JP2003246106A - Ink jet printer - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an ink jet printer capable of imaging on a plurality of recording media simultaneously in parallel in which printing can be carried out efficiently while protecting a head. <P>SOLUTION: The ink jet printer 100 images on a continuous recording medium P by ejecting ink from a recording head 31. A plurality of recording media can be imaged simultaneously in parallel using a recording head provided with a control means 800 and being moved within a specified range by a recording head moving means 34 under control of the control means. When the specified range including the seam of the recording media reaches above the moving range of the recording head in any one of the plurality of recording media, the control means controls the recording head moving means 34 to move the recording head within such a range as not passing above the recording media where the specified range has reached above the moving range thus imaging only on the recording media within that range. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2003,JPO

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an inkjet printer.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, an ink jet printer forms an image by ejecting ink from a recording head onto a long (continuous form) recording medium (for example, roll paper) wound into a roll and stored. There is something to do. Further, among the inkjet printers that use the long recording medium as described above, there are some that are capable of forming a plurality of recording media side by side and simultaneously forming an image on the plurality of recording media.

[0003]

However, when printing is carried out normally on the joint portion of the long recording medium as described above, there is a problem that the image is interrupted at the joint portion. In addition, the recording media may overlap or turn up at the seams, so if you try to print normally, the recording media may touch the recording head and disturb the normal meniscus of the head. In addition, the recording head may be damaged, which is a problem.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide an ink jet printer capable of simultaneously forming images on a plurality of recording media in parallel and capable of printing efficiently and protecting the head. It is to be.

[0005]

The invention according to claim 1 is
An inkjet printer for forming an image by ejecting ink from a recording head onto a continuous recording medium, comprising a control means for controlling the inkjet printer, and a recording head moving means controlled by the control means. By the recording head that moves in a predetermined range, it is possible to perform image formation on the plurality of recording media simultaneously and in parallel. When the specific range including the seam of the recording head reaches the moving range of the recording head, the specific range including the seam reaches the moving range of the recording head and the recording head is moved within a range that does not pass over the recording medium. The feature is that control is performed so that an image is formed only on the recording medium in the range.

According to the first aspect of the present invention, it is detected that, in any of the plurality of recording media included in the ink jet printer, the specific range including the joint between the recording media reaches the moving range of the recording head. Occasionally, the printhead is moved within a range in which the specific range including the seam reaches the range of movement of the printhead so that the image is formed only on the print medium in the range. However, it is possible to efficiently perform printing by forming an image on another recording medium without forming an image on the recording medium at the joint portion between the recording media which is wasted.
In addition, since the recording media may overlap or turn up at the joint between recording media,
If the recording head passes through such a range, the recording medium may come into contact with the recording head and disturb the normal meniscus of the head, or even damage the recording head. By avoiding such a range, it is possible to prevent the above-mentioned problems.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the ink jet printer according to the first aspect, in any one of the plurality of recording media, a specific range including a joint between the recording media reaches a moving range of the recording head. Occasionally, it is possible to control so that an image formed on a recording medium that has reached a moving range of the recording head in a specific range including the seam is image-formed on another recording medium. Is characterized by.

According to the second aspect of the invention, in any one of the plurality of recording media, when it is detected that the specific range including the joint between the recording media reaches the moving range of the recording head, It is possible to control the amount of the image formed on the recording medium that has reached the moving range of the recording head in the specific range including the seam so that the image is formed on another recording medium. Can print well.

[0009]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. The inkjet printer 100 exemplified in this embodiment forms an image by ejecting ink from the recording head 31 onto a long (continuous form) recording medium (for example, roll paper) P. Images can be formed on a plurality of (here, two) recording media simultaneously in parallel.

The ink jet printer 100, for example, as shown in FIG. 1 and FIG.
A recording medium supply unit 2 that supplies a recording medium P (hereinafter, P and Pb are collectively referred to as P) to the image forming unit 3 and the like during printing.
An image forming unit 3 that ejects and lands ink on the recording medium P to form an image, a cutting unit 4 that cuts the recording medium P on which the image is formed, and the cut recording medium P to the ink fixing unit. It is generally configured by including a continuous transport section 5 that constantly transports at a constant speed, and an ink fixing section (fixing unit) 6 that fixes ink to the recording medium P.

The recording medium P in this embodiment is, for example, an ink receiving layer containing thermoplastic resin particles constituting a surface layer (image forming surface side), and a pigment ink solvent absorbing layer provided under the ink receiving layer. Has a two-layer structure. The recording medium P having such a configuration imparts gloss to the surface of the recording medium P by performing a fixing process after an image is formed using a pigment ink containing a dispersant,
It is possible to prevent bleeding due to contact between the printed image and water and improve scratch resistance.

In this embodiment, a plurality of recording media can be printed in parallel at the same time, and here, two recording media Pa and Pb arranged in parallel are provided. There is. As described above, when it becomes possible to print a plurality of pieces at the same time, it is possible to shorten the printing time and improve the printing efficiency.

The recording medium supply unit 2 stores a long (continuous) recording medium P (Pa, Pb) in a rolled-up form and stores the recording medium P via an intermittent conveying unit 21. Image forming unit 3, cutting unit 4, continuous transport unit 5
To supply to. Here, the intermittent transport unit 21 includes an intermittent transport roller 211 connected to an intermittent transport motor 213, and a driven roller 212 (212) that is arranged to face the intermittent transport roller 211 with the recording medium P (Pa, Pb) interposed therebetween.
a, 212b) and the like. Then, the intermittent conveyance motor is driven in synchronization with the progress of image formation in the image forming section 3 to convey the recording medium P intermittently. In addition, here, the recording medium supply unit 2 can arrange two roll-shaped recording media Pa and Pb side by side on the same axis, and the intermittent transport unit 21 intermittently connects the two recording media Pa and Pb. It is designed to be conveyed.

The image forming section 3 has a plurality of recording heads 31 for ejecting ink toward the recording medium P, and a plurality of recording heads 31 corresponding to the number of colors used for image formation, and their ink ejection ports (not shown). Carriage 3 which arranges and mounts on the lower side
2, and a platen 33 for sucking and supporting the lower surface of the recording medium P within a predetermined range by driving suction means (not shown). Of these, the carriage 32 is driven by a carriage moving unit (recording head moving unit) 34 controlled by a control unit (control unit) 800 to be described later, and a predetermined range (moving range) in the width direction (main scanning direction) of the recording medium P. )
Is reciprocally movable along the carriage rail 35, and the recording head 31 is scanned by repeating this reciprocal movement. Here, as the ink, a pigment ink containing a dispersant is used. Also, platen 3
3 is arranged substantially horizontally, for example, and a carriage 32 is provided above it. In addition, in this embodiment, the intermittent transfer unit 21 moves the platen 33 onto the platen 33.
One storage medium Pa, Pb is conveyed, and the recording head 3
1, the two recording media P arranged on the platen
It is possible to print on a and Pb in parallel at the same time.

The cutting section 4 is, for example, a main body section 41 elongated in the width direction of the recording medium P (left and right direction in FIG. 2), a cutter section 42 for cutting the recording medium P on which image formation is completed, and a cutter section 42 for cutting the recording medium P. Cutter part drive motor (not shown) for reciprocating the cutter part 42 in the longitudinal direction of the main body part 41
It has and.

A fan 7 for drying the inside of the ink jet printer 100 is provided above the cutting unit 4. The fan 7 is adapted to rotate by the drive of a fan driving unit (not shown) when printing an image on the recording medium P, and the inkjet printer 100 is provided.
The interior of the ink fixing section 6 can be dried to improve the fixability of the image.

The continuous transport section 5 has, for example, a carry-in entrance 51 for carrying in the recording medium P carried out from the cutting section 4, and a downward direction of the recording medium P from the carry-in entrance 51 to a transport path switching section (described later) 55. A first transport path 52 which is a transport path of
A second transport path 53, which is an upward transport path of the recording medium P from the transport path switching section 55 to the ink fixing section 6, and a recording medium transport section 54 for transporting the recording medium P along each transport path. ing.

The ink fixing section 6 heats and pressurizes the recording medium P carried in through the carry-in port 611 to fix an image on the recording medium P and to photograph the surface of the recording medium P. A fixing process for imparting such gloss is performed. The ink fixing section 6 is provided above (higher than) the cutting section 4. Specifically, at the lowermost end of the ink fixing section 6, there is provided a carry-in entrance 611 for carrying in the recording medium P from the continuous carrying section 5, and the carry-in entrance 611 is a rotary cutter and a fixed blade of the cutting section 4. Is provided above a portion where the recording medium P contacts, that is, a portion where the recording medium P is cut.

The ink fixing section 6 is specifically covered by, for example, the case 61, and is provided with a carry-in port 611 provided at the lowermost end of the case 61 and inside the case 61, for example, a carried-in record. Heating unit 62 for heating the medium P
And a pressurizing unit 63 for pressurizing the recording medium P. In addition, at the uppermost end of the case 61,
An ejection port 612 is provided for ejecting the recording medium P on which the fixing process has been performed from the ink fixing unit 6.

Further, as shown in FIG. 3, the control unit (control means) 800 is, for example, a CPU (Central Processing U).
nit) 801, ROM (Read Only Memory) 802, R
The inkjet printer 100 is configured by including an AM (Random Access Memory) 803, an interface 804, and the like, and controls each component of the inkjet printer 100.

Next, the operation of printing an image on the recording medium P (Pa, Pb) by the ink jet printer 100 will be described.

When printing is started, first, the recording medium P (here, two recording media Pa and Pb) stored in a roll in the recording medium supply unit 2 is transferred to the image forming unit 3 via the intermittent transport unit 21. Transport. The image forming unit 3 controls the recording medium P based on the image data under the control of the control unit 800, for example.
By ejecting ink onto the recording medium P, an image is formed on the recording medium P (here, images are formed on the two recording media Pa and Pb simultaneously in parallel). The recording medium P (Pa, P
In b), every time an image is formed in the certain area, the intermittent conveying section 21 conveys the sheet by an appropriate length (intermittently), and the cutting section 4 and the continuous conveying section synchronize with the progress of image formation. It is sequentially conveyed with 5. Then, when the image forming portion of the recording medium P on which the image forming is completed has finished passing under the rotary cutter, the cutting unit 4 is operated by the control unit 800 to obtain the image forming completed recording medium P. The long recording medium P is cut. When the cutting of the recording medium P is completed, the control unit controls the continuous transport unit 5 to continuously transport the recording medium P to the ink fixing unit 6. The ink fixing section 6 heats and pressurizes the carried-in recording medium P to melt and smooth the thermoplastic resin of the ink receiving layer to fix the image on the recording medium P.
The recording medium P is continuously conveyed so that unevenness such as gloss does not occur on the surface of the recording medium P. Then, the recording medium P on which the fixing process has been performed is carried out from the ink fixing section 6 and accumulated on the tray 11 on the upper surface of the case 1.

Next, the control when the specific range including the joint between the recording media reaches the moving range of the recording head in either of the two recording media Pa and Pb will be described.

For example, when a specific range of the recording medium Pb including the seam T (for example, a range of a predetermined length before the seam) reaches the moving range of the recording head 31, a mark M near the seam T. By detecting the mark M with an appropriate seam detection sensor 90, the control unit 800 is notified that the specific range including the seam T has reached the moving range of the recording head. In addition, in this embodiment, a hole is formed at a predetermined position near the joint T, and this is the mark M. When it is near the joint T, the hole M is detected by the joint detection sensor 90, and the control described below is performed.

In this control, as shown in FIG.
When one of the two recording media Pa and Pb detects the signal of the joint detection sensor 90 (here, it is detected that the recording medium Pb is a joint), the control unit 800 issues a command to the carriage 32, The movement range of the carriage 32 is controlled so that the carriage 32 does not move to the range of the recording medium Pb (carriage moving means (recording head moving means) 34 is controlled). At the same time, the recording head 3
A command is also issued to 1, and the recording head 31 is controlled so that only the ink corresponding to the recording medium Pa is ejected and the ink corresponding to the recording medium Pb is not ejected. Further, the intermittent conveyance of the recording medium Pb is stopped by a command to the intermittent conveyance section 21. The state continues until the image currently being printed is formed on the recording medium Pa, or until a predetermined image formation is completed (for example, until the print data currently held by the control unit is completely printed), and thereafter. Then, the joint portion of the recording medium Pb is cut by the cutting unit 4, and the state returns to a state where images are formed on both of the two recording media.

In this embodiment, the recording medium Pb
The image data that was scheduled to be printed on is held as it is, and when the recording medium Pb becomes printable, an image for the held amount is formed, but the present invention is not limited to this. Absent. For example, when it is found that the specific range including the joint of the recording medium Pb has reached the moving range of the recording head, the control unit reconstructs the printing order and the like to form an image on the recording medium Pb. It may be possible to perform distribution so that an image can be formed on the recording medium Pa even if there is an amount.

As described above, according to the ink jet printer 100 of this embodiment, in any one of the plurality of recording media included in the ink jet printer, the specific range including the joint between the recording media is on the moving range of the recording head. When it is detected that the specified range including the seam is detected, the recording head is moved within a range in which the specific range including the seam has reached the moving range of the recording head and the image is formed only on the recording medium in the range. Since it is controlled as described above, it is possible to print efficiently by forming an image on the other recording medium without forming an image on the recording medium at the joint portion between the recording mediums, which is wasteful even if printed. . In addition, since the recording media may overlap or turn up at the joint between the recording media, when the recording head passes through such a range, the recording medium touches the recording head and the head is normally operated. There is a possibility that the meniscus will be disturbed or the recording head will be damaged, but by preventing the recording head from passing through such a range, it is possible to prevent the above-mentioned problems. .

Further, in any one of the plurality of recording media, when it is detected that the specific range including the joint between the recording media reaches the moving range of the recording head, the specific range including the joint is detected. If it is possible to control so that an image formed on a recording medium that has reached the moving range of 1 is formed on another recording medium, printing can be performed more efficiently.

In this embodiment, it is possible to print on two recording media at the same time. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and it is possible to print on three or more recording media, for example, three rolls of paper at the same time. An inkjet printer having a configuration capable of printing may be used. In this case,
When the roll paper at the right end or the left end of the three roll papers becomes a joint, the carriage is controlled to move within the range of the remaining two roll papers (left end and center, or right end and center). Further, when the central roll paper becomes a seam, the carriage is controlled so as to move within the range of either the right end or the left end of the roll paper. Similar control is performed when the number of recording media is four or more.

Further, the ink jet printer according to this embodiment has a constitution of using the pigment ink for fixing the ink in the fixing portion, but the present invention is not limited to this, and for example, a dye without a fixing portion is used. It may be applied to an inkjet printer using ink.

It should be considered that the embodiments disclosed this time are exemplifications in all points and not restrictive. The scope of the present invention is shown not by the above description but by the claims, and is intended to include meanings equivalent to the claims and all modifications within the scope.

[0032]

According to the first aspect of the present invention, in any one of the plurality of recording media included in the ink jet printer, the specific range including the joint between the recording media reaches the moving range of the recording head. When it is detected, the recording head is moved within a range in which the specific range including the seam reaches the moving range of the recording head so that the image is formed only on the recording medium in the range. It is possible to efficiently perform printing by forming an image on another recording medium without forming an image on the recording medium at the joint portion between the recording media, which is wasteful even if printed.
In addition, since the recording media may overlap or turn up at the joint between recording media,
If the recording head passes through such a range, the recording medium may come into contact with the recording head and disturb the normal meniscus of the head, or even damage the recording head. By avoiding such a range, it is possible to prevent the above-mentioned problems.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, in any one of the plurality of recording media, when it is detected that the specific range including the joint between the recording media reaches the moving range of the recording head, It is possible to control the amount of the image formed on the recording medium that has reached the moving range of the recording head in the specific range including the seam so that the image is formed on another recording medium. Can print well.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view showing a main part of an inkjet printer according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a schematic explanatory diagram of the inkjet printer of FIG.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a control unit in the present embodiment.

[Explanation of symbols]

100 inkjet printer 31 recording head 34 carriage moving means (recording head moving means) 800 control means P, Pa, Pb recording medium T Seams between recording media

   ─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continued front page    F term (reference) 2C056 EA21 EB13 EB36 EB52 EC11                       EC67 FA10 HA60 KD10                 2C058 AB04 AB18 AC07 AE04 AE08                       AF06 HA03 HC08 HC09                 2C061 AQ05 AS06 BB17 HK11                 2C480 CA56

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. An inkjet printer for forming an image by ejecting ink from a recording head onto a continuous recording medium, comprising: control means for controlling the inkjet printer, and being controlled by the control means. It is possible to simultaneously form images on a plurality of recording media in parallel by a recording head that moves in a predetermined range by a recording head moving unit. In, when the specific range including the joint between the recording media reaches the moving range of the recording head, the specific range including the joint does not pass over the recording medium which reaches the moving range of the recording head. And an inkjet printer that controls to move an image to form an image only on a recording medium in the range. 2. In any one of the plurality of recording media, when a specific range including a joint between recording media reaches a moving range of the recording head, the specific range including the joint is on a moving range of the recording head. 2. The ink jet printer according to claim 1, wherein an amount of an image to be formed on a recording medium which has reached the maximum is controllable so as to form an image on another recording medium.