JP5288876B2 - Recording apparatus and recording apparatus control method - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a recording apparatus that preliminarily ejects liquid that does not contribute to image recording to a portion other than a recording medium and a preliminary ejection method of the recording apparatus as a recovery operation for maintaining a good liquid ejection state by a recording head.

  In an ink jet recording apparatus, the viscosity of ink near the nozzle port may increase due to evaporation of the solvent in the ink from the discharge port of the recording head, or foreign matter such as dust may adhere to the discharge port. If this state progresses, a phenomenon such as so-called non-ejection, in which ink droplets are not ejected, or so-called twist, in which the ejection direction of ink droplets is deflected, may occur in the recording head. For this reason, some ink jet recording apparatuses include recovery means for recovering the state of ink inside the recording head.

  As an ink jet recording apparatus provided with such recovery means, there is a recording apparatus that performs preliminary ejection for ejecting ink droplets to a predetermined position other than the recording medium. In this way, by discharging ink droplets separately from the ink droplets for recording, liquid such as thickened ink around the discharge port and foreign matter near the discharge port can be discharged from the discharge port to the outside of the recording head. Can do.

  Ink jet recording apparatuses that perform preliminary ejection include a type that performs recording by moving a recording head to a position off a recording medium when performing preliminary ejection. In an ink jet recording apparatus of this type, it is possible to discharge to a position off the recording medium by moving the recording head to a position corresponding to the outer portion of the recording medium.

  At this time, since the recording is not performed when the recording head is moved, in order to shorten the time required for recording including preliminary ejection, it is preferable to reduce the moving distance of the recording head as much as possible.

  Therefore, as an inkjet recording apparatus that performs preliminary ejection, a plurality of collection units for collecting the preliminarily ejected ink droplets are formed in the width direction of the recording medium, and the recovery unit closest to the outer edge of the recording medium On the other hand, there is a recording apparatus that ejects ink droplets. At this time, as a method of detecting the edge of the outer edge of the recording medium, for example, a method of detecting by a sensor or a method of determining the edge of the outer edge of the recording medium from an image data area for recording can be considered. .

  An example of a recording apparatus that detects the edge of the outer edge of the recording head with a sensor and ejects ink droplets to the recovery hole closest to the edge is disclosed in Patent Document 1, for example.

JP 2006-168208 A

  In the printing apparatus described in Patent Document 1, the edge of the outer edge of the recording medium is detected by a sensor attached to the head prior to the recording operation. Among the plurality of ink absorption bands formed in the width direction of the recording medium, the ink absorption band is located outside the detected outer edge of the recording medium and closest to the outer edge of the recording medium. Preliminary discharge is performed. By performing preliminary ejection in this way, the amount of movement of the recording head during preliminary ejection is reduced, and the time required for recording is shortened.

  However, in the printing apparatus disclosed in Patent Document 1, the head is moved to a position where the end of the outer edge of the recording medium can be detected at the stage before recording. For this reason, it is necessary to move the head to a position where the edge of the outer edge of the recording medium can be detected, and the time required for the movement is required, so that the time spent for recording is increased accordingly. In addition, when the recording head is moved at a high speed in order to shorten the recording time corresponding to this lengthening, the responsiveness of the sensor generally tends to decrease as the moving speed of the recording head increases. It is in. Therefore, it is difficult to recover the recording time that has been increased.

  Further, in Patent Document 1, the position of the end of the outer edge of the recording medium is detected based on the image data, and preliminary ejection is performed on the detected ink absorption band that is closest to the end of the outer edge of the recording medium. Is also disclosed.

  However, when the edge of the outer edge of the recording medium is detected by this method, when a recording medium that is larger than the image data to be recorded is set in the recording apparatus, it is used for preliminary ejection on the recording medium. There is a risk that the ejected ink droplets will land. When recording is performed on a recording medium that is excessively larger than the recording area to be recorded in this way, the edge of the outer edge of the recording medium detected by analysis based on the image data is actually set in the recording apparatus. It is conceivable that it is considerably smaller than the edge of the outer edge of the recording medium. In such a case, if preliminary ejection is performed at a position assumed to be the ink recovery portion closest to the edge of the outer edge of the recording medium determined by the recording apparatus, in fact, outside the recording medium, Ink drops may be ejected to the recording medium. When ink droplets for preliminary ejection are ejected onto a recording medium, unexpected dots are recorded on the recording medium, thereby lowering the quality of the image of the recorded matter obtained by recording. There is a fear.

  Accordingly, in view of the above circumstances, the present invention provides a recording apparatus that reduces the time required for performing preliminary ejection and suppresses ink droplets for preliminary ejection from landing on a recording medium. For the purpose.

According to the recording apparatus of the present invention, a recording head having an ejection port for discharging a liquid, a recording medium presence / absence detection mechanism for detecting the presence / absence of a recording medium, the recording head, and the recording medium presence / absence detection mechanism are mounted. Scanning means that reciprocally scans in the scanning direction, and according to the input recording data, a liquid is ejected from the recording head to perform recording on a recording medium, and a plurality of them are provided in a predetermined direction that intersects the transport direction. a recording apparatus for performing preliminary discharge from said recording head to one of the resulting receiving position by ejecting liquid, and a calculation mechanism configured to calculate based on the previous SL the recorded data ends with respect to the predetermined direction of the recording medium, wherein By the recording medium presence / absence detection mechanism, a first receiving position that is outside the end of the recording medium with respect to the predetermined direction calculated by the calculation mechanism and is closest to the end. When it is detected that there is no recording medium at the corresponding detection position, the first receiving position is determined as a preliminary ejection position, and the detection position corresponding to the first receiving position is determined by the recording medium presence / absence detection mechanism. And determining means for determining, as a preliminary ejection position, a second receiving position provided outside a recording area in which recording can be performed by the recording head. It is characterized by.
In addition, according to the recording apparatus of the present invention, the recording head having the ejection port for discharging the liquid, the recording medium presence / absence detection mechanism for detecting the presence / absence of the recording medium, the recording head, and the recording medium presence / absence detection mechanism are provided. Scanning means for reciprocating scanning in the scanning direction, and according to the input recording data, liquid is ejected from the recording head to record on the recording medium, and in a predetermined direction intersecting the transport direction In a recording apparatus that performs preliminary ejection by ejecting liquid from the recording head to any of a plurality of receiving positions, a calculation mechanism that calculates an end of the recording medium in the predetermined direction based on the recording data; The recording medium presence / absence detection mechanism has a first acceptance outside the end of the recording medium with respect to the predetermined direction calculated by the calculation mechanism and closest to the end. When it is detected that there is no recording medium at the detection position corresponding to the position, the first receiving position is determined as a preliminary ejection position, and the recording medium presence / absence detection mechanism corresponds to the first receiving position. When it is detected that there is a recording medium at the detection position, the presence / absence of the recording medium is detected at a detection position corresponding to the second reception position located outside the first reception position, and the second reception is performed. And determining means for determining the second receiving position as a preliminary ejection position when it is detected that there is no recording medium at a detection position corresponding to the position.

According to the control method of the recording apparatus of the present invention, the recording head having an ejection port for discharging liquid, the recording medium presence / absence detecting mechanism for detecting the presence / absence of the recording medium, the recording head, and the presence / absence of the recording medium And a scanning unit that reciprocally scans in the scanning direction by mounting a detection mechanism, and according to the input recording data, discharges liquid from the recording head to record on the recording medium, and crosses the conveying direction in a predetermined direction In the control method of the recording apparatus for performing preliminary ejection by ejecting liquid from the recording head to any one of a plurality of receiving positions, an end portion with respect to a predetermined direction intersecting the transport direction of the recording medium is the recording A calculation step for calculating based on the data, and an outer side of the end portion of the recording medium with respect to the predetermined direction calculated in the calculation step and closest to the end portion When it is detected by the recording medium presence / absence detection mechanism that there is no recording medium at a detection position corresponding to one reception position, the first reception position is determined as a preliminary ejection position, and the recording medium detection mechanism When it is detected that there is a recording medium at a detection position corresponding to the first receiving position, a second receiving position provided outside a region where recording can be performed by the recording head is set as a preliminary discharge position. And a preliminary ejection position determination step for determining.

According to the control method of the recording apparatus of the present invention, the recording head having an ejection port for discharging liquid, the recording medium presence / absence detecting mechanism for detecting the presence / absence of the recording medium, the recording head, and the presence / absence of the recording medium And a scanning unit that reciprocally scans in the scanning direction by mounting a detection mechanism, and according to the input recording data, discharges liquid from the recording head to record on the recording medium, and crosses the conveying direction in a predetermined direction In the preliminary ejection method of the recording apparatus for performing preliminary ejection by ejecting liquid from the recording head to any one of a plurality of receiving positions, an end portion with respect to a predetermined direction intersecting the conveyance direction of the recording medium is A calculation step for calculating based on the recording data, and an outer side of the end of the recording medium with respect to the predetermined direction in the calculation calculated in the calculation step; If the recording medium presence / absence detection mechanism detects that there is no recording medium at the detection position corresponding to the first receiving position, the first receiving position is determined as a preliminary ejection position, and the recording medium detection is performed. When the mechanism detects that there is a recording medium at a detection position corresponding to the first receiving position, the presence / absence of the recording medium is detected at a second receiving position located outside the first receiving position. A preliminary ejection position determining step for determining that the second reception position is a preliminary ejection position when it is detected that there is no recording medium at a detection position corresponding to the second reception position. It is characterized by.

  According to the present invention, since the presence or absence of the recording medium is detected at a position corresponding to the receiving portion before the preliminary ejection is performed, the quality of the image obtained by the liquid ejected by the preliminary ejection landing on the recording medium Is prevented from decreasing.

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

(1-1 Main unit)
The configuration of the recording apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention will be described. FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the recording apparatus 100 according to this embodiment with a cover removed. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the recording apparatus 100 when viewed along the recording medium conveyance path in FIG.

  1 and 2, reference numeral 1 denotes a recording apparatus main body, and reference numeral 10 denotes a chassis as a casing of the recording apparatus main body 1. The recording apparatus main body 1 is provided with an ink jet cartridge 60 in which a recording head 11 and an ink tank 12 are integrally formed via a carriage 13. The ink stored in the ink tank 12 is supplied to the recording head 11 and discharged from the recording head 11 to the recording medium.

  The carriage 13 is movably attached to the recording apparatus main body 1 while detachably holding the ink jet cartridge 60. The carriage 13 is attached to the carriage belt 16 while being supported by being penetrated by a guide shaft 14 extending in a direction orthogonal to the conveyance direction of the recording medium. The carriage belt 16 is connected to a carriage motor 17 via a pulley, and the carriage belt 16 moves in a direction perpendicular to the conveyance direction of the recording medium as the carriage motor 17 rotates. Accordingly, the carriage 13 attached to the carriage belt 16 moves in a direction orthogonal to the recording medium conveyance direction. In this way, the carriage 13 is movable in a direction orthogonal to the recording medium conveyance direction.

  A code strip 18 extending in the same direction as the guide shaft 14 is disposed between the carriage 13 and the recording apparatus main body 1. The code strip 18 has a scale for detecting the position of the carriage 13. Are formed at predetermined intervals. An idler pulley 20 is disposed on the opposite side of the pulley that transmits the driving force of the carriage motor 17 to the carriage belt 16 in the recording apparatus main body 1, and the carriage belt 16 is stretched between these pulleys. Yes.

  In addition, the recording apparatus main body 1 is provided with a main ASF 37 for loading recording media and supplying them one by one during a recording operation. In addition, an ASF base 38 serving as a base of the main ASF 37 is disposed on the back surface of the main ASF 37. On the main ASF 37, a pressure plate 41 is disposed for loading recording media and urging them toward the paper feed roller 39. On one side portion of the main ASF 37, a side guide 42 is provided which is provided on the pressure plate 41 and can fix the recording medium to the main ASF 37 by adjusting the position according to the width of the recording medium. . A paper feed roller 39 is disposed downstream of the main ASF 37 and contacts the recording medium when the stacked recording medium is conveyed. Further, a separation roller 40 is disposed downstream of the paper feed roller 39 to separate the recording media one by one when a plurality of recording media are simultaneously conveyed. The leading end of the recording medium that has advanced beyond the nip portion between the sheet feeding roller 39 and the separation roller 40 during the sheet feeding operation is transported on a predetermined track of the recording medium by the return claw being changed by the return claw.

  A conveyance roller 21 that conveys the recording medium further downstream is disposed downstream of the separation roller 40 in the conveyance direction of the recording medium. Above the transport roller 21, a pinch roller 22 is disposed that sandwiches and presses the recording medium with the transport roller 21 and is driven according to the rotational drive of the transport roller 21. The pinch roller 22 is rotatably held by a pinch roller holder 23. Further, a pinch roller spring 24 is connected to the pinch roller 22, and the pinch roller 22 is pressed against the conveying roller 21 by the pinch roller spring 24. The conveyance roller 21 is connected to an LF motor 26 for driving the conveyance roller 21 via a conveyance roller pulley 25. Further, a code wheel 27 provided with a scale for detecting the rotation angle of the conveyance roller 21 at every predetermined angle is attached to the conveyance roller 21, and the conveyance amount of the recording medium by the conveyance roller 21 is detected. Is configured to be possible.

  An ASF flap 44 is disposed between the separation roller 40 and the conveyance roller 21 in the recording medium conveyance direction. The ASF flap 44 is disposed so as to regulate the conveyance direction of the recording medium from the main ASF 37 in one direction. A lift input gear 50 is disposed between the separation roller 40 and the conveyance roller 21 in the recording medium conveyance direction. The lift input gear 50 is connected to a lift reduction gear train 51 that transmits the power from the lift input gear 50 while reducing the power. A lift cam gear 52 directly connected to the lift cam shaft 58 is disposed at a position close to the lift input gear 50 and the lift reduction gear train 51. The guide shaft 14 is connected to a guide shaft spring 55 for biasing the guide shaft 14 in a biased manner. A lift cam shaft 58 is connected to the pinch roller holder 23 and the like so as to lift them. Further, a conveyance guide 70 for guiding the leading edge of the recording medium to the nip portion between the conveyance roller 21 and the pinch roller 22 is disposed between the separation roller 40 and the conveyance roller 21.

  A first paper discharge roller 30 for transporting the recording medium in cooperation with the transport roller 21 is disposed downstream of the transport roller 21 in the recording medium transport direction. A first spur train 32 that holds the recording medium sandwiched between the first paper discharge roller 30 and the first paper discharge roller 30 is disposed at a position facing the first paper discharge roller 30. Further, a second paper discharge roller 31 is provided further downstream of the first paper discharge roller 30. A second spur train 33 that holds the recording medium sandwiched between the second paper discharge roller 31 and the second paper discharge roller 31 is disposed at a position facing the second paper discharge roller 31. The first spur train 32 and the second spur train 33 are disposed on a spur base 34 that holds them rotatably.

  A platen 29 that supports the recording medium is disposed at a position facing the recording head 11 of the ink jet cartridge 60 in the recording apparatus main body 1.

  A recovery unit 36 is disposed on one end of the recording apparatus main body 1 on the track of the ink jet cartridge 60 in a direction orthogonal to the recording medium conveyance direction. The recovery unit 36 is disposed for the purpose of preventing clogging of the nozzles of the recording head 11 and for sucking ink when the ink tank 12 is replaced. When the recording head 11 is disposed on the recovery unit 36, ink inside the recording head 11 is sucked in a state where the recording head 11 is in contact with the recovery unit 36 and is capped. In this way, the suction recovery of the recording head 11 is performed.

  The recording apparatus 100 has a base 72 so as to support the entire recording apparatus main body 1. In addition, a control board 301 for arranging the control units is arranged inside the control unit.

  FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating a control configuration of the recording apparatus according to the present embodiment. The CR encoder sensor 19 shown in FIG. 3 is mounted on the carriage 13 and reads the code strip 18. The LF encoder sensor 28 is attached to the chassis 10 and reads the code wheel 27. The PE sensor 67 detects the operation of the PE sensor lever, the lift cam sensor 69 detects the operation of the lift cam shaft 58, and the duplex unit sensor 130 detects the attachment / detachment of the automatic duplex unit 2. The PG sensor 303 detects the operation of the recovery unit 36, and the ASF sensor 305 detects the operation of the main ASF 37.

  At the time of recording, recording data is input to the host device 308, and the host device 308 sends the input recording data to the recording device 100. At that time, the recording data is transmitted to an I / F (interface) 309 that mediates the electrical connection between the host device 308 and the recording device 100, and is sent to the recording device 100 from there. The recording data received by the I / F 309 is transmitted to the control board 301 of the recording apparatus 100. The recording data received by the control board 301 is transmitted to the head driver 307 via the CPU 310 and is transmitted to the ink jet cartridge 60 via the head driver 307. At this time, the head driver 307 drives the recording head 11 based on the received signal. The CPU 310 controls the recording apparatus 100 and issues a control command to each unit of the recording apparatus 100.

  The ASF motor 46 drives the main ASF 37 based on the input electrical signal. The PG motor 302 drives the recovery unit 36. The ROM 311 stores control data and the like written therein. The RAM 312 is an area where recording data and the like are developed.

(1-2) Recording Operation Hereinafter, the recording operation of the recording apparatus 100 will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. Here, an outline of a recording operation by a serial scanning type recording apparatus that performs recording while the recording head 11 performs scanning in a direction orthogonal to the conveyance direction of the recording medium will be described. The recording apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment is roughly divided into a sheet feeding unit, a recording medium transport unit, a recording unit, and a recording head maintenance unit. When recording data is sent from the host device 308 and stored in the RAM 312 via the I / F 309, the CPU 310 issues a recording operation start command to the recording device 100 to start the recording operation. When the recording operation is started, a paper feeding operation is first performed.

(1-2a) Transport of recording medium from paper feed unit First, the transport of the recording medium by the paper feed unit will be described. As a paper feeding unit of the recording apparatus 100 in the present embodiment, there is a main ASF (Automatic Sheet Feeder) 37. The main ASF 37 pulls out one recording medium for each recording operation from a recording medium (not shown) stacked on the pressure plate 41 and conveys the recording medium to a recording medium conveyance unit.

  First, the recording apparatus 100 drives and rotates the ASF motor 46 in the forward direction, and the power of the recording apparatus 100 starts the paper feeding operation by rotating the cam holding the pressure plate 41 through the gear train. When the cam is released due to rotation of the cam, the pressure plate 41 is urged toward the paper feed roller 39 by the action of a pressure plate spring (not shown). At the same time, the paper feed roller 39 rotates in the direction in which the recording medium is transported, so that the recording medium placed on the top of the stacked recording media is transported.

  At that time, depending on the conditions of the frictional force between the paper feed roller 39 and the recording medium and the frictional force between the recording media, a plurality of recording media may be simultaneously conveyed. In this case, the separation roller 40 that is pressed against the paper feed roller 39 and has a predetermined return rotational torque in the direction opposite to the conveyance direction of the recording medium is a recording medium other than the recording medium conveyed on the paper feed roller 39 side. It works to push back onto the original pressure plate. When the paper feeding operation of the main ASF 37 is finished, the pressure contact state between the separation roller 40 and the paper feeding roller 39 is released by the operation of the cam, and is separated by a predetermined distance. When the separation roller 40 and the paper feed roller 39 are separated from each other, the return claw rotates and plays a role in order to ensure that the recording medium is pushed back to a predetermined position on the pressure plate.

  By such an operation, the recording medium is conveyed one by one by the recording medium conveying unit. While one recording medium is transported from the main ASF 37, the leading edge of the recording medium once comes into contact with the ASF flap 44 that is biased in a direction that obstructs the transport path by the ASF flap spring. Push away and pass. When the rear end of the recording medium passes through the ASF flap 44, the ASF flap 44 returns to the original biased state and the recording medium conveyance path is closed. Therefore, even if the recording medium is conveyed in the reverse direction, the ASF flap 44 is moved to the main ASF 37 side. Never come back.

(1-2b) Transfer Unit of Recording Medium to Post-Feed Conveying Roller Next, the subsequent conveyance of the recording medium once conveyed from the paper supply unit will be described. The recording medium fed from the ASF 37 is conveyed toward the nip portion between the conveying roller 21 and the pinch roller 22 which are recording medium conveying portions. Since the center of the pinch roller 22 is attached with a slight offset in the direction of the first paper discharge roller 30 with respect to the center of the transport roller 21, the tangential direction angle into which the recording medium is inserted is slightly inclined from the horizontal. ing. Therefore, the conveyance path of the recording medium formed by the pinch roller holder 23 and the conveyance guide 70 in the recording apparatus 100 is an angle so that the recording medium is conveyed while the leading end on the upstream side of the recording medium is accurately guided by the nip portion. It is comprised so that it may incline with.

  The recording medium conveyed by the ASF 37 is abutted against the nip portion of the stopped conveying roller 21 and the pinch roller 22. At this time, when the main ASF 37 transports a distance slightly longer than the length of the predetermined transport path, a recording medium loop is formed between the paper feed roller 39 and the transport roller 21. When the leading edge of the recording medium is pressed against the nip portion of the conveying roller 21 with a force that the loop returns straight, the leading edge of the recording medium becomes parallel to the platen 29 along the conveying roller 21, so-called registration removal. The operation is complete.

  After completion of the registration removal operation, the LF motor 26 is started to rotate in the direction in which the recording medium moves in the forward direction (the direction in which the recording medium advances toward the first paper discharge roller 30). From there, the recording medium is transported by the driving force of the LF motor 26, and the paper feed roller 39 is not driven and rotates with the recording medium. Here, the recording medium is conveyed by the driving force of the conveying roller 21 while being sandwiched between the conveying roller 21 and the pinch roller 22. The recording medium advances in the positive direction every predetermined line feed amount and is conveyed along the rib provided on the platen 29. The leading edge of the recording medium advances sequentially between the first paper discharge roller 30 and the first spur train 32 and between the second paper discharge roller 31 and the second spur train 33. At this time, the peripheral speeds of the first paper discharge roller 30 and the second paper discharge roller 31 are set substantially equal to the peripheral speed of the transport roller 21, and the first paper discharge roller 30 and the second paper discharge roller from the transport roller 21 are set. Since 31 is connected by a gear train, it rotates synchronously. Therefore, the recording medium is conveyed without being slackened or pulled.

(1-2c) Recording Unit The recording unit mainly includes a recording head 11 and a carriage 13 that mounts the recording head 11 and scans in a direction crossing the recording medium conveyance direction (orthogonal in the present embodiment). An ink jet cartridge 60 in which the recording head 11 and the ink tank 12 are integrally formed is disposed on the carriage 13. The carriage 13 is supported by the guide shaft 14 and transmits the driving force of the carriage motor 17 via the carriage belt 16 stretched between the carriage motor 17 and the idler pulley 20, thereby scanning the carriage 13 in both directions. The As described above, the recording apparatus 100 is a serial scanning type recording apparatus in which the carriage 13 scans in a direction intersecting with the conveyance direction of the recording medium.

  In the recording head 11, a plurality of ink flow paths connected to the ink tank 12 are formed so as to communicate with an ejection port array arranged on a surface facing the platen 29. In the vicinity of the ejection port array in the recording head 11, ink ejection actuators provided at positions corresponding to the ejection ports 80 are arranged. As the discharge actuator, for example, an actuator using a liquid film boiling pressure by an electro-thermal conversion element, an electro-pressure conversion element such as a piezo element, or the like is used. In the present embodiment, an ink jet cartridge 60 corresponding to four colors of black (Bk), cyan (C), magenta (M), and yellow (Y) is disposed on the carriage 13. The types of ink colors used are not limited to these colors, and inks of other colors may be used. Further, the liquid to be ejected is not limited to ink, and may be liquid other than ink used for processing of ink or a recording medium.

  When recording, a signal from the head driver 307 is transmitted to the recording head 11 via the flexible flat cable 73, and ink droplets corresponding to the recording data are ejected. Further, by reading the code strip 18 stretched on the chassis 10 by the CR encoder sensor 19 mounted on the carriage 13, ink droplets can be ejected toward the recording medium at an appropriate timing. In this way, when the recording for one line is completed, the recording medium is conveyed by a predetermined amount by the above-described recording medium conveyance unit. By repeating this operation, the recording operation over the entire surface of the recording medium becomes possible.

(1-2d) Recording Head Recovery Operation by Recovery Unit Next, the recording head recovery unit 36 will be described. The recovery unit 36 of the recording head 11 in the present embodiment performs suction of ink when preventing the clogging of the discharge port 80 of the recording head 11 and eliminating stains due to paper dust or the like, or when replacing the ink tank 12. Yes. Therefore, the recovery unit 36 has a cap 90 (FIG. 7) that contacts the ink discharge surface of the recording head 11 to protect the ink discharge port, and a wiper (not shown) that wipes the ink discharge surface. Further, the recovery unit 36 is configured to have a pump (not shown) that is connected to the cap 90 and generates a negative pressure in the cap 90. The recovery unit 36 is installed so as to face the recording head 11 at the standby position of the carriage 13.

  When the ink inside the recording head 11 is sucked out from the ejection port, the cap is pressed against the ejection surface of the recording head 11, and the pump is driven to create a negative pressure in the cap to suck the ink. In addition, when the ink adheres to the ejection surface after the ink is sucked or when foreign matter such as paper dust adheres to the ejection surface, the recovery unit 36 of this embodiment applies a wiper to the ejection surface to remove them. A mechanism for contacting and moving in parallel is arranged. By executing the recovery operation by the recovery unit 36 in this way, a good state of ink in the recording head 11 is maintained.

(1-3) Optical Sensor Next, an optical sensor used for a preliminary discharge operation described later will be described.

FIG. 4 is a side view schematically showing an attached state of the reflective optical sensor 400 as an optical sensor which is a recording medium presence / absence detection mechanism used in the recording apparatus 100 of FIG. In the present embodiment, the reflection type optical sensor 400 detects whether or not a recording medium exists in the detection area. FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram for explaining the detection operation by the reflective optical sensor 400. As shown in FIG. 4, a reflective optical sensor 400 as a recording medium presence / absence detection mechanism is formed so as to scan together with the recording head 11. The reflective optical sensor 400 is attached at a position upstream of the position where the ejection port 80 of the recording head 11 is formed with respect to the conveyance direction of the recording medium 405 in the carriage 13. This is because it is preferable to detect the presence or absence of a recording medium before ink ejection is performed, and to prevent splashing due to ink landing from adhering to the reflective optical sensor 400. In the present embodiment, the reflective optical sensor 400 is disposed at a position upstream of the ejection port 80 and facing the platen. As shown in FIG. 5, the reflective optical sensor 400 includes a light emitting unit 401 and a light receiving unit 402, and the light I _IN 403 emitted from the light emitting unit 401 is reflected by the recording medium 405 and reflected therefrom. The light I _REF 404 can be detected by the light receiving unit 402. Thus, the light receiving unit 402 that receives the reflected light reflected by the light emitted from the light emitting unit 401 is detected. The presence or absence of the recording medium can be detected from the difference in the intensity of the light received by the light receiving unit 402.

In FIG. 6, the flow of signals at the time of light emission from the light emitting unit 401 of the optical sensor 400 and light reception by the light receiving unit 402 in the recording apparatus 100 of the present embodiment is shown using a control circuit. The detected signal by the reflected light I _REF 404 is transmitted to a control circuit formed on the electric substrate of the recording apparatus 100 via a flexible cable (not shown), and converted into a digital signal by the A / D converter. The At this time, the optical sensor 400 needs to know at least whether or not there is a recording medium. Therefore, in the present embodiment, the sensor 400 may have a relatively low resolution. Thereby, the recording apparatus of this embodiment can be manufactured at low cost.

  Note that the reflective optical sensor 400 used in the present embodiment is used not only in the presence / absence detection of the recording medium but also in the dot alignment processing of the recording head. Therefore, it is preferable to use a light emitting unit 401 in the reflective optical sensor 400 that emits light appropriately selected according to the type (color tone) of ink used for each recording head, the configuration of the recording head, and the like. That is, the light emitting unit 401 that emits a color corresponding to the light absorption characteristic of the color is used according to the color of the ink ejected during recording. For example, a recording head from which black (Bk) or cyan (C) color ink is ejected uses a red LED or an infrared LED as the light emitting unit 401 from the standpoint of absorption characteristics, and irradiates light thereby. It is preferable. At this time, even if a red LED or an infrared LED is used as the light emitting unit 401 for magenta (M) or yellow (Y) ink, sufficient density characteristics and S / N ratio cannot be obtained. In this way, by determining the color of the LED as the light emitting unit 401 to be used according to the characteristics of the ejected ink for each recording head, the presence / absence of the recording medium and the ink landing position are detected corresponding to each color ink. can do. Further, by mounting a blue LED, a green LED, etc. in addition to red for ink of other colors, dot alignment processing can be performed for each color (C, M, Y).

  In addition, the platen 29 of the recording apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment is designed to obtain a difference from the case where paper white is detected by making the platen 29 having the most excellent light absorption characteristics.

(1-4) Configuration of Receiving Unit for Collecting Ink Ejected at Preliminary Ejection Next, a receiving unit for collecting ink ejected from the ejection port when preliminary ejection is performed will be described. FIG. 7 is a schematic plan view for explaining the position of the receiving unit 200 that collects ink by preliminary ejection when preliminary ejection is performed in the recording apparatus 100 of the present embodiment.

  In the recording apparatus 100 of the present embodiment, the recording head performs preliminary ejection by ejecting ink as a liquid from the ejection port to a place other than the recording medium. As a result, foreign matters such as thickened ink and dust around the ejection port are discharged to the outside of the recording head, and the state of the ink inside the recording head is kept good. In the preliminary ejection, the ejected ink is ejected to the receiving unit 200, and the ink ejected by the preliminary ejection is collected by the receiving unit 200. In the present embodiment, a plurality of receiving portions 200 are formed with respect to a predetermined direction (a direction orthogonal in the present embodiment) that intersects the conveyance direction of the recording medium. In the recording apparatus 100 of the present embodiment, a cap 90 is disposed on the home position side as a receiving portion outside the maximum recording area of the recording medium to be applied. As described above, the receiving portion arranged closest to the home position also serves as the cap 90 in the recovery unit 36. A receiving portion is disposed outside the recording area on the away position side, which is the opposite side of the home position side. The receiving portions outside these recording areas are collectively referred to as receiving portion E. In the platen, the receiving portions A to D are also arranged in order from the position close to the center inside the recording area where the ink from the ejection port 80 lands. In the receiving part 200 in these platens, the reference position O when the recording medium is conveyed is set at the center part of the recording apparatus. Considering such a positional relationship, the receiving portion 200 of the present embodiment is formed on the platen 29 in a symmetrical relationship. The plurality of receiving units 200 can be selectively used according to the width of the recording medium to be conveyed.

(1-5) Receiving Portion Position and Recording Medium Size Range When Preliminary Discharge is Performed Next, the range of the width of the recording medium to be applied for each receiving portion 200 will be described. FIG. 8 shows the types of receiving portions used depending on the size of the recording medium. When preliminary ejection is performed on a recording medium having a width of less than 89 mm, preliminary ejection is performed so that the ejected ink is received by the receiving portion A. When preliminary ejection is performed on a recording medium having a width of 89.1 mm or more and less than 101.6 mm, preliminary ejection is performed so that the ejected ink is received by the receiving portion B. When preliminary ejection is performed on a recording medium having a width of 101.7 mm or more and less than 127.0 mm, preliminary ejection is performed so that the ejected ink is received by the receiving unit C. When preliminary ejection is performed on a recording medium having a width of 127.1 mm or more and less than 182.0 mm, preliminary ejection is performed so that the ejected ink is received by the receiving portion D. When preliminary ejection is performed on a recording medium of 182.1 mm or more, preliminary ejection is performed so that the ejected ink is received by the receiving portion E. The receiving portion E is located in an area outside the recording area where recording can be performed by the recording head. Thus, the position of the receiving portion is determined according to the width of the recording medium, and preliminary ejection is performed. Which receiving portion to use from these receiving portions is determined from the calculated width of the recording medium obtained by analyzing the recording data.

  Here, in selecting the receiving portion for collecting the ink discharged during the preliminary discharge according to the width of the recording medium, the receiving portion only discharges ink outside the end portion in the width direction of the recording medium. It does not necessarily have to be formed in such a position. If the receiving part is selected so that the ink ejected from the recording head during the preliminary ejection is surely ejected to the outside of the recording medium, the ink will not land on the recording medium, and the quality of the image obtained by recording will be improved. It will not decline. Therefore, the quality of the obtained image is maintained high. However, considering the increase in recording speed, it is preferable that the amount of movement of the recording head during preliminary ejection be small. Therefore, the selected receiving portion is a position where ink ejected from the recording head during preliminary ejection is ejected to the outside of the recording medium, and is closest to the outer end in the width direction of the recording medium. A receiving part 200 located in the part is preferred. As a result, the movement amount of the recording head when the preliminary ejection is performed is suppressed, and thereby the time until the recording head returns to the recording position for recording is shortened. Therefore, since the time during which recording cannot be performed due to movement is shortened, the recording time can be shortened.

  If the receiving part outside the edge of the recording medium in the direction perpendicular to the calculated recording medium conveyance direction is only the receiving part E formed outside the recording area, the recording is performed. The recording medium presence / absence detection process is not performed on the medium. This is because even if the recording medium presence / absence detection step is performed, the receiving portion where the preliminary ejection is performed has already been determined, and thus there is no merit of performing the recording medium presence / absence detection.

(1-6) Recording medium presence / absence detection position and recording medium presence / absence detection sensitivity FIG. 9 shows the positional relationship between the recording head 11 and the recording medium when detecting the presence / absence of the recording medium in the present embodiment. It is the schematic diagram which expanded and showed the principal part. When the end of the recording medium in the width direction is calculated by the analysis of the recording data, the receiving portion closest to the outer side of the end of the recording medium by the analysis of the recording data is selected. The Then, when the recording medium is conveyed, the recording head moves to the recording medium, and when the recording medium reaches the recording head, the presence or absence of the recording medium on the receiving unit 200 is confirmed. When confirming the presence or absence of a recording medium, the light emitted from the light emitting unit 401 of the reflective optical sensor 400 is reflected by the detecting unit and received by the light receiving unit 402 of the reflective optical sensor 400, and the intensity of the light is detected. Confirm by doing.

  FIG. 10 shows a signal output result by reflected light when the presence / absence of the recording medium is actually detected. As shown in FIG. 10, the black platen has excellent light absorption characteristics, and almost no photocurrent flows. On the other hand, the detection target other than the platen (plain paper A to glossy recording medium) is 6 times or more of that. The photocurrent is flowing. Thereby, by detecting the photocurrent from the reflected light, it is possible to reliably determine the presence or absence of the recording medium in the detection area by the sensor. That is, there is a discrepancy between the position of the end in the direction orthogonal to the recording medium conveyance direction obtained by the analysis of the recording data and the end in the direction orthogonal to the actual recording medium conveyance direction. In some cases, this can be easily determined. The presence or absence of the recording medium is determined based on the difference in the signal intensity due to the reflected light.

  FIG. 9A shows the width in the direction orthogonal to the recording medium conveyance direction calculated from the recording width obtained by analyzing the recording data, and the direction perpendicular to the actual recording medium conveyance direction. The position of the end of the recording medium and the position of the recording head when the widths coincide are shown. In this case, the preliminary ejection is performed in a state where the ink is sufficiently separated from the outside of the recording medium so that the ink ejected from the recording head is ejected to the outside of the recording medium when the preliminary ejection is performed. become. Therefore, the ink ejected from the ejection port at the time of preliminary ejection is not landed on the recording medium but is collected inside the receiving portion positioned outside the recording medium. In this way, when the width of the recording medium calculated from the recording width obtained by analyzing the recording data matches the actual recording medium width, the receiving unit determines that the calculated recording medium It is not necessary to change from the initial position selected from the width.

  On the other hand, FIG. 9B shows the end of the recording medium when the width of the recording medium calculated from the recording width obtained by analyzing the recording data does not match the actual recording medium width. The position of the part and the position of the recording head are shown. As shown in FIG. 9B, it is determined that the recording head does not come out of the recording medium, but the recording head is in a position out of the recording medium, and preliminary ejection is performed at this position. In this case, the ejected ink will land on the recording medium. At this time, the dots that land on the recording medium are dots by preliminary ejection that are not related to the recording data, and the dots that are not related to the recording are recorded on the recording medium, so that the image quality may be deteriorated.

  In the present embodiment, since the preliminary ejection is performed after the presence or absence of the recording medium is actually confirmed by the reflection type optical sensor on the receiving portion to be preliminarily ejected in this way, there is a recording medium on the receiving portion. Nevertheless, it is possible to prevent the preliminary discharge from being performed in that state. Accordingly, it is possible to prevent the quality of the obtained image from being deteriorated by recording unexpected dots on the recording medium by preliminary ejection.

(1-7) Sequence related to detection of presence / absence of recording medium and change of preliminary ejection position FIG. 11 shows a sequence for detecting the presence / absence of a recording medium and determining the preliminary ejection position.

  First, the recording apparatus 100 receives the recording data (Step 1), and executes analysis of the recording data, thereby calculating an end portion with respect to the direction orthogonal to the recording medium conveyance direction based on the calculated recording medium width. At this time, the calculation mechanism of the control board 301 or the host device 308 of the recording apparatus 100 calculates the end portion in the direction orthogonal to the recording medium conveyance direction based on the recording data. In the present embodiment, the end portion of the control substrate 301 with respect to the direction orthogonal to the calculated recording medium conveyance direction is calculated. Then, the position of the receiving portion 200 that is outside the end portion in the direction orthogonal to the detected recording medium conveyance direction and closest to the end portion is selected (FIG. 12A). (B)) (Step 2).

  Next, conveyance of the recording medium is started by the paper feed roller (Step 3). When the conveyance with the LF roller is started, the paper feed roller is stopped (Step 4). Next, it is determined whether or not the recording medium has been conveyed to just below the optical sensor by the LF roller (Step 5). If not reached, the conveyance of the recording medium is further continued by the LF roller. In parallel with the series of operations so far, the movement of the optical sensor to the preliminary discharge position calculated by the analysis of the print data is completed by driving the carriage motor (Step 6). The presence or absence of the recording medium is detected in a state where the conveyance is continued by the LF roller (Step 7), and it is determined whether or not the recording medium exists at a position corresponding to the optical sensor (Step 8). If the recording medium does not exist, the preliminary ejection position is maintained, and if the recording medium exists, the preliminary ejection position is changed (Step 9). Then, the LF roller is stopped (Step 10), recording is started (Step 11), and the preliminary discharge position determination sequence is ended.

  Further, in the printing apparatus 100 of the present embodiment, when changing the position of the preliminary ejection, the receiving portion outside the printing area is selected. Thereby, it is avoided that the image quality is deteriorated by recording the dots by the preliminary ejection on the recording medium.

  In the present embodiment, the presence / absence detection of the recording medium is performed in parallel with the paper feeding operation, but may not be performed at this timing.

  In addition, the reflection type optical sensor provided in the recording head sequentially detects the presence or absence of the recording medium with respect to the receiving portion located outside the receiving portion when the presence of the recording medium is detected. It's also good. Then, when a receiving portion without a recording medium is detected at the corresponding position, preliminary ejection may be performed on the receiving portion. As described above, the presence or absence of the recording medium is confirmed every time when it reaches the receiving portion, and the detection operation may be repeated until the receiving portion where the recording medium does not exist above is detected.

  FIG. 12 schematically shows the operation of the recording apparatus 100 according to the sequence of FIG. FIG. 12A shows a state in which the recording head is waiting at the home position in a state at the start of paper feeding. FIG. 12B shows a state in which the optical sensor is moved from the calculated width direction end of the recording medium to the preliminary ejection position determined in parallel with the start of the paper feeding operation. FIG. 12C shows a state where the recording medium is conveyed to a position corresponding to the optical sensor, and the presence / absence of the recording medium is detected at this position. FIG. 12D shows a state immediately before the first scan is performed in a state where the cueing of the recording medium has been completed.

  By performing the preliminary ejection in this way, it is possible to perform the conveyance of the recording medium and the movement of the reflected light type sensor in parallel until the recording medium is conveyed to a position corresponding to the recording head. Conventionally, after the recording medium is once transported to a position corresponding to the recording head, the end of the recording medium in the width direction is detected by the sensor by scanning the sensor, and the detected end of the recording medium in the width direction is detected. Preliminary discharge was performed on the outside. Accordingly, it takes time to record as much as the sensor moves to the end of the recording medium in the width direction. On the other hand, in the present embodiment, the movement of the reflective optical sensor to the receiving portion closest to the widthwise end of the recording medium is transported to the position corresponding to the ejection port. Done before. That is, since the recording medium is transported to the position corresponding to the recording head of the recording medium and the reflected light type sensor is moved in parallel, the time required for recording is shortened accordingly, The waiting time can be reduced. As described above, by detecting the presence / absence of the recording medium in parallel with the recording medium conveyance operation, it is possible to suppress the influence on the decrease in throughput.

(1-8) Relationship between optical sensor mounting position and recording medium presence / absence detection position In addition, the recording medium has a positional relationship such that the optical sensor is scanned at a position closer to the ejection port of the recording head in the carriage scanning direction. Presence / absence detection is preferably performed. That is, by detecting the presence / absence of the recording medium at a position corresponding to the receiving portion on the home position side of the recording medium, it is possible to start the first scan for recording from the same position after the detection process is completed. Become. Thereby, after detecting the presence or absence of the recording medium, the recording head can reach the position corresponding to the recording medium with a small amount of movement. Therefore, the time required for recording can be shortened.

  If the presence / absence of the recording medium is detected at the receiving portion on the away position side of the recording medium using the same carriage as shown in FIG. 13, the carriage starts to start recording on the end of the recording medium on the away position side. Need to be scanned. In addition, since the recording must be started after the recording head 11 is reversed, an inefficient movement occurs, and the time required for recording becomes longer.

(Second embodiment)
Next, a recording apparatus 100 according to the second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. The same parts as those in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals and the description thereof is omitted.

  FIG. 14 schematically shows the position of the receiving portion 200 ′ when the paper feed reference position O ′ of the recording medium is not just the center position of the recording apparatus, but is justified. In particular, in the present embodiment, the paper feed reference position O ′ is set at the end of the platen on the home position side. In this embodiment, since the reference is set at the end on the home position side for any recording medium size, the receiving portion for collecting the ink ejected by the preliminary ejection as shown in FIG. It is not a positional relationship. In the present embodiment, the detection of the presence or absence of the recording medium at the position corresponding to the receiving portion closest to the end by the reflective optical sensor 400 is orthogonal to the conveyance direction of the recording medium. Only at one end relative to the direction. In this way, the presence or absence of the recording medium is detected only on one side of the recording medium (in this case, the away position side), and the receiving unit to be used may be determined.

  The relationship between the receiving portion 200 ′ used and the size of the recording medium is the same as in the first embodiment in this embodiment. When preliminary ejection is performed on a recording medium having a width of less than 89 mm, preliminary ejection is performed so that the ejected ink is received by the receiving portion A. When preliminary ejection is performed on a recording medium having a width of 89.1 mm or more and less than 101.6 mm, preliminary ejection is performed so that the ejected ink is received by the receiving portion B. When preliminary ejection is performed on a recording medium having a width of 101.7 mm or more and less than 127.0 mm, preliminary ejection is performed so that the ejected ink is received by the receiving unit C. When preliminary ejection is performed on a recording medium having a width of 127.1 mm or more and less than 182.0 mm, preliminary ejection is performed so that the ejected ink is received by the receiving portion D. When preliminary ejection is performed on a recording medium of 182.1 mm or more, preliminary ejection is performed so that the ejected ink is received by the receiving portion E.

  In this embodiment, the attachment position of the optical sensor of the carriage unit is attached to the home position side, so that the recording operation can be started from the position where the presence / absence of the recording medium is detected. As described above, when the presence / absence of the recording medium is detected, the detection is preferably performed at a position closer to the end of the recording medium than the ejection port. Thereby, after detecting the presence or absence of the recording medium, the recording head can reach the position corresponding to the recording medium with a small amount of movement. Therefore, the time required for recording can be shortened.

(Third embodiment)
Next, a recording apparatus 100 according to a third embodiment of the invention will be described with reference to FIG. Portions that are the same as those in the first embodiment and the second embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals and description thereof is omitted.

  In the first embodiment and the second embodiment, until the recording medium is conveyed to a position corresponding to the recording head, the recording head detects the calculated end portion in the width direction of the recording medium and reaches that point. The recording was performed while confirming the presence or absence of the recording medium by the optical sensor.

  On the other hand, in the third embodiment, first, as shown in FIG. 15A, the recording head performs preliminary ejection on the outermost receiving portion outside the recording area. At this time, as in the recording medium shown in FIG. 15A, the recording time can be shortened if the recording medium conveyance step is performed simultaneously with the preliminary ejection. In the first preliminary ejection, the preliminary ejection is performed on the receiving portion outside the recording area where the recording can be performed by the recording head 11. When the recording medium reaches the recording area of the recording head, recording for one scan is performed as shown in FIG. Then, the recording head performs recording on the recording medium, and when the recording head reaches the receiving portion near the end in the width direction of the calculated recording medium, the presence / absence of the recording medium is actually detected. Done. In this way, it is determined whether or not the calculated width direction end of the recording medium calculated in advance from the recording data matches the actually detected width direction end of the recording medium. Specifically, the reflection-type optical sensor 400 is outside the end in the width direction of the recording medium obtained by analyzing the recording data, which is the calculated preliminary ejection position, on the extension of scanning by recording. It moves so that it may be located in the receiving part of the position near the part. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 15C, the presence or absence of the recording medium is confirmed by the reflective optical sensor 400. If the recording medium is not located at that position, it is determined that the calculated width direction end portion matches the actually detected width direction end portion of the recording medium, and the second scan is recorded on the recording medium as it is. Before being discharged, a preliminary discharge is carried out at the receiving part there. In the second and subsequent scans, the receiving portion is used for the preliminary ejection in the preliminary ejection before the recording is performed.

  On the other hand, if the presence of the recording medium is confirmed at that portion, it is determined that the calculated width direction end portion does not coincide with the actually detected width direction end portion of the recording medium, and from the receiving portion. Furthermore, it moves to an outer receiving part and preliminary discharge is performed. In the present embodiment, the preliminary ejection is performed on the receiving portion formed outside the recording area where the recording can be performed by the recording head.

  The reflective optical sensor 400 provided in the recording head checks the presence or absence of a recording medium every time it reaches the receiving portion 200, and performs a detection operation until the receiving portion 200 where the recording medium does not exist is detected. It may be repeated. Then, when a recording medium in which no recording medium is present at the corresponding position is detected, preliminary ejection may be performed on the receiving unit 200.

  As in the present embodiment, before the step of detecting the presence / absence of the recording medium, the preliminary ejection is performed once in the receiving portion formed outside the recording area, and the step of detecting the presence / absence of the recording medium is performed for one scan. It may be performed after recording is performed.

  Note that “ink” or “liquid” should be interpreted broadly, and when applied on a recording medium, formation of an image, pattern, pattern, etc., processing of the recording medium, or ink or recording medium It shall mean the liquid that is subjected to the treatment. Here, as the treatment of the ink or the recording medium, for example, the fixing property is improved by coagulation or insolubilization of the coloring material in the ink applied to the recording medium, the recording quality or coloring property is improved, and the image durability is improved. Say that.

1 is a perspective view of a recording apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a recording medium conveyance path in the recording apparatus of FIG. 1. FIG. 2 is a block diagram for explaining a control circuit of the recording apparatus in FIG. 1. FIG. 2 is a side view schematically showing an enlarged carriage portion in the recording apparatus of FIG. 1. FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram for explaining a detection operation of a reflective optical sensor attached to the carriage of FIG. 4. It is explanatory drawing for demonstrating the flow of the electrical signal in the reflection type optical sensor of FIG. FIG. 2 is a plan view illustrating a position of a receiving unit that collects ink ejected during preliminary ejection in the recording apparatus of FIG. 1. 2 is a table showing the relationship between the size of a recording medium applied to the recording apparatus of FIG. 1 and a receiving unit corresponding to the size. (A) is the top view which showed the relationship between the recording head and a recording medium when the edge part of the width direction of the recording medium obtained by calculation and the edge part of an actual recording medium correspond, (b) ) Is a plan view showing the relationship between the recording head and the recording medium when they do not match. 6 is a table of output results of signals by reflected light when presence / absence detection is performed on the platen and each recording medium by the reflective optical sensor of FIG. 5. 2 is a flowchart showing a flow of control steps when preliminary ejection and recording operations are performed by the recording apparatus of FIG. 1. (A)-(d) is a top view for demonstrating the positional relationship of a recording head and a recording medium about the process of FIG. FIG. 5 is a plan view for explaining a case where the reflection type optical sensor is located far from the recording medium when detecting the presence or absence of the recording medium in the carriage of FIG. 4. FIG. 6 is a plan view illustrating a position of a receiving unit that collects ink ejected during preliminary ejection in a recording apparatus according to a second embodiment of the invention. (A)-(c) is a top view which shows transition of the positional relationship of a recording head and a receiving part at the time of preliminary discharge and recording operation being performed by the recording device which concerns on 3rd embodiment of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

11 Recording Head 80 Discharge Port 100 Recording Device 200 Receiving Portion 400 Reflective Optical Sensor

Claims (12)

A recording head having an ejection port for ejecting liquid, a recording medium presence / absence detection mechanism for detecting the presence / absence of a recording medium, and a scanning unit that reciprocally scans in the scanning direction by mounting the recording head and the recording medium presence / absence detection mechanism According to the input recording data, the liquid is ejected from the recording head to record on the recording medium, and the receiving position is provided at any one of a plurality of receiving positions with respect to a predetermined direction intersecting the transport direction. In a recording apparatus that performs preliminary discharge by discharging liquid from a recording head ,
A calculating mechanism for calculating on the basis of the end portion in the recording data with respect to the given direction before type recording medium,
A detection position corresponding to a first receiving position that is outside the end of the recording medium with respect to the predetermined direction calculated by the calculation mechanism and is closest to the end by the recording medium presence / absence detection mechanism When it is detected that there is no recording medium, the first receiving position is determined as the preliminary ejection position,
When the recording medium presence / absence detection mechanism detects that there is a recording medium at a detection position corresponding to the first receiving position, the recording medium presence / absence detection mechanism is provided on the outer side of the recording area that can be recorded by the recording head. Determining means for determining the second receiving position as a preliminary discharge position;
A recording apparatus comprising: A recording head having an ejection port for ejecting liquid, a recording medium presence / absence detection mechanism for detecting the presence / absence of a recording medium, and a scanning unit that reciprocally scans in the scanning direction by mounting the recording head and the recording medium presence / absence detection mechanism According to the input recording data, the liquid is ejected from the recording head to record on the recording medium, and the receiving position is provided at any one of a plurality of receiving positions with respect to a predetermined direction intersecting the transport direction. In a recording apparatus that performs preliminary discharge by discharging liquid from a recording head,
A calculation mechanism for calculating an end of the recording medium with respect to the predetermined direction based on the recording data;
A detection position corresponding to a first receiving position that is outside the end of the recording medium with respect to the predetermined direction calculated by the calculation mechanism and is closest to the end by the recording medium presence / absence detection mechanism When it is detected that there is no recording medium, the first receiving position is determined as the preliminary ejection position,
When the recording medium presence / absence detection mechanism detects that there is a recording medium at a detection position corresponding to the first receiving position, it corresponds to a second receiving position located outside the first receiving position. The presence or absence of the recording medium is detected at the detection position to be detected, and if the absence of the recording medium is detected at the detection position corresponding to the second reception position, the determination is made to determine the second reception position as the preliminary ejection position. Means,
A recording apparatus comprising: 3. The optical sensor according to claim 1, wherein the recording medium presence / absence detection mechanism is an optical sensor having a light emitting unit that emits light and a light receiving unit that receives reflected light reflected by the light emitted by the light emitting unit. The recording device described. Wherein the detection of the presence or absence of record media by the recording medium detector mechanism is according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that takes place only at one end with respect to the predetermined direction of said recording medium Recording device. The recording medium detector mechanism, said when performing detection of the presence or absence of the recording medium, according to claim 4, characterized in that the detection at a position near the end portion of the recording medium on calculations than the discharge port Recording device. A recording head having an ejection port for ejecting liquid, a recording medium presence / absence detection mechanism for detecting the presence / absence of a recording medium, and a scanning unit that reciprocally scans in the scanning direction by mounting the recording head and the recording medium presence / absence detection mechanism According to the input recording data, the liquid is ejected from the recording head to record on the recording medium, and the receiving position is provided at any one of a plurality of receiving positions with respect to a predetermined direction intersecting the transport direction. In a control method of a recording apparatus that performs preliminary discharge by discharging liquid from a recording head ,
A calculation step of calculating an end portion with respect to a predetermined direction intersecting a conveyance direction of the recording medium based on the recording data;
The recording medium presence / absence detection mechanism at a detection position corresponding to a first receiving position closest to the end portion outside the end portion of the recording medium with respect to the predetermined direction calculated in the calculating step When it is detected that there is no recording medium , the first receiving position is determined as a preliminary ejection position, and the recording medium is detected at the detection position corresponding to the first receiving position by the recording medium detection mechanism. Is detected, a preliminary ejection position determining step for determining, as a preliminary ejection position, a second receiving position provided outside an area where recording can be performed by the recording head;
A control method for a recording apparatus , comprising : A recording head having an ejection port for ejecting liquid, a recording medium presence / absence detection mechanism for detecting the presence / absence of a recording medium, and a scanning unit that reciprocally scans in the scanning direction by mounting the recording head and the recording medium presence / absence detection mechanism According to the input recording data, the liquid is ejected from the recording head to record on the recording medium, and the receiving position is provided at any one of a plurality of receiving positions with respect to a predetermined direction intersecting the transport direction. In a control method of a recording apparatus that performs preliminary discharge by discharging liquid from a recording head,
A calculation step of calculating an end portion with respect to a predetermined direction intersecting a conveyance direction of the recording medium based on the recording data;
The recording medium presence / absence detection mechanism at a detection position corresponding to a first receiving position closest to the end portion outside the end portion of the recording medium with respect to the predetermined direction calculated in the calculating step When it is detected that no recording medium is present, the first receiving position is determined as a preliminary ejection position, and the recording medium is detected at the detection position corresponding to the first receiving position by the recording medium detection mechanism. Is detected, the presence or absence of the recording medium is detected at the second receiving position located outside the first receiving position, and there is no recording medium at the detection position corresponding to the second receiving position. If detected, a preliminary ejection position determining step for determining the second receiving position as a preliminary ejection position;
A control method for a recording apparatus, comprising: In the preliminary ejection position determination step, the receiving position outside the edge of the recording medium with respect to the predetermined direction calculated in the calculating step is only the receiving position provided outside the recording area The method according to claim 6 or 7 , wherein the pre-ejection position is determined at a receiving position provided outside the recording area without performing a recording medium presence / absence detection operation by the recording medium detection mechanism. A control method of the recording apparatus. The movement to the detection position corresponding to the first receiving position prior type recording medium detector mechanism, characterized in that the recording medium for recording is performed before reaching a position corresponding to the discharge port is conveyed A control method for a recording apparatus according to any one of claims 6 to 8 . The detecting operation of the presence or absence of the Symbol recording medium by the recording medium detection mechanism, according to any one of claims 6 to 9, characterized in that takes place only at one end with respect to the predetermined direction of said recording medium Method for controlling the recording apparatus. 11. The recording apparatus according to claim 10 , wherein the detection operation of the presence or absence of the recording medium by the recording medium detection mechanism performs detection at a position closer to a calculated end of the recording medium than the ejection port. Control method. Prior to the preliminary ejection position determination step , preliminary ejection is performed at a receiving position provided outside the recording area,
The method for controlling a printing apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the preliminary ejection position determination step is performed after printing for one scan is performed.

Images