JP2005096243A - Recording apparatus and recording method - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a recording apparatus at a low cost which can carry out recording registration in relation to more colors and can carry out automatic recording position adjustment with the user's trouble saved. <P>SOLUTION: There are set a step of forming a recording registration pattern on a recording medium by a color material, an automatic registration step of setting a recording position condition for adjusting a recording position of the color material in accordance with optical characteristics of the registration pattern detected by a detecting means, and a manual registration step of enabling manual inputting of a recording position condition for adjusting a recording position of a recording material. In the automatic registration step, setting of the recording position condition is carried out only to the color material judged to be able to obtain predetermined optical characteristics by the detecting means. In the manual registration step, manual inputting of the recording position condition is enabled at least to the color material judged to be unable to obtain predetermined optical characteristics by the detecting means. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a recording apparatus and a recording method for forming an image or the like by forming dots on a recording medium, and in particular, in a serial scan type recording apparatus that performs recording by reciprocating scanning of a recording head. The present invention relates to a recording apparatus and a recording method having an adjustment function for performing recording position alignment when recording is performed in both scans and recording position alignment between heads when recording is performed using a plurality of recording heads.

  As a recording apparatus for forming a digital image by forming dots on a recording medium, a serial scan type recording apparatus capable of recording using a relatively small recording head is now known. Among them, an ink jet recording apparatus that forms an image on a recording medium by ejecting ink droplets from a recording head is widely used because it is excellent in quietness and easily realizes high quality color images.

  This ink jet recording apparatus has a recording head in which a plurality of nozzles are arranged, and drives an ejection energy generating element provided in each nozzle based on input recording data, and is emitted from the ejection energy generating element. Ink droplets are ejected from the nozzles by the ejected energy to form dots on the recording medium, and an image is formed by a set of these dots. The accuracy of the dot recording position depends on the structure and mechanism, such as the nozzle opening shape in the recording head, the relative position between the plurality of nozzle rows, the relative position between the recording heads, and the mounting mechanism of the recording head. The accuracy of the target portion is greatly affected, and the accuracy greatly affects the image quality as follows.

(Problems in forming an image with multiple recording heads)
In an image recording apparatus that performs recording with a plurality of recording heads, if the recording positions of dots vary between the recording heads, the following adverse effects are produced on the recorded image.

  For example, when the recording head for forming an image of a certain color is composed of two recording heads, the nozzle opening shape, the variation of elements for generating ink ejection energy such as an electrothermal converter, etc. A slight variation that occurs in the recording head manufacturing process may adversely affect the ejection amount of the ejected ink and the direction of the ejection direction. That is, since the recording positions do not match between the two recording heads, a clean straight line may not be formed even if a ruled line (vertical ruled line) perpendicular to the main scanning direction of the recording head is recorded. In addition, when a uniform halftone image is formed, a portion where dots formed on a paper surface are dense and a portion where the dot is rough are likely to occur, resulting in a rough image that lacks a uniform feeling as a whole. Such image defects are not noticeable on plain paper where the recording dots formed on the recording medium tend to bleed, but may be noticeable on coated paper, etc. where the recording dots do not bleed, and in that case, the image quality is significantly impaired. Result.

(Problems in image formation by bidirectional recording)
In a serial scan type ink jet recording apparatus that reciprocates a recording head, there is a case where so-called bidirectional recording is performed in which ink is ejected in both forward and backward operations of the recording head to perform a recording image. Recording can cause the following problems:

  First, when recording a ruled line (vertical ruled line) in a direction perpendicular to the main scanning direction of the recording head, the positions of the ruled line recorded on the forward path and the ruled line recorded on the return path are not aligned, and a step is formed on the ruled line. There is a disadvantage that an appropriate straight line is not formed. This is a so-called “ruled line shift”, and is an image disturbance most easily recognized by the user. Since the ruled lines are often formed in black, it has been generally recognized as a problem when forming a monochrome image, but the same phenomenon occurs in a color image. Also, when multi-scan recording is performed to improve image quality, even if a recording position shift occurs in bidirectional recording, the shift at the pixel level is not noticeable as an effect of multi-scan recording, but it can be seen as a macro. For example, the entire image may appear uneven and may be recognized as an unpleasant pattern by some users. This is generally called a texture, but this pattern is caused by a slight recording position shift appearing on the image at a specific period. Such image damage is particularly noticeable in a high contrast image such as a monochrome image, and may also be noticeable when halftone recording is performed on a recording medium capable of high density recording such as coated paper. .

(Problems in image formation using multiple colors)
In an image recording apparatus that performs recording of a plurality of colors, the following problem occurs when a recording position shift occurs between a plurality of colors.
When recording a color image, an image is often formed by combining several types of colors, and it is most common to use four colors obtained by adding black to the three primary colors of yellow, magenta, and cyan. In the case of using a plurality of recording heads for recording these colors, if there is a recording position shift between colors, different colors will be non-uniformly overlapped depending on the amount of shift, which is originally formed. A so-called “color shift” occurs in which a color different from the power color is developed. This color misregistration is not so noticeable on plain paper, but may be noticeable when an image medium with good color development such as coated paper is used, causing image detriment.

  In order to suppress the above-described image adverse effects, the current recording apparatus forms an image (test pattern) composed of a plurality of alignment patches formed by intentionally shifting the recording position condition, and A function that allows a user to visually select a patch having an appropriate density and color, and to input the selection result to the recording apparatus, so that the recording position condition on which the patch is formed is set in the recording apparatus. Things to prepare are also proposed and implemented.

  Further, in Patent Document 1 and the like, the optical feature (light reflection density) of a recorded image is automatically detected by an optical sensor without the user performing selection of an appropriate image or input operation at the time of recording position alignment. In addition, there has been proposed one having means for automatically calculating and setting a recording position condition capable of optimal recording position alignment based on the detection result.

JP 11-291470 A

  However, in a conventional recording apparatus having an automatic recording alignment function, colors that can be aligned are limited by the properties of the optical sensor that detects the reflection density of the recorded alignment image. For example, in a recording apparatus that can form a color image using yellow, magenta, cyan, and black inks, when an optical sensor having a light emitting unit that emits red light or infrared light is used, cyan and black are used. Since it is possible to detect the reflection density satisfactorily, it is possible to automatically adjust the recording position. However, for yellow and magenta, it is difficult to detect the reflection density, so it is wrong to automatically adjust the recording position. There is a possibility that the recording condition is set. However, in addition to the optical sensor having a light emitting part that emits red holes or infrared light as described above, it also has an optical sensor having a light emitting part that emits light that can detect a good reflection density with respect to yellow and magenta. If this is the case, the above problem can be avoided, but having a plurality of optical sensors causes a new problem of increasing costs and complication of the apparatus.

  Further, in recent years, light magenta and light cyan using color materials having low densities of magenta and cyan are often used in addition to the four colors yellow, magenta, cyan, and black. The addition of these two colors is effective in improving the granularity of the low density region of the recorded image. However, in the case where the recording position is automatically adjusted, light magenta and light cyan depend on the density. In general, it is difficult to detect the reflection density well. Therefore, when the density detection is automatically performed using the optical sensor having the red or infrared light emitting portion as described above, an error may occur in the density detection not only for light magenta but also for light cyan. There is a risk that an incorrect recording condition may be set for any of them. Therefore, even in a recording apparatus having six color materials, only two colors, cyan and black, are used for recording position alignment, which is insufficient to form a color image without image defects. .

  Furthermore, when an image is recorded on a recording medium having a white recording surface, a recording medium with a tint was used when performing recording position alignment, even when the color had a good reflection density. In some cases, the reflection density may not be satisfactorily obtained, and as a result of automatic recording position alignment, there is a possibility that an incorrect recording condition is set.

  Therefore, the present invention makes it possible to perform recording alignment for a larger number of colors, to prevent erroneous setting of recording alignment due to the color of the used recording medium, and to save the user's trouble. An object of the present invention is to provide a recording apparatus capable of adjusting the automatic recording position at low cost.

  In order to solve the above-described problems of the conventional techniques, the present invention has the following configuration.

  That is, the present invention is a recording apparatus that includes at least one type of color material and forms an image by applying the color material to a predetermined recording medium, and a recording alignment pattern on the recording medium by the color material. A pattern forming unit that forms a color pattern, and an automatic alignment unit that detects optical characteristics of the alignment pattern by a detection unit and sets a recording position condition for adjusting the recording position of the color material according to the detected optical characteristic A manual positioning unit that allows manual input of a recording position condition for adjusting the recording position of the recording material according to the pattern formed by the alignment pattern forming unit, and the color material is predetermined by the detecting unit. Discriminating means for judging whether or not the color material is capable of obtaining the optical characteristics, and the automatic positioning means is provided by the detecting means. The recording position condition is set only for the color material that is determined to be capable of obtaining the optical characteristics, and the manual alignment means is determined to be unable to obtain the predetermined optical characteristics by at least the detection means. Further, it is possible to manually input a recording position condition with respect to the color material.

  In addition, the present invention is a recording method comprising at least one color material, and forming an image by applying the color material to a predetermined recording medium, wherein a recording alignment pattern is formed on the recording medium by the color material. An automatic alignment step of detecting the optical characteristics of the alignment pattern by a detection means, and setting a recording position condition for adjusting the recording position of the color material according to the detected optical characteristics; A manual alignment step that allows manual input of a recording position condition for adjusting the recording position of the recording material in accordance with the pattern formed by the alignment pattern forming unit; and Determining whether or not the color material can obtain characteristics, and in the automatic alignment step, the detecting means A recording position condition is set only for a color material that is determined to be able to obtain a predetermined optical characteristic. In the manual positioning step, it is determined that a predetermined optical characteristic cannot be obtained at least by the detection means. It is possible to manually input a recording position condition with respect to the color material.

  According to the present invention having the above-described configuration, in the recording apparatus using the detection unit having specific optical characteristics, automatic alignment is performed only for colors whose optical characteristics can be detected by the detection unit. It is possible to avoid the erroneous setting of the recording position condition due to the automatic alignment, and it is possible to determine and set the recording position condition based on the visual observation of the user for colors for which optical characteristics cannot be detected. . For this reason, it is possible to set appropriate recording conditions for many colors using automatic alignment and manual alignment, thereby realizing high-quality image formation. Further, since a plurality of detection means are not required, it can be configured at low cost.

  Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In the following description, an embodiment in which the present invention is applied mainly to an ink jet recording apparatus and a recording system using the same will be described.

<Outline of Embodiment of the Present Invention>
First, an outline of the first embodiment of the present invention will be described.
(Automatic recording alignment)
The recording apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention is a serial scan type inkjet recording apparatus, and enables bidirectional recording in which ink is ejected both when the recording head moves forward and when it moves backward. Yes.

  The adjustment of the dot formation position (ink droplet landing position) according to the present embodiment is performed by the forward recording (first recording) and the backward recording (second recording) in the bidirectional recording in which the dot formation position should be adjusted. Alternatively, the respective recordings (first recording and second recording) by a plurality of recording heads are performed at adjacent positions on the recording medium. Furthermore, recording is performed under a plurality of recording position conditions by changing the recording position condition of the relative dot formation position between the first recording and the second recording. That is, a plurality of recording patterns (patches) described later are formed by changing the relative recording position conditions of the first recording and the second recording.

  Then, the density of the recorded patch is read using an optical sensor mounted on a main scanning member such as a carriage. This is done by moving the optical sensor on the carriage to a position corresponding to the recording position of the patch and measuring its reflected optical density. Then, the recording position condition (landing position condition) of the patch in which the positions of the first recording and the second recording are the most suitable among the patches is determined. That is, an approximate characteristic of density with respect to the recording position condition is calculated based on the relative relationship between the actually measured landing position condition and density, and the optimum recording position condition is obtained from the approximate characteristic. The pattern to be recorded at this time is set in consideration of the structural and mechanical accuracy of the recording apparatus and the recording head. In the first recording, a pattern having a width equal to or larger than the maximum deviation amount of the recording position accuracy predicted from the accuracy of the recording apparatus and the recording head is recorded on the recording medium. In the second recording, a pattern having the same width as that of the first recording is recorded under the recording position condition of each recording position. Thereby, the recording position condition can be set with an accuracy equal to or higher than the accuracy of the landing position alignment condition. This is the first recording position condition setting (rough adjustment).

  Further, the recording position condition once set by the first recording position condition setting operation is used, and the recording position condition of the relative recording position (landing position) of the first recording and the second recording is further set. While changing, the first recording and the second recording are performed in the same manner as the first time under a plurality of conditions. However, the recording position condition in this case is set with higher accuracy than the previous time. That is, based on the result of the recording position alignment performed by the first recording position alignment (coarse adjustment), the accuracy adjusted by the recording position alignment is expected to be the maximum deviation, and the landing position accuracy predicted from the recording position accuracy The first recording and the second recording are performed using a pattern having a width equivalent to the maximum deviation amount. Thereby, recording position alignment (fine adjustment) can be performed with higher accuracy.

(Overview of overall algorithm for automatic recording position adjustment)
First, the rough adjustment is performed. The adjustment range of the coarse adjustment is determined from the accuracy of the recording apparatus and the recording head. Further fine adjustment is performed using the recording position condition of the landing position determined by the coarse adjustment, and the recording position is adjusted with higher accuracy. Therefore, the adjustment interval can be set more finely as the adjustment range can be narrowed. Note that the recording alignment range can be appropriately determined according to the apparatus configuration, the recording mode of the apparatus, and the like. For example, in a recording apparatus using a plurality of recording heads, bidirectional recording and recording position adjustment between a plurality of recording heads are performed, and when using a recording head capable of obtaining different ejection amounts, for each ejection amount, Recording position adjustment may be performed.

(Optical sensor)
As the optical sensor used in the present embodiment, a color sensor appropriately selected according to the color tone of the ink used in the recording apparatus, the head configuration, and the like can be used. For example, an optical sensor having a light receiving element having excellent absorption characteristics of light emitted from a red LED or infrared LED is used, and ink having excellent absorption characteristics of light emitted from a red LED is used as a recording position alignment target. That is, it is preferable that black (BK) or cyan (C), which has excellent red light or infrared absorption characteristics, be a target for recording alignment.

(Manual recording alignment)
In the present embodiment, density detection is performed using an optical sensor and automatic recording alignment is performed. However, when the optical sensor does not operate favorably or due to the characteristics of the mounted optical sensor, automatic recording alignment is performed. Other recording position alignment processing can be performed in preparation for the case where it is desired to reliably perform the recording position alignment of an impossible color. That is, in this case, manual recording position adjustment is performed.

(Mechanical structure)
The configuration of the mechanism unit in the recording apparatus applied in the present embodiment will be described. The recording apparatus main body according to the present embodiment can be classified into a paper feed unit, a paper transport unit, a paper discharge unit, a carriage unit, a cleaning unit, and an exterior unit according to the role of each mechanism. Hereinafter, these will be outlined by item.

(A) Paper Feed Unit FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a recording apparatus applied in the present embodiment. 2 and 3 are diagrams for explaining the internal mechanism of the recording apparatus main body. FIG. 2 is a perspective view from the upper left and FIG. 3 is a side sectional view of the recording apparatus main body. is there,
Referring to FIGS. 1 to 3, the paper feed unit is a pressure plate M2010 on which recording media are stacked, a paper feed roller M2080 for feeding recording media one by one, a separation roller M2041 for separating the recording media, and a recording medium. A return lever M2020 and the like for returning to the position are attached to the base M2000. Further, a paper feed tray M1060 for holding a stacked recording medium is attached to the base M2000 or the exterior.

  In FIG. 3, the return lever M2020 is provided at a stacking position that returns the recording medium and closes the stacking port so that the stacked recording medium does not enter the back. When feeding paper, the separation roller FIG. 1041 first contacts the paper feed roller M2080 by driving the motor. Then, the return lever M2020 is released, and the pressure plate M2010 comes into contact with the sheet feeding roller FIG. 1080. In this state, feeding of the recording medium is started. The recording medium is limited by a pre-stage separation unit (not shown) provided in the base diagram 1000, and only a predetermined number of the recording medium is sent to a nip portion composed of a paper feed roller M2080 and a separation roller M2041. The sent recording medium is separated at the nip portion, and only the uppermost recording medium is conveyed to the sheet conveying portion.

(B) Paper Conveying Unit The recording medium sent to the paper conveying unit is guided by the pinch roller holder M3000 and the paper guide flapper M3030, and is sent to the roller pair of the conveying roller M3060 and the pinch roller M3070. At this time, the PE sensor lever M3021 detects the leading edge of the recording medium, and thereby the recording position with respect to the recording medium is obtained. A roller pair composed of a conveyance roller M3060 and a pinch roller M3070 is rotated by driving of the LF motor E0002, and the recording medium is conveyed on the platen M3040 by this rotation. The platen M3040 is provided with a rib serving as a conveyance reference surface.

(C) Paper Discharge Unit The image-formed recording medium is sandwiched between the first paper discharge roller M3110 and the spur M3120, conveyed, and discharged to the paper discharge tray M3160. The paper discharge tray M3160 is composed of a plurality of divided members and can be stored in a lower portion of a lower case M7080 described later when the apparatus is not used.

(D) Carriage part The carriage part has a carriage M4000 for mounting the recording head H1001 shown in FIG. 6, and the carriage M4000 is supported by a guide shaft M4020 and a guide rail M1011. The guide shaft M4020 is attached to the chassis M1010. By driving the carriage motor E0001, the carriage M4000 is reciprocated in a direction perpendicular to the recording medium conveyance direction.

Further, an optical sensor M5000 is attached to the carriage M4000. As shown in FIG. 10, the optical sensor 5000 includes a light emitting unit M5001 and a light receiving unit M5002. Light I _IN M5003 emitted from the light emitting unit M5001 is reflected by the recording medium M5005, and the reflected light I _REF M5004 can be detected by the light receiving unit M5002. The signal is transmitted to a control circuit formed on the electric substrate of the recording apparatus via the flexible cable E0012, and is converted into a digital signal by the A / D converter.

  When an image is formed on a recording medium in the above configuration, a pair of rollers including a conveyance roller M3060 and a pinch roller M3070 conveys and positions the recording medium in the conveyance direction. In the scanning direction, the carriage M4000 is moved in a direction perpendicular to the transport direction by the carriage motor E0001, and the recording head H1001 is arranged at a target image forming position. The positioned recording head H1001 forms an image by ejecting ink onto the recording medium when a drive signal is applied. The recording apparatus of the present embodiment performs recording by alternately repeating recording main scanning in which recording is performed by the recording head H1001 while scanning the carriage M4000 in the main scanning direction and sub-scanning in which the recording medium is conveyed in the sub-scanning direction. An image is formed on a medium.

(E) Cleaning unit The cleaning unit includes a pump M5000 for cleaning the recording head H1001, a cap M5010 for suppressing the drying of the recording head H1001, and a blade (for cleaning the discharge port forming surface of the recording head H1001). (Not shown).

(F) Exterior Unit Each unit described in (A) to (E) is mainly incorporated in the chassis M1010 to form a mechanism portion of the recording apparatus. The exterior is attached so as to cover the periphery. The exterior part mainly includes a lower case M7080, an upper case M7040, and an access cover M7030. Further, the upper case is provided with an LED guide M7060 for transmitting / displaying LED light, a power key M7070 acting on a switch (SW) on the board, a resume key M7071 and the like.

(Electric circuit configuration)
Next, the configuration of the electrical circuit in the present embodiment will be described.
FIG. 4 is a block diagram for schematically explaining the overall configuration of the electrical circuit in the embodiment of the present invention.

The recording apparatus applied in the present embodiment is mainly configured by a carriage substrate (CRPCB) E0013, a main PCB (Printed Circuit Board) E0014, a power supply unit E0015, a front panel E0106, and the like.
The carriage substrate E0013 is a printed circuit board unit mounted on the carriage M4000, and functions as an interface for transmitting and receiving signals to and from the recording head 6001 through the head connector E0101. The carriage substrate E0013 is provided with a temperature sensor such as a thermistor for detecting the ambient temperature and a required optical sensor (hereinafter, these sensors are referred to as an OnCR sensor E0102). Information obtained by the OnCR sensor E0102 is output to the main PCB E0014 through the flexible flat cable (CRFFC) E0012 together with the head temperature information from the recording head cartridge H1000.

  The main PCB E0014 is a printed circuit board unit that controls driving of each part of the ink jet recording apparatus according to the present embodiment. On the substrate, a paper edge detection sensor (PE sensor) E0007, an automatic sheet feeder (ASF) sensor E0009, A cover sensor E0022 and a host interface (host I / F) E0017 are provided. In addition, a carriage motor E0001 as a driving source for main-scanning the carriage M4000, an LF motor E0002 as a driving source for conveying a recording medium, a PG motor E0003 as a driving source for a recovery operation of the recording head H1001, and a recording medium Are connected to various motors such as an ASF motor E0105 serving as a driving source of the paper feeding operation, and the driving of each function is controlled. The front panel E0106 is a unit provided on the front surface of the recording apparatus main body for the convenience of user operation, and is an interface used for connection with a resume key E0019, LED E0020, power key E0018, and peripheral devices such as a digital camera. Device (device I / F) E0100.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing an internal configuration of the main PCB E0014.
In the figure, reference numeral E1102 denotes an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), which is connected to the ROM E1004 through the control bus E1014 and performs various controls in accordance with programs stored in the ROM E1004.

  The ASIC E1102 is a one-chip semiconductor integrated circuit with an arithmetic processing unit, which exchanges signals with the host I / F E0017 and also exchanges signals with the device I / F E0100 on the front panel through the panel signal E0107. Do. Further, the ASIC E1102 supplies the head control signal E1021 to the recording head H1001 via the flexible flat cable E0012, the carriage substrate E0013, and the head connector E0101, and controls the recording operation.

  Furthermore, the ASIC has a DRAM E2005. The DRAM E2005 also has areas necessary for operations such as a reception buffer E2010, a work buffer E2011, a print buffer E2014, a development data buffer E2016, and the like as recording data buffers.

(Configuration of print head cartridge)
The configuration of the head cartridge H1000 applied in the present embodiment will be described below with reference to FIGS.
The head cartridge H1000 in this embodiment has a recording head H1001, means for mounting the ink tank H1900, and means for supplying ink from the ink tank H1900 to the recording head, and is detachable from the carriage M4000. Mounted on.

  FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a state in which the ink tank H1900 is attached to the head cartridge H1000 applied in the present embodiment. The recording apparatus according to the present embodiment forms an image with seven colors of ink of cyan, magenta, yellow, black, light cyan, light magenta, and red, and therefore ink tank H1900 is also prepared for seven colors independently. As shown in the figure, each is detachable from the head cartridge H1000.

  FIG. 7 is an exploded perspective view of the head cartridge H1000. In the figure, a head cartridge H1000 includes a first recording element substrate H4700 and a second recording element substrate H4701, a first plate H1200, a second plate H1400, an electric wiring substrate H1300, a tank holder H1500, and a flow path forming member H1600. , Filter H1700, seal rubber H1800, and the like.

  The first recording element substrate H4700 and the second recording element substrate H4701 are Si substrates, and a plurality of recording elements (nozzles) for ejecting ink are formed on one side thereof by a photolithography technique.

  FIG. 8 is an enlarged bottom view for explaining the configuration of the first recording element substrate H4700 and the second recording element substrate H4701 in the present embodiment. H4000 to H4600 are nozzle rows corresponding to different ink colors, and the first printing element substrate H4700 has a nozzle row H4000 supplied with light magenta, a nozzle row H4100 supplied with red ink, and a black ink supply. There are configured nozzle rows for four colors, a nozzle row H4200 to be supplied and a nozzle row H4300 to which light cyan ink is supplied.

  On the second recording element substrate H4701, nozzle rows for three colors, a nozzle row H4400 supplied with cyan ink, a nozzle row H4500 supplied with magenta ink, and a nozzle row H4600 supplied with yellow ink are formed. ing.

As shown in the enlarged view of FIG. 9, each nozzle row is arranged in a staggered manner on two parallel straight lines, and a nozzle row (odd nozzle row portion) H5000 consisting of only odd-numbered nozzles and an even number Nozzle row portion (even nozzle row portion) H5100 consisting only of the numbered nozzles. In the odd nozzle row portion and the even nozzle row portion, 384 nozzle discharge ports H5200 arranged at intervals of 600 dpi (dot / inch; reference value) are formed, and the nozzles in each nozzle row portion are sub-scanned with each other. It is arranged in a state offset by a half pitch in the direction. For this reason, the nozzle row per color is substantially composed of 768 nozzles at 1200 dpi (dot / inch; reference value). The opening area of each nozzle outlet H5200 is set to about 100 square μm ² so that about 2 picoliters of ink droplets are ejected from each nozzle outlet H5200.

  In FIG. 7, the first recording element substrate H4700 and the second recording element substrate H4701 are bonded and fixed to the first plate H1200, and here, the first recording element substrate H4700 and the second recording element substrate An ink supply port H1201 for supplying ink to the element substrate H4701 is formed.

  Further, a second plate H1701 having an opening is bonded and fixed to the first plate H1200. The second plate H1400 is composed of an electric wiring substrate H1300, a first recording element substrate H4700, and a second recording element substrate H4700. The electric wiring substrate H1300 is held so as to be electrically connected to the recording element substrate H4701. The electrical wiring substrate H1300 applies an electrical signal for ejecting ink from each nozzle formed on the first recording element substrate H4700 and the second recording element substrate H4701, and the first recording element substrate Electrical wiring corresponding to the H4700 and the second recording element substrate H4701 and an external signal input terminal H1301 for receiving an electrical signal from the recording apparatus main body located at the end of the electrical wiring. The external signal input terminal H1301 is positioned and fixed on the back side of the tank holder H1500.

  On the other hand, in a tank holder H1500 that holds the ink tank H1900, a flow path forming member H1600 is fixed by, for example, ultrasonic welding to form an ink flow path H1501 that communicates from the ink tank H1900 to the first plate H1200. A filter 6700 is provided at the end of the ink flow path H1501 on the ink tank side. Further, a seal rubber 6800 is attached to the engaging portion with the ink tank H1900.

(Type, role, and execution method of recording alignment method)
Hereinafter, a recording position alignment method in the present embodiment will be described. FIG. 11 is a diagram showing a utility screen of the printer driver of the host PC in the present embodiment, and FIG. 16 is a flowchart showing a flow of recording position alignment processing in the present embodiment.

The recording apparatus according to the present embodiment has the following three recording alignment methods, which can be selected by the user.
(1) Manual + automatic alignment (Items that can be automatically recorded are aligned automatically, and other items are performed manually)
(2) Automatic alignment (automatically only for items that can be automatically recorded)
(3) Full manual alignment (manually perform all necessary items for recording alignment)

  The (1) manual + automatic alignment is a recording alignment method that is assumed to be normally used by a user. From the utility screen of the printer driver of the host PC in a state where communication with the recording apparatus shown in FIG. This is executed by pressing the alignment button D0003.

  The (2) automatic alignment is a recording alignment method that is assumed to be used by a user who uses this recording apparatus without connecting to the host PC or a user who wants to perform minimum recording alignment easily. This is executed by operating the resume key M7071 in FIG.

  The (3) full manual alignment is a recording alignment method prepared for the case where the optical sensor does not operate preferably. “Manual head alignment” in the special setting screen shown in FIG. 12 that appears when the special setting button D0005 is pressed from the utility screen of the printer driver of the host PC in a state where it can communicate with the recording device shown in FIG. When the check box D0007 is checked and the transmission button D0008 is pressed, the setting change content is transmitted to the recording apparatus. Thereafter, when the head alignment button D0003 is pressed from the utility screen of FIG. 11, (3) all manual alignment is performed. Executed.

((1) “Manual + Automatic alignment” sequence)
Here, the “manual + automatic alignment” sequence will be described.
When “manual + automatic alignment” is started, the recording alignment mode is determined in step 0001 of FIG. 16, and the automatic alignment possible color determination in step 0004 is executed. In the present embodiment, only cyan and black are preset as automatically alignable colors from the characteristics of the optical sensor. Next, the process proceeds to step 0005, and the manual alignment pattern PT1 shown in FIG. 17 is recorded for colors (magenta, light cyan, light magenta, red) other than the colors that can be automatically aligned.

  Thereafter, the user selects 11 patches Pa and Pb recorded in each patch row from among the five print alignment patch rows D0009 to D0013 in the manual alignment pattern PT1 shown in FIG. Is selected, and a set value is input according to a setting screen (see FIG. 13) displayed by the printer driver. Thereby, the set value by manual alignment is transmitted to the recording apparatus and stored in a predetermined storage area in the recording apparatus.

  Subsequently, the process proceeds to step 0006, and an automatic alignment sequence is executed for cyan and black set as colors capable of automatic alignment. In this automatic alignment sequence, an automatic alignment pattern PT2 shown in FIG. 18 which will be described in detail later is recorded, and the light reflection density of each patch Pa, Pb, Pc and Pd constituting this pattern is measured using an optical sensor. Automatically detecting, selecting the patch with the highest detection value from each of the patch rows D0023a to D0027a and D0023b to D0027b, and storing the set value in a predetermined storage area in the recording apparatus; With the above operation, the recording alignment sequence is completed. Although the entire alignment sequence has been generally described here, the configuration of the manual alignment pattern P1 and the automatic alignment pattern P2 and details of each alignment process will be described in detail below.

Here, the configuration of the manual alignment pattern PT1 used in the “manual + automatic alignment process” in (1) will be described with reference to FIG.
The pattern PT1 shown here is composed of five patch rows D0009 to D0013. Here, D0009 is a patch row for performing alignment between the odd nozzle row portion and the even nozzle row portion of the magenta nozzle row H4500, and D0010 is an odd nozzle row portion and an even nozzle row portion of the light cyan nozzle row H4300. D0011 is a patch row for performing alignment between the odd and even nozzle rows of light magenta, and D0012 is an odd nozzle row of the red nozzle row H4000. A patch row for performing alignment with the even nozzle row portion, D0012 is a patch row for performing alignment between the odd nozzle row portion and the even nozzle row portion of the red nozzle row H4100, and D0013 is a magenta nozzle. Patch rows for performing bidirectional recording alignment of row H4500 are shown.

Each patch row is composed of 11 patches. The eleven patches in each patch row have dot patterns that have different recording conditions.
That is, the patch Pa for aligning the odd nozzle row portion 5000 and the even nozzle row portion H5100 in the manual alignment pattern PT1 has a dot pattern as shown in FIG. The patch Pb for this has a dot pattern as shown in FIG. Both patches Pa and Pb form a horizontally long pattern as a whole by dots arranged along the main scanning direction.

  In this embodiment, the patch Pa for aligning the even nozzle row portion H5000 and the odd nozzle row portion H5100 includes a dot group G1 composed of a plurality of dots recorded by the odd nozzle row portion H5000, and an even nozzle. The dot group G1 composed of a plurality of dots recorded in the row portion H5100 is recorded so as to be alternately adjacent. In addition, each patch Pa in each patch row is formed by recording the dot group G2 by shifting the dot group G2 by one pixel by 1200 dpi in the main scanning direction on the basis of each dot group G1, and recording is different from each other. The dot pattern is recorded under the position condition. In this embodiment, a total of 11 dot patterns of patches Pa recorded under different recording position conditions are formed in each patch row.

  On the other hand, the patch Pb for aligning the bidirectional recording uses only one of the nozzle rows of the odd nozzle row portion H5000 and the even nozzle row portion H5001, and during the forward movement, the dot group G3 is used during the backward movement. Each dot group G4 is recorded. In the present embodiment, each dot group G3, G4 is composed of a plurality of dots. Further, each patch Pb in the patch row D0013 is recorded by shifting the dot group G4 recorded at the time of backward movement by one pixel by 2400 dpi in the main scanning direction with reference to the dot group G3 recorded at the time of forward movement. The dot patterns are recorded under different recording position conditions. In this embodiment, a total of 11 patches Pb having dot patterns recorded under different recording position conditions are formed in each patch row.

  As a result of the recording as described above, the patch that appears to be most uniform, that is, the patch recorded under the most appropriate recording position condition, is uniformly dot as shown in FIGS. 19 (a) and 20 (b). In a patch recorded with an inappropriate recording position condition, dots are arranged in a non-uniform state as shown in FIGS. 19 (b) and 20 (b). Therefore, a patch recorded under an appropriate recording position condition is visually recognized by the user as having an overall uniform density, and a patch recorded under an inappropriate recording condition has a streak in the vertical direction. It is visually recognized as an image. The user selects a uniform patch with no streaks.

Configuration of automatic alignment pattern used in “manual + automatic alignment processing” Next, the configuration of automatic alignment pattern PT2 used in “manual + automatic alignment processing” will be described with reference to FIG.
D0023 in FIG. 18 is a patch row for alignment between the odd nozzle row portion and the even nozzle row portion of the black nozzle row H4200, and D0024 is an odd nozzle row portion and an even nozzle row portion of the cyan nozzle row H4400. D0025 is a patch row for performing bidirectional alignment of the black nozzle row H4200, D0026 is a patch row for performing bidirectional alignment of the cyan nozzle row H4400, D0027 is a patch row for performing printing position alignment between the first printing element substrate H4700 and the second printing element substrate H4701 by adjusting between the cyan nozzle row H4400 and the black nozzle row H4200.

  The adjustment patterns D0023 to D0027 are all composed of two rows of patch columns. The upper patch columns D0023a, D0024a, D0025a, D0026a, and D0027a are coarse adjustment patch columns, and the lower patch columns D0023b, D0024b, D0025b, D0026b, D0027b is a fine adjustment patch row.

  Here, the patch Pa of each coarse adjustment batch row formed by the even nozzle row portion H5100 and the odd nozzle row portion H5000 is formed in a dot arrangement as shown in FIG. 19, and is recorded by the even nozzle row portion. On the basis of the dot group G1, the pattern in which the dot group G2 recorded in the odd-numbered nozzle array portion is shifted in the main scanning direction by 4 pixels at 1200 dpi is recorded in 5 patterns for each coarse adjustment patch array.

  On the other hand, the patches Pb of the coarse adjustment patch rows D0025 and D0026 for performing bidirectional recording alignment are formed in a dot arrangement as shown in FIG. 20, and are based on the dot group G3 recorded during forward movement. In addition, the dot group G4 recorded at the time of backward movement is formed by shifting in the main scanning direction by four pixels at 1200 dpi. In the present embodiment, a total of five patches Pb having dot patterns recorded under different recording position conditions are formed in each patch row.

  Further, each patch Pc of the coarse adjustment patch row D0027 for performing the alignment process between the printing element substrates is continuous in the horizontal direction with the dot arrangement as shown in FIG. With the dot group G5 consisting of dots as a reference, the dot group G6 consisting of a plurality of dots recorded in black is recorded by shifting by 1200 pixels at a rate of 1200 dpi. In this embodiment, a total of five patches Pc having dot patterns recorded under different recording position conditions are formed in each patch row D0027a and D0027b.

FIG. 22 shows an example of the result of detecting the reflection density by the optical sensor for each patch Pc of the coarse adjustment patch row D0027 formed as described above.
Based on the reflection density of each patch detected by the optical sensor, a recording position shift amount having a maximum value is calculated by a calculation means such as a CPU provided in the recording apparatus, and the value is set as a coarse adjustment value. The obtained reflection density mainly depends on an area factor indicating how much the area is covered with ink, and dots are formed as shown in (a) in each of FIGS. In this case, the largest value is shown. As shown in (b) of each figure, as the area where dots do not exist increases, the value of the obtained reflection density also decreases.

  FIG. 23 is a diagram showing dot patterns of patch rows D0023b to D0027b for performing fine adjustment of automatic recording position alignment in the present embodiment. As shown in the figure, the patch Pd of each fine adjustment patch row is recorded by alternately adjoining a reference dot group G7 composed of a plurality of dots and a non-reference dot group G8 composed of a plurality of dots. As a whole, a horizontally long dot pattern is formed along the main scanning direction.

  In each of the patch rows D0023 to D0027, the reference dot group of the patches Pd belonging to each of them (in the case of a patch row that performs alignment between even-numbered and odd-numbered rows, the dot group recorded by the even-numbered nozzle row H5100 is referred to as the reference dot group G7). In the case of a patch row that performs bidirectional alignment, the dot group that is recorded during forward movement is referred to as a reference dot group G7. Group G7), the non-reference dot group G8 is recorded by shifting by two pixels at 1200 dpi, centering on the recording position shift amount of the coarse adjustment value, thereby forming dot patterns formed under different recording conditions. 7 patches in total are recorded.

FIG. 24 shows an example of the result of detecting the reflection density by the optical sensor for each patch Pd of the fine adjustment patch row D0027 formed as described above.
Of the results obtained in this way, the result obtained by connecting the results of the recording position shift amounts -4, -2, 0 is set as the pattern 1, and the result obtained by connecting the results of the recording position shift amounts 0, +2, +4 is the pattern. When the value is 2, the recording position shift amount at the point where pattern 1 and pattern 2 intersect is calculated, and the value is used as a fine adjustment value. In this embodiment, the fine adjustment value is calculated with a resolution of 2400 dpi.
The value of the coarse adjustment value + the fine adjustment value obtained in this way becomes the value for automatic recording alignment in “manual + automatic alignment processing”.

  In the present embodiment, the patch row for yellow is not formed in either the automatic alignment pattern PT1 or the manual alignment pattern PT2. This is due to the fact that the optical characteristics of the optical sensor make it difficult to detect yellow, and the yellow visibility by the user is poor, making manual positioning difficult. However, as shown in the enlarged plan view of FIG. 8, in the second recording element substrate H4701, the magenta nozzle row H4500 is formed adjacent to the yellow nozzle row H4600. The set value is also used for yellow.

  Further, in the present embodiment, with respect to the alignment between the odd-numbered nozzle row portion and the even-numbered nozzle row portion, the print position adjustment is performed for all colors other than yellow. Adjustment is made only for the colors black, cyan, and magenta, and for the other colors (light cyan, light magenta, and red), the setting values of black, cyan, and magenta are used.

((2) Automatic alignment sequence)
Next, a sequence in the automatic alignment process will be described.
When an automatic alignment process is instructed by the user, first, the recording alignment mode is determined in step 0001 in FIG. 16, and then automatic alignment possible color determination in step 0002 is executed. In the present embodiment, only cyan and black are set in advance as automatically alignable colors from the characteristics of the optical sensor, as in the processing procedure for manual + automatic alignment. Next, the process proceeds to step 0003, where automatic alignment processing is performed for cyan and black which are set as colors capable of automatic alignment. In this process, a process for recording the recording alignment pattern shown in FIG. 18, a process for reading the reflection density of each patch of the recorded pattern with an optical sensor, and determining a setting value for alignment adjustment from the value, and Processing such as storing the determined alignment setting value in a predetermined storage area in the recording apparatus is performed, thereby ending the recording alignment sequence. As the alignment pattern recorded at this time, the pattern shown in FIG. 18 is used as in the “manual + automatic alignment process”.

((3) “All manual alignment process” sequence)
Next, an all manual alignment processing sequence in the present embodiment will be described.
When the user instructs the full manual alignment process, the recording position alignment mode is determined in step 0001 in FIG. 16, and the process proceeds to step 0007, where the full manual alignment process is executed. In this fully automatic alignment process, first, the recording of the fully manual alignment pattern PT3 shown in FIG. 25 is executed. Next, the density appears to be the most uniform among the 11 patches recorded by changing the recording position condition for each of the ten recording position alignment patch rows D0014 to D0023 constituting the recorded all manual alignment pattern PT3. When the user selects an item and inputs the setting value on the setting screen on the printer driver shown in FIG. 14, the setting value based on the full manual alignment is transmitted to the recording apparatus and stored in a predetermined storage area in the recording apparatus. Then, the recording position alignment sequence is completed. Also in the present embodiment, as in the “manual + automatic alignment processing” sequence, the yellow patch row is not recorded in the all manual alignment processing pattern PT3, and the magenta setting value is used.

Here, the full manual alignment pattern PT3 used in the full manual alignment will be described in detail with reference to FIG.
The all manual alignment pattern PT3 shown in FIG. 25 is composed of eleven patch rows D0014 to D0023, and each pattern D0014 to D0023 is used for the following recording alignment.
D0014 is a patch row for performing alignment between the odd nozzle row portion and the even nozzle row portion of the black nozzle row H4200,
D0015 is a patch row for performing alignment between the odd nozzle row portion and the even nozzle row portion of the cyan nozzle row H4400,
D0016 is a patch row for performing alignment between the odd nozzle row portion and the even nozzle row portion of the magenta nozzle row H4500,
D0017 is a patch row for performing alignment between the odd nozzle row portion and the even nozzle row portion of the light cyan nozzle row H4300,
D0018 is a patch row for performing alignment between the odd nozzle row portion and the even nozzle row portion of the light magenta nozzle row H4000,
D0019 is a patch row for performing alignment between the odd nozzle row portion and the even nozzle row portion of the red nozzle row H4100, and D0020 is a patch row for performing bidirectional printing alignment of the black nozzle row H4200.
D0021 is a patch row for performing bidirectional recording alignment of the cyan nozzle row H4400,
D0022 is a patch array for performing bidirectional recording alignment of the magenta nozzle array H4500,
D0023 is a patch row for aligning the recording element substrates.

  The patch rows D0014 to D0019 for aligning the even-numbered nozzle rows and the odd-numbered nozzle rows and the patch rows D0020 to D0022 for aligning the bi-directional printing are manually aligned for use in “manual + automatic alignment processing”. Like the pattern PT1, the patches Pa and Pb have dot patterns as shown in FIGS. 19 and 20, respectively.

  On the other hand, the patch row D0023 used for recording position alignment between the recording element substrates is composed of 11 patches Pe having different recording position conditions, and each patch Pe has a dot pattern shown in FIG. . Each patch Pe is based on a dot group G9 formed by recording cyan, magenta, and yellow on the first recording element substrate at the same position, and a dot group G10 recorded on black on the second recording element substrate. It has a dot pattern formed alternately by shifting one pixel at 2400 dpi. As with the other patches, eleven patches Pe are formed in one patch row D0030, and each patch Pe has a patch pattern recorded under different recording conditions. In addition, since the dot group G9 serving as a reference on the first recording element substrate side creates a process black by overlapping and recording three types of color dots, the amount of ink shot increases, As shown in FIG. 26, a dot pattern in which dots are periodically thinned out is used to reduce an excessive amount of ink ejection.

  As described above, according to the first embodiment of the present invention, a single optical sensor having a light receiving element excellent in absorption characteristics of light emitted from a red LED or an infrared LED is used, and can be detected thereby. Since automatic setting is performed only for the cyan and black colors, it is possible to avoid the occurrence of erroneous setting of the recording position condition due to automatic setting. In automatic alignment, a coarse adjustment patch row is recorded, a coarse adjustment value is set based on this, and a fine adjustment patch is further recorded based on the coarse adjustment value. Since the set value with higher accuracy is added, it is possible to automatically perform highly accurate alignment.

  For magenta, light cyan, light magenta, red, magenta, etc., for which the predetermined optical characteristics cannot be detected, a pattern for manual setting is recorded, and the user can visually determine and set the recording position condition. Can be done. For this reason, it is possible to set appropriate recording conditions for most colors using automatic setting and manual setting, and it is possible to realize high-quality image formation. Further, since a plurality of detection means are not required, it can be configured at low cost.

<Second Embodiment>
Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The present embodiment and the first embodiment described above are different in (1) “manual + automatic alignment processing” sequence and (2) “automatic alignment processing” sequence. Is the same as that of the first embodiment, and redundant description is omitted.

((1) "Manual + automatic alignment process" sequence)
When the user instructs manual + automatic alignment, the recording alignment mode is determined in step 0001 in FIG. 16, and the automatic alignment possible color determination in step 0004 is executed. In the present embodiment, at this time, the recording of the pattern PT5 for color detection capable of automatic alignment shown in FIG. 27 is executed, and the reflection densities of the patches D0024, D0025, D0026, D0027 constituting the pattern PT5 are detected. To do. In an arithmetic unit such as a CPU of a recording apparatus, a difference in reflection density between two types of black detection patches D0024 and D0025, which will be described later, and a difference in reflection density between two types of cyan detection patches D0026 and D0027 are detected from the detected reflection density value. Are larger than the thresholds I _black and I _cyan , respectively. A color having a reflection density difference larger than the threshold is determined as a color that can be automatically aligned.

  When the automatic alignable color is determined, recording of the remaining portion of the manual alignment pattern PT4 in FIG. 27 is started. The manual alignment pattern PT4 in FIG. 27 shows a pattern when it is determined that black can be automatically aligned and cyan cannot be automatically aligned. The manual alignment pattern PT2 in the first embodiment is shown in FIG. Is different from the number of patch strings to be recorded. That is, in this embodiment, the patch row D0028 for aligning the cyan even-numbered nozzle row and the odd-numbered nozzle row with respect to the pattern PT1 in the first embodiment, and the cyan bidirectional recording position. A patch row D0029 for performing alignment and a patch row D0030 for performing alignment between printing element substrates are added.

  Each of the seven patch positions D0028 to D0030 for the recording position alignment in the manual alignment pattern PT4 shown in FIG. 27 recorded as described above has 11 recording positions recorded under different recording position conditions. Patches are recorded as in the first embodiment. Then, the user selects the patch that appears to be the most uniform from each patch row, and inputs the setting value to the setting screen on the printer driver shown in FIG. And stored in a predetermined storage area in the recording apparatus.

  Subsequently, the process proceeds to step 0006, where automatic alignment processing is performed for black that is determined to be a color that can be automatically aligned. Here, the automatic alignment pattern PT6 shown in FIG. 28 is recorded. The pattern PT6 recorded here is different from the first embodiment in the number of patch rows. That is, the pattern PT6 recorded in the present embodiment includes three patch rows (an even nozzle row portion and an odd nozzle row portion in the cyan nozzle row, which are determined to be automatically aligned in the first embodiment). The patch row D0024 for positioning between them, the patch row D0026 for performing cyan bidirectional printing, and the patch row D0027 for positioning between printing element substrates are deleted. Thereafter, the alignment setting value detected from the pattern PT2 is stored in a predetermined storage area in the recording apparatus, and the recording alignment sequence is completed.

  Each patch D0024 to D0027 of the color detection pattern PT5 capable of automatic alignment is constituted by a patch Pf having a dot pattern shown in FIG. D0024 and D0026 use a patch corresponding to the position shift amount +6 of the fine adjustment pattern for automatic recording alignment, and patches D0025 and D0027 use a patch corresponding to the position shift amount 0 for the fine adjustment pattern for automatic recording alignment. . Therefore, when the recording medium used is white, a large density difference exceeding the threshold value occurs between the patches D0024 and D0026 and between D0025 and D0027. Depending on the color of the recording medium and the like, the reflection density difference may not reach the threshold value, and by comparing this density difference with a preset threshold value, it is determined whether black and cyan can be automatically aligned. It is the composition to do.

((2) Automatic alignment sequence)
When the user instructs automatic alignment, the recording alignment mode is determined in step 0001 in FIG. 16, and the automatic alignment possible color is determined in step 0002. In this embodiment, at this time point, the recording of each patch D0031 to D0034 of the color detection pattern PT5 that can be automatically aligned in FIG. 30 is executed, and the reflection density of each patch is detected. In an arithmetic unit such as a CPU of the recording apparatus, the difference in reflection density between the black detection patterns D0031 and D0032 and the difference in reflection density between the cyan detection patterns D0033 and D0034 are detected from the detected reflection density values with respect to the thresholds I _black and I _cyan , respectively. Compare if large. A color having a reflection density difference larger than the threshold is determined as a color that can be automatically aligned.

  When the automatic alignment possible color is determined, recording of the remaining portion of the automatic alignment pattern in FIG. 30 is started. The automatic alignment pattern PT6 in FIG. 30 shows a pattern when it is determined that black can be automatically aligned and cyan does not allow automatic word spending. The automatic alignment pattern PT2 in the first embodiment is shown in FIG. Is different from the number of patch strings to be recorded. That is, in the present embodiment, from the pattern PT1 in the embodiment of the die 1, the patch for performing the alignment patch row turn D0028 between the cyan even-numbered nozzle row and the odd-numbered nozzle row, and the cyan bidirectional recording alignment. The row D0029 and the printing element substrate alignment pattern D0030 are deleted.

  Next, the process proceeds to step 0003, where automatic alignment processing is performed for cyan and black which are set as colors capable of automatic alignment. In this process, a process for recording the recording alignment pattern, a process for reading the reflection density of each patch of the recorded pattern with an optical sensor, determining a setting value for alignment adjustment from the value, and the determined alignment For example, processing for storing the set value in a predetermined storage area in the recording apparatus is performed, thereby completing the recording alignment sequence.

  (3) Since the all manual alignment sequence is the same as that of the first embodiment, the description thereof is omitted here.

  As described above, in the second embodiment, the color that can be automatically aligned is not determined in advance based only on the optical characteristics of the optical sensor, but the pattern PT5 for color detection that can be automatically aligned is recorded. Since the color that can be automatically aligned is determined by detecting the color, the color that can be reliably detected by the optical sensor even when the recording medium is not white but is a recording medium having color sight. Only automatic alignment can be performed. For this reason, it is possible to always perform a recording operation under appropriate recording conditions, and it becomes unnecessary for the user to consider the color of the recording medium, and handling becomes extremely easy.

  In the above embodiment, the ink jet recording apparatus has been described as an example. However, the present invention is not limited to the ink jet recording apparatus, but other recording apparatuses, for example, a serial printer type having a recording head including an impact type recording head. The present invention can also be applied to other recording apparatuses.

It is a perspective view of a recording device applied in this embodiment. It is the perspective view which looked at the internal mechanism of the recording device applied in this embodiment from the upper left. It is a sectional side view which shows the internal mechanism of the recording device applied by this embodiment. It is a block diagram for demonstrating schematically the whole structure of the electric circuit in embodiment of this invention. FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing an internal configuration of the main PCB shown in FIG. 4. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a configuration of a head cartridge applied in the embodiment of the present invention, showing a state where an ink tank is removed. It is a disassembled perspective view which shows the structure of the head cartridge applied by this embodiment of this invention. It is an explanatory bottom view showing the arrangement of each nozzle row of the head cartridge applied in this embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 9 is an explanatory bottom view showing an arrangement of odd-numbered nozzle rows and even-numbered nozzle rows of the nozzle row shown in FIG. 8. It is explanatory side view which shows the structure of the optical sensor applied to the recording device of this invention. It is a figure which shows the utility screen of the printer driver of the host PC in this embodiment. It is a figure which shows the special setting screen which appears by pushing a special setting button from the utility screen shown in FIG. It is a figure which shows the setting screen displayed in order to select the patch used by the manual positioning process of "manual + automatic positioning process" in the 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the setting screen displayed in order to select the patch used by the "all manual alignment process" in the 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the setting screen displayed in order to select the patch used by the manual positioning process of "manual + automatic positioning process" in the 2nd Embodiment of this invention. FIG. 16 is a flowchart showing the flow of recording position alignment processing in the present embodiment. It is a figure which shows the manual alignment pattern used by the manual alignment process of "manual + automatic alignment process" in the 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the automatic alignment pattern used by the automatic alignment process of "manual + automatic alignment process" in the 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the dot pattern of the patch for the alignment of the odd number nozzle row part and the even number nozzle row part in a manual position alignment pattern. It is a figure which shows the dot pattern of the patch for the bidirectional | two-way alignment in a manual alignment pattern. FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a dot pattern of each patch of a coarse adjustment patch row for performing alignment processing between printing element substrates. It is a figure which shows an example of the result of having detected reflection density with the optical sensor with respect to each patch of the coarse adjustment patch row | line | column. It is a figure which shows the dot pattern of the patch for the bidirectional | two-way alignment in an automatic alignment pattern. It is a figure which shows an example of the result of having detected reflection density with the optical sensor with respect to each patch of the fine adjustment patch row | line | column. It is a figure which shows the all manual alignment pattern used by the all manual alignment process in embodiment of this invention. FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating a dot pattern of each patch Pd in a patch row used for recording position alignment between recording element substrates. It is a figure which shows the automatic alignment pattern used by the manual alignment process of the "manual + automatic alignment process" in the 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the automatic alignment pattern used by the automatic alignment process of "manual + automatic alignment process" in the 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the dot pattern of each patch of the said automatic position alignment color detection pattern in the 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the fine adjustment pattern of the automatic recording position alignment in the 2nd Embodiment of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

M1010 Chassis M2000 Base M3000 Pinch roller holder M3040 Platen M3060 Transport roller M3070 Pinch roller M4000 Carriage M5000 Optical sensor M5001 Light receiving part M5002 Light emitting part E0013 Carriage board E0014 Main PCB
E0019 Resume key E1102 ASIC
E1004 ROM
E2005 DRAM
H1001 recording head H1900 ink tank H4700 first recording element substrate H4701 second recording element substrate H4000 nozzle array supplied with light magenta H4100 nozzle array supplied with red ink H4200 nozzle array supplied with black ink H4300 light cyan ink Nozzle row supplied with cyan ink H4500 Nozzle row supplied with cyan ink H4500 Nozzle row supplied with magenta ink H4600 Nozzle row supplied with yellow ink H5000 Odd nozzle row portion H5100 Even nozzle row portion D0009 Odd nozzles of magenta nozzle row A patch row for alignment between the row portion and the even nozzle row portion D0010 A patch row for alignment between the odd nozzle row portion and the even nozzle row portion of the light cyan nozzle row Row D0011 Patch row for alignment between odd nozzle row portion and even nozzle row portion of light magenta D0012 Position alignment between odd nozzle row portion and even nozzle row portion of red nozzle row Patch row D0013 Patch row for performing alignment between the odd nozzle row portion and the even nozzle row portion of the black nozzle row D0024 Performing alignment between the odd nozzle row portion and the even nozzle row portion of the cyan nozzle row Patch row for D0025 Patch row for bi-directional alignment of black nozzles D0026 Patch row for bi-directional alignment of cyan nozzle rows D0027 Adjustment between cyan nozzle row and black nozzle row Thus, a patch row for performing recording position alignment between the first recording element substrate and the second recording element substrate PT1 Manual alignment pattern PT2 Automatic alignment pattern PT3 Manual alignment pattern PT4 Manual alignment pattern PT5 Auto-alignable pattern for color detection PT6 Automatic dynamic alignment pattern Pa to Pf Patch G1 to G8 Nozzle group

Claims (11)

A recording apparatus comprising at least one type of color material and forming an image by applying the color material to a predetermined recording medium,
Pattern forming means for forming a recording alignment pattern on a recording medium with the color material;
Automatic alignment means for detecting the optical characteristics of the alignment pattern by a detection means, and setting a recording position condition for adjusting the recording position of the color material according to the detected optical characteristics;
Manual alignment means for enabling manual input of recording position conditions for adjusting the recording position of the recording material according to the pattern formed by the alignment pattern forming means;
Determining means for determining whether or not the color material is a color material capable of obtaining a predetermined optical characteristic by a detection means;
The automatic alignment means sets a recording position condition only for a color material determined to be able to obtain a predetermined optical characteristic by the detection means, and the manual alignment means is at least detected by the detection means. A recording apparatus capable of manually inputting a recording position condition for a color material determined to be unable to obtain a predetermined optical characteristic.   The recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the pattern forming unit is capable of recording an automatic alignment pattern and a manual alignment pattern.   The automatic alignment means detects optical characteristics of the automatic alignment pattern by a detection means, and sets a recording position condition for adjusting a recording position of a color material according to the detected optical characteristics. The recording apparatus according to claim 2.   The recording apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the manual alignment unit enables manual input of a recording position condition for adjusting a recording position of a recording material in accordance with the manual alignment pattern.   Selectively setting a recording position condition using only the manual positioning means, setting a recording position condition using only the automatic positioning means, and setting a recording position condition using the automatic positioning means and the manual positioning means. 5. A recording apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising designation means for designating the above.   6. The recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the determination unit makes a determination according to a reflection optical characteristic of a color material to be recorded and an optical characteristic of the detection unit.   6. The determination unit according to claim 1, wherein the determination unit makes a determination according to a reflection optical characteristic of a color material to be recorded, a reflection optical characteristic of a recording medium, and an optical characteristic of the detection unit. The recording device described in 1.   The determination unit records a predetermined pattern for determining whether or not the color is capable of automatic alignment on a recording medium, detects the optical characteristics of the pattern by the detection unit, and determines based on the detected value. The recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:   The recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the detection unit detects a reflection density of an image recorded on a recording medium.   The detection unit includes: a light emitting unit that emits red light or infrared rays to the recording medium; and a light receiving unit that absorbs red light or infrared rays irradiated to the recording medium from the light emitting unit. The recording device described in 1. A recording method comprising at least one color material and forming an image by applying the color material to a predetermined recording medium,
Forming a recording alignment pattern on the recording medium with the color material;
An automatic alignment step of detecting an optical characteristic of the alignment pattern by a detection means, and setting a recording position condition for adjusting a recording position of a color material according to the detected optical characteristic;
A manual alignment step that allows manual input of a recording position condition for adjusting the recording position of the recording material in accordance with the pattern formed by the alignment pattern forming means;
Determining whether the color material is a color material capable of obtaining a predetermined optical characteristic by a detection means, and
In the automatic alignment step, a recording position condition is set only for a color material that is determined to be able to obtain a predetermined optical characteristic by the detection means. In the manual alignment step, at least the detection means A recording method characterized in that it is possible to manually input a recording position condition for a color material determined to be unable to obtain predetermined optical characteristics.

Images