JP4584739B2 - Recording device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a recording apparatus that performs recording by moving a recording head in both directions, such as left and right, and relates to a configuration that includes a mechanism for correcting a shift in recording position.

  2. Description of the Related Art Printing apparatuses that perform bidirectional printing by moving a serial head in a direction perpendicular to the recording medium conveyance direction are known. In this printing apparatus, for example, a carriage (movable part including a print head) moves from left to right, and printing is performed while moving from right to left. In this method, a printing position shift (this is called a digit shift) in the vertical direction (direction perpendicular to the carriage reciprocating direction) becomes a problem. This is a phenomenon caused by a shift between a printing position of printing performed while the print head moves in the right direction and a printing position of printing performed while the print head moves in the left direction.

  Of course, at the time of shipment from the factory, adjustments have been made so that the above-mentioned digit deviation does not occur. However, due to wear of parts and the like, there may be a case where the digit shift gradually becomes noticeable during use.

  As techniques related to the problem of digit misalignment, techniques described in Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2 are known. Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2004-228688 acquires in advance an amount of aging change in digit shift corresponding to the print amount (number of print lines), and uses this to correct digit shift when a predetermined amount of printing has been performed. The structure which performs is described.

In Patent Document 2, a reference position for detecting misalignment between the printing positions in both directions is set, a misalignment of the printing position that changes with time is detected using the reference position, and correction is performed based on the detected value. The structure which suppresses generation | occurrence | production of digit shift is described.
Japanese Patent Publication No. 7-98409 Japanese Patent No. 2941906

  However, even if the conventional technology as described above is used, there still remains a problem that the occurrence of digit deviation gradually becomes apparent during long-term use or the like. This is due to the physical resistance applied to the carriage due to elongation of the drive belt, accumulation of dust, etc., as well as wear of the gears of the drive system, and so on, between the number of drive pulses of the stepping motor and the actual amount of carriage movement. A subtle shift occurs, and this shift increases as the service period becomes longer.

  The above-described prior art attempts to correct this deviation. However, as the above-mentioned deviation increases, the position of the correction reference position increases, so correction tends to become increasingly inaccurate. Therefore, even if an attempt is made to correct the printing position and suppress the occurrence of digit deviation using the above-described conventional technology, the digit deviation tends to gradually increase as time passes. That is, there is a tendency that the automatic correction function for digit deviation gradually becomes ineffective.

  Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a configuration that can more effectively suppress the occurrence of digit misalignment in a bidirectional printing type printing apparatus.

  The present invention acquires information that affects digit shift and changes with aging during manual digit shift correction. Based on this information, the gist is to automatically detect the degree of digit deviation every time the apparatus is activated, and to perform automatic digit deviation correction according to the result. In this configuration, the reference value at the time of digit shift correction can be dynamically reset in a timely manner by manual correction. That is, it becomes possible to dynamically change the correction reference. For this reason, it is possible to dynamically correct factors related to the digit shift such as elongation of the drive belt and wear of the gear. Therefore, it is possible to suppress the inconvenience that the error of the digit shift correction process increases with time.

That is, the first aspect of the present invention provides a recording head that performs bidirectional recording by reciprocating with respect to a recording medium, a recording timing manual correction unit that can manually correct the recording timing of the recording head, and the manual correction. Storage means for storing a difference in movement time between the forward movement and the backward movement of the recording head at the time of recording timing correction using the means as a manual correction deviation value, and the forward movement and the backward movement of the recording head at the time of start-up Based on a comparison between the manual correction deviation value and the automatic detection deviation value with reference to the manual correction deviation value stored in the storage means, and a deviation amount detection means for detecting a difference in movement time as an automatic detection deviation value And a recording timing adjusting means for adjusting the recording timing of the recording head.

  In the above configuration, the recording medium refers to a medium on which recording is performed. Examples of the recording medium include paper on which printing is performed, thermal paper, magnetic recording medium, and other media on which printing or predetermined information can be written.

  Performing bidirectional recording by performing reciprocating motion refers to a recording format in which the recording head reciprocates on a straight line and performs recording operations in the forward and return paths. The recording head is a means for performing printing or writing predetermined information on a recording medium. For example, for printing, a print head is an example.

  The recording timing of the recording head refers to the timing of a printing operation (for example, ejection of ink onto the recording medium or protrusion of a head pin at the impact head) performed on the recording medium while the recording head moves according to the recording timing pulse. For example, in the case of printing, the printing position can be changed before or after a predetermined position by shifting the recording timing.

  By adjusting the recording timing of this recording head, digit shift correction can be performed. That is, by adjusting the recording timing according to the recording timing pulse of the recording head, it is possible to adjust the recording timing in the forward path and the backward path of the recording head, thereby correcting the digit shift.

  The recording timing manual correction means is a mechanism that allows the operator to manually adjust the recording timing of the recording head.

  The storage means refers to a storage device such as a semiconductor memory. The difference in movement time between the forward movement and the backward movement of the recording head is the difference between the movement time required in the forward direction and the movement time required in the backward direction in the reciprocating movement of a predetermined section. This difference in travel time changes over time due to the elongation of the drive belt, the wear of gears, and the like.

  The deviation amount detecting means reciprocates the recording head in a predetermined section, and detects the difference between the movement times of the forward path and the backward path at that time as an automatic detection deviation value. The recording timing adjusting means compares the manual correction deviation value at the time of correction by manual operation with the automatic detection deviation value, and adjusts the recording timing of the recording head based on the comparison result.

  According to the first aspect of the present invention, the difference between the traveling time of the forward path and the backward path that affects the digit shift and changes with aging is acquired at the time of starting the apparatus, and the value is compared with that at the time of manual correction. Therefore, the recording timing is adjusted by automatic digit shift correction. For this reason, even when the recording apparatus is used for a long time, appropriate digit deviation correction can be automatically performed. Also, even when the digit shift becomes large and automatic digit shift correction is no longer effective, automatic digit shift correction can be enabled based on the result of the correction by performing manual digit shift correction as appropriate. it can.

  It should be noted that the effect of digit shift correction performed based on the comparison between the manual correction shift value and the automatic detection shift value gradually fades as the recording operation is repeated. This is because the influence of the extension of the driving belt for driving the recording head gradually appears. For example, in the case of printing, distortion of a printed line gradually becomes apparent. In this case, a manual correction operation for eliminating digit misalignment may be performed when the user notices. By doing so, the accuracy of the correction processing performed by the recording timing adjusting means can be increased again. Then, the effect of the automatic digit shift correction process can be recovered.

  In other words, in the first invention, errors that occur gradually can be canceled by performing manual digit shift correction and performing automatic digit shift correction reflecting this result. That is, by performing manual digit shift correction at an appropriate timing, the accuracy of automatic digit shift correction can be kept high.

  In the first invention, the recording timing adjustment means does not adjust the recording timing when the difference between the manual correction deviation value and the automatic detection deviation value is within a predetermined range, and the manual correction deviation value and the automatic detection deviation value. When the difference between and exceeds a predetermined range, it is preferable to make an adjustment in which the difference is reflected.

  According to this aspect, it is possible to make a digit shift within a predetermined range. Further, an operation that does not require unnecessary digit shift correction processing can be performed.

The first invention can also be grasped as follows as a higher concept. That is, the recording apparatus of the second invention includes a recording head that performs reciprocal motion with respect to a recording medium to perform bidirectional recording, a recording timing manual correction means that can manually correct the recording timing of the recording head, and a secular change. A parameter acquisition unit that acquires a predetermined parameter that changes according to printing conditions, a storage unit that stores the predetermined parameter at the time of recording timing correction using the manual correction unit as a parameter value at the time of manual correction, and the storage unit Recording timing adjusting means for adjusting the recording timing of the recording head based on a comparison between the manual correction parameter value and the predetermined parameter acquired at the time of starting , with the stored manual correction parameter value as a reference ; It is characterized by providing.

  Examples of the parameter acquisition means include various sensors such as a counter and timer constituted by a CPU and a memory, a carriage sensor, a thermistor, and a thermometer. Further, examples of the predetermined parameter include a difference in the moving time of the recording head in the forward path and the backward path, printing amount, usage time, humidity, temperature, and the like.

  For example, in the second invention, an example of the print amount of the recording head can be given as the predetermined parameter. In this case, it is conceivable that the total print amount at the time of manual correction is obtained from an EEPROM or the like, compared with the total print amount until the start of the recording apparatus, and the recording timing is adjusted based on the comparison result.

  In this case, the recording timing adjustment value related to the parameter comparison result is stored in the memory in advance as a data table, and the adjustment value corresponding to the comparison result is appropriately acquired from this data table to adjust the recording timing. .

  According to the second aspect of the present invention, the state of the recording apparatus at the time of start-up (difference in travel time between the forward path and the return path, total printing amount, usage time, etc.) and environment (humidity, temperature, etc.) are compared with these conditions during manual correction. In addition, since it is reflected in the adjustment of the recording timing, it is possible to perform automatic digit deviation correction according to the status of the recording apparatus, and to improve the correction accuracy.

  In the second invention as well, as in the first invention, the correction processing reference is reset by manual correction, so that the function of the recording timing adjusting means can be effectively functioned for a long period of time.

  In the first and second inventions described above, it is preferable that the value at the time of the last manual correction work is used as the manual correction deviation value. According to this aspect, it is possible to use, as a reference, the setting value of the manual digit shift correction performed at the closest time when the recording apparatus is used. In this way, automatic digit shift correction can be performed in a form that matches the current state of the recording apparatus. In other words, the automatic digit shift correction process can be performed in a state where an error caused by the extension of the drive belt is canceled.

  According to the present invention, since automatic digit deviation correction is performed by comparing with information acquired at the time of manual digit deviation correction, the effectiveness of automatic digit deviation correction can be improved, and digit deviation can be effectively reduced over a long period of use. Can be suppressed. ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, generation | occurrence | production of a digit shift can be suppressed more effectively in the printing apparatus of a bidirectional printing format.

(1) First Embodiment 1-1. Configuration of Embodiment FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of a printing apparatus using the first and second inventions. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the internal structure of the printing apparatus shown in FIG. FIG. 2 shows a state in which the outer covers (upper case and lower case) are removed. The printing apparatus shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 is an example of a printing apparatus (printer) that performs bidirectional printing.

  A printing apparatus (printer) 100 shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 includes a control unit 101, an operation panel 102, a carriage sensor 103, a memory 104, a head driver 105, a print head 106, a motor driver A 107, a carriage motor 108, a motor driver B 109, A paper feed motor 110, a carriage 111, and a guide rail 122 (see FIG. 2) are provided.

  The control unit 101 controls the movement of each unit when performing printing. Further, the control unit 101 controls a processing procedure for automatic digit shift correction, which will be described later. The control unit 101 includes a clock counter 112, a CPU (not shown), and various interface circuits (not shown). The clock counter 112 includes a plurality of counters, and counts a recording timing clock generated from a reference clock supplied from the CPU. The reference clock supplied from the CPU is also used as a reference signal for motor drive pulses in motor driver A 107 and motor driver B 109.

  In this configuration, the recording timing is controlled based on the recording timing clock, and the movement amount of the carriage 111 is controlled by measuring a motor driving pulse for driving the carriage motor 108. That is, digit shift correction is performed based on the recording timing clock.

  The operation panel 102 includes a power display switch of the printing apparatus 100, other various operation switches, and a display that displays an operation state. The various operation switches include operation switches for performing manual digit shift correction, which will be described later.

  The carriage sensor 103 is an optical sensor used when determining the initial position of the carriage 111. The carriage sensor 103 includes a light emitting unit (LED) and a light receiving unit (photodiode). As will be described later, when the carriage 111 is moved and a shielding plate described later is inserted between the light emitting portion and the light receiving portion, the output from the photodiode is interrupted, and the carriage sensor 103 outputs an L signal (Low signal: ground potential, for example). Is output. Further, in a state where a shielding plate described later is not inserted between the light emitting unit and the light receiving unit, the output from the photodiode is received by the light receiving unit, and the H signal (High signal: for example, a predetermined + Potential) is output.

  The memory 104 includes ROM, RAM, and EEPROM. The ROM stores a control program necessary for operating the printing apparatus 100. This control program includes a program for controlling the processing procedure of digit shift correction described later. The RAM is used as a work area for temporarily storing print parameters, print data transmitted from the host computer, a count value of the clock counter 112 for measuring the movement amount of the carriage 111, and the like. The EEPROM is a rewritable nonvolatile memory, and stores various setting information, data used during automatic digit shift correction processing, and the like.

  The head driver 105 is a drive circuit that drives the print head 106. The print head 106 has a function of printing ink on a recording medium (in this case, printing paper). In the print head 106, the expression “printing” is used, but the printing apparatus of the present embodiment is not limited to the printing content for character printing. In other words, lines and figures can be printed.

  The motor driver A 107A is a drive circuit that drives the carriage motor 108. The carriage motor 108 is a stepping motor and outputs a driving force for reciprocating the carriage 111 along the guide rail 122.

  The motor driver B 109 is a drive circuit that drives the paper feed motor 110. The paper feed motor 110 is a stepping motor and outputs a driving force for feeding the printing paper.

  The carriage motor 108 and the paper feed motor 110 are operated at a predetermined timing by the motor driver A 107 and the motor driver B 109. As a result, reciprocation along the guide rail 122 of the carriage 111 and feeding of printing paper (not shown) are performed at a predetermined timing, and the print head 106 performs a printing operation in accordance with the timing, thereby performing printing. Is called.

  In this printing, the recording timing in the forward path and the recording timing in the backward path are adjusted according to the digit shift correction amount set by the processing described later. As a result, digit shift correction is performed during the printing operation.

1-2. Operation of Embodiment Hereinafter, a process of acquiring a digit shift correction amount when the main power of the printing apparatus 100 is turned on will be described. FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating an outline of a processing example for acquiring the digit shift correction amount. FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing a subroutine of step S115 shown in FIG. FIG. 5 is a conceptual diagram showing the movement state of the carriage during the automatic digit shift correction process.

  When the printer 100 is turned on, predetermined initial processing is performed (step S101). In this initial process, the carriage 111 is moved to the HP position (home position position). In this example, the HP position is set on one end side of the guide rail 122 (left end in the state shown in FIG. 2). The HP position functions as a reference position when determining the position of the carriage 111. In the initial process of step S101, the control system logic circuit is also activated.

  FIG. 5A shows the relative relationship between the shielding plate 121 fixed to the carriage, the HP position, and the measurement position 124 of the carriage sensor 103 when the carriage 111 is stationary at the HP position. Yes.

  When the initial processing is completed, the carriage motor 108 is rotated in the forward direction to start moving the carriage 111 in the forward direction (the forward direction of the reciprocating movement) (step S102). In the case of this example, the forward direction (that is, the forward direction) is the direction indicated by the arrow 123 in FIG. In this case, the carriage starts to move in the direction of the arrow 123 from the position shown in FIG.

  At the same time as the start of the process in step S102, the clock counter A is started to start counting the recording timing clock (step S103). The clock counter A is one of a plurality of counters included in the clock counter 112.

  After the process of step S103, it is determined whether or not the output of the carriage sensor 103 has changed from L to H (step S104). Until the shielding plate 121 has passed the position of the carriage sensor 103, the determination in step S104 is NO, and the determination in step S104 is repeated. When the shielding plate 121 has passed the position of the carriage sensor 103, the determination in step S104 changes to YES. If the determination in step S104 changes to YES, the count value A1 of the clock counter A started in step S103 is stored in the memory 104 (step S105). As shown in FIG. 5B, the count value A1 means the movement time of the carriage 111 from the HP position.

  Here, the movement time is counted using a clock, which is equivalent to measuring the movement amount (displacement amount) of the carriage 111. For example, the difference in the amount of movement between the forward path and the return path can be easily calculated from the difference in travel time in the reciprocating movement of the carriage.

  After step S105, a motor drive pulse is output, the carriage motor 108 is further driven forward by 200 steps (step S106), and the value of the clock counter A at the end time is stored in the memory 104 as the counter value A2 (step S107). . In addition, after the forward driving of 200 steps, the carriage motor 108 is stopped (step S108), and at the same time, the clock counter A is stopped (step S109), and the recording timing clock counting is ended. The positional relationship between the carriage 111 and the carriage sensor 103 at this time is shown in FIG. By this processing, the movement time (A2) until the carriage 111 moves in the forward direction from the HP position, exceeds the carriage sensor 13, and further moves by 200 steps is counted by the clock counter A.

  Thereafter, the carriage motor 108 is driven in reverse (step S110), the clock counter B, which is one of the clock counters 112, is started (step S111), and the recording timing clock counting is restarted. By executing the process of step S110, the carriage 111 that has moved in the direction of the arrow 123 returns to the reverse direction. Thereafter, it is determined whether or not the output of the carriage sensor 103 has changed from H to L (step S112).

  That is, when the shielding plate 121 returns to the position of the carriage sensor 103, the state shown in FIG. 5D is obtained, the light path is blocked by the shielding plate 121, and the output of the carriage sensor 103 changes from H to L. At this time, the determination in step S112 is YES.

  If the determination in step 112 is YES, the value of the clock counter B (count value B) at that time is acquired and stored in the memory 104 (step S113). Further, simultaneously with the acquisition of the count value B, the clock counter B is stopped and the counting is ended (step S114). If the determination in step 112 is NO, the determination in step S112 is repeated. By this processing, the carriage 111 moves in the reverse direction from the position where it has moved by 200 steps, and the clock counter B measures the movement time in the return path until it is detected by the carriage sensor 103.

  Step S115 is performed after step S114. In step S115, the digit shift correction amount is acquired using the values A1, A2, and B that have already been acquired.

  Hereinafter, the digit shift correction amount acquisition processing will be described with reference to FIG. When the process starts, first, a correction coefficient C is calculated (step S201). The correction coefficient C is given by C = A1− (A2−B) using A1 acquired in step S105, A2 acquired in step S107, and B acquired in step S114.

  The meaning of the correction coefficient C will be described. First, as shown in FIG. 5B, A1 is a value calculated from the HP position, which is the reference position of the carriage 111, to the carriage sensor 103 using a clock counter. Further, as shown in FIG. 5C, A2 is a value obtained by counting the time required to move 200 steps in the forward direction in addition to A1 using a clock counter. Also, as shown in FIG. 5D, B moves backward from the state shown in FIG. 5C, and when the shielding plate 121 moves in front of the carriage sensor 103 from there. Travel time until.

  Here, in an ideal state where there is no digit shift, A1 = A2-B and C = 0. On the other hand, even if the carriage 111 is moved by the same distance for some reason (that is, when the carriage 111 is reciprocated with the same number of pulses for control), when the carriage 111 is moved 200 steps, If there is a difference in travel time on the return path, A1 ≠ A2-B and C ≠ 0.

  That is, the correction coefficient C is a parameter for evaluating the difference between the traveling time of the forward path and the backward path that occur in the reciprocating motion of the carriage 111. Note that C is referred to as a correction coefficient because C is a parameter used for automatic digit shift correction processing. That is, the correction coefficient C is a coefficient that mainly reflects a movement loss due to belt deflection, gear wear, gear backlash, and the like in a carriage reversal section existing between the forward path and the return path of the carriage 111.

  After obtaining the correction coefficient C in step S201, it is determined whether or not the absolute value of C-C 'is 1 or less (step S202). Here, C ′ is the value of the correction coefficient acquired at the time when the last manual digit shift correction was performed.

  The correction coefficient C ′ is acquired as follows. That is, in the last manual digit deviation correction, the correction coefficient C acquired when the recording apparatus is started is replaced with the correction coefficient C ′ during the manual digit deviation correction. That is, the correction coefficient C acquired immediately before the manual digit shift correction is used as the correction coefficient C ′. The value is stored in the EEPROM of the memory 104.

  Note that the value of the correction coefficient C ′ when manual digit deviation correction has not been performed at the time of manufacture is the value at the time of manual digit deviation correction processing performed at the time of final adjustment at the time of factory shipment.

  If the determination in step S202 is yes, the digit shift correction amount acquisition process ends, and the process proceeds to step S116 in FIG. In this case, a new setting for the digit shift correction amount (step S203) is not performed. That is, there is no correction of digit shift by this process, and recording is performed at the recording timing by the previous manual digit shift correction. If the determination in step S202 is no, the process proceeds to step S203. In step S203, a value reflecting the value of C-C 'is set as the digit shift correction amount.

  The digit shift correction amount set in step S203 is stored in the memory 104. In the printing operation, the digit shift correction amount is read from the memory, and the value is reflected in the adjustment of the recording timing. That is, the recording timing in the forward path and / or the backward path of the carriage 111 is adjusted based on the digit shift correction amount.

  When the processing of the subroutine shown in FIG. 4 is completed, the process returns to the flow shown in FIG. 3 to determine whether or not the carriage 111 is at the HP position (home position position) (step S116). If the carriage 111 is at the HP position, the process proceeds to step 117, the carriage motor is stopped, and the series of processes is terminated. If the carriage 111 is not at the HP position, the determination in step S116 is repeated.

  After the process shown in FIG. 3 is completed, the print standby mode is entered. In the print standby mode, printing is performed when a print instruction and print data are sent from the host computer (or an alternative host control means).

  When the power of the printing apparatus 100 is turned off, the digit shift correction amount set in step S203 is reset (erased). When the power is turned on next time, the processing after step S101 is executed, and a new digit shift correction amount is set.

  According to the operation described above, the difference in movement time of the carriage 111 between the forward path and the return path is automatically measured as the correction coefficient C when the power is turned on. Then, the value is compared with the correction coefficient C ′ set at the time of the last manual digit deviation correction. In this way, automatic digit shift correction reflecting the actual situation can be performed. Therefore, if manual digit deviation correction is performed at an appropriate timing, the automatic digit deviation correction processing performed at the time of printing can be effectively functioned for a long period of time.

1-3. Manual Digit Shift Correction Even if the series of processing shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 is executed every time the printer 100 is turned on, the correction coefficient obtained in step S201 reflects the actual situation as the printer 100 is used. The tendency to stop doing increases. This is because subtle misalignment caused by elongation of the drive belt, wear of the drive gear mechanism, accumulation of dust in the drive system, etc. cannot be ignored, and from A1, A2, and B acquired in the processing procedure shown in FIG. This is because the tendency that the influence cannot be accurately evaluated increases.

  If the degree of digit deviation that cannot be accurately evaluated by the correction coefficient C becomes more prominent, digit deviation will be observed in the printed characters even though the processing shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 is performed. . At this stage, the user (or a serviceman or the like) can manually cancel the digit shift by performing manual digit shift correction processing.

  The manual digit shift correction process is performed according to the following procedure. First, a test print pattern is actually printed. Here, the test print pattern is a print pattern devised so that the state of digit shift can be easily confirmed. Then, the printed contents are visually confirmed to recognize the presence / absence of a digit shift and the degree thereof. Next, the correction button on the operation panel 102 is operated so as to eliminate the printed digit deviation, and the test print pattern is printed again. This test print pattern printing → manual correction → test print pattern printing is repeated until there is no digit shift. Also, if necessary, perform the same process using another test print pattern and further pursue digit shift correction.

  When the manual digit deviation correction is completed, the manual digit deviation correction end switch (manual digit deviation correction amount setting switch) arranged on the operation panel 102 is pressed to end the manual digit deviation correction. At this time, the correction coefficient C acquired at that time is stored as a new C ′ in the EEPROM in the memory 104. That is, the value of the correction coefficient C obtained in the process shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 performed at the time closest to the time when the manual digit shift correction is performed is stored as the correction coefficient C ′. In this way, the process of acquiring the difference in the movement time between the forward movement and the backward movement of the recording head during the recording timing correction using the manual correction means as the manual correction deviation value (in this example, the correction coefficient C ′) is performed. .

  By performing manual digit deviation correction, digit deviation can be forcibly eliminated. That is, even when the automatic digit deviation correction does not function effectively and a digit deviation occurs, it can be forcibly eliminated. Further, the correction coefficient at that time can be obtained.

  The correction button on the operation panel 102 is a switch for setting the print timing to be advanced or delayed within a predetermined range in the forward or backward path of the carriage 111. The first manual digit shift correction is performed, for example, in an adjustment stage performed when the product is shipped from the factory.

1-4. Specific Example of Processing For example, in the printing apparatus shown in FIG. 1, the correction coefficient C obtained in step S201 is C = + 5 clocks, and the correction coefficient at the time of the last manual digit shift correction is C ′ = + 3 clocks. Suppose that

  In this case, the determination in step S202 is NO, and the difference between C and C ′ (for two clocks) is added (or subtracted) to the recording timing of the forward path or the backward path.

  Further, in the printing apparatus shown in FIG. 1, it is assumed that the correction coefficient C obtained in step S201 is C = + 2 clocks and the correction coefficient at the time of the last manual digit shift correction is C '= + 2 clocks. In this case, the determination in step S202 is YES, and the automatic digit shift correction amount is not set in step 203. In this case, at the time of printing, printing is performed according to the recording timing at the time of the manual digit shift correction performed last. In these processes, the digit misalignment correction and the correction coefficients C and C ′ are values based on the recording timing clock. Therefore, the recording timing can be adjusted by adding or subtracting the calculated digit misalignment correction amount as it is. Can be adjusted.

(2) Second Embodiment Next, an example of a printing apparatus using the second invention will be described. This embodiment is an example in which the print amount is adopted as the predetermined parameter in the second invention.

  A specific example will be described below. In the present embodiment, in the block structure shown in FIG. 1, the control unit 101 has a function that can measure the print amount, and the EEPROM in the memory 104 has an integrated print after the device is first used. The amount A and the integrated print amount B at the time when the last manual digit misalignment correction is performed are stored. Here, the print amount is counted as the total number of prints performed after factory shipment.

  In addition, a program for performing processing of the procedure described below is stored in the ROM in the memory 104. Further, the relationship between the accumulated print amount and the recording timing correction value is experimentally obtained in advance, and the data table is stored in the ROM in the memory 104.

  This data table is based on data obtained by actually measuring the value of the correction coefficient with respect to the print amount, and needs to be experimentally obtained in advance. For example, the correction value of the recording timing for every 100,000 printed characters is experimentally obtained in advance and used as a data table.

  The outline of the operation will be described below. First, when the power is turned on, the printing amount A and the printing amount B at that time are read from the memory 104. Then, the printing amount A and the printing amount B are compared, and the difference is obtained.

  Then, a correction value of the recording timing corresponding to the difference between the printing amount A and the printing amount B is obtained using the data table. The obtained correction value is stored in the memory 104. In this way, the recording timing correction amount is acquired.

  Thereafter, the print state is entered. At the time of printing, the recording timing is adjusted using the correction amount acquired in the above processing.

  In this case, for example, if printing is not performed much after manual digit shift correction, the difference between the print amount A and the print amount B is small. Naturally, the correction value of the recording timing acquired at the time of starting the apparatus described above is also a small value (in some cases, zero (no correction)).

  On the other hand, when the time elapsed after the manual digit shift correction is large and a large amount of printing has been performed during that time, the difference between the print amount A and the print amount B becomes large. In this case, the correction value of the recording timing acquired at the time of starting the apparatus described above is a reasonable value.

  In the above example, for example, if the difference between the printing amount A and the printing amount B is 165000 characters, the corresponding recording timing correction value is read by referring to the place of 200,000 characters in the data table. Then, this correction value is stored in the memory 104. At the time of printing, the correction timing is used to adjust the recording timing to prevent digit deviation.

  Furthermore, the following aspect can be mentioned as another example of the printing apparatus using the second invention. In this embodiment, the relationship between the temperature difference and the correction value of the recording timing is stored as a data table in the memory 104, and when manual digit deviation correction is performed by a thermistor provided in the recording head or the main PCB (Printed Circuit Board). The apparatus temperature TA is acquired and held. Then, the temperature TB acquired at the time of turning on the power is compared with the temperature TA, the result of this comparison is applied to the data table, and the recording timing correction value read out from the data table is used for recording at the time of printing. Adjust timing.

  The present invention can be used in a recording apparatus that performs recording by moving a recording head of a recording medium in both directions. In particular, the present invention can be used in a printing apparatus that performs printing by moving a print head in both directions such as left and right.

It is a block diagram which shows the outline | summary of the printing apparatus using invention. It is a perspective view showing the outline of the internal structure of the printing apparatus using the invention. It is a flowchart which shows the outline | summary of the process example which acquires digit shift correction amount. It is a flowchart which shows the subroutine of step S115 shown in FIG. It is a conceptual diagram explaining an example of the movement of the carriage at the time of automatic digit shift correction processing.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 100 ... Printing apparatus, 101 ... Control part, 102 ... Operation panel, 103 ... Carriage sensor, 104 ... Memory, 105 ... Head driver, 106 ... Print head, 107 ... Motor driver A, 108 ... Carriage motor, 109 ... Motor driver B 110, a paper feed motor, 111, a carriage, 112, a clock counter, 121, a shielding plate, 122, a guide rail.

Claims (3)

A recording head that performs reciprocating motion on a recording medium to perform bidirectional recording;
Recording timing manual correction means capable of manually correcting the recording timing of the recording head;
Storage means for storing a difference in movement time between the forward movement and the backward movement of the recording head at the time of recording timing correction using the manual correction means, as a manual correction deviation value;
A deviation amount detecting means for detecting a difference in movement time between the forward movement and the backward movement of the recording head at the time of activation as an automatic detection deviation value;
Recording timing adjustment means for adjusting the recording timing of the recording head based on the comparison between the manual correction deviation value and the automatic detection deviation value with the manual correction deviation value stored in the storage means as a reference. A recording apparatus. The recording timing adjusting means is
When the difference between the manual correction deviation value and the automatic detection deviation value is within a predetermined range, the recording timing is not adjusted,
The recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein when the difference between the manual correction deviation value and the automatic detection deviation value exceeds a predetermined range, adjustment is performed by reflecting the difference. A recording head that performs reciprocating motion on a recording medium to perform bidirectional recording;
Recording timing manual correction means capable of manually correcting the recording timing of the recording head;
Parameter acquisition means for acquiring predetermined parameters that change according to aging and printing conditions;
Storage means for storing the predetermined parameter as a manual correction parameter value at the time of recording timing correction using the manual correction means;
Recording timing for adjusting the recording timing of the recording head based on the comparison between the parameter value at the time of manual correction and the predetermined parameter acquired at the time of starting , with the parameter value at the time of manual correction stored in the storage means as a reference A recording apparatus comprising: adjusting means.

Images