JP3757564B2 - Printing device - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a printing apparatus including a plurality of carriages on which a print head having at least one head portion is mounted.
[0002]
[Prior art]
In general, a color ink jet printer has a print head having a head portion of four colors of black, yellow, magenta, and cyan arranged in parallel on a single carriage, and scans the carriage in the width direction of the print medium for printing. To do.
[0003]
In such an ink jet printer, heads of other colors are exposed to the atmosphere during black printing, and problems such as clogging and sticking due to drying of the ink occur. It is common to perform idle ejection as a recovery operation, or to suck ink from the heads of other colors even at the start of printing or an artificial suction recovery operation, which increases the printing time. In addition, by such a recovery operation, ink must be consumed even though printing is not performed, which is extremely uneconomical. In addition, it is necessary to always drive a carriage having four heads and a heavy weight. Therefore, an expensive and large carriage driving motor is required.
[0004]
Therefore, for example, as described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 1-222151, a plurality of carriages on which at least one head is mounted are provided, and each carriage including the heads is individually driven and controlled, so that one carriage There has been proposed an ink jet printer in which other carriages are kept in a standby state when using a mounted head, and there is no need to perform wasteful empty discharge.
[0005]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
However, in such an ink jet printer, since a recovery operation is generally performed by determining whether or not printing has been performed for a certain period of time (for example, three days) in the head unit, for example, the head units on a plurality of carriages When a print start command is issued, a determination is made each time and a recovery operation is performed or omitted. Therefore, even if the recovery operation can be omitted for the head portion on one carriage, when the head portions on the other carriages require the recovery operation, the waiting time due to the recovery operation is reduced before printing. There is a problem of becoming longer.
[0006]
SUMMARY An advantage of some aspects of the invention is that it provides a printing apparatus that can reduce a waiting time due to a recovery operation.
[0007]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
The invention of claim 1 includes a first carriage on which a first print head having a head portion for discharging black ink is mounted;
A second carriage on which a second print head having a plurality of head portions for discharging color ink is mounted;
Carriage driving means for driving the first and second carriages;
A printing apparatus comprising: the first and second print heads; and a print control unit that controls printing on a print medium in association with the carriage driving unit.
A recovery means that has a suction cap and sucks the ink by bringing the suction cap into contact with the nozzle surface of the head portion of the print head;
Non-use determination means for determining whether or not the head portion of each print head is non-use for a certain period,
The print control means and the recovery means are the first and second carriages. First During printing by the head of the print head on the carriage Second Each carriage operates independently so as to perform a recovery operation on the head portion of the print head on the carriage,
The non-use determination means includes For printing only by the first print head or by both the first and second print heads. Based on the input of the print start signal, the head portion of each print head Respectively While determining if is not used,
The print control means and the recovery means perform a recovery operation of the print head determined to be unused by the non-use determination means, and when the print start signal requests printing to the first print head Is determined when the recovery operation of the first print head is completed or unnecessary, Without waiting for completion of the recovery operation of the second print head Printing by the first print head When the print start signal requests printing to the second print head, the second print is performed when it is determined that the recovery operation is completed or unnecessary for each of the first and second print heads. Let the head print It is characterized by that.
[0008]
According to the first aspect of the present invention, the print control means and the recovery means are used to select one of the first and second carriages. First During printing by the head of the print head on the carriage Second The print head is operated independently for each carriage so that the recovery operation is performed on the head portion of the print head on the carriage. Therefore, First By effectively using the printing time by the head part of the print head on the carriage, Second The recovery operation is performed on the head of the print head on the carriage, and as a result, Second At the time of printing by the head portion of the print head on the carriage, the head portion is ready for printing without performing the recovery operation, and the waiting time due to the recovery operation is reduced.
[0009]
In particular, when the recovery operation of the print head that has been determined to be unused by the non-use determination unit is performed and printing is requested for the first print head, the recovery operation of the first print head is completed or When it is determined that it is unnecessary (that is, when printing is possible), printing is performed by the head portion of the first print head (even if the head portion of the second print head is in recovery operation), and During the printing by the head portion of the first print head on the first carriage, the recovery operation can be performed on the head portion of the second print head on the second carriage. The recovery operation of the first print head can be performed quickly with priority, and even if color printing is not performed, the recovery operation is performed if it is determined that the second print head is not used. After color If character is performed it can be performed faster color printing.
[0010]
According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the printing apparatus according to the first aspect, the non-use determination unit determines whether or not the head portion of the first print head is non-use, and then performs the second print. It is determined whether or not the head portion of the head is not used.
According to the invention of claim 2, after determining whether or not the head portion of the first print head is not used, it is determined whether or not the head portion of the second print head is not used. Therefore, priority is given to the determination of non-use of the first print head that discharges black ink, and the recovery operation of the first print head can be given priority over the second print head.
According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the printing apparatus according to the first or second aspect, the first and second carriages are movably inserted through a single guide rod, and are provided on one side of the conveyance path of the print medium. In addition, first and second protective caps for the print heads of the first and second carriages are provided independently.
[0011]
According to the third aspect of the invention, the print heads of the first and second carriages are independently capped by the first and second protective caps provided on one side of the print medium conveyance path. The Then, when printing is being performed by the print head of the first carriage, the print head of the second carriage is capped by the second protective cap, thereby preventing the nozzle surface from drying.
[0012]
According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the printing apparatus according to the first or second aspect, the first and second carriages are movably inserted into a single guide rod, and are provided on one side of the conveyance path of the print medium. In addition, a first protective cap for the print head of the first carriage is provided, and a second protective cap for the print head of the second carriage is provided together with the recovery means on the other side.
[0013]
According to the invention of claim 4, when printing is performed by the print head of the first carriage, the print head of the second carriage is capped by the second protective cap and the nozzle surface is dried. Is prevented. Further, when printing is performed by the print head of the second carriage, the print head of the first carriage is capped by the first protective cap to prevent the nozzle surface from being dried.
[0014]
According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the printing apparatus according to the first or second aspect, the first and second carriages are movably inserted through first and second guide rods provided in parallel, respectively. .
[0015]
According to the invention of claim 5, since the first and second carriages are movably inserted through the first and second guide rods provided in parallel, respectively, the first and second carriages The carriage does not interfere at all, and the degree of freedom of print control by each print head is remarkably increased.
[0016]
According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in the printing apparatus according to any one of the first to fifth aspects, the print control means is configured to receive a signal from a facsimile.
[0017]
According to the sixth aspect of the invention, the print head of the first carriage is controlled based on the signal from the facsimile, and the facsimile information is printed on the print medium with the black ink. In addition, since a print head that discharges black ink that is frequently used is mounted on the first carriage, and a print head that has a plurality of head portions that discharge color ink is mounted on another second carriage, During the printing by the head portion on the first carriage, the recovery operation is performed on the head portion on the second carriage, and when shifting to color printing, the printing is performed without waiting time due to the recovery operation.
[0018]
According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, in the printing apparatus of the sixth aspect, the recovery means performs a recovery operation of the print head mounted on the first carriage, and a recovery operation of the print head mounted on the second carriage. Is a priority.
[0019]
According to the seventh aspect of the invention, the recovery operation of the print head that discharges the black ink having the highest use frequency is given priority, and the first operation without waiting for the recovery operation of the print head on the second carriage to be completed. Printing by the head portion on the carriage 1 is started.
[0020]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
[0021]
FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view showing the overall configuration of an ink jet printer which is a printing apparatus according to the present invention. In FIG. 1, an inkjet printer 1 has a cylindrical platen roller 3 rotatably supported on a printer frame 2 by a rotation shaft (not shown) extending in the left-right direction. The platen roller 3 conveys the printing paper 4 (printing medium) supplied from the paper feeding cassette or the manual paper feeding unit while facing the first and second printing heads 5 and 6. It constitutes a part of the mechanism LM. The first and second print heads 5 and 6 are of an ink jet type that has a nozzle for discharging ink droplets on the print paper 4 and performs a print operation on the print paper 4. The paper feed mechanism LM includes: An LF motor 124 (see FIG. 4) is provided as a paper feed motor that drives the paper feed mechanism LM to convey the print paper 4.
[0022]
The printing paper 4 is supplied in the direction of arrow A from a paper supply port (not shown) at the back of the printer frame 2, and is fed in the direction of arrow B by the rotation of the platen roller 3, and is a paper discharge port (not shown). Is discharged in the direction of arrow C. In front of the platen roller 3, first and second carriages 7 and 8 on which the first and second print heads 5 and 6 are mounted are provided to be movable along the axis of the platen roller 3. .
[0023]
The carriages 7 and 8 are detachably mounted with print heads 5 and 6 and ink cartridges 9A, 9B, 9C, and 9D that store ink supplied to the print heads 5 and 6, respectively. In this example, the first carriage 7 has a print head 5 and an ink cartridge 9A having a head portion for one color of black, and the second carriage 8 has three colors of yellow, cyan, and magenta. The print head 6 having the head portions 6A, 6B, and 6C and the ink cartridges 9B, 9C, and 9D are mounted.
[0024]
The first and second carriages 7 and 8 are slidably fitted on a carriage shaft 11 (guide rod) supported at both ends of the frame member 10 and supported by the frame member 10 in the state where the printer is supported. The carriage shaft 11 is mounted on the frame 2 so as to be parallel to the axis of the platen roller 3. Further, the engaging portions 7 a and 8 a of the carriages 7 and 8 are guided by a guide rail portion 12 extending in parallel with the carriage shaft 11. As a result, the print heads 5 and 6 mounted on the carriages 7 and 8 can reciprocate by sliding along the axis of the platen roller 3.
[0025]
The carriages 7 and 8 are fixed to a part of the timing belts 13 and 14, and the timing belts 13 and 14 are wound around a timing pulley (not shown) to form a carriage mechanism CM. The one timing pulley The first and second CR motors 15 and 16 (carriage drive motors) are connected to each other. Accordingly, when the CR motors 15 and 16 are rotationally driven, the first and second carriages 7 and 8 reciprocate in the print area for printing on the print paper 4 via the carriage mechanism CM. ing. Further, the carriage mechanism CM and the CR motors 15 and 16 are configured to move between the print area and a recovery area in which a recovery operation is performed by a suction cap 21, a suction pump 22, and a wiper member 24 described later. Yes.
[0026]
As the CR motors 15 and 16, a rotation direction and a rotation amount can be controlled, and a general DC / AC motor is adopted. As shown in FIG. 2, a linear encoder 51 provided along the traveling direction of the carriages 7 and 8 and having black vertical stripes printed on a transparent PET film, and the linear encoder provided on the carriages 7 and 8 side. First and second position detecting means 54, 55 by first and second photosensors 52, 53 (for example, transmissive photo interrupters) that detect the positions of the first and second carriages 7, 8 based on 51. The scanning amounts of the carriages 7 and 8 are determined by counting the vertical stripes of the linear encoder 51 by the photosensors 52 and 53. Based on the signals from the first and second position detecting means 54 and 55, the reciprocating scanning width of the carriages 7 and 8 is calculated. In addition to the DC / AC motor, an open loop control pulse motor can be employed, and in this case, the position detecting means can be omitted.
[0027]
Further, on the right side of the print area corresponding to the platen roller 3, there is formed a recovery area in which a purge mechanism RM for recovering non-discharge or defective discharge of the print heads 5 and 6 is provided. The reason why such a purge mechanism RM is provided is that the ink jet type print heads 5 and 6 cause ejection defects due to the occurrence of bubbles in the interior or drying of the ink during use. This is to restore this to a good discharge state.
[0028]
The purge mechanism RM can move between a protruding position protruding into the movement path of the print heads 5 and 6 and a standby position retracted from the movement path of the print heads 5 and 6. When the print heads 5 and 6 are covered with the suction cap 21 at the protruding position, the negative pressure is generated at the protruding position, and the print heads 5 and 6 pass through the suction cap 21. A suction means 23 having a suction pump 22 for sucking the ink inside is provided.
[0029]
A wiper member 24 that can move relative to the print heads 5 and 6 so as to wipe the nozzle surfaces of the print heads 5 and 6 on the print area side adjacent to the suction means 23 does not print on the opposite side. At this time, protective cap devices 25 and 26 for covering the nozzle surfaces of the print heads 5 and 6 and preventing the ink surfaces from being dried to prevent the nozzle surfaces from drying are provided.
[0030]
The wiper member 24, the suction cap 21, and the suction pump 22 are associated with a driving means having a cam member 27 that is rotationally driven. The advance and retreat of the wiper member 24, the advance and retreat of the suction cap 21, and the operation of the suction pump 22 are performed. It is configured to be controlled by the rotation of the common cam member 27.
[0031]
Therefore, when the cam member 27 is driven to rotate at a fixed timing, the capping of the suction cap 21, the suction of ink by the suction pump 22, and the wiping of the nozzle surfaces of the print heads 5 and 6 by the wiper member 24 are sequentially performed. The ink sucked by the suction pump 22 is discharged to the waste ink tank 31 via the suction pump 22 and is adsorbed by the adsorbent 32 in the waste ink tank 31.
[0032]
The protective cap devices 25, 26 have first and second protective caps 41, 42, and casings 43, 44 that support the protective caps 41, 42 extend in parallel with the moving direction of the carriages 7, 8. The guide rod 45 is supported so that it can slide and rotate.
[0033]
Since capping by the protective caps 41 and 42 is performed in the same manner, capping by the protective cap 41 will be described with reference to FIG. As shown in FIG. 3, the casing 43 of the protective cap 41 is engaged with the engaging portion 7 b of the carriage 7 when the carriage 7 moves outside the printing area, and slides integrally with the carriage 7. An engaged portion 43a for moving is projected forward. When the carriage 7 moves from the print area to the recovery area side, the engaging portion 7b of the carriage 7 engages with the engaged portion 43a of the casing 43, so that the protective cap 41 slides following the movement of the carriage 7. Moving. During this sliding movement, the engaging convex portion 43 b of the casing 43 rotates around the guide rod 45 by the action of the inclined cam surface 47, and as a result, the protective cap 41 rotates in a direction approaching the print head 5. The protective cap 41 contacts the nozzle surface of the print head 5 to perform capping. After that, when the carriage 7 moves again in the print area direction, the protective cap 41 is moved away from the print head 5 while being moved toward the print area by the biasing force of the spring member 46, and the initial state when the carriage 7 is removed from the recovery area. Return to state.
[0034]
Next, the control unit of the inkjet printer 1 according to the embodiment will be described with reference to the block diagram of FIG.
[0035]
This control unit is configured around a CPU 101 that is a known arithmetic processing unit. The CPU 101 is connected to a host computer 103 such as a personal computer via the Centro interface 102, receives print commands from the host computer 103, and executes various prints in accordance with the commands. The CPU 101 is connected to a telephone line 105 via a modem 104, receives a facsimile signal, and executes printing according to the signal.
[0036]
An operation panel 106 is connected to the CPU 101, and a ROM 107 and a RAM 108 are connected through an address bus and a data bus. The operation panel 106 sets various parameters such as paper size and displays them. The ROM 107 stores various programs necessary for controlling the ink jet printer 1. The RAM 108 temporarily stores print data transferred from the host computer 103 and various numerical values necessary for controlling the ink jet printer 1.
[0037]
The CPU 101 is connected in parallel with first and second gate arrays 111 and 112 constituting two control systems through an address bus and a data bus. The gate arrays 111 and 112 are connected to the head drive circuit 113, Through 114, the print heads 5 and 6 (6A, 6B, 6C) are independently controlled.
[0038]
The CPU 101 is associated with the print heads 5 and 6 and the CR motors 15 and 16, and the print control means 101A that controls printing on the print paper 4 and the head portions of the print heads 5 and 6 are not used for a certain period. A non-use determining means 101B for determining whether or not each of the carriages 7 and 8 is based on a signal from the non-use determining means 101B based on the input of a print start signal, and the print control means 101A and the suction Each means 23 (recovery means) is operated. Therefore, it is determined whether or not the head portions of the print heads 5 and 6 are not used for a certain period by the non-use determination unit 101B. Based on the signal from the use determination unit 101B, the print control unit 101A and the cam member 27 of the suction unit 23 are operated. Further, since the black ink is used more frequently than the other inks, the recovery operation of the print head 5 mounted on the first carriage 7 is performed by the second carriage 8. Is prioritized over the recovery operation of the print head 6 mounted on the printer.
[0039]
Therefore, during printing by the head portion of the print head 5 on the first carriage 7, that is, during printing with black ink that is frequently used, the head portions 6 </ b> A to 6 </ b> C of the print head 6 on the second carriage 8. The print heads 5 and 6 can be operated independently for each of the carriages 7 and 8 so that the recovery operation is performed, and it is possible to eliminate the waiting time due to the recovery operation particularly in color printing. It becomes.
[0040]
Each of the gate arrays 111 and 112 is supplied with a black encoder signal and a color encoder signal, and includes image memories 115 and 116, respectively.
[0041]
The CPU 101 controls the driving of the LF motor 124 and the CR motors 15 and 16 via the LF driving circuit 121 and the CR driving circuits 122 and 123.
[0042]
Further, the CPU 101 receives signals from an origin sensor 125 that detects that the suction pump is at the origin position and a paper sensor 126 that detects the leading edge of the newly supplied printing paper 4.
[0043]
The operation of the inkjet printer 1 configured as described above will be described.
[0044]
First, in the ink jet printer 1, the print heads 5 and 6 are normally in the standby position in a state where they are covered with the protective caps 41 and 42 in the recovery area. When print data is input, printing is performed.
[0045]
That is, when a color print signal is input to the CPU 101, the print paper 4 is supplied between the platen roller 3 and the print heads 5 and 6, and the print heads 5 and 6 are put on standby by the operation of the CR motors 15 and 16. It is moved from the position to the print start position. At this time, the protective caps 41 and 42 are retracted. As a result, the print heads 5 and 6 are reciprocated in the print area while ejecting ink based on the print data, whereby color printing is performed on the print paper 4.
[0046]
When there is no print data to be printed in the print data memory of the RAM 108 and the printing is finished, the print heads 5 and 6 are moved from the print end position to the standby position and covered with the protective caps 41 and 42 that have advanced, Drying of the nozzle surfaces of the print heads 5 and 6 while not in use is prevented.
[0047]
When a facsimile signal or black print signal is input to the CPU 101, only the print head 5 moves to the print area, and the print head 6 is kept in a standby state in a recovery area covered with the protective cap 42; Drying of the nozzle surface of the print head 6 is prevented.
[0048]
That is, the print paper 4 is supplied between the platen roller 3 and the print head 5, and the print head 5 is moved from the standby position to the print start position by the operation of the CR motor 15. At this time, the protective cap 41 is retracted. As a result, the print head 5 is reciprocated in the print area while ejecting ink based on the print data, whereby black printing is performed on the print paper 4.
[0049]
When printing is completed, the print head 5 is moved from the print end position to the standby position, and is covered with the protective cap 41 that has advanced, so that the nozzle surface of the print head 5 is prevented from being dried while not in use.
[0050]
Furthermore, when a purge switch on the operation panel is operated and a purge command is input according to the user's judgment, a purge process for operating the purge mechanism RM is started, and a suction operation program is executed. That is, by driving the carriage mechanism CM by the CR motors 15, 16, the print heads 5, 6 are moved from the standby position to a purgeable position facing the suction cap 21. The cam member 27 makes one rotation, and the suction cap 21 and the wiper member 24 are brought into contact with and separated from one head portion of the print heads 5 and 6 at a predetermined purge position, and the suction / discharge operation is performed by the suction pump 22. . Then, each head unit to which the purge command is input is sequentially moved to the purge position, and the same operation is repeated. Here, in the suction operation, the suction cap 21 is brought into close contact with the nozzle surface and ink is sucked from the print heads 5 and 6 by the suction pump 22. At least a part of the suction cap 21 is separated from the nozzle surface and the suction pump 22. Thus, a so-called idle suction operation of sucking ink from the inside of the suction cap 21 is included.
[0051]
Next, the flow of the printing process at the start of printing in the inkjet printer 1 will be described with reference to FIG.
[0052]
When print data is input and print processing is started, the recovery operation of the print head 5 (black head) mounted on the first carriage 7 is changed to the print head 6 (color) mounted on the second carriage 8. In order to give priority to the recovery operation of the head), first, it is determined whether or not the first print head 5 which is a black head has been unused for 3 days, for example (step S1). If not used for 3 days, the purge process for the first print head 5 is started in the same manner as described above (step S2). If not used for 3 days, the purge process for the first print head 5 is performed. Since it is considered unnecessary, the process immediately proceeds to step S3, and it is determined whether or not the second print head 6 has not been used for 3 days.
[0053]
If the second print head 6 is not used for 3 days, the purge process of the second print head 6 is started (step S4). If the second print head 6 is not used for 3 days, the second print head 6 is purged. Since it is considered that the second print head 6 does not need to be purged, the process immediately proceeds to step S5 to determine whether or not there is a print request for the first print head 5 in the input data. The
[0054]
If there is a print request to the first print head 5 (hereinafter referred to as a black print request), it is determined whether or not the first print head 5 is performing a purge process (step S6). If the head 5 is in the purging process, black printing cannot be performed, so it is determined whether or not there is a print request (hereinafter referred to as a color print request) to the second print head 6 (step S7). On the other hand, if the first print head 5 is not in the purging process, black printing by the first print head 5 is started (step S8), the black print request is reset (step S7), and the process proceeds to step S9. .
[0055]
If it is determined in step S9 that there is a color print request, it is determined whether the second print head 6 or the first print head 5 is performing a purge process (step S10), and the second print head. If the 6 and first print heads 5 are not in the purge process, color printing by the second print head 6 is started (step S11), the color print request is reset (step S12), and the first or second print head 5 is started. It is determined again whether there is a request for printing by the print heads 5 and 6 (step S13). If there is a print request, the process proceeds to step S5, and the processes in steps S5 to S13 are repeated.
[0056]
On the other hand, if the second print head 6 or the first print head 5 is in the purge process, color printing cannot be performed, and the process proceeds to step S13.
[0057]
The purge start or the print start in steps S2, S4, S8, and S10 starts those operations, and can proceed to the next process during the execution of those operations. That is, the second print head 6 is started to be purged (step S4), and if the purge of the first print head 5 is completed or unnecessary, black printing can be started (step S8). . When the purge of the second print head 6 is completed, color printing can be started in parallel with black printing (step S11). Even if the print data is only black print, it is determined whether or not the second print head 6 needs to be purged, and if necessary, the second print head 6 is purged during black printing. Therefore, when color print data is input within 3 days thereafter, the purge process can be omitted completely and printing can be started.
[0058]
Generally, black ink is used more frequently than color ink. In particular, since print data from a facsimile is printed with black ink, the purge process of the first print head 5 is performed by the second print head 6 as described above. The printing by the first print head 5 is started without waiting for the purge of the second print head 6 to be completed. For this reason, in the case of only black printing, it can be completed quickly. In addition, since the second print head 6 is purged during black printing in this way, it is possible to eliminate the waiting time for the purge process when shifting to color printing (not used). When the period is within 3 days).
[0059]
In the above embodiment, the timer means is used to determine that the print head is not used for 3 days and is not used for printing, and the purge process is executed. Thus, the time from the previous purge processing operation (suction operation) is counted, and the purge processing can be executed when the count value exceeds a certain value when the print start signal is input. In this case, if there is a purge processing operation, it is determined as “use”.
[0060]
In the embodiment, the first and second protective caps 41 and 42 for the print heads 5 and 6 of the first and second carriages 7 and 8 are provided on one side of the conveyance path of the print paper 4. Although provided independently, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, as shown in FIG. 6, the first and second carriages 7 and 8 are combined into a single guide rod (not shown). A first protective cap 41 for the print head 5 of the first carriage 7 is provided on one side of the conveyance path of the print paper 4 while being movably inserted, while the second carriage 8 is connected to the print head 6 on the other side. It is also possible to provide the second protective cap 42 together with the wiper member 24 and the suction cap 21 which are recovery means. In this way, when printing is being performed by the print head 5 of the first carriage 7, the print head 6 of the second carriage 8 is capped by the second protective cap 42 and the print head 6. When the print head 6 of the second carriage 8 is printing, the print head 5 of the first carriage 7 is capped by the first protective cap 41. Drying of the nozzle surface of the print head 5 can be prevented. Therefore, when printing is performed by the print head of one carriage, the nozzle surface of the print head can be prevented from drying by capping the print head of the other carriage with the protective cap.
[0061]
Further, as shown in FIG. 7, the first and second carriages 7 and 8 are also applied to the first and second carriage shafts 11A and 11B provided in parallel so as to be movable. be able to. In this way, the first and second carriages 7 and 8 are movably inserted through the first and second carriage shafts 11A and 11B provided in parallel, respectively. The second carriages 7 and 8 do not interfere at all, and the degree of freedom of printing control by the print heads 5 and 6 can be remarkably increased. In FIG. 7, the protective caps 41 and 42 also serve as suction caps.
[0062]
Further, in the recovery operation, not only a process of sucking ink or wiping with a wiper, but also an empty discharge in which ink is discharged from the print head outside the print area may be performed.
[0063]
【The invention's effect】
The present invention is implemented in the form as described above, and has the following effects.
[0064]
According to the first aspect of the present invention, as described above, there is a recovery that includes the print control means for controlling printing on the print medium and the suction cap, and sucks the ink by bringing the suction cap into contact with the nozzle surface of the head portion of the print head. Means 1's Carry On During printing with the head of Second Since each carriage operates independently so as to perform a recovery operation on the head portion on the carriage, First During printing by the head on the carriage, Second The recovery operation can be performed on the head portion on the carriage, and the waiting time due to the recovery operation can be reduced. That is, First During printing by the head on the carriage, Second Since the recovery operation can be performed on the head portion of the carriage, the recovery operation is performed regardless of whether or not it is used for printing. Printing can be performed, and the waiting time due to the recovery operation can be eliminated.
[0065]
In particular, when the recovery operation of the print head that has been determined to be unused by the non-use determination unit is performed and printing is requested for the first print head, the recovery operation of the first print head is completed or When it is determined that it is unnecessary (that is, when printing is possible) (even when the head portion of the second print head is in recovery operation), printing is performed by the head portion of the first print head. Since the recovery operation can be performed on the head portion on the second carriage during printing by the head portion on the first carriage, the recovery operation of the first black print head, which is frequently performed, can be performed preferentially and quickly. In addition, even if color printing is not performed, recovery operation is performed if it is determined that the second print head is not used. Therefore, if color printing is performed after continuous black printing, color printing is performed quickly. Rukoto can.
According to the second aspect of the present invention, the head portion of the first print head is determined with priority over the head portion of the second print head as to whether or not it is not used. This print head recovery operation can be prioritized over the second print head.
[0066]
According to a third aspect of the present invention, the first and second carriages are movably inserted into a single guide rod, and the print media of the first and second carriages are arranged on one side of the conveyance path of the print medium. Since the first and second protective caps are provided independently, the print heads of the first and second carriages can be independently capped by the first and second protective caps, respectively.
[0067]
According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, the first and second carriages are movably inserted into a single guide rod, and a first protection against the print head of the first carriage is provided on one side of the print medium conveyance path. Since the cap is provided and the second protective cap for the print head of the second carriage is provided together with the recovery means on the other side, when printing is performed by the print head of one carriage, the other carriage The print head can be capped with the second protective cap to prevent the nozzle surface of the print head from being dried.
[0068]
According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, the first and second carriages are movably inserted through the first and second guide rods provided in parallel, so that the first and second carriages interfere with each other. It is possible to print freely without causing it to occur.
[0069]
According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, a print head that discharges black ink that is used most frequently is mounted on a first carriage, and a print head that has a plurality of head portions that discharge color ink is mounted on another second carriage. Therefore, the facsimile information can be printed on the printing medium by black printing without driving the second carriage by controlling the head portion of the first carriage based on the signal from the facsimile.
[0070]
According to the seventh aspect of the invention, priority is given to the recovery operation of the print head that discharges the black ink that is used frequently. Therefore, the print head that discharges the black ink that is used frequently is recovered first, and the color ink is discharged. By starting the black ink printing without waiting for the completion of the recovery operation for the head portion, the recovery operation of the head portion that discharges the color ink can be performed by effectively using the time during the black printing. In addition, when shifting to color printing, it is possible to eliminate the waiting time due to the recovery operation.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of an ink jet printer which is a printing apparatus according to the present invention.
FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram of position detection means according to the present invention.
FIG. 3 is an explanatory view of the operation of the protective cap device according to the present invention.
FIG. 4 is a block diagram of a control system according to the present invention.
FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing a flow of control according to the present invention.
FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram of another embodiment.
FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram of still another embodiment.
[Explanation of symbols]
1 Inkjet printer
3 Platen roller
4 Printing paper
5 First print head
6 Second print head
6A head
6B head
6C head
7 First carriage
8 Second carriage
11 Carriage shaft
11A First carriage shaft
11B Second carriage shaft
15 First CR motor
16 Second CR motor
23 Suction means
41 First protective cap
42 Second protective cap
101 CPU
101A Print control means
101B Non-use judging means
111 First gate array
112 second gate array

Claims (7)

A first carriage on which a first print head having a head portion for ejecting black ink is mounted;
A second carriage on which a second print head having a plurality of head portions for discharging color ink is mounted;
Carriage driving means for driving the first and second carriages;
A printing apparatus comprising: the first and second print heads; and a print control unit that controls printing on a print medium in association with the carriage driving unit.
A recovery means that has a suction cap and sucks the ink by bringing the suction cap into contact with the nozzle surface of the head portion of the print head;
Non-use determination means for determining whether or not the head portion of each print head is non-use for a certain period,
The print control means and the recovery means perform a recovery operation on the head portion of the print head on the second carriage during printing by the head portion of the print head on the first carriage of the first and second carriages. So that each carriage operates independently,
The non-use determination means is configured to detect the print head signal of the head portion of each print head based on an input of a print start signal for performing printing by only the first print head or printing by both the first and second print heads . While determining whether each is unused,
The print control means and the recovery means perform a recovery operation of the print head determined to be unused by the non-use determination means, and when the print start signal requests printing to the first print head When the recovery operation of the first print head is determined to be complete or unnecessary, the first print head performs printing without waiting for the completion of the recovery operation of the second print head, and the print When the start signal requests printing to the second print head, printing by the second print head when it is determined that the recovery operation is completed or unnecessary for each of the first and second print heads printing apparatus according to claim Rukoto to perform the.   The non-use determination means determines whether or not the head portion of the second print head is not used after determining whether or not the head portion of the first print head is not used. The printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:   The first and second carriages are movably inserted into a single guide rod, and the first and second carriages with respect to the print head are disposed on one side of the print medium conveyance path. The printing apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the second protective cap is provided independently.   The first and second carriages are movably inserted into a single guide rod, and a first protective cap for the print head of the first carriage is provided on one side of the print medium conveyance path. The printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a second protective cap for the print head of the second carriage is provided on the other side together with the recovery means.   3. The printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first and second carriages are movably inserted through first and second guide rods provided in parallel, respectively.   The printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the print control unit is configured to receive a signal from a facsimile.   7. The printing according to claim 6, wherein the recovery means gives priority to the recovery operation of the print head mounted on the first carriage over the recovery operation of the print head mounted on the second carriage. apparatus.

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