Incremental printing of symbolic information – Ink jet – Controller
Reexamination Certificate
2002-09-03
2004-04-13
Nguyen, Lamson (Department: 2861)
Incremental printing of symbolic information
Ink jet
Controller
C347S014000, C347S017000, C347S167000, C400S582000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06719396
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to, in a recording apparatus such as a printer, a motor control method in a recording apparatus which serves to accurately estimate the heat generation of an electric motor without using a temperature sensor and to carry out control for limiting the heat generation of the electric motor based on information about the heat generation thus estimated, and the recording apparatus.
In a serial printer, conventionally, a carriage including a print head runs in a main scanning direction (an orthogonal direction to a paper feeding direction) so that printing is carried out over a print medium such as a paper, for example. The carriage is driven to run by a carriage motor provided in the printer. An electric motor such as a DC motor is used for the carriage motor, for example.
The electric motor such as the carriage motor generates heat corresponding to a power consumed by driving. Since the electric motor is designed to be used at a standard temperature, it is used at the standard temperature or less in an ordinary printing operation.
However, in the case in which an excessive load is applied to the electric motor because the electric motor is driven at a high speed or an excessive sliding resistance is applied during the movement of the carriage, the temperature of the electric motor may exceed the standard temperature. In this case, there has been known heat generating limitation control to take a pause having a predetermined time such that the electric motor can be prevented from breaking down by heat.
Usually, the temperature of the motor is detected by using a temperature sensor. There is supposed that a pause having a predetermined time is taken to carry out heat generating limitation control for limiting heat generation when the temperature of the motor is higher than the standard temperature.
However, there is a problem in that the number of components is increased by using the temperature sensor, resulting in an increase in a manufacturing cost.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The invention has been made to solve the problems and has a first object to provide a motor control method in a recording apparatus in which the temperature of the heat generation of an electric motor can be estimated comparatively accurately in consideration of a radiation with the passage of time without using a temperature sensor and control for limiting the heat generation of the electric motor can be carried out suitably, and the recording apparatus.
In order to attain the first object, the invention has a second object to estimate the temperature of the heat generation of an electric motor comparatively accurately in consideration of a radiation, thereby reducing a useless pause for the electric motor to enhance the throughput of the recording apparatus.
The invention has a third object to estimate the temperature of the heat generation of the electric motor comparatively accurately in consideration of the radiation with the passage of time without using a temperature sensor.
The invention has a fourth object to estimate the temperature of the heat generation of the electric motor comparatively accurately in consideration of the radiation with the passage of time without using the temperature sensor, thereby deciding the abnormality of the heat generation of the electric motor comparatively accurately.
(1) In order to achieve the first and second objects, the invention is directed to a motor control method in a recording apparatus comprising an electric motor to be driven based on a power supplied from power supply means, comprising the steps of successively obtaining a value related to a heat value based on a consumed current and a driving time of the electric motor, successively obtaining a value related to a heat storage amount of the electric motor in consideration of a radiation by using the value related to the heat value, and controlling the electric motor to take a pause at an interval of a driving operation thereof based on the value related to the heat storage amount.
According to the invention, the value related to the heat value is obtained based on the consumed current and the driving time of the electric motor, and furthermore, the value related to the heat storage amount of the electric motor is successively obtained in consideration of the radiation by using the value related to the heat value and the electric motor is controlled to take a pause at the interval of the driving operation thereof based on the value related to the heat storage amount. The heat generation temperature of the electric motor is estimated comparatively accurately based on the value related to the heat storage amount. Consequently, the unnecessary pause of the electric motor can be decreased.
(2) In order to achieve the first and second objects, the invention is directed to a motor control apparatus in a recording apparatus comprising an electric motor to be driven based on a power supplied from power supply means, comprising heat value acquiring means for successively obtaining a value related to a heat value based on a consumed current and a driving time of the electric motor, heat storage amount acquiring means for successively obtaining a value related to a heat storage amount of the electric motor in consideration of a radiation by using the value related to the heat value, and pause control means for controlling the electric motor to take a pause at an interval of a driving operation thereof based on the value related to the heat storage amount.
According to the invention, by the same functions of the invention described in (1), the heat generation temperature of the electric motor is estimated comparatively accurately based on the value related to the heat storage amount in consideration of the radiation. Consequently, the unnecessary pause of the electric motor can be decreased.
(3) In order to achieve the first and second objects, the invention is directed to a motor control apparatus in a recording apparatus comprising an electric motor to be driven based on a power supplied from power supply means, comprising heat value acquiring means for successively obtaining a value related to a heat value based on a consumed current and a driving time of the electric motor, heat storage amount acquiring means for obtaining a value related to a last heat storage amount in consideration of a radiation by using the value related to the heat value and for adding a value related to a heat value obtained next time by the heat value acquiring means to the value related to the last heat storage amount, thereby obtaining a value related to a present heat storage amount, and pause control means for controlling the electric motor to take a pause at an interval of a driving operation thereof based on the value related to the present heat storage amount.
According to the invention, the value related to the heat value is obtained based on the consumed current and the driving time of the electric motor, the value related to the last heat storage amount is obtained in consideration of the radiation by using the value related to the heat value, and the value related to the heat value obtained next time is added to the value related to the last heat storage amount so that the value related to the present heat storage amount is obtained. The electric motor is controlled to take a pause at the interval of the driving operation thereof based on the value related to the present heat storage amount.
(4) In order to achieve the first and second objects, the invention is directed to a motor control apparatus in a recording apparatus comprising an electric motor to be driven based on a power supplied from power supply means, comprising heat value acquiring means for obtaining a heat value based on a consumed current and a driving time of the electric motor, adding means for obtaining an added value of the heat value with a correcting operation in consideration of a radiation with the passage of time, and pause control means for controlling the electric motor to take a pause at an int
Nguyen Lamson
Seiko Epson Corporation
Sughrue & Mion, PLLC
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