Patent Grant
10421295
The present disclosure relates to an ink jet recording apparatus that records image on a recording medium by using a recording head and a control method of an ink jet recording apparatus.
In a printing apparatus, a jam may occur when a recording paper comes into contact with a carriage unit during printing. Generally, in such a case, the printing apparatus can be restored when a user removes paper. For example, an opening/closing door is included in a conveying path, and removal of the paper from the opening/closing door is prompted, or a guidance of how to remove paper is displayed on a liquid crystal screen.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2014-58391 describes that if a residual sheet remains in a conveying path when a jam occurs, information detected by a configuration for detecting a position of the residual sheet is displayed on an operation display unit, as a configuration for a user to remove a sheet. According to Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2014-58391, it is possible to cause the user to grasp a state of the residual sheet (position and whether or not the residual sheet can be automatically discharged) by such a configuration.
However, in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2014-58391, a configuration for detecting the position of the residual sheet is required, and the residual sheet may be difficult for the user to remove depending on the position of the residual sheet, however, even in such a case, removal processing of the residual sheet is guided.
According to an aspect of the present disclosure, an ink jet recording apparatus includes a recording unit configured to record an image on a sheet by causing a carriage mounted with a recording head to scan, a plurality of rollers configured to press the sheet, and a notice control unit configured to control an error notice wherein, in a case an error occurs in the recording unit, the notice control unit controls the error notice based on a relative position of the sheet with respect to the plurality of rollers at a time of occurrence of the error.
Further features of the present disclosure will become apparent from the following description of exemplary embodiments (with reference to the attached drawings).
Hereinafter, an embodiment will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. The embodiment described below does not limit the scope of the claims. Further, all combinations of features described in the embodiment are not necessarily essential. The same reference numerals are given to the same constituent elements and the description thereof will be omitted.
Electric power is supplied through an AC cable 1. A power supply unit 2 converts supplied AC power into DC power. The converted DC power is transmitted to a power supply IC 6 through a DC power supply line 3 and converted into a DC voltage. Similarly, second system DC power that is converted into DC power by the power supply unit 2 is supplied to a control unit 12 for driving a recording head through a power supply line 4. The DC voltage converted by the power supply IC 6 is supplied to the control unit 12 through a DC power supply line 7. The power supply IC 6 is controlled through a DCDC control line 8.
The control unit 12 integrally controls an entire recording apparatus 100 and includes a CPU 13, a ROM 14 that stores a program and data, a RAM 15 used as a working area, and an EEPROM 16 that stores settings of the apparatus and the like. The CPU 13 may be an ASIC incorporating a microcomputer. The power supply IC 6 is controlled by the control unit 12 and drives a plurality of motors 9, 10, and 11. The motors 9, 10, and 11 are a motor that drives a carriage 43, a motor that drives a conveying roller for conveying paper, and a motor that drives a paper feeding roller for feeding paper, respectively.
The control unit 12 transmits and receives data to and from an external computer and an external network through an interface (IF) unit 17. A user interface of the recording apparatus 100 includes an LCD 24, a touch panel unit 20, a key 26, and an LED 25. The LCD 24, the touch panel unit 20, and the LED 25 display a user interface screen or the like corresponding to apparatus information and various functions. The touch panel unit 20 and the key 26 receive an instruction and a setting operation from a user through a key operation and a touch operation.
The touch panel unit 20 is controlled by a touch panel control IC 19. The touch panel unit 20 is configured by a system that detects electrostatic capacitance, a system that detects a resistance value, and the like. The touch panel control IC 19 is controlled by a control signal 21 from/to the control unit 12. The control signal 21 is transmitted through, for example, a high-speed serial communication. The LCD 24, the key 26, and the LED 25 are controlled by a panel control IC 23. Communication between the panel control IC 23 and the LCD 24 is performed by high-speed parallel communication 28. Communication between the panel control IC 23 and the control unit 12 is performed by high-speed serial communication 27.
A plurality of sensors 31, 33, 35, 37, 39, and 41 are used for print control. The paper front end and rear end detection sensor 31 is a sensor that detects a timing when a sheet passes a position of the sensor. The paper front end and rear end detection sensor 31 detects a timing when the front end of the sheet arrives and a timing when the rear end of the sheet goes away. The paper front end and rear end detection sensor 31 is configured as, for example, a photo-interrupter which is a combination with a flag that is a mechanical member.
The paper conveying position detection sensor 33 is configured by, for example, a linear encoder, and detects a position, a rotation direction, and a speed of the sheet by reading a scale printed on a circular film by using a sensor. The wiper position detection sensor 35 detects a position of a wiper that has a function to maintain a state of a recording head 44 by wiping ink attached to a surface of the recording head 44. An operation of the wiper is controlled based on the position detected by the wiper position detection sensor 35 and the position detected by the paper conveying position detection sensor 33. The wiper position detection sensor 35 is configured by, for example, combining a mechanical member and a photo-interrupter.
The paper separation mechanism position detection sensor 37 is a sensor that detects an inclination angle of a mechanical member during paper feeding and is configured by a mechanical switch, for example. The recording apparatus 100 can deal with a plurality of types of media by using the paper separation mechanism position detection sensor 37. The paper feed position detection sensor 39 is configured by, for example, a linear encoder and a rotary scale in the same manner as the paper conveying position detection sensor 33, and detects a position, a rotation method, and a speed of paper feed control.
The access cover sensor 41 detects an open state of an access cover on the front surface of the apparatus in order to remove an ink tank and/or paper. When the access cover sensor 41 detects the open state, drive of the movable carriage 43 is stopped. Such a configuration prevents a user's hand from being pinched by the carriage 43.
The carriage 43 includes the recording head 44 and ink tanks 51, 52, 53, and 54 and a carriage position detection sensor 55. The carriage 43 reciprocates in a main scanning direction when rotation of the carriage motor 9 is transmitted to the carriage 43 through a belt. At this time, ink droplets are ejected from nozzles of the recording head 44, so that an image is formed. The carriage position detection sensor 55 detects a position, a direction, and a speed of the carriage 43 by reading a slit film whose operation direction is the same as that of the linear encoder.
The recording head 44 includes a heater board 45 formed by a semiconductor process and is driven by a head power supply control IC 47 based on DC power supplied from the power supply unit 2. The recording head 44 includes an ink remaining amount detection sensor 46, which detects a remaining amount of ink in a small capacity sub-tank. The ink remaining amount detection sensor 46 detects the remaining amount of ink by detecting resistance values between a plurality of pins located in the sub-tank. In this way, a control signal and the like of the ink remaining amount detection sensor 46 in addition to a signal that drives the recording head 44 are communicated between the recording head 44 and the control unit 12.
Each of the plurality of ink tanks 51, 52, 53, and 54 is provided with an IC, which stores a state of the ink tank, and each state is outputted to the control unit 12. In the embodiment, four colors of cyan (C), magenta (M), yellow (Y), and black (K) are described as recording colors. However, other colors such as special colors may be included in the recording colors.
Hereinafter, a phenomenon in which a paper piece is torn by a paper jam (hereinafter referred to as a jam) will be described.
When printing is started, an area where the printing is to be performed on a sheet 301 is conveyed to a recording area of the recording head 44. In this state, the carriage 43 moves toward the sheet 301 and ink droplets are ejected from the nozzles, so that an image is recorded. At this time, if the sheet 301 is not sandwiched by the conveying roller 60 and a paper discharge roller and is bent and floated, a distance between the sheet 301 and the carriage 43 does not become constant, so that the sheet 301 and the carriage 43 collide with each other. A positional relationship between the conveying roller and the paper discharge roller will be described later. The reason why the sheet is bent is because, for example, an originally bent sheet is conveyed or the sheet is bent because the sheet and a print mode setting are not matched with each other and too many ink droplets are ejected.
When the sheet 301 and the carriage 43 collide with each other and the carriage 43 further moves, a paper piece is torn by the carriage 43. In this case, a paper piece 302 is located close to the AWAY side, and thereby a sensor error related to a mechanism function located on the AWAY side may occur. For example, a large load is applied to the carriage 43 from the paper piece, so that an error occurs where the position and/or the speed are largely deviated from expected values even though the carriage does not stop due to a motor current abnormality. Further, for example, there are a gear and the like of a paper conveying mechanism on the AWAY side, so that the position and/or the speed, which are values detected by the paper conveying position detection sensor 33, indicate abnormality, and a paper conveying motor error occurs.
Next,
When the sheet 303 and the carriage 43 collide with each other and the carriage 43 further moves, a paper piece is torn by the carriage 43. In this case, a paper piece 304 is located close to the HOME side, and thereby a sensor error related to a mechanism function located on the HOME side may occur. For example, a large load is applied to the carriage 43 from the paper piece, so that an error occurs where the position and/or the speed are largely deviated from expected values even though the carriage does not stop due to a motor current abnormality. Further, for example, there are the head maintenance unit 66 and the like on the HOME side, so that an error of a wiper and/or a maintenance mechanism occurs.
Although common to
Generally, in each error state described above, the error is notified to a display unit or the like, so that a user is prompted to perform repair. Hereinafter, an operation of the embodiment in an error occurrence state as described above will be described. In the embodiment, after an error occurs, the carriage 43 is moved in a direction opposite to the most recent traveling direction of the carriage 43 so that the carriage 43 goes away from the paper piece 302 or 304. Such a configuration simplifies an operation for removing the paper piece 302 or 304 from the recording apparatus 100.
In S401, the CPU 13 monitors occurrence of a service error. Here, the service error is a general term for errors that require repair and/or maintenance because the error cannot be corrected by a user himself or herself. For example, the service error is an error when a trouble occurs in an ink supply system such as when the ink remaining amount detection sensor 46 itself fails and cannot detect the remaining amount of ink.
In S402, the CPU 13 determines whether or not the service error that has occurred is an error related to a predetermined mechanism that has occurred during printing. Here, the error related to a mechanism is, for example, a paper conveying position error, a carriage position error, a wiper position error, an ink supply system error, a paper separation mechanism error, or a head drive voltage error. In other words, these errors may be errors that have occurred due to a jam depending on a position of the sheet during printing. In S402, when the CPU 13 determines that the service error is an error related to a mechanism, the CPU proceeds to S403, and when the CPU 13 determines that the service error is not an error related to a mechanism, the CPU proceeds to S411. In S411, the CPU 13 notifies a user of a service error that requires repair and/or maintenance, and thereafter ends the processing of
In S403, the CPU 13 determines whether or not the sheet reaches the paper discharge roller. For example, it is possible to determine that the front end of the sheet does not reach the paper discharge roller based on a moving amount of the sheet detected by the paper conveying position detection sensor 33 from when the front end of the sheet passes through the paper front end and rear end detection sensor 31. The paper conveying position detection sensor 33 is composed of a rotary encoder scale and a linear encoder. The paper conveying position detection sensor 33 emits transmission light to a film where printing is performed so that transmitted light varies for each pitch of a scale (for example, 360 slits per inch) and the transmitted light is detected by an optical diode. Thereby, the front end position of the sheet is known from an initial position detected by the paper front end and rear end detection sensor 31 and the moving amount of the sheet detected by the paper conveying position detection sensor 33. For example, it is assumed that a distance between the paper front end and rear end detection sensor 31 and the conveying roller 60 is 2 inches and a distance between the paper front end and rear end detection sensor 31 and the paper discharge roller is 5 inches. In this case, the number of slits corresponding to the moving amount from the initial position, that is, 720 slits (2 inches) to 1800 slits (5 inches), is a range of the front end position of the sheet. By using the above information, the front end position of the sheet is determined based on a distance to the conveying roller 60 and a distance to the paper discharge roller which are stored in advance in a non-volatile memory of the recording apparatus 100 main body. In S403, when the CPU 13 determines that the sheet reaches the paper discharge roller, the CPU 13 proceeds to S404, and when the CPU 13 determines that the sheet does not reach the paper discharge roller, the CPU 13 proceeds to S405.
In S404, the CPU 13 determines whether or not the sheet is away from the conveying roller 60. In the determination in S404, the rear end position of the sheet is known from the initial position detected by the paper front end and rear end detection sensor 31 and the moving amount of the sheet detected by the paper conveying position detection sensor 33. By using the above information, the rear end position of the sheet is determined based on the distance to the conveying roller 60 and the distance to the paper discharge roller which are stored in advance in the non-volatile memory of the recording apparatus 100 main body. In S404, when the CPU 13 determines that the sheet is away from the conveying roller 60, the CPU 13 proceeds to S405, and when the CPU 13 determines that the sheet is not away from the conveying roller 60, the CPU 13 proceeds to S411. In S411, the CPU 13 notifies the user of the service error that requires repair and/or maintenance, and thereafter ends the processing of
A state where the sheet does not reach the paper discharge roller or a state where the sheet reaches the paper discharge roller but is away from the conveying roller 60, which is described above, is a state where the sheet is pressed by only one roller. In the embodiment, when an error related to a mechanism during printing occurs and when either one of the above states occurs, it is determined that a currently occurring error is caused by occurrence of a paper jam as shown in
In S406, the CPU 13 moves the carriage 43 in a direction opposite to a direction, in which carriage 43 moved most recently, from a position at which the carriage 43 stops. Such a configuration can cause a user to easily remove the residual paper piece. A preparation for removing the residual paper piece has been performed by the processing up to S406.
In S407, the CPU 13 causes, for example, a liquid crystal display unit of the touch panel unit 20 to display a message prompting a user to release a paper jam, that is, to remove the residual paper piece.
When the user opens the access cover according to the message shown in
In S408, the CPU 13 waits for pressing the button indicating completion of removal processing performed by the user. In S408, when the CPU 13 detects pressing of the button indicating completion of the removal processing performed by the user, in S409, the CPU 13 displays a message prompting the user to close the access cover as shown in
When the user closes the access cover according to the message shown in
In S409, the CPU 13 moves carriage 43 at a speed lower than a scanning speed during a normal recording operation over the entire recording area. The carriage 43 is driven by a driving force smaller than that during the normal recording operation, so that if a residual paper piece remains, the carriage 43 stops and the CPU 13 detects that there is a residual material.
In S410, the CPU 13 determines the presence or absence of a residual material by the processing of S409 based on whether or not the carriage 43 stops. In S410, when the CPU 13 determines that there is no residual material, the CPU 13 causes the liquid crystal display unit of the touch panel unit 20 to display a message indicating that the removal processing is normally completed as shown in
In the processing of
Hereinafter, a conveyance operation of a sheet will be described with reference to
Next,
In
In
As described above, according to the embodiment, when an error occurs during recording performed by the recording head 44, it is possible to determine whether the error is an error caused by a jam at a position where removal processing is easily performed based on the condition of the sheet and the like. By such a configuration, it is possible to prevent an error caused by a jam at a position where removal processing is difficult from being noticed as a message prompting a user to perform removal processing.
Embodiment(s) can also be realized by a computer of a system or apparatus that reads out and executes computer executable instructions (e.g., one or more programs) recorded on a storage medium (which may also be referred to more fully as a ‘non-transitory computer-readable storage medium’) to perform the functions of one or more of the above-described embodiment(s) and/or that includes one or more circuits (e.g., application specific integrated circuit (ASIC)) for performing the functions of one or more of the above-described embodiment(s), and by a method performed by the computer of the system or apparatus by, for example, reading out and executing the computer executable instructions from the storage medium to perform the functions of one or more of the above-described embodiment(s) and/or controlling the one or more circuits to perform the functions of one or more of the above-described embodiment(s). The computer may include one or more processors (e.g., central processing unit (CPU), micro processing unit (MPU)) and may include a network of separate computers or separate processors to read out and execute the computer executable instructions. The computer executable instructions may be provided to the computer, for example, from a network or the storage medium. The storage medium may include, for example, one or more of a hard disk, a random-access memory (RAM), a read only memory (ROM), a storage of distributed computing systems, an optical disk (such as a compact disc (CD), digital versatile disc (DVD), or Blu-ray Disc (BD)™), a flash memory device, a memory card, and the like.
According to the present disclosure, when an error occurs during recording performed by the recording head, it is possible to notice an error caused by a jam adequately.
While the present invention has been described with reference to exemplary embodiments, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the disclosed exemplary embodiments. The scope of the following claims is to be accorded the broadest interpretation so as to encompass all such modifications and equivalent structures and functions.
This application claims the benefit of Japanese Patent Application No. 2017-051707, filed Mar. 16, 2017, which is hereby incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2017-051707 | Mar 2017 | JP | national |
| Number | Name | Date | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20070248365 | Gettelfinger | Oct 2007 | A1 |
| 20170100950 | Arakane | Apr 2017 | A1 |
| Number | Date | Country |
|---|---|---|
| 2010-274442 | Dec 2010 | JP |
| 2013-067085 | Apr 2013 | JP |
| 2014-058391 | Apr 2014 | JP |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20180264850 A1 | Sep 2018 | US |
