JP5675912B2 - Recording device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a recording apparatus, and more particularly to a technique for correcting a conveyance amount error of a recording medium used in an inkjet recording apparatus.

  In an ink jet recording apparatus (recording apparatus), when a recording medium is conveyed, the recording medium may come into contact with the recording head due to floating or sagging of the recording medium, and the recording head may be damaged or damaged. In order to solve such a problem, a technique is known in which the peripheral speed of the upstream transport roller is set higher than the discharge roller that transports the recording medium downstream in the transport direction (Patent Document 1). .

JP 2005-194043 A

  When the peripheral speed of the transport roller is set higher than the discharge roller, the recording medium is transported more than a predetermined transport amount when the trailing end of the recording medium is separated from the holding portion of the transport roller. Therefore, there is a risk that the image quality will be significantly reduced. Therefore, at the timing when the rear end of the recording medium is separated from the holding portion of the conveyance roller, the circumferential speed of the conveyance roller and the discharge roller is equal, that is, the peripheral speed ratio of the conveyance roller and the discharge roller is set to “1”. , Tried to realize stable conveyance.

  Furthermore, as a result of repeated sincerity studies by the present inventors, it has been found that the eccentricity of these rollers has a strong influence on the peripheral speed ratio between the transport roller and the discharge roller. The eccentricity of the roller means that the cross-sectional shape of the roller is not a perfect circle, the rotation center of the roller is shifted, or the like. When the roller is eccentric, the circumferential length (arc length) and circumferential speed vary depending on the rotational position (rotational phase) of the roller.

  Therefore, the present invention stabilizes the conveyance amount at the timing when the recording medium is separated from the conveyance roller by controlling the conveyance amount of the conveyance roller and the discharge roller based on the degree of eccentricity of the conveyance roller and the discharge roller. The purpose is to reduce the deterioration of the recording quality.

  In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a recording head for recording on a recording medium, a conveying roller that is arranged upstream of the recording head in the conveying direction of the recording medium, and that conveys the recording medium in the conveying direction. A feeding unit that is arranged on the upstream side of the conveyance roller and feeds the recording medium to the conveyance roller; and a paper discharge roller that is arranged on the downstream side of the recording head in the conveyance direction and conveys the recording medium. In a recording apparatus that can switch back and perform recording by the recording head after feeding from the discharge roller side, when the recording medium is fed from the feeding unit, the recording medium is the transport roller and From the state conveyed by the paper discharge roller, the rear end of the recording medium is removed from the conveyance roller and the recording medium is conveyed by the paper discharge roller. An adjustment operation is performed to adjust a phase when the conveyance roller starts conveyance of the leading edge of the recording medium so that an acceleration rate of the discharge roller with respect to the conveyance roller becomes a minimum when changing, and the discharge roller side In the case where the recording medium is fed from, a control unit that does not perform the adjustment operation is provided.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to stabilize the conveyance amount at the timing when the recording medium separates from the conveyance roller, and to reduce the deterioration of the recording quality.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the ink jet recording apparatus according to the present embodiment, showing a state viewed from the front surface during use. It is a figure for demonstrating the internal mechanism of the inkjet recording device main body in this embodiment, and is a perspective view from the upper left part. It is a figure for demonstrating the internal mechanism of the inkjet recording device main body in this embodiment, and is a perspective view from an upper right part. It is a sectional side view for demonstrating the internal mechanism of the inkjet recording device main body in this embodiment. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the ink jet recording apparatus according to the present embodiment, showing a state seen from the front surface during flat pass recording. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the ink jet recording apparatus according to the present embodiment, showing a state viewed from the back during flat pass recording. It is a typical side sectional view for explaining flat pass recording performed in this embodiment. It is explanatory drawing which shows typically the state which looked at the recording head employ | adopted by this embodiment from the nozzle formation surface side. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration example of a main part of a control system of the ink jet recording apparatus according to the present embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows an example of the process sequence of the test pattern recording of this embodiment, and conveyance error acquisition. It is a figure explaining the conveyance area | region in this embodiment. It is explanatory drawing which shows an example of the test pattern used by this embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows an example of the process sequence of correction value acquisition of this embodiment. It is explanatory drawing which graphs and shows the conveyance error digitized based on the density information obtained from one test pattern. It is a table | surface which shows an example of allocation of the phase block corresponding to the patch line of one test pattern, and a cumulative conveyance error. It is a table | surface which shows the block group corresponding to the phase block in one test pattern. It is a table | surface which shows an example of the roller peripheral speed corresponding to each block group in the test pattern of the adjacent area | regions I and II. It is explanatory drawing which graphs and shows distribution of the roller peripheral speed ratio for every block group between certain adjacent area | regions I and II.

  1 to 9 are diagrams illustrating the configuration of an ink jet recording apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. Hereinafter, the configuration of each part of the recording apparatus will be described in detail with reference to FIGS.

(A) Paper feed unit (FIGS. 1 to 4)
The paper feeding unit includes a pressure plate M2010 for stacking recording media, a paper feeding roller M2080 for feeding recording media one by one, a separation roller M2041 for separating the recording media, a return lever M2020 for returning the recording media to the stacking position, and the like. Have. The sheet feeding unit is configured by attaching them to the base M2000.

(B) Paper transport unit (FIGS. 1 to 4)
Referring to FIGS. 1 to 4, the paper transport unit mainly includes a transport roller M3060 that is a first roller for transporting a recording medium and a paper end sensor (PE sensor) to a chassis M1010 made of a bent metal sheet. E0007 is configured to be rotatably attached. The transport roller M3060 has a configuration in which ceramic fine particles are coated on the surface of a metal shaft. Further, by energizing the transport roller M3060 attached to the chassis M1010 in a state where the metal parts of both shafts are received by a bearing (not shown), an appropriate amount of load is applied during rotation so that stable transport can be performed. ing.

  A plurality of driven pinch rollers M3070 are provided in contact with the transport roller M3060. The pinch roller M3070 is held by the pinch roller holder M3000, but is urged by a pinch roller spring (not shown) to be brought into pressure contact with the conveyance roller M3060, and generates a conveyance force for the recording medium. At this time, the rotation shaft of the pinch roller holder M3000 is attached to the bearing of the chassis M1010 and rotates around this position.

  A paper guide flapper M3030 and a platen M3040 for guiding the recording medium are disposed at the entrance where the recording medium is conveyed. The pinch roller holder M3000 is provided with a PE sensor lever M3021, and the PE sensor lever M3021 plays a role of transmitting the detection of the leading edge and the trailing edge of the recording medium to the PE sensor E0007. The platen M3040 is attached to the chassis M1010 and positioned. The paper guide flapper M3030 can rotate around a bearing portion (not shown) and is positioned by contacting the chassis M1010. A recording head 4 (FIG. 13) is provided on the downstream side in the recording medium conveyance direction of the conveyance roller M3060.

  The conveyance process in the above configuration will be described. The recording medium sent to the paper transport unit is guided by the pinch roller holder M3000 and the paper guide flapper M3030, and is sent to the roller pair of the transport roller M3060 and the pinch roller M3070. At this time, the PE sensor lever M3021 detects the leading edge of the recording medium, and thereby the recording position with respect to the recording medium is obtained. A roller pair composed of a conveyance roller M3060 and a pinch roller M3070 is rotated by driving of the LF motor E0002, and the recording medium is conveyed on the platen M3040 by this rotation. The platen M3040 is provided with a rib serving as a conveyance reference surface, and a gap between the recording head H1001 and the recording medium surface is managed by the rib. At the same time, the ribs play a role of suppressing the undulation of the recording medium together with a paper discharge unit described later.

(C) Paper discharge unit (FIGS. 1 to 4)
1 to 4, the paper discharge unit includes a first paper discharge roller M3100 and a second paper discharge roller M3110 that function as a downstream roller or a second roller, a plurality of spurs M3120, and a gear train. Etc. The first paper discharge roller M3100 is configured by providing a plurality of rubber portions on a metal shaft. The first paper discharge roller M3100 is driven by transmitting the driving of the transport roller M3060 to the first paper discharge roller M3100 via an idler gear.

  The second paper discharge roller M3110 has a structure in which a plurality of elastomer elastic bodies M3111 are attached to a resin shaft. The second paper discharge roller M3110 is driven by transmitting the drive of the first paper discharge roller M3100 via an idler gear.

  The spur M3120 is formed by integrating a circular thin plate made of, for example, SUS, which has a plurality of convex shapes around the resin portion, and is attached to the spur holder M3130. This attachment is performed by a spur spring provided with a coil spring in a rod shape. At the same time, the spring force of the spur spring causes the spur M3120 to contact the discharge rollers M3100 and M3110 with a predetermined pressure. With this configuration, the spur M3120 can be rotated following the two discharge rollers M3100 and M3110. Some of the spurs M3120 are provided at the position of the rubber portion of the first paper discharge roller M3100 or the elastic body M3111 of the second paper discharge roller M3110, and mainly play a role of generating the conveyance force of the recording medium. Yes. In addition, some others are provided at positions where the rubber part or the elastic body M3111 is not present, and mainly play a role of suppressing the lifting of the recording medium during recording.

  Further, the gear train plays a role of transmitting the driving of the transport roller M3060 to the paper discharge rollers M3100 and M3110.

  A paper end support (not shown) is provided between the first paper discharge roller M3100 and the second paper discharge roller M3110. The paper edge support plays a role of protecting the recording made on the recording medium from scratching of the carriage by lifting both ends of the recording medium and holding the recording medium at the tip of the first paper discharge roller M3100. . Specifically, a resin member having a roller (not shown) at the tip is urged by a paper end support spring (not shown) and pressed against the recording medium with a predetermined pressure, thereby lifting both ends of the recording medium. It is configured to make a strainer and hold it in place.

  With the above configuration, the recording medium on which an image has been formed is sandwiched between the nip between the first discharge roller M3110 and the spur M3120, conveyed, and discharged to the discharge tray M3160. The paper discharge tray M3160 is divided into a plurality of parts and can be stored in a lower part of a lower case M7080 described later.

  Further, the discharge tray M3160 is designed such that its height increases toward the leading end, and both ends thereof are held at high positions, improving the stackability of the discharged recording medium, rubbing the recording surface, and the like. Is preventing. The same roller diameter is used for the first paper discharge roller M3100 and the second paper discharge roller M3110, and the transport error when transported by the first paper discharge roller 3100 and the second paper discharge roller 3110. Shows the behavior of a stable periodic function with the circumference of both discharge rollers as the period. Further, an optical sensor (not shown) for detecting the phase is attached to the first paper discharge roller M3100. The origin is the timing at which the flag on the protrusion passes the sensor.

(D) Recording head (FIG. 8)
Ink is ejected from the recording head 4 attached to the carriage 7 to the recording medium conveyed to the recording position by the paper feeding unit and the paper conveying unit, and image recording is performed on the recording medium. As a form of the recording head 4, there is a system that includes means (for example, a heating resistor element) that generates thermal energy as energy used for ink ejection, and causes a change in ink state (film boiling) by the thermal energy. Can be used. Further, an element that generates mechanical energy such as a piezo element may be used as the energy generating means, and a system that ejects ink using the mechanical energy may be used.

  The recording apparatus of the present embodiment forms an image with 10 color pigment inks. The ten colors are cyan (C), light cyan (Lc), magenta (M), light magenta (Lm), yellow (Y), first black (K1), second black (K2), red (R), and green. (G) and Gray. The K ink is the ink of the first black K1 or the second black K2 described above. Here, the first black K1 ink and the second black K2 ink are respectively a photo black ink that realizes high glossy recording on glossy paper and a matte black ink that is suitable for matte paper without gloss. be able to.

  FIG. 8 schematically shows a state in which the recording head 4 employed in the present embodiment is viewed from the nozzle forming surface side. The recording head 4 of this example has two recording element substrates H3700 and a recording element substrate H3701 in which nozzle rows for each of the ten colors are formed. H2700 to H3600 are nozzle rows corresponding to 10 different colors of ink, respectively.

  One recording element substrate H3700 is provided with nozzle rows H3200, H3300, H3400, H3500, and H3600 that are supplied with gray, light cyan, first black, second black, and light magenta inks and perform ejection operations. . On the other recording element substrate H3701, nozzle rows H2700, H2800, H2900, H3000, and H3100 are formed that perform discharge operations by being supplied with cyan, red, green, magenta, and yellow inks. Each nozzle row is composed of 768 nozzles arranged at an interval of 1200 dpi (dot / inch; reference value) in the conveyance direction of the recording medium, and ejects ink droplets of about 3 picoliters. The opening area at each nozzle outlet is set to approximately 100 square μm.

  With such a head configuration, it is possible to execute so-called one-pass printing in which printing on the same area on the printing medium is completed by one main scan. However, in order to reduce the variation of the nozzles and improve the recording quality, it is also possible to execute so-called multi-pass recording in which recording in the same scanning area on the recording medium is completed by a plurality of main scans. The number of passes at the time of multi-pass recording is appropriately determined according to the recording mode and other conditions.

  A plurality of independent ink tanks are detachably attached to the recording head 4 according to the color of the ink to be used. Alternatively, ink may be supplied from an ink tank provided at a fixed portion of the apparatus via a liquid supply tube.

  The recovery unit 11 can face the ejection surface of the recording head 4 in a non-recording area within the movable range of the recording head 4 in the main scanning direction and outside the side edge of the recording medium P or the platen 3. Is arranged. The recovery unit 11 has a known configuration as described below. That is, a cap portion for capping the ejection surface of the recording head 4, a suction mechanism for forcibly sucking ink from the recording head 4 in a state where the ejection surface is capped, and a cleaning blade for wiping off dirt on the ink ejection surface.

  Note that a reading sensor (scanner) (not shown) is mounted on the carriage 7 so that the density of the test pattern for carrying amount correction described later can be read.

(E) Flat pass part (FIGS. 5-7)
Paper feeding from the paper feeding unit is performed in a state where the recording medium is bent because the path through which the recording medium passes is bent until reaching the pinch roller as shown in FIG. Therefore, for example, when a thick recording medium of about 0.5 mm or more is to be fed from the sheet feeding unit, a reaction force of the bent recording medium may be generated, and the sheet feeding resistance may increase to prevent sheet feeding. . Even if paper can be fed, the recording medium after being ejected may remain bent or bend.

  Flat-pass recording is performed on a recording medium that is not desired to be bent, such as a thick recording medium, or a recording medium that cannot be bent, such as a CD-R.

  Here, in flat pass recording, there is a type in which recording is performed by causing a recording medium to be nipped by a pinch roller of the main body in a manner of manual paper feeding by a user from an opening on a slit on the back of the main body (under the paper feeding device). . However, the flat-pass recording according to the present embodiment is a mode in which recording is performed after a recording medium is fed from a paper discharge port on the front side of the main body to a recording position and switched back.

  The front cover M7010 is below the paper discharge unit to serve also as a tray for stacking about several tens of normally recorded recording media (FIG. 1). During flat-pass recording, the front tray M7010 is raised to the position of the paper discharge port in order to feed the recording medium horizontally from the paper discharge port in the direction opposite to the normal transport direction (FIG. 5). The front tray M7010 is provided with a hook or the like (not shown), and the front tray can be fixed at the flat path paper feed position. The presence of the front tray M7010 at the flat pass recording position can be detected by a sensor, and the flat pass recording mode can be determined according to the detection.

  In the flat pass recording mode, the flat pass key E3004 is first operated in order to place the recording medium on the front tray M7010 and insert the recording medium from the paper discharge outlet. Then, the spur holder M3130 and the pinch roller holder M3000 are lifted by a mechanism (not shown) to a position higher than the assumed thickness of the recording medium. Further, the rear tray M7090 can be opened by pressing the rear tray button M7110, and the rear sub-tray M7091 can be opened in a V shape (FIG. 6). The rear tray M7090 and the rear sub-tray M7091 are trays for supporting a long recording medium also on the back of the main body, since the rear recording tray protrudes from the back of the main body when a long recording medium is inserted from the front of the main body. If a thick recording medium does not maintain a flat posture during recording, it may rub against the head face surface or the transport load may change, which may affect the recording quality. It is. However, if the recording medium has a length that does not protrude from the back of the main body, the rear tray M7090 or the like need not be opened.

  As described above, the recording medium can be inserted into the main body from the paper discharge port. A transport procedure of the recording medium in the platform mode will be described with reference to FIG. First, the rear end of the recording medium (the front end closest to the user) and the right end are aligned with the marker position of the front tray M7010 and placed on the front tray M7010.

  When the flat pass key E3004 is operated again here, the spur holder 3130 descends and the recording medium is nipped by the paper discharge rollers M3100 and M3110 and the spur 3120. Thereafter, the recording medium is pulled into the main body by a predetermined amount by the paper discharge rollers M3100 and M3110 (the direction opposite to the conveying direction during normal recording). When the recording medium is set for the first time, the front end (rear end) of the recording medium is aligned, so the front end of the short recording medium (end farthest from the user's end) is the transport roller M3060. May not reach. Accordingly, the predetermined amount is a distance until the rear end of the assumed shortest recording medium reaches the conveyance roller M3060. Since the recording medium fed by a predetermined amount reaches the conveying roller M3060, the pinch roller holder M3000 is lowered at that position, and the recording medium is nipped by the conveying roller M3060 and the pinch roller M3070. This completes the feeding of the recording medium for flat path recording (recording standby position).

  The nip force between the paper discharge rollers M3100 and M3110 and the spur M3120 is set to be relatively low so as not to affect the formed image during paper discharge during normal recording. Accordingly, there is a risk that the position of the recording medium may be shifted before recording is performed during flat pass recording. However, in the present embodiment, the recording medium is nipped by the conveying roller M3060 and the pinch roller M3070 having a relatively high nip force, so that the setting position of the recording medium is secured. Further, when the recording medium is fed into the main body by the predetermined amount, the rear end position of the recording medium (the front end position at the time of recording) is detected by the flat path paper detection sensor M3170 located between the platen M3040 and the spur holder M3130. be able to.

  When the recording medium is set at the recording standby position, a recording command is executed. In other words, the recording medium is transported by the transport roller M3060 to the recording position by the recording head H1001, and thereafter, recording is performed in the same manner as the normal recording operation, and the paper is discharged to the front tray M7010 after recording.

  If further flat pass recording is desired, the recorded recording medium is taken out from the front tray M7010, the next recording medium is set, and then the above-described processing is repeated. Specifically, it starts by pushing the flat pass key E3004 to lift the spur holder M3130 and the pinch roller holder M3000 and set the recording medium.

  On the other hand, when the flat pass recording is ended, the normal recording mode can be restored by returning the front tray M7010 to the normal recording position.

(F) Electric Circuit Configuration FIG. 9 shows a configuration example of the main part of the control system of the recording apparatus. Here, reference numeral 100 denotes a control unit that controls each drive unit of the printing apparatus. The control unit 100 includes a CPU 101, a ROM 102, an EEPROM 103, and a RAM 104. The CPU 101 performs various operations and determinations for processing related to the recording operation and the like, including processing procedures to be described later, and performs processing for recording data and the like. The ROM 102 stores a program corresponding to a processing procedure executed by the CPU 101, other fixed data, and the like. The EEPROM 103 is a non-volatile memory and is used to hold predetermined information even when the recording apparatus is turned off. The RAM 104 temporarily stores recording data supplied from the outside and recording data expanded according to the apparatus configuration, and also functions as a work area for arithmetic processing by the CPU 101.

  The interface (I / F) 105 has a function of connecting to an external host device 1000 and performs bidirectional communication with the host device 1000 based on a predetermined protocol. The host apparatus 1000 has a known form such as a computer. The host apparatus 1000 serves as a recording data supply source that causes the recording apparatus of the present embodiment to perform recording, and a printer driver that is a program for performing the recording operation. Installed. That is, from the printer driver, recording data, recording setting information such as recording medium type information for recording the recording data, and a control command for controlling the operation of the recording apparatus are sent.

  The linear encoder 106 detects the position of the recording head 4 in the main scanning direction. The sheet sensor 107 is provided at an appropriate position on the recording medium conveyance path. By detecting the leading and trailing edges of the recording medium using the sheet sensor 107, it is possible to know the conveyance (sub-scanning) position of the recording medium. Motor drivers 108 and 112 and a head drive circuit 109 are connected to the control unit 100. Under the control of the control unit 100, the motor driver 108 drives the transport motor 110 that is a recording medium transport drive source. The driving force of the conveyance motor 110 is transmitted to the conveyance roller M3060, the discharge roller 3100, and the discharge roller 3110 via a transmission mechanism such as a gear. The motor driver 112 drives a carriage motor 114 that is a driving source for moving the carriage 7. The driving force of the carriage motor 114 is transmitted to the carriage 7 via a transmission mechanism such as a timing belt. The head drive circuit 109 drives the recording head 4 under the control of the control unit 100 to perform an ejection operation. The rotary encoder 116 is attached to the shaft of the transport roller M3060, and serves to control the transport motor by detecting the respective rotational positions and speeds.

(Characteristic configuration of this embodiment)
Hereinafter, an outline of characteristic conveyance control in the printing apparatus according to the present embodiment will be described. First, in the present embodiment, when the recording medium leaves the holding portion of the conveyance roller M3060, the first correction value for setting the roller peripheral speed ratio between the conveyance roller and the discharge roller to “1” is used. Rotation of the conveyance roller and the discharge roller, that is, drive control of the motor is performed. Furthermore, the initial phase of the transport roller and the discharge roller is adjusted so that the recording medium separates from the nipping portion of the transport roller when the roller peripheral speed ratio becomes maximum or minimum. The second correction value is used.

  In this embodiment, by controlling the conveyance amount using the first and second correction values, the conveyance amount at the timing when the recording medium is separated from the conveyance roller is stabilized, and the deterioration of the recording quality is reduced. be able to.

  Furthermore, in this embodiment, the first transport control that controls the transport amount using both the first and second correction values, and the second transport that controls the transport amount using only the first correction value. The control is switched according to the conveyance path of the recording medium. Thereby, in the recording apparatus having a plurality of conveyance paths, the conveyance amount at the timing when the recording medium is separated from the conveyance roller can be stabilized.

  Details of the conveyance amount control that is a feature of the present embodiment will be described below.

1. Acquisition procedure of conveyance amount correction value In this embodiment, in order to correct the conveyance amount for each rotation phase of the roller due to the eccentricity of the roller, the conveyance correction value is set for each block obtained by dividing the roller circumferential length by 110. Acquired and corrects the conveyance amount.

Figure 10 is a flowchart showing an outline of a processing procedure for obtaining the conveyance amount compensation values. In this procedure, first, preparation for starting a recording operation including setting and feeding of a recording medium is performed, and when the recording medium is conveyed to a predetermined recording position, a test pattern is recorded in the conveyance area I (step S1001). Next, the recording medium is further conveyed, and a test pattern is recorded in the conveyance area II (step S1002).

  Next, the test pattern is read using the reading sensor 120, and the density information is acquired (step S1003). Based on this density information, an accumulated transport amount error is detected, and a transport correction value is acquired (step S1004).

  The details of the test pattern, the conveyance area, etc. will be described later.

2. Details of Test Pattern First, a transport area classified into two along the transport direction Y in the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. In this embodiment, a region where recording is performed when transported only by the transport roller and a region where recording is performed when transported by both the transport roller and the discharge roller are referred to as “transport region I”. On the other hand, a transport area transported only by the paper discharge roller is defined as “transport area II”. Since the conveyance roller is a dominant roller in the conveyance of the recording medium as compared with the paper discharge roller, in the present embodiment, the conveyance area of only the conveyance roller, and the conveyance area when both the conveyance roller and the discharge roller are used. Both are designated as a transport area I.

  Next, FIG. 12 shows test patterns used in the present embodiment. The test pattern of the present embodiment is recorded for each of the transport areas I and II. Further, in the rotation axis direction X (main scanning direction of the recording head) of each roller, test patterns for detecting a conveyance error of each roller are arranged at a position close to the conveyance reference and a position away from the conveyance reference. Formed with.

  That is, in FIG. 11, FR is a test pattern recorded in the transport area I, FR1 is a test pattern at a position close to the transport reference, and FR2 is a test pattern at a position far from the transport reference. ER is a test pattern recorded in the transport area II, ER1 is a test pattern at a position close to the transport reference, and ER2 is a test pattern at a position far from the transport reference.

  In recording the test patterns ER1 and ER2, the pinch roller M3070 can be released after the test patterns FR1 and FR2 are recorded, and the recording medium can be conveyed only by the discharge rollers. Thereby, it is possible to secure a sufficient area where the test patterns ER1 and ER2 can be recorded.

  Next, each of the four test patterns recorded on the recording medium will be described.

  In one test pattern, using the second black nozzle row H3500, 30 patches along the transport direction Y and 8 patches along the scanning direction X, for a total of 240 patches, are recorded. In the recording of each patch, the first recording scan is performed using the upstream end portion 128 nozzles among the center 640 nozzles of the nozzle row provided with 768 nozzles, and a predetermined image is recorded. Thereafter, the conveyance corresponding to 128 nozzles is performed four times, and the second recording scan is performed on the predetermined image using the downstream end 128 nozzles of the 640 nozzles to complete the patch. Eight patches arranged in the scanning direction X are recorded by shifting the nozzle use range in the second scanning from the left to the right in the drawing by one nozzle to the downstream in the transport direction. . The shift range is −3 to +4 when the shift to the upstream side is positive.

  In this embodiment, the nozzle row H3500 has nozzles arranged at a pitch of 1200 dpi, and a distance corresponding to the range of 128 nozzles (128/1200 × 25.4 = 2.709 [mm]) is an ideal 1 This is the number of times of conveyance (the amount of conveyance between scans of the recording head). Here, if the conveyance is performed with an ideal (as designed) conveyance amount, the medium amount is transferred four times with respect to the predetermined image recorded by the first scan at the deviation amount “0”. Images recorded in the fifth main scan are just overlapped. Further, a positive shift amount corresponds to a larger carry amount than the distance, and a negative shift amount corresponds to a smaller carry amount. In the present embodiment, the medium transport amount (ideal value) between main scans is 2.709 mm, and 30 main scans are repeated, so that 30 patches are distributed over the range in the sub-scanning direction (transport direction). To be formed. For this reason, the length of one test pattern in the sub-scanning direction is 2.709 × 30 = 81.27 mm (ideal amount). When a roller having a nominal outer circumference of 37.19 mm is used, the length corresponding to the two rounds Equivalent to super.

  If eight patches arranged in the scanning direction are defined as one patch group, the 30 patch groups arranged in the conveying direction Y are roller areas used for medium conveyance between the first recording scan and the second recording scan. Are formed differently. If the medium transport after the first recording scan of the most upstream patch group in the transport direction is performed from the reference position of the roller, the medium transport is performed four times from the reference position of the roller in recording the upstream stream patch group. The area corresponding to (0 to 10.836 mm) is used. In the second patch group from the upstream side, a region (2.709 to 13.545 mm) corresponding to four times of medium conveyance is used from a position 2.709 mm away from the reference position of the roller. Similarly, the third patch group uses the roller area (5.418 to 18.963 mm), and the fourth patch group uses the roller area (8.127 to 21.672 mm). Thus, in each patch group, different roller areas are used from the first scan to the second scan.

  If the image recorded by the upstream nozzle group used for the first scan and the image of the downstream nozzle group used for the second scan overlap, a portion in which no dots are recorded occurs in the image. Thus, the concentration (OD value) becomes low. On the other hand, if there is an error in the carry amount and the images recorded in the first scan and the second scan are shifted, the blank portion is filled and the density increases.

3. Acquisition of transport error The test pattern recorded as described above is read by a scanner, the density of all patches is detected, and then the density of each patch recorded in the main scanning direction is compared. Then, the shift amount of the patch with the lowest density in the patch group can be acquired as the transport error. However, the above-described transport error is calculated as an accumulated transport error (accumulation of four transport operations) between the first scan and the second scan of pattern recording. Such accumulated transport errors are preferably shared according to a certain reference length. In the present embodiment, the calculation is performed by multiplying the transport error (cumulative for 640 nozzles) in the four transport operations by 768/640, thereby converting the accumulated transport error in the nozzle row length (corresponding to 640 nozzles).

4). Acquisition of Correction Value First, a series of procedures for acquiring a correction value will be described with reference to FIG.

  In step S2001, it is determined whether or not the conveyance amount should be corrected between the conveyance areas I and II (timing at which the rear end of the medium leaves the conveyance roller). If necessary, the accumulated conveyance in the conveyance areas I and II is performed in step S2002. An error Xn is acquired. Further, the cumulative conveyance error Xn is classified for each block assigned to the roller (S2003), and if it is determined in step S2004 that the first correction value needs to be acquired, the process proceeds to steps S2005 and S2006. In step S2005, the first correction value is acquired for each block, and this is written in the EEPROM in step S2006. Next, in step S2007, a second correction value is acquired based on the distribution of the first correction value, and is written in the EEPROM (S2007). In step S2008, it is determined whether there is a region where further correction values need to be acquired, and the flow is terminated.

  Details of the correction value acquisition will be described below.

  By the process described in the paragraph of acquisition of conveyance error, an accumulated conveyance error corresponding to the nozzle length is acquired corresponding to each patch group of the test pattern. As described above, in this embodiment, since the ideal one-time conveyance amount is 2.709 mm, 30 accumulated conveyance error amounts are acquired at intervals of 2.709 mm. At the start of test pattern recording, the initial phase of the rollers involved in the medium conveyance is acquired. In this embodiment, the roller phase detection sensor is attached only to the transport roller M3060, but the transport roller and the first paper discharge roller have slightly different roller diameters, but the gears that drive both rollers have the same teeth. Because of the number, both rollers are driven in synchronization. In addition, since the first paper discharge roller and the second paper discharge roller have the same diameter, both the paper discharge rollers are driven in a synchronized state. Therefore, the phase of the first and second paper discharge rollers can be estimated from the phase of the transport roller M3060. Even in the configuration of the conveying roller and both paper discharge rollers having the same roller diameter, since all the rollers are driven synchronously, any one of the rollers only needs to have a phase detection means. In a system in which none of the rollers are synchronized, it is necessary to add phase detection means to each roller.

  In the conveyance amount correction of this embodiment, each roller is divided into 110 areas, and the conveyance amount is corrected for each area. Further, the rotary encoder 116 attached to the transport roller M3060 uses one that outputs 14,080 pulses per rotation. Therefore, the 14080 pulse is divided into 128 pulses in accordance with the 110 area, and the current roller position can be detected according to the output pulse of the rotary encoder 116.

FIG. 14 is a plot of the cumulative transport error Xn for each patch group detected from the two test patterns in the transport region I, where n = 1, 2,... From the patch group upstream in the transport direction. Numbered and plotted. In calculating the accumulated transport error, the average value of the accumulated transport errors X _nH and X _nA is calculated on the transport reference side and the non-reference side. However, it may be a numerical value calculated by weighting in consideration of the difference between the left and right rollers (the influence of the rotation axis direction) and the deflection.

  In the same figure, the horizontal axis indicates the number n of patch groups, which corresponds to the cumulative transport amount from the initial phase. That is, n corresponds to the conveyance amount from the reference position of the roller. If n = 1, it corresponds to 2.709 mm, and if n = 2, it corresponds to 5.419 mm.

  FIG. 15 is a table showing the cumulative transport amount and phase block distribution corresponding to each patch group. The cumulative conveyance amount is the conveyance amount from the reference position of the roller. If n = 1, it is 2.709 mm, and n = 14 is the conveyance amount for one rotation of the roller. Therefore, it is assumed that the initial phase at the time of test pattern recording in the transport area I is “17 blocks” counted from the reference position among 110, and the initial phase at the time of test pattern recording in the transport area II is “73 blocks”. Furthermore, when the cumulative transport amount of each patch group is 8 blocks and the last patch group in one cycle is distributed to 6 blocks, the distribution can be performed as shown in FIG. Specifically, the n = 1 patch group has 17 to 24 blocks, the n = 2 patch group has 25 to 32 blocks, and the n = 14 patch group has 11 to 16 blocks.

  As described above, since this test pattern has a roller circumferential length of more than 2 rounds, the test pattern is repeated after n = 15. Note that the patch group n in which the block allocation is duplicated calculates the average value of the respective transport errors, and uniquely sets the transport error. In the transport area II, the sorting operation is the same except that the initial phase is different from that of the transport area I.

  In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 16, 17 to 24 blocks will be described as a block group A, 25 to 32 blocks will be described as a block group B,. In addition, when the conveyance error of one or more rollers on the test pattern configuration cannot be obtained at one time, the test pattern is divided into a plurality of recording media, and the test pattern is recorded with different initial phases, so that it is equivalent to one roller. A conveyance error can be obtained. A means for predicting the distribution of the conveyance error for one round may be used.

  Next, a method for calculating the first and second correction values for stabilizing the conveyance when the recording medium leaves the conveyance roller will be described.

  In the present embodiment, the first correction value is calculated for each combination of block groups (roller rotation phases) in the transport areas I and II. That is, the first correction value is calculated so that the peripheral speed ratio of the transport amount of the transport region I and the transport region II is “1” for all combinations of the block groups. Accordingly, stable conveyance can be obtained regardless of the values of the rotation phases of the conveyance roller and the paper discharge roller when the recording medium leaves the holding portion of the conveyance roller.

Specifically, the roller circumferential speed V _r is set to a transport amount including a transport error per transport of 16 nozzle widths, so that the transport error Xn converted by the length of 768 nozzles is 48 as expressed in Equation 1. It is obtained by subtracting the value divided by the ideal transport amount.
(Formula 1)
V _r = (16/1200 × 25.4) − (− Xn / 48)
The calculation of the first correction value (Zn) is obtained by the following equation 2.
(Formula 2)
First correction value (Zn) = {(peripheral speed V _r (II) of transport area II) / (peripheral speed (I) of transport area I) −1} * 100
FIG. 18 shows the distribution of the first correction value (Zn), which is a periodic function, and has a maximum value and a minimum value.

  Therefore, the initial phase of the conveyance roller and the discharge roller is adjusted so that the recording medium separates the nipping portion of the conveyance roller in the rotation phase of the conveyance roller and the discharge roller when the roller peripheral speed ratio becomes maximum or minimum. A second correction value is calculated. By controlling the conveyance using the second correction value, the variation range of the conveyance amount can be minimized even when the conveyance amount varies. In the present embodiment, the second correction value is determined in accordance with the size of the recording medium in the sub-scanning direction so that the recording medium leaves the holding portion of the conveying roller when the roller peripheral speed ratio is a block group having a minimum value. Adjust the roller initial phase.

5. First Conveyance Control In the present embodiment, when the paper feed from the ASF paper feed unit is designated as the paper feed transport path in the recording command received from the host device 1000, the size of the recording medium to be recorded and the recording mode Load more. In this embodiment, since the roller circumferential speed ratio distribution between the transport areas I and II is as shown in FIG. 18, the initial phase of the roller is adjusted so that the recording medium separates from the nipping portion of the transport roller in the block group G. Perform the adjustment operation. The EEPROM 103 has a pulse number offset value in consideration of the size of the recording medium and the conveyance correction value depending on the recording mode for each recording medium and each recording mode. The offset value is added in the roller reverse direction from the position of 68 × 128 = 8704 pulses with respect to the center block “68” and the origin of the block group G, and the pulse value of the initial phase is determined. When the phase detection optical sensor confirms that the roller conveyance start position (initial phase) has been adjusted to this pulse value, the paper feeding operation is started and the recording operation is performed until the trailing edge of the recording medium passes the PE sensor E0007. Is implemented.

  Further, when the trailing edge of the recording medium passes the PE sensor E0007, the roller phase at the time of passage is calculated. In the present embodiment, the timing at which the trailing edge of the recording medium leaves is predicted at the timing when it passes through the PE sensor E0007, but it may be predicted at the time of initial phase adjustment before feeding. However, in consideration of the adverse effects caused when the predicted phase shifts due to slippage of the recording medium with respect to the roller, it is desirable that the prediction be performed at the timing at which the rear end of the medium is detached.

  Since the distance from the PE sensor E0007 to the nipping portion (nip) between the conveying roller M3060 and the pinch roller M3070 is 14.16 mm, the number of pulses of the rotary encoder 116 is 5361 pulses. When the phase of the transport roller M3060 when passing through the PE sensor E0007 is “10”, since it is converted to the number of pulses, it becomes 1280 pulses, so that it is 6641 pulses in forward rotation accompanying the transport until separation of the rear end of the medium. When this is converted into a phase block, it becomes “52”, and the first correction value corresponding to the block group E in the figure is applied. In this way, stable conveyance can be realized by correcting the conveyance amount error when the rear end of the medium leaves the clamping portion of the conveyance roller, that is, when the medium transitions from the conveyance region I to II.

  In the transport amount control when entering the nip between the discharge roller and the spur at the tip of the recording medium, the roller peripheral speed between the transport areas before and after the entry is predicted from the phase at the time of entry from the phase at the time of feeding. A correction value for correcting the ratio to “1” may be applied.

6). Second Transport Control During recording by the flat path of the present embodiment, the recording medium is nipped by the transport roller M3060, the pinch roller M3070, the paper discharge rollers M3100 and M3110, and the drive roller system of the spur M3120, from the host device. Receive a record command. Therefore, since it is difficult to adjust the initial phase of the transport roller M3060 using the second correction value, the transport control is performed using only the first correction value.

  Specifically, first, the roller initial phase is not adjusted during the flat pass, and the trailing end of the recording medium (which is the leading position during recording) passes through the flat pass paper detection sensor M3170 when the recording medium is fed into the main body. The phase to be detected is detected. The size of the recording medium and the number of pulses from the recording mode to the rear end separation are calculated from the recording command information, and the roller rotation phase at the time of separation of the rear end of the medium is predicted.

  In the recording apparatus of the present embodiment, the distance from the nip between the conveyance roller M3060 and the pinch roller M3070 to the flat path paper detection sensor M3170 is 52.15 mm. Therefore, when recording an A4 size (297 mm) recording medium with a flat path, the phase is 297−52.15 = 244.85 mm forward rotation from the phase at which the trailing edge of the recording medium (the leading edge during recording) is detected. The trailing edge of the medium is detached. Assuming that the phase of the transport roller M3060 when the trailing edge is detected by the flat path paper detection sensor M3170 is “10”, the number of pulses is 1280, and when the trailing edge is detached, 9499 pulses. When this is converted into a phase block, “74” is obtained, and the first correction value corresponding to the block group H in FIG. 18 is applied.

  Note that the present embodiment can also be applied to the case where the recording medium is reversed by the paper feed path in the recording apparatus and the back surface is recorded after the front surface recording by the duplex recording. That is, when the front surface recording is finished and the back surface recording is started, the state is nipped by the driving roller, and therefore the first correction suitable for the roller peripheral speed ratio corresponding to the predicted phase at the time of rear end separation. Value is applied.

7). Others As described above, in the present embodiment, the first transport control that controls the transport amount using both the first and second correction values, and the first transport control that controls the transport amount using only the first correction value. The second conveyance control is switched according to the conveyance path of the recording medium. That is, in the recording operation by the transport path from the normal ASF sheet feeding unit, the second correction value is used because the recording medium is not nipped by the drive roller system during the recording command standby. As a result, even if a sudden change occurs in the carry amount when the trailing edge of the recording medium is separated, the fluctuation range of the carry amount can be minimized. In addition, since the conveyance path is determined based on information of a sheet feeding unit such as an ASF sheet feeding unit, the first and second conveyance control can be selectively switched based on the information.

  In addition, when there are multiple unstable transfers such as the entry of the leading edge of the medium into the paper discharge roller clamping part and the separation of the trailing edge of the medium, the location most likely to affect the image or the average value of the roller peripheral speed ratio is It is preferable to adjust the initial phase based on the highest point.

  Furthermore, in a recording apparatus that does not have a detection unit for detecting the leading and trailing ends of a recording medium such as a PE sensor that is not sandwiched between drive roller systems before feeding, and does not have an area for storing the first correction value in the EEPROM, The conveyance can be controlled as follows. That is, from the distribution of the first correction value shown in FIG. 18, only the phase where | Zn | is minimum is stored in EEPEOM, and recording is performed at the rotational phase position of the roller with less fluctuation of the transport amount error based on this information. The initial phase of the roller is adjusted before feeding so that the rear end of the medium is detached.

M3060 Conveyance roller M3100 First paper discharge roller M3110 Second paper discharge roller M4000 Carriage 101 CPU
110 Conveyance motor P Recording medium

Claims (3)

A recording head for recording on a recording medium, a conveying roller arranged upstream of the recording head in the conveying direction of the recording medium and conveying the recording medium, and a recording medium arranged upstream of the conveying roller in the conveying direction. A feeding unit that feeds the transport roller; and a paper discharge roller that is disposed downstream of the recording head in the transport direction and transports the recording medium. The switch after the recording medium is fed from the paper discharge roller side In a recording apparatus capable of performing recording with the recording head back,
When the recording medium is fed from the feeding unit, the trailing end of the recording medium is removed from the conveying roller from the state where the recording medium is conveyed by the conveying roller and the paper discharging roller, and the recording medium is discharged. Adjustment operation for adjusting the phase when the transport roller starts transporting the leading edge of the recording medium so that the speed increase rate of the paper discharge roller relative to the transport roller is minimized when switching to the state of being transported by the paper roller And a control unit that does not perform the adjustment operation when the recording medium is fed from the paper discharge roller side.   The recording apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a pinch roller that is urged by the conveyance roller and rotates following the conveyance roller.   The paper discharge tray for stacking the recording medium discharged by the paper discharge roller is further provided, and when the recording medium is fed from the paper discharge roller side, the paper discharge tray is moved upward. The recording apparatus according to 1 or 2.

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