JP2008254358A - Recording system, recording device, image processor, and image processing method - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a recording system, a recording device, an image processor and an image processing method, capable of suppressing gloss irregularity on a recording medium, when printing is performed with a pigment ink on a recording medium having high glossiness. <P>SOLUTION: In the recording system including the recording device for recording on a recording medium by hitting a pigment ink on the recording medium, and the image processor for determining the hitting amount of the pigment ink based on a color separation table, the color separation table for a glossy recording medium has a smaller difference between the highest point and the lowest point in the glossiness than the color separation table for a non-glossy recording medium, when recording on the glossy recording medium. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a recording system, a recording apparatus, an image processing apparatus, and an image processing method for recording an image using pigment ink.

  Conventionally, as an ink used in an ink jet recording apparatus, a dye ink using a dye that dissolves stably in a solvent as a coloring material is used. Thus, when dye ink is used in an ink jet recording apparatus, each dye ink molecule absorbs light of a color other than the color emitted by the dye ink itself, so that the color emitted by the dye ink stands out. Color is developed. Further, if a dedicated recording medium is used, the dye ink soaks into the receiving layer and is adsorbed, so that the surface of the recording medium is maintained smooth and a high glossy recorded matter is obtained. However, since the color material of dye ink exists in molecules, the color material easily moves in the recording medium after recording, and it takes a long time for the ink to fix on the recording medium and develop color. In addition, the dye ink applied to the recording medium has a property of being easily deteriorated and easily faded by exposure to light or gas.

  On the other hand, in recent years, there has been an increasing demand for improving the color developability immediately after recording, the durability of recorded matter and the water resistance. In order to meet such a demand, an ink jet recording apparatus using a pigment ink using a pigment as a coloring material has been developed. In the pigment ink, since the color material is present as particles, the color material is easily fixed on the recording medium. Accordingly, the time required from when the pigment ink is fixed on the recording medium until the color is developed is small. In addition, in the case of pigment ink, even if the molecules on the surface of the color material particles are deteriorated by light or gas, the inner molecules contribute to color development, so that there is an advantage that fading does not easily occur.

  In general, in a dedicated recording medium used for an ink jet recording apparatus, fine holes are uniformly provided on the surface in order to improve the absorption of an ink solvent and the fixing of a coloring material. When the dye ink is applied to the recording medium by the ink jet recording apparatus, the dye in the dye ink is absorbed into the hole of the recording medium together with the solvent. In contrast, in the case of pigment ink, the solvent penetrates to the inside of the recording medium. However, since the size of the pigment molecule is larger than the size of the hole, the pigment hardly penetrates into the inside of the recording medium. That is, the fine particles of the pigment are fixed in a state where they are deposited on the surface of the recording medium. Accordingly, the portion of the recording medium to which the pigment ink is applied changes the glossiness of the surface due to the pigment ink, and the glossiness of the surface is different from the glossiness of the recording medium itself.

  By the way, the glossiness can be quantitatively measured by a test. The glossiness of paper and paperboard can be measured by the “75-degree specular gloss test method for paper and paperboard” in JIS standard number P8142. For high glossy paper such as cast paper, incident light whose angles from the straight line in the vertical direction are 60 degrees and 20 degrees according to “Specular Glossiness—Measurement Method” in JIS standard number Z8741. It is possible to measure with the measuring device used.

  For example, by using BYK-Gardner micro-hairs plus, it is possible to measure the glossiness of a patch recorded using a pigment ink on a glossy recording medium. At this time, light is irradiated from a direction inclined by 20 degrees with respect to the normal direction of the patch, and light is received at a position inclined by 20 degrees in the reverse direction, thereby measuring the surface of the high-gloss recording medium.

  FIG. 22 schematically illustrates a measurement method in which light is incident from a direction inclined by 20 degrees with respect to the normal direction of the patch and is received and measured in a direction inclined by 20 degrees in the reverse direction. It is. In FIG. 22, G0001 indicates a light source for irradiating light to the recording medium G0003 to be evaluated. G0002 indicates a light detection means for detecting reflected light from the recording medium G0003 to be evaluated. The light detection means G0002 is located at a position inclined at the same angle of 20 degrees on the side opposite to the light source with respect to the normal direction of the recording medium G0003. G0004 indicates a part to be measured which is measured by the light detection means G0002.

  The 20-degree specular gloss is the intensity of the light beam when light is incident on the sample at an incident angle of 20 degrees and the reflected light is detected by a light receiver installed in the regular reflection direction. The refractive index is n = 1.567. It is represented by a value (%) when the specular gloss of the black specular glass standard plate is 100.

  FIG. 23 shows the glossiness of the recording portion when each pigment ink is applied to a recording medium having a relatively high gloss. As will be described later, the 10-color pigment ink applied in the present invention is shown in FIG. Of these, the respective glossinesses are shown for the measurement results for nine colors. Specifically, each single-color patch recorded with pigment inks of cyan, magenta, yellow, second black, light cyan, light magenta, red, green, and gray was measured with the measuring apparatus as described above. The vertical axis represents the specular gloss of incident light having an incident angle of 20 degrees, and the horizontal axis plotted the ink application amount (applied amount) per unit area. The glossiness at an incident angle of 20 degrees when the ink ejection amount is 0 indicates the glossiness at an incident angle of 20 degrees of incident light of the recording medium itself. Note that the first black not shown here is an ink that is used in a high density region and rarely used at the same time as other inks, as will be described later in the embodiment. Not shown.

  As shown in FIG. 23, the glossiness of the portion to which the pigment ink is applied is different from the glossiness of the recording medium itself, and this glossiness also differs depending on the type of pigment ink. Accordingly, when recording is performed on a glossy recording medium using pigment ink, uneven gloss tends to occur. When such uneven gloss occurs, there is a possibility that the quality of the image may be deteriorated as a result, which gives the viewer a sense of incongruity.

  In addition, as shown in FIG. 23, the glossiness varies depending on the type of ink in the pigment ink, because the height of the ink droplet when applied on the recording medium varies depending on the type of ink. FIG. 24A shows a cross-sectional view of a recording medium and ink droplets when ink having high glossiness is applied to the recording medium and ink having low glossiness is applied to the recording medium. . As shown in FIG. 24A, when the height of the ink droplets on the recording medium is generally low, the surface covered with the ink droplets becomes smooth. Becomes higher. On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 24 (b), when the height of the ink droplet on the recording medium is high as a whole, the surface covered with the ink droplet becomes rough. The glossiness of the part is lowered. For this reason, the glossiness on the recording medium varies depending on the type of ink. If this difference in glossiness becomes large on the recording medium, the viewer may feel uncomfortable as uneven glossiness.

  When the ink applied to the recording medium is a dye ink, such a problem is unlikely to occur compared to the pigment ink. This is because the dye ink soaks into the inside of the recording medium and is fixed, and thus does not significantly affect the properties such as the glossiness of the surface of the recording medium.

  Several countermeasures have been proposed for the above problem. For example, according to the method for fixing ink to a recording medium proposed in Patent Document 1, after the ink is applied to the recording medium, fixing is performed using a heating roller, thereby increasing the surface of the recording portion of the recording medium. Align and smooth. Thus, a method is disclosed in which uneven glossiness of an image is suppressed and the glossiness of the surface of a recording medium is improved.

  In addition, according to the water-based pigment ink for ink jet proposed in Patent Document 2, a photocurable monomer or oligomer is contained inside, and after the ink is applied to a recording medium, the ink is cured by irradiation with ultraviolet rays or the like. Pigment inks are disclosed. Thereby, the fixability of the pigment ink to the recording medium is improved, and an image having a high glossiness is obtained. Further, according to Patent Document 2, it is described that a resin film is formed on the ink surface by irradiating ultraviolet rays or the like, and the glossiness is improved even when recording is performed on a glossy recording medium. ing.

  Patent Document 3 proposes an ink jet recording method in which the glossiness is improved by applying an overcoat liquid and forming a film after applying ink to a recording medium. According to the recording method disclosed in Patent Document 3, uneven glossiness on the surface of the recording medium is obtained by adjusting the surface of the recording medium to a certain height by covering the ink droplets applied on the recording medium with the overcoat liquid. It is said that the gloss is improved and the glossiness is improved.

  However, the methods described in Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2 require a heating roller for heating the recorded material, a light irradiation means for irradiating ultraviolet rays, and the like. For this reason, a recording apparatus including an apparatus for improving the glossiness of the recording portion of the recording medium becomes large, and the process for forming an image becomes complicated. Therefore, it is not preferable to newly provide a large-scale configuration for improving the glossiness as in the above-mentioned patent document.

  In addition, in the method described in Patent Document 3 described above, an overcoat liquid must be mounted on the carriage in addition to the ink used to form an image. Further, since the overcoat liquid is applied to the background color (paper white) portion of the paper to which no ink is applied to form a film, the texture of the recording medium itself is impaired.

JP 2001-200193 A JP 2001-323192 A JP 2002-144551 A

  When recording on a recording medium having a relatively low glossiness, the recording medium itself does not have a high glossiness. Therefore, even if the pigment ink is applied onto the recording medium, the recording medium and the ink are not used. There is not much difference in glossiness between the applied portion (recording portion). (Hereinafter, a recording medium having a relatively low gloss is referred to as non-glossy paper or non-glossy recording medium.) However, when recording is performed on a recording medium having a relatively high gloss, Glossiness differences can be a problem. (Hereinafter, a relatively high gloss recording medium is referred to as glossy paper or glossy recording medium.) Generally, glossy paper has a high gloss because its surface is kept smooth. However, when the recording is performed on the glossy paper with the pigment ink, the pigment ink is deposited on the recording portion, and the smoothness of the surface is deteriorated in the recording portion of the recording medium. Accordingly, there may be a difference in glossiness between the recording medium itself and the recording portion.

  Furthermore, as described with reference to FIG. 23, the glossiness on the recording medium varies depending on the type of pigment ink applied to the recording unit. Therefore, when recording is performed on glossy paper using pigment ink, the glossiness may vary greatly depending on the position on the recording medium. When such a large difference in glossiness exists on the recording medium, a sense of incongruity due to the difference in glossiness occurs, and this is visually recognized by the viewer as “gloss unevenness”.

  Therefore, in view of the above circumstances, the object of the present invention is to reduce the difference in gloss when recording with a pigment ink on a recording medium having high gloss. Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a recording system, a recording apparatus, an image processing apparatus, and an image processing method capable of outputting an image with improved gloss quality on the recording medium and improved image quality to the recording medium.

  According to the recording system of the present invention, a recording apparatus that performs recording on the recording medium by ejecting pigment ink onto the recording medium, and an amount of the pigment ink applied based on a color separation table connected to the recording apparatus. In the recording system including the image processing apparatus, the image processing apparatus includes a color separation table for the glossy recording medium that defines an amount of the pigment ink to be printed by the recording apparatus on the glossy recording medium, and the recording And a color separation table for the non-glossy recording medium that determines the amount of the pigment ink to be printed on the non-glossy recording medium, and the glossy recording medium based on the color separation table for the glossy recording medium The difference between the highest and lowest glossiness when recording is performed on the glossy recording medium based on the color separation table for the non-glossy recording medium. Characterized in that less than the difference between the highest and lowest points of glossiness in the case of performing.

  Further, according to the recording apparatus of the present invention, in the recording apparatus that records on the recording medium by ejecting the pigment ink of the amount determined based on the color separation table onto the recording medium, the recording is performed on the glossy recording medium. A color separation table for a glossy recording medium for determining the amount of the pigment ink to be printed, and a color separation table for a non-glossy recording medium for determining the amount of the pigment ink to be printed on the non-glossy recording medium. The difference between the highest and lowest glossiness when recording on the glossy recording medium based on the color separation table for the glossy recording medium is based on the color separation table for the non-glossy recording medium. The difference between the highest and lowest glossiness when recording on the glossy recording medium is smaller.

  Further, according to the image processing apparatus of the present invention, the image is connected to a recording apparatus that records on the recording medium by driving the pigment ink onto the recording medium, and determines the amount of the pigment ink applied based on a color separation table. In a processing apparatus, a color separation table for a glossy recording medium that determines an amount of the pigment ink to be printed by the recording apparatus on a glossy recording medium, and the pigment ink for the recording apparatus to record on a non-glossy recording medium A color separation table for a non-glossy recording medium that determines the driving amount of the glossy recording medium, and the color separation table for the glossy recording medium has a highest point and a lowest point of gloss when recording is performed on the glossy recording medium. Is designed to be smaller than the color separation table for the non-glossy recording medium.

  Further, according to the image processing method of the present invention, in the image processing method for determining the amount of the pigment ink applied when recording on the recording medium by applying the pigment ink to the recording medium based on the color separation table, A step of setting the type of the recording medium to either a glossy recording medium or a non-glossy recording medium, and a color separation table for the glossy recording medium and a color for the non-glossy recording medium according to the set type of the recording medium Selecting the color separation table from the separation table, and the highest and lowest glossiness when recording on the glossy recording medium based on the color separation table for the glossy recording medium, Is smaller than the difference between the highest point and the lowest point of gloss when recording on the glossy recording medium based on the color separation table for the non-glossy recording medium. .

  According to the present invention, when recording is performed on a glossy recording medium, recording is performed using the glossy recording medium table in which the difference in glossiness on the recording medium is smaller than that of the non-glossy recording medium table. As described above, by performing recording on a glossy recording medium using the glossy recording medium table, it is possible to suppress the occurrence of uneven glossiness on the recording medium.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.
1. 1. Basic Configuration 1.1 Overview of Recording System FIG. 1 is a diagram for explaining the flow of image data processing in a recording system applied in an embodiment of the present invention. The recording system J0011 includes a host device J0012 and a recording device J0013. The host device J0012 is an image processing device that generates image data indicating an image to be recorded, sets a UI (user interface) for generating the data, and the like. The recording device J0013 records on the recording medium based on the image data generated by the host device J0012. The recording apparatus J0013 includes cyan (C), light cyan (Lc), magenta (M), light magenta (Lm), yellow (Y), red (R), green (G), first black (K1), and second. Recording is performed with 10 color inks of black (K2) and gray (Gray). The recording head H1001 is formed so as to be able to eject these 10 colors of ink. These 10 color inks are pigment inks containing a pigment as a coloring material.

  As programs that operate in the operating system of the host device J0012, there are applications and printer drivers. The application J0001 executes processing for creating image data to be recorded by the recording apparatus. This image data or data before editing or the like can be taken into a PC via various media. The host device according to the present embodiment can first take in, for example, JPEG format image data captured by a digital camera using a CF card. Also, for example, TIFF format image data read by a scanner or image data stored in a CD-ROM can be captured. Furthermore, data on the web can be taken in via the Internet. These captured data are displayed on the monitor of the host device and edited, processed, etc. via the application J0001, for example, image data R, G, B of sRGB standard is created. On the UI screen displayed on the monitor of the host device J0012, the user sets the type of recording medium used for recording, the quality of recording, and issues a recording instruction. In response to this recording instruction, the image data R, G, B are transferred to the printer driver.

  The printer driver includes a pre-stage process J0002, a post-stage process J0003, a γ correction J0004, a halftoning J0005, and a print data creation J0006. Hereinafter, each process J0002 to J0006 performed by the printer driver will be briefly described.

(A) Pre-processing The pre-processing J0002 performs color gamut mapping. In the present embodiment, data conversion is performed for mapping the color gamut reproduced by the image data R, G, and B into the color gamut reproduced by the recording apparatus J0013. Specifically, 256-gradation image data R, G, and B, each of which is represented by 8 bits, are converted into 8-bit data in the color gamut of the recording apparatus J0013 by using a three-dimensional LUT. Convert to R, G, B.

(B) Subsequent Process The post-process J0003 is an 8-bit color separation data Y corresponding to a combination of inks that reproduces the color represented by the data based on the 8-bit data R, G, B on which the color gamut is mapped. , M, Lm, C, Lc, K1, K2, R, G, and Gray are generated. As described above, the process of determining the amount of each ink for reproducing the color defined by the color signal RGB is also referred to as “color separation process (color conversion process)”. Note that this processing is performed using interpolation calculation in combination with the three-dimensional LUT, as in the previous processing.

  In the present embodiment, the characteristic color separation processing in the present invention is performed in the subsequent processing step. In this embodiment, for a recording medium having a relatively high glossiness such as glossy paper, the host device performs color separation processing using a table that reduces gloss unevenness as described later. Further, for a recording medium with a relatively low glossiness such as plain paper, the host device performs color separation processing using a table that places little emphasis on uneven glossiness. As described above, in the present embodiment, two types of tables are selectively used according to the recording medium to perform the color separation process. The color separation process may be performed in another process. Detailed description of the color separation processing will be described later.

(C) γ Processing The γ correction J0004 performs density value (gradation value) conversion for each color data of the color separation data obtained by the subsequent processing J0003. Specifically, by using a one-dimensional LUT corresponding to the gradation characteristics of each color ink of the printing apparatus J0013, conversion is performed so that the color separation data is linearly associated with the gradation characteristics of the printer.

(D) Halftoning Halftoning J0005 is a quantum that converts 8-bit color-separated data Y, M, Lm, C, Lc, K1, K2, R, G, and Gray that have been γ-corrected into 4-bit data. To do. In the present embodiment, 256-bit 8-bit data is converted to 9-gradation 4-bit data using an error diffusion method. This 4-bit data is data serving as an index for indicating an arrangement pattern in the dot arrangement patterning process in the printing apparatus.

(E) Recording data creation process At the end of the process performed by the printer driver, the recording data creation process J0006 creates recording data in which recording control information is added to the recording image data containing the 4-bit index data. .

  FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a configuration example of such recording data. The recording data is composed of recording control information for controlling recording and recording image data (the above-described 4-bit index data) indicating an image to be recorded. The recording control information includes “recording medium information”, “recording quality information”, and “other control information” such as a paper feed method. The recording medium information describes the type of recording medium to be recorded, and any one type of recording medium is defined among plain paper, glossy paper, postcard, and printable disc. The recording quality information describes the quality of the recording, and any one of “clean”, “standard”, “fast”, etc. is defined. The recording control information is formed based on the content specified by the user on the UI screen on the monitor of the host device J0012. Further, it is assumed that the recorded image data describes the image data generated by the above-described halftone process J0005. The recording data generated as described above is supplied to the recording device J0013.

  The printing apparatus J0013 performs the following dot arrangement patterning process J0007 and mask data conversion process J0008 on the printing data supplied from the host apparatus J0012.

(F) Dot arrangement patterning process In the above-described halftone process J0005, the number of gradation levels is reduced from 256-value multi-value density information (8-bit data) to 9-value gradation value information (4-bit data). . However, data that can be actually recorded by the printing apparatus J0013 is binary data (1 bit data) indicating whether or not ink dots are printed. Therefore, in the dot arrangement patterning process J0007, for each pixel represented by 4-bit data of gradation levels 0 to 8, which is an output value from the halftone process J0005, the gradation value (level 0 to 8) of that pixel is represented. ) Is assigned to the dot arrangement pattern. This defines whether or not ink dots are recorded in each of a plurality of areas in one pixel (dot on / off), and 1-bit binary data of “1” or “0” for each area in one pixel. Place. Here, “1” is binary data indicating dot recording, and “0” is binary data indicating non-recording.

  FIG. 3 shows output patterns for input levels 0 to 8 that are converted by the dot arrangement patterning processing of the present embodiment. Each level value shown on the left of the drawing corresponds to level 0 to level 8 which are output values from the halftone processing unit on the host device side. An area composed of 2 vertical areas × 4 horizontal areas arranged on the right side corresponds to an area of one pixel output by halftone processing. Each area in one pixel corresponds to a minimum unit in which dot on / off is defined. In this specification, the “pixel” is a minimum unit that can express gradation, and is a target of image processing of multi-bit multi-value data (processing such as the preceding stage, the latter stage, γ correction, and halftoning). Is the smallest unit.

  In the figure, the area filled with a circle indicates an area where dots are recorded, and the number of dots to be recorded increases by one as the number of levels increases. In the present embodiment, the density information of the original image is finally reflected in such a form.

  (4n) to (4n + 3) indicate pixel positions in the horizontal direction from the left end of the image data to be recorded by substituting an integer of 1 or more for n. Each pattern shown below indicates that a plurality of different patterns are prepared according to pixel positions even at the same input level. That is, even when the same level is input, four types of dot arrangement patterns shown in (4n) to (4n + 3) are cyclically assigned on the recording medium.

  In FIG. 3, the vertical direction is the direction in which the ejection ports of the recording head are arranged, and the horizontal direction is the scanning direction of the recording head. In this way, it is possible to perform recording with a plurality of different dot arrangements for the same level. This is because the number of ejections is distributed between the nozzles located at the upper and lower positions of the dot arrangement pattern, This has the effect of dispersing various noises.

  When the dot arrangement patterning process described above is completed, all dot arrangement patterns for the recording medium are determined.

(G) Mask Data Conversion Process Since the dot arrangement patterning process J0007 described above determines the presence / absence of dots for each area on the recording medium, binary data indicating this dot arrangement is sent to the drive circuit J0009 of the recording head H1001. If input, a desired image can be recorded. In this case, so-called one-pass printing is executed, in which printing for the same scanning area on the printing medium is completed by one scan. However, here, an example of so-called multi-pass printing in which printing on the same scanning area on the printing medium is completed by a plurality of scans will be described.

  FIG. 4 schematically shows a recording head and a recording pattern in order to explain the multipass recording method. The recording head H10001 applied to this embodiment actually has 768 nozzles, but here it will be described as having 16 nozzles for simplicity. As shown in the drawing, the nozzles are divided into first to fourth nozzle groups, and each nozzle group includes four nozzles. The mask pattern P0002 includes first to fourth mask patterns P0002 (a) to P0002 (d). The first to fourth mask patterns P0002 (a) to P0002 (d) define areas where the first to fourth nozzle groups can be recorded. The black area in the mask pattern indicates a recording allowable area, and the white area indicates a non-recording area. The first to fourth mask patterns P0002 (a) to P0002 (d) are complementary to each other, and when these four mask patterns are overlapped, recording of a region corresponding to a 4 × 4 area is completed. It has become.

  Each pattern indicated by P0003 to P0006 shows a state in which an image is completed by overlapping recording scans. At the end of each printing scan, the printing medium is conveyed by the width of the nozzle group (four nozzles in this figure) in the direction of the arrow in the figure. Therefore, the same area of the recording medium (area corresponding to the width of each nozzle group) is configured such that an image is completed only after four recording scans. As described above, the formation of each same area of the recording medium by a plurality of nozzle groups by a plurality of scans has an effect of reducing variations peculiar to the nozzles and variations in the conveyance accuracy of the recording medium.

  FIG. 5 shows an example of a mask pattern that can be actually applied in this embodiment. The recording head H1001 applied in this embodiment has 768 nozzles, and 192 nozzles belong to each of the four nozzle groups. The mask pattern size is 768 areas in the vertical direction equivalent to the number of nozzles and 256 areas in the horizontal direction, and the four mask patterns corresponding to each of the four nozzle groups maintain a complementary relationship with each other. It has become.

  By the way, in an ink jet recording head that discharges a large number of small droplets at a high frequency as applied in the present embodiment, an air flow is generated in the vicinity of the recording unit during a recording operation, and this air flow is particularly generated at the end of the recording head. It has been confirmed that it affects the discharge direction of the nozzle located in the position. Therefore, in the mask pattern of this embodiment, as can be seen from FIG. 5, the distribution of the printing allowance is biased depending on the region in each nozzle group or the same nozzle group. As shown in FIG. 5, by applying a mask pattern having a configuration in which the recording allowance of the end nozzles is smaller than the recording allowance of the center, landing position deviation of the ink droplets ejected by the end nozzles This makes it possible to make the harmful effects caused by.

  The recording allowance defined by the mask pattern is a percentage of the number of recording allowance areas with respect to the total number of recording allowance areas and non-recording allowance areas constituting the mask pattern. Note that the print permitting area refers to the black painted area of the mask pattern P0002 in FIG. 4, and the non-print permitting area refers to the white painted area of the mask pattern P0002 in FIG. That is, if the mask pattern recording allowable area is M and the non-recording allowable area is N, the mask pattern recording allowable ratio (%) is M ÷ (M + N) × 100.

  In the present embodiment, the mask data shown in FIG. 5 is stored in a memory in the recording apparatus main body. In the mask data conversion process J0008, an AND process is performed between the mask data and the binary data obtained by the above-described dot arrangement patterning process, so that a binary to be recorded in each recording scan is obtained. Data is determined. Then, the binary data is sent to the drive circuit J0009. As a result, the recording head H1001 is driven and ink is ejected according to the binary data.

  In FIG. 1, the pre-stage process J0002, the post-stage process J0003, the γ process J0004, the halftoning J0005, and the recording data creation process J0006 are executed by the host device J0012. The embodiment in which the dot arrangement patterning process J0007 and the mask data conversion process J0008 are executed by the printing apparatus J0013 has been described. However, the flow of image data processing in the recording system is not limited to this form. For example, a part of the processes J0002 to J0005 executed by the host device J0012 may be executed by the recording device J0013, or all may be executed by the host device J0012. Alternatively, the processing J0002 to J0008 may be executed by the recording device J0013.

1.2 Configuration of Mechanism Unit The configuration of each mechanism unit in the recording apparatus applied in the present embodiment will be described. The recording apparatus main body in the present embodiment can be generally classified into a paper feed unit, a paper transport unit, a paper discharge unit, a carriage unit, a flat path recording unit, a cleaning unit, and the like based on the role of each mechanism unit. Is housed in the exterior.

  6, FIG. 7, FIG. 8, FIG. 12, and FIG. 13 are perspective views showing the external appearance of a recording apparatus applied in this embodiment. Here, FIG. 6 shows a state viewed from the front when the recording apparatus is not used, and FIG. 7 shows a state viewed from the rear when the recording apparatus is not used. 8 shows a state seen from the front when the recording apparatus is used, FIG. 12 shows a state seen from the front during flat pass recording, and FIG. 13 shows a state seen from the back during flat pass recording. FIGS. 9 to 11 and FIGS. 14 to 17 are diagrams for explaining the internal mechanism of the recording apparatus main body. 9 is a perspective view from the upper right portion, FIG. 10 is a perspective view from the upper left portion, FIG. 11 is a side sectional view of the recording apparatus main body, and FIG. 14 is a sectional view at the time of flat pass recording. 15 is a perspective view of the cleaning unit, FIG. 16 is a sectional view for explaining the configuration and operation of the wiping mechanism in the cleaning unit, and FIG. 17 is a sectional view of the wet liquid transfer unit in the cleaning unit. is there.

  Hereinafter, each part will be sequentially described with reference to these drawings as appropriate.

(A) Exterior part (FIGS. 6 and 7)
The exterior part is attached so as to cover the periphery of the paper feed part, paper transport part, paper discharge part, carriage part, cleaning part, flat path part and wet liquid transfer part. The exterior portion mainly includes a lower case M7080, an upper case M7040, an access cover M7030, a connector cover, and a front cover M7010.

  A lower discharge tray rail (not shown) is provided below the lower case M7080, and the divided discharge tray M3160 can be stored. Further, the front cover M7010 is configured to close the paper discharge port when not in use.

  An access cover M7030 is attached to the upper case M7040 and is configured to be rotatable. A part of the upper surface of the upper case has an opening, and the ink tank H1900 and the recording head H1001 (FIG. 21) can be exchanged at this position. In the recording apparatus according to the present embodiment, the recording head H1001 is in the form of a unit in which a plurality of ejection portions capable of ejecting one color of ink are integrally configured, and the ink tank H1900 is independent for each color. The recording head cartridge H1000 is detachable from the recording head cartridge H1000. Further, the upper case M7040 is provided with an LED guide M7060 for transmitting and displaying LED light, a power key E0018, a resume key E0019, a flat pass key E3004, and the like. Although not shown, the upper case M7040 is provided with a door switch lever for detecting opening / closing of the access cover M7030. Further, the multi-stage type paper feed tray M2060 is rotatably attached, and when the paper feed unit is not used, the paper feed tray M2060 is accommodated so that it also serves as a cover for the paper feed unit. Has been.

  The upper case M7040 and the lower case M7080 are attached with elastic fitting claws, and a connector cover (not shown) covers a portion where the connector portion is provided therebetween.

(B) Paper feed unit (FIGS. 8 and 11)
Referring to FIGS. 8 and 11, the paper feed unit is configured by attaching a pressure plate M2010, a paper feed roller M2080, a separation roller M2041, a return lever M2020, and the like to the base M2000. Here, the pressure plate M2010 is a portion on which recording media are stacked. The paper feed roller M2080 feeds the recording medium one by one from the pressure plate M2010. The separation roller M2041 separates the recording medium fed by the paper feed roller M2080 for each predetermined path. The return lever M2020 is arranged to return the recording medium to the stacking position.

(C) Paper transport unit (FIGS. 8 to 11)
A conveyance roller M3060 for conveying a recording medium and a paper end sensor (hereinafter referred to as a PE sensor) E0007 are rotatably attached to a chassis M1010 made of a bent metal sheet. The conveying roller M3060 has a structure in which ceramic fine particles are coated on the surface of a metal shaft, and is attached to the chassis M1010 in a state where the metal portions of both shafts are received by bearings (not shown). The conveyance roller M3060 is provided with a roller tension spring (not shown), and by energizing the conveyance roller M3060, an appropriate amount of load is applied during rotation so that stable conveyance can be performed.

  A plurality of driven pinch rollers M3070 are provided in contact with the transport roller M3060. The pinch roller M3070 is held by the pinch roller holder M3000, but is urged by a pinch roller spring (not shown) to be brought into pressure contact with the conveyance roller M3060, and generates a conveyance force for the recording medium. At this time, the rotation shaft of the pinch roller holder M3000 is attached to the bearing of the chassis M1010 and rotates around this position.

  A paper guide flapper M3030 and a platen M3040 for guiding the recording medium are disposed at the entrance where the recording medium is conveyed. The pinch roller holder M3000 is provided with a PE sensor lever M3021, and the PE sensor lever M3021 plays a role of transmitting the detection of the leading edge and the trailing edge of the recording medium to the PE sensor E0007. The platen M3040 is attached to the chassis M1010 and positioned. The paper guide flapper M3030 can rotate around a bearing portion (not shown) and is positioned by contacting the chassis M1010.

  A recording head H1001 (FIG. 21) is provided on the downstream side of the conveyance roller M3060 in the recording medium conveyance direction.

  The conveyance process in the above configuration will be described. The recording medium sent to the paper transport unit is guided by the pinch roller holder M3000 and the paper guide flapper M3030, and is sent to the roller pair of the transport roller M3060 and the pinch roller M3070. At this time, the PE sensor lever M3021 detects the leading edge of the recording medium, and thereby the recording position with respect to the recording medium is obtained. A roller pair composed of a conveyance roller M3060 and a pinch roller M3070 is rotated by driving of the LF motor E0002, and the recording medium is conveyed on the platen M3040 by this rotation. The platen M3040 is provided with a rib serving as a conveyance reference surface, and a gap between the recording head H1001 and the recording medium surface is managed by the rib. At the same time, the ribs play a role of suppressing the undulation of the recording medium together with a paper discharge unit described later.

  The driving force for rotating the transport roller M3060 is transmitted, for example, to the pulley M3061 provided on the shaft of the transport roller M3060 via a timing belt (not shown) from the LF motor E0002 made of a DC motor. It is obtained by doing. A code wheel M3062 for detecting the amount of conveyance by the conveyance roller M3060 is provided on the axis of the conveyance roller M3060. Further, an encode sensor M3090 for reading the marking formed on the code wheel M3062 is disposed in the chassis M1010 adjacent thereto. The markings formed on the code wheel M3062 are formed at a pitch of 150 to 300 lpi (line / inch; reference value).

(D) Paper discharge section (FIGS. 8 to 11)
The paper discharge unit includes a first paper discharge roller M3100, a second paper discharge roller M3110, a plurality of spurs M3120, a gear train, and the like.

  The first paper discharge roller M3100 is configured by providing a plurality of rubber portions on a metal shaft. The first paper discharge roller M3100 is driven by transmitting the driving of the transport roller M3060 to the first paper discharge roller M3100 via an idler gear.

  The second paper discharge roller M3110 has a structure in which a plurality of elastomer elastic bodies M3111 are attached to a resin shaft. The second paper discharge roller M3110 is driven by transmitting the drive of the first paper discharge roller M3100 via an idler gear.

  The spur M3120 is formed by integrating a circular thin plate made of, for example, SUS, which has a plurality of convex shapes around the resin portion, and is attached to the spur holder M3130. This attachment is performed by a spur spring provided with a coil spring in a rod shape. At the same time, the spring force of the spur spring causes the spur M3120 to contact the discharge rollers M3100 and M3110 with a predetermined pressure. With this configuration, the spur M3120 can be rotated following the two discharge rollers M3100 and M3110. Some of the spurs M3120 are provided at the position of the rubber portion of the first paper discharge roller M3100 or the elastic body M3111 of the second paper discharge roller M3110, and mainly play a role of generating the conveyance force of the recording medium. Yes. In addition, some others are provided at positions where the rubber part or the elastic body M3111 is not present, and mainly play a role of suppressing the lifting of the recording medium during recording.

  Further, the gear train plays a role of transmitting the driving of the transport roller M3060 to the paper discharge rollers M3100 and M3110.

  With the above configuration, the recording medium on which an image has been formed is sandwiched between the nip between the first paper discharge roller M3110 and the spur M3120, conveyed, and discharged to the paper discharge tray M3160. The paper discharge tray M3160 is divided into a plurality of parts and can be stored in a lower part of a lower case M7080 described later. When used, pull out. Further, the discharge tray M3160 is designed such that its height increases toward the leading end, and both ends thereof are held at high positions, improving the stackability of the discharged recording medium, rubbing the recording surface, and the like. Is preventing.

(E) Carriage part (FIGS. 9 to 11)
The carriage unit has a carriage M4000 for mounting the recording head H1001, and the carriage M4000 is supported by a guide shaft M4020 and a guide rail M1011. The guide shaft M4020 is attached to the chassis M1010 and guides and supports the carriage M4000 to reciprocate in a direction perpendicular to the recording medium conveyance direction. The guide rail M1011 is formed integrally with the chassis M1010, and holds the rear end of the carriage M4000 and plays a role of maintaining a gap between the recording head H1001 and the recording medium. Further, a sliding sheet M4030 made of a thin plate of stainless steel or the like is stretched on the sliding side of the guide rail M1011 with respect to the carriage M4000 so as to reduce the sliding noise of the recording apparatus.

  The carriage M4000 is driven via a timing belt M4041 by a carriage motor E0001 attached to the chassis M1010. The timing belt M4041 is stretched and supported by an idle pulley M4042. Further, the timing belt M4041 is coupled to the carriage M4000 via a carriage damper made of rubber or the like, and the unevenness of the recorded image is reduced by attenuating the vibration of the carriage motor E0001 or the like.

  An encoder scale E0005 (described later with reference to FIG. 18) for detecting the position of the carriage M4000 is provided in parallel with the timing belt M4041. On the encoder scale E0005, markings are formed at a pitch of 150 lpi to 300 lpi. An encoder sensor E0004 (described later with reference to FIG. 18) for reading the marking is provided on a carriage substrate E0013 (described later with reference to FIG. 18) mounted on the carriage M4000. The carriage substrate E0013 is also provided with a head contact E0101 for electrical connection with the recording head H1001. In addition, a flexible cable E0012 (not shown) for transmitting a drive signal from the electric board E0014 to the recording head H1001 is connected to the carriage M4000.

  As a configuration for fixing the recording head H1001 to the carriage M4000, an abutting portion (not shown) for positioning the recording head H1001 against the carriage M4000 is provided on the carriage M4000. Further, pressing means (not shown) for fixing the recording head H1001 at a predetermined position is provided on the carriage M4000. The pressing means is mounted on the head set lever M4010, and is configured to act on the recording head H1001 by turning the head set lever M4010 about the rotation fulcrum when setting the recording head H1001.

  Further, the carriage M4000 is provided with a position detection sensor M4090 including a reflection type optical sensor for recording on a special medium such as a CD-R or for detecting the position of a recording result or a sheet edge. . The position detection sensor M4090 can detect the current position of the carriage M4000 by emitting light from the light emitting element and receiving the reflected light.

  When an image is formed on the recording medium in the above configuration, the roller pair including the conveyance roller M3060 and the pinch roller M3070 conveys and positions the recording medium with respect to the row position. For the row position, the carriage M4000 is moved in a direction perpendicular to the transport direction by the carriage motor E0001 to place the recording head H1001 at the target image forming position. The positioned recording head H1001 ejects ink to the recording medium in accordance with a signal from the electric substrate E0014. In the recording apparatus according to the present embodiment, the recording is performed by the recording head H1001, and the carriage M4000 alternately repeats the recording main scanning and the sub-scanning to form an image on the recording medium. Yes. Here, the main recording scan refers to scanning in the direction of the ejection port array, and the sub-scan refers to scanning in the direction in which the recording medium is conveyed by the conveyance roller M3060. The detailed configuration and recording system of the recording head H1001 will be described later.

(F) Flat pass recording unit (FIGS. 12 to 14)
Paper feeding from the paper feeding unit is performed in a state where the recording medium is bent because the path through which the recording medium passes is bent until reaching the pinch roller as shown in FIG. Therefore, for example, when a thick recording medium of about 0.5 mm or more is to be fed from the sheet feeding unit, a reaction force of the bent recording medium may be generated, and the sheet feeding resistance may increase to prevent sheet feeding. . Even if paper can be fed, the recording medium after being ejected may remain bent or bend.

  Flat-pass recording is performed on a recording medium that is not desired to be bent, such as a thick recording medium, or a recording medium that cannot be bent, such as a CD-R.

  Here, in flat pass recording, there is a type in which recording is performed by causing a recording medium to be nipped by a pinch roller of the main body from the opening on the slit on the back of the main body (under the paper feeding device) in a manual feed mode. However, the flat-pass recording according to the present embodiment is a mode in which recording is performed after a recording medium is fed from a paper discharge port on the front side of the main body to a recording position and switched back.

  The front cover M7010 is below the paper discharge unit to serve also as a tray for stacking about several tens of normally recorded recording media (FIG. 8). During flat-pass recording, the front tray M7010 is raised to the position of the paper discharge port in order to feed the recording medium horizontally from the paper discharge port in the direction opposite to the normal transport direction (FIG. 12). The front tray M7010 is provided with a hook or the like (not shown), and the front tray can be fixed at the flat path paper feed position. The presence of the front tray M7010 at the flat pass recording position can be detected by a sensor, and the flat pass recording mode can be determined according to the detection.

  In the flat pass recording mode, the flat pass key E3004 is operated to place the recording medium on the front tray M7010 and insert the recording medium from the paper discharge outlet. Thereby, the spur holder M3130 and the pinch roller holder M3000 are lifted by a mechanism (not shown) to a position higher than the assumed thickness of the recording medium. Further, the rear tray M7090 can be opened by pressing the rear tray button M7110, and the rear subtray M7091 can be opened in a V shape (FIG. 13). The rear tray M7090 and the rear sub-tray M7091 are trays for supporting a long recording medium also on the back of the main body, since the rear recording tray protrudes from the back of the main body when a long recording medium is inserted from the front of the main body. If a thick recording medium does not maintain a flat posture during recording, it may rub against the head face surface or the transport load may change, which may affect the recording quality. It is. However, if the recording medium has a length that does not protrude from the back of the main body, the rear tray M7090 or the like need not be opened.

  As described above, the recording medium can be inserted into the main body from the paper discharge port. The rear end of the recording medium (the end on the near side closest to the user) and the right end are aligned with the marker position of the front tray M7010 and placed on the front tray M7010.

  When the flat pass key E3004 is operated again here, the spur holder 3130 descends and the recording medium is nipped by the paper discharge rollers M3100 and M3110 and the spur 3120. Thereafter, the recording medium is pulled into the main body by a predetermined amount by the paper discharge rollers M3100 and M3110 (the direction opposite to the conveying direction during normal recording). When the recording medium is set for the first time, the front end (rear end) of the recording medium is aligned, so the front end of the short recording medium (end farthest from the user's end) is the transport roller M3060. May not reach. Accordingly, the predetermined amount is a distance until the rear end of the assumed shortest recording medium reaches the conveyance roller M3060. Since the recording medium fed by a predetermined amount reaches the conveying roller M3060, the pinch roller holder M3000 is lowered at that position, and the recording medium is nipped by the conveying roller M3060 and the pinch roller M3070. Then, the recording medium is further fed so that the rear end portion is nipped by the conveying roller M3060 and the pinch roller M3070. This completes the feeding of the recording medium for flat path recording (recording standby position).

  The nip force between the paper discharge rollers M3100 and M3110 and the spur M3120 is set to be relatively low so as not to affect the formed image during paper discharge during normal recording. Accordingly, there is a risk that the position of the recording medium may be shifted before recording is performed during flat pass recording. However, in the present embodiment, the recording medium is nipped by the conveying roller M3060 and the pinch roller M3070 having a relatively high nip force, so that the setting position of the recording medium is secured. Further, when the recording medium is fed into the main body by the predetermined amount, the rear end position of the recording medium (the front end position at the time of recording) is detected by the flat path paper detection sensor M3170 located between the platen M3040 and the spur holder M3130. be able to.

  When the recording medium is set at the recording standby position, a recording command is executed. In other words, the recording medium is transported by the transport roller M3060 to the recording position by the recording head H1001, and thereafter, recording is performed in the same manner as the normal recording operation, and the paper is discharged to the front tray M7010 after recording.

  If further flat pass recording is desired, the recorded recording medium is taken out from the front tray M7010, the next recording medium is set, and then the above-described processing is repeated. Specifically, it starts by pushing the flat pass key E3004 to lift the spur holder M3130 and the pinch roller holder M3000 and set the recording medium.

  On the other hand, when the flat pass recording is ended, the normal recording mode can be restored by returning the front tray M7010 to the normal recording position.

(G) Cleaning unit (FIGS. 15 and 16)
The cleaning unit is a mechanism for cleaning the recording head H1001. The cleaning unit includes a pump M5000, a cap M5010 for suppressing the drying of the recording head H1001, a blade M5020 for cleaning the discharge port forming surface of the recording head H1001, and the like.

  A dedicated cleaning motor E0003 is disposed in the cleaning unit. The cleaning motor E0003 is provided with a one-way clutch (not shown) that operates the pump M5000 by rotating in one direction, and moves the blade M5020 and moves the cap M5010 up and down by rotating in the other direction. Yes.

  The cap M5010 is driven from the motor E0003 so as to be lifted and lowered via a lift mechanism (not shown). At the raised position, it is possible to perform capping for each of the face surfaces of several ejection units provided in the recording head H1500, and to protect or perform suction recovery during a non-recording operation. Further, it is set at a lowered position that avoids interference with the recording head 9 during the recording operation, and it is possible to receive preliminary ejection by facing the face surface. For example, in the example shown in the figure, two caps M5010 are provided so that the recording head H1001 is provided with ten ejection units, and the face surfaces of the five ejection units can be collectively capped. .

  A wiper portion H5020 made of an elastic member such as rubber is fixed to a wiper holder H5021. The wiper holder H5021 is movable in the + Y and -Y directions (arrangement direction of the discharge ports in the discharge unit) in FIG. Then, when the recording head H1001 reaches the home position, the wiper holder 25 moves in the arrow -Y direction, so that wiping is possible. When the wiping operation is completed, the carriage is retracted out of the wiping area and then returned to a position where the wiper does not interfere with the face surface or the like. The wiper unit M5020 of this example includes a wiper blade M5020A that wipes the entire surface of the recording head H1001, and two wiper blades M5020B and M5020C that wipe the vicinity of the nozzle for each face surface of the five ejection units. Is provided.

  Then, after wiping, the wiper portion M5020 abuts against the blade cleaner M5060, so that the ink attached to the wiper blades M5020A to M5020C itself can be removed. Further, a configuration (wet liquid transfer portion) is provided that improves the cleaning performance by wiping by transferring the wet liquid to the wiper blades M5020A to M5020C prior to wiping. The configuration of the wet liquid transfer unit and the wiping operation will be described later.

  The suction pump M5000 can generate a negative pressure in a state where a cap M5010 is joined to the face surface and a sealed space is formed therein. As a result, ink can be filled into the ejection portion from the ink tank H1900, and dust, sticking matter, bubbles, etc. existing in the ejection port or the ink path inside the ejection port can be removed by suction.

  As the suction pump M5000, for example, a tube pump type is used. This includes a member formed with a curved surface that holds at least a part of a flexible tube, a roller that can press the flexible tube toward the member, and a roller that supports the roller. And a rotatable roller support portion. That is, by rotating the roller support portion in a predetermined direction, the roller rolls while crushing the flexible tube on the curved surface forming member. Along with this, negative pressure is generated in the sealed space formed by the cap M5010, and ink is sucked from the ejection port. Then, while the ink is drawn from the cap M5010 to the tube or the suction pump, the drawn ink is further transferred toward an appropriate member (waste ink absorber) provided in the lower case M7080.

  Note that an absorber M5011 is provided in an inner portion of the cap M5010 in order to reduce ink remaining on the face surface of the recording head H1001 after suction. Further, by sucking the ink remaining in the cap M5010 or the absorber M5011 with the cap M5010 opened, consideration is given to preventing the remaining ink from sticking and the subsequent adverse effects. Here, an air release valve (not shown) is provided in the middle of the ink suction path, and when the cap M5010 is released from the face surface in advance, the negative pressure does not act on the face surface. It is preferable to keep it.

  The suction pump M5000 can be operated not only for suction recovery, but also for discharging ink received in the cap M5010 by a preliminary ejection operation performed with the cap M5010 facing the face surface. That is, by operating the suction pump M5000 when the pre-discharged ink held in the cap M5010 reaches a predetermined amount, the ink held in the cap M5010 is transferred to the waste ink absorber through the tube. can do.

  A series of operations continuously performed such as the operation of the wiper unit M5020, the raising and lowering of the cap M5010, and the opening and closing of the valve are performed by a main cam (not shown) provided on the output shaft of the motor E0003 and a plurality of cams driven by the main cam It can be controlled by an arm or the like. That is, a predetermined operation can be performed by operating the cam portions, arms, and the like of the respective portions by the rotation of the main cam in accordance with the rotation direction of the motor E0003. The position of the main cam can be detected by a position detection sensor such as a photo interrupter.

(H) Wet liquid transfer part (FIGS. 17 and 16)
Recently, for the purpose of improving the recording density, water resistance, light resistance and the like of recorded matter, an ink containing a pigment component (hereinafter referred to as “pigment ink”) is increasingly used as a coloring material. The pigment ink is obtained by dispersing a solid color material in water by introducing a functional group on the surface of the pigment or the pigment. Therefore, the dried pigment ink dried by evaporation of moisture in the ink on the face surface is more damaging to the face surface than the dry fixed matter of dye-based ink in which the colorant itself is dissolved at the molecular level. . In addition, there is a property that the polymer compound used for dispersing the pigment in the solvent is easily adsorbed to the ejection surface. This is a problem that occurs other than the pigment ink when a high molecular compound is present in the ink as a result of adding a reaction liquid to the ink for the purpose of adjusting the viscosity of the ink, improving light resistance, or the like.

  In this embodiment, the liquid is transferred to and attached to the blade M5020, and wiping is performed by the wet blade M5020. Thereby, the face surface is prevented from being deteriorated by the pigment ink, the wear of the wiper is reduced, and the accumulated matter is removed by dissolving the ink residue accumulated on the face surface. In the present specification, such a liquid is referred to as a wet liquid, and wiping using the liquid is referred to as wet wiping.

  In the present embodiment, the wet liquid is stored inside the recording apparatus main body. M5090 is a wet liquid tank, which stores a glycerin solution or the like as the wet liquid. M5100 is a wet liquid holding member, which is a fibrous member having an appropriate surface tension so that the wet liquid does not leak from the wet liquid tank M5090, and is impregnated and held with the wet liquid. M5080 is a wet liquid transfer member, which is made of, for example, a porous material having an appropriate capillary force, and has a wet liquid transfer portion M5081 in contact with the wiper blade. The wet liquid transfer member M5080 is also in contact with the wet liquid holding member M5090 soaked with the wet liquid, so that the wet liquid also soaks into the wet liquid transfer member M5080. The wet liquid transfer member M5080 is made of a material having a capillary force that can supply the wet liquid to the wet liquid transfer portion M5081 even when the remaining wet liquid is low.

  The operation of the wet liquid transfer unit and the wiper unit will be described.

  First, the cap M5010 is set to the lowered position, and the carriage M4000 is retracted to a position where it does not touch the blades M5020A to M5020C. In this state, the wiper part M5020 is moved in the −Y direction, passes through the part of the blade cleaner M5060, and is brought into contact with the wet liquid transfer part M5081 (FIG. 17). By maintaining the contact state for an appropriate time, an appropriate amount of wet liquid is transferred to the blade M5020.

  Next, the wiper part M5020 is moved in the + Y direction. Since the blade touches the blade cleaner M5060 on the surface where the wet liquid is not attached, the wet liquid remains held by the blade.

  After returning the blade to the wiping start position, the carriage M4000 is moved to the wiping position. By moving the wiper unit M5020 in the −Y direction again, the face surface of the recording head H1001 can be wiped with the surface with the wet liquid.

1.3 Electrical Circuit Configuration Next, the configuration of the electrical circuit in the present embodiment will be described.

  FIG. 18 is a block diagram for schematically explaining the overall configuration of the electrical circuit in the recording apparatus J0013. The recording apparatus applied in the present embodiment is mainly configured by a carriage substrate E0013, a main substrate E0014, a power supply unit E0015, a front panel E0106, and the like.

  Here, the power supply unit E0015 is connected to the main board E0014 and supplies various driving powers.

  The carriage substrate E0013 is a printed circuit board unit mounted on the carriage M4000, and functions as an interface for exchanging signals with the recording head H1001 and supplying head drive power through the head connector E0101. As a portion for controlling the head drive power supply, a head drive voltage modulation circuit E3001 having a plurality of channels for each color discharge portion of the recording head H1001 is provided. The head drive voltage modulation circuit E3001 generates a head drive power supply voltage in accordance with a specified condition from the main board E0014 through a flexible flat cable (CRFFC) E0012. Further, a change in the positional relationship between the encoder scale E0005 and the encoder sensor E0004 is detected based on the pulse signal output from the encoder sensor E0004 as the carriage M4000 moves. Further, the output signal is output to the main board E0014 through a flexible flat cable (CRFFC) E0012.

  As shown in FIG. 20, an optical sensor and a thermistor for detecting the ambient temperature are connected to the carriage substrate E0013 (hereinafter, these sensors are referred to as a multi-sensor E3000). Information obtained by the multi-sensor E3000 is output to the main board E0014 through a flexible flat cable (CRFFC) E0012.

  The main substrate E0014 is a printed circuit board unit that controls driving of each part of the ink jet recording apparatus according to the present embodiment. The main board E0014 has a host interface (host I / F) E0017 on the board, and controls a recording operation based on data received from a host computer (not shown). The main board E0014 is connected to various motors such as a carriage motor E0001, an LF motor E0002, an AP motor E3005, and a PR motor E3006 to control driving of each function. Here, the carriage motor E0001 is a drive source for main-scanning the carriage M4000. The LF motor E0002 is a drive source for transporting the recording medium. The AP motor E3005 is a driving source for the recovery operation of the recording head H1001 and the recording medium feeding operation. The PR motor E3006 is a driving source for flat-pass recording operation. Furthermore, it connects to the sensor signal E0104 for transmitting and receiving control signals and detection signals to various sensors that detect the operating state of each part of the printer, such as PE sensors, CR lift sensors, LF encoder sensors, and PG sensors. Is done. The main board E0014 is connected to each of the CRFFC E0012 and the power supply unit E0015, and further has an interface for exchanging information with the front panel E0106 via a panel signal E0107.

  The front panel E0106 is a unit provided in front of the recording apparatus main body for the convenience of user operation. The front panel E0106 includes a resume key E0019, an LED E0020, a power key E0018, and a flat pass key E3004 (FIG. 6), and further includes a device I / F E0100 used for connection with a peripheral device such as a digital camera.

  FIG. 19 is a block diagram showing an internal configuration of the main board E1004.

  In the figure, E1102 is an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), and is connected to the ROM E1004 through a control bus E1014. The ASIC E1102 performs various controls in accordance with programs stored in the ROM E1004. As control performed by the ASIC E1102, for example, a sensor signal E0104 related to various sensors and a multisensor signal E4003 related to the multisensor E3000 are transmitted and received. Further, the output state from the encoder signal E1020, the power key E0018, the resume key E0019 and the flat pass key E3004 on the front panel E0106 is detected. Also, according to the connection and data input state of the host I / F E0017 and the device I / F E0100 on the front panel, various logical operations and condition judgments are performed, each component is controlled, and drive control of the ink jet recording apparatus is performed. I am in charge.

  E1103 is a driver reset circuit, which generates a CR motor drive signal E1037, an LF motor drive signal E1035, an AP motor drive signal E4001 and a PR motor drive signal E4002 in accordance with a motor control signal E1106 from the ASIC E1102. Then, each motor is driven in accordance with various drive signals. Further, the driver / reset circuit E1103 has a power supply circuit. The driver / reset circuit E1103 supplies necessary power to each part such as the main board E0014, carriage board E0013, front panel E0106, and further detects a drop in the power supply voltage to generate and initialize a reset signal E1015. Do.

  E1010 is a power supply control circuit that controls power supply to each sensor having a light emitting element in accordance with a power supply control signal E1024 from the ASIC E1102.

  The host I / F E0017 transmits a host I / F signal E1028 from the ASIC E1102 to a host I / F cable E1029 connected to the outside, and transmits a signal from the cable E1029 to the ASIC E1102.

  On the other hand, power is supplied from the power supply unit E0015. The supplied power is supplied to each part inside and outside the main board E0014 after voltage conversion as necessary. A power supply unit control signal E4000 from the ASIC E1102 is connected to the power supply unit E0015, and controls a low power consumption mode and the like of the recording apparatus main body.

  The ASIC E1102 is a one-chip semiconductor integrated circuit with an arithmetic processing unit, and outputs the motor control signal E1106, the power supply control signal E1024, the power supply unit control signal E4000, and the like described above. Then, signals are exchanged with the host I / F E0017, and signals are exchanged with the device I / F E0100 on the front panel through the panel signal E0107. Furthermore, each sensor such as a PE sensor and an ASF sensor is controlled through the sensor signal E0104, and the multi-sensor E3000 is controlled through the multi-sensor signal E4003. At the same time, the ASIC E1102 detects various states, detects the state of the panel signal E0107, controls the driving of the panel signal E0107, and blinks the LED E0020 on the front panel.

  Further, the ASIC E1102 detects the state of the encoder signal (ENC) E1020 to generate a timing signal, and controls the recording operation by interfacing with the recording head H1001 using the head control signal E1021. Here, the encoder signal (ENC) E1020 is an output signal of the encoder sensor E0004 inputted through the CRFFC E0012. The head control signal E1021 is connected to the carriage substrate E0013 through the flexible flat cable E0012, and is supplied to the recording head H1001 through the head drive voltage modulation circuit E3001 and the head connector E0101. The head control signal E1021 transmits various information from the recording head H1001 to the ASIC E1102. Among these, the head temperature information for each ejection unit is amplified by the head temperature detection circuit E3002 on the main substrate, and then input to the ASIC E1102 to be used for various control determinations.

  In the figure, E3007 is a DRAM, which is used as a data buffer for recording, a data buffer received from the host computer, etc., and also as a work area necessary for various control operations.

1.4 Recording Head Configuration The configuration of the head cartridge H1000 applied in this embodiment will be described below. The head cartridge H1000 in this embodiment has a recording head H1001, means for mounting the ink tank H1900, and means for supplying ink from the ink tank H1900 to the recording head. The head cartridge H1000 is detachably mounted on the carriage M4000.

  FIG. 21 is a diagram illustrating a state in which the ink tank H1900 is attached to the head cartridge H1000 applied in the present embodiment. The recording apparatus of this embodiment includes cyan (C), light cyan (Lc), magenta (M), light magenta (Lm), yellow (Y), first black (K1), second black (K2), red ( An image is formed by R), green (G), and gray (Gray). Accordingly, the ink tank T0001 is also prepared for 10 colors independently. These 10 color inks are pigment inks. As shown in the figure, each ink tank is detachable from the head cartridge H1000. The ink tank H1900 can be attached and detached while the head cartridge H1000 is mounted on the carriage M4000.

1.5 Ink Configuration The 10 color inks used in the present invention will be described below.

  The ten colors used in the present invention are cyan, light cyan, magenta, light magenta, yellow, first black, second black, gray, red and green. All of the colorants used for each color are preferably pigments. In the gist of the present invention, the colorant used for at least some of the colors may be a dye. Further, the colorant used for at least some of the colors may be in the form of toning pigments and dyes, and a plurality of types of pigments may be included. Further, the 10-color ink used in the present invention may contain at least one selected from water-soluble organic solvents, additives, surfactants, binders, and preservatives within the scope of the present invention. .

  In the present embodiment, the first black (K1), the second black (K2) and the gray (Gray) are both achromatic, but by appropriately adjusting the pigment concentration, the solvent component and the ratio in the ink, The permeability to the recording medium and the color developability are different from each other. Since the first black has low permeability and tends to remain on the surface of the recording medium, it is actively used in a high density region. The second black has high penetrability and does not mix on the surface of the recording medium even when applied simultaneously with other colors, and is quickly absorbed by the recording medium. Therefore, it is used from an intermediate density to a high density, which requires correction with a chromatic color in order to maintain a delicate gray balance. Gray (light black) has a pigment concentration lower than that of other blacks, and is used from a low density region to an intermediate density region where graininess is conspicuous.

  In the ink jet recording apparatus of the present embodiment, the ink used for recording differs depending on the type of recording medium. For example, in a non-glossy recording medium such as plain paper or art paper, the first black (K1), gray (Gray), cyan (C), light cyan (Lc), magenta (M), light magenta (Lm ), Yellow (Y), red (R) and green (G) are used. For glossy recording media such as glossy paper and photo paper, the second black (K2), gray (Gray), cyan (C), light cyan (Lc), magenta (M), and light magenta (Lm) Yellow (Y), Red (R) and Green (G) are used. Further, as the recording medium, there may be used high-quality exclusive paper in which a difference in permeability between the first black (K1) and the second black (K2) appears as a density difference. In such high-quality exclusive paper, the first black (K1), second black (K2), gray (Gray), cyan (C), light cyan (Lc), magenta (M), light magenta (Lm), yellow (Y), red (R) and green (G) are used.

  Next, preferred materials constituting the 10-color ink used in the present invention will be specifically described below.

(About pigments)
Examples of color pigments include organic pigments. Specific examples include dyed lake pigments such as acidic dye lakes and basic dye lakes. Further, insoluble azo pigments such as monoazo yellow, disazo yellow, β-naphthol series, naphthol AS series, pyrazolone series, and benzimidazolone series may be mentioned. Further, condensed azo pigments, azo lake pigments, phthalocyanine-based, quinacridone-based, anthraquinone-based, perylene-based, indigo-based, dioxazine-based, quinophthalone-based, isoindolinone-based, diketopyrrolopyrrole-based pigments, etc. Can be mentioned. However, of course, it is not limited to these, and other organic pigments may be used.

  Carbon black is suitable as the pigment used for the black pigment. For example, carbon black such as furnace black, lamp black, acetylene black and channel black can be used. Carbon black newly prepared for the present invention can also be used. However, the present invention is not limited to these, and any conventionally known carbon black can be used. Further, the material is not limited to carbon black, and magnetic fine particles such as magnetite and ferrite, titanium black, and the like may be used as a black pigment.

  Here, in order to disperse the pigment, a known general dispersant may be used, or the pigment surface may be modified by a known general method to impart self-dispersibility.

  In addition, a water-soluble organic solvent, an additive, a surfactant, and an antiseptic can be added to the ink, and as these materials, known general materials can be used.

(Ink composition)
Here, an example of the composition of the 10-color pigment ink applicable in the present invention is shown. The gloss characteristics of these pigment inks are as shown in FIG.

(A) Aqueous Carrier Medium
The aqueous carrier medium is water or a mixture of water and at least one water-soluble organic solvent. Appropriate mixtures are selected according to the specific application, for example depending on the desired surface tension and viscosity, the selected colorant, the drying time of the ink, and the type of recording medium on which the ink is printed. Selected. Examples of selectable water soluble organic solvents are disclosed in US Pat. No. 5,085,698. A mixture of water and a polyhydric alcohol such as diethylene glycol is preferred as the water-soluble carrier medium. If a mixture of water and a water-soluble solvent is used, the water content should be about 30 to about 95% in view of the balance with the content of the water-soluble solvent (ie, 70 to 5%). Furthermore, the aqueous carrier medium comprises 70 to 99.8% of the total weight of the ink composition, depending on the type of colorant selected. Preferably, the aqueous carrier medium comprises 94 to 99.8% when organic pigments are selected and 70 to 99.8% when inorganic pigments are selected.

(B) Pigments
The pigment is a single range or a combination of a wide range of organic pigments and inorganic pigments. The pigment particles are small enough to allow the ink to freely flow in the ink jet printer, particularly in the ejection port having a diameter of 10 μm to 50 μm. Particle size also affects pigment dispersion stability, which is important throughout the life of the ink. The Brownian motion caused by being fine particles will contribute to preventing particle settling. In addition, it is required to maximize the color intensity by using small particles. The particle size useful in the present invention is about 0.005 μm to 15 μm, preferably 0.005 to 0.5 μm, more preferably 0.01 μm to 0.3 μm.

  The selected pigment can be used in a dry state or in a wet state (ie, a compressed mass). In the compacted mass, the pigment does not agglomerate as long as it is dry. Therefore, no deagglomeration is required in the process of preparing the ink. Exemplary dry and presscake pigments used in the practice of the present invention are disclosed in US Pat. No. 5,085,698 issued Feb. 4, 1992.

  Metal or metal oxide particulates can also be used in the practice of the invention. For example, metals and metal oxides are suitable for preparing magnetic inkjet inks. Fine particle size oxides such as silica, alumina, titanium dioxide and the like may be selected. In addition, fine metal particles such as copper, iron, steel, aluminum, and alloys can be selected for appropriate applications.

  In the case of organic pigments, for most ink jet printing applications, the ink can contain about 30% pigment by weight of the total ink. However, it is generally 1 to 15% by weight, preferably about 1 to 8% by weight, based on the total weight of the ink. When an inorganic pigment is selected, the specific weight of the inorganic pigment is larger than that of the organic pigment. Therefore, the ink using the inorganic pigment tends to have a higher pigment content than the ink using the organic pigment, and the weight percentage is about 50%. % Equivalent.

(C) Dispersant
Polymeric dispersants include random polymers and structural polymer dispersants such as block copolymers, branched polymers, or graft polymers. The polymer is anionic, cationic, or nonionic. Random polymers are not preferred because they do not show the effect of stabilizing the colorant dispersion as a structural polymer. However, a random polymer having both a hydrophilic portion for water stability and a hydrophobic portion for interacting with the colorant and having an average molecular weight that contributes to dispersion stability implements the present invention. Can be used effectively. Such polymeric dispersants are disclosed in US Pat. No. 4,597,794.

  Such block polymers are AB, BAB, and ABC type structures. Block polymers having a hydrophobic block and a hydrophilic block and having a balanced block size that contributes to dispersion stability are advantageous in the practice of this invention. Functional groups can be incorporated into hydrophobic blocks (blocks to which the colorant is attached), thereby further enhancing the specific interaction between the polymeric dispersant and the colorant to improve dispersion stability . Details of these polymers are disclosed in US Pat. Nos. 5,085,698 and 5,272,201, as well as in European Patent Application No. 0 556 649 A1 issued August 25, 1993. Yes. Some useful graft polymers are disclosed in US Pat. No. 5,231,131.

  The amount of polymer depends on the structure, molecular weight, and other properties of the polymer, as well as other components of the ink composition. The average molecular weight of the dispersant polymer selected in practicing the present invention is less than 40,000, preferably less than 20,000, more preferably in the range of 2,000 to 10,000.

  The content of the polymerization dispersant is 0.1 to 25% by weight, preferably 0.1 to 8% by weight, based on the total weight of the ink composition. If the polymerization dispersant content is higher than this range, it will be difficult to maintain the desired ink viscosity. Dispersion stability will be adversely affected if sufficient polymer is present.

(D) Surfactant mixture
As the surfactant, nonionic surfactants, siloxane surfactants, fluorinated surfactants and the like can be used. The surfactant mixture is present in an amount of 0.5 to 5% by weight, preferably 1.0 to 3% by weight, based on the total weight of the ink composition.

(E) Ink formulation Inks are prepared by premixing selected insoluble colorants, such as pigments and dispersions, in an aqueous carrier medium, followed by dispersion or deagglomeration of the colorant. This process can be performed with a horizontal mini mill, a ball mill, or an attritor. Alternatively, the mixture could be achieved by passing through a plurality of nozzles in a liquid jet interaction chamber at a hydraulic pressure of at least 100 psi to make a uniform dispersion of colorant in an aqueous carrier medium.

2. Characteristic configuration (first embodiment)
DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, a first embodiment for carrying out the invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

  The recording system according to the first embodiment includes a recording mode for recording on a glossy recording medium (hereinafter, glossy recording medium mode) and a recording mode for recording on a non-glossy recording medium (hereinafter, A non-glossy recording medium mode). Here, the glossy recording medium is a recording medium having a relatively high glossiness, such as glossy paper. Further, the non-glossy recording medium refers to a recording medium having a relatively low glossiness such as plain paper. From these recording modes, a recording mode is selected according to a preset type of recording medium, and recording is performed in the selected recording mode. Here, the level of glossiness of the recording medium for discriminating between the glossy recording medium and the non-glossy recording medium referred to in the present invention is a relative level.

  In the present embodiment, different tables are used for the glossy recording medium mode and the non-glossy recording medium mode. That is, a glossy recording medium table is used in the glossy recording medium mode, and a nonglossy recording medium table is used in the non-glossy recording medium mode.

  The gloss recording medium table used in the gloss recording medium mode is designed with emphasis on suppressing the difference in gloss on the recording medium in order to suppress “gloss unevenness”, as will be described later. . On the other hand, with respect to the non-glossy recording medium, the surface of the recording medium itself is rough, and even if ink is applied, there is no significant difference in surface properties between the recording part and the non-recording part, so that uneven gloss does not occur much. Therefore, the non-glossy recording medium table is designed with more emphasis on the effect on graininess than the glossy recording medium table. In particular, when high-density ink is used in an area with a low gradation value, the dot shape becomes conspicuous and the graininess increases. For this reason, in the non-glossy recording medium table, as shown in FIG. 27A, the granularity of dots is reduced by using high density ink in an area having as high a gradation value as possible.

  Hereinafter, a description will be given of a recording mode suitable for a non-glossy recording medium having a relatively low glossiness as compared with a glossy recording medium.

  FIG. 27A shows a table of usage amounts of both inks to the recording medium in an example in which the gray line is expressed using the gray ink and the second black ink in the non-glossy recording medium mode. . The change in glossiness on the glossy recording medium at that time is shown in FIG. The horizontal axes in FIGS. 27A and 27B correspond to lines connecting W (white) and K (black) in FIG. 26 conceptually showing the color separation table used in the post-processing J0003. The table shown in FIG. 27A is a non-glossy recording medium table. Normally, the non-glossy recording medium table is used when recording is performed on the non-glossy recording medium. In FIG. 27B, recording is performed on the glossy recording medium for comparison. The glossiness at the time is shown.

  Here, with reference to FIG. 25, a description will be given of a change in the glossiness when only the ratio of each ink is changed while using the gray ink and the second black ink while keeping the hit amount constant. As shown in the graph of FIG. 23, the glossiness of the gray ink is relatively high, and the glossiness of the second black ink is relatively low. In FIG. 25, it is shown that when both the gray ink and the second black ink are mixed on the recording medium, the glossiness becomes lower than when each is used alone. This is because two types of ink with different glossiness, i.e. with different ink drop heights, are mixed on the recording medium, so the surface height of the recording medium is constant compared to when each is used alone. By disappearing. As a result, the surface on the recording medium becomes rough and the glossiness decreases.

  From the above, in a region where gray ink is used alone, such as a region close to W (white) shown in FIG. 27A, ink droplets having a low height occupy many regions on the recording medium. It will be. Therefore, in such a region, the surface of the recording unit is uniformly lowered on the glossy recording medium. Therefore, the glossiness of the recording part in the recording medium increases. Then, the second black ink is started to be used from a predetermined gradation value in order to increase the density and bring the gradation value close to W (white) to K (black). As a result, ink droplets having different heights are mixed in the recording unit, and the heights of the ink droplets on the surface of the recording medium are not uniform. Accordingly, the glossiness of the ink droplets on the glossy recording medium is reduced, and the glossiness curve shown in FIG. 27B is in a gradation region where use by both the gray ink and the second black ink has started. It has turned down. Furthermore, when the distribution of the second black ink is increased to increase the density of black and the gray ink is gradually decreased, the glossiness of the second black ink is lower than that of gray, so the glossiness is It will decline further.

  Then, the height of the ink droplets on the surface of the recording medium becomes uniform again in the region where the second black ink is monochromatic, and the glossiness increases again from here. As a result, the glossiness curve becomes an inflection point that changes the upward / downward trend at the portion where the recorded ink changes, and the glossiness may change greatly before and after this. However, the recording mode using this table is used when recording is performed on a non-glossy recording medium, and when recording is performed on a non-glossy recording medium, there is no significant difference in glossiness. Is less likely to be a problem.

  On the other hand, when recording on a glossy recording medium having a relatively high glossiness, a glossy recording medium mode in which recording is performed using a glossy recording medium table is used. Hereinafter, the glossy recording medium mode in which recording is performed using the glossy recording medium table will be described. At this time, a glossy recording medium is used as the recording medium, and two types of pigment inks having different glossiness are used as the ink. In this example, gray ink and second black ink are used as two types of pigment inks having different glossiness.

  FIGS. 28A and 28B show the ratio of ink usage to the hue of the line connecting W (white) and K (black) shown in FIG. 26 and the gloss in the color separation processing suitable for the glossy recording medium. The degree of change is shown. The horizontal axis of FIG. 28A is the gradation value in the hue from W (white) to K (black) in FIG. 26 of the present embodiment. In addition, the vertical axis in FIG. 28A represents the usage amount per unit area of each of the gray ink and the second black ink with respect to the gradation value on the horizontal axis. Further, the vertical axis of FIG. 28B shows the glossiness when the glossy recording medium is recorded using the glossy recording medium table for the gradation values on the horizontal axis.

  Here, in the description of the non-glossy recording medium table, as described with reference to FIG. 23, the gray ink and the second black ink have relatively higher glossiness of the gray ink. Further, as described with reference to FIG. 24, when only one type of ink is recorded on the recording medium, a case where two types of inks having different glossiness are mixed on the recording medium is compared. The glossiness is higher when only one type of ink is recorded on the recording medium. Also, as shown in FIG. 25, when two types of ink are mixed on the recording medium, the ratio of the mixed color is that the gloss is higher when a relatively large amount of ink having a relatively high gloss is used. Get higher. This is because the surface with a lower overall surface and higher glossiness is obtained when the ratio of the ink having a low ink drop height is larger.

  Here, as shown in FIGS. 27A and 27B when the recording is performed using the non-glossy recording medium table, the region having the highest black density in the gradation value on the horizontal axis is shown in FIG. Suppose that it is going to record only with 2 black inks. In that case, a portion where the second black is used in a larger amount than the gray ink appears in the color mixture region. If such a region appears, a significant decrease in glossiness is caused in that region. When recording is performed on a non-glossy recording medium in this way, there is little possibility of a problem because there is not much difference in glossiness. However, as shown in FIG. 27B, when recording is performed on a glossy recording medium in this way, the difference between the maximum point and the minimum point in the glossiness becomes large, and uneven glossiness may occur. There is.

  On the other hand, when recording on a glossy recording medium using a glossy recording medium table, as shown in FIG. 28A, the amount of ink is reduced as a whole without reducing the gray ink on the way. Continue to increase over time. In other words, a larger amount of gray ink than that of the second black ink is used until the point at which the black gradation value is maximized. Thereby, in the process of mixing the second black ink with the gray ink, there is no region where the second black ink is mixed more than the gray ink. Therefore, it is possible to suppress a decrease in glossiness due to the presence of an area where the second black ink is used more than the gray ink.

  Further, in a relatively low density area expressed only by gray ink, as shown in FIG. 28A, the gradation value at which the second black ink starts to be mixed is moved toward the smaller black density. I will let you. As a result, the gradation value for mixing the second black ink is smaller in the glossy recording medium table than in the non-glossy recording medium table. For example, assume that the glossy recording medium table and the non-glossy recording medium table of the line in this example are represented by 8 bits and 256 gradations. At this time, in the non-glossy recording medium table, the second black ink is mixed when the gradation value is about 128. In the glossy recording medium table at this time, the second black ink is mixed at about 96, which is a gradation value smaller than 128. As a result, the region where the gray ink is used alone is narrowed, and the gradation value of the inflection point at which the glossiness is switched from rising to falling is reduced. Accordingly, since the region where the glossiness increases is narrowed, an increase in the glossiness can be suppressed. As described above, in the glossy recording medium table, an increase in the glossiness is suppressed in a gradation region close to W (white).

  From the above, the entire process from W (white) to K (black) in the ink droplets applied on the glossy recording medium by performing recording on the glossy recording medium based on the glossy recording medium table. The increase / decrease in the glossiness is reduced. Thereby, the difference between the highest point and the lowest point in the glossiness can be reduced. Accordingly, the difference in glossiness on the entire glossy recording medium is suppressed, and uneven glossiness is suppressed on the glossy recording medium.

  At this time, in consideration of the granularity of dots on the recording medium, the surface of the recording medium may be roughened using light cyan, light magenta, or yellow instead of the second black ink to suppress an increase in glossiness. . By using the image processing method as described above, the decrease in glossiness in the gray area before black and the increase in glossiness in the low density area are reduced, thereby reducing the difference in glossiness between them. By making it smaller, it is possible to suppress the occurrence of uneven gloss.

  When recording is performed, the user first sets the type of the recording medium as to whether the type of the recording medium placed on the recording apparatus is a glossy recording medium or a non-glossy recording medium. At this time, the recording apparatus may detect the type of the recording medium, and the detected type of the recording medium may be set in the recording apparatus. Then, a recording mode to be used is selected according to the set recording medium type. When the set recording medium is a glossy recording medium, the recording mode in which the glossy recording medium table is used is selected. When the set recording medium is a non-glossy recording medium, the non-glossy recording medium table is used. Recording mode to be set. Thus, a table is selected according to the type of recording medium from the glossy recording medium table and the non-glossy recording medium table. In this embodiment, the glossy recording medium table and the non-glossy recording medium table are provided. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and other tables suitable for other recording media are prepared. May be. Based on the selected table, the amount of ink to be ejected to the recording medium is determined, and the determined amount of ink is ejected to the recording medium to perform recording.

  In the above-described example, the case where the gray line is expressed using the gray ink and the second black ink, which are two kinds of achromatic inks having different gloss levels, has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and three or more types having different densities can be used as long as the ink having a relatively high glossiness is used more than the second black ink up to the high gradation region indicating black. Gray ink may be used. At this time, for example, the gray line may be expressed using three types of gray inks of dark, medium, and light as gray inks having different densities. Further, the gray ink does not have to be three types, and more gray inks may be used. In this case, in all types of ink, the glossy recording medium table may start to put ink having a higher density at a small gradation value level than the non-glossy recording medium table.

(Example of other lines)
Next, examples of other lines will be described with reference to the drawings. In the above example, the hue between W (white) and the second black has been described. Here, the hue between W (white) and C (cyan), which are different lines shown in FIG. 26, is described. To do. That is, a recording system for lattice points on a line from W (white) to C (cyan) as a color (chromatic color) shown in FIG. 26 will be described. It should be noted that the hues from W (white) to C (cyan) are the same as the configuration described by taking the hue between W (white) and K (second black) as an example, except for the features described below. A recording system having the following recording modes is used. In FIG. 30A, the horizontal axis represents the gradation value in the hue of the line from W (white) to C (cyan), and the vertical axis represents the usage amount of each ink per unit area. A graph is shown. In FIG. 30 (b), the horizontal axis represents the gradation value in the hue of the line from W (white) to C (cyan) as in FIG. 30 (a), and the vertical axis represents the glossiness. What was taken is shown.

  FIG. 29A shows ink in a line connecting W (white) and C (cyan) when recording is performed using the non-glossy recording medium table in the RGB space shown in FIG. The amount of use per unit area is shown. FIG. 29B shows the transition of the glossiness when recording is performed on the glossy recording medium using the non-glossy recording medium table in the hue of the same line. Hereinafter, a case where recording is performed on a glossy recording medium using the non-glossy recording medium table in the W (white) -C (cyan) line will be described. In the W (white) -C (cyan) line, the non-glossy recording medium table is usually used when recording is performed on the non-glossy recording medium. Here, for comparison, FIG. It is assumed that b) indicates the glossiness when recording on the glossy recording medium.

  In the W (white) -C (cyan) line, an image is recorded using light cyan ink and cyan ink. As shown in FIG. 23, when comparing the gloss of the light cyan ink and the gloss of the cyan ink used in this example, the gloss of the light cyan ink is relatively higher than that of the cyan ink. As shown in FIG. 29A, if only light cyan is used alone in an area close to W (white), a relatively low ink droplet of light cyan ink occupies many areas on the recording medium. The glossiness of the medium increases. Then, in order to bring the color of the ink on the recording medium closer from W (white) to C (cyan), ink droplets of different heights are mixed by mixing cyan ink from the middle. Accordingly, the height of the surface of the recording medium is not uniform and becomes rough, and the glossiness curve turns downward. If the cyan ink is further increased from there and light cyan is decreased in the middle, the surface on the recording medium becomes uniform again in the region where the cyan ink is dominant, and the glossiness increases. As a result, when the dominant ink changes on the recording medium, the gloss curve rises and falls, so that there is an inflection point in the gloss curve. It changes a lot. In this way, when recording is performed using a non-glossy recording medium table as a glossy recording medium, the glossiness changes greatly on the recording medium, and this difference in glossiness makes the viewer feel uncomfortable. There is a case.

  However, since the non-glossy recording medium table is used when the non-glossy recording medium is set, the glossiness does not differ so much even if the non-glossy recording medium is recorded. Accordingly, at this time, the uneven gloss is not so much of a problem.

  On the other hand, FIG. 30A shows the amount of ink used per unit area when recording is performed using the glossy recording medium table in the hue of the same line. . FIG. 30B shows the transition of the glossiness when recording is performed on the glossy recording medium using the glossy recording medium table. Hereinafter, a recording mode when recording on a glossy recording medium using the glossy recording medium table will be described. In this example, in the line of hue of W (white) -C (cyan), the cyan ink is started to be mixed with the light cyan ink with a lower gradation value than the non-glossy recording medium table. As already described with reference to FIG. 25, the glossiness when a plurality of inks are mixed is lower than the glossiness when an ink having a relatively high glossiness is used alone. Therefore, in the glossy recording medium table, the cyan ink is mixed with the light cyan ink with a gradation value having a low density. As a result, the surface of the recording medium is roughened from the low gradation value stage. In this way, only the light cyan ink, which is an ink having a relatively high glossiness, narrows the gradation region for expressing the color independently on the recording medium. In this way, an increase in the glossiness is suppressed in a gradation region close to W (white) with a high glossiness, and the difference between the highest point and the lowest point in the glossiness is reduced. Therefore, uneven gloss is suppressed by reducing the difference in gloss over the entire hue region. As a result, the increase / decrease of the glossiness curve is reduced over the entire hue of W (white) -C (cyan), so that the gloss unevenness can be suppressed as a whole in the recording medium. Therefore, the difference between the highest point and the lowest point in the glossiness when recording on the glossy recording medium based on the glossy recording medium table was recorded on the glossy recording medium based on the non-glossy recording medium table. It is supposed to be smaller than that of when.

  In this example, the case where a white-cyan hue is expressed using light cyan ink and cyan ink has been described. However, the present invention can also be applied to other combinations of chromatic color inks in the same hue, in which the light ink has a relatively higher gloss than the dark ink. In this example, the method of using ink between two types of ink having the same hue has been described. However, the method may be applied between three or more types of ink having the same hue.

(Examples of other lines)
Next, examples of lines in still another hue will be described with reference to the drawings. Here, in the RGB space of the table shown in FIG. 26, a hue image processing method for a lattice point of a line connecting W (white) as another portion and B (blue) as a color (chromatic color) will be described. To do. A recording system having a recording mode similar to the configuration in the other hue lines described above is used except for the characteristic portion described below. FIG. 31A shows the amount of ink used per unit area when recording is performed using the non-glossy recording medium table in the line between W (white) and B (blue). It is shown. Further, in FIG. 31B, the non-glossy recording medium table is used for the lattice point in the line between W (white) and B (blue), and recording is performed on the glossy recording medium. The glossiness when broken is shown. Even in the W (white) -B (blue) line, the non-glossy recording medium table is usually used when recording is performed on a non-glossy recording medium. It is assumed that b) indicates the glossiness when recording on the glossy recording medium.

  In this example, the W (white) -B (blue) line is expressed using four colors of cyan, light cyan, magenta, and light magenta as chromatic ink. As shown in FIG. 31A, in the gradation area close to W (white), only two colors of light cyan and light magenta are expressed, and the glossiness is relatively higher than that in the gradation area close to B (blue). Is expensive. This is because the height of the light cyan and light magenta ink droplets is relatively lower than the height of the cyan and magenta ink droplets. In the gradation area where only light cyan and light magenta are used, the surface of the recording unit is uniformly lowered, and as a result, the surface of the recording unit is smooth. As described above, when inks having different gloss levels are used, there are areas where the gloss levels differ depending on the gradation value, which may give the viewer a sense of discomfort. However, since the non-glossy recording medium table is usually used for the non-glossy recording medium, the difference in gloss is not so much of a problem.

  On the other hand, in FIG. 32A, the ink of each ink when recording is performed using the glossy recording medium table for the line between W (white) and B (blue). The amount used per unit area is shown. FIG. 32B shows a case where a glossy recording medium table is used to record on a glossy recording medium for a line between W (white) and B (blue). Glossiness is indicated. In this example, cyan and magenta are mixed with light cyan and light magenta at a low gradation level where the density of blue is small. As a result, the gradation area expressed only with light cyan and light magenta inks is narrowed. Then, by roughening the surface of the recording medium in the low gradation region where the density of blue is small, an increase in the glossiness on the surface of the recording medium is suppressed. Then, the difference from the low glossiness in a relatively high gradation area recorded only with cyan and magenta is reduced. As a result, the difference between the highest and lowest glossiness on the glossy recording medium is kept small, and uneven glossiness is suppressed. Therefore, the difference between the highest point and the lowest point of gloss when recording on the glossy recording medium based on the glossy recording medium table is the same as that on the glossy recording medium based on the non-glossy recording medium table. It is designed to be smaller than that when recording.

  In the example shown in FIGS. 32A and 32B, the case of expressing a white-blue hue using light cyan, light magenta, cyan, and magenta is shown. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the present invention may be applied to lines of other hues as long as a plurality of types of inks having different glossiness are mixed and recorded. At this time, the number of types of ink used is not limited, and may be five or more, or two or three.

(Second Embodiment)
In the first embodiment described above, as shown in FIGS. 28, 30, and 32, when recording is performed on a glossy recording medium, the glossiness of a relatively high glossiness area in the glossy recording medium table is shown. Was kept smaller than that in the non-glossy recording medium table. Further, as shown in FIG. 28, when recording is performed on a glossy recording medium, the glossiness difference in the entire glossiness is increased by increasing the glossiness of a relatively low glossiness area in the glossy recording medium table. Less. The method for suppressing the uneven glossiness due to the difference in the glossiness of the ink on the glossy recording medium by the above method has been described. However, some glossy recording media themselves have various glossiness levels. A difference between the glossiness of the ink and the glossiness of the glossy recording medium itself may cause a larger gloss unevenness between the glossy recording medium and the ink. In such a case, when recording using the glossy recording medium table, in addition to suppressing the difference in gloss more than when using the non-glossy recording medium table, the glossiness of the recording medium is further increased. Accordingly, it is effective to control the glossiness of the dots applied to the recording medium. From the viewpoint of reducing the difference between the glossiness of the recording medium itself and the glossiness of the recording portion, in this embodiment, a glossy recording medium table that controls the glossiness according to the recording medium is used. Hereinafter, with reference to FIGS. 33A, 33B, and 33C, a glossy recording medium table designed to control the glossiness according to the recording medium will be described.

  33A, 33B, and 33C show gloss when a plurality of types of ink are recorded on a glossy recording medium using a non-glossy recording medium table for a line between certain hues. Degrees are shown. In each figure, the dotted line indicates the glossiness of the glossy recording medium. As shown in FIG. 33A, when the non-glossy recording medium table is used, the gloss is lowered on the surface of the recording medium in a region where a plurality of inks are mixed. In particular, in the same figure, the ink has a relatively low glossiness in a region with a high gradation value, and the difference in glossiness between the ink and the recording medium itself is larger than in other regions. Therefore, by mixing the ink so that the heights of the ink droplets on the surface of the recording medium in the gradation area where the gloss is reduced are mixed, the glossiness in the recording portion is changed to the glossiness of the recording medium. Move closer. As a result, the glossiness at the recording portion moves in the direction of the arrow shown in FIG. 33A, approaches the glossiness at the recording medium, and the difference in glossiness between the recording portion and the recording medium is reduced. Uneven gloss is suppressed.

  In the case of FIG. 33B, both the increase in the glossiness in the low gradation area having a low density and the decrease in the glossiness in the high gradation area in which a plurality of inks are mixed are the ink and the recording medium. It affects the difference in glossiness from itself. The increase in the glossiness of the ink in a region close to W (white) of the recording medium itself is caused by the fact that the ink droplet height on the recording medium is uniformly lowered by using the ink having a high glossiness in that region alone. Caused by the smooth surface. In addition, the decrease in glossiness in a region where a plurality of inks coexist is caused by the fact that ink droplets on the surface of the recording medium are not uniform and become rough due to the mixture of inks in that region. ing. As described above, in the same figure, there is a difference in glossiness between the recording medium and the ink in both of the above-described gradation areas, so the glossiness is in an area close to W (white) of the recording medium itself. It is preferable to increase the glossiness in a region where a plurality of inks are mixed. Therefore, by mixing different inks in a region close to W (white) of the recording medium, the surface of the recording unit is roughened so that it is not uniform. In a high gradation region where a plurality of inks are mixed, ink is used so that the height of ink droplets on the surface of the recording medium is adjusted as much as possible. According to the glossy recording medium table designed in this way, the glossiness of the ink droplets on the recording portion of the recording medium moves in the direction of the arrow shown in FIG. Get closer. Accordingly, the difference in gloss between the gloss of the recording medium itself and the gloss of the ink droplets in the recording unit can be suppressed, and uneven gloss between the recording medium itself and the recording unit can be suppressed.

  In the case of FIG. 33 (c), the glossiness of the ink in the area close to W (white) of the recording medium itself is increased, whereby the glossiness of the recording medium itself and the glossiness of the ink in the recording section are increased. There is a big difference between This is due to the fact that the ink droplets on the recording medium are uniformly arranged at a low height by using ink with high glossiness in a region close to W (white) of the recording medium itself. . As described above, the glossiness of the ink excessively increases in an area close to W (white) of the recording medium itself, thereby causing uneven glossiness due to the difference in glossiness between the recording medium and the recording portion in that area. Yes. Accordingly, the surface of the recording medium is made uneven and rough so that the glossiness does not increase in an area close to W (white) of the recording medium itself, thereby reducing the glossiness in an area where the glossiness of the ink is excessively high. Reduce. That is, the glossiness of the ink in the recording unit is moved in the direction of the arrow shown in FIG. 33C, so that the glossiness of the ink approaches the glossiness of the recording medium. According to the glossy medium table designed in this way, the difference between the glossiness of the recording medium itself and the glossiness of the ink in the recording portion can be suppressed, and uneven glossiness on the recording medium can be suppressed.

It is a figure for demonstrating the flow of the image data process in the recording system applied by one Embodiment of this invention. FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a configuration example of recording data that is transferred from the printer driver of the host device to the recording apparatus in the recording system of FIG. 1. FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an output pattern with respect to an input level converted by a dot array patterning process by a recording apparatus used in an embodiment of the present invention. It is a schematic diagram for demonstrating the multipass printing method which the printing apparatus used by embodiment of this invention performs. It is explanatory drawing which shows an example of the mask pattern applied to the multipass printing method which the printing apparatus used by embodiment of this invention performs. 1 is a perspective view of a recording apparatus used in an embodiment of the present invention and shows a state viewed from the front when not in use. 1 is a perspective view of a recording apparatus used in an embodiment of the present invention, and shows a state viewed from the back when not in use. 1 is a perspective view of a recording apparatus used in an embodiment of the present invention, and shows a state viewed from the front when in use. FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining an internal mechanism of the recording apparatus main body used in the embodiment of the present invention, and is a perspective view from the upper right part. It is a figure for demonstrating the internal mechanism of the recording device main body used by embodiment of this invention, and is a perspective view from the upper left part. FIG. 3 is a side sectional view for explaining an internal mechanism of the recording apparatus main body used in the embodiment of the present invention. 1 is a perspective view of a recording apparatus used in an embodiment of the present invention, and shows a state viewed from the front during flat pass recording. 1 is a perspective view of a recording apparatus used in an embodiment of the present invention, and shows a state viewed from the back during flat pass recording. It is a typical sectional side view for demonstrating the flat pass recording performed by embodiment of this invention. FIG. 3 is a perspective view illustrating a cleaning unit in a recording apparatus main body used in an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 16 is a cross-sectional view for explaining the configuration and operation of the wiper unit in the cleaning unit of FIG. 15. FIG. 16 is a cross-sectional view for explaining the configuration and operation of a wet liquid transfer unit in the cleaning unit of FIG. 15. 1 is a block diagram schematically showing an overall configuration of an electrical circuit in an embodiment of the present invention. It is a block diagram which shows the example of an internal structure of the main board | substrate in FIG. It is a figure which shows the structural example of the multi sensor mounted in the carriage board | substrate in FIG. FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing a state where an ink tank is mounted on the head cartridge applied in the embodiment of the present invention. It is a schematic diagram which shows the optical system of the 20 degree | times specular glossiness measuring apparatus used in the 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a measurement result of 20 degree specular glossiness of the pigment ink used in the first embodiment of the present invention. It is sectional drawing which shows the difference in the height on the recording medium of the ink droplet by the pigment ink used in the 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a measurement result of the 20 degree | times specular glossiness for every state on the recording medium of the ink droplet by the pigment ink used in the 1st Embodiment of this invention, and a state. 2 is a color separation table used in the subsequent processing of FIG. It is a graph for demonstrating the image processing method performed using the table for non-glossy recording media by the 1st Embodiment of this invention at the time of forming a dot using a gray ink and a 2nd black ink. 6 is a graph for explaining an image processing method performed using the glossy recording medium table according to the first embodiment of the present invention when forming dots using gray ink and second black ink. 6 is a graph for explaining an image processing method performed using the non-glossy recording medium table according to the first embodiment of the present invention when dots are formed using light cyan ink and cyan ink. 6 is a graph for explaining an image processing method performed using the glossy recording medium table according to the first embodiment of the present invention when dots are formed using light cyan ink and cyan ink. 6 is a graph for explaining an image processing method performed using the non-glossy recording medium table according to the first embodiment of the present invention when dots are formed using light cyan, light magenta, cyan, and magenta. 5 is a graph for explaining an image processing method performed using the glossy recording medium table according to the first embodiment of the present invention when forming dots using light cyan, light magenta, cyan, and magenta. 6 is a graph for explaining an image processing method for controlling glossiness according to a recording medium according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

Explanation of symbols

J0001 Application J0002 First stage J0003 Second stage J0004 Gamma correction J0005 Half toning J0006 Print data creation J0007 Dot arrangement patterning process J0008 Mask data conversion process J0009 Head drive circuit H1001 Recording head J0011 Recording system J0012 Host device J0013 Recording device P0002 Mask pattern P0002 (a ) To P0002 (d) 1st mask pattern to 4th mask pattern M1010 Chassis M1011 Guide rail M2000 Base M2010 Pressure plate M2012 Pressure plate spring M2013 Separation sheet M2020 Return lever M2021 Return lever spring M2013 Movable side guide M2040 Separation roller holder M2041 Separation roller holder M2041 Separation row Larelease shaft M2060 Paper feed tray M2061 Paper feed sub-tray M2070 Drive unit M2080 Paper feed roller M3000 Pinch roller holder M3021 PE sensor lever M3030 Paper guide flapper M3040 Platen M3041 Paper press M3060 Transport roller M3061 Pulley M3061 Code roller M3070 Pinch roller M3070 Paper discharge roller M3110 Second paper discharge roller M3111 Elastic body M3120 Spur M3130 Spur holder M3160 Paper discharge tray M4000 Carriage M4010 Headset lever M4020 Guide shaft M4041 Timing belt M4042 Idle pulley M4090 Position detection sensor M5000 Pump M5011 Cap M5011 Cap M5011 Cap 020 Blade M5060 Blade cleaner M5070 Wet liquid transfer member M5080 Wet liquid holding member M5081 Wet liquid transfer part M5090 Wet liquid tank M7010 Front cover M7030 Access cover M7040 Upper case M7060 LED guide M7080 Lower case M7091 Rear tray M7091 Lear tray M7091 Encoder sensor E0005 Encoder scale E0012 CRFFC (flexible flat cable)
E0013 Carriage board E0014 Main board E0015 Power supply unit E0017 Host I / F
E0018 Power key E0019 Resume key E0020 LED
E0100 Device I / F
E0101 Head connector E0104 Sensor signal E0106 Front panel E0107 Panel signal E1004 ROM
E1010 Power supply control circuit E1014 Control bus E1015 RESET (Reset signal)
E1020 ENC (encoder signal)
E1021 Head control signal E1024 Power supply control signal E1028 Host I / F signal E1029 Host I / F cable E1035 LF motor drive signal E1037 CR motor drive signal E1100 Device I / F signal E1102 ASIC
E1103 Driver reset circuit E1106 Motor control signal E3000 Multi sensor E3001 Head drive voltage modulation circuit E3002 Head temperature detection circuit E3004 Flat pass key E3005 AP motor E3006 PR motor E3007 RAM
E4000 Power supply unit control signal E4001 AP motor drive signal E4002 PR motor drive signal E4003 Multi-sensor signal H1000 Head cartridge H1001 Recording head H1900 Ink tank G0001 Light source G0002 Light-receiving part G0003 Recording medium G0004 Measured part

Claims (5)

A recording apparatus that records on the recording medium by driving pigment ink onto the recording medium;
An image processing apparatus that is connected to the recording apparatus and determines the amount of the pigment ink applied based on a color separation table;
In a recording system including
The image processing apparatus includes:
A color separation table for the glossy recording medium that determines the amount of the pigment ink to be printed by the recording device on the glossy recording medium;
A color separation table for the non-glossy recording medium that determines the amount of the pigment ink to be printed by the recording apparatus on the non-glossy recording medium;
Have
The difference between the highest and lowest glossiness when recording on the glossy recording medium based on the color separation table for the glossy recording medium is based on the color separation table for the non-glossy recording medium. A recording system characterized by being smaller than the difference between the highest and lowest glossiness when recording on a glossy recording medium.   The recording system according to claim 1, wherein the pigment ink is a plurality of types of pigment inks having different densities in the same hue. In a recording apparatus that records on the recording medium by driving a pigment ink of a driving amount determined based on a color separation table onto the recording medium,
A color separation table for the glossy recording medium for determining the amount of the pigment ink to be printed on the glossy recording medium;
A color separation table for the non-glossy recording medium that determines the amount of the pigment ink to be printed on the non-glossy recording medium;
Have
The difference between the highest and lowest glossiness when recording on the glossy recording medium based on the color separation table for the glossy recording medium is based on the color separation table for the non-glossy recording medium. A recording apparatus characterized by being smaller than the difference between the highest and lowest glossiness when recording on a glossy recording medium. In an image processing apparatus that is connected to a recording apparatus that records on the recording medium by ejecting pigment ink onto the recording medium, and determines the amount of pigment ink to be deposited based on a color separation table,
A color separation table for the glossy recording medium that determines the amount of the pigment ink to be printed by the recording device on the glossy recording medium;
A color separation table for the non-glossy recording medium that determines the amount of the pigment ink to be printed by the recording apparatus on the non-glossy recording medium;
Have
The color separation table for the glossy recording medium is such that the difference between the highest and lowest glossiness when recording on the glossy recording medium is smaller than the color separation table for the non-glossy recording medium. An image processing apparatus characterized by being designed. In the image processing method for determining the amount of the pigment ink to be ejected when recording on the recording medium by ejecting the pigment ink onto the recording medium, based on a color separation table,
Setting the type of the recording medium to either a glossy recording medium or a non-glossy recording medium;
Selecting the color separation table from a color separation table for a glossy recording medium and a color separation table for a non-glossy recording medium according to the set type of the recording medium;
Have
The difference between the highest and lowest glossiness when recording on the glossy recording medium based on the color separation table for the glossy recording medium is based on the color separation table for the non-glossy recording medium. An image processing method characterized by being smaller than the difference between the highest point and the lowest point of gloss when recording on a glossy recording medium.

Images