JPH10230604A - Recorder and record control method - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To realize high quality recording insusceptible to speed fluctuation of a recording head by moving a recording head over the entire moving region and determining the speed fluctuation of the record head and then determining a record timing correction value based on the speed fluctuation. SOLUTION: The recorder for recording on a recording sheet 414 while reciprocating a recording head unit 101 comprises means for detecting a positioned related to the moving direction of a head, means for comparing a moving speed of head detected by a head moving speed detecting means with a standard value to determine the fluctuation of moving speed, and means for controlling the recording timing of the recording head based on a calculated speed fluctuation. Speed fluctuation of the carriage is measured for each record pixel position prior to recording and a correction value is determined to correct the carriage speed fluctuation for each recording position and then the recording timing is varied based on the correction value. According to the arrangement, positional shift of recording due to carriage speed fluctuation is corrected.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

The present invention relates to a printing apparatus and a printing control method, and more particularly to a printing apparatus and a printing control method for printing an image on a printing medium by reciprocally scanning a printing head.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Printers can be broadly classified into two types depending on the recording method.

One is a method of irradiating a photoreceptor with a light beam as typified by a laser beam printer (LBP) and recording an image one pixel at a time by a spot focused on the photoreceptor. The other is to drive all the printing elements simultaneously by using a printing head having a plurality of printing elements such as a serial printer or a full line printer, or to divide the printing elements into several blocks to obtain a plurality of pixels. Are recorded simultaneously.

[0004] In the case of a serial printer, a linear or rotary encoder for generating a print timing at the time of scanning of the recording head is provided in order to improve the recording accuracy irrespective of the speed fluctuation at the time of scanning the recording head. And JP-A-51-7162 and JP-A-60-1.
This technical configuration is disclosed in, for example, 54081.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a configuration of a nozzle for ejecting ink provided in a recording head unit. Here, for simplicity of description, each of the two inks that eject two colors of ink is used.
2 illustrates a nozzle configuration of two recording heads each including six nozzles. As will be described later, each nozzle is provided with one heater for heating the ink.

In FIG. 7, reference numeral 501 denotes a first print head, and 502, a second print head. In both cases, the arrangement direction of the nozzles is slightly inclined from the vertical with respect to the scan direction of the print head (1 in FIG. 7). Nozzle pitch (1 dot)
), And the nozzle rows of the two recording heads are spaced apart by m dots. N501 indicates one nozzle port of the first recording head 501.
Sixteen similar heads are mounted on the first head 501. The same applies to the second recording head 502, and ink droplets are ejected from these nozzles corresponding to the recording position.

FIG. 8 shows the first recording head 5 shown in FIG.
FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a logic circuit inside 01. Note that the first recording head 501 and the second recording head 502
Have the same configuration.

In FIG. 8, reference numeral 601 denotes the whole logic circuit configuration inside the first recording head 501, and 206 denotes heaters (HT1-1, HT1-2,..., H) for discharging ink droplets from nozzles.
T4-4), 202 is a 16-bit shift register that fetches the input recording data signal IDATA in synchronization with the data clock signal (IDCLK) from the printer control circuit and performs serial / parallel conversion, and 203 is a 16-bit shift register This is a 16-bit latch that takes in the output from the register 202 in synchronization with the rise of the latch clock signal (LTCLK) from the control circuit. Here, one heater (for example, heater HT1-1) is mounted in one nozzle (for example, nozzle N501).

Reference numeral 204 denotes a 16-bit latch 203
, The heat enable signal (HENB) output from the control circuit for driving the heater 206, and the nozzle of the first print head 501.
BLKENB <1>, BLKE, which are block enable signals output from the control circuit for divided driving.
NB <2>, BLKENB <3>, BLKENB <4>
An AND gate 205 calculates a logical product with one of the above. A power transistor 205 drives the heater 206 using the applied voltage VH. Note that GND is a ground.

FIG. 9 is a time chart for explaining the timing of each signal of the first recording head 501 described with reference to FIGS. Here, only the control timing of the first recording head 501 is shown, but the second recording head 5
02 operates at the same timing as the first recording head 501.

Hereinafter, the operation of the first recording head 501 will be described with reference to FIG.

First, in synchronism with the rise of the ENCLK signal generated based on the position of the carriage on which the recording head unit is detected by the linear encoder of the printer, the output data of the 16-bit shift register 202 is converted to 16 by the LTCLK signal. It is held in the bit latch 203.

Thereafter, the next recording data (IDATA (D
1, D2, ..., D16)) is the data clock signal (IDCLK)
, And is input to the 16-bit shift register 202. At the same time, a BLKENB <1> signal for selecting all 16 heaters divided into four blocks each of four heaters,
ENB <2> signal, BLKENB <3> signal, BLKE
The NB <4> signal and the HENB for controlling the time for driving the heater 206 are both output simultaneously.

By such timing control, four heaters HT-1, HT1-2, HT1-3, and HT1-4 are first out of the 16 heaters, and then HT2-1, HT2-2. , HT2-3, HT2-4 4
HT3-1, HT3-2, HT3-3, HT3
-4 heaters, finally HT4-1, HT4-2, HT4-3, HT4
The heaters belonging to each block are driven in the order of each block, such as four heaters of -4.

[0015]

However, in the above-mentioned prior art, since the heater of the recording head is driven while being divided into a plurality of blocks, a constant recording time difference occurs between the blocks. On the other hand, the moving speed of the carriage on which the recording head is mounted is not completely constant, and usually involves a speed variation of several percent to several tens percent.

Therefore, in the conventional recording control in which recording is performed with a certain time difference in synchronization with an encoder pulse which is affected by fluctuations in the speed of the carriage, periodic recording unevenness occurs in a recorded image. There is.

The above-mentioned JP-A-51-7162 and JP-A-67-1
Japanese Patent Application No. 0-154081 proposes a method for correcting the speed fluctuation, but cannot cope with a short-cycle or sudden speed fluctuation such as cogging of a carriage motor and sudden load fluctuation of a carriage.

For these reasons, images recorded using a printer that performs color recording using a recording head unit having a configuration in which a plurality of recording heads are arranged at a fixed distance in the carriage moving direction are not included. As shown in FIG. 10, the displacement between dots recorded by the respective color inks occurred more conspicuously, resulting in deterioration of image quality.

The present invention has been made in view of the above conventional example, and has as its object to provide a recording apparatus and a recording control method capable of performing high-quality recording without being affected by fluctuations in the speed of a recording head. .

[0020]

In order to achieve the above object, a recording apparatus according to the present invention has the following arrangement.

That is, a recording apparatus for performing recording on a recording medium while reciprocating the recording head, comprising: position detecting means for detecting a position of the recording head with respect to a moving direction of the recording head; Speed detecting means for detecting the moving speed of the recording head, and comparing the moving speed of the recording head and the standard value of the moving speed of the recording head detected by the speed detecting means,
Speed fluctuation calculating means for obtaining fluctuations in the moving speed of the recording head over the moving area of the recording head; and recording control means for controlling recording timing by the recording head based on the speed fluctuation calculated by the speed fluctuation calculating means. And a recording device comprising:

Here, the position detecting means is arranged in parallel along the moving direction of the recording head, and is provided with a scale provided with slits at predetermined intervals, and moves together with the recording head to read the slit of the scale. For example, it is desirable to include a reading unit such as a photo interrupter, and a pulse generating unit that generates a first pulse each time the slit is read by the reading unit.

Further, it is preferable that the speed detecting means calculates the moving speed of the recording head by counting the first pulse interval using a second pulse which is much shorter than the pulse period.

When the moving speed of the recording head is higher than the standard value, the recording control means causes the recording head to perform the recording operation earlier than a predetermined recording timing.
When the moving speed of the recording head is lower than the standard value, it is preferable to control the recording head to perform the recording operation later than a predetermined recording timing.

In the above control, the recording control means moves the recording head over the entire moving area prior to the recording operation of the recording head, obtains the fluctuation of the moving speed of the recording head, and obtains the fluctuation of the moving speed. This is achieved by obtaining a correction value for delaying or accelerating the recording timing by the recording head based on the above, and storing the obtained correction value in the storage means. In this case, the correction value may be obtained when the power of the printing apparatus is turned on or every time printing is performed on each page of the printing medium.

Further, there is provided a moving means provided with a carriage motor for mounting the recording head on the carriage and reciprocating the carriage, and the above standard values correspond to specifications such as the specification of the carriage motor and the moving length of the carriage. You may make it determined based on it.

The recording head may be an ink jet recording head that performs recording by discharging ink,
Alternatively, a recording head that ejects ink by using thermal energy may include a thermal energy converter for generating thermal energy to be applied to the ink.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a recording control method for performing recording on a recording medium while reciprocating the recording head, comprising: a position detecting step of detecting a position of the recording head with respect to a moving direction of the recording head. A speed detecting step of detecting the moving speed of the recording head over the moving area of the recording head, and comparing the moving speed of the recording head detected in the speed detecting step with a standard value of the moving speed of the recording head. A speed variation calculating step of obtaining a variation in the moving speed of the recording head over a moving area of the recording head; and a recording control for controlling a recording timing by the recording head based on the speed variation calculated in the speed variation calculating step. And a recording control method.

According to the present invention, when recording is performed on a recording medium while reciprocating the recording head, the present invention detects the position of the recording head in the moving direction of the recording head and performs recording over the moving area of the recording head. The head moving speed is detected, the detected moving speed of the recording head is compared with a standard value of the moving speed of the recording head, and the fluctuation of the moving speed of the recording head is obtained over the moving region of the recording head. To control the recording timing by the recording head on the basis of.

[0030]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 is a view schematically showing a mechanism of a color printer (hereinafter, referred to as a printer) which performs printing according to an ink jet system, which is a typical embodiment of the present invention.
In FIG. 1, reference numeral 101 denotes black (BK) ink, cyan (C) ink, magenta (M) ink, and yellow (Y).
A print head unit 404 to 4 in which four print heads for performing printing by discharging ink are integrally mounted.
Reference numeral 07 denotes an ink tank for storing BK ink, C ink, M ink, and Y ink, and 403 denotes a carriage on which the recording head unit 101 and the ink tanks 404 to 407 are mounted. Further, a fibrous or porous ink absorber is provided inside each of the ink tanks 404 to 407, and the ink is held by these ink absorbers.

Each of these ink tanks and the recording head unit 101 can be separated from each other. When the ink in each ink tank becomes empty, it can be replaced with a new one.

Reference numeral 401 denotes a linear encoder scale for detecting the position of the carriage 403; 402, a detector for the linear encoder; 408 and 409, respectively, carriage guide shafts for holding the carriage 403; A carriage belt 411 for reciprocating scanning in the PT direction and the CR direction along the axes 408 and 409 is a carriage motor as a driving source for reciprocally scanning the carriage 403 via the carriage belt 410, and 412 is described later for the recording head unit 101. Transfer the recording data generated by the control circuit,
A flexible printed board (hereinafter, referred to as FPC) 414 for transmitting a control signal of the recording head, 414 is a recording sheet as a recording medium, and 413 is a recording sheet 414 in a direction perpendicular to the scanning direction of the recording head unit 101 (direction of arrow a). Is a transport roller for transporting.

The print head unit 101 is provided with four nozzle rows having a configuration as shown in FIG. 7 in the carriage movement direction for printing with each color ink.
A logic circuit having a configuration as shown in FIG. 8 is provided to eject ink from the nozzles of each row. Therefore, when it is necessary to explain the driving of the logic circuit in the following description, the components and control signals shown in FIGS. 8 and 9 are referred to.

Further, the recording head unit may be constituted by an ink tank. In addition to the above-described constitution in which the recording head unit and the ink tank can be separated, the recording head IJH and the ink tank having the constitution shown in FIG. An inkjet cartridge IJC in which the IT and the IT are integrated may be used.

That is, the ink jet cartridge IJC having the configuration shown in FIG. 2 integrates a recording head IJH having a plurality of discharge ports 500 and an ink tank IT holding ink to be supplied to the recording head IJH. The inkjet cartridge IJC is provided with an electrical contact for receiving an electrical signal from the carriage 403 when the inkjet cartridge IJC is mounted on the carriage 403. The electrical signal drives the recording head IJH.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a control circuit of the printer shown in FIG.

In FIG. 3, reference numeral 21 denotes a microprocessor (MPU) for controlling the entire printer, and reference numeral 24 denotes an MPU 21.
Stores font data for converting a control program to be executed or character codes into bit image data.
OM. Print data transmitted from a host computer (hereinafter, referred to as a host) 20 and commands for controlling the operation of the printer are received by a print data receiving unit 22 including a known interface circuit such as a Centronics interface or a serial interface, and thereafter received. The data is transferred to the RAM 23 provided with a buffer.

The MPU 21 reads the recording data transferred to the reception buffer of the RAM 23, converts the recording data into image data recordable by the recording head unit 101, and writes the image data in the RAM 23 to the print buffer. At this time,
When the recording data transferred from the host 20 is a character or a symbol code represented by an ASCII code or an EBCDIC code, the MPU 21 uses the font data stored in the ROM 24 so that the data can be recorded in a dot matrix system. The code data is converted into bit image data.

FIG. 4 is a time chart of various control signals used in the control circuit. In FIG. 4, the reference numbers indicating the respective signals correspond to the same numbers shown in FIG.

Now, returning to FIG. 3 and continuing the explanation,
With the movement of the carriage 403, the slit of the scale section 401 of the linear encoder provided in parallel with the movement direction of the carriage 403 is moved to the detection section 40 of the linear encoder.
2, a signal 301 generated by reading the signal 301 and a signal 302 having a phase shifted from the signal 301 by 90 ° are detected.
5 is input. The detection circuit 25 outputs signals 301 and 302
, A direction signal 303 and a count pulse 304 as shown in FIG. These pieces of information are read into the MPU 21 as position information of the recording head 101 via the position counter 26.

The direction signal 303 is a signal indicating the moving direction of the carriage 403.
Becomes "H (high level)" when moving in the PT direction, for example, and becomes "L" when moving in the CR direction.
(Low level) ". The count pulse 304
Is a pulse signal generated each time the detection unit 402 of the linear encoder reads the slit of the scale unit 401 of the linear encoder.

The count pulse 304 is supplied to the MPU via the delay circuit 27 comprising a well-known timer circuit.
The signal 21 is delayed by a predetermined time (T) set and input to the head control circuit 28 as a heat trigger signal 305. In the head control circuit 28, in synchronization with the rise of the heat trigger 305 signal, a known timer circuit outputs a heat signal (HENB) having a predetermined width to the recording head unit. The count pulse 304 is input to the MPU 21 as an interrupt signal.
U21 writes the recording data to a recording data register provided in the head control circuit 28. Head control circuit 2
Reference numeral 8 denotes a logic circuit incorporated in the recording head unit 101 in synchronization with the heat trigger signal 305 delayed by a predetermined time (T) from the count pulse 304 generated based on the output from the linear encoder, as shown in FIG. At this time, various signals are output to execute a recording operation.

In this embodiment, the above-described delay circuit 27
Since the head control circuit 28 is provided for each recording head corresponding to each color of ink, it is possible to perform independent recording control for each color.

Further, the count pulse 304 is input to the speed detection circuit 29. The speed detection circuit 29 counts a period from the rising of the count pulse 304 to the next rising by using a clock that is sufficiently faster than the period, and detects the moving speed of the carriage based on the counted number.

The MPU 21 checks the position counter value and the carriage moving speed at predetermined time intervals, and based on the check result, applies the power applied to the carriage motor 411 via the motor control circuit 30 by PWM (pulse width modulation) driving. The feedback control is performed so that the moving speed of the carriage is constant.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing the shift of the recording position of the ink droplets ejected from the recording head on the recording paper surface due to the speed fluctuation of the carriage 403.

In FIG. 5, (a) shows the carriage 403.
Is moving in the x direction at a predetermined speed (v = v1),
(B), when the carriage 403 is moving in the x direction at a speed higher than the predetermined speed (v = v1), (c), the carriage 403 is moving in the x direction at a speed lower than the predetermined speed (v = v1) Shows when In addition, in the example of FIG. 5, when ink droplets are ejected at a speed (v2) from a head ejection point A separated by y from the recording paper surface, the arrival point on the recording paper is the moving speed of the carriage 403 at the point A and the ink. It is determined by the vector sum with the ejection speed.

Now, assuming that the distance between the recording head and the recording paper does not change in the carriage moving direction and that the ink ejection speed (v2) does not change. (1) The carriage speed (v) at point A Is higher than a predetermined value (v1) (v> v1), the arrival point of the ink droplet is shifted to the right from the normal arrival point B as shown in FIG.
(2) When the carriage speed (v) at the point A is lower than the predetermined value (v1) (v <v1), the arrival point of the ink droplet is determined as shown in FIG. The position B2 is shifted leftward from the arrival point B.

Therefore, regardless of the change in the moving speed of the carriage, in order to match the arrival position of the ink droplet on the recording paper with the normal arrival point B, when the carriage speed is high,
Discharge at the position of A1 to the left of the normal discharge point A, that is,
Control is performed so that ejection is started before a time corresponding to the speed difference (v-v1). On the other hand, when the carriage speed is slow, it is only necessary to control ejection at the position of A2 on the right side of the normal ejection point A, that is, to start ejection after a time corresponding to the speed difference (v1-v).

With the above arrangement, the speed fluctuation due to the cogging of the carriage motor 411 during the movement of the carriage is measured, and based on the measurement result, the generation timing of the heat pulse generated based on the output signal from the encoder is determined. By moving back and forth in time, it is possible to control so that the arrival positions of the ink droplets ejected from the recording heads corresponding to the respective color inks coincide on the recording paper surface.

Next, the recording control operation executed by the printer having the above configuration will be described with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG. In this embodiment, four printheads are mounted on the printhead unit 101. However, in order to simplify the description, one printhead is used here.
Consider only the recording operation from one recording head.

After the power of the apparatus is turned on, first, in step S601,
Then, the printer is initialized.

At this time, the carriage 403, that is, the recording head unit 101 is connected to a photo interrupter (not shown).
When in the home position constituted by the above, the value of the position counter 26 is reset to "0". Thereafter, the position counter 26 updates the count value at the timing of detecting the rising edge of the count signal 304 output from the detection circuit 25 every time the carriage 403 passes through each slit of the scale unit 401 of the linear encoder. ,
The absolute position of the recording head unit 101 is recognized. At this time, the direction signal 303 depends on the moving direction of the carriage 403.
The level switches. That is, when the carriage 403 is PT
When moving in the CR direction, the level is "H", and when moving in the CR direction, the level is "L". When the level of the direction signal 303 is “H”,
The value of the position counter 26 is incremented by “+1” at the timing of detecting the rising edge of the count signal 304, and the direction signal 303 is output.
Is "L" at the same timing as "-".
1 is done.

After completion of the initial setting, the speed fluctuation of the carriage 403 over the entire recordable area is measured.

In step S602, the carriage 403
Are driven while controlling the carriage motor 411 so that the speed becomes the same constant speed as during the printing operation. This causes the carriage 403 to start moving. Then, step S
If it is detected in step 603 that the carriage 403 has reached the recordable area, the process further proceeds to step S604, where M is output for each count pulse 304 output at the resolution (slit interval) of the scale unit 401 of the linear encoder.
An interrupt is input to the PU 21, and the MPU 21 reads the clock count value of the speed detection circuit 29, that is, the moving speed of the carriage 403.

Next, in step S605, a deviation between the read speed (measured speed: vm) and a predetermined speed (v0: which is obtained at the time of design from the specifications of the carriage motor and the carriage scanning length) is determined. The deviation from the count pulse 304 corresponding to the deviation is calculated, and the calculated value is written to the RAM 23. On the basis of the values calculated in this way, in an actual printing operation, in a place where (vm−v0)> 0 on the moving path of the carriage,
The position counter 25 controls so as to speed up the recording operation at the position determined from the count pulse 304. On the other hand, in places where (vm-v0) <0, control is performed to delay the recording operation at the position determined by the position counter 25 based on the calculated value. As described above, the value for accelerating or delaying the recording operation can be obtained by vector calculation from the moving speed of the carriage, the flying speed of the ink, the distance from the head nozzle surface to the recording paper surface, and the deviation. it can.

The above measurement and calculation are performed every time the count pulse 304 is input. Therefore, when each measurement and calculation is completed, the process proceeds to step S606, and it is determined whether the carriage 403 has moved out of the recordable area. If the carriage 403 is within the recordable area, the process returns to step S604, and the process returns to step S604. If it is determined that the user has gone outside, the process moves to step S607 to move the carriage to the home position.

When the correction value associated with the fluctuation in the speed of the carriage is obtained by the above processing, the processing shifts to a printing operation based on actual print data.

In step S608, if it is confirmed that the printer is in the online (ONLINE) state, the process proceeds to step S609, where the host 20
Receives recording data from. Then, step S610
If it is determined that the print data for one scan (one line) of the print head is ready and the received data is ready for printing, the process proceeds to step S611.

In step S611, the carriage motor 411 is driven to start moving the carriage 403 from the home position in the PT direction at a predetermined speed.

In step S612, the ENCLK signal output from the encoder is counted, and a correction value for changing the timing of the recording operation at a timing one clock before the ENCLK signal from the actual recording position is input to the delay circuit 27.
Is set in the delay value setting register in. Further, in step S613, the 16 provided in the head control circuit 28
Write the recording data to the bit shift register. Further, in step S614, the print data is transferred as serial data (IDATA) to the 16-bit shift register 202 of the print head as shown in FIG. 8 in synchronization with the transfer clock (IDCLK) at the timing shown in FIG.

Using the print data stored in the print head in this way, the process generates a heat trigger signal 305 in step S615 according to the count pulse 304 shown in FIG. 4 and the delay time set in the delay circuit 27. The print data is latched by a 16-bit latch 203 by a latch signal (LTCLK) generated when the heat trigger signal 305 is generated, and the print head is driven at the timing shown in FIG. I do.

At this time, if the carriage moving speed at the recording position is (vm−v0)> 0, only the value set in the delay value setting register with respect to the clock one clock before by the ENCLK signal from the actual recording position. The timing of the printing operation is delayed, and if the carriage moving speed at the printing position is (vm−v0) <0, the value set in the delay value setting register is set by the clock of the ENCLK signal corresponding to the actual printing position. The recording operation timing is delayed.

Next, in step S616, it is checked whether or not the carriage position is outside the printable area, that is, whether or not printing for one scan (one line) of the printhead has been completed. Here, if it is determined that printing for one scan of the print head has not been completed, the process returns to step S612, and
Printing is performed at the next printing position. If it is determined that printing for one scan has been completed, the process advances to step S617 to stop driving the carriage motor 411 and move the printing paper in the a direction by the printing width of the printing head. Then, the process returns to step S608.

Although the above description has focused on recording by one recording head of the recording head unit for the sake of simplicity, in practice, it is not possible to control recording timing based on correction values for all four recording heads. Needless to say.

Therefore, according to the embodiment described above, in a printer having a recording head having a plurality of recording elements in a direction intersecting with the scanning direction of the carriage, the speed fluctuation of the carriage before recording is changed for each recording pixel position. Measurement is performed, and based on the measurement result, a correction value is obtained so as to correct the carriage speed fluctuation for each print position. In an actual print operation, the print timing can be changed based on the correction value. As a result, deviation of the recording position due to fluctuations in the speed of the carriage is corrected, and even if the moving speed of the carriage changes, ink is recorded at a proper position, and a high-quality recorded image can be obtained.

In the above embodiment, the correction value of the carriage speed fluctuation is stored in the RAM at all the recording positions. However, the speed fluctuation periodically occurs in a sinusoidal waveform in accordance with the number of poles of the carriage motor. Most of the time,
It is also possible to store the data in the RAM for only one cycle of the speed fluctuation, and repeatedly use the speed fluctuation data.

In the above-described embodiment, the measurement of the speed fluctuation of the carriage is performed only once after the power is turned on to the printer. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, this may be performed for each recording of each page of the recording paper. As a result, it is possible to further perform the recording control in consideration of the temporal change of the speed fluctuation.

Further, in the above-described embodiment, the transfer of the recording data from the RAM and the transfer of the speed correction value from the RAM are M
Although the transfer is performed under the control of the PU, the transfer processing may be performed by the DMA processing without using the MPU. This enables control corresponding to high-speed recording.

Further, in the above-described embodiment, the recording system in which the ink in the nozzles of the recording head is heated by the heater to discharge the ink is premised. A recording method for discharging ink can also be used.

Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the number of nozzles (heaters) of the recording head is described as "16". However, the present invention is not limited to this, and for example, 64 in consideration of the recording resolution. , 100, 128, etc.

Further, according to the present invention, the number of block divisions in the recording operation is not limited to "4" used in the above description, and the number of divisions is determined in consideration of the power supply capacity of the printer, the recording speed, and the like. To “8”, “10”, or
It may be "16" or the like.

Further, in the above embodiment, the recording head is provided with a logic circuit constituted by a shift register or the like. However, the present invention is not limited to this. May be directly driven from the circuit provided in the first embodiment.

However, the above-described embodiment is provided with a means (for example, an electrothermal converter or a laser beam) for generating thermal energy as energy used for discharging ink, particularly in an ink jet recording system.
By using the method in which the state of the ink is changed by the thermal energy, it is possible to achieve higher density and higher definition of recording.

The typical configuration and principle are described in, for example, US Pat. Nos. 4,723,129 and 4,740.
It is preferable to use the basic principle disclosed in the specification of Japanese Patent No. 796. This method can be applied to both the so-called on-demand type and continuous type. In particular, in the case of the on-demand type, liquid (ink)
By applying at least one drive signal corresponding to the recorded information and providing a rapid temperature rise exceeding the film boiling to an electrothermal transducer arranged corresponding to the sheet or the liquid path in which Since thermal energy is generated in the electrothermal transducer and film boiling occurs on the heat-acting surface of the recording head, bubbles in the liquid (ink) corresponding to this drive signal on a one-to-one basis can be formed. It is valid. By discharging the liquid (ink) through the discharge opening by the growth and contraction of the bubble, at least one droplet is formed. When the drive signal is formed into a pulse shape, the growth and shrinkage of the bubble are performed immediately and appropriately, so that the ejection of the liquid (ink) having particularly excellent responsiveness can be achieved, which is more preferable.

As the pulse-shaped drive signal, those described in US Pat. Nos. 4,463,359 and 4,345,262 are suitable. Further, if the conditions described in US Pat. No. 4,313,124 relating to the temperature rise rate of the heat acting surface are adopted, more excellent recording can be performed.

As the configuration of the recording head, in addition to the combination of the discharge port, the liquid path, and the electrothermal converter (linear liquid flow path or right-angled liquid flow path) as disclosed in the above-mentioned respective specifications, A configuration using U.S. Pat. No. 4,558,333 or U.S. Pat. No. 4,459,600, which discloses a configuration in which a heat acting surface is arranged in a bent region, is also included in the present invention. In addition, for multiple electrothermal transducers,
JP-A-59-123670 which discloses a configuration in which a common slot is used as a discharge part of an electrothermal transducer, and JP-A-59-123670 which discloses a configuration in which an opening for absorbing a pressure wave of thermal energy corresponds to a discharge part. A configuration based on 138461 may be adopted.

Further, as a full-line type recording head having a length corresponding to the width of the maximum recording medium that can be recorded by the recording apparatus, the length is determined by a combination of a plurality of recording heads as disclosed in the above-mentioned specification. This may be either a configuration satisfying the above requirements or a configuration as a single recording head formed integrally.

In addition to the cartridge type recording head in which an ink tank is provided integrally with the recording head itself described in the above embodiment, the recording head is electrically connected to the apparatus main body by being mounted on the apparatus main body. A replaceable chip-type recording head, which enables a simple connection and supply of ink from the apparatus main body, may be used.

It is preferable to add recovery means for the printhead, preliminary auxiliary means, and the like to the configuration of the printing apparatus described above, since the printing operation can be further stabilized. Specific examples thereof include capping means for the recording head, cleaning means, pressurizing or suction means, preheating means using an electrothermal transducer or another heating element or a combination thereof. It is also effective to provide a preliminary ejection mode for performing ejection that is different from printing, in order to perform stable printing.

In the above-described embodiment, the description has been made on the assumption that the ink is a liquid. However, even if the ink solidifies at room temperature or lower, it is possible to use an ink that softens or liquefies at room temperature. Or, in the ink jet method, generally, the temperature of the ink itself is controlled within a range of 30 ° C. or more and 70 ° C. or less to control the temperature so that the viscosity of the ink is in a stable ejection range.
It is sufficient that the ink is in a liquid state when the use recording signal is applied.

In addition, in order to positively prevent the temperature rise due to thermal energy as energy for changing the state of the ink from the solid state to the liquid state, the temperature is positively prevented.
Alternatively, in order to prevent evaporation of the ink, an ink which solidifies in a standing state and liquefies by heating may be used. In any case, the application of heat energy causes the ink to be liquefied by application of the heat energy according to the recording signal and the liquid ink to be ejected, or to start to solidify when reaching the recording medium. The present invention is also applicable to a case where an ink having a property of liquefying for the first time is used. In such a case, as described in JP-A-54-56847 or JP-A-60-71260, the ink is held in a liquid state or a solid state in the concave portion or through hole of the porous sheet. It is good also as a form which opposes an electrothermal transducer. 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 to the above, the recording apparatus according to the present invention is not only provided as an image output terminal of an information processing apparatus such as a computer, but also integrally or separately, a copying apparatus combined with a reader or the like, and a transmission / reception apparatus. It may take the form of a facsimile machine having functions.

The present invention can be applied to a system including a plurality of devices (for example, a host computer, an interface device, a reader, a printer, etc.), but it can be applied to a single device (for example, a copier, a facsimile). Device).

Further, an object of the present invention is to supply a storage medium storing a program code of software for realizing the functions of the above-described embodiments to a system or an apparatus, and to provide a computer (or CPU) of the system or apparatus.
And MPU) read and execute the program code stored in the storage medium.

In this case, the program code itself read from the storage medium implements the functions of the above-described embodiment, and the storage medium storing the program code constitutes the present invention.

As a storage medium for supplying the program code, for example, a floppy disk, hard disk, optical disk, magneto-optical disk, CD-ROM, CD
-R, a magnetic tape, a nonvolatile memory card, a ROM, or the like can be used.

When the computer executes the readout program code, not only the functions of the above-described embodiment are realized, but also the OS (Operating System) running on the computer based on the instruction of the program code. ) May perform some or all of the actual processing, and the processing may realize the functions of the above-described embodiments.

Further, after the program code read from the storage medium is written into a memory provided in a function expansion board inserted into the computer or a function expansion unit connected to the computer, based on the instruction of the program code, It goes without saying that the CPU included in the function expansion board or the function expansion unit performs part or all of the actual processing, and the processing realizes the functions of the above-described embodiments.

[0091]

As described above, according to the present invention, the recording position is prevented from being affected by the fluctuation in the speed of the recording head due to the fluctuation in speed due to, for example, cogging of the carriage motor. There is an effect that a simple recording can be performed.

[0092]

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram schematically illustrating a mechanism of a color printer that performs printing according to an inkjet method, which is a typical embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an external perspective view of an ink jet cartridge IJC in which a recording head IJH and an ink tank IT are integrated.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a control circuit of the printer illustrated in FIG.

FIG. 4 is a time chart of various control signals used in the control circuit.

FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating a shift of a recording position of an ink droplet ejected from a recording head on a recording paper surface due to a speed variation of a carriage 403.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating printing control in consideration of a change in the carriage moving speed.

FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a nozzle that discharges ink provided in a recording head unit.

FIG. 8 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a logic circuit inside the first print head 501 shown in FIG.

FIG. 9 shows the first recording head 501 described with reference to FIGS.
3 is a time chart for explaining the timing of each signal.

FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a positional shift between dots recorded by each color ink.

[Explanation of symbols]

 Reference Signs List 21 microprocessor (MPU) 22 recording data receiving unit 23 RAM 24 ROM 25 detection circuit 26 position counter 27 delay circuit 28 head control circuit 29 speed detection circuit 101 recording head unit 401 linear encoder scale unit 402 linear encoder detection unit 403 carriage 404 BK ink tank 405 C ink tank 406 M ink tank 407 Y ink tank 408, 409 Carriage guide shaft 410 Carriage belt 411 Carriage motor 412 Flexible printed board 413 Transport roller 414 Recording paper

Claims (13)

[Claims] 1. A recording apparatus that performs recording on a recording medium while reciprocating a recording head, comprising: a position detection unit that detects a position of the recording head in a moving direction of the recording head; and a moving area of the recording head. Speed detecting means for detecting the moving speed of the recording head, and comparing the moving speed of the recording head detected by the speed detecting means with a standard value of the moving speed of the recording head to determine a moving area of the recording head. A speed variation calculating means for determining a variation in the moving speed of the recording head; and a recording control means for controlling recording timing by the recording head based on the speed variation calculated by the speed variation calculating means. Recording device. 2. The scale according to claim 1, wherein said position detecting means is arranged in parallel along the moving direction of said recording head and has a scale provided with slits at predetermined intervals, and moves together with said recording head to read the slit of said scale. 2. The recording apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: a pulse generator that generates a first pulse each time the slit is read by the reader. 3. The recording apparatus according to claim 2, wherein said reading means is a photo interrupter. 4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the speed detecting means counts the first pulse interval using a second pulse that is much shorter than the first pulse period, thereby obtaining a moving speed of the recording head. 3. The recording device according to claim 2, wherein 5. The recording control means, when the moving speed of the recording head is faster than the standard value, causes the recording head to perform a recording operation earlier than a predetermined recording timing.
2. The recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein when the moving speed of the recording head is lower than the standard value, the recording head is controlled to perform a recording operation later than a predetermined recording timing. 6. The printing head is mounted on a carriage,
2. The recording apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a moving unit that reciprocates the carriage. 7. The recording apparatus according to claim 6, wherein said moving means includes a carriage motor for moving said carriage. 8. The recording apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the standard value is determined based on specifications such as a specification of the carriage motor and a moving length of the carriage. 9. The recording control unit moves the recording head over the entire moving area before the recording operation of the recording head, obtains a change in the moving speed of the recording head, and, based on the change in the moving speed, ,
Delaying the recording timing by the recording head,
2. The recording apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: a correction unit that obtains a correction value for speeding up, and a storage unit that stores the correction value obtained by the correction unit. 10. The recording apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the timing for obtaining the correction value is at power-on of the recording apparatus or every recording on each page of the recording medium. 11. The recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the recording head is an inkjet recording head that performs recording by discharging ink. 12. The recording head according to claim 1, wherein the recording head ejects ink by using thermal energy, and includes a thermal energy converter for generating thermal energy to be applied to the ink. Item 2. The recording device according to Item 1. 13. A recording control method for recording on a recording medium while reciprocating a recording head, comprising: a position detecting step of detecting a position of the recording head in a moving direction of the recording head; A speed detecting step of detecting the moving speed of the recording head over an area; comparing the moving speed of the recording head detected in the speed detecting step with a standard value of the moving speed of the recording head; A speed change calculating step of obtaining a change in the moving speed of the recording head over an area; anda recording control step of controlling a recording timing by the recording head based on the speed fluctuation calculated in the speed fluctuation calculating step. Characteristic recording control method.