JP2005138337A - Recorder, recording control program - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To sustain high detection accuracy of an instrument for measuring the quantity of reflected light at the end part position of a recording material depending on the variation in measurement sensitivity of the quantity of reflected light of the instrument without being affected by the state on the recording surface of the recording material before starting recording. <P>SOLUTION: When a tray 7 is retracting into an ink jet recorder 50, the quantity of reflected light is measured at a first white mark part W1 and when the tray 7 is advancing to the outside of the ink jet recorder 50, the quantity of reflected light is measured at a second white mark part W2. A/D value of the quantity of reflected light at the first white mark part W1 or the second white mark part W2 is stored as a white level WL in a nonvolatile memory 109. When power of the ink jet recorder 50 is turned on, difference between a black level BL acquired by measuring the quantity of reflected light of a platen 52 and a white level WL stored in a nonvolatile memory 109 is multiplied by a coefficient α and the product is set as a threshold value SL. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention includes a main scanning driving unit that reciprocates a recording head that ejects ink onto a recording material in the main scanning direction, a sub scanning driving unit that conveys the recording material by a predetermined conveyance amount in the sub scanning direction, There is a recording material guide formed in the conveyance path of the recording material by the sub-scanning driving means, and an optical recording disk mounting portion to which the optical recording disk can be attached and detached, and the label surface of the optical recording disk is covered by the main scanning driving means. Non-contact with a tray arranged so that it can be conveyed by the sub-scanning driving means so as to become the recording surface, and can be conveyed by the sub-scanning driving means to a position where the optical recording disk mounting portion advances to the outside of the recording apparatus. Reflected light amount measuring means for measuring the reflected light amount distribution on the main scanning line of the recording material guide by reciprocating the reflected light amount measuring device for measuring the reflected light amount on the surface in the main scanning direction on the recording material guide, and measuring the reflected light amount Means, main scanning drive means, By controlling the fine sub-scanning driving means to a recording apparatus and a recording control means for executing recording on a recording material.

  For example, in a recording apparatus provided with means for reciprocating in a main scanning direction a carriage equipped with a recording head as main scanning drive means, a non-contact reflected light amount measuring device such as an optical sensor is mounted on the carriage. It is. When the carriage is reciprocated in the main scanning direction, the end position of the recording material is detected from the difference in the amount of reflected light between the recording material and the platen (recording material guide) that supports the recording material. Recording is performed by setting an ink ejection area to the recording material based on the end position of the recording material. A recording paper as a recording material is white and has a high reflectance and a large amount of reflected light. On the other hand, a platen is generally formed of a black material, and has a low reflectance and a small amount of reflected light. The presence of the recording material and the end of the recording material are detected by detecting the boundary between the platen and the recording material from the difference in the amount of reflected light. As a result, the recording execution area of the recording material can be accurately set, and ink is ejected to the outside of the recording material, that is, the platen that supports the recording material, thereby contaminating the platen with the ink. This can be prevented.

  Also, a recording apparatus having a function of performing recording directly on a label surface of an optical recording disk such as a DVD (Digital Versatile Disc) or the like is known, and has been rapidly spread in recent years as a general recording apparatus. It is becoming widely recognized. Such a recording apparatus has a built-in tray that can be transported by a sub-scanning drive unit that transports the recording material, and records on the recording material while transporting the tray loaded with the optical recording disk in the sub-scanning direction. The recording is executed by ejecting ink from the recording head onto the label surface of the optical recording disk on the tray in the same manner as in the execution. At that time, in the recording apparatus in which the optical sensor described above is mounted on the carriage, the optical sensor detects the end of the optical recording disk and calculates the center point position of the optical recording disk from the end position. Recording is executed by setting a recording execution area from the center point position to the label surface of the optical recording disk. As a result, the presence / absence of the optical recording disk and the setting of the recording execution area of the optical recording disk can be accurately performed, and ink is ejected to the outside of the optical recording disk, that is, the tray on which the optical recording disk is mounted. Thus, it is possible to prevent the tray from being stained with ink, or the recording from being erroneously performed on a tray to which an optical recording disk is not mounted to contaminate the tray with ink.

  However, the reflected light quantity measurement sensitivity of the optical sensor due to aging deterioration of the optical sensor or mist-like floating ink generated by ejecting ink from the recording head, so-called ink mist adheres to the detection part of the optical sensor. There is a problem that will decrease. As a result, the detection accuracy of the end position of the recording material (including the optical recording disk, including the following) by the optical sensor is lowered. As an example of a conventional technique for solving such a problem, before starting recording on a recording material, first, the reflected light amount of the platen is measured by an optical sensor, and then the recording material is advanced to be recorded. The reflected light quantity of the material is measured with an optical sensor. Then, the threshold value obtained by multiplying the difference between the measured reflected light amount of the platen and the reflected light amount of the recording material by a predetermined value is the boundary between the platen and the recording material, that is, the end position of the recording material. Is known (see, for example, Patent Document 1). As described above, each time recording is performed on the recording material, the reflected light amount of the platen and the reflected light amount of the recording material are measured, and a threshold is set based on the difference between the measured reflected light amounts. By setting the value as the end position of the recording material, it is possible to always detect the end position of the recording material with high accuracy even if the measurement sensitivity of the reflected light amount of the optical sensor changes.

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 9-136741

  However, the recording surface state of the recording material before execution of recording is not necessarily guaranteed to have a uniform and constant reflectance. There is a possibility of writing with a pen or the like. Therefore, in the conventional technique disclosed in, for example, Patent Document 1 described above, when the recording material is advanced before recording and the reflected light amount of the recording material is measured by the optical sensor, the reflected light is reflected by the optical sensor. There is a possibility that the light reflectivity of the part where the amount of light is measured may be significantly different from the light reflectivity of the original recording material, which greatly reduces the accuracy of detecting the edge of the recording material by the optical sensor. There was a risk of it.

  The present invention has been made in view of such a situation, and the problem is that the change in the reflected light amount measurement sensitivity of the reflected light amount measuring device is not affected by the recording surface state of the recording material before the recording is performed. Accordingly, the detection accuracy of the edge position of the recording material by the reflected light amount measuring device is maintained with high accuracy.

  In order to achieve the above object, according to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a main scanning driving means for reciprocating a recording head for ejecting ink onto a recording material in a main scanning direction, and a predetermined scanning material in the sub scanning direction. A sub-scanning drive unit that transports the recording medium by a transport amount, a recording material guide formed in the transport path of the recording material by the sub-scanning driving unit, and an optical recording disk mounting unit to which the optical recording disk can be attached and detached. The optical recording disk can be transported by the sub-scanning drive means so that the label surface of the optical recording disk becomes a recording surface by the main-scanning driving means, and the optical-recording disk mounting portion is moved by the sub-scanning driving means to the recording device. A tray disposed so as to be able to convey to a position where it advances to the outside and a reflected light amount measuring device for measuring the reflected light amount on the surface in a non-contact manner are reciprocated in the main scanning direction on the recording material guide to reciprocate the covered material. On the main scanning line of the recording material guide A reflected light quantity measuring means for measuring a reflected light quantity distribution; and a recording control means for controlling the reflected light quantity measuring means, the main scanning driving means, and the sub-scanning driving means to execute recording on the recording material. In the recording apparatus, the recording control unit measures the reflected light amount of the recording material guide by the reflected light amount measuring unit, and the light reflectance of the surface of the recording material formed on the surface of the tray The tray is transported in the sub-scanning direction so that the reflected light amount reference surface having substantially the same light reflectance is positioned on the scanning line of the reflected light amount measuring means, and the reflected light amount of the reflected light amount reference surface is measured, and the recording material A reflected light amount obtained by multiplying the difference between the reflected light amount of the guide and the reflected light amount of the reference surface of the reflected light amount by a coefficient α of less than 1 exceeding 0 is set as the boundary reflected light amount of the recording material, With the reflected light amount measuring means Ink in the main scanning direction on the recording material by the recording head with the main scanning position where the reflected light amount becomes the boundary reflected light amount when scanned in the main scanning direction as an end portion in the main scanning direction of the recording material In the recording apparatus, the ejection area is set and recording on the recording material is executed.

  First, the reflected light amount of the recording material guide is measured by the reflected light amount measuring means. Since the recording material guide is a component of the recording apparatus, the recording material guide always maintains a constant reflected light amount as the reference reflected light amount when there is no recording material on the recording material guide. Will be. Next, the reflected light amount of a reflected light amount reference surface formed in advance on the surface of the tray is measured. The reflected light quantity reference surface has substantially the same reflected light quantity as the reflected light quantity on the surface of the recording material, and since the tray is a component of the recording device, the reference reflected light quantity on the surface of the recording material is always constant. Will be maintained. Therefore, the recording material guide, which is the reference when there is no recording material, and the reflected light amount reference surface, which is the reference when the recording material is present, both maintain a substantially constant reflected light amount as a component of the recording device. In such a state, the reflected light amount can be measured at any time and is present in the recording apparatus.

  Then, a reflected light amount obtained by multiplying the difference between the reflected light amount of the recording material guide and the reflected light amount of the reflected light amount reference surface by a coefficient α less than 1 exceeding 0 is set as the boundary reflected light amount of the recording material. This makes it possible to measure the amount of reflected light caused by the aging deterioration of the reflected light amount measuring device of the reflected light amount measuring means or the ink mist adhering to the reflected light amount measuring device without being affected by the recording surface state of the recording material before recording. The boundary reflected light amount of the recording material can be set to an optimum reflected light amount according to the change in sensitivity. Then, when the recording material guide is scanned in the main scanning direction by the reflected light amount measuring means, the main scanning position where the reflected light amount becomes the boundary reflected light amount is set as the end of the recording material in the main scanning direction. The ink jetting area in the main scanning direction is set and recording on the recording material is executed. As a result, the ink ejection area on the recording material is always set with high accuracy without being affected by the change in the recording surface condition of the recording material before recording and the reflected light measurement sensitivity of the reflected light measuring device. Recording can be performed. The coefficient α is the main scanning of the reflected light amount measuring means at the time when the reflected light amount is detected by multiplying the difference between the reflected light amount of the recording material guide and the reflected light amount of the reflected light amount reference surface by a coefficient α of less than 1 exceeding 0. This is a default value that is set so that the position is the end position of the recording material in the main scanning direction, and an optimal value is selected and set by experiment or the like.

  Thus, according to the recording apparatus shown in the first aspect of the present invention, the recording material guide serving as a reference when there is no recording material, and the reflected light quantity reference surface serving as a reference when there is a recording material, However, both of them exist as a component of the recording device in a state where a constant amount of reflected light is always maintained and the amount of reflected light can be measured at any time, which affects the recording surface state of the recording material before recording is performed. The effect of detecting the end position of the recording material by the reflected light amount measuring device with high accuracy can be obtained in accordance with the change in the reflected light amount measuring sensitivity of the reflected light amount measuring device without receiving the light. .

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect described above, the recording control unit scans the tray with the optical recording disk mounted in the main scanning direction by the reflected light amount measuring unit. The center point position of the optical recording disk is calculated using the main scanning position where the reflected light amount becomes the boundary reflected light amount as an end in the main scanning direction of the optical recording disk, and the calculated central point position of the optical recording disk is The recording apparatus is characterized in that an ink ejection area on the label surface of the optical recording disk is set on the basis of which recording is performed on the label surface of the optical recording disk.

  As described above, the reflected light amount obtained by multiplying the difference between the reflected light amount of the recording material guide and the reflected light amount of the reflected light reference surface by a coefficient α of less than 1 exceeding 0 is set as the boundary reflected light amount of the recording material. The tray with the optical recording disk mounted is scanned in the main scanning direction by the reflected light amount measuring means, and the main scanning position where the reflected light amount becomes the boundary reflected light amount is detected as the end of the optical recording disk in the main scanning direction. . Then, the center point position of the optical recording disk is calculated from the end position, and the ink ejection area to the label surface of the optical recording disk is set based on the calculated center point position of the optical recording disk, and the label of the optical recording disk is set. Perform surface recording. Therefore, as in the case of recording on the recording material, the label of the optical recording disk is not affected by the change in the label surface state of the optical recording disk before the recording and the reflected light measurement sensitivity of the reflected light measuring device. The recording execution area on the surface can always be set with high accuracy.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect or the second aspect described above, the tray includes two reflected light amount reference surfaces, a first reflected light amount reference surface and a second reflected light amount reference surface. The first reflected light quantity reference plane is a position where the reflected light quantity measuring means can measure the reflected light quantity within a range in which the transport position of the tray in the sub-scanning direction does not advance outside the recording apparatus. The second reflected light quantity reference surface is capable of measuring the reflected light quantity by the reflected light quantity measuring means in a state where the tray has moved out of the recording apparatus to a position where the optical recording disk can be attached and detached. When the tray is retracted in the recording apparatus when measuring the reflected light amount of the reflected light amount reference surface, the recording control means Measure the amount of reflected light on the surface, and the amount of reflected light When measuring the reflected light amount of the quasi-surface, if the tray has moved out of the recording device to a position where the optical recording disk can be attached and detached, the reflected light amount of the second reflected light amount reference surface is measured. The recording apparatus is characterized by the above.

  As described above, the tray includes the first reflected light amount reference surface disposed at a position where the reflected light amount can be measured by the reflected light amount measuring means within a range in which the tray does not move out of the recording apparatus, and the optical recording disk. There are two reflected light quantity reference planes, the second reflected light quantity reference plane arranged at a position where the reflected light quantity can be measured by the reflected light quantity measuring means in a state where the tray has advanced out of the recording apparatus to the detachable position. It is arranged. If the tray is retracted into the recording apparatus when measuring the reflected light amount on the reflected light amount reference surface, the reflected light amount on the first reflected light amount reference surface is measured, and the reflected light amount on the reflected light amount reference surface is calculated. If the tray has moved out of the recording apparatus during measurement, the reflected light amount of the second reflected light amount reference surface is measured. As a result, the amount of reflected light on the reference surface of the reflected light can be measured without moving the tray significantly in both the state where the tray is retracted into the recording device and the state where the tray is moved out of the recording device. can do.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the third aspect described above, the recording control unit stores the reflected light amount of the reflected light amount reference surface measured by the reflected light amount measuring unit in a nonvolatile storage memory and holds it. When the recording apparatus is turned on, the reflected light amount of the recording material guide is measured by the reflected light amount measuring means, and the measured reflected light amount of the recording material guide is stored in the nonvolatile memory. The recording apparatus is characterized in that a reflected light amount obtained by multiplying the difference from the reflected light amount of the reflected light amount reference surface by a coefficient α of less than 1 exceeding 0 is set as a boundary reflected light amount of the recording material.

  In this way, the reflected light amount of the reflected light amount reference surface measured by the reflected light amount measuring means is stored and held in the nonvolatile storage memory. Further, when the recording apparatus is turned on, only the reflected light amount of the recording material guide is measured by the reflected light amount measuring means, and the reflected light amount of the reflected light amount reference surface is not measured. Then, the difference between the reflected light amount of the recording material guide measured by the reflected light amount measuring means and the reflected light amount of the reflected light reference plane stored in the nonvolatile memory is multiplied by a coefficient α less than 1 exceeding 0. The light quantity is set as the boundary reflected light quantity of the recording material. This eliminates the need to move the tray to a position where the reflected light quantity reference surface can be measured by the reflected light quantity measuring means when the power is turned on. It is possible to reduce the time for setting the boundary reflected light amount of the material and to eliminate the possibility that the mechanical sound generated by moving the tray will give the user a sense of incongruity.

  According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the fourth aspect described above, the recording control unit is configured such that the second time the tray moves out of the recording apparatus to a position where the optical recording disk can be attached and detached. The reflected light amount of the reflected light amount reference surface is measured and the reflected light amount of the reflected light amount reference surface stored in the nonvolatile storage memory is updated.

  Thus, every time the tray advances out of the recording apparatus to a position where the optical recording disk can be attached and detached, the reflected light amount stored in the non-volatile storage memory is measured by measuring the reflected light amount of the second reflected light amount reference surface. Update the amount of reflected light on the reference surface. As described above, the second reflected light amount reference surface is disposed at a position where the reflected light amount measuring unit can measure the tray with the tray extending out of the recording apparatus to a position where the optical recording disk can be attached and detached. . Therefore, every time the tray advances out of the recording apparatus to a position where the optical recording disk can be attached and detached, the reflected light amount of the second reflected light amount reference surface is measured and the reflected light amount reference surface stored in the nonvolatile memory is stored. By updating the reflected light amount, the reflected light amount of the reflected light amount reference surface stored in the nonvolatile storage memory can be updated efficiently. Then, the tray advances out of the recording apparatus to a position where the optical recording disk can be attached and detached, the optical recording disk is attached and detached, and the reflected light quantity of the second reflected light quantity reference surface is retracted into the recording apparatus. That is, since the reflected light amount of the reflected light amount reference surface is measured during the tray advance / retreat operation, the mechanical sound generated by moving the tray does not give the user a sense of incongruity.

  Further, the second reflected light quantity reference surface is disposed at a position where the reflected light quantity measuring means can measure the tray with the tray extending out of the recording apparatus to a position where the optical recording disk can be attached and detached. The second reflected light amount reference surface is determined by the user in both the state where the recording medium is retracted in the recording apparatus and the state where the tray is advanced out of the recording apparatus to a position where the optical recording disk can be attached and detached. It is in a position where it cannot be touched. Therefore, the second reflected light amount reference surface has a very low possibility that the reflected light amount on the surface will be reduced when the user touches it, and the constant reflected light amount is always maintained as the reference reflected light amount on the surface of the recording material. It will be. Further, the second reflected light quantity reference surface is disposed at a position where the reflected light quantity measuring means can measure the tray with the tray extending out of the recording apparatus to a position where the optical recording disk can be attached and detached. In the state where it is retracted in the recording apparatus, it moves to a position away from the recording material guide. Therefore, the second reflected light quantity reference surface has almost no risk of the reflected light quantity on the surface being reduced due to ink mist generated in the vicinity of the recording material guide. A certain amount of reflected light is reliably maintained.

  According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in the fifth aspect described above, the recording control means calculates the reflected light amount of the reflected light amount reference surface stored in the nonvolatile storage memory when the recording device is turned on. When the elapsed time since the update is a predetermined time or more, the reflected light amount of the reflected light amount reference surface stored in the nonvolatile memory is measured by measuring the reflected light amount of the first reflected light amount reference surface. The recording apparatus is characterized in that the update is performed.

  For example, if a long time elapses without the operation of moving the tray out of the recording apparatus, the long time elapses without measuring the reflected light amount of the second reflected light amount reference surface performed when the tray is advanced. Detecting the position of the recording material or the end of the optical recording disk due to aged deterioration of the reflected light amount detector or ink mist adhering to the detector of the reflected light amount detector, etc. There is a risk that the accuracy may decrease. Therefore, when the recording apparatus is turned on, the first reflected light amount reference surface is obtained when the elapsed time from the update of the reflected light amount of the reflected light amount reference surface stored in the nonvolatile storage memory is equal to or longer than a predetermined time. The reflected light amount of the reflected light amount reference surface stored in the nonvolatile storage memory is updated. As a result, the reflected light amount detection sensitivity of the reflected light amount detector decreases due to aging deterioration of the reflected light amount detector or ink mist adhering to the detection unit of the reflected light amount detector, and the end of the recording material or optical recording disk. Before the position detection accuracy decreases, the reflected light amount of the reflected light amount reference surface stored in the nonvolatile memory can be updated to the latest state.

According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, in any one of the first to sixth aspects described above, the tray is formed of a black material, and the reflected light amount reference surface is painted white. The recording apparatus is characterized by comprising:
In this way, by forming the tray with a black material and forming the reflected light amount reference surface by applying white coating, the reflected light amount reference surface having a constant reflected light amount as the reference reflected light amount on the surface of the recording material is formed on the tray. Can be formed on top.

According to an eighth aspect of the present invention, in any one of the first to seventh aspects described above, the reflected light amount measuring device is configured such that the light emitting element and the light receiving element are optically interposed via the recording material guide. The recording apparatus is an optical sensor arranged to face each other.
The reflected light amount distribution on the main scanning line of the recording material guide is obtained by using an optical sensor in which the light emitting element and the light receiving element are optically opposed to each other through the recording material guide. It can be measured without contact.

  According to a ninth aspect of the present invention, main scanning driving means for reciprocating a recording head for ejecting ink onto a recording material in the main scanning direction, and conveying the recording material in the sub scanning direction by a predetermined conveyance amount. A sub-scanning drive unit; a recording material guide formed in a conveyance path of the recording material by the sub-scanning driving unit; and an optical recording disk mounting unit to which the optical recording disk can be attached and detached. The label surface can be transported by the sub-scanning drive unit so that it becomes the recording surface by the main scanning drive unit, and the optical recording disk mounting portion advances to the outside of the recording apparatus by the sub-scanning drive unit. On the main scanning line of the recording material guide, a tray disposed so as to be transportable and a reflected light amount measuring device that measures the reflected light amount of the surface without contact are reciprocated in the main scanning direction on the recording material guide. Measure the reflected light distribution of In a recording apparatus including an emitted light amount measuring unit, the computer executes control for controlling the reflected light amount measuring unit, the main scanning driving unit, and the sub scanning driving unit to perform recording on the recording material. A recording control program for measuring the reflected light amount of the recording material guide by the reflected light amount measuring means, and light substantially the same as the light reflectance of the surface of the recording material formed on the surface of the tray A procedure for measuring the reflected light amount of the reflected light amount reference surface by transporting the tray in the sub-scanning direction so that a reflected light amount reference surface having a reflectance is positioned on the scanning line of the reflected light amount measuring means; A reflected light amount obtained by multiplying the difference between the reflected light amount of the reflected light amount and the reflected light amount of the reference surface of the reflected light amount by a coefficient α less than 1 that is greater than 0 is set as the boundary reflected light amount of the recording material; When the recording light amount is scanned in the main scanning direction by the reflected light amount measuring means, the main scanning position where the reflected light amount becomes the boundary reflected light amount is set as the end of the recording material in the main scanning direction, and the recording head performs the recording. A recording control program comprising: a step of setting an ink ejection area in a main scanning direction on a material and executing recording on the recording material.

  According to the recording control program described in the ninth aspect of the present invention, it is possible to obtain the same effects as those of the invention described in the first aspect described above, and it is possible to execute this recording control program This recording apparatus can provide the same effects as those of the invention described in the first aspect.

  According to a tenth aspect of the present invention, in the ninth aspect described above, when the tray with the optical recording disk mounted is scanned in the main scanning direction by the reflected light amount measuring means, the reflected light amount is the boundary. Based on the calculated center point position of the optical recording disk, the procedure for calculating the center point position of the optical recording disk with the main scanning position that has become the amount of reflected light as the end in the main scanning direction of the optical recording disk A recording control program comprising: a procedure for setting an ink ejection area on a label surface of an optical recording disk and executing recording on the label surface of the optical recording disk.

  According to the recording control program described in the tenth aspect of the present invention, it is possible to obtain the same operation effect as that of the invention described in the second aspect described above, and any one capable of executing this recording control program This recording apparatus can provide the same effects as the invention described in the second aspect.

  According to an eleventh aspect of the present invention, in the ninth aspect or the tenth aspect described above, the tray has two reflected light amount reference surfaces, a first reflected light amount reference surface and a second reflected light amount reference surface. The first reflected light quantity reference plane is a position where the reflected light quantity measuring means can measure the reflected light quantity within a range in which the transport position of the tray in the sub-scanning direction does not advance outside the recording apparatus. The second reflected light quantity reference surface is capable of measuring the reflected light quantity by the reflected light quantity measuring means in a state where the tray has moved out of the recording apparatus to a position where the optical recording disk can be attached and detached. When the tray is retracted in the recording apparatus when measuring the reflected light amount of the reflected light amount reference surface, the reflected light amount of the first reflected light amount reference surface is measured. And the reflected light quantity reference surface A procedure for measuring the amount of reflected light on the second reflected light amount reference surface when the tray has advanced out of the recording device to a position where the optical recording disk can be attached and detached when measuring the amount of emitted light; and A recording control program characterized by having

  According to the recording control program described in the eleventh aspect of the present invention, it is possible to obtain the same operational effects as the invention described in the third aspect described above, and any one that can execute this recording control program This recording apparatus can provide the same effects as the invention described in the third aspect.

  According to a twelfth aspect of the present invention, in the above-described eleventh aspect, the reflected light quantity of the reflected light quantity reference surface measured by the reflected light quantity measuring means is stored and held in a nonvolatile storage memory, and the recording When the apparatus is turned on, the reflected light amount measuring means measures the reflected light amount of the recording material guide, the measured reflected light amount of the recording material guide, and the reflection stored in the nonvolatile memory. And a procedure for setting a reflected light amount obtained by multiplying the difference from the reflected light amount of the light amount reference surface by a coefficient α less than 1 exceeding 0 as a boundary reflected light amount of the recording material. It is a program.

  According to the recording control program described in the twelfth aspect of the present invention, it is possible to obtain the same operational effects as those of the invention described in the fourth aspect described above, and any one capable of executing this recording control program This recording apparatus can provide the same effects as the invention described in the fourth aspect.

  According to a thirteenth aspect of the present invention, in the twelfth aspect described above, each time the tray advances out of the recording apparatus to a position where the optical recording disk can be attached and detached, A recording control program comprising a procedure of measuring a reflected light amount and updating a reflected light amount of the reflected light amount reference surface stored in the nonvolatile storage memory.

  According to the recording control program of the thirteenth aspect of the present invention, it is possible to obtain the same operational effects as the invention described in the fifth aspect described above, and any one that can execute this recording control program This recording apparatus can provide the same effects as the invention described in the fifth aspect.

  A fourteenth aspect of the present invention is the process according to the thirteenth aspect described above, wherein the reflected light amount of the reflected light amount reference surface stored in the nonvolatile storage memory is updated when the recording apparatus is turned on. If the time is equal to or longer than a predetermined time, a procedure is provided for measuring the reflected light amount of the first reflected light amount reference surface and updating the reflected light amount of the reflected light amount reference surface stored in the nonvolatile storage memory. The recording control program is characterized by that.

  According to the recording control program described in the fourteenth aspect of the present invention, it is possible to obtain the same operational effects as the invention described in the sixth aspect described above, and any one that can execute this recording control program This recording apparatus can provide the same effects as the invention described in the sixth aspect.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the ink jet recording apparatus, and FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the ink jet recording apparatus with the main body cover removed. FIG. 3 is a schematic side sectional view of the ink jet recording apparatus. FIG. 4 is a block diagram of a control unit that performs various controls of the ink jet recording apparatus.

  First, a schematic configuration of an ink jet recording apparatus 50 as a “recording apparatus” according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. The ink jet recording apparatus 50 has a box-like appearance, is formed as large as a video tape recorder, and is configured to be used in a state of being stored in a TV rack or the like. ing. A front cover 2 that can be opened and closed in front is provided in the center of the front surface of the box-shaped main body cover 1, and the recording paper after recording has been performed from the opening portion of the front cover 2 opened to the front. When P is discharged and recording is performed on the label surface of an optical recording disk D such as a DVD, recording from the optical recording disk D mounted on the disk tray 7 is performed from the inside of the ink jet recording apparatus 50. The disc tray 7 is configured to protrude temporarily. Further, the front cover 2 serves as a stacker for stacking recording sheets P discharged after recording is performed with the front cover 2 opened to the front side. A paper feed cassette 8 as a “recording paper storage unit” for stacking the recording papers P is provided below the front cover 2, and recording is performed in the paper feeding cassette 8 while being pulled out to the front side. Paper P can be stacked. Further, an ink cartridge unit 15 is provided on the upper side of the front cover 2, and a plurality of ink cartridges 16 (see FIG. 3) are detachably arranged in the ink cartridge unit 15 side by side in the width direction of the ink jet recording apparatus 50. It is arranged.

  Next, an outline of the internal configuration of the ink jet recording apparatus 50 will be described with reference to FIG. The base of the ink jet recording apparatus 50 includes a lower chassis 13, a main frame 11 extending in the width direction of the main body of the ink jet recording apparatus 50, and a depth direction of the main body of the ink jet recording apparatus 50 disposed on both sides of the main frame 11. The side frame right 12 and the side frame left 14 are parallel to each other. Between the right side frame 12 and the left side frame 14, a carriage guide shaft 51 and a sub carriage guide shaft 511 are pivotally supported at a predetermined interval in the sub scanning direction Y in parallel with the main scanning direction X. . The carriage guide shaft 51 and the sub-carriage guide shaft 511 are guide shafts for supporting the carriage 61 on which the recording head 62 for ejecting ink onto the recording paper P is mounted so as to be able to reciprocate in the main scanning direction X. 51, the rear portion of the carriage 61 is inserted, and the sub-carriage guide shaft 511 supports the front portion of the carriage 61 from below, thereby the recording head 62 (FIG. 3) mounted on the carriage 61 and the recording head 62. The carriage 61 is supported so as to be able to reciprocate in the main scanning direction X in a state where a distance between the head surface and the recording paper P facing the platen gap (platen gap: hereinafter referred to as “PG”) is defined.

Next, the conveyance path of the recording paper P as the “recording material” and the disc tray 7 will be described with reference to FIGS.
An “automatic paper feeder” that automatically feeds recording paper P one by one as a recording material toward a “sub-scanning drive unit” described later includes a paper feed cassette 8 and a paper feed roller 83. A hopper 81 is provided at the bottom of the paper feed cassette 8 on which a plurality of recording papers P are stacked. The hopper 81 is disposed so as to be swingable with a shaft 82 as a swing shaft. By pushing up the recording paper P stacked on the hopper 81 from below, recording is performed on a paper feed roller 83 provided on the top. Press the paper P. The paper feed roller 83 has a substantially D shape when viewed from the side, and the outer periphery is formed of a high friction member (for example, a rubber material). When the recording paper P is fed, the uppermost recording paper P in contact with the arc portion of the paper feeding roller 83 is fed in the sub-scanning direction Y by the rotation of the paper feeding roller 83. The “automatic paper feeder” is disposed below the paper feed roller 83, and the recording paper P whose surface is pressed against the outer peripheral surface of the paper feed roller 83 by the hopper 81 is fed by the drive rotation of the paper feed roller 83. A separation pad (not shown) is provided as a “separation unit” that prevents another recording paper P from being overlapped when fed in the paper direction (sub-scanning direction Y). . By feeding the recording paper P while rotating the paper feeding roller 83 with the recording paper P sandwiched between the separation pad and the paper feeding roller 83, the recording paper P to be fed and the other are about to be fed. The recording paper P is separated. Further, the “automatic paper feeder” pushes back the recording paper P, which is separated by the separation pad and partially protrudes outside the paper feeding cassette 8 on which the recording paper P is stacked, into the paper feeding cassette 8. In addition, the recording paper P partially protruding outside the paper feed cassette 8 is disposed under the paper feed roller 83 so as to be able to advance into the paper feed path so as to be pushed toward the paper feed cassette 8. A paper return lever as a “paper return rocking body” is provided.

  On the downstream side of the paper feed roller 83 in the sub-scanning direction Y, a conveyance drive roller 53 having a high frictional resistance film uniformly applied to the outer peripheral surface, and can be driven to rotate while being pressed and urged by the conveyance drive roller 53. A conveyance driven roller 54 that is pivotally supported by the PF motor 57 as a “conveyance drive motor” that drives the conveyance drive roller 53 and a “rotation” that detects the rotation amount of the conveyance drive roller 53. The rotary encoder 31 as “amount detection means” constitutes a “sub-scanning drive means” as a “conveying device” for transporting the recording paper P or the disk tray 7 in the sub-scanning direction Y by a predetermined transport amount. . The “sub-scanning driving means” sandwiches the recording paper P or the disk tray 7 between the transport driving roller 53 and the transport driven roller 54, and the rotational driving force of the PF motor 57 is transmitted to the pulley 59 via the endless belt 58. The recording paper P or the disk tray 7 is transported in the sub-scanning direction Y by the rotation of the transport driving roller 53 that is driven and rotated by the rotation of the pulley 59 transmitted through an intermediate gear (not shown). Then, the rotation amount of the PF motor 57 is described later according to the rotation amount of the conveyance drive roller 53 detected by the rotary encoder 31 so that the recording paper P or the disc tray 7 is conveyed by a predetermined conveyance amount. It is controlled by the control unit 100 as “means”.

  On the downstream side of the conveyance drive roller 53 in the sub-scanning direction Y, a platen 52 as “recording material guide” is disposed so as to face the head surface of the recording head 62 vertically. The recording paper P or the disc tray 7 conveyed by the above-mentioned “sub-scanning driving means” is supported by the platen 52 from below, and the recording head 62 reciprocates in the main scanning direction X by the “main scanning driving means”. Recording is performed by ejecting ink from the ink. The “main scanning driving means” includes a carriage 61 and a CR motor 63 as a “carriage driving motor” serving as a driving force source for reciprocating the carriage 61. The rotational driving force of the CR motor 63 is shown in FIG. A rotational motion is converted into a linear reciprocating motion and transmitted to the carriage 61 via a driving force transmission mechanism such as an endless belt (not shown). In this embodiment, the recording head 62 is provided at the bottom of the carriage 61, but no ink cartridge is mounted on the carriage 61 that reciprocates in the main scanning direction X, and the ink cartridge unit 15 described above. Ink is supplied to the carriage 61 from a plurality of ink cartridges 16 stored in the cartridge via ink tubes (not shown).

  On the downstream side of the recording head 62 in the sub-scanning direction Y, the rotational driving force of the PF motor 57 is transmitted and rotated to be driven, and the paper driving roller 55 can be driven and rotated while being urged by the paper discharging drive roller 55. A paper discharge driven roller 56 supported on the shaft is disposed. The recording paper P during and after recording is sandwiched between the paper discharge driving roller 55 and the paper discharge driven roller 56, and the rotational driving force of the PF motor 57 is transmitted to the pulley 59 via the endless belt 58. The rotation of 59 is transmitted through an intermediate gear (not shown) and the like, and is discharged from the opening that opens the front panel 2 in the sub-scanning direction Y by the rotation of the discharge driving roller 55 that rotates. A disc tray 7 on which the optical recording disc D can be mounted is disposed above the paper feed cassette 8. The disc tray 7 has a rack 71 (see FIG. 2) formed on the side end thereof, and is arranged so as to be able to move straightly in a substantially horizontal posture by rotation of a pinion gear (not shown) that meshes with the rack 71. ing. Then, after the disk tray 7 is conveyed until the leading end is nipped by the conveyance drive roller 53 and the conveyance driven roller 54 by the rotation of the pinion gear, the conveyance drive roller 53 is rotated in both directions thereafter. It is sent in the sub-scanning direction Y or the reverse feed direction YR. Further, when the optical recording disk D is attached to or detached from the disk tray 7, the optical recording disk D is transported in the sub-scanning direction Y to a position protruding from the opening where the front panel 2 is opened (a position indicated by a virtual line in FIG. 2).

Next, the configuration of the control unit 100 as a “motor control device” will be described with reference to FIG. 4.
The control unit 100 is connected to a host computer 200 that transmits recording control data to the ink jet recording apparatus 50 so that data can be transmitted and received. The control unit 100 includes a ROM 101, a RAM 102, an interface unit 103, an MPU 104, a DC unit 105, a PF motor driver 106, a CR motor driver 107, and a head driver 108. The MPU 104 and the DC unit 105 include a rotary encoder 31 as a “rotation amount detection unit” that detects the rotation amount of the transport driving roller 53, and a linear encoder 32 as a “carriage movement amount detection unit” that detects the movement amount of the carriage 61. The paper detector 33 for detecting the start and end of the recording paper P being conveyed, the PW sensor 34 for detecting the width in the main scanning direction X of the recording paper P mounted on the carriage 61, and the power source of the ink jet recording apparatus 50 are turned on. Output signals of a power supply SW 35 for turning on / off and a tray SW 36 for performing a loading / unloading operation of the disk tray 7 are input. In this embodiment, the PW sensor 34 is an optical sensor arranged so that the light emitting element and the light receiving element are optically opposed via the platen 52. The PW sensor 34 is provided at the bottom of the carriage 61, detects the width of the recording paper P in the sub-scanning direction Y by main scanning of the carriage 61, and identifies marks (not shown) attached to the disc tray 7. Is used to detect the feed position of the disc tray 7. Further, it is also used for detecting the presence or absence of the disk D on the disk tray 7 and the center position of the disk D.

  The MPU 104 performs arithmetic processing for executing the control program of the ink jet recording apparatus 50 and other necessary arithmetic processing. The ROM 101 stores a control program (firmware) necessary for controlling the ink jet recording apparatus 50, data necessary for processing, and the like. The RAM 102 is used as a primary storage area for various data including recording control data received from the host computer 200 via the work area of the MPU 104 and the interface unit 103. The DC unit 105 is a control circuit for performing speed control of the PF motor 57 and the CR motor 63 that are DC motors. The DC unit 105 determines the speeds of the PF motor 57 and the CR motor 63 based on the control command sent from the MPU 104, the output signal of the rotary encoder 31, the output signal of the linear encoder 32, and the output signal of the paper detector 33. Various calculations for control are performed, and motor control signals based on the calculation results are sent to the PF motor driver 106 and the CR motor driver 107. The PF motor driver 106 drives and controls the PF motor 57 based on the motor control signal from the DC unit 105. In this embodiment, the PF motor 57 meshes with a paper feed roller 83, a conveyance drive roller 53, a paper discharge drive roller 55, and a rack 71 (see FIG. 2) formed on the side end of the disc tray 7. It becomes a rotational driving force source of a pinion gear (not shown) that conveys the tray 7. The CR motor driver 107 drives or controls the CR motor 63 based on a motor control signal from the DC unit 105 to reciprocate the carriage 61 in the main scanning direction, or stop and hold it. The head driver 59 drives and controls the recording head 62 based on a head control signal from the MPU 104.

  The above is the schematic configuration of the ink jet recording apparatus 50, and the control procedure for detecting the end position of the recording paper P in the main scanning direction X by the PW sensor 34 will be described below.

FIG. 5 is a graph schematically showing a reflected light amount distribution waveform obtained by measuring the vicinity of the end portion of the recording paper P on the platen 52 by the PW sensor 34.
Here, the A / D value of the PW sensor 34 will be described. The PW sensor 34 performs A / D conversion (analog / digital conversion) on the detected reflected light amount into an 8-bit digital value (the maximum value of the reflected light amount is 0 and the minimum value of the reflected light amount is 255) and outputs the result to the control unit 100. To do. That is, the smaller the reflected light amount, the closer the A / D value is to 255, and the larger the reflected light amount, the closer to 0. The A / D value (230) of the reflected light amount of the platen 52 as “recording material guide” is set to the black level BL, and the A / D value (40) of the reflected light amount of the “reflected light amount reference surface” to be described later is set to the white level WL. The A / D value (138) obtained by multiplying the difference between the black level BL and the white level WL by a coefficient α (0.6 in this embodiment) is the A / D of the “boundary reflected light amount” of the recording paper P. Let the value be a threshold value SL. Then, the control unit 100 sets the position in the main scanning direction X when the A / D value output from the PW sensor 34 reaches the threshold value SL as the end position PE of the recording paper P, and the recording paper P by the recording head. The ink ejection area in the main scanning direction X is set and recording on the recording paper P is executed. However, the measurement sensitivity of the reflected light amount of the PW sensor 34 gradually decreases due to deterioration over time, ink mist generated by ejecting ink from the recording head 62, and the like adhering to the detection part of the PW sensor 34. As a result, the detection accuracy of the end position of the recording paper P or the optical recording disk D by the PW sensor 34 is lowered. For this reason, the control unit 100 periodically performs measurement of the reflected light amount of the platen 52 and measurement of the reflected light amount of the “reflected light amount reference surface” described later, and as the reflected light amount measurement sensitivity of the PW sensor 34 decreases. The threshold level SL is set by periodically updating the black level BL and the white level WL which change in accordance with the above. The procedure will be described below with reference to FIGS.

FIG. 6 is an enlarged plan view of a main part in the vicinity of the platen 52 of the ink jet recording apparatus 50.
A PW sensor 34 as a “reflected light amount measuring device” that measures the reflected light amount on the surface in a non-contact manner is mounted on a carriage 61 as a “reflected light amount measuring unit”. The controller 100 reciprocates the carriage 61 in the main scanning direction X, thereby causing the PW sensor 34 to reciprocate in the main scanning direction X on the platen 52 to measure the reflected light amount distribution on the main scanning line of the platen 52, The end position of the recording paper P in the main scanning direction X is detected from the difference between the reflected light amount on the surface of the recording paper P and the reflected light amount on the platen 52. The control unit 100 reciprocates the PW sensor 34 on the platen 52 in the main scanning direction X when the ink jet recording apparatus 50 is turned on, so that the control unit 100 has three locations indicated by reference numerals B1, B2, and B3 on the platen 52 ( The amount of reflected light (see FIG. 5) is measured, and the largest A / D value is set as the black level BL from the three A / D values of the reflected light amount.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing a procedure for detecting the amount of light reflected by the platen 52. The procedure is a procedure executed when the ink jet recording apparatus 50 is turned on.
The carriage 61 is moved in the main scanning direction X. First, the amount of reflected light at the position indicated by reference numeral B1 is measured by the PW sensor 34 (step S1), and then the amount of reflected light at the position indicated by reference numeral B2 is measured by the PW sensor. 34 (step S2), and then the amount of reflected light at the position indicated by symbol B3 is measured by the PW sensor 34 (step S3). Then, the AD values having the largest amount of reflected light at the three positions measured by the PW sensor 34 are set to the black level BL. The A / D value (hereinafter referred to as B1 A / D value) of the reflected light amount at the position indicated by B1 is referred to as the A / D value (hereinafter referred to as B3 A / D) of the reflected light amount at the position indicated by B3. It is determined whether or not the value is greater than the value (step S4). When the A / D value of B1 is larger than the A / D value of B3 (Yes in step S4), the A / D value of B1 is the A / D value of the reflected light amount at the position indicated by reference sign B2. It is determined whether it is greater than (hereinafter referred to as B2 A / D value) (step S5). When the A / D value of B1 is larger than the A / D value of B2 (Yes in step S5), the A / D value of B1 is set to the black level BL (step S6), and the A / D value of B1 is B2. If it is equal to or less than the A / D value (No in step S5), the A / D value of B2 is set to the black level BL (step S8). On the other hand, if the A / D value of B1 is equal to or less than the A / D value of B3 (No in step S4), then it is determined whether the A / D value of B2 is greater than the A / D value of B3. (Step S7). When the A / D value of B2 is larger than the A / D value of B3 (Yes in step S7), the A / D value of B2 is set to the black level BL (step S8), and the A / D value of B2 is B3. If it is equal to or less than the A / D value (No in step S7), the A / D value of B3 is set to the black level BL (step S9).

  FIG. 8 is an enlarged plan view of the main part in the vicinity of the platen 52 of the ink jet recording apparatus 50, and shows a state where the tray 7 is retracted in the ink jet recording apparatus 50. FIG. 9 is an enlarged plan view of the main part of the vicinity of the platen 52 of the ink jet recording apparatus 50, and shows a state where the tray 7 has advanced out of the ink jet recording apparatus 50.

  The tray 7 is formed of a black material, and a surface that faces the PW sensor 34 mounted on the carriage 61 is coated with white and is a first reflected light first reference surface. A white mark portion W1 and a second white mark portion W2 serving as a “second reflected light amount reference surface” that is similarly painted with white are disposed. The surfaces of the first white mark portion W1 and the second white mark portion W2 have substantially the same light reflectance as the label surfaces of the recording paper P and the optical recording disc D. The first white mark portion W1 is arranged at a position where the amount of reflected light can be measured by the PW sensor 34 in a range where the transport position of the tray 7 in the sub-scanning direction Y does not advance outside the ink jet recording apparatus 50. The second white mark W2 is measured by the PW sensor 34 with the tray 7 extending out of the ink jet recording apparatus 50 to a position where the optical recording disk D can be attached and detached. It arrange | positions in the position which becomes possible (refer FIG. 9). The control unit 100 measures the amount of reflected light of either the first white mark part W1 or the second white mark part W2. When the tray 7 is retracted in the ink jet recording apparatus 50, the amount of reflected light of the first white mark portion W1 is measured, and the tray 7 reaches the position where the optical recording disk D can be attached and detached. In the case where it has advanced to the outside, the amount of reflected light of the second white mark portion W2 is measured. As a result, the tray 7 is not moved significantly in both the state where the tray 7 is retracted into the ink jet recording apparatus 50 and the state where the tray 7 is advanced out of the ink jet recording apparatus 50. The amount of reflected light on the “reflected light amount reference surface” can be measured. That is, for example, the tray 7 evacuated in the ink jet recording apparatus 50 is suddenly moved into the ink jet recording apparatus 50 even though the user does not perform the advance operation of the tray 7 by pressing the tray SW 36. Therefore, it becomes unnecessary to control the unnatural tray 7 that gives the user a sense of incongruity of advancing to the outside.

  Then, the control unit 100 stores the A / D value of the reflected light amount of the first white mark portion W1 or the second white mark portion W2 measured by the PW sensor 34 as the white level WL in the nonvolatile storage memory 109. To do. When the ink jet recording apparatus 50 is turned on, the difference between the black level BL acquired by measuring the reflected light amount of the platen 52 by the PW sensor 34 and the white level WL stored in the nonvolatile memory 109 is set as a coefficient α. An A / D value multiplied by 0.6 is set as the threshold value SL. As described above, the A / D value of the reflected light amount of the first white mark portion W1 or the second white mark portion W2 measured by the PW sensor 34 is stored in the nonvolatile storage memory 109 and held. Thus, when the ink jet recording apparatus 50 is turned on, the threshold SL can be obtained by measuring only the amount of light reflected by the platen 52 by the PW sensor 34. This eliminates the need to move the tray 7 to a position where the PW sensor 34 can measure the first white mark portion W1 or the second white mark portion W2 when the ink jet recording apparatus 50 is turned on. The time for setting the threshold value SL when the recording apparatus 50 is turned on can be shortened, and the mechanical sound generated by moving the tray 7 when the inkjet recording apparatus 50 is turned on makes the user feel uncomfortable. The fear can be eliminated.

FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing a procedure for detecting the amount of reflected light of the first white mark portion W1 or the second white mark portion W2. Note that this procedure is a procedure that is repeatedly executed at regular intervals while the power of the ink jet recording apparatus 50 is ON.
First, it is determined whether or not there is an instruction to open the tray 7 (step S11). That is, the tray SW 36 (FIG. 4) is set by the user so that the optical recording disk D can be attached to and detached from the tray 7 with the tray 7 moved out of the ink jet recording apparatus 50 (the state shown in FIG. 9). It is determined whether or not the button has been pressed. When there is an instruction to open the tray 7 (Yes in step S11), that is, when the user presses the tray SW 36 (FIG. 4), the tray 7 is controlled to be opened and the optical recording disc D is executed. The tray 7 is moved out of the ink jet recording apparatus 50 to a position where it can be attached and detached (step S12). With the tray 7 extending out of the ink jet recording apparatus 50 to a position where the optical recording disk D can be attached and detached, the carriage 62 is moved in the main scanning direction X and the second white mark is detected by the PW sensor 34. The amount of reflected light from the portion W2 is measured (step S13). Then, the measured A / D value of the reflected light amount of the second white mark portion W2 is set as a white level WL (step S14), and the white level WL stored in the nonvolatile memory 109 and stored in the nonvolatile memory 109 is used. Update (step S19).

  As described above, the amount of reflected light of the second white mark portion W2 is measured and stored in the nonvolatile storage memory 109 every time the tray 7 advances out of the ink jet recording apparatus 50 to a position where the optical recording disk D can be attached and detached. The white level WL stored in the nonvolatile storage memory 109 can be updated efficiently by updating the white level WL that has been set. Since the reflected light amount of the “reflected light amount reference surface” is measured during the advance / retreat operation of the tray 7, the mechanical sound generated by moving the tray 7 does not give the user a sense of incongruity. The second white mark portion W2 is disposed at a position where the PW sensor 34 can measure the tray 7 with the tray 7 extending out of the ink jet recording apparatus 50 to a position where the optical recording disk D can be attached and detached. Therefore, either the state in which the tray 7 is retracted in the ink jet recording apparatus 50 or the state in which the tray 7 has advanced out of the ink jet recording apparatus 50 to a position where the optical recording disk D can be attached or detached is provided. The second white mark portion W2 is also in a position that cannot be touched by the user. Therefore, the second white mark portion W2 has a very low possibility that the amount of reflected light on the surface will be reduced when the user touches it. As the reference reflected light amount on the surface of the recording paper P and the label surface of the optical recording disc D, A constant amount of reflected light is always maintained with certainty. Further, the second white mark portion W2 is disposed at a position where the PW sensor 34 can measure the tray 7 with the tray 7 extending out of the ink jet recording apparatus 50 to a position where the optical recording disk D can be attached and detached. Therefore, when the tray 7 is retracted in the ink jet recording apparatus 50, the tray 7 moves to a position away from the platen 52. Therefore, the second white mark portion W2 has almost no possibility that ink mist generated in the vicinity of the platen 52 adheres to reduce the amount of reflected light on the surface, whereby the surface of the recording paper P and the optical recording disk D As a reference reflected light amount on the label surface, a constant reflected light amount is always maintained reliably.

  On the other hand, if there is no instruction to open the tray 7 (No in step S11), it is determined whether or not the time during which the white level WL stored in the nonvolatile memory 109 has not been updated has exceeded a predetermined time. (Step S15) If the predetermined time or more has not passed (No in Step S15), the procedure is terminated as it is. The predetermined time may be measured by, for example, starting a timer when the white level WL stored in the nonvolatile memory 109 is updated and counting the elapsed time, or stored in the nonvolatile memory 109. After the white level WL is updated, the number of times the cleaning of the recording head 62 that is normally performed regularly may be counted. If the time during which the white level WL stored in the nonvolatile memory 109 has not been updated has exceeded a predetermined time (Yes in Step S15), the cueing control of the tray 7 is executed (Step S16). Then, the tray 7 is moved to a position where the reflected light quantity of the first white mark portion W1 can be measured by the PW sensor 34 (the state shown in FIG. 8). In this state, the carriage 62 is moved in the main scanning direction X, and the reflected light amount of the first white mark portion W1 is measured by the PW sensor 34 (step S17). Then, the measured A / D value of the reflected light amount of the first white mark portion W1 is set as the white level WL (step S18), and the white level WL stored in the nonvolatile memory 109 and stored in the nonvolatile memory 109 is used. Update (step S19). As described above, when the time during which the white level WL stored in the nonvolatile memory 109 has not been updated has exceeded a predetermined time when the ink jet recording apparatus 50 is turned on, the first white mark portion W1. The white light level WL stored in the nonvolatile storage memory 109 is updated. Accordingly, the end position of the recording paper P or the optical recording disk D is decreased due to deterioration of the PW sensor 34 due to deterioration over time or ink mist adhering to the detection part of the PW sensor 34. Before the detection accuracy decreases, the white level WL stored in the nonvolatile memory 109 can be updated to the latest state.

In this way, the PW sensor 34 does not affect the surface of the recording paper P before recording or the state of the label surface of the optical recording disk D, and changes the reflected light amount measurement sensitivity of the PW sensor 34. The presence / absence of the recording paper P or the optical recording disk D and the detection accuracy of the end position can be maintained with high accuracy.
The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications can be made within the scope of the invention described in the claims, and these are also included in the scope of the present invention. Needless to say.

  The present invention includes a main scanning driving unit that reciprocates a recording head that ejects ink onto a recording material in the main scanning direction, a sub scanning driving unit that conveys the recording material by a predetermined conveyance amount in the sub scanning direction, There is a recording material guide formed in the conveyance path of the recording material by the sub-scanning driving means, and an optical recording disk mounting portion to which the optical recording disk can be attached and detached, and the label surface of the optical recording disk is covered by the main scanning driving means. Non-contact with a tray arranged so that it can be conveyed by the sub-scanning driving means so as to become the recording surface, and can be conveyed by the sub-scanning driving means to a position where the optical recording disk mounting portion advances to the outside of the recording apparatus. Reflected light amount measuring means for measuring the reflected light amount distribution on the main scanning line of the recording material guide by reciprocating the reflected light amount measuring device for measuring the reflected light amount on the surface in the main scanning direction on the recording material guide, and measuring the reflected light amount Means, main scanning drive means, By controlling the fine sub-scan driving means are available to the recording apparatus and recording control means for executing recording on a recording material.

1 is a perspective view of an ink jet recording apparatus. FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the ink jet recording apparatus with a main body cover removed. 1 is a schematic side sectional view of an ink jet recording apparatus. It is a block diagram of the control part which performs various controls of an ink jet recording device. 6 is a graph schematically showing a reflected light amount distribution waveform in the vicinity of an end portion of a recording sheet. FIG. 3 is an enlarged plan view of a main part in the vicinity of the platen of the ink jet recording apparatus. It is the flowchart which showed the procedure which detects the reflected light quantity of a platen. FIG. 3 is an enlarged plan view of a main part in the vicinity of the platen of the ink jet recording apparatus. FIG. 3 is an enlarged plan view of a main part in the vicinity of the platen of the ink jet recording apparatus. It is the flowchart which showed the procedure which detects the reflected light quantity of a white mark part.

Explanation of symbols

7 Disc tray, 8 Paper feed cassette, 31 Rotary encoder, 50 Inkjet recording device, 51 Carriage guide shaft, 52 Platen, 53 Transport drive roller, 54 Transport driven roller, 55 Paper discharge drive roller, 56 Paper discharge driven roller, 57 PF motor, 61 carriage, 62 recording head, 63 CR motor, 81 hopper, 83 paper feed roller, 101 ROM, 102 RAM, 103 interface unit, 104 MPU, 105 DC unit, 106 PF motor driver, 107 CR motor driver, 108 Head driver, P recording paper, X main scanning direction, Y sub-scanning direction, W1 first white mark portion, W2 second white mark portion

Claims (14)

Main scanning driving means for reciprocating a recording head for ejecting ink onto the recording material in the main scanning direction; sub-scanning driving means for conveying the recording material by a predetermined conveyance amount in the sub-scanning direction; and the sub-scanning There is a recording material guide formed in the recording material conveyance path by the driving means, and an optical recording disk mounting portion to which the optical recording disk can be attached and detached, and the label surface of the optical recording disk by the main scanning driving means A tray that can be transported by the sub-scanning driving means so as to be a recording surface, and can be transported by the sub-scanning driving means to a position where the optical recording disk mounting portion advances outside the recording apparatus. And a reflected light quantity measuring device that measures the reflected light quantity distribution on the main scanning line of the recording material guide by reciprocating the reflected light quantity measuring device that measures the reflected light quantity of the surface in a non-contact manner in the main scanning direction on the recording material guide. Measuring means and before Reflected light amount measuring means, a said main scanning driving means, and a recording apparatus and a recording control means for executing recording by controlling the sub-scan driving unit to the recording medium,
The recording control means measures the reflected light amount of the recording material guide by the reflected light amount measuring means,
The tray is transported in the sub-scanning direction so that a reflected light amount reference surface having substantially the same light reflectance as that of the surface of the recording material formed on the surface of the tray is positioned on the scanning line of the reflected light amount measuring means. Measuring the reflected light amount of the reflected light amount reference surface,
A reflected light amount obtained by multiplying the difference between the reflected light amount of the recording material guide and the reflected light amount of the reflected light amount reference surface by a coefficient α of less than 1 exceeding 0 is set as the boundary reflected light amount of the recording material;
When the recording material guide is scanned in the main scanning direction by the reflected light amount measuring means, the main scanning position where the reflected light amount becomes the boundary reflected light amount is defined as the end of the recording material in the main scanning direction. A recording apparatus, wherein a recording head sets an ink ejection area in the main scanning direction on the recording material and executes recording on the recording material. 2. The recording control unit according to claim 1, wherein when the tray with the optical recording disk mounted is scanned in the main scanning direction by the reflected light amount measuring unit, the reflected light amount becomes the boundary reflected light amount. The center position of the optical recording disk is calculated using the scanning position as the end of the optical recording disk in the main scanning direction, and the ink on the label surface of the optical recording disk is calculated based on the calculated center point position of the optical recording disk A recording apparatus, wherein an ejection area is set and recording is performed on a label surface of the optical recording disk. 3. The tray according to claim 1, wherein the tray has two reflected light amount reference surfaces, a first reflected light amount reference surface and a second reflected light amount reference surface, and the first reflected light amount reference surface is The second reflected light amount reference plane is disposed at a position where the reflected light amount can be measured by the reflected light amount measuring means within a range in which the transport position of the tray in the sub-scanning direction does not advance out of the recording apparatus. The optical recording disk is disposed at a position where the reflected light amount can be measured by the reflected light amount measuring means in a state where the tray has advanced out of the recording device to a position where the optical recording disk can be attached and detached.
The recording control means measures the reflected light amount of the first reflected light amount reference surface when the tray is retracted in the recording apparatus when measuring the reflected light amount of the reflected light amount reference surface; When the tray has advanced to the outside of the recording apparatus to a position where the optical recording disk can be attached and detached when measuring the amount of reflected light on the reflected light amount reference surface, the reflection of the second reflected light amount reference surface A recording apparatus characterized by measuring the amount of light. 4. The recording control means according to claim 3, wherein the reflected light quantity of the reflected light quantity reference surface measured by the reflected light quantity measuring means is stored and held in a nonvolatile storage memory, and when the recording apparatus is turned on, the reflected light quantity is recorded. The reflected light amount of the recording material guide is measured by a light amount measuring means, and the difference between the measured reflected light amount of the recording material guide and the reflected light amount of the reflected light amount reference surface stored in the nonvolatile memory is calculated. A recording apparatus characterized in that a reflected light amount multiplied by a coefficient α of less than 1 exceeding 0 is set as a boundary reflected light amount of the recording material. 5. The recording control unit according to claim 4, wherein the recording control unit measures the reflected light amount of the second reflected light amount reference surface every time the tray advances out of the recording device to a position where the optical recording disk can be attached and detached. A recording apparatus, wherein the reflected light quantity of the reflected light quantity reference surface stored in the nonvolatile storage memory is updated. 6. The recording control unit according to claim 5, wherein when the recording apparatus is turned on, an elapsed time after updating the reflected light amount of the reflected light amount reference surface stored in the nonvolatile storage memory is a predetermined time or more. In some cases, the recording apparatus is characterized in that the reflected light amount of the first reflected light amount reference surface is measured and the reflected light amount of the reflected light amount reference surface stored in the nonvolatile storage memory is updated. The recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the tray is formed of a black material and has the reflected light amount reference surface coated in white. . The reflected light amount measuring device according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the reflected light amount measuring device is an optical sensor arranged so that a light emitting element and a light receiving element are optically opposed to each other via the recording material guide. A recording apparatus characterized by that. Main scanning driving means for reciprocating a recording head for ejecting ink onto the recording material in the main scanning direction; sub-scanning driving means for conveying the recording material by a predetermined conveyance amount in the sub-scanning direction; and the sub-scanning There is a recording material guide formed in the recording material conveyance path by the driving means, and an optical recording disk mounting portion to which the optical recording disk can be attached and detached, and the label surface of the optical recording disk by the main scanning driving means A tray that can be transported by the sub-scanning driving means so as to be a recording surface, and can be transported by the sub-scanning driving means to a position where the optical recording disk mounting portion advances outside the recording apparatus. And a reflected light quantity measuring device that measures the reflected light quantity distribution on the main scanning line of the recording material guide by reciprocating the reflected light quantity measuring device that measures the reflected light quantity of the surface in a non-contact manner in the main scanning direction on the recording material guide. With measuring means In the recording apparatus, there is provided a recording control program for causing a computer to execute control for controlling the reflected light amount measuring unit, the main scanning driving unit, and the sub-scanning driving unit to execute recording on the recording material. Measuring the reflected light amount of the recording material guide by the reflected light amount measuring means;
The tray is transported in the sub-scanning direction so that a reflected light amount reference surface having substantially the same light reflectance as that of the surface of the recording material formed on the surface of the tray is positioned on the scanning line of the reflected light amount measuring means. And measuring the reflected light amount of the reflected light amount reference surface,
A procedure for setting a reflected light amount obtained by multiplying the difference between the reflected light amount of the recording material guide and the reflected light amount of the reflected light amount reference surface by a coefficient α less than 1 exceeding 0 as the boundary reflected light amount of the recording material;
When the recording material guide is scanned in the main scanning direction by the reflected light amount measuring means, the main scanning position where the reflected light amount becomes the boundary reflected light amount is defined as the end of the recording material in the main scanning direction. A recording control program comprising: a step of setting an ink ejection area in the main scanning direction on the recording material by the recording head and executing recording on the recording material. 10. The optical recording according to claim 9, wherein the main scanning position where the reflected light amount becomes the boundary reflected light amount when the tray with the optical recording disk mounted is scanned in the main scanning direction by the reflected light amount measuring means. A procedure for calculating the center point position of the optical recording disk as an end in the main scanning direction of the disk;
A step of setting an ink ejection area on the label surface of the optical recording disk based on the calculated center point position of the optical recording disk and executing recording on the label surface of the optical recording disk. A recording control program characterized by that. 11. The tray according to claim 9, wherein the tray has two reflected light amount reference surfaces, a first reflected light amount reference surface and a second reflected light amount reference surface, and the first reflected light amount reference surface is The second reflected light amount reference plane is disposed at a position where the reflected light amount can be measured by the reflected light amount measuring means within a range in which the transport position of the tray in the sub-scanning direction does not advance out of the recording apparatus. The optical recording disk is disposed at a position where the reflected light amount can be measured by the reflected light amount measuring means in a state where the tray has advanced out of the recording device to a position where the optical recording disk can be attached and detached.
When the tray is retracted in the recording apparatus when measuring the reflected light amount of the reflected light amount reference surface, a procedure for measuring the reflected light amount of the first reflected light amount reference surface, and the reflected light amount reference When measuring the amount of reflected light on the surface, if the tray has advanced out of the recording device to a position where the optical recording disk can be attached and detached, the amount of reflected light on the second reflected light amount reference surface is measured. And a recording control program characterized by comprising a procedure. 12. The procedure according to claim 11, wherein the reflected light quantity of the reflected light quantity reference surface measured by the reflected light quantity measuring means is stored and held in a nonvolatile storage memory, and when the recording apparatus is turned on, the reflected light quantity measuring means The difference between the measured reflected light amount of the recording material guide and the measured reflected light amount of the recording material guide and the reflected light amount of the reflected light amount reference surface stored in the nonvolatile memory is set to 0. And a procedure for setting a reflected light amount multiplied by a coefficient α less than 1 as the boundary reflected light amount of the recording material. 13. The non-volatile storage memory according to claim 12, wherein the amount of reflected light on the second reflected light amount reference surface is measured each time the tray moves out of the recording apparatus to a position where the optical recording disk can be attached and detached. A recording control program comprising a procedure for updating a stored reflected light amount of the reflected light amount reference surface. The method according to claim 13, wherein when the recording apparatus is turned on, if an elapsed time after updating the reflected light amount of the reflected light amount reference surface stored in the nonvolatile storage memory is equal to or longer than a predetermined time, A recording control program comprising a procedure of measuring a reflected light amount of a first reflected light amount reference surface and updating the reflected light amount of the reflected light amount reference surface stored in the nonvolatile storage memory .

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