JP2004050706A - Inkjet recorder and inkjet recording method - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an inkjet recorder that has no trouble due to defective fixing of ink even in various recording conditions, and to provide an inkjet recording method. <P>SOLUTION: This inkjet recorder which uses a recording head consisting of a plurality of ink ejection nozzles arranged in a range not smaller than a maximum width of an image to be recorded on a recording medium and performs the recording on the recording medium by ejecting ink from the plurality of ejection nozzles at a predetermined ejection cycle, is characterized in that it is provided with a conveying means for conveying the recording medium in a direction different from the arrangement direction of the plurality of ejection nozzles and a conveyance speed changing means for changing the conveyance speed of the recording medium by the conveying means according to a predetermined recording condition. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2004,JPO

Description

[0001]
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to an inkjet recording apparatus and an inkjet recording method for forming an image on a recording medium using an inkjet recording head that performs recording by discharging ink from a plurality of nozzles.
[0002]
[Prior art]
FIG. 3 is an internal configuration diagram showing a main part of an ink jet recording apparatus of a line printer type.
[0003]
Reference numerals 9A to 9D denote ink jet recording heads provided for each color of ink to be recorded, and are fixed to the transporting means 6. The ink jet recording heads 9A to 9D are respectively provided with nozzles for discharging ink (ink discharge ports, liquid paths communicating with the discharge ports, and liquid paths for generating energy used for ink discharge). A large number of elements 10A to 10D are arranged in a direction perpendicular to the paper surface (Z direction). In each of the recording head units 9A to 9D, the arrangement range of the nozzles 10A to 10D (hereinafter, referred to by reference numeral "10") is equal to or larger than the maximum image width formed on the recording medium 11, and the group of nozzles 10 By performing one ejection, an image corresponding to the number of recording pixels (Z direction) of the image width × one pixel (Y direction) in the transport direction is recorded.
[0004]
The recording medium 11 (hereinafter also referred to as a recording medium) is conveyed by the conveying means 6 in the Y direction from the upstream side (paper feeding side A) to the downstream side (paper discharging side B) of the conveying means 6. A pulse signal is transmitted from the recording control unit 5 to each nozzle 10 at a timing when the position of the recording medium 11 to be recorded passes below the nozzle 10, and ink is ejected for each color.
[0005]
Thus, an image can be reproduced on the recording medium 11 by maintaining an appropriate relationship between the transport speed of the recording medium and the ejection timing of the recording head 9, that is, the driving frequency.
[0006]
By the way, a recording apparatus as described herein, that is, a recording head in which nozzles are arranged in the image width direction more than the width of an image to be formed (a so-called full multi-type recording head is used, and recording is performed while the recording head is fixed) A line printer type recording apparatus that forms an image in the process of transporting a medium in one direction different from the nozzle arrangement direction uses a recording head in which a smaller number of nozzles are arranged, and moves the recording head to the recording medium. A serial printer in which printing is performed by performing relative scanning (main scanning) in a direction different from the nozzle array direction and moving and scanning the recording medium in a direction (sub-scanning direction) orthogonal to the main scanning direction between each main scanning. It is characterized in that the recording speed is higher than that of the ink jet recording apparatus.
[0007]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
However, in a recording apparatus using a conventional line printer type ink jet recording head, recording is performed at a constant transport speed and driving frequency regardless of the type of recording medium and recording duty, so that recording is performed on a recording medium having a low ink absorption speed. When printing or printing an image with a high printing duty, the ink may not be absorbed and dried completely, which may cause problems such as ink adhesion to the apparatus, stain on the printed matter, and ink floating after printing. . In addition, there is also a risk that the user touches the recorded matter immediately after performing the recording, and stains the user's hand.
[0008]
In order to solve such a problem, in the case of a printing apparatus of a serial printer type, a method is used in which the same area is scanned a plurality of times and printing is performed little by little while drying the ink attached to the printing medium. However, it is difficult to perform such printing due to the configuration of an ink jet printing apparatus of a line printer type.
[0009]
Further, even with a line printer, a method of thinning out recording dots in advance during image processing is conceivable, but there is a possibility that the density of the recorded matter will be reduced as a whole or necessary data will be lost. Yes, not very practical.
[0010]
The present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide an ink jet recording apparatus and an ink jet recording method which are free from adverse effects due to poor ink fixing even under various recording conditions. It is in.
[0011]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
For this purpose, the present invention uses a recording head having a plurality of ink ejection ports arrayed over a range not less than the maximum width of an image to be recorded on a recording medium, and ejects ink from the plurality of ejection ports at a predetermined ejection cycle. In an ink jet recording apparatus that performs recording on a recording medium, a transport unit that transports the recording medium in a direction different from the arrangement direction of the plurality of ejection ports, and a transport speed of the recording medium by the transport unit according to predetermined recording conditions And a conveyance speed changing means for changing the speed.
[0012]
Further, a recording head is used in which a plurality of ink ejection ports are arrayed over a range not less than the maximum width of an image to be recorded on a recording medium, and ink is ejected from the plurality of ejection ports at a predetermined ejection cycle. A recording step of performing recording on the recording medium; a conveying step of conveying the recording medium at a predetermined conveying speed in a direction different from the arrangement direction of the plurality of ejection ports; and a conveying speed of the recording medium by the conveying unit according to predetermined recording conditions. And an adjusting step of adjusting the temperature.
[0013]
Further, the present invention is characterized by comprising an ink jet recording apparatus as described above, and a data supply apparatus for supplying data relating to recording to the ink jet recording apparatus and for instructing the predetermined recording conditions.
[0014]
Further, in a recording apparatus that performs recording on a recording medium using a recording head, a transport unit that transports the recording medium, and a transport speed changing unit that changes the transport speed of the recording medium by the transport unit according to predetermined recording conditions. It is characterized by having.
[0015]
The predetermined recording condition may be a type of the recording medium.
[0016]
Further, the predetermined recording condition may be an image recording duty.
[0017]
Further, the predetermined recording condition may be a type of the recording medium and a recording duty of an image.
[0018]
Further, the image forming apparatus further includes dot counting means for counting the number of recordings from a plurality of recording means necessary for recording an image, and the recording duty can be calculated based on the number of recordings obtained by the dot counting means.
[0019]
Further, it is possible to have a means for receiving the predetermined recording condition from an external device.
[0020]
According to the above configuration, the recording speed can be adjusted in accordance with the speed at which the ink is absorbed and fixed on the recording medium, and the recording can be advanced while the ink is steadily dried. Thus, a fixed image can be obtained, and the adverse effects due to poor ink fixing can be prevented.
[0021]
BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, the first embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.
[0022]
In the present embodiment, an ink jet recording apparatus having the configuration shown in FIG.
[0023]
FIG. 2 shows a configuration of a control system of the printing apparatus applied in the present embodiment. Reference numeral 1 denotes a personal computer (hereinafter, referred to as a host PC) serving as a host device of an external device with respect to the recording apparatus. A processing unit CPU, a memory ROM for storing programs, a memory RAM for engraving data, and a display unit for displaying data are provided. , An input unit for inputting data, and a communication unit for transmitting recording data and instructions to the recording device. Reference numeral 2 denotes an interface (I / F) for receiving data (image signal) related to recording transmitted from the host PC 1 to the recording apparatus, and 3 denotes an engine controller for controlling an engine of the recording apparatus. The engine controller 3 includes a transport control unit 4, a recording control unit 5, a recovery control unit 7, and a CPU 13 that controls these components. The transport control unit 4 controls the transport unit 6 that transports the recording medium, and includes therein a transport speed adjusting unit that adjusts the transport speed of the recording medium, and the transport speed is also adjusted from outside such as the host PC 1. I can do it. The recording control unit 5 gives a drive signal (heat signal) to an electrothermal converter (ejection heater) that generates energy used for ink ejection provided in each nozzle, for example, heat energy that causes film boiling of ink. And the recording unit 8 that actually performs recording. The recovery control unit controls the recovery unit 12 that performs simple maintenance processing of the recording head such as ink suction and wiping.
[0024]
Reference numeral 14 denotes a ROM, which is a control procedure executed by the CPU 13, such as a program corresponding to predetermined steps in FIGS. 1, 7, and 8, and a transfer speed table shown in FIGS. 4, 5, and 6, which will be described later. Necessary information is stored in the recording device in advance. The CPU 13 reads information from the ROM 14 as needed, and controls recording. Further, the engine controller 3 controls the overall operation of the recording apparatus, such as communication with the host PC 1 and command analysis, in addition to the above.
[0025]
FIG. 1 is a flowchart showing a series of operations when the CPU of the printing apparatus and the processing unit CPU of the host PC 1 perform printing.
[0026]
Hereinafter, the flow of control along FIG. 1 will be described with reference to FIGS. 2 and 3.
[0027]
When printing an image, the user sets various parameters necessary for printing from a printer driver installed in the host PC 1 by the processing unit CPU of the host computer 1. At this time, the type of the recording medium to be recorded is also selected from the medium information input from the input unit of the host PC 1 (step S1).
[0028]
After setting various parameters, a print start command is sent from the printer driver to the printing apparatus (step S2). From the next step to the steps in the recording device, the CPU 13 in the engine controller 3 first analyzes the input command, monitors the state inside the engine, and returns a status to the host PC 1 according to the command.
[0029]
If the recording device is in a recordable state, the engine controller 3 receives from the host PC 1 information on the type of recording medium used for recording and image data. (Step S3).
[0030]
The CPU of the engine controller 3 selects an optimum transport speed V from the received information of the recording medium by referring to a table stored in the ROM 14 in advance (step S4).
[0031]
FIG. 4 illustrates an example of a table of the transport speed V stored in the ROM 14. In this table, the transport speed V is set for each type of recording media. This is because, when recording is actually performed on each recording medium, ink adheres to the apparatus, a recorded matter becomes dirty, or the like. This is a sufficient value that does not cause inconvenience. Therefore, basically, a recording medium with a slow fixing has a low conveying speed, and a recording medium with a fast fixing has a high conveying speed. It is needless to say that the types of recording media and the corresponding transport speeds shown in FIG. 4 are examples.
[0032]
The CPU 13 causes the conveyance speed adjustment unit in the conveyance control unit 4 to set the selected conveyance speed V. At the same time, the recording control unit 5 is also caused to set the driving frequency H of the recording head in accordance with the transport speed V. Then, recording is started at a timing in which the transport speed V and the driving frequency H are in harmony (step S5).
[0033]
That is, it is strongly desirable that the transport speed V and the drive frequency H be set in a one-to-one relationship. If these relationships are not maintained, a distorted image will be recorded. For example, if the discharge timing is not changed by lowering only the transport speed V with respect to normal printing, an image is formed to be shrunk in the transport direction. Therefore, when the transport speed is changed by referring to the transport speed table according to the recording medium to be used, the ejection control is also changed at the same time in accordance with the transport speed.
[0034]
As described above, recording is performed at a timing in which the transport speed V and the driving frequency H are in harmony, and when the recording of one page is completed, it is confirmed whether or not the recording of all the images is completed (step S1). S16). If the recording of all the images has been completed, a series of recording operations ends. On the other hand, if an unrecorded image remains, the process returns to step S5 to record the next page.
[0035]
As described above, according to the present embodiment, the conveyance speed and the driving frequency are automatically changed according to the type of the recording medium to be used, so that the ink recording amount per unit time is adjusted, and the ink is steadily dried. Since the recording can be advanced while the recording is being performed, various adverse effects caused by a fixing failure such as a stained recorded matter and a stained device can be prevented.
[0036]
Hereinafter, a second embodiment will be described.
[0037]
In the present embodiment, as in the first embodiment, the printing apparatus having the configuration described with reference to FIGS. 2 and 3 is applied. However, in the present embodiment, the transport speed V is determined not by the type of the print medium but by the print duty. Adjust. For this purpose, in the present embodiment, a dot counting means for counting the total number of dots printed in one page of image is provided inside or outside the printing apparatus, and the ROM 14 has a print duty calculated from the total number of dots. The corresponding transport speed table is stored.
[0038]
FIG. 7 is a flowchart illustrating an operation when the recording apparatus CPU of the present embodiment and the processing unit CPU of the host PC 1 perform recording.
[0039]
As in the above-described embodiment, after the user sets various parameters, the host PC 1 sends a recording start command from the printer driver (step S6). At this time, the CPU 13 in the engine controller 3 analyzes the input command, monitors the internal state of the engine, and returns a status to the host PC 1 according to the command.
[0040]
If the printing apparatus is in a printable state, the above-described dot counting means counts the total number of dots for one page for the image to be printed. The total dots for one page are obtained by adding the number of dots recorded by each recording head in one page for all colors. Then, the engine controller 3 having received the counted total number of dots and the image data calculates the printing duty (step S7).
[0041]
The print duty is calculated by dividing the total number of dots by the total number of pixels of the paper size (or print area), and is calculated as the average number of print dots for one pixel. Therefore, in a printing apparatus using a print head for four colors as in the present embodiment, the maximum print duty is 400%.
[0042]
Further, the engine controller 3 refers to a table stored in the ROM 14 in advance from the calculated print duty value and selects an optimum transport speed V (step S8).
[0043]
FIG. 5 illustrates an example of the table of the transport speed V stored in the ROM 14. In this table, the transport speed V is set for each stage of the printing duty, which is a disadvantage when ink is adhered to the apparatus or the printed matter becomes dirty when printing is performed at each printing duty. This is a sufficient value that does not cause any problem. Therefore, basically, when the print duty is high, the transport speed is set to be slow, and when the print duty is low, the transport speed is set to be fast.
[0044]
The CPU 13 causes the transport speed adjusting means in the transport controller 4 to set the selected transport speed V. At the same time, the recording control unit 5 is also caused to set the driving frequency H of the recording head in accordance with the transport speed V. Then, recording for one page is performed at a timing at which the transport speed V and the drive frequency H are in harmony (step S9).
[0045]
When recording of one page is completed, it is confirmed whether or not recording of all images is completed (step S16). If the recording of all the images has been completed, a series of recording operations ends. On the other hand, if an unrecorded image remains, the process returns to step S7, and the recording operation is performed after calculating the recording duty for the next page.
[0046]
As described above, according to the present embodiment, the transport speed and the driving frequency are automatically changed according to the degree of the recording duty, so that the ink absorption amount per unit time is kept within a certain range, and the ink is steadily increased. Since recording can be performed while drying, it is possible to prevent adverse effects caused by poor fixing such as soiling of a recorded matter and soiling of an apparatus.
[0047]
Further, in the present embodiment, the selection of the table and the adjustment of the recording speed are performed on a page basis. Therefore, even when recording an image in which pages with a large recording amount or pages with a small recording amount are mixed, the recording time is unnecessarily increased. And the optimum recording can be performed on each page.
[0048]
Hereinafter, a third embodiment will be described.
[0049]
In the present embodiment, the recording apparatus having the configuration described with reference to FIGS. 2 and 3 is applied similarly to the above-described embodiment. In the present embodiment, the type of the recording medium described in the first embodiment and the The transport speed V is adjusted according to both the recording duty described in the second embodiment and the recording duty. For this purpose, in the present embodiment as well as in the second embodiment, a dot counting means for counting the total number of dots printed in one page of image is provided inside or outside the printing apparatus. The printing duty corresponding to the printing duty and the transport speed V corresponding to the printing medium are stored.
[0050]
FIG. 8 is a flowchart illustrating an operation when the CPU of the printing apparatus of the present embodiment and the processing unit CPU of the host PC 1 perform printing. Hereinafter, a series of control flows along FIG. 8 will be described with reference to FIGS. 2 and 3.
[0051]
When recording an image, the user sets various parameters necessary for recording from a printer driver installed in the host PC 1. At this time, the type of the recording medium to be recorded is also selected from the information input to the host PC 1 (step S10).
[0052]
After setting various parameters, a print start command is sent from the printer driver to the printing apparatus (step S11). At this time, the CPU 13 in the engine controller 3 analyzes the input command, monitors the internal state of the engine, and returns a status to the host PC 1 according to the command.
[0053]
If the recording device is in a recordable state, information on the type of recording medium used for recording and image data are transferred from the host PC 1 to the engine controller 3 (step S12).
[0054]
A dot counter provided in the CPU 13 counts the total number of dots for one page for a recorded image. Then, the engine controller 3 that has received the counted total number of dots and the image data calculates the printing duty (step S13). The method of calculating the recording duty is the same as in the second embodiment.
[0055]
Next, the engine controller 3 refers to the table stored in the ROM 14 in advance and selects the optimum transport speed V from the calculated print duty value and the type of the input print medium (step S14).
[0056]
FIG. 6 illustrates an example of the table of the transport speed V stored in the ROM 14. According to this table, the transport speed V is set for each type of recording medium and for each stage of the recording duty. This is because when the recording is performed under the respective conditions, the ink adheres to the apparatus or the recorded matter is not printed. This is a sufficient value that does not cause inconvenience such as contamination. Therefore, basically, when the ink fixing speed is low and the recording duty is high, the transport speed is set to be low, and when the ink fixing speed is high and the recording duty is low, the transport speed is also set to be high. It has become.
[0057]
The CPU 13 causes the transport speed adjusting means in the transport controller 4 to set the selected transport speed V. At the same time, the recording control unit 5 is also caused to set the driving frequency H of the recording head in accordance with the transport speed V. Then, recording for one page is performed at a timing in which the transport speed V and the drive frequency H are in harmony (step S15).
[0058]
When recording of one page is completed, it is confirmed whether or not recording of all images is completed (step S16). If the recording of all the images has been completed, a series of recording operations ends. If an unrecorded image remains, the process returns to step S13 to calculate the print duty for the next page.
[0059]
As described above, according to the present embodiment, the transport speed and the drive frequency are automatically changed according to the type of the recording medium and the degree of the recording duty, so that the ink absorption amount per unit time is kept within a certain range. In addition, since the recording can be performed while the ink is steadily dried, it is possible to prevent adverse effects such as a stain on a recorded matter and an apparatus.
[0060]
Also, as in the second embodiment, the recording speed can be adjusted for each page. Therefore, even when an image in which pages with a large amount of recording or pages with a small amount of recording are mixed is recorded, the recording time is not increased. .
[0061]
Further, in the present embodiment, the transport speed is selected from both the type of the recording medium and the recording duty, so that the recording can be performed more efficiently than in the first and second embodiments. For example, even for a recording medium having poor fixing properties, it is not necessary to reduce the transport speed if the recording duty is sufficiently low. Because there is no. As described above, in the present embodiment, it is possible to perform recording with less time cost while obtaining reliable fixing.
[0062]
In the above, an embodiment in which the present invention is applied to a recording apparatus using an inkjet recording head in which an electrothermal transducer that generates thermal energy as energy used for discharging ink is provided in a nozzle is described. However, it goes without saying that the present invention can also be effectively applied to a recording apparatus using an ink jet recording head in which an electromechanical transducer such as a piezo element is provided in a nozzle.
[0063]
Further, in each of the above-described embodiments, a system in which an instruction of a predetermined recording condition (a type of a recording medium, etc.) is received from the host PC 1 has been described. It may be set according to the instruction.
[0064]
Note that, in the above-described example, an example in which the print head corresponds to the width of the print medium has been described. However, a similar effect may be obtained with a serial printer.
[0065]
In the above example, control is performed by a program (software). However, some or all of the control and functions to be performed can be realized by hardware. Alternatively, the transport speed may be set on the host device side, and the data may be notified to the printing device side.
[0066]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to proceed with recording while steadily drying the ink in accordance with the speed at which the ink is absorbed and fixed on the recording medium. The recorded image can be recorded.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a recording processing procedure according to a first embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a block diagram schematically illustrating a configuration example of a control system in a printing apparatus to which each embodiment of the present invention can be applied.
FIG. 3 is a schematic side view schematically illustrating a main internal configuration of a recording apparatus to which each embodiment of the present invention can be applied.
FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an example of a transport speed table used in the first embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an example of a transport speed table used in a second embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an example of a transport speed table used in a third embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 7 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a recording processing procedure according to the second embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 8 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a recording processing procedure according to a third embodiment of the present invention.
[Explanation of symbols]
1 Host PC
2 Interface 3 Engine Controller 4 Transport Control Unit 5 Recording Control Unit 6 Transport Unit 7 Recovery Control Unit 8 Recording Unit 9 Inkjet Recording Head 10 Nozzle 11 Recording Medium (Recording Media)
12 Recovery unit 13 CPU
14 ROM

Claims (15)

Using a recording head in which a plurality of ink ejection ports are arranged over a range equal to or greater than the maximum width of an image to be recorded on a recording medium, ink is ejected from the plurality of ejection ports at a predetermined ejection cycle, and recording is performed on the recording medium. In an inkjet recording apparatus that performs
Conveying means for conveying the recording medium in a direction different from the arrangement direction of the plurality of ejection ports,
Conveying speed changing means for changing the conveying speed of the recording medium by the conveying means according to a predetermined recording condition;
An ink jet recording apparatus comprising: 2. The ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising an ejection cycle changing unit for changing the ejection cycle in accordance with the change of the transport speed. The inkjet recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the predetermined recording condition is a type of the recording medium. The inkjet recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the predetermined recording condition is a recording duty of an image. The inkjet recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the predetermined recording condition is a type of the recording medium and a recording duty of an image. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: a dot counting unit that counts the number of ejections from the plurality of ejection ports necessary for recording an image, and calculates the recording duty based on the number of ejections obtained by the dot counting unit. Item 6. An ink jet recording apparatus according to item 4 or 5. Using a recording head in which a plurality of ink ejection ports are arranged over a range equal to or greater than the maximum width of an image to be recorded on a recording medium, ink is ejected from the plurality of ejection ports at a predetermined ejection cycle, and recording is performed on the recording medium. A recording step of performing
A conveyance step of conveying the recording medium at a predetermined conveyance speed in a direction different from the arrangement direction of the plurality of ejection ports,
An adjusting step of adjusting a conveying speed of the recording medium by the conveying unit according to a predetermined recording condition;
An ink jet recording method, comprising: The inkjet recording method according to claim 7, wherein in the adjusting step, the ejection cycle is adjusted together with the transport speed. An ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 1,
To the inkjet recording apparatus, while supplying data related to recording, a data supply apparatus for instructing the predetermined recording conditions,
A recording system comprising: In a recording apparatus that performs recording on a recording medium using a recording head,
Conveying means for conveying the recording medium,
Conveying speed changing means for changing the conveying speed of the recording medium by conveying means according to predetermined recording conditions,
A recording device comprising: The recording apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the predetermined recording condition is a type of the recording medium. The printing apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the predetermined printing condition is a printing duty of an image. The recording apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the predetermined recording condition is a type of the recording medium and a recording duty of an image. A printing apparatus comprising: dot counting means for counting the number of recordings from a plurality of recording means necessary for recording an image, wherein the recording duty is calculated based on the number of recordings obtained by the dot counting means. 14. The recording device according to 10 to 13. 15. The recording apparatus according to claim 10, further comprising means for receiving the predetermined recording condition from an external device.

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