JP3036799B2 - Recording device - Google Patents

Description

Description: BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a recording apparatus, and is particularly suitable for application to an ink jet recording apparatus that performs recording by discharging ink onto a recording medium.

[Conventional technology]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, recording apparatuses that perform recording (hereinafter, also referred to as printing) on recording media (hereinafter, also referred to as recording paper or simply paper) such as paper and OHP sheets have been proposed in a form in which recording heads of various recording methods are mounted. Have been. The recording head includes a wire dot type, a thermal type, a thermal transfer type, an ink jet type, and the like.

In particular, the ink-jet method, which directly ejects ink onto recording paper, has attracted attention as a quiet recording method with low running cost.

In such an ink jet recording apparatus, recording (printing) is performed by a serial type or full multi type recording head, and a recording sheet is conveyed in a predetermined direction.

By the way, some recording apparatuses, particularly document processing apparatuses such as an electronic typewriter and a word processor, allow a recording medium to be manually conveyed (paper feed) by an operator. In such an apparatus, for example, printing is interrupted after printing an appropriate amount, paper is fed to a position where the operator can easily see the printed portion, and then printing is resumed after reverse feeding of the recording medium, or after printing is interrupted as well. By feeding the paper and restarting printing from that position, it is possible to provide a desired amount of blank space or the like.

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention] However, since the ink jet recording apparatus uses liquid ink as a recording agent, the following problems may occur in an apparatus that allows manual paper feeding by an operator. There is.

In other words, if printing is instructed in a state where the manual operation is not appropriate and the recording medium is not at the recording position (the position facing the recording head), for example, a platen for regulating the recording surface of the recording medium flat. This is because ink is ejected at the beginning. When such a situation occurs, not only the platen is contaminated with ink, but also the attached ink is transferred to the next recording medium to contaminate it, or ink is dropped into the apparatus to cause contamination, It is also conceivable to have an undesirable effect on circuits and the like.

In order to prevent this, it is conceivable to provide a means for detecting that the recording medium is at the recording position. However, when it is not always possible to provide this at the optimum position due to restrictions on the device configuration, that is, there is a case where it is necessary to arrange a detection sensor or the like at a position deviated from the recording position in the recording medium transport direction, Even in such a case, whether or not the recording medium is at the recording position must be properly managed.

On the other hand, in general, a recording apparatus is provided with various sensors in addition to a sensor for detecting whether or not a recording medium is set in the apparatus, but it is preferable that the number of sensors is small in order to reduce the cost of the recording apparatus. From this viewpoint, it is conceivable that the sensor for detecting whether the recording medium is set in the apparatus is also used as the sensor used for detecting whether the recording medium is at the recording position. In this case, the recording medium of the sensor is used. The deviation from the recording position in the transport direction can be even larger.

Further, with the sharing of such a sensor for the recording medium, various states, for example, whether or not the recording medium is set in the apparatus, how much margin is available on the recording medium, the recording medium when printing is resumed, It is also demanded that a state such as whether or not is at a recording position is determined from a single sensor output so that appropriate control is performed.

The present invention particularly has a configuration in which a sensor for detecting the presence or absence of a recording medium is provided at a position deviated from the recording position in the conveyance of the recording medium, and uses the sensor and the detection result when resuming recording (printing). An object of the present invention is to enable the state of a recording medium to be correctly recognized, and to allow printing to be resumed in an appropriate state without causing inconvenience such as printing on a platen or the like.

[Means for Solving the Problems] For this purpose, the present invention provides a sensor for detecting the presence or absence of a recording medium, and a method for holding a value determined according to a distance from the position of the sensor to a recording position and sending the recording medium. The three values of the counter value, the value of which is held in the counter decreases, the detection result of the sensor at the time of recording interruption, and the detection result of the sensor at the time of recording restart, are compared. Determining means for determining the processing of.

According to the present invention, according to the present invention, a counter value that holds a value determined according to a distance from a sensor arrangement position to a recording position, and decreases each time a recording medium is fed, and a sensor value when recording is interrupted. Since the state of the recording medium is recognized based on the three pieces of information of the detection result of the above and the sensor detection result at the time of resuming the recording, the processing at the time of resuming the recording is determined accordingly.
For example, it is possible to prevent inconvenience such as recording is performed despite the recording medium being pulled out by the operator after the recording is interrupted, and the recording can be resumed in an appropriate state.

Further, according to the present invention, it is possible to increase the degree of freedom of the sensor disposition position, and it is also possible to contribute to the dual use of a sensor that performs detection on a recording medium while responding finely to various states to be detected. Become like

〔Example〕

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

FIGS. 1 (A) and 1 (B) show an external configuration example of an electronic typewriter as a device to which the present invention can be applied.

Here, reference numeral 1 denotes a keyboard unit, in which a key group 2 such as keys for inputting characters such as characters and numerals and control keys are arranged. As shown in the illustration. Reference numeral 4 denotes a paper feed tray for feeding a sheet-shaped recording medium to a printer section inside the apparatus, which is stored over the printer section when not in use, as shown in FIG. Reference numeral 5 denotes a feed knob for manually setting and discharging a recording medium, 6 denotes a display for displaying input text and the like, and 7 denotes a handle used when transporting the apparatus according to the present embodiment.

 FIG. 2 shows an example of the configuration of the printer unit according to this embodiment.

Here, reference numeral 9 denotes a head cartridge having an ink jet recording head, and 11 denotes a carriage for mounting the head cartridge and scanning in the S direction in the drawing. 13 is the head cartridge 9
Hook for attaching to the carriage 11, 15 is the hook 13
This is a lever for operating. The lever 15 is provided with a marker 17 for indicating, for example, a scale provided on a cover (not shown) so that the print position and the set position of the head cartridge by the recording head can be read.
Reference numeral 19 denotes a support plate that supports an electrical connection to the head cartridge 9. Reference numeral 21 denotes a flexible cable for connecting the electrical connection unit and the main body control unit.

Reference numeral 23 denotes a guide shaft for guiding the carriage 11 in the S direction, and is inserted through a bearing 25 of the carriage 11. 27
Is a timing belt to which the carriage 11 is fixed and which transmits power for moving the carriage 11 in the S direction, and is stretched around pulleys 29A and 29B arranged on both sides of the apparatus. A driving force is transmitted to one pulley 29B from a carriage motor 31 via a transmission mechanism such as a gear.

Reference numeral 33 denotes a transport roller for regulating the recording surface of a recording medium such as paper (hereinafter also referred to as recording paper) and transporting the recording medium during recording or the like, and is driven by a transport motor 35 which is a stepping motor in this example. . 37 is a paper pan for guiding the recording medium to the recording position from the paper feed tray 4 side, and 39 is disposed in the middle of the recording medium feeding path, presses the recording medium toward the conveyance roller 33, and conveys it. Feed roller for Reference numeral 34 denotes a platen that faces the ejection port forming surface of the head cartridge 9 and regulates the recording surface of the recording medium. Reference numeral 41 denotes a paper discharge roller which is disposed downstream of the recording position in the recording medium transport direction and discharges the recording medium toward a paper discharge port (not shown). 42 is a paper discharge roller
This is a spur provided corresponding to 41, and presses the roller 41 via the recording medium to generate a conveyance force of the recording medium by the paper discharge roller 41. Reference numeral 43 denotes a release lever for releasing the urging of the feed roller 39, the holding plate 45, and the spur 42 when setting a recording medium or the like.

Reference numeral 45 denotes a pressing plate for suppressing the rising of the recording medium in the vicinity of the recording position and ensuring the state of close contact with the transport roller 33. In the present embodiment, an ink jet recording head that performs recording by discharging ink is employed as a recording head. Therefore, the distance between the ink ejection port of the recording head, the formation surface, and the recording surface of the recording medium is relatively small, and the interval must be strictly controlled to avoid contact between the recording medium and the ejection port formation surface. Therefore, the arrangement of the holding plate 45 is effective. Reference numeral 47 denotes a scale provided on the presser plate 45, and reference numeral 49 denotes a marker provided on the carriage 11 corresponding to the scale, and the print position setting position of the recording head can also be read by these.

Reference numeral 51 denotes a cap formed of an elastic material such as rubber which faces the ink discharge port forming surface of the recording head at the home position, and is supported so as to be able to come into contact with / separate from the recording head. The cap 51 is used for protection of the recording head at the time of non-recording or the like, and at the time of ejection recovery processing of the recording head. In the ejection recovery process, the ink is ejected from all the ejection ports by driving an energy generating element provided inside the ink ejection port and used for ink ejection, thereby recording air bubbles, dust, and thickening. This is a process for removing the cause of a discharge failure such as ink that is no longer suitable for printing (preliminary discharge) or a process for separately removing the cause of a discharge failure by forcibly discharging ink from the discharge port.

Reference numeral 53 denotes a pump used to apply a suction force for forcibly discharging the ink and to suck the ink received by the cap 51 at the time of the discharge recovery processing by the forced discharge and the discharge recovery processing by the preliminary discharge. Reference numeral 55 denotes a waste ink tank for storing the waste ink sucked by the pump 53, and reference numeral 57 denotes a tube that connects the pump 53 and the waste ink tank 55.

Reference numeral 59 denotes a blade for wiping the ejection port forming surface of the recording head.The blade 59 projects to the recording head side to perform wiping in the process of moving the head, and a retracted position that does not engage with the ejection port forming surface. It is movably supported. Reference numeral 61 denotes a motor, and reference numeral 63 denotes a cam device for receiving power transmitted from the motor 61 to drive the pump 53 and move the cap 51 and the blade 59, respectively.

FIG. 3 is a side view showing a part of the recording medium transport mechanism of the printer shown in FIG.

FIG. 3 shows the paper pan 37 and two feed rollers 39 arranged upstream and downstream of the paper pan 37, and the illustration of the transport roller 33 is omitted. Paper bread
A paper sensor switch 40A is provided on the upstream side of the recording medium transport path so as to be rotatable around a predetermined center of rotation, and the switch 40A is always biased in the clockwise direction in FIG. Force is acting. This allows the switch
40A is rotated counterclockwise in the figure against the urging force according to the weight of the recording medium when there is a recording medium thereon to change its position, and when there is no recording medium above, the position shown in the figure Return to Reference numeral 40B denotes a photosensor including a pair of a light emitting element and a light receiving element, and only one side is shown in the figure. Photo sensor 40B is paper sensor switch 4
When 0A performs the above rotation by the weight of the recording medium,
The light-emitting element is provided such that an optical path between the light-emitting elements is shielded.

As a result, a part of the recording medium
When transported on the switch 40A or on the switch 40A, the photosensor 40B detects that the optical path is blocked and the recording medium is present (hereinafter, the switch 40A and the sensor 4
0B may be simply indicated by reference numeral 40).

FIG. 4 is a block diagram schematically showing a document processing apparatus of the electronic typewriter type according to the present embodiment. Here, reference numeral 100 denotes a CPU in the form of a microcomputer which executes processing procedures and the like described later with reference to FIG. 6, reference numeral 102 denotes a program corresponding to the processing procedures, a table described later in Table 1 and a ROM storing other fixed data, Reference numeral 103 denotes a work counter and a temporary storage area for document data, a subtraction counter for counting printable lines at the rear end of the recording medium, which will be described later with reference to FIG. 5, and detection of the photo sensor 40B when printing is completed or interrupted. This is a RAM having an area for storing contents and the like. Reference numeral 106 denotes a printer unit described with reference to FIG. 2, and the CPU 100 performs processing as described in FIG. 5 and FIG. 6 according to the detection content from the photo sensor 40B provided here. Further, the paper feed motor 35 is adjusted as described later. 6 is a liquid crystal display as a display shown in FIG. 1, and 1 is a keyboard as various information input means. Keyboard 1
Is provided with a print start / stop key 1A.

In the apparatus according to the present example, the recording medium can take the states I to VI as shown in Table 1.

Here, the column of “subtraction counter” indicates the content of the subtraction counter that counts the remaining recordable lines after the end of the recording medium is detected by the sensor 40. That is, the subtraction counter determines the number of lines that can be accommodated within a length substantially corresponding to the distance along the transport path from the head cartridge 9 to the sensor 40 in FIG. For example, in the counter performed by updating by subtraction according to the printing operation for each line, a circle in the column of “subtraction counter” in Table 1 indicates a certain state (that is, a state where the counter content is not “0”). X indicates a state in which nothing is set (that is, a state in which the counter content is "0").
Further, the column of “sensor at the time of interruption” indicates the state of the sensor 40 when the recording is interrupted by an instruction of the operator such as a key operation or the recording on one recording medium is completed, and ○ indicates a state in which the recording medium is detected, and X indicates a state in which the recording medium is not detected. This sensor output is held in a register.

The column of “sensor at restart” indicates the state of the sensor 40 at the time of resuming or starting recording, ○ indicates a state where the recording medium is detected, and × indicates a state where the medium is not detected. The column of "comparison result parameters" indicates parameters determined for each of the states I to VI according to the contents of the above three items, and control described later with reference to FIG. 6 is performed according to the parameters. That is, these can be tabulated in the ROM 102, and a comparison result parameter corresponding to each state can be read to perform appropriate control.

The above states I to VI are, for example, the following cases.

“State I”: a state where the recording medium is not set in the apparatus.

"State II": a state in which the recording position has not been reached, such as when the recording medium is simply inserted.

“State III”: After the end of the recording medium has passed the sensor position,
For example, when printing is interrupted while there are still recordable lines. In some parts, the recording position has been deviated by manual paper feeding.

[State IV]: This occurs when the end of the recording medium is interrupted after passing the sensor position, and then the sheet is fed backward by manual paper feeding, and the end reaches the sensor position again or when the next recording medium is set.

"State V": A case where the end of the recording medium is interrupted before passing the sensor, and then the end of the recording medium is detached from the sensor by manual paper feeding. At this time, the recording position may be out of the recording position.

“State VI”: A state in which the recording medium is detected by the sensor when the end of the recording medium is interrupted before detaching from the sensor and the operation is resumed irrespective of the presence / absence and amount of the manual operation thereafter. This is a case where it is considered that there is a recording medium at the recording position, and printing can be resumed as it is.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing the procedure of the printing process according to this example.

When the operator presses the print start / stop key, the present process is started. First, in step S601, the positional relationship of the recording medium with respect to the transport path is checked with reference to the table described in Table 1 above. That is, the table is referred to based on the paper presence / absence state detected by the sensor 40, the state of the sensor 40 at the time of printing completion or interruption stored in the register of the RAM 103, and the contents of the subtraction counter stored in the RAM 103. Then, a comparison result parameter is obtained from these comparison results.

This processing branches according to the comparison result parameter,
If the above parameter is "0", only the alignment of the paper feed motor 35 is performed in step S603, and the printing operation in step S625 is started. By adjusting the motor 35, that is, in the present embodiment using the stepping motor as the paper feed motor, by matching the excitation phase at the time of restart with that at the time of interruption, the operator or the like manually operates the knob 5 during printing interruption. It is possible to correct the phase shift of the motor 35 in the case of performing the paper feeding or the like, and to make the paper feeding after resuming the printing favorable without a line shift or the like.

If the comparison result parameter is "1", the flow branches to step S605 to display a message "paper insertion or press the print start key 1A to start printing" on the display 6. Next, in steps S607 and S609, the process waits until the recording paper is inserted into the transport path or the print start key 1A is pressed. In response to this, the operator checks the state of the recording paper and inserts the recording paper or presses the print start key 1A. When any of the above processes is performed, step S611 is performed.
And the printing operation is started.

If the comparison result parameter is “2”, the process branches to step S613, and the “paper status check and print start key 1A
To start printing ".
Next, in step S615, the process waits until the print start key is pressed. The operator confirms the state of the paper, and presses the print start key if the state is good. When this key is pressed, the above matching is performed in step S617, and the printing operation is started.

If the comparison result parameter is “3”, the process branches to step S619, where a message “insert paper” is displayed,
In step S621, the control waits for paper insertion by the operator. When paper is inserted, the printing operation starts in step S625.

As described above, according to this embodiment, even if the sensor is arranged at a position shifted in the recording medium conveyance direction from the recording position, the manual operation is detected, and as a result, the recording medium is not at the recording position. Since the device recognizes that there is a case and notifies the operator, the inconvenience that printing is restarted even when the recording medium is not at the recording position due to manual operation after interruption is prevented. it can.

Also, a subtraction counter for presenting information relating to the remaining recordable number of lines at the end of the recording medium (the number of lines that decrease every time one line is printed from the number of lines determined according to the distance from the sensor position to the recording position). Various states of the recording medium can be verified based on the contents, the sensor output state when printing is interrupted, and the sensor output state when printing is resumed, so that the degree of freedom of the sensor arrangement part can be increased and the sensor can be used for both purposes. It is also possible to provide a detailed response to various accompanying states.

Note that the present invention can be appropriately modified without departing from the scope of the claims. For example, in the above example, a single sensor is used for various states, but two or more sensors may be used, and the various states are not limited to the above “State I” to “State VI”. However, various contents can be provided according to the device configuration. When an impossible state occurs (for example, “counter” in Table 1),
"Sensor at interruption" and "Sensor at resumption" are x,
(In the case of ○, ○), an abnormality may be notified.

Further, the notification is not limited to displaying a message as in the above example, but may be, for example, a buzzer or the like with a different tone.

(Others) The present invention brings about an excellent effect particularly in a recording head and a recording apparatus of a bubble jet system among ink jet recording systems. This is because according to such a method, it is possible to achieve high density and high definition of recording, and it is taught that it takes time for fixing.

As for the representative configuration and principle, it is preferable to use the basic principle disclosed in, for example, US Pat. Nos. 4,723,129 and 4,740,796. This method can be applied to both the so-called on-demand type and the continuous type. In particular, in the case of the on-demand type, it is arranged corresponding to a sheet or a liquid path holding a liquid (ink). Applying at least one drive signal corresponding to the recording information and providing a rapid temperature rise exceeding nucleate boiling to the electrothermal transducer, thereby causing the electrothermal transducer to generate thermal energy, thereby causing the recording head to emit heat energy. This is effective because a film in the liquid (ink) corresponding to the driving signal can be formed one by one by causing film boiling on the heat acting surface. The liquid (ink) is ejected through the ejection opening by the growth and contraction of the bubble to form at least one droplet. When the drive signal is formed into a pulse shape, the growth and shrinkage of the bubble are performed immediately and appropriately, so that the ejection of a liquid (ink) having particularly excellent responsiveness can be achieved, which is more preferable. U.S. Pat. No. 44
Those described in JP-A-63359 and JP-A-4345262 are suitable. Further, if the conditions described in US Pat. No. 4,313,124 relating to the invention relating to the temperature rise rate of the heat acting surface are employed, more excellent recording can be performed.

As a configuration of the recording head, in addition to a combination configuration (a linear liquid flow path or a right-angled liquid flow path) of a discharge port, a liquid path, and an electrothermal converter as disclosed in the above-mentioned specifications, A configuration using U.S. Pat. No. 4,558,333 and U.S. Pat. No. 4,459,600, which disclose a configuration in which is disposed in a bending region, is also included in the present invention. In addition, Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 59-123670 discloses a configuration in which a common slit is used as a discharge portion of an electrothermal converter for a plurality of electrothermal converters, and an opening for absorbing a pressure wave of thermal energy is provided. The effect of the present invention is effective even if the configuration is based on JP-A-59-138461, which discloses a configuration corresponding to a discharge unit. That is, recording can be performed reliably and efficiently regardless of the form of the recording head.

Further, the present invention can be effectively applied to a full-length recording head having a length corresponding to the maximum width of a recording medium on which a recording apparatus can record. Such a recording head may have a configuration that satisfies the length by a combination of a plurality of recording heads, or a configuration as one integrally formed recording head. In addition, even in the case of the serial type as described above, a replaceable chip-type recording head that can be electrically connected to the apparatus main body and supplied with ink from the apparatus main body by being attached to the apparatus main body. ,
The present invention is also effective when a cartridge type recording head provided integrally with the recording head itself is used.

Further, it is preferable to add recovery means for the print head, preliminary auxiliary means, and the like provided as a configuration of the printing apparatus in the present invention since the effects of the present invention can be further stabilized. If these are specifically mentioned, capping means for the recording head, cleaning means, pressurizing or suction means, preheating means using an electrothermal transducer or another heating element or a combination thereof, Performing a preliminary ejection mode in which ejection is performed separately from recording is also effective for performing dark recording.

Regarding the type or number of print heads to be mounted, for example, only one is provided corresponding to a single color ink, and a plurality of print heads are provided corresponding to a plurality of inks having different print colors and densities. May be used.

In addition, as an application form of the ink jet recording apparatus of the present invention, in addition to the above-mentioned electronic typewriter, a document processing apparatus such as a word processor and an image output terminal of an information processing apparatus such as a computer may be used. .

〔The invention's effect〕

As described above, according to the present invention, the value of the counter, which holds a value determined according to the distance from the sensor arrangement position to the recording position, and decreases each time the recording medium is fed, The state of the recording medium is recognized based on the three information of the sensor detection result at the time of recording and the sensor detection result at the time of resuming the recording, and the processing at the time of resuming the recording is determined accordingly. It is possible to prevent inconvenience such as recording being performed even when the recording medium is pulled out by a user, and to restart recording in an appropriate state.

Further, according to the present invention, it is possible to increase the degree of freedom of the sensor disposition position, and it is also possible to contribute to the dual use of a sensor that performs detection on a recording medium while responding finely to various states to be detected. Become like

[Brief description of the drawings]

1 (A) and 1 (B) are external perspective views showing a state of using and storing an electronic typewriter as an apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is applicable to the present invention. FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a configuration example of a printer unit, FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view showing a part of a recording medium transport path of the printer, and FIG. 4 is a schematic configuration of a control system of an electronic typewriter according to this example. FIG. 5 is a schematic side view for explaining a paper position and the like, and FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing a print processing procedure of the printer according to the present example. 1A: Print start / stop key, 6: Display, 9: Head cartridge, 35: Paper feed motor, 37: Paper pan, 40A: Paper sensor switch, 40B: Photo sensor, 100: CPU, 102… ROM, 103… RAM, 106… Printer.

Continuation of the front page (58) Field surveyed (Int.Cl. ⁷ , DB name) B41J 11/42 B41J 2/01 B41J 29/48

Claims (3)

(57) [Claims] 1. A sensor for detecting the presence or absence of a recording medium, and a counter value for holding a value determined according to a distance from a position of the sensor to a recording position, and decreasing the value held each time the recording medium is fed. Determining means for comparing three pieces of information of a detection result of the sensor at the time of recording interruption and a detection result of the sensor at the time of recording resumption, and determining a process at the time of recording resumption according to the comparison result. A recording device, characterized in that: 2. The comparison result indicates that the value of the counter is present, the sensor does not detect the recording medium when the recording is interrupted, and the sensor detects the recording medium when the recording is restarted. 2. The recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein if not, the determination unit determines to perform a warning process to check the state of the recording medium. 3. The comparison result indicates that the value of the counter does not exist, the sensor does not detect the recording medium when the recording is interrupted, and the sensor detects the recording medium when the recording is restarted. If not, the determining means displays a message to the effect that a recording medium should be inserted, determines processing to start a recording operation in accordance with the insertion of the recording medium, and the comparison result is If the value of the counter is not present, the sensor is not detecting the recording medium at the time of the recording interruption, and the sensor is detecting the recording medium at the time of resuming the recording, or When there is a counter value, the sensor does not detect the recording medium when the recording is interrupted, and the sensor does not detect the recording medium when resuming the recording. The deciding means prompts a state check of the recording medium and displays a message to start printing in response to pressing of a predetermined key, and determines a process to start a recording operation in response to pressing of the predetermined key, The comparison result indicates that the value of the counter is present, the sensor does not detect the recording medium when the recording is interrupted, and the sensor detects the recording medium when the recording is resumed. Or if the value of the counter is present, the sensor has detected the recording medium at the time of the recording interruption, and if the sensor has not detected the recording medium at the time of resuming the recording, The determining means displays a message to start printing in response to insertion of a recording medium or pressing of a predetermined key, and inserts a recording medium or presses the predetermined key. Determine the processing to enter the recording operation according to the below, the comparison result, the value of the counter is present, the sensor is detecting the recording medium at the time of the recording interruption,
2. The recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein, when the recording is restarted, when the sensor is detecting a recording medium, the determination unit determines a process to start a recording operation.