JPH04194956A - Multicolor image recorder - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To cut a recording medium at a cut position accurately corresponding to a recorder image by providing a specified control means and counting a recording cycle as soon as a latent image is formed. CONSTITUTION:This recorder is provided with a reference clock generation circuit 19 for generating the recording cycle so that the cycle that the latent image is formed on a recording paper 1 by a recording head 3 which latently forms an image and a resist mark may be always recorded in a certain cycle, and a mark reader 6 for reading the resist mark. Then, a control part in which resist mark information is inputted from the mark reader 6, and which decides the feeding speed and the feeding quantity of the recording paper 1 carried by a step motor 7 corresponding to the slip of a carrying roller 8 and the elonga tion and contraction of the recording paper 1 and instructs the cutting of the recording paper 1 is provided. By counting the recording cycle that the latent image is formed on the recording paper 1 by the head 3, the accurate cut posi tion of the recording paper 1 is always decided. Thus, the recording paper 1 is cut at the accurate position which is not influenced by the slip of the roller 8 and the elongation and contraction of the recording paper 1 out of plural cut positions.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a multicolor image recording apparatus equipped with a cutting device that cuts a recording medium on which a multicolor image is recorded at a predetermined position.

2. Description of the Related Art Conventional multicolor image recording apparatuses include, for example, Japanese Patent Application No.
It is shown in Japanese Patent No. 162102.

FIG. 6 shows a schematic configuration of this type of multicolor image recording apparatus.

In Fig. 6, numeral 1 is a long electrostatic recording paper wound into a roll (hereinafter referred to as recording paper) which is a recording medium, and numeral 2 is a recording medium that applies braking force when feeding the recording paper 1. It is a supply roller that applies a predetermined tension t'j and also performs unwinding. 3 is a recording spatula I that creates an image in the center of the recording paper 1 and electrostatic latent images of registration marks at regular intervals on both ends to control color shift.
・, 4 is Para 1- which presses the recording paper 1 against the recording spatula F3.
It is n-ra. Reference numeral 5 denotes a rotary type developer for developing an electrostatic latent image for each color, including a black developer 5a, a cyan developer 5b, a magenta developer 5c, and a yellow developer 5a.
- developing devices 5d are arranged at equal intervals in the circumferential direction of the rotating shaft. 6 is a mark reader that can read the developed registration mark; 7 is a step motor that transports the recording paper 1 in both forward and reverse directions; and 8 is a transport roller that transports the recording paper 1 in both forward and reverse directions. 9 is a kite board for guiding recording paper 1, 10
and 11 are paper direction switching plates F for guiding the recording paper 1 to a winder or cutter, which will be described later, and each has a fulcrum of 12°1.
It is rotatably fixed to 3. Reference numeral 14 designates a winder for once winding up the recording paper 1, and reference numeral 15 designates a horn plate for guiding the recording paper, which will be described later. Reference numerals 16 and 17 indicate a horn cutter that transports the recording paper 1 to a horn cutter, and cuts the recording paper to a desired length.One is a standard that always gives a constant recording cycle to the recording head 3. A clock generation circuit 20 is a control section that inputs registration mark information from the mark reader 6, controls the amount of conveyance of the recording paper 1 through the rotation of the roller 8, and controls the cutting timing of the horn cutter 18.

The operation of this conventional multicolor image recording apparatus configured as described above will be described below.

First, before starting to record an image, a host (not shown) instructs basic specifications such as image size, cutting position, and color printing. The number of colors used to obtain one image (a multicolor image was obtained by moving the recording paper 1 back and forth between the recording head 3 and the rotary developing device 5. For recording other than color recording (hereinafter referred to as the final pass),
The recording paper 1 is once wound around the winder 14, and then rewound for each color to perform color matching using the registration marks on the recording paper 1. These registration marks are placed at both ends of the recording paper 1, that is, outside the effective screen area, every 128 steps (approximately 4 mm) when recording in the first color in multicolor recording (hereinafter referred to as the first pass). This is a mark to be recorded on the image.This mark also records at least the distance from the recording head 3 to the mark reader 6 prior to the start of image recording, so the second and subsequent color superimpositions are The control unit 20 controls the conveyance amount of the recording paper 1 based on the registration mark information, thereby preventing color misregistration.

Next, cutting of the recording paper 1 at a designated position was carried out by conveying the recording paper 1 by step feeding by the step motor 7. In order to cut the trailing edge of the recorded image, it is necessary to transport the recording end position to the cutter 18.
Registration marks to be made at the same time as image recording were not recorded in this area, and it was not possible to determine the cutting position based on the registration marks.

The manner in which the recording paper 1 is cut at the designated position will be described below.

During the final pass, the amount of movement of the recording paper 1 from the recording start position to the cutting position is stored in a storage device (not shown) as the number of drive steps of the step motor 7, and recording of the next image is started. With respect to this next image, a multicolor image for which image recording has already been completed is referred to as a previous image. During the first pass of the next image, a registration mark as a reference table is determined, and when the mark reader 6 reads this reference registration mark, the step motor 7
The number of driving steps is memorized. Further, when recording the final pass, the number of driving steps of the step motor 7 by which the mark reader 7 reads this reference registration mark is also stored. If there is no edge between the conveyance roller 8 and the recording paper 1, the number of drive steps read during the first pass and the final pass will be the same value, but in reality there is an edge and the number of drive steps is the same during the final pass. The number of drive steps at the time is a larger value. Therefore, conventionally, the number of steps for driving the recording paper 1 from the recording start position to the cutting position during the final pass of the previous image is added to the number of steps for the amount of deviation due to the slip, which corresponds to the corrected cutting position. The correct cutting position was obtained by adjusting the number of drive steps.

Problems to be Solved by the Invention However, in the conventional multi-color image recording apparatus described above, the cutting position is corrected by one step feeding and then an additional feeding for the correction amount. It was necessary to make an amputation.

That is, if a plurality of images are simultaneously recorded and each of them is cut individually, only the final cutting position will be corrected, and intermediate images will be affected by slippage. Furthermore, if the recorded image is long, the expansion and contraction of the recording paper, which can be ignored in the past, becomes a problem that cannot be ignored.

The present invention solves the problems of the conventional technology by providing a multicolor image recording device that can record multiple images at once and cut them individually, and that can compensate for expansion and contraction of the recording paper. The purpose is to

Means for Solving the Problem In order to achieve this object, the multicolor image recording device of the present invention has a method in which the latent image forming means for forming latent images of images and registration marks always keeps the period at which 124 images are formed on the recording medium at a constant period. a recording cycle generating means for generating a recording cycle to record; a mark reading means for reading the registration mark; register mark information is input from the mark reading means, and a transporting means controls the transporting speed and amount of the recording medium to be transported. The cutting means has a control means that makes decisions in response to slippage of the means and expansion and contraction of the recording medium and instructs the cutting operation of the cutting means.

Furthermore, the present invention inputs registration mark information from a mark reading means, calculates the distance between the registration marks, and calculates the conveyance amount by calculating the number of driving steps of the conveyance means corresponding to the conveyance amount of the recording medium between the registration marks. control means for controlling the cutting operation of the cutting means at all of the plurality of cutting positions by comparing the amount of expansion and contraction of the recording medium and multiplying the amount of expansion and contraction by the cutting length of the recording medium to be cut at an arbitrary position; It has the following.

Function: With the double first configuration, the conveying means for conveying the recording medium can not only compensate for errors caused by the gap between the recording medium and the conveying means, which has been done in the past, but also compensate for errors caused by the expansion and contraction of the recording medium. When the recording medium expands, the conveyance speed is increased, and when the recording medium shrinks, the conveyance speed is decreased. At this time, the recording period for forming a latent image on the recording medium is always constant. Therefore, by counting the recording period generated by the recording period generating means at the same time as the latent image is formed, the recording medium can be cut at a cutting position that accurately corresponds to the recorded image.

Furthermore, according to the second configuration, the amount of expansion and contraction of the recording medium is determined by comparing the interval between the registration marks, which would be constant if no expansion and contraction occurs in the recording medium, and the number of steps corresponding thereto. By multiplying the cutting length of each image by the already determined amount of expansion/contraction at the cutting position of a plurality of recorded images specified by the position, cutting can be performed at an accurate position unaffected by the amount of expansion/contraction of the recording medium.

EXAMPLE An example of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. The general configuration of the multicolor image recording apparatus according to the present invention is the same as the conventional one, so the explanation will be omitted. The present invention achieves two objects by changing the control of conveyance of the recording paper 1 by the control unit 20 and the control of the cutting operation of the cutter 18 from the conventional ones.

First, FIG. 1 shows a two-sided view of the recording paper 1 according to the first embodiment of the present invention. This shows the case of cutting.

Prior to the start of recording, the image size and
In addition to instructions on basic specifications such as cutting position and color printing, the length of each recorded image from the leading edge of the first image, that is, the first cutting position, to the trailing edge of the fourth image is recorded as the number of recording cycles e1 to e4. Convert to . Register this value in 1 counter (not shown),
From the start of recording, it is subtracted every recording cycle generated by a reference clock generation circuit 19 (not shown). At this time, as mentioned above, the conveyance speed and amount of the recording paper 1 is determined by the step signal generated by the control circuit 20 in response to the expansion and contraction of the recording paper 1, with respect to the recording cycle that always occurs at a constant cycle. It is variably determined such that it expands quickly and contracts slowly. The control circuit 20 is a central processing unit (hereinafter referred to as CPU).
It consists of a programmable clock counter, a reference clock, a storage device, etc. (not shown), and the CP
U indicates the number of steps to be output to the step motor 7 to a programmable counter based on register I/mark information from a mark reader 6 consisting of a CCD image sensor. Then, the programmable counter outputs a step signal generated by dividing the period of the reference clock to the motor 7 for several steps corresponding to the number of rotations of the conveying roller 8 according to an instruction from the CPU. In this embodiment, the reference clock generated by the control section 20 and the reference clock generation circuit 1 are
Each of them oscillates a different clock from the reference clock generated at 9. And the hole where you registered the cutting position mentioned above.
When each counter counts O, record spatula l'
The recording paper 1 is cut by conveying the distance from the cutter 18 to the cutter 18 in steps.

FIG. 2 shows a flowchart of cutting the recording paper in this multicolor image recording apparatus.Hereinafter, the recording paper cutting operation of the present invention will be explained in more detail using this diagram.

At the same time as starting the last I pass (step 1), set the first cutting position -〇, the second cutting position - on the counter.
el, 3rd cutting position - 32, 4th cutting position - e
3. Register the fifth cutting position - e4 (Step 2)
. After that, while the recording paper 1 is being conveyed, a recording cycle generation unit 1 such as a CPU
For each cycle in which 9 occurs, the number of recording cycles of each registered counter from 31 to 34 is subtracted by 1 (step 3).

Step 4) When one of the non-counters in which 34 is registered from el counts 0, the step pulse conversion value of the distance from the recording spatula F3 to the cutter 18 is registered in the non-counter (Step 5). At the same time as the recording paper 1 is conveyed by the step motor 7, this counter is decremented by 1 for each step (step 6), and when this counter counts 0 (step 7), the recording paper 1 is cut (step 8). Steps 3 to 8 are repeated until all non-counters count O (step 9), and this operation is completed.

In addition, in this embodiment, the registration mark is used for color matching in multicolor recording as in the past, and the step feed of the step motor 7 is essential to convey the recording end position to the horn 18. be.

As is clear from FIG. 1, according to this embodiment, if a plurality of images are recorded at a time and an attempt is made to cut them individually, the absolute length of each image is satisfied, but the actual recorded image A relative positional shift occurs. This occurs because the distance from the recording head 3 to the nozzle 18 is converted into the number of steps of the step motor 7 each time a cutting operation is performed, and the error is from △1 to △4. It is accumulated each time a cut is made as shown in .

As described above, according to this embodiment, the reference clock generation circuit generates the recording cycle so that the recording head 3 that latent images images and registration marks always records the latent image on the recording paper 1 at a constant cycle. 19, and a mark reader 6 that reads the l/cis) mark. Registration mark information is input from this mark reader 6, and the step motor 7 determines the conveyance speed and amount of the recording paper 1 conveyed by the slippage of the roller 8 and the recording. By providing a control unit that makes decisions in response to the expansion and contraction of the paper 1 and instructs the cutting of the recording paper 1, the recording period at which the recording head 3 makes a latent image on the recording paper is counted, thereby ensuring accurate recording at all times. The cutting position of the recording paper 1 is determined, and the recording paper 1 can be cut at a plurality of cutting positions at accurate positions that are not affected by the slippage of the conveyance roller 8 or the expansion and contraction of the recording paper 1. However, since registration marks are not recorded when transporting the image from the recording end position to the cutting position, it is necessary to perform step feed by converting the number of steps.If the total number of images to be recorded at a time is long, this step feed is used. Errors accumulate and the cutting position is not necessarily accurate.

Next, FIG. 3 shows a top view of the recording paper 1 in a second embodiment of the present invention. This figure also shows the case where four sheets of recorded images are recorded at once and then each recorded image is cut.

The operation will be explained below.

Prior to the start of recording, a uniform
14--Basic specifications such as image size, cutting position, color printing, etc. are instructed. Then, when recording the final color image, the number of registration marks and the number of step pulses from the start of recording of each image to the registration mark immediately before the recording end position are counted. If there is no expansion or contraction of the recording paper 1 or slippage of the conveyance roller 8, the number of step pulses between registration marks in this embodiment is 128 steps (approximately 4 mm), so if the number of registration marks is l (then the number of steps at that time is is 12
It should count 8X(k-1) steps. Conversely, do not show this value (
If it is J, it is determined that the recording paper 1 has expanded or contracted or the conveyance roller 8 has some hem. The present invention calculates the expansion and contraction of the recording paper 1 or the amount of deviation of the conveyance roller 8 between the registration marks at this time by Δ n =IN-128X(k-1)l/(1<
-1) to n: Expansion/contraction of recording paper 1 or transport roller 8/＼
The total number of steps between the registration marks from the beginning to just before the recording end position (calculated as the number of registration marks). Also, this 80 is the expansion and contraction of the recording paper 1 per approximately 4 mm. Alternatively, divide the amount of shear of the conveyance roller 8 by 4 to obtain the expansion/contraction of the recording paper 1 per l mm or the shear error of the conveyance roller 8, and calculate this as the length of the recorded image (m).
Multiply by That is, the recording paper 1 is accurately transported by further transporting the steps. The cutting of the trailing edge of the recorded image is carried out by conveying the position of the last recorded registration mark and the distance from the recording head 3 to the cutter 18 using the step motor 7 by converting it into a step pulse. This step-feeding conveyance is the same as in the first embodiment. Although the effects of expansion and contraction due to step pulse conveyance and the edge of the conveyance roller 8 are unavoidable, in this embodiment, since each recorded image is corrected individually, there is no accumulation of errors, and long recording is possible. Even when cutting an image into a plurality of pieces, the recording paper 1 can be cut at extremely accurate positions.

FIG. 4 shows a flowchart of this recording paper cutting process. This recording paper cutting operation will be explained in more detail below using this figure.

During the last pass recording, when the recording head 3 recognizes the existence of the first registration mark in the recorded image (step 1), a counter (not shown) simultaneously starts counting the number of registration marks and the number of steps.Step 2. Step 3) Count the number of registration marks and the number of steps before recording ends (Step 4)
．． Step 5). When the recording head 3 recognizes the presence of the last registration mark of the image being recorded (step 6), a correction value is calculated based on the above-mentioned error calculation formula (step 7). When the recording of a recorded image for which there is a cutting instruction from the host ends, step 8), the length (ml mm4) of each recorded image is substituted into the correction formula to calculate the cutting position (step 9).

The number of correction steps thus obtained is registered in a counter (not shown) (step 10).

After that, the recording paper 1 is conveyed by the step motor 7-17
= and decrements the counter by 1 at each step (step 11). When the counter counts 0 (step 12), the counter 18 cuts the recording paper 1 (step 13). By performing the above operations for all cutting positions (step 4), the recording paper 1 can be cut extremely accurately at all of the plurality of cutting positions.

When performing the correction in this embodiment, if the recorded image is long and the amount of expansion/contraction exceeds 128 steps (≠4 mm), check whether it is the result of actual expansion/contraction or whether the registration mark is missed. The problem is that it is not possible to determine whether it is the result of multiple detections, etc. Therefore, in this embodiment, the following processing is performed to prevent incorrect cutting positions from being corrected.

Since the expansion/contraction rate of the recording paper 1 used in this embodiment is ±0.2%, the range within which the expansion/contraction rate does not exceed the interval between registration marks can be determined by the following equation.

, '-e = 2000mm Also, find the range in which the amount of expansion and contraction can be measured using the following formula. The maximum resolution of measurement is 1/'32mm, so for example 0
．． To detect 1% expansion/contraction, pa・mξ31.2m
m Therefore, the recorded image is 32 mm < m < 2000
Accurate correction can be performed by setting the value within the range of mm.

FIG. 5 shows a flowchart in which correction for a long recorded image is added to the second embodiment.

The cutting operation of the recording paper 1, including correction when a registration mark is skipped or double detection occurs, will be described in more detail with reference to FIG.

In the last pass recording, when the recording head 3 recognizes the first registration mark of the recorded image, Step 1) At the same time, a non-counter (not shown) starts counting the number of steps based on the number of registration marks.Step 2. Step 3)
, the number of registration marks and the number of steps up to the registration mark immediately before the end of recording are counted (steps 4 and 5). In order to detect an expansion/contraction of 0.1%, the recording head 3 recognizes the Nmth registration mark located in the range of 32 mm to 2000 mm (for example, 1.000 mm) of the recording paper 1. In step 6), the above-mentioned error is detected. A correction value is calculated based on the calculation formula, and this value is stored in a storage device (not shown) (step 7). Step until recording head 3 recognizes the last registration mark of the image being recorded]
Step 7 is repeated, and each n-th correction value is stored in a storage device (not shown) in step 7. When the last ratio I mark of the image being recorded is recognized (step 8), the average value of the correction values stored in step 7 is calculated (step 9). When you finish recording a recorded image that is instructed to be disconnected by the host (step 1)
0), calculate the cutting position by substituting the length (ml mm4) of each recorded image into the correction formula (step 11
). The number of correction steps thus obtained is then registered in a counter (not shown) (step 12). After that, the recording paper] is conveyed by the step motor 7.
Decrease the counter by 1 for each step (step 13).

When the counter counts 0 (step 14), the horn cutter 18 cuts the recording paper (step 15).

By performing the above two operations at all cutting positions (step 16), it is possible to cut the recording paper extremely accurately at all multiple cutting positions even if registration marks are skipped or double detection occurs. can.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, registration mark information is inputted from the mark reader 6 comprising a CCD image sensor, and the drive step of the step motor 7 corresponds to the interval between the registration marks and the conveyance amount of the recording paper 1. The amount of expansion and contraction of the recording paper 1 is determined by comparing the conveyance amount with the number of steps counted between the registration marks, and the cutting length of the recording paper 1 to be cut at an arbitrary position is multiplied by this amount of expansion and contraction. , cutting can be performed at extremely accurate cutting positions at all cutting positions of a plurality of recorded images specified at arbitrary positions.

Note that by combining the correction that takes into account the expansion and contraction of the recording paper 1 shown in this embodiment and the correction that takes into account the gap between the recording paper 1 and the conveyance roller 8, which is a conventional technique, an arbitrary correction can be made. Needless to say, cutting can be performed without error at all cutting positions.

Effects of the Invention As described above, the present invention provides a recording cycle generating means for generating a recording cycle for always recording a latent image on a recording medium at a constant cycle, a recording cycle generating means for generating a recording cycle for always recording a latent image on a recording medium, and a recording medium conveyance system by inputting registration mark information from a mark reading means. It has a control means that determines the conveyance speed and amount of the means in response to the slippage of the conveyance means and the expansion and contraction of the recording medium, and instructs the cutting operation of the recording medium cutting means, and controls the recording period at the same time as forming the latent image. By counting, it is possible to cut the recording medium at a cutting position that accurately corresponds to the recorded image.

Further, the present invention inputs registration mark information from a mark reading means, and calculates the distance between the registration marks and the number of driving steps of the transport means corresponding to the transport amount of the recording medium by counting the number of steps between the registration marks. Determine the amount of expansion and contraction of the recording medium by comparing them, and then cut it at any position 1! I? By having a control means that multiplies the cutting length IUi of the recording medium to be cut by this expansion/contraction distance, the cutting operation of the cutting means at all of the plurality of cutting positions can be controlled by the error caused by expansion and contraction of the recording medium.
This makes it possible to realize an excellent multi-color image recording device that can be used without any process.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a two-sided view of the recording paper according to the first embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a flow chart of the recording paper cutting operation of the first embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 4 is a flowchart of the recording paper cutting operation in the second embodiment of the invention, and FIG. 5 is a top view of the recording paper in the second embodiment of the invention. A flowchart of the recording paper cutting operation with addition of correction for long lengths, and FIG. 6 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a multicolor image recording apparatus. 1... Electrostatic recording paper, 3... Recording Het, 5
...Rotary developing device, 7...Step motor, 8...Transport roller, 14...Winder, 18...Tsunotuta-119... . . . Reference r1k generation circuit, 20 . . . Control circuit.蜞 4 figure (7 no υ 4th figure (-?/) 2n ■ 5th figure (1000 f)

Claims (2)

[Claims] (1) a conveying means for applying a predetermined tension to a recording medium and conveying it in both forward and reverse directions; a latent image forming means for forming a latent image of an image and a registration mark on the recording medium conveyed by the conveying means; a developing means for developing a latent image; a mark reading means for reading the developed registration mark; a cutting means for cutting the recording medium at an arbitrary position; a recording cycle generation means for generating a recording cycle of A multicolor image recording apparatus characterized by comprising a control means for determining and instructing the cutting operation of the cutting means. (2) Input the registration mark information from the mark reading means and compare the conveyance distance between the registration marks and the number of driving steps of the conveyance means corresponding to the conveyance distance of the recording medium counted between the registration marks. control means that determines the amount of expansion and contraction of the recording medium, and instructs the cutting operation of the cutting means at a plurality of cutting positions by multiplying the recording length of the recording medium to be cut at an arbitrary position by the amount of expansion and contraction; 2. The multicolor image recording apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: a multicolor image recording apparatus.