JP2013043368A - Printing device and method for controlling the same - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a technology capable of accurately detecting a short circuit generated in a printing material cartridge.SOLUTION: The printing material cartridge having a first terminal, a second terminal, a third terminal and an electrical device connected to the first terminal and the second terminal can be mounted in the printing device. When the printing material cartridge is mounted to a cartridge mounting part, the printing device selectively applies an electrical signal to the first terminal and the second terminal, and detects, on the basis of a signal output from the third terminal, whether or not the short circuit is generated in the printing material cartridge.

Description

  The present invention relates to a printing apparatus capable of mounting a printing material cartridge and a control method thereof.

  2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, some printing material cartridges mounted in a printing apparatus are equipped with a storage device that stores information indicating the remaining amount of printing material and an electrical device to which a high voltage is applied from the printing apparatus side. . For example, Patent Document 1 discloses that a printing material cartridge is provided with a terminal for detecting a short circuit in order to prevent a high voltage from being applied to the storage device due to a short circuit between the electrical device and the storage device. ing.

  However, depending on the configuration of the circuit connecting the printing apparatus and the electrical device, the short circuit may not be detected with sufficient accuracy even if the printing material cartridge is provided with a terminal for detecting the short circuit. Such a problem is not limited to the use of the printing apparatus, the form of the cartridge, and the type of the printing material, but can also occur in various printing apparatuses and printing material cartridges attached thereto.

JP 2007-196664 A

  In light of the above-described problems, the problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide a technique capable of accurately detecting a short circuit occurring in a printing material cartridge.

  The present invention can be realized as the following forms or application examples in order to solve at least a part of the above-described problems.

Application Example 1 A printing apparatus in which a printing material cartridge can be mounted, wherein the printing material cartridge includes a first terminal, a second terminal, a third terminal, the first terminal, and the first terminal. An electrical device connected to the terminal of the cartridge, and a cartridge mounting portion to which the printing material cartridge is mounted, and when the printing material cartridge is mounted at least in the cartridge mounting portion, An electrical signal input to the electrical device is selectively applied to the first terminal and the second terminal, and a short circuit in the printing material cartridge is determined based on the signal output from the third terminal. And a control unit that detects presence or absence.

  According to such a configuration, in order to apply the electrical signal to the electrical device selectively (alternately) with respect to the first terminal and the second terminal respectively connected to the electrical device, the third terminal The presence or absence of a short circuit can be detected with high accuracy using the terminal.

[Application Example 2] The printing apparatus according to Application Example 1, further including an electric device connected between the first terminal and the control unit, and the second terminal and the control unit. A printing apparatus comprising at least one of electrical devices connected between the two.

  With such a configuration, the first terminal and the first terminal are connected by the electric device connected between the first terminal and the control unit or the electric device connected between the second terminal and the control unit. Even if the electrical signal applied to the second terminal is different, the electrical signal is selectively applied to the first terminal and the second terminal. The presence or absence of a short circuit can be detected well.

Application Example 3 The printing apparatus according to Application Example 1 or Application Example 2, wherein the control unit selectively applies an electrical signal to the first terminal and the second terminal. A printing apparatus that receives a response signal from the first terminal or the second terminal and detects a mounting state of the printing material cartridge based on the response signal.

  With such a configuration, it is possible to perform both short circuit detection and cartridge mounting state detection using the same terminal and the same electrical signal.

[Application Example 4] The printing apparatus according to Application Example 2 or Application Example 3, wherein the electric device connected to the first terminal and the second terminal, the first terminal, and the control unit And the electrical device connected between the second terminal and the control unit is a resistive element, respectively.

  With such a configuration, even if a voltage drop is caused by each resistance element, an electrical signal is selectively applied to the first terminal and the second terminal, so the third terminal is used. Thus, the presence or absence of a short circuit can be detected with high accuracy.

Application Example 5 In the printing apparatus according to any one of Application Example 1 to Application Example 4, the first terminal is in a state where the printing material cartridge is mounted on the cartridge mounting unit. A first contact portion that contacts a corresponding device-side terminal; and the second terminal contacts the corresponding device-side terminal when the printing material cartridge is mounted on the cartridge mounting portion. The third terminal has a third contact portion that contacts a corresponding device-side terminal in a state where the printing material cartridge is mounted on the cartridge mounting portion, and the third terminal The contact portion is disposed adjacent to at least one of the first contact portion and the second contact portion.

  With such a configuration, since the third contact portion is disposed adjacent to at least one of the first contact portion and the second contact portion, the third terminal is used to accurately short-circuit the third contact portion. The presence or absence can be detected.

Application Example 6 In the printing apparatus according to Application Example 5, the printing material cartridge includes a storage device and a plurality of fourth terminals connected to the storage device, and the plurality of fourth terminals. The terminal has a plurality of fourth contact portions that come into contact with corresponding device-side terminals in a state where the printing material cartridge is mounted on the cartridge mounting portion, and at least a part of the plurality of fourth contact portions. Is disposed between the first contact portion and the second contact portion, and the third contact portion is disposed between the first contact portion and the second contact portion. Not a printing device.

  With such a configuration, the possibility that the first terminal or the second terminal and the storage device are short-circuited can be detected using the third terminal.

  In addition to the configuration as the printing apparatus described above, the present invention can also be configured as a printing apparatus control method and a computer program for realizing such control. The computer program may be recorded on a computer-readable recording medium.

1 is a perspective view showing a main part of a printing apparatus as an embodiment of the present invention. It is a perspective view of a cartridge. It is a figure which shows the structure of a board | substrate. It is a perspective view of the contact mechanism provided in the cartridge mounting part. FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating an electrical configuration of a cartridge and a printing apparatus. It is a figure which shows the example of a total mounting detection signal and an individual mounting detection signal. It is a figure which shows the detailed internal structure of a mounting | wearing detection circuit. It is a figure which shows simply the connection state of a series connection resistance and a high voltage control part. It is a figure which shows an example of the recording content of a register. It is a figure which shows the waveform of the separate mounting | wearing detection signal when a short circuit detection part detects abnormal voltage. It is a figure for demonstrating the advantage which outputs a separate mounting | wearing detection signal alternately. It is a flowchart of a cartridge exchange process. It is a flowchart of a memory access process. It is a figure which shows the 1st example of the other connection state of each cartridge with respect to a high voltage control part. It is a figure which shows the 2nd example of the other connection state of each cartridge with respect to a high voltage control part. It is a figure which shows the modification of a board | substrate. It is a perspective view which shows the modification of a cartridge.

A. General configuration of printing device:
FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a main part of a printing apparatus 1000 as an embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 1, XYZ axes orthogonal to each other are drawn. The XYZ axes are attached to the drawings shown thereafter as necessary. In this embodiment, in the usage posture of the printing apparatus 1000, the Z-axis direction is the vertical direction, and the surface of the printing apparatus 1000 in the X-axis direction is the front surface. The printing apparatus 1000 has a main scanning feed mechanism, a sub-scan feed mechanism, and a head drive mechanism. The main scanning feed mechanism uses the power of the carriage motor 14 to reciprocate the carriage 30 connected to the drive belt 16 in the main scanning direction. The sub-scan feed mechanism transports the printing paper P in the sub-scanning direction using a paper feed roller 12 powered by a paper feed motor (not shown). The main scanning direction of the printing apparatus 1000 is the Y-axis direction, and the sub-scanning direction is the X-axis direction. The head drive mechanism drives the print head 32 provided in the carriage 30 to execute ink ejection and dot formation. The printing apparatus 1000 further includes a control unit 40 for controlling each mechanism described above. The control unit 40 is connected to the carriage 30 via a flexible cable 42.

  The carriage 30 includes a cartridge mounting unit 20 and a print head 32. The cartridge mounting unit 20 is configured to be capable of mounting a plurality of cartridges, and is disposed on the upper side of the print head 32. The cartridges mounted on the cartridge mounting unit 20 are arranged in the Y direction. The cartridge mounting unit 20 is also called a “holder”. In the example shown in FIG. 1, four cartridges can be mounted independently in the cartridge mounting unit 20, for example, four types of cartridges of black, yellow, magenta, and cyan are mounted one by one. The mounting direction of the cartridge is the −Z direction (vertically downward direction in this embodiment). In addition, as the cartridge mounting part 20, what can mount | wear with arbitrary multiple types of cartridges other than this can be utilized. An ink supply tube 24 for supplying ink from the cartridge to the print head 32 is disposed on the print head 32. A type of printing apparatus in which a cartridge exchanged by a user like the printing apparatus 1000 is mounted on a cartridge mounting portion on the carriage of the print head is referred to as an “on-carriage type”.

  In this embodiment, the position where the carriage 30 has moved to the end position in the −Y direction is referred to as a “home position”. At the home position, for example, when a new cartridge is mounted on the carriage 30, a process for filling the print head 32 with ink or when the power is turned off, the ink is supplied to the print head 32. A capping process for suppressing drying is performed. The position where the carriage 30 has moved to the approximate center in the Y direction is referred to as an “exchange position”. When the carriage 30 moves to the replacement position, the user can insert and remove the cartridge from the carriage 30 (can be replaced).

B. Cartridge configuration:
FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the cartridge 10. The mounting direction SD when the cartridge 10 is mounted on the cartridge mounting unit 20 is the −Z direction (in the present embodiment, the vertically downward direction). The cartridge 10 includes an ink storage unit 100 that stores ink as a printing material, and a substrate 200. An ink chamber 108 that stores ink is formed inside the ink storage unit 100. The ink containing portion 100 has a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape as a whole, and has six surfaces: a bottom surface 101, a top surface 102, a front surface 103, a back surface 104, a left side surface 105, and a right side surface 106. doing.

  An ink supply port 110 connected to the ink supply tube 24 of the printing apparatus 1000 when the cartridge 10 is mounted on the cartridge mounting unit 20 is formed on the bottom surface 101. In a state before use, the opening of the ink supply port 110 may be sealed with a cap, a film, or the like. A lever 120 is provided on the front surface 103. The lever 120 is used when the cartridge 10 is attached to or detached from the cartridge mounting portion 20. A substrate installation portion 180 is formed at a position where the bottom surface 101 and the front surface 103 intersect (that is, a corner portion at the lower front end of the ink containing portion 100), and the substrate 200 is installed on the substrate installation portion 180. The substrate installation unit 180 is configured as a slope inclined with respect to the bottom surface 101. A substrate 200 is placed on the substrate placement unit 180 with the substrate surface facing downward. Note that the configuration of such a cartridge is an example, and a cartridge having any other configuration can be adopted. The cartridge 10 and the carriage 30 are provided with a sensor mechanism for optically detecting the remaining amount of ink in the cartridge 10, but the illustration thereof is omitted here.

  FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of the substrate 200. FIG. 3A shows the configuration of the surface of the substrate 200. The surface of the substrate 200 is a surface exposed to the outside when mounted on the cartridge 10. FIG. 3B shows the substrate 200 viewed from the side. A boss groove 201 for fixing the substrate is formed at the upper end portion of the substrate 200, and a boss hole 202 is formed at the lower end portion of the substrate 200.

  An arrow Z in FIG. 3A indicates the direction in which the cartridge 10 is inserted into the cartridge mounting portion 20. The substrate 200 includes a storage device 203 and a resistance element 204 on the back surface, and a terminal group including nine cartridge side terminals 210 to 290 on the front surface. The storage device 203 stores information related to the remaining amount of ink in the cartridge 10. The cartridge side terminals 210 to 290 are formed in a substantially rectangular shape and are arranged so as to form two rows substantially perpendicular to the insertion direction Z. Of the two rows, the row located on the insertion direction Z side, that is, the lower side in FIG. 3A is referred to as the lower row, and is located on the opposite side of the insertion direction Z, that is, the upper side in FIG. The column to be called is called the upper column.

The cartridge side terminals 210 to 240 forming the upper row and the cartridge side terminals 250 to 290 forming the lower row are arranged in the following order, respectively.
<Upper row>
(1) First short-circuit detection terminal 210 (for both short-circuit detection / all-mount detection)
(2) Reset terminal 220
(3) Clock terminal 230
(4) Second short-circuit detection terminal 240 (for both short-circuit detection / all-mount detection)
<Lower row>
(5) First mounting detection terminal 250 (for both short circuit detection / individual mounting detection)
(6) Power supply terminal 260
(7) Ground terminal 270
(8) Data terminal 280
(9) Second mounting detection terminal 290 (for both short-circuit detection / individual mounting detection)

  Each cartridge-side terminal 210 to 290 includes a contact portion cp in contact with a corresponding terminal among the plurality of device-side terminals at the center thereof. The contact portions cp of the cartridge side terminals 210 to 240 forming the upper row and the contact portions cp of the cartridge side terminals 250 to 290 forming the lower row are alternately arranged to form a so-called staggered arrangement. ing. Further, the cartridge side terminals 210 to 240 forming the upper row and the cartridge side terminals 250 to 290 forming the lower row are also arranged in a staggered manner so that the center of each other is not aligned in the insertion direction Z. Make up the arrangement.

  The first mounting detection terminal 250 is adjacent to the two cartridge side terminals (the power supply terminal 260 and the first short circuit detection terminal 210), and the first short circuit detection terminal 210 is the first mounting terminal. It is located in the vicinity of the detection terminal 250, and is particularly disposed at a position closest to the first mounting detection terminal 250. Similarly, the second mounting detection terminal 290 is adjacent to the two cartridge side terminals (the second short detection terminal 240 and the data terminal 280), of which the second short detection terminal 240 is It is in the vicinity of the second mounting detection terminal 290, and is particularly disposed at a position closest to the second mounting detection terminal 290.

  Looking at the relationship between the contact portions cp, the contact portion cp of the first mounting detection terminal 250 is adjacent to the contact portions cp of the two terminals (the power supply terminal 260 and the first short-circuit detection terminal 210). . Similarly, the contact portion cp of the second mounting detection terminal 290 is adjacent to the contact portions cp of the two terminals (second short-circuit detection terminal 240 and data terminal 280).

  As can be seen from FIG. 3A, the first mounting detection terminal 250 and the second mounting detection terminal 290 are respectively disposed at both ends of the lower row, that is, at the outermost side of the lower row. The lower row has more terminals than the upper row, and the length of the lower row in the direction substantially perpendicular to the insertion direction Z is longer than the length of the upper row. Therefore, the first mounting detection terminal 250 and the second mounting detection terminal 290 are located on the outermost side in the direction substantially perpendicular to the insertion direction Z among all the terminals 210 to 290 including the upper row and the lower row. ing.

  Further, the contact portions cp of the first mounting detection terminal 250 and the second mounting detection terminal 290 are respectively located at both ends of the lower row formed by the contact portions cp of the respective terminals, that is, at the outermost side of the lower row. positioned. The contact portions cp of the first mounting detection terminal 250 and the second mounting detection terminal 290 are substantially perpendicular to the insertion direction Z in the contact portions cp of all the terminals 210 to 290 including the upper row and the lower row. It is located on the outermost side in the direction.

  The 1st short circuit detection terminal 210 and the 2nd short circuit detection terminal 240 are each arrange | positioned at the both ends of an upper row, ie, the outermost part of an upper row. As a result, the contact portions cp of the first short-circuit detection terminal 210 and the second short-circuit detection terminal 240 are similarly located at both ends of the upper row formed by the contact portions cp of each terminal, that is, at the outermost side. ing. Accordingly, the terminals 220, 230, 260, 270, and 280 for the storage device 203 are a pair of the first short detection terminal 210 and the first attachment detection terminal 250, and the second short detection terminal 240 and the second attachment. It arrange | positions so that it may be pinched | interposed into the detection terminal 290 pair from both sides.

  FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the contact mechanism 22 provided in the cartridge mounting portion 20. The contact mechanism 22 is a member for electrically connecting the cartridge side terminals 210 to 290 on the substrate 200 and a control circuit in the printing apparatus 1000. The contact mechanism 22 is provided with a plurality of device side terminals 510 to 590. The plurality of device-side terminals 510 to 590 are electrically connected to the cartridge-side terminals 210 to 290 on the substrate 200 when the cartridge 10 is mounted on the cartridge mounting unit 20. Each of the device side terminals 510 to 590 is formed of an elastically deformable metal member (elastic member), and biases the substrate 200 upward in a state where the cartridge 10 is mounted. Note that the center terminal 570 in the lower end row has a higher protruding height than the other terminals. Therefore, when the cartridge 10 is mounted in the cartridge mounting portion 20, the terminal 570 comes into contact with the terminal of the board earlier than the other apparatus side terminals. In other words, among the terminals 210 to 290 (FIG. 3) of the substrate 200, the ground terminal 270 contacts the device side terminal earlier than the other terminals.

C. Electrical configuration:
FIG. 5 is a block diagram illustrating an electrical configuration of the cartridge 10 and the printing apparatus 1000. The printing apparatus 1000 includes a display panel 430, an operation panel 450, a main control circuit 400, and a carriage circuit 500. FIG. 5 shows an example in which only one cartridge 10 is connected to the carriage circuit 500 for ease of explanation. In FIG. 5, wiring names SCK, VDD, SDA, RST, OV1, OV2, DT1, and DT2 are attached to wirings that connect the device side terminals 510 to 590 and the cartridge side terminals 210 to 290 of the substrate 200. Has been. Of these wiring names, the same names as the signal names are used for wiring for the storage device.

  The display panel 430 is a display device that displays various information such as the operation state of the printing apparatus 1000 and the mounting state of the cartridge 10 in accordance with instructions from the main control circuit 400.

  The operation panel 450 is an input device for receiving an operation related to printing or an operation related to replacement of the cartridge 10 from a user and transmitting the operation content to the main control circuit 400.

  The main control circuit 400 is included in the control unit 40 shown in FIG. On the other hand, the carriage circuit 500 is provided in the carriage 30 that reciprocates in the main scanning direction. Therefore, the main control circuit 400 and the carriage circuit 500 are connected by a bus via the flexible cable 42 shown in FIG.

  The main control circuit 400 has a CPU 410 and a memory 420. The CPU 410 executes a predetermined control program stored in the memory 420, thereby realizing a printing function using the main scanning feed mechanism, the sub-scan feed mechanism, and the head drive mechanism. Further, the CPU 410 functions as the exchange detection unit 415 by executing a predetermined control program stored in the memory 420.

  The replacement detection unit 415 has a function of detecting whether or not the cartridge 10 is replaced. In this embodiment, the replacement detection unit 415 determines that the cartridge 10 is to be replaced when it is detected through the operation panel 450 that the user has performed a predetermined operation for replacing the cartridge 10.

  The carriage circuit 500 includes a storage device control circuit 501 and a mounting detection circuit 503. Two types of power supply voltages, a high voltage power supply VHV and a low voltage power supply VDD, are applied to the carriage circuit 500. In this embodiment, the potential of the high voltage power supply VHV is 42V, and the potential of the low voltage power supply VDD is 3.3V. Note that these potentials can be set to other values as appropriate according to the circuit design. However, the potential of the high voltage power supply VHV is higher than the potential of the low voltage power supply VDD.

  The storage device control circuit 501 is a circuit that controls the storage device 203 provided on the substrate 200 of the cartridge 10 to read and write data. The storage device control circuit 501 and the storage device 203 of the cartridge 10 are low voltage circuits that operate based on the low voltage power supply VDD. The storage device control circuit 501 includes a plurality of switch circuits 502 each configured by a transistor, and is connected to each of the device side terminals 520, 530, 560, 570, and 580 via the switch circuit 502. . The storage device control circuit 501 controls these switch circuits 502 so that the device-side terminals 520, 530, 560, 570, and 580 are individually connected in a conductive state, a ground state, and a high impedance state (Hi-Z). ), And three electrical states. The “high impedance state” is referred to as “floating state” or “insulated state”. When the device-side terminal is turned on, the storage device control circuit 501 can access the storage device 203, and a high (3.3 V) or low (0 V) signal can be output (or input). it can. Hereinafter, the device side terminals 520, 530, 560, 570, and 580 are also referred to as “main body side memory terminals”. Note that the ground state by the switch circuit 502 may be realized by outputting a low signal in the conductive state.

  Of the nine terminals provided on the substrate 200 of the cartridge 10, the reset terminal 220, the clock terminal 230, the power supply terminal 260, the ground terminal 270, and the data terminal 280 are electrically connected to the storage device 203. ing. Hereinafter, these terminals are also referred to as “memory terminals on the cartridge side”. The storage device 203 includes, for example, a memory cell array (not shown), and is a nonvolatile memory that writes data to the memory cell array or reads data from the memory cell array based on the clock signal SCK and the data signal SDA. It is memory.

  The clock terminal 230 is electrically connected to the apparatus-side terminal 530 when the cartridge 10 is mounted on the cartridge mounting unit 20. The clock terminal 230 is used to supply the clock signal SCK from the storage device control circuit 501 to the storage device 203 when the switch circuit 502 connected to the device side terminal 530 is in a conductive state. The data terminal 280 is electrically connected to the apparatus-side terminal 580 when the cartridge 10 is mounted on the cartridge mounting unit 20. The data terminal 280 is used to exchange a data signal SDA between the storage device control circuit 501 and the storage device 203 when the switch circuit 502 connected to the device side terminal 580 is in a conductive state. The reset terminal 220 is electrically connected to the apparatus-side terminal 520 when the cartridge 10 is mounted on the cartridge mounting unit 20. The reset terminal 220 is used to supply a reset signal RST from the storage device control circuit 501 to the storage device 203 when the switch circuit 502 connected to the device side terminal 520 is in a conductive state. The power supply terminal 260 is electrically connected to the device-side terminal 560 when the cartridge 10 is mounted on the cartridge mounting unit 20, and is connected to the storage device control circuit 501 (more specifically, a switch circuit connected to the device-side terminal 560. 502) is used to receive the supply voltage (3.3V high signal). The ground terminal 270 is electrically connected to the device-side terminal 570 when the cartridge 10 is mounted on the cartridge mounting portion 20, and the storage device control circuit 501 (more specifically, a switch circuit connected to the device-side terminal 570). 502) to be used for grounding.

  As described above, the storage device control circuit 501 can individually set the electrical states of the device-side terminals 520, 530, 560, 570, and 580 to the conductive state, the ground state, and the high impedance state. Therefore, when the storage device control circuit 501 sets all the electrical states of the device side terminals 520, 530, 560, 570, and 580 to a high impedance state, the storage device 203 on the substrate 200 causes the cartridge 10 to be connected to the cartridge mounting portion 20. Even in the mounted state, it is electrically insulated from the carriage circuit 500. Further, if the storage device control circuit 501 sets all the electrical states of the device side terminals 520, 530, 560, 570, and 580 to the ground state, the cartridge 10 may be in a state where it is mounted in the cartridge mounting portion 20. All memory terminals on the cartridge side are grounded.

  Device side terminals 510, 540, 550, and 590 are electrically connected to the mounting detection circuit 503. The device-side terminal 510 is electrically connected to the first short-circuit detection terminal 210 on the substrate 200 when the cartridge 10 is mounted on the cartridge mounting unit 20. The device-side terminal 540 is electrically connected to the second short-circuit detection terminal 240 when the cartridge 10 is mounted on the cartridge mounting unit 20. The device-side terminal 550 is electrically connected to the first mounting detection terminal 250 when the cartridge 10 is mounted on the cartridge mounting unit 20. The device-side terminal 590 is electrically connected to the second mounting detection terminal 290 when the cartridge 10 is mounted on the cartridge mounting unit 20.

  The first mounting detection terminal 250 and the second mounting detection terminal 290 on the substrate 200 are connected via a resistance element 204. The first short circuit detection terminal 210 and the second short circuit detection terminal 240 are connected to each other by a wiring 205 in the substrate 200. The state in which the two terminals are connected by wiring is also referred to as “short-circuit connection” or “conductor connection”. A short-circuit connection by wiring is different from an unintended short circuit.

  The attachment detection circuit 503 applies a pulse signal having a predetermined cycle from the device-side terminal 540 to the second short-circuit detection terminal 240 on the substrate 200. This pulse signal output to the second short circuit detection terminal 240 is hereinafter referred to as an “all attachment detection signal”. The total mounting detection signal flows through the second short circuit detection terminal 240, the wiring 205, and the first short circuit detection terminal 210 of the substrate 200 and is input again to the mounting detection circuit 503 through the device side terminal 510. In FIG. 5, only one cartridge 10 is shown for the sake of simplicity of explanation. However, as will be described later, in actuality, the entire mounting detection signal is transmitted to all the cartridge mounting units 20 (this embodiment). When all of the second short circuit detection terminal 240, the wiring 205, and the first short circuit detection terminal 210 of each of the cartridges 10 connected in series by mounting four cartridges 10 in the example flow, The signal is input again to the mounting detection circuit 503 as a response signal. The mounting detection circuit 503 detects whether all the cartridges 10 are mounted on the cartridge mounting unit 20 based on the state of the response signal. The all-mounting detection signal may be applied to the first short circuit detection terminal 210 side, and the response signal may be received from the device side terminal 540 side.

  The mounting detection circuit 503 alternately (selectively) has a predetermined cycle with respect to the first mounting detection terminal 250 and the second mounting detection terminal 290 on the substrate 200 through the device side terminal 550 and the device side terminal 590. Apply a pulse signal. The pulse signals applied alternately to the first mounting detection terminal 250 and the second mounting detection terminal 290 are hereinafter referred to as “individual mounting detection signals”. This individual mounting detection signal is also referred to as a “short circuit detection signal”. The individual mounting detection signal output from one of the device side terminal 550 and the device side terminal 590 flows through the first mounting detection terminal 250, the resistance element 204, and the second mounting detection terminal 290 of the substrate 200, and the other It is input again as a response signal to the attachment detection circuit 503 through the terminal. The mounting detection circuit 503 individually detects whether or not each cartridge 10 is mounted on the cartridge mounting unit 20 based on the response signal.

  FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of all mounting detection signals and individual mounting detection signals. FIG. 6A shows an example of a total mounting detection signal applied from the device-side terminal 540 to the second short-circuit detection terminal 240 (OV2). FIG. 6B shows an individual mounting detection signal applied from the device side terminal 550 to the first mounting detection terminal 250 (DT1), and a second mounting detection terminal 290 (DT2) from the device side terminal 590. An example of an individual mounting detection signal applied to the is shown. In the present embodiment, a rectangular wave-like pulse signal whose potential changes from 0 V to 3.3 V is output as a full mounting detection signal in a cycle of 4 ms. Further, as the individual mounting detection signal, a rectangular wave pulse signal whose potential changes from 0V to 42V is output in a cycle of 2 ms. It should be noted that the cycle of the all mounting detection signal and the individual mounting detection signal is arbitrary, and the cycle of these signals may be synchronized or may be asynchronous. In addition, the waveform is not limited to a rectangular wave, and various waveforms such as a sine wave, a triangular wave, and a sawtooth wave can be employed.

  FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a detailed internal configuration of the mounting detection circuit 503. Here, a state where four cartridges 10 are mounted on the cartridge mounting unit 20 is shown, and reference numerals IC1 to IC4 are used to distinguish the cartridges 10 from each other. The mounting detection circuit 503 includes a high voltage control unit 610, an individual mounting detection unit 620, a register 630, a total mounting detection unit 640, a total mounting detection signal generation unit 650, and a short circuit detection unit 660. Yes.

  The high voltage controller 610 receives a high voltage power supply VHV and a ground potential, and includes two input / output ports VA and VB and one input port VC. The high voltage control unit 610 alternately sends the individual mounting detection signals shown in FIG. 6B from the input / output port VA and the input / output port VB to the first mounting detection terminal 250 and the first mounting terminal 250 of each cartridge IC1 to IC4. 2 in parallel to the mounting detection terminal 290. The input port VC is connected to a short circuit detector 660 described later.

The input / output port VA is connected in parallel to the four device-side terminals 550 provided at the mounting positions of the cartridges IC1 to IC4. Each device-side terminal 550 is connected to the first mounting detection terminal 250 of the corresponding cartridge. In each cartridge, the resistance element 204 is provided between the first mounting detection terminal 250 and the second mounting detection terminal 290, respectively. The resistance values of the resistance elements 204 of the four cartridges IC1 to IC4 are set to the same value R. In the mounting detection circuit 503, resistance elements 631 to 634 connected in series with the resistance element 204 of each cartridge are provided. The resistance values of the resistance elements 631 to 634 are set to different values. Specifically, among these resistance elements 631 to 634, the resistance value of the resistance element 63n associated with the nth (n = 1 to 4) cartridge ICn is (2 ⁿ −1) R (R is Is set to a certain value). As a result, a series connection resistance having a resistance value of 2 ⁿ R is formed by the series connection of the resistance element 204 in the nth cartridge and the resistance element 63n in the attachment detection circuit 503. The 2 ⁿ R resistors for the nth (n = 1 to N) cartridge are connected in parallel to the input / output port VB of the high voltage controller 610.

FIG. 8 is a diagram simply showing a connection state between the series connection resistor and the high voltage control unit 610. As shown in FIG. 8, 2 ⁿ R series connection resistors 701 to 704 for the nth (n = 1 to N) cartridge are connected in parallel between the input / output port VA and the input / output port VB of the high voltage control unit 610. Connected to. The high voltage control unit 610 alternately acquires the detection current _IDET determined according to the mounting state of each cartridge from the input / output port VB or the input / output port VA, and outputs the detection current _IDET to the individual mounting detection unit 620. To do. Detection current I _DET is a value VHV / Rc obtained by dividing the voltage VHV at the combined resistance value Rc of the four series connected resistors 701 to 704. Here, when the number of cartridges is N, when all N cartridges are mounted, the detection current I _DET is given by the following equation, for example. However, the internal resistance provided in the high voltage control unit 610 or the individual mounting detection unit 620 in order to measure the current value of the detection current _IDET is ignored in this embodiment.

If one or more cartridges are not mounted, the combined resistance value Rc increases and the detection current _IDET decreases accordingly.

FIG. 8 (B) shows a mounting state of the cartridge IC1～IC4, the relationship between the detected current I _DET. The horizontal axis in the figure shows 16 types of mounting states, and the vertical axis shows the value of the detection current _IDET in these mounting states. The 16 types of mounting states correspond to 16 combinations obtained by arbitrarily selecting 1 to 4 cartridges from the four cartridges IC1 to IC4. The detection current _IDET has a current value that can uniquely identify these 16 types of mounting states. In other words, the individual resistance values of the four series-connected resistors 701 to 704 associated with the four cartridges IC1 to IC4 are 16 different mounting states that the four cartridges can take, and different combined resistance values Rc. Is set to give.

If the four cartridges IC1~IC4 all mounted state, the detection current I _DET is at its maximum value I _max. On the other hand, when only the cartridge IC 4 associated with the series connection resistor 704 having the largest resistance value is not mounted, the detection current I _DET is 0.93 times the maximum value Imax. Therefore, if it is checked whether or not the detection current I _DET is _{equal to} or greater than a threshold current I _thmax set in advance as a value between these two current values, all four cartridges _{IC1 to IC4} are mounted. It is possible to detect whether or not. The reason why the voltage VHV (42 V) higher than the voltage of the low voltage power supply VDD (about 3.3 V) is used to individually detect the mounting of the cartridge is that the detection current I _DET has a wide dynamic range. This is to improve the detection accuracy.

Individual mounting detection unit 620 acquires the detection current I _DET from the high voltage control unit 610, according to the value, from among the 16 kinds of combinations shown in FIG. 8 (B), identify the mounted state of the cartridge To do. This specification is performed at the rise of the individual mounting detection signal alternately output from the input / output port VA and the input / output port VB, that is, every 1 ms. Then, the individual mounting detection unit 620 records the specified mounting state in the register 630 (FIG. 6).

  FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating an example of recorded contents of the register 630. The register 630 records the current mounting state of each cartridge by “1” or “0”. In this embodiment, “1” is recorded when the cartridge is removed, and “0” is recorded when the cartridge is attached. As described above, this wearing state is updated every 1 ms. The recorded content of the register 630 is read by the main control circuit 400 at a predetermined cycle (for example, 400 ms). The main control circuit 400 displays the mounting state of each cartridge on the display panel 430 according to the reading result. The cycle in which the main control circuit 400 reads the recorded content is set to a time shorter than the shortest time required for the user to physically replace the cartridge.

  In the register 630, mounting history information of each cartridge is also recorded. The mounting history information is information indicating whether a currently mounted cartridge has been removed even once in the past. For example, “1” is recorded if it has been removed even once in the past, and “0” is recorded if it has never been removed. Whether or not it has been removed once in the past can be determined based on, for example, mounting history information recorded in the storage device 203 provided in the cartridge. For example, when the main control circuit 400 reads the mounting history information in the register 630 and determines that the currently mounted cartridge has been mounted in the past, the initial control of the ink to the ink supply tube 24 is performed. It is possible to perform control such that the suction amount at the time of filling is larger than that of a cartridge that has not been mounted in the past. By performing such control, it is possible to perform an appropriate filling process according to the difference in the amount of bubble squeezed into the ink between the newly mounted cartridge and the remounted cartridge.

  Here, the description returns to FIG. In each cartridge, the first short-circuit detection terminal 210 and the second short-circuit detection terminal 240 are connected by a wiring 205. The first short circuit detection terminal 210 of the first cartridge IC 1 is connected to the wiring 651 in the mounting detection circuit 503 via the corresponding device side terminal 510, and this wiring 651 is connected to the all mounting detection unit 640. Yes. The second short-circuit detection terminal 240 of the nth (n = 1 to 3) cartridge and the first short-circuit detection terminal 210 of the (n + 1) th cartridge are connected to each other via corresponding device side terminals 540 and 510. The The second short circuit detection terminal 240 of the fourth cartridge IC 4 is connected to the all mounting detection signal generation unit 650. Therefore, if all the cartridges IC1 to IC4 are mounted in the cartridge mounting unit 20, the entire mounting detection signal generation unit 650 and the all mounting detection unit 640 are all electrically connected. Therefore, the total mounting detection unit 640 is output from the total mounting detection signal generation unit 650, and flows through the second short circuit detection terminal 240, the wiring 205, and the first short circuit detection terminal 210 of all the cartridges IC1 to IC4. By receiving the mounting detection signal as a response signal through the wiring 651, it can be determined whether there is an unmounted cartridge. As described above, in this embodiment, when all the cartridges IC1 to IC4 are mounted in the cartridge mounting portion 20, the short circuit detection terminals 240 and 210 of each cartridge are sequentially connected in series. It is possible to immediately determine whether or not one or more cartridges are not mounted, depending on whether or not an all mounting detection signal has been input. Note that the determination result by the all attachment detection unit 640 is output via a predetermined output port 647 of the attachment detection circuit 503. In the present embodiment, the all mounted detection unit 640 sets the output of the output port 647 to high (“1”) when there is an unmounted cartridge, and when there is no unmounted cartridge, If a cartridge is installed, its output is low (“0”).

  The first short detection terminals 210 of the four cartridges IC1 to IC4 are connected to the anode terminals of the diodes 641 to 644 via the corresponding device side terminals 510. The second short circuit detection terminals 240 of the four cartridges IC1 to IC4 are connected to the anode terminals of the diodes 642 to 645 via the corresponding device side terminals 540. The anode terminal of the diode 642 is commonly connected to the second short circuit detection terminal 240 of the first cartridge IC1 and the first short circuit detection terminal 210 of the second cartridge IC2. Similarly, the diodes 643 and 644 are connected in common to the second short-circuit detection terminal 240 of one cartridge and the first short-circuit detection terminal 210 of the adjacent cartridge.

  The cathode terminals of these diodes 641 to 645 are connected in parallel to the short-circuit detection unit 660. During normal operation, the entire mounting detection signal output from the all mounting detection signal generator 650 is input to the short circuit detection unit 660 through each diode. In the entire mounting detection signal to be input, the potential of 3.3 V is lowered to about 2.5 V due to a voltage drop by the diode. However, when an abnormal voltage (specifically, a voltage exceeding the voltage value of the low-voltage power supply VDD) is applied to the short-circuit detection terminals 210 and 240, the short-circuit detection unit 660 passes through any one of the diodes 641 to 645. In addition, the abnormal voltage is applied. Such an abnormal voltage is generated when an unintended short circuit occurs between one of the short circuit detection terminals 210 and 240 of each cartridge and one of the mounting detection terminals 250 and 290. Such a short circuit is, for example, between the first short circuit detection terminal 210 and the first mounting detection terminal 250 of the substrate 200 (FIG. 3A), or between the second short circuit detection terminal 240 and the second mounting circuit. This may occur when foreign matter (for example, ink droplets or dust) adheres between the detection terminals 290. The short-circuit detection unit 660 constantly outputs a predetermined reference voltage (for example, 3.3 V) exceeding the maximum voltage of all mounting detection signals after a voltage drop by the diode and an applied voltage (voltage after the voltage drop by the diode). In contrast, when the applied voltage exceeds the reference voltage, a signal indicating the occurrence of an abnormal voltage is supplied to the high voltage control unit 610. Upon receiving this signal, the high voltage control unit 610 immediately stops outputting the individual mounting detection signal, and the voltage of the individual mounting detection signal does not exceed the absolute maximum rated voltage (for example, 5 V) of the storage device 203. Like that.

  FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a waveform of an individual mounting detection signal when the short circuit detection unit 660 detects an abnormal voltage. The horizontal axis in FIG. 10 indicates the elapsed time after the short circuit detection unit 660 detects the abnormal voltage, and the vertical axis indicates the voltage applied to the short circuit detection unit 660. As shown in FIG. 10, for example, if the output of the individual mounting detection signal is stopped immediately after detecting an abnormal voltage, in this embodiment, the increase in potential generally falls below the absolute maximum rating of the storage device 203. It becomes possible to keep it at about 8V, and after 0.15 μs, the potential can be lowered to 0V. In the present embodiment, the individual mounting detection signal is stopped immediately after detecting the abnormal voltage in this way, so that the storage device 203 on the cartridge side and the circuit on the printing device side (for example, the storage device control circuit 501) have a high voltage. Can be suppressed from being applied.

  As described above, in this embodiment, the high voltage control unit 610 alternately connects the first mounting detection terminal 250 and the second mounting detection terminal 290 on the substrate 200 through the two input / output ports VA and VB. Outputs individual mounting detection signal. Hereinafter, advantages of alternately outputting the individual mounting detection signals will be described.

  FIG. 11 is a diagram for explaining the advantage of alternately outputting individual mounting detection signals. 11A and 11B show examples in which the cartridge IC1 and the high voltage control unit 610 are connected to each other. FIG. 11A shows a case where an individual mounting detection signal is output from the input / output port VA, and FIG. 11B shows a case where an individual mounting detection signal is output from the input / output port VB.

  As shown in FIG. 7, when the cartridge IC 1 is mounted on the cartridge mounting unit 20, the input / output port VA of the high voltage control unit 610 and the first mounting detection terminal 250 of the cartridge IC 1 are directly connected. Connected. On the other hand, the input / output port VB of the high voltage control unit 610 and the second mounting detection terminal 290 of the cartridge IC 1 are connected via a resistance element 631. Further, on the substrate 200, the first mounting detection terminal 250 and the second mounting detection terminal 290 are connected via the resistance element 204. Therefore, when a voltage of 42 V is output from the input / output port VA, a combination of voltages applied to the first mounting detection terminal 250 and the second mounting detection terminal 290 and a voltage of 42 V are output from the input / output port VB. In this case, the combination of voltages applied to the first mounting detection terminal 250 and the second mounting detection terminal 290 respectively differs depending on the voltage division by the resistance element 204 and the resistance element 631.

Here, for example, the resistance value of the resistance element 204 on the cartridge IC 1 side is 62 kΩ, and the resistance value of the resistance element 631 on the printing apparatus 1000 side is 20 kΩ. As shown in FIG. 11A, when a voltage of 42 V is output from the input / output port VA, the potential of the first mounting detection terminal 250 is 42 V and is applied to the second mounting detection terminal 290. The voltage is about 10V. As described above, in this embodiment, since the internal resistance of the high voltage control unit 610 or the individual mounting detection unit 620 for measuring the current value of the detection current _IDET is ignored, the potential of the input / output port VB is 0V. To do. As shown in FIG. 11B, when a voltage of 42 V is output from the input / output port VB, the voltage applied to the second mounting detection terminal 290 is about 32 V due to a voltage drop by the resistance element 631. Thus, the potential of the first attachment detection terminal 250 is 0V. Therefore, for example, when a short circuit occurs between the second mounting detection terminal 290 and the second short circuit detection terminal 240, a voltage of 42V is applied from the input / output port VA and a voltage of 42V from the input / output port VB. In the case where a voltage is applied, the voltage applied to the second mounting detection terminal 290 is higher when a voltage is applied from the input / output port VB, and the possibility of detecting a short circuit is increased. Therefore, when a voltage of 42V is applied from the input / output port VB when a short circuit occurs, it is possible to detect the short circuit, but when a voltage of 42V is applied from the input / output port VA, the short circuit is detected. There may be cases where it cannot be detected. Therefore, in this embodiment, it is possible to accurately detect the occurrence of a short circuit on the substrate 200 by outputting the individual mounting detection signals alternately from the input / output port VA and the input / output port VB.

  Next, consider a case where the resistance value of the resistance element 204 of another cartridge, for example, the cartridge IC4, is 62 kΩ and the resistance value of the resistance element 634 is 270 kΩ. Then, when a voltage of 42 V is output from the input / output port VA, the potential of the first mounting detection terminal 250 is 42 V, and the voltage applied to the second mounting detection terminal 290 is about 34 V. When a voltage of 42 V is output from the input / output port VB, the voltage applied to the second mounting detection terminal 290 becomes approximately 8 V due to a voltage drop by the resistance element 634, and the first mounting detection terminal 250 The potential is 0V. In this case, even if no voltage is applied from the input / output port VB, a short circuit on the second mounting detection terminal 290 side can be sufficiently detected only by applying a voltage from the input / output port VA. In order to accurately detect a short circuit, it is preferable that a voltage of 30 V or more is applied to each of the first mounting detection terminal 250 and the second mounting detection terminal 290.

D. Cartridge replacement process:
FIG. 12 is a flowchart of the cartridge replacement process executed by the main control circuit 400 using the carriage circuit 500. This cartridge exchange process is a process that is repeatedly executed during the operation of the printing apparatus 1000. Regardless of whether or not this cartridge replacement process is executed, in this embodiment, during the operation of the printing apparatus 1000, all the mounting detection signals are always alternately output from the input / output ports VA and VB of the high voltage control unit 610. The all attachment detection signal generator 650 always outputs an all attachment detection signal. When the printing apparatus 1000 is turned on and the storage device control circuit 501 is not accessing the storage device 203, the terminals of the storage device 203 (the memory terminals on the cartridge side) and the terminals 550, 250, and 590 are displayed. , 290, the terminal of the storage device 203 is in a high impedance state (floating state).

  When the cartridge replacement process is executed, first, the replacement detection unit 415 of the main control circuit 400 determines whether or not there has been a cartridge replacement request from the user (step S10). Whether or not there has been a replacement request can be determined by detecting whether or not a cartridge replacement button in the operation panel 450 has been pressed, for example. In addition, for example, it can be determined by detecting whether or not there is a replacement instruction from a printer driver of a computer connected to the printing apparatus 1000.

  If it is determined that there is no cartridge replacement request (step S10: No), the replacement detection unit 415 loops the process of step S10. On the other hand, when it is determined that a cartridge replacement request has been made (step S10: Yes), the main control circuit 400 gives a predetermined command to the storage device control circuit 501, and the main body side memory terminal (device side terminal 520). , 530, 560, 570, 580) are all set at a constant potential (grounded state in this embodiment) (step S12). Then, the main control circuit 400 moves the carriage 30 to the replacement position (FIG. 1) while keeping the potential of the memory terminal on the main body side constant (step S14). The “constant potential” is preferably a potential equal to or lower than the rated voltage of the storage device 203 in order to suppress the occurrence of malfunction or the like of the storage device 203, and more preferably a ground potential (0 V) as in this embodiment. preferable. When the carriage 30 is moved to the replacement position, the user can physically replace (remove) the cartridge 10. In step S12, it is assumed that the memory terminal is set to a high impedance state before the memory terminal is shifted to a constant potential. In the present embodiment, as described above, when the cartridge 10 is replaced, all the memory terminals are grounded. Therefore, the 42V individual mounting detection signal constantly output from the printing apparatus 1000 side and 3.3V are used. Can be prevented from being erroneously applied to the storage device 203 of the cartridge 10.

  When the carriage 30 is moved to the replacement position, the main control circuit 400 refers to the register 630 of the mounting detection circuit 503 and individually detects whether or not each cartridge 10 is mounted (step S16). Based on the detected mounting state of each cartridge, the replacement position where the cartridge 10 is replaced is displayed on the display panel 430 (step S18). The “exchange position” of the cartridge 10 represents which cartridge 10 is removed from the four types of cartridges IC1 to IC4. As described above, in the mounting detection circuit 503, the individual mounting detection signal is always output from the high voltage control unit 610, and accordingly, the individual mounting detection unit 620 provides data indicating the mounting state of each cartridge 10 in the register 630. Is constantly updated. Therefore, the main control circuit 400 can immediately detect the mounting state of each cartridge 10 only by reading the data in the register 630. In this embodiment, the replacement position of the cartridge 10 is displayed on the display panel 430. For example, a light emitting diode or the like is provided at a predetermined position on the carriage 30 according to the position where each cartridge 10 is inserted. Display means may be provided to display the replacement position.

  When the replacement position of the cartridge 10 is displayed on the display panel 430, the main control circuit 400 refers to the output port 647 of the mounting detection circuit 503 and detects whether all the cartridges 10 are mounted (step S20). . As described above, in the mounting detection circuit 503, the total mounting detection signal is always output from the total mounting detection signal generation unit 650, and accordingly, whether or not all the cartridges 10 are mounted by the total mounting detection unit 640. Is always output through the output port 647. Therefore, the main control circuit 400 can immediately detect whether or not all the cartridges 10 are mounted only by referring to the output port 647. In the present embodiment, it is determined whether all the cartridges 10 are mounted based on a signal output through the output port 647. However, by referring to the register 630, all the cartridges 10 are detected. It is also possible to detect whether or not is attached. Further, it may be detected whether all the cartridges 10 are mounted with reference to both the output port 647 and the register 630. In this case, when the output of the output port 647 is “0” and the value of the register 630 is “0” for all the cartridges 10, it can be determined that all the cartridges 10 are mounted. . As described above, if both the output port 647 and the register 630 are referred to, it can be determined with higher accuracy whether or not all the cartridges 10 are mounted.

  When it is detected in step S20 that there is an unmounted cartridge 10 (step S20: No), the main control circuit 400 returns the process to step S16 until all the cartridges 10 are mounted. The processes of steps S16 to S20 are repeated. On the other hand, when it is detected that all the cartridges 10 are mounted (step S20: Yes), the main control circuit 400 moves the carriage 30 to the home position (FIG. 1) (step S22). . Then, the main control circuit 400 gives a predetermined command to the storage device control circuit 501, and sets all the memory terminals on the main body side to the high impedance state (step S24). In step S22, when it is detected that all the cartridges 10 have been installed and it is detected that the user has operated the cartridge replacement button again, the carriage 30 is moved to the home position. It is good.

  When all the memory terminals on the main body side are in a high impedance state, the mounting detection circuit 503 can normally detect a short circuit on the substrate 200 of the cartridge 10. The reason is as follows. That is, when foreign matter adheres between the first short circuit detection terminal 210 and the first mounting detection terminal 250 or between the second short circuit detection terminal 240 and the second mounting detection terminal 290, these As well as the cartridge-side terminals 220, 230, 260, 270, and 280 electrically connected to the storage device 203 (particularly, the power supply adjacent to the first short-circuit detection terminal 210 and the first attachment detection terminal 250). In many cases, foreign matter is also attached to the terminal 260 and the data terminal 280 adjacent to the second short-circuit detection terminal 240 and the second attachment detection terminal 290 at the same time. Therefore, if the memory terminal on the main body side is kept at a constant potential (0 V), even if a high voltage is applied to the first mounting detection terminal 250 or the second mounting detection terminal 290, the high voltage is set to a constant potential. It is absorbed by the selected memory terminal, and it becomes difficult to detect an abnormal voltage through the first short circuit detection terminal 210 and the second short circuit detection terminal 240. However, if the memory terminal on the main unit side is in a high impedance state, the memory terminal on the main unit side and the memory terminal on the cartridge side are electrically insulated, so that a high voltage is absorbed at a constant potential. Does not occur. Therefore, when all the memory terminals on the main body side are in a high impedance state, the mounting detection circuit 503 can normally detect a short circuit on the substrate 200 of the cartridge 10.

As described above, when all the memory terminals on the main body side are set to the high impedance state in step S24, the attachment detection circuit 503 normally detects the short circuit. Therefore, the main control circuit 400 determines whether or not a short circuit is detected by the mounting detection circuit 503 (step S26). When a short circuit is detected, the main control circuit 400 ends the cartridge replacement process abnormally. When no short circuit is detected, the main control circuit 400 ends the cartridge replacement process normally. The main control circuit 400 can determine whether or not a short circuit has been detected by referring to the register 630, for example. Specifically, the main control circuit 400 refers to the register 630 after moving the carriage 30 to the home position, and determines that a short circuit is detected when it is determined that all the cartridges are not mounted. Judgment can be made. This is because when a short circuit is detected by the short circuit detection unit 660, the output of the individual mounting detection signal by the high voltage control unit 610 is stopped, and the detection current _IDET is not output to the individual mounting detection unit 620. is there. In addition, for example, whether or not a short circuit is detected can also be determined by receiving a signal indicating that a short circuit has occurred directly from the attachment detection circuit 503.

  When the main control circuit 400 abnormally ends the cartridge replacement processing, for example, the main control circuit 400 displays on the display panel 430 that a short circuit has been detected, moves the carriage 30 to the replacement position again, and prompts the user. It is possible to prompt the user to remount the cartridge 10. The main control circuit 400 can perform a printing process when the cartridge replacement process is normally completed.

E. Memory access processing:
FIG. 13 is a flowchart of the memory access process. This memory access process is a process executed by the storage device control circuit 501 when the main control circuit 400 accesses the storage device 203 of the cartridge 10.

  In this memory access process, first, the storage device control circuit 501 receives an access request for the storage device 203 from the main control circuit 400 (step S50). This access request includes, for example, a read request and a write request.

  When the access request is received, the storage device control circuit 501 switches the memory terminals on the main body side (device side terminals 520, 530, 560, 570, and 580) from the high impedance state to the normal electrical operation for operating the storage device 203. To the target state. Specifically, the device-side terminal 520 connected to the reset terminal 220 of the substrate 200, the device-side terminal 530 connected to the clock terminal 230, and the device-side terminal 530 connected to the data terminal 280 are brought into a conductive state. Then, the device side terminal 560 connected to the power supply terminal 260 of the substrate 200 is brought into a conductive state and then set to the high level, and the device side terminal 570 connected to the ground terminal 270 of the substrate 200 is set to the ground state.

  When the memory terminal on the main body side is shifted to the normal electrical state, the storage device control circuit 501 accesses (reads or writes) the storage device 203 in response to the received access request (step S54). The storage device control circuit 501 transfers the data and status acquired by this access to the main control circuit 400. When access to the storage device 203 is completed, the storage device control circuit 501 shifts all the memory terminals on the main body side from the normal electrical state to the high impedance state (step S56). As described above, in this embodiment, when the storage device 203 is accessed, the memory terminal on the main body side is shifted from the high impedance state to the normal electrical state, so that the storage device 203 can be normally accessed. . Further, in this embodiment, after the access to the storage device 203 is completed, all the memory terminals on the main body side are returned to the high impedance state, so that the short circuit detection is accurately monitored when the memory is not accessed. be able to.

  In the printing apparatus 1000 of the present embodiment described above, when the cartridge is replaced, all the memory terminals on the main body side are grounded, and when detecting a short circuit, all the memory terminals on the main body side are all connected. Set to high impedance state. Further, when accessing the storage device 203, the memory terminal on the main body side is set to a normal electrical state in which the storage device 203 can be operated. As described above, in this embodiment, since the electrical state of the memory terminal on the main body side is switched according to the processing content of the printing apparatus 1000, each processing can be performed accurately. Specifically, when the cartridge is replaced, all the memory terminals on the main body side are grounded. Therefore, an abnormal voltage is applied to the storage device 203 by applying an individual mounting detection signal or a total mounting detection signal. Can be suppressed from being applied. In addition, when detecting a short circuit, all the memory terminals on the main body side are set to a high impedance state, so that a high voltage for detecting a short circuit is not absorbed through the ground terminal 270 of the storage device 203 or the like. Therefore, the abnormal voltage can be accurately detected, and the short circuit can be accurately detected. Further, when accessing the storage device 203, the memory terminal on the main body side is brought into a normal electrical state in which the storage device 203 can be operated, so that the storage device 203 can be accessed accurately. It becomes possible.

  Further, in the printing apparatus 1000 of this embodiment, 42V individual mounting detection signals used for detecting a short circuit on the substrate 200 are alternately supplied to the first mounting detection terminal 250 and the second mounting detection terminal 290. Apply to. Therefore, the resistance element 204 provided between the first mounting detection terminal 250 and the second mounting detection terminal 290 and the main body side resistance elements 631 to 634 connected to the second mounting detection terminal 290. Even if there is an influence of a voltage drop, a relatively high voltage can be applied not only to the first mounting detection terminal 250 but also to the second mounting detection terminal 290. As a result, foreign matter has adhered to either the first attachment detection terminal 250 and the second attachment detection terminal 290 or between the second attachment detection terminal 290 and the second short detection terminal 240. However, it is possible to detect a short circuit with high accuracy.

  In this embodiment, since the individual mounting detection signal is always output, the mounting state of the cartridge can be detected in real time. Therefore, since the mounting state of each cartridge is displayed on the display panel 430 in real time during the cartridge replacement, the user can perform the cartridge replacement operation while viewing this display. In particular, when the cartridge is replaced, the display panel 430 displays that the cartridge has been changed from being not mounted to being mounted. Therefore, it is intuitive whether or not a user unfamiliar with the cartridge replacement operation has successfully installed the cartridge. Can be confirmed.

F. Other examples of cartridge electrical connections:
In the above embodiment, as shown in FIG. 7, the first mounting detection terminals 250 of the cartridges IC1 to IC4 are respectively connected in parallel to the input / output port VA of the high voltage control unit 610, and the second mounting detection is performed. The terminals 290 are connected in parallel to the input / output port VB of the high voltage control unit 610, respectively. On the other hand, various modes can be adopted as the connection mode between the second mounting detection terminal 290 and the high voltage control unit 610.

  FIG. 14 is a diagram illustrating a first example of another connection state of each cartridge with respect to the high voltage control unit 610. In this example, the first mounting detection terminals 250 of the four cartridges IC1 to IC4 are connected in parallel to the input / output port VA of the high voltage control unit 610 in the same manner as in the above embodiment. On the other hand, the second mounting detection terminals 290 of the cartridge IC1 and the cartridge IC2 are connected in parallel to the input / output port VB0 of the high voltage control unit 610 through the resistance elements 631 and 632, and the second ICs of the cartridge IC3 and the cartridge IC4. The second mounting detection terminal 290 is connected in parallel to the input / output port VB1 of the high voltage control unit 610 through the resistance elements 633 and 634. That is, the four cartridges are separated into two sets, and one input / output port VB1 or VB2 is assigned to the two second mounting detection terminals 290 of each set. The input / output port VB1 and the input / output port VB2 are terminals having exactly the same functions as the input / output port VB of the above embodiment.

  In this way, if the input / output ports VB1 and VB2 are individually assigned to the second attachment detection terminal 290 to which the resistor elements 631 to 634 on the main body side are connected, the input / output port VA and the input / output port are individually assigned. The mounting state of the cartridge can be individually detected between VB1 and between input / output port VA and input / output port VB2. Therefore, the 16 levels of the current value shown in FIG. 8B can be reduced for each group. Therefore, it becomes possible to detect the individual mounting state of the cartridge with higher accuracy.

  FIG. 15 is a diagram illustrating a second example of another connection state of each cartridge with respect to the high voltage control unit 610. In this example, the first mounting detection terminals 250 of the four cartridges IC1 to IC4 are connected in parallel to the input / output port VA of the high voltage control unit 610 in the same manner as in the above embodiment. On the other hand, the second mounting detection terminals 290 of the four cartridges IC1 to IC4 are individually connected to the input / output ports VB1 to VB4 of the high voltage control unit 610 through the resistance elements 631 to 634, respectively. . The input / output ports VB1 to VB4 are terminals having the same functions as the input / output port VB of the above embodiment.

  As described above, when the input / output ports VB1 to VB4 are individually assigned to the second mounting detection terminals 290 to which the resistance elements 631 to 634 on the main body side are connected, as shown in FIGS. Regardless of the combined resistance value, it is possible to easily detect the mounting state of each cartridge based only on whether or not current or voltage is output.

  The combination of cartridges connected in parallel to the input / output port VB is not limited to the examples shown in FIGS. For example, as shown in FIG. 15, if three input / output ports VB are prepared, four cartridges can be connected to one input / output port VB. Individual mounting states can be detected. Further, if the number of connections to one input / output port VB is reduced, the detection current classification (FIG. 8B) can be reduced accordingly, so that the detection accuracy of the mounting state of each cartridge is improved. Therefore, for example, even if the number of cartridges that can be connected to one input / output port VB is limited to three, it is still possible to detect the individual mounting states of nine cartridges at the maximum. Of course, one input / output port VB1, two input / output ports VB2, three input / output ports VB3, and four input / output ports VB4 are connected to the input / output ports VB1 to VB4. The number of cartridges to be performed may be set individually. Also, a plurality of input / output ports VA may be prepared similarly to the input / output port VB, and may be connected to each cartridge individually or in a plurality of units.

G. Variations:
As mentioned above, although the Example of this invention was described, this invention is not limited to such an Example, A various structure can be taken in the range which does not deviate from the meaning. For example, a function realized by hardware may be realized by software, and vice versa. In addition, the following modifications are possible.

・ Modification 1:
In the above embodiment, the on-carriage type printing apparatus has been described. However, the printing apparatus may be an off-carriage type printing apparatus. The off-carriage type refers to a type in which a cartridge is mounted on a cartridge mounting portion provided at a place other than a carriage having a print head. In the off-carriage type printing apparatus, the cartridge and the carriage are connected by, for example, a tube, and ink is supplied to the print head through the tube. When the printing apparatus of the above embodiment is an off-carriage type, in the cartridge replacement process shown in FIG. 12, the carriage is moved to the replacement position in step S14 and the carriage is moved to the home position in step S24. I will not. In step S10, it may be determined that the cartridge is replaced when the lever that fixes the cartridge is released or the cover of the casing covering the cartridge is opened.

Modification 2
In the above embodiment, the individual mounting detection signal and the total mounting detection signal are always output during the operation of the printing apparatus. However, these signals are output as necessary when detecting the mounting of each cartridge in step S16 of the cartridge replacement process shown in FIG. 12, detecting the mounting of all the cartridges in step S20, or detecting the short circuit in step S26. It is good to do.

・ Modification 3:
In the above embodiment, the individual mounting detection signal is alternately output to the device side terminal 510 and the device side terminal 540. However, the individual mounting detection signal can be output to only one of these terminals. The individual mounting detection signal is a pulse signal in this embodiment, but may be a direct current (DC) signal having a constant potential. The entire mounting detection signal is not limited to the pulse signal, and can be a direct current (DC) signal.

-Modification 4:
In the above embodiment, as shown in FIG. 11, the resistance element 631 is provided between the second mounting detection terminal 290 of the substrate 200 and the high voltage control unit 610. On the other hand, if the mounting state of each cartridge can be determined individually, for example, a resistance element may be provided between the first mounting detection terminal 250 and the high voltage control unit 610. Further, resistance elements may be provided both between the second mounting detection terminal 290 and the high voltage control unit 610 and between the first mounting detection terminal 250 and the high voltage control unit 610. . Both resistance elements may have the same resistance value or different resistance values.

-Modification 5:
Of the various constituent elements described in the above embodiment, constituent elements that are not related to a specific purpose / action / effect can be omitted. For example, since the storage device 203 in the cartridge is not used for detecting the cartridge mounting state, it can be omitted if the main purpose is detection of cartridge mounting.

Modification 6:
In the above embodiment, the mounting state of each cartridge is detected based on the current value of the current passing through the resistance element 204 provided on the substrate 200 and the resistance elements 631 to 634 provided on the printing apparatus 1000 side. On the other hand, another electric device in which an electrical variable such as an output current, voltage, or frequency is changed by application of an electric signal may be used instead of the resistance element. For example, electric devices such as capacitors, coils, diodes, resistance elements, and piezoelectric sensors can be used alone or in various combinations.

Modification 7:
In the above embodiment, the present invention is applied to the ink cartridge. However, the present invention is not limited to the ink cartridge but can be applied to other printing materials, for example, a printing material container containing toner. .

-Modification 8:
FIG. 16 is a diagram illustrating a modification of the substrate. These substrates 200a to 200c differ only in the surface shapes of the substrate 200 and the terminals 210 to 290 shown in FIG. However, also in these board | substrates 200a-200c, arrangement | positioning of the contact part cp with the apparatus side terminal corresponding to each terminal 210-290 is the same as the board | substrate 200 of FIG. 3 (A). As described above, the surface shape of each terminal can be variously modified as long as the arrangement of the contact portions cp is the same.

-Modification 9:
FIG. 17 is a perspective view showing a modified example of the cartridge. The cartridge 10B is separated into an ink storage portion 10Ba and an adapter 10Bb. This cartridge 10B is compatible with the cartridge 10 of FIG. The ink storage unit 10Ba has an ink chamber 108B for storing ink and an ink supply port 110B. The ink supply port 110B is formed on the bottom surface of the ink containing portion 10Ba and communicates with the ink chamber 108B.

  The adapter 10Bb is provided with an opening 102B at an upper portion thereof, and a space for receiving the ink containing portion 10Ba is formed therein. Other shapes of the adapter 10Bb are substantially the same as those of the cartridge 10 of FIG. That is, the adapter 10Bb has a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape as a whole, and its outer surface is provided on the five surfaces excluding the ceiling surface (upper end surface) of the six orthogonal surfaces and the corner portion at the lower end. It is comprised with the board | substrate installation part 180B of a slope shape. A lever 120B is provided on the front surface 103B of the adapter 10Bb. On the bottom surface 101B of the adapter 10Bb, an opening 109B through which the ink supply pipe 24 of the cartridge mounting unit 20 passes when the cartridge 10 is mounted is formed. In a state where the ink storage unit 10Ba is stored in the adapter 10Bb, the ink supply port 110B of the ink storage unit 10Ba is connected to the ink supply tube 24 of the cartridge mounting unit 20. In the vicinity of the lower end of the front surface 103B of the adapter 10Bb, a sloped substrate placement portion 180B is formed, and the substrate 200 is placed on the substrate placement portion 180B.

  When the cartridge 10B is used, both are mounted on the cartridge mounting unit 20 in a state where the ink storage unit 10Ba is combined with the adapter 10Bb. Alternatively, the adapter 10Bb may be first mounted on the cartridge mounting unit 20 and then the ink storage unit 10Ba may be mounted in the adapter 10Bb. In the latter case, only the ink container 10Ba can be attached and detached while the adapter 10Bb is still attached to the cartridge mounting part 20. Note that at least one of the front surface 103B, the left side surface 105B, the right side surface 106B, and the back surface 104B of the adapter 10Bb can be omitted.

  Here, the “first terminal” in the claims of the present application corresponds to, for example, the first mounting detection terminal 250 in the above embodiment. The “second terminal” corresponds to the second attachment detection terminal 290, for example. The “third terminal” corresponds to, for example, the first short circuit detection terminal 210 and the second short circuit detection terminal 240. The “plurality of fourth terminals” corresponds to the cartridge side terminals 220, 230, 260, 270, and 280, for example. The “electrical signal” corresponds to the individual mounting detection signal. The “control unit” corresponds to the main control circuit 400 and the carriage circuit 500, for example.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Cartridge 12 ... Paper feed roller 14 ... Carriage motor 16 ... Drive belt 20 ... Cartridge mounting part 22 ... Contact mechanism 24 ... Ink supply pipe 30 ... Carriage 32 ... Print head 40 ... Control unit 42 ... Flexible cable 100 ... Ink accommodating part DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 101 ... Bottom 102 ... Upper surface 103 ... Front 104 ... Back 105 ... Left side 106 ... Right side 108 ... Ink chamber 110 ... Ink supply port 120 ... Lever 180 ... Substrate installation part 200 ... Substrate 201 ... Boss groove 202 ... Boss hole 203 ... Storage device 204 ... Resistance element 205 ... Wiring 210 ... First short-circuit detection terminal 220 ... Reset terminal 230 ... Clock terminal 240 ... Second short-circuit detection terminal 250 ... First mounting detection terminal 260 ... Power supply terminal 270 ... Ground terminal 280 ... Data terminal 290 ... Second device Detection terminal 400 ... main control circuit 410 ... CPU
415: Exchange detection unit 420 ... Memory 430 ... Display panel 450 ... Operation panel 500 ... Carriage circuit 501 ... Storage device control circuit 502 ... Switch circuit 503 ... Mounting detection circuit 510-590 ... Device side terminal 610 ... High voltage control unit 620 ... Individual mounting detection unit 630... Register 631... Resistive element 640. All mounting detection unit 641 to 645... Diode 647... Output port 650. All mounting detection signal generation unit 651 ... Wiring 660 ... Short circuit detection unit 701 to 704 ... Series connection resistance 1000 ... Printer

Claims (7)

A printing apparatus capable of mounting a printing material cartridge,
The printing material cartridge is
A first terminal;
A second terminal;
A third terminal;
An electrical device connected to the first terminal and the second terminal;
A cartridge mounting portion to which the printing material cartridge is mounted;
When the printing material cartridge is mounted at least on the cartridge mounting portion, an electrical signal input to the electrical device is selectively applied to the first terminal and the second terminal, and the first terminal A controller for detecting the presence or absence of a short circuit in the printing material cartridge based on a signal output from the terminal of 3;
A printing apparatus comprising: The printing apparatus according to claim 1,
Furthermore, a printing apparatus provided with at least one of the electrical device connected between the said 1st terminal and the said control part, and the electrical device connected between the said 2nd terminal and the said control part. The printing apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, wherein
The control unit receives a response signal from the first terminal or the second terminal when an electrical signal is selectively applied to the first terminal and the second terminal, and the response A printing apparatus that detects a mounting state of the printing material cartridge based on a signal. The printing apparatus according to claim 2 or 3, wherein
The electrical device connected to the first terminal and the second terminal, the electrical device connected between the first terminal and the control unit, and the second terminal and the control Each of the electrical devices connected between the printing units is a resistance element. The printing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein:
The first terminal has a first contact portion that contacts a corresponding device-side terminal in a state where the printing material cartridge is mounted on the cartridge mounting portion.
The second terminal has a second contact portion that contacts a corresponding device-side terminal in a state where the printing material cartridge is mounted on the cartridge mounting portion.
The third terminal has a third contact portion that contacts a corresponding device-side terminal in a state where the printing material cartridge is mounted on the cartridge mounting portion.
The third contact portion is disposed adjacent to at least one of the first contact portion and the second contact portion.
Printing device. The printing apparatus according to claim 5,
The printing material cartridge includes a storage device and a plurality of fourth terminals connected to the storage device,
The plurality of fourth terminals include a plurality of fourth contact portions that contact corresponding device-side terminals in a state where the printing material cartridge is mounted on the cartridge mounting portion,
At least a part of the plurality of fourth contact portions is disposed between the first contact portion and the second contact portion,
The printing apparatus, wherein the third contact portion is not disposed between the first contact portion and the second contact portion. A control method for a printing apparatus to which a printing material cartridge can be mounted,
The printing material cartridge is
A first terminal;
A second terminal;
A third terminal;
An electrical device connected to the first terminal and the second terminal;
At least when the printing material cartridge is mounted in a cartridge mounting portion provided in the printing apparatus, an electrical signal input to the electrical device is selectively applied to the first terminal and the second terminal. And a process of
Detecting the presence or absence of a short circuit in the printing material cartridge based on a signal output from the third terminal;
A control method comprising:

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