Image formation device

Abstract

To solve such problems that printing job input timing varies greatly depending on environment, that even if a plurality of lapse times are provided after printing completion to capping determination, a job is received after capping operation start depending on environment and a time is required until printing is started, and further that in the case of such environment that an interval between printing jobs is longer than a time for determining capping start, a time after printing completion to capping determination surely is waited while opening a cap, and therefore, a discharge state of a head is effected.SOLUTION: An ink jet recording device has contract information for a service that automatically delivers consumables, and performs capping control at optimal timing during consumable fixed price service contract by capping operation execution control means for controlling execution of a capping operation on the basis of the contract information.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 6

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a printing system, and more particularly to a printing system including an inkjet recording device having a recording head that performs recording by ejecting ink onto a recording medium. [Background technology]

[0002] In an inkjet recording device, in order to maintain the quality of printed matter, it is necessary to always keep the inkjet recording head in a good ejection state. When an inkjet recording head is left without printing, the ink is likely to thicken or solidify in the ejection port of the recording head or in the liquid path inside the ejection port. Therefore, when printing is not being performed, it is necessary to cap the recording head for ejecting ink with a cap. In such an inkjet recording device, a technique is generally used in which a capping operation is performed after a certain time has elapsed after printing is completed. However, if a print job is started immediately after the capping operation is started, the cap is opened after the capping operation is completed, and printing is started, which results in a problem that printing takes time. To address this problem, a technique has been disclosed in which a capping determination is performed after a first time has elapsed after printing is completed, and if a print job is received before the capping start, the time until the capping start is extended to a second time (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

[0003] In recording devices such as inkjet printers and copiers, ink, toner, and the like used for printing are used as consumables. These consumables need to be replenished or replaced when consumed in the course of printing. The frequency of replenishment or replacement varies depending on how often printing is performed and the content of the printing. In conventional printing devices, users were required to prepare replenishment or replacement consumables by stocking them or purchasing them in advance depending on how often they use their own printing device. To eliminate such inconvenience, a method has been disclosed (see, for example, Patent Document 2) that calculates the timing to order consumables depending on the usage status of the consumables in each recording device and performs automatic ordering. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] JP 2016-193511 A [Patent Document 2] JP 2003-15477 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] The timing of submitting a print job to the inkjet recording device of Patent Document 1 varies greatly depending on the environment. Even if multiple elapsed times after printing is completed until the capping decision is made are set, depending on the environment, a job may be accepted after the capping operation has started, and it may take some time before printing can start. Also, in an environment where the interval between print jobs is longer than the time to decide to start capping, the cap must be opened after printing is completed until the capping decision is made, which affects the ejection state of the head.

[0006] An object of the present invention is to provide a printing system capable of performing capping control at an optimal timing depending on the environment in which the inkjet recording apparatus is used. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] In order to solve the above problems, the inkjet recording apparatus of the present invention is characterized in having contract information for a service that automatically delivers consumables, and having a capping operation execution control means that controls the execution of the capping operation based on the contract information. Effect of the Invention

[0008] According to the present invention, it is possible to perform capping control at the optimum timing depending on the environment in which the inkjet recording apparatus is used. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a printing system. [Diagram 2] 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a printer device in a printing system. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a printing unit of a printer device. [Figure 4] 6 is a flowchart showing the process of the printer device when the power is turned on. [Diagram 5] 5 is a flowchart showing the process of the printer device when executing a print job. [Figure 6] 6 is a flowchart showing the process of changing the capping timing of the printer device according to the first embodiment. [Figure 7] 13 is a flowchart showing the process of changing the capping timing of a printer device according to a second embodiment. [Figure 8] 13 is a flowchart showing the process of changing the capping timing of a printer device according to a third embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0010] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail. Note that the components described in the embodiment are merely exemplary embodiments of the present invention, and the scope of the present invention is not limited to these. EXAMPLES

[0011] FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the system configuration of a printing system 100. As shown in FIG.

[0012] The printing system 100 has a network 101, a host terminal 102, a server 103, and a printer 200 that communicate via the network 101. The host terminal 102 is connected to the network 101 in order to make a contract for a consumable flat-rate service with the server 103, and print commands to the printer 200 do not need to go through the network 101. When a contract for the consumable flat-rate service is made, information about the printer 200 is registered in the server 103, and functions related to the consumable flat-rate service of the printer 200 are enabled, enabling communication between the server 103 and the printer 200 related to the consumable flat-rate service.

[0013] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the printer device 200. As shown in FIG.

[0014] The printer device 200 includes a CPU 201 , a program memory 202 , a data memory 203 , an image memory 204 , a communication control unit 205 , a print control unit 206 , and a printing unit 207 .

[0015] The CPU 201 is a system control unit, and controls the entire printer device 200. The program memory 202 stores the control program executed by the CPU 201, an embedded operating system (OS) program, and the like. The data memory 203 includes an image memory 204 for storing image data, and is provided with various work buffer areas for storing program control variables and the like and for use during processing by the print control unit 206. The communication control unit 205 controls data exchange with the outside via a communication line 230. The print control unit 206 acquires data for printing from the image memory 204 in which image data processed by an image processing unit (not shown) is stored, and controls printing processing via the print unit 207. The print unit 207 performs printing processing upon receiving a print command from the print control unit 206. At this time, if a consumable flat-rate service contract has been made, the print control unit 206 transmits print information to the server 103 via the communication control unit 205. The print information is a log that summarizes the job mode, such as copy and print, the number of prints, and the print results, and is generated for each job and transmitted to the server 103. The above components 201 to 203 , 205 , and 206 are connected to each other via a CPU bus 220 managed by a CPU 201 .

[0016] FIG. 3 is a diagram showing the configuration of the printing unit 207 of the printer device 200. As shown in FIG.

[0017] An inkjet recording head 302 having nozzle rows for each of the colors black, cyan, magenta, and yellow is mounted on a carriage 301 that moves back and forth on a guide shaft 300 in the directions of arrows A and B. A carriage motor 304 connected to the carriage 301 via a belt 303 moves the carriage 301 while applying drive pulses to the inkjet recording head 302, thereby performing a print recording operation for one scan. A sensor 305 is provided on the carriage 301 at a position aligned with the inkjet recording head 302. By monitoring the sensor 305 while the carriage 301 moves, the results printed and recorded by the inkjet recording head 302 can be read.

[0018] The recording medium 306 is fed a specified amount in the direction of arrow C by a transport roller 308 driven by a transport motor 307 for each scanning print recording operation of the carriage 301, and by repeating this process, the print recording operation for one page on the recording medium 306 is completed. In addition, at a position away from the recording medium 306 in the direction of arrow B, a recovery mechanism 309 is provided that faces the inkjet recording head 302 and has a capping mechanism 310 for capping the inkjet recording head 302 to prevent it from drying out. The recovery mechanism 309 is driven after the carriage 301 has been moved to a position where the inkjet recording head 302 faces the capping mechanism 310.

[0019] As a result, by keeping the capping mechanism 310 in contact with the inkjet recording head 302, the nozzle portion of the inkjet recording head 302 can be capped to prevent drying or solidification of the ink. This will be referred to as "capping" below. Also, the state in which the inkjet recording head 302 is not in contact with the capping mechanism 310 will be referred to as "uncapped" below. These capping operations are automatically performed in accordance with the operation control of the printer device 200, or are performed when the power is turned off, so that the printing quality of the printer device 200 is kept appropriate. On the other hand, if the ink is still smeared or disturbed, the user can operate the printer to perform a recovery operation such as sucking ink from the inkjet recording head 302. In this embodiment, the recovery mechanism 309 is provided with the capping mechanism 310, but the capping mechanism 310 may exist independently of the recovery mechanism 309.

[0020] The procedure for controlling capping at a timing based on contract information in this embodiment will be described below with reference to FIGS.

[0021] FIG. 4 is a flow chart showing the process of the printer device 200 when the power is turned on.

[0022] Here, the sequence is shown when the printer device 200 is powered on and capping is performed. In S401, the CPU 201 turns on the printer device 200 and determines whether mechanical initialization is necessary, and if so, proceeds to S402 mechanical initialization. Whether mechanical initialization is necessary here is determined based on whether the mechanical parts of the printing unit 207 are in the expected positions when the printer device 200 is powered on. For example, if capping is not performed when the power is turned on, it can be determined that the previous power off was not performed normally, the positions of the mechanical parts are uncertain, and mechanical initialization is necessary.

[0023] If in S401 the CPU 201 determines that mechanical initialization is not necessary, it ends the flow and waits until it receives some instruction, such as a job being submitted. In S402, the CPU 201 performs mechanical initialization processing. The mechanical initialization here executes initialization of all mechanical device components that involve mechanical operation, and the cap is released as a result of the mechanical initialization. In the configuration of this embodiment, it has been described that the cap is released after the mechanical initialization is executed, but the configuration may also be such that capping is performed by executing the mechanical initialization. In S403, the CPU 201 changes the capping timing. For example, the capping timing occurs when a certain amount of time has passed since the cap was released, and in S403 the certain amount of time is changed to a more appropriate timing.

[0024] The details of this will be described later with reference to FIG. 6. In S404, the CPU 201 determines whether it is time to cap. In the printer device 200, the CPU 201 measures the time that has elapsed since the cap was released, and if it determines that a certain period of time has elapsed, it executes the capping operation. If the certain period of time has not elapsed, the process proceeds to a standby operation in S406. In S406, the CPU 201 executes a standby operation and waits until it receives some instruction, such as a job being input with the cap released.

[0025] FIG. 5 is a flow chart showing the process of the printer device 200 when a job is input.

[0026] In S501, CPU 201 determines whether the job input is a print job. If the job is determined to be a print job, the print job is executed in S502. CPU 201 executes the print job in S502. In the case of capping during a print job, the cap is released and then the printing operation is executed. In S503, CPU 201 determines whether the job input is a recovery execution instruction. If it is determined in S503 that recovery execution has been instructed, recovery is executed in S504. CPU 201 executes recovery in S504. In the case of capping during recovery execution, the cap is released and then the recovery operation is executed. Note that while a print job and recovery execution have been described, similar control can also be configured to be performed for copying and other operations in the case of jobs that involve cap release.

[0027] In S505, the CPU 201 changes the capping timing. For example, the capping timing occurs when a certain amount of time has elapsed since the cap was released, and in S505 the certain amount of time is changed to a more appropriate amount of time. Details of this will be described later with reference to FIG. 6. In S506, the CPU 201 determines whether the capping timing has arrived. In the printer device 200, the CPU 201 measures the time that has elapsed since the cap was released, and if it determines that the certain amount of time has elapsed, it executes the capping operation in S507. If the elapsed time has not reached the certain amount of time, it proceeds to a standby operation in S508. In S508, the CPU 201 executes a standby operation and waits until it receives some instruction, such as a job being input with the cap released.

[0028] FIG. 6 is a flow chart showing the process of the printer device 200 when the capping timing is changed.

[0029] In S601, the CPU 201 determines whether or not the printer device 200 has a contract for a flat-rate consumption service. The server 103 connected to the printer device 200 determines whether or not the printer device 200 has a contract for a flat-rate consumable service. If it is determined that the printer device 200 has a contract, the capping timing is changed in S602. If the printer device 200 is not connected to the server 103 (hereinafter, offline), it is also possible to determine that the printer device 200 has a contract by storing contract information acquired from the server 103 once in a data memory. If the printer device 200 has not a contract, the capping timing is not changed. In this case, the standard capping timing stored in the program memory 202, for example, the timing 30 seconds after the cap is released, becomes the capping timing. In S602, the CPU 201 changes the capping timing.

[0030] In S602, the capping timing is changed based on the contract information acquired from the server 103. The contract information includes a pay-per-use contract, a flat-rate contract, a delivery contract, and the like, and relates to the contract and the contract contents. A pay-per-use contract is one in which charges are based on the amount of printer usage. In other words, charges are based on the number of pages printed or the amount of consumables consumed. A flat-rate contract is a contract in which a fixed usage fee is charged for each specified period regardless of the amount of printer usage. This contract sets an upper limit on the number of pages printed for each specified period or sets a limit on the amount of print data stored in the server 103, and allows unlimited use within that range for a flat-rate fee. A delivery contract is a contract in which consumables such as ink are automatically ordered and delivered when they run low, and the purchase amount according to the consumables ordered is paid.

[0031] The contract types described here are merely examples, and other usage forms may be provided by contract. For example, in the case of a fixed-price contract, if there is a margin in the remaining number of printable sheets, there is a high possibility that a print job will be sent, so the capping timing is changed to when one minute has passed since the cap was released so that there is no waiting time for the capping time.

[0032] Furthermore, when the possibility of a print job being sent is low, such as when the number of printable sheets is close to or has reached the upper limit, the capping timing is changed immediately without waiting for a specified time to elapse. The reason for changing immediately is that when the possibility of a print job being sent is low, there is no need to leave the cap open, and capping is performed to ensure that the condition of the print head 302 is good. In addition, when the cap is released due to a power outage or the like, it is possible to prevent the print head 302 from being left dry because the printer 200 is turned off. Changing the capping timing based on the contract information is merely an example, and the time may be changed to suit other usage patterns.

[0033] By controlling in the above manner, the capping timing can be changed according to the contract information of the consumption flat-rate service. This allows for appropriate capping timing, reducing the waiting time for capping when a print job is submitted, improving usability. In addition, since it is possible to determine whether immediate capping is necessary, ink ejection from the print head can be maintained in good condition. EXAMPLES

[0034] In this embodiment, the capping is controlled based on the contract information and the accumulated print job execution timing. Since the basic configuration of this embodiment is the same as that of the first embodiment, detailed description will be omitted. Below, the configuration different from the first embodiment will be described.

[0035] In S701, the CPU 201 determines whether or not the printer device 200 has a contract for a flat-rate consumption service. The server 103 connected to the printer device 200 determines whether or not the printer device 200 has a contract for a flat-rate consumable service. If it is determined that the printer device 200 has a contract, the timing of executing a cumulative print job is determined in S702. Also, in the offline state, it is possible to determine that the printer device 200 has a contract by storing the contract information acquired from the server 103 once in the data memory. If the printer device 200 does not have a contract, the timing of executing a cumulative print job is determined in S705.

[0036] In S702, the CPU 201 judges the cumulative print job execution timing. As a method of judgment, for example, when a print job is transmitted, the number of times that the time elapsed since the last print job was less than one minute (hereinafter, counter A) and the number of times all print jobs were transmitted (hereinafter, counter B) are stored in the data memory 203. If the ratio of counter A to counter B is 50% or more, it can be judged that the frequency with which the user transmits print jobs is high within one minute of transmission of the print job, and it is possible to change the capping timing based on this. If it is judged in S702 that the judgment based on the cumulative print job execution timing is possible, the process proceeds to S703, changing the capping timing. If it is not possible to make a judgment, the process proceeds to S704, changing the capping timing.

[0037] In S703, CPU 201 changes the capping timing based on the contract information and the cumulative print job execution timing. For example, in the case of a pay-per-use contract, there is no remaining number of printable pages because the printer is charged according to the usage fee. If the cumulative print job execution timing is often within one minute, changing the capping timing to one minute after the cap is released will prevent waiting time. In S704, CPU 201 changes the capping timing based on the contract information. Details are described above in S602. In S705, CPU 201 determines the cumulative print job execution timing. Details are described above in S702. If it is determined in S705 that the determination is possible based on the cumulative print job execution timing, the process proceeds to changing the capping timing in S706. If it is determined that the determination is not possible, the capping timing is not changed.

[0038] The details of this are explained in S601. In S706, the CPU 201 changes the capping timing based on the accumulated print job execution timing. As in S703 described above, if the accumulated print job execution timing is often within one minute, then changing the capping timing to one minute after the cap is released will prevent waiting time from occurring. Changing the capping timing based on the contract information and the accumulated print job execution timing is merely an example, and the time may be changed to suit other usage patterns.

[0039] By controlling in the above manner, the capping timing can be changed based on the contract information of the consumption flat-rate service and the cumulative timing of print job execution. This allows for appropriate capping timing, reducing the wait time for capping when a print job is submitted, improving usability. In addition, because it is possible to determine whether immediate capping is necessary, ink ejection from the print head can be maintained in good condition. EXAMPLES

[0040] In this embodiment, the capping is controlled based on the contract information and whether recovery is necessary. The basic configuration of this embodiment is the same as that of the first embodiment, so a detailed description will be omitted. Below, the configuration different from the first embodiment will be described.

[0041] In S801, the CPU 201 judges whether or not the printer device 200 has a fixed-price consumption service contract. The server 103 connected to the printer device 200 judges whether or not the printer device 200 has a fixed-price consumable service contract. If it is judged that the printer device 200 has a contract, the CPU 201 judges whether or not recovery is necessary in S802. In addition, in the case of offline, it is also possible to judge that the printer device 200 has a contract by storing the contract information once acquired from the server 103 in a data memory. If the printer device 200 has not a contract, the CPU 201 judges whether or not recovery is necessary in S805. In S802, the CPU 201 judges whether or not recovery is necessary. As a judgment method, the CPU 201 judges whether or not recovery operation such as sucking ink from the inkjet print head 302 is necessary. For example, if the amount of ink discharged from the print head 302 exceeds a predetermined amount, bubbles may be generated in the print head 302. In order to maintain the quality of the print, such as preventing the print from being smudged by bubbles, a recovery operation by suction is necessary.

[0042] If it is determined in S802 that a recovery operation is necessary, the process proceeds to S803 for changing the capping timing. If it is not possible to determine this, the process proceeds to S804 for changing the capping timing. In S803, the CPU 201 changes the capping timing based on the contract information and whether a recovery operation is necessary. For example, even if there is a margin in the remaining number of printable sheets in the case of a fixed-price contract, if a recovery operation is necessary, the capping timing is immediately changed without waiting for a predetermined time to elapse. This prevents the condition of the print head 302 that requires a recovery operation from deteriorating. In addition, if the cap is released due to a power outage or the like, the print head 302 can be prevented from being left dry because the printer 200 is turned off.

[0043] In S804, CPU201 changes the capping timing based on the contract information. Details have been described above in S602. In S805, CPU201 determines whether recovery is necessary. Details have been described above in S802. If it is determined in S802 that recovery is necessary, the process proceeds to changing the capping timing in S806. If it is not possible to make a determination, the capping timing is not changed. Details of this process are described in S601. In S806, CPU201 changes the capping timing depending on whether recovery is necessary. As with S803 described above, if recovery is necessary, capping is performed immediately. The contract information and the change in capping timing depending on whether recovery is necessary are merely examples, and the time may be changed to suit other usage patterns.

[0044] By controlling in the above manner, the timing of capping can be changed depending on the contract information of the consumption flat-rate service and whether recovery is necessary. This allows for appropriate capping timing, reducing the waiting time due to capping when a print job is submitted, improving usability. In addition, because it is possible to determine whether immediate capping is necessary, ink ejection from the print head can be maintained in good condition. [Explanation of symbols]

[0045] 100 Printing System 101 Network 102 Host terminal 103 Server

Claims

1. an image processing system using a flat-rate service in which consumables of a printer device having a recording head which records by ejecting ink onto a recording medium, capping means for capping said recording head, capping removal means for removing the cap covering said recording head, capping execution instruction means for instructing said capping means to execute capping of said recording head, and cap removal instruction means for instructing said cap removal means to remove the cap from said recording head, A communication means for communicating with a server that manages the flat-rate service; A contract determination means for determining whether a user has concluded a contract for use of the flat-rate service; a contract information acquisition means for acquiring contract information when the contract is concluded by the contract determination means, A printing system comprising: a timing change means for changing the timing at which capping is performed based on the contract information acquisition means; and a means for executing the capping execution instruction means at the timing determined by the timing change means.

2. 2. The printing system according to claim 1, further comprising a printing information recording means for recording one or more pieces of printing information printed by the printer device, and the timing change means changes the timing of capping using the printing information recording means in addition to the contract information acquisition means.

3. a recovery means for performing a recovery operation on the recording head so that stable ink ejection is performed from the recording head, and a recovery determination means for determining whether or not the recovery means needs to be performed; 3. The printing system according to claim 1, wherein the timing change unit changes the timing of capping based on the contract information acquisition unit and the recovery determination unit.

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