JPH08300734A - Recording method and device therefor - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: To obtain image recording of high quality by controlling a record head such that a place where recording is to be performed with a recording width shorter than that of a record head and an area where an input recording data is to be recorded by a specific recording do not overlap each other. CONSTITUTION: A printer section of a copying machine has a scanning carriage 58 to be reciprocated by a scanning motor 62 on a carriage rail, having a record head 56 mounted thereon. An image is printed on a recording paper by scanning in going and the recording paper is sent in the vertical scanning direction by operation of a paper feed roller 64. When recording is to be performed on a record medium by maximum record widths of the record head 56 at its every scanning, a scanning place for recording with a recording width shorter than that of the record head 56 is set during recording operation. The set scanning place is changed such that an area for recording an input recording data by a specific recording and the set scanning place do not overlap each other. At the time of recording, recording is performed in consideration of the changed scanning place.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a recording method and an apparatus therefor, and in particular, an image is formed on a recording medium by scanning a recording head having a predetermined recording width in the recording medium conveying direction in a direction perpendicular to the conveying direction. The present invention relates to a recording method and an apparatus for forming the same.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, there is an ink jet recording system as one system for recording an image on a recording medium. In general,
In a recording apparatus using a recording head according to the inkjet method, as shown in FIG. 13, after the recording head is scanned in the moving direction (main scanning direction) to form an image of the recording width of the recording head on a recording sheet, The entire image is formed by repeating the process of moving the recording paper in the conveyance direction (sub-scanning direction) by the recording width of the recording head. Since such an inkjet system has a relatively simple image forming process and a simple mechanism of the apparatus, it is widely used from a recording apparatus capable of recording on a large-sized recording sheet to a small and inexpensive recording apparatus. .

Now, in such a recording apparatus, the recording length (RL) of the formed image may not be divisible by the recording width of the recording head as shown by the shaded portion in FIG. . Due to the relationship between the size of the formed image, the formation position on the recording sheet, and the recording width of the recording head, this half-edge portion may be present at the beginning of the recording sheet, or at the end of the recording sheet. May exist in the middle part of. Therefore, if the size of the formed image and the formation position on the recording sheet are known in advance, the recording control is intentionally performed so that the odd portion is brought to the middle of the recording sheet as shown in FIG. If it were carried out, there was an effect that the conveyance control of the recording paper and the structure of the conveyance system could be simplified, and it was an extremely effective control method.

[0004]

However, in the above conventional example, as shown in FIG. 16, the recording width per scan of the recording head in the normal recording (hatched area in FIG. 16A).
And the print width per scan of the print head in the half-edge portion (hatched area in FIG. 16B) is different from that in the control circuit of the printing apparatus, especially when the timing control in the sub-scanning direction is normal printing. When the half-edge portion of the formed image comes to the middle of the recording sheet, the following problems may occur.

(1) For example, on the side of image data generation such as a host computer, an area of a certain size on the recording paper is designated, and the processing in the designated area is made different from the processing at other places. When an instruction to output an image is given (for example, when the background of the designated area is different from the backgrounds of other areas), in the image forming process in which the print head repeatedly scans, more complicated printing is performed when scanning the area. Control is needed. Such complexity causes the structure of the control program to become more complicated and causes disadvantages such as a decrease in reliability of the entire apparatus and a decrease in total throughput.

(2) In the case of normal recording, as shown in FIG. 16 (a), the entire area of the recording width of the recording head is used for recording, whereas in the case of half-edge recording, it is shown in FIG. 16 (b). As described above, since recording is performed using only a certain portion, in particular, a recording method in which heat is applied to each recording element of the recording head to heat the ink and the ink is ejected onto the recording paper to perform recording. In the case of the so-called bubble jet recording method, when such a recording head is used, a thermal gradient is generated between the recording element (ink ejection nozzle and heater) portion used for recording and the recording element portion not used, and In some cases, the temperature of the recording element portion used does not reach the predetermined temperature and recording is performed at a density lower than the normal recording ink density, causing uneven density at the half edge portion as shown in FIG. 17 and impairing the recording quality. That there is.

The present invention has been made in view of the above conventional example. Even when recording is not performed using the entire recording width of the recording head, high-quality recording is performed by simple control without impairing the recording performance. It is an object of the present invention to provide a recording method and an apparatus for the same.

[0008]

In order to achieve the above object, the recording method of the present invention comprises the following steps. That is, a recording head having a predetermined recording width in the conveyance direction of the recording medium is scanned a plurality of times in a direction perpendicular to the conveyance direction,
A recording method for performing recording on the recording medium at the maximum of the recording width for each scanning, wherein a scanning position for performing recording with a recording width shorter than the recording width of the recording head is set during a recording operation on the recording medium. The setting step for setting, the specifying step for defining an area for recording the input print data by special recording on the recording medium, the scanning location set by the setting step, and the area specified by the specifying step do not overlap. As described above, a changing step of changing the scanning location, an inputting step of inputting recording data, and a recording on the recording medium using the input recording data in consideration of the scanning location changed by the changing step. And a recording method to be performed.

According to another aspect of the present invention, a recording head having a predetermined recording width in the recording medium conveying direction is scanned a plurality of times in a direction perpendicular to the conveying direction, and the recording medium is maximized for each scanning. A recording device for performing recording by the recording width, wherein during a recording operation on the recording medium, setting means for setting a scanning position for performing recording with a recording width shorter than the recording width of the recording head, and input recording data Designating means for defining an area to be recorded by special recording on the recording medium,
Changing means for changing the scanning location so that the scanning location set by the setting means and the area designated by the designating means do not overlap, input means for inputting print data, and the input print data And a recording control unit that controls the recording medium to perform recording by using the recording head in consideration of the scanning position changed by the changing unit.

[0010]

According to the present invention having the above-described structure, the recording head having a predetermined recording width in the conveying direction of the recording medium is caused to scan a plurality of times in the direction perpendicular to the conveying direction, and the maximum recording head is moved every time the scanning is performed on the recording medium. When recording on the recording medium, first, during the recording operation on the recording medium, the scanning position is set so that the recording width is smaller than the recording width of the recording head, and the input recording data defined on the recording medium is set. In order to prevent the area to be recorded by special recording from overlapping with the set scanning location, the set scanning location is changed, and when the input record data is recorded, the changed scanning location is considered. The recording head is controlled to perform recording on the recording medium.

[0011]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT A preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. <Common Embodiment> FIG. 1 is an external view of a digital color copying machine 10 commonly used in the following several embodiments.

The digital color copying machine 10 is roughly composed of two units. That is, as a first unit, there is a color image scanner section (hereinafter abbreviated as “reader section”) 12 located above the apparatus. The reader unit 12 reads a document image in color and outputs digital color image data. The reader unit 12 has a built-in controller unit 14 that performs various kinds of image processing of digital color image data and has a processing function such as an interface with an external device. The printer unit 20 is the second unit. The printer unit 20 is located below the reader unit 12, forms an image based on a color digital image signal output from the controller unit 14 of the reader unit 12, and records the image on recording paper.

The reader unit 12 is a three-dimensional or sheet-shaped or large-sized sheet-shaped document placed in a downward direction on a document table (not shown) below the document pressing plate 16, and image information is obtained from documents of various sizes and sizes. It has a built-in mechanism for reading. Further, an operation unit 18 connected to the controller unit 14 is provided on one side of the upper surface of the reader unit 12. The operation unit 18 is for inputting various information and operation instructions for the copying machine. Further, the controller unit 14 responds to information input via the operation unit 18,
It is configured to give an operation instruction to the reader unit 12 and the printer unit 20. When a complicated editing process or the like needs to be performed, a digitizer or the like is attached instead of the document pressing plate 16 and is connected to the controller unit 14, so that more sophisticated image processing can be performed.

On the other hand, in the printer section 20, a full-color ink jet printer using a print head of an ink jet recording system using thermal energy as described in JP-A-54-59936 is used. The above-mentioned two units can be separated from each other, and can be set at positions separated from each other by extending the connection cable.

The reader unit 12 has an interface (I / F) such as GPIB and SCSI, and is connected to a host computer (not shown) via an I / F cable. FIG. 2 is a side sectional view schematically showing the internal structure of the digital color copying machine 10 shown in FIG. -Reader Unit First, the configuration of the reader unit 12 of the copying machine 10 will be described.

In the reader unit 12, the exposure lamp 2
2, a lens 24, and an image sensor 26 capable of reading a full-color line image (in this embodiment, C
An image of a document placed on the platen glass 28, a projected image by a projector, or a sheet-shaped document image is read by the sheet feeding mechanism 30 by using a CD sensor). Next, various kinds of image processing for the image information read by the reader unit 12 in this manner are performed by the reader unit 12 and the controller unit 14, and then the read and image-processed information is sent to the printer unit 20. , Which will be recorded on the recording paper.

Printer Unit Next, the detailed configuration and operation of the printer unit 20 will be described. The recording paper used in the printer unit 20 is a paper feed cassette 32 that stores cut sheets of a small standard size (A4 size to A3 size in this embodiment) and a large size (A2 size to A1 size in this embodiment). (1) to (5) are selectively supplied from the roll paper 34 for recording. Paper feed is started by a print start instruction from the controller unit 14, and is first conveyed to the position of the first paper feed roll 44 through the following path. In the present embodiment, it is also possible to perform manual paper feeding (paper feeding from outside the apparatus) by manually inserting the recording paper one by one from the manual feeding port 36 along the paper feeding unit cover 38. ing.

When the recording paper is fed from the paper feed cassette 32 mounted in the printer unit 20, the paper feed cassette 32 is placed on the upper surface of the paper feed end of the paper feed cassette 32.
A pickup roller 40 is provided to take out the cut sheets one by one. Therefore, by rotating the pickup roller 40, the uppermost recording sheet set in the sheet feeding cassette 32 is taken out and sent to the cut sheet feeding roller 42, and further by the roller 42 to the sheet feeding first roller 44. Be transported.

On the other hand, in the case of the roll paper 34, it is continuously sent out by the roll paper feed roller 46, and this roll paper is cut to a standard length by the cutter 48 and reaches the position of the above-mentioned first paper feed roller 44. Be transported. Similarly, when the paper is fed manually from the manual feed port 36, the recording paper is manually fed to the first paper feed roller 44 by the manual paper feed roller 50.

Here, the pickup roller 40, the cut paper feed roller 42, the roll paper feed roller 46, the paper feed first
The roller 44 and the manual feed roller 50 are driven by a paper feed motor (not shown) (a DC servo motor is used in the present embodiment), and an electromagnetic clutch attached to each roller turns on / off the rotation drive at any time. It is configured to be controllable.

The recording paper sheet thus selectively fed from any of the above-mentioned paper feed paths is conveyed to the position of the first paper feed roller 44. In order to remove the skew (skew) of the recording paper, at the time of this paper feeding, after forming a predetermined amount of paper loop on the recording paper, the paper feeding first roller 44 is turned on and driven to rotate, The recording paper is conveyed to the second paper feed roller 52. Between the paper feed first roller 44 and the paper feed second roller 52, the paper feed roller 64 disposed above the recording head 56 and the paper feed second roller 52 disposed below the recording head 56. In order to perform an accurate paper feeding operation between them, the recording paper is slackened by a predetermined amount to form a buffer. A buffer amount detection sensor 54 for detecting the buffer amount as the slack amount of the recording paper is arranged at the place where this buffer is formed. In this way, by always creating a buffer in the recording paper transport path,
In particular, it is possible to reduce the load on the paper feed roller 64 and the second paper feed roller 52 when a large-sized recording paper is conveyed, and it is possible to perform an accurate paper feed operation.

In the printer unit 20 having the recording paper conveying system as described above, when printing by the recording head 56, the scanning carriage 58 on which the recording head 56 is mounted moves on the carriage rail 60 by the scanning motor. The recording sheet is reciprocated in the front-back direction of the drawing by 62 to scan the recording sheet in the main scanning direction. Then, in the forward scan, the image is printed on the recording paper by the recording head 56, and in the reciprocating scan, the paper feeding roller 64 performs the feeding operation in the sub-scanning direction to feed the recording paper by a predetermined amount.

Here, the feed amount in the sub-scanning direction is defined as a constant movement amount described later, and here, the length corresponding to the width of the recording head 56 in the sub-scanning direction, that is, the figure is shown. Although not provided, it is formed over the surface portion of the platen 74 facing the recording head 56 and has a length corresponding to the width of the suction device. This suction device is for keeping the recording paper in close contact with the platen 74. Further, in the recording paper conveyance drive control by the scanning motor 62 during the backward scanning, while the recording paper buffer amount is detected by the buffer amount detection sensor 54, the recording paper always has a predetermined buffer amount. Controlled by. Then, the recording paper thus printed is ejected to the paper ejection tray 66, and the series of printing operations described above is completed.

Next, referring to FIG. 3, the scanning carriage 58
The peripheral configuration will be described in detail. In FIG.
Reference numeral 68 is a paper feed motor as a drive source for intermittently feeding the recording paper along the sub-scanning direction. Paper feed motor 68
Is that the amount of rotation can be set and changed arbitrarily,
Paper feed roller 64 and paper feed second roller clutch 70
The second sheet feeding roller 52 is driven via the. The above-described scanning motor 62 is a drive source for reciprocating the scanning carriage 58 through the scanning belt 72 along the main scanning directions indicated by arrows A and B.

In this embodiment, pulse motors are used as the paper feed motor 68 and the scanning motor 62 because accurate paper feed control with an arbitrary feed amount is required. Further, in the present embodiment, a paper pressing member (not shown) is arranged at a position facing the lower end of the platen 74, and the paper pressing member is fixed to the platen during scanning of the scanning carriage 56, so that the recording paper The movement is controlled so that it does not occur.

When the recording paper reaches the second paper feed roller 52, the second paper feed roller clutch 70 and the paper feed motor 68 are turned on, and the leading end of the recording paper is nipped by the pair of paper feed rollers 64. Until it is conveyed, it is conveyed on the platen 74. Then, the conveyed recording paper is detected by the paper detection sensor 76 provided on the platen 74 as having passed through the platen 74. This sensor information is used for position control, jam control, and the like. When the leading edge of the recording paper reaches the paper feed roller 64 in this way, the second paper feed roller clutch 70 and the paper feed roller 68 are turned off, and then the inner space of the platen 74 is enlarged by the activation of a suction motor (not shown). A negative pressure is generated with respect to the atmospheric pressure, and the suction operation is started. By such a suction operation, the recording paper is brought into close contact with the platen 74. At this time, at the same time, the above-mentioned paper pressing member also fixes the recording paper to the platen.

Here, prior to the image printing operation on the recording paper, the scanning carriage 58 is moved to the position where the home position sensor 78 is arranged, and then the forward scanning is performed in the direction of arrow A. . In this forward scan, each ink of cyan "C", magenta "M", yellow "Y", and black "K" is ejected from the recording head 56 from a predetermined position to record an image (print).
Is done. When the image recording operation for a predetermined length in the main scanning direction is completed, the rotation direction of the scanning motor 62 is reversed to move the scanning carriage 58 in the reverse direction, that is, the arrow B.
The carriage is moved in the direction indicated by and the backward scan is started. This time,
The scanning motor 62 is reversely driven until the scanning carriage 58 returns to the position where the home position sensor 78 is arranged.

During the backward scan, the paper feed motor 6
By driving 8 to rotate the paper feed roller 64, the paper feed operation is performed by the length in the sub-scanning direction (the recording width of the recording head 56) recorded by the recording head 56 indicated by the arrow C. Be seen. In this embodiment, the paper feed amount, that is, the movement amount in the sub-scanning direction is not limited to the constant movement amount corresponding to the width of the recording head 56 described above, but is defined by the final line width. It may be set to the one-sided movement amount.

The recording head 56 of this embodiment is provided with nozzles for ejecting ink according to the ink jet system.
A total of 256 nozzles (64 for each color ink) are assembled for each of the Y, M, C, K colors. The color printed in one scan can be arbitrarily selected. On the other hand, when the scanning carriage 58 stops at the home position defined by the home position sensor 78, the recovery operation of the recording head 56 is performed. This recovery operation is a process for performing a stable recording operation, and is a process for preventing ink unevenness at the start of ejection that is caused by a change in the viscosity of the ink remaining in the nozzles of the recording head 56. In this process, paper feeding time, device temperature,
In accordance with pre-programmed conditions such as ejection time, each nozzle of the recording head 56 is pressed, and an idle ejection operation of ink is performed from each nozzle.

By repeating the operation described above,
A desired image is recorded on the entire surface of the recording paper. Next, the processing and control of the image signal of the control system in the digital color copying machine 10 of the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. In FIG. 4, reference numeral 100 denotes a main CPU that controls the entire apparatus, and a main CP
U100 is a printer control CPU 102 that controls the printer control operation, and a reader control CPU that controls the read control operation.
104, a main image processing unit 10 for processing an image display operation
6, an operation unit 108 for input operation by an operator, an interface (I / F) for exchanging images and information with an external device (here, a host computer)
An image memory unit 122 that stores an image sent via the unit 123 and an interface (I / F) 123 is connected. Here, the printer control CPU 102 and the reader control CPU 104 respectively control the operation of the printer unit and the reader unit, and are set in a master-slave relationship with the main CPU 100.

The main image processing unit 106 described above performs image processing such as masking, black extraction, binarization, and γ correction. A synchronous memory 110 is connected to the printer control CPU 102 and the main image processing unit 106. The synchronous memory 110 is for absorbing the time variation of the input operation and correcting the delay due to the above-mentioned arrangement of the recording heads on the mechanism. The output of the synchronous memory 110 is connected to the recording head 56. Printer control C
The PU 102 is connected to a printer unit drive system 114 that controls the input drive of the printer unit 20.

Further, the reader control unit CPU 104 includes an input system image processing unit 116 for performing necessary correction processing in the reading system such as shading correction and color correction Y correction, and a reader unit drive system 118 for controlling input driving of the reader. It is connected to the. Further, the CCD light sensor 26 is connected to the input system image processing unit 116. As described above, the reader unit 12 includes the main CPU 100 and the reader control CPU 10.
4, a main image processing unit 106, an operation unit 108, an input system image processing unit 116, a reader unit driving system 118, an interface (I / F) unit 123, an image memory unit 122, and a CCD line sensor 26 as an image sensor. It consists of

Further, the printer section 20 has a printer control C.
The PU 102, the synchronous memory 110, the recording head 56, and the printer unit drive system 114 are included. The synchronous memory 110 is for absorbing the time variation of the input operation as described above and correcting the delay due to the arrangement of the recording heads on the mechanism described above. The image corresponding to the image area recorded by the) can be stored, and the stored image can be read out as needed for each color component. The printer control CPU 102 selects the color to be read and recorded.

<First Embodiment> Next, the main CPU 10
0, reader control CPU 104, printer control CPU 1
The image forming process, which is a characteristic operation of the present embodiment executed by No. 02, shows the relationship between the band of the recording head shown in FIGS. Description will be made with reference to the drawings.

First, when a copy mode such as area designation is set by a function key (not shown) on the operation unit 18 and a start key (not shown) is pressed, the copy sequence shown in FIG. 5 starts. In step S1, half-end feed is set. Since the details of the setting are shown in the flowchart of FIG. 6, first, the processing steps of FIG. 6 will be described.

First, in step S8, the half feed length is calculated in pixel units. Specifically, the length of the output image in the sub-scanning direction is divided by the head width, that is, 256 pixels, and the remaining portion becomes the half-end feed length. All the subsequent calculations are performed in units of pixels. Next, in step S9, it is determined whether or not the half feed area covers an area designated by the apparatus user. Here, the half-end feed is usually performed three bands before the final band, that is, band 7 in FIG. 7A. If no area is applied to this band (band 7), or if the area designating function is not selected, the process proceeds to step S12, and the band for half-end feed is the band 7 shown in FIG. 7 (a). To confirm.

On the other hand, when the designated area is applied to the band of half-end feeding (band 7 here) which is assumed in advance, for example, the area (area 2 here) is normally set as shown in FIG. 7A. If it is in the half-end area of, the process proceeds to step S10. In step S10, intervals of a plurality of areas in the sub-scanning direction (for example,
Interval between area 1 and area 2 in FIG. 7A: IN
It is determined whether or not (VL) is longer than the length (HL) of the half-edge region. For example, in the case of FIG. 7A, since the area 1 and the area 2 are sufficiently empty, it is determined that INVL> HL, and the process proceeds to step S10a. Here, the band for which half-end feed is performed is the band for which the area is not set,
For example, as shown in FIG. 7B, the band 5 is reset so that it is a band for half-end feeding. After that, the process proceeds to step S12, and the half feed position is determined.
On the other hand, if INVL ≦ HL, the process proceeds to step S11.

When the process proceeds to step S11, for example, the relationship between the designated area and the half-end feed band is shown in FIG.
This is the case as shown in (a). That is, FIG. 8 (a)
In this case, three areas (area 1, area 2, area 3) are set, and the intervals (INVL1, INVL2) between the areas in the sub-scanning direction are all shorter than the half feed length (HL).

In step S11, the half feed length is divided. That is, as shown in FIG. 8B, there are a plurality of bands (two in this case) for performing half-end feed, and each half-end feed length (HL1, HL2) is an interval (INVL1,
To be shorter than INVL2) (HL1 <INVL
1, HL2 <INVL2) division is performed. Then, the process proceeds to step S12, and it is determined that the half-end feed divided as shown in FIG. 8B is performed in the band in which the area is not set, that is, band 3 and band 7.

As described above, after the half feed length and the band position for performing it are determined in step S1, the process proceeds to step S2. The following description again refers to the flowchart of FIG. In step S2, the main CPU 100 transmits the data necessary for the initial setting of the reader to the reader control CPU 104, and further transmits the data necessary for the initial setting of the printer to the printer control CPU 102. Next, in step S3, necessary image processing parameters are set for each of the image processing units 116 and 106. Parameters are set so that the image processing unit operates at a recording timing having a normal recording width of 256 pixels in the normal recording band and at a timing matched with the half length in the half feed band.

In step S4, after confirming that the reader and the printer are ready for scanning, the process proceeds to step S5 to start the main scanning scan of the reader and the printer. After the end of the scan, it is determined in step S6 whether or not the copying is completed, that is, whether or not the recording of all bands is completed. If the copy is completed, the copy sequence is completed, and if the copy is not completed, the process proceeds to step S7, and the CCD 26 and the recording paper are moved by a predetermined amount in the sub-scanning direction in both the reader and the printer (this is called sub-scanning). The process returns to step S3, and the operations of steps S5 to S7 are repeated until it is determined that copying is completed.

Therefore, according to the present embodiment, the band requiring the half-end feed control is moved to the band in which the area is not set in accordance with the positional relationship between the band requiring the half-end feed control and the area designated area. Or, because it is possible to divide the band that requires half-end feed control and move the divided band to the band where the area is not set,
Half-end feed control and area specification can avoid overlapping with bands that require special recording control, so overall complicated recording control is avoided, which improves total throughput and improves recording control reliability. Can contribute to the improvement of

<Second Embodiment> In the first embodiment, the movement control of the band, which requires the control of the half-edge feed, is applied when the mode setting such as the area designation is performed on the recorded image. Is valid in all other cases. In general, in the area where printing is performed on the half-edge portion, the method of using the print head is different from the case of normal printing as described above, so the ink density tends to be lower than in normal printing bands, and image unevenness may occur. . Therefore, in the present embodiment, in order to prevent the occurrence of this image unevenness, the flow charts shown in FIGS. 9 to 10 and FIGS. It will be described with reference to FIG. In the flowcharts of FIGS. 9 to 10, the same processing steps as those already described in the first embodiment are designated by the same step reference numerals, and description thereof will be omitted here.

When the start key (not shown) on the operation unit 18 is pressed after the appropriate mode setting for the operation is set as in the first embodiment, the copy sequence shown in FIG. 9 is started. . First, in step S13, the document is pre-scanned. As shown in FIG. 11, the reading head of the reader unit 12 scans several lines in the sub-scanning direction to sample an image. Actual sampling is performed by an image memory (not shown) and a timing circuit built in the main image processing unit 106, but since such a circuit is a known circuit, its explanation is omitted.

Next, in step S14, half-end feed setting is performed. Details of this setting will be described with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG. First, in step S8, the half feed length is calculated, and then in step S22, the density of the image read by the prescan is detected. Since the density distribution of the image read and sampled by this prescan is averaged to some extent, it is possible to know the average density tendency for each band.

In general, density unevenness caused by half-end feeding may be conspicuous or inconspicuous depending on the density. The region where it is particularly noticeable is the intermediate density region. on the other hand,
Inconspicuous in highlight (low density) area. For example, as shown in FIG. 12A, when there is a document having an average density distribution such as A, B, C, and D, unevenness is especially observed in the intermediate density areas such as C and D areas. It stands out, but B
Almost unnoticeable in highlight areas such as.

In step S23, based on the density data detected in step S22, for example, as shown in FIG.
As shown in, the half-end feed position is determined so that the half-end feed is performed in the area B where the unevenness is not noticeable. Hereinafter, the process returns to the flowchart shown in FIG.
~ The process of S7 is executed.

Therefore, according to the present embodiment, it is possible to suppress the image unevenness that tends to occur due to the half-edge feed control.
Although the two embodiments described above have been described by taking a digital color copying machine as an example, the present invention is not limited to this and can be applied to a printer system having a similar configuration. For example, the present invention can be applied even when an image transferred from an external device such as a computer is already designated by the computer.

It is also possible to execute the control of the first embodiment and the control of the second embodiment in combination. In this case, processing such as area designation is not performed, and half-edge feeding is controlled to detect an area where unevenness is not conspicuous, and half-edge feeding is performed there, thereby making it possible to perform better image formation. Further, in the first embodiment, the case where the band for performing the half-end feed control is controlled to move when the area designation is set has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this. Even when other operation modes are specified, for example, when a certain area is set and another image is fitted into the area to perform a compositing process, it is possible to control to move the band for half-end feed control. Needless to say.

In the embodiment described above, especially in the ink jet recording system, means for generating heat energy as energy used for ejecting ink is provided (for example, an electrothermal converter or laser light). Although the printing system of the type that causes a change in the state of ink by thermal energy has been described, such a method can achieve high density and high definition of recording.

Regarding the typical structure and principle thereof, see, for example, US Pat. Nos. 4,723,129 and 4740.
What is done using the basic principles disclosed in 796 is preferred. This method can be applied to both the so-called on-demand type and continuous type, but especially in the case of the on-demand type, liquid (ink)
By applying at least one drive signal to the electrothermal converter arranged corresponding to the sheet or liquid path in which the liquid crystal is held, which corresponds to the recorded information and causes a rapid temperature rise exceeding film boiling. Since the electrothermal converter is caused to generate heat energy to cause film boiling on the heat-acting surface of the recording head, as a result, bubbles in the liquid (ink) corresponding to the drive signal in a one-to-one relationship can be formed. It is valid. The liquid (ink) is ejected through the ejection openings by the growth and contraction of the bubbles to form at least one droplet. It is more preferable to make this drive signal in a pulse shape, because bubbles can be grown and contracted immediately and appropriately, and thus a liquid (ink) with excellent responsiveness can be achieved.

As the pulse-shaped drive signal, those described in US Pat. Nos. 4,463,359 and 4,345,262 are suitable. If the conditions described in US Pat. No. 4,313,124 of the invention relating to the rate of temperature rise on the heat acting surface are adopted, more excellent recording can be performed. As the structure of the recording head, in addition to the combination structure (straight liquid flow path or right-angled liquid flow path) of the ejection port, the liquid path, and the electrothermal converter as disclosed in the above-mentioned specifications, a heat acting surface is also provided. Alternatively, a configuration using US Pat. No. 4,558,333 or US Pat. No. 4,459,600, which discloses a configuration in which the element is arranged in a bending region, may be used. In addition, Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 59-123670 discloses a structure in which a common slot is used as a discharge portion of a plurality of electrothermal converters, and an opening for absorbing a pressure wave of thermal energy is discharged. A configuration based on Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 59-138461, which discloses a configuration corresponding to each section, may be adopted.

Further, as a full line type recording head having a length corresponding to the width of the maximum recording medium which can be recorded by the recording apparatus, the length can be increased by combining a plurality of recording heads as disclosed in the above-mentioned specification. Either the structure that satisfies the above condition or the structure as one recording head integrally formed may be used. In addition, the ink is integrated into the replaceable chip-type recording head, or the recording head itself, which can be electrically connected to the apparatus main body and can supply ink from the apparatus main body by being attached to the apparatus main body. A cartridge-type recording head provided with a tank may be used.

Further, it is preferable to add recovery means for the recording head as described above, or auxiliary auxiliary means, etc., because the recording operation can be further stabilized. Specific examples of these are capping means for the recording head, cleaning means,
There is a pressurization or suction means, an electrothermal converter, a heating element other than this, a preheating means by a combination thereof, and the like, and a preliminary ejection mode for performing ejection different from recording can be provided for stable recording. Effective to do.

Further, the recording mode of the recording apparatus is not limited to the recording mode of only the mainstream color such as black, but the recording head may be integrally formed or a plurality of combinations may be used. At least one of full color by mixed colors of different colors such as
It can also be a device equipped with one. In the embodiments described above, the description is made on the assumption that the ink is a liquid, but an ink that solidifies at room temperature or lower, or one that softens or liquefies at room temperature may be used, or In the inkjet method, the ink itself is 3
In general, the temperature is controlled in the range of 0 ° C to 70 ° C to control the temperature of the ink so that the viscosity of the ink is in the stable ejection range. If

In addition, in order to positively prevent the temperature rise due to thermal energy from being used as the energy for changing the state of the ink from the solid state to the liquid state,
Alternatively, in order to prevent the ink from evaporating, an ink that solidifies in a standing state and liquefies by heating may be used. In any case, by applying heat energy, such as ink that is liquefied by applying heat energy according to the recording signal and liquid ink is ejected, or that begins to solidify when it reaches the recording medium. The present invention can be applied to the case where an ink having a property of being liquefied for the first time is used. In such a case, the ink is retained as a liquid or solid in the recesses or through holes of the porous sheet as described in JP-A-54-56847 or JP-A-60-71260. It may be configured to face the electrothermal converter. In the present invention, the most effective one for each of the above-mentioned inks is to execute the above-mentioned film boiling method.

In addition, as a form of the recording apparatus according to the present invention, in addition to one provided integrally or separately as an image output terminal of an information processing device such as a computer, a digital copy combined with a reader or the like as described above. apparatus,
Further, it may be in the form of a facsimile machine having a transmission / reception function. The present invention may be applied to a system composed of a plurality of devices or an apparatus composed of a single device. Further, it goes without saying that the present invention can be applied to the case where it is achieved by supplying a program to a system or an apparatus.

[0058]

As described above, according to the present invention, a recording head having a predetermined recording width in the conveyance direction of the recording medium is made to scan a plurality of times in the direction perpendicular to the conveyance direction, and the recording medium is scanned. When performing recording by the recording width of the maximum recording head for each, first, during the recording operation on the recording medium, a scanning position is set so that recording is performed with a recording width shorter than the recording width of the recording head, and it is set on the recording medium. The set scanning position is changed so that the area for recording the input recording data by special recording does not overlap with the set scanning position, and when the input recording data is recorded, the changed scanning is performed. Since the recording head is controlled to perform recording on the recording medium in consideration of the location, the location where the recording is performed with a recording width shorter than the recording width of the recording head during the recording operation and the input recording data are performed. The not overlap a region to be recorded by a special recording, there is an effect that it is possible to avoid the complicated recording control.

As a result, it is possible to prevent a decrease in total throughput and a decrease in recording control reliability due to complicated recording control, and it is possible to realize hyperphone-manual recording with simpler control. Furthermore, by adding the tendency of the density distribution of the input image data to the above control, there is an advantage that high-quality image recording can be achieved.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is an external perspective view of a digital color copying machine that is a common embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a side sectional view showing an internal configuration of the digital color copying machine shown in FIG.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a configuration around a carriage 58.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing a functional configuration of the digital color copying machine shown in FIG.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing a copy sequence according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing half-end feed setting processing according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a positional relationship between bands and areas on a recorded image.

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a positional relationship between bands and areas on a recorded image.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing a copy sequence according to the second embodiment.

FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing half-end feed setting processing according to the second embodiment.

FIG. 11 is a diagram showing how a prescan is performed.

FIG. 12 is a diagram showing a density distribution of an image pre-scanned and sampled.

FIG. 13 is a diagram showing the relationship between the recording width of the recording head and the image forming process.

FIG. 14 is a diagram showing a state in which half-finished recording is present.

FIG. 15 is a diagram showing a state in which there is recording at a half edge portion.

FIG. 16 is a diagram showing a relationship between a recording head and normal recording and half-edge recording.

FIG. 17 is a diagram showing a state in which density unevenness exists in recording at a half end portion.

[Explanation of symbols]

 10 Digital Color Copier 12 Reader Section 14 Controller Section 16 Original Press Plate 18 Operation Section 20 Printer Section 22 Exposure Lamp 24 Lens 26 Image Sensor (CCD Sensor) 28 Original Plate Glass 30 Sheet Feed Mechanism 32 Paper Feed Cassette 34 Roll Paper 36 Manual Feed Port 38 Feeder Cover 40 Pickup Roller 42 Cut Paper Feed Roller 44 Feeding First Roller 46 Roll Paper Feeding Roller 48 Cutter 50 Recording Paper Manual Feed Roller 52 Feeding Second Roller 54 Buffer Amount Detection Sensor 56 Recording Head 58 Scanning Carriage 60 Carriage Rail 62 Scanning Motor 64 Paper Feeding Roller 66 Paper Ejecting Tray 68 Paper Feeding Motor 70 Feeding Second Roller Clutch 72 Scanning Belt 72 74 Platen 76 Paper Detection Sensor 78 Home Position Sensor 100 In CPU 102 printer control CPU 104 reader control CPU 106 main image processing unit 110 synchronized memory 114 printer unit driving system 116 input system image processing unit 118 the reader unit driving system 122 the image memory unit 123 interface (I / F)

Claims (8)

[Claims] 1. A recording head having a predetermined recording width in a conveyance direction of a recording medium is scanned a plurality of times in a direction perpendicular to the conveyance direction, and recording is performed on the recording medium at the maximum recording width for each scanning. A recording method to be performed, wherein during a recording operation on the recording medium, a setting step of setting a scanning position for performing recording with a recording width shorter than the recording width of the recording head, and input recording data is recorded by special recording. A step of designating an area on the recording medium, a step of changing the scanning location set by the setting step, and a step of changing the scanning location so that the area designated by the designating step does not overlap; An input step of inputting, and a recording step of recording on the recording medium using the input recording data in consideration of the scanning location changed by the changing step. Recording method characterized by. 2. A recording head having a predetermined recording width in the conveyance direction of the recording medium is made to scan a plurality of times in a direction perpendicular to the conveyance direction, and recording is performed on the recording medium at the maximum recording width for each scanning. A recording apparatus for performing, during the recording operation on the recording medium, setting means for setting a scanning position for performing recording with a recording width shorter than the recording width of the recording head, and recording input recording data by special recording. Designation means for defining an area on the recording medium; scanning means set by the setting means; changing means for changing the scanning location so that the areas designated by the designating means do not overlap; Using the input unit for inputting and the input print data, the print head is written on the print medium in consideration of the scanning position changed by the changing unit. Recording apparatus; and a recording control means for controlling to perform. 3. When there are a plurality of areas designated by the designating means, a comparing means that compares the interval between the plurality of areas in the transport direction with the short recording width, and according to the comparison result, The recording control means further includes a dividing means for dividing the short recording width into a plurality of shorter recording widths, and the recording control means is configured to divide the plurality of divided short recordings so as not to overlap the area designated by the designating means. The recording apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the scanning position of the recording head is changed so that recording is performed in each width. 4. A detection means for sampling a part of the input recording data to detect a density tendency of an image formed by the input recording data, the detection result of the detecting means, and a low density area The recording apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the scanning location is set by a setting unit. 5. The recording apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising a reading unit that reads an image original and generates recording data. 6. The recording apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the input unit includes an interface unit for inputting recording data from a host computer. 7. The recording apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the recording head is an inkjet recording head that performs recording by ejecting ink. 8. The recording head is a recording head for ejecting ink by utilizing thermal energy, and is provided with a thermal energy converter for generating thermal energy applied to the ink. Item 2. The recording device according to item 2.