Color printer and solution

Abstract

To solve a problem that, when there is an abnormality in a mechanism for printing an explanatory text, the explanatory text regarding a check pattern cannot be read.SOLUTION: A color printer includes: a printing part that prints a check pattern and an explanatory text of the check pattern; and an interface that receives a check result of the check pattern from a user. The printing part prints the explanatory text by using a plurality of colors and / or a plurality of nozzle arrays.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a color printer and a solution method.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, it has been known that a user causes a printer to print a check pattern, and uses the print result to check the state of the printer and adjust the printer. Patent Document 1 describes printing a color balance adjustment pattern including a halftone gray (composite black) image obtained by overprinting each image of yellow, magenta, and cyan, and performing color balance adjustment using the print result.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] Generally, when printing a check pattern, an explanatory text (which may be a single character such as a number or alphabet) explaining what each printed pattern is for checking is also printed. However, if there is an abnormality in the mechanism for printing the explanatory text, there is a problem that the explanatory text for the check pattern cannot be read.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0005] A color printer for solving the above problems includes a printing unit that prints a check pattern and an explanatory text of the check pattern, and an interface that receives a check result of the check pattern from a user, and the explanatory text is printed using a plurality of colors and / or a plurality of nozzle arrays.

[0006] The solution to solve the above problems includes printing a check pattern, printing the description of the check pattern using multiple colors and / or multiple nozzle arrays, receiving the check result of the check pattern from the user, and performing anomaly resolution according to the check result.

Brief Description of Drawings

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Modes for Carrying Out the Invention

[0008] Here, embodiments of the present invention will be described in the following order. (1) Configuration of the printer: (2) Printing of the check pattern: (3) Other embodiments:

[0009] (1) Configuration of the printer: FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a printer 100 as a color printer according to an embodiment of the present invention. In the present embodiment, the printer 100 is a serial inkjet printer that performs ink ejection while reciprocating a carriage equipped with a print head. The printer 100 includes a printing unit 10, a processor 20, a non-volatile memory 30, a UI unit 40, and a communication unit 50.

[0010] The printing unit 10 includes an ink ejection unit 11, a carriage conveyance unit 12, a medium conveyance unit 13, and a maintenance unit (not shown). The carriage conveyance unit 12 includes a motor, a motor drive unit, and a carriage rail, and reciprocates the carriage along the carriage rail. The moving direction of the carriage is called the main scanning direction. The medium conveyance unit 13 includes conveyance rollers and a roller drive unit, and conveys the print medium. The conveyance direction of the print medium is a direction orthogonal to the main scanning direction, and is called the sub-scanning direction.

[0011] The ink ejection unit 11 includes a print head and a print head drive unit. The print head is mounted on the carriage. Nozzles for ejecting ink supplied from an ink cartridge or an ink tank are formed on the nozzle plate of the print head. In the present embodiment, nozzle rows corresponding to four types of inks, cyan (C), magenta (M), yellow (Y), and black (K), are provided. As shown in FIG. 2, the nozzle rows each consisting of a plurality of nozzles ejecting the same color ink are arranged in parallel in the sub-scanning direction. Of course, the number of ink colors, the number and arrangement mode of nozzle rows, and the types of ink colors are just examples and are not limited to the mode of the present embodiment. For example, the positions of the nozzles in the sub-scanning direction of adjacent nozzle rows may be different. The print head drive unit drives the piezoelectric elements provided corresponding to each nozzle to eject ink from the nozzles. In the present embodiment, the print head drive unit can eject ink in large dots or small dots. The printing unit 10 can record ink at any position on the print medium by moving the medium in the sub-scanning direction and causing the print head to eject ink at different positions in the main scanning direction.

[0012] The maintenance unit includes a wiping mechanism and a capping mechanism. The wiping mechanism includes a wiper for wiping the nozzle plate of the print head to remove deposits such as ink, and a driving component for driving the wiper. The capping mechanism includes a box-shaped cap for sealing the nozzle plate of the print head, and a driving component for moving the cap relative to the nozzle plate. The capping mechanism performs ink suction and flushing with the nozzle sealed by the cap.

[0013] The processor 20 includes a CPU, a ROM, and a RAM, and can execute programs recorded in the ROM and the non-volatile memory 30 to control each part of the printer 100. Note that the processor 20 may be composed of a single chip, may be composed of a plurality of chips, or may be configured as a SoC together with various functional blocks that inspect the printer 100. Also, for example, an ASIC may be adopted instead of the CPU, or a configuration in which the CPU and the ASIC cooperate may be used.

[0014] The non-volatile memory 30 records programs, setting data, image data, etc. that are executed by the processor 20. The setting data is data indicating parameters when various processes are executed in the printer 100. The image data includes data indicating a check image including a nozzle check pattern and a description text.

[0015] The UI unit 40 is a device that accepts user input and outputs various types of information to the user. The UI unit 40 includes, for example, a touch panel display and an operation unit including mechanical keys. The touch panel display includes a display panel that displays various types of information and a touch operation detection unit superimposed on the display panel. The UI unit 40 displays various types of information on the display panel of the UI unit 40 according to the control of the processor 20. In the present embodiment, the processor 20 can control the UI unit 40 and accept user input for soft keys provided on the touch panel display and mechanical keys provided on the UI unit 40. The processor 20 executes processing corresponding to the input content.

[0016] The communication unit 50 includes an interface circuit for communicating with various removable memories mounted on the printer 100 and devices connected to the printer 100 by wire or wirelessly. The processor 20 can acquire, as a printing target, a file recorded in a device connected via the communication unit 50.

[0017] The processor 20 can also accept input of a print instruction for a nozzle check pattern and input of a check result of the printed nozzle check pattern via the UI unit 40 or from a device connected via the communication unit 50. Therefore, the UI unit 40 and the communication unit 50 can function as an interface for accepting a check result of a check pattern from the user.

[0018] (2) Printing of the check pattern: FIG. 3 is a check image including a nozzle check pattern for determining whether the ejection state of the nozzles of each ink color is appropriate. FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining the configuration of the check image shown in FIG. 3. As shown in FIG. 4, in the check image, there are patterns 301, 302, 303, 304 in which dot groups for checking the ejection state are printed for each ink color, and explanatory texts 311, 312, 313, 314 arranged near each pattern and indicating the ink color used for printing the pattern. The explanatory text may be one character as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4. In the present embodiment, an explanatory text 311 of "K" is printed near the pattern 301 of black ink, an explanatory text 312 of "C" is printed near the pattern 302 of cyan ink, an explanatory text 313 of "M" is printed near the pattern 303 of magenta ink, and an explanatory text 314 of "Y" is printed near the pattern 304 of yellow ink.

[0019] Conventionally, such explanatory texts 311, 312, 313, 314 were generally printed as black characters using black ink. By the way, if the printer is not used for a long time, the nozzles may become clogged. If all the nozzles of the black ink are clogged and none of the nozzles eject ink, when the check image shown in FIG. 3 is printed, the pattern 301 composed of the dot group of black ink and all the explanatory texts 311, 312, 313, 314 are not printed, and a check image as shown in FIG. 5 is printed. Such a check image may give the user an impression as if the black ink is not installed in the printer 100. Or, there is also a possibility that the user may be misunderstood that black is not printed in this check image. As a result, it may not be possible to make the user recognize that the nozzles of the black ink are clogged and need to be cleaned.

[0020] Therefore, in the case of this embodiment, the printing unit 10 prints the explanatory text using multiple colors. Specifically, in this embodiment, the printing unit 10 prints the explanatory text by mixing all the ink colors available for use in the printer 100.

[0021] FIG. 6 is an example in which the explanatory texts 311, 312, 313, and 314 are ejected at the same ratio per unit area as large black dots, large cyan dots, large magenta dots, and large yellow dots. Even if the ratios are not the same, it is desirable to adopt a ratio that is expressed in black or dark gray when there is no clogging in any nozzle. By making the CMYK ink amounts per unit area the same or approximately the same ratio, the explanatory text can be printed in black or dark gray when there is no clogging in any nozzle. Since the explanatory text, which was often printed in black ink conventionally, can be printed in black or gray when there is no abnormality, the possibility of giving the user a sense of discomfort can be reduced.

[0022] As shown in FIG. 6, when the explanatory text is printed by mixing all the inks, if all the nozzles of the black ink are clogged, as shown in FIG. 7, the black pattern 301 is not printed, but the characters "K", "C", "M", and "Y" of the explanatory texts 311, 312, 313, and 314 are printed in a lighter color compared to the case where there is no clogging in the black nozzles, but are still legible by the other cyan large dots, magenta large dots, and yellow large dot inks. By printing the explanatory text by mixing all the colors and / or all the nozzle rows, the possibility of printing a legible explanatory text can be increased even if there is an abnormality in any color printing mechanism or any nozzle row.

[0023] Near the explanatory texts 312, 313, and 314, patterns 302, 303, and 304 are printed respectively. However, no pattern is printed near the explanatory text 311 with the letter "K". From this, it is possible to increase the likelihood that the user can recognize the existence of the pattern that should have been printed corresponding to the explanatory text 311. And it is possible to increase the likelihood that the user can be made to recognize that the nozzle of the black ink is in a state where ejection is defective and needs to be cleaned. Also, even if it is not limited to the black ink and the nozzles of other colors are clogged, it is possible to increase the likelihood that an explanatory text that can be deciphered by the dots of the ink colors that are not clogged can be printed. As a result, it is possible to increase the likelihood that the user can recognize the existence of the ink color with an abnormality in the pattern.

[0024] Note that as shown in FIG. 8, the explanatory texts 311, 312, 313, and 314 may be composed of large black dots and small dots of cyan, magenta, and yellow. Also in this case, as described above, it is possible to increase the likelihood that an explanatory text that can be deciphered can be printed even when there is a clogged nozzle.

[0025] Next, with reference to FIG. 9, the nozzle check process will be described. The nozzle check process is executed when the printer receives a print instruction for a check image for nozzle check from the user. When the nozzle check process is started, the processor 20 prints the check image (step S100). The check image of the present embodiment includes patterns 301, 302, 303, 304 and explanatory texts 311, 312, 313, 314 as shown in FIG. 4. In the present embodiment, the processor 20 prints the pattern in one pass and prints the explanatory text in multiple passes. That is, the processor 20 prints a region (band) of a predetermined width in the sub-scanning direction of the patterns 301, 302, 303, 304 during one forward movement of the carriage. By doing so, the printing time of the pattern portion can be shortened. Also, by printing the pattern in one forward movement, a pattern that is not affected by the accuracy of media conveyance can be printed. When printing the explanatory texts 311, 312, 313, 314, the processor 20 prints while causing the media conveyance unit 13 to convey the media by a predetermined amount both during the forward and backward movements of the carriage. By doing so, the print quality of the explanatory text can be improved, and the possibility of printing an explanatory text that can be read even when the nozzles are clogged can be increased.

[0026] Subsequently, the processor 20 waits until it receives the check result (step S105). That is, the processor 20 waits until the user who has confirmed the printed check image inputs the check result of the check image.

[0027] In step S105, if it is determined that the check result has been received, the processor 20 determines whether the received check result indicates that maintenance is required (step S110). If it is determined in step S110 that the result indicates that maintenance is required, the processor 20 executes a maintenance operation (step S115). That is, the processor 20 causes the maintenance unit to perform wiping, flushing, or ink suction.

[0028] If it is not determined in step S110 that the result indicates that maintenance is required, the processor 20 ends the nozzle check process without performing the maintenance operation. If the user inputs a print instruction for the nozzle check pattern again after the maintenance operation in step S115, the nozzle check process in FIG. 9 is executed again.

[0029] As described above, according to the present embodiment, when printing a check image for nozzle check of a serial inkjet printer, by printing the explanatory text in the check image using a plurality of colors of ink, even if there is an abnormality in any of the printing mechanisms of the plurality of ink colors, the possibility of printing an explanatory text that can be deciphered can be increased. As a result, the possibility of enabling the user to accurately check the printed check image can be increased.

[0030] (3) Other embodiments: The above embodiments are examples for implementing the present invention, and various other embodiments can also be adopted. For example, the printer may be configured to print a check image acquired from a device connected to the printer via a communication unit. The pattern included in the check image is not limited to a pattern for checking nozzle clogging, and may include patterns for checking various items. For example, various patterns for abnormality detection may be included, such as a pattern for checking the state of media conveyance (presence or absence of banding) and a pattern for checking the deviation of the ink landing position in the main scanning direction. When an abnormality is detected based on the printing result of this pattern, the printer performs a process for resolving the detected abnormality. And the explanatory text may be composed of characters, symbols, sentences, etc. indicating what the various patterns are for checking. Also, the arrangement of the pattern and the explanatory text is not limited to the above embodiment, and various modes may be adopted.

[0031] The printing unit only needs to print the explanatory text with at least two types of ink, and may be configured to print with composite black, for example. That is, it may be configured to print the explanatory text to be black or gray without using black ink. By doing so, when there is no abnormality in the printing mechanism, the explanatory text can be printed in achromatic colors of black or gray as usual, and the possibility of giving the user a sense of discomfort can be reduced compared with the case where the explanatory text is printed in chromatic colors.

[0032] In the above embodiment, the nozzle row of each ink color is one row, but a configuration in which the nozzle row of each ink color is two or more may be adopted. When there are two nozzle rows for one ink color, the printing unit may be configured to print the explanatory text with the mixed colors of all colors and / or all nozzle rows. For example, as shown in FIG. 11, FIG. 10 shows an example of a check image when the nozzle rows of cyan, magenta, and yellow are each one row and there are two nozzle rows of K1 and K2 for black ink. In this example, the explanatory texts 315, 316, 312, 313, 314 may be printed in all ink colors (CMYK) using C, M, Y, K1, or may be printed in all ink colors using C, M, Y, K2. Alternatively, it may be printed using all ink colors using C, M, Y, K1, K2 and also using all nozzle rows. By printing the explanatory text with the mixed colors of all colors and / or all nozzle rows, the possibility of printing a readable explanatory text can be increased even if there is an abnormality in the printing mechanism of any color or any nozzle row. Note that the explanatory text may be printed using two black nozzle rows of K1 and K2.

[0033] In addition, the explanatory text may adopt a configuration in which it is printed in a mixed color different from the color of the pattern arranged in the vicinity. An example thereof will be described with reference to FIG. 4. For example, the explanatory text 312 of the cyan pattern 302 is printed in a mixed color of K, M, and Y, which are ink colors other than cyan, and the explanatory text 313 of the magenta pattern 303 is printed in a mixed color of K, C, and Y, which are ink colors other than magenta. The explanatory text 314 of the yellow pattern 304 is printed in a mixed color of K, C, and M, which are ink colors other than yellow, and the explanatory text 311 of the black pattern 301 may be configured to be printed in a mixed color of C, M, and Y, which are ink colors other than black. By doing so, even if there is an abnormality in the printing mechanism of the color of the pattern near the explanatory text, the explanatory text is printed in a mixed color different from the color of the pattern, so that it is possible to increase the possibility of printing an explanatory text that can be read without being affected by the abnormality of the printing mechanism of the color.

[0034] In addition, the explanatory text may be configured to be printed by mixing multiple colors or nozzle rows, or the explanatory text printed in a single color or a single nozzle row may be configured to be printed side by side for each ink color or nozzle row. FIG. 12 shows an example in which four-color explanatory texts of single colors of K, C, M, and Y are printed near each of the patterns 301, 302, 303, and 304 of K, C, M, and Y. For example, near the black pattern 301, explanatory texts 311k, 311c, 311m, and 311y are printed. The explanatory texts 311k, 311c, 311m, and 311y are printed in single colors of black ink, cyan ink, magenta ink, and yellow ink, respectively. Of course, when two or more nozzle rows are provided for the same ink color, the explanatory text may be printed for each nozzle row. In this way, by printing a plurality of explanatory texts (printing a plurality of explanatory texts with the same text) using a plurality of colors and / or a plurality of nozzle rows, it is possible to increase the possibility of printing an explanatory text that can be read even if there is an abnormality in any of the printing mechanisms of the plurality of colors or the plurality of nozzle rows.

[0035] In the above-described embodiment, an example was given in which, in a serial inkjet printer, a pattern is printed in one pass and explanatory text is printed in multiple passes. However, it is not necessary to be limited to this mode. How to print may be determined according to the size, shape, arrangement, carriage movement speed, medium conveyance speed, etc. of the pattern.

[0036] In addition, the present invention is applicable not only to serial inkjet printers using piezoelectric elements. For example, it may be applied to thermal inkjet printers or may also be applicable to electrophotographic printers, etc. Also in the case of an electrophotographic method, when printing a pattern, by printing the explanatory text of the pattern using multiple colors, it is possible to increase the possibility of printing an explanatory text that can be read even if there is an abnormality in any of the printing mechanisms of multiple colors.

[0037] Furthermore, the present invention is also applicable as a program or method executed by a computer. For example, the present invention includes printing a check pattern, printing the explanatory text of the check pattern using multiple colors and / or multiple nozzle rows, receiving the check result of the check pattern from the user, and performing abnormality resolution according to the check result, and is also established as an invention of a solution method. Also, systems, programs, and methods as described above may be realized as a single device in some cases, or may be realized using components provided in multiple devices, and include various modes. Also, part may be software and part may be hardware, etc., and can be changed as appropriate. Furthermore, the invention is also established as a recording medium for a program that controls the system. Of course, the recording medium for the program may be a magnetic recording medium, a semiconductor memory, or can be considered in exactly the same way for any recording medium developed in the future.

Explanation of Reference Numerals

[0038] 10…Printing unit, 11…Ink ejection unit, 12…Carriage conveyance unit, 13…Media conveyance unit, 20…Processor, 30…Non-volatile memory, 40…UI unit, 50…Communication unit, 100…Printer, 301, 302, 303, 304, 305, 306…Pattern (nozzle check pattern), 311, 312, 313, 314, 315, 316…Explanation text

Claims

1. A printing unit that prints a check pattern and an explanatory text of the check pattern, An interface that receives a check result of the check pattern from a user, Comprising, The printing unit prints the explanatory text using a plurality of colors and / or a plurality of nozzle arrays, A color printer.

2. The printing unit prints the explanatory text in composite black, The color printer according to Claim 1.

3. The printing unit prints the explanatory text in a mixed color of all colors and / or all nozzle arrays, The color printer according to Claim 1.

4. The check pattern is a nozzle check pattern, The color printer according to Claim 1.

5. The explanatory text is a text indicating the color or nozzle array of a pattern arranged nearby, The color printer according to Claim 4.

6. The explanatory text is printed in a mixed color of a color different from the color of a pattern arranged nearby, The color printer according to Claim 5.

7. A serial inkjet printer, The color printer according to Claim 1.

8. The explanatory text is printed in a plurality of passes, The color printer according to Claim 7.

9. Print a check pattern, Print the explanatory text of the check pattern using a plurality of colors and / or a plurality of nozzle arrays, Receive a check result of the check pattern from a user, Perform troubleshooting according to the check result, A troubleshooting method including this.

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