JP2006168110A - Recording device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To reduce the quantity of discharge of a poking out ink during bleed printing. <P>SOLUTION: The distance between a recording area and a paper width detection means is made greater than the recording width of a recording means and an existence area of the recording medium to be printed in the future is sensed prior to main scanning of the recording means of the recording means. The discharge area of an ink poking out from the recording medium is set in line with the information. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention performs recording on a recording apparatus (printer) as an information output apparatus such as a computer, an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine or a facsimile, etc., having a recording medium stacking section on which a recording medium for recording is stacked. The present invention relates to a recording apparatus.

  In a recording apparatus that performs recording using a conventional recording medium, a plurality of types of recording media such as plain paper, OHP, and glossy paper can be used. In addition to general documents, various types of objects such as graphs and photographs can be recorded. In particular, the ink jet recording apparatus has been increasingly used for the purpose of recording photographs due to the recent increase in recording density and image quality.

  While such photographic recording applications are spreading, so-called “marginless recording” in which recording is performed on the entire surface of a recording medium has become an important recording method, particularly in an ink jet recording apparatus. As a recording apparatus capable of realizing the recording method, for example, there is an apparatus disclosed in Patent Document 1.

  The print data setting method at the time of borderless recording in such a conventional ink jet recording apparatus is as follows.

  FIG. 9 is a diagram showing how recording data to be recorded in one main scanning is arranged in the main scanning buffer when a so-called serial type ink jet printer is constituted by an ink jet recording means having a plurality of recording elements. 10 is a diagram showing how print record data is allocated to the entire area of the recording medium during borderless printing.

  When recording is performed by one main scan with each recording element of the recording means, it is necessary to have data indicating whether or not recording is performed at each position in the main scanning direction according to the recording dot density of each recording element.

  FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an example of a main scanning buffer configuration as recording data holding means when the number of recording elements of the recording means is V and the number of recording dots in the entire area of the recording medium main scanning direction is H. .

  Hb1 and Hb2 shown in the figure are the number of recording dots in a region where ink is ejected by protruding from the recording medium provided on both sides in the main scanning direction of the region of the recording medium described above when performing borderless recording.

  This area that protrudes and ejects ink is necessary for borderless printing because of the following.

  As shown in FIG. 10, the actual position of the fed recording medium may deviate from the logical position of the recording medium set from the recording apparatus configuration. This deviation occurs due to variations in the amount of deviation due to dimensional tolerances in manufacturing of the parts constituting the recording apparatus, changes in the feeding and conveying state of the recording medium due to the temperature and humidity environment, and cannot be completely eliminated.

  When performing borderless printing in a situation where the actual recording medium position is shifted from the logical recording medium position, if recording is performed only on the logical position of the recording medium, that is, ink is ejected, the recording medium Since the ink is not ejected and a margin is generated at a portion that protrudes from the logical position, no borderless printing is performed.

Therefore, as shown in FIG. 10, when performing borderless printing, areas that are printed out of the recording medium are set at four positions around the logical position of the recording medium set from the apparatus configuration.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 08-169155 (6th page, FIG. 4)

  Conventionally, however, the range of the area where printing is performed at the time of marginless printing is obtained by experimentally obtaining the maximum deviation amount using an actual machine, and the position of the recording medium conveyed and fed is the logical position. Therefore, even if the deviation amount is the maximum value, it is determined as an amount that can be printed in the entire area of the recording medium, and usually an amount of about 1 to 3 mm is set.

  As a result, a large amount of ink is ejected where no recording medium is present, which causes various problems.

  One of the problems is an increase in ink running cost. Since the ink for the protruding area is added to the size of the recording medium to consume ink per sheet, the larger the protruding amount, the higher the ink running cost.

  Another thing that is wrong is ink stains in the machine. Normally, the ink ejected to the protruding area and ejected to the portion where there is no recording medium is absorbed by the ink absorber provided at the recording position, but it is a small ink droplet of the ejected ink. However, there is a problem that it does not reach the absorber due to the air flow generated by the main scan of the recording head, floats in the machine, adheres to various parts in the machine and gets dirty, and the inside of the machine is not very good looking .

  In view of the above, the present invention provides a recording unit having a plurality of recording elements for performing recording in the recording medium conveyance direction, a carriage on which the recording unit is mounted and main-scanning in a direction perpendicular to the recording medium conveyance direction, Recording is performed by main scanning position detecting means for detecting the position in the main scanning direction, paper width detecting means mounted on the carriage to detect the end of the recording medium perpendicular to the recording medium conveyance direction, and the recording means. Conveying means for sub-scanning the recording medium in a direction perpendicular to main scanning, a recording position for recording by the recording means provided in the middle of the recording medium conveying path by the conveying means, and a recording medium conveying direction from the recording position Paper end detection means for detecting passage of the leading and trailing ends of the recording medium provided upstream, transport amount measuring means for measuring the transport amount of the recording medium by the transport means, and the carrier A recording data holding means for holding recording data to be recorded by the recording means during movement of the recording means, and a control unit for controlling the operation of the apparatus, and repeatedly carrying the recording medium with respect to the recording medium and moving / recording the recording means. In the recording apparatus that performs recording, the paper width detection unit is configured such that the detection is performed at a position that is separated from the most upstream position in the conveyance direction of the recording position by a distance greater than the recording width by the recording unit upstream in the conveyance direction. Provided, and having a paper width information holding means for holding information detected by the paper width detection means, the position of the recording medium where the paper width is detected by the paper width detection means has reached the recording position by the recording means by the recording means. At the time of borderless printing, the recording data is set in the recording data holding means based on the information held in the paper width detecting means. While the necessary minimum printing region out look, but reliably recording medium recorded in the entire region is to be executed.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to minimize the area to be printed out of the recording medium corresponding to the detected recording medium existence area. It can be kept low. Alternatively, since the amount of ink that is ejected and discharged is reduced, the amount of ink that is not absorbed by the recording medium and the ink absorber in the body is reduced, so that ink stains in the machine can be almost eliminated.

  In addition, according to the present invention, since it is possible to detect the presence area of the recording medium prior to setting the recording data in the recording buffer, a recording apparatus having a high print throughput while having the above effects is provided. It becomes possible to do.

  FIG. 3 is an example of a recording apparatus according to the present invention, and is a cross-sectional view of the recording apparatus taken along a plane perpendicular to the main scanning direction.

  Reference numeral 1 denotes an ink jet recording head for recording on a recording medium. In this ink jet recording head, a plurality of recording elements that eject ink are arranged at a predetermined pitch in the recording medium conveyance direction (sub-scanning direction) so that ink dots are arranged at a predetermined resolution on the recording medium.

  2 is a carriage that mounts the inkjet recording head 1 and scans in the main scanning direction, 3 is an ink tank for supplying ink to the inkjet recording head 1 mounted on the carriage 2, and 4 and 5 are main scans of the carriage 2. A carriage shaft serving as a guide at the time, 6 is a transport roller for transporting the recording medium disposed upstream of the area where printing is performed on the recording medium by the inkjet recording head 1, and 7 is a driven roller. Is a driven roller holding member for holding the driven roller 7, and 8 is a second transport roller for transporting the recording medium, which is arranged downstream of the area where printing is performed on the recording medium by the inkjet recording head 1 in the recording medium transport direction. , 9 is a second driven roller with respect to the second transport roller 8, and 11 is engaged with the shaft of the transport roller 6 to keep the transport roller. A conveying roller holding member 12 that is in pressure contact with the conveying roller 6 and the second conveying roller 8 by a spring (not shown), and a transmission roller 13 for transmitting the driving force of the conveying roller 6 to the second conveying roller 8; Is a second driven roller holding member that holds the second driven roller 9, 14 is a paper feed roller that feeds the recording medium to the transport roller 6, 15 is a paper feed stacker that stacks the recording media for paper feeding, 16 is a pressure plate, 17 is a pressure plate spring, 18 is a separation claw for separation, 19 is a recording medium, 20 is a chassis, 21 is a driven roller holding member 10, a holding plate for holding the second driven roller holding member 13, It is.

  22 is a paper end detection lever for detecting the leading and trailing ends of the recording medium 19 fed by the paper feed roller 13, and 23 is a recording medium 19 which converts the movement of the paper end detection lever into a change in electrical signal. A paper edge detection sensor such as an optical sensor for electrically detecting the passage of the paper edge.

  FIG. 4 is a view of the recording apparatus shown in FIG. 3 as viewed from above in the vertical direction, and shows an outline of the vicinity of the main scanning portion by the ink jet recording head 2. The recording medium fed from the paper feed stacker 15 shown in FIG. 3 is fed and conveyed from the lower side to the upper side in FIG. A carriage 2 on which the ink jet recording head 1 is mounted performs main scanning in the left-right direction in FIG.

  4 is a carriage motor for generating a driving force for main-scanning the carriage 2 on the carriage 2. Reference numeral 38 is a carriage belt for transmitting the driving force generated by the carriage motor 36 to the carriage 2 for main-scanning. Is an idler pulley for holding one end of the carriage belt 38 and maintaining a constant tension on the carriage belt 38.

  Reference numeral 40 denotes a code strip for detecting the position of the carriage during main scanning, and reference numeral 41 denotes an encoder mounted on the carriage 2 for converting the code of the code strip 40 into a reading position detection signal.

  Reference numeral 42 denotes a paper width sensor including an optical reflection sensor or the like for detecting an end portion in the main scanning direction of the recording medium fed and transported mounted on the carriage 2.

FIG. 5 shows the positional relationship between the inkjet recording head 1 and the paper width sensor 42.
When the recording width by the ink jet recording head 1 is L0, and the distance from the most upstream position in the transport direction of the recording area by the ink jet recording head 1 to the detection position by the paper width sensor 42 is L,
L0 <L
Therefore, the paper width sensor 42 is arranged on the upstream side of the recording area in the transport direction.

  FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the control circuit of the recording apparatus according to the present invention.

  A CPU 26 in the form of a microprocessor is connected to the host computer 25 via the interface 27.

  The CUP 26 controls a recording operation based on print data from a host computer stored in a program memory 28 which is a read-only memory in ROM form or a buffer memory 29 in RAM form.

  Reference numeral 30 denotes a paper width information holding memory that holds the paper width information of the recording medium detected by the paper width sensor 42, and 31 denotes an operation panel that accepts various user operations.

  The CPU 26 controls the CR motor 36 and the LF motor 37 via the motor drivers 34 and 35, and controls the recording head 1 via the head driver 33 based on the print information stored in the RAM 29.

  As the LF motor 37, a pulse motor, a DC motor with an encoder, or the like that can count the driving amount is used. Although the drive transmission path is not shown, in this embodiment, the conveyance roller 6 and the second conveyance roller 8 are driven by the LF motor 37.

  The sequence at the time of borderless printing in the recording apparatus having the above configuration is shown in FIGS.

  When a print signal is received from the host computer 25, print data reception is started as a print operation using a reception buffer provided in the RAM 29 (S101). The received data is provided in the RAM 29 and converted into data indicating whether or not recording is performed by each recording element of the ink jet recording head in the work area, and each main scanning buffer provided in the RAM 29 also has each main scanning buffer. It is arranged as ink ejection presence / absence data of each recording element of the recording head relative to the scanning position.

In parallel with the execution of the data reception and conversion described above, feeding of the recording medium 19 loaded on the paper feed stacker 15 by the paper feed roller 13 is started. (S102)
When the leading edge of the recording medium is fed in the sub-scanning direction after being fed by the sheet feeding roller 13, the leading edge of the recording medium reaches the paper edge detecting lever 22, and the leading edge of the recording medium 19 at the position of the paper edge detecting lever is reached. Passage is detected.

Thereafter, the recording medium is conveyed to a position where the paper width sensor 42 can detect the paper width in the main scanning direction near the leading edge of the recording medium. (S104)
When the paper width sensor 42 transports a predetermined amount to a position where the position of the end of the recording medium main scanning direction can be detected, the carriage 2 is subjected to main scanning to detect the position of the end of the recording medium 19 in the main scanning direction. (S105)
Information obtained is the positions in the main scanning direction determined by the code strips 40 and encoders 41 at both ends of the recording medium in the main scanning direction.

The detected information is held in the paper width information holding memory 30. (S106)
Next, in order to perform recording with the inkjet recording head 1, the inkjet recording head 1 transports the recording head to a position where recording is possible. (S107)
The paper width information at the transport direction position detected by the paper width sensor 42 of the recording medium is read from the paper width information holding memory when the recording medium position is transported to a recordable position. (S109)
Using the read paper width information of the recording medium, that is, the two main scanning direction end positions of the recording medium, recording data in the main scanning is set in the main scanning buffer.

As described above, if the recording width by the ink jet recording head 1 is L0, and the distance from the most upstream position in the transport direction of the recording area by the ink jet recording head 1 to the detection position by the paper width sensor 42 is L,
L0 <L
Therefore, the paper width sensor 42 is arranged on the upstream side of the recording area in the transport direction.

Thereby, since the recording medium existence area of the area where the main scanning is to be performed from now is obtained as information in advance, the print data setting of the main scanning to be performed from now can be properly executed. . (S110)
An example of the setting will be described with reference to FIG.

  FIG. 7 shows a main scanning buffer. The vertical direction on the paper surface corresponds to the arrangement direction of a plurality of recording elements of the ink jet recording head 1, that is, the address on the paper surface corresponds to the sub-scanning direction (recording medium conveyance direction). The side corresponds to the downstream in the transport direction. As the address, the lower side of the page is the lower address and the upper side is the higher address.

  The left and right direction with respect to the paper surface corresponds to the main scanning direction, and corresponds to the ink ejection pitch from the inkjet recording head 1 during the main scanning. The left side is the low address and the right side is the high address.

  The end surface of the main scanning direction detected by the paper width sensor 42 is determined by the code strip 40 and the encoder 41, and the address in the main scanning buffer is calculated from the recording discharge pitch by the inkjet recording head 1 in the main scanning. The address at the left end is HL, and the address at the right end of the page is HR.

  With respect to this value, a protruding area hb is set for each of the borderless sides.

  This hb can be set with a minimum amount since it can be set after the end position of the recording medium is determined.

  The address of the area for setting the print data is from HL-hb to HR + hb.

When the print data is set, the main scan is then performed, and the set print data is printed and the paper width is detected at the upstream position of the print medium. (S111)
This operation will be described with reference to FIG.

First, the carriage motor 36 is driven to start main scanning of the carriage 2. (S201)
After the start, the paper width sensor is in a detectable state so that the edge of the recording medium can be detected. (S202)
Next, recording is performed on a recording medium based on recording data to be recorded by the ink jet recording head 1 set in the main scanning buffer first. (S203)
When all the recording data set in the main scanning buffer has been recorded (S204), and it is confirmed that the two ends of the recording medium are detected by the paper width sensor 42 (S205), printing is performed on the next area of the recording medium. In order to perform this, the recording medium is sub-scanned by a predetermined amount. That is, the LF motor 37 is driven to transport a predetermined amount of the recording medium. (S206)
Thereafter, the carriage 2 is returned to the initial position. (S207)
When the main scanning is completed once, the recording medium paper width information upstream at the recording position obtained at that time is held in the paper width information holding memory 30. (S112)
When the above operation is performed and printing is completed up to the rear end of the recording medium (S108 to S119), the recording medium is discharged by the second conveying roller 8.

  FIG. 8 shows the ink ejection area for the entire area of the recording medium when marginless printing is performed with the minimum amount of protruding area setting while acquiring the paper width information in advance as described above. Compared to the conventional example shown in FIG. 10, it is possible to greatly reduce.

  In the present embodiment, an example in which the paper width is detected in each main scanning is shown. However, it is of course possible to provide a margin for the protruding area set once every several times.

An example of the control sequence of this invention is shown. An example of the printing sequence of this invention is shown. An example of apparatus sectional drawing of this invention is shown. An example of the top view of the apparatus part of this invention is shown. The relationship between the recording area and the paper width detection position in the present invention is shown. An example of a control means structure of this invention is shown. An example of the recording data setting method of this invention is shown. An example of an ink discharge range when the present invention is applied will be shown. An example of the data setting method of the conventional recording apparatus is shown. An example of ink and a discharge range in a conventional recording apparatus is shown.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Inkjet recording head 2 Carriage 3 Ink tank 4 Carriage shaft 5 Carriage shaft 6 Conveyance roller 8 Second conveyance roller 12 Transmission roller 14 Paper feed roller 15 Paper feed stacker 16 Pressure plate 19 Recording medium 22 Paper edge detection lever 23 Paper edge detection sensor 25 Host computer 26 CPU
28 ROM
29 RAM
30 Paper width information holding memory 31 Operation panel 32 Timer 36 CR motor 37 LF motor 41 Encoder 42 Paper width sensor

Claims (4)

Recording means capable of recording with a certain width by having a plurality of recording elements for recording in the recording medium conveyance direction, a carriage mounted with the recording means and performing main scanning in a direction perpendicular to the recording medium conveyance direction, the carriage The main scanning position detecting means for detecting the position in the main scanning direction of the recording medium, the paper width detecting means mounted on the carriage for detecting the end of the recording medium perpendicular to the recording medium transport direction, and recording by the recording means. The recording medium to be performed has a conveying means for sub-scanning in a direction perpendicular to the main scanning, and a recording position for performing recording by the recording means provided in the middle of the recording medium conveying path by the conveying means. In a recording apparatus for performing recording by repeatedly carrying the recording medium and moving / recording the recording means,
The paper width detecting means is provided upstream of the recording position in the transport direction, and the paper width detecting means is separated by a distance greater than the recording width of the recording means from the upstream position of the recording position in the transport direction upstream of the recording position. A recording apparatus characterized by being performed at a different position.   A recording unit having a plurality of recording elements for recording in the recording medium conveyance direction, a carriage mounted with the recording unit and performing main scanning in a direction perpendicular to the recording medium conveyance direction, and a main position for detecting the position of the carriage in the main scanning direction A scanning position detecting means, a paper width detecting means mounted on the carriage for detecting the end of the recording medium perpendicular to the recording medium conveyance direction, and a recording medium for recording by the recording means in a direction perpendicular to the main scanning. Transport means for sub-scanning, a recording position for recording by the recording means provided in the middle of the recording medium transport path by the transport means, and a tip of the recording medium provided upstream in the recording medium transport direction from the recording position And a paper edge detecting means for detecting the passage of the trailing edge, a conveyance amount measuring means for measuring the conveyance amount of the recording medium by the conveyance means, and the recording means when the carriage is moved A recording apparatus having recording data holding means for holding recording data for further recording and a control unit for controlling the operation of the apparatus, and carrying out recording by repeatedly carrying the recording medium and moving / recording the recording means with respect to the recording medium The paper width detecting means is provided such that the detection is performed at a position separated from the upstreammost position in the transport direction of the recording position by a distance greater than the recording width by the recording means, upstream of the transport direction. A paper width information holding means for holding information detected by the recording means, and when the position where the paper width is detected by the paper width detection means of the recording medium reaches the recording position by the recording means by the recording means, the paper width detection means A recording apparatus, wherein recording data is set in the recording data holding means based on the held information.   3. The recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the paper width of the recording medium is detected by the paper width detecting means for each main scanning.   4. The recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the recording apparatus is an inkjet recording system having a printing mode in which ink is ejected even in an area where no recording medium exists.

Images