CN211106434U

CN211106434U - Printing device

Info

Publication number: CN211106434U
Application number: CN201921469428.5U
Authority: CN
Inventors: 柴省自
Original assignee: U-technology Co Ltd
Current assignee: U-technology Co Ltd; Seiko Epson Corp
Priority date: 2018-09-07
Filing date: 2019-09-05
Publication date: 2020-07-28
Anticipated expiration: 2029-09-05
Also published as: JP2020040237A

Abstract

The utility model provides a printing device. In a printing device in which the carriage is set to move to the ribbon replacement position after printing, there is a problem in that it takes time until printing is started when new printing is performed. The utility model discloses possess: a print head that prints on a print medium in accordance with a print job; a carriage on which a print head is mounted and which can mount an ink ribbon; a detection unit that detects a usage state of the ink ribbon; and a control unit that determines whether or not replacement of the ink ribbon is required based on the detected usage state when a standby mode, which is a mode for waiting for a print job, is set, and executes a first movement control, which is a control for moving the carriage to a replacement position, which is a position where replacement of the ink ribbon is possible, when it is determined that replacement of the ink ribbon is required, and executes a second movement control, which is a control for moving the carriage to a predetermined print preparation position, when it is determined that replacement of the ink ribbon is not required.

Description

Printing device

Technical Field

The utility model relates to a printing device.

Background

Patent document 1 discloses a printing apparatus in which, when an ink ribbon reaches the end and needs to be replaced, a carriage on which the ink ribbon is mounted is moved to a position where replacement of the ink ribbon is possible, which is different from the initial position.

In the technique described in patent document 1, at the time when the ink ribbon reaches the end, the current printing is interrupted, and the carriage is moved to a position where the ink ribbon can be replaced while the printing on the printing medium is not completed. In this case, since the user cannot know the time of replacing the ink ribbon in advance, there is a problem that it takes time to cope with a case where a new ink ribbon is not prepared. In contrast, there is a printing apparatus configured to move the carriage to the ink ribbon replacement position in the print standby mode every time a print job is completed. With this configuration, the user can take measures to replace the ink ribbon before the ink ribbon becomes a replacement time.

However, such a printing apparatus has a problem that it takes time until printing is started when new printing is performed. Specifically, there is a problem that it takes time to move the carriage from the ribbon replacement position to the printing start position when new printing is performed in the state of the printing standby mode, and a problem that it takes time to perform such movement when new printing is performed after the printing standby mode is shifted to the energy saving mode (a mode in which the energization to the carriage or the print head is stopped for the purpose of reducing the power consumption during standby, and the energization to the carriage is stopped, so that there is a possibility that the positional information of the carriage becomes indefinite), because it is necessary to move the carriage from the ribbon replacement position to the initial position for specifying the positional information of the carriage, and then to move the carriage to the printing start position. That is, there is a problem that the printing process cannot be started immediately.

Patent document 1: japanese laid-open patent publication No. 60-255473

SUMMERY OF THE UTILITY MODEL

The printing apparatus of the present application is characterized by comprising: a print head that prints on a print medium in accordance with a print job; a carriage on which the print head is mounted and which can mount an ink ribbon; a detection unit that detects a usage state of the ink ribbon; and a control unit that, when a standby mode that is a mode for waiting for the print job is established, determines whether or not replacement of the ink ribbon is necessary based on the detected usage state, and when it is determined that replacement of the ink ribbon is necessary, executes first movement control that moves the carriage to a replacement position that is a position where replacement of the ink ribbon is possible, and when it is determined that replacement of the ink ribbon is not necessary, executes second movement control that moves the carriage to a predetermined print standby position.

In the above-described printing apparatus, it is preferable that the control unit executes third movement control for moving the carriage to an initial position outside a printing area of the print head before an energy saving mode, which is a mode in which position information of the carriage becomes indeterminate, is set when the first movement control is executed.

In the above printing apparatus, it is preferable that the predetermined print preparation position is an initial position outside a printing area of the print head.

In the above-described printing apparatus, it is preferable that the predetermined print preparation position is a print start position in the print job.

In the above-described printing apparatus, it is preferable that the control unit executes a fourth movement control for moving the carriage to an initial position outside a printing area of the printing head before an energy saving mode, which is a mode in which the position information of the carriage is indeterminate, is set when the second movement control is executed.

In the above printing apparatus, it is preferable that the detection unit includes a measurement unit that measures a usage amount of the ink ribbon, and a storage unit that accumulates and stores the usage amount as the usage state.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a block diagram of a printing apparatus and a host apparatus according to embodiment 1.

Fig. 2 is an external view of the printing apparatus.

Fig. 3 is a view of the printing apparatus when the upper case portion is opened, as viewed from the upper direction (+ Z direction).

Fig. 4 is a control flowchart of the control unit according to embodiment 1.

Fig. 5 is a control flowchart of the control unit according to embodiment 2.

Fig. 6 is a control flowchart of the control unit according to embodiment 3.

Detailed Description

Hereinafter, embodiments embodying the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The following is an embodiment of the present invention, and is not an embodiment that limits the present invention. In the following drawings, for ease of understanding of description, the description may be made on a scale different from the actual scale. In the coordinates shown in the drawings, the Z-axis direction is a vertical direction, + Z-direction is an upward direction, + Y-axis direction is a front-back (front-back) direction, + Y-direction is a front (front) direction, + X-axis direction is a left-right (side) direction, + X-direction is a left direction, and the X-Y plane is a horizontal plane.

Embodiment mode 1

Fig. 1 is a block diagram of a printing apparatus 1 and a host apparatus 100 according to embodiment 1. The host device 100 is a host computer capable of communicating with the printing apparatus 1. The host device 100 has a printer driver, and transmits a print job (print data) in a format readable by the printing device 1 to the printing device 1.

The printing apparatus 1 is a Serial Impact Dot Matrix (SIDM) printer that performs Impact printing on a print medium with a plurality of printing wires included in a print head via an ink ribbon. The printing medium is a single sheet formed by stacking a plurality of paper media or a continuous sheet formed by continuously connecting single sheets. The printing apparatus 1 includes a control unit 2 that executes predetermined processing, a communication unit 3 that communicates with the host apparatus 100, a printing unit 4 that prints on a printing medium, and a detection unit 7 that detects the usage state of the ink ribbon.

The control Unit 2 is a control circuit including a processor such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) having a timer therein. The control unit 2 includes a ROM (Read Only Memory) or a RAM (Random Access Memory). The control unit 2 reads the program written in these memories and executes predetermined processing.

The communication unit 3 is a communication circuit that communicates with the host device 100. The communication unit 3 includes an interface board, and can communicate with the host device 100 by a communication standard of wired communication such as USB or ethernet (registered trademark). The communication unit 3 may have a communication standard for wireless communication such as Bluetooth (registered trademark) or Wi-Fi (registered trademark). The communication unit 3 receives a print job from the host device 100 and transmits the print job to the control unit 2.

The printing unit 4 includes a print head 5, a carriage 6, and a transport unit (not shown). The print head 5 includes a plurality of printing pins, a guide member for supporting the plurality of printing pins, and a motor for driving the plurality of printing pins (not shown). The plurality of printing pins may be a plurality of printing pins such as 24 printing pins, 12 printing pins, and 8 printing pins. The print head 5 prints on the print medium under the control of the control unit 2 based on the received print job.

The carriage 6 moves in the main scanning direction (X-axis direction) along a shaft (not shown) provided in the printing apparatus 1. The carriage 6 is of a carriage-mounted type on which the print head 5 is mounted and on which an ink ribbon can be mounted.

The transport unit transports the print medium in a sub-scanning direction (transport direction (Y-axis direction)) perpendicular to the main scanning direction in accordance with printing by the print head 5. The transport unit includes a plurality of transport rollers, and transports the print medium by rotating the transport rollers with the print medium sandwiched (pinched).

The detection unit 7 detects the usage state of the ink ribbon. The detection unit 7 includes a measurement unit 8 and a storage unit 9. The measurement unit 8 measures the amount of use of the ink ribbon mounted on the carriage 6. The measurement unit 8 is, for example, a measurement counter of the CPU. The measurement unit 8 measures the number of lines, dots, characters, and pages printed by the ink ribbon in a print job. Alternatively, the measuring unit 8 may measure the number of times each of the plurality of printing pins operates. The measured amount of use of the ink ribbon is stored in the storage unit 9.

The storage unit 9 is a storage medium (memory) such as a ROM or a RAM. The storage unit 9 stores the usage state of the ink ribbon. More specifically, the storage unit 9 accumulates and stores the usage amount of the ink ribbon measured by the measurement unit 8 as the usage state of the ink ribbon at any time. When the user replaces the ink ribbon, the control unit 2 resets the usage state (accumulated usage amount) of the ink ribbon stored in the storage unit 9.

The storage unit 9 also stores the print start position. The print start position is a predetermined position at which the printing unit 4 starts printing, more specifically, a position predetermined as a position at which the printing unit 4 first prints in the next print job, or a position expected as a position at which the printing unit 4 first prints in the next print job. The storage unit 9 may store the print start position in the print job at the time of the previous printing, or may store the print start position based on a fixed print format (print format) when the fixed print format (print format) exists in the print job.

The control unit 2 also performs control so that the print start position is stored in the storage unit 9. The control unit 2 controls the carriage 6 by setting the print start position in the print job at the time of the previous printing or the print start position based on the fixed print format stored in the storage unit 9 as the print start position in the next new print job.

The print start position is the "predetermined print preparation position" in the present embodiment. The predetermined print preparation position (hereinafter, simply referred to as a print preparation position) is a position effective as a position of the carriage 6 at which the control section 2 can immediately start the printing process for the next new print job.

Fig. 2 is an external view of the printing apparatus 1 according to embodiment 1, the printing apparatus 1 includes an upper case 10 covering the printing unit 4, and the printing apparatus 1 is provided with an operation unit operated by a user and a notification unit (not shown) for notifying the user of printing completion and printing error.

Fig. 3 is a view of the printing apparatus 1 when the upper case 10 is opened, as viewed from the upper direction (+ Z direction). In the printing apparatus 1, there are a ribbon replacement position K (replacement position K) where the carriage 6 is stopped, and a home position H. The replacement position K is a position at which the ink ribbon mounted on the carriage 6 can be replaced. The printing apparatus 1 is configured such that a cover portion 11 covering the carriage 6 is provided at a position other than the replacement position K, and when the carriage 6 is at another position, the ink ribbon is brought into contact with the cover portion 11 and cannot be replaced even if the ink ribbon is replaced. On the other hand, since the cover portion 11 is not provided at the replacement position K, the ink ribbon can be replaced. The replacement position K is a position different from the printing start position and the home position H.

The home position H is a position outside the printing region of the print head 5. The printing region is a region where the printing head 5 does not perform a printing operation, and is a position of a moving end in one direction (on the + X side in fig. 3) of the main scanning direction of the carriage 6. A position sensor is provided at the home position H, and the position sensor detects position information that the carriage 6 is present at the home position H when the carriage 6 reaches the home position H.

Fig. 4 is a control flowchart of the control unit 2 according to embodiment 1.

First, the control unit 2 of the printing apparatus 1 receives a print job from the host apparatus 100 (S1-1).

The control unit 2 executes the printing process of the printing unit 4 based on the received print job (S1-2). The print head 5 prints on the print medium in accordance with the printing process of the control unit 2. At this time, the storage unit 9 stores the print start position of the received print job.

After a predetermined time (S seconds) has elapsed since the end of the printing process (S1-3), the control section 2 determines whether or not the ink ribbon needs to be replaced (S1-4).

The control unit 2 determines whether or not the ink ribbon needs to be replaced based on the usage state of the ink ribbon detected by the detection unit 7 (the usage state of the ink ribbon stored in the storage unit 9). Specifically, when the usage state of the ink ribbon exceeds a predetermined threshold, it is determined that the ink ribbon needs to be replaced, and when the usage state of the ink ribbon does not exceed the predetermined threshold, it is determined that the ink ribbon needs not to be replaced. The predetermined threshold value is preferably a value at which the use limit of the ink ribbon is limited. The usage limit of the ink ribbon is, for example, a limit value of the number of lines that can be printed with 1 ink ribbon, a limit value of the number of dots, a limit value of the number of characters, and a limit value of the number of pages. Alternatively, a predetermined threshold value may be set when any of the plurality of printing pins exceeds a limit value of the number of dotting times.

When determining that the ink ribbon replacement is necessary, the control unit 2 executes first movement control for moving the carriage 6 to the replacement position K (S1-5). More specifically, the first movement control is control for moving the carriage 6 from the position where the printing process by the print head 5 is completed to the replacement position K. By performing the first movement control, the user can replace the ink ribbon as necessary.

On the other hand, when it is determined that the replacement of the ink ribbon is not necessary, the control unit 2 executes second movement control for moving the carriage 6 to the predetermined preliminary printing position (S1-6). More specifically, the control unit 2 moves the carriage 6 from a position at which the printing process by the print head 5 is completed to a print start position which is a predetermined print preparation position. By executing the second movement control, the control section 2 can quickly execute the printing process when receiving the next new print job.

After executing the first movement control or the second movement control, the control unit 2 enters the standby mode (S1-7).

The standby mode is a mode for waiting for a new print job. More specifically, the standby mode is a mode in which the control unit 2 waits in a standby operation state until the next new print job is received from the host device 100 after the printing process is completed based on all the received print jobs. In the preliminary operation state, when the next new print job is received, the control section 2 may be in a state in which the printing process can be immediately executed, and the energization may be stopped and reduced or the energization mode may be changed in some configurations of the printing apparatus 1.

When the first movement control is executed, the control unit 2 executes the third movement control for moving the carriage 6 to the home position H after a predetermined time (m minutes) has elapsed since the standby mode is entered (S1-8) (S1-9). More specifically, the third movement control is control for moving the carriage 6 from the replacement position K to the home position H.

On the other hand, when the second movement control is executed, the controller 2 executes the fourth movement control for moving the carriage 6 to the home position H after the predetermined time (m minutes) has elapsed since the standby mode is entered (S1-8) (S1-10). More specifically, the fourth movement control is control for moving the carriage 6 from the print preparation position (print start position) to the home position H.

After executing the third movement control or the fourth movement control, the control unit 2 enters the energy saving mode (S1-11).

The energy saving mode is a mode in which the energization is stopped or reduced for each configuration of the printing apparatus 1. More specifically, the control unit 2(CPU) is set to a sleep mode while stopping the energization to the print head 5 and the carriage 6.

The energy saving mode is a mode in which the position information of the carriage 6 is indeterminate. When the energy saving mode is set, the control unit 2 stops the predetermined processing, and therefore, the position information of the carriage 6 at the time of the energy saving mode is always held. In this state, for example, when the user manually moves the carriage 6 or when a large impact is applied to the printing apparatus 1, the position indicated by the position information indicating the carriage 6 held by the control unit 2 may be deviated (different) from the current position of the carriage 6. A state in which it is unclear whether the position information of the carriage 6 at the time point when the energy saving mode is achieved and the position information of the carriage 6 from that point onward (at the present time point) coincide with each other is referred to as a "state in which the position information of the carriage 6 is uncertain".

After entering the energy saving mode, the control unit 2 returns to a state in which normal printing is possible when a next new print job is received. At this time, the control unit 2 performs initialization processing on the position information of the carriage 6. In other words, since the energy saving mode is set, the position information of the carriage 6 is in an indeterminate state, and therefore the control unit 2 executes a process of clarifying the position information of the carriage 6. More specifically, the control unit 2 performs control to move the carriage 6 to the home position H, and the position sensor of the home position H detects the carriage 6, thereby specifying the position information that the carriage 6 is present at the home position H. Since the control unit 2 needs to determine the position information of the carriage 6 and perform control to move the carriage 6 to the print start position in order to execute the print process based on the next new print job, the control unit 2 performs control to move the carriage 6 to the home position H after returning from the energy saving mode, and completes the initialization process.

The control of the control section 2 to move the carriage 6 to the home position H usually requires time, and it takes time until the next printing process is started. In contrast, in embodiment 1, before entering the energy saving mode, the third movement control or the fourth movement control for moving the carriage 6 to the home position H is executed. Therefore, after the return from the energy saving mode, the control for moving the carriage 6 to the home position H can be terminated in a short time, and the printing process can be immediately executed for the next new print job.

As described above, according to the printing apparatus 1 and the control method of the printing apparatus 1 of the present embodiment, the following effects can be obtained.

The control unit 2 determines whether or not the ink ribbon needs to be replaced based on the usage state of the ink ribbon detected by the detection unit 7 before the printing apparatus 1 enters the standby mode, which is a mode of waiting for a print job, and executes first movement control for moving the carriage 6 to a replacement position K where the ink ribbon can be replaced or second movement control for moving the carriage 6 to a print preparation position (print start position) of a next print job based on the determination result. Therefore, the user can replace the ink ribbon when necessary, and the control section 2 can start the printing process immediately after receiving the next print job when not necessary.

Further, after the first movement control is executed, for example, when entering the energy saving mode in which the energization is stopped and the position information of the carriage 6 is indeterminate, the control unit 2 executes the third movement control for moving the carriage 6 from the replacement position K to the home position H before entering the energy saving mode, and therefore, when resuming from the energy saving mode and executing the printing process based on the next print job, the movement process of the carriage 6 to the home position H at which the position information thereof is determinate can be completed quickly, and the printing process can be started immediately.

Further, when it is determined that the replacement of the ink ribbon is not necessary, the control section 2 executes the second movement control of moving the carriage 6 to the print start position of the print job as the print preparation position, and thus can immediately start the printing process when receiving the next print job.

Further, when the carriage 6 is moved from the print start position to the home position H after the second movement control is executed and the energy saving mode is entered, since the control section 2 executes the fourth movement control for moving the carriage 6 from the print start position to the home position H before the energy saving mode is entered, when the printing process is resumed from the energy saving mode and executed based on the next print job, the movement process of the carriage 6 to the home position H specified by the position information thereof can be completed quickly and the printing process can be started immediately.

Further, since the storage unit 9 accumulates and stores the usage amount of the ink ribbon measured by the measurement unit 8 at any time, the detection unit 7 can accurately detect the usage state of the ink ribbon.

Embodiment mode 2

Fig. 5 is a control flowchart of the control unit 2 according to embodiment 2. The same structural parts as those in embodiment 1 are assigned the same reference numerals, and redundant description thereof is omitted.

In the present embodiment, the home position H is a "predetermined print preparation position". That is, in the present embodiment, the home position H is a position effective as a position of the carriage 6 at which the control unit 2 can immediately start the printing process for the next new print job.

First, the control unit 2 of the printing apparatus 1 receives a print job from the host apparatus 100 (S2-1).

The control unit 2 executes the printing process of the printing unit 4 based on the received print job (S2-2). The print head 5 prints on the print medium in accordance with the printing process of the control unit 2.

After a predetermined time (S seconds) has elapsed since the end of the printing process (S2-3), the control section 2 determines whether or not the ink ribbon needs to be replaced (S2-4).

When determining that the ink ribbon replacement is necessary, the control unit 2 executes first movement control for moving the carriage 6 to the replacement position K (S2-5). More specifically, the first movement control is control for moving the carriage 6 from the position where the printing process by the print head 5 is completed to the replacement position K. By performing the first movement control, the user can replace the ink ribbon as needed.

On the other hand, when it is determined that the replacement of the ink ribbon is not necessary, the control unit 2 executes second movement control for moving the carriage 6 to the predetermined preliminary printing position (S2-6). More specifically, the control unit 2 moves the carriage 6 from a position at which the printing process by the print head 5 is completed to a home position H which is a predetermined print preparation position.

After executing the first movement control or the second movement control, the control unit 2 enters the standby mode (S2-7).

When the first movement control is executed, the control unit 2 executes the third movement control for moving the carriage 6 to the home position H after a predetermined time (m minutes) has elapsed since the standby mode is entered (S2-8) (S2-9). More specifically, the third movement control is control for moving the carriage 6 from the replacement position K to the home position H.

After the third movement control is executed, the control unit 2 enters the energy saving mode (S2-10). Since the third movement control is executed before the energy saving mode is entered, the control for moving the carriage 6 to the home position H can be finished within a minimum time after the return from the energy saving mode, and the printing process can be executed immediately for the next new print job.

On the other hand, when the second movement control is executed, the carriage 6 remains at the home position H in this state after a predetermined time (m minutes) has elapsed since entering the standby mode (S2-8). After that, the control unit 2 enters the energy saving mode (S2-10). Since the carriage 6 can be moved to the home position H by the second movement control and the energy saving mode can be directly entered in this state, the control for moving the carriage 6 to the home position H can be completed within a minimum time after the return from the energy saving mode, and the printing process can be immediately executed for the next new print job.

When it is determined that the ink ribbon needs not to be replaced, the control unit 2 executes the second movement control of moving the carriage 6 to the home position H outside the printing area of the print head 5 as the print preparation position, and thus can immediately start printing when receiving the next print job. Further, when the carriage 6 is present at the home position H after the second movement control is executed and the energy saving mode is entered, when the carriage is returned from the energy saving mode and the printing process is executed based on the next print job, the movement process of the carriage 6 to the home position H where the position information thereof is specified can be completed quickly and the printing process can be started immediately.

Embodiment 3

Fig. 6 is a control flowchart of the control unit 2 according to embodiment 3. The same components as those in embodiments 1 and 2 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant description thereof is omitted.

First, the control unit 2 of the printing apparatus 1 receives a print job from the host apparatus 100 (S3-1).

The control unit 2 executes the printing process of the printing unit 4 based on the received print job (S3-2). The print head 5 prints on the print medium in accordance with the printing process of the control unit 2.

After a predetermined time (S seconds) has elapsed since the end of the printing process (S3-3), the control unit 2 executes first movement control for moving the carriage 6 to the replacement position K (S3-4). More specifically, the first movement control is control for moving the carriage 6 from the position where the printing process by the print head 5 is completed to the replacement position K. By performing the first movement control, the user can replace the ink ribbon.

After the first movement control is executed, the control unit 2 enters the standby mode (S3-5).

After a predetermined time (m minutes) has elapsed since the standby mode was entered (S3-6), the control unit 2 executes third movement control for moving the carriage 6 to the home position H (S3-7). More specifically, the third movement control is control for moving the carriage 6 from the replacement position K to the home position H.

After the third movement control is executed, the control unit 2 enters the energy saving mode (S3-8). Since the third movement control is executed before the energy saving mode is entered, the control for moving the carriage 6 to the home position H can be finished within a minimum time after the return from the energy saving mode, and the printing process can be executed immediately for the next new print job.

The control unit 2 executes first movement control for moving the carriage 6 to the replacement position K where the ink ribbon can be replaced, before the printing apparatus 1 enters a standby mode, which is a mode for waiting for a print job. Therefore, the user can replace the ink ribbon at any time. Then, after entering the standby mode and before entering the energy saving mode, third movement control is performed to move the carriage 6 to the home position H. Therefore, when the control unit 2 returns from the energy saving mode and executes the printing process based on the next print job, the process of moving the carriage 6 to the home position H specified by the position information can be completed quickly, and the printing process can be started immediately.

The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various changes, improvements, and the like can be added to the above-described embodiments. The following describes modifications.

The detection unit 7 may have a sensor for measuring the amount of ink used. For example, the detection unit 7 may have a magnetic sensor or an optical sensor.

The printing medium is not limited to single-sheet paper and continuous paper. Or a 4-sized or A3-sized paper media.

Hereinafter, the contents derived from the embodiments will be described.

The printing apparatus of the present application is characterized by comprising: a print head that prints on a print medium in accordance with a print job; a carriage on which the print head is mounted and on which an ink ribbon can be mounted; a detection unit that detects a usage state of the ink ribbon; and a control unit that, when a standby mode that is a mode for waiting for the print job is established, determines whether or not replacement of the ink ribbon is necessary based on the detected usage state, and when it is determined that replacement of the ink ribbon is necessary, executes first movement control that moves the carriage to a replacement position that is a position where replacement of the ink ribbon is possible, and when it is determined that replacement of the ink ribbon is not necessary, executes second movement control that moves the carriage to a predetermined print standby position.

According to this configuration, before the printing apparatus enters the standby mode, it is determined whether or not the ink ribbon needs to be replaced based on the detected usage state of the ink ribbon, and the carriage is moved to a position where the ink ribbon can be replaced or a print standby position for the next print job based on the determination result. Therefore, the user can replace the ink ribbon when necessary, and can start printing immediately after receiving the next print job when not necessary.

In the above-described printing apparatus, it is preferable that the control unit executes third movement control for moving the carriage to an initial position outside a printing area of the printing head before an energy saving mode, which is a mode in which position information of the carriage becomes uncertain, when the first movement control is executed.

According to this configuration, since the carriage can be moved to the initial position before the printing apparatus enters, for example, the energy saving mode in which energization is stopped and the position information of the carriage becomes indefinite, in the case of resuming from the energy saving mode and performing the printing process based on the next print job, the process of moving the carriage to the initial position at which the position information thereof is specified can be completed quickly, and printing can be started immediately.

According to this configuration, since the control unit can move the carriage to the home position when it is determined that the replacement of the ink ribbon is not necessary, even when the energy saving mode is entered, when the printing process is executed based on the next print job, the process of moving the carriage to the home position specified by the position information can be completed quickly, and the printing can be started immediately.

According to this configuration, since the control unit can move the carriage to the print start position when it is determined that the replacement of the ink ribbon is not necessary, the printing can be immediately started when the next print job is received.

According to this configuration, since the control unit can move the carriage to the home position before entering the energy saving mode in which the energization is stopped, when the printing process is executed based on the next print job while returning from the energy saving mode, the process of moving the carriage to the home position specified by the position information can be completed quickly, and the printing can be started immediately.

According to this configuration, since the detection unit can accumulate and measure the usage amount of the ink ribbon, the usage state of the ink ribbon can be accurately detected.

Description of the symbols

100 … host device; 1 … printing device; 2 … control section; 3 … a communication unit; 4 … printing section; 5 … print head; 6 … carriage; 7 … a detection unit; 8 … measuring part; 9 … storage part; 10 … an upper housing portion; 11 … cover part.

Claims

1. A printing apparatus is characterized by comprising:

a print head that prints on a print medium in accordance with a print job;

a carriage on which the print head is mounted and which can mount an ink ribbon;

a detection unit that detects a usage state of the ink ribbon; and

a control part for controlling the operation of the display device,

the control unit determines whether or not the ink ribbon needs to be replaced based on the detected usage state when the printing job is in a standby mode, which is a mode of waiting for the print job,

when it is determined that replacement of the ink ribbon is necessary, a first movement control is executed, the first movement control being a control of moving the carriage to a replacement position that is a position where replacement of the ink ribbon is possible,

when it is determined that the replacement of the ink ribbon is not necessary, second movement control is executed, the second movement control being control for moving the carriage to a predetermined preliminary print position.

2. Printing device according to claim 1,

the control unit executes third movement control for moving the carriage to an initial position outside a printing area of the print head before an energy saving mode, which is a mode in which the position information of the carriage is indeterminate, is reached when the first movement control is executed.

3. Printing device according to claim 1,

the predetermined print preparation position is an initial position outside a printing area of the print head.

4. Printing device according to claim 1,

the predetermined print preparation position is a print start position in the print job.

5. Printing device according to claim 4,

when the second movement control is executed, the control unit executes a fourth movement control for moving the carriage to an initial position outside a printing area of the print head before an energy saving mode, which is a mode in which the position information of the carriage is indeterminate, is set.

6. Printing device according to one of the claims 1 to 5,

the detection part is provided with a measuring part and a storage part,

the measuring section measures the amount of use of the ink ribbon,

the storage unit accumulates and stores the usage amount as the usage state.