JP3680970B2 - Printer - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a power supply control device for controlling the supply state of power to a circuit and a drive unit of a printer when a so-called main switch for turning on and off power to a printer is constituted by a tact switch.
[0002]
[Prior art]
For example, when the power is turned off in an ink jet printer, it is necessary to perform post-processing such as head return processing and capping processing to prevent ink nozzles from drying and clogging. For this reason, even after the user turns off the power switch (so-called main switch), it is necessary to continue supplying power to the electronic circuit and the drive unit in the printer for a certain period of time. In order to solve such a problem, conventionally, a power switch that directly turns ON / OFF the AC power supply line is entrusted to the power supply control circuit, and the power supply control circuit is turned on / off in two ways. It was done with a lock-type switch. These two lock-type switches operate in synchronism, and one of them is provided with a delay circuit, and continues to supply power to an electronic circuit or the like for a certain time even when the power control circuit is turned off. By doing so, the above problem was avoided.
[0003]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
In this type of printer that requires time for post-processing, the length of time required for each post-processing varies. For example, in recent ink jet printers, the number of ink nozzles has increased due to the diversification of ink used, and accordingly, the time required for cleaning the tip of the ink nozzle has increased.
[0004]
In this way, as the various control items of the printer increase, various kinds of post-processing are required. For this reason, in the configuration in which power is continuously supplied for a predetermined time, which has been determined in the past, it is impossible to cope with a change in time required for the termination process.
[0005]
Further, when a lock switch is used as in the prior art, the ON operation and the OFF operation are distinguished from each other in terms of hardware. However, because of cost reduction requirements and design advantages, a tact switch may also be used as a printer power switch.
[0006]
When a tact switch is used in place of the conventional lock type switch, the following problems occur. That is, in the tact switch, switching of the contact of the switch itself is made conductive when the switch is pressed, and is always non-conductive when the hand is released. Therefore, when the user depresses the switch, if it is not known whether it is an ON operation or an OFF operation, an operation of continuously supplying power in accordance with the post-processing of the apparatus is realized as described above. I can't.
[0007]
Therefore, according to the present invention, even if a tact switch is used as a printer power switch, the time required for post-processing when the apparatus power is turned off varies depending on the driving state of the apparatus. Another object of the present invention is to provide a power supply control device capable of continuing to supply power to an electronic circuit or the like for an appropriate time.
[0008]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
The printer of the present invention to solve the above problems, the means for detecting pressing of data transfected switch according pressing of sensed tact switch, control circuit and connected power source supply state or supply stop state to a driving mechanism and means for switching to either, when the tact switch during power supply detects that it has been pressed, after a predetermined time has elapsed, and a control means for stopping the supply of the power.
[0009]
Further, the printer of the present invention has means for detecting pressing of the tact switch, and means for switching the power supply connected to the control circuit and the drive mechanism to either the supply state or the supply stop state in accordance with the detected press of the tact switch. And a means for detecting a post-processing end signal issued after the drive mechanism performs a post-process necessary for stopping the drive mechanism, and when detecting that the tact switch is pressed during power supply, Waiting for detection of the post-processing end signal, the control means for stopping the supply of the power .
[0010]
In the printer of the present invention , the detecting means is configured to detect the pressing based on a voltage waveform when the tact switch is pressed .
Furthermore, the printer of the present invention further includes means for identifying a state in which the power supply is being supplied and in a state in which the supply is stopped, and the means for identifying is when the tact switch is pressed while the power is being supplied. And a voltage waveform when the tact switch is pressed while the power supply is stopped.
[0011]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.
[0012]
FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a printer to which a power supply control device of the present invention is applied. The power supply control device 1 is interposed between a power supply unit (P / S) 2 and a controller circuit 3 in the printer, and controls the supply of power to the controller circuit 3 and the print engine 4. From the power supply unit 2, a drive power supply (+42 V) for the controller circuit 3 and the print engine 4 and a drive power supply (+5 V) for the power supply control device 1 itself are supplied. Further, a power supply control signal (PSC) is issued from the controller circuit 3 so as to control the power to be supplied by the power supply unit 2 in accordance with the state of the device to be described later.
[0013]
FIG. 2 is a detailed configuration diagram of the power supply control device 1 according to the present embodiment. This power supply control device 1 is actually composed of a two-linked tact switch 11 which is a main switch provided in the operation panel section of the printer, a determination circuit 13 including a custom IC such as a gate array, and a switching semiconductor element. And a certain transistor 14. The output of the transistor 14 is connected to the power supply unit (P / S) 2 of FIG. 1, and the supply of power is controlled by the power supply control signal (PSC) output according to the determination result of the determination circuit 13. It has become so. The driving power (+5 V) of the determination circuit 13 is supplied from the power supply unit 2 to the external terminal 12 of the power supply control device 1.
[0014]
In the 2-link tact switch 11, SW1 that is an actual power supply control switch for the determination circuit 13 and SW2 that is a switch for capturing a weak voltage change flowing through the determination circuit 13 are operated in synchronization. It has become. The contact of the tact switch 11 is conductive when the switch is pressed, and is always non-conductive when the hand is released.
[0015]
FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing functions of the power supply control apparatus realized by the determination circuit 13. The control unit 34 controls each unit according to input from each functional block. The switch press detection unit 31 captures a voltage change that occurs when the switch SW1 is pressed, and is provided on the input IN (see FIG. 2) side of the determination circuit 13. The time management unit 32 is a functional block for setting the time when the power supply is continued for a predetermined time after the switch operation to be updatable or for obtaining the necessary time by calculation. The ON / OFF state storage unit 33 functions as means for identifying a state in which power is being supplied or stopped in cooperation with the control unit 34. The post-processing end signal detector 35 detects a post-processing end signal included in the power supply control signal from the controller circuit 3. The conduction / non-conduction switching unit 36 turns on / off the power supply line in accordance with control by the control unit 34.
[0016]
FIG. 4 is a timing chart showing the relationship between the switch operation, the power detected by the switch pressing detection unit 31, and the output of the power supply control device 1. When the two-linked tact switch 11 is depressed by the user to activate the printer, the switch depression detecting unit 31 detects a voltage change unique to the activation. The switch press detection unit 31 captures this inherent voltage change and notifies the control unit 34 of the change. Upon receiving the notification, the control unit 34 determines whether the switch press is a power-on operation or a shut-off operation according to the procedure described later, and takes appropriate measures. FIG. 4 shows a state at the time of activation. That is, an operation of switching the output voltage from Low to Hi is performed.
[0017]
FIG. 5 is a procedure explanatory diagram illustrating an example of processing by the determination circuit 13. In FIG. 5, when a change in voltage is detected by the switch press detection unit 31, it is determined whether or not this is a voltage change specific to the tact switch press (steps S501 and S502). This is notified to the control unit 34. Upon receiving the notification, the control unit 34 checks the current printer state recorded in the ON / OFF state determination unit 33, that is, whether the power is being supplied or stopped (step S504). Then, when the power supply is stopped, the output of the conduction / non-conduction switching unit 36 is set to Hi to activate the apparatus (steps S504: NO, S505).
[0018]
On the other hand, when the printer has already been activated (step S504: YES), the power supply is stopped after the power supply is continued by any one of the following procedures.
[0019]
First, FIG. 6 shows a control procedure for shutting off the power after the supply of power to the printer circuit and drive unit is continued for a predetermined time using the time management unit 32.
[0020]
In this case, the control unit 34 inquires of the time management unit 32 about the time required for the post-processing of the printer (step S601). In the time management unit 32, for example, the time required for cleaning the tip of the ink nozzle or the time required for the capping process is set and recorded in advance according to the configuration of the printer. The controller 34 reads this value and, after the predetermined time has elapsed (step S602: YES), sends a switching control signal to the conduction / non-conduction switching unit 36 (step S603). The conduction / non-conduction switching unit 36 that has received the switching control signal switches the output to Low (step S604).
[0021]
Note that the time managed by the time management unit 32 may be calculated by the time management unit 32, for example. That is, in a printer configured to be loaded with a plurality of ink cartridges (monochrome ink cartridge, five-color ink color cartridge, and three-color ink color cartridge), the required post-processing time differs depending on the mounting state of the cartridge. Therefore, it is possible to capture the status signal in the time management unit and obtain the necessary time accordingly.
[0022]
FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram of a procedure when the post-processing signal detection unit 35 is used to wait for completion of post-processing of the controller circuit 3 and the print engine 4 and shut off the power.
[0023]
In this case, the controller circuit 3 performs a predetermined end process (head cleaning, capping, etc.) on each motor and head of the print engine, and then sends a signal indicating "end of post-processing" to the power supply control. It has a function of sending it included in a signal (PSC). Receiving this power supply control signal, the post-processing end signal detection unit 35 transmits the signal reception to the control unit 34 (steps S701: YES, S702). The control unit 34 sends a switching control signal to the conduction / non-conduction switching unit 36 (step S703), and the conduction / non-conduction switching unit 36 receiving the switching control signal switches the output to low (step S704).
[0024]
Although this embodiment is as above, this invention is not limited to the said embodiment, The structure change in the range which does not deviate from the summary is possible.
[0025]
For example, in the configuration that detects the pressing of the tact switch by detecting the pressing of the tact switch by detecting the unique voltage waveform generated when the tact switch contacts, the detection is performed when the switch is pressed while the printer is running. The ON / OFF state storage unit 33 can be omitted by configuring the difference between the voltage waveform to be detected and the voltage waveform detected when the switch is pressed in the power-off state.
[0026]
In this case, even in a printer using a tact switch as a main switch, the printer can be activated by so-called outlet ON. For example, in the case of a printer configured to use a conventional lock switch, the activation of the printer by turning on the outlet means a case where the main switch is turned on in advance and the plug is inserted into the power socket in that state. This is because when the power supply of a personal computer and its peripheral devices is supplied from a table tap with one switch, the main switch of each peripheral device is left ON, and all peripheral devices are connected with the switch of the table tap. This function is used when power is supplied and stopped.
[0027]
When a tact switch is used as the main switch of the printer, the contact point of the switch cannot be kept in a conductive state, and thus the above usage cannot be performed. Therefore, in the means for detecting tact switch depression in the embodiment, by configuring the characteristic voltage waveform detected when the power plug is inserted into the socket in the power-off state, the above-described configuration can be identified. Usage is also possible.
[0028]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, according to the power supply control device of the present invention, even if a tact switch is used as the power switch of the device, the power supply to the electronic circuit or the like is performed for an appropriate time required for the post-processing of the device. Therefore, the degree of freedom in designing the printer can be increased, and the head can be prevented from being clogged or damaged due to the incomplete processing of the printer.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a printer to which a power supply control device according to an embodiment is applied.
FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of a power supply control device according to the embodiment.
FIG. 3 is a functional block diagram of a power supply control device.
FIG. 4 is a timing chart showing a relationship between a switch operation and an output of a determination circuit.
FIG. 5 is a processing procedure diagram of a determination circuit when starting up a printer.
FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of a processing procedure of a determination circuit when a printer is turned off.
FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating another example of the processing procedure of the determination circuit when the printer is turned off.
[Explanation of symbols]
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Power supply control circuit 2 Power supply unit 3 Controller circuit 4 Print engine 11 2 Interlocking tact switch 13 Judgment circuit 14 Switching semiconductor element 31 Switch press detection part 32 Time management part 33 ON / OFF state storage part 34 Control part 35 Post-processing end signal Detection unit 36 conduction / non-conduction switching unit

Claims (5)

Means for detecting tact switch depression;
Means for switching the power source connected to the control circuit and the drive mechanism to either the supply state or the supply stop state in accordance with the detected tact switch depression;
Control means for stopping supply of the power after a predetermined time has elapsed when it is detected that the tact switch is pressed during power supply;
A printer that captures a status signal relating to a status of the configuration of the printer and sets the predetermined time in accordance with the status signal ; 2. The printer according to claim 1 , wherein the detecting means detects based on a voltage waveform when the tact switch is pressed. 3. The printer according to claim 1 , further comprising means for identifying a state in which the power is being supplied and stopped. The identifying means distinguishes a voltage waveform when the tact switch is pressed while the power is being supplied and a voltage waveform when the tact switch is pressed while the power supply is being stopped. The printer according to claim 3, wherein: Means for detecting tact switch depression;
Means for switching the power source connected to the control circuit and the drive mechanism to either the supply state or the supply stop state in accordance with the detected tact switch depression;
Control means for stopping supply of the power after a predetermined time has elapsed when it is detected that the tact switch is pressed during power supply;
Means for identifying a state in which the power is being supplied and in a state where supply is stopped,
The identifying means identifies a voltage waveform when the tact switch is pressed while the power is being supplied and a voltage waveform when the tact switch is pressed while the power is being stopped. A printer characterized by that.

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