JP5236333B2 - Ink jet recording apparatus and discharge state inspection method thereof - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an ink jet recording apparatus that inspects an ejection state based on a test pattern recorded on a predetermined recording medium.

  In an inkjet recording apparatus, it is possible to form an image by ejecting minute ink droplets from a nozzle of a recording head toward a recording medium such as paper and attaching the ink droplets to the recording medium. When an image is formed with such an ink jet recording apparatus, a good image may not be output due to clogging of ink in the nozzles of the recording head.

  For this reason, it is necessary to periodically check the ink discharge state of the nozzles of the recording head and recover the ink discharge state when there is a defect.

  Conventionally, a predetermined image (test pattern) is recorded on a recording medium in order to check the ink ejection state of the recording head, the test pattern is read by a reading device, and the ejection recovery of the nozzles of the recording head is performed based on the reading result. However, since a recording medium such as paper is consumed every time a test pattern is recorded, the consumption of the recording medium increases and the running cost increases when the test pattern is printed regularly. was there.

  As a solution to this problem, a test pattern is recorded on a transport belt formed of a washable material, the unevenness such as the density of the test pattern is read to correct the drive condition of the recording head, and then the recorded test An ink jet recording apparatus that erases a pattern is known (see Patent Document 1).

  However, in this apparatus, in order to erase the recorded test pattern, it is necessary to employ a transport belt formed of a washable material, and the initial cost is higher than using a normal transport belt.

  Further, in such an ink jet recording apparatus, generally, when the distance from the nozzle for ejecting ink to the recording medium is increased, the flying direction of the ink varies and the landing accuracy on the recording medium is reduced. The distance between the head nozzle surface and the recording surface is different between the case of recording on the recording belt and the case of recording on the conveying belt, and the inspection accuracy is deteriorated. Furthermore, since the test pattern on the transport belt is washed after detecting density unevenness from the test pattern, continuous printing on the transport belt is difficult, and productivity may be reduced.

  By the way, in the conventional inkjet recording apparatus, as described above, after the test pattern is recorded on a recording medium such as paper, the test pattern is read by the reading device. At this time, if the recording medium on which the test pattern is recorded is transported at the transport speed of the recording medium during normal recording, the reading device may not be able to accurately read the test pattern. Further, in order to accurately read with the reading device, the recording medium may be stopped. However, it is difficult to finely adjust the stationary position with a transport belt that transports a normal recording medium.

  As a solution to this problem, the recording medium on which the test pattern is recorded by the recording head is transported by discharging the recording medium to a position where the trailing edge of the recording medium is once sandwiched by the discharging roller, that is, a position where the recording medium is not in contact with the conveying belt. A recording apparatus is known that stops the belt, reverses the discharge roller, aligns the recording medium with the position of the reading apparatus, and accurately conveys the recording medium to the position where the test pattern is read (see Patent Document 2).

  However, since this apparatus reverses the conveyance direction of the recording medium and conveys it to the reading position after recording the test pattern, it is difficult to continuously record the recording medium, and the control until the test pattern is detected is complicated. There is a problem that it takes time, and as a result, productivity decreases.

  In addition, it is not a device that forms an image on a recording medium such as paper, but as a device that detects nozzle clogging, a white inspection plate is transported by a transport device instead of a building plate transported by a transport device. There is also known a building board coating apparatus that discharges paint onto an inspection plate and confirms the discharge state to check for clogging of nozzles (see Patent Document 3).

In this coating apparatus, an inspection plate is placed on the transportation line of the transportation device that flows at a high speed, and thus a positioning mechanism for the inspection plate after the insertion is necessary. In addition, it is necessary to stop the loading of the building board in order to put the inspection board on the transport device, and there is a problem that the productivity is lowered.
JP-A-4-39041 JP-A-4-39042 JP 2007-98647 A

  The present invention has been made to solve the above-described conventional problems, and an object thereof is to accurately record and read a test pattern without deteriorating the productivity of the ink jet recording apparatus.

An inkjet recording apparatus according to the present invention is arranged in parallel on a recording head unit that records on a recording medium, a first conveying unit that conveys the recording medium to a recording area of the recording head unit by a conveying conveyor, and the conveying conveyor. A second conveyer having a support conveyor and supporting the inspection recording medium over the conveyance conveyor by the support conveyor and conveying the inspection recording medium to the recording area; and conveying the recording medium An ink discharge state based on a test control recorded on the test recording medium by the recording head unit, and a transport control unit that controls the first and second transport units so as to transport the test recording medium to a path; And an inspection unit for inspecting the above. Further, the inspection recording medium is supported and fixed on the support conveyor and is conveyed around the circumference, and the inspection section is disposed below the support conveyor and faces the inspection recording medium. It is characterized by being set to. Further, the image forming apparatus includes an erasing unit that is disposed on the downstream side in the transport direction of the inspection recording medium with respect to the inspection unit and erases a test pattern recorded on the inspection recording medium. Furthermore, a supply unit that supplies the inspection recording medium to the second transport unit on the upstream side in the transport direction of the recording medium with respect to the recording head unit; A recovery unit that recovers the recording medium for inspection carried out from the second transport unit on the side, and the inspection unit is disposed between the recording head unit and the recovery unit, and the inspection recording medium It is set so that it may oppose. Further, the conveyance control unit controls the conveyance of the second conveyance unit so as to have the same conveyance speed as the first conveyance unit while the test pattern is recorded on the inspection recording medium by the recording head unit. And Furthermore, the conveyance control unit controls the stop of the second conveyance unit so that the inspection recording medium to be conveyed is disposed opposite to the inspection unit.

Discharge state inspection method for an ink jet recording apparatus according to the present invention, there is provided a discharge state inspection method for an ink jet recording apparatus for recording a recording medium in a recording region of the recording head portion is conveyed by the conveyor, the conveyor support conveyor The recording medium for inspection is supported by the support conveyor so as to be bridged on the conveyor and arranged between the recording media to be transported while being arranged in parallel with the recording medium. A recording medium is transported by the support conveyor, a test pattern is recorded by the recording head unit on the transported inspection recording medium, and the inspection recording medium is placed at an inspection position off the transport path of the recording medium. The conveyance state is inspected based on the test pattern. Further, the inspection recording medium is conveyed in a circle independently of the recording medium.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to accurately record and read a test pattern without degrading the productivity of the inkjet printing apparatus, and based on this, the recording head is cleaned and a good quality image is formed. can do.

(First embodiment)
Hereinafter, an ink jet recording apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

  1A and 1B are schematic views showing a main part of the ink jet recording apparatus according to the first embodiment. FIG. 1A is a side view thereof, and FIG. 1B is a plan view thereof.

  As shown in FIG. 1A, the inkjet recording apparatus includes conveyance conveyors 2, 3, and 4 that are first conveyance units for conveying a recording medium 20 that performs normal recording that is not a test pattern. Are arranged horizontally with a predetermined interval.

  Each of the conveyors 2, 3, and 4 is disposed with a predetermined interval in the horizontal direction with respect to the driving rollers 2a, 3a, and 4a that are driven and controlled by a conveyance control unit described later. The conveying rollers 2b, 3b, and 4b, and the driving rollers 2a, 3a, and 4a, and endless belts 2c, 3c, and 4c wound around the conveying rollers 2b, 3b, and 4b are configured.

  Each of the conveyors 2, 3, 4 rotates the endless belts 2 c, 3 c, 4 c by driving the drive rollers 2 a, 3 a, 4 a, and rotates the recording medium 20 on the endless belts 2 c, 3 c, 4 c Transport to.

  Above the transport conveyor 3, a recording head unit 1 that performs image recording by ejecting ink onto a recording medium 20 transported on the transport conveyor 3 is disposed. In the recording head unit 1, a plurality of nozzles are arranged in a direction orthogonal to the conveyance direction of the recording medium 20, and ink is selectively ejected from each nozzle and recorded on the recording medium 20. In the case of performing color recording, the recording may be performed by arranging a plurality of nozzle groups that eject inks of different colors in the transport direction.

  The recording head unit 1 is supported by a guide rail (not shown) so as to be movable in a direction orthogonal to the conveyance direction of the recording medium 20, and a purge process (discharge) for eliminating ink clogging of the nozzles of the recording head unit 1. When the recovery process is performed, control is performed so as to move to a non-recording area outside the recording area on the conveyor 3.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 1B, a support conveyor 5 as a second transport unit for transporting an inspection recording medium 10 for recording a test pattern is disposed on both sides of the transport conveyor 3 in the width direction. 3 in parallel.

  That is, the support conveyor 5 includes a driving roller 5a disposed between the driving roller 3a and the conveying roller 4b, a conveying roller 5b disposed between the driving roller 2a and the conveying roller 3b, and both rollers 5a and 5b. It is composed of a pair of wound endless belts 5c and 5d. Note that the arrangement of the rollers 5a and 5b causes a gap between the driving roller 3a and the conveying roller 4b and between the driving roller 2a and the conveying roller 3b, but the conveyance direction of the recording medium 20 is larger than the gap. Therefore, the recording medium 20 is smoothly conveyed between the conveyors.

  The endless belts 5c and 5d are formed with a narrow width, and both end portions thereof are supported and fixed at predetermined positions on the conveying surface so that the inspection recording medium 10 is bridged between the endless belts. . For this reason, when the support conveyor 5 carries out the carrying operation, the inspection recording medium 10 is carried around in the carrying direction of the endless belt. When the inspection recording medium 10 is conveyed on the upper side of the support conveyor 5, a test pattern is recorded by the recording head unit 1, and when the inspection recording medium 10 is conveyed on the lower side, the ejection state inspection and the test pattern based on the test pattern are recorded. Erasing is performed.

  That is, the support conveyor 5 can transport the inspection recording medium 10 to the recording area for recording the normal image on the recording medium 20 on the transport conveyor 3, and record the test pattern for inspection without moving the recording head unit. Recording on the medium 10 becomes possible.

  Further, the driving roller 5a and the conveying roller 5b are formed to have a larger diameter than both rollers 3a and 3b of the conveying conveyor 3, and as shown in FIG. 1 (a), the height of the upper surface of the endless belts 5c and 5d Is set to coincide with the height of the upper surface of the endless belt 3c of the conveyor 3. When the inspection recording medium 10 and the recording medium 20 have the same thickness, the distance between the recording head unit 1 and the inspection recording medium 10 is the distance between the recording medium 20 during normal recording. The test pattern can be recorded on the inspection recording medium 10 under the same conditions as in normal recording.

  A CCD (Charge Coupled Device) camera 11 for photographing a test pattern recorded on the inspection recording medium 10 is disposed below the support conveyor 5, and based on the test pattern recorded on the inspection recording medium 10. The inspection unit that inspects the ejection state of the recording head unit 1 includes a CCD camera 11 and an inspection circuit described later. In this example, a CCD camera is used, but a known camera such as a camera using a CMOS may be used and is not particularly limited.

  Further, as an erasing unit for erasing the test pattern recorded on the inspection recording medium 10, a cleaning nozzle 12 that ejects a cleaning liquid onto the surface of the inspection recording medium 10 and a tray 14 that receives the cleaning liquid that has cleaned the inspection recording medium 10. And a cleaning wiper 13 for wiping the cleaning liquid sprayed on the surface of the inspection recording medium 10 to erase the test pattern, and air for drying the cleaning liquid remaining on the surface of the inspection recording medium 10 after cleaning. And the air nozzle 15 that ejects the nozzles are sequentially arranged in the conveying direction of the endless belts 5c and 5d.

  As a cleaning mechanism of the erasing unit, the cleaning liquid may be supplied with a water supply roller instead of the cleaning nozzle, or the cleaning liquid may be wiped with a wiping roller instead of being dried with an air nozzle (may also serve as a cleaning wiper). In addition, when an inspection recording medium with good liquid repellency is used, ink attached to the inspection recording medium may be sucked by a suction mechanism instead of these cleaning mechanisms.

  In addition to cleaning, the inspection recording medium after inspection may be peeled off and a new inspection recording medium may be attached to the support conveyor. Further, a new inspection recording medium may be pasted on the inspection recording medium that has been inspected. In these cases, the recording medium for inspection may be solid or liquid.

  FIG. 2 is a block configuration diagram relating to control in the case where the ejection state is inspected in the ink jet recording apparatus. The conveyors 2, 3, and 4 are driven and controlled by drive motors M1, M2, and M3, respectively. Further, the drive roller 5a of the support conveyor 5 is transported and controlled independently of other transport conveyors by the drive motor M4.

  The control unit 30 performs transport control of each transport conveyor and support conveyor. Conveyance conveyors 2, 3, and 4 are transported at the same transport speed to sequentially transport a plurality of recording media 20 to the recording area of the recording head unit 1 at a predetermined transport speed. About the support conveyor 5, a drive stop is normally performed in the state which the recording medium 10 for an inspection has been arrange | positioned below, and it will be in a standby state. When the ejection state is inspected, the support conveyor 5 is controlled to be conveyed so that the inspection recording medium 10 is conveyed upward at the timing of conveyance between the conveyance of the recording medium 20 so that the conveyance speed is the same as that of the conveyance conveyor. To do. Therefore, the inspection recording medium 10 can be transported to the recording area under the same transport conditions as the recording medium 20.

  A test pattern is recorded from the recording head unit 1 on the inspection recording medium 10 passing through the recording area, and the inspection recording medium 10 after recording the test pattern is conveyed to the lower side of the support conveyor 5. Then, the conveyance control is performed so that the inspection recording medium 10 stops at a position facing the CCD camera 11.

  An image of the test pattern photographed by the CCD camera 11 is transmitted to the reading circuit 16 and an image analysis process of the test pattern is performed. When analyzing the recorded test pattern, the captured image is subjected to image processing to calculate an RGB value for each pixel, and a threshold for binarization processing of the captured image is determined based on the calculated RGB value. . Then, the captured image is binarized based on the threshold value, and the area and size of the binarized print pattern of each nozzle is compared with a preset reference value to determine whether there is an ejection abnormality. .

  Since the test pattern can be taken while the inspection recording medium 10 is stationary, the inspection accuracy can be improved.

  The determination result of the ejection state is transmitted to the control unit 30, and when it is determined to be normal, the recording operation to the recording medium is continued as it is, and when it is determined to be abnormal, the recording head unit 1 is moved to the non-recording area. The discharge recovery operation is performed. As the ejection recovery operation, for example, a capping operation is performed so as to cover the nozzle surface of the recording head unit, and a recovery operation such as cleaning of the nozzle surface or suction of the nozzle is performed. And the like that perform a recovery operation such as forcibly discharging the liquid from the nozzle.

  After the inspection process based on the test pattern, control is performed so as to erase the test pattern by ejecting the cleaning liquid from the cleaning nozzle 12 toward the recording medium 10 for inspection while conveying the support conveyor 5. Wiping is performed by the wiper 13 after cleaning by the cleaning nozzle 12, and control is performed such that air is jetted from the air nozzle 15 toward the inspection recording medium 10 to dry the surface of the inspection recording medium 10. After the above erasing operation is completed, the inspection recording medium 10 is put on standby at a predetermined position below the support conveyor 5.

  Since the conveyance of the support conveyor 5 can be controlled independently, the inspection recording medium 10 can be controlled to be transported without affecting the recording operation of the recording medium 20 and the ejection state and the erasing operation can be reliably performed. It becomes possible.

  FIG. 3 is a flowchart of the ejection state inspection process. First, the driving roller 5a is driven by the control unit 30 to operate the support conveyor 5 (S101), the transport speed is accelerated to the same speed as the other transport conveyors 2, 3, 4 and a plurality of recording media being transported The inspection recording medium 10 is inserted (arranged) between 20 and conveyed (S102). Then, a test pattern is recorded on the transported recording medium 10 for inspection by the recording head unit 1 (S103).

  The inspection recording medium 10 on which the test pattern is recorded is transported and stopped at a position facing the CCD camera 11 (S104), and an image of the test pattern is taken by the CCD camera 11 (S105).

  The photographed test pattern image is subjected to image analysis (S106), and an inspection for the presence or absence of ejection failure of the nozzles of the recording head unit 1 is performed (S107).

  After the inspection of the ink discharge state, the cleaning liquid is sprayed from the cleaning nozzle 12 toward the inspection recording medium 10 to perform cleaning, and the test pattern is cleaned (erased) by wiping with the cleaning wiper 13 (S108). The test recording medium 10 is dried by ejecting air from the air nozzle 15 toward the nozzle 10 (S109) and transported to a predetermined standby position, and the ejection state inspection process is completed. If it is determined in step S107 that there is a discharge abnormality, a discharge recovery process for the recording head unit is performed (S110).

  FIG. 4 is a process flow of the ejection recovery process of the recording head unit. If it is determined that the ejection is abnormal, the recording operation of the recording head unit is stopped (S201), and the recording head unit is moved to the non-recording area (S202).

  Next, in the non-recording area, the ink in the nozzles of the recording head unit is pressurized to perform ejection processing for forcibly ejecting the ink from the nozzles to recover the nozzle clogging (S203). Subsequently, a wiping process is performed to wipe off the ink on the nozzle surface (S204), and the ink remaining on the nozzle surface is cleaned. Thereafter, the recording head unit 1 is moved onto the endless belt 3c of the transport conveyor 3 which is a recording area (S205). After moving the recording head unit to the recording area, the ejection state inspection process shown in FIG. 3 is performed again (S206), and it is determined again whether the ejection abnormality has been eliminated.

  As described above, in the present embodiment, the recording medium 20 and the inspection recording medium 10 can be independently transported and controlled, so that the recording medium 20 is transported at high speed without stopping the recording operation. Since the test recording medium 10 can be inserted and arranged between the recording media 20 to record a test pattern, and only the test recording medium 10 can be stopped and inspected and erased, thereby reducing productivity. It is possible to accurately inspect the discharge state without any problems.

  In this way, since the inspection recording medium 10 is stopped and the test pattern is inspected, the inspection recording medium 10 transported at high speed is compared with a case where the line CCD, the area CCD, and the high-speed shutter are photographed. Cost can be reduced. In addition, even if an imaging error occurs, it is possible to easily perform re-imaging, and it is possible to accurately detect nozzle ejection defects.

  Further, since the test recording medium 10 is transported at the same speed as the transport speed of the recording medium 20 and the test pattern is recorded, the test pattern can be recorded in a state close to the ink discharge state at the time of recording on the recording medium 20. And the inspection accuracy can be improved.

  Since the inspection recording medium 10 is supported and fixed on the support conveyor 5, the inspection recording medium 10 does not move on the support conveyor 5 even when the conveyance speed is high, and the inspection is stably performed between the recording media 20. The recording medium 10 can be inserted and arranged.

  Further, since the inspection recording medium 10 can be conveyed independently, the recorded test pattern can be erased cleanly, and the inspection recording medium 10 can be used repeatedly. Therefore, the running cost for recording the test pattern can be reduced.

  Note that when the portions of the endless belts 5c and 5d where the inspection recording medium 10 is supported and fixed pass through the outer periphery of the driving roller 5a and the conveying roller 5b, that is, the portions having a large curvature, a bending moment is applied to the inspection recording medium 10. Therefore, the inspection recording medium 10 is preferably formed of a flexible resin material, for example.

  Moreover, in this embodiment, although the support conveyor 5 is provided with the two endless belts 5c and 5d, you may comprise with one endless belt. For example, one end of the inspection recording medium 10 may be supported and fixed on one endless belt, and the other end may be placed on a support rail. In addition, when the endless belt is stretched, if a roller is provided at the center of the lower surface of the endless belt and stretched so as to be lowered downward in a V shape, the endless belt is bent by the driving roller 5a and the conveying roller 5b. As a result, the inspection recording medium 10 can be easily transported.

(Second embodiment)
Hereinafter, an ink jet recording apparatus according to a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

  FIGS. 5A and 5B are schematic views showing the main part of the ink jet recording apparatus according to the second embodiment. FIG. 5A is a side view thereof, and FIG. 5B is a plan view thereof.

  Since the ink jet recording apparatus is basically the same as the first embodiment described above, only different parts will be described.

  As shown in FIG. 5, support conveyors 6 for transporting the inspection recording medium 10 are arranged on both sides of the transport conveyor 3 in the width direction.

  That is, the support conveyor 6 includes a small-diameter driving roller 6a disposed between the driving roller 3a and the conveying roller 4b, a conveying roller 6b disposed between the driving roller 2a and the conveying roller 3b, and both rollers 6a, An endless belt 6e, 6f wound around both ends of 6b, and a small-diameter tension roller 6c disposed near the side of the drive roller 3a of the conveyor 3 and stretches the endless belts 6e, 6f. Yes.

  As shown in FIG. 5A, the endless belts 6e and 6f have the lowermost ends of the driving roller 6a and the conveying roller 6b set at the same height, and the lower surfaces of the endless belts 6e and 6f are substantially horizontal. Further, the uppermost ends of the conveying roller 6b and the stretching roller 6c are set to the same height, and the upper surfaces of the endless belts 6e and 6f are horizontal. In addition, about the diameter of the conveyance roller 6b, as long as the upper surface of the endless belts 6e and 6f is set horizontally, a thing with a small diameter may be used. In this case, the bottom surfaces of the endless belts 6e and 6f are inclined, but the transport operation is not affected.

  The endless belts 6e and 6f are stretched by the driving roller 6a and the stretching roller 6c so that the surface between the rollers 6a and 6c is inclined downward with respect to the conveyance direction of the recording medium 20, This inclined surface serves as a stop position of the inspection recording medium 10 when the CCD camera 11 reads a test pattern recorded on the inspection recording medium 10 as will be described later.

  Further, the height of the upper surface side of the endless belts 6e and 6f between the transport roller 6b and the stretching roller 6c is made to coincide with the height of the upper surface of the endless belt 3c of the transport conveyor 3. As in the first embodiment, when the inspection recording medium 10 and the recording medium 20 have the same thickness, the distance between the recording head unit 1 is the same and the inspection recording medium is the same as the recording medium 20. 10 can record a test pattern.

  Above the conveying roller 6b, there is disposed a feeder 31 that is a supply unit that houses a plurality of inspection recording media 10 therein and inputs (supplies) the inspection recording media 10 onto the support conveyor 6 at a predetermined timing. Has been. Also, a recovery machine 32 that is a recovery unit for recovering the inspected inspection recording medium 10 conveyed by the support conveyor 6 is disposed below the drive roller 6a.

  Further, above the drive roller 6a, the CCD camera 11 is arranged so as to photograph the inclined surfaces of the endless belts 6e and 6f between the drive roller 6a and the stretching roller 6c. By setting the optical axis of the CCD camera 11 so as to be orthogonal to the inclined surface, the transported inspection recording medium 10 stops at the inclined surface and the test pattern recorded on the inspection recording medium 10 is accurately determined. Can be read.

  Also in the second embodiment, control is performed with a configuration similar to the configuration shown in FIG. 2, and the drive roller 6a is transport-controlled by the drive motor in the same manner as the drive roller 5a.

  FIG. 6 is a flow of the inspection process of the ejection state of the recording head in the second embodiment. First, the inspection recording medium 10 accommodated in the input device 31 is input (supplied) between the recording media 20 conveyed by the conveyor 3 and placed on the support conveyor 6 (S301).

  Next, in a state where the inspection recording medium 10 is arranged on the support conveyor 6, the drive roller 6 a is driven to operate the support conveyor 6 (S 302), and the transfer speed is set to the other transfer conveyors 2, 3, 4. The test pattern is recorded on the inspection recording medium 10 by the recording head unit 1 under the same transport conditions as when recording on the recording medium 20 (S303).

  The inspection recording medium 10 on which the test pattern is recorded is transported and stopped on the inclined surface facing the CCD camera 11 (S304), and an image of the test pattern is taken by the CCD camera 11 (S305). In this case, the stop position of the inspection recording medium 10 is positioned below the transport path of the recording medium 20 by the transport conveyors 3 and 4, so that the inspection recording medium 10 collides with the transported recording medium 20. There is nothing.

  The photographed test pattern image is subjected to image analysis (S306), and an inspection for the presence or absence of ejection failure of the nozzles of the recording head unit 1 is performed (S307).

  After the ejection state inspection, the support conveyor 6 is operated to transport the inspection recording medium 10, and the inspected inspection recording medium 10 is dropped into the recovery machine 32 from the inclined surface and recovered (S308). If it is determined in step S307 that there is a discharge abnormality, a discharge recovery process for the recording head unit is performed (S309).

  In this example, the inspection recording medium 10 is put into the support conveyor 6 that is stopped, but the inspection is performed on the support conveyor 6 that is transported at a low speed to the extent that a positioning mechanism for the inspection recording medium is not required. A recording medium for use may be inserted. Further, after the inspection recording medium is collected by the collection unit, an image may be taken and the inspection may be performed.

  Since the ejection recovery process of the recording head unit is performed by the same process as that of the first embodiment described above, the description thereof is omitted.

  As described above, since the recording medium 20 and the inspection recording medium 10 can be independently controlled in the second embodiment as in the first embodiment, the recording operation of the recording medium 20 is stopped. The test recording medium 10 can be inserted and arranged between the recording media 20 conveyed at high speed, and the test pattern can be recorded, and only the inspection recording medium 10 can be stopped and inspected and erased. Therefore, it is possible to accurately inspect the discharge state without reducing productivity.

  In this way, since the inspection recording medium 10 is stopped and the test pattern is inspected, the inspection recording medium 10 transported at high speed is compared with a case where the line CCD, the area CCD, and the high-speed shutter are photographed. Cost can be reduced. In addition, even if an imaging error occurs, it is possible to easily perform re-imaging, and it is possible to accurately detect nozzle ejection defects.

  Further, since the test recording medium 10 is transported at the same speed as the transport speed of the recording medium 20 and the test pattern is recorded, the test pattern can be recorded in a state close to the ink discharge state at the time of recording on the recording medium 20. And the inspection accuracy can be improved.

  In the second embodiment, since a recovery machine for the inspection recording medium 10 is provided, the erasing part of the inspection recording medium 10 as in the first embodiment is unnecessary, and the apparatus can be made compact.

  In 1st and 2nd embodiment mentioned above, although the support conveyor 5 (6) is arrange | positioned at the both sides of the conveyance conveyor 3, two on both sides of the support conveyor 5 (6) comprised with one endless belt. You may comprise by arrange | positioning the conveyance conveyor 3 for recording-medium conveyance comprised with the endless belt.

  Moreover, you may set so that the height of the upper surface of the support conveyor 5 (6) and the conveyance conveyor 3 may differ. When the heights are different, the thickness of the inspection recording medium may be adjusted so that the recording surface of the recording medium and the recording surface of the inspection recording medium have the same height.

  Further, when the discharge state inspection process is not performed, the support conveyor 5 (6) can be stopped, so that the maintenance work of the discharge state inspection-related apparatus is performed while the recording medium is being recorded. Is possible.

It is the schematic which shows the principal part regarding 1st embodiment which concerns on this invention. It is a schematic block block diagram regarding the control in the case of performing the discharge | emission state test | inspection in 1st embodiment. It is a flow of the inspection process of the discharge state in 1st embodiment. It is a processing flow of the discharge recovery process of a recording head part. It is the schematic which shows the principal part regarding 2nd embodiment which concerns on this invention. It is a flow of the inspection process of the discharge state in 2nd embodiment.

Explanation of symbols

1 Recording head part 2, 3, 4 Conveyor 5 Support conveyor 6 Support conveyor
10 Inspection recording media
11 CCD camera
12 Cleaning nozzle
13 Cleaning wiper
15 Air nozzle
20 Recording media
30 Control unit
31 Loading machine
32 Recovery machine

Claims (8)

An inspection recording medium having a recording head unit for recording on a recording medium, a first conveying unit for conveying the recording medium to a recording area of the recording head unit by a conveying conveyor, and a support conveyor arranged in parallel with the conveying conveyor Is supported by the supporting conveyor so as to be bridged on the conveying conveyor, and the inspection recording medium is conveyed to the recording medium conveying path, and a second conveying unit that conveys the inspection recording medium to the recording area A conveyance control unit that controls the first and second conveyance units, and an inspection unit that inspects an ink discharge state based on a test pattern recorded on the inspection recording medium by the recording head unit. An ink jet recording apparatus.   The inspection recording medium is supported and fixed on the support conveyor and is circulated and the inspection unit is disposed below the support conveyor and is set to face the inspection recording medium. The inkjet recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:   3. The apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising an erasing unit that is disposed downstream of the inspection unit in the conveyance direction of the inspection recording medium and erases a test pattern recorded on the inspection recording medium. The ink jet recording apparatus described.   A supply unit for supplying the recording medium for inspection to the second transport unit on the upstream side in the transport direction of the recording medium with respect to the recording head unit; and a downstream side in the transport direction of the recording medium with respect to the recording head unit A recovery unit that recovers the inspection recording medium carried out from the second transport unit, and the inspection unit is disposed between the recording head unit and the recovery unit and faces the inspection recording medium The ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the ink jet recording apparatus is set to   The conveyance control unit controls conveyance of the second conveyance unit so as to have the same conveyance speed as the first conveyance unit while the test pattern is recorded on the inspection recording medium by the recording head unit. The ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 1.   The inkjet according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the conveyance control unit controls the second conveyance unit to stop so that the inspection recording medium to be conveyed is opposed to the inspection unit. Recording device. A discharge state inspection method for an ink jet recording apparatus for recording a recording medium on a recording area of a recording head by a conveying conveyor, wherein a supporting conveyor is arranged in parallel on the conveying conveyor and the recording medium for inspection is placed on the conveying conveyor. The recording medium for inspection is transported by the support conveyor and transported independently of the recording medium while being arranged between the recording media supported and transported by the support conveyor so as to be bridged over A test pattern is recorded on the inspection recording medium by the recording head unit, and the inspection recording medium is transported to an inspection position off the transport path of the recording medium, and the ejection state is inspected based on the test pattern. A discharge state inspection method for an ink jet recording apparatus.   The ejection state inspection method according to claim 7, wherein the inspection recording medium is circulated and conveyed independently of the recording medium.

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