Recording device and control method thereof

Abstract

To provide an art which allows a user to recognize a state of a recording device more easily.SOLUTION: An inkjet recording device includes at least a first ink tank located in a first position, and a second ink tank located in a second position. The inkjet recording device includes light emitting control means which controls light emitting states of a plurality of light emitting means included in a housing of the recording device. The light emitting control means controls the light emitting states of the plurality of light emitting means included in the housing of the recording device.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a recording apparatus and a control method. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, there are inkjet recording devices that eject ink from a recording head to record on a recording medium. In the case of such a recording device, a user can confirm that the recording device is recording when he or she is near the recording device by the driving sound of the recording head and the state of the recording medium being transported. However, in recent years, it has become possible to give instructions to set up and start recording from a mobile terminal such as a smartphone, and even if a user is within a distance where the recording device can be seen, there are cases where the user is not near the recording device. Therefore, Patent Document 1 discloses a technology in which an outer casing that covers a mechanical part equipped with a print head and the like is provided with multiple LEDs that indicate that recording is in progress, so that the user can clearly see from the outside that recording is in progress. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2002-67454 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] There is an increasing demand for improved convenience when users check the status of their recording devices. In response to this demand, there is a demand for a technology that allows users to more easily recognize the status of their recording devices than the above-mentioned conventional technology.

[0005] The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems, and has an object to provide a technique that allows a user to more easily recognize the state of a recording device. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In order to solve the above problems, a recording device according to the present invention is an electrophotographic recording device that performs a recording process using a recording material stored in a storage unit, and includes a display panel that displays information about the recording device, and a light-emitting control means that is a light-emitting unit provided at a position different from the display panel and controls a state of a light-emitting unit that is capable of emitting light and is provided in the recording device, and the light-emitting control means transitions the state of the light-emitting unit from a state in which a plurality of light-emitting bodies that constitute the light-emitting unit repeatedly emit light in a predetermined sequence to a lit state based on a transition of a remaining amount state of the recording material stored in the storage unit from a first state to a second state in which the amount of recording material is less than the first state, and controls the display panel to display information about the recording device. The display panel displays information about the color of the recording material that has transitioned to the second state, and a portion of the area in which the light-emitting unit is lit when the remaining amount of the recording material is in the second state overlaps in the longitudinal direction of the display panel with a portion of the area in which information about the color of the recording material that has transitioned to the second state is displayed, and based on a predetermined user operation being performed on the recording device in which the remaining amount of the recording material is in the second state, the light-emitting control means transitions the state of the light-emitting unit from being lit to a state different from being lit, and the predetermined user operation is a user operation related to transitioning the remaining amount of the recording material from the second state to the first state. Effect of the Invention

[0007] According to the present invention, the user can more easily recognize the state of the recording device. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of a printer according to a first embodiment. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of a hardware configuration of the printer in FIG. [Diagram 3] 5 is a flowchart showing an example of a process for controlling light emission of the printer according to the first embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of an ink cartridge according to the first embodiment. [Diagram 5]10 is a flowchart showing an example of a process for controlling light emission of a printer according to a second embodiment. [Figure 6] 4A to 4C are diagrams illustrating the light emission mode of a light emitter. [Figure 7] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of the software configuration of the printer in FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0009] Hereinafter, the embodiments will be described in detail with reference to the attached drawings. Note that the following embodiments do not limit the invention according to the claims. Although the embodiments describe a plurality of features, not all of these features are essential to the invention, and the plurality of features may be combined in any manner. Furthermore, in the attached drawings, the same reference numbers are used for the same or similar configurations, and duplicated descriptions may be omitted.

[0010] In this specification, "recording" (sometimes called "printing") is not limited to the formation of meaningful information such as characters or figures. It also broadly refers to the formation of images, patterns, etc. on a recording medium or the processing of a medium, regardless of whether the information is meaningful or insignificant, and whether it is visible to humans or not.

[0011] In addition, the term "recording medium (sheet)" refers not only to the recording paper used in general image forming devices, but also broadly to any transportable medium, such as cloth, plastic film (OHP), metal plate, glass, ceramics, wood, leather, etc.

[0012] In addition, "ink" (sometimes called "liquid") should be interpreted broadly in the same way as the definition of "recording (printing)" above. Ink refers to a liquid that can be applied onto a recording medium to form an image, design, pattern, etc., or to process the recording medium, or to process the ink (for example, to solidify or insolubilize the coloring material in the ink applied to the recording medium).

[0013] First Embodiment <Printer Overview> 1 is a diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of a printer 100 (inkjet recording device) according to a first embodiment. The printer 100 includes a housing 110, and a mechanism section 120 including a carriage HC is housed inside the housing 110. The recording method of the printer may be an electrophotographic method.

[0014] The mechanism section 120 includes a drive motor 131 , drive force transmission gears 132 and 133 , a lead screw 134 , a carriage HC, a guide rail 136 , and a platen 137 .

[0015] The driving motor 131 is a motor capable of rotating forward and reverse to drive the carriage HC. When the driving motor 131 rotates, the rotation is transmitted to the lead screw 134 via the driving force transmission gears 132 and 133. When the lead screw 134 rotates, the carriage HC engaged with the spiral groove 135 moves with the rotation. When the carriage HC moves with the rotation of the lead screw 134, it moves back and forth in the directions of the arrows a and b while being supported by the guide rail 136. The carriage HC is also equipped with an integrated ink cartridge 400 (hereinafter, cartridge 400) including a recording head 205 (see FIG. 2) and an ink tank 401 (see FIG. 4). Note that the ink cartridge 400 may be a replaceable part, and the recording head 205 and the ink tank do not have to be integrated.

[0016] Photocouplers 139 and 140 are home position detectors for confirming the presence of a lever 141 of the carriage HC in this area and for switching the rotation direction of the motor 138. When the rotation of a motor (not shown) is transmitted to a platen 137 via a transmission gear (not shown) during transport of the recording paper P, the rotation of the platen 137 transports the recording paper P in a direction approximately perpendicular to the movable direction of the carriage HC.

[0017] A light-emitting unit for displaying the status of the printer 100 is provided on the front part of the housing 110. In this embodiment, the light-emitting unit 150 includes a plurality of light-emitting bodies 1501 to 1505 arranged in a horizontal row so as to be substantially parallel to the movable direction of the recording head 205. For example, each of the light-emitting bodies 1501 to 1505 includes a light-emitting diode (LED). In this embodiment, each of the light-emitting bodies 1501 to 1505 includes red (R), green (G), and blue (B) LED chips, and emits light of any color by adjusting the light amount of each LED. However, light-emitting bodies configured with a single-color LED or other light source can also be adopted.

[0018] The number, arrangement, shape, etc. of the light-emitting elements constituting the light-emitting unit 150 can be appropriately designed. For example, the light-emitting elements may be less than five or more than six, and the printer 100 may have light-emitting elements equal to or greater than the number of ink tanks mounted in the printer. The light-emitting elements may be arranged over the entire front surface of the housing 110 in the main scanning direction. Furthermore, each light-emitting element may have a vertically elongated shape.

[0019] <Hardware configuration> 2 is a diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of the printer 100 of this embodiment. The CPU 201 performs overall control of the printer 100. The ROM 202 stores the control program of the CPU 201, font data for font processing, and the like. The RAM 203 temporarily stores various data. For example, the CPU 201 reads out a program stored in the ROM 202 into the RAM 203 and executes it to control the operation of the printer 100 and process data.

[0020] The light emitters 1501 to 1505 each have a red (R), green (G), or blue (B) LED chip. The red (R), green (G), or blue (B) LED chips each emit light with an amount of light according to a control signal transmitted from the CPU 201, causing the light emitters 1501 to 150 to emit light in various colors.

[0021] The print head 205 ejects ink (printing material) onto a sheet P as a printing medium in accordance with a control signal sent from the CPU 201. The LF drive unit 206 includes, for example, a paper feed motor driver and a paper feed motor (motor during transport), and transports a printing medium such as a sheet P in accordance with a control signal sent from the CPU 201. The carriage drive unit 207 includes, for example, a carriage motor driver, a carriage motor (drive motor 131), and a carriage position detection circuit, and moves the carriage HC in accordance with a control signal sent from the CPU 201. The carriage position detection circuit is configured to be able to detect the position of the carriage HC in the main scanning direction based on, for example, an output signal from a linear encoder. The external I / F 208 is connected to a PC or the like to receive print data and transmit status signals. The ink remaining amount detection unit 412 detects the remaining amount of ink 411 in the ink tank 401 (see FIG. 4).

[0022] <Software configuration> 7 is a diagram showing an example of the software configuration of the printer 100 of this embodiment. The CPU 201 functions as each of the functional units shown in FIG.

[0023] The light emission control unit 71 controls the light emission states of the light emitters 1501-1505 arranged in the housing 110. For example, the light emission control unit 204 blinks, lights, or turns off the light emitters 1501-1505. In addition, for example, the light emission control unit 204 controls the light emission colors of the light emitters 1501-1505 by adjusting the light intensity of each of the red (R), green (G), and blue (B) LEDs that the light emitters 1501-1505 have, respectively.

[0024] The ejection control unit 72 transmits a heat pulse signal to the recording head 205 based on image data of the recording target, thereby controlling the ejection of ink by the recording head 205. The carriage drive control unit 73 sends a control signal to the carriage drive unit 207, and controls the movement of the carriage HC in the main scanning direction perpendicular to the transport direction of the sheet P. The LF drive control unit 74 sends a control signal to the LF drive unit 206, and controls the transport of the sheet P. The image analysis unit 75 analyzes the recorded image. For example, the image analysis unit 75 acquires and analyzes color information of the recorded image.

[0025] Note that each functional unit is merely an example, and the functions of each functional unit may be integrated, or the function of one functional unit may be divided to provide multiple functional units. Also, Fig. 7 is a schematic diagram showing a configuration related to this embodiment, and the printer 100 may have other functional units.

[0026] <Cartridge> 4 is a cross-sectional view showing a schematic configuration of cartridge 400. Cartridge 400 includes an ink tank 401 that contains ink, and a holder 403 that includes a recording head 205 and holds ink tank 401. In addition, ink tank 401 includes a lever 402, a locking claw 404 that is provided on lever 402 and is engaged with holder 403, an ink supply path 424, and an ink remaining amount detection unit 412.

[0027] The ink tank 401 has a liquid storage section 401A in which an absorber 407 for holding ink 411 is stored, and an ink storage section 401B in which the ink 411 is stored in a liquid state. The liquid storage section 401A and the ink storage section 401B communicate with each other via a passage 401C provided near the bottom surface of the ink tank 401. In detail, as the ink in the liquid storage section 401A is consumed during printing, gas-liquid exchange occurs via the passage 401C, and the ink in the ink storage section 401B moves to the storage section 401A. In addition, with this gas-liquid exchange, air is taken in via an air communication port 408 provided at the top of the ink tank 401. The ink tank 401 further has a supply port 406 at the bottom surface of the liquid storage section 401A for supplying ink to the print head 205.

[0028] The ink remaining amount detection unit 412 is provided, for example, on the bottom surface of the liquid storage unit 401B, and detects the remaining amount of ink 411 in the ink tank 401. For example, the ink remaining amount detection unit 412 detects whether the remaining amount of ink has fallen below a predetermined amount by optical detection. Note that the ink remaining amount detection unit 412 may detect the remaining amount of ink by other known methods. For example, the CPU 201 may store the number of times ink has been ejected in a storage medium such as a RAM provided in the printer 100 main body or the ink tank 401, and calculate the remaining amount of ink based on this number of ejections.

[0029] In this embodiment, the ink remaining amount detection unit 412 detects the amount of remaining ink at a predetermined timing. For example, when the ink 411 in the container 401 is consumed by ink ejection from the print head 205, the ink remaining amount detection unit 412 detects the amount of remaining ink for each page or each job.

[0030] <Light emission control process flow> 3 is a flowchart showing the flow of judgment and processing of the CPU 201 when illuminating the light-emitting bodies 1501-1505 arranged on the surface of the housing 110 in the printer 100 according to the first embodiment. For example, this flowchart is realized by the CPU 201 reading a program stored in the ROM 202 into the RAM 203, executing it, and functioning as the light emission control unit 71 in FIG. 7. This flowchart starts, for example, when the power is turned on by a user and a print job is executed. The print job is transmitted from an external device, such as a personal computer or a mobile terminal. The print job includes, for example, print data and print setting information.

[0031] In S301, the light emission control unit 71 checks whether or not the remaining amount of ink in the ink tank of the cartridge 400 is equal to or greater than a predetermined amount, based on the detection result of the remaining ink detection unit 412. If the remaining amount of ink is equal to or greater than the predetermined amount (S301OK), the light emission control unit 71 proceeds to S302, and if it is equal to or less than the predetermined amount (S301NG), the light emission control unit 71 proceeds to S308.

[0032] In S302, the light emission control unit 71 determines whether or not recording based on the print job is complete. When the light emission control unit 71 determines that recording is complete (S302 Yes), the process proceeds to S303, where the light emitters 1501 to 1505 emit light in, for example, white all at once, and the process proceeds to S311. On the other hand, when the light emission control unit 71 determines that recording based on the print job is not complete (S302 No), the process proceeds to S304.

[0033] In S304, the light emission control unit 71 checks whether an error such as a paper jam has occurred. If the light emission control unit 71 checks that an error has occurred (S304NG), the process proceeds to S305, where it causes only the rightmost light emitter 1505 to emit light in a color (e.g., red) different from the simultaneous emission in S303. On the other hand, if the light emission control unit 71 checks that no error has occurred (S304OK), the process proceeds to S306.

[0034] In S306, the light emission control unit 71 judges whether or not recording is in progress. When the light emission control unit 71 judges that recording is in progress (S306 Yes), the process proceeds to S307, where the light emission units 1501 to 1505 are caused to emit light in sequence and repeatedly in accordance with the arrangement order. That is, the light emission control unit 71 changes the light emission state of the light emission units 1501 to 1505 continuously. For example, when the cartridge 400 is placed on the light emission unit 1501 side and a recording operation is being performed, the light emission control unit 71 causes the light emission unit 1501 to emit light. Next, when the cartridge 400 moves in the a direction and a recording operation is being performed, the light emission control unit 71 causes the light emission unit 1502 to emit light. In this way, the light emission control unit 71 causes the light emission unit corresponding to the position of the cartridge 400 to emit light. On the other hand, when the light emission control unit 71 judges that recording is not in progress (S306 No), the process returns directly to S302.

[0035] When the process proceeds from S301 to S308, the light emission control unit 71 causes the light emitter (any of the light emitters 1501-1505) at a position corresponding to the position of the cartridge 400 where the remaining ink amount is below a predetermined amount to emit light, and then proceeds to S309. The emitted color at this time may be a specific color such as white, or a color that is close to the color of the ink that has been determined to have the remaining ink amount below the predetermined amount. When the light is emitted in a color that is close to the color of the ink, it is possible to notify the user from a distance which ink has run out, using that emitted color as well.

[0036] In S309, the light emission control unit 71 determines whether or not recording is complete. When the light emission control unit 71 determines that recording is complete (S309 Yes), the process proceeds to S310, where the light emitters 1501 to 1505 emit light all at once, and the process proceeds to S311. On the other hand, when the light emission control unit 71 determines that recording is not complete (S309 No), the process returns directly to S301.

[0037] In S311, the light emission control unit 71 determines whether or not a predetermined end condition, such as the user turning off the power, is satisfied. When the light emission control unit 71 determines that the end condition is satisfied (S311 Yes), the light emission control unit 71 proceeds to S312 and ends the flow. On the other hand, when the light emission control unit 71 determines that the end condition is not satisfied (S311 No), the light emission control unit 71 repeats the process of S311 until it determines that the end condition is satisfied. In other words, the light emitters 1501 to 1505 continue to emit light until the end condition is satisfied.

[0038] The end condition can be set appropriately, and for example, the end condition may be satisfied when a predetermined time has elapsed since the end of recording even if the power is not turned off. Also, for example, a sensor capable of detecting the presence or absence of sheet P may be provided in the sheet P discharge section of the printer 100, and the end condition may be satisfied when it detects that the user has removed the sheet P. The sensor may have a known configuration, and for example, an optical sensor or a switch that is mechanically operated by contacting the sheet P may be used.

[0039] Note that the light emission control based on the remaining ink amount check in S301 may be executed before starting recording based on a print job or after recording based on a print job is completed. For example, when recording based on a print job is completed, the light emission control unit 71 causes the light emitters 1501 to 1505 to emit light, for example in white, all at once and then turn them off. Here, when it is determined that the remaining ink amount is equal to or less than a predetermined amount, the light emission control unit 71 causes only the light emitter (any of the light emitters 1501 to 1505) at a position corresponding to the position of the cartridge 400 whose remaining ink amount is equal to or less than the predetermined amount to emit light (or blink). In this case, the light emitters at positions that do not correspond to the positions of the cartridges 400 whose remaining ink amount is equal to or less than the predetermined amount are maintained in an off state.

[0040] In this way, in the printer 100 of this embodiment, the light-emitting elements 1501 to 1505 emit light in sequence and repeatedly according to the arrangement during recording, and when recording is completed, the light-emitting elements 1501 to 1505 emit light all at once. This allows the user to easily recognize the state of the printer 100. In particular, since the light-emitting elements 1501 to 1505 emit light all at once after recording, the user can easily distinguish between a state in which recording has been normally completed and a state in which the power is off. Furthermore, when the ink level falls below a predetermined level, light emission control for when the ink level falls below a predetermined level is performed, so the user can easily recognize that the cartridge needs to be replaced. Therefore, the user can easily recognize the state of the printer 100 without approaching the printer 100. Note that, instead of the light emission control unit 71, another functional unit shown in FIG. 7 may perform part of the process of FIG. 3.

[0041] <Light emission mode of light emitter> <During and at the end of the recording> 6(a)-(d) are diagrams showing an example of the front surface of the printer 100, and are diagrams for explaining specific light emission modes of the light emitters 1501-1505. The printer 100 has the light emitters 1501-1505 and a liquid crystal panel 601 on its front surface. For example, while recording is being performed, the cartridge 400 moves in the main scanning direction by the carriage HC, and the light emitters 1501-1505 emit light sequentially in accordance with the movement of the cartridge 400 (S307 in FIG. 3, (a) and (b) in FIG. 6). Then, when recording is completed, all the light emitters 1501-1505 are turned on (S303-S310 in FIG. 3, (c) in FIG. 6). This allows the user to easily distinguish between recording, normal end of recording, and power off. During and after recording, the recording settings (color / monochrome, paper size, single-sided / double-sided, etc.) are displayed on the liquid crystal panel 601 (FIGS. 6(a) to 6(c)).

[0042] In this embodiment, the movement of the cartridge 400 and the light emission of the light emitters 1501 to 1505 correspond to each other as follows. That is, the light emission control unit 71 causes the light emitter corresponding to the position on the scanning of the carriage HC detected by the carriage position detection circuit to emit light. In the case where the number of light emitters is five as in this embodiment, the light emission control unit 71 determines which light emitter to emit light depending on which of the five equal divisions of the movement range of the carriage HC in the main scanning direction the center of the carriage HC is located in. For example, when the center of the carriage HC is in the leftmost range when the printer 100 is viewed from the front, the light emission control unit 71 causes the light emitter 1501 to emit light. Similarly, when the center of the carriage HC is in the Nth range from the left, the light emission control unit 71 causes the light emitter 150N (N is 1 to 5) to emit light.

[0043] Due to such a light emission mode, the user can recognize that the recording head 205 is being scanned during recording. In particular, when the light emitters 1501 to 1505 emit light in various light emission modes according to the content of the notification, the user cannot recognize the content of the notification unless he or she remembers the association between the light emission mode and the content of the notification. However, in this embodiment, the user can be made to recognize that the recording head 205 is being scanned, so the user can intuitively recognize that recording is being performed.

[0044] It should be noted that other configurations for sequentially emitting light from the light emitters 1501 to 1505 may also be employed. For example, the range of the sheet P in the main scanning direction, rather than the range of movement of the carriage HC, may be equally divided by the number of light emitters, and the light emitters corresponding to the position of the carriage HC on the scan may emit light. It should be noted that the light emission control unit 71 does not have to determine which light emitter to emit light based on in which of the five equal divisions of the range of movement of the carriage HC in the main scanning direction the center of the carriage HC is located. In this case, the light emission control unit 71 sequentially emits light from the light emitters 150N (N is 1 to 5) at a constant cycle, regardless of the position of the carriage HC.

[0045] <When an error occurs> If an error occurs during recording, the light emitting unit 150 emits light in a manner different from that during recording and when recording has ended normally to inform the user that an error has occurred. In the case of this embodiment, when an error occurs, the light emitting element 1505 emits light in a color different from that during recording (FIG. 6(d)). For example, the light emitting elements 1501 to 1505 may emit white light during recording and when recording has ended normally, and the light emitting element 1505 may emit red light when an error occurs. In other words, the light emission control unit 71 transitions the state of at least one of the light emitting elements 1501 to 1505 from a state when no error has occurred to a state when an error has occurred.

[0046] When an error such as a paper jam occurs, the user should be notified in a manner that clearly distinguishes between a normal end of recording and a power-off state. In this embodiment, by changing the light emission mode of the light emitter, the user can recognize an error as being distinct from a state during recording or a normal end of recording.

[0047] Furthermore, when an error occurs, the content of the error is displayed on the liquid crystal panel 601 ((d) of FIG. 6). This allows the user to recognize what type of error has occurred. When an error occurs, for example, a QR code (registered trademark) corresponding to the error that has occurred may be displayed. In this case, when the user photographs the QR code (registered trademark) using a smartphone or the like, a web page corresponding to the error that has occurred may be displayed on the smartphone screen.

[0048] The light emission mode when an error occurs is an example, and other configurations can be adopted. For example, when the light emitters 1501 to 1505 are all lit at the end of recording, the light emitters 1501 to 1505 may all blink at the same time when an error occurs. In addition, for example, the light emission color and the light emitter that emits light may be changed according to the content of the error. For example, when an error that the user can recover from occurs, such as a paper jam, no paper, or no ink, the light emission control unit 71 lights only the light emitter 1505 in red. On the other hand, when an error such as a malfunction of the printer 100 occurs, the light emission control unit 71 causes the light emitters 1501 and 1505 to emit light alternately. This allows the user to quickly recognize what kind of error has occurred. Furthermore, for example, the light emitters 1501 to 1505 emit light sequentially during recording, but when an error occurs, the light emitters 1501 to 1505 may emit light randomly. By the light emitters emitting light irregularly, the user can intuitively recognize that an abnormality has occurred in the printer 100.

[0049] In addition, when an error has occurred but the recording operation can be continued and the recording operation is terminated, the printer 100 needs to notify the user that an error has occurred and that the recording has ended at the same time. In such a case, the light emission control unit 71 may, for example, cause only the rightmost light emitter 1505 to emit red light and cause the other light emitters 1501-1504 to emit white light. In addition, for example, simultaneous emission of white light indicating the end of recording and emission of red light only by the rightmost light emitter 1505 indicating the occurrence of an error may be repeated at predetermined intervals. With such a configuration, the user can simultaneously recognize that an error has occurred and that the recording has ended. Note that some errors that occur in the printer 100 occur when recording is not in progress. Therefore, S304 and S305 may be executed when recording is not in progress. An example of an error that occurs when recording is not in progress is, for example, when the wireless connection between the printer and the access point is disconnected. Another example is when there is no paper in the paper feed cassette.

[0050] <When ink level is low> In this embodiment, when the remaining ink level is low, the light emitting unit 150 emits light in a manner different from that during recording and when recording has ended normally in order to inform the user of this occurrence. In this embodiment, the number of light emitting bodies 1501-1505 corresponds to the number of cartridges 400 mounted. That is, five cartridges 400 are mounted on the carriage HC and aligned in the main scanning direction. Based on the arrangement of the light emitting bodies 1501-1505 and the five cartridges 400, each of the light emitting bodies 1501-1505 is associated with one of the five cartridges 400.

[0051] When the ink remaining amount detection unit 412 detects that the ink remaining amount in any of the cartridges 400 is equal to or less than the predetermined amount, the light emitter arranged at the position corresponding to the position where the cartridge 400 with the ink remaining amount equal to or less than the predetermined amount is mounted emits light (S308 in FIG. 3). For example, assume that the ink in the cartridge 400 arranged at the rightmost position in the main scanning direction as seen from the front side of the printer 100 is equal to or less than the predetermined amount. In this case, the light emission control unit 71 transitions the state of the light emitter 1505 arranged at the rightmost position from a state in which the ink amount is greater than the predetermined amount to a state in which the ink amount is equal to or less than the predetermined amount. For example, the light emission control unit 71 may transition the state of the light emitter 1505 from an off state to a light emitting state, or from a lit state to a blinking state. On the other hand, when the ink in the other cartridges 400 is greater than the predetermined amount, the light emission control unit 71 maintains the state in which the ink amount is greater than the predetermined amount as the state of the other light emitters 1501-1504.

[0052] By emitting light in this manner, a user at a distance can recognize which cartridge 400 has a low ink level. For example, when emitting light, the light emitters 1501-1505 may emit light in a color similar to the color of the ink in the cartridge 400 with a low ink level. This allows a user at a distance to recognize which color of ink is low. For example, when recording is completed with the ink level of the cartridge 400 low, all the light emitters 1501-1505 emit light, but only the light emitter corresponding to the cartridge 400 with a low ink level may emit light in a different color. This allows a user at a distance to recognize that recording has ended and that the ink level is low.

[0053] Alternatively, the light emitter may be illuminated by another method. For example, when the ink remaining amount detection unit 412 detects that the ink remaining amount of any of the cartridges 400 is equal to or less than a predetermined amount, the light emission control unit 71 blinks the light emitter arranged at a position corresponding to the position where the cartridge 400 with the ink remaining amount equal to or less than the predetermined amount is mounted. In this case, the light emission control unit 71 lights up the light emitter arranged at a position corresponding to the position where the cartridge 400 with the ink remaining amount not equal to or less than the predetermined amount is mounted. Then, the user opens the cover of the printer 100 to replace the cartridge. This cover is opened and closed by the user when replacing the cartridge. Here, when the light emission control unit 71 detects that the cartridge has been removed by the user, it turns off the light emitter at the position corresponding to the position of the removed cartridge. Then, when the light emission control unit 71 detects that the user has installed a new cartridge, it turns on the light emitter corresponding to the position where the cartridge is installed. When the cover of the printer 100 is opened, the light emission control unit 71 may perform light emission control to indicate that preparations are being made for cartridge replacement. Furthermore, light emission control when the remaining amount of ink is low may be performed when the cover of the printer 100 is opened.

[0054] As described above, in the printer 100 according to the first embodiment, the light emitters 1501 to 1505 emit light in different modes depending on the situation, so that the user can more easily recognize the state of the recording device. In particular, the printer 100 can make the user, who is not necessarily in the vicinity of the printer, recognize the state. For example, even if a user issues a recording instruction using a smartphone or the like and is not in the vicinity of the printer 100, the user can feel that the recording head 205 is being scanned during recording, and can recognize whether an error such as a paper jam has occurred, whether the printer is out of ink, and the like. Furthermore, when multiple printers are connected to a network, the user can recognize which printer is performing the recording related to the user's recording instruction.

[0055] Second Embodiment The second embodiment differs from the first embodiment in that the light emitter emits light with a color corresponding to the color information of the recorded image. In the following, the description of the same configuration as the first embodiment will be omitted, and the description will focus on the differences from the first embodiment.

[0056] Fig. 5 is a flowchart showing light emission control during recording in the printer 100 according to the second embodiment. For example, this flowchart is realized by the CPU 201 reading a program stored in the ROM 202 into the RAM 203, executing it, and functioning as each functional unit in Fig. 7. For example, this flowchart starts when a job is executed.

[0057] In S501, the image analysis unit 75 reads out one line's worth of data DI of a recorded image. Then, in S502, the image analysis unit 75 analyzes the read out data DI, and the light emission control unit 71 determines the light emission color for each of the light emitters 1501-1505 based on the analysis results of the image analysis unit 75. For example, for the light emitter 1501, which is located at the leftmost side when viewed from the front of the printer 100, the analyzed one line's worth of data is divided into five, and a light emission color corresponding to the color of the leftmost area is assigned. In other words, each of the light emitters 1501-1505 emits light in a color corresponding to the corresponding area.

[0058] The method of allocating colors can be designed as appropriate. As an example, the image analysis unit 75 may obtain the RGB values ​​of each pixel in the region as color information from the read-out data of the recorded image, and allocate the average value as the luminous color. As another example, a plurality of luminous colors may be set in advance, and the image analysis unit 75 may determine which luminous color the color of each pixel in the region is closest to. Then, the image analysis unit 75 may allocate the luminous color that is most often determined to be closest to the color of each pixel as the luminous color of the light emitter.

[0059] In S503, the carriage drive control unit 73 detects which position the recording head 205 corresponds to when the paper width is divided into the number of light emitters (five divisions in this embodiment). Then, in S504, the light emission control unit 71 causes the light emitters 1501-150 corresponding to the detected position to emit light in the light color assigned in S502. That is, when it is detected in S503 that the recording head 205 is at the Nth position, the light emission control unit causes the Nth light emitter 150N (N is 1 to 5) to emit light.

[0060] Then, in S505, the image analysis unit 75 determines whether the data is at the end (reading of all lines of the recorded image data is completed), and if it is determined that the data is not at the end (S505 No), the process returns to S501. If processing of one line of data is completed in the process returning to S501, the image analysis unit 75 reads the data of the next line and executes the process from S502 onwards. On the other hand, if the CPU 201 determines that the data is at the end (S505 Yes) in S505, the flow ends.

[0061] As described above, in the second embodiment, by controlling the luminous color of the light emitter, the user can recognize from a distance what color the image is being recorded while feeling that the print head 205 is scanning during recording. Furthermore, since the user can recognize from a distance what color the image is being recorded, for example, when a printer is shared by multiple users, the user can recognize whether the recorded matter being recorded is the result of his / her own recording instruction.

[0062] In the second embodiment, the light emission color is determined by analyzing the data of the recorded image for each line, but the color tone of the entire image data may be analyzed and the light emitters 1501 to 1505 may emit light in a color similar to that color tone. Even in this case, the user can recognize from a distance what color the recorded matter is. Also, for example, the light emission color of the light emitter may be determined according to the content of the recorded image, including the type of the recorded image, such as a photo, text, etc., in addition to the color tone of the recorded image.

[0063] <<Other embodiments>> In the above embodiment, the light emission control during the recording operation based on the print job has been described, but the light emission control unit 71 may also control the light emission of the light emitter during the scanning operation based on the scan job.

[0064] When the printer is turned on, the light emission control unit 71 performs light emission control to indicate that the power is on, and when the printer is turned off, the light emission control unit 71 may perform light emission control to indicate that the power is off and then turn off the light-emitting elements 1501 to 1504.

[0065] In the above-described embodiment, the light emitter used for print control and the light emitter used when an error occurs are the same, but other configurations are also possible. For example, an error light emitter may be provided to the right of the light emitter 1505 when looking at the printer 100 from the front. When an error occurs, the light emission control unit 71 may transition the state of the error light emitter from a state when no error occurs to a state when an error occurs.

[0066] In the above embodiment, the printer 100 in which the print head moves back and forth in the main scanning direction has been described as an example, but the processing of the above embodiment may be executed in printers of other types. For example, the processing of the above embodiment may be applied to a printer that prints using a print head that has a size equal to or larger than the printable paper width.

[0067] In the above-described embodiment, a printer 100 capable of mounting a cartridge was used for explanation, but the processing of the above-described embodiment may also be applied to a printer 100 in which ink is refilled into a fixed ink tank.

[0068] The present invention can also be realized by a process in which a program for implementing one or more of the functions of the above-described embodiments is supplied to a system or device via a network or a storage medium, and one or more processors in a computer of the system or device read and execute the program. The present invention can also be realized by a circuit (e.g., ASIC) that implements one or more of the functions.

[0069] The invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications and variations are possible without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Accordingly, the following claims are appended to apprise the public of the scope of the invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0070] 100 printer, 201 CPU, 1501~1505 light emitter

Claims

[Claim 1] An electrophotographic recording device that performs a recording process using a recording material contained in a container, a display panel for displaying information about the recording device; a light-emitting control unit that is a light-emitting unit provided at a position different from the display panel and that controls the mode of the light-emitting unit that is provided in the recording device and is capable of emitting light; Equipped with the light emission control means, based on a transition of a remaining amount state of the recording material contained in the container from a first state to a second state in which the amount of the recording material is less than the first state, transitions a state of the light emitting unit from a state in which a plurality of light emitting bodies constituting the light emitting unit repeatedly emit light in a predetermined sequence to a lighting state, information about the color of the recording material that has transitioned to the second state is displayed on the display panel; a part of an area in which the light emitting unit is lit when the remaining amount state of the recording material is in the second state overlaps in a longitudinal direction of the display panel with a part of an area in which information about the color of the recording material that has transitioned to the second state is displayed, the light emission control means transitions a state of the light emitting unit from the lit state to a state different from the lit state based on a predetermined user operation being performed on the recording device in which the remaining amount state of the recording material is in the second state; the predetermined user operation is a user operation related to transitioning the remaining amount state of the recording material from the second state to the first state, A recording apparatus comprising:

Images