Print control unit, control method, program, and storage medium

Abstract

To make it possible to control illumination for a location to be printed according to instructions from a user during printing.SOLUTION: A print control unit has: illumination means which illuminates a location where a print head prints on a printing medium; and control means which controls switching between a lighting state and a lights-out state of the illumination means according to a specific user operation during printing by the print head.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a technique for illuminating a location to be printed. [Background technology]

[0002] In printing devices, there is a configuration that allows the user to visually check from the outside how an image is printed on a print medium (recording medium) by a print head inside the printing device during printing operation with the cover closed. Known methods for inexpensively realizing such a configuration include a transparent window for viewing the state inside the cover and an internal light for illuminating the printing unit.

[0003] Patent Document 1 proposes that during printing with the cover closed, the user can visually check the printing area illuminated by the LED through a semi-transparent window formed in the upper cover, and easily see how the printing is being done. Patent Document 1 also discloses that whether or not to light the LED is determined based on the user's operation before the printing operation. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] JP 2007-105927 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] In the printing device disclosed in Patent Document 1, it is not possible to switch whether or not to light the LED that illuminates the printing area in response to an instruction from a user during a printing operation.

[0006] The present disclosure aims to provide a mechanism for controlling illumination of an area to be printed in response to instructions from a user during printing. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] A printing control device according to one aspect of the present disclosure is characterized in having an illumination means for illuminating an area where a print head prints on a print medium, and a control means for controlling switching of the illumination means between an on state and an off state in response to a specific user operation while the print head is printing. Effect of the Invention

[0008] According to the present disclosure, it is possible to control the illumination of the area to be printed in response to an instruction from a user during printing. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of a configuration of a print control device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Diagram 2] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of a configuration of a print control device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Diagram 3] 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of the appearance of a print control device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 4] 10 is a flowchart illustrating an example of control of interior lighting of a print control device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Diagram 5] 10 is a flowchart illustrating an example of control of interior lighting of a print control device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 6] FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating an example of a screen displayed on an input / output device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 7] FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating an example of a screen displayed on an input / output device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 8] FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating an example of a screen displayed on an input / output device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 9] FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating an example of a screen displayed on an input / output device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 10] 5 is a flowchart illustrating an example of standby illumination control according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 11]10 is a flowchart illustrating an example of printing illumination control according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 12] 10 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a cover opening process according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 13] FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating an example of a screen displayed on an input / output device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 14] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of in-flight lighting control according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0010] Hereinafter, a preferred embodiment of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the attached drawings. Note that the relative arrangement of each component of the device used in this embodiment, the device shape, etc. are merely examples and are not limited to these. In addition, not all of the combinations of features described in the following embodiments are necessarily essential to the solution of the present disclosure. Furthermore, in the attached drawings, the same reference numbers are used for the same or similar configurations, and duplicated explanations are omitted.

[0011] There are cases where the lighting state needs to be changed during printing, such as when printing data is sent from a remote location away from the printing device, and then when the user comes to the printing device and wants to check the printing status, or when the user wants to turn off the lighting after checking is completed. In particular, in a use case where multiple users use one printing device, various needs can be considered regarding the lighting state of the printing device. For example, there may be users who want to keep the lighting off at all times due to energy saving awareness, users who want the lighting to be automatically turned on during printing without an instruction to turn it on, and users who find it annoying to switch the lighting and think it is fine to leave it on all the time. Before printing starts, the user is not aware of what the lighting state will be during printing, so there may be cases where the user wants to change the lighting state after printing starts. Therefore, in this embodiment, an example of control for switching the lighting state of the in-machine lighting of the printing device according to a user's instruction during printing will be described.

[0012] Fig. 1 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the internal configuration of a print control device according to this embodiment. The configuration of the print control device will be described with reference to Fig. 1. Note that in this embodiment, the print control device will be described as a device having a printing function, but is not limited to this. For example, the print control device may be a device that further includes a reading unit that reads an image on a document and functions as a copier, or a multi-function peripheral (MFP) that has other functions added.

[0013] In FIG. 1, the print control device (printing device) 100 has a printer controller 120, a printer engine 140, a hard disk drive (HDD) 110, and an input / output device 111. The print control device 100 can also be connected to a host computer 150 via a network 151. The printer controller 120 has a HDD interface (I / F: Interface) 121, an input / output device I / F 122, a read only memory (ROM) I / F 125, and a memory controller 126. The printer controller 120 has a host I / F 127, a central processing unit (CPU) 128, an ENG I / F 129, and an image processing unit 130. These are connected via a system bus 131. The printer controller 120 also has a flash ROM 123 and a random access memory (RAM) 124. The flash ROM 123 and the RAM 124 are connected to the system bus 132 via a ROM I / F 125 and a memory controller 126, respectively.

[0014] The CPU 128 is a central processing unit in the form of a microprocessor (microcomputer), and controls the operation of the entire print control device 100 by executing programs and starting hardware. The Flash ROM 123 stores programs to be executed by the CPU 128, image data, and various data required for various operations of the print control device 100. The RAM 124 is used as a work area for the CPU 128 and a temporary storage area for various received data. The image processing unit 130 performs various image processing. For example, the image processing unit 130 performs a process of expanding (converting) print data (for example, data expressed in a page description language) handled by the print control device 100 into image data (bitmap image data), and other image processing. The image processing unit 130 also converts the color space (for example, YCbCr) of the image data included in the input print data into a standard RGB color space (for example, sRGB). The image processing unit 130 also performs various image processing, such as resolution conversion to a valid number of pixels (printable by the print control device 100), image analysis, and image correction, as necessary, on the image data. The image data obtained by these image processes is stored in the RAM 124 or the HDD 110.

[0015] The printer engine 140 is a printing unit that forms an image. The printer engine 140 has an inkjet head 141, a cutter 142, a conveying motor 143, a CNT I / F 144 that is an interface with the printer controller 120, an optical sensor 145, and an in-machine light 146. Each part is connected via a system bus 147.

[0016] The inkjet head 141 is a printing unit that prints an image, and prints an image on a print medium based on image data. The inkjet head 141 holds, for example, a plurality of print heads for a plurality of colors, and ejects ink from the print heads in synchronization with the transport of the print medium to form an image on the print medium. Note that the print control device 100 according to this embodiment will be described taking an inkjet printer that uses ink as a recording material as an example, but is not limited to this. The print control device 100 according to this embodiment can be applied to print control devices of electrophotographic types and various printing types, such as thermal printers (sublimation type, thermal transfer type, etc.), dot impact printers, LED printers, and laser printers.

[0017] The cutter 142 is a mechanism that cuts the roll paper used as the print medium in this embodiment. The cutter 142 cuts the roll paper to a predetermined length after an image is printed on it. The transport motor 143 is a motor for driving a transport roller that transports the roll paper, and is controlled by the CPU 128. The optical sensor 145 is a measuring means for measuring attribute values ​​of the print medium, and is a reflective optical sensor that includes an LED (Light Emitting Diode) as a light emitting element, a specular reflection light receiving element, a diffuse light receiving element, and the like. The print control device 100 uses the optical sensor 145 to measure attribute values ​​such as the intensity of specular reflection light and diffuse reflection light of the paper on the platen 205, and the thickness of the paper.

[0018] The interior lighting 146 is an LED that illuminates the platen 205 during printing, cleaning the inside of the cover, or during work with the cover open, such as replacing the inkjet head 141 and the cutter 142. The interior lighting 146 is controlled by the CPU 128 based on the state of the print control device 100 and settings specified by the user. The input / output device 111 includes hard keys and / or an operation panel for the user to perform various operations, and a display unit for displaying (notifying) various information to the user. The input / output device 111 performs a display control process that controls the CPU 128 to display the state of the print control device 100, messages, and the like. In addition, the input / output device 111 may output a sound (buzzer, voice, etc.) based on acoustic information from a sound generator to notify the user of various information, instead of the display. When feeding paper, the user uses the input / output device 111 to select a paper type and communicates the correct paper type to the print control device 100, so that the print control device 100 can carry out the transport set for each paper type.

[0019] The HDD 110 is a non-volatile storage area, and can store and read out programs executed by the CPU 128, print data, and setting information required for various operations of the print control device 100. Note that, instead of the HDD 110, other large-capacity storage devices such as flash memory may be used. Note that, in this embodiment, the input / output device 111 exists inside the print control device 100, but is not limited to this, and may be connected as an external configuration via a network 151, for example. Also, the host computer 150 may also serve as the input / output device 111. Also, in addition to the input / output device 111, the print control device 100 may be further connectable to other input / output devices via the network 151, etc. The host computer 150 is, for example, an external device that serves as a supply source of print data, and a printer driver is installed in it. Instead of the host computer 150, the print control device 100 may be provided with a data providing device that serves as a supply source of print data, such as an image reader, a digital camera, or a smartphone. The connection between each device and the print control apparatus 100 is not limited to via the network 151, and may be directly connected via wireless communication, for example.

[0020] FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing an example of the configuration of the print control device 100 according to this embodiment. With reference to FIG. 2, the parts related to the transport of roll paper, which is a print medium, will be described. In FIG. 2, the print control device 100 has a roll paper mounting unit 201, a transparent window 202, a transport roller 203, roll paper 204, and a platen 205. Note that the inkjet head 141, the cutter 142, the optical sensor 145, and the interior lighting 146 are as described above, so their description will be omitted. Similarly, in the description of the following figures, the description of the above-mentioned configuration will be omitted. The print control device 100 according to this embodiment may have multiple roll paper mounting units, each of which may be configured to accommodate a different roll paper. FIG. 2 shows the positional relationship of each configuration for transporting the roll paper 204 within the print control device 100. The roll paper 204 is transported from the roll paper mounting unit 201 along the transport path by the transport roller 203. The inkjet head 141 ejects ink onto the roll paper 204 transported from the roll paper mounting unit 201, thereby printing. The interior lighting 146 is attached so that light shines on the area where the inkjet head 141 ejects ink onto the roll paper 204. The user can see the printing process through the transparent window 202. When feeding paper, the print control device 100 lifts the roll paper 204 set in the roll paper mounting unit 201 up onto the platen 205 using the transport rollers 203. At that time, the print control device 100 uses the optical sensor 145 to measure the specular reflection light intensity, diffuse reflection light intensity, roll paper thickness, and roll paper width of the roll paper 204. The printed roll paper is cut by the cutter 142 to the length desired by the user.

[0021] FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the appearance of the print control device 100 according to this embodiment. The cover of the print control device 100 will be described with reference to FIG. 3. As shown in FIG. 3, the print control device 100 has a cover 301 including a transparent window 202. A user can see the platen 205 through the transparent window 202. An interior light 146 that illuminates the platen 205 can be operated from an operation panel of the input / output device 111. The interior light 146 is not attached to the cover 301, and can still illuminate the platen 205 even when the cover 301 is opened.

[0022] 4 and 5 are flowcharts showing an example of the control of the interior lighting by the print control device 100 in this embodiment. First, referring to FIG. 4, the control of the on and off states of the interior lighting 146 by the print control device 100 will be described. Here, the on state in this embodiment refers to a state in which the interior lighting 146 maintains light irradiation, but is not limited thereto, and includes blinking in which the on and off states are repeated. By the user's operation of the input / output device 111, it is possible to set the interior lighting 146 to one of three lighting settings, namely, an automatic setting (first setting value), an on setting (second setting value), and an off setting (third setting value), as a possible lighting setting. The automatic setting is a setting in which the interior lighting 146 is dynamically switched between the on and off states depending on the state of the print control device 100. The process shown in FIG. 4 is realized by the CPU 128 of the print control device 100 reading a program stored in the Flash ROM 123 into the RAM 124 and executing it. Note that some or all of the functions of the steps in FIG. 4 may be realized by hardware such as an ASIC or an electronic circuit. The symbol "S" in the description of each process indicates a step in the corresponding flow chart (the same applies to the flow charts in the rest of this specification). The process in Fig. 4 starts after the print control device 100 is started.

[0023] In S401, the CPU 128 reads the lighting setting of the interior lighting 146 from the Flash ROM 123. After that, the CPU 128 proceeds to the process of S402. In S402, the CPU 128 displays a screen including a lighting switching icon 602 on the input / output device 111 according to the setting value read in S401. Specifically, the CPU 128 displays a screen as shown in FIG. 6 or 6 on the input / output device 111. FIGS. 6 and 6 are diagrams showing an example of a screen displayed on the input / output device 111 when the print control device 100 is in a standby state. The display of the lighting switching icon 602 will be described with reference to FIGS. 6 and 6. The display screen of FIG. 6 has a banner display section 601, a lighting switching icon 602, and a stop button 603. The banner display section 601 displays the status of the print control device 100, such as the current printing status of the print control device 100 and a warning when the remaining ink level is low. The lighting switching icon 602 is a display item that accepts a change in the lighting setting of the interior lighting 146 by a user's operation on the input / output device 111. The lighting switching icon 602 in FIG. 6 is displayed when the lighting setting of the interior lighting 146 is set to ON. Here, when the user operates the lighting switching icon 602 displayed on the input / output device 111, the display form changes as shown in FIG. 7. The lighting switching icon 602 in FIG. 7 is displayed when the lighting setting of the interior lighting 146 is set to OFF. That is, when the lighting switching icon 602 in FIG. 7 is displayed, the interior lighting 146 is in an OFF state. On the other hand, when the lighting switching icon 602 in FIG. 6 is displayed, the interior lighting 146 is in an ON state in the standby state. The stop button 603 is a soft key for canceling a job, and when pressed during printing, the stop button 603 accepts the cancellation of the printing that was being performed. The stop button 603 may be mounted as a hard key instead of a soft key on the operation panel. Returning to FIG. 4, the CPU 128 then proceeds to the process of S403.

[0024] In S403, CPU 128 performs standby lighting control processing, which will be described later, and controls the on or off state of interior lighting 146 according to the lighting setting. After that, CPU 128 proceeds to processing of S404. In S404, CPU 128 determines whether or not the lighting setting has been switched by the user's operation of input / output device 111. Specifically, CPU 128 determines whether or not lighting switching icon 602 has been operated by the user. If CPU 128 determines that lighting switching icon 602 has been operated (Yes), it proceeds to processing of S405, and if CPU 128 determines that this has not been the case (No), it proceeds to processing of S406. In S405, CPU 128 switches the lighting setting according to the operation of S404. That is, if lighting switching icon 602 has been operated, CPU 128 stores the changed new setting value in Flash ROM 123 in order to change the lighting setting of interior lighting 146. CPU 128 also switches lighting switching icon 602. Specifically, for example, when the lighting setting is switched from on to off, CPU 128 switches lighting switching icon 602 in Fig. 6 to that in Fig. 7. Then, CPU 128 proceeds to processing of S403. In S406, CPU 128 determines whether a print instruction such as a print job has been accepted. If CPU 128 determines that a print instruction has been accepted (Yes), it proceeds to processing of S407, and if it determines that the print instruction has not been accepted (No), it proceeds to processing of S412 described later.

[0025] In S407, the CPU 128 starts printing. After that, the CPU 128 proceeds to processing of S408. In S408, the CPU 128 performs a lighting control process during printing, which will be described later. After that, the CPU 128 proceeds to processing of S409. In S409, the CPU 128 determines whether or not the lighting switching icon 602 has been operated. If the CPU 128 determines that the lighting switching icon 602 has been operated (Yes), the CPU 128 proceeds to processing of S410, and if the CPU 128 determines that the lighting switching icon 602 has not been operated (No), the CPU 128 proceeds to processing of S411. In S410, the CPU 128 switches the lighting setting in response to the operation of S409. Specifically, if the lighting switching icon 602 has been operated, the CPU 128 stores the changed new setting value in the Flash ROM 123 in order to change the lighting setting of the interior lighting 146. In addition, if the lighting setting has been changed, the CPU 128 also switches the display form of the lighting switching icon 602 displayed on the input / output device 111 in response to the lighting setting. For example, when the lighting switching icon 602 is operated during printing and the lighting setting is switched to the on setting, the CPU 128 displays the display screen of FIG. 8 on the input / output device 111. FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of a screen displayed on the input / output device 111 during printing. Unlike FIGS. 6 and 7, in FIG. 8, a message indicating that printing is in progress is displayed in the banner display section 601. Also, similar to FIG. 6, the lighting switching icon 602 is displayed with a mark indicating that the lighting setting is on. Thereafter, the CPU 128 proceeds to the process of S408. In S411, the CPU 128 determines whether or not the printing has been completed. If the CPU 128 determines that the printing has been completed (Yes), the CPU 128 proceeds to the process of S402, and if the CPU 128 determines that the printing has not been completed (No), the CPU 128 proceeds to the process of S409. That is, the CPU 128 continues the process of S411 until the printing is completed.

[0026] 5, in S412, CPU 128 determines whether or not it has received a cover open notification that occurs when the user opens cover 301. Specifically, a sensor (not shown) that detects whether the cover is open or closed, such as a solenoid sensor, is attached to cover 301, and detects whether the cover is open or closed and notifies printer controller 120. If CPU 128 determines that it has received a cover open notification (Yes), it proceeds to processing of S413, and if it has not determined that it has received a cover open notification (No), it proceeds to processing of S414. In S413, CPU 128 performs a cover open process, which will be described later. Thereafter, CPU 128 proceeds to processing of S414.

[0027] In S414, the CPU 128 judges whether or not an adjustment print instruction has been received. Specifically, the CPU 128 judges whether or not a print instruction for adjusting the print control device 100, such as automatic registration adjustment printing for adjusting the head position and nozzle check pattern printing for checking nozzle clogging, has been received. Automatic registration adjustment refers to automatic registration adjustment. If the CPU 128 judges that an adjustment print instruction has been received (Yes), the process proceeds to S415, and if the CPU 128 judges that an adjustment print instruction has not been received (No), the process proceeds to S404. In S415, the CPU 128 judges whether or not the content of the adjustment print instruction received in S414 is the adjustment print of the first group. Specifically, the CPU 128 judges whether or not the adjustment print is the adjustment print of the first group in which the optical sensor 145 measures the intensity of the specular reflection light and / or the diffuse reflection light. If the CPU 128 judges that the adjustment print is the adjustment print of the first group (Yes), the process proceeds to S416, and if the CPU 128 judges that the adjustment print is not received (No), the process proceeds to S420. In S416, the CPU 128 starts the adjustment printing of the first group determined in S415. After that, the CPU 128 proceeds to the process of S417.

[0028] In S417, the CPU 128 hides the illumination switching icon 602. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 9, the CPU 128 hides the illumination switching icon 602 so that the user cannot see it and cannot operate it. In this way, in the case of the first group of adjustment printing, the light from the interior lighting may affect the measurement results by the optical sensor, so the illumination switching icon 602 displayed on the input / output device 111 is hidden and cannot be operated by the user. The first group of adjustment printing includes automatic registration adjustment printing and printing of an adjustment pattern to set a calibration adjustment value that corrects the color variation due to the individual difference and aging of the print control device 100. The first group of adjustment printing includes color calibration that performs reading, printing of an adjustment pattern to finely adjust the feed amount of the paper, and band adjustment that performs reading. Thereafter, the CPU 128 proceeds to the process of S418.

[0029] In S418, CPU 128 controls to turn off interior light 146. After that, CPU 128 proceeds to processing of S419. In S419, CPU 128 determines whether printing has ended. If CPU 128 determines that printing has ended (Yes), it proceeds to processing of S402, and if CPU 128 determines that printing has not ended (No), it proceeds to processing of S419. That is, CPU 128 continues processing of S419 until it determines that printing has ended. Also, while processing of S419 continues, the user cannot change the lighting setting of interior light 146, as described above. In this way, if there is a possibility that adjustment printing will be affected, CPU 128 can reduce the impact on adjustment printing by turning off interior light 146 during adjustment printing.

[0030] In S420, the CPU 128 starts adjustment printing without the first group. After that, the CPU 128 proceeds to the process of S421. The processes from S421 to S424 are the same as those from S408 to S411, and therefore the description will be omitted. In the case of adjustment printing without the first group, the lighting switching icon 602 can be operated as in normal printing, and the lighting setting can be changed by icon operation until the end of printing is confirmed in S424. In addition, in the above-mentioned S415, the CPU 128 may uniformly hide the lighting switching icon 602 regardless of the type of adjustment printing and turn off the interior lighting 146 in order to save power. As described with reference to the flowcharts of FIGS. 4 and 5, the CPU 128 controls to change the display form or whether or not the lighting switching icon 602 is displayed depending on whether or not the CPU 128 is in a state where it is possible to accept a user operation.

[0031] FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing an example of the standby illumination control (S402) in FIG. 4. With reference to FIG. 10, control for switching the illumination state according to the illumination setting executed by the CPU 128 in the standby state of the print control device 100 will be described. In S1001, the CPU 128 judges whether the illumination setting of the interior illumination 146 stored in the Flash ROM 123 is an automatic setting or not. If the CPU 128 judges that the illumination setting is an automatic setting (Yes), the process proceeds to S1003, and if the CPU 128 judges that the illumination setting is not an automatic setting (No), the process proceeds to S1002. In S1003, the CPU 128 turns off the interior illumination 146, and then ends the standby illumination control. In S1002, the CPU 128 judges whether the illumination setting is an on setting or not. If the CPU 128 judges that the illumination setting is an on setting (Yes), the process proceeds to S1004, and if the CPU 128 judges that the illumination setting is not an automatic setting (No), the process proceeds to S1005. In S1004, CPU 128 turns on interior lighting 146 and then ends standby lighting control. In S1005, CPU 128 turns off interior lighting 146 and then ends standby lighting control.

[0032] FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing an example of the printing illumination control (S408) of FIG. 4. With reference to FIG. 11, control for switching the illumination state according to the illumination setting executed by the CPU 128 during printing will be described. In S1101, the CPU 128 judges whether the illumination setting of the interior illumination 146 stored in the Flash ROM 123 is the automatic setting or not. If the CPU 128 judges that the automatic setting is the automatic setting (Yes), the process proceeds to S1103, and if the CPU 128 judges that the automatic setting is the automatic setting (No), the process proceeds to S1102. In S1103, the interior illumination 146 is turned on, and then the printing illumination control is terminated. In S1102, the CPU 128 judges whether the illumination setting is the on setting or not. If the CPU 128 judges that the illumination setting is the on setting (Yes), the process proceeds to S1104, and if the CPU 128 judges that the illumination setting is not the on setting (No), the process proceeds to S1105. In S1104, the CPU 128 turns on the interior light 146 and then ends the printing illumination control. In S1105, the CPU 128 turns off the interior light 146 and then ends the printing illumination control.

[0033] FIG. 12 is a flowchart showing an example of the cover open process (S413) in FIG. 5. With reference to FIG. 12, the control of switching the illumination state according to the illumination setting executed by the CPU 128 when the cover 301 is open will be described. In S1201, the CPU 128 displays a pop-up on the input / output device 111 as shown in FIG. 13. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a screen displayed on the input / output device 111 when the cover 301 is open. In FIG. 13, a message prompting the user to close the cover is displayed together with an image of the print control device. Also, in FIG. 13, the illumination switching icon 602 is not displayed. That is, when the cover 301 is open, the CPU 128 hides the illumination switching icon 602 in order not to accept an operation by the user. After that, the CPU 128 proceeds to the process of S1202. In S1202, the CPU 128 determines whether the illumination setting stored in the Flash ROM 123 is an automatic setting or not. If CPU 128 determines that the lighting setting of interior lighting 146 is the automatic setting (Yes), it proceeds to processing of S1204, and if it determines that the lighting setting is not the automatic setting (No), it proceeds to processing of S1203. In S1204, CPU 128 turns on interior lighting 146. In this way, the reason why interior lighting 146 is turned on when the lighting setting is the automatic setting is to assist the user in performing error recovery work. Thereafter, CPU 128 proceeds to processing of S1207.

[0034] In S1203, the CPU 128 judges whether or not the lighting setting is set to ON. If the CPU 128 judges that the lighting setting is set to ON (Yes), the process proceeds to S1205, and if the CPU 128 judges that the lighting setting is not set to ON (No), the process proceeds to S1206. In S1205, the CPU 128 turns on the interior lighting 146. Thereafter, the CPU 128 proceeds to S1207. In S1206, the CPU 128 turns off the interior lighting 146. Thereafter, the CPU 128 proceeds to S1207. In S1207, the CPU 128 judges whether or not the cover 301 is closed. If the CPU 128 judges that the cover 301 is closed (Yes), the CPU 128 ends the cover open processing, and if the CPU 128 judges that the cover 301 is not closed (No), the process proceeds to S1207. That is, the CPU 128 continues the processing of S1207 until it is determined that the cover 301 is closed. 12, the pop-up is displayed and the lighting switching icon 602 is hidden, but this is not limiting. In S1201, even if the cover 301 is open, the CPU 128 may display the lighting switching icon 602 and accept a user's operation to switch the lighting settings.

[0035] FIG. 14 is a diagram showing an example of in-machine lighting control in an embodiment of the present disclosure. With reference to FIG. 14, control of the state of the in-machine lighting 146 in each lighting setting will be described. The leftmost column of FIG. 14 shows three lighting settings: "Automatic", "ON", and "OFF". The row of each lighting setting shows the state of the in-machine lighting 146 in each state of the print control device 100. As the states of the print control device 100, the top row of FIG. 14 shows standby, cover open, cover closed, printing, printing completed, adjustment, after adjustment, and error. For example, "ON" one square to the right of the lighting setting "ON" indicates that when the printing control device 100 is in standby and the lighting setting is set to ON, the CPU 128 turns on the in-machine lighting 146. Specifically, it shows the control of S1004 in FIG. 10. As shown in FIG. 14, the print control device 100 in the embodiment of the present disclosure controls the state of the in-machine lighting 146 according to its own state and the lighting setting.

[0036] In the present embodiment, the print control device 100 is described as changing the lighting settings in response to the user's operation of the lighting switching icon 602, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the CPU 128 may receive an instruction including information about the lighting settings from an external device such as the host computer 150 via the host I / F 127, and change the lighting settings in response to the instruction. After that, the CPU 128 may control the state of the interior lighting 146 as shown in Figs. 10 to 12 in response to the state of the print control device 100 and the lighting settings. In addition, in the flowchart of Fig. 5, the cover open process is entered in the standby state, and there is no flow in which the cover open process is entered by a cover open notification during printing or adjustment. However, this is not the case in certain situations (for example, an error state of the print control device 100 due to a paper jam, etc.). In other words, in certain situations, the CPU 128 also performs the cover open process when the cover 301 is opened. However, the error display displayed when the cover 301 is forcibly opened while the cover is locked is assumed to have priority. Also, during the execution of each process of FIG. 4, FIG. 5, and FIG. 10 to FIG. 12, a case is assumed in which an error occurs that requires the power off of the print control device to recover from the error or an error that requires a serviceman to perform a recovery process. In such a case, the CPU 128 controls the interior light 146 to be turned off regardless of the state of the print control device 100. The reason for this control is to prevent the interior light from being left on uselessly, since it is not known whether the user is in a place where the print control device can be operated when the error occurs. Also, for errors that can be recovered from by user operation, such as an ink-out warning and a paper jam, the CPU 128 performs lighting control based on the control of each flowchart shown in the attached drawings. Also, when switching the lighting state, if the CPU 128 determines that the previous lighting setting is the same as the lighting setting to be switched to, it does not switch the lighting state of the interior light 146. Also, in addition to the lighting switching icon 602, a temporary lighting icon for temporarily turning on the interior light 146 may be displayed on the input / output device 111. When the temporary lighting icon is pressed, the CPU 128 controls the cabin lighting 146 to be in a lighting state without changing the lighting setting in the temporary lighting state.After a certain period of time has elapsed, the CPU 128 cancels the temporary on state of the interior lighting 146 and returns the lighting state to the original lighting setting. The print control device 100 may be configured to have at least two of the three lighting settings: automatic setting, on setting, and off setting. The various controls described above as being performed by the CPU 128 may be performed by a single piece of hardware, or the entire device may be controlled by multiple pieces of hardware (e.g., multiple processors and circuits) sharing the processing.

[0037] In addition, although the present disclosure has been described in detail based on the preferred embodiments, the present disclosure is not limited to these specific embodiments, and various forms within the scope of the disclosure are also included in the present disclosure. Furthermore, each of the above-mentioned embodiments merely shows one embodiment of the present disclosure, and each embodiment can be appropriately combined.

[0038] The present disclosure can also be realized by executing the following process. That is, software (programs) that realize the functions of the above-described embodiments are supplied to a system or device via a network or various storage media. Then, at least one computer (or at least one CPU or MPU, etc.) of the system or device reads and executes the program code. In this case, the program and the storage medium storing the program constitute the present disclosure.

[0039] <Other embodiments> The present disclosure can be realized by supplying a program that realizes one or more functions of the above-described embodiments to a system or device via a network or a storage medium. The present disclosure can also be realized by a process in which one or more processors in a computer of the system or device read and execute the program. The present disclosure can also be realized by a circuit (e.g., ASIC) that realizes one or more functions.

[0040] The disclosure of the present embodiment includes configurations represented by the following print control device example, control method example, program example, and storage medium example.

[0041] <Configuration 1> an illumination means for illuminating a portion where the print head prints on the print medium; a control means for controlling switching of the illumination means between a lighted state and an unlighted state in response to a specific user operation while the print head is printing; A print control device comprising: <Configuration 2> The print control device according to configuration 1, characterized in that the specific user operation is an operation on a specific display item, and the print control device has a display control means for controlling the specific display item to be displayed at least during printing in which the specific user operation can be accepted. <Configuration 3> The print control device according to configuration 2, characterized in that the display control means controls to change the display form or whether or not the specific display item is displayed depending on whether or not the specific user operation can be accepted. <Configuration 4> The print control device according to any one of configurations 1 to 3, characterized in that the control means does not accept the specific user operation even when the printing is in progress, if the printing is in progress of adjustment printing, which prints a pattern for adjustment related to printing. <Component 5> 5. The print control device according to configuration 4, wherein the control means controls the illumination means to be turned off during the adjustment printing. <Component 6> 6. The print control device according to any one of configurations 1 to 5, wherein the control means does not accept the specific user operation when an error state occurs. <Component 7> A print control device as described in any one of configurations 1 to 6, further comprising a setting means capable of setting at least two of a first setting value for dynamically switching the lighting means on and off depending on the state, a second setting value for turning the lighting means on, and a third setting value for turning the lighting means off. <Component 8> 8. The print control device according to configuration 7, wherein the control means controls the setting means to change settings in response to the specific user operation during the printing. <Component 9> 9. The print control device according to configuration 7 or 8, wherein the setting values ​​that can be set by the setting means include the first to third setting values. <Component 10> The print control device according to any one of configurations 7 to 9, characterized in that the control means controls the illumination means to be temporarily turned on during the printing in response to the specific user operation, without changing the setting of the setting means. <Component 11> The print control device according to any one of configurations 1 to 10, characterized in that the control means controls switching of the illumination means between an on state and an off state in response to an instruction from an external device while the print head is printing. <Component 12> A method for controlling a print control device having an illumination means for illuminating a portion where a print head prints on a print medium, comprising: A control step of controlling switching of the illumination means between a lighted state and an unlighted state in response to a specific user operation while the print head is printing. A control method for a print control device, comprising: <Component 13> 12. A program for causing at least one computer to function as each of the means of the print control device according to any one of configurations 1 to 11. <Component 14> A computer-readable storage medium storing a program for causing at least one computer to function as each of the means of the print control device described in any one of configurations 1 to 11. [Explanation of symbols]

[0042] 100 Printing control device 128 CPU 156 Cabin lighting

Claims

1. an illumination means for illuminating a portion where the print head prints on the print medium; a control means for controlling switching of the illumination means between a lighted state and an unlighted state in response to a specific user operation while the print head is printing; A print control device comprising:

2. 2. The printing control device according to claim 1, further comprising a display control means for controlling the specific display item to be displayed at least during printing in which the specific user operation is acceptable.

3. The printing control device according to claim 2 , wherein the display control means controls to change the display form or whether or not the specific display item is displayed depending on whether or not the specific user operation is available to be accepted.

4. The print control device according to claim 1, characterized in that the control means does not accept the specific user operation even during the printing, if adjustment printing is in progress, in which a pattern for adjustment related to printing is printed.

5. 5. The print control device according to claim 4, wherein the control means controls the illumination means so as to be turned off during the adjustment printing.

6. 2 . The print control device according to claim 1 , wherein the control unit does not accept the specific user operation when an error state occurs.

7. 2. The print control device according to claim 1, further comprising a setting means capable of setting at least two of a first setting value for dynamically switching the lighting means on and off depending on a state, a second setting value for turning the lighting means on, and a third setting value for turning the lighting means off.

8. 8. The print control device according to claim 7, wherein the control means controls the setting means so as to change the setting in response to the specific user operation during the printing.

9. 8. The print control device according to claim 7, wherein the setting values ​​that can be set by said setting means include the first to third setting values.

10. 8. The print control device according to claim 7, wherein the control means controls the illumination means to be temporarily turned on during the printing in response to the specific user operation without changing the setting of the setting means.

11. 2. The print control device according to claim 1, wherein the control means controls switching of the illumination means between a lighted state and an unlighted state in response to an instruction from an external device while the print head is printing.

12. A method for controlling a print control device having an illumination means for illuminating a portion where a print head prints on a print medium, comprising: A control step of controlling switching of the illumination means between a lighted state and an unlighted state in response to a specific user operation while the print head is printing. A control method for a print control device, comprising:

13. A program for causing at least one computer to function as each of the means of the print control device according to any one of claims 1 to 11.

14. 12. A computer-readable storage medium storing a program for causing at least one computer to function as each of the means of the print control device according to claim 1.

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