JPH0757551B2 - Inkjet recording device - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an ink jet recording apparatus equipped with an automatic head recovery device.

[Conventional technology]

The ink jet recording apparatus ejects ink from a fine orifice formed on the front surface of the head and causes ink droplets to adhere to a sheet for recording.

In this type of recording apparatus, ink ejection failure (clogging of the orifice) may occur due to thickening or sticking of the ink due to evaporation of the ink solvent, mixing of air bubbles into the ink, dust or paper dust adhering to the orifice. In such a case, an automatic ink recovery device is provided to recover the ink properties.

This automatic recovery device is configured to generate a negative pressure in the cap by a suction pump or the like to discharge ink in an idle state when the head is at the home position and the orifice surface is sealed with the cap. Immediately after that, a sequence is adopted that always operates when the power is turned on to enable reliable recording.

On the other hand, the recording device is provided with software for initializing the print mode and the receiving memory, but since the operation is generally complicated, the power can be turned on again as the simplest initialization method. It is widely practiced.

[Problems to be solved by the invention]

However, with the method of initializing the print mode or the receiving memory by turning the power on again, the automatic ink recovery device operates each time, so even though the operation is simple, it takes about 10 seconds and a certain amount of time. There was a problem that the ink wasted.

The present invention has been made in view of the above prior art, and an object of the present invention is to immediately execute an initialization operation including initialization of a print mode or a reception memory, without turning the power on again. Initialization operation can be performed easily,
It is an object of the present invention to provide an inkjet recording device that can perform an initialization operation without wasting ink or spending extra time in a recovery device.

[Means for solving problems]

According to the invention of claim 1, a recovery processing means for performing a recovery operation of the head by idly ejecting ink, an instruction means for instructing an operator to execute an initialization operation by a manual operation, and an initialization operation at power-on. In the case of executing the initialization operation including the initialization of the print mode or the reception memory and the recovery operation of the head by the recovery processing means, and in the case of executing the initialization operation based on the instruction of the instruction means, An inkjet recording apparatus comprising: a control unit that performs an initialization operation including initialization of the print mode or the reception memory without performing a head recovery operation by a recovery processing unit. To achieve.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in addition to the configuration of the first aspect, the instruction means includes a reset key for instructing initialization of the print mode and a clear key for instructing initialization of the reception memory. By doing so, the above object is achieved.

According to a third aspect of the invention, in addition to the configuration of the first aspect, the instruction of the instructing means is an instruction by pressing a plurality of keys, thereby achieving the above object.

〔Example〕

 The present invention will be specifically described below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram of an inkjet recording apparatus suitable for carrying out the present invention.

In FIG. 8, it moves along guide shafts 4 and 4 to the front surface of a sheet (recording medium) 3 which is fed in the direction of arrow A through sheet feed rollers 1 and 2 which are vertically arranged at predetermined intervals. A carriage 5 is provided, and a head (inkjet head) 6 is mounted on the carriage.

The head 6 faces the sheet 3 with a gap of about 0.8 mm, for example.

On the front surface of the head 6, an ink ejection port composed of a fine orifice is formed.

The carriage 5 is reciprocally driven by a carriage motor 8 via a belt transmission mechanism 9 in the arrow direction.

At the time of recording, flying ink droplets are formed from the orifice of the head 6 based on the print data in synchronization with the reciprocating movement of the carriage 5, and the droplets are attached to a sheet for recording.

After the recording is completed, the head 6 is stopped at the home position HP outside the recording range. At the home position HP, there is provided an automatic recovery device 10 which seals the orifice surface of the head 6 with a cap and idle-discharges ink through the orifice by a suction pump or the like.

After the recording is completed, the head 6 is hermetically protected (capped) by the cap of the automatic recovery device 10, and when the power is turned on again, the ink recovery operation is automatically performed prior to the recording.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a control system of a first embodiment of an inkjet recording apparatus to which the present invention is applied.

In FIG. 1, the main control unit 20 of the recording apparatus is an MPU (arithmetic processing unit) 21, a ROM 22 that stores programs, a RAM 23 that receives print data and command information, and an input / output port 24.
Etc.

The main control unit 20 is activated by a power supply 25 and communicates with a host such as a computer via an interface 26 and information (data).
And the input of signals from the various sensors 27, the operation panel 28, and the reset key 29, and the control signals to the drive units such as the carriage motor 8, the sheet feed motor 31, the head 6, and the automatic recovery device 10. Connected for output.

Examples of the sensor 27 include a sheet sensor that detects the presence or absence of a sheet (recording medium), a home position sensor that detects that the carriage 5 is at the home position, and an ink sensor that detects the remaining amount of ink.

When the reset key 29 is manually turned on, the print mode is initialized, the counter is initialized, and the reception memory is cleared.

Thus, in the ink jet recording apparatus having the automatic recovery device 10 for the head, the ink jet recording apparatus is provided in which the reset key 29 is provided and the print mode and the reception memory are initialized by turning on the reset key. .

FIG. 2 is a flow chart of the operation of the inkjet recording apparatus of FIG.

In FIG. 2, when the power is turned on in step 100,
First, at 101, an initial operation such as detection of the home position HP of the carriage 5 is performed, and then at step 102, an automatic recovery device for the head 6 is performed.

When the recovery operation is completed, the initial settings such as print mode setting and reception memory counter clearing are performed in step 103.
Therefore, in step 104, it is determined whether or not it is online.
Print processing is performed at 105.

Then, the printing process of step 105 is executed until it is completed while determining whether the printing is completed in step 106,
When printing is completed, the process returns to step 104.

On the other hand, when online, it is possible to change the printing mode such as the printing speed and the printing pitch by the operation panel 28, and perform the sheet feeding and the automatic recovery operation of the head.

Therefore, in the configuration of FIG. 1, the reset key is placed on the operation panel.
29 is provided, and if it is determined to be offline in step 104, the process proceeds to step 107 to determine whether or not the reset key 29 is turned on. When the reset key 29 is turned on while offline, the process returns to step 103. Then, the print mode such as the changed print speed and print pitch is initialized to the mode when the power is turned on, the counter of the reception memory is initialized, and the above-described operation is repeated.

On the other hand, if it is determined in step 107 that the reset key 29 in the off-line state remains off, the process proceeds to step 108 to determine whether the operation panel 28 is on, and if it is on,
The process proceeds to step 109, the process of the mode selected by the operation panel 28 is executed, and the process returns to step 104 again.

If the operation panel 28 is also off in step 108, the process directly returns to step 104, it is determined whether it is online or offline, and the above operation is repeated.

According to the ink jet recording apparatus having the automatic recovery device 10 for the head 6 described above, the reset key 29 for initializing the print mode and the reception memory is provided. Therefore, when immediate resetting is desired, the reset key 29 is used. By turning the power on, initialization can be easily and quickly performed without turning the power on again, and an ink jet recording apparatus which does not waste time and ink by an extra recovery operation can be obtained.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram of the control system of the second embodiment of the ink jet recording apparatus to which the present invention is applied.

In FIG. 3, a reset key 32 for initializing the print mode and a clear key 33 for initializing the receiving memory are separately provided on the operation panel 28, and they are not always initialized simultaneously as in FIG. , Either one of them can be selectively initialized.

That is, if the reset key 32 is turned on while offline, the print mode such as the changed print speed and print pitch is initialized to the mode at power-on, and if the clear key 33 is turned on while offline, the reception memory The counter is cleared and the reception memory is initialized.

The control system of FIG. 3 is different from the control system of FIG. 1 in the points described above, but all other parts are substantially the same as the case of FIG. 1, and the corresponding parts have the same numbers. , And detailed explanations thereof are omitted.

FIG. 4 is a flow chart of the operation of the control system of FIG.

In FIG. 4, the operation from step 100 to step 106, that is, when the power is turned on, first the initial operation such as detection of the home position HP of the carriage 5 is performed, and then the head 6
The automatic recovery operation is performed, and after that, in step 103, the print mode is set and the counter of the receiving memory is cleared and other initial settings are made. Then, when data is received online in the receiving memory, printing processing is performed. The operation is the same as described with reference to FIG.

However, in the control system of FIG. 3, the reset key 32 and the clear key 33 are separately provided on the operation panel, and in the operation of FIG. 4, it is changed when the reset key 32 is turned on during offline. The print mode such as print speed and print pitch is initialized to the mode when the power is turned on. When the clear key 33 is turned on while offline, the counter of the receive memory is cleared and the receive memory is initialized. The operation differs from the operation shown in FIG.

In other words, if offline at step 104, step 201
In step 202, it is determined whether the reset key 32 is turned on. If the reset key 32 is turned on, the print mode is initialized in step 202, and the process returns to step 104.

If the reset key 32 remains off in step 201, the process proceeds to step 203 to determine whether or not the clear key 33 is on. If it is on, the receiving memory is initialized in step 204, and the process proceeds to step 104. Return.

In step 203, it is determined that the clear key 33 is off,
If both the reset key 32 and the clear key 33 remain off, the routine proceeds to step 205, where it is determined whether the operation panel 28 is on. If this is also off, the routine proceeds to step 206 and the operation panel 28 is selected. The mode process is performed, and then the process returns to step 104 to repeat the same operation as above.

According to the ink jet recording apparatus described with reference to FIGS. 3 and 4 above, the clear key 33 for initializing the print mode is separately provided. Therefore, when immediate initialization is desired, both or either one of these keys can be used. By turning on, you can easily and quickly perform the necessary initialization without turning the power on again, and obtain an inkjet recording device that does not waste time and ink in the extra recovery operation. Was given.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram of the control system of the third embodiment of the ink jet recording apparatus to which the present invention is applied.

In FIG. 5, a reset key or the like is not provided for initializing the print mode and the reception memory, and the print mode and the reception memory are initialized by operating the existing key switches on the operation panel 34 in combination. Is configured to do.

Therefore, the block diagram of FIG. 5 is different from the block diagram of FIG. 1 in that the operation panel 28 and the reset key 29 are replaced with the operation panel 34, but all other parts are substantially the same. Yes, corresponding portions are indicated by the same numbers, and detailed description thereof is omitted.

FIG. 6 shows the operation panel 34 in FIG. 6, on the operation panel 34, as a key switch, a recovery key 35 for operating the automatic recovery device 10, a pitch key 36 for setting a print pitch, a mode key 37 for setting a print mode,
An FF key 38 for feeding one page of sheets, an LF key 39 for feeding one line of sheets, and an online key 40 for switching between online and offline are provided.

In addition, switch 4 for high-quality (high-density) image quality
1, a switch 42 for executing high-speed printing, a proportional key 43 for adjusting the number of dots forming one pixel (one character), and the like are also provided.

In addition, as a display (or alarm) lamp, the power lamp 4
4, ink presence indicator lamp 45, sheet presence indicator lamp 46
Etc. are provided.

5 and 6, in an ink jet recording apparatus having an automatic ink recovery device, a print mode or a reception memory is provided by a combination of existing key switches provided on the operation panel 34 or the like without specially providing a reset key. Is configured to perform initialization.

For example, when offline, the FF key 38 and the LF key 39 are turned on at the same time, and the print mode and the receiving memory are initialized.

Alternatively, for example, when the reset key 32 and the clear key 33 shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 are provided, for example, the mode key
The print mode is initialized when the 37 and FF keys are turned on at the same time, and the reception memory is initialized when the mode key 37 and the LF key 39 are turned on at the same time.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart of the operation of the control system of FIG.

In FIG. 7, the operation from step 100 to step 106 is the same as the operation in FIG. 2, and when the power is turned on, first the initial operation such as detection of the home position HP of the carriage 5 is performed, and then the head 6 The automatic recovery operation is performed. After that, in step 103, the print mode is set and the receiving memory counter is cleared.Initial settings are performed, and when data is received in the receiving memory online, printing processing is performed. Go.

Therefore, in the control system of FIG. 5, the print mode and / or the reception memory is initialized by the combination of the key switches on the operation panel 34. In the embodiment, when the FF key 38 and the LF key 39 are turned on at the same time during the off-line, it is initialized. Is configured to occur.

That is, if offline at step 104, the routine proceeds to step 301, where it is determined whether or not the FF key 38 is on, and if it is on, it further proceeds to step 302 and it is determined whether or not the LF key 39 is on.

If both the FF key and the LF key 39 are turned on at the same time, the process returns to step 103 to initialize the print mode such as the changed print speed and print pitch to the mode when the power is turned on, and the counter of the reception memory. The printing process described above is performed.

If the FF key 38 remains off in step 301, proceed to step 303 to determine what is turned on by the switch on the operation panel 34, and if it is on, step 30
After the processing of the mode selected on the operation panel 34 is performed in step 4, the process returns to step 104, and if both remain off, the process directly returns to step 104 and the above-described operation is repeated.

If the LF key 39 remains off in step 302,
In step 303, it is determined which key switch on the operation panel 34 is on. In this case, at least the FF key 38 is turned on, so it is determined whether or not there is any other key switch turned on, and the routine proceeds to step 304.

After the processing in the mode selected by the operation panel in step 304 (in this case, at least one page of the sheet selected by the FF key 38 is included) is performed, the process returns to step 104 to repeat the above operation.

According to the ink jet recording apparatus described with reference to FIGS. 5 to 7, the print mode and / or the receiving memory can be initialized by a combination of the existing key switches provided on the operation panel 34. By turning on these keys at the same time when you want to initialize immediately, you can easily and quickly perform the necessary initialization without turning the power on again, and waste time and ink with the extra recovery operation. An ink jet recording apparatus which does not have to be obtained was obtained.

Furthermore, in this case, since the existing key switch is used, it is not necessary to newly provide a reset key or the like, and the above effect can be achieved with a simple and inexpensive structure.

〔The invention's effect〕

As is clear from the above description, according to the first aspect of the invention, the recovery processing means for performing the recovery operation of the head by ejecting ink idly and the instruction for the operator to manually execute the initialization operation. And an initialization operation including the initialization of the print mode or the reception memory and the recovery operation of the head by the recovery processing means when executing the initialization operation when the power is turned on, based on the instruction of the instruction means. When performing the initialization operation by means of a controller, the recovery processing means does not perform the head recovery operation, but performs the initialization operation including the initialization of the print mode or the reception memory. Therefore, when you want to immediately execute the print mode or the initialization operation including the initialization of the receiving memory, you can easily perform the initialization operation without turning the power on again. An ink jet recording apparatus can perform an initialization operation without or spend extra time or wasting ink is provided in the recovery device.

According to the invention of claim 2, in addition to the configuration of claim 1, the instruction means includes a reset key for instructing initialization of the print mode and a clear key for instructing initialization of the reception memory. Therefore, the above-mentioned claim 1 can be performed more efficiently.
It is possible to obtain the same effect as in the above case.

According to the invention of claim 3, in addition to the configuration of claim 1, since the instruction of the instructing means is an instruction by pressing a plurality of keys, it is more efficient and similar to the case of the above-mentioned claim 1. The effect of can be produced.

[Brief description of drawings]

1 is a block diagram of a control system of an ink jet recording apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a flow chart of the operation of the control system of FIG. 1, and FIG. 3 is an ink jet recording to which the present invention is applied. FIG. 4 is a block diagram of the control system of the second embodiment of the apparatus, FIG. 4 is a flowchart of the operation of the control system of FIG. 3, and FIG. 5 is a block of the control system of the third embodiment of the inkjet recording apparatus to which the present invention is applied. 6 and 6 are front views showing the details of the operation panel in FIG. 5, FIG. 7 is a flowchart of the operation of the control system in FIG. 5, and FIG. 8 is an inkjet recording suitable for applying the present invention. It is a schematic perspective view of an apparatus. 6 ... Head, 10 ... Automatic recovery device, 20 ... Main control unit,
28 …… operation panel, 29 …… reset key, 32 …… reset key, 33 …… clear key, 34 …… operation panel, 37 ……
Mode key (existing key switch), 38 ... FF key (existing key switch), 39 ... LF key (existing key switch).

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A recovery processing means for performing a recovery operation of a head by ejecting ink idly, an instruction means for instructing an operator to execute an initialization operation by a manual operation, and an initialization operation when power is turned on. In this case, when the initialization operation including the initialization of the print mode or the reception memory and the head recovery operation by the recovery processing means is performed, and the initialization operation is executed based on the instruction of the instruction means, the recovery processing is performed. Without performing the head recovery operation by means,
An inkjet recording apparatus, comprising: a control unit that performs an initialization operation including initialization of the print mode or the reception memory. 2. The instructing means includes a reset key for instructing initialization of the print mode and a clear key for instructing initialization of the reception memory. Inkjet recording device. 3. The first instruction according to claim 1, wherein the instruction of the instruction means is an instruction by pressing a plurality of keys.
Inkjet recording apparatus according to the item.