JP7699992B2 - Handheld recording device, control method, and program - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a handheld recording device with a manual scanning function that allows a user to manually scan and record, a control method for the handheld recording device, and a program.

Patent document 1 discloses a technology for detecting errors in the transport amount of a print medium in a serial scan printing device and suppressing degradation of print quality caused by variations in the transport amount by changing the nozzles of the print head that can be used during printing.

JP2010-699Publication

A handheld recording device is known as a recording device that records on a recording medium in the same manner as a serial scan type recording device by manually moving the main body relative to the recording medium. In such a handheld recording device, when moving to the next scanning area, the handheld recording device may become tilted relative to the recording medium. Depending on such tilt, it is possible to change the nozzles of the recording head that can be used by applying the technology of Patent Document 1, for example.

However, for example, when the tilt of the handheld recording device exceeds the expected tilt, or when the device moves to the next scan at a position that exceeds the expected tilt or the expected scanning area, there may be no nozzles to change. This can cause white streaks, which are caused by the recording area separating between scans, and can degrade recording quality. The user cannot detect this degradation in recording quality until they check the actual recording results.

The present invention was made in consideration of the above problems, and aims to provide a technology that can prevent the generation of printing results with reduced print quality when changing nozzles for printing.

In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, one embodiment of the present invention is a handheld recording device comprising a recording means for recording by ejecting ink from the nozzles, in which a nozzle array is formed by arranging a plurality of nozzles that eject ink, and a detection means for detecting position information, and based on a detection result by the detection means in response to a scan by a user in a first direction intersecting the direction in which the nozzle array extends, a first operation for ejecting ink from the nozzles of the recording means for recording and a second operation for moving the nozzle array by the user in a second direction in which the nozzle array extends are alternately performed to record a predetermined image on a recording medium by the recording means , and if tilt is generated in the nozzle array before and after the second operation, the position of the nozzle used for recording in the scan in the first operation after the second operation is changed in response to the tilt, and the handheld recording device is characterized in having a notification means for notifying that the second operation cannot be performed when at least one of the following is true : a predetermined scanning range has been exceeded in the scan in the first direction, and recording in the scan has not been completed .

The present invention makes it possible to prevent the generation of print results with reduced print quality when changing nozzles for printing.

FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a recording apparatus according to an embodiment. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a recording procedure by the recording device. 5A to 5C are diagrams showing positions of components according to a recording process. FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a control system of the printing apparatus. FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing a functional configuration for image processing in a control unit. 6A and 6B are diagrams for explaining streaks that occur in a printing area between scans due to inclination of a nozzle array. 11A and 11B are diagrams showing an example of changing usable nozzles in accordance with the inclination of a nozzle row. FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining a scanning range for a printing area. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a detailed processing routine of a recording process. 4A and 4B are diagrams showing a printing area, a scanning range, and usable nozzles when printing with two scans. 11A and 11B are diagrams for explaining a method of acquiring the inclination between scans that occurs during a line feed operation.

Below, an example of an embodiment of a handheld recording device, a control method, and a program will be described in detail with reference to the attached drawings. Note that the following embodiment does not limit the present invention, and not all of the combinations of features described in the embodiment are necessarily essential to the solution of the present invention. Furthermore, the relative positions and shapes of the components described in the embodiment are merely examples, and do not limit the scope of the present invention to only those.

In the following explanation, "recording" refers not only to the formation of meaningful information such as characters and figures, but also to both meaningful and insignificant information. It also broadly includes the formation of images, designs, patterns, structures, etc. on a recording medium, or the processing of the medium, regardless of whether it is manifested in a way that humans can perceive visually. "Recording medium" includes not only paper, which is used in general recording devices, but also cloth, plastic film, metal plate, glass, ceramics, resin, wood, leather, and other materials that can accept ink.

(Configuration of the recording device)
First, the configuration of a handheld recording device according to an embodiment will be described. A handheld recording device is generally also called a handy printer or a portable printer. In the following description, the "handheld recording device" will also be simply called a "recording device." Figure 1 is a perspective view of the recording device according to an embodiment, where (a) is a view from above and (b) is a view from below.

The recording device 10 in FIG. 1 is a manual scanning handheld recording device in which the user manually scans (moves) the recording medium placed on it to record. The recording device 10 has a lower unit 12 equipped with various components for recording, and an upper unit 14 that houses the control components (see FIG. 1(a)).

The upper unit 14 is provided with a line feed handle 16 that the user operates when moving the recording device 10 in the +Y direction along which the nozzle row (described later) extends. The upper unit 14 also has a button 18 with an LED lamp for notifying the user of errors, etc., on the surface corresponding to the top surface 10a of the recording device 10. The button 18 switches the power of the recording device 10 on and off when pressed for a long time, and starts or stops recording when pressed for a short time. The LED lamp of the button 18 can provide various notifications depending on its lighting pattern and lighting color. In this embodiment, the button 18 is configured to have an LED lamp, but this is not limited to this, and the recording device 10 may be configured to have the button 18 and the LED lamp as separate components.

The lower unit 12 is provided with a recording head 20 that ejects ink onto a recording medium facing the bottom surface 10b of the recording device 10 during recording. The recording head 20 is provided with a nozzle row 20a in which a plurality of nozzles that eject ink are arranged along the Y direction. The lower unit 12 is also provided with a guide roller 22 that guides the movement of the recording device 10 in the X direction that intersects with the Y direction (orthogonal in this embodiment). The lower unit 12 is further provided with a downstream position detection sensor 24 provided downstream in the +Y direction, and an upstream position detection sensor 26 provided upstream in the +Y direction. The recording head 20 is located between the downstream position detection sensor 24 and the upstream position detection sensor 26 in the Y direction. The lower unit 12 is further provided with a line feed leg 28 that can be displaced between a storage position stored in the lower unit 12 and a protruding position protruding from the bottom surface 10b in the -Z direction in response to the operation of the line feed handle 16. Details will be described later, but the recording device 10 is configured to be able to move in the +Y direction from a state in which the guide roller 22 is in contact with the ground by displacing the line feed leg 28 by operating the line feed handle 16.

(Recording by the recording device and operation of each component)
Next, the components of the recording device 10 will be described in more detail while explaining the recording method on the recording medium by the recording device 10. FIG. 2 is a diagram explaining the procedure for recording an image by the recording device 10. FIG. 2(a) is a diagram showing a state in which the recording device is placed at a recording start position on the recording medium. FIG. 2(b) is a diagram showing a state during the first scan. FIG. 2(c) is a diagram showing a state in which the first scan is completed and the device is moving to a scan start position for the second scan. FIG. 2(d) is a diagram showing a state during the second scan. FIG. 3(a) to (h) are diagrams showing the positions of the components at each timing during recording.

The recording device 10 performs a recording operation on the recording medium by ejecting ink from each nozzle constituting the nozzle row 20a while moving in the +X direction (or -X direction). Then, after this recording operation, a line feed operation is performed in which the recording device 10 moves a predetermined amount in the +Y direction. After that, from the position after the movement, the recording device ejects ink from the nozzles while moving in the -X direction (or +X direction) opposite to the previous scanning direction, and performs a recording operation in which ink is ejected from the nozzles to record in an area adjacent to the recording area recorded in the previous scan. In this way, the recording device 10 alternates between a recording operation that scans in the X direction accompanied by recording, and a line feed operation that moves a predetermined amount in the +Y direction after recording, thereby recording a predetermined image on the recording medium by scanning multiple recording operations. In this specification, the transition from one scan to the next scan is also referred to as a line feed.

More specifically, first, the recording device 10 is placed at the recording start position where recording starts on the recording medium M (see FIG. 2(a)). The recording start position is, for example, placed at the top left of the area on the recording medium M where an image is to be recorded. Note that since the recording device 10 can record while moving back and forth in the X direction, it may also be placed at the top right. In this embodiment, the scanning of the recording device 10 will be described as scanning from left to right for odd-numbered scans and scanning from right to left for even-numbered scans.

At the recording start position, as shown in FIG. 3(a), the recording device 10 has the guide roller 22 and downstream position detection sensor 24 in contact with the recording medium M. FIG. 3(a) is a view of the recording device placed at the recording start position as seen from the arrow A. In FIGS. 3(a) to (h), the side of the housing of the recording device 10 is shown cut away to show the internal structure.

The distance between the bottom surface 10b of the recording device 10 and the recording medium M is determined by the guide roller 22. As a result, the distance between the nozzles in the recording head 20 and the recording medium M is designed to be a distance suitable for recording. The guide roller 22 has a roller portion 22a provided upstream in the +X direction with respect to the recording head 20, and a roller portion 22b provided downstream in the +X direction (see FIG. 1(b)). Each of the roller portions 22a and 22b has a pair of rollers 23, and the pair of rollers 23 is connected by a shaft 25 so that the centers of rotation are aligned. The shaft 25 is supported in the lower unit 12 so as to be rotatable so as to extend along the Y direction, and is supported so that the backlash in the Y direction is small. In addition, the roller 23 is processed, for example, by fixing small-diameter abrasive grains to the cylindrical surface that contacts the recording medium M so that the coefficient of friction with the recording medium M is high, and the diameter of the roller 23 is approximately equal to improve linearity in the X direction. Furthermore, the roller portions 22a and 22b may be supported so that, for example, the degree of parallelism is small, thereby improving linearity. With this configuration, when the user manually scans the recording medium M, the guide roller 22 does not rotate idly, but rotates in response to the movement of the recording device 10, and the linearity is improved.

The downstream position detection sensor 24 is constantly pressed in the -Z direction, that is, in the direction in which it abuts against the recording medium M, making it possible to measure the amount of movement of the recording device 10. The downstream position detection sensor 24 has a case 24a that houses a sensor unit 24c that can optically read the surface of the recording medium M, and a pair of sliders 24b that protrude in the -Z direction are formed on the case 24a. The sliders 24b of the downstream position detection sensor 24 abut against the recording medium M. This keeps the distance between the sensor unit 24c and the recording medium M constant.

When the recording device 10 is placed at the recording start position, the line feed handle 16 is biased in the -Y direction by a spring (not shown) and is located at the initial position as shown in FIG. 3(a). In addition, the upstream position detection sensor 26 is retracted to a retracted position housed in the lower unit 12 in conjunction with a line feed mechanism drive gear train 32 (described later) and is separated from the recording medium M. In addition, the line feed leg 28 is located at a storage position housed in the lower unit 12 and separated from the recording medium M.

After placing the recording device 10 at the recording start position, the user then manually moves the recording device 10 in the +X direction while keeping it in contact with the recording medium M, and executes the recording operation in the recording device 10 (see FIG. 2(b)). When scanning (movement) of the recording device 10 in the +X direction from the recording start position begins, the downstream position detection sensor 24 starts detecting the amount of movement. The detection of the amount of movement continues during the movement. In the downstream position detection sensor 24, the sensor unit 24c detects the amount of movement from the scanning start position, and calculates the current position of the recording device 10 by integrating the amount of movement. The calculation of the current position of the recording device 10 may be performed by the control unit 400 (described later) housed in the upper unit 14. During the recording operation, the positional relationship of each component is the same as that at the recording start position (see FIG. 3(a)).

The downstream position detection sensor 24 uses a sensor that can detect the amount of movement with high accuracy. For this reason, the distance between the sensor portion 24c and the recording medium M must be, for example, 2.4 mm, and the tolerance range must be kept within ±0.3 mm. Such a downstream position detection sensor 24 detects the relative amount of movement between the recording device 10 and the recording medium M with high accuracy. For this reason, the recording device 10 can eject ink from the recording head 20 at a timing according to the amount of movement based on the detection result of the downstream position detection sensor 24 to record. Note that the position detection method used by the downstream position detection sensor 24 can be any of various known technologies that can detect the relative position between the recording device 10 and the recording medium M.

The recording head 20 ejects ink from each nozzle constituting the nozzle row 20a by the inkjet method. Therefore, ink is ejected from each nozzle by the control of the control unit 400 according to the detection result of the downstream position detection sensor 24. Specifically, according to the detection result, the recording data is read from the RAM 412 (described later), and the CPU 402 (described later) judges the timing and position of ink ejection or non-ejection, and the ink is appropriately ejected from each nozzle of the recording head 20 to form an image. Note that since the recording device 10 is manually scanned by the user, there is no guarantee that the moving speed will be constant, and the moving speed may change. Even if such a fluctuation in the moving speed occurs, the control unit 400 controls the ejection of ink from each nozzle of the recording head 20 so as to appropriately record an image on the recording medium M. After that, when the recording based on the recording data is completed in the first scan, the user stops the scanning of the recording device 10 in the +X direction by visually checking the recorded portion or by checking the lighting state of the LED lamp provided on the button 18.

After stopping the scanning of the recording device 10 in the X direction, the user then operates the line feed handle 16 to move the recording device 10 in the +Y direction while keeping it in contact with the recording medium M, thereby executing a line feed operation in the recording device 10 (see FIG. 2(c)). Note that this line feed operation corresponds to a transport operation that transports the recording medium in a direction intersecting the scanning direction after a recording operation by scanning in a serial scan type recording device. In other words, the line feed operation in the recording device 10 is an operation that moves the recording device 10 in the +Y direction to a position where the next recording operation by scanning is performed, depending on the position on the recording medium M of the recording area PA1 that was recorded by the recording operation by scanning in the X direction.

This line feed operation is performed by the user operating the line feed handle 16 to move it in the direction of the arrow B. In the recording device 10, the line feed foot 28 operates in conjunction with the operation of the line feed handle 16, and moves a predetermined amount in the +Y direction. The predetermined amount will be described later as a movement amount D. During the line feed operation, in addition to the downstream position detection sensor 24, the upstream position detection sensor 26 also abuts against the recording medium M. As a result, in the recording device 10, the movement state due to the line feed operation is detected by two position detection sensors located at different positions in the Y direction. Specifically, if there is variation in the amount of movement of the recording device 10 or if there is tilt due to rotation in the direction of the arrow R (see FIG. 2C) before and after the line feed operation, the amount can be detected by the two position detection sensors. When the upstream position detection sensor 26 has moved a predetermined amount in the +Y direction, it moves away from the recording medium M.

The change in the positional relationship of each component during the line feed operation will be described with reference to Figures 3(a) to (h). When scanning in the X direction is stopped, the guide roller 22 and the downstream position detection sensor 24 are in contact with the recording medium M, as shown in Figure 3(a). As shown in each figure in Figure 3, the recording device 10 is equipped with a line feed lever 30 that operates in conjunction with the line feed handle 16, and a line feed mechanism drive gear train 32 that is driven in response to the operation of the line feed lever 30 to operate the line feed leg 28. The recording device 10 also has a reset lever 34 for returning the line feed mechanism drive gear train 32 to the initial state (the state shown in Figure 3(a)), and a reset sub-lever 36 that acts in the latter half of the operation to return to the initial state. Furthermore, the recording device 10 is equipped with a reset cam 38 that receives force from the reset lever 34 and the reset sub-lever 36.

When the user moves the line feed handle 16 in the direction of arrow B at the position where scanning has stopped, the line feed lever 30 rotates due to the line feed handle 16, as shown in Figure 3(b). Note that the line feed handle 16 is biased in the -Y direction by the biasing force of a spring, and the user pushes the line feed handle 16 in the +Y direction against this biasing force.

When the line feed lever 30 is rotated by operating the line feed handle 16, the lock that had kept the upstream position detection sensor 26 retracted so that it would not come into contact with the recording medium M is lowered, allowing the upstream position detection sensor 26 to move up and down. This causes the upstream position detection sensor 26 to move down due to the pressure of a pressure spring (not shown) and come into contact with the recording medium M. Like the downstream position detection sensor 24, the upstream position detection sensor 26 has a case 26a that houses a sensor unit 26c that can optically read the surface of the recording medium M, and a pair of sliders 26b that protrude in the -Z direction are formed on the case 26a. The upstream position detection sensor 26 maintains a constant distance between the sensor unit 26c and the recording medium M by abutting the recording medium M with the slider 26b.

When the line feed handle 16 is further pushed in the +Y direction and the line feed lever 30 rotates further, the line feed mechanism drive gear train 32 is activated, and the line feed leg 28 descends and comes into contact with the recording medium M, as shown in FIG. 3(c). When the line feed handle 16 is further pushed in the +Y direction and the line feed lever 30 rotates further, the line feed mechanism drive gear train 32 is further activated, causing the line feed leg 28 to press the recording medium M, and as a result, as shown in FIG. 3(d), the recording device 10 begins to lift. The line feed leg 28 is configured to move in parallel with the gear of the line feed mechanism drive gear train 32, with a rotational trajectory. In addition, the tip of the line feed leg 28 that comes into contact with the recording medium M is made of a material that is not easily slippery against the recording medium M. Therefore, the line feed leg 28 is lowered by the line feed mechanism drive gear train 32, and when the amount of descent exceeds a certain amount, the recording device 10 is pushed up so as to move in parallel with a rotational trajectory.

Specifically, the recording device 10 is pushed up by the line feed leg 28 and moves in the direction of the arrow C. Note that FIG. 3(d) shows a state when the recording device 10 has moved to about half the amount of movement during the line feed operation, and at this time, it has moved in the +Y direction by a distance L1 from the position before the line feed operation started (white triangle in the figure). Also, in FIG. 3(d), it can be seen that the gap between the bottom surface 10b of the recording device 10 and the recording medium M has expanded from gap G1 (see FIG. 3(c)) to gap G2, and the recording device 10 has been lifted. By lifting the recording device 10, the guide roller 22 is separated from the recording medium P. Therefore, the recording device 10 can easily move in directions other than the X direction. Note that even if the recording device 10 is pushed up by the line feed leg 28, the downstream position detection sensor 24 is configured to maintain a state of contact with the recording medium M, and the upstream position detection sensor 26 maintains a state of contact with the recording medium M due to the pressing force of the pressing spring.

After that, when the line feed handle 16 is further pushed in the +Y direction and the line feed lever 30 rotates further, the line feed mechanism drive gear train 32 operates, and the recording device 10 moves in parallel with the rotation trajectory and descends while moving in the +Y direction, as shown in FIG. 3(e). Specifically, the line feed leg 28 of the recording device 10 begins to rise due to the operation of the line feed mechanism drive gear train 32. As the line feed leg 28 rises, the recording device 10 moves in the +Y direction while descending under its own weight, and moves in the direction of the arrow D. As a result, the guide roller 22 of the recording device 10 comes into contact with the recording medium M, and the movement in the +Y direction ends. As a result, the recording device 10 moves in the +Y direction by a distance L2. Even during this operation, the downstream position detection sensor 24 and the upstream position detection sensor 26 maintain a state of abutment with the recording medium M.

Next, the user releases his/her finger from the line feed handle 16, and returns it to its initial position, as shown in FIG. 3(f). The line feed handle 16 is biased in the -Y direction by a spring, so it returns to its initial position simply by the user releasing his/her finger. In response to this movement of the line feed handle 16, the line feed lever 30 also returns to its initial position (see FIG. 3(a)). The line feed lever 30 and the line feed mechanism drive gear train 32 are connected via a one-way clutch. Therefore, regardless of the position of the line feed lever 30, the line feed mechanism drive gear train 32 moves on to the next operation.

The reset cam 38 of the line feed mechanism drive gear train 32 is in an angular phase where the force of the spring-loaded reset lever 34 and reset sub-lever 36 is applied. This force causes a counterclockwise rotational force in the figure to act on the reset cam 38. The line feed mechanism drive gear train 32 continues to operate within the range in which this rotational force continues to act. In addition, the upstream position detection sensor 26 begins to move upward to a retracted position as the lock rises, and begins to move away from the recording medium M.

When the line feed leg 28 moves to the highest position during the reset operation by the line feed mechanism drive gear train 32, as shown in FIG. 3(g), the upstream position detection sensor 26 is completely separated from the recording medium M. Then, as shown in FIG. 3(h), the force of the reset lever 34 and the reset sub-lever 36 no longer acts on the reset cam 38, the operation of the line feed mechanism drive gear train 32 stops, and the line feed mechanism drive gear train 32 returns to its initial position. At this stage, the recording device 10 moves a distance L2 in the +Y direction, while the upstream position detection sensor 26 and the line feed leg 28 have returned to the same positions as in FIG. 3(a).

In this way, the line feed operation is performed, and it can be seen that during this line feed operation, the recording device 10 moves between Figure 3(c) and Figure 3(e). Even though the gap between the bottom surface 10b of the recording device 10 and the recording medium M widens from G1 to G2 during the line feed operation, the downstream position detection sensor 24 and the upstream position detection sensor 26 are always in contact with the recording medium M. Therefore, the amount of movement during the line feed operation can be detected by these two sensors.

After the line feed operation is complete, the user then manually moves the recording device 10 in the -X direction from the position to which it was moved by the line feed operation while keeping it in contact with the recording medium M, and executes a recording operation on the recording device 10 (see FIG. 2(d)). First, the recording data is prepared in the same manner as the first recording operation, and if any variation in the amount of movement or tilt occurs during the line feed operation, preparations are made for the second recording operation, including corrections for those amounts. The basic scan is the same as the first scan, but because recording data with the above corrections and other adjustments made during the line feed operation is prepared, the user can immediately start the second scan after the line feed operation is complete.

In the second scan, as in the first scan, the downstream position detection sensor 24 detects the amount of movement in the X direction, and ink is ejected from the nozzles of the print head 20 according to the position to perform printing. If appropriate correction has been performed, the print area PA1 printed by the first scan and the print area PA2 printed by the second scan will form a continuous image without overlapping or gapping with each other.

(Configuration of the control system of the recording device)
The recording device 10 includes a control unit 400 in the upper unit 14 for controlling the overall operation of the recording device 10. Fig. 4 is a block diagram of the control unit 400. The control unit 400 includes a central processing unit (CPU) 402 that performs data calculation processing, and an image processing accelerator 404 that is specialized for image processing calculations and processes image data in cooperation with the CPU 402. Furthermore, the control unit 400 includes a data transfer interface (I/F) 408 that transmits and receives data to and from an external device 406, such as a personal computer (PC) connected to the recording device 10, a mobile terminal such as a smartphone, etc.

The control unit 400 also includes a RAM 410, which is a temporary storage area used by the CPU 402 and image processing accelerator 404 when performing calculations, and a ROM 412, which holds parameters and the like used by the CPU 402 and image processing accelerator 404 when performing calculations. Parameters read from the ROM 412 may also be loaded into the RAM 410. The control unit 400 also includes a head controller 414, which controls the ejection of ink from the recording head 20. The above components are connected by a bus 416.

The control unit 400 is connected to the button 18, and performs switching of the power supply ON/OFF, recording control of starting and stopping recording, etc., in response to the operation of the button 18 by the user. The control unit 400 also controls the lighting state of the LED lamp on the button 18. The control unit 400 varies the lighting pattern and lighting color of the LED lamp depending on the power supply state, recording state, type of error, etc. When the button 18 is operated in a state where recording can be started and an instruction to start recording is given, the control unit 400 puts the recording device 10 in a state where a recording operation can be started. Then, when scanning is manually performed in the X direction, the control unit 400 uses the scanning start position (recording start position) as the origin and continuously acquires position information of the recording device 10 in the CPU 402 based on the output from the downstream position detection sensor 24.

(Functional configuration of the control unit 400 related to image processing)
Next, the functional configuration of the control unit 400 regarding image processing will be described. Fig. 5 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of the control unit regarding image processing. The control unit 400 executes image processing, for example, by the CPU 402 and the image processing accelerator 404, to generate print data indicating print or non-print for each pixel from image data. Such image processing may be executed by either the CPU 402 or the image processing accelerator 404.

The control unit 400 includes an input unit 502 to which image data is input, and a scaling unit 504 that scales the image data output from the input unit 502 based on a size specified by the user. Image data is input to the input unit 502 from an external device 406 via a data transfer I/F 408. The user-specified size scaled by the scaling unit 504 is the size of the image to be formed on the recording medium M.

The control unit 400 includes a color correction unit 506 that converts the image data scaled by the scaling unit 504 into image data corresponding to the color reproduction range of the recording device 10. The control unit 400 also includes a color separation unit 508 that converts the color signal values of the image data converted by the color correction unit 506 into color signal values corresponding to the inks used in the recording device 10. The control unit 400 also includes an output tone correction unit 510 that adjusts the number of ink dots to be recorded for each ink color for image data having ink color signal values converted by the color separation unit 508. The control unit 400 also includes a quantization processing unit 512 that performs a quantization process on image data having color signal values obtained by the output tone correction unit 510, and an output unit 514 that outputs binary data (recording data) obtained by the quantization process to the RAM 410.

Based on the print data obtained by image processing using each of the above configurations, the control unit 400 outputs a control signal to control the print head 20, and prints on the print medium M by appropriately ejecting ink from each nozzle of the print head 20. In this embodiment, as will be described in detail later, image processing is performed on the entire image data, and then print data in which the data required for one scan is cut out is used. Note that the image processing method is not limited to this, and the image data input to the input unit 502 may be decomposed into the length of the nozzle row that can eject ink in one scan in size in the Y direction, and image processing may be performed for each of these image data.

In this embodiment, the image processing is performed by the recording device 10, but this is not limited to the present invention. A part of the image processing may be performed by the external device 406, and the remaining part of the image processing may be performed by the recording device 10. Alternatively, the image processing may be performed by the external device 406. Furthermore, various known techniques may be used for the image processing, and various known correction processes may be performed. In this case, a correction unit that performs the above correction processes is added as a functional configuration for image processing of the control unit 400.

(Recording process)
Next, a recording process will be described in which the recording device 10 performs recording operations and line feed operations alternately to record on the recording medium M in response to a user's operation under the control of the control unit 400.

<Recording process by known technology>
Here, let us consider the case where an image is formed on the recording medium M by two scans. Fig. 6 shows the recording area recorded by the first scan and the recording area recorded by the second scan when an image is recorded on the recording medium by two scans using all the nozzles in the recording head. Fig. 6(a) shows the first recording area Pa1 of the first scan and the second recording area Pa2 of the second scan formed parallel to each other. Fig. 6(b) shows the second recording area Pa2 formed inclined in a direction toward the first recording area Pa1 with respect to the first recording area Pa1. Fig. 6(c) shows the second recording area Pa2 formed inclined in a direction away from the first recording area Pa1 with respect to the first recording area Pa1.

In FIG. 6, the image formed is an image recorded based on image data in which the value of each pixel is a single fixed value (i.e., an image filled with one color), and the recording areas of each scan are shown separately in the figure. In this specification, the recording area is an area recorded on the recording medium M based on the recording data by one scan of the recording device. The recording device 10 forms a recording area for one scan by scanning in a direction intersecting (orthogonal in this embodiment) the arrangement direction of the nozzle row 20a. In addition, in FIG. 6, the user moves the nozzle row 20a in the arrangement direction, more specifically, in the +Y direction, by the length d of the nozzle row 20a to move to the next scan. In other words, the movement to the next scan after the nozzle row 20a is scanned at an angle to the Y direction will be along the inclined direction toward the +Y direction. In the following explanation, for ease of understanding, the nozzle row 20a is parallel to the Y direction in the first scan, and the nozzle row 20a is inclined in the second scan. Furthermore, in FIG. 6, the nozzle row 20a is formed by 12 nozzles, and all the nozzles are filled in, which indicates that they eject ink.

In FIG. 6A, the second print area Pa2 is formed parallel to and adjacent to the first print area Pa1, and each print area is properly printed. Therefore, no white or black stripes are generated in the print result. In FIG. 6B, the second print area Pa2 is inclined toward the first print area Pa1. That is, due to the inclination of the printing device 10 caused by the line feed operation from the first scan to the second scan, the nozzle row 20a is inclined by -θ ₀ with respect to the nozzle row 20a in the first scan, and the second scan is performed with the nozzle row 20a inclined by -θ _0. In FIG. 6C, the second print area Pa2 is inclined in a direction away from the first print area Pa1. That is, due to the inclination of the printing device 10 caused by the line feed operation from the first scan to the second scan, the nozzle row is inclined by +θ ₀ with respect to the nozzle row 20a in the first scan, and the second scan is performed with the nozzle row 20a inclined by +θ ₀ .

In this specification, the direction of inclination is indicated by "+" or "-". "-" indicates the inclination of nozzle row 20a such that the printing area to be formed is inclined in a direction toward the printing area that has already been formed. "+" indicates the inclination of nozzle row 20a such that the printing area to be formed is inclined in a direction away from the printing area that has already been formed.

The inclination of the nozzle row when moving from the pre-scan to the main scan, that is, the degree of inclination of the nozzle row during the main scan relative to the nozzle row during the pre-scan, is Δθ. Also, the degree of inclination of the nozzle row during the main scan relative to a specific scan that serves as a reference (hereinafter also simply referred to as the "reference") is θ. If the specific scan is the first scan and the main scan is the second scan, in the second scan, the inclination of the nozzle row relative to the pre-scan (including the degree and direction of inclination) and the inclination of the nozzle row relative to the specific scan that serves as the reference match. Also, a 0° inclination between scans indicates a state in which the nozzle row is not inclined between scans, and a 0° inclination from the reference indicates a state in which the nozzle row is not inclined between the specific scan and the main scan. In FIG. 6(a), the inclination between scans is 0°, and the inclination from the reference is 0°.

When the recording device 10 is tilted, the nozzle row 20a is also tilted. If the nozzle row 20a is tilted due to a line feed operation, the second scan will be scanned in a direction tilted by Δθ with respect to the scanning direction of the first scan. For this reason, in FIG. 6(b), compared to when there is no tilt in the nozzle row 20a (see FIG. 6(a)), there is a positional deviation of 1.0 pitch in the -Y direction, i.e., -1.0 pitch, at the end of the second scan. Note that 1.0 pitch is the distance between adjacent nozzles in the nozzle row. Also, in FIG. 6(c), compared to when there is no tilt in the nozzle row 20a, there is a positional deviation of 1.0 pitch in the +Y direction, i.e., +1.0 pitch, at the end of the second scan.

As a result, in FIG. 6(b), the printing areas of each scan overlap, causing black streaks 602 in the overlapping areas. Also, in FIG. 6(c), the printing areas of each scan are spaced apart, causing white streaks 604 in the spaced apart areas. In this way, when the nozzle row 20a is tilted due to the tilt of the printing device 10 caused by the line feed operation, white and black streaks occur, resulting in a decrease in printing quality.

<Recording process>
Therefore, in this embodiment, spare nozzles that do not eject ink are provided at the end of the nozzle row so that the nozzles that can eject ink can be shifted according to the inclination of the recording device 10. Then, information regarding the inclination of the nozzle row during the main scan relative to the nozzle row during the previous scan is obtained based on the position information of the recording end in the +Y direction of the previous scan and the position information obtained by the downstream position detection sensor 24 and the upstream position detection sensor 26. Then, based on the obtained information, the position of the nozzle to be used in the main scan is changed according to the position in the scanning direction (X direction). This makes it possible to form a continuous image between the recording areas even if the nozzle row 20a is inclined between scans.

Even if spare nozzles are used in this way to change the nozzle positions used during scanning, there may be cases where no nozzles are available and white streaks or the like occur. Therefore, this embodiment is designed to deal with cases where such white streaks occur.

=Record of setting up spare nozzle=
First, the recording with the spare nozzles will be described. FIG. 7 is a diagram for explaining a recording method with the spare nozzles. FIG. 7(a) is a diagram showing nozzles used at the start and end of each scan when the recording device 10 is not tilted between two consecutive scans. FIG. 7(b) is a diagram showing nozzles used at the start and end of each scan when the nozzle row 20a is tilted to the "-" side due to the tilt of the recording device 10 in the second scan compared to the first scan due to a line feed operation. FIG. 7(c) is a diagram showing nozzles used at the start and end of each scan when the nozzle row 20a is tilted to the "+" side due to the tilt of the recording device 10 in the second scan compared to the first scan due to a line feed operation.

In FIG. 7, the nozzle row is made up of 12 nozzles, corresponding to FIG. 6, and the first and second scans are both scanned in the scan range W. The nozzles at both ends of the nozzle row 20a are spare nozzles. Details will be described later, but the tilt of the recording device 10, that is, the tilt of the nozzle row 20a, is obtained based on the detection results of the downstream position detection sensor 24 and the upstream position detection sensor 26. In addition, for the nozzles that make up the nozzle row 20a in the figure, nozzles that do not eject ink in the corresponding scan are indicated by white circles, and nozzles that can eject ink in the corresponding scan are indicated by black circles. The same applies to the other figures below.

When there is no inclination of the nozzle row 20a between two consecutive scans, as shown in FIG. 7A, in each scan, printing is performed using 10 nozzles of the nozzle row 20a, excluding the nozzles at both ends. Then, in the line feed operation from the first scan to the second scan, the nozzle row 20a moves a length e, which is the length of 10 nozzles. The length e is e=d×10/12. Note that d is the total length of the nozzle row 20a in the nozzle arrangement direction. In this case, since there is no inclination of the nozzle row 20a in the second scan compared to the first scan, both the first and second scans perform printing using 10 nozzles of the nozzle row 20a, excluding the nozzles at both ends.

If the nozzle row 20a is tilted toward the "-" side during the second scan compared to the first scan, the positions of the nozzles used in the nozzle row 20a are shifted during the second scan, as shown in FIG. 7(b). Specifically, the position 702 of the printing end in the +Y direction during the first scan is obtained, and based on the position information in the X direction obtained during the second scan, the positions of the nozzles used for printing are shifted toward the +Y direction according to the tilt of the nozzle row 20a. As a result, a continuous image can be formed without overlapping printing areas between scans, and black streaks such as those that occurred in FIG. 6(b) do not occur.

If the nozzle row 20a is tilted toward the "+" side during the second scan compared to the first scan, the positions of the nozzles used in the nozzle row 20a are shifted during the second scan, as shown in FIG. 7(c). Specifically, the position 702 of the printing end in the +Y direction during the first scan is obtained, and based on the position information in the X direction obtained during the second scan, the positions of the nozzles used for printing are shifted toward the -Y direction in accordance with the tilt of the nozzle row 20a. As a result, a continuous image can be formed without the printing area being spaced apart between scans, and white streaks such as those that occurred in FIG. 6(c) do not occur.

In addition, in Figures 7(b) and (c), like Figures 6(b) and (c), the scanning direction of the first scan is the +X direction, but the scanning direction of the second scan is a direction perpendicular to the tilted nozzle row 20a. Also, the line feed direction from the second scan to the third scan in the line feed operation is the arrangement direction of the nozzle row 20a in the second scan. In other words, if the tilt of the nozzle row 20a in the second scan is, for example, -θ, the line feed direction is a direction tilted by -θ from the +Y direction.

In FIG. 7, the case where the recording device 10 is scanned in the scanning range W has been described. In the recording device 10 where the user manually scans, the user may cause the recording device 10 to scan beyond the expected scanning range. Next, the case where the recording device 10 is scanned longer than the expected scanning range will be described. FIG. 8 is a diagram showing the printing area in each scan when a line feed operation is performed outside the expected scanning range. FIG. 8(a) is a diagram showing the printing area in each scan when the recording device 10 is scanned and printed in the expected scanning range, and FIG. 8(b) is a diagram showing the printing area in each scan when the recording device 10 is scanned and printed outside the expected scanning range. Note that FIG. 8 shows the case where the nozzle row 20a is tilted to the "+" side due to the line feed operation. The expected scanning range is a value corresponding to the upper limit value of the nozzle row tilt that can be used to print using spare nozzles without causing a deterioration in print quality.

8(a), the printing area in the scanning direction is smaller than that in FIG. 7(c). As in FIG. 8(a), even if the printing area is smaller than the expected scanning range in the scanning direction, a continuous image can be formed between scans by shifting and changing the position of the printable nozzles according to the positional deviation of the nozzle row 20a. In contrast, in FIG. 8(b), the size of the printing area is the same as in FIG. 7(c), but the actual scanning distance is twice the scanning range, which is the expected scanning distance. As in FIG. 8(b), if a line feed operation is performed at a position scanned beyond the expected scanning range, a continuous image may not be formed between scans. This is because, even if the inclination of the nozzle row 20a is within the expected range, the scanning distance of the second scan becomes longer, so that the position of the nozzle row 20a at the end of the second scan is separated in the +Y direction from the printing area of the first scan. As a result, a blank space is generated between the printing areas of the first scan and the second scan, and a continuous image cannot be formed between scans.

In FIG. 7C, the nozzles at both ends of the nozzle row 20a are reserved nozzles in response to the +1.0 pitch (1 nozzle) misalignment in the +Y direction that occurs in the printing area at the end of the scan in the expected scanning range. This allows the printable nozzles to be shifted in the second scan, making it possible to print continuous images between scans. In contrast, in FIG. 8B, the scanning distance of the first scan is twice the expected scanning range. Therefore, in FIG. 8B, a misalignment of +2.0 pitch (2 nozzles) occurs in the printing area at the end of the scan, and the number of spare nozzles is insufficient. Therefore, the printable nozzles cannot be shifted sufficiently, and an area 802 that is not printed between scans occurs, resulting in white streaks. In this way, in the printing device 10, the user manually scans to perform printing, so the scanning distance may become longer without the user's expectation, causing white streaks or black streaks.

=Recording process according to this embodiment=
In this way, simply shifting the printable nozzles in accordance with the inclination of the nozzle row 20a that occurs during a line feed operation may result in white or black stripes. For this reason, in this embodiment, the actual scanning distance relative to the expected scanning range is also monitored. The printing process executed in this embodiment will be described in detail below with reference to FIGS. 9 and 10.

Figure 9 is a flowchart showing a detailed processing routine of the recording process executed by the recording device according to the embodiment. Figure 10 is a diagram showing the nozzle positions and number of nozzles available at the start and end of each scan, and the recording area and scanning range during each scan, when an image is recorded by two scans by the recording process. The series of processes shown in the flowchart in Figure 9 are performed by the CPU 402 expanding the program code stored in the ROM 412 into the RAM 410 and executing it. Alternatively, some or all of the functions of the steps in Figure 9 may be executed by hardware such as an ASIC or an electric circuit. Note that the symbol S in the description of each process means that it is a step in the flowchart.

In this embodiment, the spare nozzles are at least the number of nozzles capable of correcting the tilt error within the assumed scanning range. The tilt error means the positional deviation in the line feed direction of the printing area caused by the tilt of the nozzle row. If the nozzle pitch in this embodiment is 600 dpi, the distance between the nozzles is about 42 μm. In this embodiment, the upper limit value of the tilt of the nozzle row 20a of the main scan relative to the nozzle row 20a of the previous scan is θmb and the upper limit value of the tilt of the nozzle row 20a of the main scan relative to the nozzle row 20a of the previous scan is θmt. When the nozzle row of the main scan is tilted by θmb or θmt relative to the nozzle row of the previous scan, the magnitude of the positional deviation of the printing area at the end of the main scan is ±1.0 pitch (84 μm). The upper limit values of the tilt θmb and θmt are the upper limit values of the tilt allowed to suppress the occurrence of white and black stripes and print properly by executing the process in this embodiment.

Moreover, as will be described in detail below, nozzle row 20a is made up of a total of 11 nozzles, including 10 nozzles capable of recording an area equivalent to the amount of movement during the line feed operation, and one nozzle that corresponds to the tilt error that occurs during the scan after the line feed operation. In FIG. 10, the tilt of nozzle row 20a during the second scan is θmb, that is, the maximum expected tilt on the "+" side. Note that in the recording process described below, the tilt of nozzle row 20a described above can also be performed with values smaller than θmb and θmt.

Furthermore, in this embodiment, the length (N) of the nozzle row 20a must satisfy the following formula (1) based on the movement amount (D) during line feed operation and the tilt error when the scanning range (W) is scanned at an inclination of the upper limit value θmb of the assumed inclination of the nozzle row 20a. Note that in this embodiment, the length N of the nozzle row 20a is 504 μm, which is the length of 11 nozzles.
N≧W×tanθmb+D... (1)

In this specification, the scan that is about to be performed and the scan that is the subject of the explanation will be referred to as the main scan, the scan performed immediately before the main scan will be referred to as the pre-scan, and the scan performed immediately after the main scan will be referred to as the next scan.

When the recording process starts, the CPU 402 first obtains information on the downstream end position of the nozzle at the end of the previous scan and information on the inclination with respect to the reference of the main scan (S902). The downstream end position information of the nozzle at the end of the previous scan is information on the recording end on the downstream side in the line feed direction at the end of the scan, that is, information on the position of the nozzle at the bottom end in the line feed direction that can be recorded in the nozzle row 20a. The inclination with respect to the reference of the main scan is information on the inclination of the main scan with respect to a predetermined scan (the first scan in this embodiment) that serves as the reference when the inclination of the main scan with respect to the previous scan is inclined in the line feed direction by θmb. In the main scan, recording is performed continuously from the position of the recording end of the previous scan. Therefore, in S902, the downstream end position information of the nozzle at the end of the previous scan is used to set which nozzle to use from the nozzle end on the upstream side in the line feed direction in the main scan.

Information about the downstream end nozzle position at the end of the previous scan and information about the inclination with respect to the reference for the main scan are acquired in 904, which will be described later, and stored in the memory area of the control unit 400. Note that when the main scan to be executed is the first scan, there is no previous scan, so in S902, the downstream end nozzle position information is set to position 1002, which corresponds to the position of the spare nozzle at the top end of the nozzle row 20a for the first scan (see FIG. 10), and the information about the inclination with respect to the reference is set to 0°. Then, in S902, the recording end (edge) on the upstream side in the line feed direction of the recording area for the main scan is acquired from the acquired information. In the first scan, the inclination with respect to the reference for the main scan is 0°, so end 1012 is identified.

Next, the CPU 402 acquires the recording end on the downstream side in the line feed direction of the recording area formed by the main scan (S904). In S904, first, the downstream nozzle end position information at the end of the main scan is acquired, which is information about the nozzle position that will be the recording end on the downstream side in the line feed direction when the main scan is completed. In addition, information about the inclination of the next scan with respect to the reference of the next scan is acquired, which is information about the inclination (θ) of the next scan with respect to a predetermined reference scan when the inclination of the next scan with respect to the main scan is inclined by θmb. These acquired pieces of information are stored and used in the process of S902 when recording the next scan. Then, using the downstream nozzle end position information at the end of the main scan and the information about the inclination with respect to the reference of the next scan, position information of the recording end on the downstream side in the line feed direction of the recording area formed by the main scan is acquired.

In the main scan that will be executed from now on, at the time of the line feed operation to the next scan, at least the area adjacent to the area that can be printed in the next scan when the inclination of the nozzle row 20a between scans is inclined by θmb will be printed. Therefore, the nozzle position that is the recording end on the downstream side in the line feed direction at the end of the main scan will be shifted by the movement amount D downstream in the line feed direction from the nozzle position that is the recording end on the upstream side in the line feed direction at the end of the scan.

When the main scan is the first scan, in S904, the downstream nozzle end position information at the end of the main scan is position 1004, which corresponds to the position of the second nozzle from the bottom end of the nozzle row 20a of the first scan (see FIG. 10). Also, the information regarding the inclination with respect to the reference for the next scan is θmb, which is the inclination of the second scan with respect to the specified scan (first scan) when the inclination of the second scan with respect to the first scan is inclined by θmb. Also, from this information, in S904, the end 1006 downstream in the line feed direction of the printing area of the first scan is obtained.

After that, the CPU 402 acquires print data corresponding to the main scan (S906). In S906, the information in S902 and the information in S904 are used to acquire the positions of the upper and lower ends of the usable nozzles of the nozzle row at the start and end of the main scan. Then, from the acquired positions of the upper and lower ends of the nozzle row 20a at the start and end of the main scan, print data to be used in the main scan is cut out from the print data for the entire image data. For example, if the main scan is the first scan, the position of the upper end of the nozzle row 20a at the start of the scan is position 1002, and the position of the lower end is position 1008. Also, the position of the upper end of the nozzle row 20a at the end of the scan is position 1002, and the position of the lower end is position 1004. From the position information acquired in this way, rectangular print data with a length in the line feed direction from position 1002 to position 1008 is cut out from the print data corresponding to the entire image data as print data corresponding to the first scan.

Then, the CPU 402 acquires the scanning range (scanning distance) in the main scan (S908). The scanning range is set to a range that can accommodate the upper limit value of the tilt of the nozzle row 20a that is assumed. That is, the scanning range is determined by the upper limit value. In the first scan, the upper limit value is θmb, and the tilt error that is assumed at the end of the scan due to the tilt is set to 1.0 pitch, and one spare nozzle is prepared to accommodate the tilt error. Therefore, the scanning range 1010 is acquired as a scanning range that can accommodate a tilt error of 1.0 pitch. The scanning distance of the scanning range 1010 is Wt. That is, in S908, a range with a scanning distance that can eliminate the tilt error caused by the upper limit value (θmb) of the tilt of the nozzle row by using a spare nozzle is acquired as the scanning range.

Once the print data and scanning range for the main scan have been acquired in this way, the CPU 402 performs printing based on the acquired print data and scanning range (S910). In S910, the print data for the main scan acquired in S906 is matched to each nozzle, and ink is ejected according to position information in the scanning direction acquired by the downstream position detection sensor 24. The print data is matched to the nozzles based on the nozzle downstream end position information and information about the inclination with respect to the reference acquired in S902, and the position information of the printing end acquired in S904, and the print data is recorded in correspondence with the nozzles. In addition, when printing begins, the CPU 402 begins controlling the lighting pattern and light color of the LED lamp according to the printing situation.

Here, the process from S902 to S910 for the first scan will be specifically described. In S902, position 1002 is obtained as nozzle downstream end position information at the end of the previous scan. In addition, tilt information of 0° from the reference in this scan is obtained. From this obtained information, the position of the nozzle at the upstream end in the line feed direction used at the start of scanning in the first scan is the second nozzle from the nozzle end on the upstream side in the line feed direction of the nozzle row 20a. In addition, from the tilt information of 0° from the reference in this scan, end 1012 is specified as the recording end on the upstream side in the line feed direction of the recording area in the first scan. In other words, end 1012 is the end edge on the upstream side in the line feed direction of the recording data for the first scan obtained in S906.

In S904, position 1004 is obtained as nozzle downstream end position information at the end of the first scan. In addition, θmb is obtained as information regarding the inclination with respect to the reference (first scan) for the second scan. From this information obtained, the position of the nozzle at the downstream end in the line feed direction to be used when the second scan begins is the first nozzle from the nozzle end downstream in the improvement direction. In addition, since the information regarding the inclination with respect to the reference for the second scan is θmb, end 1006 is identified as the recording end on the downstream side in the line feed direction of the recording area in the first scan. In other words, end 1006 becomes the end edge on the downstream side in the line feed direction of the recording data for the first scan obtained in S906.

In S906, the print data is acquired from the information in S902 and S904 for the entire print data. That is, the print data is acquired based on the upper and lower ends of the available nozzles in the nozzle row at the start and end of the first scan. Then, for the acquired print data, the portion to be printed in the second scan is masked to "0" and only the portion to be printed in the first scan is cut out. This generates the nozzle positions at both ends of the line feed direction used at the start of the first scan at the start of printing and the print data to be printed in the first scan. In S910, the print data corresponding to the nozzles is shifted and printed according to the inclination with respect to the reference of this scan and the position in the scanning direction based on the output from the downstream position detection sensor 24. Note that since the first scan is a predetermined scan that serves as the reference, the inclination with respect to the reference is 0° in the first scan. Therefore, in the first scan, printing is performed without shifting the nozzle position, that is, without shifting the print data corresponding to the nozzles.

When printing of the main scan is started, the CPU 402 determines whether there is a next scan (S912). In S912, it is determined whether there is any print data that has not yet been printed among the print data. In S912, if it is determined that there is print data that has not yet been printed, it is determined that there is a next scan, and if it is determined that there is no such print data, it is determined that there is no next scan.

If it is determined in S912 that there is no next scan, the CPU 402 determines whether or not recording based on the print data from the main scan has finished (S914). If it is determined in S914 that recording based on the print data from the main scan has not finished, the process returns to S914. If it is determined in S914 that recording based on the print data from the main scan has finished, the CPU 402 notifies the user that recording has finished (S916) and ends the recording process. In S916, the user is notified that recording has finished by an LED lamp provided on the button 18.

Furthermore, if it is determined in S912 that there is a next scan, the CPU 402 determines whether movement to the next scan is possible (S918). In S918, the position information in the scanning direction from the downstream position detection sensor 24 and the information on the scanning range acquired in step 908 are used. In order to record continuous images between scans, the position at which the line feed operation starts must be within a scanning range that can accommodate a tilt error of 1.0 pitch and be a position where recording in the main scan has ended. Therefore, in the first scan, in S918, it is determined whether the position is within the scanning range 1010 and whether recording in the main scan has ended.

That is, in S918, if the scanning range acquired in S908 is within and the recording in the main scan is completed, it is determined that it is possible to move to the next scan. Also, in S918, if at least one of the following is satisfied: the scanning range acquired in S908 is exceeded and the recording in the main scan is not completed, it is determined that it is impossible to move to the next scan. That is, in S918, after the start of recording in the main scan, in the scanning range acquired in S908, it is determined that it is impossible to move to the next scan until recording based on the recording data is completed. Furthermore, in S918, if scanning is performed beyond the scanning range acquired in S908 after recording based on the recording data is completed in the main scan, it is determined that recording in the next scan is impossible. Note that when recording based on the recording data is completed, the CPU 402 measures the scanning distance from the recording end on the recording end side in the scanning direction.

If it is determined in S918 that movement to the next scan is not possible, movement to the next scan is restricted (S920), and the process returns to S918. In S920, the LED lamp of the button 18 notifies the user that movement to the next scan is not possible, and the user is physically unable to move to the next scan. Specifically, the notification that movement to the next scan is not possible is made by, for example, changing the color of the LED lamp, more specifically, changing the color from green, which indicates that movement to the next scan is possible, to red, which indicates that movement to the next scan is not possible. In addition, the state in which movement to the next scan is not physically possible is made by, for example, changing the line feed mechanism drive gear train 32 to be controlled as an actuator, and locking the gears to prevent movement to the next scan. The specific contents of the notification that movement to the next scan is not possible and the state in which movement to the next scan is not possible are not limited to those described above.

In this embodiment, the recording device 10 moves to the next scan by a line feed mechanism composed of multiple members, but the recording device 10 may also be configured to move to the next scan by the user, or by using an auxiliary member for causing the recording device 10 to make a line feed. Therefore, in S920, it is sufficient to simply notify that movement to the next scan is not possible. In other words, in this embodiment, the process of restricting movement to the next scan in S920 can be performed by at least one of notifying that movement to the next scan is not possible and physically making it impossible to move to the next scan.

Also, when it is determined in S918 that movement to the next scan is possible, the CPU 402 sets the state to one in which movement to the next scan is possible (S922) and determines whether movement to the next scan has started (S924). In S922, as a process for allowing movement to the next scan, it notifies that movement to the next scan is possible and sets the state to one in which movement to the next scan is physically possible. Specifically, to notify that movement to the next scan is possible, for example, the color of the LED lamp is changed, more specifically, from red, which indicates that movement to the next scan is impossible, to green, which indicates that movement to the next scan is possible. In addition, the state in which movement to the next scan is physically possible is a state in which the gear lock is released in the line feed mechanism drive gear train 32 and movement to the next scan is possible. In addition, in S922, at least one of notifying that movement to the next scan is possible and setting the state to one in which movement to the next scan is mechanically possible in response to S920 is executed.

In S924, for example, it is determined whether the line feed handle 16 has been operated. In other words, when the line feed handle 16 is pressed in by a predetermined amount or more, it is determined that movement to the next scan has started. Note that the determination of whether movement to the next scan has started is not limited to determining whether the line feed handle 16 has been operated. In cases where there is no line feed mechanism, the downstream position detection sensor 24, the upstream position detection sensor 26, etc. may be used for the determination.

If it is determined in S924 that movement to the next scan has not started, the process returns to S918. Also, if it is determined in S924 that movement to the next scan has started, movement to the next scan is performed (S926). In S926, a line feed operation is performed by operating the line feed mechanism by operating the line feed handle 16, and the recording device 10 moves by the movement amount D in the line feed direction. This causes the nozzle row 20a in the recording head 20 to move to the scanning start position of the next scan. In this embodiment, the position at which the line feed occurs in the first scan before the second scan is position 1014 within the scanning range 1010.

In this embodiment, as described above, the movement amount D is the length of the nozzle row 20a excluding one spare nozzle, that is, the length e equivalent to ten nozzles. The movement amount D satisfies the conditions of the following formulas (2) and (3) based on the tilt error when scanning is completed with the scanning range W tilted by θmt. The movement amount D is larger than the tilt error when scanning is completed with the scanning range W tilted by θmt, so that the tilt error in the direction opposite to the line feed direction can be corrected. The tilt error in the direction opposite to the line feed direction can be addressed by reducing the number of nozzles used.
D ≧ W × tan θ mt (2)
D≧1 (3)

Next, the CPU 402 acquires tilt information resulting from the line feed operation (S928). Specifically, in S928, the tilt Δθ of the nozzle row 20a when moved by the line feed operation (hereinafter also simply referred to as "tilt Δθ") and the tilt θ of the nozzle row 20a in the main scan relative to the reference predetermined scan (hereinafter also simply referred to as "tilt θ") are calculated. In other words, Δθ represents the tilt of the nozzle row 20a between the scans before and after the line feed operation. In this embodiment, the reference predetermined scan is the first scan.

Figure 11 is a diagram explaining the method for calculating the tilt Δθ and the tilt θ. To make it easier to understand, in Figure 11, the recording device 10 at the end of the scan before the line feed operation, i.e., the tilt of the nozzle row 20a, is shown in the upper part of the figure, and the recording device 10 at the start of the scan after the line feed operation, i.e., the tilt of the nozzle row 20a, is shown in the lower part. Note that in a given reference scan, the nozzle row 20a is parallel to the Y direction.

In the recording device 10, the downstream position detection sensor 24 and the upstream position detection sensor 26 are arranged in the extension direction of the nozzle row 20a so as to sandwich the recording head 20 provided with the nozzle row 20a. The distance between the downstream position detection sensor 24 and the upstream position detection sensor 26 is L. Furthermore, the position information detected by the downstream position detection sensor 24 and the upstream position detection sensor 26 at the end of the scan before the line feed operation is (Xb, Yb) and (Xa, Ya), respectively. Furthermore, the position information detected by the downstream position detection sensor 24 and the upstream position detection sensor 26 at the start of the scan after the line feed operation is (Xb', Yb') and (Xa', Ya'), respectively. The inclination Δθ between the scans before and after the line feed operation can be obtained from the following formula (4).
Δθ=tan ^-1 {(ΔXb-ΔXa)/(L-ΔYa+ΔYb)} ... (4)

In addition, in equation (4), ΔXa is the difference between Xa and Xa', ΔXb is the difference between Xb and Xb', ΔY is the difference between Ya and Ya', and ΔYb is the difference between Yb and Yb'.

In this embodiment, since the specified scan is the first scan, the inclination Δθ between the first and second scans is the same as the inclination θ with respect to the reference that represents the inclination of the second scan with respect to the first scan, which is the reference. If there is a third or subsequent scan, the inclination θ with respect to the reference of the scan after the line feed operation can be calculated by adding the inclination Δθ between the scans before and after the line feed operation to the θ calculated in the scan before the line feed operation. In this embodiment, the inclination of the nozzle row 20a is obtained by the downstream position detection sensor 24 and the upstream position detection sensor 26, but this is not limited to this. For example, a gyro sensor may be installed in the recording device 10, and the inclination of the nozzle row 20a between the scans before and after the line feed operation may be obtained from the angular velocity detected by the gyro sensor.

When the tilt information is acquired in S928, the CPU 402 returns to S902 and executes subsequent processing. In this embodiment, the second scan is printed. Specifically, the downstream nozzle end position information at the end of the first scan acquired in S902 is the position 1004 acquired in step S904 as preparation before printing the first scan. Also, information acquired in S902 on the tilt with respect to the reference in the second scan when the tilt between the first and second scans is tilted by θmb is the tilt θmb. From this information, the printing end on the upstream side in the line feed direction of the printing area for the second scan is the end 1006 (see FIG. 10).

In the first scan, after printing is completed, a line feed operation is performed from a position within the set scanning range, and the line feed is moved from that position by a movement amount D (length e in this embodiment). Therefore, even if a tilt θmb occurs in the nozzle row 20a with respect to the first scan, which serves as the reference, in the second scan, the position of the nozzle used at the start of the second scan is the first nozzle from the nozzle end on the upstream side in the line feed direction, as shown in Figure 10.

Strictly speaking, when a line feed operation is performed, the ink landing position is shifted in the line feed direction because the line feed is inclined by θ with respect to the reference predetermined scan, but since this is a very small value with respect to the nozzle pitch, it is considered that there is no effect on the position of the printable nozzle. In addition, the inclination by θ with respect to the predetermined scan causes a position shift between nozzles in the scan direction, but since this is also a very small value with respect to the nozzle pitch, it is considered that there is no effect on the position of the printable nozzle. Note that, if the length N of the nozzle row 20a is very long, it will affect the position of the printable nozzle. In this case, correction is performed by changing the ejection timing of each nozzle according to the position shift between the nozzles in the scan direction. This correction can reduce the position shift in the scan direction caused by the inclination. In addition, if the previous scan scans a distance T further from the end of the print area within the print area and then moves to the main scan by performing a line feed operation, printing will start after scanning T x tan θ from the start of the main scan until printing based on the print data starts. The distance T is obtained in S918.

Then, in S904, the recording end portion downstream in the line feed direction of the recording area of the second scan is obtained. Specifically, first, position 1016 is obtained as nozzle downstream end position information at the end of the second scan (see FIG. 10). Next, when the inclination of the third scan of the second scan is inclined by θmb, the inclination information θ of the third scan with respect to the reference becomes 0°. This is because in this embodiment, one image is recorded in two scans, so there is no third scan. As a result, end portion 1018 is obtained as the recording end portion downstream in the line feed direction of the recording area of the second scan.

Furthermore, in S906, the print data from position 1004 to position 1016 in the line feed direction is cut out from the entire print data as print data to be used in the second scan. At this time, the area printed in the first scan is masked to "0" and only the portion printed in the second scan is cut out. Then, in S908, the scan range 1020 is obtained as the scan range for the second scan. In the first scan, the scan direction was the +X direction from the scan start position, and the range of the scan distance Wt was the scan range. In the second scan, the scan direction is from position 1014, which is the scan start position, diagonally downward to the left in the figure (the direction according to the inclination θmt of the nozzle row 20a), and the range of the scan distance Wt/cosθmt is the scan range 1020.

Then, in S910, the acquired print data is made to correspond to each nozzle, and ink is ejected according to the position information in the scanning direction acquired from the downstream position detection sensor 24 to perform printing. That is, the print data corresponding to the nozzle is shifted and printed according to the inclination with respect to the reference acquired in S902 and the position information in the scanning direction based on the downstream position detection sensor 24. Specifically, in this embodiment, the inclination with respect to the reference for the second scan is θmb. Therefore, the scanning direction is based on the inclination θmb. After scanning by 1/tan θ, which is the distance by which the nozzle position is shifted by 1.0 pitch in the scanning direction, the print data corresponding to the nozzle position is updated. Since the image is inclined in the Y direction in the second scan, the corresponding print data will shift in the opposite direction (-Y direction) to the line feed direction with respect to the nozzle row as the scan progresses. As shown in FIG. 10, in the second scan, the print data corresponding to the first nozzle from the nozzle end on the downstream side in the line feed direction will shift by 1.0 pitch in the Y direction when comparing the start of the scan with the end of the scan. In this embodiment, one image is formed by two scans, so in S912, it is determined that there is no next scan, and if it is determined in S914 that recording has ended, then in S916, a notification that recording has ended is sent, and recording ends.

As described above, in the recording device 10 according to the present embodiment, a scanning range that can correspond to the upper limit of the inclination of the nozzle row 20a is set. Then, when the recording device 10 during scanning is scanned beyond the set scanning range, and when recording based on the recording data is not completed, the movement to the next scan is restricted. The restriction of the movement to the next scan is performed by at least one of notifying that the movement to the next scan is not possible and making it physically impossible to move to the next scan. As a result, if there is no nozzle to change due to moving beyond the scanning range corresponding to the upper limit of the inclination of the nozzle row, and white streaks occur, the line feed operation is not performed. This suppresses the generation of a recording result that degrades the recording quality.

Other Embodiments
The above embodiment may be modified as shown in (1) to (9) below.

(1) Although not specifically described in the above embodiment, in the recording process, when at least one of the tilt Δθ and tilt θ of the tilt information acquired in S928 exceeds the corresponding threshold, it may be determined that the tilt is too large and there is a shortage of spare nozzles, and the recording operation may be restricted. The recording operation may be restricted by at least one of notifying that recording is not possible and controlling the recording mechanism, the scanning mechanism such as the guide roller 22, and making it physically impossible to record. In this case, if at least one of the tilt Δθ and tilt θ is equal to or less than the corresponding threshold, the recording operation is permitted. Also, although not specifically described in the above embodiment, the greater the tilt direction of the main scan with respect to a specified scan is on the "+" side, the larger the recording area during scanning and the greater the number of nozzles used. On the other hand, the greater the tilt direction is on the "-" side, the smaller the recording area during scanning and the fewer the number of nozzles used.

(2) Although not specifically mentioned in the above embodiment, the LED lamp of the button 18 notifies the user by changing the lighting pattern or color of the light, an example of which is as follows: When the recording operation is completed, the LED lamp flashes green, when it is possible to move to the next scan, the LED lamp lights green, when it is impossible to move to the next scan, the LED lamp lights red. Alternatively, when it is outside the scanning range, the LED lamp lights red, when it is moving within the scanning range, the LED lamp lights green. The LED lamp may also emit a single color. In this case, for example, when the recording operation is completed, when it is moving within the scanning range, when it is possible to move to the next scan, etc., the LED lamp lights up, when it is moving outside the scanning range, when it is impossible to move to the next scan, etc., and the LED lamp flashes when it is moving outside the scanning range, when it is impossible to move to the next scan, etc.

(3) In the above embodiment, various notifications are given using the LED lamp of the button 18, but this is not limited to the above. For example, notifications may be given by characters or symbols using a display capable of showing characters and symbols. Alternatively, notifications may be given by a type of sound using a speaker, or by voice guidance. Notifications may also be given by vibration using a vibrator. Notifications may also be given by an external device 406 via the data transfer I/F 408. Note that various notifications may be given by combining multiple of the above methods.

(4) Although not specifically described in the above embodiment, if the area adjacent to the area printable in the next scan when the nozzle row 20a is tilted by the assumed tilt θmb during the line feed operation is printed, the white streaks that occur between scans can be suppressed. Therefore, in the printing device 10, it is sufficient to print at least up to the area adjacent to the area printable in the next scan when tilted by the tilt θmb, and it is also possible to print an area larger than the area described in the above embodiment. Specifically, for example, the printing area printed in the first scan may be printed up to the position 1008 (see FIG. 10) that is printable at the downstream end of the nozzle row in the line feed direction in the first scan. Note that in the first layer, any shape may be printed up to the position between the position 1004 and the position 1008 in the line feed direction. Even in this way, it is possible to correct the tilt error and form a continuous image between scans, and it becomes possible to suppress the occurrence of white streaks even if a sudden tilt error occurs when moving to the next scan.

(5) In the above embodiment, the recording area formed by each scan is a trapezoid or a parallelogram, but this is not limited to this and may be a rectangle. In a trapezoid or parallelogram recording area, the joints between scans are diagonal, making it easy for misalignment to occur in the X direction. When misalignment occurs, the joints become darker and streaks are likely to occur. By making the recording area rectangular, the occurrence of such streaks can be suppressed.

(6) In the above embodiment, the recording device 10 is configured to scan in an orthogonal direction perpendicular to the nozzle row, but this is not limited to this. For example, there is no problem if the inclination cannot be made close to the orthogonal direction due to human visual characteristics. Also, if the inclination is so close that it deviates from the orthogonal direction, it is possible that, for example, the recording head 20 equipped with the nozzle row 20a is tilted and attached to the recording device 10. In this case, corrections such as shifting the ejection timing of each nozzle in the nozzle row can be performed to form a recording area as in the above embodiment. Also, by adjusting the fixed movement amount in the nozzle arrangement direction according to the inclination of the nozzle row and changing the distance between the nozzles for calculating the nozzle position and number, it becomes possible to continuously record the recording area between scans shown in the above embodiment.

(7) In the above embodiment, the recording device 10 is described as an example in which the user manually scans and records, but the embodiment is not limited to this. For example, the present invention can also be applied to a serial scan type recording device. In this case, the printable nozzle positions are changed to form a recording area according to the inclination of the recording medium caused by the conveyance mechanism conveying the recording medium relative to the nozzle row formed in the recording head.

(8) In the above embodiment, the control unit 400 determines whether or not movement to the next scan is possible, and restricts or allows movement to the next scan depending on the result of the determination, but this is not limited to this. For example, the detection result by the downstream position detection sensor 24 and the acquired information of the scanning range may be output to the external device 406 via the data transfer I/F 408, and the external device 406 may determine whether or not movement to the next scan is possible based on the input information. In this case, an instruction to restrict or allow movement to the next scan is output to the recording device 10 depending on the result of the determination. Furthermore, each process of the recording process described in the above embodiment may be executed in the external device 406 to control the recording device 10. Furthermore, some of the processes of the recording process described in the above embodiment may be executed by the control unit 400, and the remaining processes may be executed by the external device 406.

(9) The above embodiment and the various forms shown in (1) to (8) may be combined as appropriate. The present invention can also be realized by supplying a program that realizes one or more functions of the above-mentioned embodiments to a system or device via a network or storage medium, and having one or more processors in the computer of the system or device read and execute the program. The present invention can also be realized by a circuit (e.g., an ASIC) that realizes one or more functions.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 10 Recording device 20 Recording head 20a Nozzle row 24 Downstream position detection sensor 26 Upstream position detection sensor 400 Control unit

Claims (10)

a recording means for recording by discharging ink from a nozzle array formed by arranging a plurality of nozzles for discharging ink;
A detection means for detecting position information,
a first operation for ejecting ink from nozzles in the recording means to record based on a detection result by the detection means in response to scanning by a user in a first direction intersecting a direction in which the nozzle array extends, and a second operation for moving by the user in a second direction in which the nozzle array extends, are alternately performed to record a predetermined image on a recording medium by the recording means , and when tilt occurs in the nozzle array before and after the second operation, a position of a nozzle used for recording in scanning in the first operation after the second operation is changed in response to the tilt,
a notification means for notifying that the second operation cannot be performed when at least one of the following conditions is met: a predetermined scanning range has been exceeded in the scanning in the first direction, and recording in the scanning has not been completed. 2. The handheld recording device according to claim 1, further comprising a restricting means for restricting the second operation when at least one of the following conditions is satisfied: the predetermined scanning range is exceeded in the scanning in the first direction, and recording in the scanning is not completed. a moving means for moving the handheld recording device in the second direction by pressing the handheld recording device by a user ;
3. The handheld recording device according to claim 2 , wherein the restricting means restricts the movement of the moving means in the second direction . 4. The handheld recording device according to claim 1 , wherein the notification means notifies the user that the second operation cannot be performed using at least one of an LED lamp, a speaker, a display, and a vibrator. The handheld recording device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the predetermined scanning range is determined according to the upper limit of the allowable inclination of the nozzle array. 4. The handheld recording device according to claim 2 or 3, wherein the regulating means further regulates the first operation by controlling at least one of a recording mechanism by the recording means and a scanning mechanism in the first direction of the handheld recording device to disable recording when the tilt of the nozzle row caused before and after the second operation exceeds a threshold value. 6. The handheld recording device according to claim 1, wherein the notification means further notifies the user that the first operation cannot be performed when the inclination of the nozzle row caused before and after the second operation exceeds a threshold value. the detection means is provided at two locations along the second direction so as to sandwich the recording means,
8. The handheld recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the inclination of the nozzle array is obtained based on the detection results of the detection means provided at the two locations. a recording means for recording by discharging ink from a nozzle array formed by arranging a plurality of nozzles for discharging ink;
A method for controlling a handheld recording device comprising:
a first operation for ejecting ink from nozzles in the recording means to record based on a detection result by the detection means in response to scanning by a user in a first direction intersecting a direction in which the nozzle array extends, and a second operation for moving by the user in a second direction in which the nozzle array extends, are alternately performed to record a predetermined image by the recording means on a recording medium, and when tilt occurs in the nozzle array before and after the second operation, a position of a nozzle used for recording in scanning in the first operation after the second operation is changed in response to the tilt,
A control method characterized by notifying that the second operation cannot be performed when at least one of the following conditions is met: a predetermined scanning range has been exceeded in a scan in the first direction, and recording in the scan has been completed. A program for causing a computer to execute the control method described in claim 9.

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