JP2009137122A - Recording device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a recording device capable of performing the appropriate corrections even when a sheet material has elongated due to absorption of an ink used for recording during a recording operation, thereby, capable of obtaining a proper recording result. <P>SOLUTION: Printing is corrected based on the measurement of the elongation of the paper before/after printing through the use of a paper width detecting function or information on an amount of ejected ink. (1) Upon double-side printing, the paper width upon front-side printing is different from that upon rear-side printing, then, the misalignment in terms of margin width and ruled line between the front side and the rear side is corrected. (2) In the case that the image exists in the whole surface, the paper is rapidly elongating during the printing operation, but, the printed area upon registration is narrow, thereby, the influence of the elongation is small, then, the influence of the elongation in the registration state possibly does not agree with that in the actual printing state, therefore, the printing is corrected based on the measurement of the elongation of the paper before/after printing through the use of the paper width detecting function. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a recording apparatus in which a carriage recording head that reciprocates on a sheet material is mounted, and an image is recorded on the sheet material by ejecting ink from the recording head.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a recording apparatus such as a printer includes a carriage unit that reciprocates in a main scanning direction, a recording head mounted on the carriage, and a sheet feeding unit that conveys a sheet material in a sub-scanning direction orthogonal to the main scanning direction. Have. The recording head has a function of recording by forming ink dots on the sheet material, and along with the reciprocating motion by the carriage, the sheet material P is conveyed by the paper feeding unit to form an image record on the sheet material. ing.

At this time, a method is known in which a predetermined recording pattern recorded on a sheet material is read and compared, and alignment between ink dots is appropriately performed based on the result, and an optical sensor used in this method is known. There is a recording apparatus in which is mounted on the carriage. (For example, see Patent Document 1)
Further, there is a recording apparatus in which an optical sensor is mounted on the carriage as means for detecting the width and position of the sheet material P in the main scanning direction in order to make the positional relationship between the ink dots and the sheet material P appropriate. For example, see Patent Document 2).

  However, the above conventional example has the following problems.

  When the sheet material absorbs ink, the sheet material may be stretched after the recording operation or during the recording operation. This is particularly remarkable when the sheet material is plain paper and ink is ejected over a wide range.

  On the other hand, when a predetermined recording pattern recorded on a sheet material is read and compared, and alignment between ink dots is appropriately performed based on the result, the recording pattern is often recorded in a narrow range. .

  For this reason, when a large image is recorded on the sheet material, the alignment of the ink dots may not be properly corrected due to the elongation of the sheet material.

  Further, when recording is performed on both sides of the sheet material, since the sheet material is stretched by recording on the front surface, the recording positional relationship may be shifted at the time of recording on the back surface, and there may be no ruled line or margin width.

For such a problem, a method of performing correction by detecting the marker using a sheet material having a marker (see, for example, Patent Document 3), or detecting the length of the sheet material in the conveyance direction. There is a method for controlling the recording position (see, for example, Patent Document 4).
JP 2000-37937 A JP-A-6-238906 JP 2000-037910 A JP 2005-331717 A

  However, even if these methods are used, it is difficult to start the correction during the recording operation without waiting for the sheet material to be conveyed to the rear end using a simple blank sheet material.

  An object of the present invention is to solve the above-described problems and provide a recording apparatus that can obtain a suitable recording result regardless of the size of an image to be recorded regardless of the type of sheet material.

  In order to achieve the above object, the present invention detects a stretch of the sheet material in the carriage scanning direction on the basis of the detection result of the paper edge detection means mounted on the carriage and corrects the recording to obtain a preferable recording result. obtain.

  Further, as another means, a suitable recording result can be obtained by correcting the recording by predicting the elongation of the sheet material based on the information on the amount of ink applied to the sheet material and the information on the type of the sheet material. Get.

  According to the above configuration, by absorbing the ink used for recording, it is possible to perform appropriate correction even when the sheet material is stretched during the recording operation, and a favorable recording result can be obtained. A recording apparatus can be provided.

  Next, details of the present invention will be described in accordance with the description of the embodiments.

  A first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2 are perspective views of a recording apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIGS. 3 and 4 are perspective views of a mechanism portion of the recording apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view in the first embodiment.

  The recording apparatus of the present invention includes a recording apparatus 1, a sheet feeding apparatus 2, a sheet feeding section 3, a carriage section 5, a sheet discharge section 4, a U-turn / automatic duplex conveyance section 8, a cleaning section 6, a recording head 7, an exterior / electricity. Part 9. Then, these are divided into items and the outline is described sequentially.

(A) Paper Feed Unit The paper feed unit 2 returns the pressure plate 21 on which the sheet material P is stacked, the paper feed roller 28 that feeds the sheet material P, the separation roller 241 that separates the sheet material P, and the sheet material P to the stacking position. Therefore, the return lever 22 and the like are attached to the base 20.

  A paper feed tray 26 for holding the stacked sheet material P is attached to the base 20 or the exterior. The paper feed tray 26 is a multi-stage type and is pulled out for use.

  The paper feed roller 28 has a bar shape with a circular arc in cross section. One separation roller rubber is provided based on the paper standard, thereby feeding the sheet material. The drive to the paper feed roller 28 is transmitted by a drive transmission gear 271 and a planetary gear 272 from a motor (hereinafter referred to as an AP motor) 273 shared with a cleaning unit provided in the paper feed unit 2.

  A movable side guide 23 is movably provided on the pressure plate 21 to regulate the stacking position of the sheet material P. The pressure plate 21 can rotate about a rotation shaft coupled to the base 20 and is urged by the pressure plate spring 212 to the paper feed roller 28. A separation sheet 213 made of a material having a large coefficient of friction such as an artificial leather that prevents double feeding of the sheet material P near the end of the stack is provided at a portion of the pressure plate 21 that faces the sheet feeding roller 28. The pressure plate 21 is configured to be able to contact and separate from the paper feed roller 28 by a pressure plate cam 241.

  Further, a separation roller holder 24 attached with a separation roller 241 for separating the sheet material P one by one on the base 20 is rotatable about a rotation shaft provided on the separation base 20, and is separated by a separation roller spring 242. It is urged by the paper feed roller 28. The separation roller 241 has a configuration in which a clutch spring 243 is attached, and a portion to which the separation roller 241 is attached can rotate when a load exceeding a predetermined value is applied. The separation roller 241 can be brought into contact with and separated from the paper feed roller 28 by a separation roller release shaft 242 and a control cam 25. The positions of the pressure plate 21, the return lever 22, and the separation roller 241 are detected by an ASF sensor 29.

  A return lever 25 for returning the sheet material P to the stacking position is rotatably attached to the base 20 and is urged by a return lever spring 221 in the release direction. When the sheet material P is returned, it is configured to rotate by the control cam 25.

  In a normal standby state, the pressure plate 28 is released by the pressure plate cam 214, the separation roller 241 is released by the control cam 25, and the return lever 22 returns the sheet material P so that the sheet material P does not enter the back during loading. It is provided at a loading position that closes the loading port. When paper feeding starts from this state, first, the separation roller 241 contacts the paper feeding roller 28 by driving the motor. Then, the return lever 22 is released, and the pressure plate 21 comes into contact with the paper feed roller 28. In this state, feeding of the sheet material P is started. The sheet material P is limited by the pre-stage separation unit 201 provided on the base 20, and only a predetermined number of the sheet material P is sent to the nip portion composed of the paper feed roller 28 and the separation roller 241. The fed sheet material P is separated at the nip portion, and only the uppermost sheet material P is conveyed.

  When the sheet material P reaches a conveyance roller 36 and a pinch roller 37 described later, the pressure plate 21 is released by the pressure plate cam 213 and the separation roller 28 is released by the control cam 25. The return lever 22 is returned to the loading position by the control cam 25. At this time, the sheet material P that has reached the nip portion constituted by the paper feed roller 28 and the separation roller 241 can be returned to the stacking position.

(B) Paper feeding part The paper feeding part 3 is attached to the chassis 11 made of a bent metal sheet. The paper feeding unit 3 includes a conveyance roller 36 that conveys the sheet material P and a PE sensor 32. The transport roller 36 has a structure in which the surface of the metal shaft is coated with ceramic fine particles, and the metal portions of both shafts are received by the bearing 38 and attached to the chassis 11. A conveyance roller tension spring 381 is provided between the bearing 38 and the conveyance roller 36 in order to apply a load during rotation to the conveyance roller 36 to perform stable conveyance, and a predetermined load is applied by urging the conveyance roller 36. Giving.

  The conveyance roller 36 is provided with a plurality of driven pinch rollers 37 in contact therewith. The pinch roller 37 is held by the pinch roller holder 30 and is urged by the pinch roller spring 31, so that the pinch roller 37 is in pressure contact with the transport roller 36 and generates the transport force of the sheet material P. At this time, the rotating shaft of the pinch roller holder 30 is attached to the bearing of the chassis 8 and rotates around the shaft. Further, a paper guide flapper 33 and a platen 34 for guiding the sheet material P are disposed at the entrance of the sheet feeding unit 3 to which the sheet material P is conveyed. In addition, the pinch roller holder 30 is provided with a PE sensor lever 321 that transmits detection of the leading and trailing edges of the sheet P to the PE sensor 32. The platen 34 is attached to the chassis 11 and positioned. The paper guide flapper 33 fits with the transport roller 36 and can rotate around a bearing portion 331 that slides, and is positioned by contacting the chassis 11.

  In the above configuration, the sheet material P sent to the paper feeding unit 3 is guided by the pinch roller holder 30 and the paper guide flapper 33, and sent to the roller pair of the transport roller 36 and the pinch roller 37. At this time, the leading edge of the sheet material P conveyed by the PE sensor lever 35 is detected, and thereby the print position of the sheet material P is obtained. Further, the sheet material P is conveyed on the platen 34 by the roller pair 36 and 37 being rotated by the conveyance motor 35.

  On the platen 34, a rib serving as a conveyance reference surface is formed. The gap with the recording head 7 is managed, and the corrugation of the sheet material P is controlled together with a paper discharge unit described later. And it is configured so that the undulation does not become large.

  The drive to the transport roller 36 is transmitted to the pulley 361 provided on the shaft of the transport roller 36 by the timing belt 351 by the timing belt 351. A code wheel 362 on which markings are formed at a pitch of 150 to 300 lpi for detecting the amount of conveyance by the conveyance roller 36 is provided on the axis of the conveyance roller 36. Further, an encoder sensor 363 that reads the code wheel 362 is attached to the chassis 11 at a position adjacent to the code wheel 362.

  A recording head 7 that forms an image based on image information is provided on the downstream side of the conveying roller 36 in the sheet material conveying direction. As the recording head 7, an ink jet recording head equipped with a replaceable ink tank for each color ink tank is used. The recording head 7 can apply heat to the ink by a heater or the like. Then, the film of the ink is boiled by this heat, and the ink is ejected from the nozzle 70 of the recording head 7 by the pressure change caused by the growth or contraction of the bubbles due to the film boiling, and an image is formed on the sheet material P.

(C) Carriage unit The carriage unit 5 includes a carriage 50 to which the recording head 7 is attached. The carriage 50 is held by a guide shaft 52 for reciprocating scanning in a direction perpendicular to the conveying direction of the sheet material P, and a guide rail 111 that maintains the gap between the recording head 7 and the sheet material P by holding the rear end of the carriage 50. It is supported. The guide shaft 52 is attached to the chassis 11. The guide rail 111 is formed integrally with the chassis 11.

  The carriage 50 is driven via a timing belt 541 by a carriage motor 54 attached to the chassis 11. The timing belt 541 is stretched and supported by an idle pulley 542. The timing belt 542 is coupled to the carriage 50 via a damper 55 made of rubber or the like, and reduces image unevenness by attenuating vibration of the carriage motor 54 or the like. A code strip 561 in which markings are formed at a pitch of 150 to 300 lpi for detecting the position of the carriage 50 is provided in parallel with the timing belt 541. In addition, an encoder sensor 56 for reading it is provided on a carriage substrate 92 mounted on the carriage 50. The carriage substrate 92 is also provided with contacts 921 for electrical connection with the recording head 7. Further, the carriage 50 is provided with a flexible substrate 57 for transmitting a recording head 7 head signal from the electric substrate 9.

  In order to fix the recording head 7 to the carriage 50, the carriage 50 is provided with pressing means 511 for pressing and fixing the abutting portion 501 for positioning. The pressing means 511 is mounted on the head set lever 51 and is configured to act on the recording head 7 when the head set lever 51 is turned around the rotation fulcrum and set.

  Further, eccentric cams 521 are provided at both ends of the guide shaft 52, and the guide shaft 52 is moved up and down by transmitting the drive to the eccentric cam 521 through the gear train 591 by the main cam 63 of the cleaning unit 6. be able to. As a result, the carriage 50 can be moved up and down to form an optimum gap for the sheet material P having different thicknesses.

  In the above configuration, the procedure for forming an image on the sheet material P is as follows.

  Roller pairs 36 and 37 convey the sheet material P to a row position (a position in the conveyance direction of the sheet material P) for image formation. At the same time, the carriage 50 is moved to a row position (a position perpendicular to the conveying direction of the sheet material P) by the carriage motor 80, and the recording head 7 is opposed to the image forming position. Thereafter, as described above, the recording head 7 ejects ink toward the sheet material P in accordance with a signal from the electric substrate 9 to form an image.

  By the way, in order to obtain a good image, it is necessary to make adjustments so that the ink dots accurately land at appropriate positions. This is called registration adjustment, and for example, relative positioning of each color, positioning of the forward and backward paths of the carriage, positioning between a plurality of heads, and the like are performed.

  An automatic registration adjustment sensor 59 that detects the landing deviation on the recording sheet P is attached to the carriage 50. The sensor 59 is a reflective optical sensor, and the light emitting portion and the light receiving portion of the optical sensor 59 are attached in a direction facing the sheet material P or the platen 34.

  By irradiating a predetermined print pattern on the recording sheet P from the light emitting element of the sensor 59 and receiving the reflected light to detect the density difference of the print pattern, an optimum registration adjustment value can be obtained. . Further, the amount of light emitted from the light emitting unit of the optical sensor 59 can be changed by the input power. For example, the amount of emitted light can be adjusted by PWM control so that appropriate reflected light is obtained at the light receiving unit.

  In this case, since the reflected optical densities of a plurality of predetermined patterns output on the sheet material P are detected and compared, the change in the reflected optical densities of the sheet material P surface and each pattern portion can be detected linearly by the light receiving unit. It is desirable to adjust the light emission amount.

  On the other hand, in order to detect the position and width of the sheet material P using this optical sensor 59 (paper width detection), the difference in the amount of reflected light between the sheet material P and the platen 34 is used to detect the end of the sheet material P. Detect position. Usually, since the platen 34 is often black and the sheet material P is white, the amount of reflected light is weak in the platen portion and the sheet material P surface becomes strong, and the boundary can be detected.

  When detecting the paper width, it is not necessary to detect the density difference linearly, and the light emission amount can be set within a range in which the difference between the reflected light amount from the platen surface and the reflected light amount from the sheet material P surface can be clearly detected. Therefore, for example, the amount of light emission can be increased so that the output from the light receiving unit is saturated by the reflected light from the surface of the sheet material P, and due to some dirt on the surface of the sheet material P or ruled lines recorded in advance on the sheet material P. It is possible to obtain an effect of reducing the influence of disturbance of the reflected light amount.

  Therefore, the functions of registration adjustment and paper width detection are performed by a single reflective optical sensor mounted on the carriage, and the recording apparatus performs registration adjustment, and the size and position of the sheet material P are detected. The light emission amount of the sensor is determined at different levels.

(D) Paper Discharge Unit The paper discharge unit 4 includes two paper discharge rollers 40 and 41, paper discharge rollers 40 and 41 that are configured to contact each other with a predetermined pressure, and can be rotated by being driven. Is composed of a gear train for transmitting the driving of the paper discharge rollers 40 and 41, and the like.

  The paper discharge rollers 40 and 41 are attached to the platen 34. The discharge roller 40 on the downstream side in the recording sheet P conveyance direction is provided with a plurality of rubber portions 401 on a metal shaft. The drive from the transport roller 36 is driven by being transmitted to the paper discharge roller 40 via the idler gear. The paper discharge roller 41 provided on the upstream side of the paper discharge roller 40 has a structure in which a plurality of elastomer elastic bodies 411 are attached to a resin shaft. Drive to the paper discharge roller 41 is transmitted from the paper discharge roller 40 via an idler gear.

  The spur 42 is a SUS thin plate provided with a plurality of convex shapes around the spur 42 and is integrally molded with the resin portion and attached to the spur holder 43. A spur spring 44 provided with a coil spring in a rod shape causes the spur 42 to be attached to the spur holder 43 and pressed against the discharge rollers 40 and 41 and the like. The spur is provided at a position corresponding to the rubber part and the elastic part of the paper discharge rollers 40 and 41. In these spurs, the sheet material P is provided at a position where the conveying force of the sheet material P is mainly generated and the rubber portions 401 and the elastic body portions 411 of the paper discharge rollers 40 and 41 are not provided therebetween. There is a role to suppress the floating when printing.

  By lifting both ends of the sheet material P between the discharge rollers 40 and 41, holding the sheet material P at the tip of the discharge rollers 40 and 41, and rubbing the print on the previous sheet material P. A paper edge support 45 is provided to prevent damage. A resin member provided with a roller 451 at the tip is urged by a paper end support spring 452, and by pressing the roller 451 against the sheet material P with a predetermined pressure, the both ends of the sheet material P are lifted to create a strain. It is configured so that it can be held.

  With the above configuration, the sheet material P on which an image is formed by the carriage unit 5 is sandwiched by the nip between the paper discharge roller 41 and the spur 42, conveyed, and discharged to the paper discharge tray 46. The paper discharge tray 46 is configured to be housed in the front cover 95. When used, pull out. The discharge tray 46 increases in height toward the leading end, and the both ends thereof are configured to be high in height, thereby improving the stackability of the discharged sheet material P and preventing the printing surface from being rubbed.

(E) U-turn / automatic double-sided portion The sheet material P is stored in a cassette 81 provided on the front surface of the apparatus. In order to separate and feed the sheet material P, a pressure plate 822 on which the sheet material P is stacked and brought into contact with the sheet feeding roller 821 is provided in the cassette 81. A sheet feeding roller 821 that feeds the sheet material P, a separation roller 831 that separates the sheet material P, a return lever 824 for returning the sheet material P to the stacking position, a pressurizing / controlling unit 825 for the pressure plate 822, and the like are main bodies. The UT base 84 is attached.

  The cassette 81 has a two-stage contraction configuration, and can be selectively used depending on the size of the recording sheet P. When the small size paper or the cassette is not used, the cassette 81 contracts and can be stored inside the main body exterior portion 9.

  The paper feed roller 821 has a bar shape with a circular arc in cross section. One separation roller rubber is provided based on the paper standard, thereby feeding the sheet material. The drive to the paper feed roller 821 is transmitted from a U-turn / automatic double-side motor 85 provided on the U-turn / automatic double-side unit 5 by a drive transmission gear 851, a planetary gear 852, and the like.

  A movable side guide 827 is movably provided on the pressure plate 822 to regulate the stacking position of the sheet material P. The pressure plate 822 is rotatable about a rotation shaft coupled to the cassette 81, and is urged to the paper feed roller 821 by a pressure / control means 825 including a pressure plate spring 828 provided on the UT base 84. A separation sheet 829 made of a material having a large coefficient of friction such as an artificial leather that prevents double feeding of the sheet material P near the end of the stack is provided at a portion of the pressure plate 822 that faces the paper feed roller 821. The pressure plate 822 can be brought into contact with and separated from the paper feed roller 821 by a pressure plate cam 836.

  Further, a separation roller holder 833 attached with a separation roller 831 for separating the sheet material P one by one on the UT base 83 is rotatable about a rotation axis provided on the separation base 83, and a separation roller spring 837 is provided. By this, the sheet feeding roller 821 is urged. The separation roller 831 has a configuration in which a clutch spring 834 is attached, and a portion to which the separation roller 831 is attached can rotate when a load greater than a predetermined value is applied. The separation roller 241 is configured to come into contact with and separate from the paper feed roller 821 by a separation roller release shaft 835 and a control cam 836. The positions of the pressure plate 822 and the return lever 824 separation roller 831 are detected by the UT sensor 841.

  A return lever 824 for returning the sheet material P to the stacking position is rotatably attached to the UT base 83 and is urged by a return lever spring 823 in the release direction. When the sheet material P is returned, it is configured to rotate by the control cam 836.

  In a normal standby state, the pressure plate 822 is released by the pressure plate cam 836, the separation roller 831 is released by the control cam 836, and the return lever 824 returns the sheet material P, so that the sheet material P does not enter the back during loading. It is provided at a loading position that closes the loading port. When paper feeding starts from this state, the motor first drives to contact the separation roller 831 paper feeding roller 821. Then, the return lever 824 is released, and the pressure plate 822 comes into contact with the paper feed roller 821. In this state, feeding of the sheet material P is started. The sheet material P is restricted by the front-stage restricting means 838 provided on the base 83, and only a predetermined number of the sheet material P is sent to the nip portion constituted by the sheet feeding roller 821 separation roller 831. The fed sheet material P is separated at the nip portion, and only the uppermost sheet material P is conveyed.

  When the separated and conveyed sheet material P reaches a later-described U-turn intermediate roller (1) 86 and U-turn pinch roller 861, the pressure plate 822 is released by the pressure plate cam 836 and the separation roller 831 is released by the control cam 836. The return lever 824 is returned to the loading position by the control cam 836. At this time, the sheet material P that has reached the nip portion constituted by the paper feed roller 821 and the separation roller 831 can be returned to the stacking position.

  On the downstream side of the sheet feeding portion, there are two conveying rollers, a U-turn intermediate roller (2) 87 and a U-turn intermediate roller (2) 87, for conveying the sheet material fed and conveyed. Yes. In these, EPDM having a rubber hardness of 40 to 80 ° is attached to 4 to 6 locations on the core of the metal shaft. U-turn pinch rollers 861 and 871 for sandwiching the sheet material P at positions corresponding to the rubber portions are attached to the spring shaft, and are attached to the U-turn intermediate roller (1) 86 and the U-turn intermediate roller (2) 87. Energized. In order to form a transport path, an inner guide 881 that forms the inner side and an outer guide 882 that forms the outer side are configured.

  The junction point of the paper path with the paper feed unit 2 described above is configured by a flapper 883 so that the mutual path merges smoothly. When the leading edge of the recording sheet P is fed to the transport roller 36 and the pinch roller 37, the recording sheet P is brought into contact with the stopped nip of the pair of rollers.

  While being transported by the transport roller 36 and the pinch roller 37 described above, the printed sheet material P passes through the transport roller 36 and the pinch roller 37. At the time of automatic double-sided printing, the rear end of the sheet material P is again sandwiched between the conveyance roller 36 and the pinch roller 37 and conveyed. At this time, the pinch roller 37 can be smoothly conveyed because the sheet material P is fed into the rising portion by the lifting mechanism 884.

  The sheet material P fed in again is sandwiched between the double-sided roller 891 and the pinch roller 892 and conveyed. Then, the sheet material P is guided by the guide 893 and conveyed. The double-sided paper transport path is configured to merge with the paper path during the U-turn transport described above after a predetermined amount. Therefore, the subsequent configuration and operation of the paper path are the same as those described above.

(F) Cleaning unit The cleaning unit 6 includes a pump 60 for cleaning the recording head 7, a cap 61 for suppressing the drying of the recording head 7, a blade 62 for cleaning the face surface around the nozzles of the recording head 7, and the like. It is composed of

  The main drive of the cleaning unit is transmitted from the aforementioned AP motor 273. Basically, the one-way clutch 691 is provided so that the pump operates by rotation in one direction, and the blade 62 operation and the cap 61 elevating operation act by rotation in another direction.

  The pump 60 is configured to generate a negative pressure by squeezing two tubes 67 with a pump roller 68, and is connected from the cap 61 to the pump 60 through a valve 65 or the like. When the pump 60 is operated with the cap 61 in close contact with the recording head 7, unnecessary ink or the like is sucked from the recording head 7. A cap absorber 611 is provided in the cap 61 portion in order to reduce ink remaining on the face surface of the head 7 after suction. For this reason, the ink remaining in the cap 61 is sucked in a state where the cap 61 is opened so that the ink remains stuck and does not cause any harmful effects. The waste ink sucked by the pump 60 is absorbed and held in a waste ink absorber 991 provided in a lower case 99 described later.

  A series of operations such as the blade 62 operation and the cap 61 elevating operation are controlled by a main cam 63 provided with a plurality of cams on the shaft. The cam and arm of each part are acted on the main cam to perform a predetermined operation. The position of the main cam 63 can be detected by a position detection sensor 64 such as a photo interrupter. When the cap 61 descends, the blade 62 moves perpendicularly to the scanning direction of the carriage 5 to clean the face surface of the recording head 7. Plural blades 62 are provided for cleaning the vicinity of the nozzles of the recording head 7 and for cleaning the entire face surface. Then, when it moves to the innermost position, it can come into contact with the blade cleaner 66 to remove ink or the like adhering to the blade 62 itself.

  The drive transmission and control for opening and closing the valve 65 are performed by the paper discharge roller 40. By selecting the valve 65, it is possible to cope with collective suction for all colors and individual suction for each color as required. The valve 1 detection is performed by the valve position detection sensor 651.

(G) Exterior Unit Each unit described above is incorporated in the chassis 11 and forms a mechanism part of the printer. The exterior is attached so that the circumference may be covered. The exterior mainly includes a lower case 99, an upper case 98, an access cover 97, a connector cover 96, a front cover 95, and a side cover 96.

  The front cover 93 is configured to be able to store the paper discharge tray 46 and is configured to close the paper discharge port when not in use. The open / closed state of the front cover 95 can be detected by a sensor (not shown).

  An access cover 97 is attached to the upper case 98 and is configured to be rotatable. A part of the upper surface of the upper case has an opening, and the ink tank 71 and the recording head 7 are configured to be exchangeable at this position. Further, the upper case 98 is provided with a door switch lever 981 for detecting opening / closing of the access cover, an LED guide 982 for transmitting / displaying LED light, a key switch 983 for acting on the SW of the board, and the like. Further, the paper feed tray 26 is rotatably attached to the upper case 98. When the paper feed unit is not used, the paper feed tray 26 is configured to be a cover of the paper feed unit if it is stored.

  Further, the upper case 98 and the lower case 99 are attached with elastic fitting claws. A connector cover 96 covers a portion in which the connector portion is provided.

  The side cover 93 is attached so as to cover the upper case 98 and the lower case 99 from the left and right.

  The recording method according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 6 and 11 using the above configuration.

  FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram showing the relationship between the sheet material and the image area when performing borderless printing. A portion surrounded by a broken-line rectangle in FIG. 6 indicates an image region, and a solid-line rectangle inside the portion indicates an outer shape of the sheet material.

  FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation flow of the present invention.

  In the recording apparatus configured as described above, there is a case where a recording method called “borderless printing” in which an image is recorded on a sheet material without a margin is used.

  When performing borderless printing, it is desirable that the size of the sheet material matches the size of the image to be recorded. However, since there are variations in the size and transport position of the sheet material, the recording operation is actually performed with an image that is slightly larger than the size of the sheet material, and the image protrudes around the sheet material as shown in FIG. Prevents unintended margins from occurring.

  At this time, not only the ink that has not fixed on the sheet material is wasted, but some of the ink may float in the air and contaminate the surroundings, so the amount of protrusion should be kept to a minimum. .

  On the other hand, when the sheet material P absorbs ink ejected from the recording head 7, the sheet material P may be stretched. This phenomenon is particularly noticeable when the sheet material P is plain paper and an image is recorded on the entire surface of the sheet material as shown in FIG. Further, since the recording is sequentially performed by repeating the scanning of the carriage and the paper feeding, the sheet material P is stretched during the recording.

  Therefore, first, the width of the sheet material before absorbing the ink immediately before the start of the recording operation is measured and held using the paper width detection function, and then the paper width detection operation is performed at any time during the recording operation. The width of the sheet material is measured and compared with the width before the start of recording to calculate the elongation of the sheet material.

  According to the above configuration and method, it is not necessary to provide a marker or the like on the sheet material, and the elongation of the sheet material can be easily detected.

  By detecting the elongation of the sheet material by this method and controlling the amount of protrusion so as to expand the ink discharge range according to this, it is possible to minimize waste of ink and surrounding contamination. .

  Note that the paper width detection operation during the recording operation can be performed for each carriage main scan, but the recording operation speed may be reduced. In such a case, by performing the paper width detection operation at a predetermined interval, the frequency of the paper width detection operation can be reduced and the influence on the recording operation speed can be reduced.

  The interval of the paper width detection operation may be performed according to a predetermined number of sub-operations or by setting a predetermined time. As a more appropriate method, as shown in FIG. 11 as an example of the operation, the ink discharge amount can be recorded, and the paper width detection operation can be performed every time the cumulative discharge amount reaches a predetermined discharge amount. Further, by combining the plurality of methods, it is possible to obtain an optimum result while minimizing the decrease in the recording operation speed.

  A second embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 7 shows a state in which the front side is recorded during double-sided printing, and FIG. 8 shows a state in which the back side is similarly recorded. An arrow A indicates the conveying direction of the sheet material, and an arrow B indicates the extending direction of the sheet material. Yes.

  In the recording apparatus having the same configuration as that of the first embodiment, since either one of the left and right ends of the sheet material is used as a reference, as shown by the thick lines in FIGS. 7 and 8, the ink is absorbed in a direction opposite to the reference. The sheet material grows.

  When automatic double-sided printing is performed with such a recording apparatus, as shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, the sheet material extends in the opposite direction on the front and back surfaces as shown in FIGS.

  Accordingly, the center position of the recorded image is shifted in the opposite direction relative to the sheet material on the front surface and the back surface.

  In order to solve this problem, after recording the front surface and before recording the back surface, the elongation of the sheet material is detected, and the image recording position is adjusted based on this, thereby making the both sides equal to the sheet material. An image can be recorded.

  In the same recording apparatus as in Example 1 above, the mechanical configuration uses a sheet material whose elongation characteristics due to ink absorption are known, so that the sheet is based on the amount of ink applied to a predetermined area of the sheet material. It is possible to estimate the elongation of the material.

  Since the elongation of the sheet material has a correlation with the amount of ink applied on the sheet material, the amount of ink can be converted into the elongation amount of the sheet material by acquiring this correlation in advance.

  By adjusting the amount of protrusion of the ink shown in the first embodiment according to the elongation value, it is possible to minimize waste of ink and surrounding contamination.

  Further, in the present embodiment, compared with the first embodiment, the paper width detection operation can be omitted, so that an optimum result can be obtained without causing a decrease in the recording operation speed.

  Similarly, by using the elongation of the sheet material estimated based on the amount of ink applied to a predetermined area of the sheet material, the image alignment on both sides shown in Example 2 also causes a decrease in the recording operation speed. It becomes possible without.

  A fourth embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 9 is a diagram schematically showing how an image pattern used for automatic registration adjustment is recorded on a sheet material, and FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram showing a state where an image is recorded over the entire surface of the sheet material. is there.

  As described in the description of the first embodiment, in order to obtain a good image, it is necessary to make adjustments so that the ink dots accurately land at appropriate positions. This is called registration adjustment, and for example, relative positioning of each color, positioning of the forward and backward paths of the carriage, positioning between a plurality of heads, and the like are performed.

  The automatic registration adjustment function that automatically performs the registration adjustment records a predetermined recording pattern on the sheet material P, obtains an appropriate adjustment value by reading the recording pattern with an optical sensor and determining its density. .

  However, since this automatic registration adjustment is adjusted based on a recording pattern in a small range as shown in FIG. 9, the adjustment value deviates from the optimum value when the elongation of the sheet material due to ink absorption is remarkable. .

  Therefore, a sensor for detecting the paper width is appropriately disposed, for example, the elongation of the sheet material due to the ink ejection in the carriage forward path is detected, and the registration adjustment value is further set so as to shift the ink ejection timing in the return path in accordance with the elongation value. to correct. This cancels the elongation of the sheet material due to ink absorption by the carriage, and enables finer adjustment of the ink dot placement position during reciprocal printing.

  In some cases, ink discharge is thinned out, and multiple-pass printing is performed in which an image for one line is completed by a plurality of carriage movements. In this case as well, the ink absorption is accumulated for each pass and the sheet material expands, and the positional relationship on the sheet material may not match between the dots ejected in the earlier pass and the dots in the later pass. is there. In such a case as well, a better image can be obtained by detecting the elongation of the sheet material at any time and finely adjusting the ink dot ejection timing accordingly.

  It is also possible to perform the above correction using the method described in Embodiment 3 for estimating the elongation of the sheet material based on the amount of ink applied to a predetermined area of the sheet material.

1 is a perspective view of a recording apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention. 1 is a perspective view of a recording apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a mechanism unit of the recording apparatus according to the first embodiment of the invention. FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a mechanism unit of the recording apparatus according to the first embodiment of the invention. 1 is a cross-sectional view of a recording apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a recorded image used for explaining the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of a recorded image used for describing a second embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of a recorded image used for describing a second embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of a recorded image used for describing a third embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of a recorded image used for describing a third embodiment of the present invention. 3 is a flowchart showing a flow of a recording method used for explaining the first embodiment of the present invention.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Electrical part 2 Paper feeder 3 Paper feeding part 4 Paper discharge part 5 Carriage part 6 Cleaning part 7 Recording head 8 U-turn / automatic double-sided part 9 Exterior / electric part 11 Chassis 111 Guide rail 20 Base 201 Previous stage separation part 21 Pressure plate 211 Knurling part 212 Pressure plate spring 213 Separation sheet 214 Pressure plate cam 22 Return lever 221 Return lever spring 23 Movable side guide 231 Sheet guide part 232 Knurling part 233 Operation part 24 Separation roller holder 241 Separation roller 242 Separation roller spring 243 Separation roller clutch 244 Separation roller Release shaft 245 Separating roller shaft 25 Control cam 26 Paper feed tray 27 Drive unit 271 Drive transmission gear 272 Planetary gear 273 AP (paper feed / cleaning) motor 28 Paper feed roller -281 Feed roller rubber 29 ASF sensor 30 Pinch roller holder 31 Pinch roller spring 32 PE sensor 321 PE sensor lever 33 Paper guide flapper 331 Bearing section 34 Platen 342 Transport roller mounting section 343 Chassis mounting shaft 35 Transport motor 36 Transport roller 361 Pulley 362 Code wheel 37 Pinch roller 38 Bearing 381 Roller tension spring 39 Encoder sensor 40 Paper discharge roller 1
41 Paper discharge roller 2
42 spur 43 spur holder 44 spur spring 45 paper end support 451 paper end support roller 452 paper end support spring 46 paper discharge tray 50 carriage 501 abutment 51 head set lever 511 head pressing means 52 guide shaft 521 eccentric cam 54 carriage motor 541 Timing belt 542 Idle pulley 55 Carriage damper 56 Encoder sensor 561 Code strip 57 Flexible substrate 58 Carriage elevating motor 581 Drive gear train 59 Automatic registration adjustment sensor (reflection type optical sensor)
60 Pump 61 Cap 611 Cap Absorber 62 Blade 63 Main Cam 64 Position Detection Sensor 65 Valve 651 Valve Position Detection Sensor 66 Blade Cleaner 67 Tube 68 Pump Roll 69 Cleaning Motor 691 One-way Clutch 7 Recording Head 71 Ink Tank 8 U-Turn / Dual Transporting Unit 81 Cassette 821 Paper feed roller 822 Pressure plate 823 Return lever spring 824 Return lever 825 Pressure plate pressurization / control means 826 Pressure plate cam 827 Side guide 828 Pressure plate spring 829 Separation sheet 831 Separation roller 832 Separation base 833 Separation roller holder 834 Clutch spring 835 Separation roller release Shaft 836 Control cam 837 Separating roller spring 838 Pre-stage regulating means 84 UT base 841 UT sensor 85 UT motor for both sides 851 Drive gear 852 Planetary gear 86 U-turn intermediate roller (1)
861 U-turn pinch roller 87 U-turn intermediate roller (2)
871 U-turn pinch roller 881 Inner guide 882 Outer guide 883 Flapper 884 Pinch roller lifting mechanism 891 Double-sided roller 892 Double-sided pinch roller 893 Double-sided guide 91 Main board 92 Carriage board 921 Contact 93 Side cover 95 Front cover 96 Connector cover 97 Access cover 98 Top Case 981 Door switch lever 982 LED guide 983 Key switch 99 Lower case 991 Waste ink absorber 992 Paper discharge tray rail 993 CD transport section guide rail

Claims (6)

A recording apparatus that records an image on a recording medium by discharging ink from the recording head, includes a carriage that scans by mounting the recording head, and has a function of detecting an end position of the recording medium, It has a function of recording an image without a margin on a recording medium,
A recording apparatus having a function of detecting elongation of a recording medium accompanying image recording by using the end position detection function of the recording medium and adjusting an amount of the recorded image information protruding from the recording medium based on the information. A recording apparatus that records an image on a recording medium by discharging ink from the recording head, includes a carriage that scans by mounting the recording head, and has a function of detecting an end position of the recording medium, In addition to having the function of recording images on both sides of the recording medium,
Relative position of the image with respect to the recording medium by detecting the elongation of the recording medium accompanying the image recording using the end position detection function of the recording medium and adjusting the position of the image to be recorded on the back surface of the recording medium based on the information A recording apparatus having a function of matching the front and back surfaces. A recording apparatus for recording an image on a recording medium by ejecting ink from the recording head, having a carriage mounted with the recording head for scanning, and detecting an end position of the recording medium, and an ink dot And has an alignment function of
A recording apparatus having a function of detecting an elongation of a recording medium accompanying image recording using the end position detection function of the recording medium and correcting the ink dot alignment function based on the information. A recording apparatus that records an image on a recording medium by ejecting ink from the recording head, and has a function of holding a value of an ink amount applied to the recording medium and a function of recording an image without a margin on the recording medium. With
A recording apparatus having a function of estimating the elongation of a recording medium accompanying image recording from the value of the amount of ink applied to the recording medium and adjusting the amount of recorded image information protruding from the recording medium based on the information. A recording apparatus that records an image on a recording medium by discharging ink from a recording head, and has a function of holding a value of an ink amount applied to the recording medium and a function of recording an image on both sides of the recording medium.
The elongation of the recording medium accompanying the image recording is estimated from the value of the amount of ink applied to the recording medium, the position of the image recorded on the back surface of the recording medium is adjusted based on the information, and the relative position of the image with respect to the recording medium is determined. A recording apparatus having a function of matching the front surface and the back surface. A recording apparatus that records an image on a recording medium by ejecting ink from the recording head, and has a function of holding a value of an ink amount applied to the recording medium and a function of aligning ink dots,
A recording apparatus having a function of estimating an elongation of a recording medium accompanying image recording from a value of an ink amount applied to the recording medium and correcting the ink dot alignment function based on the information.

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