JP2011156642A - Image recording apparatus and control method thereof - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a technology for determining an appropriate time of replacing a perforating blade in an image recording apparatus. <P>SOLUTION: In the image recording apparatus 1 with an image recording part 7 recording an image on a web 4 and a perforation processing part 9 performing perforation processing, a perforation detecting part 10 detects perforations in the web 4. Perforation information showing a condition of the perforation normally processed is stored. A control part 2 determines whether it is time for replacing the perforating blade in accordance with the perforations processed in a portion not to be an object for image recording on the web 4 detected by the perforation detecting part 10, referring to the perforation information stored in a perforation information storing part 17. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2011,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an image recording apparatus that records images on a continuous recording medium and processes perforations, and a control method therefor.

  2. Description of the Related Art An image recording apparatus equipped with a perforation processing device that performs perforation processing at a desired position on a recording medium is widely known. In the perforation processing apparatus, a perforation blade and an anvil roller or a receiving blade are arranged to face each other with a recording medium interposed therebetween, and a perforation is formed on the recording medium by bringing the perforation blade into contact with an anvil roller or the like.

  The perforation blades wear out as the perforation is repeated, resulting in poor sharpness and eventually perforation defects. For this reason, it is necessary to replace the sewing blade before the sewing blade is deteriorated and a perforation processing defect occurs.

The above-mentioned wear and replacement of the blade are not limited to the perforation blade for performing perforation processing, but the same can be said for a cutter for cutting a continuous recording medium.
For example, Patent Document 1 provides a technique for storing the cumulative number of times the cutter has cut the roll paper, and determining that the cutter has reached the end of its life when the cumulative number reaches a predetermined number and notifying the user. ing.

  In Patent Document 2, the time required for the cutter to cut the roll paper and the current value of the cutter motor are measured, and when a predetermined threshold is exceeded, it is determined that the cutter needs to be replaced, Provided about notification technology.

JP-A-9-39318 Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 10-315198

  According to the techniques described in Patent Documents 1 and 2 above, the life of the cutter is estimated from the cumulative number of cuts and the time required for cutting, and whether or not the sharpness of the cutter has actually deteriorated is determined. I'm not judging. For this reason, depending on the usage environment and conditions of the cutter, there is a possibility that the replacement of the cutter cannot be notified at an appropriate time.

  Further, according to the technique described in Patent Document 2, in an image recording apparatus that cuts while conveying a continuous recording medium (roll paper) at a high speed, a change in the required cutting time immediately causes a paper jam. For this reason, it is not preferable not to replace the cutter blade until the time required for cutting changes. Furthermore, it cannot be distinguished whether the change in the required time for cutting or the current value of the cutter motor is due to the deterioration of the cutter, or due to the deterioration of the cutter motor or the malfunction of the cutter motor peripheral device.

  In view of the above-described problems, an object of the present invention is to provide a technique capable of determining an appropriate replacement timing of a sewing blade in an image recording apparatus.

  In order to solve the above problems, according to the disclosed image recording apparatus, the image recording apparatus includes an image recording unit that records an image on a recording medium, and a perforation processing unit that performs perforation processing. A detection unit that detects perforations processed into a medium, a perforation information storage unit that stores perforation information indicating a state of perforations when the perforations can be processed normally, and the perforation information storage unit With reference to the stored perforation information, the perforation blade is at the replacement time based on the perforations detected in the detection unit and processed into a portion of the recording medium that is not the target of image recording. And a control unit that determines whether or not.

  Alternatively, according to the disclosed control method for an image recording apparatus, the control method for an image recording apparatus includes an image recording unit that records an image on a recording medium and a perforation processing unit that performs perforation. The perforation processed into the medium is detected and stored in advance in the storage unit, with reference to perforation information indicating the state of the perforation when the perforation can be processed normally, the detected, Based on the perforation machined in the portion of the recording medium that is not the target of image recording, it is determined whether or not the sewing blade is at the replacement time.

  According to the disclosed invention, it is possible to appropriately determine the replacement timing of the sewing blade of the image recording apparatus.

1 is a configuration diagram of an image recording apparatus according to an embodiment. It is a figure which shows the control method of a sewing machine blade. It is a figure which shows the other structural example of a perforation detection part. The schematic of the output waveform of a perforation detection part is shown. 5 is a flowchart illustrating a method for controlling the image recording apparatus according to the embodiment.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of an image recording apparatus according to the present embodiment. An image recording apparatus 1 shown in FIG. 1 is connected to a host apparatus 20 and records images on a continuous recording medium (web) 4 in accordance with a command from the host apparatus 20. The web 4 is subjected to processing such as image recording, perforation processing, and cutting to a predetermined length in the course of being conveyed by the conveyance system. Hereinafter, the operation of each part of the image recording apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment will be described along the process in which the web 4 is conveyed.

  The medium storage unit 3 rotatably supports the web 4 wound in a roll shape. The medium storage unit 3 incorporates a mechanical or magnetic rotary brake, and brakes the pulled-out web 4 to generate a predetermined tension on the web 4.

  The web 4 is given a vertical drag to the outer peripheral surface of the drum 5 by a back tension generated in the medium storage unit 3 and a conveying force applied by a roller pair 8 driven by a motor (not shown in FIG. 1). And the web 4 is hold | maintained at the drum with the frictional force between the drum 5 and the web 4, and is conveyed at a predetermined | prescribed speed.

  A conveyance information generation unit 6 including, for example, a rotary encoder or the like is connected to the rotation shaft of the drum, and a periodic pulse is generated as conveyance information corresponding to the conveyance distance of the web 4.

  The image recording unit 7 is disposed at a position close to the outer diameter of the drum 5, and performs image recording, for example, by ejecting ink of a line-type inkjet head. The ink ejection timing is based on the control unit 2 controlling the image recording unit 7 based on the conveyance information generated by the conveyance information generation unit 6.

  When image recording is performed on both sides of the web 4, the image recording unit 7 and the drum 5 are each provided with two sets, and each set of image recording units 7 performs image recording on the back and front surfaces of the web 4. .

  After passing between the roller pair 8, the web 4 is conveyed to the perforation processing unit 9. The perforation processing unit 9 includes a perforation blade 9 a and an anvil roller 9 b, and the perforation blade 9 a and the anvil roller 9 b rotate at the same peripheral speed as the web 4 is conveyed. A perforation is formed on the web 4 by passing the web 4 between the perforation blade 9 a of the perforation processing unit 9 and the anvil roller 9 b. Information such as whether or not to form a perforation on the web 4 and the position at which the perforation is formed (position in the width direction of the page or web 4) is included in the job input from the host device 20.

  The image recording apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment includes a perforation detection unit 10 such as a sensor downstream in the conveyance direction of the web 4 of the sewing blade 9a and the anvil roller 9b. The perforation processing unit 9 performs normal perforation processing, that is, processing for performing perforation processing on the web 4 on which image recording has been performed, as well as image recording targets such as damaged paper, under the control of the control unit 2. Perforation processing for confirming the state of the perforation blade 9a is performed on the portion that is not formed.

  The perforation detection unit 10 detects perforations formed on waste paper or the like. The perforation information storage unit 17 stores in advance information related to the state of the perforation when the normal perforation blade 9a performs perforation. In the following description, the “normal” sewing blade 9a means that the sewing blade 9a is not worn and its cutting ability is good. The control unit 2 refers to the information stored in the perforation information storage unit 17 and determines whether the perforation detected by the perforation detection unit 10 has been processed by the “normal” perforation blade 9a. By doing so, it is determined whether or not the sewing blade 9a is in the replacement period. In the image recording apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment, a specific method for determining the replacement time of the sewing machine blade 9a will be described in detail later.

  The web 4 is conveyed to the cutter unit 12 when the perforation processing is performed in the perforation processing unit 9. The roller pair 11 provided between the perforation processing unit 9 and the cutter unit 12 stably supplies the web 4 to the cutter unit 12 side. At the same time, the web 4 is conveyed between the roller pair 11 and the roller pair 8 without slackening, so that the perforation processing unit 9 forms a perforation along the conveyance direction.

The cutter unit 12 uses a rotary cutter, for example, to continuously cut each page without stopping the conveyance operation of the web 4 being conveyed.
Note that the cutting timing of the web 4 in the cutter unit 12 is based on the count value of the encoder signal output in synchronization with the web conveyance distance from the conveyance information generation unit 6. Thereby, the continuous web 4 is cut into sheets having a predetermined length. Such control makes it possible to perform image recording and cutting operations without reducing the overall throughput of the image recording apparatus 1.

  The sheet cut by the cutter unit 12 extends in the width direction of the sheet and passes between the guides 13 provided on the front surface side and the back surface side so as to sandwich the sheet surface. In this way, the cut sheet is transferred to the discharge roller 14 and discharged to the discharge unit 15.

  FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a method of controlling the sewing blade 9a. Next, with reference to FIG. 2, the image recording apparatus 1 which concerns on this embodiment demonstrates concretely the method of determining whether the perforation blade 9a of the perforation process part 9 is a replacement time.

  2A is a top view of the perforation processing unit 9 and the perforation detection unit 10 of the image recording apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment, and FIG. 2B is a side view. In the configuration example shown in FIG. 2, the perforation processing unit 9 includes a sewing blade 9 a, an anvil roller 9 b, a sewing blade switching unit 9 c, a sewing blade lateral movement unit 9 d, and a sewing blade lateral movement guide 9 e.

  The control unit 2 of the image recording apparatus 1 controls the sewing blade switching unit 9c to bring the sewing blade 9a into contact with or away from the anvil roller 9b, thereby switching the perforation processing on / off.

  The sewing blade 9a is attached to the sewing blade lateral movement portion 9d, and the sewing blade lateral movement portion 9d is movable along the sewing blade lateral movement guide 9e. The control unit 2 moves the sewing blade 9 a to an arbitrary position in the width direction of the web 4 by controlling the sewing blade lateral movement unit 9 d.

By arranging a plurality of perforated blade machining portions 9 as shown in FIG. 2, it is possible to perform perforation at a plurality of locations.
The perforation detection unit 10 is configured by, for example, an optical transmission sensor, and is disposed so that the light emitting side 10 a and the light receiving side 10 b face each other with the web 4 interposed therebetween. As shown in FIG. 2, the perforation detection unit 10 turns on the perforation blade 9 a when the perforation processing unit 9 is at a downstream position in the transport direction and the perforation processing unit 9 is at the “reference position”. The perforations that are switched to the state are arranged at positions included in the detection range of the perforation detection unit 10. Here, the “reference position” is a position in the width direction of the web 4 where the perforation processing is performed for use in determining whether or not the perforation blade 9a is at the replacement time. The reference position is set in advance in the image recording apparatus 1.

  Cut holes are periodically formed in the portion of the web 4 where the perforations are processed. The perforation detection unit 10 detects the perforation 16 by receiving light that passes through the periodic cutting holes. Specifically, the perforation length and depth are detected.

  In the following description, a case where a transmission type sensor is used for the perforation detection unit 10 will be described as an example. However, for example, a perforation can be detected even when a reflection type sensor is used. That is, when a reflection type sensor is used for the perforation detection unit 10, light emitted from the light emitting element from the reflection type sensor is reflected by the web 4 at a location where the perforation of the web 4 is not formed. The reflected light is received by the light receiving element of the sensor. On the other hand, the reflected light is not received at the location where the cut hole is formed. Thereby, a perforation is detected.

  FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating another configuration example of the perforation detection unit 10. The perforation detection unit 10 may be configured with a line type sensor as shown in FIG. 3A, or as shown in FIG. 3B, in conjunction with the perforation blade lateral movement unit 9d. It is good also as a structure movable with respect to the horizontal direction, ie, the width direction of the web 4, similarly to the sewing machine blade 9a.

  When the perforation detection unit 10 has the configuration shown in FIG. 3, it is not necessary to perform perforation detection at the “reference position”, and it becomes possible to detect perforations at arbitrary positions in the width direction of the web 4. .

  In order to detect perforations processed into waste paper or the like at an arbitrary position with respect to the width direction of the web 4, the perforation detection unit 10 is composed of a line type sensor as shown in FIG. In some cases, the detection width of the sensor needs to be equal to or greater than the width of the web 4.

  Moreover, when the perforation detection part 10 takes the structure shown in FIG.3 (b), it is desirable that the optical sensor utilized for a perforation detection is a reflection type sensor. This is because when the reflection type sensor is employed, it is sufficient to provide the perforation detection unit 10 on one side with respect to the web 4, so that the perforation detection unit 10 is the perforation blade lateral movement unit 9 d of the perforation processing unit 9. This is because the structure for moving in the width direction of the web 4 together with the sewing machine blade 9a can be simplified.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the image recording apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment has a perforation detection unit provided downstream in order to determine whether or not the perforation blade 9 a of the perforation processing unit 9 is a replacement time. 10, the state of the processed perforation is determined based on the level at which the light emitted from the light emitting element is received by the light receiving element.

  FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of an output waveform of the perforation detection unit 10 of the image recording apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment. FIG. 4A is a cross-sectional view in the width direction of the web 4, and the normal perforation 16 a formed by the perforation processing unit 9 on the web 4, the perforation 16 b in which the cutting depth is insufficient, and the cutting length. Indicates a perforation 16c lacking. FIG. 4B is an output waveform diagram of the perforation detection unit 10 corresponding to each of the perforations 16a to 16c illustrated in FIG.

  When the cutting performance of the perforation processing unit 9 is good, the perforation cutting depth and the perforation length are ensured to be equal to or greater than a predetermined value depending on the perforation blade 9a, the type of paper, and the like. The Utilizing this fact, when the light reception level detected by the perforation detection unit 10 satisfies the condition that “the region of the predetermined value α or more has a length of the predetermined value β or more”, it is normal. Judge that the perforation has been processed. As the predetermined values α and β, values that are a predetermined ratio (for example, 90 to 80%) are set with respect to the thickness of the web 4 and the cutting length of one blade of the sewing machine blade 9a.

  The perforation information such as the predetermined values α and β is stored in the perforation information storage unit 17 of FIG. The control unit 2 of the image recording apparatus 1 compares the perforation information stored in the perforation information storage unit 17 with the value acquired by the perforation detection unit 10, and determines whether the detected perforation is processed normally. Judging. Here, “perforation information” refers to information indicating the state of the perforation, such as the length and depth of the perforation formed by the perforation blade 9a whose cutting ability is not lowered.

  If the light reception level does not satisfy the above condition, it is determined that the perforation blade 9a has deteriorated and the perforation cannot be processed normally. In the example shown in FIG. 4, the case where the light receiving level α ′ is less than the predetermined value α as in the perforation 16b, or the case where the length β ′ is less than the predetermined value β as in the perforation 16b. Equivalent to. When it is determined that the perforation processing cannot be normally performed due to the deterioration of the sewing blade 9a, processing for notifying the user of replacement of the sewing blade 9a is performed.

  When the light reception level detected by the perforation detection unit 10 satisfies the above condition a predetermined number of times or when a perforation satisfying the above condition is continuously detected for a predetermined length or more, it is determined that the perforation blade 9a is to be replaced. It is good as well.

Furthermore, the value of the light receiving level detected by the perforation detection unit 10 can be integrated, and the replacement time of the sewing blade 9a can be determined using the obtained integrated value.
FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing a control method of the image recording apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment. Referring to FIG. 5, whether or not the perforation blade 9 a is at the replacement time based on the perforation detected by the perforation detection unit 10 by performing perforation processing on a portion that is not an image recording target such as waste paper. A method of determining the will be described.

  First, in step S1, it is determined whether or not a job related to image recording on the web 4 is input from the host device 20, and when the input of the job is recognized, the process proceeds to step S2 to start transporting the web 4.

  In step S3, a predetermined amount of perforation is processed at the “reference position” of the portion that is not the target of image recording. Here, the reference position is a position in the width direction of the web 4 to be perforated in order to determine whether or not the perforation blade 9a is at the replacement time, as described above with reference to FIG. The control unit 2 of the image recording apparatus 1 performs perforation at the reference position by controlling the perforation blade lateral movement unit 9d of the perforation processing unit 9 according to a preset reference position.

  In step S4, the perforation processed in step S3 is read. As described above, the perforation reading is performed by the perforation detection unit 10. In step S <b> 5, it is determined whether the cutting depth and cutting length of the web 4 detected by the perforation detection unit 10 are within a range that satisfies a predetermined “condition”. Specifically, it is determined whether the perforation cutting depth detected by the perforation detection unit 10 is equal to or greater than a predetermined value α and the perforation length is equal to or greater than a predetermined value β. If the condition is satisfied, the process proceeds to step S8 without performing any particular process. If the condition is not satisfied, the process proceeds to step S6.

  In step S6, the user is notified that it is time to replace the sewing blade 9a. In step S7, the job information included in the job recognized in step S1 is referred to, and whether the perforation processing setting is “ON”. Determine whether or not. If the perforation processing setting is “ON”, image recording is not performed and the process proceeds to step S13. Here, when perforation processing is performed using the deteriorated perforation blade 9a, there is a high possibility that the perforated paper is used, and therefore, wasteful image recording is not performed. If the perforation processing setting is “OFF”, the perforation blade 9a is not used, so that the image recording is performed as it is, and the process proceeds to step S8.

  In step S8, image recording is performed. In step S9, the perforation is moved with reference to the job information. If the perforation is set to “ON”, the perforation is performed in step S10. The process proceeds to step S11. In step S9, if the perforation is set to “OFF”, the process proceeds to step S11 without performing any particular process.

  In step S11, the web 4 is cut in the cutter unit 12. In step S12, it is determined whether image recording, necessary perforation processing, and cutting of the web 4 have been completed. If recording of the final image is not yet completed, the process returns to step S8 and the above processing is repeated. If recording of the final image is complete, the process proceeds to step S13.

In step S13, when all the sheets obtained by cutting to a predetermined length are discharged to the discharge unit 15, the conveyance of the web 4 is stopped and the processing is ended.
As described above, by performing the control shown in FIG. 5 in the image recording apparatus 1 according to this embodiment, it is time to replace the sewing machine blade 9a at an appropriate time according to the degree of wear of the sewing machine blade 9a. Judgment can be made. As a result, it is possible to notify the user or the like that it is time to replace the sewing machine blade 9a.

  Note that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and can be embodied by modifying the constituent elements without departing from the scope of the invention in the implementation stage. In addition, the present invention can make various inventions by appropriately combining a plurality of constituent elements disclosed in the above-described embodiments. For example, in the present invention, some constituent elements may be deleted from all the constituent elements shown in the embodiments, and further different constituent elements of the respective embodiments may be appropriately combined.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Image recording device 2 Control part 3 Medium storage part 4 Web 5 Drum 6 Conveyance information generation part 7 Image recording part 8 Roller pair 9 Perforation processing part 9a Sewing blade 9b Anvil roller 9c Sewing blade switching part 9d Sewing blade lateral movement part 9e Perforation blade lateral movement guide 10 Perforation detection unit 11 Roller pair 12 Cutter unit 13 Guide 14 Discharge roller 15 Discharge unit 16, 16a to 16c Perforation 17 Perforation information storage unit 20 Host device

Claims (8)

An image recording apparatus comprising an image recording unit that records an image on a recording medium, and a perforation processing unit that performs perforation processing,
A detection unit for detecting perforations processed in the recording medium;
A perforation information storage unit for storing perforation information indicating the state of the perforation when the perforation is successfully processed;
With reference to the perforation information stored in the perforation information storage unit, based on the perforations detected in the detection unit and processed into a portion of the recording medium that is not subject to image recording, A control unit that determines whether or not the sewing machine blade is to be replaced;
An image recording apparatus comprising: The perforation processing unit performs perforation at a predetermined position with respect to the width direction of the recording medium,
The image recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the detection unit detects a perforation processed in a portion of the recording medium that is not an image recording target at the predetermined position. The perforation information storage unit stores, as the perforation information, information obtained by the detection unit detecting perforations that have been processed normally by the perforation blades in the perforation processing unit. The image recording apparatus according to claim 1. The image recording apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the perforation information includes information including a length and a depth of a perforation that is normally processed by the perforation. The perforated portion is
A perforation moving part for moving the perforation blade in the width direction of the recording medium,
The detection unit is mounted on the perforation moving unit and moves along with the movement of the perforation blade by the perforation moving unit, and is formed on a portion of the recording medium that is not a target of image recording. The image recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein eyes are detected. The image recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the detection unit includes a line-type sensor having at least a width equal to or larger than a width of the recording medium. The control unit refers to a command input from a host device when it is determined that the sewing machine blade is to be replaced, and if the command does not include an instruction to perform perforation processing, Accordingly, the image recording apparatus is configured to execute an image recording process. A control method for an image recording apparatus including an image recording unit that records an image on a recording medium and a perforation processing unit that performs perforation processing,
Detecting perforations processed in the recording medium,
Referring to the perforation information stored in advance in the storage unit and indicating the perforation state when the perforation has been processed normally, the detected recording medium is not subject to image recording. Based on the perforation machined in the part that is not, determine whether the sewing blade is time to replace,
A control method for an image recording apparatus.

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