JP2008012696A - Recording method - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To accurately correct a conveying error in relation to a method for recording using a conveying mechanism and a head. <P>SOLUTION: The method for recording comprises (1) preparing a recording apparatus equipped with the conveying mechanism for conveying a medium in the conveying direction in accordance with a target amount of conveying being a target and a head which is a head movable in the moving direction and has a plurality of nozzles arranged in the conveying direction, (2) repeating alternately a conveying operation for conveying the medium in the conveying direction and a forming operation for delivering ink from a nozzle while the head is moved in the moving direction and forming a line on the medium, and forming a plurality of lines on the medium, (3) calculating a corrected value based on the interval in the conveying direction of a line, and (4) correcting the target amount of conveying based on the corrected value and controlling the conveying mechanism based on the target amount of conveying after correction. In addition, the interval is the interval of the line formed by using the same nozzle. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a recording method using a transport mechanism and a head.

  An ink jet printer is known as a recording apparatus that transports a medium (for example, paper or cloth) in the transport direction and performs recording on the medium by a head. In such a recording apparatus, if a conveyance error occurs when the medium is conveyed, the head cannot be recorded at a correct position on the medium. In particular, in an ink jet printer, if ink droplets do not land at the correct position on a medium, white stripes and black stripes may occur in the printed image, and the image quality may deteriorate.

Therefore, a method for correcting the transport amount of the medium has been proposed. For example, Patent Document 1 proposes printing a test pattern, reading the test pattern, calculating a correction value based on the read result, and correcting the carry amount based on the correction value when recording an image. Yes.
JP-A-5-96796

In Patent Document 1, the correction value is determined in accordance with the difference between the rear end of a line formed along the transport direction and the front end of another line adjacent to the line. In this method, the nozzle that forms the rear end of a line and the nozzle that forms the tip of another line adjacent to the line are different nozzles. In such a case, if the ink ejection characteristics are different for each nozzle, the correction value cannot be calculated accurately.
An object of this invention is to enable it to calculate a correction value correctly.

  A main invention for achieving the above object includes a transport mechanism that transports a medium in a transport direction according to a target transport amount that is a target, and a plurality of nozzles that are movable in the moving direction and are aligned in the transport direction. Forming a recording apparatus comprising: a head including: a transport operation for transporting the medium in a transport direction; and forming a line on the medium by ejecting ink from the nozzles while moving the head in the movement direction And alternately, forming a plurality of the lines on the medium, calculating a correction value based on the interval of the lines in the transport direction, correcting the target transport amount based on the correction value, In the recording method, the transport mechanism is controlled based on the corrected target transport amount, wherein the interval is an interval between lines formed using the same nozzle.

  Other features of the present invention will become apparent from the description of the present specification and the accompanying drawings.

  At least the following matters will become clear from the description of the present specification and the accompanying drawings.

A recording apparatus is provided that includes a transport mechanism that transports a medium in a transport direction according to a target transport amount that is a target, and a head that is movable in the movement direction and has a plurality of nozzles arranged in the transport direction. The medium is transported in the transport direction, and the head is moved in the movement direction while discharging ink from the nozzles to form a line on the medium. A plurality of the lines are formed, a correction value is calculated based on an interval of the lines in the transport direction, the target transport amount is corrected based on the correction value, and the transport is performed based on the corrected target transport amount. It is a recording method for controlling the mechanism, and it becomes clear that the interval is an interval between lines formed using the same nozzle.
According to such a recording method, the conveyance error can be accurately corrected.

  Moreover, it is preferable that the line is formed using a nozzle on the upstream side in the transport direction among the plurality of nozzles. Thereby, more correction values can be acquired.

  The transport mechanism includes a first roller on the upstream side in the transport direction and a second roller on the downstream side in the transport direction, and when the first roller is in contact with the medium, the line It is desirable that the nozzle that forms the line is different from the nozzle that forms the line when the first roller is not in contact with the medium and the second roller is in contact with the medium. The nozzle that forms the line when the first roller is not in contact with the medium and the second roller is in contact with the medium is the nozzle that forms the line when the first roller is in contact with the medium. It is preferable that the nozzle is located on the downstream side in the transport direction with respect to the nozzle forming the nozzle. Thereby, the line formed in a state where the first roller is not in contact with the medium can be formed by the same nozzle.

  Also, the line formed when the first roller is in contact with the medium and the line formed when the first roller is not in contact with the medium and the second roller is in contact with the medium. It is desirable that the lines have different positions in the moving direction. Thereby, it can be avoided that the line formed when the first roller is in contact with the medium and the line formed when the first roller is not in contact with the medium overlap.

  In addition, when the correction values are calculated after forming the plurality of lines, the scanner is used to read the plurality of lines from the medium and read a reference pattern serving as a reference to obtain image data. Preferably, the position of each line on the image data is calculated, and the interval is calculated based on the position of each line on the image data and the reading result of the reference pattern. Thereby, even if there is an error in the reading position of the scanner, the conveyance error can be corrected accurately.

=== Configuration of Printer ===
<Inkjet printer configuration>
FIG. 1 is a block diagram of the overall configuration of the printer 1. FIG. 2A is a schematic diagram of the overall configuration of the printer 1. FIG. 2B is a cross-sectional view of the overall configuration of the printer 1. Hereinafter, a basic configuration of the printer will be described.

  The printer 1 includes a transport unit 20, a carriage unit 30, a head unit 40, a detector group 50, and a controller 60. The printer 1 that has received print data from the computer 110, which is an external device, controls each unit (the conveyance unit 20, the carriage unit 30, and the head unit 40) by the controller 60. The controller 60 controls each unit based on the print data received from the computer 110 and prints an image on paper. The situation in the printer 1 is monitored by a detector group 50, and the detector group 50 outputs a detection result to the controller 60. The controller 60 controls each unit based on the detection result output from the detector group 50.

  The transport unit 20 is for transporting a medium (for example, paper S) in a predetermined direction (hereinafter referred to as a transport direction). The transport unit 20 includes a paper feed roller 21, a transport motor 22 (also referred to as a PF motor), a transport roller 23, a platen 24, and a paper discharge roller 25. The paper feed roller 21 is a roller for feeding the paper inserted into the paper insertion slot into the printer. The transport roller 23 is a roller that transports the paper S fed by the paper feed roller 21 to a printable area, and is driven by the transport motor 22. The platen 24 supports the paper S being printed. The paper discharge roller 25 is a roller for discharging the paper S to the outside of the printer, and is provided on the downstream side in the transport direction with respect to the printable area. The paper discharge roller 25 rotates in synchronization with the transport roller 23.

  When the transport roller 23 transports the paper S, the paper S is sandwiched between the transport roller 23 and the driven roller 26. Thereby, the posture of the paper S is stabilized. On the other hand, when the paper discharge roller 25 transports the paper S, the paper S is sandwiched between the paper discharge roller 25 and the driven roller 27. Since the discharge roller 25 is provided on the downstream side in the transport direction from the printing area, the driven roller 27 is configured so that the contact surface with the paper S is small (see also FIG. 4). For this reason, when the lower end of the paper S passes through the transport roller 23 and the paper S is transported only by the paper discharge roller 25, the posture of the paper S is likely to be unstable and the transport characteristics are also likely to change.

  The carriage unit 30 is for moving (also referred to as “scanning”) the head in a predetermined direction (hereinafter referred to as a moving direction). The carriage unit 30 includes a carriage 31 and a carriage motor 32 (also referred to as a CR motor). The carriage 31 can reciprocate in the moving direction and is driven by a carriage motor 32. Further, the carriage 31 detachably holds an ink cartridge that stores ink.

  The head unit 40 is for ejecting ink onto paper. The head unit 40 includes a head 41 having a plurality of nozzles. Since the head 41 is provided on the carriage 31, when the carriage 31 moves in the movement direction, the head 41 also moves in the movement direction. Then, by intermittently ejecting ink while the head 41 is moving in the moving direction, dot lines (raster lines) along the moving direction are formed on the paper.

  The detector group 50 includes a linear encoder 51, a rotary encoder 52, a paper detection sensor 53, an optical sensor 54, and the like. The linear encoder 51 detects the position of the carriage 31 in the moving direction. The rotary encoder 52 detects the rotation amount of the transport roller 23. The paper detection sensor 53 detects the position of the leading edge of the paper being fed. The optical sensor 54 detects the presence or absence of paper by a light emitting unit and a light receiving unit attached to the carriage 31. The optical sensor 54 can detect the position of the edge of the paper while being moved by the carriage 31 to detect the width of the paper. The optical sensor 54 also detects the leading end (the end on the downstream side in the transport direction, also referred to as the upper end) and the rear end (the end on the upstream side in the transport direction, also referred to as the lower end) depending on the situation. it can.

  The controller 60 is a control unit (control unit) for controlling the printer. The controller 60 includes an interface unit 61, a CPU 62, a memory 63, and a unit control circuit 64. The interface unit 61 transmits and receives data between the computer 110 which is an external device and the printer 1. The CPU 62 is an arithmetic processing unit for controlling the entire printer. The memory 63 is for securing an area for storing a program of the CPU 62, a work area, and the like, and includes storage elements such as a RAM and an EEPROM. The CPU 62 controls each unit via the unit control circuit 64 in accordance with a program stored in the memory 63.

<About nozzle>
FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram showing the arrangement of nozzles on the lower surface of the head 41. On the lower surface of the head 41, a black ink nozzle group K, a cyan ink nozzle group C, a magenta ink nozzle group M, and a yellow ink nozzle group Y are formed. Each nozzle group includes 90 nozzles that are ejection openings for ejecting ink of each color.

  The plurality of nozzles of each nozzle group are aligned at a constant interval (nozzle pitch: k · D) along the transport direction. Here, D is the minimum dot pitch in the carrying direction (that is, the interval at the highest resolution of dots formed on the paper S). K is an integer of 1 or more. For example, when the nozzle pitch is 90 dpi (1/90 inch) and the dot pitch in the transport direction is 720 dpi (1/720 inch), k = 8.

The nozzles in each nozzle group are assigned a smaller number as the nozzles on the downstream side (# 1 to # 90). That is, the nozzle # 1 is located downstream of the nozzle # 90 in the transport direction. It should be noted that the optical sensor 54 described above is located at substantially the same position as the nozzle # 90 on the most upstream side with respect to the position in the paper transport direction.
Each nozzle is provided with an ink chamber (not shown) and a piezoelectric element. By driving the piezo element, the ink chamber expands and contracts, and ink droplets are ejected from the nozzle.

=== Conveying error ===
<Conveying paper>
FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram of the configuration of the transport unit 20.
The transport unit 20 drives the transport motor 22 by a predetermined drive amount based on a transport command from the controller 60. The conveyance motor 22 generates a driving force in the rotation direction according to the commanded driving amount. The transport motor 22 rotates the transport roller 23 using this driving force. That is, when the transport motor 22 generates a predetermined drive amount, the transport roller 23 rotates by a predetermined rotation amount. When the transport roller 23 rotates with a predetermined rotation amount, the paper is transported with a predetermined transport amount.

The carry amount of the paper is determined according to the rotation amount of the carry roller 23. In the present embodiment, when the transport roller 23 makes one rotation, the paper is transported by 1 inch (that is, the peripheral length of the transport roller 23 is 1 inch). For this reason, when the transport roller 23 rotates 1/4, the paper is transported by 1/4 inch.
Therefore, if the rotation amount of the conveyance roller 23 can be detected, the conveyance amount of the paper can also be detected. Therefore, a rotary encoder 52 is provided to detect the rotation amount of the transport roller 23.

The rotary encoder 52 includes a scale 521 and a detection unit 522. The scale 521 has a large number of slits provided at predetermined intervals. The scale 521 is provided on the transport roller 23. That is, the scale 521 rotates together when the transport roller 23 rotates. When the transport roller 23 rotates, the slits of the scale 521 sequentially pass through the detection unit 522. The detection unit 522 is provided to face the scale 521 and is fixed to the printer main body side. The rotary encoder 52 outputs a pulse signal each time a slit provided in the scale 521 passes through the detection unit 522. Since the slits provided in the scale 521 sequentially pass through the detection unit 522 according to the rotation amount of the conveyance roller 23, the rotation amount of the conveyance roller 23 is detected based on the output of the rotary encoder 52. When the paper is transported in an amount of 1 inch, the controller 60 drives the transport motor 22 until the rotary encoder 52 detects that the transport roller 23 has rotated once. As described above, the controller 60 drives the carry motor 22 until the rotary encoder 52 detects that the rotation amount is in accordance with the target carry amount (target carry amount), and sets the paper to the target carry amount. Transport.

<About transport error>
By the way, the rotary encoder 52 directly detects the rotation amount of the transport roller 23, and strictly speaking, does not detect the transport amount of the paper S. For this reason, when the rotation amount of the transport roller 23 and the transport amount of the paper S do not match, the rotary encoder 52 cannot accurately detect the transport amount of the paper S, and a transport error (detection error) occurs. There are two types of transport errors: DC component transport errors and AC component transport errors.

  The DC component transport error is a predetermined amount of transport error that occurs when the transport roller rotates once. The DC component transport error is considered to be caused by the circumference of the transport roller 23 being different for each printer due to a manufacturing error or the like. That is, the DC component transport error is a transport error that occurs because the designed peripheral length of the transport roller 23 is different from the actual peripheral length of the transport roller 23. The DC component transport error is constant regardless of the start position when the transport roller 23 rotates once. However, the actual DC component transport error varies depending on the total transport amount of paper due to the influence of paper friction and the like (described later). In other words, the actual DC component transport error varies depending on the relative positional relationship between the paper S and the transport roller 23 (or the paper S and the head 41).

  The AC component transport error is a transport error according to the location of the peripheral surface of the transport roller used during transport. The AC component transport error varies depending on the location of the peripheral surface of the transport roller used during transport. That is, the AC component transport error varies depending on the rotation position of the transport roller at the start of transport and the transport amount.

FIG. 5 is a graph for explaining the AC component transport error. The horizontal axis represents the rotation amount of the transport roller 23 from the reference rotation position. The vertical axis represents the transport error. If this graph is differentiated, a transport error that occurs when the transport roller is transporting at the rotational position can be derived. Here, the cumulative transport error at the reference position is zero, and the DC component transport error is also zero.
When the transport roller 23 rotates 1/4 from the reference position, a transport error of δ_90 occurs, and the paper is transported by 1/4 inch + δ_90. However, if the transport roller 23 further rotates by 1/4, a transport error of -δ_90 occurs, and the paper is transported by 1/4 inch -δ_90.

There are three possible causes for the AC component transport error, for example.
First, the influence of the shape of the transport roller can be considered. For example, when the conveyance roller is elliptical or egg-shaped, the distance to the rotation center differs depending on the location of the circumferential surface of the conveyance roller. When the medium is transported at a portion where the distance to the rotation center is long, the transport amount with respect to the rotation amount of the transport roller increases. On the other hand, when the medium is transported at a portion where the distance to the rotation center is short, the transport amount with respect to the rotation amount of the transport roller is reduced.

  Secondly, the eccentricity of the rotation shaft of the transport roller can be considered. Also in this case, the length to the center of rotation differs depending on the location of the peripheral surface of the transport roller. For this reason, even if the rotation amount of the conveyance roller is the same, the conveyance amount varies depending on the location of the circumferential surface of the conveyance roller.

  Thirdly, a mismatch between the rotation axis of the transport roller and the center of the scale 521 of the rotary encoder 52 can be considered. In this case, the scale 521 rotates eccentrically. As a result, the amount of rotation of the transport roller 23 with respect to the detected pulse signal differs depending on the location of the scale 521 detected by the detection unit 522. For example, when the detected location of the scale 521 is away from the rotation axis of the conveyance roller 23, the rotation amount of the conveyance roller 23 with respect to the detected pulse signal decreases, and the conveyance amount decreases. On the other hand, when the detected location of the scale 521 is close to the rotation axis of the conveyance roller 23, the rotation amount of the conveyance roller 23 with respect to the detected pulse signal increases, and thus the conveyance amount increases.

  Due to the above cause, the AC component transport error is substantially a sine curve as shown in FIG.

<Conveying error corrected in this embodiment>
FIG. 6 is a graph (conceptual diagram) of a transport error that occurs when transporting a paper having a size of 101.6 mm × 152.4 mm (4 inches × 6 inches). The horizontal axis of the graph indicates the total transport amount of paper. The vertical axis of the graph indicates the transport error. The dotted line in the figure is a graph of the DC component transport error. The AC component transport error can be obtained by subtracting the dotted line value (DC component transport error) in the drawing from the solid line value (total transport error) in the diagram. The AC component transport error is almost a sine curve regardless of the total paper transport amount. On the other hand, the DC component transport error indicated by the dotted line differs depending on the total transport amount of paper due to the influence of paper friction and the like.

  As already described, the AC component transport error varies depending on the location of the peripheral surface of the transport roller 23. For this reason, even when the same paper is transported, if the rotation position of the transport roller 23 at the start of transport is different, the transport error of the AC component is different, and therefore the total transport error (the transport error indicated by the solid line in the graph). ) Will be different. On the other hand, the DC component transport error is different from the AC component transport error and is not related to the location of the peripheral surface of the transport roller. Therefore, even if the rotational position of the transport roller 23 at the start of transport is different, the transport roller 23 The transport error (DC component transport error) that occurs when the motor rotates once is the same.

  Further, when trying to correct the AC component transport error, the controller 60 needs to detect the rotational position of the transport roller 23. However, in order to detect the rotational position of the transport roller 23, it is necessary to further provide an origin sensor in the rotary encoder 52, which increases costs.

  Therefore, in the correction of the transport amount of the present embodiment described below, the DC component transport error is corrected.

  On the other hand, the DC component transport error varies depending on the total transport amount of the paper (in other words, the relative positional relationship between the paper S and the transport roller 23) (see the dotted line in FIG. 6). For this reason, if more correction values can be prepared according to the position in the transport direction, the transport error can be finely corrected. Therefore, in the present embodiment, a correction value for correcting the DC component transport error is prepared for each 1/4 inch range, not for each 1 inch range corresponding to one rotation of the transport roller 23. Yes.

<Method of detecting DC component transport error according to reference example>
27A and 27B are explanatory diagrams of a method for detecting a DC component transport error according to a reference example. On the right side of each figure, a measurement pattern of a reference example is shown. The left rectangle in the figure indicates the position of the head 41 with respect to the paper S. For convenience of explanation, the head 41 is depicted as moving with respect to the paper S, but this figure shows the relative positional relationship between the head and the paper S. S is transported in the transport direction.

  In this reference example, first, the head 41 forms the pattern A before carrying out the carrying operation. This pattern A is formed by a plurality of nozzles (for example, nozzles # 51 to # 90) on the upstream side in the transport direction. After the pattern A is formed, the transport roller 23 rotates once and the paper S is transported by a transport amount of 1 inch. Then, after transport, the head 41 forms the pattern B. This pattern B is formed by a plurality of nozzles (for example, nozzle # 1 to nozzle # 40) on the downstream side in the transport direction.

  FIG. 27A is an explanatory diagram when a pattern is formed as ideal in the reference example. In this case, there is no gap and no overlap between the pattern A and the pattern B. If the relationship between the two patterns is such, it can be determined that there is no DC component transport error.

  On the other hand, FIG. 27B is an explanatory diagram when there is a conveyance error in the reference example. Here, pattern A and pattern B are formed overlappingly, and the distance between the two patterns is dark. In this case, it is determined that the DC component transport error is such that the actual transport amount is shorter than the target transport amount.

  That is, in the reference example, the magnitude of the DC component transport error is determined based on the situation of the boundary between the two patterns. The upstream side of the pattern A in the carrying direction is formed by dots by the nozzle # 90, and the downstream side in the carrying direction of the pattern B is formed by dots by the nozzle # 1, in other words, in the reference example, by the nozzle # 90. Based on the positional relationship between the dots and the dots by nozzle # 1, the magnitude of the DC component transport error is determined.

By the way, in such a reference example, the problem described below occurs.
FIG. 28A and FIG. 28B are explanatory diagrams showing how ink ejected from nozzles forms dots. On the right side of each figure, paper S and dots formed on the paper are drawn. In addition, nozzles # 1 to # 4 are drawn on the left side of each drawing. The dotted line at the center in each figure shows the trajectory of the ink droplet ejected from the nozzle.

  FIG. 28A is an explanatory diagram when ink droplets are ejected as ideal. When ink droplets are ejected as ideally, ink droplets of the same size are ejected in parallel flight directions, so dots of the same size are formed at equal intervals on the paper. If ink droplets are ejected in this way, it can be determined that a DC component transport error has occurred when the pattern shown in FIG. 27B is formed.

  FIG. 28B is an explanatory diagram in a case where the ink ejection characteristics differ for each nozzle. Thus, when the ejection characteristics of each nozzle are different, the size of the ejected ink droplet and the flying direction of the ink droplet are also different. As a result, dots of different sizes are formed at different intervals on the paper. When the discharge characteristics of the nozzles are different in this way, when the pattern as shown in FIG. 27B is formed, whether the reason why the two patterns are dark is due to the DC component transport error. It cannot be determined whether the ink droplet ejection direction by nozzle # 1 is closer to the downstream side in the transport direction.

  For this reason, as in the reference example, when the magnitude of the DC component transport error is determined based on the positional relationship between the dots by the nozzle # 90 and the dots by the nozzle # 1, it is affected by the ejection characteristics of each nozzle. There is a problem that it ends up.

  Accordingly, in the present embodiment described below, the DC component transport error is evaluated based on the interval between lines formed by the same nozzle.

=== General Description ===
FIG. 7 is a flowchart for determining a correction value for correcting the carry amount. FIG. 8A to FIG. 8C are explanatory diagrams of how the correction value is determined. These processes are performed in the inspection process of the printer manufacturing factory. Prior to this process, the inspector connects the assembled printer 1 to the computer 110 in the factory. A scanner 150 is also connected to the computer 110 in the factory, and a printer driver, a scanner driver, and a correction value acquisition program are installed in advance.

  First, the printer driver transmits print data to the printer 1, and the printer 1 prints the measurement pattern on the test sheet TS (S101, FIG. 8A). Next, the inspector sets the test sheet TS on the scanner 150, and the scanner driver causes the scanner 150 to read the measurement pattern and acquire image data (S102, FIG. 8B). A reference sheet is set in the scanner 150 together with the test sheet TS, and a reference pattern drawn on the reference sheet is also read together.

  Then, the correction value acquisition program analyzes the acquired image data and calculates a correction value (S103). Then, the correction value acquisition program transmits the correction data to the printer 1 and stores the correction value in the memory 63 of the printer 1 (FIG. 8C). The correction value stored in the printer reflects the conveyance characteristics of each printer.

  The printer storing the correction value is packed and delivered to the user. When the user prints an image with the printer, the printer conveys the paper based on the correction value and prints the image on the paper.

=== Printing Pattern for Measurement (S101) ===
First, the measurement pattern printing will be described. Similar to normal printing, the printer 1 alternately repeats a dot formation process for forming dots by ejecting ink from the moving nozzles and a transport operation for transporting the paper in the transport direction, and the measurement pattern is printed on the paper. Print on. In the following description, the dot formation process is referred to as “pass”, and the nth dot formation process is referred to as “pass n”.

  FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram of how the measurement pattern is printed. The size of the test sheet TS on which the measurement pattern is printed is 101.6 mm × 152.4 mm (4 inches × 6 inches).

  On the right side of the figure, a measurement pattern printed on the test sheet TS is shown. The left rectangle in the drawing indicates the position of the head 41 in each pass (relative position with respect to the test sheet TS). For convenience of explanation, the head 41 is depicted as moving with respect to the test sheet TS, but this figure shows the relative positional relationship between the head and the test sheet TS. The test sheet TS is intermittently conveyed in the conveyance direction.

  When the test sheet TS continues to be conveyed, the lower end of the test sheet TS passes through the conveyance roller 23. The position of the test sheet TS that faces the most upstream nozzle # 90 when the lower end of the test sheet TS passes the transport roller 23 is indicated by a dotted line in the drawing as an “NIP line”. That is, in the path in which the head 41 is above the NIP line in the figure, printing is performed with the test sheet TS sandwiched between the transport roller 23 and the driven roller 26 (also referred to as “NIP state”). Is called. In the drawing, in a path where the head 41 is below the NIP line, there is no test sheet TS between the transport roller 23 and the driven roller 26 (the test sheet TS is formed only by the paper discharge roller 25 and the driven roller 27). And is also referred to as “non-NIP state”).

The measurement pattern includes an identification code and a plurality of lines.
The identification code is an individual identification symbol for identifying each printer 1. This identification code is read together when the measurement pattern is read in S102, and is identified by the computer 110 by character recognition by OCR.
Each line is formed along the moving direction. Many lines are formed on the upper end side of the NIP line. Regarding the line on the upper end side from the NIP line, the i-th line in order from the upper end side is referred to as “Li”. Two lines are formed on the lower end side of the NIP line. Of the two lines on the lower end side of the NIP line, the upper end side line is called Lb1, and the lower end side line (lowermost line) is called Lb2. A specific line is formed longer than the other lines. For example, the line L1, the line L13, and the line Lb2 are formed longer than the other lines. These lines are formed as follows.

  First, after the test sheet TS is conveyed to a predetermined printing start position, ink droplets are ejected from only the nozzle # 90 in pass 1 to form a line L1. After pass 1, the controller 60 rotates the transport roller 23 by 1/4 to transport the test sheet TS by about 1/4 inch. After transport, in pass 2, ink droplets are ejected only from nozzle # 90, and line L2 is formed. Thereafter, the same operation is repeated, and the lines L1 to L20 are formed at intervals of about 1/4 inch. Thus, the lines L1 to L20 located on the upper end side of the NIP line are formed by the most upstream nozzle # 90 among the nozzles # 1 to # 90. Thereby, as many lines as possible can be formed on the test sheet TS in the NIP state. The lines L1 to L20 are formed only by the nozzle # 90, but in the pass for printing the identification code, nozzles other than the nozzle # 90 are also used when printing the identification code.

  After the lower end of the test sheet TS passes through the transport roller 23, ink droplets are ejected only from the nozzle # 90 in pass n to form a line Lb1. After pass n, the controller 60 rotates the transport roller 23 once to transport the test sheet TS by about 1 inch. After transport, in pass n + 1, ink droplets are ejected only from nozzle # 3 to form line Lb2. If nozzle # 1 is used, the distance between line Lb1 and line Lb2 becomes very narrow (about 1/90 inch), and it becomes difficult to measure the distance between line Lb1 and line Lb2 later. . For this reason, in this embodiment, by forming the line Lb2 using the nozzle # 3 located upstream in the transport direction from the nozzle # 1, the interval between the line Lb1 and the line Lb2 is widened to facilitate measurement. Yes.

  By the way, when the test sheet TS is conveyed ideally, the interval between the lines L1 to L20 should be exactly 1/4 inch. However, if there is a conveyance error, the line interval does not become 1/4 inch. If the test sheet TS is transported more than the ideal transport amount, the line interval increases. Conversely, when the test sheet TS is transported less than the ideal transport amount, the line interval is narrowed. That is, the interval between two lines reflects a transport error in a transport process performed between a path in which one line is formed and a path in which the other line is formed. For this reason, if the distance between two lines is measured, it is possible to measure a transport error in a transport process performed between a path in which one line is formed and a path in which the other line is formed. .

  In the present embodiment, the lines L1 to L20 are formed using the same nozzle # 90. For this reason, even if the ink ejection direction of the nozzle # 90 is bent, the interval between the lines is not affected by the ejection characteristics of the nozzle # 90 but reflects only the transport error.

  The distance between the line Lb1 and the line Lb2 is exactly 3 / when the test sheet TS is transported ideally (more precisely, when the ink ejection of the nozzle # 90 and the nozzle # 3 is the same). Should be 90 inches. However, if there is a transport error, the line spacing does not become 3/90 inches. For this reason, it is considered that the interval between the line Lb1 and the line Lb2 reflects a transport error in the transport process in the non-NIP state. For this reason, if the distance between the line Lb1 and the line Lb2 is measured, it is possible to measure the transport error in the transport process in the non-NIP state.

=== Reading Pattern (S102) ===
<Scanner configuration>
First, the configuration of the scanner 150 used for reading the measurement pattern will be described.

FIG. 10A is a longitudinal sectional view of the scanner 150. FIG. 10B is a top view of the scanner 150 with the upper lid 151 removed.
The scanner 150 includes an upper cover 151, a document table glass 152 on which the document 5 is placed, a reading carriage 153 that moves in the sub-scanning direction while facing the document 5 through the document table glass 152, and a sub-scanning of the reading carriage 153. A guide unit 154 for guiding in the direction, a moving mechanism 155 for moving the reading carriage 153, and a scanner controller (not shown) for controlling each unit in the scanner 150 are provided. The reading carriage 153 receives an exposure lamp 157 for irradiating the original 5 with light, a line sensor 158 for detecting a line image in the main scanning direction (a direction perpendicular to the paper surface in FIG. 10A), and reflected light from the original 5. An optical system 159 for guiding to the line sensor 158 is provided. A broken line inside the reading carriage 153 in the drawing indicates a locus of light.
When reading the image of the document 5, the operator opens the upper cover 151, places the document 5 on the document table glass 152, and closes the upper cover 151. Then, the scanner controller moves the reading carriage 153 along the sub-scanning direction with the exposure lamp 157 emitting light, and reads the image on the surface of the document 5 by the line sensor 158. The scanner controller transmits the read image data to the scanner driver of the computer 110, whereby the computer 110 acquires the image data of the document 5.

<Reading position accuracy>
As will be described later, in this embodiment, the scanner 150 reads the measurement pattern of the test sheet TS and the reference pattern of the reference sheet with a resolution of 720 dpi (main scanning direction) × 720 dpi (sub-scanning direction). For this reason, in the following description, description will be made on the assumption that an image is read at a resolution of 720 × 720 dpi.

  FIG. 11 is a graph of the error in the reading position of the scanner. The horizontal axis of the graph indicates the reading position (theoretical value) (that is, the horizontal axis of the graph indicates the position (theoretical value) of the reading carriage 153). The vertical axis of the graph represents the reading position error (difference between the theoretical value of the reading position and the actual reading position). For example, when the reading carriage 153 is moved by 1 inch (= 25.4 mm), an error of about 60 μm occurs.

  If the theoretical value of the reading position matches the actual reading position, a pixel that is 720 pixels away from the pixel indicating the reference position (position where the reading position is zero) in the sub-scanning direction is exactly 1 inch from the reference position. It should show an image at a distant location. However, when an error in the reading position as shown in the graph occurs, a pixel that is 720 pixels away from the pixel that indicates the reference position in the sub-scanning direction is a position that is further 60 μm away from a position that is 1 inch away from the reference position. An image will be shown.

  If the slope of the graph is zero, images should be read at equal intervals every 1/720 inch. However, when the slope of the graph is positive, images are read at intervals longer than 1/720 inch. Further, when the slope of the graph is negative, images are read at intervals shorter than 1/720 inch.

  As a result, even if the measurement pattern lines are formed at equal intervals, the line images on the image data do not have equal intervals in a state where there is an error in the reading position. As described above, in a state where there is an error in the reading position, the line position cannot be accurately measured simply by reading the measurement pattern.

  Therefore, in this embodiment, when the test sheet TS is set and the measurement pattern is read by the scanner, the reference sheet is set and the reference pattern is also read.

<Reading measurement pattern and reference pattern>
FIG. 12A is an explanatory diagram of the reference sheet SS. FIG. 12B is an explanatory diagram showing a state in which the test sheet TS and the reference sheet SS are set on the platen glass 152.

  The size of the reference sheet SS is 10 mm × 300 mm, and the reference sheet SS has a long and thin shape. In the reference sheet SS, a large number of lines are formed as reference patterns at intervals of 36 dpi. Since the reference sheet SS is repeatedly used, it is not a paper but a PET film. The reference pattern is formed with high accuracy by laser processing.

  By using a jig (not shown), the test sheet TS and the reference sheet SS are set at predetermined positions on the platen glass 152. The reference sheet SS is set on the platen glass 152 so that the long side thereof is parallel to the sub-scanning direction of the scanner 150, that is, each line of the reference sheet SS is parallel to the main scanning direction of the scanner 150. The A test sheet TS is set next to the reference sheet SS. The test sheet TS is set on the platen glass 152 so that the long side is parallel to the sub-scanning direction of the scanner 150, that is, the lines of the measurement pattern are parallel to the main scanning direction.

  With the test sheet TS and the reference sheet SS set in this way, the scanner 150 reads the measurement pattern and the reference pattern. At this time, due to the influence of the error in the reading position, the image of the measurement pattern in the reading result becomes a distorted image as compared with the actual measurement pattern. Similarly, the image of the reference pattern is also distorted compared to the actual reference pattern.

  Note that the measurement pattern image in the reading result is affected not only by the error of the reading position but also by the conveyance error of the printer 1. On the other hand, since the reference pattern is formed at equal intervals irrespective of the transport error of the printer, the image of the reference pattern is affected by the error in the reading position of the scanner 150. It is not affected by the error.

  Therefore, when calculating the correction value based on the measurement pattern image, the correction value acquisition program cancels the influence of the reading position error in the measurement pattern image based on the reference pattern image.

=== Calculation of Correction Value (S103) ===
Before describing the correction value calculation, the image data acquired from the scanner 150 will be described. The image data is composed of a plurality of pixel data. Each pixel data indicates the gradation value of the corresponding pixel. If the reading error of the scanner is ignored, each pixel corresponds to a size of 1/720 inch × 1/720 inch. An image (digital image) is configured with such a pixel as a minimum structural unit, and the image data is data indicating such an image.
FIG. 13 is a flowchart of the correction value calculation process in S103. The computer 110 executes each process according to the correction value acquisition program. That is, the correction value acquisition program has a code for causing the computer 110 to execute each process.

<Image Division (S131)>
First, the computer 110 divides the image indicated by the image data acquired from the scanner 150 into two (S131).
FIG. 14 is an explanatory diagram of image division (S131). On the left side of the drawing, an image indicated by the image data acquired from the scanner is drawn. The divided image is drawn on the right side in the figure. In the following description, the left-right direction (horizontal direction) in the figure is called the x direction, and the up-down direction (vertical direction) in the figure is called the y direction. Each line in the reference pattern image is substantially parallel to the x direction, and each line in the measurement pattern image is also substantially parallel to the x direction.
The computer 110 divides the image into two by extracting an image in a predetermined range from the image of the reading result. By dividing the image of the reading result into two, one image shows the image of the reference pattern and the other image shows the image of the measurement pattern. The reason for dividing in this way is that the reference sheet SS and the test sheet TS may be separately inclined and set in the scanner 150, so that the inclination correction (S133) is performed separately.

<Detection of Inclination of Each Image (S132)>
Next, the computer 110 detects the inclination of the image (S132).
FIG. 15A is an explanatory diagram illustrating a state where the inclination of the image of the measurement pattern is detected. The computer 110 extracts, from the image data, the KX2th pixel from the left and the KY1st to JY pixels from the top. Similarly, the computer 110 extracts from the image data the KX3th pixel from the left and the KY1 to JY pixels from the top. The parameters KX2, KX3, KY1, and JY are set so that the pixel indicating the line L1 is included in the extracted pixels.
FIG. 15B is a graph of the gradation values of the extracted pixels. The horizontal axis indicates the position of the pixel (Y coordinate). The vertical axis indicates the gradation value of the pixel. The computer 110 obtains the gravity center positions KY2 and KY3 based on the pixel data of the extracted JY pixels.
Then, the computer 110 calculates the inclination θ of the line L1 by the following equation.
θ = tan ⁻¹ {(KY2-KY3) / (KX2-KX3)}
The computer 110 detects not only the inclination of the measurement pattern image but also the inclination of the reference pattern image. Since the method of detecting the inclination of the image of the reference pattern is substantially the same as the above method, the description thereof is omitted.

<Correction of inclination of each image (S133)>
Next, the computer 110 rotates the image based on the inclination θ detected in S132 and corrects the inclination of the image (S133). The measurement pattern image is rotationally corrected based on the inclination result of the measurement pattern image, and the reference pattern image is rotationally corrected based on the inclination result of the reference pattern image.
A bilinear method is used as an algorithm for image rotation processing. Since this algorithm is well known, its description is omitted.

<Detection of tilt during printing (S134)>
Next, the computer 110 detects an inclination (skew) during printing of the measurement pattern (S134). If the lower end of the test sheet passes the transport roller when printing the measurement pattern, the lower end of the test sheet may come into contact with the head 41 and the test sheet may move. When this happens, the correction value calculated from the measurement pattern becomes inappropriate. Therefore, it is detected whether or not the lower end of the test sheet is in contact with the head 41 by detecting the inclination at the time of printing the measurement pattern.
FIG. 16 is an explanatory diagram of how the inclination is detected when the measurement pattern is printed. First, the computer 110 calculates the left interval YL and the right interval YR in the line L1 (the uppermost line) and the line Lb2 (the lowermost line, the line formed after the lower end passes through the transport roller). Is detected. Then, the computer 110 calculates the difference between the interval YL and the interval YR. If the difference is within the predetermined range, the computer 110 proceeds to the next process (S135). If the difference is outside the predetermined range, an error is determined.

<Calculation of margin amount (S135)>
Next, the computer 110 calculates a margin amount (S135).
FIG. 17 is an explanatory diagram of the margin amount X. A solid square (outer square) in the figure indicates an image after the rotation correction in S133. A dotted-line rectangle (inner oblique rectangle) in the figure indicates an image before rotation correction. In order to make the image after rotation correction into a rectangular shape, right-angled triangular margins are added to the four corners of the rotated image when the rotation correction processing of S133 is performed.
If the inclination of the reference sheet SS and the inclination of the test sheet TS are different, the amount of added margin is different, and the position of the measurement pattern line relative to the reference pattern is relative before and after the rotation correction (S133). It will shift to. Therefore, the computer 110 obtains the margin amount X by the following equation, and subtracts the margin amount X from the line position calculated in S136, thereby preventing the shift of the line position of the measurement pattern with respect to the reference pattern.
X = (w cos θ−W ′ / 2) × tan θ

<Calculation of Line Position in Scanner Coordinate System (S136)>
Next, the computer 110 calculates the position of the line of the reference pattern and the position of the line of the measurement pattern in the scanner coordinate system (S136).
The scanner coordinate system is a coordinate system when the size of one pixel is 1/720 × 1/720 inch. The scanner 150 has a reading position error, and considering the reading position error, the corresponding actual area of each pixel data is not exactly 1/720 inch × 1/720 inch, but in the scanner coordinate system, The size of the corresponding region (pixel) of each pixel data is 1/720 × 1/720 inch. Further, the position of the upper left pixel in each image is set as the origin of the scanner coordinate system.

FIG. 18A is an explanatory diagram of an image range used when calculating the position of a line. Image data of an image in a range indicated by a dotted line in the figure is used when calculating the position of the line. FIG. 18B is an explanatory diagram of calculation of the position of the line. The horizontal axis indicates the position of the pixel in the y direction (scanner coordinate system). The vertical axis indicates the gradation value of the pixel (the average value of the gradation values of the pixels arranged in the x direction).
The computer 110 obtains the position of the peak value of the gradation value and sets a predetermined range centered on this position as the calculation range. Based on the pixel data of the pixels in this calculation range, the barycentric position of the gradation value is calculated, and this barycentric position is set as the line position.

  FIG. 19 is an explanatory diagram of the calculated line positions (note that the positions shown in the figure are made dimensionless by a predetermined calculation). Although the reference pattern is composed of equally spaced lines, the positions of the calculated lines are not evenly spaced when attention is paid to the position of the center of gravity of each line of the reference pattern. This is considered to be due to the influence of the reading position error of the scanner 150.

<Calculation of absolute position of each line of measurement pattern (S137)>
Next, the computer 110 calculates the absolute position of each line of the measurement pattern (S137).
FIG. 20 is an explanatory diagram for calculating the absolute position of the i-th line of the measurement pattern. Here, the i-th line of the measurement pattern is located between the j−1th line of the reference pattern and the j-th line of the reference pattern. In the following description, the position (scanner coordinate system) of the i-th line of the measurement pattern is referred to as “S (i)”, and the position of the j-th line (scanner coordinate system) of the reference pattern is “K (j)”. " The interval between the j−1th line and the jth line of the reference pattern (interval in the y direction) is called “L”, and the j−1th line of the reference pattern and the ith line of the measurement pattern (Interval in the y direction) is referred to as “L (i)”.

First, the computer 110 calculates the ratio H of the interval L (i) to the interval L based on the following equation.
H = L (i) / L
= {S (i) -K (j-1)} / {K (j) -K (j-1)}

By the way, since the actual reference patterns on the reference sheet SS are equally spaced, if the absolute position of the first line of the reference pattern is zero, the position of an arbitrary line of the reference pattern can be calculated. For example, the absolute position of the second line of the reference pattern is 1/36 inch. Therefore, when the absolute position of the jth line of the reference pattern is “J (j)” and the absolute position of the ith line of the measurement pattern is “R (i)”, R ( i) can be calculated.
R (i) = {J (j) −J (j−1)} × H + J (j−1)

  Here, a specific procedure for calculating the absolute position of the first line of the measurement pattern in FIG. 19 will be described. First, the computer 110 determines that the first line of the measurement pattern is located between the second line and the third line of the reference pattern based on the value of S (1) (373.768667). To detect. Next, the computer 110 calculates that the ratio H is 0.40143008 (= (373.7686667-309.613250) / (469.430413-309.613250)). Next, the computer 110 calculates that the absolute position R (1) of the first line of the measurement pattern is 0.98878678 mm (= 0.038928613 inch = {1/36 inch} × 0.40143008 + 1/36 inch).

  In this way, the computer 110 calculates the absolute position of each line of the measurement pattern.

<Calculation of Correction Value (S138)>
Next, the computer 110 calculates correction values corresponding to a plurality of transport operations performed when the measurement pattern is formed (S138). Each correction value is calculated based on the difference between the theoretical line spacing and the actual line spacing.

  The correction value C (i) of the transport operation performed between the pass i and the pass i + 1 is from “6.35 mm” (1/4 inch, that is, the theoretical distance between the line Li and the line Li + 1) to “R. It is a value obtained by subtracting (i + 1) −R (i) ”(the absolute position of the line Li + 1 and the actual distance between the lines Li). For example, the correction value C (1) of the transport operation performed between pass 1 and pass 2 is 6.35 mm- {R (2) -R (1)}. In this way, the computer 110 calculates the correction value C (1) to the correction value C (19).

  However, when the correction value is calculated using the lines Lb1 and Lb2 below the NIP line (upstream in the transport direction), the theoretical distance between the line Lb1 and the line Lb2 is “0.847 mm” (= 3/90 Calculate as inches. In this way, the computer 110 calculates the correction value Cb in the non-NIP state.

  FIG. 21 is an explanatory diagram of a corresponding range of the correction value C (i). If the value obtained by subtracting the correction value C (1) from the initial target carry amount is set as the target in the carrying operation between pass 1 and pass 2 when the measurement pattern is printed, the actual value is obtained. The transport amount should be exactly 1/4 inch (= 6.35 mm). Similarly, if a value obtained by subtracting the correction value Cb from the original target carry amount is set as the target in the carrying operation between pass n and pass n + 1 when the measurement pattern is printed, the actual value is obtained. The carry amount should be exactly 1 inch.

<Averaging correction values (S139)>
Incidentally, since the rotary encoder 52 of the present embodiment does not include an origin sensor, the controller 60 can detect the rotation amount of the transport roller 23 but does not detect the rotational position of the transport roller 23. For this reason, the printer 1 cannot guarantee the rotational position of the transport roller 23 at the start of transport. That is, every time printing is performed, the rotational position of the transport roller 23 at the start of transport may be different. On the other hand, the interval between two adjacent ruled lines in the measurement pattern is affected not only by the DC component transport error when transporting at 1/4 inch, but also by the AC component transport error.

  Therefore, when correcting the target carry amount, if the correction value C calculated based on the interval between two ruled lines adjacent to each other in the measurement pattern is applied as it is, the carry is caused by the influence of the AC component carry error. The amount may not be corrected correctly. For example, even when a transport operation of a 1/4 inch transport amount is performed between pass 1 and pass 2 as in the case of printing a measurement pattern, the rotation position of the transport roller 23 at the start of transport is If the measurement pattern is different from the printing time, even if the target carry amount is corrected with the correction value C (1), the carry amount is not correctly corrected. If the rotation position of the conveyance roller 23 at the start of conveyance is 180 degrees different from that at the time of printing the measurement pattern, the conveyance amount is not corrected correctly because of the influence of the AC component conveyance error. Can get worse.

Therefore, in the present embodiment, in order to correct only the DC component transport error, the correction for correcting the DC component transport error is performed by averaging four correction values C as shown in the following equation. The amount Ca is calculated.
Ca (i) = {C (i-1) + C (i) + C (i + 1) + C (i + 2)} / 4

Here, the reason why the correction value Ca for correcting the DC component transport error can be calculated by the above equation will be described.
As described above, the correction value C (i) of the transport operation performed between the pass i and the pass i + 1 is “6.35 mm” (1/4 inch, that is, the theoretical distance between the line Li and the line Li + 1. ) Minus “R (i + 1) −R (i)” (the absolute position of the line Li + 1 and the actual distance between the lines Li). Then, the above equation for calculating the correction value Ca has the following meaning.
Ca (i) = [25.4 mm- {R (i + 3) -R (i-1)}] / 4

That is, the correction value Ca (i) is a difference between the distance between two lines (line Li + 3 and line Li-1) that should theoretically be 1 inch apart and 1 inch (the conveyance amount for one rotation of the conveyance roller 23). The value divided by. For this reason, the correction value Ca (i) is a value for correcting ¼ of a transport error that occurs when the paper S is transported by 1 inch (a transport amount for one rotation of the transport roller 23). A transport error that occurs when the paper S is transported by 1 inch is a DC component transport error, and this transport error does not include an AC component transport error.
Therefore, the correction value Ca (i) calculated by averaging the four correction values C is not affected by the AC component transport error and is a value reflecting the DC component transport error.

  FIG. 22 is an explanatory diagram of the relationship between the measurement pattern line and the correction value Ca. As shown in the figure, the correction value Ca (i) is a value corresponding to the interval between the line Li + 3 and the line L-1. For example, the correction value Ca (2) is a value corresponding to the interval between the line L5 and the line L1. Further, since the measurement pattern lines are formed approximately every ¼ inch, the correction value Ca can be calculated every ¼ inch. For this reason, although each correction value Ca (i) is a value corresponding to the interval between two lines that should theoretically be separated by 1 inch, the applicable range of each correction value Ca can be set to 1/4 inch. it can. In other words, in the present embodiment, the correction value for correcting the DC component transport error is set not for every 1 inch range corresponding to one rotation of the transport roller 23 but for every 1/4 inch range. Can do. Thereby, it is possible to finely correct the DC component transport error (see the dotted line in FIG. 6) that changes according to the total transport amount.

  The correction value Ca (2) of the transport operation performed between pass 2 and pass 3 is a value obtained by dividing the sum of correction values C (1) to C (4) by 4 (correction value C (1)). (Average value of .about.C (4)). In other words, the correction value Ca (2) is a value corresponding to the interval between the line L1 formed in the pass 1 and the line L5 formed in the pass 5 after the line L1 is formed and conveyed for 1 inch. Become.

  Further, when i-1 is equal to or less than zero when calculating the correction value Ca (i), C (1) is applied as the correction value C (i-1). For example, the correction value Ca (1) of the transport operation performed between pass 1 and pass 2 is calculated as {C (1) + C (1) + C (2) + C (3)} / 4. Further, when i + 1 is 20 or more when calculating the correction value Ca (i), C (19) is applied to C (i + 1) for calculating the correction value Ca. Similarly, when i + 2 is 20 or more, C (i + 2) applies C (19). For example, the correction amount Ca (19) of the conveyance operation performed between the pass 19 and the pass 20 is calculated as {C (18) + C (19) + C (19) + C (19)} / 4.

  In this way, the computer 110 calculates the correction values Ca (1) to Ca (19). Thus, a correction value for correcting the DC component transport error is obtained for each 1/4 inch range.

=== Storage of Correction Value (S104) ===
Next, the computer 110 stores the correction value in the memory 63 of the printer 1 (S104).
FIG. 23 is an explanatory diagram of a table stored in the memory 63. The correction values stored in the memory 63 are the correction values Ca (1) to Ca (19) in the NIP state and the correction value Cb in the non-NIP state. Further, boundary position information for indicating a range to which each correction value is applied is also stored in the memory 63 in association with each correction value.
The boundary position information associated with the correction value Ca (i) is information indicating the position (theoretical position) corresponding to the line Li + 1 of the measurement pattern, and the correction value Ca (i) is applied to this boundary position information. The boundary of the lower end side of the range to be shown is shown. Note that the upper end side boundary can be obtained from the boundary position information associated with the correction value Ca (i−1). Therefore, for example, the application range of the correction value C (2) is a range between the position of the line L1 and the position of the line L2 (where the nozzle # 90 is located) with respect to the paper S. Note that since the range in which the non-NIP state is set is known, the boundary value information may not be associated with the correction value Cb.

  In the printer manufacturing factory, a table reflecting individual characteristics of each printer is stored in the memory 63 for each printer manufactured. The printer storing this table is packed and shipped.

=== Conveying operation during printing under the user ===
When printing is performed under the user who purchased the printer, the controller 60 reads the table from the memory 63, corrects the target transport amount based on the correction value, and performs the transport operation based on the corrected target transport amount. Do. Hereinafter, the state of the conveyance operation at the time of printing under the user will be described.

  FIG. 24A is an explanatory diagram of correction values in the first case. In the first case, the position of the nozzle # 90 before the transport operation (relative position with respect to the paper) matches the boundary position on the upper end side of the application range of the correction value Ca (i), and the position of the nozzle # 90 after the transport operation Corresponds to the boundary position on the lower end side of the application range of the correction value Ca (i). In such a case, the controller 60 sets the correction value Ca (i), drives the carry motor 22 with the target value obtained by adding the correction value Ca (i) from the initial target carry amount F, and carries the paper. To do.

  FIG. 24B is an explanatory diagram of correction values in the second case. In the second case, the position of the nozzle # 90 before and after the transport operation is both within the application range of the correction value Ca (i). In such a case, the controller 60 sets a value obtained by multiplying the ratio F / L between the initial target transport amount F and the transport range length L of the applicable range by Ca (i) as a correction value. Then, the controller 60 drives the carry motor 22 with the target value obtained by adding the correction value Ca (i) × (F / L) from the initial target carry amount F to carry the paper.

  FIG. 24C is an explanatory diagram of correction values in the third case. In the third case, the position of the nozzle # 90 before the transport operation is within the application range of the correction value Ca (i), and the position of the nozzle # 90 after the transport operation is within the application range of the correction value Ca (i + 1). is there. Here, of the target transport amount F, the transport amount within the application range of the correction value Ca (i) is F1, and the transport amount within the application range of the correction value Ca (i + 1) is F2. In such a case, the controller 60 sets the sum of a value obtained by multiplying Ca (i) by F1 / L and a value obtained by multiplying Ca (i + 1) by F2 / L as a correction value. Then, the controller 60 drives the carry motor 22 with the target value obtained by adding the correction value from the initial target carry amount F to carry the paper.

  FIG. 24D is an explanatory diagram of correction values in the fourth case. In the fourth case, the paper is conveyed so as to pass through the application range of the correction value Ca (i + 1). In such a case, the controller 60 sets the sum of a value obtained by multiplying Ca (i) by F1 / L, a value obtained by multiplying Ca (i + 1) and Ca (i + 2) by F2 / L as a correction value. Then, the controller 60 drives the carry motor 22 with the target value obtained by adding the correction value from the initial target carry amount F to carry the paper.

  Thus, when the controller corrects the initial target transport amount F and controls the transport unit based on the corrected target transport amount, the actual transport amount is corrected to become the initial target transport amount F, The DC component transport error is corrected.

  By the way, if the correction value is calculated as described above, when the target carry amount F is small, the correction value is also small. If the target transport amount F is small, it is considered that the transport error that occurs when the transport is performed is small. Therefore, if the correction value is calculated as described above, a correction value that matches the transport error that occurs during transport can be calculated. In addition, since the applicable range is set every ¼ inch for each correction value Ca, the DC component transport error that changes in accordance with the relative position between the paper S and the head 41 can be corrected accurately. can do.

  When carrying in the non-NIP state, the target carry amount is corrected based on the correction value Cb. When the transport amount in the non-NIP state is F, the controller 60 sets a value obtained by multiplying the correction value Cb by F / L as a correction value. However, in this case, L is set to 1 inch regardless of the range of the non-NIP state. Then, the controller 60 drives the carry motor 22 with the target value obtained by adding the correction value (Cb × F / L) from the initial target carry amount F to carry the paper.

=== Another Embodiment ===
In the above-described embodiment, the lines L1 to L20 are formed using the nozzle # 90 on the most upstream side in the transport direction. Here, a case where nozzle # 1 is used instead of nozzle # 90 will be described.

<When using nozzle # 1>
FIG. 25 is an explanatory diagram when the lines L1 to L17 of the measurement pattern are formed using the nozzle # 1. Note that the line L1 in FIG. 25 and the line L1 in FIG. 9 are formed at the same position on the paper.

Also in the present embodiment, as in the above-described embodiment, after the printer 1 prints the measurement pattern on the test sheet TS, the scanner driver causes the scanner 150 to read the measurement pattern and the reference pattern to acquire image data. The correction value acquisition program analyzes the image data, calculates the correction value, and stores the correction value in the memory 63 of the printer 1.
In this embodiment, although the nozzle different from the above-mentioned embodiment is used, the lines L1-L17 are formed using the same nozzle. For this reason, even if the ink ejection direction of the nozzle # 1 is bent, the interval between the lines is not affected by the ejection characteristics of the nozzle # 1, but reflects only the transport error.

  By the way, comparing FIG. 25 with FIG. 9, the position of the upper end of the test sheet TS when starting pass 1 is the downstream side in the transport direction in FIG. For this reason, the number of passes performed before the lower end of the test sheet TS passes the transport roller 23 (the number of passes performed until the position of the nozzle # 90 is positioned below the NIP line in the drawing) is as shown in FIG. Is less. As a result, the number of lines formed before the lower end of the test sheet TS passes through the conveying roller 23 is 20 in FIG. 9, but is reduced to 17 in FIG. If the number of lines that can be formed on the test sheet TS decreases, the number of correction values that can be acquired decreases.

As described above, when the measurement pattern line is formed using the nozzles on the downstream side in the transport direction, the number of lines formed until the lower end of the test sheet TS passes through the transport roller 23 is reduced. As a result, although it is possible to correct the DC component transport error that changes according to the relative position between the paper S and the head 41, the number of correction values that can be acquired is reduced. The accuracy of correction is inferior to
For this reason, before the lower end of the test sheet TS passes the transport roller 23, the nozzle in the transport direction upstream such as the nozzle # 90 is used rather than the nozzle in the transport direction downstream such as the nozzle # 1. Is desirable.

<Two lines formed in non-NIP state>
In the above-described embodiment, the line Lb1 is formed by the nozzle # 90 after the lower end of the test sheet TS has passed through the conveyance roller 23, and then the line Lb2 is conveyed by the nozzle # 3 after conveyance of one rotation of the conveyance roller 23. Is formed. However, in such an embodiment as described above, two lines (line Lb1 and line Lb2) are formed using different nozzles, so that the discharge characteristics of the two nozzles (nozzle # 90 and nozzle # 3) are different. This affects the spacing between the two lines. As a result, there is a possibility that the accuracy of correction of the conveyance error in the non-NIP state is deteriorated.
On the other hand, if ink is ejected from nozzle # 90 instead of nozzle # 3 when forming line Lb2, the ejected ink does not land on test sheet TS, and line Lb2 cannot be formed on test sheet TS.

  Therefore, as described below, the line Lb1 and the line Lb2 may be formed using the nozzle # 1.

FIG. 26 is an explanatory diagram in a case where two lines are formed using the nozzle # 1 after the lower end of the test sheet TS has passed the transport roller 23. FIG.
In the present embodiment, the processes until the lines L1 to L20 are formed are the same as those in the case of printing the test sheet shown in FIG. That is, the lines L1 to L20 are formed by the nozzle # 90. In other words, in the NIP state, the lines L1 to 20 are formed by the nozzle # 90.
However, in the present embodiment, the lines L1 to L20 are formed on the left side in the drawing. This is to avoid overlapping with a line Lb1 described later. When the line L20 is formed in the pass 20, the nozzle # 90 is on the downstream side in the transport direction from the NIP line, and the lower end of the test sheet TS does not pass through the transport roller 23.

After the line L20 is formed, the test sheet TS is transported in the transport direction, and the lower end of the test sheet TS passes through the transport roller 23. Then, the head 41 has a relative positional relationship of “the position of the head in pass n” in the drawing with respect to the test sheet TS. In the above-described embodiment, when the head 41 and the test sheet TS are in this relative positional relationship, the pass n is performed, and the line Lb1 is formed using the nozzle # 90. On the other hand, in this embodiment, when the head 41 and the test sheet TS are in this relative positional relationship, the line Lb1 is formed from the nozzle # 1. That is, in the non-NIP state, the line Lb1 is formed by the nozzle # 90.
The line Lb1 is formed on the right side in the drawing. The line Lb1 of the present embodiment is formed on the downstream side in the transport direction as compared with the line Lb1 (see FIG. 9) of the above-described embodiment, so that it does not overlap with the line formed in the NIP state. is there.

  After the line Lb1 is formed, the controller 60 rotates the transport roller 23 once to transport the test sheet TS by about 1 inch. After the conveyance, line Lb2 is formed by nozzle # 1 in pass n + 1. That is, in the present embodiment, the nozzle that forms the line Lb2 is the same nozzle # 1 as the nozzle that forms the line Lb1. In this embodiment, since the distance between the line Lb1 and the line Lb2 is about 1 inch, it is not necessary to bother to form the line Lb2 with the nozzle # 3.

  Also in the present embodiment, as in the above-described embodiment, after the printer 1 prints the measurement pattern on the test sheet TS, the scanner driver causes the scanner 150 to read the measurement pattern and the reference pattern to acquire image data. The correction value acquisition program analyzes the image data, calculates the correction value, and stores the correction value in the memory 63 of the printer 1. When calculating the correction value in S138, the theoretical distance between the line Lb1 and the line Lb2 is set to “0.847 mm” (= 3/90 inches) in the above-described embodiment. It goes without saying that the interval of “25.4 mm” (= 1 inch) is set.

  In the present embodiment, two lines formed in the non-NIP state are formed by the same nozzle. For this reason, the interval between the line Lb1 and the line Lb2 is not affected by the ejection characteristics of the nozzle # 1, and reflects only the transport error. Therefore, it is possible to evaluate the transport error in the non-NIP state without being affected by the ejection characteristics of the nozzle.

  In the present embodiment, a line is formed by using the nozzle # 90 in the NIP state, and a line is formed by using the nozzle # 1 by switching the nozzle to be used in the non-NIP state. As a result, more lines can be formed in the NIP state, and two lines can be formed with the same nozzle even in the non-NIP state.

=== Other Embodiments ===
The above-described embodiment is mainly described for a printer. Among them, a printing apparatus, a recording apparatus, a liquid ejection apparatus, a transport method, a printing method, a recording method, a liquid ejection method, a printing system, and a recording system are included. Needless to say, the disclosure includes a computer system, a program, a storage medium storing the program, a display screen, a screen display method, a printed material manufacturing method, and the like.

  Moreover, although the printer etc. as one embodiment were demonstrated, said embodiment is for making an understanding of this invention easy, and is not for limiting and interpreting this invention. The present invention can be changed and improved without departing from the gist thereof, and it is needless to say that the present invention includes equivalents thereof. In particular, the embodiments described below are also included in the present invention.

<About the printer>
In the above-described embodiment, the printer has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, color filter manufacturing apparatus, dyeing apparatus, fine processing apparatus, semiconductor manufacturing apparatus, surface processing apparatus, three-dimensional modeling machine, liquid vaporizer, organic EL manufacturing apparatus (particularly polymer EL manufacturing apparatus), display manufacturing apparatus, film formation The same technique as that of the present embodiment may be applied to various recording apparatuses to which an ink jet technique is applied such as an apparatus and a DNA chip manufacturing apparatus.

  Further, the present invention is not limited to those using piezo elements, and can be applied to, for example, a thermal printer. Further, the present invention is not limited to those that eject liquid, and can also be applied to wire dot printers and the like.

=== Summary ===
(1) In the above-described embodiment, the transport unit 20 that transports paper (an example of a medium) in the transport direction according to the target transport amount, and the head 41 that can move in the movement direction, and a plurality of nozzles arranged in the transport direction A printer including a head 41 having (see FIG. 3) is prepared in an inspection process of a manufacturing factory. Then, the printer 1 alternately repeats a transport operation for transporting a test sheet (an example of a medium) in the transport direction and a path for forming a line (formation operation) to form a plurality of lines on the test sheet (FIG. 9). reference). The computer 110 calculates a correction value Ca based on the interval in the conveyance direction of the lines formed on the test sheet, and stores the correction value Ca in the memory 63 of the printer 1. When printing is performed by the user, the printer 1 corrects the target transport amount based on the correction value Ca, and controls the transport unit 20 based on the corrected target transport amount. Thereby, the paper S can be transported as intended while correcting the transport error.

  Incidentally, as shown in FIG. 28B, the ink ejection characteristics differ for each nozzle. For this reason, if two lines are formed with different nozzles, the distance between the two lines is not only the conveyance error of the conveyance operation performed during the formation of the two lines, but also the characteristic difference between the two nozzles. It will be reflected. If the correction value Ca is calculated based on such two line intervals, the conveyance error cannot be accurately corrected.

  Therefore, in the above-described embodiment, a plurality of lines are formed by the same nozzle. For example, in the test sheet of FIG. 9, the lines L1 to L20 are formed by the nozzle # 90. As a result, the interval between the two lines is not affected by the ejection characteristics of the nozzles and reflects only the transport error. If the target carry amount is corrected by the correction value Ca calculated based on the interval between the two lines, the carry error can be accurately corrected.

(2) In the measurement pattern of FIG. 9, the lines L1 to L20 are formed by using the nozzle # 90 on the upstream side in the transport direction among the 90 nozzles arranged in the transport direction. Thereby, as can be seen from the case of FIG. 25, more lines can be formed.

(3) The transport unit 20 includes a transport roller 23 on the upstream side in the transport direction (an example of a first roller) and a paper discharge roller 25 (an example of a second roller) on the downstream side in the transport direction. Because the shapes of the transport roller 23 and the discharge roller 25 are different (see FIG. 4), the NIP state (when the transport roller 23 is in contact with the paper) and the non-NIP state (the transport roller 23 is not in contact with the paper and discharged) When the paper roller 25 is in contact with the paper, the transport characteristics are different. For this reason, it is necessary to acquire the correction value in the non-NIP state separately from the correction value in the NIP state.
Therefore, in the measurement pattern of FIG. 26, the lines L1 to L20 are formed by the nozzle # 90 in the NIP state, and the lines Lb1 and Lb2 are formed by the nozzle # 1 in the non-NIP state. Thus, by returning the nozzles used in the non-NIP state, two lines formed in the non-NIP state can be formed by the same nozzle.

(4) In the measurement pattern of FIG. 26, nozzle # 90 is used in the NIP state, and nozzle # 1 is used in the non-NIP state. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and nozzle # 89 may be used in the NIP state, and nozzle # 2 may be used in the non-NIP state. In this way, in order to form two lines using the same nozzle in the non-NIP state while forming more lines in the NIP state, the nozzle that forms the line in the non-NIP state is It is on the downstream side in the transport direction with respect to the nozzle forming the nozzle.

(5) By the way, in the measurement pattern of FIG. 26, the lines L1 to L20 are formed on the left side in the drawing, and the line Lb1 is formed on the right side in the drawing. Thus, the reason why the positions of the lines in the moving direction are different is to prevent the line L18 and the line Lb1 from being overlapped, for example.

(6) The image read by the scanner may be distorted due to the influence of the reading position error (see FIG. 11). If the correction value is calculated using the distorted image as it is, the conveyance error cannot be corrected accurately.
Therefore, in the above-described embodiment, when the measurement pattern of the test sheet is read using the scanner, the reference pattern of the reference sheet is also read to acquire image data. Then, the position of each line in the scanner coordinate system is calculated (see S136), and the absolute position of each line is calculated based on the reading result of the reference pattern (S137).
Thereby, even if there is an error in the reading position of the scanner, the conveyance error can be accurately corrected.

(7) It is desirable to provide all the components of the above-described embodiment because all the effects can be obtained. However, it is not always necessary to provide all the components of the above-described embodiment. For example, even if the margin amount is not calculated in S135 (see FIG. 13), the DC component transport error can be corrected, although the correction accuracy is reduced.

1 is a block diagram of an overall configuration of a printer 1. FIG. FIG. 2A is a schematic diagram of the overall configuration of the printer 1. FIG. 2B is a cross-sectional view of the overall configuration of the printer 1. It is explanatory drawing which shows the arrangement | sequence of a nozzle. 4 is an explanatory diagram of a configuration of a transport unit 20. FIG. 6 is a graph for explaining AC component transport error. It is a graph (conceptual figure) of the conveyance error which arises when conveying paper. It is a flowchart until it determines the correction value for correct | amending conveyance amount. FIG. 8A to FIG. 8C are explanatory diagrams of how the correction value is determined. It is explanatory drawing of the mode of printing of the pattern for a measurement. FIG. 10A is a longitudinal sectional view of the scanner 150. FIG. 10B is a top view of the scanner 150 with the upper lid 151 removed. It is a graph of the error of the reading position of a scanner. FIG. 12A is an explanatory diagram of the reference sheet SS. FIG. 12B is an explanatory diagram showing a state in which the test sheet TS and the reference sheet SS are set on the platen glass 152. It is a flowchart of the correction value calculation process in S103. It is explanatory drawing of a division | segmentation (S131) of an image. FIG. 15A is an explanatory diagram illustrating a state where the inclination of the image of the measurement pattern is detected. FIG. 15B is a graph of the gradation values of the extracted pixels. It is explanatory drawing of the mode of the detection of the inclination at the time of printing of the pattern for a measurement. It is explanatory drawing of the margin amount X. FIG. FIG. 18A is an explanatory diagram of an image range used when calculating the position of a line. FIG. 18B is an explanatory diagram of calculation of the position of the line. It is explanatory drawing of the position of the calculated line. It is explanatory drawing of calculation of the absolute position of the i-th line of the pattern for a measurement. It is explanatory drawing of the range to which correction value C (i) respond | corresponds. It is explanatory drawing of the relationship between the line of a measurement pattern, and correction value Ca. It is explanatory drawing of the table memorize | stored in the memory. FIG. 24A is an explanatory diagram of correction values in the first case. FIG. 24B is an explanatory diagram of correction values in the second case. FIG. 24C is an explanatory diagram of correction values in the third case. FIG. 24D is an explanatory diagram of correction values in the fourth case. It is explanatory drawing of the mode of the printing of the pattern for a measurement in another embodiment. It is explanatory drawing of the mode of printing of the pattern for a measurement in another embodiment. 27A and 27B are explanatory diagrams of a method for detecting a DC component transport error according to a reference example. FIG. 27A is an explanatory diagram when a pattern is formed as ideal. FIG. 27B is an explanatory diagram when there is a conveyance error. FIG. 28A and FIG. 28B are explanatory diagrams showing how ink ejected from nozzles forms dots. FIG. 28A is an explanatory diagram when ink droplets are ejected as ideal. FIG. 28B is an explanatory diagram in a case where the ink ejection characteristics differ for each nozzle.

Explanation of symbols

1 printer, 110 computer,
20 transport unit, 21 paper feed roller, 22 transport motor,
23 transport roller, 24 platen, 25 discharge roller,
26 driven roller, 27 driven roller,
30 Carriage unit, 31 Carriage, 32 Carriage motor,
40 head units, 41 heads,
50 detector groups, 51 linear encoders,
52 Rotary encoder, 521 scale, 522 detector,
53 Paper detection sensor, 54 Optical sensor,
60 controller, 61 interface unit, 62 CPU,
63 memory, 64 unit control circuit,
150 scanner, 151 top cover, 152 platen glass,
153 reading carriage, 154 guide section, 155 moving mechanism,
157 exposure lamp, 158 line sensor, 159 optical system,
TS test sheet, SS reference sheet

Claims (7)

A recording apparatus is provided that includes a transport mechanism that transports a medium in a transport direction according to a target transport amount that is a target, and a head that is movable in the movement direction and has a plurality of nozzles arranged in the transport direction. ,
A transport operation for transporting the medium in the transport direction and a forming operation for ejecting ink from the nozzles to form lines on the medium while moving the head in the movement direction are alternately repeated. Forming said line of
A correction value is calculated based on an interval in the transport direction of the line,
A recording method for correcting the target transport amount based on the correction value and controlling the transport mechanism based on the corrected target transport amount,
The recording method is characterized in that the interval is an interval of lines formed using the same nozzle. The recording method according to claim 1,
The recording method according to claim 1, wherein the line is formed using a nozzle on the upstream side in the transport direction among the plurality of nozzles. The recording method according to claim 1 or 2,
The transport mechanism includes a first roller on the upstream side in the transport direction and a second roller on the downstream side in the transport direction,
The nozzle that forms the line when the first roller is in contact with the medium, and the line that is formed when the first roller is not in contact with the medium and the second roller is in contact with the medium The recording method is characterized in that the nozzle to be used is different. The recording method according to claim 3, wherein
The nozzle that forms the line when the first roller is not in contact with the medium and the second roller is in contact with the medium forms the line when the first roller is in contact with the medium A recording method, wherein the recording method is located downstream of the nozzle in the transport direction. The recording method according to claim 4,
The line formed when the first roller is in contact with the medium, and the line formed when the first roller is not in contact with the medium and the second roller is in contact with the medium. The recording method is characterized in that positions in the moving direction are different. The recording method according to any one of claims 1 to 5,
When calculating the correction value after forming the plurality of lines,
Using a scanner, read the plurality of lines from the medium, and read a reference pattern as a reference to obtain image data,
Calculating the position of each line on the image data;
A recording method, wherein the interval is calculated based on a position of each line on the image data and a reading result of the reference pattern. (A) A recording apparatus comprising: a transport mechanism that transports a medium in a transport direction according to a target transport amount that is a target; and a head that is movable in the moving direction and has a plurality of nozzles arranged in the transport direction. Prepare
A transport operation for transporting the medium in the transport direction and a forming operation for ejecting ink from the nozzles to form lines on the medium while moving the head in the movement direction are alternately repeated. Forming said line of
A correction value is calculated based on an interval in the transport direction of the line,
A recording method for correcting the target transport amount based on the correction value and controlling the transport mechanism based on the corrected target transport amount,
(B) The interval is an interval between lines formed using the same nozzle,
(C) The line is formed using a nozzle on the upstream side in the transport direction among the plurality of nozzles,
(D) The transport mechanism includes a first roller on the upstream side in the transport direction and a second roller on the downstream side in the transport direction,
The nozzle that forms the line when the first roller is in contact with the medium, and the line that is formed when the first roller is not in contact with the medium and the second roller is in contact with the medium Unlike the nozzle to do,
(E) the nozzle that forms the line when the first roller is not in contact with the medium and the second roller is in contact with the medium; the nozzle that forms the line when the first roller is in contact with the medium; It is on the downstream side in the transport direction from the nozzles forming the line,
(F) The line formed when the first roller is in contact with the medium, and the line formed when the first roller is not in contact with the medium and the second roller is in contact with the medium. The line is different in position in the moving direction,
(G) When calculating the correction value after forming the plurality of lines,
Using a scanner, read the plurality of lines from the medium, and read a reference pattern as a reference to obtain image data,
Calculating the position of each line on the image data;
A recording method, wherein the interval is calculated based on a position of each line on the image data and a reading result of the reference pattern.

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