JP2011218710A - Printer and control method of moving body - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention provides a printing apparatus and a method for controlling a moving body that can further reduce the frequency with which the moving body needs to be moved again in the same direction after stopping the current movement.
Scanning from a current position (N-1 stop position) to a carriage target position POSD is started (S40). When the next (N + 1) th dot formation range is ascertained (YES in S50), the carriage start position calculated from the N + 1 first dot position and the carriage stop position calculated from the Nth last dot position Of these, it is determined which is far from the starting position (S60). If the next carriage start position is farther, the target position is reset to the (N + 1) th carriage start position, and if the current carriage stop position is farther, the target position is reset to the Nth carriage stop position. On the other hand, if the N + 1th dot formation range cannot be grasped (NO in S50), the movement to the target position POSTD is performed.
[Selection] Figure 10

Description

  The present invention relates to a printing apparatus and a moving body control method for performing control so as to reduce unnecessary travel of a carriage in a serial printer such as an ink jet printer or an impact dot printer.

  For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a serial printer that prints an image or a document on a sheet by ejecting ink droplets from a recording head provided below the carriage while moving the carriage in the main scanning direction (main scanning). Has been. The print data is sent for each movement (one pass) of the carriage, and the first dot position and the last dot position are determined from each print data. Then, a position obtained by adding the acceleration distance (running distance) to the first dot position is obtained as the carriage start position, and a position obtained by adding the deceleration distance (braking distance) to the last dot position is obtained as the carriage stop position.

  This Patent Document 1 discloses a carriage control method called superlogical seek in order to efficiently run the carriage. In this control method, the first dot position Pfd (N + 1) in the next (N + 1) main scan is grasped while the current (Nth) main scan is being performed. Then, from the next (N + 1) first dot position Pfd (N + 1) to the current travel direction, the position Pf_end (N + 1) shifted by the distance Laux, which is the addition of the minimum required travel distance Laux during acceleration, Set the current target stop position Pstp (N). Deceleration is performed so that the carriage stops at the target stop position Pstp (N).

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2005-169973

  However, according to Patent Document 1, when the super logical seek is used, since the next first dot position does not exist in the carriage stop position of the last time (last line) of the current page, the shortest distance from the last dot position of the last line. The carriage stops at the stop position (only for the deceleration distance).

  By the way, if the printing of the last line is finished, feeding of the next page can be started even when the carriage is decelerating. If the leading edge of the fed paper comes into contact with the recording head at this time, the paper may be stained with ink. To avoid such contact, the paper is fed in the moving direction (main scanning direction). It is preferable to retreat as quickly as possible to a position outside the range. Also, no matter what position the first dot position is in the first printing operation on the next page, the position outside the both ends of the moving range at the time of printing is saved so that the trouble of moving the carriage to the appropriate starting position can be saved. It is preferable to make it wait.

  At the time of page break when printing a plurality of pages, it is necessary to move the carriage stopped at the stop position determined from the last dot position of the last time of the current page to the standby position again. This operation delays the movement of the carriage to the standby position. For this reason, the frequency at which the fed paper comes into contact with the recording head increases, so that the paper is easily smudged with ink, or waits until the carriage can be retracted to a position where contact between the paper and the recording head can be avoided. When starting the feeding, the start timing of the feeding operation is delayed by the amount of waiting for the timing, which causes a decrease in throughput when printing a plurality of sheets. Further, even in a case other than feeding, if the next dot formation range cannot be acquired because the next print data is delayed, the super logical seek stops the carriage at a stop position determined from the current last dot position. For this reason, if the next dot formation range can be acquired during the current deceleration or after the stop, a wasteful operation of moving the carriage to the next starting position again by logical seek may occur after the carriage stops. there were.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and one of its purposes is to further reduce the frequency at which the moving body needs to move again in the same direction after stopping the current movement. Another object of the present invention is to provide a printing apparatus and a method for controlling a moving body.

  In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a printing apparatus in which the printing unit performs printing on a medium in a process in which a moving body including a printing unit moves, and a power source that drives the moving body; Control means for moving the moving body by driving the power source with a temporary stop position located farther than the current stopping position from the current starting position in the moving direction of the moving body as a target position; and In the process of moving from the start position toward the temporary stop position, the next start position of the mobile body determined based on the next print data and the current stop position of the mobile body determined based on the current print data In comparison, the determination means for determining one position farther from the current start position and the one position determined by the determination means are replaced with the provisional stop position as the current target position. Resetting means for determining, when the resetting by the setting means is made, the mobile body stops at the one position where the resetting is reset, and when the determination by the determination means is impossible, The gist is that the moving body moves to the temporary stop position and stops.

  According to this invention, the moving body moves toward the temporary stop position, and in the moving process, the next starting position of the moving body determined based on the next print data and the current time of the moving body determined based on the current print data. Is compared with the current stop position, one of the positions farther from the current start position is determined, and the determined one position is changed to the temporary stop position and reset as the current target position. In this case, the moving body stops at the reset position. On the other hand, if there is no next print data at the time of determination and determination by the determination means is impossible, the target position is not reset and the moving body moves to the temporary stop position. This temporary stop position is located further in the traveling direction (distant) than the current stop position of the moving body. Therefore, it is possible to further reduce the frequency with which it is necessary to move the moving body in the same direction again after the moving body stops the current movement.

  In the printing apparatus according to the aspect of the invention, when the resetting is performed by the resetting unit, the determination unit determines which of the next start position and the current stop position is the one position. The temporary stop position is set so that when the moving body stops at the reset one position, it stops before reaching the temporary stop position.

  According to the present invention, when the moving body stops at one of the reset positions, it stops before reaching the temporary stop position. Therefore, even if there is no next print data at the time of determination and the determination becomes impossible, the moving body can be stopped at the current stop position and the temporary stop position farther than the current start position and the next start position. it can. Therefore, the frequency with which it is necessary to move the moving body in the same direction again after the moving body stops the current movement can be further reduced.

  In the printing apparatus of the present invention, the determination unit includes a current stop position determined from a last dot position at which the printing unit finally forms a dot in the current movement process of the moving body acquired based on current print data. In the next movement process of the moving body acquired based on the next print data, the printing unit compares the first activation position determined from the first dot position where dots are first formed, and the current activation position One position farther away is determined, and the resetting means resets the one position as the current target position instead of the temporary stop position.

  According to the present invention, of the current stop position determined from the current last dot position and the next start position determined from the next first dot position, the movement distance from the current start position is shorter than the temporary stop position. One of the possible positions is reset as the current target position in place of the temporary stop position. Therefore, it is possible to further reduce the frequency with which it is necessary to move the moving body in the same direction again after the moving body stops the current movement.

In the printing apparatus of the present invention, the temporary stop position is set to an outer range including both ends of the maximum moving range of the moving body during printing.
According to this invention, the moving body moves toward the provisional stop position set in the outer range including both ends of the maximum moving range of the moving body during printing. For this reason, when there is no next print data and it moves to a temporary stop position and stops, it is not necessary to move to the next starting position.

  In the printing apparatus of the present invention, before the control means starts the movement of the moving body toward the temporary stop position, is the current position of the moving body an appropriate starting position capable of the current printing operation? A starting position determining means for determining whether the moving body is determined based on the current print data when the starting position determining means determines that the starting position determining means is not an appropriate starting position. And then move toward the provisional stop position.

  According to the present invention, when the current position of the moving body is not an appropriate starting position capable of the current printing operation, the moving body is moved to the current starting position determined based on the current printing data and then temporarily stopped. Since it is moved toward the position, even if the previous stop position is deviated for some reason, the current printing operation can be appropriately performed.

  In the printing apparatus of the present invention, the control unit moves the moving body toward the temporary stop position, the determination performed by the determination unit in the course of the movement, and the reset performed by the resetting unit. Is performed at least in the final moving process of the moving body from which the next print data is not acquired, and the moving body is moved to the temporary stop position in the final moving process.

  According to the present invention, the moving body can be moved to the temporary stop position at least in the final moving process of the moving body. For example, at the time of page break after finishing the last printing, the moving body can be quickly moved from the current stop position to a provisional stop position farther in the movement direction. In this case, for example, it is easy to reduce the frequency with which the medium of the next page that has been fed contacts the printing means.

  In the printing apparatus according to the aspect of the invention, the control unit moves the moving body toward the temporary stop position, and the determination performed by the determination unit and the resetting performed by the resetting unit in the movement process. The moving body is moved every time.

  According to the present invention, in each moving process of the moving body, the control unit moves the moving body toward the temporary stop position, and the determination unit determines and resets the resetting unit in the moving process. . Therefore, in every movement during printing, when the printing data is delayed and the determination means does not make a determination, the moving body can be moved to the temporary stop position, and an extra movement to move to the next start position after the stop. The operation can be avoided as much as possible.

  The printing apparatus of the present invention further includes a feeding unit that feeds the medium, and the printing unit is configured to perform printing on the fed medium in a moving process of the moving body, and the feeding unit includes: After the last printing operation by the printing unit, the feeding of the next medium is started before the moving body stops at the last stop position.

  According to the present invention, even if the feeding unit starts feeding the next medium after the printing unit finishes the last printing operation and before the moving unit stops at the final stop position, By moving to the temporary stop position, it is possible to reduce the frequency with which the next medium fed contacts the printing means.

  The present invention is a method for controlling a moving body in which the printing means performs printing on a medium in the course of movement of the moving body having a printing means, and this time is determined based on current print data in the moving direction of the moving body. A moving step of moving the moving body with a temporary stop position located farther from the current starting position as a target position than the current stopping position, and the moving body moves from the starting position toward the temporary stopping position. In the process, the next start position of the mobile body determined based on the next print data is compared with the current stop position of the mobile body determined based on the current print data, and is farther from the current start position. A determination step for determining one position, and a reset step for resetting the one position determined in the determination step as the current target position in place of the temporary stop position. When the resetting is performed in the resetting step, the moving body is stopped at the reset target position. On the other hand, when the resetting is not performed due to the determination being impossible in the determination step, the moving unit is stopped. And a stop control step of moving and stopping the body to the provisional stop position. According to the present invention, it is possible to obtain the same effects as those of the above-described printing apparatus.

1 is a perspective view of a printer according to an embodiment. The schematic side view which shows a feeding mechanism. FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating an electrical configuration of a printer. The graph which shows the operation timing of printing and conveyance / feeding. A speed control table used for carriage speed control. The sequence diagram of printing operation. (A) (b) Explanatory drawing of reverse super logical seek operation | movement. The graph which shows how to determine the movement start position and movement end position of a carriage. FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram showing print data stored in a memory. 5 is a flowchart of a print drive control routine.

Hereinafter, a first embodiment embodying the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a basic configuration of the recording apparatus.
As shown in FIG. 1, a printer 11 as a printing apparatus is a serial ink jet printer. The printer 11 is provided with a carriage 14 that is guided by a guide shaft 13 installed in the main body frame 12 and can reciprocate in the main scanning direction X. The carriage 14 is connected to a drive shaft of a carriage motor (hereinafter referred to as a CR motor 16) via an endless timing belt 15 fixed on the back side thereof so that power can be transmitted, and the CR motor 16 is driven to reciprocate. As a result, it reciprocates in the main scanning direction X.

  A recording head 17, which is an example of a printing unit, is provided below the carriage 14. A platen 18 that defines an interval between the nozzle opening surface of the recording head 17 and the paper P as a recording medium is disposed at a lower position facing the recording head 17. Further, the ink supplied from the black color ink cartridges 19 and 20 detachably loaded on the carriage 14 can be ejected (discharged) from the nozzles of the recording head 17 to the paper P. Yes.

  The rear side of the printer 11 is provided with a rear feeding device 22 as an example of a feeding unit having a paper feed tray 21 on which a large number of sheets P can be stacked. A front feeding device 25 is provided as an example of feeding means provided with the paper cassette 24. The rear feeding device 22 and the front feeding device 25 are automatic paper feeding devices (ASFs) that are used by switching, and a selected side is driven by driving a paper feeding motor (hereinafter referred to as ASF motor 23). The paper P is fed.

  Further, when a paper feed motor (hereinafter referred to as PF motor 27) is driven, a transport roller pair 28 and a discharge roller pair 29 (both shown in FIG. 2) provided on both sides of the platen 18 on the paper transport path. Is rotated, and the paper P is conveyed in the sub-scanning direction Y. A printing operation for ejecting ink from the nozzles of the recording head 17 to the paper P while reciprocating the carriage 14 in the main scanning direction X and a paper feeding operation for feeding the paper P in the sub-scanning direction Y are alternately performed. By repeating, printing is performed on the paper P.

  In FIG. 1, a linear encoder 30 that is stretched along the guide shaft 13 is provided in the main body frame 12. The linear encoder 30 outputs a number of pulses proportional to the moving distance of the carriage 14. The printer 11 performs speed control and position control of the carriage 14 based on the movement position, movement speed, and movement direction of the carriage 14 that is grasped by detecting the output pulse.

  In FIG. 1, one end position on the movement path of the carriage 14 (right end position in FIG. 1) is a home position HP (see FIGS. 7 and 8) where the carriage 14 stands by when not printing, and is arranged at the home position HP. A maintenance device 31 for cleaning the nozzles of the recording head 17 is disposed immediately below the carriage 14. A print range is set on the side away from the home position HP (left direction in FIG. 1). This print range is a range in which the entire width of the paper can be printed even when the paper with the maximum width is fed. The carriage 14 during printing moves within a moving range in which printing can be performed within this printing range. Therefore, when the carriage 14 is located at either one of both ends of the movement range, the carriage 14 can perform printing from any position on the sheet by starting movement (running) from that position. In the present embodiment, such positions are referred to as POSD and POSF. The positions POSD and POSF are standby positions of the carriage 14 during paper feeding. The positions POSD and POSF are provisional target stops after the movement of one pass is started in later-described carriage main scanning control (printing drive control) for controlling the movement of the carriage 14 for each line (one pass). This corresponds to a temporary stop position.

FIG. 2 is a schematic side view illustrating the front feeding device, the transport mechanism, and the recording head.
A front feeding device 25 configured to be able to set paper from the front of the apparatus is provided at the bottom of the printer 11. The front feeding device 25 includes a paper feeding cassette 24, a feeding roller (pickup roller) 35, an intermediate roller 36, a retard roller 37 and an assist roller 38. The feeding roller 35 is provided on a swinging member 40 that swings around a swinging shaft 40a, and the swinging member 40 is always in contact with the uppermost sheet P by being biased downward by a biasing means (not shown). It is in a state.

  As shown in FIG. 3, a retard roller 37 is brought into contact with and separated from an intermediate roller 36 disposed in the vicinity of the downstream side of the sheet feeding cassette 24 in the feeding direction. At the time of contact, it rotates following the intermediate roller 36. Further, the assist roller 38 that is in contact with the outer peripheral surface of the intermediate roller 36 at a position downstream of the contact position of the retard roller 37 assists the conveyance of the paper P to the downstream side by the intermediate roller 36.

  The transport roller pair 28 nips the paper P fed by the rotation of the intermediate roller 36 and the assist roller 38 between the transport driving roller 41 and the transport driven roller 42 and transports the paper P downstream in the transport direction. Further, the discharge roller pair 29 nips the paper P between the discharge driving roller 43 and the discharge driven roller 44 at the downstream position in the transport direction from the corresponding position of the recording head 17 and feeds the paper P downstream in the transport direction. Transport.

  The feeding roller 35 is rotationally driven by driving of the ASF motor 23 (see FIG. 1). The intermediate roller 36, the conveyance drive roller 41, and the discharge drive roller 43 are rotationally driven by driving the PF motor 27 (see FIG. 1).

  Further, a rear end sensor 45 and a front end sensor 46 are provided at both side positions in the feeding direction across the nip point between the intermediate roller 36 and the retard roller 37. Further, a paper detection sensor 47 for detecting the leading edge of the paper P that is being fed is disposed between the assist roller 38 and the transport roller pair 28.

  At the time of feeding, the ASF motor 23 and the PF motor 27 are driven. As the ASF motor 23 is driven, the feeding roller 35 rotates, and the uppermost sheet P is fed out from the sheet feeding cassette 24. The fed paper P is fed along the separation slope 24 a, and then nipped between the intermediate roller 36 and the retard roller 37, and its leading end is nipped by the transport roller pair 28 by the intermediate roller 36 rotated by the PF motor 27. The During the feeding process, the leading edge of the paper P is detected by the paper detection sensor 47, and the count value of a PF counter 75 (see FIG. 3) that counts the rotation amount of the PF motor 27 with this detection position as a reference (origin). When the value corresponding to the feed amount up to the cueing position is reached, the driving of the ASF motor 23 and the PF motor 27 is stopped and the paper P is cueed. The conveyance position of the paper P being conveyed after cueing is grasped by the count value of the PF counter 75.

  After the cueing is completed, the printing operation is started. In the printing operation, the CR motor 16 moves the carriage 14 once in the main scanning direction X to eject ink droplets from the recording head 17 to print one line on the paper P, and the printed paper P Is carried out almost alternately with the paper feeding operation for transporting the paper to the printing position on the next line, whereby the printing on the paper P is advanced. The paper P after printing is discharged to a stacker (not shown) provided on the front side of the apparatus while being nipped by the discharge roller pair 29.

  By the way, in this embodiment, feeding of the succeeding sheet P2 is started in the middle of printing of the preceding sheet P1, and conveyance and feeding are performed while maintaining a predetermined interval (gap) between the preceding sheet P1 and the succeeding sheet P2. And proceed in parallel.

  More specifically, when the trailing edge of the preceding paper P1 is detected by the trailing edge sensor 45, the ASF motor 23 is driven to start feeding the subsequent paper P2 (preliminary paper feeding). When the leading edge of the succeeding paper P2 is detected by the leading edge sensor 46, it is counted from an ASF counter (not shown) in the paper feed control unit 71 that a predetermined amount has been fed from the detected position. From this, the driving of the ASF motor 23 is stopped. As a result, the succeeding paper P2 stands by in a state where the leading edge is positioned before the nip point between the intermediate roller 36 and the retard roller 37. Thereafter, when the preceding paper P1 is transported, the subsequent paper P2 is fed synchronously at the same speed and with the same feed amount, so that a necessary interval (for example, a value within a range of 3 to 10 mm) is secured. Meanwhile, the feeding of the succeeding paper P2 is advanced. Therefore, when the preceding sheet P1 is printed and discharged, if the subsequent sheet P2 is already detected by the leading edge sensor 46, the control mode is switched from discharging to sheet feeding immediately. By feeding the succeeding sheet P2, the pair of rollers 28 and 29 are driven to rotate by the PF motor 27 driven at this time, so that the discharge of the preceding sheet P1 is simultaneously advanced. .

  FIG. 3 is a schematic configuration diagram illustrating an electrical configuration of the printer 11. The printer 11 includes a controller 50, a communication interface (hereinafter referred to as “communication I / P51”), a CR motor 16, an ASF motor 23, a PF motor 27, a linear encoder 30, a rear end sensor 45, a front end sensor 46, and a paper detection sensor. 47, a rotary encoder 52 and the like.

  The controller 50 includes a computer 53, an ASF motor drive circuit 54, a PF motor drive circuit 55, a CR motor drive circuit 56, and a head drive circuit 57. The recording head 17 is connected to the controller 50 via a flexible wiring cable, and the head driving circuit 57 is actually built in the recording head 17.

  The linear encoder 30 includes a tape-shaped code plate 30a in which a large number of slits are formed at a constant pitch (for example, 1/180 inch (= 2.54 / 180 cm)), and a light emitting element and a light receiving element provided on the carriage 14. And an optical sensor 30b. When the carriage 14 moves, the light receiving element receives the light emitted from the light emitting element and transmitted through the slit, so that the optical sensor 30b has two encoder pulse signals of A phase and B phase that are 90 degrees out of phase. ES1 and ES2 are output.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the rotary encoder 52 includes a disk-shaped code plate 52 a fixed to an end of a shaft portion (for example, a shaft portion of the drive roller 41) connected to the PF motor 27 so as to be capable of transmitting power. An optical sensor 52b that receives light transmitted through the slit of the code plate 52a and outputs two encoder pulse signals ES3 and ES4 that are 90 degrees out of phase. These encoder pulse signals ES 1 and ES 2 and encoder pulse signals ES 3 and ES 4 are input to the computer 53.

  The controller 50 receives print data from the host device 90 (for example, a personal computer) via the communication I / F 51. The received print data PD is input to the computer 53 in the controller 50. The computer 53 includes a CPU, an ASIC (Application Specific IC), a ROM, and a RAM. In FIG. 3, in the computer 53, a functional part constructed as software by the CPU executing a program stored in the ROM and a functional part constructed as hardware by various circuits in the ASIC are separated for each function. A plurality of functional blocks are shown.

  The computer 53 includes a buffer 60, a command analysis unit 61, a job control unit 62, a sequence control unit 63, an image processing unit 64, and a memory 65. The command analysis unit 61, the job control unit 62, and the sequence control unit 63 are portions that perform a control function configured by the CPU executing a program, and the relationship between the upper layer, middle layer, and lower layer on control, respectively. It is in. In this example, the image processing unit 64 includes an image processing circuit in the ASIC and an image processing function unit that is constructed by the CPU executing a program, and performs predetermined image processing on the image data included in the print data PD. Thus, head control data that can be used when the head drive circuit 57 controls the recording head 17 is generated. Further, the buffer 60 and the memory 65 are configured by a predetermined storage area of the RAM. The buffer 60 is also used for temporarily storing data that is being processed by the image processing unit 64.

  From the host device 90 to the printer 11, the print data for one line necessary for the carriage 14 to print in one main scan is sequentially transferred. This print data is received via the communication I / F 51, taken into the computer 53 in the controller 50, and temporarily stored in the buffer 60.

  The command analysis unit 61 interprets a command in the print data PD, and gives various instructions including a feeding instruction, a paper feeding instruction, a printing instruction, and a paper discharge instruction to the job control unit 62 according to the instruction of the command. The command analysis unit 61 reads print data for one line from the buffer 60. The print data includes a command and image data, and the command analysis unit 61 interprets the command to determine the type of feed, paper feed (conveyance), print, paper discharge, etc. to be instructed to the lower layer. . The command analysis unit 61 instructs the job control unit 62 of the lower layer to execute the content of the interpreted command.

  Further, the command analysis unit 61 has a calculation unit 66. The calculating unit 66 calculates the current (N times) first dot position Fn and the last dot position Ln based on the image data in the print data for one pass. Here, the subscript “n” of Fn and Ln indicates the Nth (Nth line) printing on the current page. The first dot position Fn and the last dot position Ln calculated by the calculation unit 66 are stored in the memory 65. The calculation unit 66 calculates the start position PSn of the carriage 14 based on the first dot position Fn, and calculates the stop position PTn of the carriage 14 based on the last dot position Ln.

  FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram of data stored in the memory. The memory 65 stores data F, L, PS, PT for a plurality of times. In the example of FIG. 9, data for three times (three rows) is stored. That is, the previous (N-1) first dot position Fn-1, the last dot position Ln-1, the start position PSn-1, the stop position PTn-1, and the current (Nth) first dot position Fn, last dot. The position Ln, the start position PSn, the stop position PTn, the next (N + 1) first dot position Fn + 1, the last dot position Ln + 1, the start position PSn + 1, and the stop position PTn + 1 are stored. .

  The CR control unit 73 in the sequence control unit 63 shown in FIG. 3 can access the memory 65, and if the current start position PSn and stop position PTn of the carriage 14 can be acquired, this time (Nth). Printing driving (carriage driving) can be performed. When the current print drive is performed, the next data Fn + 1, Ln + 1, PSn + 1, and PTn + 1 are usually stored. However, if the print data is delayed for some reason, such as the transfer of print data from the host device 90 is delayed, the next data Fn + 1, Ln is stored in the memory 65 during the current movement (print drive) of the carriage 14. It is possible that +1, PSn + 1, and PTn + 1 are not stored.

  When the job control unit 62 receives an instruction from the command analysis unit 61, the job control unit 62 requests the lower layer sequence control unit 63 for contents corresponding to the instruction. This request includes a paper feed request, a paper feed request (conveyance request), a print request, a paper discharge request, and the like according to the content of the instruction. Specifically, the job control unit 62 includes a request unit 67 and an overlay calculation unit 68. The request unit 67 issues the above various requests to the sequence control unit 63. At this time, the job control unit 62 controls the timing of issuing the next request while confirming the response from the sequence control unit 63 to the request. In the present embodiment, overlay control is performed to partially overlap the operation timings of the print drive and the transport operation. At this time, the overlay calculation unit 68 calculates the print drive start time and the transport operation start time. The request unit 67 issues a print request when the calculated print drive start time comes, and issues a paper feed request when the transport operation start time comes.

  Here, in the PF / CR superposition control in which the operation timings of the print drive and the transport operation are partially overlapped, the CR motor 16 is started so that the print operation (ink ejection) is started simultaneously with the end of the paper feed operation. In addition to controlling the timing, the start timing of the PF motor 27 is controlled so that the paper feeding operation is started simultaneously with the end of the printing operation (ink ejection). The PF / CR superposition control is performed by the sequence control unit 63, but the job control unit 62 monitors a response to the end of the operation from the sequence control unit 63. (Carriage activation request) or paper feed request is issued.

  FIG. 4 is a graph for explaining the PF / CR superposition control. 4 is a graph showing the speed profile of the carriage 14. In this graph, the horizontal axis is the carriage position x and the vertical axis is the carriage speed V. The CR speed profile of the present embodiment includes an acceleration area until the carriage 14 reaches a constant speed from the start position PS, a constant speed area held at a constant speed, and a deceleration area until the carriage 14 stops at the stop position PT. It consists of.

  4 is a graph showing the speed profile of the paper feeding operation. In this graph, the horizontal axis represents the transport position of the paper P, and the vertical axis represents the transport speed of the paper P. 4 is a graph showing the speed profile of the paper feeding operation. In this graph, the horizontal axis represents the position of the paper being fed (feed position), and the vertical axis represents the paper feed speed. Yes.

  First, the calculation method of the start position PS and the stop position PT of the carriage 14 will be described with reference to the uppermost graph in FIG. For the calculation of the start position PS and the stop position PT, the first dot position Fn and the last dot position Ln are used. As shown in the uppermost graph of FIG. 4, the speed profile of the CR motor 16 when printing for one pass is the printing operation in the constant speed area in this example among the acceleration area, the constant speed area, and the deceleration area. (Ink ejection) is performed. Therefore, the start position PS and the stop position PT are calculated so that the start point of the constant speed region is the first dot position F and the end point of the constant speed region is the last dot position L. That is, the starting position PS is calculated by adding the acceleration distance Da (running distance) necessary to reach a constant speed from the starting position PS in the direction opposite to the traveling direction at that time with respect to the first dot position F. . Further, the stop position PT is calculated by adding the deceleration distance Db (braking distance) necessary for reaching the stop position PT from the constant speed to the traveling direction side at that time with respect to the last dot position L. Acceleration / deceleration printing in which printing operation (ink ejection) is started from the middle of the acceleration area of the carriage 14 and printing is performed to the middle of the deceleration area may be employed.

  When the print drive is completed, the print control unit 74 responds to the job control unit 62 that the print operation is completed. When the job control unit 62 receives a response indicating the end of the printing operation, the job control unit 62 sends a paper feed request to the paper feed control unit 72.

  On the other hand, the overlay calculation unit 68 of the job control unit 62 takes the required time ΔT until it reaches the first dot position Fn + 1 from the carriage activation position PSn + 1 in the next (next pass) (in this example, it is necessary for moving the acceleration region). Acceleration time) is calculated. Further, the overlay calculation unit 68 calculates a transport distance ΔS corresponding to the required time ΔT from the current paper feed end position PE in the reverse direction of the transport direction, and the transport position just before the paper feed end position PE by the transport distance ΔS. Is calculated as an activation request position that is the timing at which a print request (carriage activation request) should be made.

  The job control unit 62 monitors the remaining transport amount Sr to the paper transport end position PE during the paper transport operation, and determines that the remaining transport amount Sr has reached the transport distance ΔS, the CR control unit 73 Send print request (carriage activation request).

  In addition, when the job control unit 62 receives a response indicating the end of the printing operation from the sequence control unit 63 in the final-time (final pass) printing drive process, the job control unit 62 issues a paper discharge request. However, at that time, there is print data of the next page (that is, printing of the next page), and the succeeding paper P2 has already detected the leading edge sensor 46, and the feeding of the succeeding paper P2 has already started. In this case, a paper feed request is sent continuously immediately after the paper discharge request. Therefore, as shown in the lowermost graph in FIG. 4, the paper feeding operation is started almost simultaneously with the end of the printing operation, and the preceding paper P1 is discharged by feeding the succeeding paper P2. The paper feeding operation is continuously performed until the cueing operation, and the succeeding paper P2 is cueed to the printing start position on the next page.

  FIG. 5 shows a speed table used when the CR motor 16 is controlled. The memory 65 stores carriage speed tables Ta and Tb for controlling the speed of the CR motor 16. The speed table Ta is an acceleration table used in the acceleration area of the CR motor 16, and the speed table Tb is a deceleration table used in the deceleration area of the CR motor 16. As shown in FIG. 5, the acceleration table Ta has a cycle of encoder pulse signals ES1, ES2 from the linear encoder 30 for each position x11, x12,..., X1n in the movement direction with the starting position of the carriage 14 as the origin. t11, t12,..., t1n are set. Further, the deceleration table Tb has a period t21, t22 of encoder pulse signals ES1, ES2 from the linear encoder 30 for each position x21, x22,..., X2n in the movement direction with the deceleration start position of the carriage 14 as the origin. ..., t2n is set. Here, the period T is a value inversely proportional to the moving speed of the carriage 14. Therefore, in the acceleration table Ta, the period t gradually decreases as the value of the position x increases. On the other hand, in the deceleration table Tb, the period t increases gradually as the value of the position x increases. The CR control unit 73 monitors the position x from the starting position of the carriage 14 and outputs a command value to the CR motor driving circuit 56 so as to have a cycle t corresponding to each position x.

  FIG. 6 shows a sequence diagram of the command analysis unit 61, job control unit 62, and sequence control unit 63. As shown in FIG. 6, the command analysis unit 61 reads the print data from the buffer 60 every time print data for one pass is stored in the buffer 60 received by the communication I / F 51, Parses commands. For this reason, when the (N-1) th print data is received, as a result of the analysis, an (N-1) th print instruction and an (N-1) th paper feed instruction are sequentially sent. Next, when the Nth print data is received, as a result of the analysis, the Nth print instruction and the Nth paper feed instruction are sequentially sent, and when the (N + 1) th print data is received, the analysis result is obtained. , N + 1 printing instructions are sequentially sent. At this time, if the (N + 1) th print data is the last print of the current page, the discharge instruction and the paper feed instruction are sent almost simultaneously after the (N + 1) th print instruction. After the paper feed instruction, the first print data of the next page is received and the first print instruction is sent.

  In addition, when the job control unit 62 receives the (N-1) th print instruction, the job control unit 62 monitors the operation of the sequence control unit 63 and issues the (N-1) th print request at the end of the (N-2) th paper feed operation. , The (N-1) th paper feed request is issued at the timing of the completion of the (N-1) th printing operation. Similarly, when an N-th printing instruction is received, the operation of the sequence control unit 63 is monitored, an N-th printing request is issued at the timing of the (N−1) -th paper feeding operation, and the N-th printing operation is completed. The Nth paper feed request is issued. Since there is a predetermined time lag between receiving the print instruction and issuing the print request in this way, as shown in FIG. 6, when the sequence control unit 63 receives the Nth print request, the command analyzing unit 61 Has completed the analysis of the print data of the (N + 1) th time, and the memory 65 normally stores the data Fn + 1, Ln + 1, PSn + 1, PTn + 1 of the (N + 1) th time as shown in FIG. . When the final print request for the current page is received and the final print operation is completed, the sequence control unit 63 receives the paper discharge request and the paper feed request from the job control unit 62 almost simultaneously. As a result, the sequence control unit 63 starts a paper feeding operation.

  The sequence control unit 63 shown in FIG. 3 includes a paper feed control unit 71, a paper feed control unit 72, a CR control unit 73, and a print control unit 74. When the sequence control unit 63 receives a paper feed request, the paper feed control unit 71 drives the ASF motor 23 via the ASF motor drive circuit 54, and the paper feed control unit 72 passes the PF motor via the PF motor drive circuit 55. By driving No. 27, the succeeding paper P2 is fed and headed to the print start position.

  When the sequence control unit 63 receives a paper feed request, the paper feed control unit 72 drives the PF motor 27 via the PF motor drive circuit 55 to feed the paper. At this time, if the leading edge sensor 46 has detected the succeeding sheet P2, the sheet feeding control unit 71 drives the ASF motor 23 via the ASF motor driving circuit 54, so that the succeeding sheet P2 is also fed. This is performed in synchronization with the paper feeding operation. As a result, the feeding operation of the preceding paper P1 and the feeding operation of the succeeding paper P2 are advanced together. The paper feed control unit 72 includes a PF counter 75 and a PF drive command unit 76. Based on encoder pulse signals ES3 and ES4 from the rotary encoder 52, the transport position of the paper P is counted. The PF drive command unit 76 drives the PF motor 27 via the PF motor drive circuit 55 to feed the paper. The count value of the PF counter 75 can also be acquired by the job control unit 62. When the conveyance position reaches the start request position calculated by the overlay calculation unit 68, the job control unit 62 sends a print request to the CR control unit 73. .

  When the sequence control unit 63 receives a print request, the CR control unit 73 drives the CR motor 16 via the CR motor drive circuit 56 to move the carriage 14 in the main scanning direction, thereby printing this time (Nth). Drive control is performed. In order to perform print drive control, the CR control unit 73 includes a first determination unit 81 as an example of an activation position determination unit, a logical seek unit 82, a stop position setting unit 83, and a second determination unit 84 as an example of a determination unit. A stop position resetting unit 85, a CR drive command unit 86, and a CR counter 87 are provided as an example of resetting means. In the present embodiment, the stop position setting unit 83 and the CR drive command unit 86 constitute an example of a control unit.

  The CR counter 87 counts the position of the carriage 14 in the main scanning direction X (hereinafter referred to as “carriage position”) based on the encoder pulse signals ES1 and ES2 from the linear encoder 30. The CR control unit 73 also drives the carriage. Sometimes, when the rising edge of one encoder pulse signal ES1 input from the linear encoder 30 is detected, it is determined whether the other encoder pulse signal ES2 is Hi or Low, and the carriage moving direction is grasped. The number of edges of the input two-phase encoder pulse signals ES1 and ES2 is counted, and the CR counter 87 is counted when the carriage 14 is in the moving direction (forward movement) toward the 80th digit away from the home position HP. Increment the number, Yarijji 14 by decrementing the count value when the moving direction toward one digit side closer to the home position HP (backward), manages a carriage position to the home position HP as the origin.

  FIG. 7 is a graph for explaining the Nth print drive control. The scale for measuring the carriage position given as the count value of the CR counter 87 takes a large value from the home position HP toward the 80th digit side (the non-home position side) from the first digit side (home position side). . Waiting positions POSD and POSF where the carriage 14 waits at the time of feeding are positioned outside the both ends of the moving range of the carriage 14 that enables printing of the entire width of the assumed maximum width of the sheet. Is set. Of these two standby positions POSD and POSF, the position on the side ahead in the traveling direction of the current carriage 14 is the temporary target position (temporary stop in the moving process of the current line for one line). Position). From the state in which the carriage 14 is positioned at either one of the standby positions POSD and POSF, regardless of the position on the paper where the first dot position Fn exists, printing always starts if the movement starts (accelerates) from the current position. The logical seek operation is not always necessary.

  The first determination unit 81 determines whether or not acceleration can be performed from the current position based on a comparison between the N−1th carriage stop position (current position) and the carriage activation position calculated from the Nth first dot position Fn. To do.

  When the first determination unit 81 determines that acceleration is not possible from the current position, the logical seek unit 82 performs logical seek and carriage to the carriage start position PSn calculated from the current (Nth) first dot position Fn. The CR drive command unit 86 is instructed to move 14. The CR drive command unit 86 controls the speed by driving the CR motor 16 by outputting a speed command value to the CR motor drive circuit 56 based on the acceleration table Ta and the deceleration table Tb read from the memory 65.

  The stop position setting unit 83 sets this temporary stop position as a target position. That is, the stop position setting unit 83 is the current position of the two standby positions POSD and POSF at the stop position where the carriage 14 has finished the previous (N-1) th movement (that is, the current (Nth) start position). From this time (Nth), the standby position on the side ahead in the traveling direction is set as the current (Nth) target position (temporary stop position). For example, in the example of FIG. 7, the standby position POSF on the left side of the figure is set as the target position (temporary stop position).

  The second determination unit 84 determines whether or not the (N + 1) th dot formation range has been grasped. In this example, in this example, when the dot formation range can be grasped, the N + 1th data Fn + 1, Ln + 1, PSn + 1, PTn + 1 calculated by the command analysis unit 61 and stored in the memory 65 are obtained. It is determined whether or not there exists. Further, the second determination unit 84 activates among the carriage activation position PSn + 1 calculated from the (N + 1) th first dot position Fn + 1 and the carriage stop position PTn calculated from the Nth last dot position Ln. It is determined which is far from the position.

  The stop position resetting unit 85 resets the target position previously set by the stop position setting unit 83 as the temporary stop position POSD or POSF. The target position is reset by a method according to the determination result of the second determination unit 84. Specifically, when the N + 1th carriage activation position PSn + 1 is far from the activation position, the target position is changed to the N + 1th carriage activation position PSn + 1. That is, the target position that has been tentatively set to the standby position (temporary stop position) POSD or POSF until then is reset to the N + 1th carriage activation position PSn + 1. On the other hand, if it is the Nth carriage stop position PTn that is far from the start position, the target position is changed to the Nth carriage stop position PTn. That is, the target position that has been provisionally set to the standby position (provisional stop position) POSD or POSF until then is reset to the Nth carriage stop position PTn.

  Next, the print drive control will be described with reference to FIGS. 7 and 8 based on the flowchart shown in FIG. When the previous printing operation is completed while monitoring the printing operation (ink ejection) during the previous movement of the carriage 14, the computer 53 executes the current (Nth) printing drive control routine shown in FIG. Specifically, this print drive control routine is performed by the CR control unit 73 of the computer 53. This print drive control routine is executed every line.

  As shown in FIG. 7A, in the previous time (N-1th), the carriage 14 starts main scanning from the carriage activation position PSn-1 calculated from the first dot position Fn-1, and the first dot position Fn-1 When the printing operation started from is finished at the last dot position Ln-1, the computer 53 starts executing the Nth print drive control routine (FIG. 10).

  In FIG. 10, first, in step S10, it is determined whether or not the carriage 14 has stopped. If the carriage 14 is not stopped, the process waits as it is. If the carriage 14 is stopped, the process proceeds to the next step S20.

  In step S20, it is determined whether or not acceleration is possible from the current position based on a comparison between the N-1th carriage stop position (current position) and the carriage activation position calculated from the Nth first dot position Fn. That is, it is determined whether or not the target speed at which ink can be ejected before reaching the current first dot position Fn can be reached even when accelerating from the current position. If acceleration is not possible from the current position, the process proceeds to step S30, and if acceleration is possible from the current position, the process proceeds to step S40. If the (N-1) th print drive control is normally performed, the current position is the carriage start position calculated from the Nth first dot position Fn or the (N-1) th last dot position Ln-1. Since it is the calculated carriage start position or the previous temporary stop position (POSD or POSF), it is determined that acceleration is possible from the current position. In the unlikely event that the carriage 14 stops before reaching the target position for some reason during the movement, it is determined that acceleration cannot be performed from the current position.

  In step S30, logical seek is performed, and the carriage is moved to the carriage activation position PSn calculated from the current (Nth) first dot position Fn. As described above, even if the vehicle stops before the target position for some reason, it moves to the carriage start position PSn calculated from the current first dot position Fn by performing a logical seek from the current position. The carriage 14 can be accelerated from the current position.

  In step S40, scanning of the carriage 14 is started from the current position to the target position POSD or POSF. That is, the computer 53 (stop position setting unit 85) sets the temporary stop position POSD or POSF as the target position of the carriage 14, drives the CR motor 16, and moves the carriage 14 from the current position toward the temporary stop position POSD or POSF. By starting the movement, scanning of the carriage 14 this time (Nth) is started.

  In step S50, it is determined whether or not the (N + 1) th dot formation range has been grasped. Specifically, this determination is made when the dot formation range can be grasped, and the N + 1th data Fn + 1, Ln + 1, PSn + 1, PTn + calculated by the command analysis unit 61 and stored in the memory 65. Judge whether there is 1 or not. That is, the CR control unit 73 of the computer 53 accesses the memory 65 to check whether or not the (N + 1) th data exists. If the N + 1-th dot formation range can be grasped, the process proceeds to step S60, and if it cannot be grasped, the process proceeds to step S90.

  In step S60, whichever of the carriage activation position PSn + 1 calculated from the (N + 1) th first dot position Fn + 1 and the carriage stop position PTn calculated from the Nth last dot position Ln is selected with respect to the activation position. Judge whether the position is far away. If the N + 1th carriage activation position PSn + 1 is far from the activation position, the process proceeds to step S70. On the other hand, if the Nth carriage stop position PTn is far from the start position, the process proceeds to step S80.

  In step S70, the target position is changed to the (N + 1) th carriage activation position PSn + 1. That is, the target position that has been tentatively set to the standby position (temporary stop position) POSD or POSF until then is reset to the N + 1th carriage activation position PSn + 1.

  On the other hand, in step S80, the target position is changed to the Nth carriage stop position PTn. That is, the target position that has been provisionally set to the standby position (provisional stop position) POSD or POSF until then is reset to the Nth carriage stop position PTn.

  In the next step S90, the process waits until the printing operation is completed. When the current (Nth) printing operation is completed, the Nth printing drive control is terminated, and the N + 1th printing drive control is started. At this time, since the (N + 1) th time is the current time, the same control is performed with the current time as the Nth time in FIG.

  Note that the process of S40 corresponds to a movement step, the process of S60 corresponds to a determination step, and the processes of S70 and S80 correspond to a resetting step. In the present embodiment, the control for stopping the carriage 14 at the temporary stop position when the CR drive command unit 86 is not reset or the reset target position corresponds to the stop control step.

  As shown in FIG. 7A, when the printing operation is completed in the previous (N + 1) th moving process, the Nth printing drive control is started and waits until the carriage 14 stops at the previous stop position PTn-1. To do. When the carriage 14 stops, the stop position coincides with the current start position, so the carriage 14 is moved from the current start position PSn toward the temporary stop position POSF. In this movement process, the Nth stop position PTn is compared with the N + 1th start position PSn + 1. In the example of FIG. 7A, the N + 1th start position PSn + 1 is the current start position. Located far from PSn. Therefore, the target position is reset to the (N + 1) th activation position PSn + 1 instead of the provisional stop position POSF. Thereafter, when the carriage 14 stops at the Nth stop position PTn, the stop position coincides with the (N + 1) th start position PSn + 1, so that the N + 1th movement can be started from the current position.

  In the example of FIG. 7B, the Nth stop position PTn and the (N + 1) th start position PSn + 1 in the moving process in which the carriage 14 moves from the current start position PSn toward the temporary stop position POSF. However, the N-th stop position PTn is located farther from the current start position PSn. Therefore, the target position is reset to the Nth stop position PTn instead of the provisional stop position POSF. Thereafter, when the carriage 14 stops at the Nth stop position PTn, the stop position is located on the opposite side of the N + 1th moving direction from the N + 1th start position PSn + 1. You can start moving.

  Further, FIG. 8 shows print drive control during the final pass. In this final pass, the carriage 14 starts moving from the current (Nth) start position PSn toward the provisional stop position POSF, and in the moving process, there is no print data because the next time paper is discharged, and the N + 1th pass. The dot formation range cannot be grasped (NO in S50). Therefore, the target position is not reset and the carriage 14 moves to the temporary stop position POSF and stops.

  At this time, in this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 4, when the final printing operation is completed, the paper discharge request and the paper feed request are issued almost simultaneously, and the paper feed operation is immediately started. However, the carriage 14 at this time moves to the temporary stop position POSF as it is even after the printing operation (hatched portion in the figure) is completed as shown in FIG. For this reason, the carriage 14 can be quickly retracted from the range in which the paper P2 is fed. As a result, the frequency with which the fed paper P2 contacts the recording head 17 is reduced, and the situation in which the paper P2 is soiled due to this type of contact can be effectively reduced.

As described above in detail, in the present embodiment, the following effects can be obtained.
(1) Even if there is no next print data at the time of determination for resetting the current carriage stop position, it is possible to reduce the frequency with which the carriage 14 needs to be moved again in the same direction after the current stop. For example, in each pass during printing, even if there is no next print data at the time of determination for resetting, it is not necessary to perform a logical seek after the carriage 14 stops in that pass. If there is no print data for the current page due to the last pass and there is no next print data at the time of determination for resetting (NO in S50), the carriage 14 remains as it is at the temporary stop position POSD or By moving to the POSF, it is possible to quickly evacuate from the range where the paper P2 of the next page is fed. For example, when the carriage 14 is once again moved in the same direction after the carriage 14 is temporarily stopped at the current stop position PTn in the final pass, the fed paper P2 is caused by a delay in retracting the carriage 14. There is a concern that the paper P2 may come into contact with the recording head 17 and become dirty. However, according to the present embodiment, the carriage 14 is quickly retracted without stopping in the middle, so that the frequency with which the fed paper P2 contacts the recording head 17 can be reduced, and this kind of contact is the cause. Contamination of the generated paper P2 can be effectively reduced.

  (2) Wait until the previous carriage 14 is stopped (S10), and determine the current carriage stop position after this stop until the end of the current printing operation (ink ejection) (S60 to S80, etc.) I do. Therefore, even if the next print data is somewhat delayed, the frequency of grasping the next dot formation range (affirmative determination in S50) increases, and the next first dot position Fn + 1 is confirmed as much as possible to determine the current carriage stop position. Can be increased. As a result, it is possible to avoid the carriage 14 from moving to the temporary stop position POSD or POSF as much as possible.

  (3) Since the process (S60 to S80, etc.) for determining the current carriage stop position can be started after the previous movement of the carriage 14 is stopped and before the current carriage 14 is started, the carriage 14 is moved to the first dot position Fn. You can finish resetting until you reach. For example, even when the dot formation range is very short, such as the current first dot position Fn is the same position as or the position near the last dot position Ln, the carriage stop position calculated from the current last dot position Ln is reset. The carriage 14 can be stopped at the reset position as much as possible. Therefore, it is possible to avoid as much as possible the situation where the carriage 14 stops after the reset position where the carriage 14 is reset due to a delay in the resetting time.

  (3) When printing the final pass of the current page, the printer moves to the temporary stop position POSD or POSF. For this reason, it is possible to prevent the fed paper P2 of the next page from coming into contact with the recording head 17 as much as possible.

  (4) Also, after waiting for the carriage 14 to retreat to a position where the paper P2 of the next page and the recording head 17 do not contact (for example, the standby position POSD or POSF or a position near it), the supply of the paper P2 of the next page is performed. When the feeding is started, the time required for feeding the next page can be shortened.

  (5) Based on a comparison between the N-1th carriage stop position (current position) and the carriage start position calculated from the Nth first dot position Fn, it is determined whether or not acceleration is possible from the current position, and the current position If acceleration is not possible, logical seek is performed (S30), and the carriage is moved to the carriage start position PSn calculated from the current (Nth) first dot position Fn. Therefore, even if the previous carriage movement stops for some reason before the target position, it moves to the carriage activation position PSn calculated from the current first dot position Fn and activates the carriage 14 from this movement destination. Thus, the current printing can be performed reliably.

In addition, the said embodiment can also be changed into the following forms.
In the above-described embodiment, the print drive control routine is executed every time (every pass). However, the print drive control routine may be executed only the last time (final pass). Whether or not it is the final time is determined by, for example, the upper layer command analysis unit 61 based on the paper discharge command, and information indicating the final time is stored in the memory 65, so that the sequence control unit 63 You can make that information accessible. Even in such a configuration that is executed only the last time, the carriage 14 can be quickly retracted to the outside of the range in which the fed paper and the recording head can contact after the printing operation in the final pass is completed. It is possible to avoid the contamination of the paper due to the contact between the paper and the recording head as much as possible. Also, in the case where the feeding of the paper is started after waiting for the carriage 14 to be retracted to the timing position where the paper P and the recording head 17 do not contact, the printing of the next page from the end of the printing operation of the final pass of the current page is started. It is possible to shorten the time required for feeding until the end of paper feeding.

  The timing for resetting the current carriage stop position may be changed as appropriate within the period from the previous stop of carriage 14 movement until the end of the current printing operation. However, it is preferable to reset the carriage 14 until it reaches the current first dot position Fn. For example, even when the dot formation range is very short (when the first dot position Fn and the last dot position Ln are the same or in the vicinity), the reset stop position can be decelerated to the target.

  -The temporary stop position is not limited to POSD or POSF. For example, the temporary stop position on the 1-digit side may be set as the home position HP. In addition, when the carriage is configured to connect a clutch that transmits the power of the power source to the feeding device by operating the lever, a clutch switching position at which the carriage can switch the clutch may be set as a temporary stop position.

  In the above-described embodiment, the temporary stop position is a predetermined position. However, the temporary stop position may be varied according to the printing conditions. For example, the temporary stop position may be made variable according to the paper size. In this case, a position that can be accelerated regardless of the position of the first dot position Fn on the sheet of the current size is set according to the sheet size (size in the main scanning direction).

  The temporary stop position is not limited to the outside of the maximum movement range of the carriage 14 during printing. It suffices if it is located farther in the traveling direction from the current activation position PSn than the carriage stop position PTn calculated from the current last dot position Ln. In this case, the temporary stop position may be a fixed position determined in advance, or may be variable depending on the last dot position Ln for each pass. In the case of variable, for example, a predetermined distance (for example, a value within a range of 10 to 50% of the maximum paper width) with respect to the current last dot position Ln, even if this value is added, And a configuration in which a value within a range not exceeding the maximum carriage movement range is added.

The sequence control unit 63 may calculate the start position PSn based on the first dot position Fn and the stop position PTn based on the last dot position Ln.
A configuration may be adopted in which the feeding of the next page is started after the carriage reaches the standby position POSD or POSF when feeding the next page. In this case, since the carriage 14 can reach the standby position POSD or POSF at an early stage after the printing operation for the last line of the current page is completed, the time required for feeding the next page can be shortened. As a result, throughput when printing a plurality of pages in the printing apparatus can be improved.

  In the above-described embodiment, the ink jet printer 11 is employed. However, a fluid ejecting apparatus that ejects or ejects fluid other than ink may be employed as the printing apparatus. Further, the present invention can be used for various liquid ejecting apparatuses including a liquid ejecting head that ejects a minute amount of liquid droplets. In this case, the droplet refers to the state of the liquid ejected from the liquid ejecting apparatus, and includes liquid droplets having a granular shape, a tear shape, and a thread shape. The liquid here may be any material that can be ejected by the liquid ejecting apparatus. For example, it may be in a state in which the substance is in a liquid phase, such as a liquid with high or low viscosity, sol, gel water, other inorganic solvents, organic solvents, solutions, liquid resins, liquid metals (metal melts ) And liquids as one state of the substance, as well as those obtained by dissolving, dispersing or mixing particles of a functional material made of solid materials such as pigments and metal particles in a solvent. Further, representative examples of the liquid include ink and liquid crystal as described in the above embodiment. Here, the ink includes general water-based inks and oil-based inks, and various liquid compositions such as gel inks and hot-melt inks. As a specific example of the liquid ejecting apparatus, for example, a liquid containing a material such as an electrode material or a coloring material used for manufacturing a liquid crystal display, an EL (electroluminescence) display, a surface emitting display, a color filter, or the like in a dispersed or dissolved state. A liquid ejecting apparatus for ejecting can be given. Further, it may be a liquid ejecting apparatus that ejects a bio-organic matter used for biochip manufacturing, a liquid ejecting apparatus that ejects liquid as a sample used as a precision pipette, a printing apparatus, a microdispenser, or the like. In addition, transparent resin liquids such as UV curable resin to form liquid injection devices that pinpoint lubricant oil onto precision machines such as watches and cameras, and micro hemispherical lenses (optical lenses) used in optical communication elements. A liquid ejecting apparatus that ejects a liquid onto the substrate or a liquid ejecting apparatus that ejects an etching solution such as an acid or an alkali to etch the substrate may be employed. The present invention can be applied to any one of these liquid ejecting apparatuses. Further, the fluid may be a granular material such as toner. In addition, the fluid referred to in this specification does not include a fluid consisting only of a gas.

  -It is not limited to an ink jet printer. Any recording method may be used as long as it is a serial printer. A dot impact printer or a thermal transfer printer may be used.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 11 ... Printer as an example of printing apparatus, 13 ... Guide shaft, 14 ... Carriage as example of moving body, 15 ... Timing belt, 16 ... CR motor as example of power source, 17 ... Recording as example of printing means Head, 22 ... Rear feeding device as an example of feeding means, 23 ... ASF motor (an example of power source of feeding means), 24 ... Paper feed cassette, 28 ... Conveying roller pair, 29 ... Discharge roller pair, 25 ... Front feeding device as an example of feeding means, 27 ... PF motor (an example of power source of conveying means), 30 ... Linear encoder, 35 ... Feeding roller, 36 ... Intermediate roller, 45 ... Rear end sensor, 46 ... tip sensor, 47 ... paper detection sensor, 54 ... ASF motor drive circuit, 55 ... PF motor drive circuit, 56 ... CR motor drive circuit, 57 ... f Drive circuit, 60 ... buffer, 61 ... command analysis unit, 62 ... job control unit, 63 ... sequence control unit, 64 ... image processing unit, 65 ... memory, 66 ... calculation unit, 67 ... request unit, 68 ... superposition Arithmetic unit 71... Paper feed control unit 72... Paper feed control unit 73... CR control unit 74 .. print control unit 81 .. first determination unit as an example of start position determination unit 82. 83: Stop position setting unit constituting an example of control means, 84: Second determination part as an example of determination means, 85 ... Stop position resetting part as an example of resetting means, 86 ... Structure of one example of control means CR driving command section, 87... CR counter, P... Paper as an example of medium, Fn-1... First (N-1) first dot position, Ln-1 .. Last (N-1) last dot Position, PSn-1 ... Previous (N-1th) start position, PTn-1 ... last (N-1th) stop position, Fn ... current (Nth) first dot position, Ln ... current (Nth) last dot position, PSn ... current (Nth) start position, PTn ... current (Nth) stop position, Fn + 1 ... next (N + 1) first dot position, Ln + 1 ... next (N + 1) last dot position, PSn +1: Next (N + 1) start position, PTn + 1: Next (N + 1) stop position, POSD, POSF: Temporary stop position (target position).

Claims (9)

A printing apparatus in which the printing unit performs printing on a medium in the process of moving a moving body including a printing unit,
A power source for driving the moving body;
Control means for moving the moving body by driving the power source with a temporary stop position located farther than the current stop position from the current start position in the moving direction of the moving body,
In the process of moving the moving body from the starting position toward the temporary stop position, the next starting position of the moving body determined based on the next print data and the current position of the moving body determined based on the current print data. A determination means for comparing the stop position and determining one position farther from the current start position;
Resetting means for resetting the one position determined by the determining means as the current target position in place of the temporary stop position;
When the resetting is performed by the setting unit, the moving body stops at the one position where the moving body is reset,
When the determination by the determination unit is impossible, the moving body moves to the temporary stop position and stops.   When the resetting is performed by the resetting unit, the moving unit resets regardless of which of the next start position and the current stop position is the one position. The printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the temporary stop position is set so that the temporary stop position stops before reaching the temporary stop position when stopping at the one position. The determination means is based on the current stop position determined from the last dot position where the printing means finally forms a dot in the current movement process of the moving body acquired based on the current print data and the next print data. One position that is farther from the current activation position by comparing with the next activation position determined from the first dot position at which the printing means first forms dots in the next movement process of the acquired moving body Determine
The printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the resetting unit resets the one position as a current target position instead of the temporary stop position.   4. The printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the temporary stop position is set to an outer range including both ends of a maximum movement range of the moving body during printing. 5. An activation position for determining whether or not the current position of the movable body is an appropriate activation position capable of the current printing operation before the control means starts moving the movable body toward the temporary stop position. A determination unit;
When the control unit determines that the start position determination unit is not an appropriate start position, the control unit moves the moving body to the current start position determined based on the current print data and then moves toward the temporary stop position. The printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the printing apparatus is moved.   The next print data includes the control by which the control unit moves the moving body toward the temporary stop position, the determination performed by the determination unit in the course of the movement, and the reset performed by the resetting unit. 6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the moving body is acquired at least in a final movement process of the moving body that is not acquired, and the moving body is moved to the temporary stop position in the final movement process. The printing apparatus according to one item.   The control means moves the moving body toward the temporary stop position, and the determination performed by the determination means and the resetting performed by the resetting means during the movement process are performed each time the moving body is moved. The printing apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the printing apparatus is moved. A feeding means for feeding the medium;
The printing means is configured to perform printing on the fed medium in the moving process of the moving body,
2. The feeding device according to claim 1, wherein after the last printing operation by the printing unit is finished, the feeding of the next medium is started before the moving body stops at the last stop position. The printing apparatus as described in any one of thru | or 7. A method for controlling the moving body in which the printing means performs printing on a medium in the process of moving the moving body having a printing means,
A moving step of moving the moving body with a temporary stop position positioned far from the current starting position as a target position, rather than the current stopping position determined based on the current print data in the moving direction of the moving body;
In the process of moving the moving body from the starting position toward the temporary stop position, the next starting position of the moving body determined based on the next print data and the current position of the moving body determined based on the current print data. A determination step of comparing the stop position and determining one position farther from the current start position;
A resetting step of resetting the one position determined in the determination step as a current target position instead of the temporary stop position;
When resetting is performed in the resetting step, the moving body is stopped at the reset target position. On the other hand, when the resetting is not performed due to the determination being impossible in the determining step, the moving body is A stop control step for moving to the temporary stop position and stopping;
A method for controlling a moving object comprising:

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