JP2015096826A - Optical measuring device, recording device, processing method, and program - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an optical measuring device capable of accurately detecting replacement timing of an optical sensor.SOLUTION: If a light quantity ratio of a plurality of light sources different in life falls below a specified quantity, a life of a light source is determined.

Description

  The present invention relates to an optical measurement device, a recording device, a processing method, and a program.

  Conventionally, at the production site of printed materials, proof printing is performed before entering the main printing, and the image data is referred to by referring to the image displayed on the proof printed printing sample and the authentication color patch displayed together with the image. Color calibration is performed to check whether the color is reproduced.

  Recently, in order to shorten the time required for proof printing, a form of color proofing called simple proofing that outputs proof paper directly from printing data for plate making is widely used. Inkjet printers have been used for output.

  Furthermore, in order to provide a series of high-speed workflows from printing to colorimetry, there is a type in which a colorimetric sensor including a light emitting unit and a light receiving unit can be attached to a recording apparatus. Furthermore, there is an apparatus having a configuration in which the sensor unit can be replaced by a user for the purpose of periodic calibration and maintenance of the colorimetric sensor itself.

  In general, the colorimetric sensor is periodically corrected at the time of factory shipment or during user use so that the wavelength and the reflectance are equal to the determined values with reference to tiles and color charts. For those that change depending on the environment such as temperature and humidity during user use, the measurement accuracy may be improved by, for example, measuring a white reference plate as a reference measurement object before measurement.

  On the other hand, deterioration of the light source and characteristic fluctuation may occur, and it is recommended to replace the light source regularly.

  In general, the recommended value for light source replacement is determined based on the number of times the sensor is used and the time it is used. However, the characteristics of the sensor itself are measured, and the wavelength and reflectivity fluctuations from the time of installation are measured. Some of them have a function of prompting or judging replacement.

  For example, in Patent Document 1, in a spectrophotometer having a plurality of light sources, the light quantity of each light source is measured independently, and the drive parameters of each light source are determined so that the absolute value of each light source becomes a predetermined aptitude value. Drive. If the drive parameter exceeds the allowable range, an alarm is issued to replace the light source.

JP-A-9-184758

  However, the amount of light of each of the plurality of light sources is independently detected, and it is determined whether each has reached the replacement time. In this method, if the optical components on the optical path from each light source to the light receiving means are deteriorated or dirty, they are affected by detection errors caused by the deterioration, and the light emission intensity of the light emitting part is lowered by repeated use. I cannot know exactly what has been done.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above, and an object of the present invention is to provide an optical measurement apparatus that can accurately know the decrease in the light emission intensity of the light emitting part due to use.

  The present invention provides a first light emitting unit by a first light source for emitting light to a recording medium, a second light emitting unit by a second light source having a longer service life than the first light source, And a light receiving portion for receiving each of the light emitted from the first and second light emitting portions reflected by the recording medium, and an image recorded on the recording medium is obtained by the sensor. An optical measuring device for optically measuring, the acquisition means for acquiring the light emission intensity of the first light emitting part and the light emission intensity of the second light emission part, and the first acquired by the acquisition means An optical measuring device comprising processing means for performing processing related to replacement of the first light emitting unit in accordance with a change in a ratio between the light emitting intensity of the light emitting unit and the light emitting intensity of the second light emitting unit It is.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to detect a state of a constituent member for correcting optical characteristics of a sensor for reading a recorded matter by a simple method, and a method capable of easily and accurately correcting variations in the sensor. And an apparatus can be provided.

It is a schematic diagram for demonstrating the recording device which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a block diagram for demonstrating the component of the recording device which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a table | surface which shows the reflectance data preserve | saved in the sensor which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a sensor state determination flowchart which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a graph which shows each light source and the spectral characteristic of dirt which concern on embodiment of this invention.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. In the following description, a case where an ink jet recording apparatus including the optical measuring device according to the present invention is provided will be described. However, the present invention is not limited to this and can be applied to an electrophotographic recording apparatus.

  FIG. 1 is a schematic view showing an ink jet recording apparatus provided with an optical measuring device according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 1 (a) is a sectional view of the ink jet recording apparatus, and FIG. 1 (b) is a colorimetric unit. FIG. 1C is a schematic configuration diagram of the colorimetric sensor. FIG. 2 is a simplified block diagram of the ink jet recording apparatus.

  As shown in FIG. 1, in the inkjet recording apparatus 1, the paper 50 is conveyed in the direction of the arrow, and when the leading edge of the paper 50 reaches the nip portion between the conveyance roller 10 and the pinch roller 11, the paper 50 is separated from the conveyance roller 10. The paper is sandwiched between the pinch rollers 11 and conveyed onto the platen 12 disposed opposite to the recording head 2. An image is recorded on the sheet 50 conveyed to the image recording unit by the recording head 2. A printing unit for printing on a recording medium includes a recording head 2, a carriage 3 on which the recording head 2 is mounted, and a platen 12 disposed to face the recording head 2. The carriage 3 is supported so as to be slidable in a direction crossing the conveyance direction of the recording medium along a carriage shaft 4 and a guide rail (not shown) arranged in parallel with each other in the inkjet recording apparatus.

  Referring also to FIG. 2, first, the optical measurement device drives the color measurement sensor 20, devices such as a lifting motor 41, a sensor holder motor 43, and a blower fan 45 related to the color measurement of the color measurement sensor, and each device. Drive circuits 40, 42, and 44 and a colorimetric device control circuit 38 are provided. The colorimetric device control circuit 38 transmits a signal to each of the drive circuits 40, 42, and 44 according to a control program stored in a nonvolatile memory (not shown), and an interface unit 106 for the storage unit 105 in the colorimetric sensor. Information reading and writing, calculation based on the information, and communication with the recording device via the interface unit 22 of the recording device. The CPU 104 in the colorimetric sensor 20 controls the light emitting unit 101 via the lighting circuit 100. Light received by the photoelectric conversion element 102 which is a light receiving unit is converted into an electric signal by an A / D converter, and the received light intensity is obtained. It should be noted that the control operation by the colorimetric device control circuit 38 described below can be executed by a computer used together with the CPU of the recording apparatus and the recording apparatus by a program.

  On the other hand, in the recording apparatus, the carriage motor 30 is driven by the carriage motor 31 and the carriage motor drive circuit 31 based on the pulse information from the encoder sensor 37 to control the movement of the carriage 3. The print data is processed at a print timing synchronized with the carriage position by the print data processing circuit 36 based on the pulse information from the encoder sensor 37, transmitted to the recording head drive control circuit 27, and sequentially recorded by the recording head 2. . The other recording apparatus includes a CPU 23, a ROM 24, a RAM 25, an EEPROM 26, a KEY, SW 33, an input control circuit 32, an LED as a display device, an LCD 35, and an output control circuit 34 for controlling the same. ing. The output control circuit 34 causes the LED and LCD to display to inform the user of the necessity for replacement based on processing related to light source replacement from the colorimetric device control circuit 38 described later.

  When printing is started, when an image is recorded by scanning for one line by the forward or backward movement of the carriage 3, the paper 50 is fed by a predetermined pitch in the transport direction by the transport motor 29 and the transport motor drive circuit 28. The carriage 3 is moved again to perform image recording for the next line. The recorded portion of the paper 50 is conveyed toward the paper discharge guide 14, and this is repeated to record an image on the entire page. When the image recording is completed, the recorded portion of the paper 50 is conveyed to a predetermined position by the conveying roller 10 and the pinch roller 11, and is cut by the cutter 5 when color measurement is not performed. The cut paper 50 is discharged from the paper discharge guide 14 to a paper discharge basket (not shown).

  The colorimetric unit 6 is arranged on the upper portion of the paper discharge guide 14 on the downstream side of the printing unit, and the colorimetric sensor 20 used for colorimetry is configured to be mounted on the sensor holder 7 in the colorimetric unit 6. Has been.

  The color measurement unit 6 has a configuration in which the color measurement sensor can be attached and detached by the user, and is attached during initial installation, and the user removes the sensor and the white reference plate 110 during maintenance and periodic calibration.

  The colorimetric unit 6 includes a blower fan 45 and a blower duct 15 for sending air to the paper unit. The blower fan 45 is driven via a sending fan drive circuit 44 with respect to the paper 50 at a predetermined position. Air is blown to encourage fixing of the printed chart.

  The sensor holder 7 is supported by a colorimetric carriage shaft 8 and a guide rail (not shown) arranged in parallel with each other in the ink jet recording apparatus, and the colorimetric chart printed on the paper 50 is a conveyance roller 10 and a pinch roller. 11 and the conveyance control unit are conveyed under the color measurement spot. The colorimetric spot is indicated by reference numeral 21 and is located in the center of the slit of the sheet pressing member 9.

  The color measurement unit 6 rotates about the unit rotation shaft 13 and when performing a color measurement operation, the color measurement unit 6 is set to a predetermined color measurement position so that the paper 50 is sandwiched between the paper holding member 9 and the paper discharge guide 14. To move. Note that the colorimetric unit 6 is moved in the opposite direction to that during colorimetry in order to avoid interference with the paper during non-colorimetry.

When the color measurement unit 6 moves to a predetermined color measurement position, the sensor holder moves to the reflectance correction position 108. At the reflectance correction position 108, a white reference plate 110 for reflectance correction is arranged so as to be the same distance as the distance between the reference position of the colorimetric sensor and the paper 50. When the value exceeds the value, reflectance correction is executed (FIG. 1B).
When the reflectance correction is completed, the color measurement sensor 20 held by the sensor holder 7 moves along the color measurement carriage shaft 8 and the guide rail, and is printed on the paper 50 in parallel with the color measurement sensor moving direction. Each patch in the color chart is measured in sequence.

  When printing is completed and color measurement is performed, the CPU 23 drives the conveyance motor drive circuit 28 to convey the color measurement target chart printed on the paper 50 to a predetermined position. The target position to be transported is a position calculated from the design dimensions of the mechanism. The target position is transported to a position where the air blown from the air duct 15 is blown, and the chart to be measured is charted with the optical axis center of the sensor spot 21 as the chart after measurement for a certain period of time. It is conveyed so that the center in the conveying direction is the same position. In the present embodiment, the same position here is a value calculated from the design dimensions, but is calculated from the slip amount of the transport roller 10, the pinch roller 11, and the paper 50 during printing for each paper. The corrected value may be added to the design dimension.

  When the measurement target chart reaches a predetermined position, the color measurement unit 6 moves so that the sheet holding member 9 is in contact with the paper discharge guide 14 with the measurement target chart interposed therebetween, and the color measurement sensor 20 performs color measurement after the movement. To do.

  When the measurement target chart is composed of a plurality of rows, color measurement is sequentially performed while the above-described operation is repeated for each row. When the color measurement for all the rows is completed, the color measurement area of the recorded portion of the paper 50 is conveyed to a predetermined position by the conveyance roller 10 and the pinch roller 11 and cut by the cutter 5. The cut paper 50 is discharged from the paper discharge guide 14 to a paper discharge basket (not shown).

  The CPU of the recording apparatus causes the print data processing circuit 36 to perform processing for correcting the recording density based on the color measurement result.

  The colorimetric sensor 20 used in the embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to FIG. As shown in FIG. 1C, the colorimetric sensor is an example of a sensor constituted by an annular light receiving system having a 0-45 ° geometry and a band-pass filter 107 every 10 nm from 400 nm to 700 nm.

  The first light emitting unit 101A emits light from a halogen lamp as a first light source, and the second light emitting unit 101B emits light from a UV LED as a second light source. Each light is applied to the measurement object via an optical path member (not shown) such as the same lens. These light emitting units are configured to irradiate perpendicularly to the measurement object, and 31 light receptions in a ring shape so as to extract and extract 45 ° irregular reflection components of the reflected light reflected by the measurement object. A photoelectric conversion element 102 as a part is arranged. Irradiation by a light source can selectively perform measurement by turning on a halogen lamp, turning on a UVLED, or both.

  In front of each photoelectric conversion element, a band pass filter 107 having a peak of a transmission wavelength every 10 nm from 400 nm to 700 nm is arranged. Thereby, the irregular reflection component from the measurement object is dispersed and converted into a voltage by each photoelectric conversion element. Thereafter, each voltage is converted into 16-bit digital data by the A / D converter 103. In this embodiment, the same number of A / D converters 103 as the photoelectric conversion elements are provided for speeding up, but an analog switch is provided between each photoelectric conversion element and the A / D converter 103 to sequentially switch the analog conversion elements. -Digital conversion may be performed. Further, the digital data for each 10 nm is normalized with total reflection as the reflectance of 150%, and output, so that the spectral reflectance data as the received light intensity is output to the outside via the I / F unit 106.

  In addition, the colorimetric sensor is shipped in a set with the white reference plate 110 as a reference measurement object in order to correct the reflectance. With respect to the white reference plate 110, the spectral reflectance is measured under a halogen lamp irradiation condition, a UVLED irradiation condition, or both irradiation conditions with a standard spectrocolorimeter which becomes a reference before shipment. The measurement result is converted into 16-bit gradation data for every 10 nm wavelength, and each data is stored in the storage unit 105 of the colorimetric sensor that is shipped as a set.

  The reflectance correction is performed by first measuring the white reference plate 110 with a colorimetric sensor and dividing the 16-bit digital data obtained for each 10 nm band by the stored 16-bit reference spectral reflectance of the same wavelength. Is calculated. The correction coefficient is applied as a correction value to each measurement result during chart measurement.

  Prior to shipment, the measurement values before correction under the respective irradiation conditions are stored in the storage unit 105 inside the sensor. Specifically, first, the white reference plate 110 that is a set is measured by the colorimetric sensor 20 at a specified position. Then, the value obtained by normalizing the reference voltage of the A / D converter 103 with a reflectance of 150% is stored in the colorimetric sensor together with the white reference spectral reflectance as a measurement value before correction as shown in FIG. Stored in the unit 105.

  At the user, the correction value is calculated by measuring the white reference plate 110 again when the measurement environment such as temperature and humidity has changed, or after a fixed time has elapsed since the previous correction of the reflectance. Then, the spectral reflectance output from the sensor is corrected from the output value from each photoelectric conversion element and the white reference spectral reflectance stored in the sensor.

  The colorimetric sensor according to the embodiment of the present invention has two types of results that output the result of correcting the reflectance using the reference spectral reflectance stored in the sensor and the result of normalization without correction. Can be selectively output as a measured value.

  As for measurement, it is possible to selectively perform measurement by turning on the halogen lamp, turning on the UVLED, or both.

  FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing the configuration of the colorimeter described above and a sensor state determination flow using the colorimetric sensor. In the sensor state determination flow, the sensor state is determined by comparing the pre-shipment measurement value acquired at the time of shipment of the sensor with the measurement value acquired at the time of the determination flow without reflectance correction.

  The sensor state determination flow shown in FIG. 4 is preferably executed at regular intervals based on time or the number of times the colorimetric sensor is used. In this embodiment, it is performed immediately before the printed matter using the colorimetric sensor is printed. Also, the flow of FIG. 4 is desirably executed every time the user wears the sensor.

  In the sensor state determination flow, first, the colorimetric sensor is moved to the upper part of the white reference plate 110 in order to measure the white reference plate of the calibration member, which is the same object as at the time of shipment (S401). When the movement is finished, the spectral reflectance of the white reference plate 110 is measured by receiving the reflected light of the irradiation light of the halogen lamp (S402). When the color measurement is completed, the spectral reflectance obtained by normalizing the reference voltage of the A / D converter 103 as 150% is transmitted to the color measurement device control circuit 38 (S403). Similarly, the spectral reflectance of the white reference plate 110 is measured by UVLED irradiation (S404), and the normalized spectral reflectance is transmitted to the colorimeter control circuit 38 (S405). Next, the colorimetric device control circuit 38 obtains integral values for each 10 nm from 400 nm to 700 nm of the spectral reflectances of the output halogen lamp irradiation and UVLED irradiation as information related to the emission intensity, and calculates the ratio. (S406).

  Here, the spectral spectra of a plurality of light sources used in the present invention have overlapping wavelength regions. FIG. 5A is a graph showing the spectral intensities of a plurality of light sources for each wavelength. P501 represents a halogen lamp and P502 represents a UVLED. FIG. 5B shows the spectral characteristic of dirt attached to the optical component, P504 is the spectral characteristic of chromatic color and P505 is the spectral characteristic of achromatic color dirt. P503 represents an overlapping wavelength region of a plurality of light sources, and only this region P503 may be selected to obtain an integral value. When the emission intensity ratio is calculated using this region 503, even if chromatic stains such as P504 shown in FIG. 5B adhere to the optical component and affect only a specific wavelength, the influence is suppressed. I can do it.

  Further, the brightness calculated from the spectral reflectance may be used instead of the integral value of the spectral reflectance. The light source of the sensor can selectively irradiate a halogen lamp and / or UVLED, and the emission intensity ratio is calculated by irradiating the emission intensity obtained by irradiating the halogen lamp and both the halogen lamp and UVLED. The ratio of the obtained emission intensity may be calculated.

  When the colorimetric device control circuit 38 obtains the spectral colorimetric value, the colorimetric device control circuit 38 reads out the pre-shipment measurement value for each irradiation condition stored in the storage unit 105 inside the colorimetric sensor (S407). Similarly to S406, the integral values for every 10 nm from the spectral reflectance of 400 nm to 700 nm read under the respective irradiation conditions are obtained as the received light intensity, and the ratio is calculated (S408). Similarly to S406, the integrated value may be obtained by selecting only the wavelength region near 400 nm where a plurality of light sources overlap. Further, the brightness calculated from the spectral reflectance may be used instead of the integral value of the spectral reflectance.

  In order to calculate the variation from the ratio of the measured values before correction at the time of shipment, the ratio Rw at the time of measurement is divided by the ratio Rw of the measured values at the time of shipment to obtain K (S409). When K, which is the fluctuation rate from the time of shipment, is larger than a predetermined threshold value 0.6, the process proceeds to S411, and when it is smaller, the sensor state is determined to be normal and the determination ends (S410). The threshold value at this time is a value set empirically. If the threshold value is exceeded in S410, the display device such as the LED 35 of the printing apparatus displays “sensor replacement time is approaching” to prompt the user to replace the sensor (S411). Moreover, in the above-mentioned example, compared with the value at the time of shipment, the result when the white reference plate was measured before the previous time is stored in the storage unit, and the previous emission intensity ratio and the current emission intensity ratio The determination may be made by comparing.

  In general, the light quantity of a light source such as a halogen lamp or LED gradually decreases with the passage of lighting time. The time to life (lifetime) is generally about 1000 hours for halogen lamps and about 40000 hours for LEDs, and the ratio varies simply as the lighting time elapses. When this ratio falls below a predetermined ratio, it is understood that the light source having a short life is approaching, and it is determined that the time when the light source needs to be replaced is approaching.

  In addition, if the above-mentioned properties are used, if the light emission intensity ratios of a plurality of light sources are not changed, but the light emission intensity of the plurality of light sources is suddenly reduced, components such as optical parts and white reference plates on the optical path It can detect that it is deteriorated or dirty. The detection result may be notified to the user by displaying “the white reference plate may be dirty”.

  If the sensor state is normal and the determination is completed, chart printing and colorimetry are started.

  As described above, when the white reference plate 110 is color-measured, the reflectance correction amount stored in the sensor is applied to output a value based on the spectral reflectance, and the output value is determined. This makes it possible to determine the deterioration state of the light source from the time of initial shipment of the sensor while suppressing the deterioration of components such as optical components and white reference plates on the optical path and the influence of dirt.

  The light source of the spectral colorimetric sensor is not limited to the halogen lamp and the LED as long as it is a combination of light sources having different life characteristics. For example, as a light source having a short lifetime, a discharge lamp such as a light bulb, a fluorescent lamp, or an HID lamp that emits current through a filament, which is a metal resistor such as tungsten, emits light. Moreover, as a light source with a long lifetime, it is a light source using the light emitting diode using electroluminescent effects, such as LED, organic EL, inorganic EL. A light-emitting diode emits light by directly converting the energy of electrons in a semiconductor into light energy, and has high energy efficiency because it generates less heat. For this reason, in principle, the lifetime of the light emitting portion is deteriorated as compared with a structure in which the light emitting portion deteriorates like a light bulb that emits light by energizing the filament.

6 Color measuring unit 20 Color measuring sensor 38 Color measuring unit control circuit 50 Paper unit 100 Lighting circuit 101 Light emitting unit 101A Halogen lamp 101B UVLED
102 light receiving unit 105 sensor storage unit 110 white reference plate

Claims (13)

A first light-emitting unit by a first light source for emitting light to the recording medium, a second light-emitting unit by a second light source having a longer service life than the first light source, and reflection by the recording medium And a light receiving portion for receiving each of the light emitted from the first light emitting portion and the second light emitting portion, and an image recorded on the recording medium is optically detected by the sensor. An optical measuring device for measuring,
Obtaining means for obtaining information on the light emission intensity of the first light emitting unit and the light emission intensity of the second light emitting unit;
Replacing the first light source of the first light emitting unit according to a change in the ratio between the light emitting intensity of the first light emitting unit and the light emitting intensity of the second light emitting unit based on the information acquired by the acquiring unit An optical measuring device comprising processing means for performing processing related to the above.   When the ratio of the emission intensity of the first light emitting unit based on the information acquired by the acquiring unit to the emission intensity of the second light emitting unit acquired by the acquiring unit is smaller than a predetermined ratio, the processing unit The optical measurement apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a process related to replacement of the first light source of the first light emitting unit is performed.   The processing unit is configured so that the ratio of the emission intensity of the first light emitting unit based on the information acquired by the acquisition unit to the emission intensity of the second light emitting unit acquired by the acquisition unit The first light emitting unit of the first light emitting unit according to a variation from the ratio of the light emitting intensity of the first light emitting unit based on the acquired information to the light emitting intensity of the second light emitting unit acquired by the acquiring unit. The optical measurement apparatus according to claim 1, wherein processing related to replacement of a light source is performed.   The process related to replacement of the first light source of the first light emitting unit is to notify a user of information related to replacement of the first light source of the first light emitting unit. The optical measuring device according to any one of 1 to 3.   The process related to the replacement of the first light source of the first light emitting unit is to display information related to the replacement of the first light source of the first light emitting unit on a display device. Item 5. The optical measuring device according to any one of Items 1 to 4.   The acquisition means receives the reflected light of the light emitted from the first light emitting unit and the second light emitting unit to the same calibration member by the light receiving unit. 6. The optical measurement apparatus according to claim 1, wherein information relating to a light emission intensity of a light emission unit and a light emission intensity of the second light emission unit is acquired.   The optical measurement according to claim 6, wherein each of the first light emitting unit and the second light emitting unit emits light to the calibration member through the same optical path member. apparatus.   The processing means includes: the light emission intensity of the first light emitting unit and the second light emission in a wavelength region where the wavelength of light from the first light emitting unit and the wavelength of light from the second light emitting unit overlap. The processing according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein processing related to replacement of the first light source of the first light emitting unit is performed in accordance with a change in a ratio with the light emission intensity of the unit. Measuring device.   The first light source is a light source that emits light by energizing a metal, and the second light source is a light source using a light emitting diode. The optical measuring device according to one item.   The optical measurement apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the first light source is a halogen lamp, and the second light source is an LED.   A recording apparatus comprising: the optical measurement apparatus according to claim 1; and a recording unit for recording an image on the recording medium. A first light-emitting unit by a first light source for emitting light to the recording medium, a second light-emitting unit by a second light source having a longer service life than the first light source, and reflection by the recording medium A light receiving unit for receiving each of the light emitted from the first and second light emitting units, for optically measuring an image recorded on the recording medium A processing method of the sensor,
An acquisition step of acquiring information on the emission intensity of the first light emitting unit and the emission intensity of the second light emitting unit;
Replacing the first light source of the first light emitting unit according to a change in the ratio between the light emitting intensity of the first light emitting unit and the light emitting intensity of the second light emitting unit based on the information acquired in the acquiring step Processing steps to perform processing related to
A sensor processing method comprising:   A program for causing a computer to execute the processing method according to claim 12.

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