JP2022054901A - Recording device, recording method, and program - Google Patents

Abstract

To solve the problem that an amount of a deviation of an impact position in acceleration/deceleration recording depends on a scan speed of a carriage, and accordingly when adjustment patterns are recorded in the acceleration/deceleration, an error results in being included in adjustment of a recording position.SOLUTION: Control is performed so that adjustment patterns 1101-1104 for adjusting a recording position within a range of a constant speed region scanned at a constant speed on the basis of a scan speed of a carriage are recorded.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 11

Description

The present invention relates to a recording device, a recording method and a program for recording an image on a recording medium.

A recording device is known that moves in a predetermined direction with respect to a recording medium and records an image using a recording head in which ink ejection ports as recording elements are arranged in a direction intersecting the direction of movement. In such a recording device, the recording position of dots between the discharge port rows may be displaced due to the deviation of the discharge port forming position at the time of manufacturing the recording head, the deviation of the mounting position of the recording head, and the like. Further, even when a plurality of recording heads are used, the dot recording position may be displaced due to the displacement of the relative positions between the recording heads. Further, even for the same ejection port, the dot recording positions of the forward scan and the reverse scan may be deviated when recording in both directions of the reciprocating scan. The quality of the recorded image is deteriorated due to the deviation of the recording position of the dots. On the other hand, a process of adjusting the recording position of dots (hereinafter, also referred to as a registration process) is known.

In the registration process, for example, one ejection port row is used as a reference, the relative deviation of the dot recording position by the other ejection port rows with respect to the dot recording position by the ejection port row is obtained, and ink droplets are dispensed based on the deviation amount. It is realized by adjusting the discharge timing. Further, regarding the deviation of the dot recording position during bidirectional recording, the registration process can be realized by adjusting the ejection timing in the same manner.

Patent Document 1 discloses a configuration in which a sensor mounted on a carriage of an inkjet recording device is used to scan on a recording medium to optically read an adjustment pattern and determine an adjustment value.

By the way, in recent years, printed matter required by users has been diversified, such as printing that emphasizes image quality and printing that emphasizes productivity. As one method for improving the printing speed, a method of scanning a carriage at a higher speed to record an image has been implemented. However, in recording by high-speed scanning, the landing of ink droplets tends to be disturbed, and the image quality tends to deteriorate. Therefore, in addition to the recording mode that emphasizes image quality, a configuration that allows the user to select from a plurality of recording modes is adopted, such as providing a recording mode that emphasizes productivity for performing carriage scanning at higher speed.

For more productive high-speed carriage scanning, it is necessary to increase the distance during acceleration or deceleration, but in order to increase these distances without increasing the width of the recording device body, during acceleration / deceleration. It is also configured so that the recording operation of applying ink can be performed. During such acceleration / deceleration recording, it is difficult to accurately detect the speed and position of the carriage and determine the ejection timing compared to recording at a constant speed (hereinafter referred to as constant speed recording), and ink droplets land. Positional accuracy tends to decrease. In order to improve the landing position accuracy, Patent Document 2 discloses a method of setting the ejection timing from the change of the time interval of the encoder signal of the carriage.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 10-329381 Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2003-72056

When the adjustment method as disclosed in Patent Document 1 is executed, the landing position deviation amount may change depending on the scanning speed of the carriage, and it is necessary to adjust the recording position according to the recording conditions. Further, since the amount of landing position deviation at the time of acceleration / deceleration recording depends on the scanning speed of the scanning means, if the adjustment pattern is recorded at the time of acceleration / deceleration, the adjustment of the recording position includes an error. In recent years, with the increasing demand for productivity improvement, recording at higher speeds is required, and the amount of landing position deviation that changes depending on the scanning speed also changes greatly, which affects the adjustment accuracy of the recording position. Is something that cannot be overlooked.

To solve such a problem, an object of the present invention is to perform more accurate adjustment according to the scanning speed scanned by the scanning means.

The present invention comprises a recording means for recording an image on a recording medium by ejecting ink.
The scanning means for scanning the recording means in the scanning direction, and the scanning means for performing one recording scan by the scanning means by accelerating the scanning means, scanning at a constant scanning speed, and then decelerating the scanning means. The predetermined means is provided with a control means for controlling the recording means and the scanning means, and an adjusting means for adjusting the recording position by the recording means based on the recording result of the predetermined adjustment pattern recorded on the recording medium. The pattern is not recorded within the range of the acceleration / deceleration region that the scanning means scans while accelerating or decelerating, but is recorded within the range of the constant speed region that the scanning means scans at a constant speed. ..

INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY According to the present invention, it is possible to perform more accurate adjustment according to the scanning speed scanned by the scanning means.

Perspective view of an inkjet recording device Block diagram of inkjet recording device Schematic diagram showing the discharge port surface of the recording head Schematic diagram of the reflective optical sensor Explanatory diagram of registration adjustment method when density is detected by an optical sensor Explanatory diagram of registration adjustment method when density is detected by an optical sensor Graph showing the optical reflectance and approximate curve detected from the register adjustment pattern The figure which shows the relationship between the carriage scanning speed and the carriage position of the 1st recording mode. The figure which shows the relationship between the carriage scanning speed and the carriage position of the 2nd recording mode. The figure which shows the arrangement of the recording area and the recording position adjustment pattern of each recording mode. The figure which shows the arrangement of the recording area and the recording position adjustment pattern of each recording mode. A flowchart showing a recording position adjusting method according to the first embodiment. The figure which shows the arrangement of the recording area and the recording position adjustment pattern of each recording mode. Flow chart showing the recording position adjustment method of the second embodiment The figure which shows the arrangement of the recording area and the recording position adjustment pattern of each recording mode. Flow chart showing the recording position adjustment method of the third embodiment

(First Embodiment)
Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the appearance of a recording device according to the present embodiment. The recording device of the present embodiment is an inkjet printer that ejects ink droplets and records an image, and is a so-called serial scanning type printer. An image is recorded by scanning the carriage unit 102 on which the recording head 105 is mounted in a scanning direction (hereinafter, also referred to as X direction) intersecting the transport direction (hereinafter, also referred to as Y direction) of the recording medium P. The recording head 105 is provided with a plurality of ejection ports for ejecting ink droplets, and is removable from the carriage unit 102. The recording device of the present embodiment is a recording device that performs so-called one-sided transport in which the position for feeding and transporting the recording medium is moved toward the position in the −X direction in the drawing. When the one-sided transfer is performed, one end of the recording medium P is abutted against a predetermined abutting position and conveyed regardless of the width of the recording medium P in the X direction.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram for explaining a configuration example of a control circuit in an inkjet recording device. The configuration of this inkjet recording apparatus and the outline of the operation at the time of recording will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2.

First, the recording medium P is conveyed in the Y direction from the spool 101 holding the recording medium P by a transfer roller driven via a gear by a transfer motor (not shown). On the other hand, at a predetermined transport position, a main scanning motor (not shown) reciprocates the carriage unit 102 on the outward path in the + X direction and the return path in the −X direction along the guide shaft 103 extending in the X direction. Then, in the process of this scanning, the timing is synchronized with the timing based on the position signal obtained by the encoder 106 in the main scanning direction, and the ejection operation is performed from the recording head 105 mounted on the carriage unit 102. As a result, the image is recorded on the recording medium P.

Further, the carriage unit 102 is equipped with a reflective optical sensor 107 capable of acquiring a distance (hereinafter, also referred to as a paper-to-paper distance) between the recording medium P and the ejection port surface provided with the ejection port of the recording head. ing. Similar to the recording head 105, the timing is synchronized with the position signal obtained by the encoder 106 in the process of reciprocating scanning, and the detection signal corresponding to the position of the carriage unit 102 is processed. A carriage belt is used to transmit the driving force from the main scanning motor to the carriage unit 102. Instead of the carriage belt, for example, a lead screw that is rotationally driven by a main scanning motor and extends in the X direction, and an engaging portion provided in the carriage unit 102 that engages with a groove of the lead screw, etc. It is also possible to use other drive methods.

The fed recording medium P is sandwiched and conveyed between the paper feed roller and the pinch roller, and is guided to the recording position (scanning area of the recording head) on the platen 104. Normally, in the hibernation state, the face surface of the recording head 105 is sealed by a cap (not shown). Prior to recording, the cap is opened so that the recording head 105 and the carriage unit 102 can be scanned. After that, after the data for one scan is accumulated in the buffer, the carriage unit 102 is scanned by the main scanning motor to execute the image recording operation as described above.

The controller 200 as the main control unit includes, for example, a CPU 201 in the form of a microcomputer, a ROM 202 for storing programs, required tables, and other fixed data, and a RAM 203 provided with an area for developing image data, an area for work, and the like. Have. A program for performing control described later is also stored in the ROM 202. The host device 210 is a source of image data, and may be in the form of a computer that creates and processes data such as images related to recording, or may be in the form of a reader unit for reading images. Image data, other commands, status signals, and the like are transmitted to and received from the controller 200 via the interface (I / F) 211. The power switch 212 turns on / off the power of the inkjet recording device. The main scanning motor driver 205 is a driver for driving the main scanning motor 208. The sub-scanning motor 209 is a motor used for transporting the recording medium P in the transport direction, and the sub-scanning motor driver 206 is a driver for driving the sub-scanning motor driver 206. The head driver 204 is a driver that drives the recording head 105 according to the recording data or the like. The head driver 204 has a shift register that aligns recorded data corresponding to the discharge port 300, a latch circuit that latches at an appropriate timing, and a discharge heater (not shown) arranged for each discharge port in synchronization with a drive timing signal. Includes logic circuit elements that actuate.

The CPU 201 stores in the RAM 203 an adjustment value for adjusting the recording position based on the position signal from the encoder 106 and the inter-paper distance information from the reflection type optical sensor 107. The CPU 201 uses the adjustment value stored in the RAM 203 to control the ink droplet ejection timing by the recording head 105 via the head driver 204 to adjust the recording position.

FIG. 3 is a schematic view showing a discharge port surface (face surface) provided with a discharge port of the recording head 105. The recording head 105 of the present embodiment is provided with two rows of ejection ports in which a plurality of ejection ports 300 for ejecting ink are arranged. The discharge port rows 301 and 302 extend in the Y direction in which the recording medium P is conveyed. 640 discharge ports 300 are formed in each of the discharge port rows 301 and 302 with an interval corresponding to 600 dpi as a pitch Py. Further, the discharge port 300 of the discharge port row 301 and the discharge port 300 of the discharge port row 302 are arranged so as to be offset by a half pitch (Py / 2) corresponding to 1200 dpi in the Y direction. The discharge port row 301 is arranged with even-numbered discharge ports located in the Y direction, and the discharge port row 302 is arranged with odd-numbered discharge port rows located at odd-numbered positions. As described above, the recording head 105 reciprocates in the ± X direction. By ejecting ink droplets of the same color from a total of 1280 ejection ports 300 provided in these two rows of ejection ports, it is possible to record an image having a dot density in the Y direction, that is, a recording resolution of 1200 dpi. .. The total length of the discharge port row is L, and the discharge port numbers are # 0, # 1, # 2, # 3 ..., # 1278, and # 1279 from the + Y direction.

The recording device of the present embodiment can eject four colors of ink of cyan (C), magenta (M), yellow (Y), and black (K), and the recording head 105 is shown in FIG. A plurality of rows of ejection ports are provided for each ink color.

FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram for explaining the reflection type optical sensor 107 shown in FIG. The reflection type optical sensor 107 has a light emitting unit 401 and a light receiving unit 402, and is attached to the carriage unit 102 as described above. The light 403 emitted from the light emitting unit 401 is reflected by the recording medium P, and the reflected light 404 is detected by the light receiving unit 402. The detection signal (analog signal) of the reflected light 404 is transmitted to the control circuit on the electric circuit board of the recording device via a flexible cable (not shown). Then, when it is converted into a digital signal by the A / D converter in the control circuit, it is stored in the RAM 203 as the paper-to-paper distance information indicating the paper-to-paper distance between the ejection port surface of the recording head 105 and the recording medium P.

In the registration process of the present embodiment, first, a plurality of adjustment patterns are recorded on the recording medium P. Each adjustment pattern is composed of a first pattern and a second pattern, and the recording position of the second pattern is relatively different from the recording position of the first pattern.

FIG. 5 is a diagram for explaining a registration adjustment method of detecting the density of the adjustment pattern using the reflection type optical sensor 107 and calculating the adjustment value. In the adjustment pattern shown in this figure, a rectangular pattern of l pixels × n pixels is periodically repeated, and a blank area of m pixels is provided between each rectangular pattern. The recording position of the shift pattern 502 (second pattern) is deviated from the reference pattern 501 (first pattern) by a predetermined number of pixels a. For the sake of explanation, the positions of the reference pattern 501 and the shift pattern 502 are shifted in the vertical direction of the figure in this figure, but in the actual adjustment pattern, the positions of the reference pattern 501 and the shift pattern 502 of l pixels are shifted in the vertical direction. It's the same. The resolution and the amount of shift of the adjustment pattern are determined according to the recording resolution of the recording device. In this embodiment, the recording resolution is 1200 dpi.

FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram of the adjustment pattern. A plurality of adjustment patterns shown in FIG. 5 are arranged, and the shift amount a of the shift pattern 502 with respect to the reference pattern 501 is recorded by changing the shift amount a from -3 pixels to +3 pixels one pixel at a time. For one shift amount (for example, -3 pixels), four sets of combinations of the reference pattern 501 and the shift pattern 502 are recorded. Since the area ratio of the ink on the recording medium changes depending on the shift amount a, the density of each detected pattern differs.

FIG. 7 is a graph showing the recording results for each adjustment pattern corresponding to each shift amount, and is the measurement result of the optical reflectance. The smaller the deviation between the recorded reference pattern 501 and the shift pattern 502, the lower the coverage on the recording medium, and as a result, the lower the density of the pattern. Concentration and optical reflectance are inversely proportional. From this, in order to match the recording positions of each of the plurality of nozzle rows, it is sufficient to correct the ejection timing so as to correspond to the shift amount at which the density of the adjustment pattern is the lowest. In FIG. 7, the shift amount at which the density is the lowest, that is, the shift amount showing the highest optical reflectance value, “0”, is the ejection timing for reducing the misalignment amount. The number of adjustment patterns and the number of elements thereof can be appropriately determined depending on the shift unit of the relative recording position required to satisfy the requirements for registration processing accuracy and the adjustment range required from the mechanical tolerance of the device.

8 and 9 are diagrams for explaining the scanning speed of the carriage unit 102 in a plurality of recording modes included in the recording device of the present embodiment. In the present embodiment, the recording mode includes a first recording mode in which image quality is emphasized and a second recording mode in which productivity is emphasized. In either mode, scanning is started from the stop position of the carriage unit 102 and gradually accelerated, and when the target speed is reached, scanning is continued while keeping the target speed constant. Then, by controlling the carriage unit 102 to stop by decelerating at a predetermined position, one recording scan is performed. Hereinafter, the speed at which the carriage unit 102 scans at a constant speed is referred to as the scanning speed in the recording mode. In the present embodiment, the scanning speed (903) of the carriage unit 102 in the second recording mode is faster than the scanning speed (802) of the carriage unit 102 in the first recording mode. Further, the moving distance (accelerated recording area) from the start of scanning of the carriage unit 102 to reaching the target speed in the second recording mode is longer than the moving distance in the first recording mode. The length of the deceleration recording area has a similar relationship.

FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram showing the relationship between the carriage scanning speed and the recording area with respect to the carriage position in the first recording mode. Scanning speed indicates the speed relative to the center position of the carriage. In this figure, the carriage unit 102 and the guide shaft 103 are shown, and ink is applied while the carriage unit 102 reciprocates on the outward path in the + X direction and the return path in the −X direction, and an image is recorded on the recording medium P. .. In the first recording mode, the carriage unit 102 accelerates at the same time as the start of scanning and reaches a predetermined scanning speed (802 in the figure) before moving to a position facing one end of the recording medium P. do. Then, it scans on the recording medium P while keeping the scanning speed constant (802), scans to a position not facing the other end of the recording medium P, and then decelerates. In the figure, the region 801 on the recording medium P is a constant speed recording region (constant speed region) in which ink droplets are ejected while the carriage unit 102 scans at a constant speed. As described above, in the first recording mode, the image is recorded while the speed of the carriage unit 102 remains constant in the entire area of the recording medium P, that is, within the range of the area 801.

FIG. 9 shows a similar relationship in the second recording mode. Unlike the first recording mode, the carriage unit 102 accelerates at the same time as the start of scanning, but even if it moves to a position facing one end of the recording medium P, it still reaches the target speed (scanning speed 903). It does not, and continues accelerating while scanning on the recording medium P. Then, after reaching the scanning speed 903, scanning is performed while keeping the speed constant, and deceleration is started before reaching the other end of the recording medium P. In the figure, the area 901 on the recording medium is a constant speed recording area in which the carriage unit 102 scans at a constant speed and ejects ink droplets. The area 902 is an acceleration / deceleration recording area (acceleration / deceleration area) in which the carriage unit 102 ejects ink droplets while accelerating or decelerating. As described above, in the second recording mode, the image is recorded while the carriage unit 102 accelerates or decelerates in the region at the end of the recording medium P.

Here, with reference to FIGS. 10 and 11, a case where an acceleration / deceleration recording area is included and a case where an acceleration / deceleration recording area is included as an area for recording an adjustment pattern for recording position adjustment will be described. In the present embodiment, the pattern recording time is shortened by recording the adjustment patterns corresponding to the plurality of recording modes on one recording medium and recording them in the same scan of the carriage unit 102. Therefore, the plurality of adjustment patterns are arranged in the Y direction for each recording mode, and the adjustment patterns recorded in the same recording mode are arranged side by side in the X direction. Further, the pattern is arranged so as to be closer to the recording medium P in the −X direction. As described above, the recording device of the present embodiment has a configuration in which the recording medium is moved to one side and conveyed, and the same adjustment can be performed even when the width of the recording medium used by the user is relatively small. be.

(Example of adjustment pattern recorded by the conventional method)
FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram when an acceleration / deceleration recording area is included as an area for recording an adjustment pattern for adjusting the recording position, and includes a constant speed recording area and an acceleration / deceleration recording area in the first and second recording modes. The positional relationship with the recording position adjustment pattern is shown. The pattern group 1001 and the pattern group 1002 are pattern groups for adjusting the recording position in the first recording mode. Similarly, the pattern group 1003 and the pattern group 1004 are pattern groups for adjusting the recording position in the second recording mode.

As described above, the recording position adjustment is performed by reading the density change of a plurality of adjustment patterns in which the shift amount of the shift pattern with respect to the reference pattern is different from each other. The pattern group 1001 and the pattern group 1003 are pattern groups for adjusting the deviation between the recording position in the recording scan in the forward direction (+ X direction) and the recording position in the recording scan in the return direction (-X direction). Yes, and includes multiple patterns, each with a different amount of shift. The pattern group 1002 and the pattern group 1004 are pattern groups for adjusting the deviation between the recording position in the discharge port row 301 and the recording position in the discharge port row 302 shown in FIG. Includes patterns.

Here, in the pattern group 1003 and the pattern group 1004, which are adjustment patterns for the second recording mode, a part or all of a plurality of patterns are recorded within the range of the acceleration / deceleration recording area of the second recording mode. However, in the acceleration / deceleration recording area, it is not possible to appropriately acquire the amount of deviation of the recording position that differs for each speed. In particular, in a region closer to the end of the recording medium such as the pattern group 1004, the speed difference between the scanning speed in the constant speed recording region and the scanning speed in the acceleration / deceleration region is large. This problem arises because the scanning side in the constant speed recording area becomes faster and the acceleration / deceleration area expands, and due to this speed difference, the error included in the acquired misalignment amount becomes larger. It ends up.

(Example of adjustment pattern recorded in the configuration of this embodiment)
FIG. 11 is a diagram showing the positional relationship between the adjustment pattern for recording position adjustment in the present embodiment, the constant speed recording area, the acceleration / deceleration recording area, and the recording position adjustment pattern in the first and second recording modes. be. The pattern group 1101 is a pattern group for adjusting the recording position of the reciprocating scan in the first recording mode, and the pattern group 1102 sets the recording position between the two rows of discharge ports in the first recording mode. It is a group of patterns for adjustment. Similarly, the pattern group 1103 is a pattern group for adjusting the recording position of the reciprocating scan in the second recording mode, and the pattern group 1104 is between the two rows of discharge port rows in the second recording mode. This is a group of patterns for adjusting the recording position. Each pattern group includes a plurality of patterns having different shift amounts.

Unlike the conventional method shown in FIG. 10, in the pattern group 1103 and the pattern group 1104, all of the plurality of patterns are within the range of the constant speed recording area of the second recording mode, and are outside the range of the acceleration / deceleration recording area. Arranged to be recorded in. On the other hand, the pattern group 1101 and the pattern group 1102 are recorded within the range of the constant speed recording area of the first recording mode regardless of the recording position on the recording medium. In this way, when the acceleration / deceleration recording area and the constant speed recording area differ depending on the recording mode, the constant speed recording area is recorded so that the recording position adjustment pattern is recorded while the carriage unit 102 is scanning at a constant speed. Set within the range. As a result, it is possible to suppress a decrease in adjustment accuracy due to recording of the recording position adjustment pattern while the carriage unit 102 is accelerating or decelerating.

FIG. 12 is a flowchart showing a recording position adjusting method in the present embodiment. In step S1201, the recording mode is selected. In the present embodiment, either a first recording mode in which image quality is prioritized or a second recording mode in which productivity is prioritized is selected. Next, in step S1202, the range of the constant speed recording area of the selected recording mode is acquired. In step S1203, the adjustment pattern is recorded in the acquired constant speed recording area. In step S1204, the density of the adjustment pattern is detected. In step S1205, the adjustment value of the recording position is calculated based on the set misalignment amount and the detected change in density. After that, in step S1206, it is determined whether or not the adjustment of all the recording modes in which the adjustment is performed is completed, and if it is completed, the process proceeds to step S1207, the adjustment value is saved, and the process ends. If the adjustment of all recording modes has not been completed, the process returns to step S1201, the recording mode for which adjustment has not been completed is selected, and the flow is continued until the adjustment of all recording modes is completed.

As described above, in the present embodiment, the carriage unit 102 acquires the range of the constant speed recording area scanned at a constant speed for each recording mode, and adjusts for recording position adjustment within the acquired constant speed recording area. Place the pattern. As a result, the adjustment pattern is not recorded in the range of the acceleration / deceleration recording area where the carriage unit 102 accelerates and decelerates, and it is possible to suppress a decrease in the recording position adjustment accuracy.

(Second embodiment)
In the first embodiment, even if the range of the constant speed recording area of the first recording mode and the range of the constant speed recording area of the second recording mode are different, the range of the constant speed recording area of each recording mode. An example of recording an adjustment pattern was described. As a balance between image quality and productivity required by the user, it is possible to provide a plurality of recording modes corresponding to more carriage scanning speeds. In this embodiment, the recording position adjustment for these recording modes will be described.

FIG. 13 is a diagram for explaining the arrangement of the recording position adjustment pattern used for the recording position adjustment in the present embodiment, and is an adjustment pattern recorded in the first to fourth recording modes.

Each of the pattern groups 1301 to 1312 shows a pattern group including a plurality of adjustment patterns. The pattern group 1301 is a coarse adjustment pattern for a so-called bidirectional register that adjusts the recording positions of the scan in the + X direction and the scan in the −X direction, and is shifted from the fine adjustment pattern for the bidirectional register described later. The amplitude of the quantity a is large. That is, the amount of change in the adjustment value of the coarse adjustment pattern in one step is larger than the amount of change in the adjustment value of the fine adjustment pattern in one step, and the unit for adjusting the recording position is large. The recording device of the present embodiment records the pattern group 1301, then reads the pattern group 1301 using the reflection type optical sensor 107, and then records the pattern groups 1302 to 1312.

In the pattern groups 1302 to 1304, the scanning speed at the time of constant speed scanning of the carriage is the first speed, and the distance between the face surface of the recording head and the recording medium (so-called paper-to-paper distance) is the first distance. A group of patterns recorded in the recording mode. Similarly, the pattern groups 1305 to 1307 are recorded in the second recording mode in which the scanning speed during constant speed scanning of the carriage is faster than the first speed and the paper-to-paper distance is the first distance. It is a group of patterns to be performed. The patterns 1308 to 1310 are patterns recorded in a third recording mode in which the scanning speed during constant-speed scanning of the carriage is the first speed and the paper-to-paper distance is the second distance larger than the first distance. It is a group. The pattern groups 1311 to 1312 are pattern groups recorded in the fourth recording mode in which the scanning speed at the time of constant speed scanning of the carriage is the second speed and the paper-to-paper distance is the second distance.

The pattern group 1302, the pattern group 1305, the pattern group 1308, and the pattern group 1311 are pattern groups including a plurality of patterns for adjusting the deviation of the recording position of the ejection port row between the ink colors of different colors. The pattern group 1303, the pattern group 1306, and the pattern group 1309 are pattern groups including a plurality of patterns for adjusting the deviation of the recording position between the two rows of ejection ports of the same ink color. The pattern group 1304, the pattern group 1307, the pattern group 1310, and the pattern group 1312 are patterns including a plurality of patterns for finely adjusting the deviation of the recording position in the forward scan in the + X direction and the reverse scan in the −X direction. It is a group. These fine adjustment pattern groups are recorded using the shift amount determined based on the reading result of the pattern group 1301 which is the above-mentioned coarse adjustment pattern.

Here, in the first recording mode and the third recording mode, the scanning speed at the time of constant speed scanning of the carriage is the first speed, and among the plurality of recording modes that can be executed by the recording device of the present embodiment, the carriage. This is the recording mode in which the scanning speed at the time of constant-speed scanning is the slowest. On the other hand, the scanning speed of the carriage in the second recording mode and the fourth recording mode during constant speed scanning is the second speed, and among the plurality of recording modes that can be executed by the recording device of the present embodiment, the carriage This is the recording mode in which the scanning speed at the time of constant speed scanning is the highest. That is, the second recording mode and the recording mode are the recording modes in which the range of the acceleration / deceleration recording area is the largest and the range of the constant speed recording area is the narrowest among the plurality of recording modes. Then, in the present embodiment, the adjustment pattern is arranged by aligning the positions (coordinates) in the X direction in the figure in accordance with the recording mode in which the range of the constant speed recording area is the narrowest.

Further, in the present embodiment, when there are three or more types of scanning speeds during constant speed scanning of the carriage, the adjustment values are calculated by interpolation calculation without adjusting the recording positions of all the recording modes. It is desirable to adjust the recording position in all recording modes, but it is preferable to minimize the items in consideration of the time required for adjusting the recording position, the amount of recording medium consumed, and the amount of ink. .. Therefore, in the present embodiment, the recording mode (first and third recording modes) in which the scanning speed during constant speed scanning of the carriage is the slowest, and the recording mode in which the scanning speed during constant speed scanning of the carriage is the fastest. The recording position is adjusted in the mode (second and fourth recording mode). Then, in the recording mode in which the scanning speed of the carriage during constant speed scanning is between the first speed and the second speed, the recording position is not adjusted and the scanning speed of the carriage during constant speed scanning is not adjusted. The adjustment value is interpolated and recorded according to the ratio.

For example, when the first speed of the present embodiment is 60 inches / sec and the second speed is 30 inches / sec, the scanning speed at constant speed scanning of the carriage is 45 inches / sec and the paper-to-paper distance is the first distance. The adjustment value of the fifth recording mode is obtained by an interpolation calculation from the adjustment value of the first recording mode and the adjustment value of the second recording mode. In the case of the above example, it is an intermediate value between the adjustment value of the first recording mode and the adjustment value of the second recording mode.

Normally, when the carriage unit 102 scans on the recording medium, the distance between the recording head and the recording medium is kept constant by the guide shaft. However, due to manufacturing tolerances, this distance is not a little inaccurate. As shown in the first embodiment, when the pattern group is recorded in the constant speed recording area of each recording mode, the pattern group is arranged at different positions in the scanning direction. As a result, the adjustment value is acquired in a state where the paper-to-paper distance between the face surface of the recording head and the recording medium is different. The deviation of the recording position in the reciprocating scan or the deviation of the recording position between the ejection port rows tends to strongly depend on the paper-to-paper distance in addition to the carriage scanning speed. Therefore, when the adjustment value is obtained by the interpolation calculation from the adjustment values obtained in the state where the paper-to-paper distance is different, an error corresponding to the fluctuation amount of the paper-to-paper distance is included. On the other hand, in the present embodiment, the adjustment pattern group of the first to fourth recording modes is matched with the recording mode having the narrowest constant speed recording area, and the positions of the adjustment pattern groups in the X direction are arranged substantially the same. Therefore, it is possible to suppress a decrease in the interpolation accuracy of the adjustment value.

FIG. 14 is a flowchart showing a recording position adjusting method in the present embodiment. In step S1401, the recording mode is selected. In step S1402, among the recording modes for which adjustment is performed, the range of the constant speed recording area of the recording mode in which the constant speed recording area is the narrowest is acquired. In step S1403, the adjustment pattern of each recording mode is recorded within the range of the acquired constant speed recording area. The following steps are the same as in the first embodiment, but for the mode in which the adjustment pattern is not recorded, the adjustment value is determined by the complementary operation as described above.

In this way, among the recording modes for recording the adjustment pattern, the adjustment pattern of all modes in which the range of the constant speed recording area of the recording mode in which the constant speed recording area is the narrowest is acquired and the recording position adjustment is performed in the area is acquired. To record. Further, the adjustment value of the recording mode in which the recording position adjustment is not performed is interpolated from the adjustment value of the recording mode in which the recording position adjustment is performed. As a result, it is possible to suppress a decrease in the accuracy of recording position adjustment.

In the present embodiment, the pattern group 1301 which is a rough adjustment pattern for bidirectional registration and the pattern groups 1304, 1307, 1310 and 1312 which are fine adjustment patterns are all recorded in the constant speed recording area. Indicated. However, at the stage of rough adjustment, it may not always be necessary to record in the constant speed recording area, and the rough adjustment pattern group 1301 may be in the form of recording in the acceleration / deceleration recording area. The pattern group, which is a fine adjustment pattern of the bidirectional register, can be adjusted with higher accuracy by recording in the constant speed recording area.

(Third embodiment)
In the embodiments described so far, a configuration in which the adjustment pattern is arranged in the constant speed recording area has been described. This is because when the adjustment pattern is recorded in the acceleration / deceleration recording area, the adjustment value has an error depending on the scanning speed. On the other hand, the deviation amount of the recording position of the reciprocating scan is greatly affected by the scanning speed of the carriage, but the deviation amount of the recording position between the ejection port rows has a relatively small influence on the scanning speed of the carriage. In the reciprocating scanning, the recording position shifts depending on the ejection direction of the ink droplets, that is, the combined speed of the ink droplets toward the recording medium and the carriage scanning speed, so that the scanning speed of the carriage is greatly affected. On the other hand, the difference in recording position between the discharge port rows is mainly caused by an error in the desired distance between the discharge port rows as a manufacturing tolerance of the recording head, so that the influence of the scanning speed of the carriage is small. In this embodiment, in view of these, the adjustment pattern of the recording position between the discharge port rows is not necessarily arranged in the constant speed recording area.

FIG. 15 is an explanatory diagram of the arrangement of the recording position adjustment pattern in the present embodiment. The recording modes and adjustment items of the pattern groups 1501 to 1504 are the same as those of the first embodiment. The pattern groups 1501 and 1502 are recording position adjustment patterns for reciprocating scanning, and the pattern groups 1503 and 1504 are adjustment patterns for the distance between the discharge port rows, and are arranged in the acceleration / deceleration recording area in the present embodiment. With such a configuration, it is possible to reduce the width of the recording medium required for recording position adjustment while ensuring the adjustment accuracy required for each adjustment item.

FIG. 16 is a flowchart of the recording position adjusting method in the present embodiment. In step S1601, the recording mode and adjustment items to be adjusted are selected. In step S1602, it is determined whether or not the adjustment item is the reciprocating recording position adjustment, and if it is the reciprocating recording position adjustment, the process proceeds to step S1603, and if it is another adjustment item, the process proceeds to step S1605. In steps S1603 to S1608, the adjustment pattern is recorded within the range of the constant speed recording area of the recording mode in which the constant speed recording area is the narrowest, and the adjustment value is calculated, as in the above-described embodiment. In step S1605, since the adjustment item is not the reciprocating recording position adjustment, a recordable area including the acceleration / deceleration recording area and the constant speed recording area is acquired, and the pattern is recorded within the range of the area acquired in step S1606. The process proceeds to step S1607. In step S1609, it is determined whether the adjustment of all recording modes and adjustment items to be adjusted has been completed, and if not, the process returns to step S1601 and the flow is continued until the adjustment of all recording modes and adjustment items is completed. continue.

In this way, the recording position adjustment pattern can be appropriately arranged according to the characteristics of the adjustment item. As a result, the width of the recording medium required for the adjustment can be reduced while suppressing the deterioration of the recording position adjustment accuracy. In the present embodiment, the recording position adjustment pattern between the two rows of discharge ports has been described as a recording position adjustment pattern that allows recording in the acceleration / deceleration recording area, but the recording position under other conditions is adjusted. It may be an adjustment pattern for, and can be determined according to the scanning speed.

(Other embodiments)
In the above-described embodiment, the configuration and number of nozzle rows or recording heads are not limited to those exemplified, and can be appropriately adopted. For example, although the form of a recording head in which two rows of discharge ports are arranged is shown, a form in which a plurality of discharge port rows are further provided may be provided, or a form in which a carriage capable of mounting a plurality of these recording heads may be provided. good. Further, in the third embodiment, an example in which an adjustment pattern for adjusting the discharge port row is arranged in the acceleration / deceleration recording area is shown, but adjustment between the plurality of recording heads and the upper end of the discharge port row are shown. The same applies to the recording positions of the position of the discharge port and the position of the discharge port located at the lower end.

Further, as a method of detecting the deviation of the adjustment pattern, an example of detecting the density by the optical sensor is shown, but the present invention is not necessarily limited to this. The user may visually select the optimum pattern and input the selected pattern to acquire the adjustment value.

Further, although the adjustment pattern is arranged within the range of the constant speed recording area, when the pattern is arranged within the constant speed recording area, it is desirable that the adjustment pattern is appropriately set according to the printer configuration. As described above, when the recording medium is moved to one side of the printer body for transportation, it is placed on the edge of the paper in the constant speed recording area so that the width of the recording medium can be adjusted even if the width of the recording medium is smaller. A close position is considered preferable. Further, if holes for sucking the recording medium are provided on the platen for stable transport of the recording medium, the recording medium falls into these holes and the distance between the recording head and the recording medium is relatively widened. Can be considered. Recording the adjustment pattern in such an area may cause a decrease in adjustment accuracy. Therefore, it is desirable to avoid those positions even in the constant speed recording area. In this way, the position of the adjustment pattern can be set so that the adjustment is appropriately performed while applying the arrangement described in the embodiment. These arrangements may be determined at the time of recording the pattern, or the predetermined arrangement may be stored in the ROM and read out at the time of recording.

Further, the present invention can be applied even in a so-called center paper feeding configuration in which the recording medium is conveyed according to the center position. As in the case of one-sided transport, the constant speed recording area and the acceleration / deceleration recording area may be acquired, and the adjustment pattern to be recorded in the constant speed recording area may be arranged.

102 Carriage unit 105 Recording head 107 Reflective optical sensor 200 Controller

Claims (12)

A recording means for recording an image on a recording medium by ejecting ink,
A scanning means for scanning the recording means in the scanning direction, and a scanning means.
A control means for controlling the recording means and the scanning means so as to execute one recording scan by the scanning means by accelerating the scanning means, scanning at a constant scanning speed, and then decelerating the scanning means.
An adjustment means for adjusting the recording position by the recording means based on the recording result of a predetermined adjustment pattern recorded on the recording medium, and an adjustment means.
Equipped with
The predetermined pattern is not recorded within the range of the acceleration / deceleration region that the scanning means scans while accelerating or decelerating, but is recorded within the range of the constant speed region that the scanning means scans at a constant speed. A featured recording device. The control means is based on a recording mode selected from a plurality of recording modes including a first recording mode and a second recording mode in which the length of the constant speed region is shorter than that of the first recording mode. Control and
The predetermined adjustment pattern corresponding to the first recording mode is not recorded in the acceleration / deceleration region of the first recording mode, but is recorded in the constant speed region.
The predetermined adjustment pattern corresponding to the second recording mode is not recorded in the acceleration / deceleration region of the second recording mode, but is recorded in the constant speed region. The recording device according to claim 1. The constant speed region of the second recording mode is located within the constant speed region of the first recording mode.
The recording device according to claim 2, wherein the predetermined adjustment pattern corresponding to the first recording mode is recorded within a range of a constant speed region of the second recording mode in the scanning direction. The first recording mode is characterized in that the speed when scanning while keeping the scanning speed constant is slower than the speed when scanning while keeping the scanning speed constant in the second recording mode. The recording device according to 2 or 3. The distance traveled from the start of scanning by the scanning means to the time when the scanning speed at which scanning is constant is reached in the first recording mode is such that the scanning means starts scanning in the second recording mode. The recording apparatus according to any one of claims 2 to 4, wherein the recording device is shorter than the distance traveled from to to reach a scanning speed of constant scanning. The recording device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the predetermined adjustment pattern is a pattern for adjusting the recording positions of the forward scan and the reverse scan in the scanning direction. The recording means includes a plurality of rows of ejection ports arranged in a direction in which the ejection ports for ejecting ink intersect the scanning direction.
The one according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the predetermined adjustment pattern is a pattern for adjusting a recording position between a plurality of rows of discharge ports provided in the recording means. Recording device. The recording means includes a plurality of rows of ejection ports arranged in a direction in which the ejection ports for ejecting ink intersect the scanning direction.
The pattern for adjusting the recording position between the plurality of rows of discharge ports provided in the recording means is characterized in that the pattern is recorded within the range of the acceleration / deceleration region that the scanning means scans while accelerating or decelerating. The recording device according to any one of claims 1 to 6. An acquisition means for acquiring the recording result of the predetermined adjustment pattern, and
A setting means for setting an adjustment value for adjusting the recording position based on the above result, and
The recording device according to any one of claims 1 to 8, further comprising. A transport means for transporting a recording medium in a transport direction intersecting the scanning direction, further comprising a transport means for transporting the recording medium by abutting one end of the recording medium at a predetermined position in the scanning direction. The recording device according to any one of claims 1 to 9. A recording method for a recording device including a recording means for recording an image on a recording medium by ejecting ink and a scanning means for scanning the recording means in a scanning direction.
A step of recording an adjustment pattern by performing one recording scan by the scanning means by accelerating the scanning means, scanning while keeping the scanning speed constant, and then decelerating the scanning means.
A step of adjusting the recording position by the recording means based on the recording result of a predetermined adjustment pattern recorded on the recording medium, and
Equipped with
The predetermined adjustment pattern is not recorded within the range of the acceleration / deceleration region that the scanning means scans while accelerating or decelerating, but is recorded within the range of the constant speed region that the scanning means scans at a constant speed. A recording method characterized by. A program for causing a computer to execute each step of the recording method according to claim 11.

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