CN109311317B - Information processing apparatus and method, ink jet recording apparatus and image recording method - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention provides an information processing apparatus, an ink jet recording apparatus, and an information processing method, which can generate setting information for suppressing unnecessary recording of a test image. The information processing apparatus generates setting information used for setting control of an operation of a recording apparatus including a plurality of ink ejecting units that eject different types of ink from nozzles onto a recording medium, respectively, the information processing apparatus including: an input means for receiving a 1 st input operation relating to selection of an ink ejecting section of an inspection target for recording a test image used for inspecting a discharge state of a nozzle among the plurality of ink ejecting sections on a recording medium; and a setting information generating means for generating setting information used for setting recording of a test image by the ink ejecting section of the inspection object selected based on the 1 st input operation.

Description

Information processing apparatus and method, ink jet recording apparatus and image recording method

Technical Field

The invention relates to an information processing apparatus, an inkjet recording apparatus, and an information processing method.

Background

Conventionally, there is an ink jet recording apparatus that ejects ink from an ink ejection unit provided with nozzles for ejecting ink onto a recording medium to record an image on the recording medium. In addition, the inkjet recording apparatus may be provided with a plurality of inkjet units for ejecting different types of ink from nozzles, respectively. For example, in an ink jet recording apparatus that ejects ink of different colors from nozzles by each of a plurality of ink ejection units, a color image realized by the ink of the different colors can be recorded.

In the ink jet recording apparatus, the information processing apparatus provided inside or outside the ink jet recording apparatus can set the control of the operation of each unit including the ink ejecting unit based on the setting information generated in accordance with the input operation of the user with respect to the input means.

In an inkjet recording apparatus, an abnormality in the discharge state of ink from nozzles causes a reduction in the quality of a recorded image. Therefore, conventionally, the ejection state of the nozzle is periodically checked. This inspection can be performed, for example, by ejecting ink from the nozzles, recording a predetermined test image on the recording medium, and detecting an abnormality in the ejection state of the ink based on captured data obtained by capturing the recorded test image.

In an ink jet recording apparatus having a plurality of ink ejection units, test images are recorded in the respective ink ejection units, and the corresponding ink ejection units are inspected using imaging data of the recorded test images. In this inspection method, when the recordable area of the recording medium is sufficiently large relative to the test image, all of the test images of the plurality of ink ejection units can be recorded on 1 recording medium. In addition, when an area of the recording medium on which the test image is recorded is limited, such as when the margin of the recording medium is used, there is a technique of sequentially recording the test image by one of the plurality of ink ejection units on each of the plurality of recording media (for example, patent document 1).

Patent document 1: japanese patent laid-open publication No. 2016 + 41495

However, in the above-described conventional technique, a test image is recorded at the same frequency as that of other ink ejection units, even for an ink ejection unit in which the frequency of ink ejection from the nozzles is low, an ink ejection unit in which the inspection of the ejection state is not necessary, such as an ink ejection unit that ejects ink of a type in which the user is difficult to recognize the abnormality of the ejection state, or an ink ejection unit in which the inspection of the ejection state is sufficient with a low frequency. Therefore, there are problems that ink and a recording medium are unnecessarily consumed due to unnecessary recording of a test image, and that, when a normal image and a test image to be recorded are recorded in one recording area of a recording medium, the area in which the normal image can be recorded is narrowed.

Disclosure of Invention

An object of the present invention is to provide an information processing apparatus, an inkjet recording apparatus, and an information processing method, which can generate setting information for suppressing unnecessary recording of a test image.

In order to achieve the above object, the invention of claim 1 is an information processing apparatus for generating setting information used for setting control of an operation of a recording apparatus including a plurality of ink ejecting units for ejecting different types of ink from nozzles onto a recording medium,

the information processing apparatus is characterized by comprising:

an input unit configured to receive a 1 st input operation related to selection of an inkjet unit to be inspected, among the plurality of inkjet units, the inkjet unit being a recording medium on which a test image for inspecting a discharge state of a nozzle is recorded; and

and a setting information generating unit configured to generate the setting information used to set recording of the test image by the ink ejecting unit of the inspection target selected based on the 1 st input operation.

In the information processing apparatus according to claim 1, the invention according to claim 2 is characterized in that,

the input means receives a 2 nd input operation for specifying a maximum number of ink ejection units for performing recording of the test image on one recording area on the recording medium to be subjected to ink ejection by the nozzles of the plurality of ink ejection units,

the setting information generating means generates the setting information used for setting that the test image is recorded in the recording area of the recording medium by each of the ink ejecting units of the inspection target selected based on the 1 st input operation, the ink ejecting units being the maximum number or less specified by the 2 nd input operation.

The invention described in claim 3 is, in addition to the information processing apparatus described in claim 1 or 2,

the input means receives the 1 st input operation for specifying the ink ejecting unit to be inspected.

The invention described in claim 4 is, in addition to the information processing apparatus described in claim 1 or 2,

the input means receives the 1 st input operation for specifying the 1 st inspection object selection mode for selecting the ink ejecting unit to be inspected based on image data of a normal image of a recording object recorded on a recording medium through at least a part of the plurality of ink ejecting units,

the setting information generating means generates the setting information used for setting recording of the test image by the ink jet unit of the inspection target selected based on the image data of the normal image, in accordance with the designation of the 1 st inspection target selection mode by the 1 st input operation.

The invention described in claim 5 is, in addition to the information processing apparatus described in claim 4,

the setting information generating means selects the ink ejecting unit to be inspected based on the image data of the normal image when the 1 st inspection object selection mode is designated by the 1 st input operation.

The invention described in claim 6 is, in addition to the information processing apparatus described in claim 5,

the setting information generating means acquires an ink ejection amount of the nozzles of each of the plurality of ink ejecting units required for recording the normal image in the plurality of ink ejecting units based on image data of the normal image, and selects an ink ejecting unit having an ink ejection amount larger than a predetermined reference amount as the ink ejecting unit to be inspected.

The invention described in claim 7 is, in addition to the information processing apparatus described in claim 1 or 2,

the input means receives the 1 st input operation of the ink ejecting section to be inspected which designates the recording area on which the test image is to be recorded, for each recording area on the recording medium to be ejected by the nozzles of the plurality of ink ejecting sections,

the setting information generating means generates the setting information used for setting recording of the test image by the ink jet unit of the inspection target specified by the 1 st input operation for each of the plurality of recording regions.

The invention described in claim 8 is the information processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein,

the above-mentioned recording apparatus has a conveying mechanism that conveys a recording medium,

the plurality of ink jetting units each include a plurality of ink jet heads each having a plurality of the nozzles,

the plurality of ink jet heads are arranged so that the arrangement ranges of the plurality of nozzles in a width direction orthogonal to a transport direction of the recording medium by the transport mechanism are different from each other, and the nozzles are arranged over a predetermined recording width in the width direction in the plurality of ink jet heads,

the input means receives a 3 rd input operation for selecting an ink jet head to be inspected for recording the test image in the ink jet unit to be inspected,

the setting information generating means generates the setting information used to set recording of the test image using the inkjet head of the inspection target selected by the 3 rd input operation by the inkjet unit of the inspection target selected by the 1 st input operation.

In the information processing apparatus according to claim 8, an invention according to claim 9 is characterized in that,

the input means receives the 3 rd input operation for specifying the inkjet head to be inspected.

The invention described in claim 10 is, in addition to the information processing apparatus described in claim 8,

the input means receives the 3 rd input operation of the 2 nd inspection object selection mode for designating the inspection object ink jet head to be selected based on the image data of the normal image of the recording object recorded on the recording medium by at least a part of the plurality of ink jet units,

the setting information generating means generates the setting information used to set recording of the test image by the ink jet unit of the inspection target using the ink jet head of the inspection target selected based on the image data of the normal image, in accordance with designation of the 2 nd inspection target selection mode by the 3 rd input operation.

The invention described in claim 11 is, in addition to the information processing apparatus described in claim 10,

the setting information generating means selects the inkjet head to be inspected based on the image data of the normal image when the 2 nd inspection object selection mode is designated by the 3 rd input operation.

The invention described in claim 12 is, in addition to the information processing apparatus described in claim 11,

the setting information generating means acquires an ink ejection amount of the nozzles of each of the plurality of inkjet heads required for recording the normal image in the plurality of ink ejecting units based on the image data of the normal image, and selects an inkjet head having an ink ejection amount larger than a predetermined reference amount as the inkjet head to be inspected.

The invention described in claim 13 is the information processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 12, wherein,

the recording apparatus includes ejection failure detection means for detecting ejection failure of the nozzles of the plurality of ink ejection units based on a result of reading the test image by the reading means,

the input means receives a 4 th input operation for specifying the detection accuracy of the ejection failure for each of the plurality of ink ejection units,

the setting information generating means generates the setting information used for setting to detect the ejection failure with the detection accuracy specified by the 4 th input operation by the ejection failure detecting means.

The invention described in claim 14 is the information processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 12, wherein,

the above-mentioned recording apparatus has a conveying mechanism that conveys a recording medium,

the plurality of ink jetting units each include a plurality of ink jet heads each having a plurality of the nozzles,

the plurality of ink jet heads are arranged so that the arrangement ranges of the plurality of nozzles in a width direction orthogonal to a transport direction of the recording medium by the transport mechanism are different from each other, and the nozzles are arranged over a predetermined recording width in the width direction in the plurality of ink jet heads,

the recording apparatus includes ejection failure detection means for detecting ejection failure of the nozzles of the plurality of ink jet heads provided in each of the plurality of ink jet units based on a result of reading by the reading means of the test image,

the input means receives a 5 th input operation for specifying the detection accuracy of the ejection failure for each of the plurality of ink jet heads of the plurality of ink jet units,

the setting information generating means generates the setting information used for setting to detect the ejection failure with the detection accuracy specified by the 5 th input operation by the ejection failure detecting means.

The invention described in claim 15 is the information processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 14, wherein,

the inspection apparatus includes a test image data generating unit configured to generate test image data including an image of the test image recorded by the ink jet unit of the inspection target according to the setting based on the setting information.

The invention described in claim 16, in addition to the information processing apparatus described in claim 15, is characterized in that,

the test image data generating means generates the test image data including a normal image of a recording target recorded on a recording medium by at least a part of the plurality of ink ejecting units and an image of the test image.

The invention described in claim 17 is the information processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 16, wherein,

the recording apparatus includes an output unit configured to output the setting information to the recording device.

The invention described in claim 18 is, in addition to the information processing apparatus described in claim 15 or 16,

the image processing apparatus includes an output unit configured to output the test image data to the recording device.

In order to achieve the above object, the invention according to claim 19 provides an ink jet recording apparatus comprising:

an information processing apparatus as set forth in any of claims 1 to 18, and

a recording apparatus having a plurality of ink ejecting units for ejecting different types of ink from nozzles onto a recording medium,

the recording apparatus includes a recording control unit configured to perform recording of the test image based on the setting information generated by the information processing apparatus by the ink jet unit to be inspected.

In order to achieve the above object, the invention of an information processing method according to claim 20 is an information processing method for generating setting information used for setting control of an operation in a recording apparatus including a plurality of ink ejecting units for ejecting different types of ink from nozzles onto a recording medium,

the information processing method is characterized by comprising the following steps:

an input step of receiving a 1 st input operation relating to selection of an ink ejecting section to be inspected, among the plurality of ink ejecting sections, which records a test image used for inspecting a discharge state of a nozzle on a recording medium; and

a setting information generating step of generating the setting information used for setting recording of the test image by the ink jet unit of the inspection target selected based on the 1 st input operation.

According to the present invention, it is possible to generate setting information that suppresses unnecessary recording of a test image.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of an inkjet recording apparatus.

Fig. 2 is a schematic diagram showing the structure of the head unit.

Fig. 3 is a block diagram showing a main functional configuration of the inkjet recording apparatus.

Fig. 4 is a diagram showing an example of a test chart.

Fig. 5 is a diagram showing an example of a screen display used for recording setting of a test chart.

Fig. 6A is a diagram illustrating example 2 of the recording setting of the test chart.

Fig. 6B is a diagram illustrating example 2 of a test chart recorded according to the recording setting.

Fig. 7A is a diagram illustrating example 3 of the recording setting of the test chart.

Fig. 7B is a diagram illustrating example 3 of a test chart recorded according to the recording setting.

Fig. 8 is a flowchart showing a control procedure of the image recording process.

Fig. 9 is a flowchart showing a control procedure of the color unevenness corresponding processing.

Fig. 10A is a diagram illustrating an example of recording setting of a test chart in modification 1.

Fig. 10B is a diagram showing an example of the calculated ejection amount.

Fig. 10C is a diagram illustrating an example of a test chart recorded according to the recording setting of modification 1.

Fig. 11A is a diagram illustrating an example of recording setting of a test chart in modification 2.

Fig. 11B is a diagram illustrating an example of a test chart recorded according to the recording setting of modification 2.

Fig. 12A is a diagram illustrating an example of recording setting of a test chart in modification 3.

Fig. 12B is a diagram for explaining an example of a test chart recorded according to the recording setting of modification 3.

Fig. 13A is a diagram showing an example of recording settings in which the head module automatic selection mode can be designated.

Fig. 13B is a diagram showing an example of the calculated ejection amount.

Fig. 14 is a diagram illustrating an example of recording settings of the test chart in modification 4.

Fig. 15A is a diagram illustrating an example of recording settings of a test chart that enables specifying the detection accuracy of an ink ejection failure for each head module.

Fig. 15B is a diagram illustrating an example of recording settings of a test chart that enables specifying the detection accuracy of an ink ejection failure for each head module.

Fig. 16A is a diagram showing an example of error display in modification 5.

Fig. 16B is a diagram showing an example of a head maintenance menu screen in modification 5.

Fig. 17 is a diagram showing an example of a setting screen for setting conditions for performing error display.

Detailed Description

Hereinafter, embodiments of an information processing apparatus, an inkjet recording apparatus, and an information processing method according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

Fig. 1 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of an inkjet recording apparatus 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention.

The inkjet recording apparatus 100 includes a recording apparatus 1 that records an image on a recording medium P, and an information processing apparatus 2 that generates setting information used to set control of the operation of the recording apparatus 1 in accordance with an input operation by a user and performs various processes of the generation of the setting information.

The recording apparatus 1 includes: a paper feed unit 10, an image forming unit 20, a paper discharge unit 30, and a control unit 40. The recording apparatus 1 conveys the recording medium P stored in the paper feed unit 10 to the image forming unit 20 under the control of the control unit 40, records an image on the recording medium P by the image forming unit 20, and conveys the recording medium P on which the image is recorded to the paper discharge unit 30. As the recording medium P, various media capable of fixing ink ejected onto a surface, such as cloth or sheet-like resin, can be used in addition to paper such as plain paper or coated paper.

The paper feed unit 10 includes a paper feed tray 11 on which the recording medium P is stored, and a medium feed unit 12 that feeds the recording medium P from the paper feed tray 11 to the image forming unit 20. The medium feeding unit 12 includes an endless belt supported by 2 rollers inside, and conveys the recording medium P from the paper feed tray 11 to the image forming unit 20 by rotating the rollers while the recording medium P is placed on the belt.

The image forming unit 20 includes: a conveying section 21, a delivery unit 22, a heating section 23, a head unit 24 (ink jet section), a fixing section 25, an image reading section 26 (reading means), a delivery section 27, and a reversing section 28.

The transport unit 21 (transport mechanism) holds the recording medium P placed on the transport surface of the cylindrical transport drum 211, and transports the recording medium P on the transport drum 211 in the transport direction along the transport surface by rotating the transport drum 211 about a rotation axis (cylindrical axis) extending in the direction perpendicular to the drawing of fig. 1 and winding the recording medium P. The transport drum 211 includes a claw portion and a suction portion, not shown, for holding the recording medium P on the transport surface. The end of the recording medium P is pressed by the claw portion, and is sucked to the transport surface by the suction portion, thereby being held by the transport surface. The conveying unit 21 has a conveying drum motor, not shown, for rotating the conveying drum 211, and the conveying drum 211 rotates by an angle proportional to the amount of rotation of the conveying drum motor. Hereinafter, a direction perpendicular to the conveying direction and parallel to the rotation axis of the conveying roller 211 is referred to as a width direction.

The delivery unit 22 delivers the recording medium P conveyed by the medium supply unit 12 of the paper feed unit 10 to the conveying unit 21. The delivery unit 22 is provided at a position between the medium supply portion 12 of the paper feed portion 10 and the transport portion 21, and holds and picks up one end of the recording medium P transported from the medium supply portion 12 by the swing arm portion 221, and delivers the recording medium P to the transport portion 21 via the delivery roller 222.

The heating unit 23 is provided between the position where the delivery roller 222 is disposed and the position where the head unit 24 is disposed, and heats the recording medium P conveyed by the conveying unit 21 so that the recording medium P has a temperature within a predetermined temperature range. The heating unit 23 includes, for example, an infrared heater, and energizes the infrared heater based on a control signal supplied from the CPU41 (fig. 3) to generate heat.

The head unit 24 performs a recording operation of discharging ink onto the recording medium P from a nozzle opening provided on an ink ejection surface facing the transport surface of the transport drum 211 at an appropriate timing in accordance with the rotation of the transport drum 211 holding the recording medium P, thereby recording an image. The head unit 24 is disposed with the ink ejection surface separated from the transport surface by a predetermined distance. In the inkjet recording apparatus 100 of the present embodiment, 4 head units 24 corresponding to 4 colors of yellow (Y), magenta (M), cyan (C), and black (K) are arranged in a row at predetermined intervals in the order of Y, M, C, K colors from the upstream side in the transport direction of the recording medium P.

Fig. 2 is a schematic diagram showing the structure of the head unit 24. Fig. 2 is a plan view of the entire head unit 24 as viewed from the side opposite to the conveying surface of the conveying roller 211.

In the present embodiment, the head unit 24 includes 8 recording heads 242 in which a plurality of recording elements that discharge ink are arranged in the width direction. The recording elements of the recording head 242 each include a pressure chamber for storing ink, a piezoelectric element provided on a wall surface of the pressure chamber, and a nozzle 243. When a drive signal for deforming the piezoelectric element is input to the recording element, the pressure chamber is deformed by the deformation of the piezoelectric element, and the pressure in the pressure chamber is changed, whereby an ink ejecting operation is performed in which ink is ejected from the nozzles 243 communicating with the pressure chamber. The amount of ink discharged from the nozzles 243 can be adjusted by changing the amplitude of the voltage of the drive signal.

In fig. 2, the positions of the ink ejection ports of the nozzles 243, which are members of the recording element, are shown. The arrangement direction of the recording elements in each recording head 242 is not limited to the width direction orthogonal to the transport direction, and may be a direction intersecting the transport direction at an angle other than a right angle.

In the head unit 24, two of the 8 recording heads 242 are combined, and 4 head modules HM1 to HM4 (ink jet heads) each configured by the combination of the recording heads 242 are provided (hereinafter, also referred to as a head module HM in the case of any one of the finger modules HM1 to HM 4). In each of the head modules HM1 to HM4, 2 recording heads 242 are arranged in a positional relationship in which the nozzles 243 of the recording elements of the 2 recording heads 242 are alternately arranged in the width direction. By arranging the nozzles 243 in this manner, it is possible to perform recording with a resolution of 1200dpi (dot per inch) in the width direction in each of the head modules MH1 to HM 4.

The 4 head modules MH1 to HM4 are arranged in a staggered grid pattern so that the arrangement ranges in the width direction partially overlap each other, and the line head is configured such that the arrangement ranges in the width direction are different from each other, and the nozzles are arranged over a predetermined recording width in the width direction in the 4 head modules HM1 to HM 4.

The arrangement range of the nozzles 243 included in the head unit 24 in the width direction covers the width of the area in the width direction in which an image can be recorded in the recording medium P conveyed by the conveying unit 21. The head unit 24 is used at a fixed position when recording an image, and sequentially ejects ink at different positions in the conveyance direction at predetermined intervals (conveyance direction intervals) in accordance with the conveyance of the recording medium P, thereby recording an image in a single-pass manner.

Instead of the above configuration, a single recording head 242 may be used to form an inkjet head.

In the recording head 242, there are cases where a nozzle 243 (defective nozzle) that ejects defective ink is generated due to a difference in processing at the time of nozzle formation, a difference in characteristics of the piezoelectric element, clogging of the nozzle 243, or closing caused by adhesion of foreign matter to the nozzle opening. As the method of the defective ink ejection, there are an ink non-ejection, an abnormality in the ink ejection direction, an abnormality in the amount of ink to be ejected, an abnormality in the flying speed of the ink to be ejected, and the like. If the head unit 24 performs a recording operation when there is a defective nozzle, the defective nozzle does not eject ink normally, which results in a reduction in the quality of an image recorded on the recording medium P. A method of detecting a discharge failure of the nozzle 243 and a method of adjusting an ink ejection operation when a discharge failure is detected will be described later.

As the ink discharged from the nozzle 243 of the recording element, an ink having a property of undergoing a phase change into a gel or a colloid depending on temperature and being cured by irradiation with an energy ray such as ultraviolet light is used.

In the present embodiment, an ink that is in a gel state at normal temperature and becomes a gel state by heating is used. The head unit 24 includes an ink heating unit, not shown, that heats ink stored in the head unit 24, and the ink heating unit operates under the control of the CPU41 to heat the ink to a temperature at which the ink becomes colloidal. The recording head 242 discharges ink that is heated to a colloidal state. When the colloidal ink is ejected onto the recording medium P, the ink is ejected onto the recording medium P and then naturally cooled, whereby the ink rapidly becomes a gel and solidifies on the recording medium P.

The fixing unit 25 includes an energy beam irradiation unit disposed across the width of the conveying unit 21 in the width direction, and irradiates the recording medium P placed on the conveying unit 21 with an energy beam such as ultraviolet light from the energy beam irradiation unit to cure and fix the ink discharged onto the recording medium P. The energy beam irradiation portion of the fixing portion 25 is disposed facing the conveying surface from the position where the head unit 24 is disposed to the position where the delivery roller 271 of the delivery portion 27 is disposed in the conveying direction.

The image reading unit 26 is disposed at a position between the fixing position of the ink in the fixing unit 25 and the arrangement position of the cross roller 271 in the transport direction, and is capable of reading the surface of the recording medium P on the transport surface, reading the image recorded on the recording medium P transported by the transport roller 211 within a predetermined reading range, and outputting the image pickup data of the image.

In the present embodiment, the image reading unit 26 includes a light source that irradiates light onto the recording medium P conveyed by the conveyance roller 211, and a line sensor in which imaging elements that detect the intensity of reflected light of the light incident on the recording medium P are arranged in the width direction. Specifically, the on-line sensor is provided with 3 image sensor columns each including image sensors arranged in the width direction, and the image sensors of the image sensor columns output signals corresponding to the intensities of the wavelength components of R (red), G (green), and B (blue) in incident light. The image pickup element corresponding to R, G, B can be used, for example, one having a color filter for transmitting light of R, G or B wavelength component disposed in a light receiving portion of a ccd (charge Coupled device) sensor or a cmos (complementary Metal Oxide semiconductor) sensor, which is a photoelectric conversion element having a photodiode. The reading resolution of each imaging element of the line sensor is, for example, 600dpi in the width direction. That is, the image sensor may acquire an image at a resolution lower than the resolution corresponding to the arrangement interval of the nozzles 243.

The signal output from the line sensor is subjected to current-voltage conversion, amplification, noise removal, analog-digital conversion, and the like at an analog front end, not shown, and is output to the control unit 40 as captured data indicating the luminance value of the read image.

The configuration of the image reading unit 26 is not limited to this, and an area sensor may be used instead of the line sensor, for example.

The delivery unit 27 includes a belt loop 272 having an endless belt supported by 2 rollers on the inside, and a cylindrical delivery drum 271 for delivering the recording medium P from the transport unit 21 to the belt loop 272, and conveys the recording medium P delivered from the transport unit 21 to the belt loop 272 by the delivery drum 271 via the belt loop 272 and feeds the recording medium P to the paper discharge unit 30.

When the front and back of the recording medium P are reversed, the reversing unit 28 operates under the control of the CPU41 to reverse the front and back of the recording medium P delivered from the delivery drum 271, deliver the recording medium P to the transport drum 211, and place the recording medium P on the transport surface of the transport drum 211. The reversing unit 28 includes a 1 st drum 281, a 2 nd drum 282, and a belt loop 283.

In the reversing section 28, the recording medium P is handed over from the delivery drum 271 rotating clockwise in fig. 1 to the 1 st drum 281 rotating counterclockwise in fig. 1, and then sequentially handed over to the 2 nd drum 282 rotating clockwise in fig. 1 and the band 283 rotating counterclockwise. When the trailing end of the recording medium P reaches the vicinity of the nip between the 2 nd drum 282 and the belt loop 283, the rotation direction of the belt loop 283 is changed to the clockwise direction in fig. 1, and the recording medium P is placed on the conveyance surface of the conveyance drum 211 on the upstream side in the conveyance direction of the delivery drum 222. The recording medium P placed on the conveyance surface by the reversing unit 28 is again held by the conveyance roller 211 in a state where the surface on which the image is recorded is in contact with the conveyance surface.

The configuration of the reversing unit 28 is not limited to the above, and can be appropriately selected from various configurations that can reverse the front and back sides of the recording medium P and deliver the recording medium P to the transport drum 211.

The sheet discharge unit 30 includes a sheet-like sheet discharge tray 31 on which the recording medium P fed from the image forming unit 20 by the feeding unit 27 is placed.

Fig. 3 is a block diagram showing a main functional configuration of the inkjet recording apparatus 100.

The recording apparatus 1 in the inkjet recording apparatus 100 includes: a heating section 23, a head unit 24 having a recording head driving section 241 and a recording head 242, a fixing section 25, an image reading section 26, a control section 40, a conveyance driving section 51, an input/output interface 52, a bus 53, and the like.

The head driving unit 241 supplies a driving signal for deforming the piezoelectric element in accordance with image data to the recording elements of the recording head 242 at an appropriate timing, and thereby discharges ink from the nozzles 243 of the recording head 242 by an amount corresponding to the pixel value of the image data.

The control unit 40 includes: a CPU41(Central Processing Unit) (recording control means, ejection failure detection means), a RAM42(Random Access Memory), a ROM43(Read Only Memory), and a storage Unit 44.

The CPU41 reads out various control programs and setting data stored in the ROM43, stores them in the RAM42, executes them, and performs various arithmetic operations. The CPU41 also performs overall control of the operation of the recording apparatus 1. For example, the CPU41 operates each unit of the recording apparatus 1 based on a print job (image recording command) stored in the storage unit 44 and image data of the print job, and records an image on the recording medium P.

The RAM42 provides the CPU41 with a storage space for work, and temporarily stores data. The RAM42 may also include non-volatile memory.

The ROM43 stores programs for various controls, setting data, and the like executed by the CPU 41. In addition, a rewritable nonvolatile memory such as an eeprom (electrically Erasable Programmable Read Only memory) or a flash memory may be used instead of the ROM 43.

The storage unit 44 stores a print job input from the information processing apparatus 2 via the input/output interface 52, image data of an image recorded by the print job, captured data output from the image reading unit 26, and the like. As the storage unit 44, for example, hdd (hard Disk drive) may be used, and dram (dynamic Random Access memory) may be used in combination.

The conveyance driving unit 51 supplies a driving signal to the conveyance roller motor of the conveyance roller 211 based on the control signal supplied from the CPU41, and rotates the conveyance roller 211 at a predetermined speed and timing. Further, the conveyance drive unit 51 supplies a drive signal to the motor for operating the medium supply unit 12, the delivery unit 22, and the delivery unit 27 based on the control signal supplied from the CPU41, and performs supply of the recording medium P to the conveyance unit 21 and discharge from the conveyance unit 21. Further, the conveyance driving unit 51 operates the 1 st cylinder 281, the 2 nd cylinder 282, and the belt loop 283 of the reversing unit 28 based on a control signal supplied from the CPU41, and the reversing unit 28 reverses the front and back of the recording medium P.

The input/output interface 52 is connected to the input/output interface 83 of the information processing apparatus 2, and transmits and receives data between the control unit 40 and the control unit 70 of the information processing apparatus 2. The input/output interface 52 is constituted by any one of various serial interfaces, various parallel interfaces, or a combination of these interfaces, for example.

The bus 53 is a path for transmitting and receiving signals between the control unit 40 and another configuration.

The information processing apparatus 2 in the inkjet recording apparatus 100 includes: a control unit 70, an operation display unit 81 (input means), an image processing unit 82 (test image data generation means), an input/output interface 83, a bus 84, and the like. The information processing device 2 is constituted by a personal computer such as a desktop computer or a notebook computer.

The control section 70 has a CPU71 (setting information generating means, output means), a RAM72, a ROM73, and a storage section 74.

The CPU71 reads out various control programs and setting data stored in the ROM73, stores them in the RAM72, executes them, and performs various arithmetic operations. The CPU71 also performs overall control of the operation of the information processing apparatus 2. For example, the CPU71 generates a print job based on an input operation by the user to the operation display unit 81, and outputs the print job to the control unit 40 of the recording apparatus 1.

The RAM72 provides the CPU71 with a memory space for work, and temporarily stores data. The RAM72 may also include non-volatile memory.

The ROM73 stores programs for various controls, setting data, and the like executed by the CPU 71. In addition, a rewritable nonvolatile memory such as an EEPROM or a flash memory may be used instead of the ROM 73.

The storage unit 74 stores PD L (Page Description L angle) data of a normal image to be recorded, which is input from the external device 200 via the input/output interface 83, raster-format image data generated by the image processing unit 82, image data of a test chart to be described later, setting information for setting control of the operation of the recording apparatus 1, and the like, and the storage unit 44 may be, for example, an HDD or a DRAM in combination.

The operation display unit 81 includes a display device such as a liquid crystal display or an organic E L display, an input device such as a keyboard, a mouse, and a touch panel disposed so as to overlap a screen of the display device, and the operation display unit 81 displays various information on the display device, converts an input operation of a user with respect to the input device into an operation signal, and outputs the operation signal to the control unit 70.

The image processing unit 82 converts PD L data, which is input from the external device 200 and stored in the storage unit 44, into a raster format in accordance with a control signal from the CPU71, and stores the converted image data in the storage unit 44, and when a print job includes a recording command for a test chart, the image processing unit 82 generates synthetic image data (i.e., synthetic image data in which image data of a normal image and image data of a test image are synthesized) in a raster format including the normal image and the image of the test chart corresponding to setting information stored in the storage unit 44 in accordance with a control signal from the CPU71, and the image processing unit 82 may be configured to perform color conversion processing, gradation correction processing, halftone processing, and the like on the image data in addition to such rasterization processing.

The input/output interface 83 transmits and receives data between the control unit 70 and the control unit 40 of the recording apparatus 1 and between the control unit 70 and the external apparatus 200. The input/output interface 83 is constituted by any one of various serial interfaces, various parallel interfaces, or a combination of these interfaces, for example.

The bus 84 is a path for transmitting and receiving signals between the control unit 70 and another configuration.

The external device 200 is, for example, a personal computer, and supplies PD L data and the like to the control unit 70 via the input/output interface 83.

Next, the recording operation of the normal image and the test chart and the inspection of the ejection state of the nozzle 243 using the test chart in the inkjet recording apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment will be described.

In the inkjet recording apparatus 100 of the present embodiment, a normal image of a recording target is recorded on the recording medium P, and a test chart (test image) used for inspecting the ejection state of the nozzles 243 is recorded on the recording medium P. The test chart recorded on the recording medium P is read by the image reading unit 26, and the ejection state is checked based on the read result (shot data).

In addition, the test chart is recorded individually by the 4 head units 24, respectively. In the ink jet recording apparatus 100 of the present embodiment, the information processing apparatus 2 can perform recording setting of a recording method for specifying the test chart of the 4 head units 24, and the recording apparatus 1 can record the test chart based on the recording setting.

Fig. 4 is a diagram showing an example of a test chart.

As shown in fig. 4, in the present embodiment, the recording medium P is subjected to ink ejection by the nozzles 243, and a normal image 61 of the recording target is recorded in a normal image recording area of the recording area 60 in which an image can be recorded, and a test chart 62 is recorded in a margin area of the recording area 60 other than the normal image recording area. Here, the test chart 62 is recorded on the upstream side in the conveying direction of the normal image recording area. The test chart 62 can be used for inspection for detecting a defective nozzle.

On the recording medium P of fig. 4, 4 test charts 62, i.e., test charts 62Y, 62M, 62C, 62K, are recorded. The test charts 62Y, 62M, 62C, 62K are recorded by the head units 24 of Y, M, C, K, respectively, with the ink of Y, M, C, K. Each test chart 62 is an image whose shading can be easily distinguished, and is, for example, a halftone image whose density is constant for each color. The recording range in the width direction of the test chart 62 is equal to the recording range in the width direction of the normal image 61 (therefore, the normal-image recording area). The width of each test chart 62 in the conveyance direction was about 5mm, and the width of the entire 4-color test chart of fig. 4 in the conveyance direction was about 20 mm.

The test chart 62 can be appropriately recorded outside the normal image recording area, but by recording the test chart 62 at a predetermined interval in the transport direction with respect to the normal image recording area, the read timing of the image reading unit 26 can be easily controlled, and the operation of reading and analyzing the test chart 62 can be easily performed at an appropriate time interval corresponding to the transport speed of the recording medium P.

The test chart 62 is read by the image reading section 26. The shot data of the test chart 62 of the image reading unit 26 is stored in the RAM42 or the storage unit 44 of the control unit 40, and is used for detecting an ink ejection failure in the CPU41 of the control unit 40.

If a defective nozzle is present in the head unit 24 and the density of the ink landing position from the defective nozzle is reduced, color unevenness occurs in the recorded test chart 62. The color unevenness is detected by the control section 40 based on the captured data of the test chart 62. Here, as described above, the line sensor of the image reading unit 26 has a coarser reading resolution than the nozzle array. Therefore, according to the test chart 62, defective nozzles that are important factors for generating color unevenness can be identified in the block with the plurality of nozzles 243 as a unit. Alternatively, only the presence or absence of a defective nozzle may be discriminated at this stage.

If color unevenness is detected in the test chart 62 during the ink ejection failure inspection, if the image is recorded on the next recording medium P as it is, image quality failure due to the defective nozzle occurs as long as the ink ejection failure of the defective nozzle does not return. Therefore, in the inkjet recording apparatus 100, when the color unevenness is detected in the test chart 62, the following color unevenness coping operation is performed.

In the color unevenness corresponding operation, first, a defective position specifying map for detecting an ink ejection failure for each nozzle 243 is output using one recording medium P. Then, the image reading unit 26 reads the image of the defective position specifying map, and the control unit 40 analyzes the image to specify the defective position of the ink and recognize the defective nozzle.

Here, the defective position specifying pattern can form a line pattern composed of a plurality of lines of ink recording discharged from each of the plurality of nozzles 243 included in the head unit 24, for example. In the shot data obtained by reading the line pattern, when there is a defective line or a line not recorded at an appropriate position corresponding to the nozzle 243, the nozzle 243 corresponding to the line is specified as a defective nozzle.

When a defective nozzle is recognized, the ink is not discharged from the defective nozzle, and the amount of ink discharged from the nozzles 243 around the defective nozzle is increased, thereby performing a supplement process setting for supplementing the ink to be discharged from the defective nozzle. In this supplement processing, the image data of the normal image 61 and the test chart 62 are corrected so that ink is not ejected from the defective nozzles, and so that the amount of ink ejected from the peripheral nozzles 243 increases in accordance with the amount of ink not ejected from the defective nozzles. Then, the corrected image data is used to record an image as follows.

In addition, when it is difficult to record an image with an appropriate image quality by the supplement processing for the detected ink ejection failure, maintenance processing for recovering the ink ejection failure may be performed instead of setting the supplement processing. Examples of the maintenance process include a nozzle cleaning process in which ink in the recording head 242 is forcibly discharged from the nozzles 243 by pressurizing the ink, a nozzle cleaning process in which ink is forcibly sucked from the nozzles 243 of the recording head 242, and a cloth wiping process in which the ink ejection surface of the recording head 242 is cleaned with a wiping cloth containing a chemical solution.

Next, the recording setting of the test chart 62 will be explained.

In the recording setting of the test chart 62 in the ink jet recording apparatus 100 of the present embodiment, the head unit 24 that performs recording of the test chart 62, that is, the head unit 24 that is the inspection target to be inspected for detecting an ink ejection failure, can be selected from the 4 head units 24.

In the recording setting of the test chart 62, the maximum number of head units 24 that perform recording of the test chart 62 with respect to one recording area 60 of the recording medium P (1 recording medium P in the present embodiment), that is, the number of colors of the test chart recorded in the recording area 60 of the recording medium P can be specified.

The recording of the test chart 62 is set in the information processing apparatus 2, and is performed based on an input operation of a user with respect to the operation display portion 81 of the information processing apparatus 2 when a print job for recording an image is generated by the recording apparatus 1.

Fig. 5 is a diagram showing an example of a screen display used for recording setting of a test chart.

When the information processing apparatus 2 starts a process of generating a print job, a predetermined step of the process is to display a record setting screen shown in fig. 5 on the display device of the operation display portion 81. The recording setting screen includes a radio button 91 for specifying the number of colors of the test chart recorded on 1 recording medium P, and a selection box 92 for selecting the head unit 24 to be inspected by the color of the corresponding ink. When the user selects the radio button 91 and the selection frame 92 by an input operation of the input device of the operation display unit 81 and then selects the decision button 93, setting information reflecting the selection state of the radio button 91 and the selection frame 92 is generated, and synthesized image data including images of the test chart 62 and the normal image 61 corresponding to the recording setting indicated by the setting information is generated. Then, when the print job is executed, the normal image 61 and the test chart 62 based on the recording setting are recorded on the respective recording media P based on the composite image data. Here, the input operation of selecting the head unit 24 as the inspection target by the selection box 92 corresponds to the 1 st input operation, and the input operation of designating the number of colors of the test chart by the radio button 91 corresponds to the 2 nd input operation.

When the cancel button 94 is selected, the display screen before the record setting screen in fig. 5 is returned to the display screen regardless of the selection state of the radio button 91 and the selection box 92.

The following describes specific recording settings of the test chart 62 and an example of a test chart recorded based on the recording settings.

In the recording setting screen of fig. 5, "4 colors" are designated as the number of colors of the test chart 62 recorded on 1 recording medium P by the radio button 91. In addition, all the head units 24 of Y, M, C, K are selected as the head unit 24 to be inspected by the selection box 92.

In the print job thus set for recording, as shown in fig. 4, 4 test charts 62Y, 62M, 62C, and 62K are recorded by 4 head units 24 with respect to the recording area 60 of 1 recording medium P.

Fig. 6 is a diagram illustrating example 2 of the recording setting of the test chart 62 and the test chart recorded according to the recording setting.

In the recording setting screen shown in fig. 6A, "1 color" is designated as the number of colors of the test chart 62 recorded in 1 recording medium P by the radio button 91. In addition, all the head units 24 of Y, M, C, K are selected as the head unit 24 to be inspected by the selection box 92.

In the print job having the recording setting thus performed, as shown in fig. 6B, the head unit 24 of the recording medium P of page 1 that passes Y records the test chart 62Y, the head unit 24 of the recording medium P of page 2 that passes M records the test chart 62M, the head unit 24 of the recording medium P of page 3 that passes C records the test chart 62C, and the head unit 24 of the recording medium P of page 4 that passes K records the test chart 62K. The recording medium P for pages 5 to 8 has the same test chart 62 as the recording medium P for pages 1 to 4, and the recording of the same test chart 62 is repeated every 4 pages.

Fig. 7 is a diagram illustrating the recording setting of the test chart 62 and example 3 of the test chart recorded according to the recording setting.

In the recording setting screen shown in fig. 7A, "1 color" is designated as the number of colors of the test chart 62 recorded in 1 recording medium P by the radio button 91. In addition, by selecting the frame 92, the head unit 24 of the color other than M, that is, Y, C, K is selected as the head unit 24 to be inspected.

In the print job having the recording setting thus performed, as shown in fig. 7B, the head unit 24 of the recording medium P of page 1 that passes Y records the test chart 62Y, the head unit 24 of the recording medium P of page 2 that passes C records the test chart 62C, and the head unit 24 of the recording medium P of page 3 that passes K records the test chart 62K. The recording medium P for pages 4 to 6 has the same test chart 62 as the recording medium P for pages 1 to 3, and the recording of the same test chart 62 is repeated every 3 pages.

As described above, in the present embodiment, the test chart 62 is recorded by the head unit 24 selected as the inspection target within the range of the set value of the number of colors of the test chart 62 that can be recorded on 1 recording medium P, and the test chart 62 of the color of the recording medium P that cannot be recorded on page 1 is recorded on the recording medium P on page 2 or less. At this time, the test chart 62 is recorded in the order of color cycle of the test chart 62 (in the present embodiment, in the order of Y, M, C, K). Thus, the test chart 62 is recorded at substantially the same frequency for each of the head units 24 to be inspected.

In addition, the normal image 61 and the test chart 62 may be recorded in the recording areas 60 on the front and back surfaces of the recording medium P, respectively. In this case, after the recording of the image of the 1 st page on the front surface of the 1 st recording medium P is completed, the image of the 2 nd page is recorded on the back surface of the recording medium P by reversing the front and back surfaces of the recording medium P by the reversing unit 28. Therefore, for example, 4 images in fig. 6B are recorded in the recording area 60 on the front surface of the 1 st recording medium P, the back surface of the recording medium P, the front surface of the 2 nd recording medium P, and the back surface of the recording medium P, respectively. In the case of recording images on both sides, it is preferable that the test chart 62 recorded on one side of the recording medium P is not overlapped with the normal image 61 and the test chart 62 recorded on the other side so that a trouble of reading an image recorded on the opposite side is not caused at the time of reading the test chart 62.

Next, the control sequence of the CPU41 and the CPU71 of the image recording process performed by the ink jet recording apparatus 100 will be described.

Fig. 8 is a flowchart showing a control procedure of the image recording process.

This image recording process is executed when a user instructs the operation display section 81 of the information processing apparatus 2 to perform a predetermined input operation for starting the generation of a print job.

When the image recording process is started, the CPU71 of the information processing apparatus 2 receives various input operations for recording setting of the test chart 62, and generates setting information for the recording setting of the test chart 62 based on the input operations (step S101: input step, setting information generation step). That is, the CPU71 displays the record setting screen of the test chart 62 shown in fig. 5 on the display device of the operation display unit 81. When the CPU71 performs an input operation of selecting the number of colors of the test chart recorded in 1 recording medium P by the radio button 91 and selecting the decision button 93 in a state where the head unit 24 to be inspected is selected by the selection box 92 with respect to the operation display unit 81, setting information reflecting the selected state is generated and stored in the RAM72 or the storage unit 74.

The CPU71 generates composite image data of the normal image 61 and the test chart 62 as recording targets in the print job (step S102). that is, the CPU71 outputs a control signal to the image processing unit 82 to generate composite image data in a raster format in which the PD L data of the normal image 61 stored in the storage unit 74 and the image data of the test chart 62 are synthesized.here, the PD L data uses the data of the image of the recording target designated by the user as the print job in the PD L data stored in the storage unit 74. furthermore, for each page of the normal image 61, the test chart 62 of the color corresponding to the recording setting indicated by the setting information generated in step S101 is inserted and the composite image data is generated, and when the composite image data is generated, the CPU71 generates the print job data of the composite image data and outputs the print job data together with the composite image data to the control unit 40 of the recording apparatus 1.

When the CPU41 of the recording apparatus 1 stores the print job data and the composite image data input from the CPU71 of the information processing apparatus 2 in the storage unit 44, the head unit 24 records the normal image 61 and the test chart 62 on the recording medium P based on the print job data and the composite image data (step S103). That is, the CPU41 outputs a control signal to the conveyance driving unit 51, and the conveyance driving unit 51 starts the rotation of the conveyance roller 211. The transport driving unit 51 operates the paper feeding unit 10 and the image forming unit 20 to feed the recording medium P onto the transport drum 211, thereby starting transport of the recording medium P. Then, the CPU41 supplies the composite image data to the head driving unit 241, and outputs a voltage signal of a driving waveform corresponding to the composite image data to the recording head 242 through the head driving unit 241 at an appropriate timing according to the rotation of the transport cylinder 211, thereby ejecting ink from the nozzles 243 of the head unit 24 onto the recording medium P transported by the transport cylinder 211 and recording the normal image 61 and the test chart 62 in the recording region 60 of the recording medium P.

The CPU41 conveys the recording medium P by the conveying roller 211, and repeatedly reads the test chart 62 recorded on the recording medium P at appropriate intervals by the image reading unit 26, and acquires captured data and stores the captured data in the storage unit 44 (step S104).

The CPU41 detects color unevenness from the captured data of the test chart 62 (step S105).

When the CPU41 determines that color unevenness has been detected in the test chart 62 (yes in step S106), it outputs a control signal to the conveyance drive unit 51 to discharge the recording medium P to the paper discharge tray 31 (step S107), and executes color unevenness coping processing (step S108) described later.

When it is determined that the color unevenness is not detected (no in step S106), the CPU41 outputs a control signal to the conveyance driving unit 51 and discharges the recording medium P to the discharge tray 31 (step S110).

When the processing in step S108 or step S110 ends, the CPU41 determines whether the execution commands for all print jobs have ended (step S109). If it is discriminated that there is an unfinished execution command (no in step S109), the CPU41 moves the process to step S103. If it is determined that the execution commands for all of the print jobs have ended (yes in step S109), the CPU41 ends the image recording process.

Fig. 9 is a flowchart showing a control procedure of the color unevenness corresponding processing.

When the color unevenness correction processing is started, the CPU41 records a defective position specifying map for specifying defective nozzles on the recording medium P by the head unit 24 (step S201). That is, the CPU41 supplies the test image data of the defective position specifying pattern to the head driving section 241 in accordance with the rotation of the transport drum 211, and records the defective position specifying pattern on the recording medium P by the head unit 24.

The CPU41 conveys the recording medium P by the conveying roller 211, and repeatedly reads the defective position specifying map recorded on the recording medium P at appropriate intervals by the image reading unit 26, and acquires and stores the captured image data in the storage unit 44 (step S202).

The CPU41 specifies the defective nozzle from the defective position specifying map and recognizes the defective nozzle (step S203).

The CPU41 performs supplement setting of the shortage of the amount of ejected ink by the ejection nozzles recognized by the supplement of ejected ink from the peripheral nozzles 243 (step S204). That is, the CPU41 corrects the image data of the normal image and the test image data of the test chart 62 recorded in the next image recording process so that the ink is not ejected from the defective nozzles and the amount of ink ejected from the peripheral nozzles 243 is increased in accordance with the amount of ink not ejected from the defective nozzles. When the process of step S204 ends, the CPU41 ends the color unevenness correction process. After the color unevenness corresponding process is ended, and when the next image recording process is started, the CPU41 adjusts the ink ejection amount of each nozzle 243 based on the supplement setting at the time of image recording.

As described above, the information processing device 2 of the present embodiment generates setting information used for setting the operation of the recording device 1 including the plurality of head units 24 which eject the inks of different colors from the nozzles 243 onto the recording medium P, the information processing device 2 includes the operation display unit 81 and the CPU71, the operation display unit 81 receives the 1 st input operation for selecting the head unit 24 to be inspected which records the test chart 62 used for inspecting the ejection state of the nozzle 243 on the recording medium P among the plurality of head units 24, and the CPU71 generates the setting information (setting information generating means) used for setting the recording of the test chart 62 by the head unit 24 to be inspected which is selected based on the 1 st input operation.

By operating the recording apparatus 1 based on the setting information, the test chart 62 can be recorded only by the head unit 24 of the inspection object selected based on the input operation of the user, and therefore unnecessary recording of the test chart 62 can be suppressed. As a result, unnecessary consumption of ink and recording medium can be suppressed, and the area in which the normal image 61 to be recorded can be enlarged.

The operation display unit 81 receives a 2 nd input operation for specifying the maximum number of head units 24 to be used for recording the test chart 62 on one recording area 60 of the recording medium P to be ejected with ink from the nozzles 243 of the plurality of head units 24, and the CPU71 generates setting information (setting information generating means) for setting the recording of the test chart 62 on each recording area 60 of the recording medium P by each of the head units 24 selected by the 1 st input operation, the maximum number of which is specified by the 2 nd input operation or less, of the head units 24 to be inspected.

By operating the recording apparatus 1 based on such setting information, the number of test charts 62 recorded in one recording area 60 can be limited to the maximum number or less based on the input operation by the user. This makes it possible to reliably enlarge the area in which the normal image 61 to be recorded can be recorded, and to secure an area of a predetermined size as the area in which the normal image 61 can be recorded in each recording area 60 of the recording medium P.

The operation display unit 81 receives the 1 st input operation for designating the head unit 24 to be inspected. This allows the user to record the test chart 62 without causing a specific head unit 24 to record it. Therefore, for example, the head unit 24 that does not require the inspection of the ink ejection state or is sufficient by the inspection of the low frequency, such as the head unit 24 that ejects ink with a low frequency of ink ejection through the nozzles 243 (that is, the head unit 24 that ejects ink with a low frequency of use), or the head unit 24 that ejects ink of a color (kind) that is difficult for the user to recognize as defective, can be configured without performing unnecessary recording of the test chart 62.

The information processing apparatus 2 further includes an image processing unit 82 that generates composite image data (test image data) including an image of the test chart 62 recorded by the head unit 24 to be inspected according to the recording setting based on the setting information. In this way, by generating the composite image data in the information processing device 2, the processing load of the control unit 40 of the recording device 1 can be reduced.

Further, the image processing unit 82 generates composite image data including the images of the normal image 61 and the test chart 62. Thus, the recording apparatus 1 can record the normal image 61 and the test chart 62 set according to the recording based on the setting information by a simple process of recording the image based on the composite image data.

Further, the CPU71 outputs the synthesized image data to the recording apparatus 1 (output means). Therefore, in the recording apparatus 1, it is possible to perform recording of the normal image 61 and recording of the test chart 62 according to the recording setting based on the setting information by easy processing of supplying the composite image data input from the information processing apparatus 2 to the recording head driving section 241.

The ink jet recording apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment includes the recording apparatus 1 and the information processing apparatus 2, and the CPU41 of the recording apparatus 1 records the test chart 62 based on the setting information generated in the information processing apparatus 2 by the head unit 24 to be inspected (recording control means). According to such a configuration, the test chart 62 can be recorded only by the head unit 24 of the inspection object selected based on the input operation by the user, and therefore unnecessary recording of the test chart 62 can be suppressed. As a result, unnecessary consumption of ink and recording medium can be suppressed, and the area in which the normal image 61 to be recorded can be enlarged.

Further, the information processing method of the present embodiment includes: an input step of receiving a 1 st input operation for selecting the head unit 24 to be inspected, among the plurality of head units 24, which performs recording of the test chart 62, and a setting information generation step of generating setting information used for setting the head unit 24 to be inspected, which is selected based on the 1 st input operation, to perform recording of the test chart 62. By operating the recording apparatus 1 based on the setting information generated by the above method, the test chart 62 can be recorded only by the head unit 24 of the inspection object selected by the input operation of the user.

(modification 1)

Next, modification 1 of the above embodiment will be described. The present modification is different from the above-described embodiment in that the head unit 24 to be inspected can be automatically selected in the recording setting of the test chart 62. The following description deals with differences from the above embodiments. This modification may be combined with other modifications.

Fig. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of recording settings of the test chart 62 according to the present modification and a test chart recorded according to the recording settings.

As shown in fig. 10A, in the record setting screen of the present modification, an "automatic" selection frame that designates a head unit automatic selection mode (1 st inspection object selection mode) for automatically selecting the head unit 24 to be inspected is provided in the selection frame 92 for selecting the head unit 24 to be inspected.

In fig. 10A, "1 color" is designated as the number of colors of the test chart 62 recorded in each recording medium P by the radio button 91.

When the head unit automatic selection mode is designated in the recording setting of the test chart 62, the head unit 24 of the inspection object is decided by the CPU71 based on the image data of the normal image 61 of the recording object in the print job. That is, the CPU71 calculates the ejection amount (used amount) of each color of ink necessary for recording the normal image 61 based on the image data of the normal image 61 (fig. 10B). Then, the head unit 24 whose ink ejection amount calculated exceeds a predetermined detection reference value (reference amount) is selected as the head unit 24 to be inspected.

In the example of fig. 10B, the detection reference value is 500, and since a blue portion is more in the normal image 61 to be recorded, the amount of ink ejected at M, C exceeds 500. Therefore, the head unit 24 of M, C is selected as the head unit 24 of the inspection object.

In the print job thus subjected to the recording setting, as shown in fig. 10C, the test chart 62M is recorded on the recording medium P of the odd-numbered page by the head unit 24 of M, and the test chart 62C is recorded on the recording medium P of the even-numbered page by the head unit 24 of C.

As described above, in the information processing apparatus 2 according to modification 1, the operation display unit 81 receives the 1 st input operation for specifying the head unit automatic selection mode for selecting the head unit 24 to be inspected based on the image data of the normal image 61, and the CPU71 generates the setting information (setting information generating means) for setting the recording of the test chart 62 by the head unit 24 to be inspected selected based on the image data of the normal image 61 in accordance with the specification of the 1 st input operation head unit automatic selection mode.

This allows the head unit 24 to be selected as the inspection target for recording the test chart 62 by an easy input operation. Further, by selecting the head unit 24 to be inspected based on the image data, the head unit 24 to be inspected can be appropriately selected in accordance with the normal image 61 to be recorded.

When the head unit automatic selection mode is designated by the 1 st input operation, the CPU71 selects the head unit 24 (setting information generating means) to be inspected based on the image data of the normal image 61. In this way, the information processing apparatus 2 can analyze the normal image 61 and select the head unit 24, thereby reducing the processing load on the control unit 40 of the recording apparatus 1.

Further, the CPU71 obtains the ink ejection amount of the nozzles 243 of each head unit 24 necessary for recording the normal image 61 of the plurality of head units 24 based on the image data of the normal image 61, and selects a head unit 24 having the ink ejection amount larger than a predetermined reference amount as the head unit 24 to be inspected (setting information generating means). This makes it possible to detect an ink ejection failure using the test chart 62 for the head unit 24 having a large ink ejection amount during recording of the normal image 61, and thus, the ink ejection failure can be efficiently detected.

(modification 2)

Next, a modified example 2 of the above embodiment will be explained. The present modification is different from the above-described embodiment in that the head unit 24 to be inspected can be individually specified for recording the test chart 62 on each of the plurality of recording media P in the recording setting of the test chart 62. The following description deals with differences from the above embodiments. This modification may be combined with other modifications.

Fig. 11 is a diagram for explaining an example of recording settings of the test chart 62 according to the present modification and a test chart recorded according to the recording settings.

In the recording setting screen of the present modification, as shown in fig. 11A, a pull-down list 95 of colors of the test chart 62 for performing recording, which is the head unit 24 to be inspected, is selected for each page of the recording medium P, is displayed in place of the selection frame 92 of the recording setting screen of the above-described embodiment. In the drop-down list corresponding to each page, any color of Y, M, C, K can be selected. In the example of fig. 11A, C, C, K, M is selected for each of pages 1 to 4, and a symbol indicating that the leftward arrow of the test chart 62 is repeatedly recorded in the same pattern as that of pages 1 to 4 is selected for pages 5 and thereafter.

In addition, in fig. 11A, "1 color" is designated as the number of colors of the test chart 62 recorded in each recording medium P by the radio button 91.

In the print job thus set for recording, as shown in fig. 10C, the head unit 24 of C records the test chart 62C on the recording media P of pages 1 and 2, the head unit 24 of K records the test chart 62K on the recording medium P of page 3, and the head unit 24 of M records the test chart 62M on the recording medium P of page 4. The recording medium P of pages 5 to 8 has the same test pattern 62 as the recording medium P of pages 1 to 4, and the recording of the same test pattern 62 is repeated every 4 pages.

As described above, in the information processing apparatus 2 according to modification 2, the operation display unit 81 receives the 1 st input operation for specifying the head unit 24 to be inspected for recording the test chart 62 in the recording area 60 of each recording medium P for each recording medium P, and the CPU71 generates the setting information (setting information generating means) for setting the recording of the test chart 62 by the head unit 24 to be inspected specified by the 1 st input operation for each of the recording areas 60 of the plurality of recording media P.

Thereby, the user can individually specify the head unit 24 that performs recording of the test chart 62 with respect to each of the recording areas 60 of the plurality of recording media P. Therefore, the user can freely set the recording order and the recording frequency of the test chart 62 of the plurality of colors in the recording area 60 of the plurality of recording media P within the settable range.

(modification 3)

Next, modification 3 of the above embodiment will be explained. The present modification is different from the above-described embodiment in that the recording setting of the test chart 62 can specify the head module HM of the inspection target among the 4 head modules HM1 to HM4 of each head unit 24. The following description deals with differences from the above embodiments. This modification may be combined with other modifications.

Fig. 12 is a diagram for explaining an example of recording settings of the test chart 62 according to the present modification and a test chart recorded according to the recording settings.

As shown in fig. 12A, the recording setting screen of the present modification includes a selection box 92 for selecting Y, M, C, K the head module HM to be inspected among the 4 head modules HM1 to HM4 of each head unit 24, that is, the head module HM to be used for recording the test chart 62. In fig. 12A, head modules HM2 to HM4 are selected as inspection targets for head unit 24 of Y, K, and head modules HM2 and HM3 are selected as inspection targets for head unit 24 of M, C. Here, the input operation of selecting the head module HM of the inspection object by the selection box 92 corresponds to the 3 rd input operation.

In the print job in which the recording setting is thus performed, as shown in fig. 12B, a test chart 62 is recorded in the recording area 60 of each recording medium P using only the head module HM selected in the recording setting of fig. 12A. Therefore, the test charts 62Y, 62K are constituted only by the portions recorded by the head modules HM2 to HM4 in the head unit 24 of Y, K, and the test charts 62M, 62C are constituted only by the portions recorded by the head modules HM2, HM3 in the head unit 24 of M, C.

In the recording setting of the present modification, it is also possible to specify a head module automatic selection mode (2 nd inspection object selection mode) for automatically selecting the head module HM to be inspected.

Fig. 13 is a diagram showing an example of recording settings in which the head module automatic selection mode can be designated.

In the recording setting screen of fig. 13A, in the selection box 92 for selecting the head module HM of the inspection target, selection boxes of "auto" for specifying the head module automatic selection mode are provided in correspondence with the head modules HM1 to HM4, respectively. Among the head modules HM1 to HM4, which select the automatic selection mode, the test chart 62 is recorded only by the head module HM of the color automatically selected corresponding to the image data in Y, M, C, K.

Further, an "automatic" selection frame is provided for each head unit 24, and the head unit 24 selected "automatic" may record the test chart 62 by the head module HM selected automatically in accordance with the image data among the head modules HM1 to HM 4.

When the head module automatic selection mode is specified in the recording setting of the test chart 62, the head module HM of the inspection object is decided by the CPU71 based on the image data of the normal image 61 of the recording object in the print job. That is, the CPU71 calculates the ejection amount (used amount) of ink of each head module HM necessary for recording the normal image 61 based on the image data of the normal image 61 (fig. 13B). Then, the head module HM whose ink ejection amount is calculated exceeds a predetermined detection reference value (reference amount) is selected as the head module HM to be inspected.

In the example of fig. 13B, the detection reference value is 500, and the ink ejection amounts of the head modules HM2 to HM4 of the head unit 24 of Y, K and the head modules HM2, HM3 of the head unit 24 of M, C exceed 500. Therefore, the head modules HM2, HM3 of the head units 24 of the head modules HM2 to HM4, M, C of the head unit 24 of Y, K are selected as the head modules HM of the inspection object, and if the print job is executed, the test chart 62 shown in fig. 12B is recorded.

As described above, the recording apparatus 1 according to modification 3 includes the conveying unit 21 for conveying the recording medium P, the head units 24 each include the head modules HM each provided with the nozzles 243, the plural head modules HM are arranged so that the arrangement ranges of the plural nozzles 243 in the width direction are different from each other, further, nozzles are arranged over a predetermined recording width in the width direction in the plurality of head modules HM, the operation display unit 81 of the information processing apparatus 2 receives the 3 rd input operation for selecting the head module HM of the inspection target used for recording the test chart 62 in the head unit 24 of the inspection target, and the CPU71 generates setting information (setting information generating means) for setting the recording of the test chart 62 using the head module HM of the inspection target selected based on the 3 rd input operation, by the head unit 24 of the inspection target selected based on the 1 st input operation.

By operating the recording apparatus 1 based on such setting information, the test chart 62 can be recorded using only the head module HM selected based on the input operation by the user. This makes it possible to record only the portion of the test chart 62 necessary for detecting ejection failure of the head module HM to be inspected. As a result, unnecessary consumption of ink can be further suppressed.

The operation display unit 81 receives the 3 rd input operation for specifying the head module HM to be inspected. Thereby, the user can individually specify the head module HM which detects the ink ejection failure.

The operation display unit 81 receives a 3 rd input operation for specifying the head module automatic selection mode for selecting the head module HM to be inspected based on the image data of the normal image 61, and the CPU71 generates setting information (setting information generating means) for setting the recording of the test chart 62 using the head module HM to be inspected selected based on the image data of the normal image 61 by the head unit 24 to be inspected in accordance with the specification of the head module automatic selection mode by the 3 rd input operation.

This allows the head module HM of the test object used for recording the test chart 62 to be selected by an easy input operation. In addition, since the head module HM of the inspection target is selected based on the image data, the head module HM of the inspection target can be appropriately selected in correspondence with the normal image 61 of the recording target.

In addition, when the head module automatic selection mode is designated by the 3 rd input operation, the CPU71 selects the head module HM to be inspected (setting information generating means) based on the image data of the normal image 61. In this way, the information processing apparatus 2 can reduce the processing load on the control unit 40 of the recording apparatus 1 by performing the analysis of the normal image 61 and the selection of the head module HM.

The CPU71 acquires the ink ejection amount from the nozzles 243 in each head module HM necessary for recording the normal image 61 of the head units 24 based on the image data of the normal image 61, and selects a head module HM whose ink ejection amount is larger than a predetermined reference amount as the head module HM to be inspected (setting information generating means). This makes it possible to detect an ink ejection failure using the test chart 62 for the head module HM having a large ink ejection amount during recording of the normal image 61, and thus to efficiently detect an ink ejection failure.

(modification 4)

Next, a modified example 4 of the above embodiment will be explained. The present modification is different from the above-described embodiment in that the detection accuracy of an ink ejection failure can be specified for each color of the head unit 24 in the recording setting of the test chart 62. The following description deals with differences from the above embodiments. This modification may be combined with other modifications.

Fig. 14 is a diagram for explaining an example of recording setting of the test chart 62 according to the present modification.

In the recording setting screen of fig. 14, in addition to the selection frame 92 for selecting the head unit 24 to be inspected, a slider 96 for specifying the detection accuracy of the ink ejection failure for each color of the head unit 24 is provided. In this recording setting screen, the slider 96 is moved left and right by an input operation to the operation display section 81, whereby the detection accuracy of the ink ejection failure of the corresponding head unit 24 can be selected from "low", "normal", and "high", and "automatic" for automatically setting the detection accuracy can also be selected. Here, the input operation of specifying the detection accuracy of the ink ejection failure for each head unit 24 by the slider 96 corresponds to the 4 th input operation.

In the recording setting screen of fig. 14, as shown in fig. 5 to 7, a radio button 91 for specifying the number of colors of the test chart recorded on 1 recording medium P may be provided.

In the present modification, the color unevenness determination reference value for detecting color unevenness based on the captured data of the test chart 62 is set in accordance with the detection accuracy of the ink ejection failure set on the recording setting screen. Here, the color unevenness determination reference value is an upper limit value and/or a lower limit value that determines a normal luminance range in the captured data. In the determination of color unevenness, a portion exceeding a color unevenness determination reference value indicating an upper limit of the luminance range and/or a portion being smaller than the color unevenness determination reference value indicating a lower limit of the luminance range in the captured data is detected as color unevenness.

The head unit 24, which detects the ejection failure with low accuracy by setting the detection accuracy to "low", sets the color unevenness determination reference value so that the luminance range determined to be normal in the detection of the color unevenness is wider than the standard. On the other hand, the head unit 24, which is set to "high" in detection accuracy and performs high-accuracy discharge failure detection, sets the color unevenness determination reference value so that the luminance range determined to be normal in the detection of color unevenness is narrower than the standard.

In the head unit 24 whose detection accuracy is set to "automatic", the color unevenness determination reference value is set based on the image data of the recording target normal image 61 in the print job. For example, the amount of ink ejected from the head unit 24 necessary for recording the normal image 61 is calculated, and when the calculated amount of ink ejected exceeds a predetermined upper limit reference value, the above-described color unevenness determination reference value for high-precision ejection failure detection is set, and when the calculated amount of ink ejected is smaller than a predetermined lower limit reference value, the color unevenness determination reference value for low-precision ejection failure detection is set.

In the recording setting of the present modification, the detection accuracy of the ink ejection failure can be specified for each head module HM as follows.

Fig. 15 is a diagram illustrating an example of recording settings of the test chart 62 that can specify the detection accuracy of ink ejection failure for each head module HM.

In the recording setting screen shown in fig. 15A, a drop-down list 95 with which the detection accuracy of defective ink ejection is selected from "high", "medium", and "low" is provided corresponding to each head module HM of the 4 head units 24. Further, by selecting "-" in the drop-down list 95, it is also possible to perform setting not to detect the ink ejection failure of the head module HM.

In the recording setting screen shown in fig. 15B, "automatic" for automatically setting the detection accuracy can be selected in addition to "high", "medium", "low", and "-" for each head module HM of the 4 head units 24. In the head module HM whose detection accuracy is set to "automatic", the color unevenness determination reference value is set based on the image data of the normal image 61 to be recorded in the print job.

Here, the input operation for specifying the detection accuracy of the ink ejection failure for each head module HM by the pull-down list 95 corresponds to the 5 th input operation.

As described above, the CPU41 of the recording apparatus 1 according to modification 4 detects a discharge failure from the nozzles 243 in the plurality of head units 24 based on the read result of the image reading unit 26 of the test chart 62 (discharge failure detection means), the operation display unit 81 of the information processing apparatus 2 receives the 4 th input operation of the user specifying the detection accuracy of the discharge failure for each of the plurality of head units 24, and the CPU71 generates the setting information for use in the setting of detecting the discharge failure by the CPU41 with the detection accuracy specified by the 4 th input operation (setting information generation means).

By operating the recording apparatus 1 based on such setting information, it is possible to detect an ink ejection failure in each head unit 24 with a desired detection accuracy. This reduces the detection accuracy of the head unit 24 for colors in which ejection defects are difficult to visually recognize, for example, and can suppress the detection frequency of ejection defects within a range in which the image quality of a recorded image is ensured. In addition, the accuracy of detection of the head unit 24 for easily visually recognizing the color of the ejection failure can be improved, and the degradation of the image quality of the recorded image can be reliably suppressed.

The operation display unit 81 receives the 5 th input operation of the user specifying the detection accuracy of the ejection failure for each of the head modules HM of the head units 24, and the CPU71 generates the setting information (setting information generating means) used for setting the ejection failure to be detected by the CPU41 with the detection accuracy specified by the 5 th input operation.

By operating the recording apparatus 1 based on such setting information, it is possible to detect an ink ejection failure in each head module HM with a desired detection accuracy. This can improve the detection accuracy of the head module HM, which requires a large amount of ink to be ejected for recording the normal image 61, for example, and reliably suppress the degradation of the image quality of the recorded image.

(modification 5)

Next, a modified example 5 of the above embodiment will be explained. This modification is different from the above-described embodiment in that the user can select the following corresponding operation depending on the detection frequency of the ink ejection failure. The following description deals with differences from the above embodiments. This modification may be combined with other modifications.

In the present modification, when an ink ejection failure is detected a predetermined number of times continuously from a plurality of test charts 62 recorded in different recording areas 60 by the same head unit 24 during execution of a print job, and when the total number of ink ejection failures detected during execution of the print job reaches the predetermined number of times, a predetermined error display is performed to prompt the user to select the following process.

Fig. 16 is a diagram showing an example of error display in the present modification.

When the ink ejection failure is continuously detected as described above, or when the number of times of detection of the ink ejection failure reaches a predetermined number of times, the display device of the operation display unit 81 performs an error display as shown in fig. 16A.

In this error display, as the corresponding operation to be performed, an operation selectable by the user is displayed by the corresponding process selection buttons 97a to 97d, and when any one of the corresponding process selection buttons 97a to 97d is selected by an input operation to the operation display unit 81, the corresponding operation indicated by the selected corresponding process selection button 97a to 97d is performed.

That is, in fig. 16A, when the "head maintenance" is selected by the corresponding process selection button 97a, the head maintenance menu screen shown in fig. 16B is displayed. When any one of the maintenance process selection buttons 97e to 97i is selected on the head maintenance menu screen, the head maintenance process corresponding to the selected button is performed. Here, each of the maintenance process selection buttons 97e to 97i is selected to perform each process of nozzle cleaning (weak), nozzle cleaning (strong), defective nozzle addition (weak), defective nozzle addition (strong), and cloth wiping. Here, in the nozzle cleaning (strong) process, the process of forcibly ejecting ink from the nozzles 243 is performed at a higher pressure than the nozzle cleaning (weak) process. In addition, the above-described supplement setting is performed in the process of supplementing (weak) and (strong) the defective nozzle, and in the process of supplementing (strong) the defective nozzle, for example, adjustment for compensating for non-ejection of ink from the defective nozzle is performed by the peripheral nozzles in a wider range. When the cancel button 97j is selected, the display of the operation display portion 81 returns to the error display shown in fig. 16A.

When "change of the detection accuracy of the ejection failure" is selected by the corresponding process selection button 97b in the error display of fig. 16A, the recording setting screen shown in fig. 14 or 15 is displayed, and a process of accepting a change of the detection accuracy of the ejection failure is performed.

When the "print is continued regardless of discharge failure" is selected by the corresponding process selection button 97c, the recording of the image of the print job is continued without performing the corresponding process. Thus, even if the ink ejection failure is repeatedly detected, if the ink ejection failure is of a level that is not noticeable to the user, or if the ink ejection failure is of a color that is difficult to be visually recognized by the user, the recording of the image of the print job can be continued.

When the "cancel job" is selected by the corresponding process selection button 97d, the print job in progress is suspended, and the image recording process of the inkjet recording apparatus 100 is ended.

Fig. 17 is a diagram showing an example of a setting screen for setting conditions for performing error display. The setting screen is displayed, for example, at a predetermined step in the process of generating the print job.

In this setting screen, each head unit 24 of Y, M, C, K is provided with a text box 98a for specifying whether or not to perform an error display when ink ejection failures are detected several times consecutively, and a text box 98b for specifying whether or not to perform an error display when ink ejection failures are detected several times in total in a print job. When the decision button 93 is selected in a state where a numeric value is input in the text boxes 98a and 98b, setting information for deciding an error display condition in the print job is generated by the CPU71 of the information processing apparatus 2, and is output to the control unit 40 of the recording apparatus 1 together with the print job.

In addition, instead of the above-described mode in which the number of consecutive detections of ejection failure at the time of error display is set for each head unit 24, the number of consecutive detections may be set for each head module HM.

While the embodiments and modifications of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments and modifications, and various modifications can be made.

For example, in the above-described embodiment and modifications, the configuration in which the inkjet recording apparatus 100 includes the recording apparatus 1 and the information processing apparatus 2, and data is transmitted and received between these apparatuses via the input/ output interfaces 52 and 83 has been described as an example, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, each component of the information processing apparatus 2 may be provided in the recording apparatus 1, and the control unit 40 of the recording apparatus 1 may perform control by the control unit 70 of the information processing apparatus 2. In this case, the information processing apparatus 2 is constituted by a part of the recording apparatus 1.

In the above-described embodiment and the modifications, the configuration in which the ink jet recording apparatus 100 includes the information processing apparatus 2 is exemplified, but the present invention is not limited thereto, and the information processing apparatus 2 may be provided outside the ink jet recording apparatus 100.

In the above-described embodiment and modifications, the example in which the information processing device 2 generates the setting information and the synthetic image data based on the setting information is used, and the recording device 1 records the normal image 61 and the test chart 62 based on the synthetic image data has been described, but the present invention is not limited thereto. For example, the CPU71 (output means) of the information processing apparatus 2 may output setting information to the recording apparatus 1, and the CPU41 (recording control means) of the recording apparatus 1 may record the normal image 61 and the test chart 62 by the head unit 24 in accordance with the recording setting of the test chart 62 indicated by the setting information. In this case, the recording apparatus 1 may be provided with an image processing unit, the image processing unit may perform rasterization processing under the control of the CPU41 of the recording apparatus 1 to generate composite image data, and the normal image 61 and the test chart 62 may be recorded by the head unit 24 based on the composite image data. Alternatively, the recording of the normal image 61 may be performed by supplying the image data of the normal image 61 to the recording head driving unit 241 without synthesizing the image data of the normal image 61 and the test chart 62 and storing them in the storage unit 44 of the recording apparatus 1, and the recording of the test chart 62 may be performed by starting the supply of the image data of the test chart 62 to the recording head driving unit 241 at the recording start time corresponding to the setting information of the test chart 62.

In the above-described embodiment and the modifications, an example in which the user interface of the recording setting screen provided with the radio button 91, the selection box 92, the pull-down list 95, the slider 96, and the like is used to perform the input operation of the recording setting of the test chart 62 has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the user interface for performing the input operation of the recording setting may be a member for detecting a contact position of the user with respect to a touch panel provided on a screen on which options of the respective setting contents of the recording setting are displayed in a superimposed manner, a member for changing a physical state of a button, a lever switch, or the like, thereby inputting the respective setting contents of the recording setting, or the like.

In the above-described embodiment and the modifications, the example in which the recording setting of the test chart 62 is performed for each print job at the time of generation of the print job has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the recording setting may be performed at the timing when the user performs a predetermined input operation with respect to the operation display unit 81, for example. In this manner, it is possible to record the test chart 62 in a common recording setting with respect to a plurality of different print jobs, and to change the recording setting of the test chart 62 during execution of the print job.

In the above-described embodiment and modifications, the description has been made using the example of recording the test chart 62 composed of a halftone image as the test image, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the test image may be another image that is recorded by the ink ejection from the nozzles 243 and used for the inspection of the ejection state of the nozzles 243. For example, a defective position specifying map may be recorded as a test image, and the presence or absence of a defective nozzle may be determined based on the reading result of the image reading unit 26 of the defective position specifying map. The test image is not limited to being used for detecting defective nozzles, and may be, for example, a grayscale image (gray chart) or the like used for detecting a difference in ink ejection amount between the plurality of recording heads 242 of the head unit 24.

In the above-described embodiment and modifications, the example in which the plurality of head units 24 eject the inks of different colors from the nozzles 243 has been described, but the present invention is not limited thereto, and a configuration in which the plurality of head units 24 eject the inks of different types from the nozzles 243 may be employed. Here, the type of ink is determined by properties corresponding to the material of the ink, such as color, viscosity, melting point, and fixing method.

In the above-described embodiment and modifications, the description has been given by taking an example in which a sheet of processed paper is used as the recording medium P, but the recording medium P may be a continuous paper such as a continuous paper or a medium fed in a roll-to-roll manner. In this case, the normal image 61 and the test chart 62 are recorded in the recording medium in a plurality of recording areas 60 which are objects of recording of the normal image continuously in the transport direction.

In the above-described embodiment and modifications, the description has been made using the example in which the ink jet recording apparatus 100 is provided with the image reading unit 26, but instead, the test chart 62 may be read by an image reading apparatus separately provided outside the ink jet recording apparatus 100.

In the above-described embodiment and the modifications, the recording medium P is conveyed by the conveying roller 211, but the present invention is not limited thereto. For example, the present invention may be applied to an inkjet recording apparatus in which the recording medium P is conveyed by a conveyor belt supported by 2 rollers and moved in accordance with the rotation of the rollers.

In the above-described embodiment and modifications, the ink jet recording apparatus 100 for recording an image by the line head in which the nozzles 243 are arranged over the recording range of an image in the width direction of the recording medium P has been described as an example, but the present invention may be applied to an ink jet recording apparatus for recording an image while scanning the recording head.

While the present invention has been described with reference to certain embodiments, the scope of the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, and includes the scope of the claims and equivalents thereof.

Industrial applicability of the invention

The present invention is applicable to an information processing apparatus, an inkjet recording apparatus, and an information processing method.

Description of reference numerals

1 … recording device; 2 … information processing apparatus; 10 … paper supply part; 11 … paper supply tray; 12 … a media supply; 20 … an image forming part; 21 … conveying part; 211 … conveying rollers; 22 … handover unit; 23 … a heating section; 24 … head unit; 241 … head driving part; 242 … recording head; 243 … nozzle; 25 … fixing part; 26 … image reading section; 27 … delivery unit; 28 … reversal; 30 … paper discharge part; 31 … paper discharge tray; 40. 70 … control section; 41. 71 … CPU; 42. 72 … RAM; 43. 73 … ROM; 44. 74 … storage section; 51 … conveying driving part; 52. 83 … input/output interface; 53. 84 … bus; 60 … recording area; 61 … normal image; 62. 62Y, 62M, 62C, 62K … test patterns; 81 … operation display part; 82 … an image processing section; 100 … inkjet recording device; 200 … external devices; HM 1-HM 4 … head module; p … recording medium.

Claims (36)

1. An information processing apparatus for generating setting information used for setting control of an operation in a recording apparatus including a plurality of ink ejecting units for ejecting inks different from each other from nozzles onto a recording medium,

the information processing apparatus is characterized by comprising:

an input means for receiving a 1 st input operation relating to selection of an ink ejecting section to be inspected, among the plurality of ink ejecting sections, which records a test image used for inspecting a discharge state of a nozzle on a recording medium; and

a setting information generating means for generating the setting information used for setting recording of the test image by the ink ejecting section of the inspection target selected based on the 1 st input operation,

the input means receives a 2 nd input operation for specifying a maximum number of ink ejection units for performing recording of the test image on one recording area on the recording medium to be subjected to ink ejection by the nozzles of the plurality of ink ejection units,

the setting information generating means generates the setting information used to set the recording of the test image in the recording area of the recording medium by each of the maximum number of ink ejecting units specified by the 2 nd input operation or less among the ink ejecting units of the inspection target selected based on the 1 st input operation.

2. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1,

the input means receives the 1 st input operation for specifying the ink ejecting unit to be inspected.

3. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1,

the input means receives the 1 st input operation for specifying the 1 st inspection object selection mode for selecting the ink ejecting section to be inspected based on image data of a normal image of a recording object recorded on a recording medium through at least a part of the plurality of ink ejecting sections,

the setting information generating means generates the setting information used for setting recording of the test image by the ink ejecting unit of the inspection target selected based on the image data of the normal image, in accordance with designation of the 1 st inspection target selection mode by the 1 st input operation.

4. The information processing apparatus according to claim 3,

the setting information generating means selects the ink ejecting unit of the inspection target based on the image data of the normal image when the 1 st inspection target selection mode is designated by the 1 st input operation.

5. The information processing apparatus according to claim 4,

the setting information generating means acquires an ink ejection amount of the nozzles of each of the plurality of ink ejecting units required for recording the normal image in the plurality of ink ejecting units based on image data of the normal image, and selects an ink ejecting unit having an ink ejection amount larger than a predetermined reference amount as the ink ejecting unit to be inspected.

6. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1,

the input means receives the 1 st input operation of designating the ink ejecting section to be inspected which performs recording of the test image on the recording area for each recording area on the recording medium to be ejected by the nozzles of the plurality of ink ejecting sections,

the setting information generating means generates the setting information used for setting recording of the test image by the ink ejecting unit of the inspection target specified by the 1 st input operation for each of the plurality of recording regions.

7. The information processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 6,

the recording apparatus has a conveying mechanism that conveys a recording medium,

the plurality of ink ejection sections each have a plurality of ink jet heads each provided with a plurality of the nozzles,

the plurality of ink jet heads are arranged so that the arrangement ranges of the plurality of nozzles in a width direction orthogonal to a conveying direction of the recording medium by the conveying mechanism are different from each other, and the nozzles are arranged over a predetermined recording width in the width direction in the plurality of ink jet heads,

the input means receives a 3 rd input operation related to selection of an ink jet head of the inspection target used for recording the test image in the ink jet part of the inspection target,

the setting information generating means generates the setting information used to perform setting of recording of the test image using the inkjet head of the inspection target selected based on the 3 rd input operation by the inkjet unit of the inspection target selected based on the 1 st input operation.

8. The information processing apparatus according to claim 7,

the input means receives the 3 rd input operation for specifying the inkjet head to be inspected.

9. The information processing apparatus according to claim 7,

the input means receives the 3 rd input operation of specifying the 2 nd inspection object selection mode for selecting the inspection object ink jet head based on the image data of the normal image of the recording object recorded on the recording medium by at least a part of the plurality of ink ejection units,

the setting information generating means generates the setting information used for setting recording of the test image by the ink ejecting unit of the inspection target using the ink jet head of the inspection target selected based on the image data of the normal image, in accordance with designation of the 2 nd inspection target selection mode by the 3 rd input operation.

10. The information processing apparatus according to claim 9,

the setting information generating means selects the inkjet head of the inspection target based on the image data of the normal image when the 2 nd inspection target selection mode is designated by the 3 rd input operation.

11. The information processing apparatus according to claim 10,

the setting information generating means acquires an ink ejection amount of the nozzles of each of the plurality of inkjet heads required for recording the normal image in the plurality of ink ejecting units based on image data of the normal image, and selects an inkjet head having the ink ejection amount larger than a predetermined reference amount as the inkjet head to be inspected.

12. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1,

the recording apparatus includes ejection failure detection means for detecting ejection failure of the nozzles of the plurality of ink ejection units based on a result of reading the test image by the reading means,

the input means receives a 4 th input operation for specifying the detection accuracy of the ejection failure for each of the plurality of ink ejection units,

the setting information generating means generates the setting information used for setting to detect the ejection failure with the detection accuracy specified by the 4 th input operation by the ejection failure detecting means.

13. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1,

the recording apparatus has a conveying mechanism that conveys a recording medium,

the plurality of ink ejection sections each have a plurality of ink jet heads each provided with a plurality of the nozzles,

the plurality of ink jet heads are arranged so that the arrangement ranges of the plurality of nozzles in a width direction orthogonal to a conveying direction of the recording medium by the conveying mechanism are different from each other, and the nozzles are arranged over a predetermined recording width in the width direction in the plurality of ink jet heads,

the recording apparatus includes ejection failure detection means for detecting ejection failure of the nozzles of the plurality of ink jet heads provided in each of the plurality of ink ejection units based on a result of reading by the reading means of the test image,

the input means receives a 5 th input operation for specifying the detection accuracy of the ejection failure for each of the plurality of ink jet heads of the plurality of ink jet units,

the setting information generating means generates the setting information used for setting to detect the ejection failure with the detection accuracy specified by the 5 th input operation by the ejection failure detecting means.

14. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1,

the inspection apparatus includes a test image data generating unit configured to generate test image data including an image of the test image recorded by the ink ejecting unit of the inspection object according to the setting based on the setting information.

15. The information processing apparatus according to claim 14,

the test image data generating means generates the test image data including a normal image of a recording target recorded on a recording medium by at least a part of the plurality of ink ejecting sections and an image of the test image.

16. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1,

the recording apparatus includes an output unit configured to output the setting information to the recording device.

17. The information processing apparatus according to claim 14 or 15,

the image processing apparatus includes an output unit configured to output the test image data to the recording device.

18. An inkjet recording apparatus, comprising:

the information processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 17, and

a recording apparatus including a plurality of ink ejecting units for ejecting different types of ink from nozzles onto a recording medium,

the recording apparatus includes a recording control unit that performs recording of the test image based on the setting information generated by the information processing apparatus by the ink ejecting unit of the inspection target.

19. An information processing method for generating setting information used for setting control of an operation in a recording apparatus having a plurality of ink ejecting units for ejecting different types of ink from nozzles onto a recording medium,

the information processing method is characterized by comprising:

an input step of receiving a 1 st input operation relating to selection of an ink ejecting section to be inspected, among the plurality of ink ejecting sections, which records a test image used for inspecting a discharge state of a nozzle on a recording medium; and

a setting information generating step of generating the setting information used for setting recording of the test image by the ink ejecting section of the inspection target selected based on the 1 st input operation,

in the input step, a 2 nd input operation of specifying a maximum number of ink ejection units for recording the test image on one recording area on the recording medium to be subjected to ink ejection by the nozzles of the plurality of ink ejection units is received,

in the setting information generating step, the setting information used for setting that the test image is recorded in the recording area of the recording medium by each of the maximum number of ink ejecting units not more than the maximum number specified by the 2 nd input operation among the ink ejecting units of the inspection target selected based on the 1 st input operation is generated.

20. The information processing method according to claim 19,

in the input step, the 1 st input operation for specifying the ink ejecting unit to be inspected is accepted.

21. The information processing method according to claim 19,

in the input step, the 1 st input operation of specifying a 1 st inspection object selection mode for selecting the ink ejection unit to be inspected based on image data of a normal image of a recording object recorded on a recording medium through at least a part of the plurality of ink ejection units is received,

in the setting information generating step, the setting information used for setting recording of the test image by the ink ejecting unit of the inspection target selected based on the image data of the normal image is generated in accordance with designation of the 1 st inspection target selection mode by the 1 st input operation.

22. The information processing method according to claim 21,

in the setting information generating step, when the 1 st inspection object selection mode is designated by the 1 st input operation, the ink ejecting unit of the inspection object is selected based on the image data of the normal image.

23. The information processing method according to claim 22,

in the setting information generating step, an ink ejection amount of the nozzles of each of the plurality of ink ejecting units required for recording the normal image in the plurality of ink ejecting units is acquired based on image data of the normal image, and an ink ejecting unit having the ink ejection amount larger than a predetermined reference amount is selected as the ink ejecting unit to be inspected.

24. The information processing method according to claim 19,

in the input step, the 1 st input operation of designating the ink ejecting section to be inspected which performs recording of the test image on the recording area is accepted for each recording area on the recording medium to be ejected by the nozzles of the plurality of ink ejecting sections,

in the setting information generating step, the setting information used for setting the recording of the test image by the ink ejecting unit of the inspection target specified by the 1 st input operation for each of the plurality of recording regions is generated.

25. The information processing method according to any one of claims 19 to 24,

the recording apparatus has a conveying mechanism that conveys a recording medium,

the plurality of ink ejection sections each have a plurality of ink jet heads each provided with a plurality of the nozzles,

the plurality of ink jet heads are arranged so that the arrangement ranges of the plurality of nozzles in a width direction orthogonal to a conveying direction of the recording medium by the conveying mechanism are different from each other, and the nozzles are arranged over a predetermined recording width in the width direction in the plurality of ink jet heads,

in the inputting step, a 3 rd input operation related to selection of an ink jet head of the inspection object used for recording the test image in the ink jet part of the inspection object is received,

in the setting information generating step, the setting information used for setting recording of the test image using the inkjet head of the inspection target selected by the 3 rd input operation by the inkjet unit of the inspection target selected by the 1 st input operation is generated.

26. The information processing method according to claim 25,

in the input step, the 3 rd input operation of designating the inkjet head to be inspected is accepted.

27. The information processing method according to claim 25,

in the inputting step, the 3 rd input operation of specifying the 2 nd inspection object selection mode in which the inspection object ink jet head is selected based on image data of a normal image of a recording object recorded on a recording medium by at least a part of the plurality of ink ejecting units is accepted,

in the setting information generating step, the setting information used for setting recording of the test image using the inkjet head of the inspection target selected based on the image data of the normal image by the inkjet unit of the inspection target is generated in accordance with the designation of the 2 nd inspection target selection mode by the 3 rd input operation.

28. The information processing method according to claim 27,

in the setting information generating step, in a case where the 2 nd inspection object selection mode is designated by the 3 rd input operation, the inkjet head of the inspection object is selected based on the image data of the normal image.

29. The information processing method according to claim 28,

in the setting information generating step, an ink ejection amount of each of the nozzles of the plurality of inkjet heads required for recording the normal image by the plurality of ink ejecting units is acquired based on image data of the normal image, and an inkjet head having the ink ejection amount larger than a predetermined reference amount is selected as the inkjet head to be inspected.

30. The information processing method according to claim 19,

the recording apparatus includes ejection failure detection means for detecting ejection failure of the nozzles of the plurality of ink ejection units based on a result of reading the test image by the reading means,

in the inputting step, a 4 th input operation for specifying detection accuracy of ejection failure for each of the plurality of ink ejecting sections is accepted,

in the setting information generating step, the setting information used for setting that the ejection failure is detected by the ejection failure detecting means with the detection accuracy specified by the 4 th input operation is generated.

31. The information processing method according to claim 19,

the recording apparatus has a conveying mechanism that conveys a recording medium,

the plurality of ink ejection sections each have a plurality of ink jet heads each provided with a plurality of the nozzles,

the plurality of ink jet heads are arranged so that the arrangement ranges of the plurality of nozzles in a width direction orthogonal to a conveying direction of the recording medium by the conveying mechanism are different from each other, and the nozzles are arranged over a predetermined recording width in the width direction in the plurality of ink jet heads,

the recording apparatus includes ejection failure detection means for detecting ejection failure of the nozzles of the plurality of ink jet heads provided in each of the plurality of ink ejection units based on a result of reading by the reading means of the test image,

in the input step, a 5 th input operation of specifying detection accuracy of ejection failure for each of the plurality of ink jet heads of the plurality of ink jet units is received,

in the setting information generating step, the setting information used for setting that the ejection failure is detected by the ejection failure detecting means with the detection accuracy specified by the 5 th input operation is generated.

32. The information processing method according to claim 19,

includes a test image data generating step of generating test image data including an image of the test image recorded by the ink ejecting section of the inspection object according to the setting based on the setting information.

33. The information processing method according to claim 32,

in the test image data generating step, the test image data including a normal image of a recording target recorded on a recording medium by at least a part of the plurality of ink ejecting units and an image of the test image is generated.

34. The information processing method according to claim 19,

includes an output step of outputting the setting information to the recording device.

35. The information processing method according to claim 32 or 33,

comprising an output step of outputting the test image data to the recording device.

36. An image recording method characterized by comprising, after recording an image,

a recording step of recording the test image based on the setting information generated by the information processing method according to any one of claims 19 to 35 by an ink jet unit of the inspection object.

Images