device, in which a liquid is stored in a liquid storage container having two electrodes, thereby measuring an electromotive force generated between the two electrodes, and the measured electromotive force A recording unit that records electric power; a storage unit that stores a correspondence table between a type of liquid stored in the liquid storage container and an electromotive force generated between the two electrodes; and the recorded electromotive force and the storage An identification unit that identifies the type of liquid stored in the liquid storage container, and a notification unit that notifies information according to the identification result identified by the identification unit. It is characterized by.

  According to this liquid identification device, the electromotive force generated between the two electrodes of the liquid container is measured, and the type of liquid corresponding to the measured electromotive force is identified by the correspondence table. Therefore, the type of the liquid can be easily identified without analyzing the composition of the liquid and without removing it from the liquid container. And since the kind of identified liquid is notified, the liquid of a preferable composition can always be used. In addition, the kind of liquid means here the group classified according to the composition of the liquid at least.

  Application Example 2 In the liquid identification device, the type of liquid to be stored from the liquid information recording unit that is provided in the liquid storage container and records information indicating the type of liquid to be stored in the liquid storage container. An information acquisition unit, and a match determination unit that determines whether the type of liquid identified by the identification unit matches the type of liquid acquired by the information acquisition unit, and the notification unit includes: The information according to the determination result of the coincidence determination unit is notified.

  According to this configuration, information indicating the type of liquid to be stored in the liquid storage container is acquired, and it is determined whether or not the liquid actually stored in the liquid storage container is a liquid to be stored in the liquid storage container. . And since the information according to a determination result is notified, the liquid container in which the liquid of the preferable composition was always correctly accommodated without making a mistake can be used.

  Application Example 3 In the liquid identification device, the liquid is supplied to the liquid storage container from a liquid amount information recording unit that is provided in the liquid storage container and records information on the amount of liquid stored in the liquid storage container. A detection unit that detects a state in which the liquid is filled is provided, and the measurement unit measures the electromotive force when the detection unit detects that the liquid is filled in the liquid container. And

  When it is detected that the liquid is filled in the liquid storage container, the liquid actually stored in the liquid storage container is also surely full. Therefore, since the electromotive force generated in the two electrodes is always in the same state of the area area of the liquid in contact, fluctuations in the voltage value are suppressed to be small. Therefore, it is possible to accurately identify the ink using the measured electromotive force and the correspondence table. As a result, since the identification accuracy is increased, it is possible to use a liquid storage container in which a liquid having a preferable composition is always stored.

  Application Example 4 In the liquid identification device, the measurement unit is provided in the liquid container.

  If it carries out like this, the conducting wire distance which electrically guides the electromotive force which arose in the liquid container to the measurement part will become short. Therefore, since the voltage drop in the conducting wire is suppressed, it is possible to correctly measure the generated electromotive force.

  Application Example 5 A liquid identification method, a measurement step of measuring an electromotive force generated between the two electrodes in accordance with the type of liquid stored in a liquid storage container having two electrodes, and the measurement A recording step for recording the electromotive force, a storage step for storing a correspondence table between the type of liquid contained in the liquid container and the electromotive force generated between the two electrodes, and the recorded electromotive force, An identification step for identifying the type of liquid stored in the liquid container using the stored correspondence table; and a notification step for notifying the type of liquid identified in the identification step. Features.

  According to this liquid identification method, the electromotive force generated between the two electrodes of the liquid container is measured, and the type of liquid corresponding to the measured electromotive force is identified by the correspondence table. Therefore, it is possible to easily identify the type of the liquid without component analysis and without removing it from the liquid storage container. And since the kind of identified liquid is notified, the liquid of a preferable composition can always be used.

  Application Example 6 In the liquid identification method, the liquid information recording unit provided in the liquid storage container and records information indicating the type of liquid to be stored in the liquid storage container. An information acquisition step of acquiring a type, and a coincidence determination step of determining whether or not the type of liquid identified in the identification step matches the type of liquid acquired in the information acquisition step, and the notification step Notifies the information according to the determination result of the match determination step.

  If it carries out like this, the information which shows the kind of liquid which should be accommodated in a liquid container will be acquired, and it will be determined whether the liquid actually accommodated in the liquid container is the liquid which should be accommodated in a liquid container. And since the information according to a determination result is notified, the liquid container in which the liquid of the preferable composition was always correctly accommodated without making a mistake can be used.

  Next, this invention is demonstrated based on an Example. FIG. 1 shows a schematic structure of an ink jet printer 10 which is an example of a liquid ejecting apparatus incorporating a liquid identifying apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. Further, the figure shown in the lower blowing part in the figure is a side view of the carriage 20 (described later) as seen from the direction of the arrow S in the figure.

  In the ink jet printer 10, an ink cartridge 100 (yellow), an ink cartridge 200 (magenta), an ink cartridge 300 (cyan), and an ink cartridge 400 (black) serving as liquid containers that store inks of various colors as liquids are carriage 20. It is installed at the specified position. The carriage 20 is fixed to the carriage belt 41, and moves in the horizontal direction of the drawing along the guide 21 fixed to the frame 27 as the carriage belt 41 is driven by the carriage motor 40. At this time, a predetermined amount of ink droplets 39 of each color corresponding to the print image is printed at a predetermined timing from a plurality of nozzles perforated in the ejection head 30 provided on the back side of the carriage 20 in the drawing. Sprayed onto the paper 25. The printing paper 25 is transported and driven by a predetermined amount in the vertical direction of the drawing by a paper feed roller (not shown) driven by a driving motor 26 fixed to the frame 27. In this way, a predetermined amount of ink droplets 39 of each color corresponding to the print image is ejected onto the entire printing paper 25 to form an image.

  The main control for such a series of operations is performed by the sub board 60 attached to the carriage 20 and the main board 50 connected to the sub board 60 by the flexible board 45 and attached to the frame 27.

  The main board 50 temporarily stores a CPU 51 for controlling various operations of the ink jet printer 10, a ROM 52 storing a program related to these operations, and data necessary for the operation, as shown in the upper blowing portion in the drawing. Interface (I / F) for exchanging data between the RAM 53 for storing and reading data automatically and the sub-board 60 and exchanging information with an external device such as a user's personal computer (PC) 55. A processing routine program for liquid identification inspection described later is stored in the ROM 52. The RAM 53 has a data buffer area, and stores data such as a print job output from the PC via the I / F 55 and a correspondence table described later in this area.

  On the other hand, the sub board 60 is formed with a logic circuit for executing a predetermined operation such as data exchange with the main board 50. Accordingly, the CPU 51 reads out a program of each processing operation recorded in the ROM 52 and exchanges various signal data with the sub-board 60, whereby the CPU 51 executes a predetermined operation.

  The ink cartridges 100 to 400 can be attached to and detached from the carriage 20 by attaching / detaching means 130 that is formed integrally with the ink cartridge and has a structure that will be described later, as shown in the lower blowing portion in the drawing. Insertion is fixed in the state. Each of the ink cartridges 100 to 400 is provided with an ink supply port 107, and the ink supplied from the supply port 107 corresponds to each corresponding nozzle provided in the ejection head 30 according to an ink flow path (not shown). It is configured to flow up to.

  Each of the ink cartridges 100 to 400 is attached with a circuit board 150 on which an IC chip on which individual information regarding the ink cartridge is recorded is mounted. The circuit board 150 is provided with connection means (not shown) between the circuit board 150 and the sub board 60 so that individual information can be exchanged with the sub board 60. Therefore, the CPU 51 performs processing such as recording individual information on the IC chip via the sub-board 60 and reading the recorded individual information. For example, data corresponding to the remaining amount of ink stored in the ink cartridge is recorded on the IC chip, and data relating to the date of manufacture of the ink cartridge and the type of ink stored is read from the IC chip.

  Next, the specific structure of the ink cartridges 100 to 400 to be identified by the liquid identifying apparatus in this embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the ink cartridge 100 as viewed from the side, and is a schematic diagram schematically showing the overall configuration. Since the other ink cartridges 200, 300, and 400 all have the same structure as the ink cartridge 100, description thereof is omitted.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the ink cartridge 100 includes a resin ink container body 101 in which an ink storage portion 105 for storing ink is formed, and an attachment / detachment unit 130 provided integrally with the ink container body 101. And a supply port 107, a circuit board 150, and two electrodes 110 and 120.

  The supply port 107 has a substantially pipe shape with an opening formed in the center portion, and functions as an ink supply port that supplies ink to the ejection head 30. That is, when the ink cartridge 100 is mounted on the carriage 20, the supply needle 70 is inserted into this opening. Then, the ink stored in the ink storage unit 105 flows out to the supply needle 70 and the ink is supplied to the ejection head 30. When the ink cartridge 100 is not attached to the carriage 20, the opening of the supply port 107 is in a sealed state in which ink does not flow out, and the ink cartridge 100 is attached to the carriage 20 and the supply needle 70 is inserted. A valve mechanism that is in an open state when in use is configured as necessary.

  The attaching / detaching means 130 has a substantially hook shape as shown in the figure, and is formed so as to be bent in a state indicated by a two-dot chain line (reference numeral 130a) when the ink cartridge 100 is pushed downward in the drawing. Accordingly, the ink cartridge 100 is mounted by being pushed into the carriage 20 from above in the drawing. After the mounting, the groove 20b of the carriage 20 and the protrusion 130b are engaged so that the carriage 20 is fixed so as not to be pulled out upward in the drawing. Of course, when the ink cartridge 100 is removed from the carriage 20, the attaching / detaching means 130 may be bent in a state indicated by a two-dot chain line (reference numeral 130a) and then pulled upward in the drawing. Thus, the ink cartridge 100 is configured to be detachable from the carriage 20, that is, the ink jet printer 10. The attaching / detaching means in the present embodiment is an example, and other structures (for example, screwing) may be used as long as the attaching / detaching means can be attached / detached.

  Now, in order to use the ink cartridge 100 configured as described above as a battery of a volta, the two electrodes 110 and 120 are connected to the bottom of the ink container body 101 so as to come into contact with the ink stored in the ink storage unit 105. The end portion is fixed to (lower side of the drawing) and inserted into the ink containing portion 105.

  Here, the ink stored in the ink storage unit 105 has different pH values indicating acidity and alkalinity depending on the composition of the ink, as disclosed in Patent Document 2 described above. As a function is different. Therefore, the magnitude of the electromotive force generated between the electrode 110 and the electrode 120 varies depending on the composition of the ink.

  In this embodiment, the electrode 110 is a copper plate, and the electrode 120 is a zinc plate. The electrode 110 and the electrode 120 are determined to be positive or negative depending on the magnitude of the ionization tendency. In this embodiment, the electrode 120 formed of a zinc plate having a large ionization tendency with respect to the copper plate becomes a negative pole. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 2, the electromotive force generated between the electrode 110 and the electrode 120 is a circuit having the electrode 110 as a positive electrode and the electrode 120 as a negative electrode via the connection members 111 and 121. It is configured to be guided to a predetermined terminal (not shown) provided on the substrate 150.

  In the present embodiment, the electrode 110 and the electrode 120 inserted into the ink cartridge 100 in this manner are a copper plate and a zinc plate, respectively, but a magnesium plate or an aluminum plate may be used in addition to this. In short, any material can be used as long as it is a conductive material having different ionization tendencies when melted into ink. In addition, when materials having a large electromotive force generated depending on the composition of the ink are known, it is preferable to use these materials as two electrodes.

  As shown in FIG. 2, in the ink cartridge 100 in which two electrodes having different ionization tendencies are formed, an electromotive force having a voltage value corresponding to the composition of the stored ink is generated between the two electrodes. In view of this, the liquid identification and inspection apparatus according to the present embodiment is intended to identify whether or not the ink contained in the mounted ink cartridge 100 is an ink having a preferable composition based on the difference in the voltage value of the generated electromotive force. is there. Hereinafter, the liquid identification apparatus of the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 3, 4, and 5.

  FIG. 3 is a functional block diagram of the liquid identification apparatus of the present embodiment. FIG. 4 is a flowchart of processing performed by the liquid identification apparatus of this embodiment. FIG. 5 shows an example of a correspondence table showing the relationship between the ink type and the electromotive force in this embodiment.

  In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 3, the CPU 51 executes the processing program stored in the ROM 52 while using the RAM 53 as a working area in FIG. 13, functions as an identification unit 14, a notification unit 15, and a detection unit 17. As shown in FIG. 3, in this embodiment, the measurement unit 11 is formed on the circuit board 150, and the others are formed on the main board 50. Each unit mainly manages the following processing.

  The detection unit 17 acquires the liquid amount information from the liquid amount information recording unit 16 a provided on the circuit board 150. In the present embodiment, the above-described IC chip corresponds to the liquid amount information recording means, and data relating to the remaining amount of ink corresponds to the liquid amount information. When the detecting unit 17 detects that the liquid amount is full, the measuring unit 11 converts the electromotive force (analog data) generated between the two electrodes into digital data by analog-to-digital (A / D) conversion, and the converted digital data Is sent to the recording unit 12. The recording unit 12 records the sent digital data in a predetermined area of the RAM 53. The storage unit 13 acquires and stores a correspondence table between ink types and electromotive forces among the individual information data of the ink cartridges sent from the PC. The identification unit 14 identifies the type of ink stored in the ink cartridge from the digital data and the correspondence table. The notification unit 15 notifies the identified ink type.

  Next, according to the flowchart of FIG. 4, the procedure of the identification process performed by the liquid identification device in the present embodiment will be described. This identification processing is performed when the user of the inkjet printer 10 in FIG. 1 operates a predetermined operation button (not shown) to input a processing command, or when at least one of the ink cartridges 100 to 400 is mounted on the carriage 20. Or when the power of the inkjet printer 10 is turned on.

  When this process is started, first, in step S1, the liquid amount information of the ink cartridge 100 is acquired. The CPU 51 reads the recorded individual information from the IC chip provided on the circuit board 150 and acquires data relating to the remaining amount of ink in the ink cartridge 100. In the following description, processing for the ink cartridge 100 is described as an example, but similar processing is performed for other cartridges.

  Then, in the next step S2, it is determined whether or not the ink stored in the ink cartridge 100 is full from the data regarding the remaining amount of ink. If it is not full (step S2: NO), the identification process is terminated. Although not described here, the remaining amount of ink is calculated based on the number of ink droplet ejections from the nozzles. Therefore, in a state where the ink is not full, that is, in a state where the ink remaining amount is less than 100%, the calculated ink remaining amount obtained from the recording information of the ink cartridge 100 and the ink amount actually remaining in the ink cartridge 100 There are cases where and are different. As a result, the measured electromotive force has a different value depending on the actual ink remaining amount, and the ink identification accuracy based on the measured electromotive force is deteriorated, so that the process is terminated without performing the identification process. Of course, when a substantially constant electromotive force is generated regardless of the remaining amount of ink, identification processing may be performed. In this case, the process of step S1 and step S2 is unnecessary, and therefore the function of the detection unit 17 in FIG. 3 is also unnecessary.

  If the ink is full (step S2: YES), the electromotive force of the ink cartridge 100 is measured in the subsequent step S3. If the ink is full, the calculated ink remaining amount obtained from the recording information of the ink cartridge 100 and the ink amount actually remaining in the ink cartridge 100 are the same without error, so that the generated electromotive force The magnitude of is always a constant voltage value without variation. Therefore, as described above, an electromotive force is measured by converting a voltage value, which is analog data between two electrodes, into digital data. In this embodiment, in a measurement circuit (not shown) provided on the circuit board 150, an electromotive force is measured by converting a voltage value generated between two electrodes from analog data to digital data. By doing so, the distance of the conductive wire that electrically guides the electromotive force generated in the ink cartridge 100 to the measurement circuit as analog data is shortened. Therefore, since the voltage drop in the conducting wire is suppressed, it is possible to correctly measure the generated electromotive force.

  Next, in step S4, a process for recording the measured electromotive force is performed. The CPU 51 stores the voltage value digitally converted by the measurement circuit in a predetermined recording area of the RAM 53.

  Next, in step S5, processing for storing the correspondence table is performed. In this embodiment, the correspondence table describing the latest data is sent from the PC each time the print job is sent, and the CPU 51 updates and stores digital data indicating the latest correspondence table in the RAM 53 each time it is sent.

  An example of the stored correspondence table is shown in FIG. As shown in the figure, the correspondence table is a table in which data for each item of “ink type”, “color”, “lot number”, “ink composition”, and “electromotive force” is associated. For example, for an ink with the ink type “ACI”, the color is “cyan”, the lot numbers are “1” to “3”, the ink composition is “C1”, and the electromotive force is “VC1” volts. Attached.

  Then, in the next step S6, referring to the correspondence table, a process of comparing with the recorded electromotive force is performed. Specifically, the CPU 51 reads the recorded electromotive force and compares it with the electromotive force in the correspondence table. In step S7, it is determined whether or not there is ink that matches the recorded electromotive force. In this embodiment, if the voltage difference between the recorded electromotive force and the electromotive force in the correspondence table is within a predetermined threshold in consideration of the measurement error, it is determined that they match.

  If there is no matching ink as a result of the determination (step S7: NO), a notification process is performed in step S8 to indicate that there is no corresponding ink. If there is a matching ink (step S7: YES), step In S9, the corresponding ink type is notified, and the identification process in this embodiment is terminated.

  In the notification process, for example, when the recorded electromotive force matches the “VM2” volt in the correspondence table of FIG. 5, it is notified that the ink type is “BMI”. In the present embodiment, a predetermined sentence is displayed and notified on a liquid crystal display panel (not shown) provided in the ink jet printer 10 shown in FIG. The CPU 51 selects and displays an appropriate sentence from sentences stored in advance in the ROM 52. For example, “the ink type is BMI (magenta and composition is M2)”. If the recorded electromotive force does not match any electromotive force in the correspondence table of FIG. 5, a sentence indicating that there is no corresponding ink is selected and displayed. For example, “Ink is wrong”.

  By performing the notification process in this manner, for example, the user of the inkjet printer 10 can easily determine whether the ink contained in the ink cartridge mounted on the carriage 20 is an ink having a preferable composition based on the displayed text. Can be confirmed. Therefore, according to the present embodiment, it is possible to use an ink cartridge in which the ink having a preferable composition is always properly stored without making a mistake, and as a result, a high-quality image can be formed.

  The embodiments of the present invention have been described with reference to the examples. However, the present invention is not limited to these examples, and can be implemented in various forms without departing from the spirit of the present invention. Of course. Hereinafter, a modification will be described.

(First modification)
In the above embodiment, the user actually confirms whether or not the ink cartridge mounted on the carriage contains the displayed type of ink. At this time, for example, if the user cannot visually recognize the label indicating the type of ink stored in the carriage while the ink cartridge is mounted on the carriage, it is necessary to remove the ink cartridge from the carriage. It is. Also, if the label is peeled off or dirty and difficult to read, the confirmation operation cannot be performed. Therefore, as a modified example, the ink cartridge mounted on the carriage is identified from the measured electromotive force using the data relating to the date of manufacture of the ink cartridge recorded on the IC chip and the type of ink to be stored. A liquid identification device for confirming whether or not an ink cartridge is used.

  This modification will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 6 is a functional block diagram of the liquid identification device of the present modification. FIG. 7 is a flowchart of processing performed by the liquid identification device according to the present modification.

  In this modified example, in FIG. 1, the CPU 51 executes the processing program stored in the ROM 52 while using the RAM 53 as a working area, so that the information acquisition unit 18 and the coincidence determination are added to the functional unit shown in FIG. 3. It further functions as the unit 19. These functional units mainly manage the following processing.

  The information acquisition unit 18 acquires information on the type of ink to be stored in the ink cartridge from the liquid information recording unit 16 b provided on the circuit board 150. In this modification, the above-described IC chip corresponds to the liquid information recording means. The coincidence determination unit 19 determines whether or not the ink type identified by the identification unit 14 matches the ink type acquired by the information acquisition unit 18. The notification unit 15 in this modification also notifies the coincidence determination result for the ink type. The other functional units basically perform the same processing as in the above-described embodiment, and thus description thereof is omitted here.

  Next, a procedure of processing performed by the liquid identification device according to this modification will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. In the processing steps of this modification, steps S1 to S8 are the same as the processing steps (FIG. 4) in the above-described embodiment, so the description thereof will be omitted and the processing after step S9a will be described.

  In this modification, the liquid information of the ink cartridge is acquired in step S9a. Here, the CPU 51 reads information on the type of ink recorded from the IC chip provided on the circuit board 150 and acquires the type of ink to be stored in the ink cartridge 100.

  In the next step S10, it is determined whether or not the ink types match. The CPU 51 compares the data indicating the ink type read from the IC chip with the data indicating the ink type identified with reference to the correspondence table, and determines whether the data match.

  As a result of the determination, if they do not match (step S10: NO), a notification process is performed in step S11 to indicate that the inks do not match. If they match (step S10: YES), it is determined in step S12 that the inks match. After the notification process, the identification process in the present modification ends.

  In the notification processing in step S11 and step S12, as in the above embodiment, the notification processing in step S11 and step S12 is performed by displaying a predetermined sentence on a liquid crystal display panel (not shown) provided in the inkjet printer 10 shown in FIG. To do. The CPU 51 selects and displays an appropriate sentence from sentences stored in advance in the ROM 52. For example, if the inks do not match, the condition is “ink is not an applied ink”. If they match, the condition is “ink is applied ink”.

  By performing the notification process in this manner, for example, the user of the inkjet printer 10 determines whether or not the ink contained in the ink cartridge mounted on the carriage 20 is definitely an ink having a preferable composition based on the displayed text. Can be easily confirmed. Therefore, according to this modification, the confirmation operation can be performed reliably without removing the ink cartridge from the carriage 20, so that it is possible to always use an ink cartridge in which a preferred composition of ink is correctly stored without making a mistake. As a result, a high-quality image can be formed.

(Other variations)
In the above-described embodiments and modifications, the measurement unit 11 is provided on the circuit board 150 as illustrated in FIG. 3 or FIG. 6, but may be provided on the sub-board 60. Alternatively, the main board 50 may be provided. In the above-described embodiment and the modification, the measurement unit 11 is provided on the circuit board 150 in order to suppress the voltage drop of the electromotive force generated in the ink cartridge and correctly measure the generated electromotive force. In the case where the electromotive force can be correctly measured because it is large and the influence of the voltage drop is relatively small, it is not particularly necessary to provide the circuit board 150.

  In the above embodiment and modification, the notification unit 15 notifies the determination result by displaying a predetermined sentence on the liquid crystal display panel as described in the processing flowchart of FIG. 4 or FIG. Of course, it is not limited to this. For example, it may be notified by sound. It is also possible to notify the determination result by providing a sounding body in the ink jet printer and changing the sound output method (frequency, volume, sounding pattern, etc.).

  Or the notification part 15 is good also as notifying by outputting the trigger signal regarding operation | movement of the inkjet printer 10. FIG. For example, a trigger signal for stopping the printing operation is output. In this case, when an ink different from the ink having a preferred composition is attached, the printing operation can be stopped, and printing in which a high-quality image is not formed can be suppressed.

  In the above-described embodiments and modifications, a resistance attenuator (attenuator) for adjusting the voltage value of the electromotive force may be inserted into the ink cartridge. If there is no discernable difference in the voltage value of the electromotive force generated in the ink cartridge only by the difference in the ink composition, the electromotive force measured for each type of ink accommodated in the ink cartridge is changed by the attenuator. be able to. As a result, it is possible to correctly identify the ink cartridge containing the ink having a preferable composition by the electromotive force.

  Further, in the above-described embodiment and modification, in step S5 shown in FIG. 4 or FIG. 7, the correspondence table in which the latest data transmitted from the PC is updated with the print job is updated and stored. It is good also as updating by methods other than. For example, in the inkjet printer 10, it may be sent together with a version upgrade program during a printer driver version upgrade process. In this way, the print job data does not include the data in the correspondence table, so the print job data can be reduced.

  In the above-described embodiments and modifications, the ink for forming an image on the printing paper is exemplified as the liquid. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, it may be a recording liquid or a functional liquid for forming an image on a glass substrate or a resin substrate and forming a constituent member of a liquid crystal panel or an organic EL panel.

  In the above-described embodiments and modifications, the liquid ejecting apparatus has been described as an ink jet printer. However, the present invention is not limited to this. Any device can be used as long as it can eject recording liquid and functional liquid, including the ink described above.

  In the above-described embodiments and modifications, the ink cartridge is described as being an ink cartridge that is detachably mounted on the inkjet printer 10, but it is needless to say that the present invention is not limited to this. For example, it may be a tank type ink cartridge that supplies ink from an ink container through a supply pipe.

  In the above embodiments and modifications, the liquid identification device is described as being incorporated in an ink jet printer as a liquid ejecting device. However, the liquid identification device may be a separate device from the liquid ejecting device. In this way, for example, the type of ink stored in the ink cartridge can be identified by the ink cartridge alone without mounting the ink cartridge in the ink jet printer.

  In the above-described embodiments and modifications, the liquid identifying process is described as being performed when the liquid container is an ink cartridge. However, the liquid container is not limited to an ink cartridge. For example, the liquid container may be a car battery. In this case, the liquid identification device is configured as a separate device described above, and identifies the type of electrolyte to be replenished. In this way, the liquid identification device can generate any electromotive force between the two electrodes, and any liquid storage container can be used as long as the magnitude of the electromotive force generated varies depending on the type of liquid stored. It can also be applied to.

  The present invention can also be implemented as a liquid identification method. Since the liquid identification method conforms to the description of the processing in the embodiment and the modification of the liquid identification device described above, the description is omitted.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a schematic structural diagram of an ink jet printer as an example of a liquid ejecting apparatus in which a liquid identification device according to an embodiment of the present invention is incorporated. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the ink cartridge as viewed from the side, and a schematic diagram illustrating the overall configuration thereof. The functional block diagram of the liquid identification apparatus of a present Example. The processing flowchart which the liquid identification device of a present Example performs. The figure which shows an example of the corresponding | compatible table which shows the relationship between the kind of ink, and an electromotive force. The functional block diagram of the liquid identification apparatus of a 1st modification. The process flowchart which the liquid identification apparatus of a 1st modification performs.

Explanation of symbols

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Inkjet printer, 11 ... Measurement part, 12 ... Recording part, 13 ... Memory | storage part, 14 ... Identification part, 15 ... Notification part, 16a ... Liquid quantity information recording means, 16b ... Liquid information recording means, 17 ... Detection part, DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 18 ... Information acquisition part, 19 ... Match determination part, 20 ... Carriage, 20b ... Groove part, 21 ... Guide, 25 ... Printing paper, 26 ... Drive motor, 27 ... Frame, 30 ... Ejection head, 39 ... Ink drop, 40 ... Carriage motor, 41 ... carriage belt, 45 ... flexible substrate, 50 ... main substrate, 51 ... CPU, 52 ... ROM, 53 ... RAM, 55 ... I / F, 60 ... sub-board, 70 ... supply needle, 100 ... ink cartridge , 101 ... Ink container body, 105 ... Ink container, 107 ... Supply port, 110 ... Electrode, 111, 121 ... Connection member, 120 ... Electrode, 130, 130a Detachable means, 130b ... projections, 150 ... circuit board 200 ... ink cartridge, 300 ... ink cartridge, 400 ... ink cartridge.

Claims (6)

A measuring unit for measuring an electromotive force generated between the two electrodes by storing the liquid in a liquid storage container having two electrodes;
A recording unit for recording the measured electromotive force;
A storage unit that stores a correspondence table between a type of liquid stored in the liquid storage container and an electromotive force generated between the two electrodes;
Using the recorded electromotive force and the stored correspondence table, an identification unit that identifies the type of liquid stored in the liquid storage container;
A notification unit for notifying information according to the identification result identified by the identification unit;
A liquid identification apparatus comprising: The liquid identification device according to claim 1,
An information acquisition unit that acquires the type of liquid to be stored from the liquid information recording unit that is provided in the liquid storage container and records information indicating the type of liquid to be stored in the liquid storage container
A match determination unit that determines whether or not the type of liquid identified by the identification unit matches the type of liquid acquired by the information acquisition unit,
The liquid identification device, wherein the notification unit notifies information according to a determination result of the coincidence determination unit. The liquid identification device according to claim 1 or 2,
A detection unit configured to detect a state in which the liquid is filled in the liquid storage container from a liquid amount information recording unit that is provided in the liquid storage container and records information on the amount of liquid stored in the liquid storage container;
The liquid identification device, wherein the measurement unit measures the electromotive force when the detection unit detects that the liquid is filled in the liquid container. The liquid identification device according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
The liquid identifying apparatus, wherein the measuring unit is provided in the liquid container. A measurement step of measuring an electromotive force generated between the two electrodes according to the type of liquid stored in a liquid storage container having two electrodes;
A recording step of recording the measured electromotive force;
A storage step of storing a correspondence table between the type of liquid stored in the liquid storage container and the electromotive force generated between the two electrodes;
Using the recorded electromotive force and the stored correspondence table to identify the type of liquid stored in the liquid storage container;
A notification step of notifying the type of liquid identified in the identification step;
A liquid identification method comprising: The liquid identification method according to claim 5, comprising:
An information acquisition step of acquiring the type of liquid to be stored from the liquid information recording means provided in the liquid storage container and recording information indicating the type of liquid to be stored in the liquid storage container;
A match determination step for determining whether or not the type of liquid identified in the identification step matches the type of liquid acquired in the information acquisition step,
The liquid identifying method, wherein the notifying step notifies information according to a determination result of the coincidence determining step.

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