JP2010089464A - Recording system, inkjet recorder used in the system, injection restoration processing method for recording head used in the recorder - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To restrain a through-put from getting low by adopting injection restoration processing due to paper sheet face pre-injection, and to prevent recording quality of causing erroneous recognition from getting worse, in an inkjet recorder for recording onto a band-like recording medium such as a wrist band. <P>SOLUTION: The wrist band is constituted of three portions of a portion provided with a retaining hole, a portion serving as a recording area for recording information, and a portion provided with a plurality of regulating retaining holes capable of regulating a rolling diameter sequentially from one end part. One part in an end part side provided with a regulating retaining hole forming portion is dealt as a recording ineffective area, since the portion of the one part is concealed under the other end part of the wrist band as an excessive part, depending on a size of a portion to be mounted, when recording the information using the whole regulating retaining hole forming portion. The paper sheet pre-injection is therein to be executed in the area, and the recording ineffective area is properly set based on the size of the portion to be mounted. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a recording system, an ink jet recording apparatus used in the system, and a discharge recovery processing method for a recording head used in the apparatus. In particular, the present invention is suitable for application to a configuration in which recording is performed on a band-shaped recording medium that is used in a state where the ends are overlapped and wound in an annular shape, such as a wristband. The discharge recovery process is a process performed to recover or maintain the ink discharge performance of the recording head in a good state.

  In an ink jet recording apparatus, in order to ensure a desired recording quality, depending on the printing amount depending on the number of recordings, the recording duty, etc., the exposure time of the recording head to the atmosphere, the usage environment, etc. Ink thickening or solidification may occur. For example, depending on the recording data, not all of the ejection openings provided in the recording head are used, and a specific ejection opening may not be used at all for a long time. In such an ejection port, the ink solvent inside thereof evaporates and the ink viscosity increases. In such a state, even when a drive signal is applied to an element that generates energy used for ejecting ink, the ink is not ejected normally, and the ejection direction is not sufficient, the ejection amount is insufficient, or the case is severe. May cause non-ejection and the like (hereinafter referred to as ejection failure). If there is such a discharge failure, there is a risk that desired recording cannot be performed.

  Therefore, the ink jet recording apparatus is provided with a discharge recovery unit including a cap for capping the discharge port forming surface of the recording head, and discharge recovery processing is performed. The discharge recovery process includes an operation for forcibly discharging ink into the cap from the discharge port, and an operation for discharging ink (preliminary discharge) that does not contribute to image recording.

  In the conventional ink jet recording apparatus, when the execution timing of the discharge recovery process determined by various factors comes, the recording operation is temporarily interrupted to execute the discharge recovery process (for example, Patent Document 1).

  However, interruption of the printing operation causes a decrease in throughput, etc., so as to prevent interruption or reduce the number of interruptions as much as possible, as a form of ejection recovery processing, it is periodically placed on the recording medium separately from the recording data. A process for preliminarily discharging ink is also known (for example, Patent Document 2). Such preliminary ejection is sometimes referred to as paper preliminary ejection because a general recording apparatus uses paper as a recording medium, and the terminology is also used in this specification for convenience.

  On the other hand, inkjet recording apparatuses are not only used for recording documents and images on general paper in offices and homes, but are also widely applied to various fields. Is one of the application examples (see Patent Document 3).

JP 07-246711 A JP 2006-76247 A JP 2006-58805 A

  In the ejection recovery process using only the ejection recovery unit, the printing interruption is indispensable as described above, so that the printing throughput is reduced. In particular, in a so-called line printer type ink jet recording apparatus that uses a recording head in which ejection ports are arranged in the width direction of the recording medium and performs recording while conveying the recording medium to the recording head, the recording head and the ejection recovery The amount of movement relative to the unit is large. Accordingly, since the time from the start to the end of the discharge recovery process becomes longer, such a decrease in throughput becomes more remarkable.

  In particular, in an inkjet recording apparatus that performs recording while conveying a recording medium in the form of continuous paper such as roll paper or fanfold paper, the conveyance does not stop immediately even if a recording interruption is instructed for the ejection recovery process. In order to eliminate the waste of the recording medium caused by this, a process called back feed (blank return) as described in Patent Document 1 may be performed prior to resuming recording, and the recording throughput further decreases. Will do.

  As a form of the wristband described above, there is one in which a recording operation is performed while a web wound in a roll shape is unwound and separated from a perforation after the recording operation so that it can be used as a wristband. Even when such a roll-shaped web (hereinafter referred to as a wristband web) is used as a recording medium, a decrease in recording throughput becomes a problem.

  Further, in the technique disclosed in Patent Document 2, preliminary paper ejection is performed on the entire area of the recording medium regardless of the presence or absence of image data, which may reduce the recording quality. Such a decline in recording quality is not just an aesthetic problem. This is because, when important information (characters, barcodes, etc.) is carried on the recording medium, erroneous recognition may occur if preliminary ejection is performed on or near the information. Such misrecognition, especially in medical wristbands, can lead to serious medical accidents.

  In view of the above problems, the present invention employs an ejection recovery process by preliminary ejection on a paper surface to suppress a decrease in recording throughput in an ink jet recording apparatus that performs recording on a band-shaped recording medium such as a wristband, and reduces recording quality. It aims at making it possible to prevent the decrease.

Therefore, the present invention provides a recording having an ejection port for ejecting ink to a band-shaped recording medium mounted on a target mounting site in an annular state with one end fastened to a position other than the other end. An ink jet recording apparatus capable of recording information using a head and causing the recording head to perform preliminary ejection not related to the information recording on the recording medium, and for the ink jet recording apparatus, An information input device for inputting information related to recording, and a recording system comprising:
A determination unit that determines a recording invalid area that occurs in accordance with the size of the mounted portion when the belt-shaped recording medium is in the annular state;
A control unit that controls the inkjet recording apparatus so that the preliminary ejection is performed on the determined recording invalid area;
It is characterized by comprising.

Further, the present invention provides a recording head having an ejection port for ejecting ink to a band-shaped recording medium mounted on a target mounting site in an annular state in which one end is fastened to a position other than the other end. An ink jet recording apparatus capable of recording information using the recording head and allowing the recording head to perform preliminary ejection not related to recording of the information to the recording medium,
A determination unit that determines a recording invalid area that occurs in accordance with the size of the mounted portion when the belt-shaped recording medium is in the annular state;
A control unit that controls the inkjet recording apparatus so that the preliminary ejection is performed on the determined recording invalid area;
It is characterized by comprising.

Furthermore, the present invention provides a recording head having an ejection port for ejecting ink to a band-shaped recording medium mounted on a target mounting site in an annular state in which one end is fastened to a position other than the other end. A discharge recovery processing method that is applied to an ink jet recording apparatus that records information by using the recording head and causes the recording head to perform preliminary ejection not related to recording of the information on the recording medium,
A determination step of determining a recording invalid area generated according to the size of the mounted portion when the belt-shaped recording medium is in the annular state;
Controlling the inkjet recording apparatus so that the preliminary ejection is performed on the determined recording invalid area;
It is characterized by comprising.

  In addition, the present invention resides in a control program for causing a computer connected to supply the information to the ink jet recording apparatus to perform the determination step.

The present invention also resides in a control program for causing an ink jet recording apparatus to perform the above-described ejection recovery processing method.
In addition, the present invention resides in a storage medium storing any one of the above control programs.

  According to the present invention, a portion of a band-shaped recording medium (such as a wristband) that is hidden under the other end as an excess is handled as a recording invalid area. Further, by performing preliminary ejection on the recording invalid area, it is possible to prevent a decrease in recording throughput and recording quality. Also, at this time, the print invalid area is appropriately set based on the size of the part to be mounted, and the pre-discharge on the paper surface is not performed outside the print invalid area. Can be more effectively prevented.

  Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

(Premise of the present invention)
A band-shaped recording medium, for example, a wristband, which is used in a state where the ends are overlapped with each other, is wound around, in order from one end, a portion provided with a fastening hole, a portion serving as a recording area for recording information, It is composed of three parts, a part provided with a plurality of adjustment fastening holes capable of adjusting the diameter. For such a wristband, Patent Document 3 discloses that general information is recorded in a recording area and color information for identification is recorded in a portion where an adjustment retaining hole is formed.

  Here, if the identification color information is recorded using all of the adjustment fastening hole forming portions, there is a possibility that the identification information cannot be visually recognized depending on the wearer of the wristband. That is, there are individual differences in the size of the part to be worn (such as the wrist), and the positions of the fastening holes to be used are naturally different. For this reason, when the wearing part is thin, a part of the end part side where the fixing hole forming part for adjustment is provided overlaps and hides under the other end part side of the wristband as an excess, or It will be cut off. Therefore, in the present invention, a portion that may become a surplus is first treated as a recording invalid area.

  The present invention pays attention to a surplus portion by making one end portion of the wristband in an annular shape in accordance with a position other than the other end portion, and by performing preliminary discharge on the paper here, the throughput of recording is achieved. In addition, the recording quality is prevented from deteriorating. Also, at this time, based on the size of the part to be worn due to the individual difference of the wearer, the recording invalid area that becomes the surplus is appropriately set so that the preliminary ejection on the paper is not performed outside the recording invalid area. As a result, the deterioration of the recording quality is more effectively prevented.

(Configuration of recording device)
FIG. 1 is a schematic side view for explaining the configuration of a recording apparatus in the form of an ink jet recording apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. 2 and 3 are schematic side views for explaining the configuration around the recording head of the ink jet recording apparatus, and FIG. 4 is a schematic top view thereof.

  A wristband web 102 wound in a roll shape is set on the casing of the ink jet recording apparatus 101, which is indicated as a whole, and the wristband web unwound from the set position passes through a roller 107 in the apparatus. Continuously conveyed. Then, after passing through the recording positions facing the recording heads 103K, 103C, 103M and 103Y, the recording heads are discharged out of the apparatus. The wristband web 102 is provided with perforations for facilitating separation one by one so that it can be used as a wristband after the recording operation. In addition, a mark is printed in advance near the perforation on the surface opposite to the recording surface so that the recording device can recognize the boundary portion of the wristband (page). The recording apparatus can perform recording at an appropriate position on the wristband by each recording head by detecting the mark by the mark detection sensor 108.

  The apparatus of this example includes a recording head that ejects black (K), cyan (C), magenta (M), and yellow (Y) inks in order to perform full-color recording on the wristband web 102 as a recording medium. 103K, 103C, 103M and 103Y are provided. If not specified, the recording head is generally referred to by reference numeral 103.

  The recording heads 103K, 103C, 103M, and 103Y are provided in the recording unit 201, and are juxtaposed in the printing direction (the conveyance direction of the wristband web 102) as shown in FIG. Each recording head 103 has ink ejection ports arranged at a predetermined density in a range corresponding to the recording width of the wristband web 102 that can be used in a direction intersecting the transport direction. For example, each recording head 103 can arrange 616 ejection openings at a density of 600 dpi (dot / inch; reference value) and can record about 1 inch width. The wristband is used after being cut off from the web after recording, and at this time, the length is adjusted according to the size of the part to be worn (for example, the thickness of the wrist of a patient or the like). 802 and 803 in FIG. 4 are fastening holes. A plurality of fastening holes 802 are provided from one end of the wristband toward the center, and one fastening hole 803 is provided at the other end. And it winds around a to-be-attached site | part, and adjusts by aligning either of the some fastening holes 802 and the fastening hole 803 according to the dimension (thickness of a wrist), and inserting a fastener in them. Can do. Note that there are areas 800 where necessary information is recorded on both sides of the plurality of retaining holes 802. For example, a background color can be appropriately recorded according to the type of information.

  The recording head 103 is held by the holding unit 202 and can be moved up and down along with the holding unit 202 in the vertical direction. The recovery unit 207 having a cap 207a corresponding to each recording head 103 is held so as to be movable in the horizontal direction.

  FIG. 2 shows a non-recording state such as a storage state or a recording standby state, and a cap 207 a is bonded to the ejection port forming surface of each recording head 103. If the ejection port formation surface of the recording head is exposed to the atmosphere during non-recording, the ink solvent near the ejection port evaporates, causing ink thickening / solidification, and dust adhesion, resulting in ejection failure. May occur. In order to prevent this, capping is performed on the ejection port forming surface during non-printing. In addition, the recording head that discharges ink desirably performs discharge recovery processing in order to continuously obtain a stable ink discharge state. FIG. 2 also shows a state that enables such a recovery process by the recovery unit 207. In the ejection recovery process, the ink supply system to the recording head is pressurized to circulate the ink, or the ink is forcibly discharged from the ejection port into the cap. A preliminary discharge operation for causing the head to perform a preliminary discharge operation is included. Also included is an operation of cleaning the discharge port forming surface of the recording head by wiping with a wiper blade made of an elastic member such as rubber. The recovery unit 207 has a portion for performing these operations.

  In the case of shifting from the state of FIG. 2 to a state in which a recording operation is possible, the holding unit 202 is once raised and then the recovery unit 207 is retracted to the left, and is further opened in the opening provided between the caps 207a of the recovery unit 207. The recording heads 103 are opposed to each other. Then, the holding unit 202 is lowered, and as shown in FIG. 3, the recording head 103 protrudes downward from the opening of the recovery unit 207 and is set at a position facing the wristband web 102 with a predetermined gap, thereby performing a recording operation. (Ink ejection) is possible. When setting from this state to the non-recording state, the reverse operation may be performed.

(Configuration example of recording system)
FIG. 5 shows a recording system comprising a host device 501 in the form of a personal computer (PC), which is an external device that serves as a data supply source corresponding to information to be recorded, and a recording device 101 in the form of an ink jet recording apparatus described above. It is a block diagram which shows one Embodiment. Data input by the user to the host device 501 is appropriately compressed in the host device 501 and transmitted to the recording device 101 via, for example, the USB cable 503.

  FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing a detailed configuration example of the recording system shown in FIG.

  The control unit 301 of the recording apparatus 101 includes a USB control unit 302, a CPU 303, an image memory 304, a motor driver 305, a ROM 309, a RAM 310, and an ASIC 320.

  The CPU 303 executes processing corresponding to the control program stored in the ROM 309 while using the RAM 310 for work, and performs overall control such as reception of recording data and recording operation. Further, the CPU 303 causes a display such as an LCD to perform display in order to notify the user of the state of the recording apparatus 101. In addition to the display device, the operation panel 330 is provided with keys for the user to give instructions directly to the recording device.

  Commands and compressed data received from the host device 501 via the USB control unit 302 are stored in the image memory 304 and transferred to the ASIC 320. In response to an instruction from the CPU 303, the ASIC 320 re-saves the transfer data in the image memory 304 while developing the bitmap, and transfers the save data to the recording head 103 while appropriately reading the save data. The ASIC 320 controls the various motors 307 via the motor driver 305 while confirming the state of the sensor unit 306 including the conveyance system encoder (not shown) and the mark detection sensor 108 during recording. The various motors include a motor for moving the recording head 103 and the ejection recovery unit 207, a motor that serves as a drive source for a pump that circulates ink in the ink supply system and forcibly discharges ink, and a wristband. A motor or the like that serves as a conveyance drive source for the web 102.

  The recording unit 201 is provided with a recording head 103 for each color and an ink tank 311 for storing the corresponding color ink. Non-volatile memories 312 and 313 such as an EEPROM are attached to the ink tank 311 and the recording head 103, respectively. These memories can store serial numbers to be attached and IDs indicating ink colors and types. The nonvolatile memory 312 attached to the ink tank 311 can be provided with a counter for managing the remaining amount of ink stored. The CPU 303 to the ASIC 320 can recognize the transfer destination of each color data based on the information stored in these nonvolatile memories, and can recognize the possibility of recording based on the remaining amount of ink.

  FIG. 7 is a conceptual diagram showing an outline of the wristband recording system in the host device 501 shown in FIG. 5, which can be realized as a part of the function of a printer driver operating on a PC, for example. The wristband recording system includes a storage unit 401 that holds a wristband wearer information database 402, a wristband recording data generation unit 403, and a wristband surplus area calculation unit 404 that is a main part of the present embodiment.

  The wristband record data generation unit 403 generates wristband record data corresponding to the wristband wearer information acquired from the wristband wearer database 402. The wristband surplus area calculation unit 404 calculates a surplus area when the wristband is worn based on the wristband wearer information acquired from the wristband wearer database 402. The surplus is a part of one end (the end provided with the fastening hole 802) side resulting from the adjustment of the wristband, and this is the other end (the end provided with the fastening hole 803). It is the part that overlaps and hides or is cut off. In this embodiment, this surplus is processed as a recording invalid area. The wristband recording data and the surplus area information are transferred to the recording apparatus 101 via the USB cable 503 and recorded. The detailed operation of the wristband surplus area calculation unit 404 constituting the determination unit of the present invention will be described later.

  FIG. 8 shows an example of the contents of the wristband wearer information database 402. The illustrated database may include a group of information 502 to be displayed on the wristband, such as the wristband wearer's address, name, age, and gender. In addition, the dimensions (thickness) of wearing parts such as wrists and ankles, body information (height, weight, etc.), and the position of the adjustment retaining holes 802 used when actually wearing the wristband, A wristband diameter estimation information group 503 is included.

  The information group 502 displayed on the wristband is used when the wristband recording data generation unit 403 generates recording data. On the other hand, the wristband diameter estimation information group 502 is data used when the wristband surplus area calculation unit 404 calculates a surplus area. Note that the individual information included in the database is not necessarily classified into one of the two information groups, but may be included in both information groups. That is, height, weight, and the like can be handled as information to be displayed on the wristband and can also be used as information used for diameter estimation. Further, there may be information that is not included in both information groups. That is, there may be personal information that is not handled as information to be displayed on the wristband or information used for diameter estimation, such as an address.

  In addition, the information registered in the database is not limited to that shown in FIG. 8, but may include appropriate information such as blood type, type of injury and illness, allergy information, drugs used for treatment, etc. Can be displayed on the wristband as needed.

(Determination of wristband surplus area)
Next, the operation of the wristband surplus area calculation unit 404 in the present embodiment will be specifically described.

  FIG. 9 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a recording control procedure performed in the recording system according to the present embodiment.

  When there is an instruction to start recording (step S60), first, the database 502 in which the wristband wearer information is stored is accessed, and the wearer information as described with reference to FIG. 8 is acquired (step S61). Next, recording data creation (step S62) and wristband surplus area calculation (step S63) are executed based on the acquired information. Subsequently, an execution condition for determining whether or not to perform preliminary paper ejection on the wristband surplus area is determined (step S64). This can be determined, for example, by taking into account parameters such as the elapsed time from the previous recording or cleaning, the exposure time of the recording head to the atmosphere, the environmental conditions such as temperature and humidity, and the cumulative recording (discharge) amount. . Then, recording and paper surface preliminary ejection control are executed based on the created recording data and execution conditions (step S65).

  In the wristband surplus area calculation process (step S63), one diameter estimation information is acquired from the wristband diameter estimation information group 502 of FIG. 8 acquired in the wearer data acquisition process (step S61) according to the priority order described later. To do. For example, the priority order of the diameter estimation information may be determined in descending order of accuracy when actually used. For example, “the information on the position of the hole that has been used in the past” (because the actual thing is fastened with the holes), “the circumference of the wrist or ankle” (because it is an actual measurement value), and then “the result estimated from the height and weight” It is desirable to set priorities in the order (for guess values).

  FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing an example of a wearer information reception process procedure based on the above priority example in the wristband wearer data information acquisition process (step S61).

  First, the presence / absence of the hole position information used in the diameter estimation information is confirmed (step S71). When there is hole position information, the information is acquired (step S72), and the information acquisition is completed.

  On the other hand, when there is no hole position information, the presence / absence of wrist or ankle diameter information having the next highest priority is checked (step S73). When such information exists, the information is acquired (step S74), and the information acquisition is completed.

  If neither of the above two information exists, the presence / absence of physical information is confirmed (step S75). When physical information exists, the information is acquired (step S76), and the information acquisition is completed.

  When all the above diameter estimation information does not exist, the system of the present example requests input of information to a user (a system operator such as a doctor, a nurse, or other medical technician) (step S77). . At this time, it is confirmed whether the user has input information (step S78). If the input has been made, the information is acquired (step S79), and the information acquisition is completed. However, if the user rejects the information input request, the recording data is not changed thereafter, and the wristband is output in the conventional recording sequence (step S70).

  According to the above procedure, for example, when the diameter estimation information of each wearer is acquired from the wristband wearer information database 402 of FIG. 8, the following results are obtained. That is, hole information is acquired when the person with the first name “AAAAA bbb” in the database is selected. When the second name “CCCC ddd” is selected, information on the wrist diameter is acquired because there is no hole position information. When the fifth name “IIII jjj” is selected, all the diameter estimation information does not exist, and the user is requested to input information.

  Since the acquired wristband diameter estimation information of the wearer has different units depending on the type, the wristband surplus area is converted into “position of diameter adjusting hole to be used” in the wristband surplus area calculation process (step S63) and the wristband surplus area is determined. can do.

  FIG. 11 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a detailed procedure for determining the surplus area in the wristband surplus area calculation process (step S63).

  First, it is confirmed whether the acquired diameter estimation information is hole position information (step S81), and if it is hole position information, the information is held as it is. When the acquired information is not the hole position, it is confirmed whether the diameter is the wrist or ankle (step S82). If the determination is affirmative, the wristband diameter corresponding to this diameter is determined from the wrist or ankle diameter. The position of the adjustment retaining hole 802 to be obtained is calculated (step S83). Furthermore, when the acquired information is neither wrist or ankle diameter information, this information corresponds to physical information. Therefore, the height-weight data as the body information is converted into a wristband diameter (hole position in this example) using a wristband diameter table as shown in FIG. 12, for example, for predicting the hole position of the wristband to be used. The position of the hole is determined (step S84).

  As described above, the wristband surplus area is determined based on the finally obtained hole position (step S85).

  FIG. 13 shows the relationship between the retaining hole selected when used as a wristband and the surplus area.

  The wristband 1001 is used by being cut off from the web 102, and at this time, the length is adjusted in accordance with the dimension of the wearing part (for example, the thickness of the wearer's wrist, etc.). At the adjustment position, any one of the plurality of adjustment fastening holes 802 and the fastening hole 803 are combined, and the fastener is inserted into the fastening holes 803 so that the annular fastening state is secured.

  In an area 1003 without the retaining holes 802 and 803, for example, character information (name, sex, etc.) relating to the wearer, a management barcode, and the like can be recorded. Necessary information can be appropriately recorded on both sides of the region 1002 where the plurality of fastening holes 802 exist (upper and lower sides of the plurality of fastening holes 80). If it is a wristband for medical use, for example, a blood type recording part, an allergy information recording part, a medicine recording part used for treatment, etc. can be arranged in a belt shape, and these parts can be arranged as necessary. An appropriate background color can also be recorded in (see FIG. 4). It goes without saying that the types and arrangement of these information are merely examples.

  Of the region 1002, a portion obtained by removing the region 1006 from the position 1005 of the retaining hole to be used determined by the above-described method to the end where the retaining hole 803 is located from the entire length of the wristband is the wristband surplus region 1007. . When the wristband is attached to the wrist or the like, the region 1007 is difficult to visually recognize because it overlaps and hides under the end side where the retaining hole 803 is provided, or the region 1007 is visually recognized. This is a part where the recording becomes impossible, that is, an area where recording becomes invalid. Therefore, recording is not performed in this area, and the area is a target for preliminary ejection on the paper. Note that, for example, when the consistency of information is maintained as a strip-shaped recording portion (such as no background loss), such as the background color described above, such a background color can also be recorded. However, since this area 1007 is a part where it is difficult or impossible to visually recognize information, it is preferable not to record information but to only perform preliminary ejection on the paper from the viewpoint of suppressing ink consumption.

  In the recording operation on the wristband web 102 or the wristband 1001, it is possible to determine whether or not the area is a surplus area based on detection by the mark detection sensor 108 (see FIG. 1). That is, as described above, a predetermined mark is formed in the vicinity of the perforation for separation as a wristband on the surface of the wristband web 102 opposite to the recording surface, and each page (the wristband) ) Is recorded at an appropriate position. Therefore, the surplus area can be recognized based on the elapsed time since the mark was detected, the transport speed of the wristband web 102, and the like.

(Preliminary discharge of paper to the wristband)
According to the present embodiment, the paper surface preliminary ejection is performed on an area where printing is invalid, that is, the wristband surplus area 1007. That is, since this area 1007 is a portion where it is difficult or impossible to visually recognize information, necessary or effective information is not recorded, and therefore there is no substantial limitation on how to perform preliminary ejection on the paper. In other words, it is possible to perform preliminary ejection on the paper surface using the area 1007 indicated by the broken line in FIG. 13 as desired.

  On the other hand, when the paper surface preliminary discharge is not performed using the wristband surplus area 1007, it is necessary to appropriately avoid the effective information and prevent the paper surface preliminary discharge in order to prevent erroneous recognition and the like. .

  This will be described with reference to FIGS.

  FIG. 14 illustrates an aspect in which ejection for recording and preliminary ejection on the paper surface are performed on each area (for example, area 1006 in FIG. 13) where valid information on the recording medium 1100 is recorded from each ejection port of the recording head 103. An example is shown. It is assumed that the recording head 103 is capable of recording a width exceeding 1 inch by arranging 616 ejection openings at a density of 600 dpi. In the illustrated example, the recording head 103 is set at a fixed position with respect to the recording medium 1100 at the time of recording. In consideration of the setting error, registration in the width direction (left and right direction in the figure) is performed. Adjustment areas 1104 to be adjusted are provided at the left and right ends. In the example of FIG. 14, there are two ejection openings (two dots on the left and right). However, for example, by providing 16 dots on the left and right sides, an adjustment area of an appropriate size can be set in consideration of a setting error of the recording head 103 and a conveyance error in the width direction of the wristband web 102 during conveyance. These points can be similarly applied to the present embodiment.

  The black circles in the image areas 1105 and 1106 mean that ink is ejected from the ejection port of the recording head 103 and dots are formed, and the white circles mean that ink is not ejected and is blank. These are based on image data transmitted from an external device such as a host computer. In normal printing, an image is formed with a dot formation portion indicated by a black circle and a blank portion indicated by a white circle.

  Reference numerals 1107 to 1110 denote ejection patterns for preliminary ejection on the paper surface. In this way, in the example shown in the figure, preliminary ejection on the paper surface is realized by ejecting one dot per horizontal line irrespective of the effective image areas 1105 and 1106 and inconspicuously.

  The preliminary ejection can be performed so as to overlap the image areas 1105 and 1106 as long as the image is not affected. However, if there is a concern that this may affect the image, it is strongly desirable to form a preliminary discharge pattern so that the preliminary discharge dots do not overlap the image areas 1105 and 1106.

  In addition, if this paper preliminary ejection pattern becomes regular, it may be easily visible to the human eye. To avoid this, preliminary ejection is randomly performed on each line for each page. It is also possible. However, if the preliminary ejection is performed randomly, the preliminary ejection dots may overlap the image areas 1105 and 1106. If there is a concern that this may affect the image, the preliminary ejection dots may be randomly generated in areas other than the image areas 1105 and 1106. Preliminary discharge is performed.

  FIG. 15 is a diagram for explaining a paper surface preliminary discharge pattern showing another example of a paper surface preliminary discharge appropriately avoiding valid information.

  A paper surface preliminary discharge pattern 1201 shown in FIG. 6A is an example in the case where preliminary discharge is performed for only one dot per line, as in the example described with reference to FIG. In this case, since one preliminary ejection dot is formed in one line, for example, the number of effective ejection ports of the recording head 103 (the number obtained by subtracting the number of adjustment ejection ports at the end from the total number of ejection ports) is supported. In order to form 612 dots, 612 in is required.

  On the other hand, the paper surface preliminary discharge pattern 1202 shown in FIG. 5B is an example in the case where preliminary discharge is performed by two dots per line. In this case, since two preliminary ejection dots are formed in one line, 306 lines are sufficient to form 612 dots corresponding to the number of effective ejection ports of the recording head 103. Thus, the preliminary ejection range can be reduced by performing preliminary ejection of a plurality of dots per line. However, when a plurality of preliminary ejection dots are formed in one line, these are easily noticeable. In addition, there is a high possibility that dots are continuous or close in the vertical direction (recording medium conveyance direction) between two adjacent lines. In such a case, the dots are more conspicuous. Therefore, it is desirable to determine the number of preliminary ejection dots per line in consideration of these.

  As described above, when paper preliminary ejection is performed while appropriately avoiding valid information, complicated control for setting a delicate preliminary ejection pattern is required in order to prevent deterioration in aesthetics and erroneous recognition.

  On the other hand, in the present embodiment, since the paper surface preliminary discharge is performed using the surplus area appropriately set according to the above-described procedure, there is no substantial restriction on the paper surface preliminary discharge pattern, which can be arbitrarily set. It can be determined as desired. For example, an extremely conspicuous pattern may be used so that all of the effective ejection ports perform preliminary paper ejection for one line. Further, the preliminary ejection pattern can be changed as appropriate in accordance with the size of the surplus area 1007.

  Note that if preliminary ejection is performed on the position of the adjustment fastening hole 802, the platen that supports the wristband web from the back side with respect to the recording position, or the conveyance belt that performs support conveyance may be stained. In order to avoid this, it is only necessary to recognize a specified hole position in the surplus area 1107 and perform preliminary ejection while avoiding this. However, if there is no such concern, for example, when an endless conveyor belt is used, if a means for cleaning the conveyor belt surface is provided at a site outside the area where the recording medium is supported, Regardless of the presence or absence, preliminary ejection on the paper surface may be performed.

(Other)
In the above-described embodiment, the creation of the recording data and the determination of the surplus area (FIGS. 7 and 9) are performed by the host device 501 in the PC form. In this case, the software or printer driver program code for realizing these functions is installed in the host device via communication or a storage medium, and various devices are operated by the program code. Means for realizing the function is also included in the scope of the present invention.

  In this case, the program code itself realizes the novel function of the present invention, and the program code itself and means for supplying the program code such as a storage medium to the computer are also included in the scope of the present invention. As a storage medium for supplying the program code, for example, a hard disk, an optical disk, a magneto-optical disk, a CD-R, a DVD, a magnetic tape, a nonvolatile memory card, a ROM, etc. are used in addition to a flexible disk and a CD-ROM. be able to.

  Furthermore, the recording apparatus 101 itself may be configured to be able to realize these functions. In this case, program codes for realizing these functions may be stored in advance in the ROM 309 of the recording apparatus 101 or may be installed in a nonvolatile memory or the like.

  In this case, an appropriate information input means for supplying data can be used. When connected to a PC or the like, information on the wristband wearer may be received together with the recording data. Further, the information input means may be a scanner, a keyboard, an operation panel or the like directly connected to the recording apparatus. For example, considering the case where the present invention is used to create a wristband for medical use, such use is not always performed in a well-organized environment. For this reason, it is preferable that the recording apparatus 101 can be connected to a simple input means. The simple input means may be an input pad or a keyboard on which character keys such as letters, numbers and symbols are arranged. In particular, the keyboard is highly versatile and is now used by many people who are proficient in operation, for example, when it is necessary to urgently input information about a large number of victims at a disaster site. Is preferred. In that sense, it is effective to provide the recording device with a keyboard interface. If the keyboard is compatible with USB, connection to the USB control unit 302 can also be performed.

  In addition, in the above-described embodiment, a case has been described in which the present invention is applied to a wristband that is a band-shaped recording medium that is attached to a predetermined target portion in a state of being wound in an annular shape. However, such a belt-like recording medium is not necessarily limited to the one attached to the wrist (wrist). For example, it may be attached to the ankle, or may be attached to the neck, torso or other parts as necessary. Further, the wearing target is not limited to “human” but may be an animal or an article. Moreover, it is applicable not only to medical use but also to wristbands for various uses. For example, a list to be worn by a specific person who can enter a specific place (a legitimate right holder who can enter a theater, an amusement park, or a part of it, or a vaccinated person or an immune carrier who can enter an infectious disease prevalence area) It can also be applied when creating a band.

  In the above example, the recording apparatus uses four colors of inks of Y, M, C, and K, but the type and number of color tones (color, density) to be used are not limited to these.

  Furthermore, in the above example, the case where the present invention is applied to a so-called line printer type printing apparatus has been described. However, the present invention may be applied to a so-called serial printer type printing apparatus that scans the recording head in a direction orthogonal to the recording medium conveyance direction.

  Also, the wristband does not have to have a web-like form before separation. It may be a wristband medium in the form of a leaf paper, or may have a sheet-like form connected with long side portions, for example.

It is a typical side view for demonstrating the structure of the recording device of the inkjet recording device form which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. FIG. 2 is a schematic side view for explaining a configuration around a recording head of the recording apparatus of FIG. 1 and shows a state during non-recording. FIG. 2 is a schematic side view for explaining a configuration around a recording head of the recording apparatus in FIG. 1 and showing a state in which a recording operation is possible. FIG. 2 is a schematic top view for explaining a configuration around a recording head of the recording apparatus of FIG. 1. It is a block diagram which shows the structural example of the recording system which uses a recording device. It is a block diagram which shows the detailed structural example of the recording system shown in FIG. 5, especially the recording apparatus. It is a conceptual diagram which shows the outline of the wristband recording system in the host apparatus shown in FIG. It is explanatory drawing which shows an example of the content of the wristband wearer information database used with the wristband recording system of FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a recording control procedure performed in the recording system according to the embodiment of the present invention. It is a flowchart which shows an example of the detailed process sequence performed by the wristband wearer data information acquisition process among the procedures of FIG. It is a flowchart which shows an example of the detailed process sequence performed by the wristband surplus area | region calculation process among the procedures of FIG. It is explanatory drawing which shows an example of the content of the table for estimating the hole position of the wristband used in the procedure of FIG. FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram for explaining a relationship between a retaining hole selected when used as a wristband and a surplus region. Unlike the present invention, it is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a paper surface preliminary discharge mode performed when paper surface preliminary discharge using a wristband surplus area is not performed. (A) And (b) is explanatory drawing which shows two other examples of the paper surface preliminary discharge aspect performed when not performing the paper surface preliminary discharge using a wristband surplus area.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 101 Recording apparatus 103, 103K, 103C, 103M, 103Y Recording head 102 Wristband web 108 Mark detection sensor 402 Wristband wearer information database 403 Wristband recording data generation part 404 Wristband surplus area calculation part 501 Host apparatus 802, 803 list Band hole 1001 Wrist band 1005 Fastening hole used 1007 Wrist band surplus area

Claims (16)

Information recording using a recording head having an ejection port for ejecting ink on a band-shaped recording medium mounted on a target mounting site in an annular state with one end fastened to a position other than the other end An ink jet recording apparatus capable of causing the recording head to perform preliminary ejection not related to the recording of the information to the recording medium, and inputting information relating to the recording to the ink jet recording apparatus A recording system comprising an information input device for
A determination unit that determines a recording invalid area that occurs in accordance with the size of the mounted portion when the belt-shaped recording medium is in the annular state;
A control unit that controls the inkjet recording apparatus so that the preliminary ejection is performed on the determined recording invalid area;
A recording system characterized by comprising.   2. The recording system according to claim 1, wherein the recording invalid area is a part that overlaps and is hidden under the other end as a surplus part or a part that is cut off.   3. The band-shaped recording medium is a wristband, and the determination unit includes a calculation unit that calculates the surplus based on wristband wearer information to be worn. Recording system.   The recording system according to claim 3, wherein the wristband wearer information includes physical information.   The recording system according to claim 4, wherein the wristband wearer information includes information on a dimension of the wearing portion.   The wristband includes, in order from one end, a portion provided with a fastening hole, a portion serving as a recording area for recording the information, and a portion provided with a plurality of adjustment fastening holes capable of adjusting the winding diameter. The recording system according to claim 5, wherein the wristband wearer information includes information on a position of the adjustment fastening hole in accordance with a dimension of the wearing portion.   The determining unit sets priorities in the order of the information on the position of the adjustment fastening holes, the information on the dimensions of the attachment site, and the physical information, and when there is no information with a higher priority, the priority is given next. The recording system according to claim 6, wherein the surplus is calculated using information having a high rank.   The determination unit is configured to input the wristband input by the operator of the recording system when none of the information on the position of the adjustment fastening hole, the information on the size of the attached portion, and the physical information exist. The recording system according to claim 7, wherein the surplus is calculated based on wearer information.   The determination unit, based on the wristband diameter obtained by using the wristband diameter table that converts the wristband wearer information to the wristband diameter table to convert the wristband wearer information into the wristband diameter, the recording invalidity 9. The recording system according to claim 3, wherein the size of the area is calculated.   The recording system according to any one of claims 3 to 9, wherein the wristband wearer information further includes personal information of the wristband wearer.   The recording system according to claim 3, wherein the determination unit is provided in the information input device. Information recording using a recording head having an ejection port for ejecting ink on a band-shaped recording medium mounted on a target mounting site in an annular state with one end fastened to a position other than the other end And an ink jet recording apparatus capable of causing the recording head to perform preliminary ejection not related to the recording of the information with respect to the recording medium,
A determination unit that determines a recording invalid area that occurs in accordance with the size of the mounted portion when the belt-shaped recording medium is in the annular state;
A control unit that controls the inkjet recording apparatus so that the preliminary ejection is performed on the determined recording invalid area;
An ink jet recording apparatus comprising: Information recording using a recording head having an ejection port for ejecting ink on a band-shaped recording medium mounted on a target mounting site in an annular state with one end fastened to a position other than the other end An ejection recovery processing method that is applied to an ink jet recording apparatus that performs pre-ejection that is not related to the recording of the information on the recording medium.
A determination step of determining a recording invalid area generated according to the size of the mounted portion when the belt-shaped recording medium is in the annular state;
Controlling the inkjet recording apparatus so that the preliminary ejection is performed on the determined recording invalid area;
A discharge recovery processing method comprising the steps of:   A control program for causing a computer connected to supply the information to the ink jet recording apparatus to execute the determination step according to claim 13.   A control program for causing an inkjet recording apparatus to perform the ejection recovery processing method according to claim 13.   A storage medium storing the control program according to claim 14 or 15.

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