JP4016936B2 - Liquid ejection apparatus and liquid ejection method - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a liquid ejecting apparatus and a liquid ejecting method in which a liquid is pressed with a pressure generated by a pressure generating element, and the pressed liquid is discharged from a discharge port as a droplet onto an object.

  As an apparatus for ejecting liquid, there is an ink jet type liquid ejecting apparatus that ejects ink as a liquid from a liquid ejecting unit onto a recording paper as an object to record an image or a character. The liquid discharge apparatus using the ink jet method has advantages such as low running cost, small size of the apparatus, and easy colorization of printed images. In a liquid ejecting apparatus using an ink jet system, ink is supplied from an ink cartridge filled with ink of a plurality of colors (for example, yellow, magenta, cyan, black, etc.) to an ink liquid chamber or the like of a liquid ejecting unit.

  The ink supplied to the ink liquid chamber or the like is pressed by pressure generated by a pressure generating element such as a heating resistor disposed in the ink liquid chamber. As a result, the ink in the ink liquid chamber is ejected from a minute ink ejection port, that is, a so-called nozzle provided in the liquid ejection section. Specifically, the ink in the ink chamber is heated with a heating resistor disposed in the ink liquid chamber, bubbles are generated in the ink on the heating resistor, and the ink is ejected from the nozzles with the pressure generated by the bubbles, The ejected ink is landed on a recording paper or the like as an object to print an image or a character.

  As an ink jet type liquid ejecting apparatus, an ink cartridge is mounted on a liquid ejecting head, and the liquid ejecting head moves in the width direction of the recording paper, that is, in a direction substantially orthogonal to the recording paper transport direction, thereby ink of a predetermined color. There is a serial type printer device that lands on the recording paper. In addition, there is a so-called line head type liquid ejecting apparatus in which an ink ejection range is set to be approximately the same as the width of the recording paper, that is, the ink is ejected from nozzles of a liquid ejecting section arranged in the width direction of the recording paper.

  The serial type liquid ejecting apparatus stops the traveling of the recording paper when the liquid ejecting head moves in a direction substantially orthogonal to the recording paper transport direction, and moves the liquid ejecting head to the stopped recording paper while moving the ink. The printing is performed by repeating this process. On the other hand, in the line head type liquid ejecting apparatus, the liquid ejecting head is fixed or fixed to such an extent that it can be slightly moved to avoid printing unevenness. Is printed by discharging and landing.

  Therefore, unlike the serial type, this line head type liquid ejecting apparatus does not move the liquid ejecting head, so that high-speed printing can be performed as compared with the serial type liquid ejecting apparatus. In addition, since the line head type liquid ejection device does not need to move the liquid ejection head, each ink cartridge can be increased in size and the ink capacity of the ink cartridge can be increased. In such a line head type liquid ejecting apparatus, since the liquid ejecting head is not moved, the configuration can be simplified, and each ink cartridge and the liquid ejecting head can be provided integrally. .

  By the way, in the above-described line head type liquid ejecting apparatus, it is important to perform printing while keeping the distance between the nozzle and the recording paper constant in order to perform high-quality printing. For this reason, in the liquid ejection device, an appropriate load is applied to the recording paper facing the nozzle surface on which the nozzles are provided in the in-plane direction of the recording paper so that no slack occurs. The distance is kept constant.

  Specifically, in the liquid ejection apparatus 201 shown in FIG. 16, when printing on the recording paper P facing the nozzle surface 202a of the liquid ejection head 202, the recording paper P conveyed in the arrow X direction in FIG. By increasing the rotational speed at which the paper discharge roller 204 for printing and discharging the recording paper P is rotated at the axis center faster than the rotation speed at which the feed roller 203 for feeding the paper rotates about the axis, the slackness is obtained. There is no tension in the direction of conveyance.

  However, in this liquid ejection apparatus 201, as shown in FIG. 17, the trailing edge of the recording paper P being conveyed in the direction of arrow X in FIG. When the gripping point is removed, a load applied to the recording paper P in the reverse conveyance direction by the feed roller 203 whose rotational speed is slower than that of the paper discharge roller 204, that is, a load applied to the recording paper P in the arrow Y direction in FIG. No longer works. For this reason, the conveyance speed of the recording paper P is such that when the trailing edge of the recording paper P deviates at the nip point of the feeding roller 203, the load in the counter-conveying direction by the feeding roller 203 does not act on the recording paper P. The recording paper P is transported only by the paper discharge roller 204 whose rotational speed is faster than that of the paper 203, and becomes faster during printing.

  For this reason, in the liquid ejecting apparatus 201, when the trailing edge of the recording paper P comes off at the nip point of the feed roller 203, the conveyance speed of the recording paper P increases according to the temperature and humidity during printing, the type of the recording paper P, and the like. Since the change occurs, so-called color misregistration in which the landing position of the ink is shifted to the opposite side of the conveyance direction due to the increase in the conveyance speed during printing may deteriorate the image quality. Further, in the liquid ejecting apparatus 201, the grip of the recording paper P with respect to the rollers 203 and 204 differs depending on the type of the recording paper P, that is, the gripping degree of the rollers 203 and 204 with respect to the recording paper P is different. It depends.

  That is, in the liquid ejecting apparatus 201, when the temperature and humidity are high, the belt connected to a drive motor (not shown) for driving the rollers 203 and 204 becomes longer due to the influence of the temperature and humidity, and the belt pitch becomes wider. . As a result, the tension of the belt is weakened, the feed pitch per pulley tooth provided on the rollers 203 and 204 and over which the belt is engaged is reduced, the conveyance speed of the recording paper P is lowered, and the color misregistration is reduced. Specifically, since the transport speed at room temperature has increased during printing, the ink ejected from the nozzle located upstream in the transport direction of the recording paper P and the ink ejected from the nozzle located downstream If the color shift caused by the landing position shift is 300 μm, when the temperature or humidity increases, the conveyance speed of the recording paper P becomes slow, the color shift becomes, for example, 250 μm, and the color shift becomes smaller than that at normal temperature.

  On the other hand, when the temperature and humidity are low, the belt becomes short due to the influence of temperature and humidity, and the pitch of the belt becomes narrow. As a result, the belt tension is increased, the feed pitch per pulley tooth provided on the rollers 203 and 204 is increased, the conveyance speed of the recording paper P is increased, and the color shift is increased. Specifically, assuming that the color shift caused by the increase in the conveyance speed during printing at room temperature is 300 μm, when the temperature and humidity are low, the conveyance speed of the recording paper P is increased and the color shift is, for example, 350 μm. The color shift becomes larger than at normal temperature.

  Further, in the liquid ejecting apparatus 201, when the recording paper P is of a type in which the grip with respect to the rollers 203 and 204 is increased, the change in the conveyance speed during printing becomes large and the color misregistration becomes large. In the case of a type in which the grip with respect to 203 and 204 is made small, the change in the conveyance speed during printing becomes small and the color misregistration becomes small.

  As a method for improving such color misregistration, for example, a soft roller and a hard roller are used as the rollers 203 and 204 for conveying the recording paper P, and the impact when the recording paper P is removed from the nip point is buffered by the soft roller. (For example, refer to Patent Document 1).

  However, with the method of buffering the impact when the recording paper P deviates from the nip point with the soft roller as described above, it is difficult to improve problems such as color misregistration.

  Further, Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2 propose that an unused nozzle is provided in addition to a nozzle used for printing, and color misregistration is corrected with ink ejected from the unused nozzle.

  However, the proposals in Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2 are effective for a serial type liquid ejection apparatus, but have a problem that it is difficult to implement the line head type liquid ejection apparatus.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 5-186086 JP 2002-225370 A JP 2002-254736 A

  Therefore, the present invention has been proposed in view of such a conventional situation, and provides a liquid ejection apparatus and a liquid ejection method capable of preventing image quality deterioration due to color misregistration.

  A liquid ejection apparatus according to the present invention that achieves the above-described object has a transport unit that transports an object to which a liquid adheres in a predetermined direction, and a discharge port that discharges the liquid in a droplet state. A discharge unit that discharges droplets from the discharge port toward the object conveyed to a position opposite to the discharge port, a discharge control unit that controls the discharge unit to discharge droplets from the discharge port at a predetermined discharge timing, Environment detecting means for detecting the temperature and / or humidity environment when discharging droplets from the discharge port, speed determining means for determining whether or not the transport speed of the object has changed, and droplets on the transported object The landing position detection means for detecting the deviation of the landing position of the liquid droplet caused by the change in the transport speed when landing on the predetermined pattern, and the correction of the deviation of the landing position of the liquid droplet detected by the landing position detection means Let the discharge tie Data generating means for generating discharge control data for controlling the liquid droplets according to the type of the object on which the droplets have landed in a predetermined pattern, and discharge control data according to the type of the object generated by the data generating means Storage means for storing, environment data detected by the environment detection means when the speed determination means determines that the conveyance speed has changed, and discharge control data corresponding to the type of object stored in the storage means Based on the above, the discharge control unit controls the discharge unit so that the droplets are discharged from the discharge port at the discharge timing different from that before the change in the conveyance speed.

  The liquid ejection method according to the present invention includes a transport unit that transports an object to which a liquid is attached in a predetermined direction, and a discharge port that discharges the liquid in a droplet state, and transports the liquid to a position facing the discharge port. A discharge unit that discharges the droplet from the discharge port toward the target object, a discharge control unit that controls the discharge unit to discharge the droplet from the discharge port at a predetermined discharge timing, and a droplet from the discharge port. Environment detection means for detecting the temperature and / or humidity environment at the time of discharge, speed determination means for determining whether or not the transport speed of the object has changed, and droplets land on the transported object in a predetermined pattern The landing position detecting means for detecting the deviation of the landing position of the droplet caused by the change in the transport speed when the ink is discharged, and the ejection timing so as to correct the deviation of the landing position of the droplet detected by the landing position detecting means. Controlled discharge system Data generating means for generating data according to the type of the object in which the droplets have landed in a predetermined pattern, and storage means for storing discharge control data according to the type of the object generated by the data generating means; A liquid ejection method for a liquid ejection apparatus comprising: environmental data detected by the environment detection means when the speed discrimination means determines that the conveyance speed of the object has changed; and an object stored in the storage means Based on the discharge control data corresponding to the type, the discharge control unit controls the discharge unit so that the droplets are discharged from the discharge port at a discharge timing different from that before the change in the conveyance speed.

  According to the present invention, the environmental data detected by the environment detection unit when the speed determination unit determines that the conveyance speed of the object has changed, and the liquid that occurs when the conveyance speed detected by the landing position detection unit changes. Based on the discharge control data corresponding to the type of object generated by the data generation means based on the result of the landing position deviation of the droplet, the droplet is discharged from the discharge port at a discharge timing different from that before the change in the conveyance speed. The droplet landing position is prevented from shifting in the transport direction according to the type of the target object and the surrounding environment due to a change in the transport speed of the target object.

  According to the present invention, when the transport speed of the object changes, the droplet discharge timing is adjusted based on the environmental data detected by the environment detection unit and the discharge control data generated by the data generation unit. Since the deviation of the landing position is corrected, it is possible to prevent the landing position of the droplet on the object from shifting in the transport direction according to the temperature and humidity due to the change in the transport speed of the object. Therefore, according to the present invention, it is possible to perform printing with excellent image quality without positional deviation, that is, color deviation, on the droplets that have landed on the object.

  Further, according to the present invention, the data generation means generates the discharge control data for each type of the target on which the droplet has landed in a predetermined pattern, and the target of the target is determined by the discharge control data corresponding to the type of the target. Since the discharge timing can be controlled for each type, it is possible to prevent the landing position of the droplet from shifting in the transport direction according to the type of the target, and there is no color shift of the droplet for different types of targets. Printing with high image quality.

  Hereinafter, an example in which a liquid ejection apparatus and a liquid ejection method according to the present invention are applied to a printer apparatus will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

  As shown in FIG. 1, a liquid ejecting apparatus (hereinafter referred to as a printer apparatus) 1 to which the present invention is applied ejects a liquid such as ink onto a recording paper P traveling in a predetermined direction to produce images and characters. Is to be printed. That is, an inkjet printer device. In addition, the printer device 1 is a so-called line in which ink discharge ports (nozzles) are arranged in a substantially line shape in the width direction of the recording paper P, that is, in the direction of the arrow W in FIG. Type printer device. Specifically, the printer apparatus 1 shown in FIG. 1 inputs data from an information processing apparatus such as a personal computer by ejecting and landing ink on the recording paper P that is a target to be conveyed in a predetermined direction. An image, a character, or the like composed of ink dots corresponding to the character data, image data, or the like is recorded.

  The printer apparatus 1 includes a printer head cartridge (hereinafter referred to as a head cartridge) 2 that is a liquid discharge head, and a printer body 3 that is an apparatus body to which the head cartridge 2 is mounted.

  In the printer apparatus 1, the head cartridge 2 is handled as a consumable item, and the head cartridge 2 can be attached to and detached from the printer main body 3, so that the replacement can be easily performed.

  First, the head cartridge 2 that can be attached to and detached from the printer main body 3 will be described. This head cartridge 2 is a so-called line type printer head in which a plurality of nozzles 52a, which are ejection openings for ejecting ink, are arranged in a substantially straight line with a length corresponding to the width of the recording paper P in the direction of arrow W in FIG. It is.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the head cartridge 2 includes a cartridge main body 12 to which an ink tank 11 that stores ink i is mounted. The cartridge main body 12 includes yellow, Ink tanks 11y, 11m, 11c, and 11k having four colors of cyan, magenta, and black are detachable.

  These four ink tanks 11y, 11m, 11c, and 11k are containers formed in a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape by, for example, injection molding of a resin material or the like, and contain ink i corresponding to each color inside. Yes. In addition, these four ink tanks 11y, 11m, 11c, and 11k have an inner surface that is in contact with the ink i with a rougher surface than the outer surface so that minute foreign matters such as dust can be easily removed when the inside is cleaned. Is getting smaller. The four ink tanks 11y, 11m, 11c, and 11k have a long shape corresponding to the long side direction of the cartridge body 12 in order to accommodate as much ink as possible. The ink tanks 11y, 11m, 11c, and 11k are arranged side by side in the short side direction of the cartridge body 12. In the following description, it is assumed that the ink tanks 11y, 11m, 11c, and 11k are arranged in order in the conveyance direction of the recording paper P.

  Note that, in these four ink tanks 11y, 11m, 11c, and 11k, the black ink tank 11k that consumes the most ink has a larger capacity than the other ink tanks 11y, 11m, and 11c, and is thicker than the others. It has the same structure except having. The configuration of these ink tanks 11y, 11m, 11c, and 11k will be collectively described as the ink tank 11 below.

  As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the ink tank 11 that stores the ink i includes an ink storage portion 21 that is a liquid storage portion that stores the ink i, and the ink i in the ink storage portion 21 to the cartridge body 12. An ink delivery part 22 that is a liquid delivery part to be delivered, an external communication hole 23 that allows the ink storage part 21 to communicate with the outside, and an air introduction tube 24 that introduces external air into the ink storage part 21 from the external communication hole 23. And have.

  The ink storage portion 21 forms a storage space for storing the ink i, and has an inner shape substantially corresponding to the outer shape of the ink tank 11 in order to store as much ink i as possible. Further, the ink containing portion 21 is formed so that the bottom surface portion of the ink containing portion 21 is the deepest at the ink sending portion 22 located at the substantially center, and the ink i contained therein flows into the ink sending portion 22 in a concentrated manner. It is made like that.

  The ink delivery unit 22 is a nozzle that supplies ink i from the ink tank 11 communicated with the ink storage unit 21 to the cartridge body 12, and is provided so as to protrude downward from the lower surface central portion of the ink storage unit 21. Yes. The ink delivery part 22 has a tapered shape whose inner diameter is increased toward the tip so that the ink delivery part 22 can be smoothly fitted to a connecting part 35 of the cartridge body 12 described later.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the external communication hole 23 is provided at the center of the upper surface of the ink containing portion 21. Further, the external communication hole 23 is closed by a sealing member (not shown) having air permeability. Thereby, in the ink tank 11, the ink i is prevented from leaking outside from the external communication hole 23, and dust or the like is generated in the ink storage portion 21 when external air is taken in from the external communication hole 23. Preventing intrusion.

  The air introduction tube 24 extends downward from the external communication hole 23 to the inside of the ink containing portion 21. As a result, in the ink tank 11, when the ink i in the ink containing portion 21 is sent from the ink sending portion 22 to the cartridge body 12, the air corresponding to the decrease in the ink i in the ink containing portion 21. Is taken into the ink containing portion 21 from the external communication hole 23 through the air introduction tube 24.

  In addition, in the middle of the air introduction tube 24, a liquid storage unit that temporarily stores the ink i so that the ink i that has flowed back from the ink storage unit 21 does not suddenly flow out of the external communication hole 23. An ink reservoir 25 is provided. The ink storage portion 25 forms a substantially rhombus-shaped internal space in which the longer diagonal line when viewed from the front is aligned with the long side direction of the ink storage portion 21, and the upper corner portion is the air introduction tube 24. Are communicated with the external communication hole 23, and the lower corner portion is communicated with the ink containing portion 21 via the air introduction tube 24. As a result, in the ink tank 11, the ink storage unit 25 temporarily stores the ink i that has flowed back from the ink storage unit 21 through the air introduction tube 24, so that the ink i does not leak to the outside from the external communication hole 23. The ink i can be returned again to the ink container 21 side.

  Further, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the ink tank 11 has an engaging step portion 26 and a locking protrusion 27 which are fixing means for fixing to a tank mounting portion 31 of the cartridge body 12 described later. is doing.

  The engagement step portion 26 is a step portion formed on one end side in the long side direction of the ink tank 11, and a horizontal surface portion 26 a that is parallel to the upper surface portion and lower than the upper surface portion from the side surface portion on the one end side. And an inclined surface portion 26b inclined from the horizontal surface portion 26a toward the upper surface portion.

  The locking projection 27 is a projection formed to project from the side surface portion on the other end side in the long side direction of the ink tank 11, and is positioned below the horizontal surface portion 27a and a horizontal surface portion 27a parallel to the upper surface portion. And an inclined surface portion 27b inclined toward the side surface portion.

  On the other hand, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the cartridge main body 12 has a tank mounting portion 31 in which the ink tanks 11y, 11m, 11c, and 11k corresponding to the above-described colors are mounted.

  The tank mounting portion 31 has a depth sufficient to accommodate the ink tanks 11y, 11m, 11c, and 11k from the upper surface portion of the cartridge main body 12 that is formed in a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape corresponding to the width of the recording paper P. The bottom surface of the recess is formed by a partition wall 31a so that the ink tanks 11y, 11m, 11c, and 11k are arranged in the short side direction of the cartridge body 12. Yes.

  The black ink tank 11k is thicker than the other ink tanks 11y, 11m, and 11c. Therefore, the tank mounting portion 31 also has a partition wall 31a that partitions the mounting position of the black ink tank 11k. The interval is formed by a predetermined width wider than the interval of the partition walls 31a that partition the mounting positions of the other ink tanks 11y, 11m, and 11c.

  The tank mounting portion 31 is provided with an engaged portion 32, a latch lever 33, and a leaf spring 34 which are fixing means for fixing the ink tank 11 described above.

  The engaged portion 32 is a portion that is engaged with the horizontal surface portion 26 a of the engagement step portion 26 formed in the ink tank 11 described above, and is an open end that is located on one end side in the long side direction of the tank mounting portion 31. Projecting by a predetermined width in the long side direction.

  The latch lever 33 is an elastic displacement piece that protrudes upward from a bottom corner portion located on the other end side in the long side direction of the tank mounting portion 31, and a tip portion of the latch lever 33 with respect to a side surface portion of the tank mounting portion 31. Thus, it can be elastically displaced in the direction of approaching and separating. Further, a locking hole 33 a for locking the locking protrusion 27 of the ink tank 11 described above is formed in the leading end side of the latch lever 33. A latch lever 33 corresponding to each of the ink tanks 11y, 11m, 11c, and 11k is provided along the short side direction of the cartridge main body 12 in the tank mounting portion 31 partitioned by the partition wall 31a.

  The leaf spring 34 is a pressing member that is provided on the bottom surface of the tank mounting portion 31 and presses the ink tank 11 mounted on the tank mounting portion 31 upward. The leaf spring 34 is disposed along the long side direction of the tank mounting portion 31, has one end fixed to the bottom surface portion of the tank mounting portion 31, and an intermediate portion thereof bent upward. ing. A plate spring 34 corresponding to each of the ink tanks 11y, 11m, 11c, and 11k is provided along the short side direction of the cartridge main body 12 on the bottom surface of the tank mounting portion 31 partitioned by the partition wall 31a. Yes.

  When the ink tank 11 is mounted on the tank mounting portion 31, one end side of the ink tank 11 where the engagement step portion 26 is provided is inserted obliquely into the tank mounting portion 31, and the engagement step portion 26 is inserted. While the horizontal surface portion 26a of the ink tank 11 is brought into contact with the engaged portion 32 of the tank mounting portion 31, the other end side of the ink tank 11 provided with the locking projection 27 is shown in FIG. 3 is inserted into the tank mounting portion 31 while rotating in the direction of arrow A. At this time, the locking protrusion 27 of the ink tank 11 elastically displaces the latch lever 33 in a direction close to the side surface of the tank mounting portion 31 by the inclined surface portion 27 b coming into contact with the latch lever 33.

  As shown in FIG. 4, at the same time that the ink tank 11 is mounted on the tank mounting portion 31, the locking protrusion 27 is locked in the locking hole 33 a of the latch lever 33. At this time, the front end portion of the latch lever 33 presses the side surface portion of the ink tank 11 mounted on the tank mounting portion 31, and the leaf spring 34 provided on the bottom surface portion of the tank mounting portion 31 is the bottom surface portion of the ink tank 11. The horizontal surface portion 26a of the engaging step portion 26 is locked to the engaged portion 32 of the tank mounting portion 31, and the horizontal surface portion 27a of the locking protrusion 27 is latched to the latch lever 33. The locking hole 33a is locked. Thereby, the ink tank 11 can be appropriately fixed to the tank mounting portion 31 of the cartridge body 12.

  On the other hand, when removing the ink tank 11 mounted on the tank mounting portion 31, the tip end portion of the latch lever 33 is elastically displaced in a direction away from the side surface portion of the ink tank 11. Thereby, the latching state of the horizontal surface part 27a of the latching protrusion 27 mentioned above and the latching hole 33a of the latch lever 33 is cancelled | released. At this time, as shown in FIG. 3, the plate spring 34 presses the bottom surface of the ink tank 11 toward the direction of the arrow A in FIG. 3, so that the ink tank 11 can be easily removed from the tank mounting portion 31. it can.

  Further, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the cartridge main body 12 to which the ink tank 11 as described above is attached includes a connecting portion 35 connected to the ink delivery portion 22 of the ink tank 11 described above, and this connecting portion. The ink supply unit 36 is a liquid supply unit that supplies the ink i from the ink tank 11 connected to the ink tank 11, and the head unit 37 discharges the ink i supplied by the ink supply unit 36. .

  The connecting portion 35 is a nozzle provided at the center of the bottom surface of the tank mounting portion 31, and the tip of the connecting portion 35 is connected to the ink sending portion 22 described above, thereby being connected to the ink sending portion 22 of the ink tank 11. . Further, when the ink delivery part 22 of the ink tank 11 is connected to the connection part 35, an opening / closing pin (not shown) provided at the tip of the connection part 35 opens the ink delivery part 22. The connecting portion 35 is provided with a seal member 38 such as an O-ring to prevent the ink i from leaking from the connected ink delivery portion 22. In addition, you may make it the front-end | tip part serve as an opening-and-closing pin. That is, a configuration in which the distal end portion of the connecting portion 35 is fitted to the ink delivery portion 22 and the ink delivery portion 22 is opened may be employed. Further, the distal end portion of the connecting portion 35 has a tapered shape whose outer diameter is reduced toward the distal end so as to be smoothly fitted to the ink delivery portion 22 described above.

  At the center of the bottom surface of the tank mounting portion 31 partitioned by the partition wall 31a, connecting portions 35 corresponding to the respective ink tanks 11y, 11m, 11c, and 11k are provided side by side in the short side direction of the cartridge main body 12. ing.

  When ink i is ejected from a nozzle 52a of the head unit 37, which will be described later, the ink supply unit 36 opens a valve (not shown) due to the negative pressure generated on the head unit 37 side, and from the ink storage unit 21 of the ink tank 11. When the ink i is supplied to the head portion 37 and the ink i is supplied from the ink containing portion 21 of the ink tank 11 to the head portion 37 and the pressure on the head portion 37 side returns to the steady state, the valve is closed to close the ink. This is a valve mechanism that stops the supply of the ink i from the ink storage portion 21 of the tank 11 to the head portion 37.

  And the ink supply part 36 repeats the supply operation | movement of the ink i, whenever the ink i is discharged from the nozzle 52a of the head part 37 mentioned later. On the other hand, in the ink tank 11, when the ink i in the ink storage unit 21 is supplied to the ink supply unit 36 side in conjunction with the supply operation of the ink i by the ink supply unit 36 described above, As the ink i decreases, air corresponding to the decreased ink i is introduced into the ink containing portion 21 from the external communication hole 23 through the air introduction tube 24. Accordingly, it is possible to appropriately supply the ink i to the ink supply unit 36 side while keeping the pressure in the ink storage unit 21 in an equilibrium state.

  In addition, an ink supply unit 36 is provided below the connecting unit 35 corresponding to each color described above.

  The head unit 37 is positioned above the discharge surface 41 on which a nozzle 52a (described later) that discharges ink i in the form of droplets is formed, and the ink i is supplied from the ink supply unit 36. An ink supply port 42, an ink flow path 43 that guides ink i supplied from the ink supply port 42 to each nozzle, and a head cap 44 that protects the ejection surface 41 are provided.

  The discharge surface 41 is provided with a plurality of nozzles 52a arranged in a substantially straight line over a length corresponding to the width of the recording paper P. The ink supply port 42 is provided at the center of the upper surface of the ink flow path 43 and communicates with the ink supply unit 36. The ink flow path 43 is provided substantially linearly over a length corresponding to the width of the recording paper P so that the ink i is supplied to each nozzle 52a.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the head cap 44 is a cover provided to protect the ejection surface 41 and retracts from the ejection surface 41 during a printing operation. The head cap 44 includes a pair of engaging protrusions 44a provided in the opening / closing direction at both ends in the direction of the arrow W in FIG. 2, and a cleaning roller 44b provided in the longitudinal direction to absorb excess ink i attached to the ejection surface 41. have. The head cap 44 is engaged with a pair of engagement grooves 41a when the engagement protrusion 44a is provided on the discharge surface 41 in a direction substantially orthogonal to the arrow W direction in FIG. The ink tank 11 is opened and closed in a direction substantially perpendicular to the short direction of the ink tank 11, that is, the direction of the arrow W in FIG. In the head cap 44, during the opening / closing operation, the cleaning roller 44 b rotates while being in contact with the ejection surface 41, so that the excess ink i is absorbed and the ejection surface 41 is cleaned. For the cleaning roller 44b, for example, a highly hygroscopic member, specifically, a sponge, a nonwoven fabric, a woven fabric, or the like is used. Further, the head cap 44 closes the ejection surface 41 so that the ink i exposed from the nozzles 52a of the ejection surface 44 is not dried when the printing operation is not performed.

  In addition to the configuration described above, the head portion 37 having such a configuration includes a plurality of ink discharge heads 45 each having a predetermined number of nozzles 52a as a set, and the ink discharge heads 45 are arranged in a staggered manner. That is, the ink discharge heads 45 are arranged so as to be alternately arranged in the width direction of the recording paper P with the ink flow path 43 interposed therebetween.

  As shown in FIG. 6, the ink discharge head 45 is divided into a circuit board 51 as a base, a nozzle sheet 52 formed with a plurality of nozzles 52a, and a section between the circuit board 51 and the nozzle sheet 52 for each nozzle 52a. And an ink liquid chamber 54 that pressurizes the ink i supplied through the ink flow path 43, and a heating resistor 55 that heats the ink i supplied to the ink liquid chamber 54.

  The circuit board 51 forms a control circuit including a logic IC (Integrated Circuit), a driver transistor, and the like on a semiconductor wafer made of silicon or the like, and forms an upper surface portion of the ink liquid chamber 54.

  The nozzle sheet 52 is reduced in diameter toward the discharge surface 41, and a nozzle 52 a having a diameter of about 20 μm on the discharge surface 41 side is provided, and the nozzle sheet 52 is disposed to face the circuit board 51 and the film 53. The lower surface of the ink liquid chamber 54 is formed.

  The film 53 is made of, for example, an exposure curable dry film resist, and is formed so as to surround each nozzle 52a except for the portion communicating with the ink flow path 43 described above. Further, the film 53 is interposed between the circuit board 51 and the nozzle sheet 52, thereby forming a side surface portion of the ink liquid chamber 54.

  The ink liquid chamber 54 is surrounded by the circuit board 51, the nozzle sheet 52, and the film 53 described above, thereby forming a pressurizing space that pressurizes the ink i supplied from the ink flow path 43 for each nozzle 52a.

  The heating resistor 55 is disposed on the circuit board 51 facing the ink liquid chamber 54 and is electrically connected to a control circuit or the like provided on the circuit board 51. The heating resistor 55 generates heat by being controlled by a control circuit or the like, and heats the ink i in the ink liquid chamber 54.

  In the ink discharge head 45, the control circuit of the circuit board 51 drives and controls the heating resistor 55, and supplies a pulse current to the selected heating resistor 55 for about 1 to 3 microseconds, for example. To do. Thereby, in the ink discharge head 45, the heating resistor 55 is rapidly heated. Then, in the ink discharge head 45, as shown in FIG. 7A, bubbles b are generated in the ink i in the ink liquid chamber 54 in contact with the heating resistor 55. In the ink discharge head 45, as shown in FIG. 7B, in the ink liquid chamber 54, the ink i is pressurized while the bubble b expands, and the pushed ink i is in a droplet state. And discharged from the nozzle 52a. In the ink discharge head 45, after the ink i droplet is discharged, the ink i is supplied to the ink liquid chamber 54 through the ink flow path 43, thereby returning to the state before the discharge again.

  In the ink discharge head 45 described above, the film 53 is formed over the entire main surface of the circuit board 51, and the film 53 is formed into a shape corresponding to the ink liquid chamber 54 using a photolithography technique. It is formed by laminating a nozzle sheet 52 thereon.

  The ink discharge head 45 described above employs an electrothermal conversion method in which the ink i is discharged while being heated by the heating resistor 55. However, the present invention is not limited to this method. For example, an electric machine such as a piezoelectric element is used. An electromechanical conversion system in which droplets of ink i are electromechanically ejected by a conversion element may be employed.

  A head unit 37 is provided below the ink supply unit 36 corresponding to each color described above. The bottom surface of the cartridge main body 12 is provided with discharge surfaces 41 of the head portions 37 corresponding to the ink tanks 11y, 11m, 11c, and 11k, respectively, along the short side direction of the cartridge main body 12. These form a continuous discharge surface 41.

  In addition to the configuration described above, the head cartridge 2 configured as described above includes a remaining amount detection unit (not shown) that detects the remaining amount of ink i in the ink storage unit 12 and ink tanks 11y, 11m, 11c, and 11k. An ink tank identifying unit (not shown) for identifying is provided.

  Next, the printer main body 3 to which the head cartridge 2 configured as described above is mounted will be described.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the printer body 3 has a structure assembled inside an outer casing 61 composed of an upper casing 61a and a lower casing 61b in order to prevent dust and the like from entering the inside. is doing.

  Further, in the printer main body 3, as shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, the front side of the outer casing 61 is a pair of supports provided on both side surfaces of the upper casing 61a on a frame (not shown) in the lower casing 61b. By supporting the shaft 62, the upper housing 61a can be opened and closed with respect to the lower housing 61b.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 1, a paper supply / discharge port 63 through which the recording paper P is supplied / discharged is provided on the front surface of the outer casing 61. The storage tray 64 for storing the recording paper P is attached to the paper supply / discharge port 63, so that paper can be fed. The recording paper P passes through the paper supply / discharge port 63 and is out of the open end of the storage tray 64. The paper is discharged onto the lid tray 65 that closes the front side.

  The upper housing 61a is provided with a head mounting portion 66 to which the above-described head cartridge 2 is mounted. When the head cartridge 2 is mounted on the head mounting portion 66, the ejection surface 41 of the head cartridge 2 faces a printing position in the lower housing 61b described later. As shown in FIG. 2, a handle portion 67 is attached to the head cartridge 2. Thereby, the head cartridge 2 can be easily attached to and detached from the head mounting portion 66 at the time of replacement.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 1, a lid 61c for closing the head mounting portion 66 is attached to the upper casing 61a so as to be opened and closed. The lid 61c forms an upper surface continuous with the upper housing 61a when the head mounting portion 66 is closed. Further, the lid 61c can be closed even when the head cartridge 2 is mounted on the head mounting portion 66.

  Further, on the upper surface portion of the upper housing 61a, the operation button 68 for performing various operations, the printing state, and the like are displayed on the front side where the recording paper P to be described later is supplied and discharged. A display panel 69 is provided.

  Furthermore, a head cartridge holding mechanism 70 that detachably holds the head cartridge 2 with respect to the head mounting portion 66 when the head cartridge 2 is mounted on the head mounting portion 66 is provided on the upper surface portion of the upper housing 61a. ing. Specifically, the head cartridge holding mechanism 70 includes a biasing member such as a spring (not shown) in a locking hole 70b provided around the head mounting portion 66 of the upper housing 61a. The reference surface 3a provided around the head mounting portion 66 in the printer main body 3 and the outer peripheral surface 2a facing the reference surface 3a of the head cartridge 2 are pressure-bonded to each other. The head cartridge 2 is positioned relative to 61a so that it can be held and fixed. Thereby, the ejection surface 41 of the cartridge main body 12 and the main surface of the recording paper P conveyed to the printing position by a paper supply / discharge mechanism 72 described later can be arranged opposite to each other at a predetermined interval.

  8 and 9, when the head cartridge 2 is mounted on the head mounting portion 66, the head cap 44 attached to the ejection surface 41 of the head cartridge 2 is opened and closed. A head cap opening / closing mechanism 71 that performs recording, a paper feeding / discharging mechanism 72 that transports the recording paper P in a predetermined direction and feeds / discharges the recording paper P to / from the head unit 37, and whether the transport speed of the recording paper P has changed. A speed discriminating unit 73 for discriminating whether or not, a temperature sensor 74 for detecting an environmental temperature in the vicinity of the head unit 37 when ink i is ejected, and the ink i in a test pattern printed before printing a predetermined character or image. A landing position detection unit 75 for detecting the landing position.

  The head cap opening / closing mechanism 71 has a drive unit that opens and closes the head cap 44 of the head cartridge 2. When performing printing, the head cap opening / closing mechanism 71 is exposed from the ejection surface 41 so that the ink ejection head 45 is exposed to the recording paper P. When the printing is completed, the head cap 44 is opened and closed with respect to the ejection surface 41 so that the ejection surface 41 is closed with the head cap 44 in order to protect the ink ejection head 45 and prevent the ink i from drying. .

  As shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, the paper supply / discharge mechanism 72 supplies the recording paper P to the head cartridge 2 and discharges the recording paper P printed by the head cartridge 2 to the outside. Is a sheet conveying means for conveying the sheet in a predetermined direction. Specifically, the paper feed / discharge mechanism 72 feeds the recording paper P into the printer body 3 and transports the recording paper P fed by the paper feed unit 81 to the printing position. And a paper discharge unit 83 that discharges the recording paper P conveyed by the conveyance unit 82.

  The paper feed unit 81 serves as a paper feed unit for feeding the recording paper P from the storage tray 64 to the transport unit 82. A paper feed roller 91 that feeds the recording paper P in the storage tray 64 to the transport unit 82; A pair of separation rollers 92a and 92b for sending the recording paper P sent out by the paper feed roller 91 to the transport unit 82 one by one are provided, and these are driving units provided in the lower casing 61b. While being interlocked with each other by a mechanism (not shown), they are rotationally driven in the directions of arrows B1, B2, and B3 in FIG.

  The paper feed roller 91 is disposed above the recording paper P facing the opening end on the back side of the storage tray 64, and the outer peripheral surface thereof is a paper push-up mechanism (not shown) provided in the storage tray 64. ) Can be brought into contact with the recording paper P pushed up.

  The pair of separation rollers 92a and 92b are positioned in the vicinity of the back side of the paper feed roller 91, and are rotationally driven in the same direction while sandwiching the recording paper P fed by the paper feed roller 91 between the rollers. . Thereby, even when the paper feed roller 91 mistakenly feeds two sheets of recording paper P at the same time, one separation roller 92a sends out one sheet of recording paper P in contact with the outer peripheral surface to the transport unit 82 side, The other separation roller 92b sends another sheet of recording paper P in contact with the outer peripheral surface thereof back to the front side storage tray 64, whereby only one sheet can be sent to the back side.

  The conveying unit 82 is reversed by the reversing roller 93 as a conveying unit for conveying the recording paper P from the paper feeding unit 81 to the paper discharging unit 83 and a reversing roller 93 that reverses the feeding direction of the recording paper P. It has a feed roller 94 that conveys the recording paper P to the printing position.

  The reversing roller 93 is disposed on the back side in the printer main body 3 and is rotationally driven in the direction of arrow C in FIG. 9 by a driving mechanism (not shown) provided in the lower housing 61b. Further, on the back side of the reversing roller 93, a plurality of pressing rollers 95 a, 95 b, 95 c that press the recording paper P reversed along the outer peripheral surface of the reversing roller 93 and the outer peripheral surface of the reversing roller 93 are opposed. A curved first regulating plate 96 that regulates the movement of the recording paper P is provided.

  Further, a first guide plate 97 for guiding the recording paper P is provided between the reversing roller 93 and the pair of separation rollers 92a and 92b so as to be positioned on the lower housing 61b side. Further, between the reversing roller 93 and the feed roller 94, a second guide plate 98 that guides the recording paper P, and a plane that faces the second guide plate 98 and restricts the movement of the recording paper P. A second restriction plate 99 is provided on the upper housing 61a side.

  The feed roller 94 is arranged on the upstream side in the transport direction of the recording paper P with respect to the head unit 37, that is, on the reverse roller 93 side, and on the lower housing 61b side with respect to the transported recording paper P. The recording paper P is conveyed by contacting the main surface opposite to the main surface to be printed while rotating about the axis.

  On the upper housing 61 a side of the feed roller 94, a pressing roller 100 is provided to face the feed roller 94 and press the recording paper P against the feed roller 94. As a result, the recording paper P comes into contact with the feed roller 94 by the pressing roller 100 and is properly gripped by the feed roller 94, that is, properly gripped by the outer peripheral surface of the feed roller 94, so It will be transported as appropriate. Note that the pressing roller 100 is rotatable about the axis, and rotates as the recording paper P is conveyed.

  As shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, the paper discharge unit 83 faces the paper discharge roller 101 that conveys the recording paper P printed by the head unit 37 to the paper supply / discharge port 63 side, and the paper discharge roller 101. And a spur 102.

  The paper discharge roller 101 is disposed on the downstream side in the transport direction of the recording paper P with respect to the head unit 37, that is, on the paper supply / discharge port 63 side, and on the lower housing 61b side with respect to the transported recording paper P. The recording paper P is conveyed by being brought into contact with the main surface opposite to the main surface on which the recording paper P is printed while rotating about the axis.

  The spur 102 faces the paper discharge roller 101 on the upper housing 61 side, contacts the printing surface of the recording paper P at a point so that the printed ink is not transferred as much as possible, and from between the paper discharge roller 101. The recording paper P is sent out onto the lid tray 65 on the paper supply / discharge port 63 side. The spur 102 is rotatable about the axis, and rotates as the recording paper P is conveyed.

  In the paper supply / discharge mechanism 72 having such a configuration, as shown in FIG. 10, the feed roller 94 and the paper discharge roller 101 have pulse motors 103a and 103b serving as driving sources, for example, belt pulleys (not shown) such as endless drive belts. And the power is transmitted from each of the pulse motors 103a and 103b. Then, the feed roller 94 and the paper discharge roller 101 are driven to rotate about the axis in the direction of arrow D in FIG. 10 so that the recording paper P conveyed from the reverse roller 93 side is conveyed to the paper supply / discharge port 63 side.

  These rollers 94 and 101 rotate at different rotational speeds, that is, rotate at different rotational speeds, respectively, and the rotational speeds are controlled by the frequency of the pulse current supplied to the pulse motors 103a and 103b. Specifically, the rotation of the discharge roller 101 that prints and discharges the recording paper P at the rotational speed of the feed roller 94 that feeds the recording paper P conveyed in the direction of arrow E in FIG. 10 to the printing position. The speed has been increased.

  As a result, in the paper supply / discharge mechanism 72, when printing is performed on the recording paper P facing the ejection surface 41 of the head unit 37, the recording paper P can be made to be in a tensioned state in the conveyance direction without being slackened. become. Therefore, in the paper supply / discharge mechanism 72, the recording paper P is prevented from being slackened and bent at the printing position, so that the distance between the ejection surface 41 of the head portion 73 and the main surface of the recording paper P is constantly kept constant. Can keep. Note that the frequency of the pulse current supplied to the pulse motors 103a and 103b is controlled by a control unit 128 or the like which will be described later.

  A platen plate 104 is provided between the feed roller 94 and the paper discharge roller 101 so that the recording paper P conveyed to the printing position faces the ejection surface 41 of the head unit 37. The platen plate 104 also functions as a guide plate that guides the leading edge of the recording paper P from the feed roller 94 to the paper discharge roller 101. The platen plate 104 is disposed in parallel with the ejection surface 41 of the head unit 37 described above at a printing position of the recording paper P with a predetermined distance.

  Further, the lower housing 61b is located between a transport position where the transport operation is performed at the time of printing shown in FIG. 9 and a retracted position which is located below the transport position and is retracted when not driven as shown in FIG. A lifting mechanism (not shown) that lifts and lowers the feed roller 94, the discharge roller 101, the platen plate 104, and the like described above is provided.

  In the paper supply / discharge mechanism 72 having the above-described configuration, as shown in FIG. 10, the recording paper P at the printing position is in a state of being tensioned in the conveyance direction, and is thus conveyed in the direction of arrow E in FIG. When the trailing edge of the recording paper P is removed at the nip point of the feeding roller 94, that is, at the point where the recording paper P is gripped by the feeding roller 94, the recording paper P is applied to the recording paper P by the feeding roller 94 whose rotational speed is slower than that of the paper discharge roller 101 The load in the reverse conveyance direction, that is, the direction of the reverse arrow E in FIG. 10 ceases to act, and the conveyance speed is high while the recording paper P is being conveyed and printed only by the paper discharge roller 101 whose rotational speed is faster than the feed roller 94. Become.

  In the printer body 3, as described above, when the conveyance speed of the recording paper P is changed in the paper supply / discharge mechanism 72, it is detected that the conveyance speed of the recording paper P has changed. A speed determining unit 73 is provided as means for determining whether or not the speed is increased.

  As shown in FIG. 10, the speed discriminating unit 73, a rear end detection sensor 111 that detects the rear end of the recording paper P conveyed in the direction of arrow E in FIG. 10, an encoder 112 that detects the rotation state of the feed roller 94, The control unit 128 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit), which will be described later, for example.

  The trailing edge detection sensor 111 is disposed upstream of the transport direction with respect to the feed roller 94, specifically, between the second regulating plate 99 and the feed roller 94 and is transported to the printing position. The rear end before entering between the feed roller 94 and the pressing roller 100 in P is detected, and the detected rear end detection data is output to the control unit 128 described later.

  The encoder 112 detects the rotation state of the feed roller 94 and outputs rotation detection data corresponding to the rotation speed of the feed roller 94 to the control unit 128 described later.

  In such a speed discriminating unit 73, the recording paper P is based on the distance between the trailing edge detection sensor 111 and the feeding roller 94 and the feed amount per unit time when the recording paper P is conveyed by the feeding roller 94. When the feed roller 100 rotates after the trailing edge of the trailing edge is detected by the trailing edge detection sensor 111, the trailing edge of the recording paper P reaches the nip point, and immediately after that, the trailing edge of the recording paper P moves away from the nip point. The speed determination data, such as whether or not changes, is stored in advance in a memory unit 129 or the like to be described later. Therefore, in the speed discriminating unit 73, the trailing edge detection sensor 111 detects the trailing edge of the recording paper P, and outputs the detected trailing edge detection data to the control unit 128. Based on the rotation detection data and the speed determination data stored in advance, the control unit 128 can determine that the recording paper P is out of the nip point of the feed roller 94 and the conveyance speed is increased.

  In the above description, the speed determination unit 73 determines whether or not the conveyance speed has been changed by the rear end detection sensor 111, the encoder 112, and the control unit 128 described later. However, the present invention is not limited to such a configuration. For example, a load applied to the feed roller 94 and the paper discharge roller 101 when the recording paper P is being transported is directly detected, and it is determined that the transport speed has changed when this load changes. Good. Further, for example, a load applied to the recording paper P in a tensioned state by the feed roller 94 and the paper discharge roller 101 is detected directly or indirectly, and it is determined that the conveyance speed has changed when the load changes. It may be configured.

  The temperature sensor 74 detects the environmental temperature in the vicinity of the head unit 37 when ejecting the ink i, digitizes it into an information signal, and outputs it to the control unit 128 described later as environmental data. As shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, the temperature sensor 74 is disposed in the vicinity of the ejection surface 41 so as to be downstream in the transport direction with respect to the head unit 37, specifically along the side surface of the head unit 37. Yes. In the control unit 128 described later, conveyance speed data relating to the feed amount per time of the recording paper P, which varies depending on the temperature, is stored in advance in a memory unit 129 described later, and is controlled by the conveyance speed data and the temperature sensor 74. Based on the environmental data output to the unit 128, how long the recording paper P during printing is conveyed per time, that is, the conveyance speed for each temperature is obtained. Note that the memory unit 129, which will be described later, corresponds to the type of the recording paper P because the gripping force with the feeding roller 94 and the paper discharge roller 101 is different depending on the type and thickness of the recording paper P, and the conveyance speed is also different. A plurality of conveyance speed data is stored.

  Here, the case where the temperature sensor 74 determines the conveyance speed of the recording paper P based on the environmental data obtained by detecting the ambient temperature of the head unit 37 has been described as an example, but the present invention is not limited thereto. However, for example, an environment obtained by storing conveyance speed data or the like relating to a conveyance speed that varies depending on the humidity of the recording paper P in the memory unit 129 described later, and detecting the humidity around the head unit 37 with a humidity sensor or the like. The conveyance speed of the recording paper P may be obtained by data. In addition, for example, conveyance speed data relating to a conveyance speed that varies depending on the temperature and / or humidity of the recording paper P is stored in a memory unit to be described later, and the humidity and humidity around the head unit 37 are detected by a temperature / humidity sensor or the like. The conveyance speed of the recording paper P may be obtained from the obtained environmental data.

  The landing position detection unit 75 is arranged on the downstream side in the transport direction with respect to the paper discharge roller 101, and causes ink i to land on the recording paper P in a predetermined pattern before printing a predetermined character or image, that is, recording. For example, a reflection type photo sensor or a charge-coupled device image sensor that detects the landing position of the ink i of the test pattern printed on the paper P in a predetermined pattern. Deviations in the landing position of ink i that may occur are detected, digitized into information signals, and output as landing position data to the control unit 128 described later.

  The test pattern in which the landing position detecting unit 75 detects the landing position of the ink i is, for example, as shown in FIG. 11, for each ink i of each color in the width direction of the recording paper P with a predetermined discharge timing, for example. It is landed and printed on the same type of recording paper P on which predetermined characters and images are printed. Then, the landing position detection unit 75 reads the landing position of the ink i in the test pattern, and the landing position of the ink i after the transport speed of the recording paper P is changed, that is, after the transport speed is increased, is the transport speed. If it does not speed up, it detects how much the landing position M1 would have landed, and outputs landing position data corresponding to the type of recording paper P used for detection to the control unit 128. In FIG. 11, the ink i of each color landed on the recording paper P is indicated by y for yellow, m for magenta, c for cyan, and k for black.

  Next, the control circuit 121 shown in FIG. 12 that controls printing by the printer apparatus 1 configured as described above will be described with reference to the drawings.

  The control circuit 121 includes a printer driver 122 that controls the driving of the head cap opening / closing mechanism 71 and the paper supply / discharge mechanism 72 of the printer main body 3 described above, a current supplied to the ink discharge head 45 corresponding to each color ink i, and the like. A discharge control unit 123 that controls the remaining amount of ink i of each color, a warning unit 124 that warns the remaining amount of ink i of each color, an input / output terminal 125 that inputs / outputs signals to / from an external device, and a ROM (Read Only) in which a control program is recorded Memory) 126, the read control program and the like, and a RAM (Random Access Memory) 127 that is read out as needed, and the type of recording paper P from the landing position detection unit 75 that controls each part Control for generating, for each type of recording paper P, discharge control data for controlling the discharge timing when the ink i is discharged from the nozzle 52a based on the landing position data corresponding to the ink. And parts 128, ejection control data generated by the control unit 128 and a memory unit 129 stored.

  Based on the control signal from the control unit 128, the printer driving unit 122 drives a drive motor (not shown) constituting the head cap opening / closing mechanism 71 to open / close the head cap 44. 71 is controlled. Further, the printer drive unit 122 drives the drive motor (not shown) constituting the paper supply / discharge mechanism 72 and the pulse motors 103a and 103b based on the control signal from the control unit 128 to store the printer main body 3. The paper supply / discharge mechanism 72 is controlled so that the recording paper P is fed from the tray 64 and the recording paper P is discharged onto the lid tray 65 from the paper supply / discharge port 63 after printing.

  The ejection control unit 123 is a switching element that turns on / off an electrical connection with an external power source that supplies a pulse current to the heating resistor 55 provided in the ink ejection head 45, and a pulse current value that is supplied to the heating resistor 55. It is an electric circuit having a control circuit unit for controlling switching of ON / OFF of a resistor, a switching element, and the like. The ejection control unit 123 adjusts the pulse current supplied to the heating resistor 55 provided in the ink ejection head 45 based on the control signal from the control unit 128, and supplies the ink i from the nozzle 52 a of the ink ejection head 45. The discharge timing when discharging is controlled.

  The warning unit 124 is a display unit such as an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display), for example, and displays information such as a printing condition, a printing state, and an ink remaining amount. In addition, the warning unit 124 may be an audio output unit such as a speaker. In this case, information such as a printing condition, a printing state, and a remaining amount of ink is output as audio. Note that the warning unit 124 may be configured to include both display means and sound output means. In addition, this warning may be given by a monitor or a speaker of the information processing apparatus 130.

  The input / output terminal 125 transmits information such as the above-described printing condition, printing state, ink remaining amount, and the like to the external information processing apparatus 130 and the like via the interface. The input / output terminal 125 receives a control signal for outputting information such as the printing conditions, the printing state, and the remaining ink amount, print data, and the like from the external information processing apparatus 130 or the like. Here, the information processing apparatus 130 described above is an electronic device such as a personal computer or a PDA (Personal Digital Assistant).

  The input / output terminal 125 connected to the information processing apparatus 130 or the like can use, for example, a serial interface or a parallel interface as an interface, and specifically, USB (Universal Serial Bus), RS (Recommended Standard) 232C, IEEE (Institute). of Electrical and Electronic Engineers) 1394. Further, the input / output terminal 125 may perform data communication with the information processing apparatus 130 in any form of wired communication or wireless communication. Note that the wireless communication standards include IEEE 802.11a, 802.11b, 802.11g, and the like.

  A network such as the Internet may be interposed between the input / output terminal 125 and the information processing apparatus 130. In this case, the input / output terminal 125 is, for example, a LAN (Local Area Network) or ISDN (Integrated Services Digital). Network, xDSL (Digital Subscriber Line), FTHP (Fiber To The Home), CATV (Community Antenna TeleVision), BS (Broadcasting Satellite), etc. It is performed by various protocols such as Internet Protocol.

  The ROM 126 is a memory such as an EP-ROM (Erasable Programmable Read-Only Memory), and stores a program for each process performed by the control unit 128. The stored program is loaded into the RAM 127 by the control unit 128.

  The RAM 127 is a program read from the ROM 126 by the control unit 128, a rear end detection data or a rotation detection data output from the rear end detection sensor 111 and the encoder 112 to the control unit 128, and a temperature sensor 74. The environmental data output from the control unit 128 to the control unit 128 is stored.

  The control unit 128 includes a CPU, for example, and controls each unit based on the print data input from the input / output terminal 125, the remaining amount data of the ink i input from the head cartridge 2, and the like. The control unit 128 reads a processing program for controlling each unit based on the input control signal and the like from the ROM 126 and stores it in the RAM 127, and controls and processes each unit based on this processing program.

  That is, the control unit 128 controls the head cap opening / closing mechanism 71 so that the head cap 44 opens and closes based on the processing program stored in the ROM 166, or feeds the recording paper P from the storage tray 64, and after printing. The paper supply / discharge mechanism 72 is controlled to send the recording paper P onto the lid tray 65 of the paper supply / discharge port 63.

  The controller 128 discharges ink i appropriately at a predetermined discharge timing based on the environmental data from the temperature sensor 74 and the conveyance speed data stored in the memory unit 129 before the conveyance speed is increased. The control unit 123 is controlled.

  In addition, the control unit 128, when the conveyance speed of the recording paper P as in the past is increased during printing, based on the landing position data corresponding to the type of the recording paper P used for the detection by the landing position detection unit 75. The discharge control data for adjusting the discharge timing and controlling the discharge control unit 123 so as to correct the color misregistration in which the landing position of the ink i is shifted to the counter-transport direction side is increased for each type of the recording paper P. And stored in a memory unit 129 described later. Then, when the conveyance speed increases during printing, the control unit 128 performs printing without color misregistration on the recording paper P based on the environmental data from the temperature sensor and the discharge control data corresponding to the type of the recording paper P. The discharge controller 123 is controlled so as to be applied.

  Specifically, the discharge control data will be described with reference to FIGS. 13 (A) to 13 (C). In FIGS. 13A to 13C, each color ink i that has landed on the recording paper P is indicated by y for yellow, m for magenta, c for cyan, and k for black. Yes.

  When printing on the recording paper P, as shown in FIG. 13A, the ink tanks 11y, 11m, 11c, and the like arranged in order in the conveyance direction of the recording paper P, that is, in the direction of arrow E in FIG. When the ink i of each color is ejected from the nozzles 52a provided on the ejection surface 41 corresponding to 11k onto the recording paper P transported, the ink i of each color is applied to the recording paper P in the order of yellow, magenta, cyan, and black. Are sequentially landed at a predetermined landing position M1. Then, when the conveyance speed of the recording paper P changes during printing, for example, when the trailing edge of the recording paper P is removed from the nip point of the feeding roller 94, as shown in FIG. Since the ink i is sequentially discharged from the nozzles 52a at a predetermined discharge timing, the ink i of each color is landed at a predetermined landing position M1 while being shifted to the upstream side in the conveyance direction of the recording paper P. Deviation occurs. For such color shift, the discharge control data generated by the control unit 128 based on the landing position data corresponding to the type of the recording paper P from the landing position detection unit 75 is discharged so as to correct the color shift. This is program data for controlling the control unit 123 to correct the ejection timing of the ink i ejected from each nozzle 52a in accordance with the type of the recording paper P. That is, as shown in FIG. 13C, the ejection control data includes the non-black ink i at substantially the same position as the landing position M2 where the black ink i is landed on the upstream side in the transport direction of the recording paper P. The ejection timing of the ink i ejected from the nozzles 52a other than the nozzle 52a from which the black ink i is ejected is controlled according to the type of the recording paper P. Specifically, control is performed so that the ejection timing of the non-black ink i ejected before the black ink i is ejected is delayed from that before the conveyance speed of the recording paper P increases, and the ink i is ejected. The ink i other than black is landed on the landing position M2 where the black ink i is landed.

  Here, how much color misregistration occurs with respect to the landing position M1 of the ink i of each color that occurs at each distance from the leading edge of the recording paper P when the conveyance speed increases during printing, that is, FIG. 14 shows the result of measuring how much the landing position M1 deviates from the landing position M1 and landed on the landing position M2. In FIG. 14, y represents the amount of deviation in yellow ink i, m represents the amount of deviation in magenta ink i, c represents the amount of deviation in cyan ink i, and k represents the amount of deviation in black ink i. Is shown.

  From the measurement results shown in FIG. 14, when printing progresses to about 250 mm from the leading edge of the recording paper P, the conveyance speed changes and color misregistration begins to occur, and the ink is discharged from the nozzle 52a on the most downstream side in the recording paper P conveyance direction. It can be seen that the color shift of the black ink i is the largest. The above-described ejection control data causes the non-black ink i to be ejected at a later timing than before the transport speed is increased, and the black ink i deviation amount shown in FIG. Color misregistration is suppressed so as to be substantially the same.

  In addition, after the color misregistration caused by the change in the conveyance speed is corrected, since the color misregistration occurs on the contrary when the ejection timing of the ink i other than black is delayed, the ejection control data is conveyed again. The ejection control unit 123 is controlled so that each color ink i is sequentially ejected from each nozzle 52a at the ejection timing before the speed changes.

  The influence of the temperature here depends on the type of the recording paper P, but generally, the higher the temperature, the larger the elongation of the recording paper P and the belt pulley of the paper supply / discharge mechanism 72. The change in the conveyance speed during printing is small and the color shift is small, and if the temperature is low, there is almost no elongation of the recording paper P, belt pulley, etc. Becomes larger.

  Specifically, when the temperature and humidity are high, the endless drive belt connecting the above-described feed roller 94 and paper discharge roller 101 and the pulse motors 103a and 103b becomes longer due to the influence of temperature and humidity, and the pitch of the endless drive belt is increased. Becomes wider. As a result, the tension of the endless driving belt is weakened, the feed pitch per pulley tooth provided on the roller 94, the paper discharge roller 101, etc. and the endless driving belt is multiplied is decreased, and the conveyance speed of the recording paper P is decreased. Color shift is reduced. That is, the landing position deviation of the ink i of a different color is smaller when the temperature and humidity are higher than the color deviation caused by the change in the conveyance speed at normal temperature.

  On the other hand, when the temperature and humidity are low, the endless driving belt is shortened due to the influence of temperature and humidity, and the pitch of the endless driving belt is narrowed. As a result, the tension of the endless driving belt is increased, the feed pitch per pulley tooth provided in the roller 94, the paper discharge roller 101, and the like is increased, the conveyance speed of the recording paper P is increased, and the color shift is increased. That is, the landing position shift of the ink i of a different color is greater when the temperature and humidity are lower than the color shift caused by the change in the conveyance speed at normal temperature.

  Therefore, when controlling the ejection control unit 123 with the ejection control data, the control unit 128 incorporates environmental data from the temperature sensor 73 as an element, and the ejection control unit 123 performs the ink ejection head 45 based on the environmental data and the ejection control data. To control.

  The memory unit 129 is, for example, a ROM, an EP-ROM, a RAM, or the like, and stores the above-described speed determination data, transport speed data for each type of recording paper P, and the like. In addition to these data, the memory unit 129 discharges for each type of recording paper P generated by the control unit 128 based on landing position data corresponding to the type of recording paper P detected by the landing position detection unit 75. Control data is also stored.

  In the control circuit 121 configured as described above, the gripping force with the feed roller 94 and the paper discharge roller 101 differs depending on the type and thickness of the recording paper P, and the degree of change in the conveyance speed is different. Since the degree of color misregistration differs for each type, ejection control data corresponding to the type of recording paper P on which printing is performed is generated by the control unit 128 and stored in the memory unit 129. In the control circuit 121, in addition to the ejection control data generated by the control unit 128, ejection control data is stored in advance for general types of recording paper P, and ejection control is performed using the ejection control data stored in advance. The unit 123 may be controlled. Thus, when printing on a general type of recording paper P, a high-quality print without color misregistration can be obtained without reading the test pattern by the landing position detection unit 75 and generating the discharge control data. Can do.

  In the control circuit 121, the processing program is stored in the ROM 126. However, the medium for storing the processing program is not limited to the ROM 126. For example, an optical disk, a magnetic disk, or an optical disk on which the processing program is recorded. Various recording media such as a magnetic disk and an IC card can be used. In this case, the control circuit 121 is configured to be connected to a drive for driving various recording media directly or via the information processing apparatus 130 so as to read a processing program from these recording media.

  Further, here, the memory unit 129 is configured to store speed determination data, transport speed data, discharge control data, and the like. However, if there is room in the capacity of the RAM 126 and ROM 127, for example, these data are stored in the RAM 126 and / or Alternatively, it may be stored in the ROM 127.

  Here, the printing operation of the printer apparatus 1 configured as described above will be described with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG. This operation is executed by arithmetic processing of a CPU (not shown) in the control unit 128 based on a processing program stored in storage means such as the ROM 126.

  First, the printer device 1 executes a printing operation to the control unit 128 by operating an operation button 68 provided on the printer body 3 or by an operation input from the external information processing device 130 via the input / output terminal 125. Command signal to be input. At this time, an information signal relating to the type of recording paper P to be printed is also input, and what type of recording paper P is to be printed is set.

  Next, in step S <b> 1, the control unit 128 determines whether or not the ink tank 11 of a predetermined color is mounted on each tank mounting unit 31 and whether the head cartridge 2 is mounted on the head mounting unit 66 of the printer main body 3. Judging. The control unit 128 proceeds to step S2 when the ink tank 11 of a predetermined color is properly mounted on all the tank mounting units 31 and the head cartridge 2 is mounted on the head mounting unit 66 of the printer main body 3. When the ink tank 11 is not properly mounted on the tank mounting portion 31 and / or when the head cartridge 2 is not mounted on the head mounting portion 66 of the printer main body 3, the process proceeds to step S14 and the printing operation is prohibited.

  In step S2, the control unit 128 determines whether or not the ink i in the ink tank 11 is equal to or less than a predetermined amount, that is, whether or not there is no ink, and if it is determined that there is no ink, the control unit 128 A warning to that effect is given, and the printing operation is prohibited in step S14. On the other hand, when the ink i in the ink tank 11 is greater than or equal to a predetermined amount, that is, when the ink i is full, the control unit 128 proceeds to step S3 and executes a printing operation.

  Next, in step S3, the control unit 128 determines whether or not the ejection control data corresponding to the type of recording paper P used for printing is stored in the memory unit 128, and the ejection control data corresponding to the recording paper P. Is stored, the process proceeds to step S8 to start printing of characters, images, etc. If the ejection control data corresponding to the recording paper P is not stored, the process proceeds to step S4 to print a test pattern and test An operation of generating ejection control data corresponding to the recording paper P on which the pattern is printed is performed.

  Next, in step S4, the control unit 128 controls the drive of the head cap opening / closing mechanism 71 and the paper supply / discharge mechanism 72 by the printer driving unit 122, and controls the recording paper P conveyed to a printable position. Print a test pattern for generating ejection control data. Specifically, when an operation for printing a test pattern is started, the control unit 128 drives and controls the head cap opening / closing mechanism 71 to show the head cap 44 in a state where the ejection surface 41 is closed, as shown in FIG. Thus, the printer apparatus 1 moves to the retracted position on the front side. Further, as shown in FIG. 9, the control unit 128 drives and controls a lifting mechanism (not shown) to raise the feed roller 94, the paper discharge roller 101, and the platen plate 104 from the retracted position to the transport position, and the pulse motor 103a. , 103b and the like are driven to transport the recording paper P in the direction of arrow E in FIG. Then, the control unit 128 controls the ejection control unit 123 to print a test pattern on the recording paper P conveyed to a position facing the ejection surface 41.

  Next, in step S5, the control unit 128 reads the test pattern of the recording paper P discharged from the printing position by the paper discharge roller 101 by the landing position detection unit 75 to detect the landing point of the ink i of each color, Further, it is outputted as landing position data, and this landing position data is acquired.

  Next, in step S6, the control unit 128 generates discharge control data for correcting color misregistration that occurs when the conveyance speed increases during printing, based on the landing position data from the landing position detection unit 75. The ejection control data is stored in the memory unit 129. The ejection control data stored in the memory unit 129 is stored in the memory unit 129 as new ejection control data corresponding to the type of the recording paper P input when the execution of printing is instructed, and again the same type of recording paper. Used when printing on P. Then, the control unit 128 warns the warning unit 124 that the discharge control data corresponding to the recording paper P used for printing has been acquired.

  Next, in step S <b> 7, the control unit 128 operates the operation button 68 provided on the printer main body 3 or inputs an operation input from the external information processing apparatus 130 via the input / output terminal 125. A command signal for starting image printing is input.

  Next, in step S8, the control unit 128 drives and controls the head cap opening / closing mechanism 71 and the paper supply / discharge mechanism 72 by the printer driving unit 122, and sets the ejection control unit 123 to the recording paper P conveyed to a printable position. Control to start printing characters and images. At this time, in step S9, the control unit 128 detects the temperature in the vicinity of the head unit 37 by the temperature sensor 74, outputs the detected temperature data as environmental data, and acquires the output environmental data. Specifically, the control unit 128 controls the temperature sensor 74 with respect to the recording paper P that has been transported to the printing position by the paper supply / discharge mechanism 72 and has been tensioned in the transport direction by the feed roller 94 and the paper discharge roller 101. The ink control unit 123 controls the ink discharge head 45 on the basis of the environmental data input in advance, the transport speed data stored in the memory unit 129 in advance and corresponding to the type of the recording paper P set at the start of printing. i is ejected and landed at an appropriate ejection timing, and a character or image composed of ink dots based on print data such as character data or image data input from an external information processing device 130 or the like via the input / output terminal 125 is recorded. Let Note that if the conveyance speed data corresponding to the type of the recording paper P on which the test pattern is printed is not stored in the memory unit 129, the data output from the trailing edge detection sensor 111, the encoder 112, or the like when the test pattern is printed. Based on the above, the control unit 128 generates transport speed data.

  Next, in step S10, the control unit 128 continues to detect the rear end of the recording paper P being printed by the rear end detection sensor 111 of the speed determination unit 73, and when detected, from the speed determination unit 73 as rear end detection data. Entered. The printing operation in step 8 is continued until the trailing edge of the recording paper P is detected. When the trailing edge of the recording paper P is detected, the trailing edge detection data from the trailing edge detection sensor 111 and the encoder 112 Based on the rotation detection data and the speed determination data stored in the memory unit 129 in advance, it is determined that the conveyance speed of the recording paper P has increased, and the process proceeds to step S11 to correct the color misregistration.

  Next, when the speed determination unit 73 detects the trailing edge of the recording paper P in step S11 and determines that the conveyance speed has increased, the control unit 128 stores the environmental data from the temperature sensor in the memory unit 129. The ejection control unit 123 controls the ink ejection head 45 based on the ejection control data corresponding to the type of the recording paper P, and ejects the ejection timing of the ink i other than black with a delay from before the conveyance speed is increased, The landing position of ink i is corrected so as not to cause color misregistration.

  In step S12, after the color misregistration correction, the control unit 128 controls the ejection control unit 123 to sequentially eject the inks i of each color at the ejection timing before the conveyance speed is changed again based on the ejection control data. Print data to the end and finish printing.

  Next, in step S13, the control unit 128 controls the paper supply / discharge mechanism 72 to discharge the recording paper P on which printing has been completed onto the lid tray 65 by the paper discharge roller 101, and ends the printing operation.

  Then, in the printer apparatus 1, the steps until the recording paper P in the storage tray 64 runs out or a print stop command signal is input from the external information processing apparatus 130 via the operation button 68 or the input / output terminal 125. The printing operation from 1 to 14 is repeated.

  In the printer apparatus 1 that performs the printing operation by the method as described above, the trailing edge detection sensor 111 of the speed determination unit 73 detects the trailing edge of the recording sheet P that is being printed, and determines that the conveyance speed of the recording sheet P has increased. Then, the conveyance speed is determined based on the environmental data from the temperature sensor 74, the discharge control data generated by the control unit 128 based on the landing position data from the landing position detection unit 75, or the discharge control data stored in the memory unit 129 in advance. Corrects color misregistration caused by changes.

  That is, in this printer apparatus 1, when the conveyance speed of the recording paper P is increased during printing, the black discharge from the nozzle 52a on the most downstream side in the conveyance direction is performed based on the discharge control data in which environmental data is included as an element. The ejection timing of the ink i other than the ink i is controlled to be delayed from before the transport speed of the recording paper P is increased, and the transport speed is changed by landing the ink i other than the black at the landing position where the black ink i is landed. To correct the color misalignment that occurs.

  Therefore, in this printer apparatus 1, even if the conveyance speed changes during printing, color misregistration caused by the change in the conveyance speed during printing takes into account the type of recording paper P, the ambient environmental temperature, and the like. High-quality printing can be prevented.

  The above is an example in which the present invention is applied to a printer apparatus. However, the present invention is not limited to the above example, and can be widely applied to other liquid ejection apparatuses that eject liquid. . For example, a facsimile, a copying machine, a discharge device for a DNA chip in liquid (Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2002-34560), a liquid discharge device that discharges a liquid containing conductive particles for forming a wiring pattern of a printer wiring board, and the like It is also applicable to.

  In the above description, the ink discharge head 45 that heats and discharges the ink i by one heating resistor 55 has been described as an example. However, the present invention is not limited to such a structure, and includes a plurality of pressure generating elements. The present invention can also be applied to a liquid ejection apparatus including ejection means that can control the ejection direction by supplying different energy to each pressure generating element or energy at different timings.

  In the above description, the electrothermal conversion method is employed in which the ink i is heated from one nozzle 52a while being heated by one heating resistor 55. However, the present invention is not limited to this method. An electromechanical conversion method in which ink is electromechanically ejected from a nozzle by a mechanical conversion element or the like may be used.

  In the above, the line type printer apparatus 1 has been described as an example. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, a serial type liquid in which the ink head moves in a direction substantially orthogonal to the running direction of the recording paper P is described. The present invention can also be applied to a discharge device.

It is a disassembled perspective view which shows the liquid discharge apparatus to which this invention was applied. FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view showing a printer head cartridge provided in the liquid ejecting apparatus. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a state where the ink tank is mounted on the cartridge body in the printer head cartridge. It is sectional drawing which shows the structure of the printer head cartridge. FIG. 2 is a diagram schematically showing the printer head cartridge. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing an ink discharge head provided in the printer head cartridge. The same ink discharge head is shown. FIG. 2A is a cross-sectional view schematically showing a state where bubbles are generated in the heating resistor, and FIG. 2B is a schematic view showing a state where ink is discharged from the nozzle. FIG. It is a see-through | perspective side view which shows the structure of the same liquid discharge apparatus. FIG. 10 is a perspective side view for explaining a printing operation of the liquid ejection apparatus. FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram for explaining a roller that holds a recording sheet in a tension state in a paper supply / discharge mechanism provided in the liquid ejection apparatus. FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of a test pattern used for detecting an ink landing position by a landing position detection unit provided in the liquid ejection apparatus. It is a block diagram which shows typically the control circuit of the same liquid discharge apparatus. FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining ejection control data for correcting color misregistration caused by an increase in the conveyance speed during printing in the liquid ejection apparatus, and FIG. 5A shows a state in which ink is ejected onto the recording paper being conveyed. FIG. 4B is a schematic diagram for explaining color misregistration caused by an increase in conveyance speed during printing, and FIG. 8C is a diagram for explaining a method for correcting color misregistration. It is a schematic diagram. FIG. 6 is a characteristic diagram illustrating a shift in landing position that occurs in ink of each color when the recording paper conveyance speed increases. 6 is a flowchart illustrating a printing operation of the liquid ejection apparatus. It is a schematic diagram which shows the conventional printer apparatus. FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram for explaining that the recording paper conveyance speed changes during printing in the printer apparatus.

Explanation of symbols

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Liquid ejection apparatus (liquid ejection apparatus), 2 Printer head cartridge, 3 Printer main body, 11 Ink tank, 12 Cartridge main body, 37 Head part, 41 Ejection surface, 44 Cover cap, 45 Ink ejection head, 52a Nozzle, 72 Supply / discharge Paper mechanism, 73 Speed discrimination unit, 74 Temperature sensor, 75 Landing position detection unit, 94 Feed roller, 101 Paper discharge roller, 103a, 103b Pulse motor, 111 Rear end detection sensor, 112 Encoder, 121 Control circuit, 128 Control unit, 129 Memory part

Claims (12)

Transport means for transporting an object to which the liquid is adhered in a predetermined direction;
An ejection means for ejecting the liquid in the form of droplets, and ejecting the droplets from the ejection port toward the object conveyed to a position facing the ejection port;
A discharge control means for controlling the discharge means so as to discharge the droplets from the discharge port at a predetermined discharge timing;
Environment detecting means for detecting a temperature and / or humidity environment when discharging the droplets from the discharge port;
Speed discriminating means for discriminating whether or not the conveyance speed of the object has changed;
A landing position detecting means for detecting a deviation of a landing position of the droplets caused by a change in the transport speed when the droplets land on the object to be transported in a predetermined pattern;
The discharge control data for controlling the discharge timing so as to correct the deviation of the landing position of the droplet detected by the landing position detecting means is determined according to the type of the object on which the droplet has landed in a predetermined pattern. Data generation means for generating
Storage means for storing the discharge control data according to the type of the object generated by the data generation means,
The discharge control means responds to the environmental data detected by the environment detection means and the type of the object stored in the storage means when the speed determination means determines that the transport speed has changed. A liquid discharge apparatus that discharges the droplets from the discharge port at the discharge timing different from that before the change in the transport speed based on the discharge control data. The discharge means includes a plurality of discharge ports arranged in parallel in the transport direction of the object, and discharges the liquid droplets sequentially toward the target from the discharge port located upstream in the transport direction of the target object. ,
The landing position detection means is based on the landing position of the liquid droplets discharged from the discharge port located on the downstream side in the transport direction of the object, and is located on the downstream side with respect to the reference landing position. Detect the deviation of the landing position of the droplets discharged from the discharge ports other than the discharge port,
The data generating means is configured to have a discharge port other than the discharge port positioned on the downstream side at a position substantially the same as the reference landing position before the discharge port positioned on the downstream side discharges the droplet. The liquid ejection apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the ejection control data for controlling the ejection timing of ejection ports other than the ejection port located on the downstream side is generated so that the liquid droplets ejected from the ground are landed.   The transport means is located upstream in the transport direction of the object with respect to the discharge means, and a downstream side in the transport direction of the target with reference to the feed roller that rotates about the axis and the discharge means And a discharge roller that rotates about the axis at a rotational speed faster than the rotational speed of the feed roller, and when the object is conveyed to a position facing the discharge port, The liquid discharge apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the discharge roller and the discharge roller convey the object substantially simultaneously to place the object in a tensioned direction in the in-plane direction of the discharge surface.   The speed discriminating unit has a rear end detection sensor that is located upstream of the transport direction with respect to the discharge unit and detects a rear end of the target in the transport direction. The liquid ejection apparatus according to claim 1, wherein it is determined that the conveyance speed has changed after a predetermined time has elapsed since the rear end of the object was detected.   The liquid ejection apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the storage unit stores the ejection control data corresponding to the type of the object in advance.   The liquid ejection apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the ejection unit has the ejection ports arranged in a substantially line shape in a direction substantially orthogonal to a conveyance direction of the object. It has transport means for transporting an object to which the liquid is attached in a predetermined direction, and an ejection port for ejecting the liquid in the form of droplets, and is directed toward the object transported to a position opposite to the ejection port. Discharge means for discharging the droplets from the discharge port, discharge control means for controlling the discharge means to discharge the droplets from the discharge port at a predetermined discharge timing, and the droplets from the discharge port. An environment detecting means for detecting a temperature and / or humidity environment when discharging the liquid, a speed determining means for determining whether or not the transport speed of the object has changed, and a predetermined amount of the droplet on the object to be transported A landing position detecting means for detecting a deviation of the landing position of the liquid droplet caused by a change in the transport speed when landed on the pattern, and a deviation of the landing position of the liquid droplet detected by the landing position detecting means Corrected The data generation means for generating the discharge control data for controlling the discharge timing in accordance with the type of the object on which the liquid droplets have landed in a predetermined pattern, and the target generated by the data generation means A liquid discharge method for a liquid discharge apparatus comprising storage means for storing discharge control data according to the type of an object,
The discharge control according to the environment data detected by the environment detection unit and the type of the object stored in the storage unit when the speed determination unit determines that the conveyance speed of the object has changed. A liquid discharge method, wherein the liquid droplets are discharged from the discharge port at the discharge timing different from that before the transport speed is changed based on the data. A plurality of the discharge ports are juxtaposed in the conveyance direction of the object, and the droplets are discharged toward the object in order from the discharge port located on the upstream side in the conveyance direction of the object,
With reference to the landing position of the droplet discharged from the discharge port located downstream in the conveyance direction of the object, from the discharge ports other than the discharge port located on the downstream side with respect to the reference landing position A deviation of the landing position of the discharged droplet is detected by the landing position detecting means,
The liquid discharged from the discharge ports other than the discharge port located on the downstream side at substantially the same position as the reference landing position before the discharge port located on the downstream side discharges the droplet. 8. The liquid according to claim 7, wherein the data generation means generates the discharge control data for controlling the discharge timing of the discharge ports other than the discharge port positioned on the downstream side so that a droplet is landed. Discharge method. As the transport means, a feed roller that rotates about the axis upstream of the discharge means with respect to the discharge means, and the feed downstream of the discharge direction with respect to the discharge means. A discharge roller that rotates around the axis at a rotational speed faster than the rotational speed of the roller, and
When the object is conveyed to a position facing the discharge port, the feeding roller and the discharge roller convey the object almost simultaneously, thereby tensioning the object in the in-plane direction of the discharge surface. 8. The liquid ejection method according to claim 7, wherein the liquid ejection method is performed. As the speed discriminating means, a rear end detection sensor for detecting a rear end in the transport direction of the object is arranged on the upstream side in the transport direction with respect to the discharge means,
The liquid ejection method according to claim 7, wherein it is determined that the transport speed has changed after a predetermined time has elapsed since the rear end detection sensor detected the rear end of the object.   The liquid ejection method according to claim 7, wherein the ejection control data corresponding to the type of the object is stored in the storage unit in advance. The liquid discharge method according to claim 7, wherein the discharge ports are arranged in a substantially line shape in a direction substantially orthogonal to the conveyance direction of the object.

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