JP2006007635A - Image recorder - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an image recorder capable of readily calculating a relationship between an amount of inclination of a head and the number of blocks to be divided, facilitating adjustment of deviation of a register, not creating a color shift, and forming a high quality image. <P>SOLUTION: When an amount of inclination of a second head with respect to a first head as a reference is represented by "E" pixels, a control means divides a range of ink ejection nozzles provided on a second head into a plurality of blocks according to a divisional number of the amount of inclination of "E+1". The control means controls an ejection timing of ink for correcting a print timing by each one pixel from the block as the reference by each block division. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to an ink jet type image recording apparatus that drives a head having a plurality of ink ejection openings and ejects ink onto a recording medium based on image information.

  Recently, based on image information, for example, four color inks of cyan (C), magenta (M), yellow (Y), and black (BK) are ejected as fine ink droplets to record a color image on a recording medium. An ink jet type image recording apparatus (hereinafter referred to as an ink jet printer apparatus) is commercially available.

  Ink jet printers that record such color images are generally head devices (also referred to as head means or head units) that are provided with heads that eject only each ink (also referred to as ink droplets) for four colors. And a control circuit that performs drive control such as the timing of ink ejection ejected from the ink ejection ports of the heads of the respective colors of the head unit, and a feeding and conveying device that feeds and conveys the recording medium.

  The colors recorded on the recording medium are reproduced by the colors of the ink ejected from the heads of the respective colors, and the colors other than the four ink colors are, for example, ink droplets that are ejected at the same point on the recording medium. It is reproduced by controlling the number of colors and the amount of ink droplets in a complicated manner.

  In particular, in recent years, inkjet printer apparatuses that place importance on color reproducibility of color images are also commercially available with an intermediate color head for ejecting ink adjusted to an intermediate color in addition to the above four colors. Complicated control of ink ejection timing is performed.

  Therefore, the ink droplets ejected from the heads corresponding to the respective colors need to be ejected to exactly the same point, and when they are ejected with a deviation (also referred to as resist misregistration), the color balance is lost due to the color misregistration and is recorded. The image quality will be significantly reduced.

  On the other hand, the head needs to increase the number of dots per inch (also referred to as the number of pixels, which corresponds to the number of ink droplets) as finer image recording is performed. In order to cope with this, it is necessary to provide a large number of ink discharge ports at extremely fine intervals (also referred to as pitch).

  However, a head that requires fine processing is extremely difficult to perform fine processing such as the ink discharge port and the pitch of the ink discharge port. Therefore, in consideration of stable production, the fineness is limited.

  Therefore, in particular, in order to construct a head having a fine pitch, a plurality of head blocks having ink discharge ports formed at a certain pitch are used, and are shifted by, for example, a half pitch so that the ink discharge ports do not overlap each other. The technology of making the apparent pitch fine by arranging them in parallel is used. There is a high possibility that the head units configured in this way are attached with their heads tilted.

  Further, a head that requires ink discharge ports at a fine pitch has various paper sizes such as paper as a recording medium, for example, A4 size, B4 size, and further A3 due to the difficulty in processing as described above. It is difficult to produce a head having a length sufficient for recording with a single head block for the width and length of the paper of a size or larger.

  Therefore, in general, a head having a plurality of ink discharge ports that can be manufactured stably is a head block having a reference length, and the head block is used as one unit (also referred to as a head module). Depending on the number of line head blocks, the required number of line head blocks are arranged in the main scanning direction at predetermined intervals, and other line head blocks are arranged in parallel in the sub-scanning direction in order to complement the head block spacing. A technique is known in which a line head having a length corresponding to the paper size is configured.

  In such a head unit constituted by a plurality of head blocks, it is necessary to adjust the positions of the head blocks arranged in parallel so that ink droplets are correctly driven at the same point on the recording medium.

  There are two methods for adjusting the position. Mechanical adjustment is performed by adjusting the mutual mounting position of the head block or the like on the base of the head device, for example. An adjustment method for adjusting the ink ejection timing of the head block adjusted and fixed by adjusting the application timing of the electric signal.

  Mechanical adjustments are difficult to make fine adjustments and often require skill, but electrical adjustments do not require skill and can be performed relatively easily and in a short time by executing according to the procedure of the adjustment program. There is an advantage that the adjustment can be performed with high accuracy.

Therefore, in order to provide a recording apparatus that can electrically adjust the registration deviation due to the tilt of the head, the ink discharge port line is divided into a predetermined number of blocks, and the driving order of the blocks is switched. A technique is known in which deviation adjustment is performed (for example, see Patent Document 1).
JP-A-7-40551

  However, in Patent Document 1, it can be understood that the inclination can be adjusted by dividing the inclination of the ink discharge port line (column) of the head into a predetermined number of blocks and switching the drive order of the blocks. In the case of a slope, there is no specific disclosure such as what block to divide and what timing should be adjusted, and the timing is changed after dividing into several blocks by trial and error. Therefore, there is a problem that a timing adjustment that can ensure a desired accuracy has to be found.

  SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In view of the above problems, the present invention provides a high-quality image recording apparatus that can easily calculate the relationship between the head tilt amount and the number of blocks to be divided, can easily adjust registration deviation, and does not cause color deviation. With the goal.

  This invention can achieve the said objective by taking the following structure.

  (1) Head means having a first head comprising a plurality of ink ejection openings, a second head comprising a plurality of ink ejection openings arranged in parallel with the first head, and the head means based on image information And a control means for controlling the recording medium to eject ink from the ink ejection port to the recording medium, wherein the control means includes the second head relative to the first head serving as a reference. Is the E pixel, the range of the ink discharge ports provided in the second head is divided into a plurality of blocks by the number of divisions of the inclination amount E + 1, and becomes a reference for each of the divided blocks. An image recording apparatus that performs ink ejection timing control for correcting printing timing in units of one pixel from a block.

  (2) The image according to (1), wherein the first head and the second head are head blocks in which a plurality of ink discharge ports are provided at predetermined intervals in the main scanning direction. Recording device.

  (3) In the first head and the second head, a plurality of head blocks each having a plurality of ink discharge ports provided at predetermined intervals in the main scanning direction are provided at predetermined intervals in the main scanning direction. The image recording apparatus according to (1), wherein the image recording apparatus is a line head block.

  According to the present invention, when the inclination amount of the second head relative to the reference first head is found to be E pixels, the range of the ink discharge port provided in the second head is divided into a plurality of divisions of the inclination amount E + 1. Each block is divided into blocks, and the printing timing is corrected in units of one pixel from the reference block. Therefore, the number of blocks to be divided can be easily calculated based on the amount of inclination, and the registration error can be adjusted. It has become possible to provide a high-quality image recording apparatus that is simple and does not cause color misregistration.

  Further, when the first head and the second head are arranged side by side, it is necessary to change the adjustment method regardless of whether the head is a single head block or a line head block including a plurality of head blocks. Since the same adjustment can be performed, equipment such as equipment and programs related to the adjustment can be shared, the adjustment time can be shortened, and the productivity can be improved.

  Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings, but the present invention is not limited thereto. In addition, in each drawing, the thing of the same code | symbol shall show the same thing, and shall be demonstrated in detail suitably with reference to other related drawings.

  1 is a schematic diagram of an ink jet printer apparatus according to the present invention, FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of a head unit according to the present invention, FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram for explaining an image recording method by the head unit according to the present invention, and FIG. FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram for explaining a tilt amount detection method according to the present invention, FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram for explaining a tilt adjustment control method according to the present invention, and FIG. 6 is a circuit configuration of the ink jet printer apparatus according to the present invention. FIG.

  The configuration of the ink jet printer apparatus according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIG.

  Reference numeral 100 denotes an entire inkjet printer apparatus, 1 is a housing, 2 is a support unit that supports the housing 1, and 3 is a paper discharge tray on which a recording medium (paper) P on which an image is recorded is discharged and stacked.

  Inside the housing 1, a control circuit EC, a head unit 10, a maintenance unit 20, a sheet feeding / conveying unit 30, and a sheet storage unit 40 in which a recording medium P is stored are provided.

  In order to simplify the description of the present embodiment, illustration and detailed description of an ink supply unit provided with an ink cartridge, an ink flow path, and the like necessary for an ink jet printer device are omitted. .

  The details of the control circuit EC will be described later. For example, according to a program stored in the CPU, various means constituting the printer apparatus are operated to read image information of the document, or via an interface (not shown). A printer function for executing a series of image information recording control for inputting image information, etc. from an external information device, storing the information, recording it on a recording medium, and outputting it, and various functions for surely executing the printer function A maintenance function for adjusting and maintaining the means is provided.

  As will be described in detail later, the head unit 10 includes a plurality of ink ejection openings for ejecting, for example, each of cyan (C), magenta (M), yellow (Y), and black (BK). The heads are provided for four colors, and although not shown, for example, an ink cartridge corresponding to each head, a drive circuit for performing an ink ejection operation, and the like are integrally incorporated. Generally, it may be called a head unit.

  The maintenance means 20 is provided with a cap that covers the vicinity of the ink discharge port so that dust or dust adheres to the ink discharge port of the head or the ink does not dry and become clogged when the printing operation is interrupted for a while. Clogged by installing or cleaning the ink discharge port before starting the next print operation after interrupting the print operation or at regular intervals Is recovered so that a normal ink discharge operation can be performed.

  The sheet feeding / conveying means 30 takes out recording media P (also referred to as sheets) stored in the sheet storing means 40 one by one, feeds and conveys them in the direction of the head means 10, and records the recording medium P on which an image is recorded. Is discharged toward the discharge tray 3.

  The operation of the paper feeding / conveying means 30 is to first take out the paper P stored in the paper storage means 40 one by one by the delivery roller R1. A pair of rollers R2 sends the taken paper P in the direction of the pair of rollers R3 through the paper feed guide 5. The sheet nipped by the roller R3 is further sent to the roller R4.

  Next, an image is recorded on the paper P by the fixed head means 10. In order to stably convey the sheet at a constant speed, the belt 7 is stretched by a roller R5 and a plurality of rollers 6, and the roller R4 and the roller R5 are pressed against each other via the belt 7, and the roller R5 Is rotated by a driving source such as a stepping motor (not shown), the belt 7 is also rotated.

  The paper P sandwiched between the roller R4 and the roller R5 via the belt 7 is opposed to the head means 10 and an image is recorded while being conveyed at a constant speed.

  Thereafter, a paper discharge conveyance operation is executed, and when the paper P on which an image is recorded is sent to the paper discharge conveyance guide 6 by the belt 7, it is nipped by a pair of rollers R7 and discharged to the paper discharge tray 3. It has become so.

  The paper storage means 40 is a means for storing paper P on which no image is recorded. For example, it may be detachable from the printer apparatus 100 by a cassette method, or may be stored separately according to the material, size, etc. of the paper so that it can be taken out.

  The head means 10 will be described with reference to FIG.

  The head unit 10 is also referred to as a head unit, and for example, transports, for example, paper P on the base 11 corresponding to four colors of ink of cyan (C), magenta (M), yellow (Y), and black (BK). BK, C, M, and Y head modules dedicated to the respective inks are positioned and attached at predetermined reference positions from the upstream side in the direction (also indicated by the arrow X, also referred to as the sub-scanning direction).

  In the present embodiment, taking the head module Y as an example, for example, a head block having the same structure as one head block Ya1 in which a plurality of ink discharge ports are formed in a line in the main scanning direction is represented by Ya1 to Yan. A number of the head blocks Ya are arranged in the main scanning direction at a predetermined interval. Further, the head blocks Yb1 having the same structure as the head block Ya1 have Yb1 to Ybn in the main scanning direction at a predetermined interval so as to complement the intervals in the main scanning direction of the head blocks in the Ya row. Are arranged to form a head block Yb row. The Yb rows are arranged in parallel in the sub-scanning direction at predetermined intervals so as to face the head block Ya rows.

  Similarly, in the head module M, a Ma row composed of the head blocks Ma1 and the like and a Mb row composed of the head blocks Mb1 and the like are arranged in parallel in the sub-scanning direction. In the head module C, a Ca row composed of the head block Ca1 and the like and a Cb row composed of the head block Cb1 and the like are arranged in parallel in the sub-scanning direction. In the head module BK, a BKa row including the head blocks BKa1 and the like and a BKb row including the head blocks BKb1 are arranged in parallel in the sub-scanning direction.

  The ink jet method is roughly classified into a piezoelectric method using the vibration of a piezoelectric element and a bubble method using instantaneous bubble generation, and there are various types of structures in the piezoelectric method. .

  The structure of the head block in the present embodiment is one form by a piezoelectric system, and detailed description is omitted. For example, a plurality of rooms divided into squares like a musical instrument harmonica using a piezoelectric element as a base material. A plate member called a nozzle plate in which a plurality of ink discharge ports composed of fine holes are formed on the side from which the harmonica is filled is filled with ink from the side in contact with the harmonica mouth and the breathing side of the harmonica is bonded. It has a structure.

  When a voltage having a predetermined waveform is applied to both wall portions of the room in which the ink discharge port is provided, both walls vibrate and ink droplets are discharged from the ink discharge port.

  Therefore, since both walls of the room for ejecting ink droplets are shared with the walls of the adjacent rooms, it is difficult for the two adjacent rooms to be simultaneously ejected by the influence of wall vibration. It is.

  Therefore, in general, in the head block having such a structure, the ink discharge ports are not provided continuously, but every other one is provided in the main scanning direction, and the interval (pitch) between the ink discharge ports becomes wide. ing.

  In the head block having such a structure, when trying to make the number of pixels per inch fine, for example, in order to narrow the interval between the ink discharge ports, the ink discharge ports of other head blocks with respect to the reference head block Therefore, a technique for doubling the pixel density per inch is required by using these positions in parallel at positions shifted by a half pitch in the main scanning direction.

  An image recording method using a head unit using a combination of several head blocks will be described with reference to FIG.

  In the present embodiment, the head module H1 and the head module H2 are juxtaposed in the sub-scanning direction (arrow X) so as to complement the interval. The head module H1 includes four head blocks A, B, C, and D, and A and B or C and D are integrally formed. Further, A and B, C and D, and a block composed of A and B and a block composed of C and D are arranged in parallel in the sub-scanning direction (arrow X) so as to complement the pitch of the ink discharge ports. .

  The small circles in the figure indicate ink discharge ports, and the ink discharge ports of one head block are inclinedly arranged in units of three ink discharge ports in consideration of the print timing of every other ink discharge port. It is repeating.

  In FIG. 3, for reference, a horizontal line is drawn so as to pass through the center of the ink discharge port, so that every other ink discharge port is provided and complements each other. I understand that. Therefore, it can be seen that the ink discharge ports are connected seamlessly in the main scanning direction by the head module H1 and the head module H2.

  Further, on the right side of the drawing of the head module H1, the vertical line perpendicular to the horizontal line is drawn to indicate the letter “H”. Therefore, when this vertical line indicates the ink discharge timing, the head module The ink discharge ports near the joint between the head module H2 and the head module H2 can easily understand at which timing ink droplets are discharged from which ink droplets and the letter “H” is formed.

  In other words, by combining the reference head block in the main scanning direction and the sub-scanning direction, printing can be performed near the joints of the head module in the same manner as the non-joint parts, A line head corresponding to the size can be configured.

  It should be noted that which head module is used for a portion where the ink discharge ports near the joint between the head module H1 and the head module H2 are overlapped is set in advance in the program of the control circuit EC.

  Here, the tilt adjustment of the head module of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. First, the method for detecting the tilt amount will be described with reference to FIG.

  In order to simplify the explanation, it is assumed that the head block B is provided side by side with respect to the head block A on the upstream side in the sub-scanning direction. Further, it is assumed that the plurality of ink discharge ports are formed on a straight line.

  There are various methods for detecting how much the head block B is tilted with respect to the head block A. In the present embodiment, for the sake of simplicity of explanation, a predetermined timing (with respect to the recording medium P) ( Tilt detection that makes it easy to detect the inclination visually by comparing the two straight lines recorded on the recording medium P by ejecting ink from the plurality of ink ejection openings of the head block A and the head block B in T). The method was adopted.

  First, ink is ejected from the ink ejection port of the head block A at a predetermined timing (T) to record one straight line. Thereafter, at a predetermined time difference (ΔT), ink is ejected from the ink ejection ports of the head block B at a predetermined timing (T) as in the case of the head block A, and one straight line is recorded.

  Next, the straight lines printed at the portion indicated by the frame N1, for example, of the head block A and the head block B are compared. The frame N2 is an enlarged view of the straight line printed in the frame N1, and the solid line is a straight line printed by the head block A as a reference, and the broken line is a straight line printed by the head block B.

  It should be noted that the numbers shown above the straight line are -1 (ΔT = ΔT-1), which is an earlier timing for one pixel with reference to a predetermined time difference (ΔT) using the reference head block A, 1 By changing ΔT with a timing that is delayed by one pixel in increments of +1 (ΔT = ΔT + 1), the ink ejection timing is changed for each pixel to detect the amount of inclination. A straight line for -3 pixels is printed.

  As shown by the frame N2, when the straight lines recorded by the head block A and the head block B are compared by subtracting a predetermined time difference (ΔT), that is, by superimposing them, the ink ejection timing is also the same for the head block A. Similarly, since the head block B is controlled at a predetermined timing (T), when there is no inclination, the solid line and the broken line coincide with each other at the position of the numerical value 0 in the frame N2, and overlap.

  However, in the present embodiment, it is the position −2 that the straight lines in the frame N2 overlap. That is, since the solid line printed by the time difference of ΔT = ΔT−2 by the head block A and the broken line printed by the time difference of ΔT by the head block B coincide with each other to form one straight line, the head block B has 2 lines. It can be seen that the image is inclined toward the head block A by the amount of pixels.

  Next, the control method of tilt adjustment according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIG.

  As described above, the number of ink discharge ports provided in the head block is set according to how fine the number of pixels per inch (number of dots) is. In the present embodiment, In order to simplify the explanation, it is assumed that the head block A and the head block B are each provided with 16 ink discharge ports on a straight line.

  (A) In the figure, in order to make the state shown in FIG. 4 easy to understand, the positions of the ink ejection openings of the head block A and the head block B are made to correspond to each other, and there is no time difference (ΔT), and recording on the paper P It is assumed that the ink droplets A1 and B1 are overlapped.

  In this way, the positions of the ink droplets in the head block B are inclined to the head block A side by two pixels at the positions A16 and B16 in the head block A and head block B. I understand.

  The present invention is obtained as a result of repeated various experiments. When the inclination amount is E, a range in which a plurality of ink discharge ports are formed in a row (also referred to as an ink discharge port array) is an inclination amount E + 1. The number of divisions is divided into a plurality of blocks, and the timing of each block of the divided ink discharge ports is adjusted in units of one pixel.

  Accordingly, since the inclination amount E is detected as two pixels, the number of divisions is 2 + 1 = 3, and the range of the ink discharge ports is divided into three.

  In this embodiment, since there are 16 ink discharge ports and the range of the ink discharge ports cannot be divided into three equal parts, A1 (B1) to A5 (B5) are the first blocks, and A6 (B6) to A10 (B10). Is a second block, and A11 (B11) to A16 (B16) are third blocks.

  First, since the first block is at the position of A1 = B1, timing adjustment is not performed.

  Next, the second block performs timing adjustment for one pixel. That is, as shown in (a), since the head block B becomes B6 when printing is performed at the reference A6 timing, the ink discharge is shifted by one pixel by moving the reference A6 timing position to the T1 position. Adjust timing. Specifically, since the head block B is inclined toward the head block A, the ink discharge timings of B6 to B10 are delayed so that ΔT = ΔT + 1 when the ink discharge timing of A1 is used as a reference. Control.

  Similarly, if the third block is printed at the reference A11 timing, it becomes B11. Therefore, by moving the reference A11 timing position to the T2 position, one more pixel than the T1 position of the second block. The ink ejection timing is adjusted so as to shift. Specifically, when the ink discharge timing of A1 is used as a reference, control is performed so that the ink discharge timings of B11 to B16 are delayed so that ΔT = ΔT + 2.

  (B) The figure shows the result of tilt adjustment based on the present invention. As a result of the adjustment as described above, it is understood that the ink droplets discharged from the ink discharge ports in each block of the head block B are adjusted to be positioned between 1 and −1 pixels.

  In the present embodiment, the case where the head block B is tilted in the direction approaching the head block A has been described. However, when the head block B is tilted away from the head block A, the sign of one pixel added to ΔT is set correctly. Adjustment can be made by reversing (+) and negative (-), that is, by increasing the timing.

  Further, the case where the B16 side of the head block B is tilted has been described, but the same adjustment can be made when the B1 side is tilted.

  In this case, adjusting ΔT with reference to B16 makes it easier to determine whether to delay or expedite the ink ejection timing by one pixel with respect to the direction of inclination than adjusting ΔT with reference to B1. There is an advantage.

  That is, according to the present invention, when the inclination amount E is detected, the range of the ink discharge port is divided by the number of divisions of the inclination amount E + 1, and the ink discharge timing is corrected in units of one pixel for each block. It is a thing.

  That is, when the head block B is inclined toward the head block A, the timing of the time difference (ΔT) from the start of printing of the head block A to the start of printing of the head block B should be delayed and moved away. For example, by increasing the timing of the time difference (ΔT), the ink ejection timing is corrected and the head inclination is adjusted.

  The above description regarding the correction of the ink ejection timing has been described in the case where the head block A and the head block B are arranged in parallel in the sub-scanning direction (side-by-side state). Even in a state where Bs are arranged side by side in the main scanning direction (a state where they are arranged vertically), they can be superimposed as shown in FIG. 5A and corrected as shown in FIG.

  However, in this case, unlike the reference of the time difference (ΔT) described in the case where they are arranged side by side in the sub-scanning direction, for example, the inclination is greater than the ink discharge timing (ink discharge start time) of the reference head block A. It is necessary to set the time slightly before in consideration of the ink ejection timing capable of correcting the above.

  In addition, although the case where the head block A and the head block B are arranged side by side in the sub-scanning direction (side-by-side state) has been described, it goes without saying that the inclination can be adjusted similarly in the case of each line head block. Nor.

  The circuit configuration of the ink jet printer apparatus according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIG.

  In the figure, reference numeral 100 denotes a control circuit of the ink jet printer apparatus. The control circuit 100 includes a CPU 110, an information control circuit 120, an interface (I / F) 130, an image processing circuit 140, a drive control circuit 150, a display means 170, It comprises an operation input means 180, a power supply circuit 190, and the like.

  The control circuit 100 is connected via an interface (I / F) 130 to, for example, a host computer 200 that is one of external information devices as image information output means.

  The CPU 110 includes control information storage means (not shown) for storing control information such as sequences corresponding to programs such as various print modes and various control modes stored in advance, and the entire control circuit 100 is based on the control information. To control.

  Note that various printing modes include a monochrome mode, a color image mode, a high-definition mode relating to image drawing, a standard mode, or a simplified mode in which halftone colors are not printed.

  In the present embodiment, in particular, an ink discharge timing for each head, that is, a head adjustment mode in which the head inclination is corrected by correcting the time difference (ΔT), clogging of the ink discharge port, etc. It has a maintenance mode for recovery.

  Furthermore, some have an edit mode or the like that can change the layout of an image to be printed or can enter characters or the like.

  The information control circuit 120 is an image information output unit, for example, an image information memory 121 that stores data such as image information input from the host computer 200, and management information for maintenance management of the inkjet printer apparatus, for example, an inkjet printer A management information memory 122 is provided for storing management information such as what kind of information printing operation is performed by the apparatus at what timing, at what timing, and what kind of maintenance operation is executed.

  In addition, input and output of various information such as image information with external information devices and information for controlling the operation of the ink jet printer apparatus, and control of the flow of various information inside the ink jet printer apparatus quickly and smoothly It has a function.

  In particular, in the present embodiment, the head tilt amount E input by the operation input means 180 described later can be stored in the management information memory 122.

  Further, when the head adjustment mode is selected by the operation input unit 180, the head tilt amount E is read from the management information memory 122, the number of divisions is set to the tilt amount E + 1, and the head ink ejection port is set. The ink ejection timing can be adjusted in units of one pixel for each block obtained by dividing the range by the number of divisions described above.

  When the head adjustment mode is executed, the information control circuit 120 outputs the adjusted ink discharge timing to the drive control circuit 150.

  The image processing circuit 140 converts data such as image information output from the host computer 200 or the like and stored in the image information memory 121 via the information control circuit 120 into print data suitable for the ink jet printer apparatus, and is driven. In conjunction with the control circuit 150, ink is ejected from the ink ejection port by the head means 10 for printing.

  Although the detailed description is omitted, the drive control circuit 150 cooperates with the image processing circuit 140 according to an instruction from the CPU 110 to perform the head unit 10, the maintenance unit 20, the sheet feeding / conveying unit 30, the sheet storage unit 40, and the ink. Various means such as the supply means 50 are driven and controlled so that the ink jet printer apparatus can smoothly perform the operation of recording on the recording medium P based on the image information.

  In particular, when the head adjustment mode is executed, the drive control circuit 150 operates the head unit 10 at the adjusted ink discharge timing output from the information control circuit 120 to discharge ink droplets thereafter. It has become.

  The display unit 170 is configured, for example, as a liquid crystal display device, and the CPU 110 performs screen display for mode selection that allows confirmation of the basic screen and execution status of various modes when various modes are selected.

  In particular, in a mode related to management information, such as the head adjustment mode and the maintenance mode, necessary information, operation procedures, and the like are displayed.

  The operation input unit 180 is configured by, for example, a keyboard, a touch panel, or the like, and can select various modes such as a print mode and an edit mode, a head adjustment mode, and a maintenance mode, and can input necessary information. It has become.

  Those equipped with an edit mode can be entered by using the operation input means 180 to change the layout of images, etc., or to input or select information necessary to add or delete characters. The information is discriminated by the information control circuit 120 and transmitted to the CPU 110 and the image processing circuit 140 or stored in the image information memory 121.

  In the present embodiment, for example, when the head adjustment mode is selected and executed, the head tilt amount E and the like are input, and the input tilt amount E data is information control. The information is stored in the management information memory 122 by the circuit 120.

  When the power supply circuit 190 is turned on by a power switch (not shown), the power supply activation circuit (not shown) provided in the power supply circuit 190 activates the control circuit 100 and the like to enable printing operation by various means. When the power is cut off by a power switch or a command from the CPU 110, the CPU 110 operates various means at a preset reference position (also referred to as an initial position) and terminates all the operations. A provided power cutoff circuit (not shown) is activated to cut off all power.

  As described above, the present invention has been described according to the present embodiment. However, in the present invention, when the amount of inclination is E, the range of the ink ejection ports is divided by the number of divisions of the amount of inclination E + 1. In one pixel unit, when the direction of inclination of the head block B is close to the head block A, the correction is performed so that the printing timing is delayed, and if the direction is away from the head block A, the correction is performed so that the printing timing is advanced. Thus, the number of blocks to be divided can be easily calculated, registration adjustment can be easily adjusted, and a high-quality image recording apparatus that does not cause color deviation can be provided.

  In addition, when the first head and the second head are each a single head block or a line head block composed of a plurality of head blocks, that is, when the heads are arranged in parallel in any case, Since the same adjustment can be performed without changing the adjustment method, equipment such as equipment and programs related to adjustment can be shared, and the adjustment time can be shortened to improve productivity. It was.

  The present invention is not limited to this embodiment, and in particular, the head structure is similar to that of a musical instrument harmonica as in this embodiment, and every other ink ejection port. It is not limited to the structure to be formed. In addition, it is desirable that the ink discharge ports have an optimum configuration depending on the structure of the head, and it is not necessary to shift the set position in units of three as in this embodiment, and the ink discharge ports are continuously formed on a straight line. Needless to say.

  Further, in the present embodiment, the description about the document reading device that reads the image information of the document serving as the attached device is omitted, but the ink jet printer device may be provided with the document reading device, and in this case, it is well known. Alternatively, for example, a line sensor composed of a CCD (Charge Coupled Device) may be provided, and a document reading apparatus of a type that converts read document information into a digital signal may be mounted.

1 is a schematic view of an ink jet printer apparatus according to the present invention. FIG. 3 is a schematic view of a head unit according to the present invention. FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram for explaining an image recording method according to the present invention. The schematic diagram for demonstrating the detection method of the inclination amount which concerns on this invention. The schematic diagram for demonstrating the control method of the inclination adjustment of this invention. 1 is a block diagram showing a circuit configuration of an ink jet printer apparatus according to the present invention.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Housing | casing 2 Support part 3 Paper discharge tray 5 Paper feed conveyance guide 6 Paper discharge conveyance guide 7 Belt 10 Head means 20 Maintenance means 30 Paper feed conveyance means 40 Paper storage means 50 Ink supply means

Claims (3)

Head means having a first head comprising a plurality of ink ejection openings and a second head comprising a plurality of ink ejection openings arranged in parallel to the first head;
And an image recording apparatus including a control unit configured to drive the head unit based on image information to control the recording medium to eject ink from an ink ejection port. When the inclination amount of the second head with respect to the head is E pixels,
The range of the ink discharge port provided in the second head is divided into a plurality of blocks by the number of divisions of the inclination amount E + 1, and the printing timing is corrected in units of one pixel from the reference block for each divided block. An image recording apparatus that performs ink ejection timing control. The image recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first head and the second head are head blocks in which a plurality of ink discharge ports are provided at predetermined intervals in the main scanning direction. The first head and the second head include a line head block in which a plurality of head blocks having a plurality of ink discharge ports provided at predetermined intervals in the main scanning direction are provided at a predetermined interval in the main scanning direction. The image recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:

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