JPH0818436B2 - Recording device - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a recording apparatus for recording an image on a recording material according to color information designated by a first recording color and a second recording color.

Conventionally, there are various recording devices such as a copying recording device using an electrophotographic method, an inkjet recording device, and the like.
In these recording devices, when it is desired to obtain a plurality of records from the same document or the same information, it is necessary to repeat the same recording process a plurality of times. That is, in order to obtain the desired number of copies, a time corresponding to the product of one recording and the desired number of copies was required.

Further, in the case of obtaining a two-color or full-color recorded image in the recording apparatus using the electrophotographic method, a plurality of recording processes are required.

Further, even when it is desired to obtain a recording material in which the same color information is recorded in different colors, the conventional recording apparatus can only perform recording in order.

The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and it is an object of the present invention to record a recording material in which the same color information is recorded in a plurality of colors and a single color, by a simple operation and in a short time. To provide a device.

That is, according to the present invention, the first and second recording units capable of performing parallel recording on different recording materials, and the output for outputting the color information designated by the first recording color and the second recording color Means and
Of the color information output from the output unit, color information to be supplied to each of the first and second recording units is specified for each recording unit, and the color information output from the output unit is specified. Selection means for selecting and supplying the color information designated for each of the recording portions by the designating means to the first and second recording portions from the inside, and the first recording portion is the first recording portion. A second recording unit for recording with a color, wherein the second recording unit includes a first recording unit and a second recording unit for recording with a second recording color different from the first recording color. And selecting the color information to be supplied to the first and second recording sections by the specifying means to be color information specified by the first recording color and the second recording color. An image corresponding to the first color information and the second color information supplied by the first color information. While recording on the recording material with the first recording color in the recording section, an image according to the color information designated by the first recording color and the second recording color is recorded by the first recording color in the second recording section. The present invention provides a recording apparatus characterized in that it is possible to record on a different recording material with a second recording color.

 Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

i) FIG. 1 is a schematic view of a recording apparatus showing an embodiment of the present invention. In the figure, the recording device is composed of recording units 100, 200, 300 having substantially the same structure, and these recording units are vertically stacked in three stages by a support (not shown).

In the figure, 101, 201, 301 are recording papers stored in a paper cassette (not shown), 102, 202, 302 are paper feed rollers, 103, 203, 303.
Is a guide plate, 104, 204, 304 are registration rollers, 105, 20
5,305 is a first conveying roller, 106,206,306 is a platen having a large number of pores, 107,207,307 are fans, 108,208,308 are second conveying rollers, 109,209,309 are suspension rollers, 110,21
0,310 is a conveyor belt, 111,211,311 is a paper ejection tray, 112,11
4,212,312 are recording heads, for example, inkjet heads, and 113,115,213,313 are ink tanks.

ii) Next, the recording operation in the above configuration will be described, but since the recording units 100, 200, 300 are almost the same operation, only the recording unit 100 will be described.

The recording paper 101 stored in a paper cassette (not shown) is fed by the rotation of the paper feed roller 102 along the guide plate 103 to the registration roller 104 which is not rotating and forms an appropriate loop. Next, the recording paper is nipped by the registration roller 104 and the first transport roller 105 as the registration roller 104 rotates, and is transported toward the inkjet head 112.

At this time, a platen 106 and a fan 107 having pores are provided on the opposite side of the inkjet head 112,
The rotation of the fan 107 blows air in the T direction in the figure.

Therefore, the recording that has passed through the first transport roller 105 is transferred toward the second transport roller 108 on the platen while being sucked by the fan 107.

The inkjet head 112 is a full-line inkjet head in which a plurality of recording elements are arranged linearly in the vertical direction of the drawing, and recording is performed by a drive circuit according to an electric signal from an information source (not shown).

After recording, when the leading edge of the recording sheet is transferred to the second transport roller 108, the recording sheet is discharged to the discharge tray 111 by the second transport roller 108 and the transport belt 110.

The difference between the recording units 100, 200 and 300 is that the recording unit 100 is provided with two recording heads 112 and 114, whereas the recording units 200 and 300 are provided with one recording head 212 and 312, respectively.

The two recording heads 112 and 114 of the recording unit 100 are heads for two-color recording, the recording head 112 is a black print head, and the recording head 114 is a red print head.

Therefore, two-color recording of black and red can be performed by giving signals corresponding to black and red print information to the recording heads 112 and 114, respectively.

The heads 212 and 312 of the recording units 200 and 300 perform black printing.

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of a document reading device of an input section applied to the recording device of the present invention.

i) 'In the figure, 401 is a platen 401, platen glass, 402 is a rod-shaped light source such as a halogen lamp and a fluorescent lamp, 403 is a first mirror, 404 is a second mirror, 405 is a third mirror, 406 is a lens, Reference numerals 407 and 408 are one-dimensional solid-state imaging devices such as CCDs, and 409 is a beam splitter for color separation.

ii) 'The operation of the document reading device will be described. The document placed on the document table glass 401 is illuminated by the rod-shaped light source 402 and scanned by the first mirror 403, the second mirror 404, and the third mirror 405 (sub scanning). To be done. The light rays that have passed through the mirrors 403, 404 and 405 pass through the lens 406, and are color separated by the beam splitter 409 and reach CCDs 407 and 408.

The beam splitter 409 is a dichroic mirror that transmits a short wavelength (blue side) of visible light and reflects a long wavelength (red side).

The two CCDs 407 and 408 are provided at symmetrical positions with respect to the beam splitter 409, and are adjusted so that the same position on the document is read. The main scanning direction of the CCDs 407 and 408 is a direction perpendicular to the drawing.

The rod-shaped light source 402 and the first mirror 403 are supports (not shown)
The document surface is scanned by the guide rail (not shown) while moving in the F direction in the drawing (sub scanning). The second mirror 404 and the third mirror 405 are integrated by a support body (not shown), and are guided in the same direction as the first mirror 403 at a speed half the moving speed of the first mirror 403. Move up. The rod-shaped light source 402, the first mirror 403, the second mirror 404, and the third mirror 405 move to the positions (402 ', 403', 404 ', 405') indicated by the dotted lines in the figure, but at this time, from the document table 401. The optical path length through the mirrors 403, 404, 405 to the lens 406 is always kept constant.

Therefore, if the signals from the light receiving elements of the CCDs 407 and 408 are read out in order during the sub-scan, it is possible to obtain sequential signals by raster-scanning the document surface.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram of an electric circuit in the apparatus of FIGS. 1 and 2.

i) '' In the figure, 1 is a CCD1 (second
(Corresponding to Fig. 407), 2 is a CCD2 (second
(Corresponding to FIG. 408), 3, 3'is a digitizing circuit, 4 is a color discriminating circuit, 5 is a first buffer circuit, 6 is a readable / writable memory, 7 is a memory control circuit, and 8 is a second buffer. Circuit, 9 is color selection circuit 1, 10 is color selection circuit 2, 11 is color selection circuit 3, 12 is drive circuit 1B, 13 is drive circuit 1R, 14
Is the drive circuit 2, 15 is the drive circuit 3, 16 is the recording head 1B (corresponding to FIG. 112), 17 is the recording head 1R (see FIG. 1).
14), 18 is the recording head 2 (212 in FIG. 1), 19 is the recording head 3 (312 in FIG. 1), 20 is the paper transport system of the first recording unit (corresponding to 100 in FIG. 1), 21 Is a paper transport system of the second recording unit (FIG. 1 200), 22 is a paper transport system of the third recording unit (300 of FIG. 1), 23 is a control circuit for controlling the entire electric circuit and mechanical system, Reference numeral 24 is a scanning panel having a dial for setting the number of recording sheets, a start button for instructing recording start, a selection switch for selecting the recording mode of each recording unit, and the like.

Explaining the operation of FIG. 3, the image data read by the CCD1 and CCD2 are binarized by the digital circuits 2 and 3, respectively. The binarized data is subjected to black / red color discrimination by the color discrimination circuit 4.

As shown in Table 1 below, the color discrimination method is sensitive to white background (the part without image information) because CCD1 detects the light of short wavelength, and it is not sensitive to black and red originals. Without
On the other hand, since the CCD2 detects long wavelength light, it is sensitive to white and red originals and not sensitive to black originals. Therefore
If there is sensitivity to both CCD1 and CCD2, white background,
If there is no sensitivity to either, it is a black original, and if it is insensitive to CCD1 but not CCD2, it is a red original.

Therefore, the color discriminating circuit 4 can be constructed as shown in FIG. 4, for example. In the figure, INV1 and 2 are inverters, AND1 and 2 are AND gates. The digitizing circuits 3 and 3'output a high level "H" when the CCDs 1 and 2 sense light. Therefore, the AND gate AND1 outputs "H" and the black signal B can be obtained only when both the digitizing circuits 3 and 3'are at the low level "L".

Also, the AND signal AND2 outputs "H" only when the digitizing circuit 3 is "L" and 3'is "H".
Can be obtained.

These black signal data and red signal data are stored in a memory 6 including a RAM (random access memory) via a buffer circuit 5. The capacity of the memory 6 is not particularly limited as long as it is equal to or more than the number of bits of data corresponding to the gap distance between the black print head and the red print head of the unit 1, as will be described later. It can be memory.

Therefore, in addition to reading and recording an original depending on the capacity of the memory, it is also possible to read one page or several pages of the original and store it in the memory, and then start recording.

By the way, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the original is read on the same line for both the black information and the red information, whereas the recording is performed on the recording paper due to the geometrical size of the head. It is not possible to record the same line at the same time, and it is always necessary to record information at a position separated by the gap distance L between the black head 112 and the red head 114. Therefore, the data of the red head 114 needs to be given with a delay for the time when the recording paper moves the distance L, and therefore there is a memory between the gaps as described above. Memory capacity is (number of main scanning bits)
X (the number of lines of the gap distance L).

The memory control circuit 7 controlled by the control circuit 23 performs an address signal for writing or reading of the memory 6, a timing signal, a read / write signal, and the like. The image data in the memory 6 is output to the buffer circuit 8 under the control of the memory control circuit 7. The black and red data of the buffer circuit 8 are input to the color selection circuit (1) 9, the color selection circuit (2) 10 and the color selection circuit (3) 11.

The color selection circuits (1), (2) and (3) select one data signal of the black data signal B, the red data signal R and their logical sum signal R + B.

The data selected by the color selection circuits 9, 10, 11 is transmitted to the drive circuits 12, 13, 14, 15 and the recording heads 16, 17, 18,
Recording will take place at 19. The drive circuits 12, 13, 14, 15 are controlled by the control circuit 23 to turn the drive on and off, so that the recording head can be selected as necessary.

The control circuit 23 also controls the paper feed rollers 102, 202, 30 of FIG.
2, registration rollers 104, 204, 304, conveyance rollers 105, 205,
It controls the paper transport system 20, 21, 22 including 305 and 108, 208, 308. Power is transmitted to these rollers from the same drive source (not shown) via a clutch (not shown) by a belt or the like (not shown). Alternatively, a drive source such as a stepping motor may be directly connected to each roller.

The control circuit 23 turns on and off the clutches of these rollers in time series to carry the paper as described in FIG. 1. However, similar to the recording head, the paper carrying system 20 (corresponding to the printing unit 100) 21 (the printing unit (Corresponding to 200) (corresponding to recording unit 300) 22 can be selected to record only a specific recording unit.

The combinations of the recording colors recorded in the first recording unit 100 (hereinafter referred to as unit 1) and the color information of the original are as shown in Table 2 below.

Table 3 below shows combinations of color information of originals recorded by the second recording unit 200 (hereinafter referred to as unit 2) and the third recording unit 300 (hereinafter referred to as unit 3).

FIG. 5 shows the operation panel 24 and the color selection circuit (1),
It is a concrete circuit diagram of (2) and (3).

In the figure, SW1 is a unit 1 selection switch, SW2 is a unit 2 selection switch, SW3 is a unit 3 selection switch, ST is a start key, SP is a stop key, M11 to M18 are unit 1 mode selection switches, and M21 to M23. Is a mode selection switch for the unit 2, M31 to M33 are mode selection switches for the unit 3, DS1B, DS1R, DS2 and DS3 are data selectors, OR1 to OR3 are OR gates, and S1B, S1R, S2 and S3 are selector signal lines.

Black data signal B, red data signal R from the buffer circuit 8
Is input to the color selection circuits 9, 10 and 11, and the aogates OR1 to OR3
Thus, a logical sum signal R + B is formed.

Each data signal B, R, R + B is a data selector DS1B, DS1R, D
Input to S2 and DS3. Each data selector selects a data signal line by 2-bit select signal lines S1B, S1R, S2, S3 from the control circuit 23. When the unit 1 is selected by the switch SW1, the mode switches M11 to M18 are valid. The mode switches M11 to M18 are for Modes 1 to 1 in Table 2.
FIG. 6 shows the data selected by the data selectors DS1B and DS1R when each mode switch is on, which corresponds to the mode 8.

When the unit 2 is selected by SW2, the mode switches M21 to M23 are valid. Mode switch M21
~ M23 correspond to mode 1 to mode 3 in Table 3, respectively, and when each mode switch is on, data selector DS2
The data selected by is shown in FIG. The unit 3 is exactly the same as the unit 2.

It is possible to select two or three SW1, SW2, and SW3 at the same time. Therefore, for example, in the combination of unit 1 → mode 4 and units 2, 3 → mode 1, it is possible to obtain the same record simultaneously from two original prints (red print (unit 1) and black print (unit 2)). This is very convenient because different colors can be used when issuing slips. As another example, if the unit 1 → mode 5 and the units 2, 3 → mode 2 are selected, the black information of the original from the original having the black and red color information is the black recording from the unit 23, and the red information of the original is the unit. The color separation is performed because the red recording is output from 1.

As described above, the recording apparatus according to the above-described embodiment has the first and second recording units that perform recording in parallel on a plurality of recording materials.
By selectively giving the recording information consisting of the second color information to the first and second recording sections, it is possible to obtain a plurality of recorded copies in each recording section at the same time, It is also possible to make the same record information to be recorded on the material,
Since it is possible to make a difference between them, the recording function is remarkably improved.

Although the document reading device is used as the recording information generating means in the present embodiment, a character generator or the like may be used instead.

Further, the recording apparatus of the present invention is provided with the first recording means for recording the recording information in the first color in all the recording parts, and at least one recording part is arranged to record the recording information in the first color different from the first color. Two
It has a second recording means for recording in the color of.

Therefore, if all the recording units use the first recording means,
A large number of copies can be obtained in an extremely short time, and by using the second recording means, two-color printing and single-color printing can be obtained at the same time, which is very advantageous for issuing slips and the like. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, only one stage of the three-stage recording unit was used for two-color recording, but two-stage recording or three-stage recording was performed.
Needless to say, the same effect can be obtained even if each stage has a two-color recording head.

In the embodiments, the ink jet head is described as the recording head, but the present invention is not limited to the ink jet recording, and can be applied to heat sensitive recording, electrostatic recording and the like.

Further, in the embodiment, the document information read by the solid-state image sensor is used as the record information in the recording apparatus, but the record information may be character / graphic information by a character generator or the like.

As described above, according to the present invention, the first recording section can be recorded with the first recording color and the second recording section can be recorded with the first recording color and the second recording color. By making it possible to specify the color information to be supplied to each recording section and supplying the same color information to the first and second recording sections, the same color information can be temporally set in the first and second recording sections. A single color and a plurality of colors can be recorded in parallel on different recording materials, and it is possible to obtain a recording material in which the same color information is recorded in a single color and a recording material in which a plurality of colors are recorded in a short time by a simple operation. .

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic view of a recording apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a schematic view of a reading apparatus according to the present embodiment, FIG. 3 is a control block diagram of the recording apparatus according to the present embodiment, and FIG. FIG. 5 is a specific circuit diagram of the color discrimination circuit, FIG. 5 is a specific circuit diagram of the operation panel and the color selection circuit, FIG. 6 is a diagram showing the mode selection switch of the unit 1 and the selection data of the data selector, and FIG. 7 is the unit. It is a figure which shows the selection data of a few mode selection switches and a data selector. In the figure, 1 and 2 are CCDs, 4 is a color discrimination circuit, 6 is a memory,
9, 10 and 11 are color selection circuits, 23 is a control circuit, 24 is an operation panel, 100, 200 and 300 are recording sections, M11 to M18 are unit 1 mode switches, M21 to M23 are unit 2 mode switches, and M31 to M33 are units. 3 mode switch, DS1B, DS1
R, DS2, DS3 are data selectors.

Front page continuation (72) Inventor Hidetoshi Shun Maruko 3-30-2, Ota-ku, Tokyo Canon Inc. (72) Inventor Kunitaka Ozawa 3-30-2 Shimomaruko, Ota-ku, Tokyo Canon Inc. (72) Koji Kazuma, Inventor 3-30-2 Shimomaruko, Ota-ku, Tokyo Canon Inc.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A first and a second recording section capable of performing parallel recording on different recording materials, and an output for outputting color information designated by a first recording color and a second recording color. Means, specifying means for specifying the color information to be supplied to each of the first and second recording units among the color information output from the output unit, for each recording unit, and the color output from the output unit Selecting means for selecting and supplying color information designated for each recording section from the information to the first and second recording sections, wherein the first recording section has a first recording color. A first recording unit for recording, the second recording unit has the first recording unit and a second recording unit for recording with a second recording color different from the first recording color. , The first by the designating means,
By setting the color information supplied to the second recording unit to be the color information designated by the first recording color and the second recording color, the first recording color supplied by the selecting unit and While the image corresponding to the color information designated by the second recording color is being recorded on the recording material with the first recording color in the first recording section, the first recording color and the second recording color A recording apparatus capable of recording an image corresponding to the color information designated in 1 above on different recording materials with the first and second recording colors in the second recording section.