JP2007276353A - Inkjet recorder, recording control method of inkjet recorder, program and recording medium - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an inkjet recorder which minimizes displacement of an ink droplet impact position, or enables a division drive to improve throughput. <P>SOLUTION: The inkjet recorder making multipass recording is provided with: a division selecting means for dividing the number of blocks to be driven by a division number N, and selecting nozzles in the blocks to be driven from an arrayed nozzle row; and a sorting means for sorting nozzles in the blocks to be driven which are not selected in the division selecting means, as nozzles in other blocks to be driven. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an ink jet recording apparatus, a recording control method for the ink jet recording apparatus, a program, and a storage medium. In particular, an inkjet recording apparatus and an inkjet recording apparatus that perform multi-pass recording in which a recording head including a plurality of nozzle rows in which a plurality of nozzles are arranged is used to form an image by scanning the recording head a plurality of times in a predetermined region. The present invention relates to a recording control method, a program, and a storage medium.

  For example, as an information output device in a word processor, personal computer, facsimile, or the like, there is a recording device that records information such as desired characters and images on a recording medium such as paper or film.

  As a recording method of the recording apparatus, various methods such as a dot impact method, a thermal method, and an ink jet method are known. As is well known, the ink jet recording method is one of so-called non-impact recording methods, and its advantages include that noise generation is so small that it can be ignored and high-speed recording is possible. . Furthermore, the advantages of the ink jet recording method are that recording on various recording media is possible, that is, recording can be performed on plain paper without requiring special processing, and high-definition images are inexpensive. Can be obtained.

  Because of such advantages, inkjet recording apparatuses using the inkjet method have been rapidly spread over the past several years as recording apparatuses in copying machines, facsimiles, word processors, etc., as well as recording apparatuses as peripheral devices for computers.

  There are two methods for ejecting ink in the ink jet recording system that are widely used today: a method using an electrothermal transducer (heater) and a method using a piezoelectric element (piezo), both of which are electrical. Ink droplet ejection is controlled by a simple signal.

  The principle of ink droplet ejection using an electrothermal conversion element is that by supplying an electric signal to the electrothermal conversion element, the ink in the vicinity of the electrothermal conversion element boils instantaneously (film boiling), and the phase change of the ink at that time Ink droplets are ejected at a high speed by the energy that bubbles rapidly grow. For this reason, when an electrothermal transducer is used, there are advantages such as a simple structure of the ink jet recording head and easy integration of nozzles. On the other hand, the principle of ink droplet ejection using a piezoelectric element is that an electric signal is given to the piezoelectric element provided on the outer wall of the liquid chamber, and the shape changes due to expansion and contraction of the piezoelectric element. Thus, ink droplets are ejected. An electrothermal conversion element (heater) or a piezoelectric element that generates a discharge pressure for discharging ink droplets is also referred to as a discharge pressure generating element.

  The ink jet recording head includes a plurality of nozzles (discharge ports) for discharging ink, and each nozzle includes a discharge pressure generating element. By arranging a plurality of nozzles with high density, high image quality is achieved.

  Normally, ink droplets are not simultaneously ejected from all the plurality of nozzles of the ink jet recording head, and recording is performed by shifting the ink droplet ejection timing for each predetermined number of nozzles. One method of shifting the discharge timing for each predetermined number of nozzles is to divide the nozzles into predetermined sections at the physical position of the nozzle row of the inkjet recording head and drive the heaters of the nozzles in the divided sections. The timing is shifted. Each section is divided into a plurality of drive blocks so that all the nozzles in the section are driven with the drive timing shifted within a predetermined period, and the discharge pressure generating elements are driven in a time-sharing manner for each drive block. Note that when time-division driving is performed for each drive block, the same drive block in each section is driven at the same time, so that ink is simultaneously ejected from one nozzle in each section. Such a driving method of the recording head is referred to as a separation / division driving method (see, for example, Patent Document 1). This divided drive system is an effective system for reducing the power supply for driving the inkjet head and the power supply members such as connectors and cables.

  In the case of an ink jet recording head using an electrothermal conversion element, in order to perform stable ejection, the power supply for the ejection pressure generating element stably changes the drive voltage value in consideration of the characteristics of the electrothermal conversion element and ink. Must be set to a very small value, and the drive voltage value must be finely adjusted. Therefore, it is not preferable to increase the capacity of the power source. The above-described separation / division driving method is also effective for satisfying such a power supply requirement.

  Hereinafter, a case where an ink jet recording head in a general prior art is driven by a separation and division driving method will be described more specifically with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 12 schematically shows the nozzle row (a) of the inkjet recording head, the drive signal (b) of each nozzle, and the flying ink droplet (c) ejected from each nozzle. In FIG. 12A, the nozzle row 500 of the ink jet recording head includes, for example, 32 nozzles. These nozzles are divided into four sections from the first section to the fourth section in units of eight from the top in the figure.

  Further, each of the eight nozzles in each section belongs to one of the eight drive blocks, and is driven in a time division manner for each block during recording. That is, the nozzles of the same block in each section are driven simultaneously.

In the illustrated example, the first (nozzle number 1), ninth, seventeenth, and twenty-fifth nozzles of the nozzle array 500 are the first drive block, and the second, tenth, eighteenth, and twenty-sixth nozzles are the first. Eight drive blocks are periodically assigned to each drive block. Then, the first drive block to the eighth drive block are sequentially driven by the pulsed drive signal 300 shown in FIG. 12B in ascending order, and each nozzle corresponds to the drive signal in FIG. Ink droplets 100 are ejected as shown in FIG. Here, the second, tenth, eighteenth, and twenty-sixth nozzles are set as the eighth drive block, but may be set as the second drive block. The second nozzle is driven next to the first drive block.
JP2001-071466

  However, when ink droplets are driven with a time difference between the blocks by time division, the ink droplets are ejected at different timings as shown in the figure. Therefore, a time difference also occurs in the timing at which the ink droplets land on the recording medium, which may deviate from the ideal landing position of the ink droplets. This degrades the image quality. In particular, in the thin line portion along the nozzle row direction, the line becomes jagged, and image quality deterioration is easily recognized.

  Further, while the number of nozzles constituting the nozzle row is increasing year by year, it is difficult to increase the power source capacity due to cost and space. In such a situation, the power supply capacity becomes a bottleneck and the number of nozzles discharged simultaneously is limited. Therefore, the increase in the number of nozzles must be compensated by increasing the number of drive blocks. As a result, the time required to drive one column (row) increases, and as a result, the throughput of the entire recording decreases.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above problems. The present invention provides an ink jet recording apparatus and a recording control method capable of minimizing the landing position deviation of ink droplets due to time-division driving and improving the throughput even when the number of driving blocks increases. Objective.

  In order to achieve the above object, an inkjet recording apparatus according to an embodiment of the present application scans a recording head having a plurality of nozzle rows in which a plurality of nozzles are arrayed, and the recording head in a direction substantially orthogonal to the nozzle arrangement direction. And a scanning unit that scans the recording head a plurality of times to perform recording using a plurality of nozzles in the same region, and a dividing unit that divides the plurality of nozzles into a plurality of blocks; Drive means for driving ink to be ejected from nozzles of a plurality of blocks divided at different timings within one column, and a selection for selecting a block to be used for printing from the plurality of divided blocks And the recording data of the nozzles of the blocks not selected by the selection means, using the nozzles of the selected blocks And distributing means for distributing to record, by the changing means, characterized in that it comprises a control means for controlling the driving of the blocks so as to eject ink from the block respective nozzles selected.

  In order to achieve the above object, a recording control method for an inkjet recording apparatus according to another embodiment of the present application includes: a recording head having a plurality of nozzle rows in which a plurality of nozzles are arrayed; and the recording head as an array direction of the nozzles. Ink is ejected from the scanning means for scanning in a substantially orthogonal direction, the dividing means for dividing the plurality of nozzles into a plurality of blocks, and the nozzles of each of the plurality of blocks divided at different timings within one column. And a driving means for driving, wherein the recording head scans the recording head a plurality of times to perform recording using a plurality of nozzles in the same region, the recording control method of the divided plurality of Among the blocks, a selection step for selecting a block to be used for printing, and a recording data for nozzles of blocks not selected in the selection step. And a control step of controlling the drive of the block so that ink is ejected from the nozzles of each of the selected blocks by the changing step. It is characterized by that.

  In order to achieve the above object, a program in still another embodiment of the present application is a program in which the recording control method of the ink jet recording apparatus described in the above embodiment is described so as to be executable by a computer.

  In order to achieve the above object, a storage medium in still another embodiment of the present application is a computer-readable storage medium in which a program describing a recording control method of the ink jet recording apparatus described in the above embodiment is stored.

  According to the present invention, the number of blocks to be driven in one column (column) is reduced to 1 / N, and blocks that are not driven are distributed to other recording passes or other nozzle rows having the same ink color for recording. Thus, the image quality can be improved. At this time, the time difference of block drive in one column can be reduced by about 1 / N, and the landing deviation from the ideal position of the ink droplet can be reduced.

<Embodiment 1>
Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, in comparison with the prior art.

  FIG. 1 shows a recording mechanism section 20 of a bubble inkjet (registered trademark) (hereinafter also referred to as BJ) type color inkjet recording apparatus having an electrothermal converter as discharge energy generating means as an inkjet recording apparatus capable of carrying out the present invention. The structure of is shown.

  In FIG. 1, a recording medium 1 such as a recording sheet or a plastic sheet includes feed rollers 2 and 3 each composed of a pair of rollers arranged upstream and downstream in the conveyance direction (sub-scanning direction) of the recording medium 1 with the recording area interposed therebetween. Supported by. The recording medium 1 is conveyed in the direction of arrow A in the figure by a feed roller 2 driven by a feed motor 4. A guide shaft 5 is provided in front of the feed rollers 2 and 3 in parallel therewith. A carriage 6 is movably attached to the guide shaft 5. Therefore, the carriage 6 is reciprocated along the guide shaft 5 by the carriage motor 7 through the wire 8 in the direction of arrow B in the figure.

  A recording head unit 90 which is a BJ type ink jet head is mounted on the carriage 6. This recording head unit 90 is for creating a color image. Therefore, for example, four recording heads 9A, 9B, 9C, and 9D provided corresponding to inks of cyan (C), magenta (M), yellow (Y), and black (Bk) are provided in the main scanning direction. It has an arranged configuration. The recording heads 9A, 9B, 9C, and 9D are ink jet recording heads. In the example of FIG. 1, four recording heads are mounted, but in an ink jet recording apparatus that records images with higher reproducibility, four or more recordings are performed. Mount the head. Although the present invention is not limited to the number of recording heads, here, in order to simplify the description, an inkjet recording apparatus having four general recording heads will be described.

  A plurality of ink ejection openings are arranged at a predetermined pitch on the front surface of each recording head 9A, 9B, 9C or 9D, that is, the surface facing the recording medium 1 with a predetermined interval (for example, 0.8 mm). Then, an electrothermal converter (such as a heating resistor) corresponding to each ink discharge port is driven (energized heating) based on the recording data to generate bubbles in the ink. Then, flying ink droplets are formed by the pressure at this time, and recording is performed while ink dots are attached to the recording medium 1 in a predetermined pattern.

  Next, a configuration of a control circuit for executing recording control of the ink jet recording apparatus including the recording mechanism unit 20 that can be used in the embodiment of the present invention described in FIG. 1 will be described.

  FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of the control circuit 30 of the ink jet recording apparatus including the recording mechanism unit 20 described in FIG. In the control circuit 30, 10 is an interface for inputting a recording signal, 11 is an MPU, 12 is a ROM for storing a control program executed by the MPU 11, and 13 is various data (such as the recording signal and recording data supplied to the recording head). Is a D-RAM for storing Reference numeral 14 denotes a gate array (hereinafter also referred to as GA) that controls recording data supply to the recording heads 9A to 9D of the recording mechanism unit 20, and also controls data transfer between the interface 10, the MPU 11, and the D-RAM 13. Reference numeral 23 denotes a carriage motor for driving the carriage 6 that supports the recording heads 9A, 9B, 9C, and 9D. Reference numeral 22 denotes a feed motor for conveying the recording medium 1. A head driver 15 supplies recording data to the recording heads 9A, 9B, 9C, and 9D to drive the recording head. Reference numerals 16 and 17 denote a feed motor driver and a carriage motor driver for driving the feed motor 18 and the carriage motor 19, respectively. A feed motor 18 and a carriage motor 19 correspond to the feed motor 4 and the carriage motor 7 shown in FIG.

  Next, the control operation of the above-described ink jet recording apparatus will be described. When a recording signal enters the interface 10 from an external device (such as a host computer or a camera) connected to the recording device, the recording signal is converted into recording data for recording between the gate array 14 and the MPU 11. Then, the feed motor driver 16 and the carriage motor driver 17 drive the feed motor 22 and the carriage motor 23 to transport the recording medium and scan the carriage. When the carriage is scanned, the recording heads 9A, 9B, 9C, and 9D are driven according to the recording data sent to the head driver 15, and recording data is recorded. An image is completed on the recording medium by repeating the recording operation while reciprocating the carriage and transporting the recording medium.

  Here, the control program executed by the MPU 11 is stored in the ROM 12. However, it is also possible to add a erasable / writable recording medium such as an EEPROM so that the control program can be changed from a host computer connected to the recording apparatus.

  Next, the driving method of the recording head 9 in Embodiment 1 will be described in detail. Here, as in the prior art described with reference to FIG. 12, a recording head 9 having 8 drive blocks and 4 sections, that is, 8 × 4 = 32 nozzles is taken as an example, and compared with the conventional example. explain.

  FIG. 12 shows the nozzle configuration of the recording head 9 of the conventional example, and the nozzle number and the drive block number correspond to each other as shown in FIG. In FIG. 12, the arrow in the right direction indicates the recording scanning direction (main scanning direction) in which the recording head 9 is transferred, and the downward arrow indicates the sub-scanning direction in which the recording medium 1 is conveyed.

  Further, multi-pass printing is performed in which the same region is scanned by scanning the carriage a plurality of times, and in this embodiment, an image is formed by performing two printing scans on the same region. At this time, the recording medium 1 is conveyed by the recording width corresponding to 16 nozzles, which is half of the 32 nozzles, for each recording scan, thereby enabling recording in two recording scans (two passes). Here, since the conveyance amount (16 nozzles) of the recording medium 1 is a multiple of 8 that is the number of nozzles in each section, each raster (row in the scanning direction) is assigned the same block number in any recording scan. However, the nozzle to be driven is changed every recording scan. FIG. 12B shows the nozzle number and block number used in each raster.

  In this conventional example, as shown in FIG. 12A, sections are divided into 8 nozzles from the 1st nozzle, block numbers are allocated in order from the smallest nozzle number in each section, and the drive is performed in order from the smallest block number. It was. At this time, the nozzles of the same drive block are driven at the same time, and ink is landed on the recording medium at the same time. For example, the 1st nozzle and the 9th, 17th and 25th nozzles are driven simultaneously.

  When a straight line for one raster in the nozzle row direction is recorded by time-division driving as shown in FIG. 12A, the number in the figure and the nozzle number do not necessarily match because the two passes are recorded. The landing position is a black dot as shown in FIG. Accordingly, if the resolution in the recording main scanning direction is set to 600 dpi, the line has a width A (600 dpi).

  On the other hand, the drive method in Embodiment 1 of this invention is demonstrated with FIG. 3, (A) and (B) of FIG. That is, in the first embodiment, the block division number N in one column is set to 2. That is, the number of blocks driven by one column is reduced to half. FIG. 4A shows the relationship between the nozzle number and the block number in this embodiment. In FIG. 4A, FIG. 4A shows the nozzle number in the odd number printing scan (also referred to as odd pass) and the drive block number of each nozzle, and FIG. 4B shows the even number printing scan (even number pass). No.) and the drive block number of each nozzle.

  First, in both the odd-pass and even-pass printing scans, half of the 8 blocks in each section are driven by one column. (N = 2). In the first print scan (first pass), as shown in (a) of FIG. 4A, the four blocks are selected from the first to fourth blocks having the smallest block order in each section, and time-division is performed. To drive. Blocks 5 to 8 in each section that are not selected in the first pass are allocated to the second recording scan (second pass) as shown in (b) of FIG.

  In the third recording scan (third pass), the first to fourth blocks in each section are selected again as shown in (a), and in the fourth pass, as shown in (b), the third pass is selected. The 5th to 8th blocks that were not selected are selected. As described above, since the number of block division N in one column is 2 (the number of blocks is divided in half) for what was recorded in the conventional two passes, each pass is further divided into one pass. Then, the recording is 4 passes (2 passes × N). In the case of four-pass printing, the conveyance amount of the recording medium 1 is 8 nozzles, which is a multiple of the number of blocks 8 in each section. Therefore, each raster is assigned the same block number, although the nozzles in charge differ depending on the pass.

  FIG. 3 shows dot landing positions by time-division driving when the block division number N = 2. As described above, since recording is performed in four passes, the numbers (1 to 32) in the figure do not coincide with the nozzle numbers, and recording is performed by a plurality of nozzles. In the figure, black dots are dots recorded with odd-numbered passes, and gray dots are dots recorded with even-numbered passes. In the conventional example, the line width is 600 dpi, but in the present embodiment, the line width B can be set to 1200 dpi, which is half of the line width A. FIG. 4B shows nozzle numbers and block numbers used in each raster. According to the present embodiment, the number of blocks to be driven in one column (column) is reduced to 1 / N (N = 2 in the present embodiment), and the blocks that are not driven are made the same in other recording passes or ink colors. By sorting and recording to other nozzle rows, it is possible to improve image quality. At this time, the number of blocks to be driven in one column is reduced, but if the interval for driving each block is not changed, the time difference of block driving in one column can be reduced to about 1 / N. As a result, it is possible to reduce the landing deviation of the ink droplet from the ideal position, and the image quality can be improved. The present invention is particularly useful when recording vertical lines. Further, although the number of blocks to be driven in one column is reduced, the scanning speed of the recording head can be increased approximately N times when the driving cycle for each column is not changed. As a result, throughput can be improved.

<Embodiment 2>
Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. In the first embodiment described above, as shown in FIG. 3, the recorded pass is fixed to either an odd pass or an even pass for each raster. If all the columns in the raster are recorded at the same timing as described above, unevenness is likely to occur between the rasters, which may cause the image quality to deteriorate. As a countermeasure, in the second embodiment, the number of divided blocks is the same as that in the first embodiment, but the block number selected for each column is changed as shown in FIG. (Offset). In FIG. 6, (a) and (b) correspond to (a) and (b) of (A) of FIG. 4, respectively. That is, in the odd path of the odd column, four blocks having a small number in each section are selected, and in the even column, a block having a large number not selected in the odd path is selected. On the contrary, in the odd-numbered path of the even column, four blocks having a large number in each section are selected, and in the even-numbered path, four blocks having a small number not selected in the odd-numbered path are selected.

  By changing (offset) the block number selected for each column in this way, each raster switches between even-pass recording and odd-pass recording for each column, so that the raster recording path is fixed. And unevenness between rasters can be reduced.

<Embodiment 3>
Next, Embodiment 3 of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. In the second embodiment, in the 4-pass printing, a driving method is used in which the odd-pass printing and the even-pass printing are switched for each column in the same raster.

  In this four-pass recording, for example, when recording is performed in both directions (reciprocal) in the recording head main scanning direction (bidirectional recording), each pixel (one column in one raster) is always recorded from the same scanning direction. That is, pixels recorded in the odd pass are recorded only from the forward direction, and pixels recorded in the even pass are recorded only from the backward direction.

  If the recording direction is fixed for each pixel in this manner, periodic unevenness is likely to occur due to unevenness in the printing direction of the recording head, bidirectional registration, and the like, which may reduce image quality. In addition, the fact that the recording direction is fixed by the pixels also restricts printing control.

  Therefore, in the third embodiment, not only block numbers are selected in odd and even paths as shown in FIG. 7, but also in the first and third paths in the same odd path, and in the second and fourth paths in the same even path. The block to be selected is changed (offset). In FIG. 7, (a) and (b) correspond to (a) and (b) of (A) of FIG. 4, respectively.

  That is, in the first pass of the odd column, four blocks having a small number in each section are selected, and in the second pass, four blocks having a large number that are not selected in the first pass are selected. In the third pass, four blocks having a large number in each section are selected, and in the fourth pass, four blocks having a small number that were not selected in the third pass are selected.

  On the contrary, in the even-numbered column, four blocks having a large number in each section are selected in the first pass, and four blocks having a small number not selected in the first pass are selected in the second pass. In the third pass, four blocks having a small number in each section are selected, and in the fourth pass, four blocks having a large number that were not selected in the third pass are selected.

  In this way, by changing (offset) the selected block for each pass, all pixels can be recorded from both directions, and image quality deterioration due to the fixed scan direction of the print head is prevented. In addition, restrictions on printing control can be avoided.

  FIG. 9 is a flowchart for explaining the operation of the first to third embodiments of the present application. That is, after the process is started, recording data is acquired in step S101. In step S102, the nozzle used for recording is divided into a plurality of blocks. Next, in step 103, a block to be used for recording is selected from the plurality of divided blocks. The recording data of the unselected block is distributed to the selected block in step S104. In step S105, the corresponding nozzle is driven and printing is executed. In step S106, the completion of recording is checked. If there is recording data to be recorded, the process returns to step S101, and the above steps S101 to S105 are repeated. However, if it is confirmed in step S106 that the recording has been completed, the process ends. 9 is stored in the ROM 12 of FIG. 2 as a control program, and the CPU 11 reads and executes the control program.

  According to the first to third embodiments described above, the number of blocks in one column is changed from four conventional blocks to four blocks. Accordingly, if the scanning speed of the recording head is the same as the conventional one, it is possible to reduce the line width (distributed driving width), which has been 600 dpi, to half, 1200 dpi. Alternatively, the line width can be 600 dpi, and the recording head can be driven at a scanning speed of about twice. FIG. 8 shows a case where the scanning speed of the recording head is driven approximately twice. However, since the number of passes to be recorded at this time is doubled, the overall recording throughput is not simply improved. On the other hand, the image deterioration according to the first embodiment can be prevented by the second and third embodiments.

  In the embodiment described above, block numbers are selected by block division, and block numbers not selected in the pass are assigned to other passes. However, the assignment destinations are different nozzle rows having the same ink color. Even if it exists, the same effect can be acquired. In this case, since the allocated blocks can be recorded with the same pass, the distributed drive width can be reduced to about half without increasing the number of passes required for recording. Alternatively, it is possible to drive the recording head with the scanning speed of the recording head approximately doubled while keeping the distributed driving width as it is, thereby improving the overall throughput.

  In the above embodiment, the block division number N is set to 2, but the same effect can be obtained with an integer of 2 or more. In that case, the divided drive width is about 1 / N. Alternatively, the divided drive width may be kept as before, and the scanning speed of the recording head may be about N times.

  The block number to be selected does not particularly limit the present invention, and the same effect can be obtained even if this is changed. In addition, the configuration can be simplified by predetermining the number of block divisions, the block number, the corresponding nozzle number, and the allocation destination according to the print mode.

  Further, although the heating resistor has been described as an ejection energy generating element for ejecting ink, the present invention is not limited thereto, and an element such as a piezo may be used.

  The object of the present invention can also be achieved by supplying a system or apparatus with a storage medium storing software program codes for realizing the functions of the above-described embodiments. That is, it goes without saying that this can also be achieved by the computer (or CPU or MPU) of the system or apparatus reading and executing the program code stored in the storage medium. In this case, the program code itself read from the storage medium realizes the functions of the above-described embodiments, and the storage medium storing the program code constitutes the present invention.

  As a storage medium for supplying the program code, for example, a flexible disk, hard disk, optical disk, magneto-optical disk, CD-ROM, CD-R, magnetic tape, nonvolatile semiconductor memory card, ROM, or the like can be used. .

  Further, the functions of the above-described embodiments may be realized by executing the program code read by the computer.

  However, when the OS (operating system) operating on the computer performs part or all of the actual processing based on the instruction of the program code, and the functions of the above-described embodiments are realized by the processing. Needless to say, is also included.

  Furthermore, the program code read from the storage medium may be written in a memory provided in a function expansion board inserted into the computer or a function expansion unit connected to the computer. After that, based on the instruction of the program code, the CPU of the function expansion board or function expansion unit performs part or all of the actual processing, and the processing of the above-described embodiment is realized by the processing. Needless to say.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view illustrating a configuration of a recording mechanism unit of the ink jet recording apparatus according to the embodiment of the invention. FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a control circuit of the ink jet recording apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention. It is a figure which shows the position of the dot recorded by Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is a figure in Embodiment 1 of this invention which shows the relationship between a nozzle number, a block number, and a raster. It is a figure which shows the position of the dot recorded by Embodiment 2 of this invention. It is a figure which shows the relationship between a nozzle number, a block number, and a printing pass in Embodiment 2 of this invention. It is a figure which shows the relationship between the pass number and the column in Embodiment 3 of this invention. It is a figure which shows the position of the dot recorded when the recording head was scanned at double speed on the conditions of Embodiment 2 of this invention. It is a flowchart figure explaining the operation | movement in Embodiment 1 thru | or 3 of this invention. It is a diagram schematically showing a nozzle row of a conventional ink jet recording head, driving signals for each nozzle, and flying ink droplets ejected from each nozzle. It is a figure which shows the position of the dot recorded by the prior art. It is a figure which shows the relationship between a nozzle number, a block number, and a raster in a prior art.

Claims (12)

A recording head having a plurality of nozzle rows in which a plurality of nozzles are arranged, scanning means for scanning the recording head in a direction substantially perpendicular to the nozzle arrangement direction, and scanning the recording head a plurality of times in the same region An inkjet recording apparatus that performs recording using a plurality of nozzles,
Dividing means for dividing the plurality of nozzles into a plurality of blocks;
Drive means for driving to eject ink from the nozzles of each of the plurality of blocks divided at different timings in one column;
Selecting means for selecting a block to be used for recording among the plurality of divided blocks;
Sorting means for sorting the recording data of the nozzles of the blocks not selected by the selection means to record using the nozzles of the selected block;
An ink jet recording apparatus comprising: control means for controlling drive of the block so that ink is ejected from each nozzle of the selected block by the changing means.   The inkjet recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the selection unit selects a block to be used for recording to be 1 / N of the plurality of blocks (N is an integer of 2 or more).   3. The ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the nozzles distributed as the nozzles of the other blocks to be driven are nozzles of different nozzle arrays having the same ink color. 4.   4. The ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the nozzle of the block to be driven selected by the selection unit is different for each column of the nozzle row. 5.   5. The inkjet recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the nozzle of the block to be driven selected by the selection unit is different for each recording scan of the recording head. A recording head having a plurality of nozzle rows in which a plurality of nozzles are arranged, a scanning unit that scans the recording head in a direction substantially orthogonal to the arrangement direction of the nozzles, and a dividing unit that divides the plurality of nozzles into a plurality of blocks Driving means for ejecting ink from the nozzles of each of the plurality of blocks divided at different timings in one column, and scanning the recording head a plurality of times for the same region A recording control method for an ink jet recording apparatus that performs recording using a plurality of nozzles,
A selection step of selecting a block to be used for recording among the plurality of divided blocks;
A distribution step of distributing the recording data of the nozzles of the blocks not selected in the selection step to record using the nozzles of the selected blocks;
And a control step of controlling the drive of the block so as to eject ink from each nozzle of the block selected in the selection step.   The recording control method according to claim 6, wherein the selecting step selects a block to be used for recording to be 1 / N of the plurality of blocks (N is an integer of 2 or more).   The recording control method according to claim 6, wherein the nozzles distributed as the nozzles of the other blocks to be driven are nozzles of different nozzle arrays having the same ink color.   9. The recording control method according to claim 6, wherein the nozzle of the block to be driven selected by the selection step is different for each column of the nozzle row.   10. The recording control method according to claim 6, wherein the nozzle of the block to be driven selected by the selection step is different for each recording scan of the recording head.   A program in which the recording control method according to any one of claims 6 to 10 is described so as to be executable by a computer.   A computer-readable storage medium storing a program in which the recording control method according to claim 11 is described.