JP2005238733A - Ink-jet recording device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an ink-jet recording device of a serial type capable of recording bidirectionally while recording continuously even when the quantity of light of either one of the illuminants drops or non-lighting arises. <P>SOLUTION: Even if the faults such as light-quantity shortage due to degradation or non-lighting arises on one side of the illuminant, the recording operation can be continuously performed even during the period until the completion of interchanging the illuminant by carrying out the one-direction printing operation using another remaining normal illuminant. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to an inkjet recording apparatus, and more particularly to an inkjet recording apparatus that records an image by curing ink by irradiating light.

In general, inkjet recording apparatuses are widely used at present because noise during image recording is relatively low and image recording quality is good.
An ink jet recording apparatus uses, for example, a piezo element or a heater element to eject ink from a nozzle of a recording head as a fine droplet toward a recording medium such as paper, thereby forming an image on the recording medium.
Examples of the ink jet recording apparatus include a serial head type recording medium that forms an image by moving the recording head back and forth on the recording medium and moving the recording medium in a direction orthogonal to the scanning direction of the recording head, and a recording medium. There is a line head type that forms an image by being conveyed in a direction perpendicular to the recording width direction.

Currently, there is an increasing need for small-volume production in the field of products and product packaging, and small quantities can be produced at lower costs than methods that require plate making, such as gravure printing and flexographic printing. The use of the inkjet method is expanding.
As is widely known, materials that do not absorb ink, such as resins and metals, are often used for products and product packaging materials.
When such a material having no ink absorbability is used as a recording medium, in order to fix the ink to the recording medium, after discharging and adhering a high-viscosity photocurable ink onto the recording medium, A photo-curing ink jet recording apparatus has been developed that cures and fixes ink by irradiating light such as ultraviolet rays.

  Conventionally, as such a photo-curing ink jet recording apparatus, an ultraviolet curable ink jet recording apparatus having a configuration in which a large amount of ultraviolet rays are collectively irradiated using a radical polymerization type ink has been put into practical use (for example, patents). Reference 1). By using a light source that emits directional light such as a laser beam as the light source, the amount of heat generated during irradiation is reduced, and power consumption is reduced. In addition, the light source unit is downsized compared to fluorescent tubes and high-pressure mercury lamps. In addition, semiconductor lasers and light emitting diodes have good stability and easy adjustment of light intensity.

Furthermore, due to the necessity of increasing the recording speed, for example, light sources are arranged on both the front and rear sides of the recording head in the main scanning direction of the recording head, and the two light sources are selectively used according to the reciprocating movement of the carriage An ink jet recording apparatus that enables bidirectional recording has been developed (see, for example, Patent Document 2).
JP 2001-310454 A JP 2000-218772 A

  However, in the photo-curing type inkjet recording apparatus capable of performing bidirectional recording in the serial method as described above, in particular, when light sources are mounted at both ends of the carriage, among the problems associated with deterioration of the light source. When one of the light sources deteriorates or when one of the light sources does not light, there is a problem that the light source must be replaced immediately and recording cannot be continued.

  Accordingly, the present invention provides a photocurable ink jet recording apparatus capable of performing bidirectional recording in a serial method, and an ink jet recording apparatus capable of continuing recording even when one of the light sources is deteriorated. The purpose is to provide.

  In order to solve the above problems, the invention described in claim 1 is a recording head that ejects ink that is cured by irradiating light, a plurality of light irradiating devices that irradiate light that cures ink, and the light irradiation. A light amount detecting means for detecting the amount of light emitted from the apparatus, and while transporting the recording medium in a fixed direction, the recording head is reciprocated in the main scanning direction to eject ink and land on the recording medium. Then, in the ink jet recording apparatus that forms an image by curing the ink by irradiating light with the light irradiation apparatus, the light irradiation apparatus is disposed so as to be positioned before and after the traveling direction of the recording head, When the light amount detecting means detects that the light amount of any one of the plurality of light irradiation devices has decreased below a threshold value, the light amount less than the threshold value is irradiated. That by using the light irradiation device located opposite to the light irradiation device, wherein said recording head is provided with a control unit for controlling to perform image recording only when moving in a certain direction.

  According to the first aspect of the present invention, when light emitted from any one of the plurality of light irradiation devices is detected by the light amount detection means to be less than a threshold value, it is normal. Since the image recording is performed only when the recording head moves in a certain direction using only the light irradiation device capable of irradiating a sufficient amount of light, the recording can be continued while maintaining a good image quality. It becomes a state.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the ink jet recording apparatus according to the first aspect, the control unit has a light source capable of irradiating a normal light amount located on the rear side with respect to the main scanning direction of the recording head. Control is performed so that image recording is performed only in the direction.

  According to the second aspect of the invention, since the light irradiation device capable of irradiating the normal amount of light performs image recording only in a direction in which the light irradiation device is located on the rear side of the traveling direction of the recording head, The ink discharged above is in a state suitable for being cured well.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the ink jet recording apparatus according to the first or second aspect, the ink is an ultraviolet curable ink, and the light irradiation device is an ultraviolet irradiation device. It is characterized by that.

  According to the third aspect of the present invention, image recording is performed only when the recording head moves in a certain direction using a light irradiation device located on the opposite side of the light irradiation device that irradiates a light amount less than a threshold value. Therefore, the UV curable ink discharged onto the recording medium is in a state suitable for curing.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the ink jet recording apparatus according to any one of the first to third aspects, the ink is a cationic polymerization type ink.

  According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, image recording is performed only when the recording head moves in a certain direction using a light irradiation device located on the opposite side of the light irradiation device that irradiates a light amount less than a threshold value. Therefore, the cationic polymerization ink discharged on the recording medium is in a state suitable for curing.

  According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the ink jet recording apparatus according to the first aspect, the control unit is configured such that the light amount of any one of the plurality of light irradiation devices is a threshold value by the light amount detection unit. When it is detected that the light intensity has decreased to less than the threshold value, control is performed such that image recording is performed using a light irradiation device that irradiates a light amount of a threshold value or more.

  According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, when it is detected by the light quantity detection means that the light quantity of any one of the plurality of light irradiation apparatuses has dropped below a threshold value, the control means Is controlled to perform image recording using a light irradiation device that irradiates a light amount that is equal to or greater than a threshold value, and thus is in a state suitable for curing the ink ejected onto the recording medium satisfactorily. .

  According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in the ink jet recording apparatus according to the first aspect, the control unit is configured such that the light amount of any one of the plurality of light irradiation devices is a threshold value by the light amount detection unit. When it is detected that the amount of light has fallen below, control is performed to prohibit image recording using a light irradiation device that irradiates a light amount less than a threshold value.

  According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, when it is detected by the light quantity detection means that the light quantity of any one of the plurality of light irradiation apparatuses has dropped below a threshold value, the control means Since image recording is performed using a light irradiation device that irradiates a light amount less than the threshold value, the ink is suitable for curing the ink ejected onto the recording medium.

  According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, in the ink jet recording apparatus according to the first aspect, the control unit is configured such that the light amount of any one of the plurality of light irradiation devices is a threshold value by the light amount detection unit. When it is detected that the recording head has fallen below, image recording by reciprocal movement of the recording head in the main scanning direction is prohibited, and image recording is performed by movement of the recording head in one direction of the main scanning direction. It is characterized by enabling.

  According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, when the light amount detecting means detects that the light amount of any one of the plurality of light irradiation devices has decreased below a threshold value, the recording head On the recording medium in order to prohibit image recording by reciprocating movement in the main scanning direction and to enable image recording by movement in one direction of the main scanning direction of the recording head. This prevents the discharged ink from causing curing failure due to insufficient irradiation amount.

  According to an eighth aspect of the present invention, in the ink jet recording apparatus according to the first aspect, the ink jet recording apparatus includes a control unit, and the control unit includes any one of the plurality of light irradiation devices by the light amount detection unit. If it is detected that the light intensity of one of the light irradiation devices has dropped below the threshold value, image recording is performed using a light irradiation device that irradiates a light amount equal to or greater than the threshold value, or subsequent image recording is performed. Control is performed so that the display means displays the information so that the prohibition can be selected.

  According to an eighth aspect of the present invention, the control means detects that the light quantity of any one of the plurality of light irradiation apparatuses has decreased below a threshold value by the light quantity detection means. In this case, the user can select whether to perform image recording using a light irradiation device that irradiates a light amount equal to or greater than a threshold value, or to prohibit image recording thereafter, so that the display unit displays the image. Is a state in which it is possible to select a recording method according to the situation at that time.

  According to a ninth aspect of the present invention, in the ink jet recording apparatus according to the first aspect, the ink jet recording apparatus includes a display unit, and the control unit is any of the plurality of light irradiation devices by the light amount detecting unit. When it is detected that the amount of light of one of the light irradiation devices has decreased below a threshold value, control is performed to display on the display means that there is a light irradiation device whose light amount has decreased below the threshold value. It is characterized by doing.

  According to the ninth aspect of the present invention, the control unit detects that the light amount of any one of the plurality of light irradiation devices has decreased below a threshold value by the light amount detection unit. In this case, in order to control the display means to display on the display means that the light irradiation device whose light amount has decreased below the threshold value, the user has the light irradiation device whose light amount has decreased below the threshold value. It will be in a state where it can be understood.

  According to a tenth aspect of the present invention, in the ink jet recording apparatus according to the first aspect, the ink jet recording apparatus includes a display unit, and the control unit includes any one of the plurality of light irradiation devices by the light amount detecting unit. When it is detected that the amount of light of one of the light irradiation devices has decreased below a threshold value, control is performed so that the light irradiation device whose light amount has decreased below the threshold value is displayed on the display means in a distinguishable manner. It is characterized by that.

  According to a tenth aspect of the present invention, the control unit detects that the light amount of any one of the plurality of light irradiation devices has dropped below a threshold value by the light amount detection unit. In this case, since the light irradiation device whose light amount has decreased below the threshold value is controlled to be displayed on the display unit so that the light irradiation device can be discriminated, there is a light irradiation device in which the light amount has decreased below the threshold value. And a state in which it is possible to immediately recognize which light irradiation device of the plurality of light irradiation devices is reduced below the threshold value. It will be.

  According to an eleventh aspect of the present invention, in the ink jet recording apparatus according to the first aspect, the ink jet recording apparatus is connected to a display unit, and the control unit is configured to control the plurality of light irradiation devices by the light amount detection unit. When it is detected that the light amount of any one of the light irradiation devices has decreased below the threshold value, image recording is performed using the light irradiation device that emits a light amount equal to or greater than the threshold value, or images after that. Control is performed so that whether to prohibit recording is displayed on the display means in a selectable manner.

  According to the invention of claim 11, the control unit detects that the light amount of any one of the plurality of light irradiation devices has dropped below a threshold value by the light amount detection unit. In this case, it is controlled to display on the display means so as to select whether image recording is performed using a light irradiation device that irradiates a light amount of a threshold value or more, or subsequent image recording is prohibited, The user can select a recording method according to the situation at that time.

  A twelfth aspect of the invention is the ink jet recording apparatus according to the first aspect, wherein the ink jet recording apparatus is connected to a display unit, and the control unit is configured to control the plurality of light irradiation devices by the light amount detection unit. When it is detected that the light amount of any one of the light irradiation devices has decreased below the threshold value, the display means displays that there is a light irradiation device whose light amount has decreased below the threshold value. It is characterized by controlling to.

  According to a twelfth aspect of the present invention, the control unit detects that the light amount of any one of the plurality of light irradiation devices has decreased below a threshold value by the light amount detection unit. In this case, the display means is controlled to display that there is a light irradiation device whose light quantity has decreased below a threshold value.

  A thirteenth aspect of the present invention is the ink jet recording apparatus according to the first aspect, wherein the ink jet recording apparatus is connected to a display unit, and the control unit is configured to control the plurality of light irradiation devices by the light amount detection unit. When it is detected that the light amount of any one of the light irradiation devices has decreased below a threshold value, the light irradiation device whose light amount has decreased below the threshold value is displayed on the display means in a distinguishable manner. It is characterized by controlling.

  According to a thirteenth aspect of the present invention, the control unit detects that the light amount of any one of the plurality of light irradiation devices has dropped below a threshold value by the light amount detection unit. In this case, since the light irradiation device is controlled so as to be displayed on the display means in such a manner that the light irradiation device that has fallen below the threshold value can be discriminated, the user has the light amount in the plurality of light irradiation devices provided. A state in which it is easy to recognize that there is a light irradiation device that has fallen below the threshold value, and a state in which it is possible to immediately determine which light irradiation device has a light amount that has fallen below the threshold value. It is.

  According to the first aspect of the present invention, even when one of the light sources is not turned on, or even when the predetermined light quantity is not reached, it is possible to perform unidirectional recording using only a normal light source. Recording can be continued at a low speed until the defective light source is replaced. In addition, since only a normal light source is used, it is possible to prevent ink curing failure due to insufficient irradiation light amount, the generation of odors associated therewith, and deterioration in image quality.

According to the second aspect of the invention, the same effect as that of the first aspect of the invention can be obtained, and in particular, only the light source located on the rear side with respect to the traveling direction of the recording head is used. The time from the ink droplet landing on the recording medium to the light irradiation can be realized at an ideal timing, and good image quality can be maintained even in one-way recording.

  According to the invention described in claim 3, in addition to obtaining the same effect as the invention described in claims 1-2, in particular, since ultraviolet rays are used as the light source, the curability of the ink is better than other radiation sources, Costs can be kept cheap.

  According to the invention described in claim 4, the same effect as that of the invention described in claims 1 to 3 can be obtained, and in particular, since a cationic polymerization type ink is used as a photo-curing type ink, the effect is low. The ink can be effectively cured by the amount of light, and the light source device can be reduced in size and cost.

  According to the invention described in claim 5, the control unit detects that the light amount of any one of the plurality of light irradiation devices has decreased below a threshold value by the light amount detection unit. Recording is performed using a light irradiation device that emits a light amount that is equal to or greater than the threshold value, so even if there is a light irradiation device whose light amount has decreased below the threshold value, good recording quality It is possible to continue image recording while maintaining.

  According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, the control means detects that the light quantity of any one of the plurality of light irradiation apparatuses has dropped below a threshold value by the light quantity detection means. In this case, it is controlled so as to prohibit image recording using a light irradiation device that emits a light amount less than a threshold value. Recording can be continued while effectively preventing spots and variations, generation of odors, and waste of ink and recording media.

  According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, the control means detects that the light amount of any one of the plurality of light irradiation devices has dropped below a threshold value by the light amount detection device. In this case, image recording by reciprocal movement of the recording head in the main scanning direction is prohibited, and control is performed so as to enable image recording by movement in one direction of the main scanning direction of the recording head in the previous period. Therefore, it is possible to continue the recording while effectively preventing the ink curing failure due to the insufficient irradiation light amount and effectively preventing the occurrence of unevenness in image quality, variation, odor generation, and waste of the ink and the recording medium.

  According to an eighth aspect of the present invention, the ink jet recording apparatus includes a display unit, and the control unit controls the light amount of any one of the plurality of light irradiation devices by the light amount detection unit. When it is detected that it has fallen below the threshold value, it is possible to select whether to perform image recording using a light irradiation device that irradiates a light amount equal to or greater than the threshold value, or to prohibit subsequent image recording, Since the control is performed so that the display unit displays the light, the user can easily recognize that there is a light irradiation device in which the amount of light is reduced below a threshold value among the plurality of light irradiation devices. At the same time, it is possible to select whether to continue or stop recording according to the situation at that time.

  According to a ninth aspect of the present invention, the ink jet recording apparatus includes a display unit, and the control unit uses the light amount detection unit to detect the light amount of any one of the plurality of light irradiation devices. In order to control the display means to display on the display means that there is a light irradiation device whose light amount has fallen below the threshold, it is provided by the user. It is possible to easily recognize that there is a light irradiating device in which the amount of light falls below a threshold value.

  According to a tenth aspect of the present invention, the ink jet recording apparatus includes a display unit, and the control unit uses the light amount detection unit to detect the light amount of any one of the plurality of light irradiation devices. In order to control the display unit to display the light irradiation device whose light amount has fallen below the threshold when it is detected that the light has fallen below the threshold, a plurality of users are provided. It is easy to recognize that there is a light irradiation device whose light amount has decreased below the threshold value in the light irradiation device, and the light amount of any light irradiation device has decreased below the threshold value. Can be recognized very easily.

  According to an eleventh aspect of the present invention, the ink jet recording apparatus is connected to display means, and the control means is one of the plurality of light irradiation apparatuses by the light amount detection means. When it is detected that the amount of light has fallen below the threshold value, it is possible to select whether to perform image recording using a light irradiation device that irradiates the light amount above the threshold value or to prohibit subsequent image recording In addition, since control is performed so that the display means displays, the user can select whether to continue recording or take measures such as replacing the light source according to the situation at that time.

  According to a twelfth aspect of the present invention, the ink jet recording apparatus is connected to display means, and the control means is one of the plurality of light irradiation apparatuses by the light amount detection means. In order to control the display means to display on the display means that there is a light irradiation device whose light amount has decreased below the threshold value, It can be recognized very easily that a plurality of light irradiation devices are present that have a light amount lower than a threshold value.

  According to a thirteenth aspect of the present invention, the ink jet recording apparatus is connected to display means, and the control means is one of the plurality of light irradiation apparatuses by the light amount detection means. When it is detected that the amount of light has decreased below the threshold value, the light irradiation device whose light amount has decreased below the threshold value is controlled to be displayed on the display means in a distinguishable manner. It is very easy to notice that there is a light irradiation device whose light amount has dropped below the threshold value among the light irradiation devices provided, and the light amount of any light irradiation device is less than the threshold value Therefore, it is possible to easily grasp whether or not it is lowered, and it is possible to reduce labor and time required for light source replacement work.

  Embodiments of an ink jet recording apparatus according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 shows an embodiment of an ink jet recording apparatus according to the present invention, which is a serial head type ink jet recording apparatus 1. The ink jet recording apparatus 1 has a rod-shaped guide rail 2, and a carriage 3 is supported on the guide rail 2. The carriage 3 can be reciprocated in the scanning direction X along the guide rail 2 by a carriage drive mechanism 19 (see FIG. 2).

  The carriage 3 is provided with a recording head 5 provided with nozzles (not shown) for ejecting ink of each color of yellow (Y), magenta (M), cyan (C), and black (K) with respect to the recording medium 4. Is installed. In this embodiment, the ink ejected from the recording head 5 is directly landed on the recording medium 4. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the ink ejected from the recording head 5. However, it may be configured to be held by a carrier such as an intermediate transfer member and then landed by transferring ink from the carrier to the recording medium 4.

  The ink used in the present embodiment is an ultraviolet curable ink that is cured by irradiating ultraviolet rays. Ultraviolet curable inks are broadly classified into radically polymerizable inks containing radically polymerizable compounds and cationically polymerizable inks containing cationically polymerizable compounds as polymerizable compounds. Both types of inks are used in this embodiment. As the ink used in the present embodiment, a hybrid ink in which a radical polymerization ink and a cation polymerization ink are combined may be used as the ink used in the present embodiment. However, cationic polymerization inks that have little or no inhibitory effect on the polymerization reaction due to oxygen are more excellent in functionality and versatility, and it is particularly preferable to use cationic polymerization inks.

  As the recording medium 4, a recording medium 4 made of a material such as plain paper, recycled paper, glossy paper or the like, various fabrics, various non-woven fabrics, resin, metal, glass or the like is applicable. In particular, as the recording medium 4 used in the present embodiment, a transparent or opaque non-absorbent resin film used for so-called soft packaging can be applied.

  An ultraviolet irradiation device as a light irradiation device having a light source 6 on both sides of the recording head 5 in the main scanning direction X of the carriage 3 and irradiating the ink ejected from the nozzles to the recording medium 4 with ultraviolet rays. 7a and 7b are provided. As the light source 6, a high-pressure mercury lamp, a metal halide lamp, a hot cathode tube, a cathode tube, an LED, or the like is applied.

  The central part of the movable range of the carriage 3 is a recording area for recording on the recording medium 4, and this recording area is composed of a plate-like member and supports the recording medium 4 from the non-recording surface. 10 is provided.

  The ink jet recording apparatus 1 is provided with a transport mechanism 20 (see FIG. 2) for transporting the recording medium 4 to the upper surface of the platen 10, and the transport mechanism 20 operates the carriage 3 during image recording. Accordingly, the recording medium 4 is intermittently conveyed in the sub-scanning direction Y by repeatedly conveying and stopping the recording medium 4. In the present embodiment, the climate in which the recording medium 4 is conveyed in the sub-scanning direction Y with respect to the recording head and / or the light irradiation device is exemplified. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the recording medium 4 is not limited to this. Alternatively, it is only necessary to have relative movement means for moving the light irradiation device relative to each other, and the control means controls the relative movement means.

  Further, on one side of the platen 10 in the movable range of the carriage 3, that is, at the home position of the carriage 3, light amount detection devices 9a and 9b for detecting the light amounts of the two ultraviolet irradiation devices 7a and 7b, respectively, Each of the irradiation devices 7a and 7b is provided upward in a state of being spaced apart by the same interval.

  FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a control device for controlling the inkjet recording apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment. The control device includes, for example, a CPU 15, a RAM 16, and a ROM 17, and a processing program recorded in the ROM 17. Is stored in the RAM 16 and the CPU 15 executes the processing program.

  The control unit 18 controls the carriage drive mechanism 19, the transport mechanism 20, the recording head 5, the ultraviolet irradiation device 7, the light amount detection device 9, and the like according to the processing program described above.

  That is, the light quantity detection device 9 is connected to the control unit 18, and the control unit 18 controls the ultraviolet ray irradiation amount with respect to the recording medium 4 by the ultraviolet ray irradiation device 7 according to the detection result of the light quantity detection device 9. It has become.

  Specifically, the control unit 18 measures the light amounts of the left and right ultraviolet irradiation devices 7a and 7b using the light amount detection devices 9a and 9b according to the recording start signal of the inkjet recording device 1, and the left and right ultraviolet irradiation devices 7a. , 7b is configured to check whether or not the light quantity is turned on at a predetermined threshold value or more.

  The control unit 18 controls to perform normal bidirectional recording when the light amounts of the left and right ultraviolet irradiation devices 7a and 7b detected by the light amount measuring devices 9a and 9b are both equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold value. However, when only the light amount of the ultraviolet irradiation device 7a is less than a predetermined threshold value, control is performed so that one-way recording is performed using the ultraviolet irradiation device 7b, and conversely, only the light amount of the ultraviolet irradiation device 7b is predetermined. When it is less than the threshold value, it is configured to control to perform unidirectional recording using the ultraviolet irradiation device 7a. When both the light amounts of the ultraviolet irradiation devices 7a and 7b are less than a predetermined threshold value, the image recording is stopped, the fact that the image recording is stopped, and / or the light amount of the ultraviolet irradiation device is predetermined. It is configured to control to display that it is less than the threshold value.

  Further, when the light amount detection devices 9a and 9b detect that the light amount of one or both of the left and right ultraviolet irradiation devices 7a and 7b is less than a predetermined threshold, The display unit can be controlled to display so as to prompt the user to replace the ultraviolet irradiation device whose light amount is less than a predetermined threshold value.

  Next, the operation of the ink jet recording apparatus of this embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing an example of processing of the control means by the ink jet recording apparatus of this embodiment. The description on the right or left in this figure will be described below as referring to the left or right ultraviolet irradiation device 7a or 7b in FIG. 1, FIG. 4 or FIG.

  First, after recording is started (step S1), the light amount of the right ultraviolet irradiation device 7b is measured using the light amount detection device 9b (step S2). Subsequently, the light amount of the left ultraviolet irradiation device 7a is measured using the light amount detection device 9a (step S3). Thereafter, it is determined whether or not the right ultraviolet irradiation device 7b is lit (step S4), and when it is lit (in a state where the light amount is not lower than the threshold and is normally lit) (step S4; Yes). Determines whether or not the left ultraviolet irradiation device 7a is lit (step S5). When the left ultraviolet irradiation device 7a is also lit (step S5; Yes), since bidirectional recording is possible, control is performed to perform bidirectional recording (step S6).

  In step S4, when the right ultraviolet ray irradiation device 7b has a light quantity equal to or smaller than the threshold value (step S4; No), it is determined whether the left ultraviolet ray irradiation device 7a is turned on (step S9). ), When it is lit (step S9; Yes), control is performed so as to perform recording in one direction (the forward direction A in FIG. 4) (step S10). At the same time, for example, the display unit displays that the right ultraviolet irradiation device 7b is less than the threshold value, and prompts the user to replace the right ultraviolet irradiation device 7b (step S11).

  In step S5, when the light quantity of the left ultraviolet irradiation device 7a is less than the threshold value (step S5; No), recording in one direction (return direction B in FIG. 5) is permitted (step S7). At the same time, for example, the display unit displays that the light quantity of the left ultraviolet irradiation device 7a is less than the threshold value, and prompts the user to replace the left ultraviolet irradiation device 7a (step S8). As is clear from the above, when an ultraviolet irradiation device whose light amount is less than the threshold value and an ultraviolet irradiation device whose light amount is greater than or equal to the threshold value are specified, It is used to perform image recording. Then, the ultraviolet irradiation device performs image recording that is downstream of the recording head in the main scanning direction. In the above control, irradiation with an ultraviolet irradiation device whose light amount is less than a threshold value may be prohibited.

  If the amount of light from the left ultraviolet irradiation device 7a is less than the threshold value in step S9 (step S9; No), neither ultraviolet irradiation device can be used and it is difficult to continue recording. The operation is stopped (step S12). At this time, for example, the display unit displays that the amount of light in each of the ultraviolet irradiation devices 7a and 7b is less than the threshold value. Or the like may be issued (step S13). In the above description, an example is described in which the recording operation is stopped when the light amounts of both the ultraviolet irradiation devices 7a and 7b are less than the threshold value. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the ultraviolet irradiation device 7a, When the light quantity of any one of 7b is less than the threshold value, the recording is temporarily stopped to display that there is an ultraviolet ray irradiation apparatus whose light quantity is less than the threshold value, or to indicate the ultraviolet ray irradiation apparatus. You may do it. Furthermore, when there is an ultraviolet irradiation device whose light amount is equal to or greater than a threshold value, the ultraviolet irradiation device is used to display that unidirectional recording is possible, or to continue image recording by unidirectional recording. You may make it display so that the cancellation of subsequent image recording can be selected.

  In the figure, when determining whether the light intensity of the ultraviolet irradiation devices 7a and 7b is equal to or greater than the threshold value or less than the threshold value, the light source does not turn on at all. Is 0%) and included in the flowchart No .. In the present embodiment, the recording start signal is exemplified as the trigger for detecting the amount of light, but the predetermined condition for detecting the amount of light in the present invention is not limited to this, and when the number of times of image recording reaches the predetermined number of times, For example, the operation time of the image recording apparatus may reach a predetermined time, or the ink consumption may reach a predetermined amount. Further, the predetermined condition may be that a specific mode is selected. In this case, it may be a selection of a cleaning mode for cleaning the recording head or a photometry mode for causing the light amount measuring device to perform photometry. Furthermore, since it is preferable to perform light quantity measurement after the flow of dust, dust, and ink mist in the inkjet recording apparatus 1 has settled, control is performed so that photometry is performed after a predetermined time has elapsed since the above predetermined condition has been satisfied. Good. As is clear from the above, the light amount detection is not limited to during image recording, but may be performed between jobs, after power-on of the inkjet recording apparatus 1, or the like.

  As described above, according to the ink jet recording apparatus according to the present embodiment, even when one of the light sources is not turned on or when the predetermined light quantity is not reached, one-way recording is performed using only a normal light source. Therefore, recording can be continued at a low speed until the failed light source is replaced. In addition, since only a normal light source is used, it is possible to prevent ink curing failure due to insufficient irradiation light amount, the generation of odors associated therewith, and deterioration in image quality.

  Moreover, since only the light source located on the rear side with respect to the traveling direction of the recording head is used, the time from the landing of the ink droplet onto the recording medium to the irradiation of light can be realized at an ideal timing. Good image quality can be maintained even in one-way recording.

  Furthermore, since ultraviolet rays are used as the light source, the curability of the ink is better than other light sources, and the cost can be reduced. In particular, since cationic polymerization ink is used as the photocurable ink, the ink can be effectively cured with a low amount of light, and the light source device can be reduced in size and cost.

1 is a schematic configuration diagram showing an embodiment of an ink jet recording apparatus according to the present invention. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the control apparatus for controlling the inkjet recording device in this embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows an example of the process of the control means by the inkjet recording device of this embodiment. It is a schematic block diagram which shows one Embodiment of the inkjet recording device which concerns on this invention, and is a schematic block diagram which showed the printing operation direction in case the light quantity of one ultraviolet irradiation device is less than a threshold value. It is a schematic block diagram which shows one Embodiment of the inkjet recording device which concerns on this invention, and is a schematic block diagram which showed the printing operation direction in case the light quantity of the other ultraviolet irradiation device is less than a threshold value.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Inkjet recording device 2 Guide rail 3 Carriage 4 Recording medium 5 Recording head 6 Light source 7 Ultraviolet irradiation device 8 Head maintenance unit 9 Light quantity detection device 10 Platen

Claims (13)

A recording head that ejects ink that is cured by irradiating light; a plurality of light irradiation devices that emit light that cures the ink; and a light amount detection unit that detects the amount of light emitted from the light irradiation device. The recording head is reciprocated in the main scanning direction while transporting the recording medium in a fixed direction to eject ink, land on the recording medium, and then irradiate light by the light irradiation device. In an inkjet recording apparatus that forms an image by curing,
The light irradiation device is disposed so as to be positioned before and after the recording head in the main scanning direction,
When the light amount detection unit detects that the light amount of any one of the plurality of light irradiation devices has decreased below a threshold value, the light irradiation device irradiates the light amount less than the threshold value. An ink jet recording apparatus comprising: a control unit that enables image recording only when the recording head moves in a certain direction using a light irradiation device located on the opposite side. The control unit performs control so that an image is recorded only in a direction in which a light source capable of irradiating a normal light amount is located rearward with respect to a main scanning direction of the recording head. 2. An ink jet recording apparatus according to 1. The inkjet recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the ink is an ultraviolet curable ink, and the light irradiation device is an ultraviolet irradiation device. The inkjet recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the ink is a cationic polymerization type ink. The control unit irradiates a light amount greater than or equal to the threshold when the light amount detection unit detects that the light amount of any one of the plurality of light irradiation devices has decreased below a threshold value. The inkjet recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the image recording is controlled using a light irradiation apparatus that performs the recording. The control unit irradiates the light amount less than the threshold when the light amount detection unit detects that the light amount of any one of the plurality of light irradiation devices has decreased below the threshold value. The inkjet recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the image recording is controlled to be prohibited from being performed by using the light irradiation apparatus. If the light quantity detection means detects that the light quantity of any one of the plurality of light irradiation devices has dropped below a threshold value, the first-stage control means detects the main scanning direction of the recording head. 2. The ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein image recording by reciprocal movement of the recording head is prohibited and image recording can be performed by movement in one direction of the main scanning direction of the recording head. The inkjet recording apparatus includes a control unit, and the control unit detects that the light amount of any one of the plurality of light irradiation devices has decreased below a threshold value by the light amount detection unit. If so, control can be made to display on the display means so that it is possible to select whether to perform image recording using a light irradiation device that irradiates a light amount equal to or greater than a threshold value or to prohibit image recording thereafter. The ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 1. The inkjet recording apparatus includes a display unit, and the control unit detects that the light amount of any one of the plurality of light irradiation devices has decreased below a threshold value by the light amount detection unit. 2. The ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein when the light is applied, the display unit is controlled to display that there is a light irradiating device having a light amount lower than a threshold value. The inkjet recording apparatus includes a display unit, and the control unit detects that the light amount of any one of the plurality of light irradiation devices has decreased below a threshold value by the light amount detection unit. 2. The ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein, when the light irradiation apparatus is operated, the display unit is controlled so as to display the light irradiation apparatus whose light amount has decreased below a threshold value. The inkjet recording apparatus is connected to a display unit, and the control unit is configured such that the light amount of any one of the plurality of light irradiation devices is reduced below a threshold value by the light amount detection unit. Is detected, the display unit is controlled so as to select whether image recording is performed using a light irradiation device that emits a light amount equal to or greater than a threshold value, or whether image recording after that is prohibited. The inkjet recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein: The inkjet recording apparatus is connected to a display unit, and the control unit is configured such that the light amount of any one of the plurality of light irradiation devices is reduced below a threshold value by the light amount detection unit. 2. The ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein when the light is detected, the display unit is controlled to display that there is a light irradiating device whose light amount has decreased below a threshold value. The inkjet recording apparatus is connected to a display unit, and the control unit is configured such that the light amount of any one of the plurality of light irradiation devices is reduced below a threshold value by the light amount detection unit. 2. The inkjet recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein when the light is detected, the display unit is controlled to display the light irradiation device whose light amount has decreased below a threshold value in a distinguishable manner.

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