JP7313858B2 - Information processing device, recording device, information processing method and program - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an information processing device, a recording device, an information processing method, and a program.

2. Description of the Related Art It is known to use control parameters according to the type of recording medium when recording in a recording apparatus. Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2002-200001 discloses that in order to perform recording using appropriate control parameters, a plurality of characteristic values of a recording medium to be recorded are measured and compared with reference values to determine the type of recording medium.

JP 2016-215591 A

However, since errors in sensors that measure the characteristic values of recording media, individual differences in recording media, and differences in the measurement environment affect the measured values, there is a risk that the type of recording medium cannot be discriminated with sufficient accuracy when a standard prepared in advance is used, which is inconvenient for the user.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to improve user convenience.

The present invention comprises acquisition means for acquiring measurement results obtained by measuring characteristics of a recording medium used in a recording apparatus by a measurement means, control means for controlling notification means for notifying a user of information, and an input unit for receiving input of information by a user. changing means for changing the characteristic value of the reference recording medium corresponding to the type of the recording medium so as to approach the measurement result, and the input unit is capable of inputting information indicating that the change made by the changing means to the characteristic value of the reference recording medium is to be undone.

According to the present invention, user convenience is improved.

1 is a perspective view showing the configuration of a recording apparatus according to a first embodiment; FIG. 4A and 4B are diagrams showing a configuration of a carriage according to the first embodiment; FIG. 4 is a diagram showing the configuration of an optical sensor according to the first embodiment; FIG. 3 is a diagram showing the block configuration of the control system of the printing apparatus according to the first embodiment; FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing recording medium determination processing in the first embodiment. It is a figure which shows the display form of the input-output part in 1st Embodiment. 4 is a table showing characteristic values stored in EEPROM in the first embodiment; It is a figure which shows the other form of an input-output part. 4 is a table showing examples of measured values measured in the first embodiment; 4 is a table showing determination results in recording medium determination processing according to the first embodiment; It is a table showing the ranking of the first embodiment. 4 is a table for explaining a method of calculating characteristic values in the first embodiment; 9 is a flowchart showing recording medium determination processing in the second embodiment. It is a table showing history information in the second embodiment. It is a figure which shows the display form of the input-output part in 2nd Embodiment. FIG. 12 is a flowchart showing reset processing in the fourth embodiment; FIG. It is a figure which shows the display form of the input-output part in 4th Embodiment. FIG. 14 is a flowchart showing processing for resetting estimated data in the fourth embodiment; FIG. FIG. 14 is a flowchart showing processing for resetting recording medium information in the fourth embodiment; FIG. 14 is a flow chart showing processing for resetting for each type of recording medium in the fourth embodiment.

(First embodiment)
<Overall composition>
FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the configuration of a recording apparatus 100, in which casters and a basket for ejecting paper are attached. FIG. 1(a) shows the overall appearance, and FIG. 1(b) shows the internal structure when the upper cover is opened. The recording apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment performs recording by applying ink droplets as a recording material onto a recording medium using an inkjet recording method. The recording medium is transported with the Y direction as the transport direction. A carriage 101 on which a print head 102 is mounted reciprocates in the X direction intersecting the Y direction for printing, and an inkjet printing apparatus equipped with a so-called serial print head will be described. However, an ink jet recording apparatus equipped with a so-called line type recording head in which nozzle rows are configured over the recording width of conveyance of the recording medium may be used. Also, a multifunctional peripheral device (MFP) in which not only a recording function but also a scanning function, a FAX function, a transmitting function, etc. are integrated may be used. Alternatively, an electrophotographic recording apparatus using powder toner as a recording material may be used. In this embodiment, the recording apparatus 100 is equipped with the function of the information processing apparatus for performing processing for determining the recording medium to be used, which will be described later.

An input/output unit 406 is provided on the top of the recording apparatus 100 . The input/output unit 406 is an operation panel that displays the remaining amount of ink and candidates for the type of printing medium on the display, and allows the user to select the type of printing medium and make printing settings by operating keys.

The carriage 101 has an optical sensor 201 (FIG. 2) and a recording head 102 having an ejection port surface provided with ejection ports for ejecting ink. The carriage 101 is configured to be reciprocally movable in the X direction (the moving direction of the carriage) along the shaft 104 via the carriage belt 103 by being driven by a carriage motor 415 (FIG. 4). In this embodiment, the printing apparatus 100 can acquire the diffuse reflection characteristic value and the regular reflection characteristic value on the surface of the printing medium 105 and measure the distance between the carriage 101 and the printing medium 105 using the optical sensor 201.

A recording medium 105 such as roll paper is transported in the Y direction on a platen 106 by transport rollers (not shown). A printing operation is performed by ejecting ink droplets from the printing head 102 while the carriage 101 moves in the X direction on the printing medium 105 conveyed onto the platen 106 by the conveying roller. When the carriage 101 reaches the end of the printing area on the printing medium 105, the conveying roller conveys the printing medium 105 by a certain amount and moves the next printing scanning area to a position where the printing head 102 can print. An image is recorded by repeating the above operations.

<Carriage configuration>
FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the configuration of the carriage 101. As shown in FIG. The carriage 101 is configured with a translator 202 and a head holder 203 . A head holder 203 includes the recording head 102 and an optical sensor 201 that is a reflective sensor. As shown in FIG. 2, the optical sensor 201 is configured such that its bottom surface is at the same position as or higher than the bottom surface of the recording head 102 .

<Optical sensor configuration>
FIG. 3 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing the configuration of the optical sensor 201. As shown in FIG. The optical sensor 201 includes a first LED 301, a second LED 302, a third LED 303, a first photodiode 304, a second photodiode 305, and a third photodiode 306 as optical elements. The first LED 301 is a light source having an irradiation angle normal (90°) to the surface (measurement surface) of the recording medium 105 . The first photodiode 304 receives the light emitted from the first LED 301 and reflected from the recording medium 105 at an angle of 45° in the Z direction. That is, an optical system for detecting the so-called irregular reflection component of the reflected light from the recording medium 105 is formed.

The second LED 302 is a light source having an irradiation angle of 60° in the Z direction with respect to the surface (measurement surface) of the recording medium 105 . The first photodiode 304 receives the light emitted from the second LED 302 and reflected from the recording medium 105 at an angle of 60° in the Z direction. In other words, the angles of light emission and light reception become equal, forming an optical system that detects the so-called regular reflection component of the reflected light from the recording medium 105 .

The third LED 303 is a light source having an irradiation angle normal (90°) to the surface (measurement surface) of the recording medium 105 . A second photodiode 305 and a third photodiode 306 receive light emitted from the third LED 303 and reflected from the recording medium 105 . The second photodiode 305 and the third photodiode 306 measure the distance between the optical sensor 201 and the recording medium 105 by changing the amount of received light according to the distance between the optical sensor 201 and the recording medium 105 .

Although the optical sensor is installed on the carriage in this embodiment, it may be in another form. For example, it may be fixed to the recording device, or may be a measuring device for measuring characteristic values such as diffuse reflection and specular reflection of the recording medium separate from the recording device, and the characteristic values measured by the measuring device may be transmitted to the recording device.

<Block diagram>
FIG. 4 is a diagram showing the block configuration of the control system of the recording apparatus 100. As shown in FIG. A ROM 402 is a non-volatile memory, and stores, for example, a control program for controlling the printing apparatus 100 and a program for realizing the operations of this embodiment. The operation of the present embodiment is realized, for example, by the CPU 401 reading a program stored in the ROM 402 to the RAM 403 and executing the program. The RAM 403 is also used as working memory for the CPU 401 . The EEPROM 404 stores data that should be retained even when the recording apparatus 100 is powered off. At least, the CPU 401 and the ROM 402 realize the function of an information processing apparatus for performing recording medium determination processing, which will be described later. The EEPROM 404 also stores characteristic values of each recording medium used as predetermined criteria and categories of each recording medium. The category is a broad classification of the types of printing media, and in this embodiment five categories are set: glossy paper, plain paper, coated paper, film paper, and special. For example, if the recording medium is standard glossy paper, it is classified into the category of glossy paper, and if it is premium plain paper, it is classified into the category of plain paper. A recording medium includes a medium other than a paper medium, but in this embodiment, the user is notified using the word "paper". The history information and the characteristic values of each recording medium may be stored in the ROM of the host computer or an external memory such as a server instead of the storage medium in the recording apparatus.

An interface (I/F) circuit 410 connects the recording apparatus 100 and an external network such as a LAN. The printing apparatus 100 transmits/receives various jobs, data, etc. to/from an external device such as a host computer through an I/F circuit 410 .

Input/output unit 406 includes an input unit and an output unit. The input unit receives a power-on instruction from the user, an instruction to execute recording, and an instruction to set various functions. The output unit displays various device information such as a power saving mode and setting screens for various functions executable by the recording device 100 . In this embodiment, the input/output unit 406 is an operation panel provided in the printing apparatus 100, and is connected to the system bus 416 via the input/output control circuit 405 so that data can be transmitted and received. In this embodiment, the CPU 401 controls notification of information from the output unit.

Alternatively, the input unit may be a keyboard of an external host computer, and may be capable of accepting user's instructions from the external host computer. The output unit may be an LED display, an LCD display, or a display connected to a host device. Also, if the input/output unit is a touch panel, it is possible to receive instructions from the user using software keys. Further, the input/output unit 406 may be a speaker and a microphone, and the input from the user may be voice input, and the notification to the user may be voice output.

An information processing apparatus externally connected to the printing apparatus 100 and having a CPU and a ROM having functions similar to those of the CPU 401 and the ROM 402 may perform a printing medium determination process, which will be described later, to determine the printing medium to be used in the printing apparatus 100 .

When performing measurement by the optical sensor 201, the LED control circuit 407 is driven by the CPU 401 and controlled so that a predetermined LED in the optical sensor 201 is lit. Each photodiode of the optical sensor 201 outputs a signal corresponding to the received light, which is converted into a digital signal by the A/D conversion circuit 408 and temporarily stored in the RAM 403 . Data that should be saved even when the recording apparatus 100 is powered off is stored in the EEPROM 404 .

A printhead control circuit 411 supplies a drive signal corresponding to print data to a nozzle drive circuit mounted on the printhead 102 and including selectors and switches, and controls the printing operation of the printhead 102 such as the nozzle drive order. For example, when data to be recorded is transmitted to the I/F circuit 410 from the outside, the data to be recorded is temporarily stored in the RAM 403 . Then, the print head control circuit 411 drives the print head 102 based on the print data converted from the data to be printed into print data for printing. At this time, an LF (line feed) motor drive circuit 412 drives an LF motor 413 based on the bandwidth of print data, etc., and the print medium is transported by rotating a transport roller connected to the LF motor 413 . A CR (carriage) motor drive circuit 414 drives a CR (carriage) motor 415 to scan the carriage 101 via the carriage belt 103 .

The data sent from the I/F circuit 410 includes not only the data to be printed but also the data set by the printer driver. The data to be recorded may be received from the outside via the I/F circuit 410 and stored in the storage unit, or stored in advance in a storage unit such as a hard disk. The CPU 401 reads out the image data from the storage unit and controls the image processing circuit 409 to execute conversion (binarization processing) into print data for using the print head 102 . The image processing circuit 409 executes various image processing such as color space conversion, HV conversion, gamma correction, image rotation, etc., in addition to binarization processing.

<Overall flow>
FIG. 5 is a flow chart showing a recording medium determination process of acquiring the measurement result of measuring the characteristics of the recording medium 105 to be recorded, notifying the input/output unit 406 of the candidate recording medium based on the measurement result and the characteristic value as a reference, and determining the type of recording medium to be recorded. In the following recording medium determination processing, the measured value of the characteristic value of the type of recording medium selected by the user is obtained as new information, and based on this, the predetermined characteristic value is changed so as to be closer to the measured value. Through such learning, characteristic values are obtained that enable more accurate selection of the type of recording medium.

The processes of steps S101 to S112 in FIG. 5 are realized, for example, by the CPU 401 shown in FIG. Also, the recording medium determination process may be executed by software of the host device. In this embodiment, since the input/output unit 406 is an operation panel provided in the printing apparatus, the candidate of the printing medium is notified by displaying the name of the printing medium on the operation panel. The input/output unit 406 may be a display and host device connected to the host device. If the input/output unit 406 is a speaker with a microphone function capable of inputting/outputting voice, the candidate for the recording medium is notified by the speaker, and the selection of the recording medium is performed by the user inputting the name of the recording medium or the corresponding code into the microphone.

When the CPU 401 receives a user's instruction to start paper feeding from the operation panel that is the input/output unit 406 , the CPU 401 performs paper feeding processing for the recording medium 105 . FIG. 6A is a display example of an operation panel for accepting input of an instruction to start paper feeding processing. The operation panel is a touch panel that allows touch input by the user. When the item "Yes" is touched, paper feeding is started.

When the item "Yes" is selected in FIG. 6A and paper feeding is started, the recording medium 105 is conveyed by the conveying rollers to a position on the platen 106 that can be detected by the optical sensor 201 . When the recording medium 105 is conveyed, the carriage 101 moves on the recording medium 105 in the X direction, and the optical sensor 201 acquires the diffuse reflection value, the specular reflection value, and the thickness of the recording medium (hereinafter referred to as paper thickness) of the recording medium 105 (step S101). The diffuse reflection value corresponds to the whiteness of the recording medium, and the specular reflection value corresponds to the glossiness of the recording medium. As a characteristic of the recording medium, the width of the recording medium in the X direction may be used to perform the recording medium determination process. The recording medium characteristics may be measured at one position, or the average of the measurement results at a plurality of positions may be taken. Moreover, the measurement of the characteristics may be performed while the optical sensor 201 is stopped, or may be performed while the optical sensor 201 is moving. The measured values are temporarily stored in a memory such as the RAM 403 .

Next, the CPU 401 reads out the obtained measured value from the memory and compares it with the characteristic values of various recording media previously determined and stored in the EEPROM 404 (step S102). As a result, the types of recording media that match the characteristics indicated by the measured values higher than a predetermined degree are extracted. Details are as follows. FIG. 7A shows characteristic values stored in the EEPROM 404 for each type of recording medium. This characteristic value is the characteristic value= _T0 if the current stage is the initial value. Using this value as a reference value, the type of the recording medium is determined by comparison with the measured value. The range of this reference value is defined as the detection range. This detection range is an extraction range for extracting recording medium candidates to be notified to the user. Henceforth, this detection range is called an extraction range. The diffuse reflection value and the specular reflection value are values obtained by A/D converting the output voltage output by the optical sensor 201 upon receiving light with 10 bits. The extraction range is the range from the min value to the max value centering on the middle value of each characteristic value of the recording medium. The extraction range of the paper thickness is ±50 μm from the central value, and the type of recording medium whose acquired paper thickness is within the extraction range is extracted (step S103).

Then, it is determined whether or not there is an extracted recording medium type (step S104).

If there is no extracted recording medium type, all categories are displayed on the operation panel as shown in FIG. 6B (step S114). The categories are arranged and displayed in a predetermined order. When the category is displayed, when the input of the category selected by the user is received, the type of recording medium in the category is displayed as shown in FIG. 6(c). Then, an input of the type of recording medium selected from among the displayed types of recording medium is received. Input is performed by touching an item displaying the name of the recording medium. In FIG. 6B, the item "all" is displayed at the bottom, apart from the category of recording media. When "all" is selected, all recording media are displayed in a predetermined order. The recording media may be displayed in order from the most recent, that is, the most recently used recording medium.

If there is a type of recording medium extracted in step S104, the type of recording medium whose acquired diffuse reflection value is within the extraction range of the diffuse reflection value stored in the storage means EEPROM 404 is extracted (step S105). As shown in FIG. 7(a), the extraction range of diffuse reflection values is ±5 from the central value. Here, it is determined whether or not there is an extracted recording medium type (step S106). If there is no corresponding recording medium type, the category is displayed on the operation panel as shown in FIG. 6B (step S114).

If there is a type of recording medium extracted in step S106, the type of recording medium whose obtained specular reflection value is within the extraction range of the specular reflection value stored in the storage means EEPROM 404 is extracted (step S107). As shown in FIG. 7A, the specular reflection value extraction range is ±5 from the central value. Here, it is determined whether or not there is an extracted recording medium type (step S108). If there is no corresponding recording medium type, the category is displayed on the operation panel as shown in FIG. 6B (step S114).

If there is a type of recording medium extracted in step S108, the extracted types of recording medium are ranked so that a recording medium having a characteristic value closer to the measured value has a higher priority (step S109). Details of how to determine the display order will be described later.

As shown in FIG. 6D, the names of the types of recording media are displayed in descending order of priority determined in step S109 (step S110).

By touching the button 40 displayed on the operation panel in FIG. 6(d), the display on the screen can be scrolled downward. When "STOP" is touched, the recording medium determination process is stopped, and the display of FIG. 6A is switched to the home screen display. In FIG. 6D, numbers 1 to 3 are attached next to the names of the recording media in descending order of priority. The type of recording medium is selected by touching the displayed name of the recording medium. Here, the standard semi-glossy paper numbered 1 has the highest priority. Any code may be used as long as the level of priority can be recognized, and a code other than a number may be used. Also, the display method is not limited to this, as long as the user can recognize the order of priority.

In FIG. 6(d), up to three recording medium candidates can be displayed from the top, but since there are two types of recording media extracted, only two recording media are displayed in FIG. 6(d). In the third column, "No selection candidate" is displayed in a faint (or dark) manner so as to be less conspicuous than the names of the above two recording media, and the user is informed that there is no third candidate. For example, when the background color of the operation panel is black, the two recording media are displayed in white, and the content "no selection candidate" is displayed in gray, which is a color with a lower luminance than white. The category of paper is displayed below the display of the content "no choice candidate". In this way, when the recording medium desired by the user is not among the recording media displayed on the input/output unit 406, the individual recording medium can be selected in order to select another type of recording medium. In this embodiment, the category to which the first-ranked recording medium type belongs is displayed at the top. By displaying categories with similar characteristics at the top to facilitate selection, even if there is no recording medium desired by the user among the candidate recording media, the effort required to select the category of the desired recording medium can be reduced.

FIG. 8 shows another method of displaying candidates for the type of recording medium in the input/output unit 406 . As shown in FIG. 8A, when all the candidates for the type of recording medium cannot be displayed on the operation panel, the lower candidates may be displayed by a scrolling operation or the like. In addition, it is sufficient if the priority can be recognized by the user even if the candidates are not displayed in descending order. The name of the recording medium with the highest priority may be displayed in the center of the operation panel, or the priority may be expressed by increasing the size of the characters that display the name of the recording medium with the highest priority, making it bold, etc., as shown in FIG. Also, although the category is displayed under the display of "Paper category", the category may be displayed without the display of "Paper category". In addition, the type of recording medium other than the candidate may be displayed below the candidate recording medium instead of the category.

Also, as shown in FIG. 8C, only the recording medium having the first priority may be displayed. If the user wishes to select another extracted recording medium, he or she can select the item of the recording medium displayed as standard plain paper in FIG. 8(c). When this selection is received, a screen such as that shown in FIG. 6D is displayed, and a display method may be used in which another recording medium can be selected.

If there is no type of recording medium extracted in step S108, only category display is performed as shown in FIG. 6C (step S114).

When the user selects the type of recording medium from the input/output unit 406 in step S111, it is determined in step S112 whether or not the measured value is within the learning range of the selected recording medium. Here, the learning range will be explained. If learning is performed based on measured values that are significantly different from the predetermined (or changed through the learning process) characteristic values, incorrect values will be learned, so a learning range is set as the range of measured values to be learned. The learning range is a range that is twice as large as the extraction range in this embodiment. The learning range is the range for changing the characteristic value. If the measured value is within the learning range of the selected recording medium, the characteristic value is changed based on the measured value. In this embodiment, the learning range is a range from the central value of the characteristic value to a predetermined value, which is the difference between the min value, or the central value, the max value, and twice the difference. For example, the extraction range of the specular reflection value of the standard glossy paper in FIG. 7A is ±5 from the central value, 95 to 105. Since the learning range takes a range of ±10 from the central value which is twice ±5, the learning range is 90-110. Similarly, the diffuse reflection value and the paper thickness have a range that is twice the extraction range. The learning range is not limited to this. For example, the same range as the extraction range may be set, or a different learning range may be set for each characteristic or recording medium type. When the measured value is within the learning range of the selected type of recording medium, the process proceeds to step S113, and the characteristic value of the type of recording medium selected in step S111 is updated to a value changed based on the measured value and stored in the EEPROM 404. - 特許庁With the above, the recording medium determination processing ends. If the measured value is not within the learning range, the recording medium determination process is terminated without updating the characteristic value of the selected recording medium type. Details of updating the characteristic values will be described later.

When the recording medium determination process is completed and preparation for recording is completed, a recording job from the user is accepted, and recording is started when the recording job is received. If the type of recording medium selected and input by the user from the input/output unit 406 is different from the type of recording medium of the job transmitted from the host computer to the recording apparatus 100, the characteristic values of the recording medium stored in the EEPROM 404 may not be updated.

In the recording medium determination process of FIG. 5, the type of recording medium having a corresponding paper thickness is extracted in step S103, the type of recording medium having a corresponding diffuse reflection value is extracted in step S105, and the type of recording medium having a corresponding specular reflection value is extracted in step S107. The order of extraction is not limited to this, and for example, the type of recording medium to which the diffuse reflection value corresponds may be extracted first.

When the optical sensor 201 is provided in a measuring device separate from the recording device, first, the characteristics of the recording medium set in the measuring device are measured. Then, the acquired measurement value may be transmitted to the printing apparatus, the printing medium may be extracted by the CPU 401 of the printing apparatus, and the input/output unit 406 may be notified of the candidates.

The method of determining the display order in step S110 of the recording medium determination processing and the updating of the characteristic values in step S113 will be described below with reference to specific examples. The characteristics of the recording medium acquired in step S101 are (diffuse reflection value, specular reflection value, paper thickness)=(103, 98, 225) as shown in FIG. FIG. 10 is a table showing the judgment results of the processes in steps S103 to S107. "O" indicates a recording medium whose measured value falls within the extraction range, and "x" indicates a recording medium whose measured value does not fall within the extraction range. Recording media having characteristic values that do not fall within the extraction range are not judged in the next process. This is displayed as "not determined" in FIG.

In step S103, standard glossy paper, standard semi-glossy paper, premium glossy paper, and thick glossy paper, which are types of recording media that fall within the thickness extraction range shown in FIG. 7A, are extracted. Since there is an extracted type of recording medium, step S104 becomes Yes, and the process proceeds to step S105.

In step S105, standard glossy paper, standard semi-glossy paper, and thick glossy paper are extracted from the recording media extracted in step S103. Since there is an extracted type of recording medium, step S106 becomes Yes, and the process proceeds to step S107.

In step S107, from the recording media extracted in step S105, a recording medium whose measured specular reflection value falls within the specular reflection value extraction range shown in FIG. 7A is extracted. Standard glossy paper, standard semi-glossy paper, and thick glossy paper are extracted here. Since there is an extracted recording medium, step S108 becomes Yes, and the process proceeds to step S110.

In step S109, a recording medium whose characteristic value is closer to the measured value is ranked as a recording medium having a higher priority. Then, in step S110, the names of the extracted recording medium types are displayed in descending order of priority from the top.

FIG. 11 is a diagram for explaining the ranking determination method in step S109. In this embodiment, the following calculation method is used to calculate the closeness between the central value of each characteristic and the measured value.
|(measured value - central value of characteristic) / (max value of characteristic - central value of characteristic) |
A min value may be used instead of a property's max value.
For example, calculating for the specular value of standard glossy paper, |(103-100)/(105-95)|=0.6. The above calculation is performed for the types of recording media extracted in step S105, and the closeness values of each characteristic to the measured value are totaled. A recording medium with a smaller total value is closer to the measured value. A recording medium with a smaller total value is determined to be a higher-order recording medium type, and is displayed on the input/output unit 406 . Here, as shown in FIG. 6E, standard glossy paper, thick glossy paper, and standard semi-glossy paper are displayed in this order.

The processing in step S112 when the user selects the standard semi-glossy paper with the third display order in step S111 will be described.

In step S112, it is determined whether or not the measured value obtained in step S101 is within the learning range of standard semi-gloss paper, which is the type of the selected recording medium. If all the properties of the diffuse reflection value, specular reflection value, and paper thickness are within the learning range, it is determined that the standard semi-gloss paper is in the learning range. As shown in FIG. 7A, the extraction range of the specular reflection value of standard semi-glossy paper is 94 to 104, which is a range of ±5 with 99 as the central value (middle). As described above, the learning range takes a range twice the extraction range from the same central value as the extraction range. The learning range of the specular reflection value of the standard semi-glossy paper is 89 to 109, which is the range of ±10 with the central value being 99. Similarly, the learning range for the diffuse reflection value of the standard semi-glossy paper is 85-105, and the learning range for the paper thickness is 90-290. Since all of the measured values (diffuse reflection value, specular reflection value, paper thickness)=(103, 98, 225) are included in the above learning range, the process proceeds to step S113.

In step S113, the characteristic value of the type of recording medium selected based on the measured value is updated. The characteristic values shown in FIG. 7A are the characteristic values before updating, and the measured values are shown in FIG. In this embodiment, the characteristic value of the type of recording medium is brought closer to the measured value at a constant rate. Here, since the measured values include measurement errors, rather than replacing the measured values as the characteristic values all at once, the difference between the measured values and the characteristic values is reduced by a constant rate. An example of this is represented by a generalized formula as follows.
Characteristic value after update (Tn+1) = (measured value (R) - characteristic value (Tn)) x α + characteristic value before update (Tn)
Here, α is a value that indicates the ratio of bringing the characteristic value closer to the measured value. Assuming that the approach ratio is 25%, the central value of the specular reflection value is as follows. For example, when Tn=T ₀ (initial value), T ₁ is obtained by the first update.
When R=103 and Tn=T ₀ =99, T ₁ is obtained as follows.
T ₁ = (103-99) x 0.25 + 99 = 100
Similarly, the diffuse reflection value and the paper thickness characteristic value are updated. The updated result is shown in FIG. 7(b). The min value and max value are updated according to the central value without changing the extraction range of ±5 from the central value for specular reflection value and diffuse reflection value, and ±50 from the central value for paper thickness. The updated characteristic values are stored as the characteristic values of the standard semi-glossy paper in the EEPROM 404 by rewriting the original characteristic values, and are used in subsequent recording medium determination processing. With this, the recording medium determination processing ends.

In the above example, when the characteristic value is updated, the characteristic value is brought closer to the measured value by 25%, but the ratio of the closeness is not limited to this, and may be any ratio greater than 0% and less than or equal to 100%. Also, the ratio of closeness may be set for each type of recording medium or may be set for each characteristic.

With the characteristic values updated as shown in FIG. 7B, the standard semi-gloss paper whose recording medium characteristics are (diffuse reflection value, specular reflection value, paper thickness)=(103, 98, 225) is measured again. FIG. 11(b) shows the results of ranking in order of characteristic values close to the measured values. By updating the property values of standard semi-glossy paper, the ranking of standard semi-glossy paper became first. Therefore, in step S110, the input/output unit 406 displays the standard semi-glossy paper, which is the measured printing medium, as the highest printing medium, making it easier for the user to select.

As another method of reflecting the characteristic value of the type of recording medium in the measured value, the average value of the past N measurements may be set as the characteristic value. 12A and 12B are diagrams for explaining a method of setting the characteristic value based on the past three measured values. Here, the specular reflection value of standard semi-glossy paper will be described as an example. FIG. 12A shows a case where the standard semi-glossy paper has not been selected even once in step S111. In FIG. 12(a), the default value of 99 is input as the value for the past three times, and the average value is also 99, so the characteristic value is 99. In FIG. 12B, when the standard semi-glossy paper is selected, the measured value 103 is input as the previous measured value. The average value 100.3 when the measured value 103 is input is set as the characteristic value to be used from the next time onwards. FIG. 12(c) shows a case where standard semi-glossy paper is further selected, and 104 is input as the previous measurement value. The average value of 102 at this time is set as the characteristic value to be used from the next time onwards. FIG. 12(d) shows a case where standard semi-glossy paper is further selected from the state of FIG. 12(c), and 102 is input as the previous measurement value. The average value 103 at this time is set as the characteristic value to be used from the next time onward.

As described above, the characteristic values of the fed recording medium are acquired, and the type of recording medium close to the measured value is notified to the upper level. By doing so, the type of recording medium that the user is likely to select is preferentially notified, and the user's effort in selecting the type of recording medium desired by the user can be reduced.

(Second embodiment)
In the first embodiment, the types of extracted recording media are notified in order of characteristic values close to the measured values. In this embodiment, the order of notification is determined by history information.

In this embodiment, EEPROM 404 stores a history of the types of recording media that have been fed and selected by the user. The recording medium selected by the user is the recording medium selected in step S111 of FIG. 5 of the first embodiment. The stored information is treated as history information.

FIG. 13 shows a flowchart of the recording medium determination processing of this embodiment. Steps S201 to S208 and S217 in FIG. 13 perform the same processing as steps S101 to S108 and S114 in FIG. 5 of the first embodiment.

In step S209, it is determined based on the history information stored in the EEPROM 404 whether or not there is a usage history of the extracted recording medium type. As shown in FIG. 14, the EEPROM 404 stores recording media that have been used in the recording apparatus 100 so far in association with information indicating how recently they were used. When the same type of recording medium is used multiple times, only the last used information is regarded as the history. In FIG. 14, the recording medium with the smaller number assigned to the column of historical order is the recording medium that was used most recently.

If the type of recording medium extracted in step S209 is not included in the history information, the types of the extracted recording medium are ranked in step S215, as in step S109 in FIG.

In step S216, the names of the recording media are displayed in order on the operation panel as shown in FIG. 6D in accordance with the order of priority determined in step S215, and the process proceeds to step S211.

If the type of recording medium extracted in step S209 is included in the history information, as shown in FIG. 15, in step S210, the types of the extracted recording medium are collectively displayed with duplicates of the same type of recording medium. In FIG. 15, the types of recording media that have been used so far are displayed in order from the top, with the most recently used recording medium having a higher priority. Although the names of three types of recording media can be displayed here, only two types of recording media that have been extracted and have history information are displayed. In that case, information indicating that there is no history information such as "no selection history" is displayed in the third frame.

Steps S211 to S213 perform the same processing as steps S111 to S113 in FIG. When the user selects the type of recording medium from the input/output unit 406 in step S211, it is determined in step S212 whether or not the measured value is within the learning range of the selected recording medium. If the measured value is not within the learning range of the selected recording medium, the process proceeds to step S214. If the measured value is within the learning range of the selected recording medium, in step S213, the characteristic value of the selected recording medium is changed and updated based on the measured value.

Next, in step S214, the history information is updated to information in which the type of the selected recording medium is the latest usage history. With the above, the recording medium determination processing of the present embodiment is completed.

If the measured value does not fall within the learning range of the selected recording medium (step S212: NO), the history information may not be updated in step S214.

As described above, in this embodiment, the type of recording medium that has been used is notified as the top candidates. As a result, the type of recording medium that is likely to be used by the user is notified preferentially, and the user's trouble in selecting the desired recording medium can be reduced.

(Third embodiment)
In the first embodiment, the characteristic value itself of the type of recording medium stored in the EEPROM 404 is corrected, and the corrected characteristic value and the measured value are compared. In this embodiment, a correction value is provided in addition to the characteristic value of the type of recording medium stored in the EEPROM 404 . Although the correction value is updated by learning, the characteristic value remains unchanged from the initial value _T0 . Then, the value obtained by correcting the characteristic value _T0 by the correction value Cn is used as a reference characteristic value and compared with the measured value. As for the correction value, C0 is the initial value, and the n-th correction value is Cn. Parts similar to those of the first embodiment are omitted.

In the recording medium determination processing of this embodiment, steps S101, S103 to S112, and S114 of FIG. 5 are the same as those of the first embodiment. Here, steps S102 and S113 will be mainly described.

The EEPROM 404 stores a correction value for correcting the characteristic value in addition to the characteristic value of each recording medium type. When comparing with the measured value, the corrected characteristic value obtained based on the predetermined characteristic value shown in FIG. 7A and the correction value is calculated and compared with the measured value. In this embodiment, the characteristic value used as a reference for comparison with the measured value is T0+Cn, which is the sum of the characteristic value T0 and the correction value Cn.

In step S102, the measured value obtained in step S101 is compared with the corrected characteristic value of the type of recording medium. The processing of steps S103 to S112 is performed using the reference characteristic value T0+Cn calculated in step S102.

In step S113, the correction value of the characteristic value of the recording medium selected by the user is updated to the learned value. The correction value is updated so that the corrected characteristic value of the type of recording medium approaches the measured value at a constant rate. The example is represented by a generalized formula as follows. α indicates the ratio of approximation.
Correction value after update (Cn+1)=(measured value (R)-reference characteristic value (T0+Cn))×α+correction value before update (Cn)

(Fourth embodiment)
In the first and second embodiments, characteristic values are changed based on measured values. However, it is assumed that the characteristic values are not changed so as to improve the accuracy of extracting the type of recording medium. For example, the user may mistakenly select a different type of recording medium than the desired recording medium. In such a case, the characteristic value of the type of recording medium that was erroneously selected is changed based on the measured value, so there is a possibility that the type of recording medium cannot be accurately extracted from the changed characteristic value.

In such a situation, it may be better to undo the change of the characteristic value. In this embodiment, a form of restoring changed characteristic values will be described. When used by a plurality of users, the property values may be restored by going back to changes in property values due to use by the previous user. As an example, a form that can be returned to the initial value will be described. The initial values here are the characteristic values of the recording medium stored in the EEPROM 404 in advance when the recording apparatus 100 is used by the user for the first time.

Note that the recording apparatus of this embodiment will be described as the recording apparatus described in the second embodiment that displays candidates for the recording medium based on the history information. Also, the same parts as those of the already described embodiments will be omitted from the description. In the recording medium determination process, if the user selects the wrong type of recording medium, a notification recommending resetting of learned characteristic value data may be issued. By notifying the user, it is possible to prompt the reset and prevent the extraction and notification of incorrect candidates.

FIG. 16 shows a flowchart of reset processing. The reset processing is processing executed by the CPU 401 according to a program stored in the ROM 402 .

The EEPROM 404 stores both characteristic values of the type of recording medium pre-stored as initial values as shown in FIG. 7(a) and learned characteristic values of the type of recording medium changed by learning as shown in FIG. 7(b). The characteristic values changed by learning are shown in FIG. 7B, and the learned characteristic values shown in FIG. 7B are compared with the measured values measured by the optical sensor 201 in the recording medium determination process of FIG. The characteristic values stored as initial values are not changed. The process of returning the learned characteristic value to the initial value is executed by storing the initial value of the characteristic value stored in the EEPROM 404 in the area storing the learned characteristic value.

In the present embodiment, it is possible to perform an "estimated data reset" process for resetting the learned characteristic value, which is data for estimating the type of recording medium, to the initial value, and a "paper information reset" process for resetting all the information set for the type of recording medium to be reset. Hereinafter, data of learned characteristic values is also referred to as estimated data. The paper information reset process is a process of resetting the information set in connection with all recording media to the initial state, including the process of resetting the history information and clearing the information stored as the history information, in addition to the process of resetting the learned characteristic values to the initial values. As in the third embodiment, it may have a characteristic value of a recording medium and a correction value. In that case, the estimated data is reset by resetting the correction values to their initial values.

First, in step S1601, the input/output unit 406 displays the home screen (FIG. 17A). Note that FIG. 17(a) shows a state when "main body setting" is selected from the items displayed on the home screen. When an item is selected, the selected item is highlighted and the next screen is displayed. In FIG. 17, the background of the item is made different from the color of the other items, and the item is highlighted by thickening the frame.

When "main body setting" is selected on the home screen, a main body setting screen as shown in FIG. 17B is displayed on the input/output unit 406 in step S1602. When "paper-related settings" is selected from the main body setting screen, "paper-related settings" is highlighted as shown in FIG. Note that FIG. 17C shows the state when "detailed paper settings" is selected on the setting screen. The paper-related setting screen displays items for setting printing medium information set in the printing apparatus 100, such as an item for setting the height of the printing head 102 for printing and an item for setting a cutting speed for cutting the roll paper.

When the user wants to reset the learned characteristic values for all types of recording media, the user selects "Reset all estimated data for paper selection" on the paper-related setting screen. If "reset all estimated data for paper selection" is selected, in step S1604, the learned characteristic values of all print medium types are returned to the initial values stored in the EEPROM 404 and shown in FIG. The details of the process of resetting all estimated data will be described later.

When the user wants to reset the recording medium information of all recording media, the user selects "reset all paper information". If "reset all paper information" is selected, initializeable data including characteristic values and history information are returned to initial values in step S1605. Details of the processing for resetting all recording medium information will be described later with reference to FIG.

If the user wants to reset the learning of characteristic values and history information for each type of recording medium, select "detailed settings of paper". When "detailed setting of paper" is selected, in step S1606, processing for resetting characteristic values and history information for each type of printing medium is performed. Details will be described later with reference to FIG.

With the above, the reset processing ends.

Processing for resetting all estimated paper selection data in step S1604 in FIG. 16 will be described. FIG. 18 is a flow chart showing the processing of step S1604.

When the item "reset all estimated data for paper selection" is selected from the paper-related setting screen (FIG. 17C), a confirmation screen is displayed as shown in FIG. 17G in step S1801. If "Yes" is selected on the confirmation screen (step S1802: Yes), the learned characteristic values of all recording medium types are reset to the initial values in step S1803. Next, in step S1805, a sheet-related setting screen is displayed on the input/output unit 406, and the process ends.

If "Yes" is not selected on the confirmation screen (step S1802: No) but "No" is selected (step S1804: Yes), a paper-related setting screen is displayed on the input/output unit 406 in step S1805, and the process ends. If "yes" is not selected (step S1802: No) and "no" is not selected (step S1804: No) on the confirmation screen, the confirmation screen is displayed until one of them is selected.

As described above, the process of resetting all the estimated paper selection data is executed.

Next, processing for resetting all recording medium information in step S1605 in FIG. 16 will be described. FIG. 19 is a flow chart showing the processing of step S1605.

When the item "reset all paper information" is selected from the paper-related setting screen (FIG. 17C), a confirmation screen is displayed as shown in FIG. 17H in step S1901. If "Yes" is selected on the confirmation screen (step S1902: Yes), the recording medium information set for all recording medium types is set to the initial value in step S1903. The print medium information includes, for example, the setting of the height of the print head 102 when printing, the cut speed when cutting the roll paper, and the like, in addition to the characteristic value of the print medium type and history information. Next, in step S1905, a sheet-related setting screen is displayed on the input/output unit 406, and the process ends.

If "yes" is not selected on the confirmation screen (step S1902: No) but "no" is selected (step S1904: Yes), a paper-related setting screen is displayed on the input/output unit 406 in step S1905, and the process ends. If "yes" is not selected (step S1902: No) and "no" is not selected (step S1904: No) on the confirmation screen, the confirmation screen is displayed until one of them is selected.

As described above, processing for resetting all recording medium information for paper selection is executed.

Next, the processing of resetting for each type of recording medium in step S1606 of FIG. 16 will be described. FIG. 20 is a flow chart showing the processing of step S1606.

When the item "detailed setting of paper" is selected from the paper-related setting screen (FIG. 17C), a screen for selecting the type of recording medium is displayed in step S2001 as shown in FIG. 17D. In FIG. 17(d), the category of recording medium can be selected. FIG. 17D shows the state when the plain paper category is selected. For example, if the plain paper category is selected, the types of printing media belonging to the plain paper category, ie, “standard plain paper” and “premium plain paper” are displayed in step S2002 (FIG. 17E). FIG. 17E shows the state when standard plain paper is selected.

When the type of recording medium is selected in step S2002, a detailed setting screen for the selected recording medium type is displayed in step S2003 as shown in FIG. 17F. FIG. 17F shows the state when the item "reset estimated data for paper selection" is selected. From the screen shown in FIG. 17(f), settings such as paper tube outer size and paper thickness can be performed for each type of recording medium. From this screen, it is possible to reset the learning of the characteristic values of the type of recording medium or reset the recording medium information.

When "reset estimated data for paper selection" is selected on the screen of FIG. 17(f), the estimated data is reset in step S2004, and the learned characteristic value of the type of printing medium is set to the initial value. The processing in step S2004 is the same as the processing in FIG. 19 described above, and in step S1903, the characteristic value of the selected print medium type is returned to the initial value.

When "reset paper information" is selected on the screen of FIG. 17(f), all data including characteristic values and history information are reset to initial values in step S2005. The process in step S2005 is similar to the process in FIG. 20, and in step S2003, the paper information set for the selected print medium type is returned to the initial value. As for the history information, only the history information of the type of recording medium to be reset is deleted, and the history information of the other types of recording medium is left and stored.

After completing the processes in steps S2004 and S2005, the process advances to step S2006 to display a display for selecting whether or not to perform reset processing for other recording medium types as well. If resetting is selected, the process returns to step S2001. If the user selects not to reset, the detailed setting screen for the selected recording medium type (FIG. 17F) is displayed in the same manner as in step S2003, and the process ends.

In the above description, the process of resetting the estimated data sets the characteristic value of the recording medium type to the initial value, and the process of resetting the recording medium information sets the characteristic value of the recording medium type to the initial value and resets the history information. By returning the characteristic value to the initial value, it is possible to prevent the accuracy of extracting candidates for the type of recording medium from being lowered, and to prevent the user from lacking convenience.

Alternatively, a process of resetting only the history information may be performed. For example, when the person who uses the recording apparatus 100 is changed, even if the candidates for the type of recording medium are displayed based on the history information, a type different from the type of recording medium frequently used by the new user may be displayed as the top of the candidates. In such a case, by resetting only the history information without resetting the learned characteristic value of the type of recording medium, it is possible to extract the candidate recording medium while increasing the accuracy, thereby improving the user's convenience.

Also, although the characteristic values of the recording medium are reset to the initial values by resetting the characteristic value changes, it is not necessary to return the changes to the initial values. For example, the most recent one or several changes may be reset. Also, the timing of resetting the change of the characteristic value may be other than when the user inputs the information for resetting. For example, resetting may be performed when the environment in which the recording apparatus 100 is used changes, or when the user who uses the recording apparatus 100 changes.

101 recording device 105 recording medium 201 optical sensor 401 CPU
404 EEPROM
406 Operation panel

Claims (15)

Acquisition means for acquiring measurement results obtained by measuring characteristics of a recording medium used in a recording apparatus by a measurement means;
a control means for controlling a notification means for notifying a user of information;
an input unit that receives input of information by a user;
has
causing the notification means to notify information indicating the type of the recording medium based on the measurement result obtained by the obtaining means and the characteristic value of the recording medium stored in advance as a reference;
changing means for changing a characteristic value of a reference recording medium corresponding to the type of the recording medium, which is determined by the user when used in the recording apparatus and whose input is received by the input unit, so as to approach the measurement result;
The information processing apparatus, wherein the input unit is capable of inputting information indicating that the change made to the characteristic value of the reference recording medium by the changing unit is to be reversed. 2. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein when the input unit receives input of information indicating that the change made to the characteristic value of the reference recording medium by the changing means is to be undoed, the changing means undoes the change made to the characteristic value of the reference recording medium by the changing means. 3. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein when the input unit receives input of information indicating that the change made to the characteristic value of the reference recording medium by the changing means is to be reversed for a predetermined type of recording medium, the changing means performs a process of undoing the change made to the characteristic value of the reference recording medium corresponding to the predetermined recording medium type. 4. The information processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the information indicating that the change made to the characteristic value of the reference recording medium by the changing means, which can be input by the input unit, is to be undone is reset information indicating that all the changes are to be undone. 5. The information processing apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the characteristic value of the reference recording medium when the changing means undoes all the changes is an initial value of the characteristic value of the reference recording medium stored in advance before the recording apparatus is used for the first time. a storage means for storing the reference characteristic value of the recording medium and the initial value;
6. The information processing apparatus according to claim 5, wherein, when said input unit receives input of said reset information, said changing unit sets the characteristic value of said reference recording medium to said initial value. storage means for storing the initial value and a correction value for correcting the initial value;
the characteristic value of the reference recording medium is a value obtained by correcting the initial value with the correction value;
The changing means is means for changing the characteristic value of the reference recording medium by changing the correction value,
6. The information processing apparatus according to claim 5, wherein, when said input unit receives input of said reset information, said changing unit restores the change made by said changing unit to said correction value. The input unit is capable of receiving input of information about the recording device for controlling the recording device and information indicating that the change of the information about the recording device is to be undone,
when the input unit receives input of information about the recording device, the changing means changes and sets the information about the recording device according to the input information;
8. The information processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein when the input unit receives input of information indicating that the change of the information regarding the recording device is to be reversed, the changing unit sets the information regarding the recording device to the original state. storage means for storing usage history information indicating the type of recording medium that is determined by the user as the type of recording medium used in the recording apparatus and whose input is accepted by the input unit;
The usage history information stored in the storage means is determined by the user to be used in the recording device, and is changed when an input is received by the input unit;
9. The information processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the input unit is capable of receiving input of information indicating that a change in usage history information indicating the type of recording medium used in the recording apparatus is to be undone. 10. The information processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the information corresponding to the type of recording medium determined to be used in the recording device input to the input unit is further based on usage history information indicating the type of recording medium used in the recording device. 11. The information processing apparatus according to claim 9, wherein, when the input unit receives input of information indicating that the change of the information of the usage history is to be undone, the changing unit sets the information of the usage history to an empty state. 12. The information processing apparatus according to any one of claims 9 to 11, wherein, when the input unit receives input of information indicating that the change of the information of the usage history is to be undone with respect to the type of the predetermined recording medium, the changing unit deletes the information of the usage history regarding the type of the predetermined recording medium from the information of the usage history. an information processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 12;
a recording means for applying a recording material to a recording medium;
a conveying means for conveying the recording medium to a position for recording,
A recording apparatus, wherein when said conveying means conveys said recording medium to a position where said recording means can record, said recording means records on said recording medium. The recording device has a carriage on which the recording means is mounted and which is movable,
14. A recording apparatus according to claim 13, wherein said measuring means is mounted on said carriage and measures the characteristics of said recording medium conveyed by said conveying means to a position where said measuring means can measure. measuring the characteristics of recording media used in recording devices,
Notifying information indicating the type of the recording medium based on the measured result and the characteristic value of the recording medium that is stored in advance as a reference;
Receiving input of information corresponding to the type of recording medium used in the recording device determined by the user;
changing a characteristic value of a reference recording medium corresponding to the type of the recording medium whose input is accepted;
An information processing method, characterized by receiving an input of information indicating that a change made by a user to the characteristic value of the recording medium serving as the reference is to be undone.

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