JPH0958018A - Color printer display - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Abstract] [PROBLEMS] To provide a display device of a color printer which can display an ink tank in which ink has run out without increasing the number of LEDs in the color printer in which the ink tank can be replaced for each color. To aim. [Configuration] A printer cover opening / closing switch 5 and an LED display switching circuit 7 for switching the display of the LEDs 8, 9, 10, 11 according to opening / closing of the cover are provided, and when the cover is opened, the LEDs 8, 9, 10, 11 are turned on. Displays the ink tank that has run out of ink.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a display device of a color printer in which consumables can be replaced for each color.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In a printer in which consumables can be replaced for each color, for example, an ink jet printer having an independent ink tank for each color, if the ink tank has a structure in which the ink remaining amount can be seen from the outside, the ink tank is replaced when the ink runs out It is easy to specify the color to be used. However, if the ink tank has a structure in which the remaining amount of ink cannot be seen from the outside, it is necessary to provide means for displaying the color to be replaced. LCD
If there is an equal character display device, there is a method of displaying the color name, but if not, there is a method of separately providing LEDs for the number of colors (that is, the number of ink tanks = 3 for YMC or 4 for YMCK). . FIG. 5 is a view showing a display panel of a display device of a conventional color printer using LEDs,
20, 21, 22, and 23 are L for indicating the ink out tank
It is ED. The LEDs 20, 21, 22, and 23 correspond to the yellow (Y), magenta (M), cyan (C), and black (K) tanks, for example, when the yellow (Y) ink runs out, the corresponding color. LED 20 lights up.

As another method, there is known a method of displaying a plurality of information on one LED by a changeover switch. One example thereof is disclosed in Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open No. 62-137534. FIG. 6 shows a panel of a display device of a conventional color printer which displays an operation mode and an ink-out tank on an LED by a changeover switch. When the changeover switch 30 is on the MODE side, the LEDs 31, 32,
33 and 34 are operation modes (ONLINE, DRAFT,
Display PAPER, ERROR). On the other hand, when the changeover switch 30 is on the INK CHECK side, the LED 3
1, 32, 33, and 34 are ink out tanks (Y, M,
C, K) are displayed. In actual use, the changeover switch 30 is normally set to the MODE side, and when ink runs out (in this case, the ERROR / K LED 34
Lights up) The user turns the changeover switch 30 to INK
Set it to CHECK and know the tank that is out of ink, and replace the tank. After changing the ink tank, the changeover switch 30 is returned to the MODE side.

[0004]

However, among the above-mentioned conventional configurations, the LEDs 20 and 2 for indicating the ink out tank are used.
In the case of separately providing 1, 22, 23, the LED 20, 2
The number of 1, 22, 23 increases and the cost increases, and it becomes difficult to reduce the size of the display panel.
In addition, the method using the changeover switch 30 has a problem that the user has to change the changeover switch 30 each time ink is replaced, and the operation becomes complicated.

The present invention solves the above-mentioned conventional problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a display device of a color printer which does not increase the number of LEDs and has good operability.

[0006]

In order to achieve this object, the display device of the color printer of the present invention operates in the operation mode when the cover is closed by the output of the detection means for detecting the opening and closing of the cover of the color printer. Is provided with a switching means for switching the display of the display means composed of a plurality of light emitting parts to the display of the ink depletion tank when the cover is opened.

[0007]

With the above-described structure, the present invention can display the operation mode on the display means when the cover is closed, and display the ink depletion tank on the display means when the cover is open.

[0008]

An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. 1 is a block diagram of a display device of a color printer according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a panel of a display device of a color printer according to an embodiment of the present invention. An ink shortage sensor that generates a signal of ink shortage for each color, a cover open / close switch 5 that is on when the cover is open and off when the cover is closed, 6
Is a control device for controlling the entire printer and generating a signal indicating the current operation mode, 7 is an LED display switching circuit for switching the information to be displayed on the LED according to ON / OFF of the cover opening / closing switch 5, 8, 9, 10, 11
Indicates the operation mode or the tank that is out of ink L
It is ED.

The state of the display device of the color printer having the above-described structure according to the embodiment of the present invention will be described below.

When the cover is closed, the LEDs 8, 9, 10, 1
Reference numeral 1 is connected to the control device 6 and displays an operation mode such as ONLINE. Draft on line as an example
FIG. 2A shows a state in which is not selected.

Next, when ink is depleted, a signal is sent from the ink depletion sensor 1, 2, 3 or 4 to the control device 6, and the control device 6 stops the printing operation and ERROR.
The LED 11 indicating the error by turning on the signal is shown in FIG.
It lights up as shown in (b).

Next, when the user opens the printer cover for ink replacement, the cover opening / closing switch 5 is turned on, and the LED display switching circuit 7 causes the LEDs 8, 9, ...
Reference numerals 10, 11, 12 are connected to the ink depletion sensors 1, 2, 3, 4 to display the ink depletion tank. As an example, FIG. 2C shows a display when the magenta (M) ink has run out.

Next, when the user replaces the ink tank and closes the cover, the display of the LEDs 8, 9, 10, 11 returns to the operation mode display.

In the above-described embodiment, it is premised that the energization display of the printer is separately performed, but in the case of FIG. 4 where the number of LEDs 8, 9, 10, 11 including the energization display (POWER) is equal to the number of ink tanks. However, if the cover is opened without running out of ink, the LEDs 8, 9, 10, and 11 are all turned off, and there is a problem that the energization status is unknown. In this case, as shown in the block diagram of FIG.
A display switching determination circuit 12 is added, and the output of the ink out sensors 1, 2, 3, 4 is ORed and the output of the cover open / close switch 5 is ANDed to obtain the LED 1,
When the display of 2, 3, 4 is switched, the ink depletion tank display is performed only when the cover is open and the ink is depleted, and it is possible to avoid turning off all the LEDs 1, 2, 3, 4.

[0015]

As described above, according to the present invention, the operation mode is displayed when the cover is closed by the output of the detection means for detecting the opening and closing of the cover of the color printer, and the ink is displayed when the cover is open. By providing the switching means for switching the display of the display means consisting of a plurality of light emitting parts to the display of the dead tank, the operation mode is displayed on the display means when the cover is closed, and on the display means when the cover is open. This can be done by displaying the ink depletion tank.Normally, the operation mode is displayed on the display means, and the ink depletion tank is displayed on the display means only while the cover is opened for ink replacement. Even when the number of light emitting parts is limited, the operation at the time of ink replacement becomes easy.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a display device of a color printer according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a panel of a display device of a color printer according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram of a display device of a color printer according to another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a panel of a display device of a color printer according to another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a display panel of a display device of a conventional color printer using LEDs.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a display panel of a display device of a conventional color printer that displays an operation mode and an ink-out tank on an LED by a changeover switch.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 Ink Out Sensor (Y) 2 Ink Out Sensor (M) 3 Ink Out Sensor (C) 4 Ink Out Sensor (K) 5 Cover Open / Close Switch 6 Control Device 7 LED Display Switching Circuit 8 LED 9 LED 10 LED 11 LED 12 Display Switching determination circuit 20 LED (Y) 21 LED (M) 22 LED (C) 23 LED (K) 30 Changeover switch 31 LED (ONLINE / Y) 32 LED (DRAFT / M) 33 LED (PAPER / C) 34 LED ( ERROR / K)

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. A display means comprising a plurality of light emitting parts, an operation mode output means for outputting an operation mode of a color printer, an ink shortage output means for detecting and outputting ink shortage of each color of the color printer, and a color printer. Opening / closing detecting means for detecting opening / closing of the cover, and when the cover is closed by the output of the opening / closing detecting means, the output of the operation mode output means is output to the display means, and the cover is open. Is a display device of a color printer, comprising: a switching unit that outputs the output of the ink shortage output unit to the display unit. 2. A display means comprising a plurality of light emitting parts, an operation mode output means for outputting an operation mode of the color printer, an ink out output means for detecting and outputting ink out of each color of the color printer, and a color printer. When the cover is opened by the output of the opening / closing detection means and the ink out is detected by the ink exhaustion output means, the output of the ink exhaustion output means is output. Output to the display means, and output the operation mode output means to the display means when the cover is closed by the output of the opening / closing detection means or when the ink shortage output means has not detected the ink shortage. A display device for a color printer, comprising: