JP5919667B2 - Image recording apparatus and image recording method - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a technique for pulling out a recording medium wound in a sheet shape and supplying the recording medium to a support unit and recording an image on a recording medium supported by the support unit. The present invention relates to a technique for applying tension to a recording medium in a buffer area using a movable roller.

  Patent Document 1 describes an image recording apparatus that pulls out a recording medium from a roll around which the recording medium is wound onto a platen and records an image on the recording medium on the platen. Specifically, a drive roller is disposed between the roll and the platen, and the drive roller rotates while winding the recording medium drawn from the roll, thereby feeding out the recording medium. Then, the recording medium fed out by the driving roller is conveyed onto the platen by a predetermined conveying means. The conveyance of the recording medium onto the platen is executed intermittently, and an image is recorded on the recording medium on the platen every time the recording medium stops intermittently.

  Incidentally, in the area between the driving roller and the platen (buffer area), prior to each intermittent conveyance, a recording medium having a length that is conveyed by the intermittent conveyance is drawn out by the driving roller in advance (that is, Buffered). In the intermittent conveyance, the previously fed recording medium is conveyed from the buffer area to the platen side. In the buffer area, an up-and-down roller movable in the vertical direction is provided. The elevating roller wraps the recording medium in the buffer area while being displaced with the change in the length of the recording medium in the buffer area, and applies tension to the recording medium.

JP 2009-292129 A

  By the way, in the configuration as described above, the tension is continuously applied to the recording medium while the movable roller is wound around a part of the recording medium in the buffer area from the completion of buffer formation to the next intermittent conveyance. For this reason, there is a case in which the part where the movable roller is wound during the period is attached. In particular, if the recording medium fed out to the buffer area in advance is long, the winding angle of the recording medium around the movable roller becomes large, so that the winding is remarkable, and there is a possibility that the image recording performed thereafter is affected. .

  The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object thereof is to provide a technique for suppressing the winding of a recording medium caused by a movable roller.

In order to achieve the above object, an image recording apparatus according to the present invention supplies a recording medium from a holding unit that holds a recording medium wound in a roll shape onto a support unit, and applies the recording medium on the support unit to the recording medium. In an image recording apparatus for recording an image, the recording medium drawn out from the holding unit is wound around and rotated to feed out the recording roller and a buffer area provided between the feeding roller and the support unit. The recording medium is intermittently conveyed by the conveyance unit, which intermittently repeats intermittent conveyance for intermittently conveying the recording medium fed by the roller from the buffer area to the support unit side and intermittent stop for stopping the intermittent conveyance, and the conveyance unit. When stopped, the recording unit that records an image on a recording medium positioned on the support unit, and the back of the buffer while being displaced as the length of the recording medium in the buffer area changes. A moving roller that wraps the recording medium in the key area and applies tension to the recording medium; a high-speed feeding operation that feeds the recording medium to the buffer area at a first speed by controlling the rotation of the feeding roller; And a controller that selectively executes a low-speed feeding operation of feeding the recording medium to the buffer area at a low second speed, and winding the movable roller winds the recording medium as the recording medium in the buffer area becomes longer angle is increased, the control unit from the state where the conveyance is stopped the feed and the recording medium from the buffer area to the supporting portion of the recording medium from the feeding roller to the buffer region, after the intermittent transport of the recording medium by the conveyance unit has started A high-speed feeding operation is started, and the recording medium transported from the buffer area to the support section by the intermittent transport is transferred from the holding section to the buffer area. With feeding, start the slow feeding operation subsequent to the high-speed feeding operation, when the transport unit is intermittently stop the exit and the recording medium intermittent transport of the recording medium, the support from the buffer area by the following intermittent transport the recording medium conveyed to the parts side from the out repeatedly in the buffer area is characterized by ends the slow feeding operation.

In order to achieve the above object, the image recording method according to the present invention performs recording by winding and rotating a holding unit that holds a recording medium wound in a roll shape, and a recording medium drawn from the holding unit. An intermittent transport and an intermittent transport for intermittently transporting a recording medium fed by a feed roller to a buffer area provided between the feed roller and the support section and intermittently transporting the recording medium from the buffer area to the support section side. Using a conveyance unit that repeatedly performs the intermittent stop to be stopped alternately and a recording unit that records an image on a recording medium positioned on the support unit when the recording medium is intermittently stopped by the conveyance unit, In an image recording method for recording an image on a recording medium, the recording medium can be wound around the buffer area while displacing as the length of the recording medium changes in the buffer area. A high speed feeding operation for feeding the recording medium to the buffer area at the first speed and a low speed feeding action for feeding the recording medium to the buffer area at the second speed lower than the first speed while applying tension to the recording medium by the roller. The angle at which the movable roller wraps the recording medium increases as the recording medium in the buffer area becomes longer, and in the process, the recording medium is fed from the feeding roller to the buffer area and supported from the buffer area. From the state in which the conveyance of the recording medium to the section is stopped, the intermittent conveyance of the recording medium is started by the conveyance section, and then the high-speed feeding operation is started, and the recording medium conveyed from the buffer area to the support section side by the intermittent conveyance is held. While feeding from the part side to the buffer area, the low-speed feeding operation is started following the high-speed feeding operation, When the feed portion is intermittently stop the exit and the recording medium intermittent transport of the recording medium, the after decremental the recording medium conveyed from the buffer area to the support part side by the next intermittent transport in the buffer area The low-speed feeding operation is ended .

  In the invention thus configured (image recording apparatus, image recording method), the feeding roller feeds the recording medium to the buffer area provided between the feeding roller and the support portion. The feeding roller can execute a high-speed feeding operation for feeding the recording medium to the buffer area at the first speed and a low-speed feeding operation for feeding the recording medium to the buffer area at a second speed lower than the first speed. Among these, the high-speed feeding operation is performed when the conveyance unit starts intermittent conveyance of the recording medium, and the recording medium conveyed from the buffer area to the support unit side by the intermittent conveyance is fed out to the buffer area. On the other hand, the low-speed feeding operation is to feed the recording medium conveyed from the buffer area to the support side to the buffer area in the next intermittent conveyance to be executed. It is an operation to form.

  In other words, the feeding roller is configured so that, in addition to the buffer formation (low-speed feeding operation) for feeding the recording medium to the buffer area in advance prior to the next intermittent conveyance, when the conveyance unit starts the intermittent conveyance of the recording medium, It is possible to execute an operation (high-speed feeding operation) for feeding the recording medium transported from the recording medium to the support side into the buffer area. Therefore, by performing the latter operation, the recording medium transported from the buffer area to the support portion side by intermittent transport can be fed out to the buffer area after the start of the intermittent transport. For this reason, it is possible to shorten the recording medium fed in advance to the buffer area before the start of the intermittent conveyance, and to suppress the winding of the recording medium.

  Furthermore, according to the present invention, the operation of forming a buffer in the buffer area is executed at a relatively low second speed (low speed feeding operation), which makes it possible to more effectively suppress winding. Yes. In other words, the longer the period from the completion of buffer formation to the next intermittent conveyance, the longer the time during which the movable roller continues to apply tension to a part of the recording medium in the buffer area, and the winding tends to become conspicuous. . On the other hand, by forming the buffer at a relatively low second speed, the completion of the buffer formation can be delayed, and the period from the completion of the buffer formation to the next intermittent conveyance can be shortened. As a result, winding of the recording medium can be more effectively suppressed.

  The high-speed feeding operation and the low-speed feeding operation described above are preferably executed at an appropriate timing according to the length of the recording medium in the buffer area. On the other hand, the movable roller is displaced with a change in the length of the recording medium in the buffer area. Therefore, the image recording apparatus may be configured such that the control unit that controls the high-speed feeding operation and the low-speed feeding operation has a sensor that detects the displacement of the movable roller. Accordingly, the above-described high-speed feeding operation and low-speed feeding operation can be executed at an appropriate timing according to the length of the recording medium in the buffer area. Specifically, it may be configured as follows.

  That is, the control unit performs the high-speed feeding operation based on the result of detecting the displacement of the movable roller that moves as the length of the recording medium in the buffer area decreases after the conveyance unit starts intermittent conveyance of the recording medium. The image recording device may be configured to start. Thus, when the intermittent conveyance of the recording medium is started and the length of the recording medium in the buffer area is shortened, the high-speed feeding operation is promptly started to perform the recording necessary for the intermittent conveyance of the recording medium. The medium can be fed out to the buffer area.

  Further, in the image recording apparatus in which the first speed in the high-speed feeding operation is lower than the speed at which the conveyance unit conveys the recording medium, the buffer area is recorded along with the intermittent conveyance by the conveyance unit even after the high-speed feeding operation is started. The media length tends to decrease. In such a configuration, the reduction in the length of the recording medium in the buffer area reflects the time since the start of the high-speed feeding operation, in other words, the length of the recording medium fed out to the buffer area by the high-speed feeding operation. To do. Therefore, the timing at which the high-speed feeding operation is stopped and switched to the low-speed feeding operation may be controlled based on the reduction in the length of the recording medium in the buffer area.

  That is, the control unit shifts from the high-speed feeding operation to the low-speed feeding operation based on the result of detecting the displacement of the movable roller that moves as the length of the recording medium in the buffer area decreases after the start of the high-speed feeding operation. The image recording apparatus may be configured to switch the operation. As a result, when the high-speed feeding operation is performed for a certain period of time and a recording medium sufficient for intermittent conveyance by the conveyance unit is fed out to the buffer area, the low-speed feeding operation is started immediately for the next intermittent conveyance. It is possible to move to the operation of forming a buffer.

  Further, the control unit stops the low-speed feeding operation based on the result of detecting the displacement of the movable roller that moves as the length of the recording medium in the buffer area increases after the start of the low-speed feeding operation. An image recording apparatus may be configured. In such a configuration, when the low-speed feeding operation is executed for a certain time and a buffer sufficient for the next intermittent conveyance is formed, the low-speed feeding operation is quickly stopped to form an unnecessarily long buffer. This can be suppressed.

  Incidentally, the control unit controls the motor that drives the feeding roller, and the image recording apparatus that executes the high-speed feeding operation and the low-speed feeding operation has the following advantages by applying the present invention. That is, such a motor does not stop immediately even if it receives a stop command, but rotates to some extent by inertia. At this time, the amount of inertia rotation increases as the immediately preceding rotation speed increases. In contrast, in the present invention, since the low-speed driving operation for driving the feeding roller at a relatively low speed is performed before the feeding roller is stopped, the amount of rotation of the motor due to inertia can be kept small. There are advantages.

  By the way, the recording unit has a nozzle that ejects liquid onto a recording medium that intermittently stops on the support unit, and repeats main scanning that moves in the main scanning direction while ejecting liquid from the nozzle a plurality of times. The image recording apparatus can be configured to form an image. However, in such a configuration, the longer the number of main scans, the longer the time for which the recording medium is intermittently stopped. In other words, the interval at which intermittent conveyance is executed becomes longer. Therefore, the period from the completion of buffer formation to the next intermittent conveyance also tends to be long. Therefore, the control unit may configure the image recording apparatus so that the second speed in the low-speed feeding operation is set lower as the number of main scans repeated to form an image on the recording medium increases. Thus, even when the number of main scans is large, completion of buffer formation can be delayed accordingly. As a result, the period from the completion of buffer formation to the next intermittent conveyance can be shortened, and the winding of the recording medium can be effectively suppressed.

  The movable roller may be one that applies tension to the recording medium by its own weight, or one that applies tension to the recording medium by an urging force from an urging member.

1 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of a printing system to which the present invention can be applied. The schematic diagram which shows the structure of a steering unit. The top view which shows the structure of a recording unit partially. FIG. 2 is a block diagram schematically showing an electrical configuration included in the printing system of FIG. 1. Explanatory drawing of operation | movement of a feeding roller and a conveyance roller. The timing chart of operation | movement of a feeding roller and a conveyance roller.

  FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of a printing system to which the present invention can be applied. In FIG. 1 and the following drawings, XYZ orthogonal coordinates with the Z axis as the vertical axis are also shown as necessary in order to clarify the arrangement relationship of each part of the apparatus. In the following explanation, the direction in which each coordinate axis (the arrow) faces is a positive direction, the opposite direction is a negative direction, the positive side of the Z axis is the upper side, and the negative side of the Z axis is the lower side.

  The printing system 100 includes a host device 200 that generates print data based on image data received from an external device such as a personal computer, and a printer 300 that prints an image based on print data received from the host device 200. The printer 300 prints an image on the sheet S using an inkjet method while feeding out a long sheet S wound in a roll shape.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the printer 300 includes a main body case 1 having a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape. Inside the main body case 1, a feeding unit 2 that feeds out the sheet S drawn from the roll R1 around which the sheet S is wound, a printing chamber 3 that performs printing by ejecting ink onto the fed sheet S, and a sheet on which the ink is adhered. A drying unit 4 for drying S and a winding unit 5 for winding the dried sheet S as a roll R2 are arranged.

  More specifically, the inside of the main body case 1 is partitioned vertically in the Z-axis direction by a flat base 6 arranged in parallel (that is, horizontally) to the XY plane, and the upper side of the base 6 is the printing chamber 3. It has become. A platen 30 is fixed to the upper surface of the base 6 at a substantially central portion in the printing chamber 3. The platen 30 has a rectangular shape, and supports the sheet S from below by its upper surface parallel to the XY plane. Then, the recording unit 31 performs printing on the sheet S supported on the platen 30.

  On the other hand, the feeding unit 2, the drying unit 4, and the winding unit 5 are disposed below the base 6. The feeding unit 2 is disposed below the platen 30 in the negative X-axis direction (left obliquely lower in FIG. 1), and includes a rotatable holding shaft 21 that holds the roll R1 around which the sheet S is wound. Yes. Further, the feeding unit 2 includes a roller 22 and a feeding roller 23 arranged in the X-axis direction on the upper side of the holding shaft 21. Then, the sheet S drawn from the roll R1 of the holding shaft 21 is stretched around the roller 22 and the feeding roller 23 in this order. The feeding roller 23 has a peripheral surface formed of rubber, and is a driving roller that rotates by receiving a rotational driving force from the feeding motor Mb (FIG. 4). The feeding roller 23 performs a function of feeding the sheet S by rotating in a state where the sheet S drawn from the holding shaft 21 is wound. Incidentally, the feeding unit 2 is provided with a pressing roller 24 urged toward the feeding roller 23 so that the feeding of the sheet S by the feeding roller 23 can be surely performed. The feeding roller 23 is pressed with being sandwiched.

In addition, a braking force is applied to the holding shaft 21 in order to apply a tension necessary for functioning the meandering control function of the steering unit SU described later. In particular,
・ A brake is provided on the holding shaft 21 itself.
-The paper tube of the roll R1 is pressed and fixed in the axial direction against the fixing flange of the holding shaft 21.
-A brake roller that is urged toward the holding shaft 21 and is rotatable is pressed against the outer peripheral surface of the roll R1 held by the holding shaft 21.
By either of these, it is possible to apply a braking force to the holding shaft 21.

  On the other hand, the winding unit 5 is disposed below the platen 30 in the positive X-axis direction (downwardly to the right in FIG. 1), and includes a rotatable winding shaft 51. The sheet S is wound around the winding shaft 51, and the roll R2 is supported. Specifically, a motor that drives the take-up shaft 51 rotates the take-up shaft 51 in synchronization with intermittent conveyance of the sheet S by a later-described conveyance roller 73, whereby the intermittently conveyed sheets S are sequentially rolled. It is wound around the winding shaft 51 as R2. Further, the drying unit 4 is disposed directly below the platen 30 between the feeding unit 2 and the winding unit 5 in the X-axis direction. The drying unit 4 is slightly above the feeding unit 2 and the winding unit 5. The sheet S conveyed from the feeding unit 2 to the winding unit 5 sequentially passes through the printing chamber 3 and the drying unit 4 while being guided by a sheet conveyance system including ten rollers 70 to 79. To do. Specifically, it is as follows.

  The sheet S fed by the feeding roller 23 of the feeding unit 2 is stretched around the movable roller 70 and the rollers 71 and 72 in this order. The movable roller 70 is pivotally supported at one end of a rotating frame 701 (swinging arm). The rotating frame 701 is configured to be rotatable about a rotating shaft 702 provided at the other end. Therefore, the movable roller is rotatable about the rotation shaft 702 integrally with the rotation frame 701. The movable roller 70 configured as described above is in contact with the sheet S stretched between the feeding roller 23 and the roller 71 from above due to its own weight. Thus, the movable roller 70 is displaced in the vertical direction according to the reaction received from the sheet S. That is, the movable roller 70 wraps the sheet S in the buffer region while displacing with the change in the length of the sheet S in the region (buffer region) from the feeding roller 23 to the roller 71, and tensions the sheet S. Acts as a dancer roller.

  Incidentally, in order to detect the displacement of the movable roller 70, three displacement sensors S1 to S3 are arranged in this order from the lower side in the Z-axis direction in the path along which the rotary frame 701 moves as it rotates. While these displacement sensors S1 to S3 normally output a high signal, the displacement sensors S1 to S3 detect the rotating frames 701 that have come to their opposite positions and output a low signal. Based on the outputs of the displacement sensors S1 to S3, the operations of the feeding roller 23 and a later-described transport roller 73 are controlled. Details of this control will be described later with reference to FIGS.

  On the other hand, the rollers 71 and 72 constitute a steering unit SU that controls the meandering of the sheet S. FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of the steering unit. The rollers 71 and 72 are supported by a movable table (not shown) in a state in which the respective rotation axes are arranged in parallel to each other. This movable table is configured to be rotatable about the central portion of the roller 71 on the upstream side in the moving direction of the sheet S as the rotation center Ccy. Therefore, when the movable table rotates upon receiving the driving force of the steering motor Mc (FIG. 4), the arrangement direction Dr of the rollers 71 and 72 is inclined with respect to the moving direction of the sheet S by an angle θ. Therefore, in the range from the roller 71 to the roller 72, the sheet S moves while being inclined by the angle θ. As a result, the meandering of the sheet S can be controlled by appropriately adjusting the inclination angle θ.

  Thus, the sheet S that has been fed by the feeding roller 23 and has passed through the steering unit SU is guided upward from the roller 72. On the other hand, two rollers 73 and 74 are arranged in this order in the X-axis positive direction above the roller 72 and inside the printing chamber 3. Among these rollers 73 and 74, the roller 73 is a drive roller that has a plurality of minute metal protrusions on the peripheral surface and rotates by receiving a rotational driving force from the transport motor Ms. The transport roller 73 performs a function of transporting the sheet S onto the platen 30 by rotating in a state where the sheet S is wound from the feed roller 23 and passed through the steering unit SU. Incidentally, a press roller 79 urged toward the transport roller 73 is provided in the printing chamber 3 so that the feeding of the sheet S by the transport roller 73 can be performed with certainty. The conveying roller 73 is pressed while being sandwiched.

  The transport roller 73 and the roller 74 are arranged in a straight line (that is, horizontally) in the X-axis direction so as to sandwich the platen 30, and the top of each platen 30 is the upper surface (surface that supports the sheet S). The position is adjusted to be the same height. Accordingly, the sheet S wound around the transport roller 73 moves horizontally (in the X-axis direction) while being in sliding contact with the upper surface of the platen 30 until reaching the roller 74. Then, the sheet S wound around the roller 74 is guided downward.

  On the lower side of the roller 74 (below the base 6), two rollers 75 and 76 are arranged in this order in the negative X-axis direction. The sheet S wound around the rollers 75 and 76 is guided between the rollers 75 and 76 in parallel (that is, horizontally) in the X-axis direction. A drying unit 4 is disposed between the rollers 75 and 76. Accordingly, the sheet S wound around the roller 75 changes its direction in the negative direction of the X axis and passes through the inside of the drying unit 4 until reaching the roller 76.

  Below the roller 76, the two rollers 77 and 78 are arranged in this order in the positive direction of the X axis. Then, the sheet S wound around the roller 77 changes its direction in the positive direction of the X axis and reaches the roller 78. Further, the sheet S wound around the roller 78 is wound around the winding shaft 51 of the winding unit 5 arranged in the positive X-axis direction of the roller 78.

  In this way, the sheet S fed out from the feeding unit 2 passes through the printing chamber 3 and the drying unit 4 and is taken up by the winding unit 5. The sheet S is subjected to a printing process in the printing chamber 3 and a drying process in the drying unit 4.

  The printing process in the printing chamber 3 is executed by the recording unit 31 arranged on the upper side of the platen 30. The recording unit 31 uses an ink jet system to supply ink supplied by an ink supply mechanism (not shown) from an ink cartridge CR disposed at the end in the negative X-axis direction (the left end in FIG. 1) in the printing chamber 3 using a sheet S. To be printed. Specifically, the recording unit 31 includes a carriage 32, a flat support plate 33 attached to the lower surface of the carriage 32, and a plurality of recording heads 34 attached to the lower surface of the support plate 33.

  FIG. 3 is a plan view partially showing the configuration of the recording unit. As shown in FIG. 2, on the lower surface of the support plate 33, fifteen recording heads 34 are arranged in two rows in a staggered manner at an equal pitch in the Y-axis direction. These recording heads 34 eject ink from nozzles 35 and have the same configuration. Therefore, in the following, the details of the configuration will be described on behalf of one recording head 34.

  On the lower surface of the recording head 34, a plurality of (for example, 180) nozzles 35 are linearly arranged at equal pitches in the Y-axis direction to form one nozzle row 35L, and the plurality of nozzle rows 35L are arranged in the X-axis direction. They are lined up at equal pitches. The plurality of nozzle rows 35L arranged on the lower surface of the recording head 34 correspond to mutually different ink colors. For example, when eight colors of ink are used, eight nozzle rows 35L are arranged on the lower surface of the recording head 34. The nozzles 35 belonging to the same nozzle row 35L eject the same color ink, while the nozzles 35 belonging to different nozzle rows 35L eject different color inks. The nozzle 35 is of a piezo type that ejects ink out of the tube by applying a voltage to a piezo element attached to a fine tube filled with ink and deforming it.

  Returning to FIG. 1, the description will be continued. The carriage 32 of the recording unit 31 configured as described above is movable together with the support plate 33 and the recording head 34. Specifically, a first guide rail 36 extending in the X-axis direction is provided in the printing chamber 3, and the carriage 32 receives the driving force of the first CR motor Mx (FIG. 4) and receives the first guide. It moves along the rail 36 in the X-axis direction. Further, a second guide rail (not shown) extending in the Y-axis direction is provided in the printing chamber 3, and the carriage 32 receives the driving force of the second CR motor My (FIG. 4) and receives the second guide. Move along the rail in the Y-axis direction.

  Then, printing is executed by moving the carriage 32 of the recording unit 31 two-dimensionally within the XY plane with respect to the sheet S stopped on the upper surface of the platen 30. Specifically, the recording unit 31 performs an operation (main scanning) of ejecting ink from each nozzle 35 of the recording head 34 to the sheet S while moving the carriage 32 in the X-axis direction (main scanning direction). In this main scanning, a two-dimensional image is printed by arranging a plurality of one-line images (line images) extending in the X-axis direction and spaced apart in the Y-axis direction, formed by ink ejected from one nozzle. Is done. Then, the main scanning and the sub scanning for moving the carriage 32 in the Y-axis direction (sub scanning direction) are alternately performed, and a plurality of main scannings are performed (lateral scanning method).

  That is, when the recording unit 31 completes one main scan, the recording unit 31 performs sub-scanning to move the carriage 32 in the Y-axis direction. Subsequently, the recording unit 31 moves the carriage 32 in the X-axis direction (opposite to the previous main scanning) from the position moved by the sub-scanning. As a result, a new main scan line image is formed between each of the plurality of line images already formed by the previous main scan. Then, these main scanning and sub-scanning are executed alternately. That is, in the printer 300, the operation (main scanning) in which an intermediate generation image including a plurality of line images is formed by ejecting ink from the nozzles 35 while moving the carriage 32 in the X-axis direction is performed in the Y-axis direction. By changing the position (sub-scanning) and executing a plurality of times, an image in which the intermediate generation images are superimposed is formed.

  In this way, one printing is executed by executing a plurality of main scans. Here, one main scan is referred to as “pass”, and one printing executed by a plurality of passes is referred to as “frame”. Further, an intermediate generated image formed on the sheet S in one pass is referred to as “one pass image”.

  The reason why the main scanning and the sub scanning are alternately repeated is to improve the resolution. That is, by executing M passes and superimposing M one-pass images, it is possible to obtain an image for one frame having a resolution M times that of the one-pass image. Therefore, the recording unit 31 executes printing of one frame by executing the number of passes corresponding to the resolution of the image to be printed.

  Incidentally, the carriage 32 can reciprocate in the X-axis direction. Therefore, the recording unit 31 efficiently executes a plurality of passes by executing passes on each of the forward path and the return path of the carriage 32.

  The printing of one frame as described above is repeatedly executed while the sheet S is moved intermittently in the X-axis direction. Specifically, a predetermined range over almost the entire upper surface of the platen 30 is a printing area. Then, the sheet S is intermittently conveyed in the X-axis direction in units of the distance corresponding to the length in the X-axis direction of the printing region (intermittent conveyance distance Ls), and on the upper surface of the platen 30 during the intermittent conveyance. One frame is printed on the sheet S to be stopped. Specifically, when printing of one frame is completed on the sheet S stopped on the platen 30, the conveyance roller 73 is rotated by receiving a driving force from the conveyance motor Ms, and the sheet S is moved in the X-axis direction by an intermittent conveyance distance. Be transported. Thus, the unprinted surface of the sheet S stops on the platen 30. Subsequently, printing of one frame is newly performed on this unprinted surface, and when this is completed, the conveyance roller 73 rotates again, and the sheet S is conveyed in the X-axis direction by the intermittent conveyance distance. These series of operations are repeatedly executed.

  In order to keep the sheet S stopped on the upper surface of the platen 30 flat during intermittent conveyance, the platen 30 includes a mechanism for sucking the stopped sheet S on the upper surface thereof. Specifically, a large number of suction holes (not shown) are opened on the upper surface of the platen 30, and a suction portion 37 is attached to the lower surface of the platen 30. When the suction unit 37 operates, a negative pressure is generated in the suction hole on the upper surface of the platen 30, and the sheet S is sucked on the upper surface of the platen 30. The suction unit 37 sucks the sheet S while the sheet S is stopped on the platen 30 for printing, thereby keeping the sheet S flat. And the sheet S can be smoothly conveyed.

  Further, a heater 38 is attached to the lower surface of the platen 30. The heater 38 heats the platen 30 to a predetermined temperature (for example, 45 degrees). Accordingly, the sheet S is primarily dried by the heat of the platen 30 in parallel with receiving the printing process from the recording head 34. And the drying of the ink which landed on the sheet | seat S is accelerated | stimulated by this primary drying.

  In this way, on the upper surface of the platen 30, the sheet S that has received one frame of printing and is primarily dried moves along with the intermittent conveyance of the sheet S and reaches the drying unit 4. The drying unit 4 executes a drying process in which the ink landed on the sheet S is completely dried by air heated for drying. Then, the sheet S that has been subjected to the drying process reaches the winding unit 5 as the sheet S is intermittently conveyed, and is wound as a roll R2.

  As described above, the printing / drying process is performed on the sheet S by the recording unit 31 and the drying unit 4. The printer 300 includes a maintenance unit 9 in addition to the recording unit 31 and the drying unit 4 described above. The maintenance unit 9 is provided at a position deviating from the platen 30 in the negative X-axis direction, and performs maintenance on the recording head 34 that is retracted to the home position (position just above the maintenance unit) during non-printing. The maintenance unit 9 includes 15 caps 91 provided in a one-to-one correspondence with the 15 recording heads 34, and an elevating unit 93 that moves the cap 91 up and down.

  Maintenance performed by the maintenance unit 9 includes capping, cleaning, and wiping. Capping is a process in which the cap 91 is raised by the elevating part 93 and the recording head 34 in the home position is covered with the cap 91. By this capping, it is possible to suppress an increase in the viscosity of the ink in the nozzles 35 of the recording head 34. The cleaning is a process for forcibly discharging ink from the nozzles 35 by generating a negative pressure in the cap 91 with the recording head 34 capped. By this cleaning, ink with increased viscosity, bubbles in the ink, and the like can be removed from the nozzle 35. Wiping is a process of wiping a surface (nozzle opening forming surface) in which the openings of the nozzles 35 are arranged in the recording head 34 with a wiper (not shown). By this wiping, the ink can be wiped off from the nozzle opening forming surface of the recording head 34.

  The above is the outline of the apparatus configuration included in the printing system 100. Next, FIG. 4 is added to FIG. 1 described above, and the electrical configuration of the printing system of FIG. 1 will be described in detail. Here, FIG. 4 is a block diagram schematically showing an electrical configuration of the printing system of FIG.

  As described above, the printing system 100 includes the printer 300 and the host device 200 that controls the printer 300. The host device 200 is configured by, for example, a personal computer, and includes a printer driver 210 that controls the operation of the printer 300 and a transfer control unit 220 that manages a communication function with the printer 300. The printer driver 210 is constructed by a CPU (Central Processing Unit) included in the host device 200 executing a program for the printer driver 210.

  In addition, the host device 200 includes a media drive unit 240 that accesses a medium 230 that stores a printer driver program and reads the program. As this medium 230, various media such as a CD (Compact Disc), a DVD (Digital Versatile Disc), a USB (Universal Serial Bus) memory, and the like can be used.

  Furthermore, the host device 200 includes a monitor 250 configured with a liquid crystal display or the like and an operation unit 260 configured with a keyboard, a mouse, or the like as an interface with the worker. Note that a touch panel display may be used as the monitor 250, and the operation unit 260 may be configured by the touch panel of the monitor 250. In addition to the image to be printed, a menu screen is displayed on the monitor 250. Therefore, the operator operates the operation unit 260 while confirming the monitor 250 to open the print setting screen from the menu screen, and various types such as the type of the print medium, the size of the print medium, the print quality, and the plate number are displayed. Printing conditions can be set.

  The type of print medium (that is, sheet S) is broadly classified into paper and film. Specific examples include high-quality paper, cast paper, art paper, coated paper, and the like for paper, and synthetic paper, PET (Polyethylene terephthalate), PP (polypropylene), and the like for film. As the size of the print medium, the width of the sheet S (width in the Y-axis direction) is set. The print quality can be set by selecting one print mode from a plurality of print modes prepared according to the printing resolution. An example is as follows. That is, in the printer 300, the resolution can be changed by changing the number of passes executed in one frame. Therefore, a plurality of print modes having different numbers of passes executed in one frame may be prepared, and a print mode having the number of passes corresponding to the printing resolution may be selected. Thus, printing can be executed with a resolution corresponding to the number of passes of the selected print mode. Note that the print quality may be set by directly inputting the resolution instead of the print mode. The number of plates is set when a plurality of plates (images) are printed in the same area of the print medium. Specifically, the number of plates to be printed is set. Incidentally, when a plurality of versions are set, an image for each version can be displayed on the monitor 250.

  The printer driver 210 includes a host control unit 211 that controls display on the monitor 250 and input processing from the operation unit 260 as described above. That is, the host control unit 211 displays various screens such as a menu screen and a print setting screen on the monitor 250 and performs processing according to the contents input from the operation unit 260 on the various screens. Accordingly, the host control unit 211 generates a control signal necessary for controlling the printer 300 in accordance with an input from the worker.

  Further, the printer driver 210 includes an image processing unit 213 that performs image processing on image data received from an external device and generates print data. Specifically, image processing such as resolution conversion processing, color conversion processing, and halftone processing is executed.

  The control signal generated by the host control unit 211 and the print data generated by the image processing unit 213 are transferred to the printer control unit 400 provided in the main body case 1 of the printer 300 via the transfer control unit 220. Is done. The transfer control unit 220 can perform bi-directional serial communication with the printer control unit 400. The transfer control unit 220 transfers control signals and print data to the printer control unit 400, and sends response signals to the printer control unit 400. Are transmitted to the host control unit 211.

  The printer control unit 400 includes a head controller 410 and a mechanical controller 420. The head controller 410 controls the recording head 34 based on the print data transmitted from the printer driver 210. Specifically, the head controller 410 controls ink ejection from the nozzles 35 of the recording head 34 based on print data. At this time, the timing of ejecting ink from the nozzles 35 is controlled based on the movement of the carriage 32 in the X-axis direction. That is, a linear encoder E32 that detects the position of the carriage 32 in the X-axis direction is provided in the printing chamber 3. Then, the head controller 410 refers to the output of the linear encoder E32 to eject ink from the nozzles 35 at a timing according to the movement of the carriage 32 in the X-axis direction.

  On the other hand, the mechanical controller 420 mainly controls a function of controlling the feeding / conveying of the sheet S and the driving of the carriage 32. Specifically, the mechanical controller 420 drives the rotation of the feeding roller 23 and the conveying roller Ms to control the feeding of the sheet S by the feeding roller 23 and the intermittent conveyance of the sheet S by the conveying roller 73. Further, an encoder Emc that detects the rotation of the transport motor Ms is provided, and the mechanical controller 420 refers to the output of the encoder Emc to execute the intermittent transport of the sheet S with high accuracy. The mechanical controller 420 controls the first CR motor Mx to cause the carriage 32 to move in the X-axis direction for main scanning, and controls the second CR motor Mx to perform sub-scanning. Is moved in the Y-axis direction by the carriage 32.

  Then, the head controller 410 and the mechanical controller 420 perform these controls as appropriate while synchronizing them, so that the number of passes corresponding to the resolution is executed for the sheet S that is intermittently conveyed, and 1 frame Minutes of printing. As a result, an image for one frame having a desired resolution is printed on the sheet S.

  The mechanical controller 420 can execute various controls in addition to the above-described control for the printing process. Specifically, the mechanical controller 420 detects the on / off state of the power switch SW, and executes the activation process of each unit of the printer 300 when the power switch SW is turned on. Further, the mechanical controller 420 feedback-controls the heater 38 based on the output of the temperature sensor S30 that detects the temperature of the upper surface of the platen 30, and based on the output of the temperature sensor S4 that detects the temperature inside the drying unit 4. Then, temperature control such as feedback control of the drying unit 4 is executed. Further, the mechanical controller 420 controls the suction unit 37 to adjust the negative pressure generated in the suction hole of the platen 30, controls the maintenance unit 9 to perform predetermined maintenance, and controls the discharge bias generation unit 84. Each operation such as controlling and adjusting the value of the discharge bias can be executed. The mechanical controller 420 also has a function of controlling the steering motor Mc and suppressing the meandering of the seat S.

  As described above, the mechanical controller 420 controls the feeding of the sheet S by the feeding roller 23 and the intermittent conveyance of the sheet S by the conveying roller 73. Next, operations of the feeding roller 23 and the transport roller 73 that are executed under the control of the mechanical controller 420 will be described.

  FIG. 5 is an operation explanatory view of the feeding roller and the transport roller. FIG. 6 is a timing chart of operations of the feeding roller and the conveying roller. In FIG. 6, a graph showing the operation of the transport motor Mx, the output of the displacement sensor S1, the output of the displacement sensor S2, the rotational speed of the feeding motor Mb and the feeding speed of the feeding roller 23 is shown with time on the horizontal axis. Yes.

  At time t0 before intermittent conveyance of the sheet S by the conveyance roller 73 is started (that is, during intermittent stop), the state is in step S1. In this state, the sheet S having a length Lb sufficient for intermittent conveyance to be executed next exists in the buffer region Rb from the feeding roller 23 to the roller 71. Here, the buffer region Rb is a region from the top of the feeding roller 23 to the top of the roller 71, and the length Lb of the sheet S in the buffer region Lb is from the top of the feeding roller 23 to the top of the roller 71. The circumference of the sheet S. In the state of step S1, the movable roller 70 is positioned relatively downward according to the length Lb of the sheet Sb in the buffer region Rb, and the rotating frame 701 is positioned below the displacement sensor S1. And the state of step S1 continues until the intermittent conveyance by the conveyance roller 73 is started.

  When the transport motor Mx is turned on at time t1, the transport roller 73 starts to rotate, and the sheet S is transported from the buffer region Rb toward the platen 30 (transport roller 73 side) at a speed Vs. Along with this, the peripheral length of the sheet S in the buffer region Rb decreases, and the movable roller 70 and one end of the rotating frame 701 rise. When the rotary frame 701 crosses in front of the displacement sensor S1 at time t2 (step S2), the output of the displacement sensor S1 switches from high to low.

  The mechanical controller 420 that has received the low signal of the displacement sensor S1 instructs the feeding motor Mb to rotate at the speed Va. Receiving this command, the feeding motor Mb accelerates the rotation to the speed Va over a period of time from time t1. Accordingly, the feeding roller 23 feeds the sheet S to the buffer area Rb at a speed V1 (high speed feeding operation). Thus, the sheet S that has been fed to the buffer region Rb by the feeding roller 23 at the speed V1 is sequentially carried out from the buffer region Rb by the ongoing intermittent conveyance. That is, in this high-speed feeding operation, the feeding roller 23 feeds the sheet S conveyed from the buffer region Rb to the platen 30 side by the ongoing intermittent conveyance to the buffer region Rb at a speed V1.

  Incidentally, the speed V1 at which the feeding roller 23 feeds the sheet S to the buffer area Rb is lower than the speed Vs at which the transport roller 73 carries out the sheet S from the buffer area Rb. Accordingly, the circumferential length of the sheet S in the buffer region Rb also decreases after time t2 when the feeding roller 23 starts feeding the sheet S. As a result, the movable roller 70 and one end of the rotating frame 701 continue to rise after time t2.

  When the rotating frame 701 crosses in front of the displacement sensor S2 at time t3 (step S3), the output of the displacement sensor S2 switches from high to low. The position of the displacement sensor S2 corresponds to the position of the rotating frame 701 at the time when the sheet S necessary for the ongoing intermittent conveyance has been delivered to the buffer region Rb. Accordingly, the mechanical controller 420 that has received the low signal of the displacement sensor S2 issues a command to decelerate the rotation to the speed Vb (<Va) to the feeding motor Mb in order to stop the high-speed feeding operation.

  Receiving this command, the feeding motor Mb decelerates the rotation to the speed Vb over a period of time from time t3. Accordingly, the feeding roller 23 stops the high-speed feeding operation at the speed V1, and starts the low-speed feeding operation for feeding the sheet S at the speed V2 (<V1). In this low speed feeding operation, the sheet S carried out from the buffer area Rb in the next intermittent conveyance is fed in advance to the buffer area Rb at a speed V2.

  Thereafter, one end of the movable roller 70 and the rotating frame 701 is slightly raised until the conveyance motor Mx is turned off at time t4 and the intermittent conveyance of the sheet S by the conveyance roller 73 is stopped. Then, at time t4, when the conveyance motor Mx finishes intermittently conveying the sheet S by the intermittent conveyance distance Ls, the conveyance motor Mx stops rotating and ends the intermittent conveyance (step S4).

  Here, a displacement sensor S3 is provided above the displacement sensor S2. This displacement sensor S3 is provided in preparation for a case where the conveyance motor Mx does not stop after completion of intermittent conveyance for some reason. That is, even after the intermittent conveyance is completed, the conveyance motor Mx continues to rotate, and when the movable roller 70 moves up and crosses the displacement sensor S3, the mechanical controller 420 receives the high signal output from the displacement sensor S3 and conveys. The motor Mx is forcibly stopped.

  On the other hand, when the conveyance motor Mx is safely turned off and the intermittent conveyance of the sheet S by the conveyance roller 73 is stopped, the buffer area is then moved along with the feeding roller 23 feeding the sheet S to the buffer area Rb at the speed V2. The peripheral length of the sheet S of Rb increases. Thereby, one end of the movable roller 70 and the rotating frame 701 is lowered.

  On the other hand, when the rotating frame 701 descending is detected, the displacement sensor S2 outputs a high signal at time t5, and subsequently, the displacement sensor S1 outputs a high signal at time t6. Then, the mechanical controller 420 that has received the high signal of the displacement sensor S1 issues a command to stop the feeding motor Mb. In response to this command, the feeding motor Mb stops over a period of time from time t6. As a result, the feeding roller 23 stops feeding the sheet S to the buffer region Rb, and the low-speed feeding operation is completed.

  As described above, in this embodiment, the feeding roller 23 feeds the sheet S to the buffer region Rb provided between the feeding roller 23 and the platen 30. The feeding roller 23 can selectively execute a high-speed feeding operation for feeding the sheet S to the buffer region Rb at a speed V1 and a low-speed feeding operation for feeding the sheet S to the buffer region Rb at a speed V2 lower than the speed V1.

  Among these, the high-speed feeding operation is executed when the conveyance roller 73 starts the intermittent conveyance of the sheet S, and the sheet S conveyed from the buffer region Rb to the platen 30 side by the intermittent conveyance is fed out to the buffer region Rb. . On the other hand, the low-speed feeding operation feeds the sheet S transported from the buffer region Rb to the platen 30 side in the next intermittent transport performed to the buffer region Rb. This is an operation for forming a buffer having a required length ΔLb. Incidentally, the buffer length ΔLb is obtained by subtracting the peripheral length of the sheet S in the buffer region Rb when the intermittent conveyance is completed (step) from the peripheral length Lb of the buffer region Rb before starting the intermittent conveyance (step S1). Is.

  In other words, the feeding roller 23 performs the intermittent conveyance when the conveyance roller 73 starts the intermittent conveyance of the sheet S in addition to the buffer formation (low-speed feeding operation) for feeding the sheet S to the buffer region Rb in advance prior to the next intermittent conveyance. Thus, an operation (high-speed feeding operation) of feeding the sheet S conveyed from the buffer area Rb to the platen 30 side to the buffer area Rb can be performed. Therefore, by performing the latter operation, the sheet S conveyed from the buffer region Rb to the platen 30 by intermittent conveyance can be fed out to the buffer region Rb after the intermittent conveyance is started. Therefore, as shown in the column of step 1 in FIG. 5, the length Lb of the sheet S fed out in advance to the buffer region Rb before the start of intermittent conveyance can be shortened. Specifically, for example, the length Lb can be set so that the buffer length ΔLb is less than the intermittent conveyance distance Ls. As a result, the winding angle θ70 around the sheet S on the movable roller 70 can be reduced to suppress the sheet from being wound.

  Furthermore, in this embodiment, the operation of forming a buffer in the buffer region Rb is executed at a relatively low speed V2 (low speed feeding operation), which makes it possible to more effectively suppress winding. ing. That is, as the period from the completion of buffer formation to the next intermittent conveyance is longer, the time during which the movable roller 70 continues to apply tension to a part of the sheet S in the buffer region Rb becomes longer, and the winding tends to be remarkable. It is in. On the other hand, by forming the buffer at a relatively low speed V2, the completion of the buffer formation can be delayed and the period from the completion of the buffer formation to the next intermittent conveyance can be shortened. As a result, the winding of the sheet S can be more effectively suppressed.

  Note that the high-speed feeding operation and the low-speed feeding operation described above are preferably executed at an appropriate timing according to the circumferential length of the sheet S in the buffer region Rb. On the other hand, the movable roller 70 is displaced with a change in the circumferential length of the sheet S in the buffer region Rb. Therefore, in this embodiment, displacement sensors S1 to S3 for detecting the displacement of the movable roller 50 are provided. Accordingly, the above-described high-speed feeding operation and low-speed feeding operation can be executed at an appropriate timing according to the circumference of the sheet S in the buffer region Rb. Specifically, this embodiment has the following configuration.

  That is, the displacement sensor S1 detects the displacement of the movable roller 50 that moves as the circumferential length of the sheet S in the buffer region Rb decreases after the conveyance roller 73 starts the intermittent conveyance of the sheet S. Then, triggered by this detection, a high-speed feeding operation is started. As a result, when the intermittent conveyance of the sheet S is started and the length of the sheet S in the buffer region Rb becomes short, the high-speed feeding operation is quickly started, and the sheet S necessary for the intermittent conveyance is obtained. It is possible to feed out to the buffer area Rb.

  In this embodiment, the speed V1 in the high-speed feeding operation is lower than the intermittent conveyance speed V2. For this reason, the length of the sheet S in the buffer region Rb decreases with intermittent conveyance by the conveyance roller 73 even after the start of the high-speed feeding operation. In such a configuration, the decrease in the length of the sheet S in the buffer region Rb is the time from the start of the high-speed feeding operation, in other words, the length of the sheet S fed to the buffer region Rb by the high-speed feeding operation. Reflect. Therefore, the fact that the sheet S necessary for the ongoing intermittent conveyance has been fed out to the buffer region Rb is judged from the degree of reduction of the length of the sheet S in the buffer region Rb, and the high-speed feeding operation is switched to the low-speed feeding operation. Timing can be controlled.

  That is, the displacement sensor S2 detects the displacement of the movable roller 50 that moves as the length of the sheet S in the buffer region Rb decreases after the start of the high-speed feeding operation. Then, triggered by this detection, the operation is switched from the high-speed feeding operation to the low-speed feeding operation. As a result, when the high-speed feeding operation is executed for a certain period of time and the sheet S sufficient for intermittent conveyance by the conveyance roller 73 is fed to the buffer region Rb, the low-speed feeding operation is immediately started and the next intermittent conveyance is started. It is possible to move to the operation of forming a buffer.

  In this embodiment, the low-speed feeding operation is stopped based on the result of detecting the displacement of the movable roller 50 that moves as the circumferential length of the sheet S in the buffer region Rb increases after the low-speed feeding operation is started. ing. In such a configuration, when the low-speed feeding operation is executed for a certain time and a buffer sufficient for the next intermittent conveyance is formed, the low-speed feeding operation is quickly stopped to form an unnecessarily long buffer. This can be suppressed.

  Incidentally, as described above, when the high-speed feeding operation and the low-speed feeding operation are executed by controlling the feeding motor Mb that drives the feeding roller 23, the following advantages can be obtained by configuring as in this embodiment. is there. That is, the feeding motor Mb does not stop immediately even when a stop command is received, but rotates to some extent due to inertia. At this time, the amount of inertia rotation increases as the immediately preceding rotation speed increases. On the other hand, in this embodiment, since the low speed driving operation for driving the feeding roller 23 at a relatively low speed Vb is performed before the feeding roller 23 is stopped, the amount by which the feeding motor Mb rotates by inertia is set. There is an advantage that it can be kept small.

Others As described above, in the above embodiment, the printer 300 corresponds to the “image recording apparatus” of the invention, the sheet S corresponds to the “recording medium” of the invention, and the holding shaft 21 corresponds to the “holding unit” of the invention. The platen 30 corresponds to the “supporting portion” of the present invention, the feeding roller 23 corresponds to the feeding roller of the present invention, the conveying roller 73 corresponds to the “conveying portion” of the present invention, and the recording head 34. Corresponds to the “recording unit” of the present invention, the movable roller 70 corresponds to the “movable roller” of the present invention, the mechanical controller 420 functions as the “control unit” of the present invention, and the displacement sensors S1 to S3 correspond to the present invention. The buffer area Rb corresponds to the “buffer area” of the present invention, the speed V1 corresponds to the “first speed” of the present invention, and the speed V2 corresponds to the “second speed” of the present invention. Equivalent to.

  The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications can be made to the above-described one without departing from the spirit of the present invention. For example, in the above embodiment, printing for one frame is executed by repeating a plurality of passes (main scanning). In such a configuration, as the number of main scans constituting one frame increases, the time during which the sheet S is intermittently stopped becomes longer, in other words, the interval at which intermittent conveyance is executed becomes longer. Therefore, the period from the completion of buffer formation to the next intermittent conveyance also tends to be long. Therefore, for example, the speed V2 in the low-speed feeding operation may be set lower as the number of main scans constituting one frame increases. Accordingly, even when the number of main scans constituting one frame is large, the completion of buffer formation can be delayed accordingly. As a result, the period from the completion of buffer formation to the next intermittent conveyance can be shortened, and the sheet S can be effectively prevented from being wound.

  In the above embodiment, the movable roller 70 applies tension to the sheet S by its own weight. However, the movable roller 70 can be changed as appropriate. Specifically, the movable roller 70 may apply tension to the sheet S by a biasing force from a biasing member such as a spring.

  In addition, as described above, various sheets can be used as the sheet S. However, when the sheet S having a configuration in which a seal is attached to the surface opposite to the printing surface via an adhesive layer is used, It is particularly preferable to configure as in the embodiment. That is, in such a sheet S, the printed surface and the seal are peeled off at the portion where the winding is attached, and the sheet S may rise. As a result, when printing is performed, the raised portion of the sheet may collide with the nozzle 35 and damage the nozzle 35. On the other hand, if it is configured as in the above embodiment, curling can be suppressed, and further damage to the nozzle 35 as described above can be suppressed.

  In the above embodiment, the ink jet printer 300 is employed as the image recording apparatus. However, a fluid ejecting apparatus that ejects or discharges fluid other than ink may be employed. In addition, the present invention can be applied to various liquid ejecting apparatuses including a liquid ejecting head that ejects a minute amount of liquid droplets. In this case, the droplet refers to a state of the liquid ejected from the liquid ejecting apparatus, and includes a liquid that is tailed in a granular shape, a tear shape, or a thread shape. The liquid mentioned here may be any material that can be ejected by the liquid ejecting apparatus. For example, liquid phase substances are contained in the liquid, such as high or low viscosity liquid state, sol, gel water, other inorganic solvents, organic solvents, solutions, liquid resins, and liquid metals (metal melts). Liquid is contained in the liquid. In addition, liquids include those in which particles of a functional material made of a solid such as pigments and metal particles are dissolved, dispersed, or mixed in a solvent. Further, typical examples of the liquid include ink and liquid crystal as described in the above embodiment. Here, the ink includes various liquid compositions such as general water-based ink, oil-based ink, gel ink, and hot-melt ink.

  Further, in the above-described embodiment, the case where the present invention is applied to an inkjet printer using a piezo method has been described. However, it goes without saying that the present invention can also be applied to an ink jet printer using a thermal method.

  In the above embodiment, the case where the carriage 32 is reciprocated in the X-axis direction to perform the printing operation has been described as an example. However, the present invention can also be applied to a configuration in which the carriage 32 is scanned only in one direction along the X axis to perform a printing operation.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 300 ... Printer, 21 ... Holding shaft, 23 ... Feeding roller, 30 ... Platen, 34 ... Recording head, 70 ... Movable roller, 73 ... Conveyance roller, 420 ... Mechanical controller, S1, S2, S3 ... Displacement sensor, S ... Sheet , Rb ... buffer area, V1 ... first speed, V2 ... second speed

Claims (11)

In the image recording apparatus for recording the image on the recording medium on the support unit by supplying the recording medium on the support unit from a holding unit that holds the recording medium wound in a roll shape,
A feeding roller for feeding out the recording medium by winding and rotating the recording medium drawn out from the holding unit;
Stops intermittent conveyance and intermittent conveyance in which the recording medium fed by the feeding roller is intermittently conveyed from the buffer area to the support section side in a buffer area provided between the feeding roller and the support section. A conveyance unit that alternately and repeatedly performs intermittent stop,
A recording unit for recording an image on the recording medium located on the support unit when the recording medium is intermittently stopped by the conveyance unit;
A movable roller that applies tension to the recording medium by winding the recording medium in the buffer area while displacing with a change in the length of the recording medium in the buffer area;
A high-speed feeding operation for feeding the recording medium to the buffer area at a first speed by controlling the rotation of the feeding roller, and a low-speed feeding action for feeding the recording medium to the buffer area at a second speed lower than the first speed. And a control unit that selectively executes
As the recording medium in the buffer area becomes longer, a winding angle at which the movable roller winds the recording medium is increased,
The control unit is configured to intermittently convey the recording medium by the conveying unit from a state where the feeding of the recording medium from the feeding roller to the buffer region and the conveyance of the recording medium from the buffer region to the support unit are stopped. the high-speed feeding operation starts after but has started, with feeding the recording medium conveyed to the support part side from said buffer space by the intermittent transportation from the holding portion in the buffer area, followed by the high speed feeding operation The low-speed feeding operation is started, and when the transport unit finishes the intermittent transport of the recording medium and stops the recording medium intermittently, it is transported from the buffer area to the support unit side by the next intermittent transport. image SL, characterized in that the recording medium is terminated repeatedly output to the low speed feeding operation from the buffer area to be Apparatus.   The image recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control unit includes a sensor that detects a displacement of the movable roller.   The control unit is based on the result of detecting the displacement of the movable roller that moves as the length of the recording medium in the buffer area decreases after the conveyance unit starts intermittent conveyance of the recording medium. The image recording apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the high-speed feeding operation is started.   The image recording apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the first speed in the high-speed feeding operation is lower than a speed at which the transport unit transports the recording medium.   The control unit, based on a result of detecting a displacement of the movable roller that moves as the length of the recording medium in the buffer area decreases after the high-speed feeding operation starts, from the high-speed feeding operation. The image recording apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the operation is switched to a low-speed feeding operation.   The control unit stops the low-speed feeding operation based on a result of detecting the displacement of the movable roller that moves as the length of the recording medium in the buffer area increases after the low-speed feeding operation starts. An image recording apparatus according to any one of claims 2 to 5.   The image recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control unit controls a motor that drives the feeding roller to execute the high-speed feeding operation and the low-speed feeding operation. The recording unit has a nozzle that ejects liquid onto the recording medium that intermittently stops on the support unit, and repeats main scanning that moves in the main scanning direction while ejecting liquid from the nozzle a plurality of times. The image recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein an image is formed on a recording medium.
The image recording apparatus, wherein the control unit sets the second speed in the low-speed feeding operation to be lower as the number of times of the main scanning repeated to form an image on the recording medium is larger.   The image recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the movable roller applies tension to the recording medium by its own weight.   The image recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the movable roller applies tension to the recording medium by a biasing force from a biasing member. A holding unit that holds the recording medium wound in a roll shape, a feeding roller that feeds the recording medium by winding and rotating the recording medium drawn from the holding unit, and from the feeding roller to the support unit The intermittent conveyance for intermittently conveying the recording medium fed by the feeding roller to the buffer area provided between the buffer area and the support portion side and the intermittent stop for stopping the intermittent conveyance are alternately repeated. An image on the recording medium, and a recording unit that records an image on the recording medium positioned on the support unit when the recording medium is intermittently stopped by the conveying unit. In an image recording method for recording
The buffer medium is moved at a first speed while applying tension to the recording medium by a movable roller that wraps the recording medium in the buffer area while displacing as the length of the recording medium in the buffer area changes. A step of selectively executing a high-speed feeding operation of feeding out to the area and a low-speed feeding operation of feeding out the recording medium to the buffer area at a second speed lower than the first speed,
As the recording medium in the buffer area becomes longer, the angle at which the movable roller wraps the recording medium increases,
In the step, from a state where the conveyance is stopped the recording medium from the feeding and the buffer area of the recording medium from said feeding roller to the buffer area to the supporting portion, the intermittent transport of the recording medium by the conveying unit After the start , the high-speed feeding operation is started, and the recording medium transported from the buffer area to the support unit side by the intermittent conveyance is fed from the holding unit side to the buffer area, and following the high-speed feeding operation When the low-speed feeding operation is started and the conveyance unit finishes intermittent conveyance of the recording medium and stops the recording medium intermittently, it is conveyed from the buffer area to the support unit side by the next intermittent conveyance. that the image SL that the recording medium after leaving repeated in the buffer area, characterized in that to terminate the low-speed feeding operation Method.

Images