JP5164723B2 - Image recording device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an image recording apparatus such as a printer or a printing apparatus that records an image on a medium.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, attempts have been made to automatically set a printer by reading information relating to a medium such as the size of a medium (recording sheet) used for printing and registration information from the medium itself.

  For example, in Patent Document 1, an alignment pattern formed on a medium is detected by an optical sensor, and an apparatus is set based on the detected pattern, and print alignment is performed during reciprocating scanning or between a plurality of heads. Techniques for performing are disclosed. The optical sensor is mounted on the carriage of the print head.

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2004-26883 discloses a technique for printing a test pattern on a medium, detecting the pattern with an optical sensor, obtaining information on the sheet width and dot position adjustment of the medium, and setting the apparatus based on the information. Is disclosed.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 10-329381 JP 2005-74807 A

  However, in any of the conventional examples, the information on the optically read medium is predetermined, and a plurality of pieces of information are not acquired using the same reader.

  The present invention has been made based on the idea that a conventional apparatus is further developed and a plurality of pieces of information about a medium are acquired by the same reader.

  An object of the present invention is to provide an image forming apparatus that enables appropriate reading according to information of a medium to be acquired, performs information acquisition with high accuracy at a low cost, and can appropriately perform apparatus settings.

  The present invention is an image recording apparatus that includes a reader that reads information related to a medium from the medium, and that sets the apparatus based on the information read by the reader. The reader is directed toward the medium. A size and shape of the reading area according to information about the medium to be read by the reader, the light emitting device for irradiating light and a light receiver for detecting light reflected by the reading area on the medium It is characterized by changing at least one of the above.

  Here, preferably, the reading area is an overlapping area between an irradiation area on the medium by the light emitter and a detection area on the medium by the light receiver. The light emitter irradiates the irradiation area with a divergent light beam, and / or the light receiving portion of the light receiver is smaller than the detection area.

  More preferably, there is provided means for changing the distance between the reader and the medium, and changing the distance changes at least one of the size and shape of the reading area. The image recording apparatus according to claim 1.

  More preferably, a recording head for recording an image on a medium and the reader are mounted, and a carriage that moves relative to the medium is provided. The carriage moves in the interval direction with respect to the medium. Then, the interval is changed.

  The information on the media includes the optical characteristics of the media surface, the width of the media, a mark for alignment of the print formed on the media, a mark indicating the type of media, a mark indicating the material of the media, and a mark indicating the size of the media. At least one of them.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to accurately read a plurality of pieces of information related to media with the same reader. For this reason, the print setting of the apparatus can be performed more appropriately, and a highly practical image recording apparatus that achieves both low cost and improved accuracy is realized.

  Hereinafter, an inkjet printer as an example of an image recording apparatus will be described as an embodiment of the present invention. The scope of application of the present invention is not limited to this. For example, for various types of image recording devices such as office use and home use devices such as printers, copiers, facsimiles, multifunction devices such as electrophotographic methods, thermal methods, and dot impact methods, and commercial printing devices. Is also applicable.

  In the present invention, “information relating to media” refers to optical characteristics of the media surface, edges of the media, marks for alignment of prints formed on the media, marks indicating the type of media, and marks indicating the material of the media. A mark indicating the size of the media.

  FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of a main part of an ink jet printer.

  The carriage 5 is equipped with an ink jet recording head 3 and an optical reader 1 for acquiring information about the medium 2 (recording sheet) from the medium 2 itself. The carriage 5 records an image on the medium 2 by the recording head 3 while moving in the main scanning direction indicated by the arrow by driving the drive motor 6. On the other hand, the medium 2 is transported in the sub-scanning direction indicated by the arrow by the sub-scanning means, and a two-dimensional image is recorded by performing sub-scanning and main scanning simultaneously.

  The interval adjusting mechanism 4 moves the carriage 5 with respect to the medium 2 so that the interval between the two changes. The recording head 3 and the medium 2 face each other at an appropriate interval according to the thickness of the medium 2 to be used. It is intended to adjust as follows. Further, the interval adjustment mechanism 4 can also arbitrarily change the interval between the reader 1 and the medium 2 mounted on the carriage, and is adjusted to an appropriate interval according to the reading mode as will be described later.

  The controller 7 controls the entire printer. The transport control of the medium 2 by the sub-scanning means, the discharge control of the recording head 3, the drive control of the interval adjusting mechanism 4, the drive control of the drive motor 6, and the read control of the reader 1. Etc. Then, based on the information about the media read and acquired by the reader 1, the printing operation of the apparatus is set.

  The reader 1 includes a light-emitting device including a light-emitting element such as an LED, LD, and OLED and a lens, and a light-receiving device including a photoelectric conversion element such as a photodiode and a lens, and these are an integrated small unit. . The media 2 is made of various types and materials such as paper, plastic film, cloth, and leather according to the usage situation of the user. There are also various sizes and sheet widths. As the ink jet method of the recording head 3, various ink jet methods such as a method using a heating element, a method using a piezo element, a method using an electrostatic element, and a method using a MEMS element can be used.

  Next, a case where information relating to the medium is read by the reader 1 will be described.

  2 and 3 show a state in which the reader 1 and the medium 2 face each other. The reader 1 is a unit including a light emitter 11 and a light receiver 12.

  The luminous flux emitted from the light emitter 11 is a divergent luminous flux and is irradiated on the surface of the medium 2. On the medium 2, a substantially circular spot-like region (irradiation region 31) is irradiated. Since it is a divergent light beam, the irradiation area 31 is larger in size (area) than the light emitting part (light emitting part) of the light emitter 11.

  The light receiver 12 detects light from the detection region 32 on the surface of the medium 2 through a lens. Due to the action of the lens provided in the light receiver 12, the light receiving portion (light incident portion) of the light receiver 12 is smaller in size and area than the detection region 32. The irradiation region 31 and the detection region 32 may have the same size (area) or different sizes (area).

  The irradiation area 31 and the detection area 32 have a partially overlapping area (reading area 13). The light receiver 12 mainly detects light reflected by the reading area 13 and optically reads information on the medium 2. .

  Here, FIG. 2 shows a state in which the distance between the reader 1 and the medium 2 is relatively narrowed by the distance adjusting mechanism 4, and FIG. 3 shows a state in which the distance between the two is wider than that in FIG.

  Comparing both figures, it can be seen that both the irradiation region 31 and the detection region 32 are larger in size (area) in FIG. Further, it can be seen that the size (area) of the reading area 13 which is an overlapping area is larger in FIG. The shape of the reading area 13 is also different between FIGS. As described above, the size (area) and further the shape of the reading region 13 can be changed by adjusting the interval adjusting mechanism 4. In addition to the two states of FIGS. 2 and 3, the reading region 13 can also be set to an arbitrary size (area) and shape by arbitrarily setting the interval.

  In the present apparatus, the interval adjustment mechanism 4 switches the reading mode according to the type of information on the medium so that the reading area 13 has a size (area) and / or shape suitable for reading in each reading mode. To adjust the distance between the reader 1 and the medium 2.

In a plurality of reading modes, the following information is optically read using the same reader 1.
<Mode 1> Optical properties of media surface (reflectance)
<Mode 2> Media sheet width <Mode 3> Print alignment mark (vertical stripe pattern) formed on the media
<Mode 4> A coded mark (bar code) formed on the medium for identifying the medium (type, material, size, etc. of the medium).

Case of <Mode 1> FIGS. 2 and 3 show the case of <Mode 1> described above, that is, the optical characteristics (reflectance) of the surface of the medium 2 are detected by the reader 1 to identify the type and material of the medium. It is to acquire information to do.

  In this case, FIG. 3 in which the size of the reading area 13 is larger is preferable. This is because, when measuring the reflectance, obtaining an average reflectance over a wide area is less affected by local unevenness and does not require a high detection resolution. Therefore, in this mode, reading is performed by setting the state of FIG.

  The controller 7 of the printer discriminates the type and material of media such as paper, plastic film, cloth and leather from the read optical characteristics, and performs print settings such as appropriate print quality.

Case of <Mode 2> Next, the case of <Mode 2> will be described with reference to FIGS.

  This detects the end portion (edge) 21 of the medium 2 and acquires information for identifying the sheet width of the medium in the main scanning direction and the leading edge position and trailing edge position of the medium in the sub scanning direction. Is the case.

  4 shows a state in which the distance between the reader 1 and the medium is relatively narrowed by the distance adjusting mechanism 4, and FIG. 5 shows a state in which the distance between the two is wider than that in FIG. Similar to the above description, both the irradiation region 31 and the detection region 32 are larger in size (area) in FIG. 3, and the reading region 13, which is an overlapping region, is larger in size (area) in FIG. The shape of the reading area 13 is also different between FIGS.

  In order to detect the end portion (edge) 21 of the medium with higher accuracy, the state of FIG. 4 where the reading area 13 is small is preferable. This is because the smaller the reading area 13, the higher the detection resolution. Therefore, in this mode, the state shown in FIG. 4 is set and reading is performed.

  FIG. 8 is a graph showing the output of the light receiver 12 when detecting the edge of the medium for each size of the reading spot (reading area 13). The horizontal axis is the movement distance, which is the movement distance of the carriage 5 (reader 1) in the main scanning direction or the movement distance of the medium 2 relative to the reader 1 in the sub-scanning direction. One vertical axis represents the detection output of the light receiver 12.

  As the carriage moves, when the end of the medium 2 reaches the reading area, the surface reflectance of the medium is higher, so that the output value changes. By detecting this change, the end position of the media can be determined. Here, the graph characteristic (solid line) with a smaller reading spot size has a steeper change in output value than the graph characteristic (dotted line) when the size is large. That is, it can be seen that the smaller the size of the reading area 13, the higher the detection resolution.

  The controller 7 of the printer discriminates the sheet width, leading edge position, and trailing edge position of the medium 2 based on the read information, and performs appropriate print settings in accordance with this.

Case of <Mode 3> Next, the case of <Mode 3> or (Mode 4) will be described with reference to FIGS.

  This is a case where the mark 22 formed on the medium 2 is detected to acquire information for print alignment.

  The mark 22 formed on the medium 2 is a vertical stripe pattern with a uniform interval, and the average density of these vertical stripes is detected. In order to detect the mark 22, the state shown in FIG. This is because the average density can be detected more accurately when the number of vertical stripe bars located in the reading region is larger. Therefore, in this mode, reading is performed by setting the state of FIG.

  The controller 7 of the printer obtains print position deviation information based on the read information, and performs appropriate print settings such as automatically setting dot position adjustment values during reciprocating scanning.

Case of <Mode 4> Next, the case of (Mode 4) will be described with reference to FIGS. 6 and 7.

  This is a case where the coded mark 22 (bar code) formed on the medium 2 is detected and information for identifying the type, material, size, etc. of the medium is acquired.

  The mark 22 formed on the medium 2 is a barcode composed of vertical stripes of a plurality of bars, and although not shown in the drawing, the widths and intervals of the vertical stripes are actually different. For reading the barcode, the width of each stripe is detected. The bar code is information in which information for identifying the type, material, size, etc. of the media is coded.

  In order to detect the mark 22, the state shown in FIG. This is because the detection resolution of each bar increases as the reading area 13 is smaller. When reading the bar code, comparing the size of the reading spot, the same characteristics as in FIG. 8 are obtained. Therefore, in this mode, the state shown in FIG. 6 is set and reading is performed.

  The controller 7 of the printer identifies the type, material, size, and the like of the media based on the read information, and performs appropriate print settings according to this.

<Modification>
Some modifications are shown below.

  In the previous example, the light emitter 11 of the reader 1 emits a divergent light beam and irradiates the irradiation region 31. However, as shown in FIG. 9 and FIG. Similar results are obtained. Since it is not a divergent light beam, the irradiation region 31 is smaller in size (area) than the detection region 32. As shown in FIG. 10, when the irradiation area 31 is completely included in the detection area 32, the irradiation area 31 becomes the reading area 13 and the reading area 13 has the maximum size.

  In the previous example, the light receiving portion of the light receiver 12 is smaller than the detection region 32. However, as shown in FIGS. 11 and 12, the light receiving portion and the detection region 32 may be the same size, or Even if the light receiving portion is slightly smaller, the same result can be obtained. Contrary to the above, the detection region 32 is smaller in size (area) than the irradiation region 31. As shown in FIG. 12, when the detection area 32 is completely included in the irradiation area 31, all the detection areas 32 become the reading area 13, and the reading area 13 becomes the maximum size.

  In short, the fact that the light emitter 11 emits the divergent light beam and that the light receiving portion of the light receiver 12 is smaller than the detection region do not necessarily satisfy both, and at least one of them is sufficient. Thereby, the size (area) and shape of the reading region 13 change according to the change in the interval between the reader 1 and the medium 2.

  Further, the size (area) or shape of at least one of the irradiation region and the detection region may be variable by a method other than adjusting the distance between the reader 1 and the medium 2. Then, the size and shape of the overlapping area on the medium 2 are changed according to the information about the medium to be read.

  For example, in order to make the irradiation area on the medium by the light emitter 11 variable, it can be realized by making the lens constituting the light emitter 11 movable or a lens power variable lens such as a fluid lens. The detection area on the medium by the light receiver 12 can be made variable by making the lens constituting the light receiver 12 movable or a lens power variable lens such as a fluid lens.

  As described above, a plurality of pieces of information related to media can be read with high accuracy by the same reader. Therefore, the apparatus can be set more appropriately, and a highly practical image recording apparatus that achieves both low cost and improved accuracy is realized.

  In addition, the carriage 11 is a mechanism originally provided in the printer. The reader 1 is mounted on the carriage 11 and the distance between the reader 1 and the medium 2 is adjusted using the movement of the carriage 11. Therefore, the practicality of the apparatus is greatly enhanced with a minimum additional cost.

Configuration diagram of main part of ink jet printer of embodiment Explanatory diagram for reading information about media with a reader Explanatory diagram for reading information about media with a reader Explanatory diagram for reading information about media with a reader Explanatory diagram for reading information about media with a reader Explanatory diagram for reading information about media with a reader Explanatory diagram for reading information about media with a reader Graph showing the output of the photoreceiver for each size of the reading spot Explanatory drawing of modification Explanatory drawing of modification Explanatory drawing of modification Explanatory drawing of modification

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Reader 2 Media 3 Recording head 4 Space | interval adjustment mechanism 11 Light emitter 12 Light receiver 13 Reading area 31 Irradiation area on the medium by a light emitter 32 Detection area on the medium by a light receiver

Claims (7)

An image recording apparatus having a reader for reading information about the medium from the medium, and setting the apparatus based on the information read by the reader;
The reader includes a light emitter that emits light toward the medium, and a light receiver that detects light reflected by a reading area on the medium,
An image recording apparatus, wherein at least one of a size and a shape of the reading area is changed according to information about the medium to be read by the reader.   The image recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the reading area is an overlapping area between an irradiation area on the medium by the light emitter and a detection area on the medium by the light receiver.   The image recording apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the light emitter irradiates the irradiation region with a divergent light beam, and / or a light receiving portion of the light receiver is smaller than the detection region.   4. The image recording apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a unit that changes an interval between the reader and the medium, and changing the interval changes at least one of a size and a shape of the reading area. 5.   A recording head for recording an image on the medium and the reader are mounted, and the carriage moves relative to the medium. The carriage moves in the interval direction with respect to the medium, and The image recording apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the interval is changed.   The information on the media includes the optical characteristics of the media surface, the edge of the media, the alignment mark for the print formed on the media, the mark indicating the type of media, the mark indicating the material of the media, and the mark indicating the size of the media 6. The image recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the image recording apparatus is at least one of the above.   The image recording apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising an inkjet recording unit.

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