JP2010012660A - Recorder - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To eliminate wasting of discarding what is printed halfway by preventing occurrence of paper shortage halfway of an image at the time of printing up to a paper end of a roll of paper, and to reduce as much as possible sheets of paper unused and wasted at the paper end. <P>SOLUTION: The recorder includes a setting means (continuous mode setting means) which sets whether or not the continuous image is printed over two roll of paper, and a sequence control part which switches a sequence according to a mode set by the setting means. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an ink jet recording apparatus that forms an image on a recording medium by ejecting ink from a recording head. In particular, it relates to printing at the end of roll paper and printing after roll paper replacement.

  Some printers stop conveyance and stop printing when the remaining amount of roll paper as a recording medium runs out or when a paper end is detected.

  For example, in a roll-shaped label recording medium with a large number of labels attached, printing is performed on the last label upon termination detection, and conveyance and printing are stopped (for example, see Patent Document 1). In Patent Document 1, although it is a roll paper, a cut paper called a label is actually attached to a roll-shaped base, and the handling is performed up to the last label as with the cut paper.

  However, a general printer using roll paper still has a printable area after end detection, and there is a printer that effectively uses this printable area.

  One of them is a printer that stops printing when the margin of roll paper is reached after end detection (see, for example, Patent Document 2). In Patent Document 2, specifically, the detection unit (near-end sensor) detects that the remaining amount of roll paper has reached a predetermined amount, and the integration unit (integrated length region) determines that the remaining amount of roll paper is predetermined. When the roll paper has reached the amount of paper, the paper feed amount fed by the roll paper is accumulated, and the stop unit has reached the margin length stored in the margin length area. , Stop printing characters or graphics by the printing unit.

  Also, there is a printer that determines the remaining amount of roll paper used, and when the recording length exceeds the remaining amount of roll paper, priority is given to recording below the remaining amount, so that the roll paper is used without waste until the end. (For example, refer to Patent Document 3).

  In addition, in a facsimile or the like, it is possible to print on a spare paper surface (paper following the end mark) even after a certain amount of end mark is detected (see, for example, Patent Document 4).

  Even when the remaining amount of roll paper is exceeded, printing is performed with a specific printing command such as test printing (see, for example, Patent Document 5).

  On the other hand, there are printers that determine the remaining amount of roll paper that has been used, and some printers actively encourage roll replacement when the remaining amount of roll paper is less than a certain amount (see, for example, Patent Document 6). Specifically, in Patent Document 6, the remaining amount of used roll paper is determined, and based on the obtained remaining amount, if the remaining amount is 10 m or more, the recording is continued, and the remaining amount is 2 to 10 m. If it is, the length of the recordable image (A0 size) is limited. If the remaining amount is 0 to 2 m, the paper is displayed and the new recording is stopped. It is possible to prompt the user to replace the roll paper without wasteful printing of paper (no paper is left in the middle of printing).

Further, it has a pseudo continuous printing mode on cut paper instead of roll paper (see, for example, Patent Document 7). Specifically, in Patent Document 7, printing is performed as if the sheets are continuous by feeding the cut sheet, the rear end, and the front end of the next cut sheet in an overlapping manner.
JP 2003-048364 A JP 2001-171881 JP 09-278244 A Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 06-054146 JP 2005-144995 Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 05-147327 Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 06-262831

  Patent Document 1 is effective when printing on a standard size called a label, but since it does not presuppose printing of a long image, it seems that it cannot cope with printing of a paper end in printing of a long image.

  Further, in Patent Document 2, it is possible to reduce the amount of extra paper that is not used for printing, but there is a problem in that a wasteful paper is generated when printing is interrupted without printing an image to the end. . When printing a standard size on roll paper, the paper that is printed and wasted is smaller than the standard size, which may not be a problem, but for long printing, the amount of wasted is several meters. There is a case.

  Further, in Patent Document 4, what can be saved on the spare paper surface is a limited amount, and it is not always possible to complete printing of long printing, and printing interruption occurs. Problems occur.

  On the other hand, Patent Document 3 has a problem that printing cannot be performed when a long image exceeding the remaining amount of paper is requested. An image below the remaining amount is printed, and the roll paper needs to be replaced.

  In Patent Document 6, an area that cannot be printed is generated, and there are cases in which several m is left depending on the printing length. Furthermore, there are cases where the length of printing exceeds 10 m, and such an image is in a situation where only a new roll paper is replaced.

  Further, in Patent Document 7, the cut paper is quasi-continuously printed. However, there is no special explanation about the case where the cut paper runs out, but the image is interrupted.

  As described above, there is a problem that the roll paper is wasted on the long image (the roll paper is replaced without printing, or the printing is interrupted in the middle).

  A setting unit configured to set whether or not to perform continuous printing across two roll papers; a determination unit configured to determine setting by the setting unit; and a sequence control unit configured to control a print sequence according to a result of the determination unit. .

  By continuously printing across two roll papers, it is possible to print up to the end of the roll paper, and there is no waste of paper, so it can be used effectively by pasting two continuous prints, etc. It is possible to eliminate the waste of printed matter that is discarded.

[Example 1]
[Outline of recording device main unit]
FIG. 5 is an external perspective view of an ink jet recording apparatus (hereinafter also referred to as an ink jet printer), and FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the inside of the ink jet recording apparatus of FIG.

  In FIG. 5, the ink jet recording apparatus 2 includes a printer apparatus main body 200, a stand 300 on which the printer apparatus main body 200 is placed, and a stacker 400 on which recording media such as discharged recording paper are stacked. A manual insertion slot 201 is provided on the front surface of the printer apparatus main body 200, and a roll paper cassette 202 that can be opened and closed to the front surface is provided below the main body 200, and a recording medium (not shown) such as recording paper can be used as the manual insertion slot 201 or roll. The paper is supplied from the paper cassette 202 into the printer apparatus main body 200. The printer apparatus main body 200 includes an upper cover 203 that can be opened and closed. On the right side in the figure, an operation panel unit 12 and an ink supply unit 8 (including an ink tank) are disposed.

  Further, in FIG. 6, when the inside of the inkjet recording apparatus 2 is virtually viewed, a conveyance roller 204 for conveying a recording medium such as recording paper in the arrow B direction (sub-scanning direction), and a width direction of the recording medium ( A carriage unit 4 guided and supported so as to be reciprocally movable in the direction of arrow A and the main scanning direction, a carriage motor (not shown) for reciprocating the carriage 4 in the direction of arrow A, belt transmission means 205, and carriage 4 A recording head 11 serving as a recording unit mounted and a suction-type ink recovery unit 9 for supplying ink and for eliminating ink discharge defects due to clogging of the discharge ports of the recording head 11 are provided.

  In the case of the illustrated ink jet recording apparatus, the carriage unit 4 is provided with a recording head 11 for performing color recording on a recording medium. This recording head has, for example, four ink colors {for example, Bk (black), C (cyan), M (magenta), Y (yellow)}} corresponding to different colors of ink, and two more ink colors. {For example, it is composed of six colors with light C (light cyan) and light M (light magenta) added.

  Alternatively, the recording head 11 may be a printer including a plurality of recording heads. The plurality of recording heads are, for example, four recording heads corresponding to inks of different colors {for example, Bk (black) head, C (cyan) head, M (magenta) head, Y (yellow) For example, a head for light C (light cyan) and a head for light M (light magenta)}.

  When recording on a recording medium such as recording paper with the above configuration, after the recording medium is conveyed to a predetermined recording start position by the conveying roller 204, the main scanning by the recording head 11 and the sub-scanning by the conveying roller 204 are repeated from here. Thus, recording is performed on the entire recording medium.

  That is, the carriage unit 4 is moved in the direction of arrow A in FIG. 6 by the carriage belt 205 and a carriage motor (not shown), and recording is performed on the recording medium. When the carriage unit is returned to the position before being scanned, the recording medium is conveyed by the conveyance roller in the sub-scanning direction (the direction of arrow B in FIG. 6), and then the carriage unit is scanned again in the direction of arrow A in FIG. As a result, images, characters, etc. are recorded on the recording medium. When the above operation is repeated and the recording for one sheet of recording medium is completed, the recording medium is discharged into the stacker 400, and the recording for one sheet is completed. In particular, when the recording medium is roll paper, the roll paper may be cut after being cut by a cutter (not shown) before being discharged.

[Internal block diagram of inkjet printer 2]
FIG. 7 is a block diagram showing the main configuration of the ink jet printer of this embodiment.

  In FIG. 7, reference numeral 1 denotes a personal computer (PC) that supplies image data and commands to be printed, and 2 denotes reception of image data, commands, parameters, image processing LUT (look-up table), etc. from the personal computer. The inkjet printer prints received image data in accordance with commands, parameters, and image processing LUTs.

  A personal computer has a keyboard and a display, and an interface with a user is realized by application software, a printer driver (for the inkjet printer 2), and dedicated printer control software (RIP or the like).

  The internal configuration of the inkjet printer 2 includes a control unit 20 for controlling the entire printer 2, a carriage unit 4 on which the recording head 11 is mounted, a carriage transport unit 6 for reciprocating the carriage unit 4 in the main scanning direction, paper, and the like. The recording head 11 is improved by performing a paper transport unit 7 for moving the recording medium in the sub-scanning direction, a supply unit 8 for supplying ink to the recording head 11, a surface cleaning of the recording head 11, ink suction, ink droplet ejection, and the like. A recovery unit 9 for recovering to a proper state, a power source 10 for supplying power to the recording head 11, a power source for the control unit 3, and a power source for each unit, and an operation panel unit 12 having a key switch (not shown) and an LCD (not shown). To become the main.

  The carriage unit 4 has a mechanism that allows the recording head 11 to be removed and attached. The carriage unit 4 includes an electrical contact, a joint portion such as a tube that supplies ink, a member that supports and fixes the recording head 11, and the carriage transport unit 6. It has a connection (not shown) and is supported by a rail (not shown) of the carriage transport unit 6 and connected to a motor (not shown) of the carriage transport unit 6 by a timing belt (not shown) of the carriage transport unit 6. Thus, the carriage unit reciprocates in the main scanning direction by the rotation of the motor. An encoder sensor (not shown) is mounted on the carriage unit 4, and a linear scale (not shown) for the encoder is stretched in the main scanning direction on the carriage transport unit 6, and the recording head 11 mounted on the carriage unit 4. The movement speed can also be controlled.

  The paper transport unit 7 also performs rotation control of the transport roller with a motor (not shown) and a rotary encoder (not shown) in order to move a recording medium such as paper in the sub-scanning direction. The details of the paper transport unit will be described later with reference to another drawing.

  The supply unit 8 connects the ink tank unit (not shown) and the recording head 11 with an ink tube (not shown) or the like, supplies ink, and has a valve mechanism (not shown) in the middle of the ink tube. Ink replacement from the ink tube or the recording head is prevented by closing the valve when replacing the ink tank or the ink tank. A motor (not shown) and a photo interrupter (not shown), which is a position sensor for detecting the open / closed state of the valve, are used as a drive source for moving the valve mechanism.

  The recovery unit 9 includes a wiping mechanism (not shown) for wiping the surface of the recording head 11, a capping mechanism (not shown) for sealing the surface of the recording head with a member, and a suction pump mechanism for sucking ink from the nozzles of the recording head 11. (Not shown), a motor (not shown) for driving them, a drive transmission mechanism (not shown), and a position sensor (not shown) for detecting the state of each mechanical mechanism.

  The power supply unit 10 is turned on / off by an AC switch (not shown) or a soft switch (not shown) on the operation panel 12, and the control unit 3 is supplied with a voltage of 3.3V or 5V as a logic power supply. Is supplied to the actuator (motor, etc.) via the I / O control unit & driver unit 26 in the control unit, and the head power supply to the recording head 11 is supplied to the head power control unit in the control unit. (Not shown) is supplied at a voltage value set via

  Functionally, the control unit 20 has an I / F unit 22 that interfaces with the personal computer 1, a sequence control unit 21 that manages the overall operation, and an image that performs conversion processing from image data to print data. A processing unit 23, a timing control unit 24 that adjusts the timing of print data in accordance with the operation of the printer 2, a head drive unit 25 that controls drive data, a drive pulse, a drive voltage, and the like of the recording head 11, and a sensor of an internal unit of the printer 2 And an I / O control unit & driver unit 26 for performing an interface with an actuator (motor or the like) and driving.

  Here, the control unit 20 is physically an electric board, and in particular, the sequence control unit 21 is a CPU (not shown) such as a microprocessor, and a ROM (not shown) storing a CPU control program and various data. A RAM (not shown) used as a work area for the CPU and storing various data, an I / F unit (appended) for controlling an interface with the host computer 1, and the like, an image processing unit 23, a timing control unit 24, The head driving unit 25, the I / O control unit & driver unit 26 are configured by an electric circuit such as a general-purpose LSI or a transistor.

  The inside of the image processing unit 23 uses image data (here: red: R, green: G, blue: B) from the personal computer as ink colors of the printer (here, black: Bk, cyan: C, magenta: M, yellow). : Y, light cyan: LM, light magenta) based on the output γ characteristic of the printer. The color conversion processing unit 41 converts the ink color image data into ink color image data based on the image processing LUT. An output γ processing unit 42 that converts the data, and a binarization processing unit 43 that converts ink color image data (multi-value data) from the output γ processing unit 42 into binary ink color print data.

  The timing control unit 24 includes an HV conversion unit that converts the order (raster direction order) of the ink color print data (binary) processed by the image processing unit 23 to the nozzle order (column direction order) of the recording head 11. 44, a memory unit 45 for storing the print data converted in the column direction, and the read timing from the memory unit 45 is controlled for each print data of each ink color according to the position and moving direction of the recording head 11, etc. The registration adjustment unit 46 is configured to adjust so that printing does not shift.

  The head control unit 25 generates a signal in which the print data from the timing control unit 24 is matched with the data format for driving the recording head 11, generates a driving signal under the control of the sequence control unit 21, and outputs these signals to the recording head. 11 to send. The recording head 11 is driven by a signal from the head control unit 25 and forms an image by ejecting ink.

  The I / O control unit & driver unit 26 is driven by a signal whose timing is controlled by the sequence control unit 21, and drives and controls each connected unit (6 to 10, 12).

[Paper transport unit]
FIG. 8 shows a conceptual diagram of the paper transport unit 7 and its operation will be described.

  FIG. 8 is a conceptual diagram that is an abstraction of a perspective view of the inkjet printer 2 (FIGS. 5 and 6).

  In FIG. 8, 100 is roll paper, 210 is a conveyance guide section for securing a path added by the roll paper 100, 211 is a platen section that holds the paper such as the roll paper 100 facing the recording head 11 horizontally, 212 is an LF motor, 213 is a motor pulley attached to the shaft of the LF motor 212, 214 is an LF pulley attached to the transport roller shaft 216 that is the shaft of the transport roller 204, and 215 is a drive connection between the motor pulley 213 and the LF pulley 214 217 is a pinch roller in contact with the transport roller shaft 216, 218 is an LF encoder wheel attached to the transport roller 216 (a disc on which a transmissive and non-transmissive pattern is printed at regular intervals), and 219 is an LF encoder sensor. , 220 is a paper end sensor that detects the presence or absence of roll paper that passes through a part of the conveyance guide portion.

  Here, a reflective sensor is used as the paper end sensor 220, and when the roll paper 100 in the conveyance guide unit 210 reaches the paper end sensor 220, there is reflected light from the roll paper 100, and the reflected light is The paper end sensor 220 receives light and changes the electrical signal, and the sequence control unit 21 recognizes the presence of paper via the I / O control unit & driver unit 26. Conversely, when the roll paper 100 is not in the paper end sensor 220, there is no reflected light from the roll paper 100, so the sequence control unit 21 detects that there is no paper. When the roll paper 100 is in a direction to be sent out to the platen unit 211, the sequence control unit 21 determines that a paper end has occurred when the paper is changed from being present to not being present.

  The roll paper 100 is set in the roll paper cassette 202, and the front and back are sandwiched between the conveyance roller 204 and the pinch roller 217 via the conveyance guide unit 20, and the clockwise rotation of the LF motor 212 is performed from the motor pulley 213 to the timing belt. The roll paper 100 is sent to the platen unit 211 by rotating the conveyance roller clockwise transmitted to the LF pulley 214 via 215. The amount of roll paper transport can be understood as counting the encoder signals detected by the LF encoder wheel 218 and the LF encoder sensor 219 by the sequence control unit 21, and the sequence control unit 21 uses the I / O control unit & driver unit 26. The amount of rotation of the LF motor 212 is controlled via

  The conveyance amount of the roll paper 100 is determined by the print mode and the nozzle width (effective nozzle width) used by the recording head 11. If the effective nozzle width is H and the print mode is 1-pass printing (print mode that completes an image with nozzle width H by one carriage scan), the feed amount is H and the print mode is N-pass (N In the print mode in which an image having a nozzle width H is completed by one carriage scan, the feed amount is H / N.

  Further, in order to send the roll paper 100 to the platen unit 212, the roll paper 100 needs to be sandwiched between the pinch roller 217 and the conveyance roller 216, and printing can be performed even after the paper end sensor 220 detects the paper end. The amount (referred to as margin length) is a distance D from the paper position where the paper end sensor 220 detects the absence of paper to the position where the roll paper 100 is sandwiched between the pinch roller 217 and the conveyance roller 216. The distance D is a value that is almost determined by the mechanical configuration of the transport unit 7 of the printer 2 and is a parameter that is stored in the sequence control unit 21 in advance.

(Printing with a type that detects the end of roll paper)
With reference to FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, a description will be given of print control and a print example of an embodiment of the present invention in a type that detects a paper end (the rear end of the roll paper 100). In the type of detecting the paper end, the remaining amount of paper is not sequentially recognized by the sequence control unit 21, and the paper end is detected by a sensor or the like.

  FIG. 1 is a flowchart for explaining a print sequence for one print job in a sequence controlled by the sequence control unit 21 in the control unit 20. Here, in order to simplify the description, it is assumed that one print job prints one image data on one roll paper 100. A method of printing a plurality of sheets or a plurality of images into one job is performed in the same manner.

  FIG. 2 is a print example printed in the flowchart of FIG. The left side of FIG. 2 shows the case where the continuous mode is ON and the right side is the continuous mode OFF.

  In FIG. 1, first, the printing process before printing is initialized (STEP 1). Specifically, parameter initialization of the sequence control unit 21 (especially initialization of the pointer of how far it has been printed, etc.), initialization of parameters of the image processing unit 23 and timing control unit 44 (particularly in the binary processing unit) Intermediate buffer initialization, memory unit 45 address initialization, N-pass parameter initialization, etc.), recovery processing of the recording head 11 before printing, loading of the roll paper 100 to the printing position, and the like.

  Next, as described above, the printing process for one scan is performed H for the effective nozzles of the recording head 11 as described above, and the transport amount H / N is transported in the printing mode (N pass) (STEP 2). It is determined by the previous pointer whether or not all have been completed (STEP 3), and if printing is completed, one printing job is completed.

  On the other hand, if the printing is not completed, it is determined whether the paper end sensor 220 has detected the paper end of the roll paper (STEP 4). Until the paper end is detected, the printing process (STEP 1) is continued and the paper end is detected. When detected, the process proceeds to STEP5. In STEP 5, it is determined whether the paper end processing mode is continuous mode ON or OFF. If continuous mode is OFF, printing is interrupted (STEP 10) and the user is notified that the roll paper 100 is to be replaced. The printer 2 is in a stopped state until the roll paper 100 is replaced (STEP 11). When the user replaces the roll paper 100 with a new roll paper 100, the previous print job is restored (STEP 11), and STEP 1 is returned from the beginning again to perform print initialization. Next, the printing process (STEP 2) is performed in the same manner, and the subsequent steps after STEP 3 are similarly performed.

  The state when the printing is interrupted in STEP 10 is a part where the paper end is detected on the right side of FIG. 2, and in the case of N-pass printing, the previous one-scan image is not completed and continues on the current roll paper. The image is not printed. In step 11, the new roll paper 100 is replaced and the previous print job is restored (STEP 11). The same print processing as in steps 1 and 2 is performed and the print is completed (print job is completed). The target print is performed on the next roll paper.

  In this way, when the continuous mode is OFF, the printing of the current roll paper 100 is interrupted, so that the paper is wasted. The target printing is completed on the roll paper 100.

  On the other hand, if the continuous mode is ON, the process proceeds to STEP 6 in STEP 5 and printing is performed for the margin length D (referred to as margin length printing). For margin length printing, the number of scans that can be printed in N passes with respect to margin length D is estimated, and printing is performed up to the trailing edge of the margin length printing (referred to as the print limit). (Details will be described later). When the margin length printing is completed, the sequence control unit 21 stores how far printing has been performed, puts the printing on hold (STEP 7), notifies the user that the roll paper 100 is to be replaced, and the user rolls the roll paper. Until the printer 100 is replaced, the printer 2 is in a stopped state (STEP 8). When the user replaces the roll paper 100 with a new one, the continuous printing is set from the print hold state (STEP 9), and the process returns to STEP 2 to continue printing.

  In addition, even within the margin length printing (STEP 6), the same print end determination as that in STEP 3 is performed. When the printing is completed within the margin length, the print job is terminated without proceeding to STEP 7 (this print state is shown in FIG. 2). Not shown).

  The state in which the margin length printing of STEP 6 has been completed is the printing up to the printing limit and a portion on the left side in FIG. 2, and a slight margin occurs from the printing limit. This margin corresponds to a distance P from the rear end of the roll paper 100 to the effective nozzle of the recording head 11 in a state where the rear end of the roll paper 100 is just between the pinch roller 217 and the transport roller 204. . The distance P (margin) is also a numerical value determined in advance with a mechanical configuration similar to the margin length D, and is a parameter stored in the sequence control unit 21 in advance.

  Replaced with new roll paper 100 in STEP8 and set continuous printing (STEP9). Returned to STEP2 and until printing is completed (STEP3), the printed state is the target print on the next roll paper on the left side of FIG. Has been done. By continuing the image printed on the current roll paper and the image printed on the next roll paper, one print job is completed with two roll papers.

  The distance P is often about several centimeters to several tens of centimeters. In addition, the margin length D is several tens of centimeters, and does not exceed 1 m. Therefore, since the roll paper 100 and ink that are wasted are small in the type that detects the paper end, the continuous mode may be OFF by default, and the user can use the operation panel unit 12 when using expensive roll paper. Change the setting of the continuous mode to ON via PC1 or PC1. The ON / OFF state of the continuous mode is stored in the sequence control unit 21, and the sequence control unit 21 performs control so as to display the ON / OFF state of the continuous mode via the operation panel unit 12 or the personal computer 1.

  The completion printing of N pass in STEP6 is explained.

  Since the N pass is a print mode in which an image having a nozzle width H is completed by N scans of the carriage unit 4, the transport amount H / N of the roll paper 100 is performed D / (H / N) times in STEP 6. When printing is performed after that, if the conveyance is performed, there is a possibility that the rear end of the roll paper 100 may be separated from the state where it is sandwiched between the pinch roller 217 and the conveyance roller 204. Therefore, at the printing limit, the carriage unit 4 is scanned N-1 times without transporting the roll paper 100, and printing is performed N-1 times to complete the N pass. However, the printing of the image data is not completed but the printing of the image data is completed.

  A description will be given of placing the printing in STEP 7 on hold.

  In the control unit 20, image data is generated by the image processing unit 23 and the timing control unit 24, and intermediate data is held to maintain image continuity. Specifically, the binarization processing unit 43 stores the error amount used in the error diffusion method or the like, stores the N-pass compatible image data stored in the memory unit 45, and stores the N-pass parameters. Do.

  The setting for continuous printing in STEP9 will be described.

  The sequence control unit 21 resets the image processing unit 23 and the timing control unit 24 in the control unit 20 in order to reuse the intermediate data in the hold state, thereby performing continuous printing. In particular, by storing how much image data has been printed, it is possible to print continuous images by resetting the position of the image data to be resumed.

  On the left side of FIG. 2, an extended function of printing a cut mark is added so that the image printed on the next roll paper overlaps a part of the image printed on the current roll paper. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and it is also possible to set the overlap control setting, cut mark setting, paper cut setting, and the like as parameters of the sequence control unit 21.

(Printing with a type that detects the remaining amount of roll paper)
With reference to FIG. 3 and FIG. 4, print control and a print example of the embodiment of the present invention in a type that detects the remaining amount of the roll paper 100 will be described.

  Since there are various methods for detecting the remaining amount of paper and it is not the main point of the present invention, here, in order to simplify the explanation, the user inputs the remaining amount of paper in advance when setting the roll paper 100, and the roll paper 100 A case will be described where the amount of paper used is converted from the amount of transport and the amount of paper remaining is determined by subtracting the amount of use from the set remaining amount.

  Note that the amount of use can be determined from the known effective radius of the transport roller 204 by recognizing the rotation amount of the transport roller 204 by counting the signal of the LF encoder sensor 219 when the roll paper 100 is sent out by the transport roller 204. Can be calculated with It is necessary to consider the amount that the roll paper 100 is returned by the conveyance roller 204.

  FIG. 3 is a flowchart for explaining a print sequence for one print job in the sequence controlled by the sequence control unit 21 in the control unit 20. Here, in order to simplify the description, it is assumed that one print job prints one image data on one roll paper 100. A method of printing a plurality of sheets or a plurality of images into one job is performed in the same manner.

  FIG. 4 is a print example printed in the flowchart of FIG. The left side of FIG. 4 shows the case where the continuous mode is ON and the right side is the continuous mode OFF.

  In FIG. 3, when the print job is started, first, the remaining amount of paper and the print length of the image to be printed are compared (STEP 21). If the remaining amount of paper is equal to or greater than the print length (the remaining paper on which all images can be printed). If it is a quantity), proceed to SETP23, initialize the printing process to perform the normal printing sequence (STEP23), perform the printing process (STEP24), determine the end of printing (STEP25), and end the print job . The initialization of the printing process, the printing process, and the print end determination in FIG. 3 are the same as those in FIG.

  Note that the paper end may be detected at STEP26 before printing is completed, but margin length printing (STEP27) is performed in the same way as in Fig. 1, and printing is completed in the margin length printing (STEP23) as in STEP25. The determination is made, and when the printing is completed within the margin length and the printing is finished, the printing job is finished without proceeding to STEP 28 (this printing state is not shown in FIG. 4). Here, since the remaining amount of the paper includes the margin length, the remaining amount of paper ≧ printing length can complete the printing within the margin length printing even when the paper end is detected and finish the printing. If the remaining amount of paper does not include the margin length, it is possible to cope with it. If the remaining amount of paper ≧ printing length, the printing is completed and the printing ends without entering the margin length printing.

  On the other hand, if it is determined in STEP 21 that the remaining amount of paper is smaller than the print length (when the remaining amount of paper cannot be printed completely), it is determined whether the paper end processing mode is the continuous mode ON or OFF (STEP 22 ).

  If the continuous mode is OFF in the determination, the started print job is suspended (STEP 31), the user is notified that the roll paper 100 is to be replaced, and the printer 2 is stopped until the user replaces the roll paper 100. If it is in a state (STEP 32) and the user replaces it with a new roll paper 100, the previous print job is restored (STEP 33), and then STEP 21 returns from the beginning and the roll paper is replaced. It becomes long, and it proceeds to STEP23 and normal printing is performed.

  This print is the print on the right side of FIG. 4. The current roll paper has no print for the current job, and the print of the current job is completed on the next roll paper. Since no extra ink is used on the current roll paper and there is no printing time, cost and time can be saved.

  On the other hand, if it is determined in STEP 22 that the continuous mode is ON, the process proceeds to SETP 23, where the print process is initialized (STEP 23), the print process is performed (STEP 24), and the print end is determined to perform the normal print sequence. (STEP25) Continues printing until the end of the paper is detected by SETP26 without finishing printing. When the paper end is detected, margin length printing is performed for margin length D (STEP 27). In the margin length printing, as in FIG. 1, the number of scans that can be printed in N passes with respect to the margin length D is estimated, and printing is performed up to the trailing edge of the margin length printing (referred to as the print limit). Perform pass completion printing. When the extra length printing is completed, the sequence control unit 21 stores how far printing has been performed, puts the printing on hold (STEP 28), notifies the user that the roll paper 100 is to be replaced, and the user Until the printer 100 is replaced, the printer 2 is in a stopped state (STEP 29). When the user replaces the roll paper 100 with a new one, the continuous printing is set from the print hold state (STEP 30), and the process returns to STEP 24 to continue printing.

  In addition, even within the margin length printing (STEP 27), the printing end determination is performed in the same manner as in STEP 25. When the printing ends within the margin length, the printing job is terminated without proceeding to STEP 7 (this printing state is shown in FIG. 2). Not shown). However, this occurs when the remaining amount of paper does not include the margin length. If the remaining amount of paper does not include the margin length, printing with margin length printing is completed and printing is not completed. Absent.

  The state in which the margin length printing in STEP 27 is completed is printing up to a certain portion on the left side in FIG. 4, and some margin is generated from the printing limit.

  In step 29, the new roll paper 100 is replaced and the setting of continuous printing is performed (STEP 30). The process returns to STEP 24 and the printing is completed until the printing is completed (STEP 25). The target print has been performed. By continuing the image printed on the current roll paper and the image printed on the next roll paper, one print job is completed with two roll papers. Note that the printing status when the continuous mode is ON is the same as that on the left side of FIG.

  In the type of detecting the remaining amount of roll paper, the continuous mode is preferably ON by default, but the user changes the setting of the continuous mode to ON via the operation panel unit 12 or the personal computer 1. The ON / OFF state of the continuous mode is stored in the sequence control unit 21, and the sequence control unit 21 performs control so as to display the ON / OFF state of the continuous mode via the operation panel unit 12 or the personal computer 1.

  As another additional invention, especially in the type that detects the remaining amount of roll paper, it is possible to automatically set whether continuous mode is ON or OFF depending on the balance between the remaining amount of paper and the print length of the image to be printed. is there. The balance can be specified by the user.

  This is because when the continuous mode is ON and the print is divided and printed on two roll papers continuously, if the two sheets are too different in size, the balance in the finish is not good. When the user determines, the purpose is to correspond to the user setting a well-balanced ratio in advance.

  It is also possible to turn on the continuous mode when the print length of an image to be printed is longer than a certain length. This is because if the print length is too short, there is little paper that is wasted at the paper end, so if the continuous mode is turned on and there is no need to use up the roll paper 100, the user can waste it. It is a purpose corresponding to determining and specifying the length in advance.

  It is also possible to combine the balance setting of the remaining paper amount and the print length and the print length setting.

  In addition, the continuous mode setting is stored in the printer 2 so that the user can set the continuous mode for each print job by disabling such setting parameters for the print job. It is also possible to specify settings.

  For storing and resuming image data when resuming a print job, a large-capacity storage device such as a hard disk is provided as an image memory in the printer 2 so that the image data is temporarily stored in the hard disk. By performing the print job, when the print job is resumed, it can be handled by re-reading from the hard disk, and the waiting process on the personal computer 1 side is eliminated.

  If there is no large storage device, the reception of image data is temporarily suspended until the print job is resumed, and the reception is started when the print job is resumed.

  In the present embodiment, the use of the margin length after detection of the paper end is taken into consideration. However, when there is a remaining amount management, it is also possible to configure without including margin length printing.

  Examples of printing results in the continuous mode are shown in FIGS. 2 and 4, where there are printing of paper cut lines and printing of overlapping portions of images, but these are additional functions, which are This is possible without it. It is also possible to adopt auto cut.

  Although the roll-shaped roll paper 100 has been described as the recording medium, it is not necessary to limit to a roll-shaped recording medium, and the present case can be similarly handled even with a foldable and long recording medium.

  In this example, the description is made on the continuous printing on the two roll papers 100, but this is not the case. For example, continuous printing across three or more roll papers can also be implemented in the present invention. This can be dealt with when a plurality of roll papers are exchanged when the printing length is long or when the roll paper having the remaining amount at the half end is reused.

  In order to simplify the explanation, the print job is performed by printing one image. However, one print job for printing a plurality of images and one print job for printing a plurality of images one by one. The same control can be performed by paying attention to printing.

  The replacement of the roll paper 100 has been described with an example of manual operation. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and when a plurality of roll papers can be set, the roll paper 100 can be similarly realized by automatically selecting the next usable roll paper.

Flow chart for detecting the end of roll paper Example of printing that detects the end of roll paper Flowchart of the type that estimates the remaining amount of roll paper Example of printing to estimate the remaining amount of roll paper External perspective view of inkjet printer FIG. 5 is a perspective view virtually illustrating the inside of the ink jet recording apparatus of FIG. Block diagram showing main components of inkjet printer Inkjet printer transport unit concept

Explanation of symbols

1 PC 2 Inkjet recording device (inkjet printer)
4 Carriage unit, 11 is recording head
20 Control unit
21 Sequence controller
25 Head controller
100 roll paper
210 Transport guide
211 Platen section
212 LF motor
213 Motor pulley
214 LF pulley
215 Timing belt
216 Conveyor roller shaft
217 pinch rollers
218 LF encoder wheel
219 LF encoder sensor
220 Paper end sensor

Claims (4)

In a recording apparatus for printing on a recording medium with a recording head,
A setting means for setting whether or not a continuous mode for continuously printing one image on a plurality of recording media; a determination means for determining the setting in the setting means according to the remaining amount of the recording medium;
A recording apparatus comprising sequence control means for controlling a printing sequence in accordance with the result of the discrimination means.   Further, a paper end detection unit is provided, and the discriminating unit performs a determination when the paper end detection unit detects a paper end, and has a sequence control unit that controls a print sequence according to a result of the determination unit. The recording apparatus according to claim 1.   Further, a recording medium remaining amount management unit is provided, and the determination unit determines when the remaining amount of the recording medium is compared before the start of printing, and controls the printing sequence according to the result of the determination unit. The recording apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a sequence control unit.   The sequence control means, when the determination means is not in a continuous mode, interrupts printing if printing is in progress, interrupts printing start before printing, restarts printing from the beginning of the image after replacing the recording medium, The recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein when the determination unit is in a continuous mode, printing is continued up to a printable range and restarted from an image position where printing was continued after replacing the recording medium.

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