JP2016141049A - Recording device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a recording device that can reduce an area of a recording paper sheet to be consumed to detect a failed nozzle so as to allow the failed nozzle to be preferably detected.SOLUTION: The recording device can surely detect a non-discharge nozzle through two-stage detection steps of: firstly discharging ink for every nozzle of each recording head, detecting a discharge state thereof by light detection means, and then selecting a candidate for the non-discharge nozzle on the basis of the detected discharge state results; and recording a confirmation pattern on a recording medium using nozzles before and after the candidate for the non-discharge nozzle including the candidate and reading-out the pattern by a sensor so as to identify the non-discharge nozzle.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 7

Description

  The present invention relates to a recording apparatus equipped with an inkjet head that ejects ink onto a recording medium.

  2. Description of the Related Art Inkjet recording apparatuses that record ink, ink, and the like by supplying ink from an ink cartridge to an inkjet recording head and ejecting ink droplets from the recording head onto a recording medium have become widespread.

  Such inkjet recording heads are not only small ones used in homes and small offices, but also large ones capable of printing on large recording media exceeding 1 meter wide. Widely adopted.

  In an ink jet recording apparatus, a recording head is mounted on a carriage that reciprocates in the width direction of the recording medium, and ink is ejected onto the recording medium in the forward path and the return path. The position of the carriage is read by a sensor mounted on the carriage with a linear scale provided along the moving direction of the carriage to obtain the position of the carriage. In general, a device called a linear encoder is used.

  The recording head is provided with a large number of pores, that is, nozzles, but may be clogged by thickened ink or dust. When a nozzle is clogged, ink cannot be ejected from the nozzle, which causes a problem that a linear pattern is formed on an image to be recorded.

  Therefore, in the invention described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 10-138513, a test pattern by each nozzle is recorded prior to recording, the test pattern recorded using an optical sensor is read, a non-ejection nozzle is found, A technique is disclosed in which a discharge signal for forcibly discharging ink is given to a non-discharge nozzle to eliminate the non-discharge.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 10-138513

  However, in the conventional technique, for example, if the nozzles are arranged at a density of 400 dpi, the nozzle pitch is about 63 μm, and the line width of a line recorded with one dot is about 150 to 200 μm. In addition, several hundred nozzles are arranged in a row. According to the detection range of the sensor, it is necessary to widen the interval between the lines to be recorded once, and even the conventional technique records every 10 nozzles.

  It is necessary to control which line is detected by the sensor and which nozzle is used for recording. It is necessary to determine the test pattern in consideration of the detection range of the sensor, the conveyance accuracy of the recording medium, and the movement accuracy when the recording paper and the sensor are moved relative to each other. Therefore, it is necessary to widen the line spacing of the test pattern. This increases the recording area of the test pattern. In this way, there arises a problem that a large amount of recording paper is consumed.

  The present invention provides a recording apparatus that can reduce the area of recording paper consumed to detect defective nozzles and can detect defective nozzles suitably.

  The recording apparatus of the present invention includes a recording head that ejects ink onto a recording medium, a conveying unit that conveys the recording medium, and the recording head, and the recording head is arranged in a direction that intersects the conveying direction of the recording medium. A carriage that reciprocally scans, a platen that is disposed along the scanning direction of the carriage and that faces the recording head that is reciprocally scanned, supports the recording medium, and is mounted on the carriage and records on the recording medium. A sensor for reading the density of the image to be recorded, a detection control means for controlling the detection of the non-ejection nozzles of the recording head by recording a confirmation pattern on the recording medium and reading the density of the confirmation pattern by the sensor; A recording apparatus for recording an image on the recording medium, wherein the recording head is outside a recording area of the recording medium. And a discharge detecting means arranged on the side of the platen for detecting whether the nozzle is the non-ejection nozzle by detecting the presence or absence of the ink ejected from the nozzle of the recording head. The pattern is recorded by a predetermined nozzle of the recording head, and the detection control unit drives all the nozzles of the recording head one by one in order to eject the ink, and the ejection detection is performed on the ejected ink. And detecting the defective nozzle among the nozzles of the recording head, and a plurality of the nozzles including the estimated non-ejection nozzle and the nozzle adjacent to the estimated non-ejection nozzle. A nozzle, and the predetermined nozzle records the confirmation pattern on the recording medium, reads the recorded confirmation pattern with the sensor, and reads the read information. And identifies the non-ejection nozzles of the recording head based on.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a recording apparatus that can reduce the recording area of a test pattern and can preferably detect a defective nozzle.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of the recording apparatus. FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of the arrangement of the recording head and the detection sensor mounted on the carriage. FIG. 3 is a diagram for explaining the discharge detection means. FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining the detection operation of the discharge detection means. FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an example of a confirmation pattern. FIG. 6 is a diagram for explaining detection of a confirmation pattern. FIG. 7 is a flowchart for explaining the operation of detecting a defective nozzle. FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram showing the entire recording apparatus.

Hereinafter, embodiments will be described with reference to the drawings.
First, the entire inkjet printer 1 which is a recording apparatus of the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. The inkjet printer 1 includes a rail 2 that extends linearly in the width direction. A carriage 3 reciprocates along the rail 2. An ink jet recording head is mounted on the carriage 3. For color printing, yellow (Y), cyan (C), magenta (M), and black (K) inks of four colors are added to each of cyan (C), magenta (M), and black (K) inks. Seven recording heads corresponding to three color inks of light cyan (LC), light magenta (LM), and gray (G), which are light colors by reducing the pigment concentration, are mounted on the carriage 3. By using light-type ink, the color reproducibility is improved and the recorded image quality can be improved. The cap unit 4 is sealed so that the recording head is not dried, or the ink is periodically sucked from the recording head for maintenance. The transport means for transporting a recording medium such as paper or plastic film includes a number of transport rollers 9 arranged along the rail 2, and transports the recording medium by rotating the transport rollers 9.

  The carriage 3 is connected to an endless belt 5, and the endless belt 5 is connected to a motor 6. The endless belt 5 is wound around a pulley installed at the end of the inkjet printer 1. By driving the motor 6, the endless belt 5 moves, and the carriage 3 also moves in conjunction therewith.

  The platen 7 is a flat plate disposed along the rail 2. The platen 7 has a plurality of suction holes on the surface, and can be fixed by sucking the conveyed recording medium through the suction holes. An after guide 8 is provided on the downstream side of the platen 7 in the conveyance direction of the recording medium. The after guide 8 guides the recording medium to be conveyed. A pre-guide is provided on the upstream side of the platen 7 in the conveyance direction of the recording medium. The platen 7, the after guide 8, and the pre guide are provided with heaters and can be heated. The recording medium conveyed by this heating is heated to an appropriate temperature. Heating promotes ink fixing.

  The platen 7 is a flat plate made of aluminum. The aluminum flat plate has a flat surface and is provided with suction holes. A groove is provided on the back side, and a heater wire is embedded in the groove to heat the platen 7. Further, the after guide 8 and the pre-guide are made by bending an iron plate, a heater wire is arranged on the back side, and an aluminum sheet is covered and fixed.

  The discharge detection means 10 is disposed outside the recording area and on the side of the platen 7 and includes a light emitting means and a light receiving means. The discharge detection means 10 receives the light from the light emitting means by the light receiving means, and if there is something between them, the light is blocked, so that the detection output decreases, thereby detecting the presence or absence of the shielding object. As the light emitting means, a laser or LED light whose optical axis is thin and parallel with a lens is used. Since the trajectory of the ink is thin, it is necessary to narrow the optical axis in order to detect it.

  In such an ink jet printer 1, an image is ejected from a recording head mounted on the recording medium while the cartridge 3 moves in a direction orthogonal to the conveying direction of the recording medium, that is, in a crossing direction. Record. Further, the recording medium stops during recording by the recording head, and moves and stops by a predetermined distance when the carriage moves out of the recording range. For example, when the image is recorded by a plurality of passes, the predetermined distance is a distance that is 1 / pass number of the width that can be recorded by one scan.

  FIG. 1 is a block diagram of the recording apparatus. The control means 11 is a control means that operates according to a program stored in advance and performs various controls of the entire recording apparatus. The ROM 12 is a non-volatile memory and stores information such as a program of the control unit 11 and initial setting values. The RAM 13 is a work memory used for calculation by the control means 11 or a memory for temporarily storing information.

  The transport unit 14 includes a transport roller 9, a motor that drives the transport roller 9, and a drive circuit that drives the motor, and is a unit that transports the recording medium. The conveyance roller 9 is composed of a pair of a driving roller and a pinch roller, and rotates the driving roller with a motor. The pinch roller is pressed by the driving roller and rotates around. The recording medium is conveyed while being sandwiched between the drive roller and the pinch roller. The control circuit 11 controls the drive circuit of the transport unit 14 to drive the motor, rotate the transport roller 9 and transport the recording medium.

  The carriage moving unit 15 moves the carriage 3 fixed to the endless belt 5 along the rail 2. The motor 6 that rotates the endless belt 5 is driven by a drive circuit included in the carriage moving means 15. This drive circuit is controlled by the control means 11. The carriage 3 moves along the rail 2 according to the program of the control means 11.

  The recording means 16 includes a recording head corresponding to the ink color. The recording head performs an ink ejection operation based on the drive signal of the head drive circuit. The head drive circuit operates based on a control signal from the control means 11.

  The linear encoder 17 optically detects a scale of a linear scale arranged linearly along the moving direction of the carriage 3. The linear encoder 17 operates based on a control signal from the control unit 11, AD converts the detection result, and outputs the signal to the control unit 11. By counting this signal, the control means 11 can specify the position of the carriage 3, acquire the position, and perform control according to the position.

  The position of each recording head provided in the carriage 3 is measured in advance and stored in the ROM 12. A desired image can be recorded by calculating the position of the recording head according to the position of the carriage 3, driving the recording head according to the result, and ejecting ink.

  A test pattern is stored in the ROM 12 in advance. This test pattern has a plurality of patterns according to the situation, and the control means 11 reads out and uses the necessary test patterns from the plurality of test patterns according to the situation.

  The R detection means 18 is an optical sensor that emits red light and detects the reflected light. The G detection means 19 is an optical sensor that emits green light and detects the reflected light. The B detection means 20 is an optical sensor that emits blue light and detects the reflected light. These detection means detect the density of the image recorded on the recording medium in the detection range of each detection means, and output the result to the control means 11. The control means 11 can calculate based on the detection result and acquire the discharge status of the nozzles of the recording head.

  The discharge detection unit 10 operates under the control of the control unit 11. The ejection detecting means 10 emits light from the light emitting means, receives it by the light receiving means, and detects the presence or absence of the shielding object, that is, the presence or absence of ink in the ejected state by observing the change in the detection output. The optical axis of the ejection detection means 10 and the nozzle row of the recording head are aligned, and ink is ejected for each nozzle. In that case, if it is ejected, the optical axis is blocked by the ink, so that the output of the sensor decreases. If there is no ejection, there will be no decrease in sensor output. In this way, the state of the nozzle can be detected. Further, the carriage 3 is slightly moved back and forth in the scanning direction when ink is ejected from the nozzles. By moving in this way when the optical axis and the ink locus do not match, erroneous detection can be prevented. For example, the amount of movement of the carriage is in the range of about 1 mm.

  FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of the arrangement of the recording head and the detection sensor mounted on the carriage. A carriage base 21 is provided at a position facing the platen 7 of the carriage 3. A recording head is fixed to the carriage base 21. The recording head has seven recording heads corresponding to cyan, magenta, yellow, black, light cyan, light magenta, and gray, that is, cyan recording head 22 and magenta recording head. 23, a yellow recording head 24, a black recording head 25, a light cyan recording head 26, a light magenta recording head 27, and a gray recording head 28 are fixed to the carriage base 21. The R detection means 18 detects cyan and light cyan colors. Since these two colors use the same pigment as the color material with different concentrations, they can be detected by the same detection means. The same applies to the G detection means 19 for magenta and light magenta colors. The B detection means 20 detects a yellow color. Also, the black color and the gray color are used for detection because the B light detecting means 20 in the light source has a good reaction. The same pigment is used for the black and gray colors.

  FIG. 3 is a diagram for explaining the discharge detection means. FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining the detection operation of the discharge detection means. The discharge detection means 10 is demonstrated using these. In order to efficiently detect the state of the nozzles of the recording head, two-stage detection is performed. This can make the recording area of the recording medium smaller than recording the test pattern on the recording medium and detecting it, and the moving distance of the carriage 3 is shortened and the detection speed is improved. Although details will be described later, detection control is performed in two stages. First, defective nozzles that do not discharge are first detected using optical detection means. Here, there is a case where the position of the defective nozzle cannot be completely specified. Therefore, the range in which the defective nozzle exists is estimated by the first detection, and then the defective nozzle is specified by recording and detecting the confirmation pattern by the nozzle in the range. By doing so, the recording area of the test pattern can be reduced and the detection speed can be improved.

  The outline of the discharge detection means 10 will be described with reference to FIG. A description will be given using one of a plurality of recording heads, that is, a cyan recording head 22 for discharging cyan ink. Each print head may be provided with the same detection mechanism, but each print head may be detected separately using one ejection detection means 10. In any case, the state of the nozzles of all the recording heads can be grasped.

  The discharge detection unit 10 includes a light emitting unit 27 and a light receiving unit 28. Ink is ejected from a plurality of nozzles of the cyan recording head 22. The ink is continuously ejected to form a line, and the optical axis 29 is blocked. In the case of a defective nozzle that cannot eject ink, the optical axis 29 is not blocked. Further, the ink discharged from the tray 24 is received so that the ink does not scatter. A tube 25 is connected to the tray 24 and further includes a pump 26. When ink is being ejected, the pump 26 is driven to suck the ink. Since ink splattering and mist ink can be collected, false detection can be prevented.

  An operation of ejecting ink one by one from the first nozzle to the last nozzle of the cyan recording head 22 is performed in order to detect whether ink is actually ejected. In addition, while the ink is being ejected, it is possible to detect whether or not the ejected ink blocks the optical axis by slightly reciprocating the carriage 3 in the scanning direction.

  However, there may be a case where the trajectory of the ink ejected on the optical axis is not applied. In such a case, the nozzle that can be ejected is treated as being unable to be ejected. Therefore, a means for confirming whether or not the nozzle discharges accurately is necessary for such a problem. This means will be described with reference to FIGS.

  FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an example of a confirmation pattern. FIG. 6 is a diagram for explaining detection of a confirmation pattern. Here, description will be made using the cyan recording head 22. The recording heads of other colors can be controlled similarly. Alternatively, in order to simplify the description, the nozzle row will be described using a case where the number of nozzles is 20 and the ninth nozzle 31 does not discharge. Here, the first nozzle is the head nozzle in the nozzle row. The second, third,..., And nth nozzles are numbered according to their positions from the head nozzle so that the nozzle positions can be distinguished. The carriage 3 can move in the left-right direction on the drawing as indicated by an arrow 43.

  The description will be made on the assumption that the discharge detection means 10 has estimated that the ninth nozzle 31 is not discharging. Next, control for accurately acquiring the state of the nozzle is started. While moving the carriage 3, a line is recorded on the recording medium using a predetermined range of nozzles in the vicinity of the ninth nozzle 31. In this example, the nozzles before and after the ninth nozzle 31 estimated to be non-ejection are confirmed. For example, it may be erroneously detected due to mist, so the nozzles in the range of about 2 nozzles are confirmed. A range that needs to be confirmed is set in advance, and the range is confirmed.

  While moving the carriage 3, lines are recorded using the nozzles in the confirmation range in order. The position where this line is recorded can be obtained by calculating from the position of the carriage 3. Therefore, it is possible to specify the correspondence between the recorded line and the nozzle that recorded it. The recorded lengths of the first line 51, the second line 52, and the third line 53 are such that the lines protrude from the detection range of the R detection means 18, thereby preventing detection omission. Moreover, the adjacent line is not included at the time of detection.

  A second line 52 indicated by a dotted line indicates a position originally recorded by the non-ejection ninth nozzle 31. Since only the second line 52 is not recorded, it can be easily understood that the detection result is different from the other lines and no discharge occurs.

  FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an example of a confirmation test pattern. FIG. 6 is a diagram for explaining detection of the second test pattern. Here, description will be made using the cyan recording head 22. The recording heads of other colors can be controlled similarly. When it is detected that there is a non-ejection nozzle before and after the ninth nozzle 31 of the cyan recording head 22, control for obtaining the nozzle position is started next. While moving the carriage 3, a line is recorded on the recording medium using a predetermined range of nozzles in the vicinity of the ninth nozzle 31. In this example, the nozzles before and after the ninth nozzle 31 estimated to be non-ejection are confirmed. An optimum confirmation range is set in advance depending on the detection range of the sensor and the performance such as the moving speed, such as confirming nozzles in the range of 2 to 5 nozzles.

  While moving the carriage 3, lines are recorded using the nozzles in the confirmation range in order. The position where this line is recorded can be obtained by calculating from the position of the carriage 3. Therefore, it is possible to specify the correspondence between the recorded line and the nozzle that recorded it. The recorded lengths of the first line 51, the second line 52, and the third line 53 are longer than the lines recorded in the first test pattern performed earlier. Since it is necessary to accurately determine the presence or absence of a line, the detection range of the R detection means 18 is extended so that the line becomes longer to prevent detection omission. Moreover, the adjacent line is not included at the time of detection.

  A second line 52 indicated by a dotted line indicates a position originally recorded by the non-ejection ninth nozzle 31. Since only the second line 52 is not recorded, the detection result is different from the other lines, and it can be easily detected that there is no ejection. The accuracy of detection is increased by checking the non-ejection nozzles using different means.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart for explaining the operation of detecting a defective nozzle. The operation will be described using this.
In step S <b> 1, first, in order to detect the state of the nozzles using the discharge detection unit 10, the nozzle array of the recording head to be detected is moved to a position that matches the optical axis of the discharge detection unit 10.

Next, in step S2, the pump 26 is driven to start suction. The operation of the pump 26 is controlled by the control of the control means 11.
Next, in step S3, ink is continuously ejected in order from the first nozzle of the recording head. At that time, the carriage 3 is moved back and forth in the scanning direction. When ink is ejected, the detection can be reliably performed by making the locus of the ink overlap the optical axis.

Next, in step S4, ink is ejected from the nozzles, and the detection result is stored in the RAM 13. The position from the head of the ejected nozzle is stored in association with information indicating whether or not the ejected ink has been detected by the nozzle.
Next, in step S5, it is determined whether or not it is the last nozzle. If it is the last nozzle, the process proceeds to step S6, and if not, the process proceeds to step S7.

  Next, in step S7, the nozzle to be discharged is switched to the next nozzle. At this time, since the recording head is mounted for each color, when the recording head of one color is finished, the head is switched to the first nozzle of the recording head of the next color. At this time, the carriage 3 also moves.

Next, in step S8, when the detection is completed up to the last nozzle, it is confirmed from the information stored in the RAM 13 whether or not there is a non-ejection nozzle. If there is a non-ejection nozzle, the process proceeds to step S8, and if not, the process proceeds to step S9.
Next, in step S9, information indicating that there is no non-ejection nozzle is stored in the RAM 13, and the process of detecting the nozzle state is terminated.

  Next, in step S8, it is confirmed whether or not the nozzle that has failed is really not ejecting. In order to record a confirmation pattern in a portion where nothing is recorded, the recording medium is conveyed and the carriage 3 is moved to a position where recording can be performed. Further, the pump 26 is stopped.

  In step S10, a confirmation pattern is recorded. A confirmation pattern is recorded while moving the carriage 3. The confirmation pattern is recorded in the moving direction of the carriage 3 by a predetermined range of nozzles estimated to have non-ejection nozzles for each of the six color recording heads. The nozzles that record the lines are operated one by one. That is, the line segment by each nozzle is recorded along the moving direction of the carriage 3. Further, in order to darken the recording line, recording may be performed from the same nozzle at the same position twice in the forward path and the backward path. For example, since yellow and light-based inks have thin lines, it is easier to detect such double recording.

Next, in step S11, the carriage is adjusted so that the detection ranges of the R detection unit 18, the G detection unit 19, and the B detection unit 20 mounted on the carriage 3 match the position where the first row of the confirmation pattern is recorded. Move 3.
In step S12, the recording medium is conveyed while the carriage 3 is stopped, and the recorded confirmation pattern line is read.

  In step S13, the read data thus read is stored in the RAM 13. By recording the nozzle for recording on the recording medium in correspondence with the position of the carriage 3, the control unit 11 can determine from which nozzle the recording is made according to the position of the carriage 3. Further, since the recording medium is transported under the control of the transporting means 14, transport information such as the transport amount and transport position of the recording medium can be acquired during this control. Then, the detection data of the R detection unit 18, the G detection unit 19, and the R detection unit 18 and the conveyance information can be combined to perform detection control without removing the line reading position. Accordingly, the position of the line of the confirmation pattern recorded on the recording medium can be associated with the nozzle that recorded it, and whether or not the line has been recorded can be stored in correspondence.

Next, in step S14, it is determined whether or not the last column has been detected. When the detection of the last column is completed, the process proceeds to step S15. Otherwise, the process proceeds to step S16.
Next, step S16 will be described. If detection has not been completed up to the last row, the carriage 3 is moved to the next row. Then, the recording medium is rewound so that the line of the row can be detected. Then, the process proceeds to step S12.

  Next, in step S15, whether or not there is a non-ejection nozzle is calculated from the stored read data after the detection to the last row is completed. Based on the nozzle data corresponding to the read data stored in the RAM 13, it is determined whether the nozzle can be ejected or not, the non-ejection nozzle is specified, the information on the non-ejection nozzle is stored in the RAM 13, and the nozzle state is detected. The process ends. For example, for all nozzles, 1 is written if ejection is possible, and 0 is written if ejection is impossible. Based on this information, the control means 11 performs control such as substituting the non-ejection nozzle with another nozzle during the recording control.

  By performing two-step detection in this way, it is possible to improve the accuracy of detection of non-ejection nozzles and save the recording medium to be used.

  The present invention can be used for an ink jet printer.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Inkjet printer 2 Rail 3 Carriage 4 Cap unit 5 Endless belt 6 Motor 7 Platen 8 After guide 9 Conveyance roller 10 Discharge detection means 11 Control means 12 ROM
13 RAM
14 Carrying means 15 Carriage moving means 16 Recording means 17 Linear encoder 18 R detecting means 19 G detecting means 20 B detecting means

Claims (4)

A recording head for ejecting ink onto a recording medium, a conveying means for conveying the recording medium, a carriage mounted with the recording head and reciprocally scanning the recording head in a direction crossing the conveying direction of the recording medium; A platen that is disposed along the scanning direction of the carriage and is opposed to the recording head that is reciprocally scanned, supports the recording medium, and is mounted on the carriage and reads the density of an image recorded on the recording medium. A sensor, and a detection control means for controlling detection of a non-ejection nozzle of the recording head by recording a confirmation pattern on the recording medium and reading the density of the confirmation pattern by the sensor. In a recording device for recording an image on
Whether the nozzle is the non-ejection nozzle by detecting the presence or absence of the ink ejected from the nozzle of the recording head, which is outside the recording area of the recording medium by the recording head and is disposed on the side of the platen. Having discharge detection means for detecting whether or not,
The confirmation pattern is recorded by a predetermined nozzle of the recording head,
The detection control means drives all the nozzles of the recording head one by one in order to eject the ink, detects the ejected ink by the ejection detection means, and detects the inside of the nozzles of the recording head. A plurality of nozzles including the estimated non-ejecting nozzle and the nozzle adjacent to the estimated non-ejecting nozzle are set as the predetermined nozzle, and the confirmation pattern is recorded by the predetermined nozzle. A recording apparatus which records on a medium, reads the recorded confirmation pattern by the sensor, and identifies the non-ejection nozzle of the recording head based on the read information.   The confirmation pattern is recorded for each color of the ink, the sensor is provided for each light source corresponding to at least the color of the ink, and the light source is a blue LED or cyan color for the black color material of the ink. A red LED for the ink color material, a green LED for the magenta ink color material, and a blue LED for the yellow color ink. The recording apparatus according to 1.   3. The recording of the confirmation pattern onto the recording medium is performed by reciprocating the carriage to record the confirmation pattern at the same position on the recording medium in a forward path and a return path. The recording device described.   The sensors are arranged along the conveyance direction of the recording medium, the detection ranges of the sensors overlap on a straight line along the conveyance direction, and the confirmation pattern causes dots to be recorded for each of the predetermined nozzles to be continuous. The recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a maximum length of the detection range in the moving direction of the carriage is shorter than a length of the line segment.

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