JP2015000513A - Printer - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To shorten a transporting interval of print media further while reducing a decrease in transporting accuracy of the print media.SOLUTION: A printer 10, including a first drive motor 51 for driving a supply roller 41, a separation roller 42 and an intermediate roller 44 (a transport roller), and a second drive motor 52 for driving a print roller 48 and a sheet output roller 49, performs separate transportation in a printing path and a transport path. The printer 10 performs feed-out precedent supply transportation for driving the first and second drive motors 51, 52 so as to perform: feed-out transportation for feeding a leading edge of a print medium P to the printing path from the transport path; and supply transportation for supplying the next print medium to the transport path from a body sheet supply cassette 56.

Description

  The present invention relates to a printing apparatus.

  Conventionally, as a printing apparatus, when the trailing edge sensor detects the trailing edge of the preceding sheet while the preceding sheet is being fed, the driving of the ASF motor is started and the preliminary feeding of the succeeding sheet is started. When the leading edge sensor detects the leading edge of the succeeding sheet after starting the preliminary feeding, the driving of the motor is stopped after the sheet is further fed by a specified distance from the detection position, and the succeeding sheet is fed to the feeding standby position W. Prior to the next paper feed, there has been proposed one in which the PF motor is driven for the next paper feed when the inter-paper distance is equal to or greater than a specified amount (for example, see Patent Document 1). In this apparatus, even if the subsequent medium is preliminarily fed during the recording operation of the preceding medium, it is possible to ensure a necessary interval between the preceding medium and the subsequent medium. In this apparatus, the intermediate roller, the PF roller, and the paper discharge roller that convey the paper are rotationally driven by the PF motor, and the paper feed roller and the pickup roller that pick up the paper are rotationally driven by the ASF motor.

JP 2009-155038 A

  In the printing apparatus described above, the pickup roller that picks up the paper and the transport roller that transports the paper can be driven separately, so that the inter-page distance of the paper can be controlled. However, in the printing apparatus described above, the PF roller in the print path and the intermediate roller in the transport path are connected by a gear mechanism, and when the paper is nipped between the pick-up roller and the transport roller, the load on the pick-up roller Due to the fluctuation of the sheet, the sheet slips between the rollers, which may affect the sheet feeding accuracy.

  The present invention has been made in view of such problems, and a main object of the present invention is to provide a printing apparatus that can further reduce the conveyance interval of the print medium while further reducing the decrease in the conveyance accuracy of the print medium. And

  The present invention adopts the following means in order to achieve the main object described above.

The printing apparatus of the present invention includes:
A supply roller that supplies the print medium from a storage unit that stores the print medium to a conveyance path;
A transport roller disposed in the transport path for transporting the print medium;
A printing roller located downstream of the transport path and disposed in a print path for printing on the print medium and transporting the print medium;
A first motor for rotating the supply roller and the transport roller;
A second motor for rotating the printing roller;
The first motor and the second motor perform cueing conveyance for feeding the leading end of the print medium from the conveyance path to the printing path, and supply and convey the next printing medium from the storage unit to the conveyance path. A control unit that performs cueing advance supply conveyance that drives a motor;
It is equipped with.

  In this printing apparatus, the first motor rotates the supply roller and the transport roller, and the second motor rotates the print roller. The print medium is transported along the transport path, and the print medium is transported along the print path. Can be run independently. For example, when the printing roller and the conveyance roller are connected, or when the supply roller is further connected, the influence of the load on the conveyance path (for example, the load on the supply roller) It may affect transportation. Here, since the conveyance along the printing path and the conveyance along the conveyance path can be performed separately, for example, the influence of the load on the conveyance path during printing can be prevented, and the printing medium conveyance accuracy can be further reduced. Can be reduced. Further, in this printing apparatus, the first motor and the second motor perform the cueing conveyance for sending the leading end of the printing medium from the conveyance path to the printing path and the supply conveyance for supplying the next printing medium from the storage unit to the conveyance path. Carry out the cueing advance supply transport that drives the motor. In this way, since the next print medium is supplied to the transport path in advance and waits, the transport interval of the print medium can be further shortened. In this way, it is possible to further shorten the printing medium conveyance interval while further reducing the decrease in the conveyance accuracy of the printing medium. For this reason, higher-speed printing can be realized with stable conveyance. At this time, the control unit may execute the cue preceding supply transport when the cue length L1 is shorter than a predetermined determination value. The “determination value” may be determined empirically as a distance at which the supplied print medium is not nipped by the transport roller when the print medium is supplied from the storage unit.

  In the printing apparatus according to the aspect of the invention, the control unit drives the first motor so as to stop the leading end of the next print medium at a position where it is not nipped by the conveyance roller when the cueing advance supply conveyance is executed. It is good. In this way, since the next print medium stands by at a position where it is not transported by the transport roller, it is possible to transport the print medium to be printed next while further reducing the decrease in transport accuracy of the print medium.

  In the printing apparatus according to the aspect of the invention, the control unit may include a cue length L1 in the cue conveyance and a conveyance length L2 from the front end of the print medium accommodated in the accommodation unit to the conveyance roller. <The cueing advance supply conveyance may be executed when L2 is satisfied. In this way, even if the next print medium is supplied to the conveyance path simultaneously with the cueing conveyance of the preceding print medium, the next print medium stands by at a position where it is not nipped by the conveyance roller, so that the next can be efficiently and synchronously performed. The printing medium to be printed on can be conveyed.

  In the printing apparatus according to the aspect of the invention, the control unit rotates the supply roller and the conveyance roller to execute supply and conveyance of the print medium, and rotates the conveyance roller to convey the print medium. It is good also as what executes the 2nd conveyance mode which performs, and performs the 1st conveyance mode when performing cue conveyance. In this way, the print medium can be transported in a more stable state by utilizing the switching between the first transport mode and the second transport mode. Further, the printing apparatus includes a switching gear mechanism that switches between rotating the supply roller and the transport roller or rotating the transport roller according to a rotation direction of the first motor, and the control unit includes: The first conveyance mode may be executed by rotation of the first motor in a predetermined direction, and the second conveyance mode may be executed by reverse rotation of the first motor in the predetermined direction. Note that “rotate the roller” includes, for example, the case where the roller is driven and rotated directly, and the case where the roller is driven and rotated along with the driving rotation of the pair of rollers. Further, the switching gear mechanism mechanism may idle the supply roller when only the transport roller is rotated.

  In the printing apparatus according to the aspect of the invention, the control unit may execute the cueing advance supply conveyance when the high-speed printing mode is selected. In this way, the high-speed printing mode can be made faster.

  In the printing apparatus of the present invention, the control unit does not reflect the stop position error of the preceding print medium when the cueing advance supply conveyance is executed without reflecting it in the next conveyance process of the print medium. It is good also as what performs a process. Here, in the head-feeding advance supply conveyance, the cueing of the preceding print medium and the supply of the next print medium occur at the same time, so that the print medium is nipped between the printing roller, the conveyance roller, and the supply roller. In some cases, the printing roller, the conveyance roller, and the supply roller are temporarily connected via the printing medium. In this case, an error may occur in the cueing position, but if the next printing medium is set in a standby state, it can be brought into a state in which there is no influence on the subsequent printing path. Here, when the cueing advance supply conveyance that is likely to cause an error is executed, the stop position error is not reflected, so that the influence on the subsequent printing conveyance can be reduced.

  In the printing apparatus according to the aspect of the invention, the control unit executes the cueing advance supply conveyance, and after the rear end of the preceding print medium is separated from the conveyance roller, the next print medium is changed to the preceding print medium. It is good also as what performs the follow-up conveyance which drives the said 1st motor so that it may approach. By doing so, the conveyance interval of the print medium can be further shortened.

  In the printing apparatus according to the aspect of the invention, the control unit may perform print conveyance that drives the second motor so that the print roller conveys the print medium at a print conveyance speed in the printing path. The follow-up conveyance may be executed at a large follow-up speed. In this way, it is easy to reduce the distance between the print media by using a follow-up speed larger than the print conveyance speed.

  In the printing apparatus of the present invention, the control unit sets a transport target position of the print medium for the follow-up transport at a position away from a rear end of the print medium transported by printing by a predetermined distance between the pages. The follow-up transport may be executed using the transport target position. In this way, it is possible to further shorten the conveyance interval of the print medium using the conveyance target position so that a predetermined inter-page distance is obtained.

1 is a configuration diagram illustrating an example of a schematic configuration of a printer 10 according to an embodiment. FIG. 2 is a configuration diagram showing an outline of the configuration of a printer unit 30. The flowchart which shows an example of a conveyance processing routine. Explanatory drawing of cueing length L1 of conveyance part 40, and predetermined conveyance length L2. 6 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a print processing routine. Explanatory drawing which shows the execution state of cueing advance supply conveyance. Explanatory drawing which shows the execution state of a follow-up conveyance.

  Next, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram illustrating an outline of a configuration of a printer 10 according to the present embodiment. FIG. 2 is a configuration diagram showing an outline of the configuration of the printer unit 30. The printer 10 according to the present embodiment accommodates a controller 21 that controls the entire printer 10, a scanner unit 25 that reads a read original, a printer unit 30 that discharges ink as a colorant onto the print medium P, and the print medium P. And a main body paper feed cassette 56. The printer 10 includes a scanner unit 25 and a printer unit 30, and is configured as a multifunction printer having a printer function, a scanner function, and a copy function. In addition, the printer 10 includes an expansion cassette 60 that can accommodate another print medium P at the bottom of the main body. The main body paper feed cassette 56 and the extension cassette 60 contain print media P of different sizes and types. For convenience of explanation, the ones stored in the main body paper feed cassette 56 and the extension cassette 60 or collectively referred to as a print medium P, and when a plurality of sheets are conveyed, the print medium P1 in order from the preceding one. , P2.

  The controller 21 is configured as a microprocessor centered on the CPU 22, and includes a flash memory 23 that can store various processing programs and can rewrite data, and a RAM 24 that temporarily stores data and stores data. I have. The controller 21 controls the printer unit 30 so as to execute the printing process and also controls the scanner unit 25 so as to execute the image reading process. The controller 21 is electrically connected to the scanner unit 25, the printer unit 30, and the like through a bus 29.

  The scanner unit 25 is configured as a well-known image scanner including a reading sensor that reads a conveyed read original as image data or reads a read original placed on an original table as image data. The reading sensor is a sensor that separates the reflected light after emitting light toward the document into red (R), green (G), and blue (B) colors to obtain scan data.

  The printer unit 30 is configured as an ink-jet color printer mechanism that includes a printing unit 31 that performs printing by discharging ink onto the printing medium P and a transport unit 40 that transports the printing medium P. The printing unit 31 includes a carriage 32 movably disposed on the carriage shaft, a print head 33 that applies pressure to the ink and ejects ink droplets from the nozzles 34, and a carriage belt along the carriage shaft in the main scanning direction. And a carriage motor (not shown) that moves the ink 32 and an ink cartridge (not shown) that stores ink of each color and supplies the stored ink to the print head 33. The print head 33 is provided at the lower part of the carriage 32. Each color is applied from a nozzle 34 provided on the lower surface of the print head 33 by applying a voltage to the piezoelectric element to deform the piezoelectric element and pressurize the ink. The ink is discharged. In the print head 33, nozzles 34 are formed as nozzle rows 35 (see FIG. 2) arranged in the transport direction of the print medium P at predetermined intervals. The mechanism for applying pressure to the ink may be based on the generation of bubbles due to the heat of the heater. The ink cartridge individually accommodates ink of each color such as cyan (C), magenta (M), yellow (Y), and black (K).

  As shown in FIG. 2, the transport unit 40 is disposed under the printer main body from a main body paper feed cassette 56 that accommodates the print medium P, and a discharge tray via a transport path 50 and a print path 38 by a plurality of roller pairs. A mechanism for conveying the print medium P to 58 is configured. Above the main body paper feed cassette 56, as a supply mechanism for the print medium P, a supply roller 41 that picks up the print medium P from the main body paper feed cassette 56, a separation roller 42 that separates the overlapping print media P, and a separation roller 42 and a retard roller 43 forming a roller pair. An intermediate roller 44 that is a relatively large cylindrical roller driven by the first drive motor 51 and first to third driven rollers 45 to 47 (conveyance) disposed on the cylindrical surface of the intermediate roller 44 are provided in the conveyance path 50. (Also referred to as a roller). Each driven roller is arranged in the order of the first driven roller 45, the second driven roller 46, and the third driven roller 47 in order from the main body paper feed cassette 56 side (upstream side of the conveyance path 50). In the transport unit 40, a roller pair is formed by the intermediate roller 44 and the first driven roller 45, a roller pair is formed by the intermediate roller 44 and the second driven roller 46, and the intermediate roller 44 and the third driven roller 47 are A roller pair is formed.

  A print path 38 is formed downstream of the transport path 50, and the print head 33 is disposed above the print path 38. A printing roller 48 that conveys the printing medium P is disposed upstream of the printing path 38 (conveying path 50 side), and a discharge roller 49 is disposed downstream of the printing path 38 (discharge tray 58 side). Ink is ejected from the print head 33 onto the print medium P conveyed by the print roller 48 and the discharge roller 49, and printing processing is performed. In the transport unit 40, the first drive motor 51 rotationally drives the supply roller 41, the separation roller 42, and the intermediate roller 44, and the second drive motor 52 rotationally drives the printing roller 48 and the paper discharge roller 49. The first drive motor 51 includes a gear mechanism 53 (see FIG. 1) in which a one-way clutch and a plurality of gears are combined. The gear mechanism 53 is configured to rotate the supply roller 41, the separation roller 42, and the intermediate roller 44 only in a predetermined transport direction. The gear mechanism 53 rotates the supply roller 41, the separation roller 42, and the intermediate roller 44 when the rotation direction of the first drive motor 51 is normal rotation, and the rotation direction of the first drive motor 51 is reverse rotation. In some cases, only the intermediate roller 44 is rotationally driven, and the supply roller 41 and the separation roller 42 are configured to be switched so as to idle. As described above, the transport unit 40 changes the rotation direction of the first drive motor 51 to thereby supply the print medium P through the gear mechanism 53 and transport the print medium P, and transport the print medium P. It is possible to switch between the second transfer mode in which only the operation is performed. In the transport path 50, a supply sensor 54 that detects the print medium P is disposed between the separation roller 42 and the first driven roller 45 in the vicinity of the first driven roller 45. The supply sensor 54 is disposed at a position where the print medium P conveyed from the expansion cassette 60 can also be detected. A print path sensor 55 that detects the conveyed print medium P is disposed between the third driven roller 47 and the print roller 48 in the vicinity of the print roller 48.

  The main body paper feed cassette 56 is a storage unit that can store a plurality of types of print media. A guide 57 that is aligned with the lower end of the print medium P is movably disposed in the main body paper feed cassette 56. In the main body paper feed cassette 56, the length of the print medium P <b> 1 accommodated in the main body paper feed cassette 56 can be detected from the position of the guide 57. The expansion cassette 60 is a storage unit that stores the print medium P in addition to the main body paper feed cassette 56. In this extension cassette 60, an extension motor (not shown), an extension supply roller 61, a separation roller 62, and a retard roller 63 are disposed above the extension cassette 60, and the extension supply roller 61 and the separation roller 62 are rotationally driven by the extension motor. . This additional motor is electrically connected to the controller 21 and is driven based on a drive signal from the controller 21. In the expansion cassette 60, a guide 67 that is aligned with the lower end of the print medium P is movably disposed, similarly to the main body paper feed cassette 56.

  Next, the operation of the printer 10 according to the present embodiment configured as described above, first, processing for supplying and transporting the print medium P through the transport path 50 will be described. FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a conveyance processing routine executed by the CPU 22 of the controller 21. This routine is stored in the flash memory 23, and is executed after the user operates the operation panel to instruct execution of the printing process in the high-speed printing mode in which the printing speed is more important than the image quality. Here, a case will be described in which the print medium P accommodated in the main body paper feed cassette 56 is designated as a print target. The conveyance of the print medium P in the print path 38 will be described after this description.

  When this routine is started, the CPU 22 performs the supply conveyance process in the first conveyance mode (step S100), and determines whether or not the first conveyance is completed (step S110). In the first transport mode, the first drive motor 51 is driven to rotate forward, and the supply roller 41, the separation roller 42, and the intermediate roller 44 are rotated to supply and transport the print medium P to the transport path 50. At this time, the position of the front end of the print medium P1 is counted according to the number of rotation steps of the supply roller 41 and the like. The determination of the end of the first conveyance is, for example, the length in the conveyance direction of the print medium P that can be nipped by the supply roller 41 (or the separation roller 42), the first driven roller 45, and the second driven roller 46. Is determined to end the first transport mode when nipped by the two roller pairs of the intermediate roller 44. Further, when the length of the print medium P in the transport direction is a length that can be nipped only by the supply roller 41 (or the separation roller 42) and the first driven roller 45, one of the intermediate roller 44 and the first driven roller 45. Assume that it is determined that the first conveyance mode is finished when nipping by two roller pairs. In this way, since the print medium P is supplied and transported by as many transport roller pairs as possible, the influence of the load on the retard roller 43 and the like can be reduced as much as possible, and more stable transport of the print medium can be realized.

  When the first conveyance is not finished in step S110, the CPU 22 continues the process of step S100. That is, the supply conveyance process in the first conveyance mode is continued. On the other hand, when the first transport is completed, a transport process in the second transport mode is executed (step S120), and it is determined whether or not the print medium P has reached the standby position (step S130). Here, in the second transport mode, the first drive motor 51 is driven in reverse rotation, the supply roller 41 and the separation roller 42 are idled, only the intermediate roller 44 is rotated, and the print medium P1 is transported to the standby position. The standby position may be, for example, in the vicinity of the print path sensor 55 between the third driven roller 47 and the print path sensor 55, in the vicinity of the print roller 48 before the nip, or with the print path sensor 55 in the print medium. It is good also as a position which detects the tip of P. Here, the standby position is a position where the print path sensor 55 detects the leading edge of the print medium P. The confirmation of the print medium P may be detected by the print path sensor 55 or may be estimated based on the conveyance amount obtained from the number of driving steps of the intermediate roller 44. When the leading edge of the print medium P is not at the standby position, the process of step S120 is continued. That is, the intermediate roller 44 transports the print medium P to the print path 38 side.

  On the other hand, when the leading edge of the print medium P is in the standby position, the CPU 22 acquires the cueing conveyance distance L1 in the cueing conveyance for sending the leading edge of the printing medium P from the conveyance path 50 to the printing path 38 from the print job (step S140). ). The cueing transport distance L1 is determined, for example, as a distance between the standby position where the print medium P once stands by just before cueing the print medium P to the print path 38 and the front end of the print medium P after cueing. ing. Note that this cueing position is changed according to an image to be printed, for example, where an area to be printed exists on the print medium. Next, it is determined whether or not the obtained cueing conveyance distance L1 and the predetermined conveyance length L2 satisfy L1 <L2 (L2> L1) (step S150). FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram of the cue length L1 and the predetermined transport length L2 of the transport unit 40. Here, as shown in FIG. 4, the predetermined transport length L <b> 2 is formed by a roller pair of the intermediate roller 44 and the first driven roller 45 from the front end of the print medium P accommodated in the main body paper feed cassette 56. The distance to the first nip point of the conveying roller is set. In FIG. 4, the print medium P <b> 1 is in the standby position, and an example of the front end of the print medium P <b> 1 after conveyance by cueing conveyance is indicated by a dotted line. When this L1 <L2 is satisfied, the front end of the print medium P2 is not nipped by the first driven roller 45 even if the print medium P2 is supplied from the main body paper feed cassette 56 in synchronization with the cueing of the print medium P1.

  In step S150, when the cueing conveyance distance L1 and the predetermined conveyance length L2 satisfy L1 <L2, the next print medium P2 is supplied and conveyed to the conveyance path 50 together with the cueing conveyance of the preceding print medium P1. Assuming that the front end of the print medium P2 does not reach the first nip of the transport roller, the head search transport and feeding of the preceding print medium P1 and the transport process in the first transport mode are performed in synchronization. (Step S160). In this processing, the first drive motor 51 is driven to rotate in the forward direction by the same conveyance amount as the cueing conveyance amount by the second drive motor 52, and the supply roller 41, the separation roller 42, and the intermediate roller 44 are rotated. According to this cueing advance supply conveyance, the preceding print medium P1 is conveyed to the cue position, and the next print medium P2 stops immediately before the first nip of the conveyance roller.

  On the other hand, in step S150, when the cueing conveyance distance L1 and the predetermined conveyance length L2 do not satisfy L1 <L2, the next print medium P2 is nipped by the conveyance roller when the cueing preceding supply conveyance is performed. Assuming that the next print medium P2 is not supplied, the transport process in the second transport mode for transporting the preceding print medium P1 in synchronization with the print roller 48 is executed (step S170). When the next print medium P2 is nipped by the transport roller (intermediate roller 44), the roller of the print path 38 and the roller of the transport path 50 are connected via the print medium P2, and the print medium P1 The conveyance load of the supply roller 41, the separation roller 42, and the retard roller 43 directly affects the printing conveyance. Here, when the print medium P is nipped between the print roller 48 and the intermediate roller 44 across the print path 38 and the transport path 50, this is prevented by executing only the second transport mode. .

  After step S160 or step S170, the CPU 22 executes a transport process (synchronous transport) in the second transport mode synchronized with the print transport of the printing roller 48 and the discharge roller 49 of the preceding print medium P1 (step S180). In the print path 38, as will be described in detail later, the print medium P1 is transported and stopped by the print roller 48 and the discharge roller 49, and the process of ejecting ink from the print head 33 is repeatedly performed during this stop. Here, the intermediate roller 44 is driven in synchronization with the intermittent conveyance. Subsequently, it is determined whether or not the trailing edge of the preceding print medium P1 exceeds the final nip of the transport roller (step S190). Here, it is determined whether the final nip of the transport roller exceeds the nip of the roller pair of the intermediate roller 44 and the third driven roller 47. It is assumed that the rear end position of the print medium P1 is counted by the number of driving steps of the intermediate roller 44 and the print roller 48 and stored in the RAM 24. When the lower end of the preceding print medium P1 does not exceed the final nip of the transport roller, the process of step S180 is continued. That is, synchronized conveyance with the printing roller 48 is continued.

  On the other hand, when the trailing end of the preceding print medium P1 exceeds the final nip of the transport roller in step S190, it is assumed that the print medium P can be freely transported on the transport path 50 side, and is transported in advance. If the print medium P2 is on standby, or the print medium P stored in the main body paper feed cassette 56 is not advanced in the first feeding mode or the second conveyance mode, the preceding printing is performed. Follow-up conveyance for conveying toward the rear end of the medium P1 is executed (step S200). In this follow-up transport, the print medium P2 is transported at a transport speed larger than the overall print transport speed of the intermittent transport by the printing roller 48. In the follow-up conveyance, the first drive motor 51 is driven to rotate based on a conveyance target position set at a position separated by a predetermined inter-page distance X from the rear end of the preceding print medium P1. The inter-page distance X is empirically set to such a value that the preceding print medium P1 and the print medium P2 do not overlap each other and the print media P1 and P2 are arranged as close as possible even if a conveyance deviation occurs. It is stipulated in. The switching between the first transport mode and the second transport mode here can be performed under the same conditions as in step S110 described above. In this follow-up transport, when the preceding print medium P1 is discharged, the transport target position may be set to a position before the print roller 48, for example, a standby position.

  After executing the add-on conveyance process in step S200, the CPU 22 determines whether or not there is a next page (step S210), and if there is a next page, executes the processes after step S130. That is, in step S130, it is determined whether or not the preceding print medium is in the standby position. If the preceding print medium P1 is not in the standby position, the process of conveying the preceding print medium P1 in the second conveyance mode is printed. The process is repeated until the medium P1 comes to the standby position. Note that when the print medium P2 is in the supply state at the time of the determination in step S130, the first transport mode may be appropriately executed. On the other hand, when there is no next page, this routine is finished as it is. Thus, in the transport of the print medium P along the transport path 50, the cueing advance supply transport and the follow-up transport are executed.

  Next, a process for printing on the conveyed print medium P will be described. FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a print processing routine executed by the CPU 22 of the controller 21. This routine is stored in the flash memory 23, and is executed after the user operates the operation panel and instructs execution of the printing process. This routine is executed in parallel with the conveyance processing routine described above. When this routine is started, the CPU 22 determines whether or not there is the print medium P at a predetermined standby position (step S300). When there is no print medium P at the standby position, the CPU 22 waits as it is, and when the print medium P is at the standby position, the CPU 22 executes a cueing conveyance for conveying the front end of the print medium P to a predetermined cueing position ( Step S310). At this time, the number of rotation steps of the printing roller 48 is measured by a measuring instrument (not shown) disposed on the printing roller 48, and a difference between the set number of rotation steps and the measured number of rotation steps is determined as a feed error (stop position error). ). When the printing roller 48 is rotated and the printing medium P is conveyed, this feeding error is counted. Further, as described above, when the condition is satisfied, the preceding supply conveyance is executed on the conveyance path 50.

  Next, the CPU 22 determines whether or not the above-described cueing advance supply conveyance is being executed, that is, whether or not the next print medium P2 is waiting on the conveyance path 50 (step S320), When the supply conveyance is executed, the feed error counted in the cue conveyance is reset (step S330). Here, when the cueing preceding supply conveyance is executed, the cueing of the preceding print medium P1 and the supply of the next print medium P2 occur at the same time, so that the print medium is nipped between the printing roller and the conveyance roller. In some cases, the printing roller, the conveyance roller, and the supply roller are temporarily connected via the printing medium. In this case, an error may occur in the cue position. Since this error is different from a normal error, the resetting does not affect the subsequent printing conveyance.

  After resetting the feed error in step S330, or when it is determined in step S320 that the cueing advance feed conveyance is not executed, the CPU 22 drives the carriage motor to move the carriage 32 in the predetermined scanning direction while moving the nozzle. A printing process for ejecting ink from 34 is executed (step S340). Here, it is assumed that print data for one pass is acquired and ink of each color is ejected from the nozzles 34 based on this data. Next, it is determined whether or not there is a next pass to be printed (step S350). When there is a next pass, the print roller 48 and the paper discharge roller 49 are rotated to correct the feed error and the print medium P1. Are intermittently conveyed, and the feed error is counted (step S360), and the processing after step S340 is performed. For example, the process of ejecting one pass of ink and transporting the print medium P for a distance of one pass is repeated until there is no next pass. For example, when the current transport step number is “100” and the feed error count value is “−2”, the next transport step number is set to “102” to correct the feed error. Processing such as rotating the motor 52 is performed.

  On the other hand, when there is no next pass in step S350, the CPU 22 performs paper discharge processing on the assumption that printing of the print medium P being currently processed is completed (step S370). In the paper discharge process, the second drive motor 52 is rotationally driven so that the printing roller 48 and the paper discharge roller 49 continuously rotate in the transport direction. Subsequently, it is determined whether or not there is a next page to be printed (step S380). If there is a next page to be printed, the processes in and after step S300 are repeatedly executed. On the other hand, when there is no next page to be printed, this routine is terminated. As described above, in the printing process routine, ink ejection and conveyance of the printing medium P are executed while correcting the feeding error.

  Here, the cueing advance supply conveyance and the follow-up conveyance will be described using specific examples. 6A and 6B are explanatory diagrams showing the execution state of the cueing advance supply conveyance, in which FIG. 6A is the conveyance in the first conveyance mode, FIG. 6B is the conveyance in the second conveyance mode, and FIG. Is a stop at the standby position, FIG. 6D is an explanatory view of the cueing advance supply conveyance in the first conveyance mode, and FIG. 6E is an explanatory diagram of the ink ejection process immediately after cueing. 7A and 7B are explanatory diagrams showing the execution state of the add-on transport, in which FIG. 7A is an ink ejection process immediately after cueing, FIG. 7B is a synchronized transport that crosses the print path 38 and the transport path 50, and FIG. 7 (c) is an additional conveyance in the first conveyance mode, FIG. 7 (d) is an additional conveyance in the second conveyance mode, and FIG. 7 (e) is an explanatory diagram of the ink ejection process after the additional conveyance. . As described above, when printing is started, the print medium P1 is picked up from the main body paper feed cassette 56 in the first transport mode (S100, FIG. 6A). Next, when the print medium P1 is nipped by the two roller pairs of the intermediate roller 44, the mode is switched to the second transport mode, and the print medium P1 is transported (S120, FIG. 6B). When the print medium P1 reaches the standby position (S130, FIG. 6 (c)) and the execution condition of the cueing advance supply conveyance is satisfied, the next printing is performed in the first conveyance mode together with the cue conveyance of the preceding print medium P1. Cueing advance supply conveyance for picking up the medium P2 is executed (S160, S310, FIG. 6D). Only in this transport process, the print roller 48, the intermediate roller 44, and the supply roller 41 are connected via the print media P1 and P2, and the stop error of the cue transport of the print media P1 to be printed is, for example, retarded. This may occur depending on the conveyance load of the roller 43 and the like. When the cueing conveyance is completed, the ink ejection process is executed on the printing medium P1, and the printing medium P2 is in a standby state before the first nip of the conveyance roller (FIG. 6E). Thus, in the printing in the high-speed printing mode, the distance between pages of the printing media P1 and P2 is made as short as possible.

  Subsequently, from the state in which the print medium P2 waits before the first nip of the conveyance roller (FIG. 7A), the intermittent conveyance and ink of the print medium P1 are performed by the rotation of the print roller 48 and the synchronous conveyance in the second conveyance mode. Discharging is performed (S180, S360, FIG. 7B). Since the print medium P2 stands by before the first nip of the transport roller, the print medium P1 can be transported through the print path 38 without being affected by the transport path 50 side. Subsequently, when the trailing end of the preceding print medium P1 is out of the final nip of the transport roller, it can be transported freely on the transport path 50 side, and therefore, the supplementary transport in the first transport mode is first executed (S200, FIG. 7 (c)). When the print medium P2 is nipped by the two roller pairs of the intermediate roller 44 while performing the print conveyance and ink ejection of the print medium P1, the print medium P1 is switched to the second conveyance mode and the additional conveyance is executed (FIG. 7D). ). Then, when the print medium P2 reaches the inter-page distance X of the print medium P1, the follow-up conveyance is finished (FIG. 7E). And such a conveyance process is repeated.

  Here, the correspondence between the components of the present embodiment and the components of the present invention will be clarified. The controller 21 of the present embodiment corresponds to the control unit of the present invention, the supply roller 41 and the separation roller 42 correspond to the supply roller, the intermediate roller 44, the first driven roller 45, the second driven roller 46, and the third driven roller. 47 corresponds to a transport roller, the print roller 48 corresponds to a print roller, the first drive motor 51 corresponds to a first motor, and the second drive motor 52 corresponds to a second motor.

  According to the printer 10 of the present embodiment described in detail above, the first drive motor 51 rotates the supply roller 41, the separation roller 42, and the intermediate roller 44, and the second drive motor 52 causes the print roller 48 and the discharge roller 49 to rotate. It is configured to rotate, and the conveyance of the print medium P in the conveyance path 50 and the conveyance of the print medium P in the print path 38 can be performed independently. For example, when the supply roller 41 and the intermediate roller 44 are connected, or when the supply roller 41 is further connected, the influence of the load on the conveyance path 50 (for example, the load of the supply roller 41 and the retard roller 43). May affect the conveyance of the print medium P in the print path 38. Here, since the conveyance along the printing path 38 and the conveyance along the conveyance path 50 can be performed separately, for example, the influence of the load on the conveyance path 50 during printing can be prevented, and the conveyance accuracy of the print medium P can be prevented. Can be further reduced. In addition, the printer 10 performs cueing conveyance in which the leading edge of the print medium P is sent from the conveyance path 50 to the print path 38, and also supplies and conveys the next print medium P from the main body paper feed cassette 56 to the conveyance path 50. Cueing advance supply conveyance for driving the first drive motor 51 and the second drive motor 52 is performed so as to be performed. In this way, since the next print medium P2 is supplied to the transport path 50 in advance and placed on standby, the transport interval of the print medium P can be further shortened. In this way, it is possible to further shorten the conveyance interval of the print medium P while further reducing the decrease in the conveyance accuracy of the print medium P. For this reason, higher-speed printing can be realized with stable conveyance.

  Further, when executing the cueing advance supply conveyance, the leading end of the next print medium P is stopped at a position where it is not nipped by the first nip of the conveyance roller, so that the next print medium P2 waits at a position where it is not conveyed by the conveyance roller. Thus, it is possible to transport the print medium P2 to be printed next while further reducing the decrease in the transport accuracy of the print medium P1. Further, since the cueing preceding supply conveyance is executed when the cue length L1 and the conveyance length L2 satisfy L1 <L2, the next printing is performed on the conveyance path 50 simultaneously with the cue conveyance of the preceding print medium P1. Even if the medium P2 is supplied, it waits at a position where the next print medium P2 is not nipped by the transport roller, so that the next print medium P2 to be printed can be efficiently transported synchronously. Furthermore, a first conveyance mode in which the supply roller 41, the separation roller 42, and the intermediate roller 44 are rotated to execute supply and conveyance of the print medium P, and a second conveyance mode in which the intermediate roller 44 is rotated to execute conveyance of the print medium. Are switched and executed, and the first transport mode is executed when the cueing transport is performed. Therefore, the print medium P1 is kept in a more stable state by using the switching between the first transport mode and the second transport mode. Can be transported. Further, the first drive motor 51 includes a gear mechanism 53 that switches between rotating the supply roller 41, the separation roller 42, and the intermediate roller 44 or rotating only the intermediate roller 44 according to the rotation direction of the first drive motor 51. It is easy to switch each transport mode according to the rotation of the motor 51. Furthermore, when the high-speed printing mode is selected, the cueing advance supply conveyance is executed, so that the high-speed printing mode can be made faster.

  Further, the feeding error (stop position error) of the preceding print medium P1 when the cueing advance supply transport is executed is not reflected in the next transport process of the print medium P1, thereby reducing the influence on the subsequent print transport. can do. In the front-feeding advance feeding conveyance, the cueing of the preceding printing medium and the feeding of the next printing medium occur simultaneously, so that the printing medium is nipped between the printing roller, the conveyance roller, and the feeding roller, that is, the printing roller In some cases, the conveyance roller and the supply roller are temporarily connected via the print medium. In this case, since the print medium P1 moves while pulling the conveyance load of the retard roller 43, an error may occur in the cueing position. However, thereafter, since the print medium P1 is transported without such a load, the feeding error in the cue transport should not be used for error correction in the subsequent print transport. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the influence on the subsequent print conveyance. Further, the cueing advance supply conveyance is executed, and after the trailing end of the preceding print medium P1 is separated from the conveyance roller, the first drive motor 51 is driven so that the next print medium P2 approaches the preceding print medium P1. Since the follow-up conveyance is executed, the conveyance interval of the print medium can be further shortened, and further high-speed printing is possible. Furthermore, since the follow-up conveyance is executed at a follow-up speed larger than the print carry speed, it is easy to shorten the distance between the print media using a follow-up speed larger than the print carry speed. Then, the transport target position of the print medium P2 for additional transport is set at a position away from the rear end of the print medium P1 that has been transported for printing by a predetermined inter-page distance X, and additional transport is executed using the target transport position. Therefore, the conveyance interval of the print media P1 and P2 can be further shortened so that the predetermined inter-page distance X is obtained.

  It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and it goes without saying that the present invention can be implemented in various modes as long as it belongs to the technical scope of the present invention.

  For example, in the above-described embodiment, when the cue length L1 and the conveyance length L2 satisfy L1 <L2, the cueing preceding supply conveyance is executed. However, the next printing is performed at a position where the nip is not nipped by the conveyance rollers. If the front end of the medium P2 is stopped, the present invention is not particularly limited to this. In particular, since the first transport mode (next supply transport) can be executed at an arbitrary timing, it is not necessary to move the print medium P2 in complete synchronization with the preceding print medium P1. Note that it is preferable to transport the preceding print medium P1 and the next print medium P2 in complete synchronization because the transport load and the like are constant and the deviation of the cueing position is likely to be constant. .

  In the above-described embodiment, the first conveyance mode and the second conveyance mode are realized by the rotation direction of the first drive motor 51 using the gear mechanism 53. However, the supply conveyance by the supply roller 41 and the intermediate roller 44 is performed. And the conveyance by the intermediate roller 44 are not limited to this.

  In the above-described embodiment, when the high-speed printing mode is selected, the cueing advance supply conveyance is executed. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the cueing advance supply conveyance may be executed in any conveyance mode. However, the cueing advance feeding conveyance may be executed in a mode other than the high-speed printing mode. Even in this case, it is possible to further shorten the conveyance interval of the print medium P while further reducing the decrease in the conveyance accuracy of the print medium P.

  In the above-described embodiment, the feeding error of the preceding print medium P1 when the cueing advance supply conveyance is executed is not reflected in the next conveyance process of the print medium P1, but this is not particularly limited to this. The feeding error may be reflected in the next transport process. Further, the conveyance correction itself due to the feeding error may not be performed.

  In the above-described embodiment, after the trailing end of the preceding print medium P1 is separated from the conveyance roller, the follow-up conveyance for causing the next print medium P2 to approach the preceding print medium P1 is executed. May be omitted. Even in this case, since the print medium P2 stands by in the middle of the transport path 50, the distance between the pages of the print media P1 and P2 can be shortened. Further, the follow-up conveyance is executed at a follow-up speed larger than the print conveyance speed, but is not particularly limited thereto. However, a higher follow-up speed is preferable because the inter-page distance X can be further shortened. In the above-described embodiment, the description has been given on the assumption that the transport target position of the print medium for appending transport is set at a position away from the rear end of the print medium P1 by a predetermined inter-page distance X. The standby position on the path 50 may be set as the conveyance target position. If the next print medium P2 catches up with the preceding print medium P1 by the follow-up transport, the transport target position may be set as appropriate.

  In the above-described embodiment, the cue length L1 and the conveyance length L2 from the front end of the printing medium P accommodated in the main body paper feed cassette 56 to the first nip of the intermediate roller 44 (conveyance roller) satisfy L1 <L2. However, the present invention is not particularly limited to this. When the cue length L1 is shorter than a predetermined determination value, the cue preceding supply transport may be executed. . The “determination value” may be determined empirically as a distance at which the supplied print medium is not nipped by the transport roller when the print medium is supplied from the storage unit. Even in this case, it is possible to further shorten the conveyance interval of the print medium P while further reducing the decrease in the conveyance accuracy of the print medium P.

  In the above-described embodiment, the first conveyance mode and the second conveyance mode are switched. However, the present invention is not particularly limited thereto. For example, the supply roller 41 and the separation roller 42 are idled by a clutch, The separation roller 42 may be retracted from the print medium P. In addition, the gear mechanism 53 is used to switch between the first conveyance mode and the second conveyance mode depending on the rotation direction of the first drive motor 51. However, the supply and conveyance of the printing medium P are executed, and only the conveyance is performed. If switching between execution is not particularly limited to this.

  In the above-described embodiment, the description has been made when the print medium P is supplied from the main body paper feed cassette 56. However, when the print medium P is supplied from the expansion cassette 60, the cueing advance supply conveyance may be executed. Good.

10 Printer, 21 Controller, 22 CPU, 23 Flash memory, 24 RAM, 25 Scanner unit, 30 Printer unit, 31 Printing unit, 32 Carriage, 33 Print head, 34 Nozzle, 35 nozzle row, 38 Printing path, 40 Conveying unit, 41 Supply Roller, 42 Separation Roller, 43 Retard Roller, 44 Intermediate Roller, 45 First Follower Roller, 46 Second Follower Roller, 47 Third Follower Roller, 48 Print Roller, 49 Paper Discharge Roller, 50 Transport Path, 51 First Drive motor, 52 Second drive motor, 53 Gear mechanism, 54 Supply sensor, 55 Print path sensor, 56 Main body cassette, 57 Guide, 58 Paper discharge tray, 60 Additional cassette, 61 Additional supply roller, 62 Separation roller, 63 Litterro La, 65 first expansion roller, 67 guide, P, P1, P2 print medium.

Claims (9)

A supply roller that supplies the print medium from a storage unit that stores the print medium to a conveyance path;
A transport roller disposed in the transport path for transporting the print medium;
A printing roller located downstream of the transport path and disposed in a print path for printing on the print medium and transporting the print medium;
A first motor for rotating the supply roller and the transport roller;
A second motor for rotating the printing roller;
The first motor and the second motor perform cueing conveyance for feeding the leading end of the print medium from the conveyance path to the printing path, and supply and convey the next printing medium from the storage unit to the conveyance path. A control unit that performs cueing advance supply conveyance that drives a motor;
Printing device with   2. The printing according to claim 1, wherein the control unit drives the first motor to stop a leading end of the next printing medium at a position where it is not nipped by the conveyance roller when performing the cueing advance supply conveyance. apparatus.   The control unit is configured such that the cueing length L1 in the cueing conveyance and the conveyance length L2 from the front end of the print medium accommodated in the accommodation unit to the conveyance roller satisfy L1 <L2. The printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein cueing advance supply conveyance is executed.   The control unit rotates the supply roller and the conveyance roller to execute the supply and conveyance of the printing medium, and the second conveyance mode to rotate the conveyance roller and execute the conveyance of the printing medium. The printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first conveyance mode is executed when the cueing conveyance is performed.   5. The printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control unit executes the cueing advance supply conveyance when a high-speed printing mode is selected.   The control unit executes the transport process without reflecting the stop position error of the preceding print medium when the cueing advance supply transport is performed, without reflecting it in the next transport process of the print medium. The printing apparatus according to any one of 1 to 5.   The control unit executes the cueing preceding supply conveyance, and after the trailing end of the preceding print medium is detached from the conveyance roller, the first print medium is brought close to the preceding print medium. The printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a follow-up conveyance that drives a motor is executed.   The control unit executes print conveyance for driving the second motor so as to convey the print medium by the printing roller at a print conveyance speed in the printing path, and the follow-up speed is higher than the print conveyance speed. The printing apparatus according to claim 7, wherein follow-up conveyance is executed.   The control unit sets a transport target position of the print medium for the follow-up transport at a position away from a rear end of the print medium that has been transported by printing, using the transport target position. The printing apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the follow-up conveyance is executed.

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