JP6896395B2 - How to drive the recording device and recording head - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a recording device and a method of driving a recording head, and more particularly to a technique of adjusting a dot recording timing according to a fluctuation in a conveying speed of a recording medium.

Patent Document 1 describes that when the transport speed of a recording medium fluctuates, the number of rasters (lines) to be recorded during one rotation of the transport roller that conveys the recording medium is adjusted. This makes it possible to record dots for one line formed on the recording medium at predetermined intervals regardless of fluctuations in the transport speed. Specifically, in a configuration in which a plurality of nozzles forming a nozzle train are time-division-driven, a pulse train in a unit that is a time-division drive timing signal for recording one line (one raster) is generated on the recording medium. Obtain in advance the number of tables corresponding to the transport speed. Then, the transport speed is detected, and the recording head is driven while the transport roller makes one rotation with a number of pulse trains corresponding to the transport speed by referring to the table according to the speed.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2012-179903

However, in the control of the drive timing according to Patent Document 1, the edge signal of the encoder is used as a reference signal to output each of the pulse trains for one raster, and the output timing of the pulse trains is defined in the table. Is. That is, in Patent Document 1, a pulse train for one raster is arranged between the reference signal and the next reference signal with the previous reference signal as a reference, and the arrangement and the number of the pulse trains differ depending on the transport speed. Therefore, the output of the pulse train is started based on the reference signal, but if the next reference signal is input to the drive circuit early due to some fluctuation in the transport speed, the pulse train for one raster, that is, one line is formed. The reference signal is input before all the drive blocks of the time-division drive block are finished. On the other hand, the drive timing control according to Patent Document 1 cannot cope with this. In this case, for example, if the configuration of the drive circuit is such that the drive by the next pulse train is not performed as error processing, the recording for the next one line is lost.

The present invention solves the above-mentioned problems, and in the time-division drive of the recording head, even if the interval between the reference signal and the next reference signal is shortened due to the fluctuation of the transport speed of the recording medium, the image quality such as missing recording is obtained. An object of the present invention is to provide a recording device and a recording head driving method capable of preventing a decrease.

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention comprises a recording head having a plurality of recording elements arranged in a predetermined direction, a transport means for transporting a recording medium in a direction intersecting the predetermined direction, and the recording by the transport means. When the acquisition means for acquiring the reference signal sequentially output according to the transport of the medium and the blocks obtained by dividing the plurality of recording elements into a plurality of predetermined number of blocks are sequentially driven at predetermined intervals. A time-division drive means that repeatedly performs division drive, and a drive control means that generates a timing signal corresponding to each of the drive timings of the plurality of blocks for driving each block according to the reference signal acquired by the acquisition means. The drive control means includes, from the first drive block to the last drive block of the predetermined number of blocks of the time division drive acquired by the acquisition means. time interval between the second reference signal corresponding to the first reference signal and the start timing of the driving period of the next said time-division driving which corresponds to the start timing of the drive period for driving said first reference signal In the time-division drive started in response to, when the time is shorter than the time for driving the recording elements of the predetermined number of blocks by the time-division drive means at the first predetermined interval, the second reference signal is used. A plurality of the above-mentioned plurality of reference signals between the start timing of the drive cycle of the time-division drive based on the second reference signal and the third reference signal corresponding to the start timing of the drive cycle of the time-division drive following the start timing. The timing signal is generated so that the drive interval of each block when driving the blocks is shorter than the first predetermined interval.

According to the above configuration, in the time division drive of the recording head of the recording device, even if the interval between the reference signal and the next reference signal is shortened due to the fluctuation of the transport speed of the recording medium, the image quality deterioration such as recording omission is prevented. It becomes possible.

(A) and (b) are diagrams showing the configuration of an inkjet printer according to an embodiment of the inkjet recording device of the present invention. It is a block diagram which mainly shows the control structure of the printer of an embodiment. It is a block diagram which shows the detailed structure of the recording timing generation part which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. It is a timing chart for explaining an example of the recording timing generated by the discharge timing generation unit shown in FIG. It is a figure explaining the time division drive of 8 divisions which concerns on embodiment. It is a figure explaining the time division drive which concerns on a comparative example. (A) and (b) are diagrams for explaining an example of time-division driving according to the first embodiment of the present invention. It is a timing chart of each signal generated by the discharge timing generation unit shown in FIG. 3 in the time division drive shown in FIG. 7 (b). It is a block diagram which shows the detail of the discharge timing generation part 302 which concerns on one Embodiment. (A) and (b) are diagrams for explaining an example of time-division driving according to the second embodiment of the present invention. It is a figure which shows the content of the division drive interval memory which concerns on 2nd Embodiment. In the embodiment, it is a timing chart of a head drive data, a latch signal, and a clock signal output and transmitted from a recorded data transfer circuit (not shown) of a recording control unit. It is a circuit diagram which shows the drive circuit of the recording head which concerns on embodiment. It is a figure which shows the structure of the print part of the inkjet recording apparatus which concerns on other embodiment of this invention.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

1A and 1B are diagrams showing the configuration of an inkjet printer according to an embodiment of the inkjet recording apparatus of the present invention, and FIG. 1A shows a printing portion which is a main part of the recording apparatus. , FIG. 1B shows, in particular, the relationship between the recording head and the recording medium. The printer of the present embodiment forms an image on the recording paper by transferring the image recorded on the transfer body to the continuously supplied recording paper, and supports both single-sided printing and double-sided printing. It is a line printer. Such a printer is suitable for a field of printing a large number of sheets, for example, in a printing factory or the like.

The printing unit 101 is provided with a drum-shaped transfer body (first recording medium) 103 that is rotated by a drive mechanism (not shown). Seven recording heads 102a, 102b, 102c, 102d, 102e, 102f, 102g that eject inks of different colors are arranged in the rotation direction of the transfer body 103, and the surface of the transfer body 103 that rotates from these recording heads. An image is formed on the transfer body 103 by sequentially ejecting ink. The recording heads 102a, 102b, 102c, 102d, 102e, 102f, and 102g are so-called line-type recording heads in which a plurality of inkjet nozzles are arranged within a range covering the maximum width of the transfer body 103 expected to be used. is there. Two rows of nozzle rows are arranged in each recording head, and these two rows of nozzle rows are arranged so as to be offset from each other by 1/2 of the nozzle arrangement pitch. In this embodiment, C (cyan), M (magenta), Y (yellow), K (black), Lc (light cyan), Lm (light magenta), and Gy (gray) inks are applied from seven recording heads, respectively. Discharge. These recording heads are provided with a heater (recording element) corresponding to the nozzle, and ink is discharged from the corresponding nozzle by the heat generated by driving the heater. Of course, in the application of the present invention, the number of ink colors and the number of recording heads are not limited to seven.

The transport roller 106 is provided so as to be in contact with the rotating body 103, and is rotated in the direction opposite to that of the rotating body 103 by a transport mechanism (not shown). As a result, the image formed on the surface of the transfer body 103 can be transferred to the recording paper (second recording medium) 105 conveyed by the transfer mechanism (not shown).

The encoder 108 is connected on the axis of the transfer body 103, while the encoder sensor 109 (FIG. 2) is provided at a position where the encoder 108 can be detected. As a result, the encoder 108 rotates with the rotation of the transfer body 103, and when the encoder sensor detects this, the encoder signal related to the rotation of the transfer body 103 is output. Then, this encoder signal serves as a reference for the time-division drive timing signal when driving the recording head, as will be described later in FIG. The encoder is not limited to the form of being mounted on the axis of the transfer body. Further, a reference position sensor (not shown) for outputting a signal notifying the origin of the encoder is arranged once every time the encoder makes one round with the transfer body.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a control configuration of the printer of the present embodiment, and mainly shows a configuration of an ASIC that generates recording data and controls driving of a recording head. In the ASIC 213 of the present embodiment, the reception buffer 204 constituting the general-purpose memory 203 stores the image data received from the host PC 201 via the reception I / F 202. The image processing unit 205 reads the image data from the reception buffer 204, performs various processes, and finally performs the quantization process to generate the recorded data. This recorded data is stored in the recording data buffer 206 of the general-purpose memory 203.

The recording timing generation unit 208 outputs a recording (discharge) timing signal based on the encoder signal input from the encoder sensor 109, as will be described later in FIGS. 3 and 4. The recording control unit 209 outputs recording data indicating ink ejection or non-ejection to the recording head 102 at a timing based on the recording timing signal generated by the recording timing generation unit 208. The recording control unit 209 is provided for each ink color. Each recording head 102 corresponding to these recording control units 209 ejects ink to a recording medium based on the transmitted recording data to record an image.

The reception buffer 204 and the recording data buffer 206 are a part of the main memory such as the DRAM of this system. However, it does not necessarily have to be a DRAM, and any memory other than the DRAM such as SRAM may be used as long as the memory belongs to the category of the definition of RAM. The CPU 212 controls the entire system of the ASIC 213.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a detailed configuration of the recording timing generation unit 208 according to the embodiment of the present invention. In this configuration, the reference signal generation unit 301 sequentially outputs a reference signal as a reference for generating a recording (discharge) timing based on the encoder signal from the encoder sensor 109. Specifically, the discharge timing is generated as described later in FIGS. 4 and 8. The discharge timing generation unit 302 receives the reference signal from the reference signal generation unit 301 (reference signal acquisition), and discharge timing signal information (division drive timing, delay value from the reference signal, etc.) between continuous reference signals. Generates a discharge timing signal based on. The discharge timing information is stored in the correction data storage memory 305 at a position (address) with reference to the encoder reference position sensor 304 (origin). The memory address control unit 303 generates address information based on the signal from the encoder reference position sensor 304. The discharge timing generation unit 302 reads out the discharge timing signal information in the correction data storage memory 305 based on this address information, and generates the discharge timing according to the position. The generation of the block order switching signal and the information on the number of blocks output by the discharge timing generation unit 302 will be described later.

FIG. 4 is a timing chart for explaining an example of the discharge timing generated by the discharge timing generation unit shown in FIG. 3, and shows the discharge timing for eight blocks in the time division drive. The example shown in FIG. 4 shows a normal discharge timing in which the transport speed of the recording medium does not fluctuate. In the generation of the discharge timing of the present embodiment, as described above in FIG. 3, a reference signal is generated based on the encoder signal from the encoder sensor 109. Then, between this reference signal and the next reference signal (time interval for one column), eight drive blocks formed by dividing the nozzles arranged in the main scanning direction shown in FIG. 1B into eight. Each discharge timing signal is output. As described above, this discharge timing is generated according to the corrected position indicated by the discharge timing signal information in the correction data storage memory 305. Although the present embodiment shows an example in which the present invention is applied to the time division drive of eight divisions, it is clear from the description of the present specification that the application of the present invention is not limited to the number of divisions.

FIG. 5 is a diagram for explaining the 8-division time-division drive according to the present embodiment, and shows a normal time-division drive when there is no fluctuation in the transport speed of the recording paper. In the present embodiment, the eight nozzles having continuous positions in the arrangement of the plurality of nozzles in the nozzle row are divided into eight blocks 1 to 8 having different discharge (drive) timings. As a result, time-division drive groups Gr1, Gr2, ... Are formed for each of the eight nozzles having consecutive positions, and the same order of drive is performed between these groups. The two rows of nozzle rows shifted by half a pitch from each other for each ink color shown in FIG. 1B are shown in one row in FIG. That is, it goes without saying that the discharge (drive) timing is deviated by the distance between the two rows of nozzle rows, but the following description describes this as a time-division drive of one row of nozzle rows. In each group, each column is sequentially driven with a predetermined time for the nozzles of block 1 → block 2 → block 3 → block 4 → block 5 → block 6 → block 7 → block 8 to eject ink. Will be done. As a result, dots indicated by circles in FIG. 5 are formed for each column and lines are recorded. The example shown in FIG. 5 is an example of a so-called solid image in which the recorded data forms dots on all pixels, and it goes without saying that dots may not be formed depending on the pixels depending on the recorded data. Is.

FIG. 6 is a diagram for explaining the time-division drive according to the comparative example, and shows a case where the transport speed of the recording medium fluctuates in the time-division drive of eight divisions. Specifically, in FIG. 1A, for example, the recording paper 105 rushes between the transfer body 103 and the transfer roller 106 as the recording paper 105 is conveyed, and the speed of the transfer body 103 fluctuates (becomes faster). ) Indicates the time-division drive when it occurs.

As shown in FIG. 6, in the column 2, the transfer body 103 becomes faster than the specified speed due to the plunge of the recording paper 105, whereby the time interval of the column 2 becomes shorter than the predetermined interval. That is, the reference signal of the next column 3 arrives earlier than a predetermined value, and at that timing, the eight blocks of the column 2 are still being driven (discharged). When such a state occurs, the drive circuit according to the comparative example stops driving the column 3 as an error process causing a malfunction. As a result, as shown in FIG. 6, the dots of the column 3 cannot be formed, and the recording of one line (one column) is lost.

(First Embodiment)
7 (a) and 7 (b) are diagrams illustrating an example of time-division driving according to the first embodiment of the present invention. When the paper transport speed is increased due to paper rushing or the like, the present embodiment switches the drive interval in the time division drive in the next column to the minimum division drive time.

FIG. 7A shows an example in which the next reference signal arrives one block earlier while the column 2 is being driven. In the column 3 next to the column 2 in which the reference signal and the discharge timing overlap, the time division drive interval between the blocks is switched to the minimum drive interval that the recording head can tolerate. As a result, in addition to driving all eight blocks in column 2, it is possible to drive all eight blocks in the next block 3 despite the short time interval.

FIG. 7B shows the driving of an example in which the next reference signal arrives two blocks earlier during the recording of the column 2. In the column 3 next to the column 2 in which the reference signals overlap, the time division drive interval between the blocks is switched to the minimum drive interval that the recording head can tolerate, as in FIG. 7A. As in this example, even if the next reference signal arrives two blocks earlier, the next column can drive all eight blocks according to the minimum drive interval that the recording head can tolerate.

FIG. 8 is a timing chart of each signal generated by the discharge timing generation unit shown in FIG. 3 in the time division drive shown in FIG. 7 (b). At the 7th block of the discharge timing signal that drives the column 2 in a time-division manner, overlap (overlap) with the reference signal of the column 3 occurs. As will be described in detail later in FIG. 9, this overlap occurs when the discharge timing generator 302 (FIG. 3) counts up the number of discharge timing signals output for each column and inputs a reference signal. Detected by the number of count-ups. When it is detected that the above overlap has occurred in the 7th block, the discharge timing generation unit 302 (FIG. 3) outputs the discharge timing signal of the 8th block as it is. Further, the discharge timing signal of the column 3 is output with the interval between them shortened (at the minimum division drive interval).

FIG. 9 is a block diagram showing details of the discharge timing generation unit 302 according to the embodiment. In FIG. 9, the split drive interval memory 403 and the signals output from the divided drive interval memory 403 and input to the memory have the configuration according to the second embodiment described later. The discharge timing control unit 401 of the discharge timing generation unit 302 has a division order counter 402 that indicates which block is currently being driven. In the present embodiment, since it is a time-division drive of 8 blocks, the counter value changes in the order of 1 → 2 → 3 → 4 → 5 → 6 → 7 → 8 for each drive in each column. Repeat the output of the same value. When there is no overlap between the discharge timing signal or the discharge section and the reference signal, the encoder-based reference signal (encoder signal) is input when the division order counter value is 1. However, for example, when the next reference signal is input one block earlier, the counter value is 8 (FIG. 7 (a)), and when the next reference signal is input two blocks earlier, the counter value is 7 (FIG. 7). Reference signals are input to 7 (b)), respectively. As a result, it is possible to detect that the overlap has occurred and the number of blocks that the overlap has occurred based on the count value. At this time, information indicating the overlap timing and how many blocks earlier the reference signal arrived (the number of overlaps) is held in a predetermined memory (not shown) in the discharge timing generation unit 302. When the discharge timing control unit 401 detects an overlap, it drives all eight blocks of the column currently being driven, and then stores the drive interval between the blocks in a memory (not shown), which is the minimum. The drive is performed for the next 8 blocks by switching to the split drive interval.

(Second Embodiment)
10 (a) and 10 (b) are diagrams for explaining an example of time-division driving according to the second embodiment of the present invention. In the first embodiment described above, when a speed fluctuation occurs due to paper rushing or the like, the drive interval between blocks that are time-division-driven between the next reference signals is the minimum drive interval possible for the recording head. It was decided to switch to. On the other hand, in the second embodiment of the present invention, time-division driving is performed at drive intervals according to the number of blocks in which the overlap occurs.

FIG. 10A shows an example in which the next reference signal arrives one block earlier during the recording of column 2. In the column 4 next to the column 3 in which the reference signal and the discharge timing signal (discharge section) overlap each other, time-division driving for 8 blocks is performed at a drive interval corresponding to the above 1 block. FIG. 10B shows an example in which the next reference signal arrives two blocks earlier during the recording of column 2. In the column next to the column in which the overlap occurs, time division driving for 8 blocks is performed at a drive interval corresponding to the above 2 blocks. The drive interval corresponding to the two blocks is shorter than the drive interval corresponding to the one block.

As shown in FIG. 9, in the present embodiment, the discharge timing generation unit 302 has the split drive interval memory 403. FIG. 11 is a diagram showing the contents of the split drive interval memory 403. In the example shown in FIG. 11, "divided drive interval 1", "divided drive interval 2", and "divided drive interval 3" are shown according to the number indicating how many blocks the reference signal arrived earlier (hereinafter, the number of overlaps). "And" division drive interval (minimum value) "respective values are stored. Here, the "divided drive interval (minimum value)" is the shortest (smallest), and then the "divided drive interval 3", the "divided drive interval 2", and the "divided drive interval 1" are the shortest drive intervals in this order. .. The “division drive interval (minimum value)” can be, for example, the same value as the minimum division drive interval described above in the first embodiment.

As shown in FIG. 11, when the number of overlaps is 1 to 3, the drive intervals are set to "divided drive interval 1", "divided drive interval 2", and "divided drive interval 3" according to the respective numbers. Further, when the number of overlaps is 4 to 7, the drive interval is set to a constant "divided drive interval (minimum value)". When the number of overlaps is large in this way, it is uniformly switched to the "divided drive interval (minimum value)". As a result, it is possible to reduce the bias of the drive interval, and further reduce the influence of image quality deterioration.

In the present embodiment, the number of overlaps is 1 to 3 and the division drive interval is set according to the corresponding number, and the number of overlaps is 4 to 7, which is uniformly set as the "division drive interval (minimum value)". Not limited to this setting, it can be freely changed according to the characteristics of individual devices.

FIG. 12 is a timing chart of the head drive data, the latch signal, and the clock signal output and transmitted from the recording data transfer circuit (not shown) of the recording control unit 209 (FIG. 3) in each of the above-described embodiments. .. Between the latch signal that is the timing of discharge and the next latch signal, the drive data consisting of the discharge data for the next discharge and the block number to be driven is serially transferred by the clock HD_CLK.

FIG. 13 is a circuit diagram showing a drive circuit of the recording head according to each of the above embodiments. The recording head of the present embodiment includes 512 heaters (recording elements) 501 corresponding to 512 nozzles for each ink color. These 512 heaters 501 are divided into eight blocks (one block is composed of 64 heaters 501), and each block is driven in a time division manner. That is, 64 heaters in the same block are driven at the same time. In FIG. 13 , the heater numbers assigned to each block are described as SEG0 and SEG1 for simplification of illustration and description, but the nozzles and heaters assigned to each block can be arbitrarily set (for example, 64 nozzles). A group of 64 discrete nozzles is assigned to block 1 for each). Although the present embodiment describes the configuration of 8-block division, the number of divisions can be set according to the configuration of the recording head and the like. The head drive data 502 is serially transferred to the recording head 102 by the HD_CLK signal 503. The drive data 502 including the discharge data is input to the 64-bit shift registers 505 and 509 by the HD_CLK signal 503, and then latched by the 64-bit latch 507 and the block information decoder 510 at the rising edge of the latch signal 508. Based on the received block information, the block information decoder 510 expands to an 8-bit block enable signal, and the heater 501 of the designated block is selected. Only the segment of the heater 501 specified by both the block enable signal developed by the decoder 510 and the heater recording data signal of the data latch is driven, and ink is ejected for recording.

(Other embodiments)
The present invention is not limited to the form of the printer having the above-described configuration. The present invention can also be applied to speed fluctuations that occur when the recording paper is removed from the transport roller in a printer or the like that draws directly on the recording paper. FIG. 14 is a diagram showing a configuration of a printed portion of an inkjet recording apparatus according to another embodiment of the present invention. In the recording head 601, a plurality of nozzle rows are arranged for different ink colors with respect to the transport direction of the recording medium 602. An image is recorded on the recording medium 602 by sequentially ejecting ink from each nozzle row. The recording head 601 is a line-type recording head provided with an inkjet nozzle row within a range that covers the maximum width of the recording medium 602 that is expected to be used. The plurality of nozzle rows eject inks of a plurality of colors, for example, C (cyan), M (magenta), Y (yellow), and K (black). The number of colors is not limited to four.

The transport roller 603 and the pinch roller 605 constitute a transport mechanism for transporting the recording paper 602. The pinch roller 605 presses the recording medium 602 against the transport roller 603, and the transport roller opens to transport the recording medium 602. To do. The encoder 604 is mounted on the rotation axis of the transfer roller 603, and the rotation position and speed of the transfer roller are detected by detecting the rotation of the encoder by the encoder sensor. Based on the detected encoder signal, the above-mentioned reference signal is generated. The encoder scale is not limited when it is mounted on the axis. Further, although not shown in the figure, a reference position sensor that outputs a signal notifying the origin of the encoder is arranged once per round of the encoder.

(And yet another embodiment)
Further, the above-described embodiment relates to time-division driving when driving a recording element in an inkjet recording head, but the application of the present invention is not limited to this embodiment. Either method can be applied to a recording device that drives a recording element to form dots and record an image or the like.

102 Recording head 103 Transfer body (recording medium)
109 Encoder sensor 208 Recording timing generation unit 209 Recording control unit 301 Reference signal generation unit 302 Discharge timing generation unit

Claims (13)

A recording head having a plurality of recording elements arranged in a predetermined direction,
A transport means for transporting the recording medium in a direction intersecting the predetermined direction, and
An acquisition means for acquiring a reference signal that is sequentially output according to the transfer of the recording medium by the transfer means, and
A time-division driving means that repeatedly performs time-division driving in which each block obtained by dividing the plurality of recording elements into a plurality of predetermined number of blocks is sequentially driven at predetermined intervals, and
A drive control means for generating a timing signal corresponding to each of the drive timings of the plurality of blocks for driving each block according to the reference signal acquired by the acquisition means.
It is a recording device equipped with
The drive control means corresponds to the start timing of a drive cycle acquired by the acquisition means for driving from the first drive block to the last drive block of the predetermined number of blocks of the time division drive. The time-division drive in which the time interval between the first reference signal and the second reference signal corresponding to the start timing of the drive cycle of the next time-division drive is started in response to the first reference signal. In the case where the time is shorter than the time for driving the recording elements of the predetermined number of blocks by the time division driving means at the first predetermined interval, the time based on the second reference signal and the second reference signal. Driving of each block when driving the plurality of blocks between the start timing of the drive cycle of the divided drive and the third reference signal corresponding to the start timing of the drive cycle of the time-division drive following the start timing of the time-division drive. A recording device characterized in that the timing signal is generated so that the interval is shorter than the first predetermined interval. It has a storage means for storing a plurality of the drive intervals, and has a storage means.
The recording device according to claim 1, wherein the drive interval when shortened is the minimum drive interval among the drive intervals stored in the storage means. When the drive control means has a time interval that is one time shorter than the time for driving the recording elements of the predetermined number of blocks by the time division drive means at the first predetermined interval. A second time interval shorter than the time in which the short time interval drives the recording elements of the predetermined number of blocks by the time division driving means at the first predetermined interval, which is shorter than the first time. The recording device according to claim 1, wherein the driving interval when driving between the second reference signal and the third reference signal is shorter than in the case of. The drive control means is characterized in that the drive interval when driving between the second reference signal and the third reference signal is changed according to the number of blocks that are not driven during the time interval. The recording device according to any one of claims 1 to 3. In the time division drive in which the time interval between the first reference signal and the second reference signal is started in response to the first reference signal, the time division drive means records the predetermined number of blocks. When the time for driving the element at the first predetermined interval is shorter than the time, the time interval between the first reference signal and the second reference signal is started according to the first reference signal. Compared with the case where the time-divided driving means drives the recording elements of the predetermined number of blocks at the first predetermined interval longer than the time required by the time-divided driving means, the second reference signal can be used as the second reference signal. The recording device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the start of the time-division drive performed in response to a reference signal is delayed. The recording head records an image on a transfer body which is a first recording medium conveyed by the transfer means, and transfers the image recorded on the transfer body to a second recording medium to perform the second recording. The recording apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5 , wherein an image is recorded on a medium. The recording device according to claim 6 , wherein the transfer body has a drum shape and rotates in the intersecting directions. When the recording head is recording at a position facing the recording head of the transfer body, the second recording medium conveyed is in contact with the transfer body at a position different from the position. The recording apparatus according to claim 6 or 7 , wherein the image is transferred to the second recording medium. Further having a detecting means for detecting the rotation of the transfer body,
The recording device according to any one of claims 6 to 8 , wherein the acquisition means acquires a reference signal according to the rotation of the transfer body detected by the detection means. The transport means is a roller.
The recording device according to any one of claims 1 to 5 , wherein the recording head records an image on a recording medium conveyed by the conveying means. Further having a detecting means for detecting the rotation of the roller,
The recording device according to claim 10 , wherein the acquisition means acquires a reference signal according to the rotation of the roller detected by the detection means. Driving a recording head in a recording device that records by forming dots on a recording medium conveyed in a direction intersecting the predetermined direction by using a recording head having a plurality of recording elements arranged in a predetermined direction. It ’s a method,
An acquisition process for acquiring reference signals that are sequentially output according to the transport of the recording medium, and
A time-division drive step in which the time-division drive is repeated in which the plurality of recording elements are divided into a plurality of predetermined number of blocks and the blocks obtained are sequentially driven at predetermined intervals.
A drive control step for generating a timing signal corresponding to each of the drive timings of the plurality of blocks for driving each block according to the reference signal acquired in the acquisition step.
Have,
In the drive control step, the drive that drives from the first drive block to the last drive block of the predetermined number of blocks of the time division drive acquired in the acquisition step along with the transfer of the recording medium. time interval between the second reference signal corresponding to the first reference signal and the start timing of the driving period of the next said time-division driving which corresponds to the start timing of the period is, depending on said first reference signal In the time-division drive to be started, when the time is shorter than the time for driving the recording elements of the predetermined number of blocks at the first predetermined interval in the time-division drive step, the second reference signal and the second reference signal are used. The plurality of blocks are driven between the start timing of the drive cycle of the time-division drive based on the reference signal of the above and the third reference signal corresponding to the start timing of the drive cycle of the time-division drive next to the start timing of the time-division drive. A method for driving a recording head, which comprises generating the timing signal so that the drive interval of each block is shorter than the first predetermined interval. A recording head having a plurality of recording elements arranged in a predetermined direction,
A transport means for transporting the recording medium in a direction intersecting the predetermined direction, and
An acquisition means for acquiring a reference signal that is sequentially output according to the transfer of the recording medium by the transfer means, and
A time-division driving means that repeatedly performs time-division driving in which each block obtained by dividing the plurality of recording elements into a plurality of predetermined number of blocks is sequentially driven at predetermined intervals, and
A drive control means for generating a timing signal corresponding to each of the drive timings of the plurality of blocks for driving each block according to the reference signal acquired by the acquisition means.
It is a recording device equipped with
A storage means for storing a plurality of predetermined intervals for driving each block is further provided.
Before SL drive control means, a second reference signal corresponding to the start timing of the acquired by the acquiring means, a first reference signal corresponding to the start timing of a said time-division driving and the next of the time-division driving When the time interval between the two and the time is shorter than the time for driving the recording elements of the predetermined number of blocks by the time division driving means at the first predetermined interval, the second reference signal and the second reference are used. The drive interval of each block when driving the plurality of blocks is set between the start timing of the time-division drive based on the signal and the third reference signal corresponding to the start timing of the time-division drive next to the time-division drive. A recording device characterized in that the timing signal is generated so as to be the minimum interval among the plurality of predetermined intervals stored by the storage means.

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