JP2006181842A - Recording apparatus and failure detecting method for recording element - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To accurately detect the recording status of each recording element, regardless of the number of faulty recording elements and the position where the defective recording elements exist. <P>SOLUTION: The recording apparatus, which performs recording by relatively moving a recording head 3 having a recording element array 31 in a line form and a recording medium ST, is provided with a plurality of reading means 41 to 43 which are arranged in parallel with the recording head and divide the recording region and read, records a rough pattern 105 including a first mark recorded in a plurality of recording elements, a fine pattern 106 including a second mark corresponding to the arranged pitch of the recording element array, and a detection chart 100 including an individual pattern 107 corresponding to each recording element, obtains the information of the relative positional relationship between the recording head and each reading means from the read result, decides the corresponding relationship between the individual pattern and each recording element, and judges the recording status of each recording element based on the read result of the corresponding relationship and the individual pattern. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a recording apparatus and a recording element defect detection method, and more specifically, performs recording by relatively moving a recording head having a recording element array in which recording elements are arranged in a predetermined direction and a recording medium. , A recording apparatus that is arranged in parallel with the recording element array and includes a plurality of reading means for dividing and reading an area recorded by relative movement, and a method for detecting a defect in a recording element in such a recording apparatus About.

  Scanning in which a recording head having one or more recording element arrays in which a plurality of recording elements are arranged in a predetermined direction is moved on the recording medium in a direction crossing the arrangement direction of the recording element arrays, and intermittent conveyance of the recording medium As a so-called serial scan type recording apparatus that performs recording by alternately performing recording and recording, recording apparatuses such as an ink jet system, a thermal transfer system, and a thermal sublimation system are commercially available.

  In such a serial scan type recording apparatus, the length (width) of the recording element array is significantly shorter than the width of the recording paper, and the number of recording elements provided in one recording head is relatively small. Therefore, the recording head can be manufactured relatively easily and the manufacturing yield can be increased.

  On the other hand, a recording head having a single or a plurality of recording element arrays arranged so as to cover the maximum width of a recordable recording medium, and performing recording while moving the recording medium relative to the recording head, As a so-called full line type recording apparatus, a recording apparatus having a recording head such as an ink jet system, a thermal transfer system, a thermal sublimation system, or an LED head is also commercially available.

  In such a full-line recording apparatus, recording is performed while the recording medium is being transported. Therefore, the recording speed is higher than that of the serial scan system in which recording is performed by alternately scanning the recording head and transporting the recording medium. It is fast.

  However, full-line recording heads require that the recording area of the recording head has a length corresponding to the desired recording width, and is generally longer than the serial-scan recording head. Is required.

  As the length of the recording head increases, the number of recording elements increases, depending on the desired recording width and recording density. For example, for the horizontal width of a postcard, it is necessary to provide about 1400 printing elements at a recording density of 360 dpi. As the number of recording elements increases, there is a greater possibility that a recording element that is determined to be defective due to the manufacturing process, handling, or deterioration during use of the recording head, which cannot be normally recorded, will appear. For example, in the ink jet system, ash dust, thickened ink, or the like is clogged in the recording element (nozzle), and the incidence of recording elements that are determined to be defective increases. In the manufacturing process, for example, if even one of 1400 printing elements has a recording failure, the recording head is determined to be defective.

  In a full-line recording apparatus, if there is even one defective recording element, the recorded image deteriorates. Therefore, information regarding the defective recording element is stored in a ROM provided in the recording head at the time of shipment, or the recording state A defective recording element is detected by recording a chart (check pattern) for detecting the error, for example, in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 10-6488 (Patent Document 1) and Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2001-191510 (Patent Document 2). As described, supplementation with other recording elements is performed.

  As a method of detecting a defective recording element by recording a chart for detecting the recording state, a serviceman or a user visually finds a defective recording element based on the recorded chart, and the number or the like is stored in the apparatus. There is a way to input. This method is often used in a serial scan type recording apparatus, but when applied to a full line type recording apparatus, it is necessary to visually check the recording state of a large number of recording elements, which is not practical. .

For this reason, many full-line recording apparatuses are equipped with a reading unit such as a line sensor inside the apparatus, and are configured to read the recorded chart and detect the state of the recording element by the apparatus.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 10-6488 JP 2001-191510 A

  Thus, in order to perform high-quality recording in a recording apparatus that performs recording with a recording head having a plurality of recording elements, it is necessary to know the recording state of each recording element. For example, in order to perform high-quality recording in an ink jet recording apparatus having a recording head that ejects ink from each recording element, whether or not ink is ejected from each recording element, the ink is ejected in a direction different from the desired direction. Therefore, information such as the recording position deviation due to the recording density and the recording density due to the difference in the ejection amount for each recording element is required.

  Here, in recent recording heads, recording elements are mounted at a high density of about 600 to 1200 per inch, and this density may be further increased in the future. As described above, there is a demand for a device that detects a state of a recording element by reading a chart recorded on a recording medium with the recording head using a reading unit, even for a recording head in which the recording elements are arranged at high density. ing.

  However, when the density of the recording element increases, it becomes difficult to clearly define the correspondence (reference) between the recorded portion and the recording element, the reading position of the reading unit is shifted, and the state of other recording elements It is easy to make a mistake. This correspondence is generally defined based on the reference position. However, if there is a portion where the recording position cannot be recorded or the recording position is shifted due to a defective recording element, the determination of the reference position becomes more difficult. End up.

  In addition, due to the relationship between the number of pixels of the sensor that reads an image and the resolution, if the recording head becomes long, it becomes impossible to cover with one sensor, and it becomes necessary to use a plurality of sensors. In this case, it is necessary to determine in advance the range of recording elements that each sensor is responsible for, and determine the positions of the corresponding ends from the read images. Even if a part of the pattern used for this determination is not recorded due to a defective recording element, it is necessary to accurately determine the recording head position.

  In general, the reading unit is arranged in parallel with the recording head on the most downstream side in the conveyance direction of the recording medium, and the state of the recording element is based on the result of reading a document recorded on a document or a conveyance belt as a recording medium. Get information about.

  The line sensor used as the reading unit uses an image reading element such as a CCD or CIS, and generally reads a test chart as shown in FIG. 6A as one image and separately processes the image. It is.

  Here, the test chart shown in FIG. 6A is recorded in an ideal state in which recording is performed by all the recording elements, and a line (image) corresponding to each recording element is cut out. Therefore, it is possible to easily determine the presence / absence of a recorded line and specify the number of a defective recording element. However, when there are many defective recording elements as shown in FIG. 6B, it is difficult to cut out lines corresponding to each recording element. Further, in this case, since the images at both ends are not recorded, it is difficult to specify the recording element number. In addition, in order to avoid erroneous detection, it is necessary to take a sufficient length of the line to be recorded by each recording element, so that the ink consumption increases and the test chart reading time and recording area increase.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above situation, and an object thereof is to accurately detect the recording state of each recording element regardless of the number of defective recording elements and the position where the defective recording element exists. .

A recording apparatus according to an aspect of the present invention that achieves the above object includes a recording head having a recording element array in which recording elements are arranged in a predetermined direction, and performs recording by relatively moving the recording head and the recording medium. A recording device for performing
A plurality of reading means arranged in parallel with the recording element array, for dividing and reading an area recorded by the relative movement;
A coarse adjustment pattern including a first mark recorded by a plurality of recording elements corresponding to each reading unit, a fine adjustment pattern including a second mark corresponding to a pitch in the array of the recording element arrays, and each recording element A chart recording means for recording a detection chart including an individual pattern corresponding to an individual recording element to detect the recording state of the recording by the recording head;
Based on the reading result of the coarse adjustment pattern and the fine adjustment pattern, information on the relative positional relationship between the recording head and each reading unit is obtained, and the correspondence between the individual pattern and each recording element is determined. Means for responding to individual patterns,
Determination means for determining a recording state of each recording element based on the determined correspondence and the reading result of the individual pattern.

  That is, according to the present invention, a recording apparatus including a recording head having recording element arrays in which recording elements are arranged in a predetermined direction and performing recording by relatively moving the recording head and the recording medium is provided in parallel with the recording element array. Provided with a plurality of reading means for dividing and reading the area recorded by the relative movement, and a first mark recorded by a plurality of recording elements corresponding to each reading means A detection chart including a coarse adjustment pattern including a fine adjustment pattern including a second mark corresponding to the pitch in the arrangement of the recording element arrays, and an individual pattern corresponding to an individual recording element to detect a recording state of each recording element. The information on the relative positional relationship between the recording head and each reading means is recorded by the recording head and based on the reading result of the coarse adjustment pattern and the fine adjustment pattern. The calculated, based on the correspondence relationship is determined and the determined reading the correspondence between the individual patterns result between the individual patterns and the respective recording elements, determining the recording state of each recording element.

  In this way, even if there are several defective recording elements, the coarse adjustment pattern is recorded at least partially, so that the recording head can be read by reading the coarse adjustment pattern and a part of the fine adjustment pattern with the reading means. Information on the relative positional relationship between the reading means and each reading means, and the correspondence between the individual pattern and each recording element can be determined. The recording state of the recording element can be accurately determined.

  Therefore, regardless of the number of defective recording elements and the position where the defective recording element exists, it is possible to accurately detect the recording state of each recording element based on the detection chart image read by each of the plurality of reading means. It becomes possible.

  The individual pattern handling means preferably obtains a position serving as a reference for the reading range and a position serving as a reference for calculating the amount of positional shift of the individual pattern as information on the relative positional relationship for each reading means.

  Storage means for storing the image read by each reading means is further provided, and the individual pattern correspondence means is configured to display the image stored in the storage means in accordance with the reading range of each reading means based on the information on the relative positional relationship. Image processing means for cutting out may be included.

  As the determination criterion of the determination means, it is preferable to use the presence and density of the read individual pattern.

  In order to further simplify the detection chart, a part of the individual pattern may also serve as a fine adjustment pattern.

  Various configurations of the coarse adjustment pattern can be applied. For example, the first mark is arranged at a predetermined interval, the first mark includes a plurality of first marks corresponding to each reading means, and the plurality of first marks includes a figure having a different shape. For each of the first marks, those having at least one of a different size and shape, and those in which the first mark is arranged so that the center position of the recording element array can be specified can be applied. It is good also as a structure which combined some.

  The recording order in the detection chart may be, for example, the order of coarse adjustment pattern, fine adjustment pattern, and individual pattern.

  The detection chart may further include a mark (start bar) having a length corresponding to the recording element array indicating the recording start of the chart.

  The configuration of the recording apparatus may be a so-called full line type configuration in which a recording head is fixed and recording is performed by moving a recording medium with respect to the recording head. An ink jet system that performs recording by discharging ink from an element may be used.

According to another aspect of the present invention for achieving the above object, there is provided a recording element defect detection method in which a recording head having a recording element array in which recording elements are arranged in a predetermined direction and a recording medium are relatively moved. And a recording element defect detection method in a recording apparatus, comprising: a plurality of reading units arranged in parallel with the recording element array and configured to divide and read the area recorded by the relative movement Because
A coarse adjustment pattern including a first mark recorded by a plurality of recording elements corresponding to each reading unit, a fine adjustment pattern including a second mark corresponding to a pitch in the array of the recording element arrays, and each recording element A chart recording step of recording a detection chart including an individual pattern corresponding to an individual recording element to detect a recording state of the recording by the recording head;
A reading step of reading the chart by the reading means;
Based on the reading result of the coarse adjustment pattern and the fine adjustment pattern, information on the relative positional relationship between the recording head and each reading unit is obtained, and the correspondence between the individual pattern and each recording element is determined. Individual pattern handling process to
A determination step of determining a recording state of each recording element based on the determined correspondence and the reading result of the individual pattern.

  Still further, the above object can be achieved by a computer program for realizing the above-described recording element defect detection method by a computer apparatus, and a computer-readable storage medium storing the computer program.

  According to the present invention, even if there are several defective recording elements, the coarse adjustment pattern is recorded at least partially. Therefore, the coarse adjustment pattern and a part of the fine adjustment pattern are read by the reading means, and the recording is performed. Information on the relative positional relationship between the head and each reading means is obtained, and the correspondence between the individual pattern and each recording element can be determined. Based on the correspondence and the reading result of the individual pattern, The recording state of each recording element can be accurately determined.

  Therefore, regardless of the number of defective recording elements and the position where the defective recording element exists, it is possible to accurately detect the recording state of each recording element based on the detection chart image read by each of the plurality of reading means. It becomes possible.

  In this specification, “recording” (sometimes referred to as “printing”) is not only for forming significant information such as characters and figures, but also for human beings, regardless of whether it is significant or not. Regardless of whether or not they are manifested, the image, pattern, pattern, or the like is widely formed on the recording medium, or the medium is processed.

  “Recording medium” means not only paper used in general recording apparatuses but also a wide range of materials that can accept ink, such as cloth, plastic, metal plate, glass, ceramics, wood, leather, etc. To do.

  Furthermore, “ink” (sometimes referred to as “liquid”) is to be interpreted broadly in the same way as the definition of “recording (printing)” above. It represents a liquid that can be used to form a pattern or the like, process a recording medium, or process an ink (for example, solidification or insolubilization of a colorant in ink applied to the recording medium).

<Basic concept of the present invention>
First, the basic concept (concept) of the present invention will be described.

  The present invention assumes a case where the present invention is applied to a recording apparatus having a recording head in which a large number of recording elements are arranged in a predetermined direction, and it is difficult to read a detection chart recorded with a single reading means at a necessary resolution. is doing. As such a recording apparatus, for example, there is a recording apparatus provided with a long recording head or a high-resolution recording head. As a typical example, a recording head having a recording area corresponding to the maximum width of a recordable recording medium as shown in FIG. 3 is fixed, and an image is formed by the recording head while the recording medium is transported. There is a full line type recording device.

  FIG. 1 shows how a recording apparatus according to the present invention records a chart (hereinafter referred to as a detection chart) 100 for inspecting that each recording element can perform normal recording, and reading by a reading unit. FIG. In the figure, ST denotes a recording medium on which a detection chart is recorded, 3 denotes a recording head, 31 denotes a recording element array, 4 denotes a reading unit, and 41 to 43 denote reading means. In the detection chart 100, a start bar 108 indicating a recording start position, a position adjustment pattern 109 including a coarse adjustment pattern 105 and a fine adjustment pattern 106, and an individual recording element pattern 107 for detecting the recording state of each recording element are sequentially arranged. To be recorded.

  As shown in the figure, the detection chart 100 according to the present invention includes a plurality of types of position adjustment patterns 109 having different shapes. When the recording head has a recording element array in which a plurality of recording elements are arranged in a predetermined direction, if recording cannot be performed normally by some of the recording elements, the recorded image is deteriorated such as missing or uneven density. Further, in the ink jet system, a phenomenon may occur in which the recording position is shifted due to the ink ejection direction deviating from a desired direction (flection).

  In the illustrated detection chart, a portion to be recorded by a recording element that can no longer be recorded or a portion to be recorded by a recording element whose recording position is shifted to the left or right is whitened out in a horizontal stripe shape, or the recording density is lowered. The portion recorded by the recording element becomes a thin stripe. In the present invention, in order to perform rough alignment even if such a common recorded image defect occurs, a pattern including a plurality of large-sized marks (figures) recorded by a plurality of recording elements is roughly adjusted. Used as 105. By doing so, it is possible to avoid the entire coarse adjustment mark from being lost unless all the recording elements that record the respective coarse adjustment marks are unable to record.

  The coarse adjustment pattern 105 is designed so that at least one coarse adjustment mark is recorded for each reading unit. In addition, if a plurality of coarse adjustment marks are recorded for each reading means and it is possible to determine which coarse adjustment mark is missing, even if a large number of recording elements become defective in recording, the recording of each recording element is possible. Since the state can be accurately detected, it is effective when a plurality of recording elements simultaneously cause a recording failure. That is, even if some of the coarse adjustment marks are missing, the range (reading range) of each reading unit and the position of each recording element in the arrangement direction are calculated from the remaining coarse adjustment marks. A reference position can be obtained.

  Furthermore, a fine adjustment pattern corresponding to the pitch of the recording elements is provided in the arrangement direction of the recording elements, and the correspondence relationship between which recording element each part of the fine adjustment pattern corresponds to the range of each reading means corresponds to the coarse adjustment. It is obtained from the positional relationship with the pattern, and the position of each recording element is determined from the fine adjustment pattern without being confused with the adjacent recording element. It is also possible to determine the positions of the recording elements at both ends in the range handled by each reading means. Therefore, it is possible to check the state of all the recording elements within the reading range in the arrangement direction of the recording elements among the plurality of reading means, and the ranges handled by the two adjacent reading means may not overlap. .

  The fine adjustment pattern only needs to include marks corresponding to the pitch of the recording elements at least partially (for example, near both ends of each reading range), and the number of marks may be smaller than the number of recording elements.

  As described above, according to the present invention, information on the relative positional relationship between the recording head and each reading unit of the reading unit (the reference position and the range covered by each reading unit) is obtained by the coarse adjustment pattern and the fine adjustment pattern in the detection chart. And the correspondence relationship between the individual recording element pattern and the recording element is obtained based on the obtained information on the relative positional relationship.

  FIG. 2 is another diagram showing recording of the detection chart 100 and reading by the reading unit in the recording apparatus according to the present invention. In FIG. 2, the reading unit 4 is configured so that reading ranges overlap between adjacent reading means (between 41 and 42 and 42 and 43). If there is a coarse pattern or fine pattern mark in the overlapping range, it becomes easy to determine the boundary of the range handled by each reading means by using the mark as a reading boundary. The fine pattern mark is thin in the direction of the recording element array, so it is easy to be missing, but it is easy to determine the position. On the other hand, the coarse pattern mark is low in position accuracy, but wide and some elements are missing even if the recording is defective. However, it is more preferable to design so that both the coarse pattern mark and the fine pattern mark are included in the overlapping range.

  When the correction is performed including the recording density of the recording element, the average density of the portion where the pattern of the detection chart 100 is not recorded is set as the white reference density, and the maximum density of the portion where the pattern is recorded is equalized or overlapped. You can adjust the same density by using the part you want.

  Here, the detection chart 100 shown in FIG. 1 shows which coarse adjustment marks are missing even when a plurality of continuous recording elements cannot be recorded simultaneously and some coarse adjustment marks cannot be recorded. The coarse adjustment pattern 105 is designed so that a plurality of coarse adjustment marks are recorded within the range of each reading means so that the determination can be made. The coarse adjustment pattern 105 may be designed so that one coarse adjustment mark is recorded within the range of FIG. 4 shows an example of the detection chart 100 having such a coarse adjustment pattern 105. In other words, when it is difficult to simultaneously record a plurality of recording elements, only one coarse adjustment mark is provided for each reading means, and the position of the reading range handled by each reading means is roughly checked. The position of each recording element can be calculated with a fine pattern.

  In the example shown in FIGS. 1, 2, and 4, the recording head 3 having the recording element array 31 in which a plurality of recording elements are arranged in the vertical direction in the figure intersects with the arrangement direction of the recording elements (substantially orthogonal). In the recording apparatus configured to perform recording on the recording medium while relatively moving the recording medium ST in the direction of the recording, the recording state (whether it can be normally recorded) of each recording element is inspected by the detection chart 100. Shows the case. That is, the detection chart 100 is recorded on the recording medium ST by the recording head 3, and is recorded by the reading unit 4 including a plurality of reading units 41 to 43 disposed downstream and arranged in parallel with the recording element array 31. In this configuration, the detection chart 100 is read.

  In the present invention, a start bar 108 that is a vertical line is provided as a pattern indicating the start position of the detection chart 100 when the reading unit 4 reads the detection chart 100 from the left to the right in the drawing. . In the case of reading and processing an image in this way, reading the image from some reference and limiting the reading range of the image to a necessary part reduces the amount of data to be processed and facilitates high-speed processing.

  In addition, in an inkjet printer, ink is not ejected from the nozzles at the initial stage after recording due to evaporation of ink moisture at the nozzles ejecting ink or ash dust adhering to the ejection surface, and the ejection speed is reduced or ejected. The direction tends to become unstable, and the recording position may shift or the recording density may change. By recording the start bar 108, the effect of stabilizing the ejection from the nozzles can also be obtained.

  As described above, it is preferable to provide the start bar 108 on the detection chart 100 because it is easy to detect the start position and stabilize the discharge in the ink jet printer. However, the pattern can be obtained without providing the start bar 108. The same effect can be obtained by devising.

  For example, in the configuration in which the read data is stored in a storage unit such as a memory, the detection chart is designed so that the coarse adjustment pattern 105 is recorded before the fine adjustment pattern 106 or the individual recording element pattern 107. Then, the position where the coarse adjustment pattern 105 is detected is recognized as the reading start position, the data read before that is discarded, and the data corresponding to the length of the detection chart after the coarse adjustment pattern is used. You may do it. Also, with respect to the problem of ejection stability in an ink jet printer, immediately before recording a detection chart, ejection (preliminary ejection) unrelated to recording is performed on a recording medium, on a conveying means or a predetermined ink receiver. You can do it.

  Next, how to use the coarse adjustment pattern 105 and the fine adjustment pattern 106 of the position adjustment pattern 109 will be described. The coarse adjustment pattern 105 roughly determines which part of the entire recording head each reading unit is responsible for reading the pattern recorded. For example, the coarse adjustment pattern 105 in FIG. 1 is a position (reference position) that serves as a reference of a reading range that each reading unit has when the recorded detection chart 100 is read by the reading unit 4 including a plurality of reading units. Used to check roughly. On the other hand, the fine adjustment pattern 106 includes marks corresponding to the individual recording elements. The fine adjustment pattern 106 is identified from the positional relationship with the coarse adjustment pattern as to which part of the range the individual marks are handled by the reading unit, and is recorded on the individual recording elements. Used to determine the correspondence with the element. In this way, the state of each recording element is determined by detecting the state of the individual recording element pattern 107 by recognizing the position to be recorded by each recording element.

  Here, the arrangement of marks in the coarse adjustment pattern will be examined. If the mark arrangement is made asymmetric within the range of the reading means, or if the shape of each mark is changed, even if any of the coarse marks are not recorded due to a defective recording element, the coarse mark If the distance and the combination are stored in advance, it is possible to determine which coarse adjustment mark is missing by comparing with the distance and combination.

  As an example, the coarse adjustment pattern 105 in FIG. 1 will be described. The coarse adjustment pattern 105 has circular marks arranged at predetermined intervals within the range of each reading means, and at portions offset from the center of the reading range, corresponding to both ends of the range of each reading means. A rectangular mark is placed. In this way, by arranging marks with different shapes arranged asymmetrically within the reading range, it is possible to estimate with high accuracy which mark is missing even when one or more marks are not recorded. Can do.

  FIG. 5 is a diagram in which a portion recorded in the reading range of one reading unit is extracted from the detection chart 100. In this figure, the recording direction is displayed rotated by 90 °. As shown in the figure, in this case, one rectangular mark and two round marks to be recorded at the end of the reading range were not recorded at all, but were not recorded due to the arrangement pattern of the two types of marks. Three (missing) marks can be estimated with high accuracy, and the reference position of the reading range can be roughly determined (coarse adjustment) from the remaining recorded marks.

  Note that the detection pattern 100 described above is not limited to the reading range of each reading unit or the individual recording element pattern even when the relative positional relationship between the recording head and each reading unit of the reading unit is not required. Although it is designed so that a correspondence relationship with the element is obtained, when the relative positional relationship (information) between the recording head and each reading unit of the reading unit is obtained in advance, the coarse adjustment pattern is Even if omitted or both the coarse adjustment pattern and the fine adjustment pattern are omitted, the reading range of each reading means and the correspondence relationship between the individual recording element pattern and the recording element can be obtained.

<First Embodiment>
Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, the components described in the following embodiments are merely examples, and are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention only to them.

  In the embodiment described below, a recording apparatus using an ink jet recording method will be described as an example.

  FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view showing a schematic configuration of an ink jet recording apparatus as an embodiment of the recording apparatus according to the present invention.

  The ink jet recording apparatus according to the present embodiment drives a recording head 3 having four recording element arrays corresponding to black, cyan, magenta, and yellow by a control unit, which will be described later, to eject ink droplets of ink corresponding to image information. Discharge and record.

  A reading unit 4 optically reads a recording state detection pattern of the recording element recorded by the recording head 3.

  A sheet-like recording medium (hereinafter simply referred to as a sheet) ST is fed from a feeding unit (not shown), and recording is performed when it passes under the recording head 3 while being electrostatically attracted to the transport belt 2 and moving. Done. The conveying belt 2 as a conveying device is an annular belt member, which is stretched by a driving roller 5 and supporting rollers 6 and 7 and conveys the sheet ST by being rotationally driven. Reference numeral 8 denotes a belt cleaning mechanism that removes ink adhering to the belt.

  FIG. 7 is a top view (a) and a sectional view (b) showing the structure of the conveyor belt 2. As shown in the figure, the conveyor belt 2 is alternately provided with strip-like electrodes as electrostatic attracting means on the surface opposite to the conveyance surface of the dielectric film layer 9 serving as a base, as shown in FIG. The comb electrode 10 that is the first electrode group and the comb electrode 11 that is the second electrode group are formed. Each electrode of the comb electrode 11 is installed between the electrodes of the comb electrode 10, that is, alternately arranged in the transport direction.

  For example, the comb electrodes 10 and 11 are electrodes having a thickness of 35 μm and a width of 8 mm arranged on the surface of the dielectric film layer 9 with an interval of 8 mm. As shown in FIG. 7B, conductive brushes 12 are provided at both ends of the conveyor belt 2 as power supply means. The conductive brush 12 is configured by planting a conductive brush 12b on a base 12a.

  FIG. 8 is a front view of the transport belt 2 as viewed from a direction orthogonal to the transport direction. As illustrated, the brush 12b of the conductive brush 12 is applied to the comb electrodes 10 and 11 of the film layer 9 of the transport belt 2. Power is supplied through contact.

  When a potential difference is generated in the comb electrodes 10 and 11 configured as described above, an attractive force can be obtained by an electrostatic force. In the present embodiment, the conductive brush 12 in contact with one of the comb electrodes 10 and 11 is grounded, and a voltage of about 0.5 to 2 kv is applied to the conductive brush 12 in contact with the other so as to obtain a predetermined electrostatic force. It is composed. When the conveyor belt 2 rotates, the comb electrodes 10 and 11 receive power by sliding contact with the conductive brush 12 to generate an electrostatic adsorption force, and the sheet ST is conveyed while being adsorbed to the conveyor belt 2. .

  FIG. 9 is a block diagram showing a control configuration of the ink jet recording apparatus of the present embodiment. In this figure, the same elements as those shown in FIG. 3 are denoted by the same reference numerals. That is, 3 is a recording head, and 5 is a conveyance belt drive roller.

  A control unit 20 includes a CPU 21, a ROM 22 that stores programs, a RAM 23 that stores work data necessary for control, and a gate array 24. The gate array 24 includes a driving control signal for the conveying belt driving roller 5, an image signal and a control signal for the recording head 3, a driving control signal for the cleaning unit 8, and a reading unit 4 including a plurality of reading units 41 to 43. Output image signals and control signals.

  An image memory 25 temporarily stores recording data received from the gate array 24 or the outside. Further, the read data from the reading unit is temporarily stored.

  FIG. 10 is a diagram showing how the detection chart according to the present embodiment is recorded and read. ST is a recording medium, and this figure shows an example in which the recording element state detection chart 100 is recorded on the recording medium. However, recording may be performed directly on the conveyance belt without using the recording medium. .

  The recording medium is conveyed from right to left in the drawing, and is recorded by ejecting ink according to image information from each recording element of the recording element array 31 when passing under the recording head 3. 10 shows a state in which the recording element array 31 of the recording head 3 has finished recording the detection chart 100. FIG.

  The recorded image sequentially passes under the reading unit 4 constituted by a plurality of reading means 41 to 43 arranged in parallel with the recording element array. In FIG. 10, the coarse adjustment pattern of the detection chart 100 is read. It shows the state.

  FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating an example of a pattern recorded in the coverage area of one reading unit in the detection chart according to the present embodiment.

  (A) is a pattern example of a chart for detection normally recorded. A figure (hereinafter referred to as an individual recording element pattern) 107 for detecting the recording state of each recording element and a detection start position are specified. Position adjustment pattern 109 including a figure (hereinafter referred to as a start bar) 108 to be detected and a rectangular figure, a circular figure, and a scale (hereinafter, referred to as a black corner, a black circle, and a scale line) for specifying the detection reference position, respectively. There is. The start bar 107 is used for specifying the start position of the detection chart and designating a rough area to be captured and processed. The position adjustment pattern 109 including black corners, black circles, and scale lines is used to specify the direction (X direction and Y direction) and position of the read image.

  (B) is an example of a detection chart recorded in the presence of a defective recording element. Depending on the state of each recording element of the recording head 3, a part of each pattern is missing or the density decreases. Or The example (b) is an example in which a relatively large number of recording elements in bad states are included.

  Here, with reference to the flowchart of FIG. 12, the detection process of the defective printing element of this embodiment will be described in detail. This process is mainly performed by the control unit 20.

  When an instruction to start the defective recording element detection process is given, the control unit 20 first prepares recording data for the detection chart. More specifically, the CPU 21 develops the detection chart data stored in the ROM 22 in the image memory 25. Alternatively, the recording data of the detection chart transmitted from the outside such as the host device may be temporarily stored in the image memory 25 (step S101). When the data is stored in the image memory 25, recording of the detection chart is actually started (step S102).

  When the image recording starts, in order to start the reading operation in the reading unit 4, the data from the reading unit 4 is monitored to determine the detection of the start bar 108 as a detection reference (step S103). When the start bar 108 is detected, an image of the entire detection chart including the start bar 108 is temporarily stored for each of the plurality of reading means (step S104).

  When reading and storing (capturing) the entire chart image is completed, a rough reference position in the X direction is calculated based on the start bar 108, and then a position adjustment pattern 109 including black corners, black circles, and scale lines is displayed. The detailed reference position in the X and Y directions is calculated for each of the plurality of reading means (step S105).

  Here, with reference to the flowchart of FIG. 13, the calculation processing of the reference position for each reading unit regarding the detection chart of FIG. 11 will be described. Note that calculation processing corresponding to other detection charts will be described later.

  First, the position of each mark (black corner, black circle, graduation line) on the detection chart is detected (step S201). Next, it is determined for each reading unit whether or not the position (range) of the corresponding printing element array can be detected from the position of the black corner that is the large mark of the coarse adjustment pattern (step S202). If it is determined that detection is not possible, the position (range) of the corresponding printing element array is determined for each reading unit from the position and number of black corners and black circles adjacent to the positions of the black circles that are small marks of the coarse adjustment pattern. ) Is detectable (step S203).

  If it is determined in step S202 or S203 that detection is possible, each of the graduation lines that are fine adjustment patterns and the recording elements are determined for each reading unit from the position of the corresponding recording element array detected by the coarse adjustment pattern. Correlation with a portion in the column is performed (step S204). Then, based on the positions of a plurality of graduation lines that are marks of fine adjustment patterns recorded normally without any defect, a detection reference position is calculated for each reading means using, for example, the least square method (step S205). .

  Next, on the basis of the detected reference position, a reference position (position shift reference position) used to calculate the position shift amount of each mark constituting the individual recording element pattern is calculated for each reading unit (step S206). . Then, on the basis of the calculated misregistration reference position, for each reading means, each mark constituting the individual recording element pattern is associated with each recording element (step S207), and the process is terminated.

  On the other hand, if it is determined that neither of the steps S202 and S203 can be detected, the recording failure detection process is abandoned (step S208), and the detection error is displayed on the display means (LED or Display on the display means of the connected liquid crystal panel or the like (step S209), and the process ends.

  As described above, when the reference position of the detection chart can be calculated for each reading unit, the recording state of each recording element is determined as to whether recording is possible, whether the recording density is appropriate, and the like. A recording displacement amount is calculated, and a recording element having a defective recording state is determined based on the determination result and the displacement amount. (Step S106). Details of the defective recording element determination method will be described later with reference to FIG.

  In order to record a normal image after the defective recording element is identified, for example, in a recording apparatus using four color inks of black, cyan, magenta, and yellow, the recording element that discharges black ink is defective. When the determination is made, ink is ejected from the cyan, magenta, and yellow recording elements at the same position in the arrangement direction of the printing element arrays (Y direction in FIG. 11) by 1/3 of the black ink ejection amount, By forming the process black, a defective recording element countermeasure process is performed to prevent a decrease in recording image quality (step S107).

  Here, regarding the determination of whether or not the recording density is appropriate and the correction of the recording density, it is necessary to correct the variation in the reading sensitivity related to the density between the reading means for every predetermined period before shipment of the apparatus or after purchase. .

  In this case, the average density of the portion of the detection chart where the mark is not recorded is adjusted to match between the reading means as a white reference density (density 0), and the maximum density is the density obtained by reading the portion where the mark is recorded. The maximum value may be made uniform between the reading means, or the reading density adjacent to each other may be used to read the overlap so that the reading density is the same between the reading means. Furthermore, since the boundary position of the coverage range between the reading means can also be known, only the image of the area handled by each reading means is cut out and connected, and whether or not the recording density is appropriate in units of an image in which the entire recording element array is integrated. Such determination and correction processing may be performed.

  23 (a), (b), and (c) show detection cases read by the three reading means 43, 42, and 41 constituting the reading unit 4 when there are some defective recording elements that cannot be recorded. The images of the chart 100 are shown. (D), (e), and (f) of FIG. 23 respectively show images obtained by extracting only the reading ranges handled by the reading means 43, 42, and 41 from (a), (b), and (c). Further, an image of the entire recording element array 31 of the recording head 3 obtained by connecting the three images (d), (e), and (f) in FIG. 23 in the vertical direction is the image shown in FIG. .

  FIG. 22 is a diagram for explaining a method for determining the recording state of the recording element of this embodiment. As shown in FIG. 22A, the presence / absence of recording is determined for each individual recording element pattern recorded by each recording element. A determination area 110 is provided. As described above, in this embodiment, since the detection reference position is calculated in detail in the X and Y directions, the determination area 110 for each individual recording element pattern can be accurately determined. Further, even if the interval between the individual recording element patterns is narrowed to increase the density, processing such as image cut-out is unnecessary, so that the correspondence between the determination area 110 and the recording element does not occur. For each individual recording element pattern, an average density value in the determination area 110 surrounded by a rectangle is calculated. The determination area 110 has a large margin in the left-right direction in consideration of the recording position shift in the left-right direction.

  FIG. 22B shows the determination for 10 recording elements, and the average density value in each determination area 110 is 20, 21, 19,... 2 as illustrated. When the determination threshold value is 10, it is determined that there are two non-recorded recording elements, that is, defective recording elements.

  Further, a recording element having a large recording position shift amount or a low recording density may not be used for recording as a recording element that is not suitable for image recording, and the defective recording element countermeasure process may be performed on the recording element.

  Further, except for the recording element determined to have a large recording position deviation amount (predetermined value or more), the reference position is set again only by the position of the pattern recorded by the recording element having a small recording position deviation amount (less than the predetermined value). The position of the individual recording element pattern recorded by each recording element based on the reference position calculated and recalculated may be used as the recording position shift amount of each recording element. It is desirable to use the value obtained in this way as the recording position deviation amount of each recording element used when performing the correction process for the recording density unevenness caused by the recording position deviation.

  The above-described detection chart is not limited to this, and any other chart can be used as long as it can detect the recording status (recording presence / absence, recording density, positional deviation amount, etc.) by each recording element. The pattern can be any.

  Further, the defective recording element countermeasure processing is not limited to the method described above, and various methods are used. For example, with respect to a recording element having a recording density less than a predetermined value, the density may be complemented by ejecting ink together from the recording elements of other inks at the same position in the arrangement direction of the recording element array. .

  As described above, according to this embodiment, regardless of the number of defective recording elements and the position where the defective recording element is present, the image of the chart for detection read by the reading unit constituted by a plurality of reading means. Therefore, it is possible to accurately detect the recording state of each recording element.

Second Embodiment 2
Hereinafter, a second embodiment according to the present invention will be described. The second embodiment is also an ink jet recording apparatus similar to the first embodiment. In the following, description of the same parts as in the first embodiment will be omitted, and the characteristic parts of the second embodiment will be mainly described. Explained.

  In the first embodiment, the detection chart 100 including the start bar 108, the position adjustment pattern 109 including the coarse adjustment pattern and the fine adjustment pattern, and the individual recording element pattern 107 is recorded. In this embodiment, the configuration of the detection chart to be recorded is different.

  That is, in the second embodiment, the start bar 108 is eliminated, and the recording order in the position adjustment pattern 109 is changed so that the fine adjustment pattern 106 is recorded after the coarse adjustment pattern 105. Further, the coarse tone pattern to be recorded is different from that of the first embodiment.

  In the case where the defect occurrence rate of the recording element is low and almost no marks of the coarse pattern can occur, it is sufficient for the coarse pattern to have at least one mark for each reading unit as shown in FIG. is there. However, as shown in FIG. 11 (b), if there is a possibility that either one of the black corners or black circles will be completely lost, it is safe to delete any of the marks. It is desirable to design the coarse adjustment pattern so that a plurality of marks are recorded for each reading means.

  Here, when providing a plurality of marks for each reading means, it is necessary to be able to determine which of the plurality of marks is missing. It is possible to estimate the missing mark based on the mark recorded without missing and the position and number of fine adjustment patterns and individual recording element patterns. It is desirable to know which part of the recording element array corresponds to the recorded mark.

  To make it possible to determine which part of the recording element array corresponds to each mark that makes up the coarse adjustment pattern, make the mark arrangement asymmetric within the reading range or change the shape of each mark. It ’s fine.

  FIG. 14 is a diagram illustrating a first example of the detection chart according to the present embodiment. In this figure, only the portion corresponding to one reading means is shown. The coarse adjustment pattern in FIG. 15 is obtained by arranging three coarse adjustment marks at an uneven pitch for each reading unit. With such an arrangement, even if one coarse adjustment mark is missing, the combination of the remaining marks among the three marks can be determined based on the distance between the remaining two marks.

  FIG. 15 is a diagram illustrating a second example of the detection chart according to the present embodiment, similar to FIG. The coarse adjustment pattern in FIG. 15 is obtained by arranging coarse adjustment marks at both ends of the reading range of each reading means and at positions offset from the center thereof. With such an arrangement, it is easy to grasp the positions of both ends of the reading range. However, if marks are simply provided at both ends, the mark overlaps the mark at the end of the adjacent reading range. Therefore, only one of the portions adjacent to the reading means as shown in FIG. 1 or FIG. Or common to both reading means.

  FIG. 16 is a diagram illustrating a third example of the detection chart according to the present embodiment in the same manner as FIG. 14. The coarse tone pattern in FIG. 16 uses two types of marks, black corners and black circles, and is arranged so that the distance between the black corners is different while the distance between the black circles is constant. If the distance between one mark is changed in this way, if even one black corner is recorded, the position of the black corner to be recorded is determined from the distance and number of black circles relative to the black corner. Can be determined.

  FIG. 17 is a view showing a modification of the detection chart shown in FIG. The coarse tone pattern of FIG. 17 uses two types of marks, black corners and black circles, as in FIG. 16, but black circles are arranged at regular intervals, and black corners are arranged at different intervals on the black circles. . In this case, even if not all black corners are recorded, there are cases where the reading range and the reference position can be discriminated from the black circle pattern recorded at an equal pitch.

  From the description of the first embodiment to the above description, the black corner (large mark) and the black circle (small mark) differ not only in shape but also in area, and there is a possibility that a black corner having a larger area may be lost. However, the two types of marks may be different from each other only in shape. When marks having different shapes are used, an effect is obtained that it is easier to determine at which position a mark to be recorded remains than when only one type of mark is used.

  FIG. 18 is a diagram illustrating a fourth example of the detection chart according to the present embodiment, similar to FIG. The coarse adjustment pattern in FIG. 18 is obtained by periodically arranging three types of marks having different shapes at equal intervals. Also in this case, the distance between the marks having the same shape increases, and it becomes easy to determine at which position the mark to be recorded remains from the order of the other marks.

  FIG. 19 is a diagram illustrating a fifth example of the detection chart according to the present embodiment, similar to FIG. In the coarse adjustment pattern of FIG. 19, all marks recorded in the reading range have different shapes. In this way, if the shape of the mark is determined, even if only one mark remains, it can be determined which mark to be recorded in the child remains, and the reading range and reference position can be obtained.

  FIG. 20 is a diagram illustrating a sixth example of the detection chart according to the present embodiment, similar to FIG. In the coarse adjustment pattern of FIG. 20, the size of the mark decreases toward the center for each reading unit. In this way, it is possible to easily determine the center position of the corresponding reading range, and it is also possible to easily determine which mark remains. Of course, the same effect can be obtained even when the size is increased toward the center.

  FIG. 21 is a diagram showing a modification of the detection chart shown in FIG. The coarse tone pattern in FIG. 21 is obtained by arranging the positions of the marks in the recording medium semi-bidirectional (X direction) in an inverted V shape. Also in this case, it is possible to easily determine the center position of the corresponding reading range, and it is also possible to easily determine which mark remains. It goes without saying that the same effect can be obtained even if the arrangement is V-shaped.

  In the defective recording element detection process according to the present embodiment, in the flowchart of FIG. 12, it is determined in step S103 whether the coarse adjustment pattern (mark) is detected instead of the start bar, and the coarse adjustment pattern detected in step S104. What is necessary is just to memorize | store subsequent as a chart area.

  According to the present embodiment, the configuration of the detection chart can be simplified as compared with the first embodiment.

<Third Embodiment>
The third embodiment according to the present invention will be described below. The third embodiment is also an ink jet recording apparatus similar to those of the first and second embodiments. In the following, description of the same parts as those of the first embodiment is omitted, and the characteristic of the third embodiment is described. The explanation will focus on the part.

  In the first and second embodiments, each recording element is associated with each mark constituting the individual recording element pattern based on the coarse adjustment pattern and the fine adjustment pattern, but more accuracy is required. Alternatively, the reference position (position shift reference position) used for calculating the position shift amount of each mark constituting the individual recording element pattern may be calculated again.

  For example, as in the first embodiment, after associating each recording element with each mark constituting the individual recording element pattern based on the coarse adjustment pattern and the fine adjustment pattern, a large number are recorded. The reference position may be calculated again based on the individual recording element pattern corresponding to the recording element.

  According to the present embodiment, it is possible to more accurately detect the recording state of each recording element.

<Fourth Embodiment>
The fourth embodiment according to the present invention will be described below. The fourth embodiment is also an ink jet recording apparatus similar to the first to third embodiments, and the description of the same parts as those of the first embodiment will be omitted below, and the characteristic of the fourth embodiment will be described. The explanation will focus on the part.

  In the first to third embodiments, the recording state of each recording element is detected using the position adjustment pattern including the coarse adjustment pattern and the fine adjustment pattern and the individual recording element pattern. If the relative positional relationship between the reading unit and each reading means of the reading unit is obtained in advance, or if relative positioning is performed in advance, the coarse adjustment pattern can be omitted, or the coarse adjustment pattern and the fine adjustment pattern Even if both are omitted, it is possible to accurately identify which recording element records each mark of the individual recording element pattern.

  Here, when only the coarse adjustment pattern 105 is omitted, the detection chart is obtained by omitting the black corners and black circles in FIG. 1, FIG. 2, or FIG. Based on the relative positional relationship with the means, each mark of the individual recording element pattern may be associated with the recording element from the reading position of the mark constituting the fine adjustment pattern 106.

  Further, when omitting not only the coarse adjustment pattern 105 but also the fine adjustment pattern 106, the reference position is calculated based on each mark of the individual recording element pattern 107 in FIG. 1, FIG. 2, or FIG. In order to discriminate without confusing each recording element even if the left top and right top vertical columns of the individual recording element pattern 107 are all missing, each reading of the recording head and the reading unit obtained in advance is performed. It is necessary to accurately recognize the position of each mark of the individual recording element pattern 107 based on the relative positional relationship with the means.

  In the case where at least one of the coarse adjustment pattern and the fine adjustment pattern is omitted, the recording element arrangement direction (Y direction) is performed during conveyance from when the detection chart 100 is recorded by the recording head to when it is read by the reading unit. ) Including the amount of deviation, relative positioning between the recording head and each reading means of the reading unit is required.

  As described above, relative positioning methods include a detection chart including only a pattern corresponding to the reading range of one reading unit, and a separate arrangement in a state where the recording head can perform normal recording. First, a detection chart including only a pattern corresponding to the reading range of a plurality of reading means is recorded, and the mounting position of the reading means or the recording head is set so that the corresponding reading means can accurately read without missing. After adjustment, it is necessary to identify the reading range of each reading means, including the correspondence with the printing element array. Alternatively, the reference position used to calculate the reference position and the reading range of each recording element is calculated from the coarse adjustment pattern, the fine adjustment pattern, and the marks constituting the individual recording element pattern constituting the detection chart, and the reading means The position of the recording element corresponding to both ends of the reading range may be identified in advance.

  According to the present embodiment, it is possible to accurately detect the recording state of each recording element while simplifying the configuration of the detection chart.

<Other embodiments>
The configuration of the detection chart according to the present invention is not limited to that illustrated in each of the above embodiments, and may be a configuration in which some of the configurations illustrated in the plurality of embodiments are combined. Furthermore, a configuration other than that exemplified in the above embodiment may be used as long as the configuration satisfies the gist of the present invention.

  In the above-described embodiments, the full-line type ink jet recording apparatus has been described as an example. However, the present invention can be applied to other types of recording apparatuses. For example, the mechanical configuration can be applied to a serial type recording apparatus as long as the test chart recorded by the recording element array is read by a plurality of reading means.

  Also, the recording method is not limited to the ink jet method, and can be applied to various types of recording apparatuses such as a thermal transfer method, a thermal sublimation method, and an LED head.

  Furthermore, the recording mode of the recording apparatus is not limited to the recording mode of only the mainstream color such as black, but the recording head may be integrated or may be a combination of a plurality of colors. An apparatus having at least one of full colors can also be provided.

  In addition, as a form of the recording apparatus according to the present invention, a copying apparatus combined with a reader or the like, and a transmission / reception function are provided as an image output terminal of an information processing apparatus such as a computer or the like. It may take the form of a facsimile machine or a combination machine combining them.

  In the present invention, a software program (in this embodiment, a program corresponding to the flowcharts shown in FIGS. 12 and 13) that realizes the functions of the above-described embodiment is directly or remotely supplied to a system or apparatus. This includes the case where the object is also achieved by reading and executing the supplied program code by the computer of the system or apparatus. In that case, as long as it has the function of a program, the form does not need to be a program.

  Accordingly, since the functions of the present invention are implemented by computer, the program code installed in the computer also implements the present invention. That is, the claims of the present invention include the computer program itself for realizing the functional processing of the present invention.

  In this case, the program may be in any form as long as it has a program function, such as an object code, a program executed by an interpreter, or script data supplied to the OS.

It is a figure showing the mode of recording of the chart for a detection in the recording device which concerns on this invention, and the reading in the reading part. It is another figure showing the recording of the chart for a detection in the recording device concerning this invention, and the mode of the reading in a reading part. 1 is a cross-sectional view showing a schematic configuration of an ink jet recording apparatus as an embodiment of a recording apparatus according to the present invention. It is another figure showing the mode of the recording of the chart for a detection in the recording device which concerns on this invention, and the reading state in a reading part. It is the figure which extracted the part recorded in the reading range of one reading means among the charts for a detection. It is a figure which shows the example of the conventional test chart. It is a figure which shows the structure of a conveyance belt. It is the front view which looked at the conveyance belt from the direction orthogonal to a conveyance direction. It is a block diagram which shows the control structure of the inkjet recording device of 1st Embodiment. It is a figure which shows the mode of the recording of the chart for a detection by 1st Embodiment, and the reading state in the reading part. It is a figure which shows the example of the pattern recorded on the handling range of one reading means among the charts for a detection of 1st Embodiment. 3 is a flowchart of a defective recording element detection process according to the first embodiment. It is a flowchart of the calculation process of the reference position for every reading means. It is a figure which shows the 1st example of the chart for a detection which concerns on 2nd Embodiment. It is a figure which shows the 2nd example of the chart for a detection which concerns on 2nd Embodiment. It is a figure which shows the 3rd example of the chart for a detection which concerns on 2nd Embodiment. It is a figure which shows the modification of the chart for a detection shown in FIG. It is a figure which shows the 4th example of the chart for a detection which concerns on 2nd Embodiment. It is a figure which shows the 5th example of the chart for a detection which concerns on 2nd Embodiment. It is a figure which shows the 6th example of the chart for a detection which concerns on 2nd Embodiment. It is a figure which shows the modification of the chart for a detection shown in FIG. It is a figure explaining the determination method of the recording state of 1st Embodiment. It is a figure which shows the image of the chart for a detection read by three reading means, when there are some defective recording elements which cannot be recorded. FIG. 24 is a diagram illustrating an image of the entire printing element array synthesized from the image of FIG. 23.

Explanation of symbols

ST sheet (recording medium)
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Recording device 2 Conveyance belt 3 Recording head 4 Reading part 31 Recording element row 41-43 Reading means 100 Detection chart 105 Coarse adjustment pattern 106 Fine adjustment pattern 107 Individual recording element pattern 108 Start bar 109 Position adjustment pattern 110 Judgment area

Claims (15)

A recording apparatus comprising a recording head having recording element arrays in which recording elements are arranged in a predetermined direction, and performing recording by relatively moving the recording head and a recording medium,
A plurality of reading means arranged in parallel with the recording element array, for dividing and reading an area recorded by the relative movement;
A coarse adjustment pattern including a first mark recorded by a plurality of recording elements corresponding to each reading unit, a fine adjustment pattern including a second mark corresponding to a pitch in the array of the recording element arrays, and each recording element A chart recording means for recording a detection chart including an individual pattern corresponding to an individual recording element to detect the recording state of the recording by the recording head;
Based on the reading result of the coarse adjustment pattern and the fine adjustment pattern, information on the relative positional relationship between the recording head and each reading unit is obtained, and the correspondence between the individual pattern and each recording element is determined. Means for responding to individual patterns,
A recording apparatus comprising: determination means for determining a recording state of each recording element based on the determined correspondence and the reading result of the individual pattern.   The individual pattern correspondence unit obtains, for each reading unit, a position serving as a reference of a reading range and a position serving as a reference for calculating a positional deviation amount of the individual pattern as information on the relative positional relationship. The recording apparatus according to claim 1. A storage means for storing the image read by each of the reading means;
The said individual pattern corresponding | compatible means contains the image processing means which cuts out the image memorize | stored in the said memory | storage means according to the reading range of each reading means based on the information of the said relative positional relationship. The recording apparatus according to 1 or 2.   4. The determination unit according to claim 1, wherein the determination unit determines whether or not a recording state of each recording element is defective based on the read presence / absence and density of the individual pattern. 5. Recording device.   The recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a part of the individual pattern also serves as the fine adjustment pattern.   6. The recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein in the coarse adjustment pattern, the first marks are arranged at a predetermined interval.   The recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the coarse adjustment pattern includes a plurality of the first marks corresponding to each reading unit.   The recording apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the plurality of first marks include figures having different shapes.   8. The recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein at least one of a size and a shape is different for each of the first marks included in the coarse adjustment pattern.   10. The recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein in the coarse adjustment pattern, the first mark is arranged so that a center position of the recording element array can be specified.   The recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the chart recording unit records the detection chart in the order of the coarse adjustment pattern, the fine adjustment pattern, and the individual pattern.   12. The recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the detection chart further includes a mark having a length corresponding to the recording element array indicating start of recording of the chart.   The recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the recording head is fixed, and recording is performed by moving the recording medium with respect to the recording head.   The recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein recording is performed by discharging ink from each recording element. Recording is performed by relatively moving a recording head having a recording element array in which recording elements are arranged in a predetermined direction and a recording medium, and is arranged in parallel with the recording element array, and recording is performed by the relative movement. A method for detecting a defect of a recording element in a recording apparatus, comprising a plurality of reading means for dividing and reading an area to be recorded,
A coarse adjustment pattern including a first mark recorded by a plurality of recording elements corresponding to each reading unit, a fine adjustment pattern including a second mark corresponding to a pitch in the array of the recording element arrays, and each recording element A chart recording step of recording a detection chart including an individual pattern corresponding to an individual recording element to detect a recording state of the recording by the recording head;
A reading step of reading the chart by the reading means;
Based on the reading result of the coarse adjustment pattern and the fine adjustment pattern, information on the relative positional relationship between the recording head and each reading unit is obtained, and the correspondence between the individual pattern and each recording element is determined. Individual pattern handling process to
And a determination step of determining a recording state of each recording element based on the determined correspondence and the reading result of the individual pattern.

Images