JP2012101387A - Recording apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a recording apparatus, in which a recording head performs recording without coming into contact with a recording medium during recording, and to provide a recording method using the same.SOLUTION: The recording apparatus includes: a recording head 8 for ejecting ink; and a carriage unit 1 to which the recording head 8 is mounted, and which is movable in a width direction of the recording medium while facing the recording medium. The carriage unit 1 includes: a holding-down mechanism 51 for holding down the recording medium; and a detection mechanism 20, 24 for detecting uplifting of the recording medium in a direction of the recording head 8.

Description

  The present invention relates to a recording apparatus that forms an image by reciprocating a recording head and a recording method using the same.

  2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, various types of recording media have been used in recording apparatuses that perform ink jet recording. For example, the material of the recording medium is not only paper, but also a resin film, cloth, or a laminate of paper and resin film is used, and the thickness of the recording medium is 5 mm or more from thinner than paper. Even thick ones are used.

  In order to cope with such various types of recording media, the height of the recording head of the recording apparatus from the conveyance surface of the recording medium is variable, and the height is switched depending on the material and thickness of the recording medium.

  However, when recording is performed at a high density or recording is performed in a high humidity environment, the recording medium may be curled, that is, may float. If the curl is too large on the recording medium, the curled recording medium rubs the face surface of the recording head on which the ink ejection port is provided. In addition, even when the recording medium is bent during conveyance and recording is performed in this state, the recording medium may rub against the face surface of the recording head.

  As described above, if the recording medium is repeatedly rubbed against the face surface of the recording head for a long time, the recording head may eventually be destroyed. For this reason, it is important to prevent the recording medium from rubbing the face surface of the recording head.

  A means for avoiding contact between the recording medium and the face surface is disclosed in Patent Document 1, for example. Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2004-133830 discloses a press that presses the recording medium in the direction opposite to the face surface of the recording head upstream of the recording medium conveyance direction of the full-line type recording head in which the recording head extends in the width direction of the recording medium. A configuration in which members are provided is shown. In this configuration, by pressing the curl of the recording medium with this pressing member, the recording medium is prevented from rubbing the face surface of the recording head.

JP 2005-29333 A

  In the method disclosed in Patent Document 1, when the leading end of the recording medium is curled toward the recording head, the curled portion of the recording medium is pressed by the pressing member. However, if the curled portion at the tip of the recording medium passes the position of the pressing member, it may curl again toward the recording head and rub the face surface of the recording head.

  In addition, in a serial type recording head that is mounted on a carriage and ejects ink while scanning in the width direction of the recording medium instead of a full line type recording head, the end in the width direction of the recording medium is not the tip of the recording medium. The floating of the part becomes a problem. When the end of the recording medium in the width direction is curled, if the amount of curl is large, the recording medium hits the side surface of the carriage during recording and causes jamming. If the amount of curl is not so large, the curled portion of the recording medium rubs against the face surface of the recording head every time the recording head scans during recording.

  Therefore, the present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and provides a recording apparatus in which a recording medium does not contact a recording head during recording and a recording method using the same.

  The recording apparatus of the present invention includes a recording head for ejecting ink, and a carriage unit that is mounted with the recording head and is movable in the width direction of the recording medium in a state of facing the recording medium. The carriage unit is provided with a pressing mechanism for pressing the recording medium and a detection mechanism for detecting the lifting of the recording medium in the direction of the recording head.

  According to the present invention, even if the recording medium floats, the recording medium does not rub the face surface of the recording head during recording, so that the recording head is not damaged by the recording medium.

1 is an overall perspective view of an embodiment of a recording apparatus main body according to the present invention. It is a schematic block diagram of the AA 'cross section of FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view of an entire recording apparatus of the present invention. FIG. 4 is an enlarged schematic view of the carriage unit as viewed from the recording apparatus main body side. FIG. 6 is an enlarged schematic view of the carriage unit as viewed from the outside of the recording apparatus main body. It is the expansion schematic of a recovery unit. It is a figure which shows the lift position of a carriage unit. It is a front view of a media press drive mechanism. It is the model which showed the mode of the movement of a carriage unit. It is a flowchart which shows the flow of control of operation | movement of a media press.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. In addition, the same number is attached | subjected to the structure which has the same function in an accompanying drawing, and the description may be abbreviate | omitted.

  FIG. 1 shows a schematic perspective view of an embodiment of a recording apparatus main body according to the present invention. FIG. 2 shows a schematic configuration diagram of the AA ′ cross section of FIG. 1.

  In the recording apparatus main body 3, roll paper 9, which is a sheet-like recording medium wound around a spool 37, is installed in the paper feeding unit 53. In addition, the conveyance path of the roll paper 9 from the paper supply unit 53 to the paper discharge unit 50 from which the roll paper 9 on which an image or the like is recorded is substantially U-shaped. A guide 10 for guiding the roll paper 9 fed from the paper feed unit 53 to the transport path is provided downstream of the paper feed unit 53 when viewed from the transport path of the roll paper 9. On the downstream side of the guide 10, a roller pair of an LF (Line Feed) roller 4 and a pinch roller 11 is provided that sandwiches the roll paper 9 and conveys the roll paper 9 to the downstream recording unit. Recording is performed on the roll paper 9 at a position downstream of the roller pair of the LF roller 4 and the pinch roller 11 and where the conveyance direction of the roll paper 9 is reversed in the direction of the paper feed unit 53 along the U-shaped conveyance path. A recording unit is provided. This recording unit is marked with a reference line 34 for aligning one end, a platen 5 for supporting the roll paper 9, and a recording head for ejecting ink for recording on the roll paper 9. The carriage unit 1 is provided with 8 and the like. A paper discharge unit 50 for discharging the roll paper 9 on which an image or the like is recorded is provided further downstream of the recording unit. Note that the platen 5 has a color that is easily distinguishable from the color of the roll paper 9, and the platen 5 is black in this embodiment.

  Adjacent to one end (right side in FIG. 1) of the platen 5 is provided a recovery unit 2 for performing recovery processing for suppressing the evaporation of the solvent in the ink and maintaining the ink ejection performance. It has been. The carriage unit 1 is positioned on the recovery unit 2 when the power is turned off or in a recording standby state.

  The carriage unit 1 can move in the width direction of the roll paper 9 by moving the belt 16 extending in the width direction of the roll paper 9. A motor 15 for driving the carriage unit 1 is provided at one end of the belt 16. An encoder film 25 is provided in parallel with the belt 16, and an encoder sensor 26 that reads position information of the encoder film 25 is provided in the carriage unit 1.

  A side plate 6 (see FIG. 5) on which a later-described lift drive unit 35 is provided is provided on one side surface of the recording apparatus body 3 on the recovery unit 2 side, and a conveyance unit 32 is provided on the side plate 7 serving as the other side surface. Is provided. A part of the carriage unit 1 can contact the lift drive unit 35.

  Further, the recording apparatus main body 3 includes a pinch roller release lever 29 that manually opens and presses the pinch roller 11 and a maintenance cartridge 31 that collects and stores ink that has been discarded by the recovery unit 2 during the recovery process and becomes unnecessary. Has been placed.

  FIG. 3 is a schematic perspective view of the entire recording apparatus. The recording apparatus main body 3 is covered with an openable / closable cover 28 except for the paper feed unit 53 and the paper discharge unit 50, and an operation panel 30 for displaying a message or the like is disposed on the cover 28.

  FIG. 4 shows an enlarged schematic view of the carriage unit 1 as viewed from the recording apparatus main body 3 side. The carriage unit 1 can be roughly divided into a translator 13 and a head holder 14. A belt 16 that transmits the driving force of the motor 15 is fixed to the translator 13. A recording head 8 is mounted on the head holder 14, and a multi-sensor 24 is disposed on one side (one side plate 6 side), and a media sensor 20 is disposed on the other side (the other side plate 7 side). Yes. These two sensors serve as a detection mechanism for detecting the floating of the roll paper 9 described later. In addition, a media press mechanism 51 including a media press 21, an eccentric cam 22, a drive motor 23, and a gear 19 is provided on the downstream side of the head holder 14 in the conveyance direction of the roll paper 9. The eccentric cam 22 is configured to transmit a driving force via a drive motor 23 and a gear 19 mounted on the head holder 14. Therefore, the media presser 21 moves away from the roll paper 9 in the direction approaching the roll paper 9 (see FIG. 8B) as the eccentric cam 22 rotates while being eccentric via the gear 19 by the drive motor 23. It can move in the direction (see FIG. 8A). Note that the media press 21 is longer than the width of both ends in the width direction of the recording medium when the number of the recording heads 8 is one, and the plurality of recording heads 8 are arranged in the width direction of the recording medium as shown in FIG. When arranged side by side, it is longer than from one end of the arranged recording heads 8 to the other end. Further, lift cams 12 are provided on both sides in the width direction of the head holder 14, and lift shafts 36 are provided so as to penetrate the lift cam 12 and the head holder 14, and each lift cam 12 is interlocked with the lift shaft 36. While moving in the same phase. A lift drive unit 35 (see FIG. 5) is configured by the lift cam 12, the lift shaft 36, a lift drive motor 27 described later, and gears.

  FIG. 5 shows an enlarged schematic view of the carriage unit 1 as viewed from the outside of the recording apparatus main body 3. A lift drive unit 35 having a lift drive motor 27 is attached to one side plate 6. When the lift drive motor 27 of the lift drive unit 35 is driven while the carriage unit 1 is in contact with the one side plate 6, the lift cam 12 of the carriage unit 1 can be driven via a gear or the like. Therefore, the head holder 14 can move in a direction close to the roll paper 9 or a direction away from the roll paper 9. As a result, the recording head 8 moves in a direction toward or away from the roll paper 9. At this time, the translator 13 does not move.

  FIG. 6 shows the recovery unit 2, which includes a wiper 17 for wiping the face surface of the recording head 8 and a cap 18 for capping an ink ejection port provided on the face surface of the recording head 8. Yes.

  FIGS. 7A to 7D show the lift positions of the carriage unit 1, respectively, FIG. 7A shows the H position, FIG. 7B shows the M position, and FIG. 7C shows the L position. FIG. 7D shows the LL position. When the lift drive motor 27 is driven, the lift cam 12 is rotated via a gear or the like, the head holder 14 is moved, and the distance from the face surface of the recording head 8 to the upper surface of the platen 5 can be changed. In this embodiment, the distance from the face surface of the recording head 8 to the upper surface of the platen 5 is 2.6 mm for the H position, 2.0 mm for the M position, 1.8 mm for the L position, and 1.4 mm for the LL position. It has become. Use a suitable position according to the thickness of the recording medium.

  The initialization operation of the recording apparatus of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1, 5, and 6 to 8. FIG.

  When the power supply of the recording apparatus main body 3 is turned on, the initialization operation of the recording apparatus starts. First, the media presser 21 is initialized. The eccentric cam 22 rotates from the drive motor 23 through the gear 19, and the media presser 21 moves to a retracted position away from the roll paper 9 as a recording medium, as shown in FIG. Thereafter, the carriage unit 1 shown in FIG. 1 moves about 200 mm toward the other side plate 7 at a speed of 10 inches / sec (254 mm / sec). Next, initialization of the recovery unit 2 shown in FIG. 6 starts. The cap 18 and the wiper 17 are moved up and down, which is an operation for moving the cap 18 toward and away from the recording head 8, and the wiper 17 is moved in a horizontal direction with respect to the recording head 8. , Each stop at a predetermined position. Further, suction by a suction pump (not shown) is also performed. Subsequently, initialization of the carriage unit 1 starts. The carriage unit 1 moves at a speed of 10 inches / sec (254 mm / sec) until it comes into contact with one side plate side 6, and stops at the contact position as an origin in the main scanning direction. Subsequently, the motor 15 is rotated in a direction in which the carriage unit 1 hits the one side plate 6 with a load of 30%, and the lift motor 27 shown in FIG. At this time, the lift motor 27 changes the lift position of the carriage unit 1 to the M position shown in FIG. Thereafter, the carriage unit 1 moves to the other side plate 7 at a speed of 10 inches / sec (254 mm / sec), and moves to a cap position where the face surface of the recording head 8 and the cap 18 of the recovery unit 2 face each other. At that position, the cap 18 of the recovery unit 2 moves toward the recording head 8, and the face surface of the recording head 8 is capped by the cap 18. This completes initialization of the recovery unit 2 and the carriage unit 1.

  Next, initialization of the transport unit 32 starts. First, the pressing of the pinch roller 11 against the LF roller 4 is released, and the LF roller 4 rotates a certain number of times in a direction opposite to the direction in which the roll paper 9 is fed. Subsequently, the roll paper 9 is rotated a certain number of times in the direction of feeding out, and then the pinch roller 11 is pressed against the LF roller 4, and the initialization of the transport unit 32 is completed.

  This completes the initialization of the recording apparatus.

  A method for transporting the roll paper 9 will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 4 and FIG. 6.

  In the case of the present embodiment, when the power is off, the roll paper 9 is detached from the recording apparatus main body 3 shown in FIG. Therefore, the user must set the roll paper 9 in the recording apparatus main body 3. The user manually feeds the roll paper 9 along the guide 10 shown in FIG. If the roll paper 9 is continuously fed by hand, the leading edge of the roll paper 9 reaches the nip position between the pinch roller 11 and the LF roller 4. At this time, the roll paper 9 passes through a detection position of a paper sensor (not shown). When the paper sensor detects the passage of the roll paper 9, the LF roller 4 starts to rotate in the direction in which the roll paper 9 is sent out, and the paper 9 is automatically sent out even if the user releases the roll paper 9. Since the LF roller 4 stops when a certain amount of roll paper 9 is sent out, the user opens the cover 28 shown in FIG. 3, lifts the pinch roller release lever 29, and presses the pinch roller 11 against the LF roller 4. Release. Then, when one side edge of the roll paper 9 is aligned with the reference line 34 of the platen 5, the pinch roller release lever 29 is returned, and the pinch roller 11 presses the LF roller 4. When the cover 28 is closed, the roll paper 9 is returned to the vicinity of the nip position between the pinch roller 11 and the LF roller by the LF roller 4. The pinch roller 11 remains pressed against the LF roller 4.

  Subsequently, width detection and skew detection of the set roll paper 9 are performed. The width detection and skew detection of the roll paper 9 are performed using a multi-sensor 24 mounted on the carriage unit 1 shown in FIG.

  Since the leading end of the roll paper 9 is in the vicinity of the nip position between the pinch roller 11 and the LF roller 4, the roll paper 9 needs to be fed out by the LF roller 4 until the multi-sensor 24 can detect both ends of the roll paper 9. Therefore, the LF roller 4 feeds the leading edge of the roll paper 9 more than the position that can be detected by the multi-sensor 24.

  Next, the cap 18 of the recovery unit 2 shown in FIG. 6 is moved in the direction of retracting from the recording head 8 to change from the capping state to the open state. Then, the carriage unit 1 is moved toward the other side plate 7 at a speed slower than the speed at which the carriage unit 1 is actually moved, in this embodiment, at a speed of 10 inches / sec (254 mm / sec). . Simultaneously with this movement, reading by the multi-sensor 24 is started.

  As the carriage unit 1 moves toward the other side plate 7, the multisensor 24 detects the black color on the surface of the platen 5. If moved as it is, the multi-sensor 24 will pass through one end of the roll paper 9 (the end on the recovery unit 2 side). At this time, the multi-sensor 24 changes from the black color of the platen 5 to the white color of the roll paper 9. Detect changes. At this time, the position information is stored in a storage unit (not shown). Further, if the carriage unit 1 continues to move toward the other side plate 7, this time, it passes through the other end of the roll paper 9, and the fact that the color of the roll paper 9 has changed from black to black on the platen 5 at this time. Detect. Similarly, the positional information is stored in the storage unit at this time. Then, the width of the roll paper 9 is calculated by calculating the two pieces of position information.

  When the multi-sensor 24 detects the other end of the roll paper 9 and the width of the roll paper 9 has been calculated, the carriage unit 1 stops once, and 10 inches / sec (254 mm / sec) on one side plate 6 side. ) Start moving at a speed of At the same time as the carriage unit 1 starts to move, the roll paper 9 is fed by a certain amount by the LF roller 4. In this embodiment, 300 mm is sent out. When the carriage unit 1 moves and the multi-sensor 24 passes one end of the roll paper 9, the carriage unit 1 is stopped. When the roll paper 9 is fed out 300 mm, the carriage unit 1 is moved again to the other side plate 7 side at a speed of 10 inches / sec (254 mm / sec). When the multi-sensor 24 passes through one end of the roll paper 9, the position information of the position changed from the platen 5 to the roll paper 9 detected by the multi-sensor 24 is stored in the storage unit as described above. By calculating the position information before and after the roll paper 9 is sent out 300 mm by the LF roller 4, the skew amount of the roll paper 9 is detected. Determine (OK).

  If the skew is OK, the carriage unit 1 is moved to the side plate 6 side at a speed of 10 inches / sec (254 mm / sec) to the cap position where the face surface of the recording head 8 and the cap 18 of the recovery unit 2 face each other. Move. Then, the cap 18 of the recovery unit 2 is moved to the contact position with the recording head 8 to enter the capping state. The leading edge of the roll paper 9 is returned by the LF roller 4 to the vicinity of the nip position between the pinch roller 11 and the LF roller 4. At this time, the pinch roller 11 remains pressed against the LF roller 4.

  If the skew is NG (not OK), the user displays on the operation panel 30 that the roll paper 9 is set obliquely and asks the user to reposition the roll paper 9 again.

  The recording operation of the recording apparatus of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 3 to 7.

  When the recording device receives a recording command from an external instruction device such as a personal computer, the recording device moves to preparation for recording.

  First, the cap 18 of the recovery unit 2 shown in FIG. 6 moves in the retracting direction, and the recording head 8 changes from the capping state to the open state. Next, the carriage unit 1 performs a certain number of preliminary discharges without moving. The ink ejected from the recording head 8 is received in the cap 18 of the recovery unit 2. When the preliminary ejection is finished, the ejected ink in the cap 18 is sucked by the suction pump of the recovery unit 2 and transferred to the maintenance cartridge 31 shown in FIG. Since the maintenance cartridge 31 can only store a predetermined amount, when a certain amount is stored, a warning message is displayed to inform the user that the operation cartridge 30 needs to be replaced.

  When the preliminary ejection is performed, the wiper 17 of the recovery unit 2 starts operating, and the face surface of the head 8 is wiped by the wiper 17. The above is the recovery process.

  Next, it is necessary to change the lift position of the carriage unit 1 to a position corresponding to the recording medium for recording and the recording mode. First, the carriage unit 1 in the open state moves until it hits one side plate 6. When the carriage unit 1 hits one side plate 6, the carriage unit 1 is stopped. Then, the carriage unit 1 remains in its position in the width direction of the roll paper 9 and rotates the motor 15 in a direction in which the carriage unit 1 contacts one side plate 6 with a load of 30%. While the load state is maintained, the lift motor 27 shown in FIG. 5 is rotated to change the lift position of the carriage unit 1 from the M position to the required position.

After moving the carriage unit 1 to a predetermined lift position, the carriage unit 1 enters a recording operation. The carriage unit 1 is accelerated to a recording speed at a certain acceleration. The acceleration and speed vary depending on the type of recording medium (roll paper) 9 on which recording is performed and the recording mode. In this embodiment, when the type of roll paper 9 is glossy paper, the maximum acceleration is 9 m / sec ^2. The maximum speed is 60 inches / sec (1524 mm / sec).

In the case of glossy paper, the carriage unit 1 moves toward the other side plate 7 with an acceleration of 9 m / sec ² . After the carriage unit 1 reaches a speed of 60 inches / sec (1524 mm / sec), ink is ejected from the recording head 8 in order to record an image based on a recording command received from a personal computer. Then, when the recording of one scan of the forward path from one end of the roll paper 9 to the other end is completed, deceleration is started. The deceleration is the same as the acceleration and is 9 m / sec ² .

The operation of feeding the roll paper 9 by the LF roller 4 starts almost simultaneously with the end of the ejection of ink from the recording head 8 and the start of deceleration of the carriage unit 1. The rotation of the LF roller 4 is also accelerated to a certain speed with a certain acceleration. When the roll paper 9 is fed out at a predetermined speed by a predetermined amount, the LF roller 4 is decelerated at a certain deceleration, and the speed becomes zero. In this embodiment, the acceleration and deceleration of the LF roller 4 are 2 m / sec ² and the speed is 3 inches / sec (76.2 mm / sec).

When the speed of the carriage unit 1 becomes zero (the position at this time is referred to as “back position (BP) side start position”), the carriage unit 1 reverses and moves to one side plate 6. Similarly, the carriage unit 1 accelerates at an acceleration of 9 m / sec ² and records an image based on a recording command received from a personal computer after reaching a speed of 60 inches / sec (1524 mm / sec). Therefore, ink is ejected from the recording head 8.

  Note that the roll paper 9 has completed the feeding of the roll paper 9 by the LF roller 4 by the time the ink discharge from the recording head 8 starts. The carriage unit 1 starts decelerating when the one-scan recording of the return path from the other end of the roll paper 9 to the one end is completed.

Here again, the delivery operation of the roll paper 9 by the LF roller 4 starts almost simultaneously with the end of the ejection of ink from the recording head 8 and the start of deceleration of the carriage unit 1. The LF roller 4 is accelerated to a speed of 3 inches / sec (76.2 mm / sec) at an acceleration of ² m / sec ² . The LF roller 4 starts to decelerate at a deceleration of ² m / sec ² when the roll paper 9 is fed a predetermined amount at a speed of 3 inches / sec (76.2 mm / sec), and the speed becomes zero.

The carriage unit 1 decelerates at a deceleration of 9 m / sec ² and moves until the speed becomes zero (the position where the speed becomes zero is referred to as “home position (HP) side start position”). Then, the carriage unit 1 repeats the reciprocating scanning operation between the home position side start position and the back position side start position, thereby recording on the roll paper 9 with a desired size according to the recorded image.

  The number of reciprocations of the carriage unit 1 is determined by the size of the recorded image and the number of passes. In the recording apparatus of this embodiment, the number of nozzles of the recording head 8 is 1280 nozzles, the resolution is 1200 dpi, and the nozzle length is 27.1 mm. If the A0 size (840 mm × 1188 mm) recording is performed with this recording apparatus, the carriage unit 1 needs to be slightly more than 20 reciprocations in the case of one-pass recording.

  When the recording of the final scan is completed, the carriage unit 1 starts to decelerate. At the same time, the LF roller 4 sends out until the cut position of the roll paper 9 coincides with the cut position by a cutter (not shown). When the cut position of the roll paper 9 and the cut position of the cutter coincide, the cutter cuts the roll paper 9 while moving from the home position which is the standby position. After cutting the roll paper 9, the cutter returns to the home position. After the cutting, the roll paper 9 is returned to a certain amount by the LF roller 4, that is, the front end of the roll paper 9 is returned to the vicinity of the nip position between the pinch roller 11 and the LF roller 4. The pinch roller 11 remains pressed.

  The carriage unit 1 that has started to decelerate decelerates until the speed reaches 10 inches / sec (254 mm / sec), and when it decelerates to 10 inches / sec (254 mm / sec), it moves to the cap position at that speed.

  The operation after the end of recording will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 5 to 7.

  When the lift position at which recording is performed is the M position shown in FIG. 7B, when the carriage unit 1 returns to the cap position, a certain number of preliminary discharges are performed. After the preliminary discharge is completed, the wiper 17 of the recovery unit 2 wipes the face surface of the recording head 8. When wiping is completed, the cap 18 moves upward and enters a capping state. This is the same state as after initialization.

  If the lift position at which recording has been performed is other than the M position, the lift position of the carriage unit 1 must be changed to the M position. The carriage unit 1 is moved until it abuts against one side plate 6. When the carriage unit 1 abuts, the motor 15 is rotated in a direction in which the carriage unit 1 abuts against the one side plate 6 with a load of 30%. Then, while maintaining this state, the lift motor 27 shown in FIG. 5 is rotated to move the lift position to the M position. After the lift position is moved to the M position, the carriage unit 1 is moved to the cap position at a speed of 10 inches / sec (254 mm / sec) toward the other side plate 7. When the carriage unit 1 moves to the cap position, a certain number of preliminary discharges are performed. After the preliminary discharge is completed, the wiper 17 of the recovery unit 2 wipes the face surface of the recording head 8. When wiping is completed, the cap 18 moves upward and enters a capping state. This is the same state as after initialization.

  Next, the operation of the media presser 21 will be described with reference to FIGS.

  The media detection sensor 20 is a sensor that can detect the float of the roll paper 9 and the state in which the roll paper 9 is bent in the direction of the carriage unit 18. When the carriage unit 1 passes over the roll paper 9, The state is detected.

  In addition to detecting the end of the roll paper 9 and measuring the density of the image recorded on the roll paper 9, the multi-sensor 24, like the media detection sensor 20, floats the roll paper 9, and the roll paper 9 is a carriage. It is a sensor which can detect the state bent in the unit 1 direction. The multi-sensor 24 always detects the state of the roll paper 9 when the carriage unit 1 passes over the roll paper 9. Then, when the media detection sensor 20 or the multi-sensor 24 detects the floating or bending of the roll paper 9, the media press 21 is activated.

  In this case, the roll paper 9 is lifted away from the platen 5 upward (in the direction of the carriage unit 1), curls, and exceeds the position of the face surface of the recording head 8. Refers to the case. As shown in FIGS. 7A to 7D, the carriage unit 1 has four lift positions, and the multi-sensor 24 and the media detection sensor 20 move up and down in conjunction with the lift position of the carriage unit 1. . Accordingly, the absolute value of the height of the float of the roll paper 9 varies depending on the lift position.

  A specific operation of the media presser 21 will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. The media press 21 is controlled as follows by a control unit (not shown).

  The control unit stores the position of the media press 21 detected by a sensor (not shown) as a flag MS. When the sensor MS (not shown) detects that the media press 21 is separated from the roll paper 9, the flag MS is set to 0, and when the media press 21 is approaching the roll paper 9 is detected by a sensor (not shown). The flag MS is set to 1. The number of times the carriage unit 1 has scanned the recording medium is stored as a counter M. When the home position side start position is left and the back position side start position is reached, or when the back position side start position is left and the home position side start position is reached, it is determined that one scan has been performed, and the counter M Is added. That is, if the scan is performed once, the counter M = 1, and if the scan is performed twice, the counter M = 2.

  As shown in FIG. 9A, when the multi-sensor 24 detects the floating of the roll paper 9 when the carriage unit 1 scans in the direction of the arrow (corresponding to the direction from the one side plate 6 to the other side plate 7), In the control unit, the flag MS storing the position of the media presser 21 is confirmed. If the flag MS is 0 (indicating a state in which the media presser 21 is separated from the roll paper 9), the carriage unit 1 temporarily stops on the spot. Thereafter, the carriage is moved to the recording start position on the home position side at a speed of about 10 inches / sec (254 mm / sec) in the direction opposite to the arrow in FIG. 9A (corresponding to the direction from the other side plate 7 to the one side plate 6). Move (return) unit 1. Then, by rotating the drive motor 23 at that position, the eccentric cam 22 is rotated via the gear 19 and the media presser 21 is separated from the roll paper 9 (see FIG. 8A). To a position approaching (see FIG. 8B). At that time, the flag MS is changed to 1 (indicating a state where the media press 21 is approaching the roll paper 9). Then, a counter M that counts the number of times the carriage unit 1 has scanned the roll paper 9 is set to zero. The state shown in FIG. 8B is a position where the media presser 21 approaches the roll paper 9, but the bottom surface of the media presser 21 is at the same level as the face surface of the recording head 8 or a slightly higher position. Then, the carriage unit 1 is moved again from this position in the direction of the arrow (from right to left in FIG. 9B), and the recording operation is continued. This is the first flow in the flow shown in FIG.

  Next, the case where the carriage unit 1 is scanning in the direction opposite to the arrow (corresponding to the direction from the other side plate 7 to the one side plate 6) will be described. In this case, the roll of the roll paper 9 is detected by the media sensor 20. As shown in the flowchart of FIG. 10, when the multi-sensor 24 does not detect the floating of the roll paper 9 and the media detection sensor 20 detects the floating of the roll paper 9, the state of the flag MS is confirmed. If the flag MS is 0 (indicating a state in which the media presser 21 is separated from the roll paper 9), the carriage unit 1 temporarily stops on the spot. Thereafter, the carriage unit 1 is moved (returned) to the start position on the back position side at a speed of about 10 inches / sec (254 mm / sec) in the direction of the arrow (corresponding to the direction from one side plate 6 to the other side plate 7). ). Then, by rotating the drive motor 23 at that position, the eccentric cam 22 is rotated via the gear 19 and the media presser 21 is separated from the roll paper 9 (see FIG. 8A). To a position approaching (see FIG. 8B). At that time, the flag MS is changed to 1 (indicating a state where the media press 21 approaches the roll paper 9), and the counter M is set to 0. The state shown in FIG. 8B is a position where the media presser 21 approaches the roll paper 9, but the bottom surface of the media presser 21 is at the same level as the face surface of the recording head 8 or a slightly higher position. Then, the carriage unit 1 is moved again from this position in the direction opposite to the arrow (corresponding to the direction from the other side plate 7 to the one side plate 6), and recording is continued. This is the second flow of the flow shown in FIG.

  As described above, the multi-sensor 24 and the media detection sensor 20 always detect the roll paper 9 when the carriage unit 1 moves on the roll paper 9. For this reason, in all cases such as when initializing, supplying the roll paper 9, and during the recording operation, when the floating of the roll paper 9 is detected, an operation (lowering operation) is performed to bring the media press 21 closer to the roll paper 9.

  Further, when the media press 21 is close to the roll paper 9 (the flag MS is 1), the state where the multi-sensor 24 does not detect the roll paper 9 has continuously exceeded 20 scans (counter M> 20). If it becomes, the operation of raising the media presser 21 is performed.

  Specifically, the multi-sensor 24 and the media detection sensor 20 do not detect the floating of the roll paper 9, and the multi-sensor 24 detects the end of the roll paper 9. Further, if the flag MS is not 0 (indicating that the media press 21 is separated from the roll paper 9), that is, if the media press 21 is approaching the roll paper 9, the counter M is set to M = M + 1. When the counter M is M> 20, that is, when the multi-sensor 24 detects that the end of the roll paper 9 is not continuously lifted more than 20 scans, the carriage unit 1 comes to the start position on the home position side in the next scan. At this time, the carriage unit 1 is temporarily stopped. Then, by rotating the drive motor 23 at that position, the eccentric cam 22 is rotated via the gear 19 to raise the media presser 21. At that time, the flag MS is changed to 0, and the counter M is set to 0. Then, the recording operation is continued. In this case, the multi-sensor 24 and the media detection sensor 20 can detect the floating of the roll paper 9 even when the media presser 21 approaches the roll paper 9. This is the third flow of the flow shown in FIG.

  By doing as described above, even when the roll paper 9 is lifted, recording can be performed in a state where the roll of the roll paper 9 is pressed by the media presser 21, so that the face surface of the recording head 8 and the recording medium Can be prevented from coming into contact with each other. In addition, since the head holder 14 of the carriage unit 1 can be moved, recording can be performed on recording media of various sizes and types.

  In the above description, the roll paper 9 is used as the recording medium. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and any recording medium can be used as long as the present invention can be used.

1 Carriage unit 8 Recording head 20 Media sensor 24 Multi-sensor 51 holding mechanism

Claims (11)

A recording apparatus comprising: a recording head for ejecting ink; and a carriage unit mounted with the recording head and movable in the width direction of the recording medium in a state of facing the recording medium,
The recording apparatus, wherein the carriage unit is provided with a pressing mechanism for pressing the recording medium and a detection mechanism for detecting the lifting of the recording medium in the direction of the recording head.   The recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the pressing mechanism is located downstream of the recording head in the carriage unit when viewed from the conveyance direction of the recording medium.   The recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the pressing mechanism is controlled by a control unit provided in the recording apparatus.   4. The recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a sensor is provided on each side of the carriage unit in the width direction of the recording medium as the detection mechanism. 5.   When a single recording head is used, the media press that is a part of the pressing mechanism is longer than the width of both ends of the recording head in the width direction of the recording head, and the plurality of recording heads are in the width direction of the recording medium. 5. The recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the recording heads are longer than one end to the other end of the recording heads arranged side by side.   The recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the recording head is movable in a direction close to or away from the recording medium by a lift drive unit. A recording method in a recording apparatus comprising: a recording head for ejecting ink; and a carriage unit mounted with the recording head and movable in the width direction of the recording medium in a state of facing the recording medium,
The carriage unit is provided with a pressing mechanism for pressing the recording medium, and a detection mechanism for detecting the lifting of the recording medium in the direction of the recording head.
While the detection mechanism detects the lifting of the recording medium in the direction of the recording head, the pressing mechanism presses the recording medium so that it does not come into contact with the face surface on which the ink ejection port of the recording head is provided. A recording method in which recording is performed by ejecting ink from the ejection port of the recording head onto the recording medium.   The recording method according to claim 7, wherein the pressing mechanism is arranged on the downstream side of the recording head when viewed from the conveyance direction of the recording medium.   9. The press mechanism is moved closer to the recording medium than the face surface of the recording head when the detection mechanism detects that the recording medium is lifted from the face surface of the recording head. The recording method described in 1.   When the detection mechanism detects that the recording medium does not contact the face surface of the recording head, the pressing mechanism is the same as the face surface of the recording head or further away from the recording medium. The recording method according to claim 7 or 8, wherein the recording method is moved.   The recording method according to any one of claims 7 to 10, wherein a plurality of sensors are used as the detection mechanism, and the sensors are selectively used according to a moving direction of the carriage.

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