JP2008173800A5

JP2008173800A5 -

Info

Publication number: JP2008173800A5
Application number: JP2007007279A
Authority: JP
Filing date: 2007-01-16
Publication date: 2010-03-11
Anticipated expiration: 2027-01-16

Claims

A medium supply unit that supplies a recording medium, a first medium conveyance unit that conveys the recording medium supplied from the medium supply unit, and an image of the recording medium that is being conveyed by the first medium conveyance unit An image recording apparatus comprising: an image recording unit that performs recording; and a second medium transport unit that returns the recording medium on which the image has been recorded by the image recording unit to the medium supply unit side.
A medium extraction unit that extracts the recording medium on which the image is recorded and sends the recording medium to the second medium conveyance unit;
An image reading unit that reads the image recorded on the recording medium returned by the second medium transport unit and re-supplied from the medium supply unit to the first medium transport unit;
A quality determination unit for determining the quality of the image read by the image reading unit;
An image recording apparatus comprising:

The image recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the second medium conveyance unit reverses the recording medium on which the image is recorded and conveys the recording medium to the medium supply unit side.

The medium extraction unit has recorded at least one image from a plurality of the recording media sequentially and sequentially conveyed by the first medium conveyance unit during the recording operation of the image onto the recording medium . The image recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the recording medium is extracted.

The image recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the image reading unit reads the image recorded on the recording medium and outputs an image signal of the image.

The image recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the image reading unit is used for both reading the image and detecting both end positions of the recording medium.

The image recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the image reading unit is disposed between the medium supply unit and the first medium transport unit.

The quality determination unit compares the image read by the image reading unit with a reference image, and determines the quality of the image based on a matching rate that is a comparison result between the read image and the reference image. The image recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:

The image recording apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the quality determination unit compares the read image with the reference image for each pixel.

The quality determination unit compares the number of pixels of the read image and the reference image to obtain the match rate, and the number of pixels of the read image is less than the number of pixels of the reference image, and the match rate is preset. The number of pixels of the read image is larger than the number of pixels of the reference image, and the matching rate is set higher than the inspection condition set in advance. 8. The image recording apparatus according to claim 7, wherein when there is too much, it is determined that dirt adheres to the recording medium.

The quality determination unit has a plurality of inspection conditions different from each other, and has a plurality of inspection modes in which the accuracy of quality determination of the image differs for each inspection condition , and any one of the inspection modes The image recording apparatus according to claim 9, wherein an inspection mode can be set.

The said quality determination part has the said high precision inspection mode with the said high precision among these several inspection modes, and the said standard inspection mode with the said precision lower than the said high precision inspection mode. Image recording device.

The image recording apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the quality determination unit has an arbitrarily set inspection mode in which the inspection condition can be arbitrarily changed and set.

The image recording apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the quality determination unit sets the frequency of the image quality determination in accordance with the plurality of inspection modes having different accuracy of the image quality determination.

The image recording unit has an ink jet head that discharges ink and records an image on the recording medium,
The quality determination unit determines that the ink is not ejected from the inkjet head when the image is missing, and determines that at least the ink is ejected from the inkjet head at least when dirt is deposited on the recording medium;
The image recording apparatus according to claim 9.

The image recording unit includes an inkjet head for the image recording from a plurality of nozzles arranged in a line shape on the recording medium by ejecting ink, respectively,
The quality determination unit detects the number of pixels of the ink landed on the recording medium along a conveyance direction of the recording medium conveyed by the first medium conveyance unit from the read image, and The inkjet head obtains the coincidence rate between the number of pixels and the reference ink pixel number in the reference image , and if the number of ink pixels is small relative to the reference ink pixel number in the reference image and the coincidence rate is negative, the inkjet head If the ink is not ejected from the ink, it is determined that the ink is missing, and if the ink pixel count is large with respect to the reference ink pixel count in the reference image and the coincidence rate is a positive value, the smudge adheres to the recording medium. To determine,
The image recording apparatus according to claim 7.

The quality determination unit has each determination matching rate as a preset inspection condition for the negative value and the positive value, and when the matching rate exceeds any one of the determination matching rates, The image recording apparatus according to claim 15, wherein deterioration of image quality is determined.

The quality determining unit determines the number of pixels the number or the adhesion of dirt coming off the ink on the recording medium along a line direction of the plurality of nozzles in the inkjet head from the read image, omission of the ink if the number of pixel number or the fouling pixels preset number or more determined pixel as the inspection condition, an image recording apparatus according to claim 15, wherein the determining deterioration of the image quality.

The quality determination unit sets a determination unit block consisting of a conveyance direction of the recording medium and a line direction of the plurality of nozzles on the recording medium,
As the preset inspection condition for the coincidence ratio between the number of pixels of the ink landed on the recording medium and the number of reference ink pixels, the negative value is shown in the case of the ink missing, In the case of dirt adhesion, each determination coincidence showing the positive value, and a first determination whether the coincidence rate exceeds any one of the respective determination coincidence rates,
From the read image, the number of pixels of the ink missing on the recording medium or the number of pixels attached with dirt is obtained along the line direction of the plurality of nozzles in the inkjet head, and the obtained number of pixels is preset. and performing a second determination of whether exceeds the determination number of pixels as the test condition,
When the determination unit block includes the determination result exceeding the first or second determination and the determination unit block is equal to or more than the reference block number as the inspection condition, the image quality is reduced. judge,
The image recording apparatus according to claim 15.

The quality determination unit is configured for each of a plurality of inspection modes in which the accuracy of the image quality determination is different for each of a plurality of different determination conditions, and determination of missing of the ink from which the ink is not discharged from the inkjet head, and For each determination with the determination of dirt adhesion on the recording medium, each has a determination condition table in which the determination match rate, the determination pixel number, and the reference block number are set.
The image recording apparatus according to claim 17 or 18, characterized in that

2. The image recording according to claim 1, wherein when determining that the image quality has deteriorated, the quality determination unit stops the image recording on the recording medium and issues an instruction for a recovery process of the image recording unit. apparatus.

A first image memory for storing a read image based on a color space composed of three primary colors of light read by the image reading unit;
A second image memory for storing a reference image based on a color space different from the color space transmitted from the host device,
The quality determination unit includes a color conversion unit that matches a color space between the read image stored in the first image memory and the reference image stored in the second image memory;
An inspection condition setting unit for setting an inspection condition for performing quality judgment of the image;
An image comparison section for obtaining the coincidence ratio by comparing the reference image stored as the read image stored in said first image memory to said second image memory,
A determination unit that determines the quality of the image based on the matching rate obtained by the image comparison unit and the inspection condition set by the inspection condition setting unit;
The image recording apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

Supplying the recording medium from the medium supply unit to the first medium transport unit;
The image recording unit performs image recording on the recording medium being transported by the first medium transport unit,
In addition, during the recording operation of the image onto the recording medium, at least one recording medium on which the image is recorded is extracted from the plurality of recording media that are sequentially and sequentially conveyed by the first medium conveyance unit. Extracted by part,
The extracted recording medium is reversed by a second medium transport unit and returned to the medium supply unit,
The image reading unit reads the image recorded on the recording medium supplied from the medium supply unit to the first medium transport unit again,
The image read by the image reading unit is compared with a reference image by a quality determination unit, and the quality of the image is determined based on a matching rate that is a comparison result between the read image and the reference image.
An image recording method .

The image reading unit is disposed between the medium supply unit and the first medium conveyance unit, and detects both ends of the recording medium conveyed between the medium supply unit and the first medium conveyance unit. 23. The image recording method according to claim 22, wherein the image recording method is also used .

The quality determination unit compares the number of pixels of the read image and the reference image to obtain the match rate, and the number of pixels of the read image is less than the number of pixels of the reference image, and the match rate is preset. The number of pixels of the read image is larger than the number of pixels of the reference image, and the coincidence rate is set in advance from the inspection condition set in advance. 23. The image recording method according to claim 22 , wherein if there is too much, it is determined that the dirt adheres to the recording medium .