JP2010201731A - Image recorder, method of regulating driving phase in image recorder, and method of outputting position regulation chart in image recorder - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To easily regulate a position between a plurality of recording element lines, in a fine unit more fine than a pixel unit when recorded in a usual manner, without recording a recording chart over a plurality of times, and without requiring a special hardware. <P>SOLUTION: A relative moving speed between the plurality of recording element lines for carrying out recording on a recording medium, and the recording medium, is brought into the second relative moving speed slower than the first relative moving speed at the time of recording an image by a usual input data, each driving phase between the plurality of recording element lines is brought into the same phase, while moving a head unit relatively to the recording medium, driving timing of a recording element is recorded while shifted stepwisely between the plurality of recording element lines, to record thereby a recording element line position regulation chart comprising a plurality of recording patterns different in shift amounts between the plurality of recording element lines, and the driving phase in each recording element line is regulated by a time unit shorter than a recording element driving period, based on a recording position of each recording element line corresponding to the set of recording patterns with the lowest shift amount out of the plurality of recording patterns on the obtained position regulation chart. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an image recording apparatus, a driving phase adjustment method in the image recording apparatus, and a position adjustment chart output method in the image recording apparatus. Specifically, the position adjustment chart can be easily created, and the driving phase is within one pixel based thereon. And an output method of a position adjustment chart in the image recording apparatus.

  In an image recording apparatus that records an image by ejecting ink droplets from nozzles, a plurality of heads each having a nozzle array are arranged in a zigzag or the like along the nozzle array direction, thereby forming a long nozzle array as a whole. Some have a head unit having Also, there is a head unit having a resolution improved by arranging a plurality of heads each having a nozzle row in parallel and performing recording complementarily by the plurality of nozzle rows.

  In an image recording apparatus having such a head unit having a plurality of nozzle rows, the position in the relative transport direction relative to the recording medium is set to a design value due to a mechanical arrangement error between the heads, an ejection speed error for each head, and the like. In contrast, when a high image quality is required because the image is displaced on the recording medium, a position adjustment chart for checking the amount of displacement for each nozzle row is output, and based on this, alignment (drive) for each nozzle row is output. Timing adjustment) must be performed (Patent Documents 1 to 3).

JP 2003-291326 A JP 2004-358759 A Japanese Patent No. 3591286

  Usually, in order to increase the printing speed to the maximum, the relative movement speed between the head and the recording medium is set so that the driving period of the head becomes the maximum driving frequency at which ink droplets can be ejected from the head. For this reason, there is no time margin for controlling the position finer than one pixel formed by one ink droplet ejected from one nozzle. In order to control a position finer than one pixel, it is necessary to have a margin in the driving cycle, and it is necessary to shift the phase in units of heads in the middle of one image, and this timing is matched with the timing of shifting the phase. There is a problem that an adjustment image needs to be prepared, the control circuit becomes complicated, and the output image is also restricted.

  Further, in the method of performing position adjustment finer than one pixel by measurement or eye measurement using an adjustment image in units of one pixel, accurate position adjustment cannot be performed and a high-definition image cannot be recorded. Therefore, it is not a preferable method for recording an image that requires high image quality.

  On the other hand, in order to perform position adjustment finer than one pixel, there is a method of outputting a plurality of position adjustment charts divided into several times. 10 to 15 show a method for outputting a position adjustment chart when a plurality of position adjustment charts are required in this way.

  In FIG. 10, heads A and B each have a nozzle row composed of a plurality of nozzles na and nb. In both heads A and B, the nozzle row direction is a direction perpendicular to the recording medium conveyance direction. The head unit is configured so that the nozzle pitch over the same is the same in the width direction of the recording medium. In this example, the heads A and B are fixed, the recording medium is conveyed in one direction, and a position adjustment chart is output when the smallest driving cycle in the heads A and B is 100 μsec. The conveyance speed is the same as that at the time of image recording by normal input data, and is set to a speed (705 mm / sec) at which printing is performed at 360 dpi (70.5 μm) when printing is performed with the above driving cycle of the head. The drive phases of the heads A and B are the same phase.

  In this case, ink droplets are ejected from the nozzles na of the head A at predetermined intervals, and ink droplets are ejected from the nozzles nb of the head B with the driving timing being shifted stepwise with respect to the head A. Thus, a set of a plurality of recording patterns having different amounts of deviation between the nozzle na row and the nozzle nb row is recorded. However, the ink droplets ejected from each nozzle nb of the head B can arrange dots only at the position of the drive cycle unit (360 dpi), that is, at the position of one pixel unit on the recording medium.

  FIG. 11 shows an example of a position adjustment chart obtained by such a method. As described above, a shift is caused between the line pattern a1 formed by the head A and the line pattern b1 formed by the head B. When the positional deviation amount between the nozzle rows of the heads A and B is acquired by selecting a set of recording patterns whose connection is closest to the straight line, when the positional deviation is smaller than one pixel. In this position adjustment chart, there is no set of recording patterns in which the connection between the line patterns a1 and b1 is a straight line, and appropriate adjustment cannot be performed.

  Therefore, in this case, it is necessary to separately record a position adjustment chart in which the driving phase of the head B is shifted by 0.5 pixels with respect to the driving phase of the head A as shown in FIG. FIG. 13 shows a position adjustment chart obtained by this, and according to this position adjustment chart, the line pattern b2 formed by the head B is shifted by 0.5 pixel from the line pattern b1 shown in FIG. To be recorded.

  Therefore, the user obtains a positional deviation amount in units of 0.5 pixels by comparing and observing two separate position adjustment charts of the position adjustment chart shown in FIG. 11 and the position adjustment chart shown in FIG. There is a problem that extremely troublesome labor and time for outputting two position adjustment charts are required, and errors are likely to occur because two separate position adjustment charts are compared and observed.

  Further, FIG. 14 shows that the heads A and B are arranged at a speed twice that of the head performance by arranging the nozzle rows along the direction orthogonal to the recording medium conveyance direction and along the recording medium conveyance direction. In this embodiment, odd-numbered and even-numbered pixels along the recording medium conveyance direction are printed alternately by different heads A and B, thereby enabling printing at a speed twice that of the head performance. In this case, since the driving phase of the head A and the driving phase of the head B are deviated from each other, each of the heads A and B prints every two pixels of the printing resolution.

  In this case, the position adjustment chart records two line patterns by ejecting ink droplets continuously from each nozzle na of the head A according to the driving phase, and the driving timing from each nozzle nb of the head B. One line pattern shifted in stages is recorded. As a result, as shown in FIG. 15, a plurality of sets of two line patterns a31, a32 formed by the head A and one line pattern b3 formed by the head B are recorded, and the line pattern a31 is recorded. , A32 is selected as a suitable group in which the line pattern b3 is positioned. However, since the heads A and B can print only every two pixels, the heads A and B can be printed more than two pixels. When a small misalignment has occurred, as shown in the example of FIG. 15, a suitable set cannot be selected with this position adjustment chart alone, and a separate position adjustment chart needs to be output.

  Such a problem is not limited to forming pixels by ejecting ink droplets from nozzles, but using a head unit having a plurality of recording element rows in which a plurality of recording elements for forming pixels are arranged in a row, This is a problem common to image recording apparatuses that record images by applying a recording material from each recording element onto a recording medium.

  Therefore, the present invention eliminates the need to record and output a plurality of position adjustment charts for the positions between a plurality of recording element arrays, and has a special hardware in units finer than the pixel unit at the time of image recording with normal input data. It is an object of the present invention to provide an image recording apparatus that can be easily adjusted without requiring wear and a method for adjusting a drive phase in the image recording apparatus.

  Further, the present invention provides a position adjustment chart for making it possible to adjust the position between a plurality of recording element rows in units smaller than the pixel unit at the time of image recording with normal input data, without the need for special hardware, It is an object of the present invention to provide a method for outputting a position adjustment chart in an image recording apparatus that can easily output a plurality of position adjustment charts without having to record and output them.

  Other problems of the present invention will become apparent from the following description.

  The above problems are solved by the following inventions.

The invention according to claim 1 includes a head unit having a plurality of recording element arrays in which a plurality of recording elements for recording on a recording medium are arranged in a line, and the head unit and the recording medium are connected to the recording element. By performing recording while staggering the drive timing of the recording elements between the plurality of recording element arrays while performing relative movement with respect to the array at a predetermined angle, the deviation amount for each recording element array differs. It comprises a chart recording means for recording a recording element row position adjustment chart consisting of a plurality of recording pattern sets, and among the plurality of recording pattern sets on the recording element row position adjustment chart obtained by the chart recording means, The drive phase for each recording element array is adjusted based on the recording position of each recording element array corresponding to the set of recording patterns with the least amount of deviation between the recording element arrays. A Unishi was image recording apparatus,
The relative movement speed between the head unit and the recording medium is expressed by a first relative movement speed that is a relative movement speed at the time of image recording based on normal input data and a relative movement speed at the time of recording the recording element row position adjustment chart. Speed changing means capable of changing to a second relative movement speed slower than the first relative movement speed;
Drive control means capable of changing the drive phase of the recording element row unit in units of time shorter than the recording element drive cycle;
The chart recording means sets the relative movement speed between the head unit and the recording medium to the second relative movement speed by the speed changing means, and moves the head unit and the recording medium relative to each other, A plurality of different shift amounts between the recording element rows are recorded by recording the drive phases of the recording elements in a stepwise manner between the plurality of recording element rows with the driving phase between the recording element rows as the same phase. Recording element row position adjustment chart consisting of a set of recording patterns,
The drive control unit corresponds to a set of recording patterns with the least amount of deviation between the recording element columns among the plurality of recording pattern sets on the recording element column position adjustment chart obtained by the chart recording unit. The image recording apparatus is characterized in that, based on the recording position of each recording element array, the driving phase for each recording element array is adjusted in units of time shorter than the recording element driving cycle.

The invention according to claim 2 is characterized in that the second relative movement speed is 1 / N or less (where N is an integer of 2 or more) of the first relative movement speed,
The drive control unit corresponds to a set of recording patterns with the least amount of deviation between the recording element columns among the plurality of recording pattern sets on the recording element column position adjustment chart obtained by the chart recording unit. The image recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the driving phase for each recording element array is adjusted in units of 1 / N of the recording element driving period based on the recording position of each recording element array.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, image recording by the normal input data and recording of the recording element row position adjustment chart are performed by relatively moving the head unit and the recording medium only once. 3. The image recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the image recording apparatus is characterized in that:

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, a plurality of the recording element rows are arranged along the relative movement direction of the head unit and the recording medium, and the recording element rows are arranged along the relative movement direction. 4. The image recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the image recording apparatus performs complementary recording on a recording medium.

The invention according to claim 5 includes a head unit having a plurality of recording element arrays in which a plurality of recording elements for recording on a recording medium are arranged in a line, and the head unit and the recording medium are connected to the recording element array. A drive phase adjustment method for adjusting a drive phase of the recording element array unit of the head unit in an image recording apparatus that records an image by relatively moving at a predetermined angle with respect to
The relative movement speed when the head unit and the recording medium are moved relative to each other is a second relative movement speed that is lower than the first relative movement speed that is a relative movement speed at the time of image recording based on normal input data. As described above, while relatively moving the head unit and the recording medium, the drive phase between the plurality of recording element arrays is set to the same phase, and the drive timing of the recording elements is shifted stepwise between the plurality of recording element arrays. Recording a recording element column position adjustment chart consisting of a set of a plurality of recording patterns with different amounts of deviation between the recording element columns,
Based on the recording position of each recording element sequence corresponding to the set of recording patterns with the smallest amount of deviation between the recording element sequences among the plurality of recording pattern sets on the obtained recording element sequence position adjustment chart The drive phase adjustment method in the image recording apparatus is characterized in that the drive phase for each recording element array is adjusted in units of time shorter than the recording element drive cycle.

In the invention according to claim 6, the second relative movement speed is set to 1 / N or less (where N is an integer of 2 or more) of the first relative movement speed,
The drive control unit corresponds to a set of recording patterns with the least amount of deviation between the recording element columns among the plurality of recording pattern sets on the recording element column position adjustment chart obtained by the chart recording unit. 6. The drive phase in an image recording apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the drive phase for each print element row is adjusted in units of 1 / N of the print element drive cycle based on the print position of each print element row to be recorded. This is the adjustment method.

The invention according to claim 7 includes a head unit having a plurality of recording element arrays in which a plurality of recording elements for recording on a recording medium are arranged in a line, and the head unit and the recording medium are connected to the recording element array. A position adjustment chart for adjusting a drive phase of the recording unit array unit of the head unit in an image recording apparatus that records an image by relatively moving at a predetermined angle with respect to
The relative movement speed when the head unit and the recording medium are moved relative to each other is a second relative movement speed that is lower than the first relative movement speed that is a relative movement speed at the time of image recording based on normal input data. As described above, while relatively moving the head unit and the recording medium, the drive phase between the plurality of recording element arrays is set to the same phase, and the drive timing of the recording elements is shifted stepwise between the plurality of recording element arrays. A position adjustment chart output method for an image recording apparatus, wherein the position adjustment chart is a recording element array position adjustment chart composed of a set of a plurality of recording patterns having different amounts of shift between the recording element arrays. .

  According to the image recording apparatus and the adjustment method of the driving phase in the image recording apparatus of the present invention, it is not necessary to record and output a plurality of position adjustment charts with respect to positions between a plurality of recording element arrays, and images based on normal input data It is a finer unit than the pixel unit at the time of recording, and can be easily adjusted without the need for special hardware.

  Further, according to the output method of the position adjustment chart in the image recording apparatus of the present invention, it is possible to adjust the position between a plurality of recording element rows in units smaller than the pixel unit at the time of image recording by normal input data. The position adjustment chart can be easily output without the need for special hardware and without having to record and output a plurality of position adjustment charts.

1 is a schematic diagram showing the overall configuration of an image recording apparatus according to the present invention. Configuration diagram showing details of drive controller The block diagram which shows the drive control part at the time of the image recording by normal input data in detail Configuration diagram showing the drive control unit in more detail when outputting the position adjustment chart Explanatory drawing explaining the output method of a position adjustment chart Position adjustment chart output by the method of FIG. Explanatory drawing explaining the output method of the position adjustment chart which concerns on another arrangement | positioning aspect of a print head Position adjustment chart output by the method of FIG. Explanatory drawing explaining the output method of the position adjustment chart which concerns on another arrangement | positioning aspect of a print head Explanatory drawing explaining the output method of the conventional position adjustment chart Position adjustment chart output by the method of FIG. Explanatory drawing explaining the output method of the conventional position adjustment chart Position adjustment chart output by the method of FIG. Explanatory drawing explaining the other output method of the conventional position adjustment chart Position adjustment chart output by the method of FIG.

  According to the present invention, a head unit having a plurality of recording element arrays in which a plurality of recording elements that perform recording on a recording medium are arranged in a row and the recording medium are moved relative to each other at a predetermined angle with respect to the recording element array. At this time, the head unit and the recording medium are set so that the relative movement speed becomes a relative speed (second relative movement speed) slower than the relative speed (first relative movement speed) at the time of image recording based on normal input data. By recording the drive phase of the recording elements in a stepwise manner between the plurality of recording element arrays while performing the relative movement, the driving phases between the recording element arrays are set to the same phase. A recording element row position adjustment chart composed of a set of a plurality of recording patterns having different deviation amounts is recorded.

  The movement between the head unit and the recording medium is only required to be relative. The head unit is fixed, the recording medium is moved along one direction with respect to the head unit, the recording medium is fixed, and the recording is performed. Either an aspect in which the head unit is moved in one direction relative to the medium or an aspect in which the head unit and the recording medium are moved together may be used.

  Among these, if only the recording medium is conveyed in one direction with respect to the stationary head unit, the relative movement between the head unit and the recording medium can be easily achieved by utilizing the recording medium conveying mechanism. Such relative movement is generally used for a single-pass type image recording apparatus. The single-pass type image recording apparatus performs image recording based on normal input data and recording of a recording element row position adjustment chart by relatively moving the head unit and the recording medium only once.

  As a mode of moving the head unit and the recording medium together, a scanning type in which a plurality of recording element arrays are arranged along the recording medium conveyance direction and performs image recording by reciprocating in the width direction of the recording medium. There is an image recording apparatus. Image recording on the recording medium is performed by cooperation between intermittent conveyance in one direction of the recording medium and reciprocation of the head unit in the width direction of the recording medium. In such a scan type image recording apparatus, since it is generally easy to change the print start phase for each scan, position adjustment finer than one pixel in one image can be performed by shifting the print phase for each scan. It is relatively easy. On the other hand, the single-pass type image recording apparatus is difficult to adjust the position finer than one pixel in one image, and therefore the single-pass type image recording apparatus is a particularly preferable aspect in the present invention.

  Note that the angle formed by the length direction of the recording element row and the conveyance direction of the recording medium during the relative movement between the head unit and the recording medium may be constant, but it is generally preferable that they be orthogonal.

  The relative movement speed between the head unit and the recording medium is normally set to the first relative movement speed for performing image recording with normal input data, but at the time of recording the recording element row position adjustment chart The setting is changed to the second relative movement speed. This setting change is performed by a switching operation to the recording element row position adjustment chart recording mode by the user, or by an automatic operation such as control by a control device inside the image recording apparatus or control by a PC (personal computer).

  In the present invention, when recording the recording element row position adjustment chart, the relative movement speed between the head unit and the recording medium is set to the second relative movement speed, and the drive phase between the plurality of printing element rows is the same phase, By recording the recording element drive timings in a stepwise manner between the recording element arrays, a recording element array position adjustment chart comprising a set of a plurality of recording patterns having different displacement amounts between the recording element arrays is recorded.

  As a result, the print resolution that can be recorded on the recording medium by each recording element array is that the relative movement speed between the head unit and the recording medium becomes slow even in the same drive cycle as that during image recording with normal input data. It becomes higher than when recording images with normal input data. Therefore, it is possible to print by each recording element at a position of a pixel unit finer than the pixel unit at the time of image recording by the normal input data, and the head unit and the recording medium are moved relative to each other only once. By performing the recording, it is possible to easily create a recording element row position adjustment chart with a pixel unit smaller than the pixel unit at the time of image recording with normal input data, and there is no need to repeat recording and output a plurality of times.

  In the present invention, one pixel is a unit formed by one recording material droplet applied on a recording medium from one recording element.

  In the present invention, the driving of the recording element is to form one pixel by applying one recording material droplet from the recording element to the recording medium.

  When recording is performed by staggering the recording element drive timing among a plurality of recording element sequences, one of the plurality of recording element sequences is used as a reference column, and each recording element of the reference sequence is It is preferable that the drive timing is a fixed timing. As a result, a plurality of recording patterns with different amounts of deviation between the recording element arrays can be obtained by gradually shifting only the driving timings of the recording elements in the other recording element arrays with respect to the driving timings of the recording elements in the reference array. It becomes easy to record the set.

  The adjustment of the driving phase in the image recording apparatus uses the recording element row position adjustment chart created in this way, and the recording elements are recorded in the set of a plurality of recording patterns recorded on the recording element row position adjustment chart. This is performed by adjusting the drive phase for each print element row in units of time shorter than the print element drive cycle based on the print position of each print element row corresponding to the set of print patterns with the smallest amount of deviation between the rows.

  The image recording apparatus according to the present invention includes drive control means that can change the drive phase of each recording element array in units of time shorter than the recording element driving cycle.

  Here, adjusting the drive phase for each printing element row in units of time shorter than the printing element driving cycle means that the printing element row is set in units of time shorter than the interval time (unit μsec) capable of driving the printing element. The drive phase is adjusted every time. The adjustment of the drive phase is preferably to adjust the drive phase of another recording element array with respect to the reference array.

  The recording element driving cycle can be a desired cycle, but is generally set to the minimum cycle in which the recording element can be driven.

  In selecting the recording pattern set with the smallest deviation and adjusting the drive phase, the user visually confirms each recording pattern set on the recording element row position adjustment chart, and inputs the corresponding input operation to each recording element. It can be performed by executing the drive control unit to be driven, or can be automatically performed by performing image processing on data obtained by scanning the recording element row position adjustment chart.

  In the present invention, if the second relative movement speed is 1 / N or less (where N is an integer of 2 or more) of the first relative movement speed, 1 / N of the pixel unit at the time of image recording with normal input data. It is possible to print at positions of N or less pixel units. As a result, the drive phase for each print element array can be set in a short time unit of 1 / N unit of the print element drive cycle. By setting N to 2, 3, 4,..., The printable resolution can be increased, and finer adjustment can be made. The upper limit of N is not particularly limited, but is determined as appropriate according to the resolution limit of each head provided in the head unit.

  The first relative movement speed data and the second relative movement speed data are set in advance in the control device inside the image recording apparatus or in the PC. The change between the first relative movement speed and the second relative movement speed is performed, for example, by switching and controlling the number of revolutions per unit time of a motor used to move the head unit or the recording medium. Can do.

  Data for setting the second relative movement speed to 1 / N or less of the first relative movement speed can be set in advance in the drive control unit. A plurality of such data is stored, for example, N = 2, 3, 4, etc., and any one of the data (for example, N = 2) can be read and set, and if necessary, for example, It is also possible to change the set value of N to another stored value (for example, N = 3) by a user setting operation or automatic control.

  The recording element may be any element as long as it can record an image by forming a pixel by applying a recording material droplet onto the recording medium by moving relative to the recording medium. It is a nozzle of a print head that records various images by using (ink), ejecting it as droplets onto a recording medium, and landing. The image recording apparatus provided with such a print head is used for industrial applications such as drawing of a normal pattern such as a photograph, a character, a pattern, etc., for example, drawing a wiring pattern of a semiconductor substrate or a pixel pattern of a color filter in a liquid crystal display device. Also widely used.

  The number of recording element rows configured by arranging such recording elements in a row may be a plurality of rows, that is, two or more rows. For example, in the case of a print head, such a printing element row is configured as a nozzle row in which a plurality of nozzles are arranged along one direction. In the present invention, such a nozzle row is provided in a single print head, and a head unit having a plurality of nozzle rows is configured by arranging a plurality of print heads in parallel. Alternatively, a plurality of the print heads may be arranged in parallel, and one or two or more of such print heads may be arranged in parallel to constitute a head unit. In either case, the present invention can be applied when adjusting the position between the plurality of nozzle rows.

  In the present invention, the arrangement mode of the plurality of recording element arrays is arranged along the arrangement direction of the recording element arrays, and the arrangement pitch of each recording element is arranged at an equal pitch between the plurality of recording element arrays. Or a plurality of rows arranged in parallel along the direction of relative movement with respect to the recording medium, so that recording can be performed complementarily by each of the recording element rows along the direction of relative movement on the recording medium. The arrangement may be performed, and various arrangement modes that require position adjustment between the plurality of recording element arrays can be employed.

  Note that “complementary recording” means that recording is performed such that the pixels recorded by the other recording element arrays fill the space along the relative movement direction with the recording medium recorded by one recording element array. That means.

  The recording pattern of the recording element column position adjustment chart can be recorded as a line pattern using all the recording elements constituting the recording element column. However, the recording is not necessarily performed by using all the recording elements constituting one recording element row. For example, recording may be performed using only half of the recording elements constituting one recording element row.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be specifically described below using an example of an image recording apparatus that records (prints) an image by ejecting ink droplets from each nozzle of a print head.

  FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating the overall configuration of an image recording apparatus, in which 1 is a head unit, and the head unit 1 includes a plurality (two in this case) of print heads 10A and 10B, and each print head. An ink tank 11 that supplies ink to 10A and 10B, and a drive control unit 12 that controls driving of the print heads 10A and 10B are provided. Here, it is assumed that each of the print heads 10A and 10B has one nozzle row in which nozzles (not shown) as a plurality of recording elements are arranged in a row on the lower surface. Reference numeral 13 denotes a rotary encoder that detects the conveyance position of the recording medium.

  Reference numeral 2 denotes a recording medium conveyance unit. The recording medium conveyance unit 2 has a recording medium 20 such as paper, a plastic sheet, or a fabric wound around a roll 21. The recording medium 20 wound around the roll 21 is conveyed in the direction of the arrow in the figure by being wound around a winding roll 22 that is rotated by driving of a conveying motor 23 via a plurality of rollers 24a to 24e. It has become so. The surface of the recording medium 20 is a flat surface between the rollers 24d and 24e, and is arranged so that the nozzle surfaces of the print heads 10A and 10B of the head unit 1 face each other with a predetermined distance on the surface side. ing.

  The print heads 10A and 10B have their nozzle row directions orthogonal to the conveyance direction of the recording medium 20 and parallel to each other, so that the nozzle pitch is the same between the print heads 10A and 10B. The nozzles of the print head 10A are arranged so as to be displaced from each other in the nozzle row direction, and the recording medium 20 side is conveyed to the head unit 1 in one direction in one pass. An image corresponding to the input data is recorded on the recording medium 20 with a recording width that is the sum of the recording width and the recording width of the nozzle array of the print head 10B.

  A PC (personal computer) 3 is connected to the drive control unit 12 of the head unit 1 via a signal cable, and transmits a control signal to the drive control unit 12.

  In the present invention, the conveyance motor 23 is controlled by the control signal from the PC 3 so that the conveyance speed (relative movement speed) of the recording medium 20 with respect to each of the print heads 10A and 10B is an image based on normal input data. It can be changed to a first transport speed during recording and a second transport speed that is slower than the first transport speed.

  FIG. 2 is a configuration diagram illustrating details of the drive control unit 12, and the drive control unit 12 includes a drive cycle creation unit 121, a phase control unit 122, and an overall control unit 123. Reference numeral 14 denotes a trigger mark detection sensor for detecting a trigger mark on the recording medium 20 that is a reference for starting driving, and outputs a detection signal to the phase control unit 122 when the trigger mark is detected.

  Based on the pulse signal output from the rotary encoder 13 that detects the position of the recording medium 20, the drive cycle creation unit 121 performs processing such as frequency division and multiplication on the pulse signal to thereby obtain a desired print resolution. Are generated and output to the phase control unit 122.

  The drive cycle creation unit 121 includes a normal print cycle creation unit 1211 that creates a drive cycle at the time of image recording based on normal input data, and an adjustment chart cycle creation unit 1212 that creates a drive cycle when outputting a position adjustment chart described later. And an output switching unit 1213 that selectively switches whether the output to the phase control unit 122 is the output from the normal printing cycle creation unit 1211 or the output from the adjustment chart cycle creation unit 1212. The output switching unit 1213 switches between one of two depending on whether image printing is performed using the input data or a position adjustment chart, which will be described later, is used to adjust the position between the plurality of nozzle rows. .

  The phase control unit 122 controls the drive phase of the nozzle arrays of the print heads 10A and 10B based on the drive cycle signal transmitted from the drive cycle creation unit 121. This drive phase can be individually set and changed in units of nozzle rows of the print heads 10A and 10B in units of time shorter than the drive cycle, and a drive timing signal according to the drive phase based on input data sent from the PC 3 Is generated, and each nozzle of each print head 10A, 10B is selectively driven, and ink is ejected toward the recording medium 20 conveyed at a predetermined speed, thereby printing a desired image or recording a position adjustment chart. I do.

  The phase control unit 122 corresponds to each of the print heads 10A and 10B, and includes normal print phase creation units 1221A and 1221B that create a phase at the time of image printing using normal input data, and a phase at the time of output of a position adjustment chart described later. The adjustment chart phase creation units 1222A and 1222B for creating the print heads 10A and 10B are used as the drive phases from the normal print phase creation units 1221A and 1221B or from the adjustment chart phase creation units 1222A and 1222B. And an output switching unit 1223 that selectively switches the drive phase.

  The overall control unit 123 determines whether printing is normal printing or position adjustment chart printing based on a command from the PC 3, and performs control such as switching operations in the output switching units 1213 and 1223 and data setting for each unit.

  FIG. 3 shows a main part of the drive control unit 12 at the time of image printing with normal input data.

  When printing an image with normal input data, the output from the drive cycle creation unit 121 is a normal print cycle creation unit 1211, and the output from the phase control unit 122 is a normal print phase creation unit 1221A corresponding to each print head 10A, 10B. The output switching units 1213 and 1223 are respectively switched by the control of the overall control unit 123 so as to be 1221B, and the normal printing cycle is performed by performing processing such as frequency division and multiplication on the pulse signal from the rotary encoder 13. A signal is created and output to the phase control unit 122. The phase control unit 122 creates the drive phase of the nozzle arrays of the print heads 10A and 10B based on the normal print cycle signal output from the drive cycle creation unit 121, and outputs the drive timing signal to each of the print heads 10A and 10B. .

  The drive timing signal reflects the value input from the PC 3 by the user or the like according to the result selected by the position adjustment chart described later, and is in units of nozzle rows of the print heads 10A and 10B in units of time shorter than the drive cycle. The drive phase is changed. In FIG. 3, a 200 μsec (180 dpi) periodic signal input from the rotary encoder 13 is doubled by the drive cycle creation unit 121 to create a 100 μsec (360 dpi) drive cycle, and image printing using normal input data is performed. Sometimes, printing is performed on the recording medium 20 at 360 dpi, and the values input from the PC 3 by the user or the like are reflected, thereby showing a state in which the drive phases are shifted by half a pixel (50 μsec, 720 dpi). .

  When the drive phase is shifted in this way, one of the plurality of nozzle rows is treated as a reference row, and the other nozzle rows are shifted in pixels with respect to the reference row. Here, the nozzle row of the print head 10A is used as the reference row.

  Next, a method for outputting the position adjustment chart in the image recording apparatus will be described.

  FIG. 4 shows a main part of the drive control unit 12 when the position adjustment chart is output.

  In the drive cycle creation unit 121, the adjustment chart cycle creation unit 1212, and in the phase control unit 122, the adjustment chart phase creation units 1222 A and 1222 B corresponding to the print heads 10 A and 10 B are respectively controlled by the overall control unit 123. Switching is performed at 1223, and an adjustment chart cycle signal is generated by performing processing such as frequency division and multiplication on the pulse signal from the rotary encoder 13, and outputs it to the phase control unit 122. In the phase control unit 122, the drive phase of the nozzle array of each print head 10A, 10B is created based on the adjustment chart cycle signal output from the drive cycle creation unit 121, and each print head 10A, 10B is set to the same phase. The drive timing signal is output to each.

  FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram for explaining the output method of the position adjustment chart, and FIG. 6 shows the position adjustment chart output by the output method.

  The print heads 10A and 10B are positioned along the recording medium conveyance direction so that the nozzle rows are orthogonal to each other along the recording medium conveyance direction, and the nozzles 101a and 101b have equal pitches between the print heads 10A and 10B. Are displaced from each other.

  Here, in this image recording apparatus, the minimum driving cycle in each of the print heads 10A and 10B is 100 μsec, and the conveyance speed (first relative movement speed) with the recording medium 20 is set when printing an image with normal input data. When printing is performed with the above driving cycle, the printing speed is set to 360 dpi (70.5 μm) (705 mm / sec). When the position adjustment chart is output, the recording medium 20 is conveyed to the print heads 10A and 10B. The speed (second relative movement speed) is changed to a conveyance speed slower by 1 / N (N is an integer of 2 or more) than the first relative movement speed, and the position adjustment chart is conveyed while conveying the recording medium 20. Ink droplets are ejected from the nozzles 101a and 101b based on the input data.

  Here, the case where the second relative movement speed is ½ of the first relative movement speed (when N = 2) is shown. Therefore, the pulse signal from the rotary encoder 13 is 400 μsec, which is twice the normal time (200 μsec) shown in FIG. 3, and the drive cycle creation unit 121 performs 100 μsec (720 dpi) by multiplying this pulse signal by four. ) Is created.

  Further, the drive phase of the print head 10A and the drive phase of the print head 10B are aligned with each other. The nozzle row of the print head 10A is used as a reference row, and ink droplets are ejected at a drive timing of a constant interval according to this drive phase. Thus, a plurality of line patterns A1 arranged in parallel at regular intervals on the recording medium 20 are recorded, and the nozzle row of the print head 10B shifts the drive timing stepwise with respect to the print head 10A according to this drive phase. A plurality of line patterns B1 are recorded. At this time, since the printable resolution that can be ejected from each of the print heads 10A and 10B is the driving cycle in time because the conveyance speed of the recording medium 20 is ½ of the conveyance speed at the time of image printing by normal input data, The printable resolution here is higher than the normal time, and the resolution (720 dpi) is double that of the normal time (360 dpi) shown in FIG.

  Therefore, even from the nozzle row of the print head 10B, even in the same 100 μsec period, printing can be performed at a position of 0.5 pixel unit, which is 1/2 of the normal time, and 0.5 pixel can be output by one output. It is possible to easily create a unit position adjustment chart. For this reason, it is not necessary to repeat the output a plurality of times in order to perform position adjustment finer than one pixel (pixel unit at the time of image printing with normal input data), and it is output once even when the user confirms Since it is only necessary to check the position adjustment chart, the possibility of making an error can be reduced.

  Next, a method of adjusting the drive phase of each print head 10A, 10B using such a position adjustment chart will be described.

  The user observes the output position adjustment chart, and the amount of deviation between the line patterns A1 and B1 is determined from the group of the plurality of line patterns A1 and B1 whose positions are shifted in units of 0.5 pixels. The group that is the least and the connection between the line patterns A1 and B1 is closest to one straight line is selected. In FIG. 6, since the connection with the line pattern B1 of the print head 10B printed with a shift of +0.5 pixels with respect to the line pattern A1 of the print head 10A is closest to one straight line, normal input data When printing an image, the drive phase of the print head 10B is delayed by 0.5 pixels (50 μsec) from the drive phase of the print head 10A, or the drive phase of the print head 10A is slower than the drive phase of the print head 10B. It can be seen that the adjustment should be made so that the value becomes 0.5 pixels earlier.

  This adjustment of the drive phase may be performed by, for example, the user himself / herself operating the PC 3 to input a positional deviation adjustment amount for 0.5 pixels, or the output position adjustment chart may be connected to the scanner connected to the PC 3. (Not shown), and a pair of line patterns A1 and B1 having the smallest deviation and the connection closest to one straight line is automatically selected by image processing, and 0.0 corresponding to the pair is automatically selected. You may make it set automatically the positional offset adjustment amount for 5 pixels. Even in the latter case, since only one position adjustment chart needs to be read, the operation of the user can be simplified and the development load of software for automatic reading adjustment control can be reduced.

  The misalignment adjustment amount fetched by the PC 3 is sent to the phase control unit 122 in the drive control unit 12, and the drive phase of the print head 10 </ b> A or 10 </ b> B is set to 0.5 pixels (a unit of time shorter than the drive cycle). 50 μsec) is an adjustment amount for adjusting so as to be earlier or later. Thereafter, the drive phases of the print heads 10A and 10B controlled by the phase control unit 122 are shifted by 0.5 pixels (50 μsec) and output. Become so.

  Then, at the time of printing an image with normal input data, the conveyance speed of the recording medium 20 is set to the first relative movement speed, and as shown in FIG. 3, the normal print cycle creation unit 1211 and the normal print phase creation unit 1221A. , 1221B, the nozzles 101a and 101b of the print heads 10A and 10B are selectively driven in accordance with the input data to eject ink droplets toward the recording medium 20 to obtain a desired image. Print. At this time, the print heads 10A and 10B can perform high-quality image printing because the positional deviation between the nozzle rows is finely adjusted and adjusted to be finer than one pixel.

  FIG. 7 shows that the print heads 10 </ b> A and 10 </ b> B are arranged side by side along the direction in which each nozzle row is orthogonal to the conveyance direction of the recording medium 20 and along the conveyance direction of the recording medium 20. FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram for explaining a method for outputting a position adjustment chart according to an arrangement mode configured to perform printing at a speed twice the performance of the head by performing complementary recording with each nozzle row along the movement direction; Shows a position adjustment chart output by the output method.

  Here, similarly to the above, the case where the second relative movement speed is set to ½ of the first relative movement speed is shown, and the drive phases of the print heads 10A and 10B are set to the same phase, and between the nozzle rows. By recording a position adjustment chart consisting of a set of a plurality of recording patterns whose drive timings are shifted in stages, printing can be performed only at every second pixel of the printing resolution (pixel unit at the time of image printing with normal input data). It can be seen that a position adjustment chart in units of one pixel, which is twice the resolution of the conventional method shown in FIGS. 14 and 15, can be obtained by one output.

  As shown in FIG. 9, the print heads 10A and 10B juxtaposed along the conveyance direction of the recording medium 20 have the nozzle pitches of the nozzles 101a of one print head 10A and the nozzles 101b of the other print head 10B. Even if the nozzle pitch is arranged so that the nozzle pitch is shifted by a half pitch, the same applies. The print heads 10A and 10B record dots at a resolution (720 dpi) that is double the resolution (360 dpi) of the print head alone by recording the dots at the other print head 10B between the dots at the one print head 10A. Is. Accordingly, the landing positions of the ink droplets by the print head 10A and the ink droplets by the print head 10B need to be adjusted so as to be the same position in the recording medium conveyance direction.

  Here, the case where the second relative movement speed is set to ½ of the first relative movement speed (705/2 mm / sec) (705/4 mm / sec) is shown, and the drive phases of the print heads 10A and 10B are shown. By recording a position adjustment chart consisting of a set of a plurality of recording patterns in which the drive timing is shifted stepwise between the nozzle rows in the same phase, one pixel (normally a pixel unit at the time of image printing by input data) ), A position adjustment chart capable of position adjustment in 0.5 pixel units (1440 dpi) finer than 1) can be obtained by one output.

  The above is a case where the second relative movement speed is ½ of the first relative movement speed (when N = 2), but the second relative movement speed is １ ／ of the first relative movement speed. For example, N may be set to an integer equal to or greater than 3, and the drive phase for each nozzle row may be set in units of 1 / N of the drive period when adjusting the positional deviation, and the printable resolution is further increased. It is possible.

  In applying the present invention, if there are errors in the ejection speed of ink droplets between a plurality of nozzle rows, the distance between the nozzle surface and the print surface (recording medium surface), and the mounting angle between the nozzle rows, Since the landing position differs depending on the relative movement speed with respect to the recording medium, it is desirable to match these conditions among a plurality of nozzle rows.

1: Head unit 10A, 10B: Print head 11: Ink tank 12: Drive controller 121: Drive cycle generator
1211: Normal printing cycle creation unit
1212: Adjustment chart cycle creation unit
1213: Output switching unit 122: Phase control unit
1221A, 1221B: Normal printing phase creation unit
1222A, 1222B: Adjustment chart phase creation unit
1223: Output switching unit 123: Overall control unit 13: Rotary encoder 14: Trigger mark detection sensor 2: Recording medium conveyance unit 20: Recording medium 21: Roll 22: Winding roll 23: Conveyance motors 24a to 24e: Roller 3: PC (Personal computer)
A1, A2, A21, A22, B1, B2, B3: Line pattern

Claims (7)

A head unit having a plurality of recording element arrays in which a plurality of recording elements that perform recording on the recording medium are arranged in a row, and the head unit and the recording medium form a predetermined angle with respect to the recording element array The recording element drive timing is shifted stepwise between the plurality of recording element arrays while performing relative movement, thereby forming a set of a plurality of recording patterns having different displacement amounts for each recording element array. A chart recording means for recording a recording element row position adjustment chart, and a deviation amount between the recording element rows in a set of a plurality of recording patterns on the recording element row position adjustment chart obtained by the chart recording means An image recording apparatus that adjusts the drive phase for each recording element array based on the recording position of each recording element array corresponding to a set of recording patterns with the least number of recording patterns There,
The relative movement speed between the head unit and the recording medium is expressed by a first relative movement speed that is a relative movement speed at the time of image recording based on normal input data and a relative movement speed at the time of recording the recording element row position adjustment chart. Speed changing means capable of changing to a second relative movement speed slower than the first relative movement speed;
Drive control means capable of changing the drive phase of the recording element row unit in units of time shorter than the recording element drive cycle;
The chart recording means sets the relative movement speed between the head unit and the recording medium to the second relative movement speed by the speed changing means, and moves the head unit and the recording medium relative to each other, A plurality of different shift amounts between the recording element rows are recorded by recording the drive phases of the recording elements in a stepwise manner between the plurality of recording element rows with the driving phase between the recording element rows as the same phase. Recording element row position adjustment chart consisting of a set of recording patterns,
The drive control unit corresponds to a set of recording patterns with the least amount of deviation between the recording element columns among the plurality of recording pattern sets on the recording element column position adjustment chart obtained by the chart recording unit. An image recording apparatus comprising: adjusting a driving phase for each recording element array in units of time shorter than the recording element driving period based on a recording position of each recording element array. The second relative movement speed is set to 1 / N or less (where N is an integer of 2 or more) of the first relative movement speed,
The drive control unit corresponds to a set of recording patterns with the least amount of deviation between the recording element columns among the plurality of recording pattern sets on the recording element column position adjustment chart obtained by the chart recording unit. 2. The image recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the driving phase for each recording element array is adjusted in units of 1 / N of the recording element driving period based on the recording position of each recording element array.   3. The image recording by the normal input data and the recording element row position adjustment chart are performed by relatively moving the head unit and the recording medium only once. The image recording apparatus described.   The plurality of recording element rows are arranged in a plurality of rows along the relative movement direction of the head unit and the recording medium, and are complementarily recorded on the recording medium by each recording element row along the relative movement direction. The image recording apparatus according to claim 1, 2 or 3, wherein A head unit having a plurality of recording element arrays in which a plurality of recording elements that perform recording on the recording medium are arranged in a line, the head unit and the recording medium being formed at a predetermined angle with respect to the recording element array A drive phase adjustment method for adjusting a drive phase of the recording unit array unit of the head unit in an image recording apparatus that records an image by relative movement,
The relative movement speed when the head unit and the recording medium are moved relative to each other is a second relative movement speed that is lower than the first relative movement speed that is a relative movement speed at the time of image recording based on normal input data. As described above, while relatively moving the head unit and the recording medium, the drive phase between the plurality of recording element arrays is set to the same phase, and the drive timing of the recording elements is shifted stepwise between the plurality of recording element arrays. Recording a recording element column position adjustment chart consisting of a set of a plurality of recording patterns with different amounts of deviation between the recording element columns,
Based on the recording position of each recording element sequence corresponding to the set of recording patterns with the smallest amount of deviation between the recording element sequences among the plurality of recording pattern sets on the obtained recording element sequence position adjustment chart A method for adjusting a drive phase in an image recording apparatus, wherein the drive phase for each recording element array is adjusted in units of time shorter than the recording element drive cycle. The second relative movement speed is set to 1 / N or less (where N is an integer of 2 or more) of the first relative movement speed,
The drive control unit corresponds to a set of recording patterns with the least amount of deviation between the recording element columns among the plurality of recording pattern sets on the recording element column position adjustment chart obtained by the chart recording unit. 6. The drive phase in an image recording apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the drive phase for each print element row is adjusted in units of 1 / N of the print element drive cycle based on the print position of each print element row to be recorded. Adjustment method. A head unit having a plurality of recording element arrays in which a plurality of recording elements that perform recording on the recording medium are arranged in a line, the head unit and the recording medium being formed at a predetermined angle with respect to the recording element array A method of outputting a position adjustment chart for adjusting a drive phase of the recording unit array unit of the head unit in an image recording apparatus that records an image by relative movement,
The relative movement speed when the head unit and the recording medium are moved relative to each other is a second relative movement speed that is lower than the first relative movement speed that is a relative movement speed at the time of image recording based on normal input data. As described above, while relatively moving the head unit and the recording medium, the drive phase between the plurality of recording element arrays is set to the same phase, and the drive timing of the recording elements is shifted stepwise between the plurality of recording element arrays. A position adjustment chart output method in an image recording apparatus, wherein a recording element row position adjustment chart composed of a set of a plurality of recording patterns having different shift amounts between the recording element rows is recorded.

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