Dyeing device, embroidery system, dyeing device control method, and dyeing device control program

Abstract

To optimize a maintenance frequency of a discharge head for dyeing a linear medium in a dyeing device.SOLUTION: A post processing device is coupled to a downstream side of a dyeing device, and the dyeing device comprises: a discharge head comprising a dyeing head which has a nozzle for discharging droplets to the linear medium for dyeing; a transport mechanism which transports the linear medium in linkage with the post processing device; a head driving part for driving the discharge head in linkage with transport of the linear medium; and a control part controlling the head driving part. The control part comprises: a required time calculating part for calculating a required time of post processing required for a dyeing job; and a determining part for determining whether to execute maintenance of the discharge head, on the basis of the required time.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 13

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a dyeing device, an embroidery system, a control method for the dyeing device, and a control program for the dyeing device. [Background technology]

[0002] A well-known inkjet printing technology is an image forming device that ejects ink onto two-dimensional media such as paper. In recent years, however, one application of this technology is an inkjet yarn printing device (yarn dyeing device) that can dye on demand white thread, which is a long, thin, one-dimensional medium (linear medium) such as embroidery thread.

[0003] For example, Patent Document 1 proposes that in an embroidery machine with a printing function in which an inkjet print head is disposed directly above the thread for dyeing embroidery thread, the color for dyeing the print medium is determined from design data, and the print medium is used for multi-color embroidery. Patent Document 1 also discloses that during rest periods when the thread is not dyed, the thread is retracted from the nozzle row to perform a maintenance and recovery operation for the nozzles of the print head.

[0004] Furthermore, in an inkjet type image forming apparatus that ejects ink onto a two-dimensional medium, it is known that idle ejection is performed between one or more jobs (eg, between pages) for maintenance operations during the ejection operation. Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] In an inkjet image forming device that ejects ink onto two-dimensional media such as paper, the time it takes to print each job is determined according to the input image, and the time required is almost the same for the same input image. However, in the case of thread printing, the dyeing progresses depending on the time required for the subsequent embroidery process, so even for the same dyeing information, the time required for each job can vary greatly depending on the embroidery time.

[0006] Therefore, in an embroidery machine with a print function such as that in Patent Document 1, if the maintenance and recovery operation is performed for each job or for multiple jobs like an image forming device, when a job requiring a long embroidery time is performed, maintenance such as suction and waste discharge is not performed for a long time, which may result in ejection abnormalities such as non-ejection. On the other hand, when a job requiring a short embroidery time is performed, the interval between maintenance becomes shorter, which increases the number of maintenance operations and results in a problem that it takes too long to complete dyeing.

[0007] In view of the above circumstances, an object of the present invention is to provide a dyeing device that can optimize the frequency of maintenance of a discharge head that dyes a linear medium. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] In order to solve the above problems, one aspect of the present invention is A post-processing device that performs post-processing using linear media is located downstream in the transport direction. A dyeing device to be connected, A discharge head having a nozzle for discharging droplets onto a linear medium to dye the medium; a conveying mechanism that conveys the linear medium in cooperation with the post-processing device; a head driving unit that drives the ejection head in conjunction with the transport of the linear medium; A control unit that controls the head driving unit; a set time storage unit that stores a set time that is a threshold for determining whether or not to perform maintenance; Equipped with The control unit is Post-processing time required for each dye job Between A determination unit that determines whether or not to perform maintenance of the ejection head based on the determined result. A required time calculation unit; Have death, The linear medium is a thread, the post-processing device is an embroidery device having an embroidery means for creating embroidery data based on an embroidery manuscript and embroidering on a cloth using threads threaded through needles in accordance with the embroidery data; A dyeing job is an operation based on a thread dyeing instruction associated with a single embroidery manuscript, an embroidery information acquisition unit that acquires information on the number of stitches and thread line speed of the embroidery data created based on an embroidery image from the embroidery device; the required time calculation unit calculates a predicted required time for embroidery associated with a dyeing job to output the embroidery manuscript based on the number of stitches and the thread linear speed information; The job to be executed includes multiple dye jobs, The determination unit determines whether or not to perform maintenance of the discharge head based on the estimated time required for the embroidery, and determines to perform maintenance when, at the end of the current dyeing job, the total time of the estimated time required for the embroidery associated with the dyeing job from the time of performing the previous maintenance to the end of the next dyeing job is equal to or longer than a set time. . Effect of the Invention

[0009] According to one aspect, in a dyeing device, it is possible to optimize the maintenance frequency of a discharge head that dyes a linear medium. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic side view of an example of an embroidery system equipped with a dyeing device according to a first embodiment of the present invention; [Diagram 2] 3A and 3B are schematic side views of a plurality of ejection heads and a maintenance unit of a dyeing section in the dyeing device according to a plurality of embodiments of the present invention. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is a bottom view of an example staining unit according to embodiments of the present invention. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a view illustrating movement of a head in a direction perpendicular to a yarn transport direction in a dyeing section of the dyeing device according to the first configuration example of the present invention, as viewed from a direction perpendicular to the transport direction. [Diagram 5] FIG. 2 is a schematic bottom view illustrating movement of a head in a direction perpendicular to a yarn transport direction in a dyeing section of the dyeing device according to the first configuration example of the present invention. [Figure 6] FIG. 2 is a schematic explanatory diagram of a head moving means of a staining section and a cap part moving means of a maintenance unit according to a first configuration example of the present invention. [Figure 7] 1 is a schematic block diagram of a portion relating to drive control of an embroidery system according to a first embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 8] 6 is a diagram illustrating the required times for image forming operations and embroidery operations corresponding to jobs. [Figure 9] 5A and 5B are diagrams for explaining embroidery times and dyeing times corresponding to a dyeing job, and timings for performing maintenance. [Figure 10] FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram of a portion relating to discharge and maintenance control in the first embodiment. [Figure 11] FIG. 2 is an example of a hardware block diagram of a data processing unit. [Figure 12] 4 is a flowchart of a staining operation including maintenance according to the present invention. [Figure 13] 5 is a detailed flowchart of a maintenance execution operation according to the first configuration example of the present invention. [Figure 14] FIG. 4 is a side view showing a state in which droplets are simultaneously discharged from a plurality of nozzles in a plurality of discharge heads in the dyeing unit of the present invention. [Figure 15] 13A and 13B are diagrams for explaining embroidery times and dyeing times corresponding to a dyeing job when a plurality of ejection heads are spaced apart from one another, and the timing of performing maintenance. [Figure 16] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of a blank discharge receiver and a deflection unit according to a second configuration example of the present invention. [Figure 17] FIG. 11 is a schematic block diagram of a portion related to drive control of an embroidery system according to a second configuration example of the present invention. [Figure 18] 10 is a detailed flowchart of a maintenance execution operation according to a second configuration example of the present invention. [Figure 19] FIG. 11 is a schematic side view of an example of an embroidery system equipped with a dyeing device having a pretreatment liquid application function according to a second embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 20] FIG. 11 is a functional block diagram of a portion relating to discharge and maintenance control in a second embodiment. [Figure 21] 13A and 13B are diagrams for explaining embroidery times and dyeing times corresponding to a dyeing job when a pretreatment head is included, and timing for performing maintenance. [Figure 22] FIG. 11 is a schematic side view of an example of an embroidery system having a host control device according to a third embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 23] FIG. 11 is a functional block diagram of a portion relating to discharge and maintenance control according to a third embodiment. [Figure 24] FIG. 13 is a schematic side view of an example of an integrated dyeing and embroidery device according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0011] DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the following drawings, the same components are denoted by the same reference numerals, and duplicated explanations may be omitted.

[0012] <Overall Configuration (First Embodiment)> First, an embroidery system including a dyeing device of the present invention will be described with reference to Figs. 1 to 3. Fig. 1 is a schematic side view of an embroidery system according to a first embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 2 is a schematic side view of the periphery of a dyeing unit in a dyeing device according to multiple embodiments of the present invention. Fig. 3 is a bottom view of the dyeing unit in a dyeing device according to multiple embodiments of the present invention.

[0013] The embroidery system 3 includes a dyeing device 1 and an embroidery device 2. In this system, the dyeing device 1 is electrically connected to the embroidery device 2 via wired or wireless communication so as to be able to exchange information with the embroidery device 2.

[0014] The dyeing device 1 includes an upper thread spool 101 around which a yarn N is wound, a dyeing section 103, a fixing section 104, and a post-processing section 105. The dyeing device 1 in this embodiment is a liquid discharge device that dyes yarn by a liquid discharge method.

[0015] The thread N pulled out from an upper thread spool 101, which is a supplying means, is guided by conveying rollers 121, 122, and 123, which are a conveying mechanism 102, and is continuously wound up to the embroidery device 2.

[0016] The roller 122 is provided with a rotary encoder (hereinafter, sometimes simply referred to as an encoder) 125. The rotary encoder 125 is composed of an encoder wheel 125b that rotates together with the roller 122, and an encoder sensor 125a that reads the slits of the encoder wheel 125b. Similarly, the roller 123 is provided with a rotary encoder 126 composed of an encoder wheel 126a and an encoder wheel 126b.

[0017] The dyeing section 103 is equipped with a plurality of ejection heads 30 (30K to 30Y) that eject and apply liquid of the required color to the yarn N that is pulled out from the upper thread spool 101 and transported, and a maintenance mechanism 35 that includes a plurality of individual maintenance units 36 (36K to 36Y) that perform maintenance on each of the ejection heads 30K to 30Y.

[0018] Hereinafter, the direction in which the thread is transported from the dyeing unit 103 to the embroidery device 2 is referred to as X, the depth direction of the embroidery system 3 (width direction of the thread) as Y, and the height direction (up and down direction) as Z.

[0019] 2, the multiple ejection heads 30K to 30Y are liquid application means and dyeing heads that eject different colors. For example, 30K is a dyeing head that ejects black (K) droplets (ink), 30C is a dyeing head that ejects cyan (C) droplets, 30M is a dyeing head that ejects magenta (M) droplets, and 30Y is a dyeing head that ejects yellow (Y) droplets. Note that the order of the colors is an example, and they may be arranged in an order different from that described here.

[0020] In addition, the maintenance units 36K to 36Y are provided below the ejection heads 30K to 30Y of each color, and perform maintenance and recovery operations such as capping the ejection heads when not in use, receiving empty droplets from the ejection heads 30K to 30Y, performing suction and circulation operations for the nozzles while the empty ejection receivers are brought close to the ejection heads, and performing nozzle wiping operations.

[0021] 3, each of the ejection heads 30K to 30Y has a nozzle surface 33 on which nozzle rows 32a and 32b are formed, in which a plurality of nozzles 31 for ejecting droplets are arranged. Each of the ejection heads 30K to 30Y is disposed so that the direction of the nozzle rows 32a and 32b, which are the arrangement of the nozzles 31, is parallel to the transport direction of the yarn N.

[0022] In the ejection head 30K, ink droplets ejected from nozzles 31 in one row (nozzle row 32a in FIG. 3) located directly below the yarn N land on the yarn to color (also called dyeing or printing) the yarn N. FIG. 3 shows an example in which the ejection head 30K has two nozzle rows 32a and 32b arranged on the nozzle surface 33, but the number of nozzle rows provided in the ejection head 30K may be one row, or three or more rows. As shown in FIG. 3, the other ejection heads 30C, 30M, and 30Y also have a similar configuration to the ejection head 30K.

[0023] Returning to Fig. 1, the fixing unit 104 performs a fixing process (drying process) on the yarn N to which the liquid discharged from the dyeing unit 103 has been applied. The fixing unit 104 includes a heating means such as an infrared irradiation means or a hot air blowing means, and heats and dries the yarn N.

[0024] The post-processing section 105 includes, for example, a cleaning means for cleaning the yarn N, a tension adjustment means for adjusting the tension of the yarn N, a feed amount detection means for detecting the amount of movement of the yarn N, and a lubricant application means for applying a lubricant to the surface of the yarn N.

[0025] In addition, the dyeing device 1 of the present invention only needs to be provided with at least the dyeing section 103 that applies a colored liquid to the yarn N and the conveying mechanism 102, and the fixing section 104 and the post-processing section 105 do not necessarily have to be provided.

[0026] The embroidery device 2 shown in FIG. 1 has a needle 21, a lower thread rotating body 22, a stage 23, and an embroidery head 20.

[0027] The needle 21 has an upper thread N passing through a needle hole at the tip of the needle, and can be driven to move up and down relative to the cloth C. The cloth C may be made of synthetic fibers or the like as long as it is in a sheet form.

[0028] The lower thread rotating body 22 has a lower thread bobbin 221 around which the lower thread B is wound, and a hook 222, and the lower thread bobbin 221 and the hook 222 rotate in conjunction with the movement of the needle 21. Although not shown, the lower thread rotating body 22 is also provided with a cylindrical inner hook that houses the lower thread bobbin 221, a cylindrical outer hook with a bottom, a cylindrical case integrated with the hook 222, and the like. Note that, although FIG. 1 shows an example of the lower thread bobbin 221 being of a vertical rotation type (vertical full rotary hook type, vertical half rotary hook type) in which the rotation direction is vertical, the lower thread bobbin 221 may also be of a horizontal rotation type (horizontal hook type) in which the rotation direction is horizontal.

[0029] The stage 23 is a platform that holds the cloth C, and is formed with a hole (not shown) through which the needle passes. The stage 23 is movable in the X direction and the Y direction to feed the cloth.

[0030] The embroidery head 20 is an embroidery means and is provided with a calculation mechanism 25 (see Figure 7), which controls the movement (needle movement) of the needle 21 through which the upper thread N passes and the movement of the stage 23, thereby forming an embroidery pattern (embroidery design) on the fabric C by embroidering using the upper thread N and the lower thread B, which is fed in accordance with the feeding of the upper thread N.

[0031] In addition, the term "thread" refers to glass fiber thread, wool thread, cotton thread, synthetic thread, metal thread, mixed thread of wool, cotton, polymer, or metal, yarn, filament, or a linear member (continuous substrate) to which a liquid can be applied, and also includes braided cord, flat cord, etc.

[0032] <Maintenance mechanism of the first configuration example> Next, a mechanism for maintenance of the dyeing unit 103 according to the first configuration example of the present invention will be described with reference to Fig. 4 to Fig. 6. Fig. 4 is a diagram for explaining movement of the discharge head 30K in a direction perpendicular to the yarn transport direction in the dyeing unit 103 according to the first configuration example of the present invention. Fig. 5 is a schematic bottom view for explaining movement of the discharge head 30K in a direction perpendicular to the yarn transport direction in the dyeing unit 103 according to the first configuration example of the present invention.

[0033] In detail, in Figure 4, (a) shows the position of the ejection head 30K in a state where droplets can be ejected from the nozzle row 32a onto the yarn N, i.e., in a state where dyeing is possible using the nozzle row 32a, (b) shows the position of the ejection head 30K in a state where droplets can be ejected (dyed) onto the yarn N from the nozzle row 32b, and (c) shows the position of the head 30K in a state where the nozzle rows 32a and 32b are capped by the cap 37.

[0034] 4 and 5, the head 30K moves perpendicular to the transport direction of the yarn N, enabling dyeing (coloring) in the nozzle row 32a, dyeing in the nozzle row 32b, and capping with the cap 37 of the nozzle surface 33. The movement direction Y of the ejection head 30K is the back direction of the device shown in FIG.

[0035] Similarly, the other ejection heads 30C, 30M, and 30Y can also be freely moved in the head movement direction for the selection of the nozzle row to be used and for maintenance operations.

[0036] Also, as shown in Figures 3, 4 and 5, there are two nozzle rows 32a, 32b on the underside of the head 30K, and by moving the ejection head 30K and setting the nozzle row that ejects ink droplets onto the yarn to print the yarn so that it is positioned directly above the yarn, it is possible to select the nozzle row to be used as appropriate.

[0037] In addition to the recovery operation by capping with the cap 37 that engages with the head 30K, the maintenance unit 36K also recovers ink that has spilled out from the yarn N or has been idly discharged and has not landed on the yarn N on a recovery surface 38, which is the upper surface where the cap 37 is not provided. In the first configuration example, the recovery surface 38 functions as an idly discharge receiver that receives idly discharged droplets that are not discharged for dyeing the yarn N.

[0038] A home position sensor (HP sensor) 39 is provided in the maintenance unit 36K as a reference for the movement of the ejection head 30K. Although Fig. 4 shows an example in which the HP sensor 39 that determines the home position of the ejection head 30K is provided at the end of the maintenance unit 36K, the HP sensor 39 may be provided at another position in the head movement direction.

[0039] As shown in FIG. 5, the positions of the multiple ejection heads 30K to 30Y can be moved individually in the ±Y directions.

[0040] Here, a mechanism for moving each of the ejection heads 30K to 30Y in the head movement direction (the depth direction of the device) will be described with reference to Fig. 6. Fig. 6 is a schematic explanatory diagram of a head moving means of the staining section 103 and a moving means of the cap 37 of the maintenance unit 36K.

[0041] 6, the head 30K is supported by a movable carriage 311. The carriage 311 can move in a movable direction by moving the arms 312, 313 supporting the carriage 311 with a head moving motor 314. As an example of the head movement, for example, the arm 312 itself extending in the horizontal direction may expand and contract, or the carriage 311 may move by changing the position of the carriage 311 relative to the arm 312. In this configuration example, the carriage 311, the arms 312, 313, and the head moving motor 314 are collectively referred to as a head moving means (head moving unit) 310.

[0042] With this structure, the ejection head 30K supported by the carriage 311 can be moved to the position of the cap 37 during standby, moved to the position of the yarn N during dyeing, and moved to a position opposite the recovery surface (empty ejection receiver) 38 during empty ejection.

[0043] It is preferable that each head is provided with a head moving means 310, which is a movable part that moves the position of the ejection head 30K, so that the timing of performing maintenance such as idle ejection can be changed for each head.

[0044] In addition, the cap 37 can be raised and lowered by a lifting arm 351 driven by a cap lifting motor 352 in the maintenance unit 36K. During standby, in order to prevent the ink in the ejection head 30K from drying, the cap 37 rises to cap the ejection head 30K as shown in Fig. 4(c). During dyeing, the cap 37 is lowered to decap- ter the ejection head 30K as shown in Figs. 4(a) and 4(b).

[0045] In the first configuration example, a maintenance unit 36K including the cap 37, the lifting arm 351, the cap lifting motor 352, the cap 37, the recovery surface 38, and the HP sensor 39, and a head moving means 310K function as a maintenance mechanism 35K for the ejection head 30K.

[0046] Note that Figure 4 shows an example in which the cap 37 is placed on the rear side (+Y side) of the embroidery system 3 in the maintenance unit 36K, but as shown in Figure 6, the cap 37 may be placed on the front side (-Y side) of the embroidery system 3 in the maintenance unit 36K.

[0047] <Control block> FIG. 7 is a schematic block diagram of a portion relating to drive control of the embroidery system according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

[0048] In the present invention, the dyeing job performed on the dyeing device side is an operation based on thread dyeing instructions associated with an embroidery manuscript (embroidery image), and the time for the dyeing operation is determined according to the time for the embroidery operation, so we will first explain the drive control of the embroidery device 2.

[0049] 7, the embroidery device 2 has, as drive control-related parts not shown in FIG 1, the embroidery data creation unit 24, the calculation mechanism 25, the driver 27, the drive motor 28, the needle up / down drive unit 291, the lower thread rotation drive unit 292, the X-axis drive unit 293, and the Y-axis drive unit 294. The embroidery device 2 may further be provided with a stitch sensor 26. Of these, at least the driver 27, the drive motor 28, the needle up / down drive unit 291, and the stitch sensor 26 are built into the embroidery head 20 above the needle 21. As shown by the dotted lines, the embroidery data creation unit 24 and the calculation mechanism 25 may also be built into the embroidery head 20.

[0050] The embroidery data creation unit 24 acquires an embroidery image (also called an embroidery file or embroidery manuscript) that is the source of the embroidery data, creates embroidery data based on the embroidery image, and outputs it to the calculation mechanism 25 and the driver 27. The embroidery data is original data that pairs data on the coordinates to which the needle should be moved and what to do at that position.

[0051] The calculation mechanism 25 retrieves the number of stitches corresponding to the current position from a drive driver 27 that drives based on the embroidery data, and grasps the current position. It also calculates the estimated consumption of upper thread from the current position relative to the embroidery data, and calculates thread linear speed information by dividing the consumption by the time taken.

[0052] Alternatively, a stitch sensor 26 may be provided to make it easier for the calculation mechanism 25 to obtain the number of stitches. The stitch sensor 26 is a sensor that detects the up and down movement of the needle 21 and is provided, for example, on a needle bar that holds the needle 21, and detects the number of stitches, which corresponds to how many times the needle 21 has moved up and down, i.e., how many stitches it has advanced. In this case, the thread linear speed information is calculated based on the number of stitches and the embroidery data.

[0053] The driver 27 controls the drive of the drive motor 28 based on the embroidery data, and notifies the computing mechanism 25 of the progress of the embroidery data.

[0054] The needle up-down drive unit 291 is a so-called thread take-up lever, and drives the up-down movement of the needle 21 through which the upper thread N is passed by converting the rotational motion of an upper shaft connected to the drive motor 28 into up-down motion.

[0055] The lower thread rotation drive unit 292 rotates the lower thread rotor 22 in conjunction with the up and down movement of the needle 21 by the rotational movement of the lower shaft which is connected to the upper shaft via a belt, cam, and crank.

[0056] The X-axis drive unit 293 and the Y-axis drive unit 294 are a stage movement drive unit (cloth feed unit), and drive the movement of the stage 23 on which the cloth C is placed in the X and Y directions by the rotational movement of the lower shaft in conjunction with the up and down movement of the needle 21 and the rotation of the lower thread rotor 22. At this time, as a method for feeding the cloth C, the entire stage 23 may be moved, or a feed dog provided in a hole (not shown) formed in the stage 23 may be moved.

[0057] The needle up / down drive unit 291, the lower thread rotation drive unit 292, the X-axis drive unit 293, and the Y-axis drive unit 294 form a drive mechanism that is driven in conjunction with one drive motor 28. Therefore, the rotation of the drive motor 28 generates up / down movement of the needle 21, rotational movement of the lower thread rotor 22, and XY movement of the cloth C on the stage 23. For example, one up / down movement of the needle 21 is linked with one or an integer number of rotational movements of the lower thread rotor 22.

[0058] 7, the dyeing device 1 has an embroidery information acquisition unit 16 and a calculation mechanism 17 as parts related to drive control. Note that Fig. 7 omits illustration of a fixing unit 104 and a post-processing unit 105, which are not essential. Also, in the dyeing unit 103, only the two ejection heads 30K, 30Y and parts related to their ejection drive are shown, but the ejection heads 30M, 30C also have a similar drive configuration.

[0059] The embroidery information acquisition unit 16 exchanges information with the embroidery device 2, and acquires from the embroidery device 2 an embroidery image, an embroidery job, embroidery data, the number of stitches, thread speed information, and the like.

[0060] The calculation mechanism 17 has a data processing unit 701 , a head position control unit 702 , a transport control unit 703 , and a cap lift control unit 704 .

[0061] The dyeing section 103 has, as a driving mechanism, head control sections 131Y to 131K that control the ejection heads 30K to 30Y, respectively, an ejection timing generation section 132 that generates ejection timing, a drive waveform generation section 133, and a waveform data storage section .

[0062] The ejection head 30K also has a head driver 301 which is a head driving section, and a plurality of piezoelectric elements 302 which serve as pressure generating elements which generate pressure for ejecting liquid from the plurality of nozzles 31.

[0063] The head control sections 131Y-131K, ejection timing generation section 132, drive waveform generation section 133, waveform data storage section 134, and head driver 301 together form a drive waveform application means that applies drive waveforms to the piezoelectric elements 302 of the ejection heads 30K-30Y.

[0064] As a transport control means, the transport control unit 703, the upstream rotary encoder 125, the embroidery head rotary encoder 126, the transport motor 124, and the like are provided.

[0065] Also, as head position control means, there are provided a head position control section 702, and head movement motors 314K to 314Y and HP sensors 39K to 39Y provided for the heads of each color.

[0066] Here, the thread N is transported (thread fed) by being consumed in the embroidery operation by the embroidery head 20 of the downstream embroidery device 2. The rotary encoder 126 on the downstream side of the embroidery head 20 is a feed amount detection means that detects the amount of movement of the thread N in the embroidery head 20.

[0067] The conveyance control unit 703 is an example of a conveyance control means, and determines the conveyance speed of the yarn N based on the movement amount of the downstream rotary encoder 126, and conveys the yarn by rotating the conveyance roller 121, which is an upstream feed roller, with the conveyance motor 124 so that the yarn is conveyed at the determined conveyance speed. In addition, the speed is detected by the rotary encoder 125 located upstream of the dyeing unit 103, and the conveyance motor 124 controls the yarn conveyance.

[0068] As the yarn N is transported, the transport roller 122 guiding the yarn N rotates, causing the encoder wheel 125b of the rotary encoder 125 to rotate, and an encoder pulse proportional to the linear speed of the yarn N is generated and output from the encoder sensor 125a.

[0069] An ejection timing pulse is generated by the ejection timing generation unit 132 based on the encoder pulse from the rotary encoder 125, output to the head control unit 131, and used as the ejection timing for the heads 30K-30Y. The ejection of ink droplets onto the yarn N begins when the yarn N starts moving, and even if the linear speed of the yarn N changes, the interval between the ejection timing pulses changes according to the encoder pulse from the rotary encoder 125, preventing deviation in the landing position of the droplets.

[0070] The head control units 131K-131Y receive dyeing data and maintenance data from the data processing unit 701, and output drive signals to the head drivers 301 of the respective heads 30K-30Y based on the ejection data including this dyeing data and maintenance data. Furthermore, upon receiving an ejection timing pulse, the head control units 131K-131Y also output the ejection timing pulse to the drive waveform generation unit 133.

[0071] The drive waveform generating unit 133 calls the drive waveform stored in the waveform data storage unit 134, and outputs the drive waveform to the head driver 301 in synchronization with the ejection timing pulse.

[0072] The head driver 301 selects the size of the ink droplets based on the input drive waveform and drive signal, and drives the ejection heads 30K to 30Y to eject ink from each nozzle 31 of the ejection heads 30K to 30Y onto the yarn N being transported at a timing according to the transport speed.

[0073] The head position control section 702 is an example of a head position control means, and rotates the head movement motors 314K-314Y based on head position commands from the head control sections 131K-131Y to move the ejection heads 30K-30Y to predetermined positions at the respective timings.

[0074] For example, if the head movement motors 314K-314Y are stepping motors, position control involves controlling the head movement motors 314K-314Y to rotate from a home position (HP) detected by the HP sensors 39K-39K by the number of step motor steps corresponding to the distance from the HP position to the relevant position, such as the coloring position in nozzle row 32a, the coloring position in nozzle row 32b, or the capping position. After rotating the number of steps corresponding to the distance, the head position control unit 702 notifies the head control units 131K-131Y that head movement is complete.

[0075] The cap lift control unit 704 rotates the cap lift motors 352K to 352Y based on capping and decapping instructions from the head control units 131K to 131Y, and lifts and lowers the caps 37K to 37Y.

[0076] For example, if the cap lift motors 352K-352Y are stepping motors, the cap lift control unit 704 controls the cap lift motors 352K-352Y to rotate by the number of steps corresponding to the distance between the capping position at the top end and the decapping position at the bottom end. After rotating the cap lift motors 352K-352Y by the number of steps corresponding to the distance from the top end to the bottom end, the cap lift control unit 704 notifies the head control units 131K-131Y that the capping and decapping of the nozzle rows by lifting and lowering the caps 37K-37Y has been completed.

[0077] (Printing jobs, dyeing jobs and required time) Here, the required time corresponding to a job will be described with reference to Fig. 8. Fig. 8(a) is a diagram showing the required time in a line head type image forming apparatus that ejects ink onto paper, and Fig. 8(b) is a diagram showing the required time for an embroidery operation using thread.

[0078] As a comparative example, in a typical line head inkjet image forming apparatus as shown in Fig. 8(a), a medium (two-dimensional medium) that has a relatively large two-dimensional spread, such as paper, is used as the target onto which droplets are discharged (printed). In such an apparatus, the time required for printing is determined by two factors: the size of the print job and the transport time.

[0079] Here, a print job onto two-dimensional media refers to an operation based on a drawing instruction issued by a user in a single operation, such as copying, facsimile, scanning, etc. For example, a print job includes a drawing instruction that includes information on the number of pages and number of copies to be printed on paper.

[0080] (Job in the present invention) On the other hand, in a dyeing device for thread, droplets are discharged (dyed) onto elongated media (linear media, one-dimensional media) such as thread, which has a relatively small two-dimensional spread. This device is designed to dye white threads, such as embroidery threads, on demand and to be used in conjunction with an embroidery device as a post-processing device. When the post-processing device is an embroidery device, the embroidery device has a large influence on the transport of threads in a dyeing device provided upstream of the embroidery device. Note that a post-processing device refers to a device that post-processes linear media.

[0081] The time required for embroidery operation with an embroidery device as shown in Figure 8(b) is determined by the embroidery distance, embroidery speed, thread trimming time and number of times. Furthermore, the embroidery distance varies depending on the needle path and the thickness of the fabric. Therefore, dyeing threads is more complicated than printing on two-dimensional media, and the time per dye job associated with one embroidery operation is longer.

[0082] Here, a dyeing job for thread (one-dimensional media) in the present invention refers to an operation based on a thread dyeing instruction associated with an embroidery manuscript (embroidery image) entered by a user at one time. In other words, one dyeing job is an operation based on a thread dyeing instruction associated with one embroidery manuscript. For example, a dyeing job includes a thread dyeing instruction that includes information on the dyed length of the thread in the dyeing data created in association with the embroidery manuscript.

[0083] For example, in the example of FIG. 8(b), a star (pentagram) is divided into five regions and embroidery is performed. For example, when filling the five regions included in the star in FIG. 8(b) with different colors, for example, the edge of each region is first hemmed with a running stitch, and then understitching is performed in the region to maintain tension, and embroidering is performed with a pattern stitch (satin stitch) to fill the understitched surface, thereby completing the embroidery pattern of each region. Then, the formation operation of the embroidery pattern for each region is repeated five times to complete the star-shaped embroidery pattern on the fabric. Note that the above embroidery procedure is an example, and understitching may be omitted, and furthermore, hemming may be performed all at once before the formation of the first region, and does not have to be performed in the process for each region.

[0084] In the star-shaped embroidery pattern shown in Fig. 8(b), each divided area becomes an "embroidery job," and the entire star becomes an "embroidery job group." For example, if multiple such star patterns are provided at intervals on the fabric, multiple embroidery job groups will exist.

[0085] (Maintenance implementation timing) 9A to 9C are diagrams for explaining the embroidery time and dyeing time corresponding to a dyeing job, and the timing of performing maintenance. In Fig. 9A to 9C, the upper row shows the dyeing job size, the middle row shows the embroidery time, and the lower row shows the dyeing time.

[0086] In each example, dye jobs A, B, C, and D have the same dye job size but different embroidery times. For example, the same dye job size means that the dyed length on the thread by the dye job is equal. Therefore, when dye jobs A, B, C, and D are executed in Figures 9(a) to (c), the dyed length on thread N is equal. The series of dye jobs A, B, C, and D are grouped together to form one dye job group.

[0087] On the other hand, in the example of Figures 9(a) to (c), the embroidery time (time required for embroidery, calculated embroidery time) on the embroidery device 2 during dye job A is 9 minutes, the embroidery time during dye job B is 2 minutes, the embroidery time during dye job C is 14 minutes, and the embroidery time during dye job D is 5 minutes.

[0088] For example, in an embroidery operation according to embroidery data created based on an embroidery manuscript, the longer the stitch length (stitch width) per stitch, the lower the stitch density, and the fewer the number of thread cuts, the faster the thread will be consumed, and therefore the shorter the time required for embroidery will be, as in dye job B. On the other hand, the shorter the stitch length per stitch, the higher the stitch density, and the more the number of thread cuts, the slower the thread will be consumed, and therefore the longer the time required for embroidery will be, as in dye job C.

[0089] The dyeing time in the dyeing device 1 shown in the lower part is the sum of the dyeing execution time associated with the embroidery time and the maintenance time.

[0090] In FIG. 9, (a) shows the timing for performing maintenance on the ejection head in Comparative Example 1, (b) shows the timing for performing maintenance on the ejection head in Comparative Example 2, and (c) shows the timing for performing maintenance on the ejection head in the present invention.

[0091] FIG. 9(a) shows, as Comparative Example 1, control in which maintenance is performed between all dyeing jobs, simulating the maintenance often performed in conventional inkjet image forming apparatuses for two-dimensional media. In the case of this control, since maintenance is performed frequently, ejection abnormalities are unlikely to occur. However, since maintenance is performed between dyeing jobs even in places with short intervals (here, after the shortest time of 2 minutes), as shown in the lower part, it takes a long dyeing time until all jobs are completed.

[0092] 9B shows a comparative example 2 in which maintenance is performed when a set time has elapsed since the last maintenance execution time. In this example, if the set time is set to 15 minutes, the number of maintenances is reduced, and the dyeing time until the embroidery job is completed is shortened. However, since maintenance is not performed for a maximum of 25 minutes, there is a large deviation from the set time of 15 minutes, and ejection abnormalities are more likely to occur.

[0093] In order to solve this problem, the control of the present invention shown in FIG. 9(c) takes into consideration the embroidery time, and if the embroidery time at the end of the current job exceeds a set time when the next job is completed, maintenance is performed.

[0094] Specifically, if the set time is 15 minutes, in terms of embroidery time, at the end of dyeing job A, the total embroidery time required from the time when the previous maintenance was performed (the end of the previous maintenance) to the end of the next dyeing job B is dyeing job A + B = 11 minutes, which does not yet exceed the set time of 15 minutes, so maintenance is not performed.

[0095] At the end of dye job B, the total time required for embroidery from the time when the previous maintenance was performed to the end of the next dye job C is dye jobs A+B+C=25 minutes, which exceeds the set time of 15 minutes. In other words, the set time will be exceeded when the next dye job C is finished, so maintenance is performed.

[0096] When dye job C is finished, the total embroidery time required from the previous maintenance execution timing to the end of the next dye job C is dye job C + D = 19 minutes, which exceeds the set time of 15 minutes, so maintenance is performed.

[0097] As such, with the control shown in Figure 9(c), the minimum maintenance interval is 11 minutes and the maximum is 19 minutes, which is not significantly different from the set time (15 minutes), so it can be said that maintenance is being performed at the appropriate time.

[0098] (Function block diagram) Fig. 10 is a functional block diagram of the portion relating to the maintenance control of the present invention. Note that, in Fig. 10, the head control unit 131K is taken as an example for explanation, but the same control instructions as for the head control unit 131K are also given to the head control units 131M, 131C, and 131Y.

[0099] The data processing unit 701 has an ejection data editing unit 710 and a maintenance control unit 720 in an executable manner.

[0100] The discharge data editing unit 710 has a job-by-job dyeing data creation unit 711, a blank discharge data insertion unit 712, a blank discharge data storage unit 713, and a head-by-head discharge data output unit 714. The discharge data editing unit 710 creates dyeing data based on an embroidery image, and outputs the discharge data, in which maintenance data has been inserted between dyeing jobs to be executed based on the dyeing data as necessary, to the head control unit 131K.

[0101] The job-specific dyeing data creation unit 711 defines a dyeing job to be executed simultaneously with an embroidery job executed on the embroidery device side from an embroidery image input in a single input, and creates dyeing data for each dyeing job.

[0102] The maintenance control unit 720 is executable to include a per-job embroidery required time prediction unit 501, a per-job predicted embroidery time memory unit 502, a post-maintenance embroidery time counting unit 503, a set time memory unit 504, a first maintenance execution determination unit 505, a post-maintenance elapsed time counting unit 506, a second maintenance execution determination unit 507, and a maintenance execution instruction unit 508.

[0103] The job-specific embroidery required time prediction unit 501 is a required time calculation unit that calculates (predicts) the required time for embroidery (post-processing) for each dyeing job. In detail, based on the number of stitches and thread linear speed information (thread consumption speed) acquired from the embroidery device, it calculates the estimated required time for embroidery associated with the dyeing job to output the embroidery manuscript.

[0104] The job-specific predicted embroidery time storage unit 502 stores the predicted embroidery time for each job predicted by the job-specific embroidery time prediction unit 501 .

[0105] The post-maintenance embroidery time counting unit 503 calls up the predicted embroidery time for each job, starting from the execution of maintenance, and calculates the total predicted embroidery time for the dyeing jobs to be performed after the maintenance is performed. This calculates the total predicted required time for embroidery associated with the dyeing jobs from the time when the previous maintenance was performed to the end of the next dyeing job.

[0106] The set time storage unit 504 stores a set time that serves as a threshold for determining whether or not to perform maintenance.

[0107] When the next dyeing job is present at the end of the current dyeing job, the first maintenance execution determination unit 505 determines whether or not to perform maintenance based on a comparison between the total time predicted for embroidery associated with the dyeing job from the time the previous maintenance was performed to the time the next dyeing job is completed and a set time.

[0108] In detail, the first maintenance execution determination unit 505 determines to execute maintenance if the total time of the predicted required time for embroidery associated with the dyeing job from the time of the previous maintenance execution to the time of the end of the next dyeing job is equal to or greater than the set time at the end of the current dyeing job. On the other hand, if the total time of the predicted required time for embroidery associated with the dyeing job from the time of the previous maintenance execution to the time of the end of the next dyeing job is less than the set time at the end of the current dyeing job, the first maintenance execution determination unit 505 determines not to execute maintenance.

[0109] Furthermore, when the total time of the estimated required time for embroidery associated with the first dyeing job at the start of the dyeing job group is less than the set time, the first maintenance execution determination unit 505 compares the total time of the estimated required time for embroidery and the transport time after ejection of the ejection head with the set time, and determines whether or not to perform maintenance (start-up maintenance) of the ejection heads 30K to 30Y based on the comparison result between the total time of the estimated required time and the transport time after ejection and the set time.

[0110] The transport time after discharge used in this determination is preferably calculated using the transport distance after discharge of the most upstream discharge head (e.g., discharge head 30K) which has the longest transport time after discharge. At the start of the dyeing job group, if the total time of the estimated required time for embroidery associated with the first dyeing job and the transport time after discharge is equal to or greater than the set time, it is determined that maintenance should be performed. On the other hand, if the total time of the estimated required time for the first embroidery and the transport time after discharge is less than the set time, it is determined that maintenance should not be performed.

[0111] The post-maintenance elapsed time counting unit 506 counts the actual elapsed time from the execution of maintenance to the end of the current job. In other words, it counts the total time of one or more dyeing jobs, which is the time required for dyeing operations accompanying actual embroidery operations from the time the previous maintenance was performed to the time the current dyeing job ends.

[0112] The second maintenance execution determination unit 507 determines whether or not to execute the maintenance based on a comparison between the total time actually required from the time the previous maintenance was executed to the time the current staining job is completed and a set time.

[0113] In detail, the second maintenance execution determination unit 507 determines to execute maintenance when the total time actually required from the time the previous maintenance was executed to the time the current dyeing job is completed exceeds a set time.

[0114] On the other hand, if the total time actually required from the time the previous maintenance was performed to the time the current dyeing job is completed is less than the set time, the second maintenance execution determination unit 507 notifies the first maintenance execution determination unit 505 of this fact, and the first maintenance execution determination unit 505 proceeds to determine whether to perform maintenance.

[0115] The first maintenance execution determining unit 505 and the second maintenance execution determining unit 507 function as determining units that determine whether or not to execute maintenance on the ejection heads 30K to 30Y.

[0116] When the first maintenance execution determining unit 505 or the second maintenance execution determining unit 507 determines that maintenance should be performed, the maintenance execution instructing unit 508 instructs the blank ejection data inserting unit 712, the head control unit 131K, and the head position control unit 702 to perform maintenance.

[0117] In addition, in the discharge data editing unit 710, when the blank discharge data insertion unit 712 receives a maintenance instruction from the maintenance execution instruction unit 508, it calls up the blank discharge data for maintenance stored in the blank discharge data storage unit 713, and outputs the discharge data in which the blank discharge data has been inserted between the dyeing data for the current dyeing job and the dyeing data for the next dyeing job to the head control unit 131K.

[0118] The functions of the head-to-means distance calculation unit 511, the head-to-means distance storage unit 512, and the head-to-head post-ejection transport required time calculation unit 513 in the maintenance control unit 720 of the data processing unit 701 will be described later with reference to FIGS.

[0119] <Hardware configuration example> Next, the hardware configuration of the arithmetic unit 17 will be described with reference to Fig. 11. Fig. 11 is an example of a hardware block diagram of the arithmetic unit 17.

[0120] 11, in a data processing unit 701, a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 61, an FPGA (field-programmable gate array) 62, a ROM (Read Only Memory) 63, a RAM (Random Access Memory) 64, an NV (Non-Volatile) RAM 65, an interface (I / F) 66, and an IO interface 67 are connected via a memory bus 68. Note that the memory bus 68 may be separated into a plurality of buses.

[0121] In the computing mechanism 17, the CPU 61 is responsible for control relating to the discharge of the staining device 1. The ROM 63 stores various information, control programs, etc. The RAM 64 is used as a working area when various processes are executed.

[0122] For example, the CPU 61 uses the RAM 64 as a working area to execute various control programs stored in the ROM 63 and outputs control commands for controlling various operations in the dyeing apparatus 1. At this time, the CPU 61 controls various operations in the dyeing apparatus 1 in cooperation with the FPGA 62 while communicating with the FPGA 62.

[0123] Furthermore, the FPGA 62 is capable of executing the functions of a first maintenance execution determining unit 505 and a second maintenance execution determining unit 507 shown in Fig. 10. Note that, although Fig. 11 shows an example in which one FPGA 62 is provided, two FPGAs each executing the functions of the first maintenance execution determining unit 505 and the second maintenance execution determining unit 507 may be provided separately.

[0124] The NVRAM 65 stores information specific to the device, updatable information, etc. For example, the time required for head retraction and return movement, etc. are stored in advance in the NVRAM 65. The NVRAM 65 may be removable.

[0125] The interface 66 mediates the exchange of information with external devices such as the embroidery device 2 and a host computer (see FIG. 22). The IO interface 67 mediates the exchange of information with each section within the device. The IO interface 67 can be connected to the drive waveform generating section 133, input / output devices such as an operation panel, and various sensors. The various sensors include, for example, the HP sensor 39 that detects the position of the carriage 331, and sensors that detect the internal environment of the device such as temperature and humidity that affect the decision on the need for idle ejection.

[0126] In the first embodiment of the present invention, the elapsed time after maintenance is counted by the FPGA 62. With this configuration, even when connected to an information processing device (see FIG. 22) that outputs staining data (original data) as a client PC, the client PC (rendering side) does not need to have a counting function, and the rendering software in the client PC can be made versatile.

[0127] In addition, in Figures 7 and 10, an example has been described in which all of the functions of the calculation mechanism 17 and the head control units 131K to 131Y are provided in the dyeing device 1, but some or all of the functions of the calculation mechanism 17 and the head control units 131K to 131Y may be provided in a client PC (higher-level control device 4 in Figure 22) connected to the embroidery system.

[0128] (Control Flow) FIG. 12 is a flow chart of the staining operation including the maintenance according to the present invention. In step S1, an embroidery image and embroidery data for each embroidery job are obtained, and a dyeing job is created.

[0129] In step S2, a predicted embroidery time for each dye job is calculated.

[0130] In step S3, the time required from the time of the previous maintenance to the end of embroidery of the first dyeing job is calculated.

[0131] If the predicted embroidery time is equal to or longer than the set time in step S4 (Yes), maintenance of the ejection head (start-up maintenance) is performed in step S6. Details of the maintenance will be described later with reference to FIG.

[0132] On the other hand, if the predicted embroidery time is less than the embroidery time (No in S4), the process proceeds to step S5, where it is determined whether or not the (predicted embroidery time+post-discharge conveying time) is equal to or greater than the set time.

[0133] If it is determined in S5 that the (estimated embroidery time+post-ejection transport time) is equal to or greater than the set time (Yes), then in step S6, ejection head maintenance (start-up maintenance) is performed.

[0134] For example, the start-up maintenance in S6 is usually performed at the start of dyeing for the first embroidery job group among a plurality of embroidery job groups including one or more embroidery jobs performed on one fabric or fabric product.

[0135] On the other hand, in the case where a plurality of embroidery job groups are executed on the same cloth, when the second or subsequent embroidery job groups are executed, start-up maintenance is often not required.

[0136] In addition, if the previous embroidery job group and the current embroidery job group are performed on different fabrics of a single fabric product (for example, different parts such as the front and back of a garment, sleeves, and collar), and a fabric change is required on the embroidery device, startup maintenance may or may not be required depending on the time required to change the fabric.

[0137] On the other hand, if the predicted embroidery time is less than the embroidery time (No in S4) and (predicted embroidery time + transport time after discharging) is less than the set time (No in S5), maintenance is not performed and the first dyeing job is started in step S7. Starting a dyeing job means that the dyeing job is performed, the yarn N is transported in the dyeing device 1 in conjunction with the consumption of the yarn by the embroidery operation in the embroidery device 2, and droplets are discharged onto the yarn N during transportation to perform dyeing.

[0138] Then, in step S8, the dyeing job being executed is finished.

[0139] If there is a next dyeing job in step S9, the flow proceeds to step S10, whereas if there is no next dyeing job in step S9, the flow ends.

[0140] In step S10, a predicted embroidery time is calculated, which is the time required from the end of the previous maintenance execution time to the end of embroidery for the next dyeing job.

[0141] In step S11, it is determined whether the actual time that has elapsed since the end of the previous maintenance is equal to or greater than the set time at the time of the end of the current job. If the actual time that has elapsed is equal to or greater than the set time in step S11 (Yes), the process proceeds to step S14, where maintenance is performed. On the other hand, if the actual time that has elapsed is less than the set time, the process proceeds to step S12.

[0142] In step S12, a predicted embroidery time, which is the time required from the end of the previous maintenance to the end of embroidery for the next dye job, is calculated.

[0143] In step S13, it is determined whether the predicted embroidery time is equal to or longer than the set time. If the predicted embroidery time is equal to or longer than the set time (Yes), the process proceeds to step S14, where maintenance is performed. On the other hand, if the predicted embroidery time is shorter than the set time, the process proceeds to step S15.

[0144] If the answer is No in step S11 and No in step S13, that is, if both the actual elapsed time and the predicted embroidery time are less than the set time, maintenance is not performed and the process proceeds to S15 to start the next dyeing job.

[0145] Thereafter, after the dyeing job execution for the next dyeing job is completed (S8), it is determined in S9 whether there is a next dyeing job, and if there is a next dyeing job (Yes in S9), S10 to S15 and S8 are repeated.

[0146] On the other hand, if there is no next dyeing job after the ongoing dyeing job is completed (No in S9), the flow ends.

[0147] In this flow, in S3 to S4 before the start of dyeing in S7, and in S12 to S13 before the start of each dyeing job in S15, the time required for the next dyeing job to be completed is referenced to determine whether or not to perform maintenance. As a result, as shown in Fig. 9(c) above, the maintenance interval is set to an appropriate timing without significant deviation from the set time, and maintenance can be performed as appropriate before adverse effects due to drying occur.

[0148] In addition, if the accuracy of the prediction of the time required for embroidery is low or if some trouble occurs during the dyeing job, a large discrepancy may occur between the predicted time until the dyeing job is completed and the actual time until the dyeing job is completed. Therefore, in steps S10 and S11 immediately after the end of the dyeing job in S8, it is determined whether or not to perform maintenance based on the actual time required.

[0149] By comparing the actual elapsed time with the set time in this way, and then comparing the predicted embroidery time with the set time, the actual maintenance interval is set to an appropriate timing without a large deviation from the set time, which allows appropriate maintenance to be performed before the adverse effects of drying occur.

[0150] (Detailed maintenance flow for the first configuration example) Fig. 13 is a detailed flowchart of the maintenance execution operation according to the first configuration example of the present invention. If it is determined in steps S5, S11, and S13 of Fig. 12 that "the set time has elapsed and maintenance is required" (Yes), the process proceeds to step S6 (S14) and the flow of Fig. 13 is started.

[0151] In S51, the corresponding discharge heads 30K to 30Y are moved to positions where idling is possible. The positions where idling is possible are positions where the nozzle rows in the dyeing operation are retracted from the positions facing the yarn N.

[0152] In S52, it is determined whether the ejection head 30K-30Y that is to perform the blank ejection at that timing has moved to a position where blank ejection is possible. If it is determined that it has moved (Yes), the process proceeds to S53. If it is determined that it has not moved (No in S52), the ejection head 30K-30Y that is to perform the blank ejection continues to move until it reaches a predetermined blank ejection position.

[0153] In the case of a stepping motor, for example, a method of determining whether the corresponding ejection head 30K-30Y has moved to an idle ejection position is to determine whether a predetermined number of pulses of a plurality of stepping motors necessary for the corresponding ejection head 30K-30Y to move to a position where ejection is possible has been counted. Alternatively, an encoder sensor is provided on the head movement motor 314, and the determination is made from a moving distance calculated from the phase and the number of encoder pulses. Alternatively, a photosensor is provided at the movement position, and the filler attached to the head moves to block the photosensor.

[0154] When it is detected that the corresponding ejection head 30K to 30Y to be subjected to the idling ejection has reached the predetermined idling ejection position (Yes in S52), in S53, the corresponding ejection head 30K to 30Y performs idling ejection onto the recovery surface 38, which is the idling ejection receiver.

[0155] When the discharge is completed, in S54, the corresponding discharge heads 30K to 30Y that performed the blank discharge are moved to positions where dyeing is possible. The dyeing position is a position where the nozzle row 32a that performs the dyeing operation faces the yarn N.

[0156] In S55, it is determined whether the corresponding discharge head 30K to 30Y that performed the blank discharge has moved to a position where dyeing is possible. If it is determined that the discharge head has not moved (No in S55), the discharge head 30K to 30Y that performed the blank discharge continues to move until it reaches a predetermined dyeing position.

[0157] As in S52, the determination can be made based on the completion of counting a predetermined number of pulses of the stepping motor, the travel distance calculated from the output result of the encoder sensor, the light shielding of the photosensor, etc.

[0158] If it is determined that the nozzles have returned to the dyeing position (Yes in S55), the idle discharge operation is terminated as an end, and the process proceeds to step S7 in FIG. 12, where the dyeing operation of the dyeing job is started using the nozzle row for which the idle discharge has been completed.

[0159] Although the maintenance operation in step S6 in FIG. 12 has been described with reference to FIG. 13, the maintenance operation in step S14 is performed in the same manner.

[0160] (per head control) In Fig. 9(c), in order to explain the difference in timing from the comparative example, the dyeing time is set to match the calculated embroidery time and the maintenance implementation period, without any time lag. However, in reality, as shown in Fig. 1, the dyeing unit 103 and the embroidery head 20 are separated, so when dyeing and embroidering common embroidery images are performed in the same job, the dyeing job is performed earlier than the embroidery job, taking into account the transportation.

[0161] FIG. 14 shows a state in which all nozzles of the multiple discharge heads 30K to 30Y of the dyeing unit 103 shown in FIGS.

[0162] 3, in the discharge heads 30K to 30Y, the nozzle rows 32a are arranged directly above the transport direction of the yarn N, in the same direction as the transport direction of the yarn N. Therefore, when droplets are simultaneously discharged from multiple nozzles 31 in one nozzle row 32a (32aK, 32aC, 32aM, 32aY (see FIG. 3)) of each of the discharge heads 30K to 30Y onto the yarn N, the droplets can be simultaneously discharged at different positions on the yarn N in the transport direction, as shown in FIG.

[0163] Therefore, it is preferable to perform dyeing and maintenance at a timing suitable for each of the discharge heads 30K to 30Y, taking into consideration the dyeing position on the yarn N due to transport.

[0164] Based on the inter-device distance D (see FIG. 1) between the dyeing device 1 and the embroidery device 2 acquired by the embroidery information acquisition unit 16, the head-to-means distance calculation unit 511 (see FIG. 10) of the data processing unit 701 calculates inter-device distances dk, dc, dm, and dy (see FIG. 14) between each of the discharge heads 30K to 30Y and the tip of the needle 21 of the embroidery device 2. Then, the head-to-means distance storage unit 512 stores the calculated inter-device distances dk, dc, dm, and dy.

[0165] This calculation of the inter-means distance is performed, for example, when the installation layout of the dyeing device 1 and the embroidery device 2 is changed, and if the positions of the devices do not change thereafter, the stored inter-means distances dk, dc, dm, and dy are called and used.

[0166] The head-per-discharge required transport time calculation unit 513 calculates the post-discharge required transport times Tk, Tc, Tm, and Ty (see FIG. 15) after droplets are attached by the discharge heads 0K, 30C, 30M, and 30Y, based on the inter-means distances dk, dc, dm, and dy and the yarn transport speed acquired from the transport control unit 703. The post-discharge required transport times are the time taken for droplets discharged from the nozzles of the discharge heads 0K, 30C, 30M, and 30Y to adhere to the yarn N and reach the needles 21 of the embroidery head 20.

[0167] Then, the head-by-head ejection data output unit 714 in the ejection data editing unit 710 outputs the dyeing data and blank ejection data for each color to the head control units 131K to 131Y at timings advanced by the post-ejection transport times Tk, Tc, Tm, and Ty for the corresponding embroidery job.

[0168] FIG. 15 is a diagram for explaining the calculated embroidery time corresponding to a dyeing job, the actual embroidery time, and the dyeing time of the discharge head.

[0169] As described above, for the dyeing data and blank discharge data for each color, the dyeing operation and maintenance operation are performed at a timing advanced by the post-discharge transport required times Tk, Tc, Tm, and Ty for the corresponding embroidery job.

[0170] In this way, by calculating the time required for transport after ejection and taking that time into consideration, the dyeing time and maintenance time are set to an earlier timing relative to the embroidery job, maintenance can be performed at the appropriate time even if the embroidery start position (post-processing start position) is far from the head positions of the ejection heads 30K to 30Y.

[0171] Note that, in this example, in the ejection heads 30K, 30C, 30M, and 30Y, the nozzle rows ejecting each color are provided at different transport positions in the transport direction for each ejection head, as shown in FIG. 14. However, for example, in the case of a configuration in which ink droplets of different colors are ejected at the same position in the transport direction, it is not necessary to provide a time difference for each head in this manner.

[0172] Furthermore, as in step S5 of the flow shown in FIG. 12 above, at the start of a dyeing job group including one or more dyeing jobs, the first maintenance execution determination unit 505 determines whether to perform maintenance of the ejection head (start-up maintenance) based on the result of comparing the total time of the required embroidery time and the transport time after ejection with the set time. If, at the start of the dyeing job group, the total time of the predicted required embroidery time and the transport time after ejection corresponding to the first dyeing job is equal to or greater than the set time, it determines to perform maintenance. On the other hand, if the total time of the predicted required embroidery time and the transport time after ejection is less than the set time, it determines not to perform maintenance.

[0173] <Second example of the maintenance mechanism> In the above configuration example, when performing the dummy discharge operation, the discharge head is moved to retreat from the position facing the yarn to discharge the dummy discharge droplets, but the discharged droplets may be bent during flight so that they do not land on the yarn but land on the dummy discharge receiver. This configuration will be described below as a second configuration example of the maintenance mechanism with reference to Figures 16 to 18.

[0174] 16 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of a discharge head, a blank discharge receiver, and a deflection unit related to a maintenance mechanism of a second configuration example of the present invention. In this configuration example, the maintenance mechanism includes a maintenance unit 360 and a first electrode 34 in the discharge head 300K.

[0175] In this configuration example, a deflection unit 40 is provided as a maintenance mechanism for bending (deflecting) droplets discharged from the nozzle during flight. The deflection unit 40 deflects the flight direction of droplets discharged from the nozzle 31 to a direction (±Y direction) perpendicular to the transport direction of the yarn N.

[0176] The deflection unit 40 includes, for example, a first electrode 34, a second electrode 41, and a voltage application unit 42. The first electrode 34 is grounded, and a voltage is applied to the second electrode 41 from the voltage application unit 42.

[0177] More specifically, in the ejection head 300K of this configuration example, the first electrode 34 is provided on the nozzle surface 330 adjacent to the nozzle row 32a having the nozzles 31. The first electrode 34 is disposed on the front side or the back side in the depth direction so as to be adjacent to the nozzle row 32a at a predetermined interval.

[0178] The first electrode 34 is an elongated plate-like member that is long along the arrangement direction of the nozzle row 32a (the ±X direction in FIG. 16). Therefore, the first electrode 34 is disposed adjacent to each of all of the nozzles 31 of the nozzle row 32a provided in the ejection head 300K in a direction perpendicular to the arrangement direction of the nozzle row 32a on the lower nozzle surface 330 of the ejection head 300K.

[0179] 16, the first electrodes 34 are disposed on the rear side (+Y side) of the nozzle row 32a. The first electrodes 34 may be disposed on the front side (-Y side) of the nozzle row 32a, or on both sides (±Y sides) of the direction perpendicular to the yarn transport direction (+X side) which is the arrangement direction of the nozzle row 32a.

[0180] The second electrode 41 is disposed to face the nozzle surface 330 of the ejection head 300K via the thread N. In this configuration example, an upper plate 380 is provided on the second electrode 41, and a part of the upper plate 380 functions as an empty ejection receiver.

[0181] The voltage application unit 42 is electrically connected to the deflection control unit 705 , and applies a voltage to the second electrode 41 under the control of the deflection control unit 705 .

[0182] By applying a voltage to the second electrode 41, an electric field having a strength corresponding to the voltage value of the voltage applied to the second electrode 41 is formed between the second electrode 41 and the first electrode 34. Meanwhile, the droplets L0 ejected from the nozzle 31 are charged with a predetermined polarity and charge amount before flying from the nozzle 31. Therefore, under the influence of the electric field, the flying direction of the charged droplets L0 ejected from the nozzle 31 is deflected.

[0183] 16, the first electrode 34 is disposed on the rear side of the nozzle 31. Therefore, an electric field is formed between the first electrode 34 and the second electrode 41, so that the flight direction of the droplets L0 discharged from the nozzle 31 is deflected in the ±Y direction toward the rear or front side, which is a direction perpendicular to the transport direction of the yarn N. Whether the flight direction of the droplets L0 is deflected in the +Y direction or the -Y direction is determined by the charge applied before flight and the positive or negative voltage applied.

[0184] Here, when a droplet L0 is discharged from the nozzle 31 while no electric field is formed between the first electrode 34 and the second electrode 41, the discharged droplet L0 falls straight down due to gravity. The droplets falling straight down adhere to the yarn N extending so as to face the nozzle row 32a, so that dots L1 are adhered onto the yarn N, and the components of the dots L1 permeate the yarn N, so that the yarn N is colored (dyed).

[0185] On the other hand, when an electric field is formed between the first electrode 34 and the second electrode 41, if a droplet L0 is discharged from the nozzle 31, the falling direction (flight direction) of the discharged droplet L0 is deflected from directly below to the -Y direction, and a dot L2 lands on the upper plate 380. In this configuration example, an electric field is generated to deflect the flight direction of the droplet L0 in a direction perpendicular to the yarn transport direction, and the landing position of the droplet L0 is shifted from the yarn N to land on the upper plate 380, which is an empty discharge receiver, which is called an empty discharge operation.

[0186] It should be noted that the deflection unit 40 shown in Figure 16 has been described as being configured to generate an electric field to deflect the flight direction of the droplets L0, shifting the landing position of the droplets L0 from the thread N and causing them to land on the empty discharge receiver (upper panel) 380; however, the method of deflecting the droplets is not limited as long as the configuration is capable of deflecting the flight of the droplets.

[0187] For example, the deflection unit 40 may be configured to deflect the droplets L0 using a magnetic field, wind force, sound waves, etc. Alternatively, for example, the deflection unit 40 may be configured to include a plurality of heating members such as heaters directly below the nozzle 31, and the deflection direction and deflection amount may be adjusted by adjusting the heaters to be energized.

[0188] In the second configuration example, a maintenance unit 360 having an upper plate (empty discharge receiver) 380, a second electrode 41, and a voltage application unit 42, and a first electrode 34 in the discharge head 300K function as a maintenance mechanism 350K for the discharge head 300K.

[0189] 17 is a block diagram showing drive control of the dyeing device and the embroidery device in the second configuration example of the present invention. Only the differences from the first configuration example will be described.

[0190] In the control configuration of this example, a calculation mechanism 17 A has a deflection control unit 705 instead of the head position control unit 702 and the cap lift control unit 704 .

[0191] The deflection control unit 705 applies a voltage to the second electrode 41 of the deflection unit 40 when the maintenance execution timing for each head set by the data processing unit 701 is reached. Then, in a state where an electric field is formed between the first electrode 34 and the second electrode 41, droplets are ejected for a predetermined number of droplets or a predetermined time set in advance under the control of the head control unit 131K, whereby the blank ejection droplets whose flight path has changed land on the upper plate 380, which is a blank ejection receiver. When this blank ejection is completed, the deflection control unit 705 stops applying a voltage to the second electrode 41.

[0192] Then, the deflection control unit 705 feeds back to the head control unit 131K that the application of the electric field to the second electrode 41 has stopped, and the head control unit 131K resumes the discharge operation for dyeing the yarn N.

[0193] (Detailed maintenance flow for the second configuration example) Fig. 18 is a detailed flowchart of the maintenance execution operation according to the second configuration example of the present invention. The differences from the first configuration example will be described. If it is determined in steps S5, S11, and S13 of Fig. 12 that "the set time has elapsed and maintenance is required" (Yes), the process proceeds to step S6 (S14) and the flow of Fig. 18 is started.

[0194] In S501, an electric field is formed between the first electrode 34 and the second electrode 41 by applying a voltage to the second electrode 41 of the deflection section 40K to 40Y of the corresponding ejection head 300K to 300Y.

[0195] The relevant discharge heads here refer to the discharge heads 300K to 300Y that perform maintenance at respective timings advanced by the post-discharge transport times Tk, Tc, Tm, and Ty from the embroidery start time in response to a maintenance execution instruction to be executed between corresponding embroidery jobs, as shown in FIG. 15.

[0196] In this state, in S502, the corresponding discharge heads 300K to 300Y discharge droplets. By discharging droplets in a state in which an electric field is generated, the droplets are deflected in flight and land on a blank discharge receiver (upper plate 380) other than the yarn N, resulting in blank discharge.

[0197] After the predetermined dummy ejection is completed, in S503, the application of the voltage electric field to the second electrode 41 of the deflection unit is terminated.

[0198] In a configuration in which the ejection head is moved, such as the first configuration example shown in FIG. 13 above, position detection control is required to confirm the completion of the movement of the ejection head in order to improve the accuracy of the stopping position of the ejection head. In this configuration example, since there is no head movement, it is possible to adjust the landing position during maintenance by simply applying a voltage to the deflection unit, which is advantageous in terms of positional accuracy. Furthermore, since there is no need to move the ejection head, which takes time, the maintenance execution time can be shortened. However, an additional mechanism is required to generate an electric field.

[0199] Therefore, in the present invention, the configuration for performing the idle discharge operation (maintenance) is preferably selected from the first configuration example or the second configuration example as appropriate depending on the application, configuration, device size, and the like.

[0200] <Second embodiment> FIG. 19 is a schematic diagram of an example of an embroidery system 3B equipped with a dyeing device having a pretreatment liquid application function according to the second embodiment of the present invention.

[0201] In the present embodiment, in the dyeing apparatus 1B, a pre-treatment section 108 is provided upstream of the discharge heads 30K to 30Y, which are dyeing heads of the dyeing section 103, in the yarn N transport direction.

[0202] The pretreatment section 108 is provided with a pretreatment head 80, which is a discharge head that discharges droplets of the pretreatment liquid to apply the pretreatment liquid to the yarn N. The pretreatment liquid is a transparent pre-coating liquid that causes ink droplets for dyeing to aggregate on the yarn and prevents bleeding.

[0203] The configuration of the pre-treatment head 80 is similar to that of the ejection heads 30K to 30Y of the dyeing section 103, as shown in Figures 2 and 3, and includes a nozzle row in which nozzles that eject droplets are arranged in a row, and the arrangement direction of the nozzle row is approximately the same as the yarn transport direction.

[0204] In the pre-treatment section 108 as well, the head driving section drives the pre-treatment head 80 in conjunction with the conveyance of the yarn N.

[0205] FIG. 20 is a functional block diagram of a portion relating to discharge and maintenance control in the staining apparatus of the second embodiment.

[0206] In this embodiment, based on the inter-device distance D (see FIG. 19) between the dyeing device 1B and the embroidery device 2 acquired by the embroidery information acquisition unit 16, the inter-device distance calculation unit 521 of the data processing unit 701 calculates the inter-device distance dp between the pre-treatment head 80 and the tip of the needle 21 of the embroidery device 2. Then, the inter-device distance storage unit 522 stores the calculated inter-device distance.

[0207] Then, pre-processing head post-ejection transport required time calculation section 523 calculates the time Tp it takes for the droplets ejected from the nozzles of pre-processing head 80 to adhere to the thread and reach needle 21 of embroidery head 20.

[0208] Then, the head-by-head ejection data output unit 714B in the ejection data editing unit 710B outputs the pre-processing data and blank ejection data for the pre-processing head to the pre-processing head control unit 181 at a timing advanced by the post-ejection transport required time Tp for the corresponding embroidery job.

[0209] The pretreatment determination unit 524 also compares the total time of the time required for embroidery and the transport time after the discharge of the pretreatment liquid with a set time, and determines whether or not to perform maintenance of the pretreatment head 80 based on the comparison result. If, at the start of a dyeing job group, the total time of the estimated time required for embroidery corresponding to the first dyeing job and the transport time after the discharge of the pretreatment head 80 is equal to or greater than the set time, it determines to perform maintenance of the pretreatment head 80 (start-up maintenance). On the other hand, if the total time of the estimated time required for embroidery and the transport time after the discharge is less than the set time, it determines not to perform maintenance.

[0210] As a method of maintaining the pre-treatment head 80, FIG. 20 shows a configuration in which the head is moved to perform idle ejection as in the first configuration example, but idle ejection may also be performed by bending flying droplets using an electric field as in the second configuration example.

[0211] FIG. 21 is a diagram for explaining the calculated embroidery time corresponding to a dyeing job, the actual embroidery time, the dyeing time of the ejection head, and the pretreatment liquid application time.

[0212] In addition to the dyeing data and blank discharge data for each color, the dyeing operations, pretreatment liquid application operations, and maintenance operations are performed at timings advanced by the post-discharge transport times Tk, Tc, Tm, Ty, and Tp for the corresponding embroidery job, for the pretreatment data and blank discharge data for the pretreatment head.

[0213] As shown in FIG. 19, the pre-treatment unit 108 is located further upstream than the staining unit 103, and therefore, as shown in FIG. 21, maintenance of the pre-treatment head 80 is performed earlier than that of the ejection heads 30K to 30Y.

[0214] In this way, by calculating the time required for transport after ejection and taking that time into consideration, the dyeing time, the pre-treatment liquid application time, and the maintenance time are set to be earlier than the embroidery job, so that maintenance can be performed at the appropriate time even if the embroidery start position (post-treatment start position) is far from the head positions of the ejection heads 30K to 30Y and the pre-treatment head 80.

[0215] By this control, even if a pretreatment liquid is required, maintenance can be performed at an appropriate time.

[0216] Furthermore, in this embodiment, at the timing of step S5 at the start of the dye job group in the flow shown in FIG. 12 described above, it is possible to determine whether or not to perform maintenance on the pre-treatment head 80 based on the result of comparing the time required for embroidery with the total time of the transport time after ejection from the pre-treatment head 80 and a set time.

[0217] <Third embodiment> 22 is a schematic diagram of an example of an embroidery system having a host control device according to a third embodiment of the present invention. In this embodiment, the system 1000 has a host control device 4 in addition to the configuration of an embroidery system 3C.

[0218] Fig. 23 is a functional block diagram of a portion related to discharge and maintenance control according to the third embodiment. In the control configuration of Fig. 23, compared to the functional block shown in Fig. 10, the upper control device 4 executes some functions of the discharge data editing unit 710 and the maintenance control unit 720 in the calculation mechanism 17 of the dyeing device 1, and some functions of the calculation mechanism 25 of the embroidery device 2. Note that members with the same names as those in Fig. 10 have the same functions, so descriptions thereof will be omitted as appropriate.

[0219] The upper control device 4 has an input unit 410 , an embroidery data creation unit 420 , a discharge data editing unit 430 , and a maintenance control unit 440 .

[0220] The input unit 410, which is an embroidery image acquisition unit, is, for example, a communication unit with an external device or an operation panel, and acquires an embroidery image (embroidery file) that is the source of the embroidery data, and outputs it to the embroidery data creation unit 420 and the ejection data editing unit 430.

[0221] The embroidery data creation unit 420 creates embroidery data based on the embroidery image.

[0222] The discharge data editing unit 430 has a dyeing data creation unit for each job 431, a blank discharge data insertion unit 432, a blank discharge data storage unit 433, and a discharge data output unit for each head 434, and has the same functions as the discharge data editing unit 710 of the dyeing device 1. The discharge data editing unit 430 creates dyeing data based on an embroidery image, and outputs the discharge data in which maintenance data is inserted between dyeing jobs as necessary to the head control unit 131K.

[0223] The maintenance control unit 440 is executable to include a job-by-job embroidery required time prediction unit 441, a job-by-job predicted embroidery time memory unit 442, a post-maintenance predicted embroidery time counting unit 443, a set time memory unit 444, a first maintenance execution determination unit 445, a post-maintenance elapsed time counting unit 446, a second maintenance execution determination unit 447, a maintenance execution instruction unit 448, a head-to-means distance calculation unit 451, a means distance memory unit 452, and a head-to-means distance calculation unit 453.

[0224] Since the upper control device 4 has an embroidery data creation unit 420 for embroidery, an ejection data editing unit 430 for dyeing, and a maintenance control unit 440 all in one device, there is no need for an acquisition unit or communication unit for exchanging information on the number of stitches and thread speed in embroidery.

[0225] In the embroidery system 3C configured as above, the host controller 4 creates embroidery data and transmits the embroidery data to the embroidery device 2C. The embroidery device 2C then transmits the number of stitches and thread linear speed information (information on the current embroidery position) to the host controller 4. The dyeing device 1C also receives dyeing data and thread transport speed information from the host controller 4, and transmits information on the end timing of the dyeing job to the host controller 4 in order to set the timing for performing maintenance.

[0226] In this system, as shown in Figure 12, the actual elapsed time is compared with the set time, and the predicted embroidery time is compared with the set time, so that the actual maintenance interval is set at an appropriate timing without a large deviation from the set time. This allows proper maintenance of the discharge head of the dyeing section to be performed before the adverse effects of drying occur.

[0227] <Fourth embodiment> 24 is a schematic side view of an example of an integrated dyeing and embroidering device according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention. The dyeing and embroidering device 5 according to this embodiment is an in-line type dyeing and embroidering device, and includes a dyeing unit 100 and an embroidery unit 110.

[0228] In this embodiment, since the dyeing unit 100 and the embroidery unit 110 are provided in the same apparatus, the functions of the computing mechanisms 17 and 25 shown in FIG. 7 can be integrated into one computing device.

[0229] Although the preferred embodiments and examples of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments and examples. Furthermore, the present invention can be modified or changed in various ways in light of the scope of the appended claims. [Explanation of symbols]

[0230] 1,1A,1B,1C Staining equipment 2 Embroidery device 3,3B,3C embroidery system 4. Upper control device 5 Dyeing and embroidery equipment 20 embroidery head (embroidery means) 21 needles 22 Lower thread rotating body 23 Stage 24 Embroidery Data Creation Department 25 Computing mechanism 26 Stitch sensor 27 Driving Driver 30K, 30C, 30M, 30Y Discharge head (dyeing head) 31 Nozzle 32a, 32b nozzle rows 33 Nozzle surface 35 Maintenance Organization 36K, 36C, 36M, 36Y Maintenance Unit 37K, 37C, 37M, 37Y Cap 38 Collection surface (empty discharge receiver) 301 Head Driver 302 Piezoelectric element (pressure generating means) 310 Head movement means 34 First electrode 40 Deflection section 41 Second electrode 42 Voltage application section 80 Discharge head (pre-treatment head) 100 dyeing units 102 Transport mechanism 103 Dyeing Department 108 Pretreatment section 110 Embroidery unit 380 Top plate (empty discharge receiver) 430 Discharge Data Editing Department 440 Maintenance Control Unit 501,441 Job-by-job embroidery time prediction section 502,442 Job-specific predicted embroidery time memory 503,443 After maintenance embroidery time count unit 504,444 Setting time memory section 505,445 First maintenance execution determination unit 506,446 Post-maintenance time counter 507,447 Second maintenance execution determination unit 508,448 Maintenance Execution Instruction Department 511,451 Head-to-Means Distance Calculation Unit 512,452 Head-to-Means Distance Memory Unit 513,453 Calculation of time required for transport after ejection for each head 521 Inter-Vehicle Distance Calculation Unit 522 Inter-vehicle distance storage unit 523 Pretreatment head post-ejection transport required time calculation unit 710 Discharge Data Editing Department 720 Maintenance Control Unit B Lower thread C Cloth N Upper thread [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0231] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 6-305129

Claims

1. A dyeing device in which a post-treatment device that performs post-treatment using a linear medium is connected downstream in a conveying direction, A discharge head having a nozzle for discharging droplets onto a linear medium to dye the medium; a conveying mechanism that conveys the linear medium in cooperation with the post-processing device; a head driving unit that drives the ejection head in conjunction with the transport of the linear medium; A control unit that controls the head driving unit; A set time storage unit that stores a set time that is a threshold for determining whether or not to perform maintenance, The control unit is a determination unit that determines whether or not to perform maintenance of the ejection head based on a required time for post-processing for each dyeing job; A required time calculation unit, The linear medium is a thread, the post-processing device is an embroidery device having an embroidery means for creating embroidery data based on an embroidery manuscript and embroidering on a cloth using a thread threaded through a needle in accordance with the embroidery data; A dyeing job is an operation based on a thread dyeing instruction associated with a single embroidery manuscript, an embroidery information acquisition unit that acquires information on the number of stitches and thread line speed of the embroidery data created based on an embroidery image from the embroidery device; the required time calculation unit calculates a predicted required time for embroidery associated with a dyeing job in order to output the embroidery manuscript based on the number of stitches and the thread linear speed information; The job to be executed includes multiple dye jobs, The determination unit determines whether or not to perform maintenance of the discharge head based on the estimated time required for the embroidery, and determines to perform maintenance when, at the end of the current dyeing job, the total time of the estimated time required for the embroidery associated with the dyeing job from the time of performing the previous maintenance to the end of the next dyeing job is equal to or longer than a set time. Dyeing equipment.

2. The determination unit determines to perform maintenance when, at the end of the current dyeing job, the total time of the predicted embroidery time from the time of the previous maintenance execution to the time of the end of the next dyeing job is less than a set time, and when the total time of the actual time required from the time of the previous maintenance execution to the time of the end of the current dyeing job is equal to or greater than the set time. The dyeing apparatus according to claim 1.

3. A dyeing device in which a post-processing device that performs post-processing using a linear medium is connected downstream in a conveying direction, A discharge head having a nozzle for discharging droplets onto a linear medium to dye the medium; a conveying mechanism that conveys the linear medium in cooperation with the post-processing device; a head driving unit that drives the ejection head in conjunction with the transport of the linear medium; a control unit for controlling the head driving unit, The control unit is a determination unit that determines whether or not to perform maintenance of the ejection head based on a required time for post-processing for each dyeing job; A transport time calculation unit, The linear medium is a thread, the post-processing device is an embroidery device having an embroidery means for creating embroidery data based on an embroidery manuscript and embroidering on a cloth using a thread threaded through a needle in accordance with the embroidery data; A dyeing job is an operation based on a thread dyeing instruction associated with a single embroidery manuscript, the transport time calculation unit calculates a time required for a droplet discharged from a nozzle of the discharge head to adhere to a thread and reach a needle of the embroidery means; The determination unit determines whether to perform maintenance on the discharge head based on a result of comparing a total time of the required embroidery time and a transport time after discharge with a set time. Dyeing equipment.

4. the discharge head includes a pretreatment head that is provided upstream of the discharge head in a conveying direction of the yarn and that applies a pretreatment liquid to the yarn by discharging droplets thereon before dyeing, the head driving unit drives the pre-treatment head in conjunction with the conveyance of the yarn, The control unit is a post-pretreatment transport time calculation unit that calculates the time required for droplets discharged from the nozzles of the pretreatment head to adhere to the thread and reach the needle of the embroidery means; a pre-treatment determination unit that determines whether to perform maintenance of the pre-treatment head based on a result of a comparison between the time required for embroidery, a total time of a transport time after ejection of the pre-treatment head, and a set time, The dyeing apparatus according to claim 1.

5. a blank discharge receiver for receiving blank discharge droplets discharged from the discharge head for purposes other than dyeing the linear medium; The ejection head has a nozzle row in which a plurality of nozzles are arranged in a row, the transport mechanism transports the linear medium in a direction parallel to an arrangement direction of the nozzle row of the ejection head; The determination unit determines whether or not to perform a blank discharge operation including discharge into a blank discharge receiver as maintenance of the discharge head. The dyeing device according to any one of claims 1 to 4.

6. a head moving unit that can move the discharge head in a direction perpendicular to a transport direction of the linear medium, The blank discharge operation is an operation of retracting the nozzle row of the ejection head that is performing a dyeing operation from a position facing the linear medium; an operation of discharging blank discharge droplets from the nozzle row of the moved discharge head to the blank discharge receiver; an operation of returning the nozzle row of the ejection head to a position facing the linear medium, 6. The dyeing apparatus according to claim 5.

7. a first electrode provided on a nozzle surface of the ejection head on which the nozzle row is formed, extending in the same direction as the arrangement direction of the nozzle row and adjacent to the nozzle row in a direction perpendicular to the arrangement direction; a second electrode that is provided on a surface facing at least a part of the nozzle surface of the ejection head across the linear medium, and that generates an electric field between itself and the first electrode; The blank discharge operation is generating an electric field between the first electrode and the second electrode; an operation of discharging blank droplets from the nozzle row of the discharge head in a state in which the electric field is generated, and deflecting the blank droplets during flight to cause them to land on the blank droplet receiver; and ceasing the generation of the electric field.

6. The dyeing apparatus according to claim 5.

8. A dyeing device that dyes yarn, the dyeing device being connected to a post-treatment device downstream in the conveying direction that performs post-treatment using a linear medium; an embroidery device that embroiders a cloth using the thread sent from the dyeing device, The dyeing apparatus includes: A discharge head having a nozzle for discharging droplets onto the yarn to dye it; a conveying means for conveying the thread in cooperation with the embroidery device; a head driving unit that drives the discharge head in conjunction with the conveyance of the yarn; A set time storage unit that stores a set time that is a threshold for determining whether or not to perform maintenance, The embroidery device includes: an embroidery means for embroidering a cloth using the thread passed through a needle; a required time calculation unit that calculates a required embroidery time for each dyeing job; a determination unit that determines whether or not to perform maintenance of the ejection head based on the required time, the required time calculation unit and the determination unit are mounted on a host control device connectable to the dyeing device, the embroidery device, or the embroidery system, The linear medium is the thread, the post-processing device is an embroidery device having an embroidery means for creating embroidery data based on an embroidery manuscript and embroidering on a cloth using the thread threaded through a needle in accordance with the embroidery data; A dyeing job is an operation based on a thread dyeing instruction associated with a single embroidery manuscript, an embroidery information acquisition unit that acquires information on the number of stitches and thread line speed of the embroidery data created based on an embroidery image from the embroidery device; the required time calculation unit calculates a predicted required time for embroidery associated with a dyeing job in order to output the embroidery manuscript based on the number of stitches and the thread linear speed information; The job to be executed includes multiple dye jobs, The determination unit determines to perform maintenance when a total time of a predicted required time for the embroidery corresponding to a dyeing job from a time when the previous maintenance is performed to a time when the next dyeing job is completed is equal to or longer than a set time at the time when the current dyeing job is completed. Embroidery system.

9. The embroidery device includes: a current position determining unit that determines the number of stitches that a needle has sewn on a cloth in the embroidery data; A linear speed detection unit that detects the linear speed of the yarn, The required time calculation unit acquires the number of stitches and thread linear speed information of the embroidery data from the embroidery device, and calculates the required embroidery time for each dyeing job based on the number of stitches and the thread linear speed information. The embroidery system of claim 8 .

10. A method for controlling a dyeing device in which a post-processing device that performs post-processing using a linear medium is connected downstream in a conveying direction, comprising: The dyeing device includes an ejection head including a dyeing head having nozzles for ejecting droplets onto a linear medium to dye the medium, a transport means for transporting the linear medium in cooperation with the post-processing device, a head drive unit for driving the ejection head in cooperation with the transport of the linear medium, and a set time storage unit for storing a set time that is a threshold for determining whether maintenance should be performed; a required time calculation step of calculating a required time for post-processing for each dyeing job; a determination step of determining whether or not to perform maintenance of the dyeing head based on a required time for post-processing for each dyeing job; an embroidery information acquiring step of acquiring information on the number of stitches and thread linear speed of embroidery data created based on an embroidery image from an embroidery device; The linear medium is a thread, the post-processing device is an embroidery device having an embroidery means for creating the embroidery data based on an embroidery manuscript and embroidering on a cloth using a thread threaded through a needle in accordance with the embroidery data; A dyeing job is an operation based on a thread dyeing instruction associated with a single embroidery manuscript, In the required time calculation step, a predicted required time for embroidery associated with a dyeing job for outputting the embroidery manuscript is calculated based on the number of stitches and the yarn linear speed information; The job to be executed includes multiple dye jobs, In the determination step, it is determined whether or not to perform maintenance of the discharge head based on the estimated time required for the embroidery, and when the total time of the estimated time required for the embroidery associated with the dyeing job from the time of the previous maintenance execution to the time of the end of the next dyeing job is equal to or longer than a set time at the end of the current dyeing job, it is determined to perform the maintenance. A method for controlling a dyeing device.

11. A control program for a dyeing device in which a post-processing device that performs post-processing using a linear medium is connected downstream in a conveying direction, The dyeing device includes an ejection head including a dyeing head having nozzles for ejecting droplets onto a linear medium to dye the medium, a transport means for transporting the linear medium in cooperation with the post-processing device, a head drive unit for driving the ejection head in cooperation with the transport of the linear medium, and a set time storage unit for storing a set time that is a threshold for determining whether maintenance should be performed; a required time calculation process for calculating a required time for post-processing for each dyeing job; a determination process for determining whether or not to perform maintenance of the dyeing head based on the time required for post-processing for each dyeing job; An embroidery information acquisition unit process that acquires stitch count and thread line speed information of embroidery data created based on an embroidery image from an embroidery device; on the computer, The linear medium is a thread, the post-processing device is an embroidery device having an embroidery means for creating the embroidery data based on an embroidery manuscript and embroidering on a cloth using a thread threaded through a needle in accordance with the embroidery data; A dyeing job is an operation based on a thread dyeing instruction associated with a single embroidery manuscript, The required time calculation unit calculates a predicted required time for embroidery associated with a dyeing job to output the embroidery manuscript based on the number of stitches and the thread linear speed information, the determination process determines whether or not to perform maintenance of the ejection head based on the estimated time required for the embroidery; The job to be executed includes multiple dye jobs, In the determination process, when the total time of the predicted required time for the embroidery corresponding to the dyeing job from the time of the previous maintenance execution to the time of the end of the next dyeing job is equal to or longer than a set time at the time of the end of the current dyeing job, it is determined that the maintenance should be performed. Dyeing equipment control program.

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