JP2989723B2 - Image recording method and apparatus - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an image recording method and apparatus, and more particularly to an image recording method and apparatus for scanning a recording head having a plurality of recording elements to record an image on a recording medium.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A so-called serial scan type image recording apparatus for performing recording by scanning a recording head having a plurality of recording elements (heating resistors, nozzles, etc.) is well known. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a recording method using such a serial scan method. Reference numeral 201 denotes an ink jet head in which a plurality of nozzles 202 are arranged, and the ink jet head 201 scans a recording paper 203 in a direction A, The nozzle 202 of the inkjet head 201
The image recording is performed for each recording width d corresponding to the array width of.
When the recording of the recording width d is completed in this way, the recording paper 203
Is moved in the direction B by a length corresponding to the recording width d, the inkjet head 201 scans again in the direction A, and performs image recording for the recording width d. The recording by the serial scan method has an advantage that image data of a large screen can be recorded with a small head. However, if there is a nozzle that does not discharge among the nozzles of the head 201 or a nozzle whose recorded dot position is shifted, the like. However, since such portions appear continuously in the direction A, there is a disadvantage that continuous white stripes are easily generated. To compensate for such a drawback, a recording method using multi-scan described later has been proposed.

FIG. 3 is a diagram for explaining such a multi-scan.

The nozzle 30 of the ink jet head 301
2 can be divided into three parts indicated by X, Y and Z, and each part is divided into X-1 to X-4 and Y-1 to Y-
4, nozzles indicated by Z-1 to Z-4. First, in the first scan, printing is performed by the X portion of the inkjet head 301, and printing is performed on a portion indicated by X ′ of the recording paper 203 (the recorded dots are indicated by X-1 to X-4). Subsequently, the recording paper 203 is moved in the sub-scanning direction in the B direction by d, and dots Y-1 to Y-4 (portions indicated by Y ') are recorded using the Y portion of the head 301. However, at this time, the X portion of the inkjet head 301 performs recording at the position indicated by X. Subsequently, the recording paper 203 is moved again in the B direction by d, and the ink jet head 30 is moved.
The recording is performed using the nozzles of the Z portion of No. 1. At this time,
As shown in the drawing, dots are recorded using the same nozzle so as not to be continuous in the A direction. For this reason, even if there is a nozzle in which the dot position to be recorded is shifted, the recorded dot does not appear continuously in the A direction, so that there is an advantage that the white stripe in the A direction is less noticeable.

[0005]

However, when there is a completely non-ejection nozzle, white stripes are less noticeable in multi-scan printing than in normal serial scan printing, but they still remain as obvious image defects. There was a problem that it would. In particular, when the recording duty is high, ink mist is likely to be generated, and the ink mist collects on the head surface and blocks the nozzle, so that ink may not be ejected. Unlike non-clogged nozzles, such non-ejections of ink are of a type that depends on the density of the image, so they often occur or recover randomly in the image. It was difficult.

In FIG. 3, when an image is recorded by scanning the head in the direction A, the temperature of the head increases due to accumulation of the ejection driving energy. Along with this, the viscosity of the ink decreases, and the amount of ink ejected increases. As a result, the image density is generally higher on the recording end side than on the recording start side in each scan. This phenomenon is a problem even in a general image, but in particular, in the case of a so-called enlarged continuous shooting mode in which output images are joined and viewed as one image, a low-density portion on the left and a high-density portion on the right are in contact with each other. Because of the connection, this difference in density becomes even more noticeable. When the multi-scan is performed, as is apparent from FIG. 3, the number of ink droplets ejected from each nozzle per unit time decreases, and in the case of FIG. For this reason, although the temperature rise of the head can be suppressed more than in a normal serial scan, the above problem has not been solved. Also, the seriousness of this problem depends on the image pattern to be recorded. That is, when a pattern with a high image ratio is printed, this is a serious problem, but when a pattern with a low image ratio is printed, the problem is not so significant.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above conventional example, and has as its object to provide an image recording method and apparatus capable of recording while maintaining the quality of a recorded image.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an image recording method and apparatus capable of recording with a constant image density.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an image recording method and apparatus capable of preventing non-ejection of ink due to ink mist and recording.

[0010]

In order to achieve the above object, an image recording apparatus according to the present invention has the following arrangement.
That is, ink is applied to the same scanning area on the recording medium by different recording elements including a first recording element and a second recording element different from each other while scanning a plurality of recording elements relative to the recording medium. An image recording apparatus for recording an image by scanning the recording element while reading the recorded image on the recording medium while scanning with the recording element. Detecting means for comparing the image data to be detected with the image data to be detected to detect a defect in the recording element; and an image supplied to the second recording element when the defect in the first recording element is detected by the detecting means. Control means for controlling to also perform printing based on image data corresponding to the first printing element detected as defective in printing scan by the second printing element based on data. And wherein the door. In order to achieve the above object, the image recording apparatus of the present invention has the following configuration. That is, an image recording apparatus that scans a recording head having a plurality of recording elements and records an image on a recording medium,
A recording unit that scans a recording area of a recording medium by scanning a recording head a plurality of times, and a recording unit that scans with the recording head and reads a recorded image recorded on the recording medium during recording scanning by the recording unit; Determining means for comparing a recording image read by the reading means with image information to be recorded to determine a recording defect position; And a replenishment printing means for printing in a subsequent printing scan at a reduced frequency. In order to achieve the above object, the image recording apparatus of the present invention has the following configuration. That is, an image recording apparatus that scans a recording head having a plurality of recording elements to record an image on a recording medium, wherein the recording unit scans a recording area of the recording medium a plurality of times with the recording head and records the image. When printing is performed by the means, a density detecting means for scanning with the print head to detect the density of a print image printed on a print medium, and a density of the print image detected by the density detect means, and Determining means for comparing the density of the image information to be determined with the density of the image information to be determined, and the density of the density defective area determined as the density defect by the determining means matches the density of the image information to be recorded. As described above, there is provided a density correction unit that changes the drive voltage of the print head to correct the density of the density-defective area in a subsequent print scan. In order to achieve the above object, the image recording apparatus of the present invention has the following configuration. That is, while scanning a plurality of printing elements relatively to a printing medium, the same scanning area on the printing medium is applied with ink by different printing elements including a first printing element and a second printing element to form an image. An image recording apparatus for recording, wherein when the recording by the first recording element is defective, the second recording element performs the second scanning by a recording scan based on image data supplied to the second recording element. The recording is also performed based on the image data supplied to one recording element.

To achieve the above object, the image recording method of the present invention comprises the following steps. That is, while scanning a plurality of printing elements relatively to a printing medium, the same scanning area on the printing medium is applied with ink by different printing elements including a first printing element and a second printing element to form an image. An image recording method for recording, comprising: a reading step of reading a recording image recorded by a recording element on a recording medium while scanning together with the recording element; a recording image read in the reading step; and an image to be originally recorded. Comparing the data with the data, and detecting a failure of the recording element, when the failure of the first recording element is detected by the detection step,
In the printing scan by the second printing element based on the image data supplied to the second printing element, printing based on the image data corresponding to the first printing element detected as defective is also performed. I do. In order to achieve the above object, the image recording method of the present invention includes the following steps. That is, while scanning a plurality of printing elements relatively to a printing medium, the same scanning area on the printing medium is applied with ink by different printing elements including a first printing element and a second printing element to form an image. An image recording method for recording, comprising:
When the recording by the recording element is defective, the second recording element is based on the image data supplied to the first recording element by a recording scan based on the image data supplied to the second recording element. It is characterized in that recording is also performed.

In the present specification, the term "recording" includes the meaning of "textile printing", which means that an image is widely applied to a recording medium such as cloth or paper.

[0013]

With the above arrangement, the recording element is read on the recording medium while scanning with the recording element, and the read recording image is compared with the image data to be recorded. Is detected, and when a defect of the first recording element is detected, the first scanning element which is detected as defective in the recording scan by the second recording element based on the image data supplied to the second recording element. To perform printing based on the image data corresponding to the printing element. Further, in the configuration of the present invention, at the time of recording scanning in which the recording head scans the recording region of the recording medium a plurality of times, the recording head is scanned together with the recording head to read a recorded image recorded on the recording medium, and the read image is read. A print defect position is determined by comparing a print image with image information to be originally printed, and an area determined to be a print defect is printed in a subsequent print scan by lowering the drive frequency of the print head. Works. Further, according to the configuration of the present invention, at the time of recording scanning in which the recording head scans the recording area of the recording medium a plurality of times, recording is performed together with the recording head to detect the density of the recording image recorded on the recording medium. Then, the detected density of the recorded image is compared with the density of the image information to be originally recorded to determine a density defect area, and the density of the density defect area determined to be density defect and the density of the originally recorded image are recorded. The operation is performed such that the drive voltage of the print head is changed so that the density of the image information to be matched with the density of the image information to be corrected in the subsequent print scan.
Further, in the configuration of the present invention, while scanning a plurality of printing elements relative to the printing medium, the same scanning area on the printing medium is supplied with ink by different printing elements including the first printing element and the second printing element. In an image recording apparatus that records an image by applying an image, when recording by the first recording element is defective, the second recording element performs a second scanning by a recording scan based on image data supplied to the second recording element. It operates to perform printing based on image data supplied to one printing element.

[0014]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. [First Embodiment] FIG. 1 is a diagram for explaining an example of image formation in a first embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 1, reference numeral 101 denotes an ink jet head (hereinafter, referred to as a recording head), which is divided into three nozzle portions of an X portion 111, a Y portion 112, and a Z portion 113. Reference numeral 102 denotes a nozzle of the recording head 101, and reference numeral 103 denotes a recording sheet. Reference numeral 104 denotes a CCD, which is a nozzle 10 of the recording head 101.
And four photoelectric conversion elements (reading elements) 10-1 to 10-4 arranged at the same pitch as the pitch of the recording head 101 at the same speed as the recording head 101 from behind.
Scans in the direction to read the recorded dots. That is, the CCD 104 reads an image recorded by the X portion 111 of the recording head 101 and detects whether or not non-ejection of ink from the nozzle 102 has occurred. The determination as to whether or not the non-ejection of ink has occurred is made by comparing the image data to be recorded with the reading result read by the CCD 104.

FIG. 1 shows a case where one of the nozzles 102 indicated by X1 does not discharge ink. As a result, in the portion of the recording paper 103 indicated by X ′,
The dot which is supposed to be recorded by the nozzle X1 is missing and recorded. This missing dot is detected by the pixel 10-1 of the CCD 104 that scans following the recording head 101. Next, after the recording of the portion indicated by X ′ is completed, the recording paper 103 is moved in the B direction and the Y of the recording head 101 is moved.
The portion 112 records the Y 'portion. At this time, dots that could not be recorded by the nozzle X1 by the nozzle Y1 of the recording head 101 are recorded. In this manner, missing dots due to defective ejection of the nozzles are covered.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of the printer of this embodiment. In FIG. 4, a control unit 120 controls the entire apparatus.
It includes a PU 130, a ROM 13 storing a control program and various data of the CPU 130 shown in the flowcharts of FIGS. 5 and 6, a RAM 132 used as a work area of the CPU 130, and the like. Reference numeral 121 denotes a head driver for driving the print head 101 in accordance with print data from the control unit 120, and 122 and 123 each denote a motor driver for rotating the corresponding carriage motor 124 and paper feed motor 125. I have.

FIGS. 5 and 6 are flowcharts showing recording processing of the printer of the present embodiment. A control program for executing this processing is stored in the ROM 131.

This processing is started when, for example, one page of print data is input to the printer and the printing operation can be started. First, in step S1, the carriage starts scanning, and the X of the print head 101 is started. In accordance with the print data to be printed by the unit 111, ink is ejected from the nozzles X1 to X4 of the print head 101 every three dots in accordance with the image data. Next, the process proceeds to step S3, in which the X section 111 reads dots recorded on the recording paper 103 by the CCD sensor 104 scanning from behind the recording head 101. When the image data to be recorded does not match the actually recorded dots, the portion is set to "1" and the supplementary data area 133 of the RAM 132 is set.
(Step S5). Incidentally, the supplementary data area 133 is initially all cleared to "0". In this way, in step S6, it is determined whether or not the recording process for one scan has been completed. If not completed, the process returns to step S2, and the above-described process is repeated.

When printing for one scan is completed, step S6 is performed.
From step S7, the recording paper 103 is moved by d in the direction B, and the carriage is returned to the home position. Next, the process proceeds to step S8, where the logical sum of the print data for the Y section 112 of the print head 101 and the data stored in the supplementary memory 134 is obtained, and is used as print data to be printed by the Y section 112. At this time, the contents of the supplementary data 134 are all cleared to "0" again. Then, scanning of the carriage is started in step S9, and in step S11,
Based on the print data created in step 8, the nozzle of the Y section 112 of the print head 101 is driven every three dots to perform printing. In parallel with this, the recording by the X section 111 is also performed in step S11. The recording process performed by the X unit 111 is the same as the process in steps S2 to S5 described above.

When the recording of one scan is completed, the process proceeds from step S12 to step S13, in which carriage return and movement of the recording paper 103 by d are performed.
Recording data to be recorded by the unit 111, the Y unit 112, and the Z unit 113 is created (step S14). At this time,
The data recorded by the Y unit 112 is the same as the result of the logical sum with the contents of the supplementary data 134 as shown in step S8 described above. Thus, the recording head 1
When the other recording is completed using the recording of each part of the recording head 101, the process proceeds to step S15, and the scanning of the carriage is started in the same manner as described above. Do. The determination of the presence or absence of the recording data in step S17 and step S19 is based on the fact that the recording of the recording data ends in the Z section 113.
Before the recording in X section 1
It is determined that the recording data for 11 and the Y section 112 is finished. Thus, steps S16 to S21 are repeated until printing in one scan is completed in step S21, and steps S13 to S22 described above are repeatedly performed until printing processing of one page is finally completed in step S22. Note that the recording processing by the X unit 111 in step S20 is the same as the processing shown in steps S2 to S5, similar to the processing in step S11 described above.

As described above, the X section 11 of the recording head 101
Even if there is a nozzle with a defective ink ejection in No. 1, it is possible to print a dot corresponding to that nozzle portion using another nozzle in a subsequent printing process. [Second Embodiment] Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG.

FIG. 7 is a diagram for explaining the second embodiment.
The same parts as those in the above-described configuration are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof will be omitted. In the second embodiment, the CCD 104a has photoelectric conversion elements (reading elements) for eight pixels.
Eight dots recorded by the X section 111 and the Y section 112 of the recording head 101 can be detected at a time. This CCD
Of the pixels 104a, four pixels indicated by 11-5 to 11-8 read an image recorded by the X portion 111 of the recording head 101, and there are no nozzles in which ink ejection is defective in that portion. Is detected. FIG. 7 shows a case where the nozzle X1 of the recording head 101 is in a discharge failure state. In this case, the CCD 104a detects a portion where these dots are missing, and then the recording head 101
When printing in the Y portion 112, dots that could not be printed by the nozzle X1 are printed by the nozzle Y1, and missing dots by the nozzle X1 are supplemented.

The CCDs 104a 11-1 to 11-
4 reads the dots of the Y ′ portion recorded by the Y portion 112, and reads the dots of the X portion 1 of the recording head 101.
11 and image data to be recorded in the Y section 112, and C
It is determined whether there is a nozzle having an ejection failure by comparing the result of reading with the CD 104a. In FIG. 7, the Y section 112
Shows a case where the nozzle Y2 is in a discharge failure state.
In such a case, after the recording paper 103 moves by d in the sub scanning direction, the nozzle Z2 of the Z portion 113 of the recording head 101 is moved.
By recording the dot portion that could not be recorded by the nozzle Y2 of the Y portion 112 using the above, it is possible to compensate for the missing dot portion and perform the recording.

In this case, the operation of the recording head 101 in FIG. 5 and FIG.
Since the process for inspecting the recorded dots by the Y unit 112 is added and the missing dot is supplemented by the recording process using the Y unit 112 and the Z unit 113, the operation is easily performed. The flowchart is omitted. Third Embodiment Next, a third embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 8 is a diagram for explaining the third embodiment. Here, the CCD 104b has 12-1 to 12-1.
It has twelve reading elements indicated by 2. Among these reading elements, the elements indicated by 12-1 to 12-4 read the dots of the Z 'portion recorded on the recording paper 103. Then, the read data is compared with the image data to be recorded in this portion to detect whether or not dot missing has occurred, and to create image data to supplement this. Then, using the head H provided behind the CCD sensor 104b, the image data of the portion where the dot missing has occurred is recorded. In FIG. 8, the recording head 101
7 shows a case where the nozzle Z3 of the Z portion is in the ejection failure state and the nozzle H3 of the print head H compensates for this and performs printing.

FIG. 9 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of the printer of the third embodiment. Portions common to the block diagram of FIG. 4 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof will be omitted. In this printer, a CCD sensor 104b, a print head 101, and another print head H are mounted on a carriage.
Are mounted, and are integrally moved by the rotation drive of the carriage motor 124. The RAM 1 of the control unit 120
Reference numeral 32 denotes X supplementary data 135 that stores dot data not recorded in the X ′ portion, Y supplementary data 136 that stores data not recorded in the Y ′ portion, and is not recorded in the Z ′ portion. Z supplementary data 137 which stores the stored data.

The operation of the printer according to the third embodiment is shown in the flowcharts of FIGS. 10 and 11, and the operation of the printer will be briefly described below with reference to the flowchart.

The recording processing by the X portion of the recording head 101 shown in steps S31 to S37 is the same as steps S1 to S7 in the flowchart of FIG. 10 described above, and a description thereof will be omitted. Next, in step S38, the logical sum of the data to be recorded in the Y portion of the print head 101 and the data stored in the X supplementary data 135 is calculated, and the print data to be output to the Y portion of the print head 101 is calculated. create. Then, the process proceeds to step S40, where printing is performed using the X portion and the Y portion of the print head 101, and the
Based on the signal from 104b, it is checked whether the dots recorded on the recording paper 103 match the recording data output to the X portion and the Y portion (step S41). If they do not match, the process proceeds to step S42, and if the mismatched portion is in the X 'portion of the recording paper 103, it is stored in the X supplementary data 135, and if it is in the Y' portion, it is stored in the Y supplementary data 136. When the recording of the X 'portion and the Y' portion is completed in step S43, the process proceeds to step S44, where the recording paper 103 is moved by d in the B direction, and the carriage is returned to the home position.

Next, the process proceeds to step S45, where the recording data to be recorded by the Z portion and the Y portion of the recording head 101 is created based on the recording data to be originally recorded and the contents of the X supplementary data 135 and the Y supplementary data 136. Then, in step S46, scanning of the carriage is started for the next printing scan, and printing is performed by the X, Y, and Z portions of the print head 101 in step S47. Then, in step S48, C
The dot data read by the CD 104b is compared with the recording data, and based on the comparison result, if the mismatched portion is in the X 'portion of the recording paper 103, it is stored in the X supplement data 135, and if it is in the Y' portion, the Y supplement is stored. The data 136 is updated, and if it is in the Z 'portion, the Z supplementary data 137 is updated. Then, the process proceeds to step S50, in which the contents of the Z supplementary data 137 are output to the recording head H, and the final supplementary recording by the recording head H is performed.

With such a configuration, the probability of covering the state in which ink is not ejected from the nozzles of the recording head 101 is further improved. For example, the recording head 10
The dot to be printed in the X section of No. 1 is the X of the print head 101.
Unless all the nozzles at the same position of the section, the Y section, the Z section, and the print head H fail to discharge, there is no dot missing. [Fourth Embodiment] Next, a fourth embodiment of the present invention will be described.
In the fourth embodiment, for example, in FIG. 1 described above, when the CCD sensor 104 detects that the nozzle X1 of the X section 111 of the recording head 101 is in an ink ejection failure state, non-ejection due to ink mist occurs. It is determined that the probability is high, and the driving condition of the recording head 101 is changed. That is, in the fourth embodiment, the drive frequency f of the recording head 101 is reduced. For example, up to 2.5k
In the case where the recording head 101 is driven at Hz, the driving frequency is reduced to 2.0 kHz. Accordingly, the scanning speed of the recording head 101 in the direction A is also reduced.

Then, similarly to the first embodiment, after the recording paper 103 is scanned in the sub-scanning direction (B direction), when recording is performed by the Y section 112 of the recording head 101, recording can be performed by the nozzle X1. The missing dot is recorded using the nozzle Y1. In this way, missing dots are supplemented. At this time, the driving frequency and the main scanning speed of the recording head 101 remain reduced as described above.

In this case, the configuration of the printer is the same as that of the block shown in FIG. 4. In the flowcharts shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, when the dot data read by the CCD sensor 104 and the data to be recorded do not match, the step is executed. In S5, the rotation speed of the carriage motor 124 is reduced,
This can be realized by lowering the driving frequency of the recording head 101.

Also, in the case of FIG. 7, when there is a mismatch dot as in the second embodiment, the drive frequency of the recording head 101 is reduced and the rotation frequency of the carriage motor 124 is reduced. As a result, the fourth
A configuration similar to that of the embodiment can be achieved.

According to this embodiment, there is an advantage that an ink ejection failure does not occur in the X section 111 of the recording head 101, and it is possible to cope with a case where the ink ejection failure occurs during recording by the Y section 112. Further, when an ink ejection failure occurs in the X section 111 of the print head 101 and the drive frequency of the print head 101 is reduced, the ink ejection failure occurs again in the printing process by the Y section 112. Further, the drive frequency of the recording head 101 is further reduced, and the
In the case of the recording by the X, the dots not recorded by the recording process by the X unit 111 and the Y unit 112 can be recorded. [Fifth Embodiment] FIG. 12 is a diagram for explaining a fifth embodiment of the present invention. In the fifth embodiment, similarly to FIG. 8, the CCD 104b has twelve reading elements 12-1 to 12-12. And among these reading elements,
12-1 to 12-4 read dots recorded in the Z 'portion on the recording paper 103, detect whether there is a dot missing portion by comparing with the image data to be recorded, and detect dot missing. If it is, a warning signal is output. In this case, as shown in FIG. 8 described above, a succeeding recording head H is provided, and the recording processing by this recording head H is performed by, for example, lowering the driving frequency of the head H and lowering the driving frequency of the carriage motor 124. May be recorded.

As described above, the fourth and fifth powers are used.
According to the embodiment, when an ink ejection failure occurs due to the scanning recording, the occurrence of the ink ejection failure due to the ink mist can be suppressed by reducing the driving frequency of the recording head. [Sixth Embodiment] Next, a sixth embodiment of the present invention will be described. In the sixth embodiment, the ratio between the density value of the recorded image data and the recording density of the actually recorded dots (the density value detected by the CCD 104) is obtained, and the ratio is determined for each nozzle of the recording head 101 according to the ratio. This is to correct the output data.

For example, in the case of FIG.
The recording density of dots read by the D _0, the recording density estimated from recorded data corresponding to the concentration of the D _i. For example, in the case of a printer device in which the maximum recording density is “1.5” when the maximum recording density is FFH (H represents a hexadecimal number), the estimated recording density is “80H” if the input image data value is “80H”. If the recording density is "0.7
5 ".

When the ratio D ₀ / D _i between the actually recorded density and the density of the image data is obtained, the control unit 1
Reference numeral 20 denotes a Y portion 1 of the recording head 101 based on the ratio.
At the time of recording by the 12 and the Z section 113, the image data adjacent to this pixel is changed and recorded.

FIG. 13 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a control circuit of the printer of the sixth embodiment. Portions common to the above-described block diagram are denoted by the same reference numerals.

A division unit 140 calculates a ratio D ₀ / D _i between the actually recorded density and the density of the image data. Each of 141 and 142 is a γ control unit that changes image data to be output to the Y unit 112 and the Z unit 113 of the recording head 101 according to a control signal from the control unit 120a. Now, for example, when the case where D _i = 1.0 and D ₀ = 1.1 is considered, at this time, the ratio D ₀ / D _i is “1.1”.
Thus, recording was performed at a density 10% higher than the estimated density. Here, the image data 150, 151 and 15
2 is obtained by dividing the final image data into three equal parts, so that the recording duty of each of the X, Y, and Z portions of the recording head 101 becomes substantially equal. Therefore, the recording head 1
01 is almost the same, and the Y portion 112 and the Z portion 1 of the recording head 101 are not corrected.
When the recording is performed at 13, the recording is performed at a density 10% higher than the estimated density, similarly to the case where the recording is performed by the X unit 111.

Therefore, when recording is performed using the Y section 112, recording is performed by multiplying the image data by 1 / 1.1 (= 0.91). Thereby, Y of the print head 101 is
The image density recorded by the unit 112 is equal to the estimated density. However, with this alone, the dots already recorded by the X section 111 remain as they are,
3 when printing using 0.9 × 0.91 = 0.8 so that the printing density of that portion becomes 0.9 times the estimated density.
2 is multiplied by the image data to be recorded, and recording is performed based on the image data. As a result, the X section 111 and the Y section 112
And the average density of the portion recorded by the Z section 113 is (1.
1 + 1.0 + 0.9) /3=1.0, and a recording density substantially equal to the estimated density can be obtained.

Such processing is executed by the control unit 120a. That is, the control unit 120a controls the Y unit 112 and the Z unit 1
13 is calculated as described above, and the γ control sections 141 and 14 of the Y section 112 and the Z section 113 are calculated.
2, the respective control signals 155 and 156 are output.

FIG. 14 is a graph showing the data stored in the γ control sections 141 and 142. As shown in FIG. 14, 64 lookup tables of straight lines having different inclinations by 0.01 are stored. Then, the control signals 155, 15
6, a straight line having a corresponding characteristic is selected, and the input image data 151 and 152 are converted and output. Thereby, for example, in the above-described example, the characteristic corresponding to the straight line having the slope of 0.91 is selected by the control signal 155 in the γ control unit 141, and the characteristic corresponding to the straight line having the slope of 0.82 is selected in the γ control unit 142. Will be selected.

By performing such control, the recording
The recording density fluctuates due to the temperature rise of the print head 101, etc.
Always match the estimated density according to the image data.
Control, so there is no density fluctuation as the final output image
A uniform recorded image can be obtained. FIG. 15 illustrates a seventh embodiment of the present invention.
Is a block diagram for calculating the density ratio D₀ / D_i According to
And the recording heads of the head drivers 12b and 121c.
The driving voltage of the node 101 is controlled. In FIG.
Each of the units 111 to 113 of the recording head 101
The discharge amount of ink can be controlled in accordance with the drive voltage.
Controls the relationship between head drive voltage and recorded image density
It is stored in the unit 120c. Therefore, the control unit 120c
Is the ratio (D₀ / D _i )
Based on each of the head drivers 121b and 121c,
Output control signals 160 and 161
Thus, similarly to the sixth embodiment, the recording head 101
Adjust the image density to be recorded by the
Can be suppressed.

In addition to the above, the head driver 121
By changing the head drive pulse width in b and 121c by the control signals 160 and 161, fluctuations in the recording density may be suppressed. [Eighth Embodiment] Next, an eighth embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 16 is a sectional view of the printer (recording apparatus) of the present embodiment. In the eighth embodiment, the case where the recording apparatus is an inkjet printer will be described.
The configuration of the recording apparatus 1 is also applicable to the above-described embodiment.

In FIG. 16, reference numeral 1 denotes a recording apparatus main body, 2 denotes a long roll as a recording material (recording medium such as recording paper), and 4 denotes a cutter for cutting the recording material to a predetermined length. I have. Reference numerals 3 and 5 denote a pair of transport rollers for transporting roll paper as a recording material, and reference numeral 6 denotes a roller for accurately transporting and positioning the recording material by a predetermined length corresponding to the recording width of the recording head. This is a sub-scanning roller. With the above configuration, the transport path of the recording material supplied from the roll 2 is configured.

On the other hand, 7 is a recording paper cassette for stocking cut recording materials, 8 is a guide section for guiding and conveying the recording materials, and the recording material taken out of the cassette 7 and conveyed passes through the guide section 8. The sheet is conveyed, and merges with the conveying path from the roll 2 just before the conveying roller 5.
A carriage 9 on which a recording head is mounted is supported by a pair of main scanning rails 9a so as to be movable in the depth direction in FIG. Reference numeral 10 denotes a platen at a position facing the carriage 9 with the recording material interposed therebetween. The platen 10 further prevents the recording material from floating during recording and keeps the recording material flat, and also prevents the recording material from contacting the recording head. For example, it has suction suction means such as suction by air or an electrostatic suction plate.

Next, the periphery of the recording head will be described with reference to FIG.

The carriage 9 has recording heads 9C, 9M, 9 corresponding to cyan, magenta, yellow, and black.
Y, 9Bk. Reference numeral 11 denotes the recording heads 9C and 9
An ink supply system for supplying ink to each of M, 9Y, and 9Bk, and ink cartridges 11C, 11M, and 11C corresponding to cyan, magenta, yellow, and black, respectively.
11Y and 11Bk. Each of these ink cartridges is connected to a tube 12 by a pump (not shown).
Recording head 9 via C, 12M, 12Y, 12Bk
Ink is supplied to each of C, 9M, 9Y, and 9Bk. A carriage motor 13 scans and drives the carriage 9 in the main scanning direction (horizontal direction in the drawing).
The carriage 9 is transported via a pulley 14, a pulley 15, and a belt 16 fixed to the carriage 9. Reference numeral 17 denotes a motor for scanning and driving the ink supply system 11 in the main scanning direction (horizontal direction in the drawing) in synchronization with the carriage 9.
Pulley 18, pulley 19, belt 20 fixed to
To drive the ink supply system 11 via the.

Reference numeral 22 denotes a recording material such as the above-mentioned roll or cut paper, which is conveyed by the conveying roller 5 and the sub-scanning roller 6 in the upward direction in the figure. Reference numeral 23 denotes a process for removing a factor that deteriorates image quality (hereinafter, referred to as an ejection recovery process).
The cap member is located at a position for performing the following. The cap members 23 cover the nozzle surfaces of the recording heads 9C, 9M, 9Y, and 9Bk. In this state, the recording head nozzles discharge ink by driving the recording head or discharge ink by pressurization. Further, the cap member 23
Inside, a high-speed airflow is introduced into the recording head nozzle surface,
The airflow blows off the remaining ink, dust, fluff, and the like accompanying the above-described ink ejection from the nozzle surface, thereby cleaning the nozzle surface and removing non-ejection and unevenness. 3
Reference numeral 1 denotes a monitor unit for reading a recording state recorded by the recording heads 9C, 9M, 9Y, and 9Bk.
Above, it is arranged immediately downstream of the recording head group in the main scanning direction (right direction in the figure), and reads an image recorded by the recording head.

Next, the configuration of the monitor section 31 will be described in detail with reference to FIG. In the figure, reference numeral 33 denotes a pair of illumination lamps for illuminating the recording image 180, and reference numeral 34 denotes a recording image 180 illuminated by the illumination lamps 33.
And a sensor 35 such as a CCD for photoelectrically converting the recorded image 180 based on the reflected light incident through the lens 34. The CCD sensor 35 divides one pixel into approximately three parts and has blue, green, and red filters so that the recorded image 180 can be monitored as a color-separated image. The number of reading elements of the CCD sensor 35 is determined by the recording heads 9C and 9C. It is desirable that the number of recording elements (number of nozzles) of each of 9M, 9Y, and 9Bk be equal to or larger than the number of recording elements. Based on the output signal of the sensor 35, the recording heads 9C, 9M,
The presence or absence of non-discharge of each of 9Y and 9Bk and whether or not the recording unevenness is equal to or more than a predetermined amount are detected, and if necessary, the above-described discharge recovery processing is performed.

Next, referring to FIGS. 16 and 17,
A normal series of recording sequences will be described. In FIG. 16, when a recording material is conveyed from the roll 2 or the cassette 7, the recording material is detected by a recording material detection sensor (not shown) located immediately before the conveyance roller 5. As a result, the conveying roller 5 and the sub-scanning roller 6 on the conveying path are driven to rotate by a predetermined amount, and are driven until the leading end of the recording material reaches the sub-scanning roller 6. In FIG. 17, when the leading end of the recording material 22 is conveyed to reach the sub-scanning roller 6, the carriage 9 and the ink supply system 11 are driven in the main scanning direction (right side in the drawing) by the carriage motor 13 and the motor 17, respectively. You. At the same time, the recording heads 9C, 9M, 9
For Y and 9Bk, recording is performed with a recording width I as shown in the figure based on the image signal.

After the recording of one line is completed, the carriage 9 and the ink supply system 11 are driven to return to a predetermined position on the left side of the drawing, and the recording material 22 is moved by the paper feed motor 125 in accordance with the recording width I. It is accurately conveyed in the sub-scanning direction.

After the above-described sequence of recording and transport of the recording material has been performed for a predetermined cycle, the recording material 22 is discharged out of the apparatus.

Further, the recording heads 9C, 9M, 9Y, 9B
The periphery of k will be described with reference to FIG.

The carriage 9 is roughly classified into a head holder 40 having recording heads 9C, 9M, 9Y, and 9Bk for four colors (here, only the recording head 9C is shown), and a pair of head holders 40 mounted thereon. And a holder carriage 41 that moves on the main scanning rail 9a. The holder carriage 41 has a pin 42 that engages with the head holder 40 at a position (the right side in FIG. 19) opposite to the position where the recording head (9C) is mounted. The holder 40 is rotatably supported. At the other end of the holder carriage 41, a spring 43 is stretched between the head holder 40 and the holder carriage 41. The head holder 40 is urged toward the holder carriage 41 with the pin 42 as a fulcrum by the tension of the spring 43. The holder carriage 41 has a linear pulse motor 44 near the spring 43, and a terminal 45 of the motor 44 contacts the head holder 40. This allows
By controlling the driving of the motor 44, the pin 42 is swung about the fulcrum against the head holder 40 and the spring 43, and the recording position by the recording head (9C) can be changed up and down. The linear pulse motor 44 is stopped when normal recording is performed, and operates when a defect occurs in a recorded image as described later.

Next, with reference to FIG. 17, the process of the ink supply 11 from the ink cartridges 11C to 11Bk will be described. FIG. 19 shows a path through which the ink C is supplied from the ink cartridge 11C to the tank 50C. A pump 51C is mounted below the tank 50C for supplying the ink C to the recording head 9C under pressure and performing an ejection recovery process. The flow path of the ink C is the pump 5
It is configured such that it reaches the recording head 9C via the supply tube 12C and the supply connector 52C connected to the discharge port of 1C, further returns to the tank 50C through the discharge connector 53C and the discharge tube 54C. .
At the time of printing, the pump 51C is stopped, and the ink C consumed by printing is caused by the capillary phenomenon of the print head 9C.
Self-replenishment is performed through the tubes 12C and 54C from the tank 50C. On the other hand, at the time of ejection recovery, the carriage 9
17 returns to the position of the cap member 23 as shown by the one-dot chain line in FIG. 17, and the pump 51C operates in this state. At this time, the ink C circulates between the tank 50C and the recording head 9C via the tubes 12C and 54C, and is also discharged from the ejection surface of the recording head 9C to wash away dust and thickened ink. The ink discharged from the recording head is collected in a waste ink bottle (not shown).

In the above description, the recording head for cyan C and its ink supply path have been described.
It has a similar configuration corresponding to each color of yellow and black. Next, an operation of detecting and correcting a recorded image defect, which is a characteristic portion of the eighth embodiment, will be described.

FIG. 20 is a block diagram showing the operation of the image recording apparatus of the eighth embodiment. Image data 60 sent from an image reading device (not shown) such as a scanner, an image input device, other communication means, or the like is stored in a recording unit (recording head).
And a recording image is formed on recording paper in accordance with the image data 60. The image data 60 is also temporarily stored in the memory 61 at the same time. On the other hand, the monitor unit 31 reads the recorded image recorded by the recording head to form monitoring image data, and transfers the monitored image data to the corrected image data forming unit 62. In the modified image data forming unit 62, the image data 60 stored in the memory 61 and the monitor unit 3
The monitoring data read in step 1 is compared with the comparator 620, and if the data is the same, it is determined that a desired record has been obtained. If the recorded image is different from the image data in the memory 61, it is determined that an image defect (discharge) has occurred, and the image data of this portion is stored in the memory 621.
When the recording of one line is completed and the carriage 9 returns to the home position direction (return), the linear pulse motor 4
By rotating the print head 4, the vertical position of the print head is changed, and correction printing for correcting the missing portion is performed from different discharge ports of the print head based on the corrected image data.

For example, as shown in FIG.
When a certain recording is performed, it is determined by the CCD sensor 35 of the monitor unit 31 that the ejection failure occurs in the n-th ejection port among the ejection ports (the nozzles of the recording head) from No. 1 to No. 256. Is done. Further, with reference to the drive pulse of a carriage motor 13 which controls the reciprocating operation of the carriage 9, the number of pulses at the start of recording P _S, when the number of pulses when the recording is completed and the P _E, the number of pulses By counting, it is possible to recognize that an ejection failure has occurred among, for example, P _{i to} P _j , and it is possible to specify the recording failure position based on this. Thus, when the carriage 9 moves backward, the linear pulse motor 44 is rotationally driven in order to change the recording position by the recording head, and for example, the (n + k) -th nozzle is used instead of the n-th nozzle for the ejection failure portion E. Recording for correction is performed with the discharge ports (nozzles) facing each other.

Next, the operation of the eighth embodiment will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

First, in step S61, the recording heads 9C,
When 9M, 9Y, and 9Bk are scanned for one scan and one row is recorded, at the same time, in step S62, the monitor unit 3
The image recorded by 1 is read. Thus, the corrected image data is calculated as described above (step S6).
3). If there is no correction unit (step S64), the carriage 9 is moved back at high speed (step S66), and the recording paper 22 is fed by the width corresponding to one line recorded during this time (step S67). These operations are repeated until the last line is recorded.

On the other hand, if it is determined in step S64 that there is a correction portion (ejection failure), the process proceeds to step S69,
The linear pulse motor 44 is rotated to change the recording position of the recording head without carrying the recording paper 22. As a result, as described above with reference to FIG. 21, an ejection port ((n + k) th nozzle) different from the ejection port (nth nozzle) in which ejection failure has occurred is opposed to the recording failure position of the recording paper. (Step S70). When the recording head reaches the correction position while moving the recording head backward at the same speed as during normal recording, the recording is corrected by discharging ink from the (n + k) th nozzle based on the corrected image data. (Step S71).

Then, the process proceeds to a step S72, in which it is determined whether or not the discharge is only partially defective (self-recovery). Then, the ejection recovery process is performed by returning to the position opposite to. In step S74, the recording paper 22 is conveyed in the sub-scanning direction by one line width in the meantime (step S74), and the linear pulse motor 44 is driven to rotate to return the recording head to the normal position (step S7).
5) The recording operation of the next line is performed.

On the other hand, if it is determined in step S11 that the discharge is not partially defective (the discharge port (nozzle) is completely clogged), the flow advances to step S76 to determine whether or not there is a defective recording by the same nozzle. Or 1 in step S77.
It is determined whether it is the first time. If it is determined that “the same ejection port is not the same” or “the same ejection port is the first time”, the process proceeds to step S73, and the subsequent operations are executed. If not, the process proceeds to step S78, and the recovery process is performed once. Is performed, the ejection port is completely clogged, and it is determined that recovery is impossible, and a warning display for prompting the replacement of the recording head is performed. Then, the process proceeds to step S73 to execute the subsequent operations without stopping the recording operation.

Therefore, even when a certain discharge port (nozzle) of the recording head is completely clogged, correction printing is performed using another nozzle of the recording head without replacing the recording head. be able to. Thus, for example, even if the recording material for long recording is a woven cloth and the recording is performed for a long time, the operator does not need to constantly monitor the recording state. It becomes possible.

In the eighth embodiment described above, the recording position of the recording head by the recording head is varied by means for varying the recording position of the recording head. However, the present invention is not limited to this. Instead, it is only necessary that the position of the recording paper and the recording head can be relatively changed. For example, the conveying roller pairs 5 and 6 of the recording paper shown in FIG. The position may be variable.

FIG. 23 is a block diagram showing an example of a basic configuration of an ink jet recording apparatus according to the present invention. This ink jet recording apparatus is configured as a system, and is roughly divided into an image reading device 401 that reads an original image created by a designer or the like and converts the original image into original image data represented by an electric signal, and original image data from the image reading device 401. And an image recording unit 403 for recording on a recording medium such as a cloth based on the image data created by the image processing unit 402. In the image reading device 401, an original image is read by a CCD image sensor. In the image processing unit 402, an inkjet recording unit A that ejects four colors of ink of magenta (abbreviation M), cyan (abbreviation C), yellow (abbreviation Y), and black (abbreviation Bk), which will be described later, from the input original image data. -2
Create data for driving (FIG. 24). When creating the data, image processing for reproducing the original image with ink dots, color arrangement for determining the color tone, processing of the size of the pattern such as layout change, enlargement and reduction, and selection are performed. In the image recording unit 403, the inkjet recording unit A-
2, recording is performed. Inkjet recording unit A-2
In the Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. H11-27300, recording is performed by causing minute ink droplets to fly toward a recording medium and attaching the ink droplets to the recording medium.

FIG. 26 is a perspective view showing an image recording section of an example of the ink jet recording apparatus used in the present invention. In FIG. 24, the first print unit 431 and the second
Since the print units 431 'have the same configuration, only the first print unit 431 is shown and described in FIG.

First, the first printing section 431 is roughly divided into a frame 250, two guide rails 251 and 252, an ink jet head 9 and its moving carriage 410, an ink supply device 253 and its moving carriage 411, and a head. It comprises a recovery device 23 and an electrical system. An ink jet head 9 (hereinafter simply referred to as a recording head) includes a plurality of nozzle arrays and a conversion device for converting an electric signal into ink ejection energy, and receives an image sent from an image processing unit (not shown). It has a function of selectively discharging ink from a nozzle row according to a signal.
The carriage 444 in FIG. 9 includes two moving carriages 410 and 411.

The recording head 9 is a recording head that discharges ink by using thermal energy, and includes a thermal energy converter for generating thermal energy to be applied to the ink. A head that causes a state change in the ink by the applied heat energy and discharges the ink from the discharge port based on the state change is preferably used.

The ink supply device 253 stores ink and supplies a required amount of ink to the recording head 9, and has an ink tank, an ink pump, and the like (not shown). The main body and the recording head 9 are connected by an ink supply tube, and are usually automatically supplied to the recording head 9 by the amount of ink ejected from the recording head 9 by capillary action. Also, at the time of a head recovery operation as described later,
The ink is forcibly supplied to the recording head 9 using an ink pump.

The recording head 9 and the ink supply device 253 are mounted on the carriage 410 and the carriage 411, respectively.
2 to reciprocate.

The head recovery device 23 is provided at a home position (standby position) of the recording head 9 which can face the recording head 9 in order to maintain the ink ejection stability of the recording head 9, and is provided in the direction of arrow A. Can be moved forward and backward. Specifically, the following operation is performed.

First, capping of the recording head 9 is performed at the home position in order to prevent evaporation of ink from inside the nozzles of the recording head 9 during non-operation (capping operation), or air bubbles and dust in the nozzles before image recording is started. Operation to press the ink flow path in the head using an ink pump to forcibly discharge ink, and forcibly discharge ink from the nozzles (pressure recovery operation), or forcibly suck and discharge ink from the nozzles ( It performs a function of collecting ink discharged at the time of performing the suction recovery operation).

The transmission system includes a power supply unit and a control unit for performing sequence control of the entire ink jet recording unit. Each time the recording head 9 moves in the main scanning direction and a predetermined length of recording is performed, the cloth 36 is conveyed by a predetermined amount in the sub-scanning direction (the direction of arrow B) by a conveying device (not shown), and image formation is performed. . In the figure, the hatched portions indicate the portions where recording has been completed.

As the recording head 9, an ink jet recording head for monochromatic recording, a plurality of recording heads for recording with inks of different colors for color recording, or a plurality of recordings for recording with dark and light inks of the same color but different densities are used. A head or the like can be used.

Further, the configuration of the recording means and the ink tank, such as a cartridge type in which the recording head and the ink tank are integrated, or a configuration in which the recording head and the ink tank are separated and connected by an ink supply tube, are used. It can be applied regardless.

Further, by implementing the present invention in the recording apparatus of the following embodiment, a high-quality image can be obtained even on a recording medium having extremely low water absorption. FIG.
FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing an outline of a recording apparatus particularly preferable for the method of the present invention. This recording apparatus is roughly divided into a feeding section B for feeding a recording medium such as a roll-shaped cloth that has been subjected to a pretreatment for printing, and a line feeding the sent cloth precisely.
It comprises a main body for printing with an inkjet head, and a winding section C for drying and winding the printed fabric. The main body A further includes a precision feeding section A-1 for fabric containing a platen and a printing unit A-2. FIG. 25 is a perspective view illustrating details of the configuration of the print unit A-2.

The operation of this apparatus will be described below, taking as an example a case where printing is performed using a pretreated fabric as a recording medium.

The pretreated roll-shaped cloth 36 is sent out to the cloth feeding section and sent to the main body section A. A thin endless belt 437 that is precisely driven in a stepwise manner is wound around a driving roller 447 and a winding roller 449 in the main body.
The drive roller 447 is directly step-driven by a high-resolution stepping motor (not shown) and steps the belt 437 by the step amount. The fed cloth 36 is pressed by a pressing roller 440 onto the surface of the belt 437 backed up by the winding roller 449 and is attached.

The cloth 36 fed stepwise by the belt 437 is localized by the platen 432 on the back surface of the belt in the first printing section 431 and printed by the recording head 9 from the front side. Each time printing of one line is completed, the printing is stepped by a predetermined amount, and then the belt 4
37 is heated by the heating plate 434 from the back and dried by hot air from the surface supplied / discharged by the hot air duct 435. Subsequently, the second print unit 43
At 1 ', the print head 9' is used to perform the overprinting in the same manner as the first printing unit 431.

The printed fabric is peeled off from the belt 437, dried again in the post-drying section 446 similar to the heating plate and the hot air duct, guided to the guide roll 441, and taken up by the take-up roll 448. Then, the fabric wound on the winding roll 439 is removed from the present apparatus,
The product undergoes post-processing steps after color development, washing and drying in a batch process.

Next, details of the print unit A-2 will be described with reference to FIG.

In a preferred embodiment, the information is recorded by thinning out the number of dots by the recording head 9 of the first printing section 431, and after the drying step, the information is recorded by the recording head 9 'of the second printing section 431'. Ink droplets are ejected so as to complement the information thinned out by one print unit 431.

In FIG. 25, a cloth 36 as a recording medium
Is affixed to a belt 437 and stepped upward in the figure. In the figure, a lower first print unit 431 has a first carriage 444 on which a recording head for spot colors S1 to S4 and the like are mounted in addition to Y, M, C, and Bk. The recording head in this example uses a recording element having a heating element that generates thermal energy that causes film boiling of ink as energy used for discharging ink, and has a density of 400 dpi (dots / inch). At 12
An arrangement in which eight discharge ports are arranged is used.

Downstream of the first printing section 431, a drying section 445 comprising a heating plate 434 for heating from the back of the belt and a hot air duct 435 for drying from the front side is provided. The heat transfer surface of the heating plate 434 is pressed against a strongly tensioned endless belt 437, and the belt 437 is strongly heated from the back by high-temperature and high-pressure steam passing through the hollow inside.
The belt 437 is, for example, thin (100 to 150 μm).
m) The cloth 36, which is made of stainless steel or the like and is stuck, is effectively heated directly by heat conduction. Fins 43 for collecting heat are inside the heating plate surface.
4 'is provided so that heat can be efficiently concentrated on the back surface of the belt 437. The side not in contact with the belt 437 is covered with a heat insulating material 443 to prevent heat loss due to heat radiation.

On the front side, dry warm air is blown from the supply duct 430 on the downstream side, so that the cloth being dried is exposed to lower humidity air to enhance the effect. Then, the air flowing in the opposite direction to the cloth transport direction and containing a sufficient amount of moisture is sucked from the suction duct 433 on the upstream side by a much larger amount than the amount of spraying, so that the evaporated moisture leaks and the surrounding air is leaked. Condensation on the mechanism is prevented. The hot air supply source is located at the back side in FIG. 25, and suction is performed from the near side, and the pressure difference between the outlet 438 facing the fabric 36 and the suction port 439 is uniform over the entire area in the longitudinal direction. It is made to become. The air blow / suction unit is offset downstream with respect to the center of the backside heating plate so that the air hits the well heated area. As a result, the first print unit 431 strongly dries a large amount of water contained in the ink, including the thinning liquid, received by the fabric.

Downstream (upper), the second print unit 4
31 ', and a second print unit 431' is formed by a second carriage 444 'having the same configuration as the first carriage 444.

Next, a preferred example of the ink jet textile printing method will be described. After passing through the ink-jet printing process, it is dried (including natural drying). Subsequently, a step of diffusing the dye on the fabric fiber and reacting and fixing the dye to the fiber is performed. By this step, it is possible to obtain a sufficient color developing property and fastness due to fixing of the dye.

The diffusion and reaction fixing step may be performed by a conventionally known method, for example, a steaming method. In addition,
In this case, the fabric may be subjected to an alkali treatment before the printing step.

Thereafter, in the post-treatment step, the unreacted dye is removed and the substances used in the pre-treatment are removed. Finally, the record is completed through an organization finishing process such as defect correction and ironing.

The recording medium may be cloth, wallpaper, paper, OH
P sheets and the like. In particular, the present invention is suitable for low-water-absorbing recording media such as cloth and wallpaper.
In the present invention, the fabric includes all woven fabrics, non-woven fabrics and other fabrics, regardless of the material, weaving method or knitting method. In the present specification, the wallpaper includes paper, cloth, or a wall sticking material made of a synthetic resin sheet such as polyvinyl chloride.

In particular, as a fabric for ink-jet printing, (1) the ink can be colored to a sufficient concentration. (2) The ink dyeing rate is high. (3) The ink dries quickly on the fabric. (4) The occurrence of irregular ink bleeding on the fabric is small. (5) Excellent transportability in the apparatus. Performance is required. In order to satisfy these required performances, the cloth can be subjected to a pretreatment beforehand as required. For example, JP-A-62-53492 discloses fabrics having an ink receiving layer,
Further, Japanese Patent Publication No. 3-65859 proposes a fabric containing a reduction inhibitor and an alkaline substance. As an example of such a pretreatment, there can be mentioned a treatment in which a cloth contains a substance selected from an alkaline substance, a water-soluble polymer, a synthetic polymer, a water-soluble metal salt, urea and thiourea.

Examples of the alkaline substance include alkali metal hydroxides such as sodium hydroxide and potassium hydroxide;
Examples thereof include amines such as mono, di, and triethanolamine, and alkali metal salts of carbonic acid or bicarbonate such as sodium carbonate, potassium carbonate, and sodium bicarbonate. Further, there are organic acid metal salts such as calcium acetate and barium acetate, ammonia and ammonia compounds. Further, sodium trichloroacetate which becomes an alkaline substance under steaming and drying may be used. Particularly preferred alkaline substances include sodium carbonate and sodium bicarbonate used for dyeing reactive dyes.

Examples of the water-soluble polymer include starch substances such as corn and wheat; cellulosic substances such as carboxymethylcellulose, methylcellulose and hydroxyethylcellulose; sodium alginate;
Locust bean gum, tragacanth gum, guar gum,
Examples thereof include polysaccharides such as tamarind seeds, protein substances such as gelatin and casein, and natural water-soluble polymers such as tannin substances and lignin substances.

Examples of the synthetic polymer include polyvinyl alcohol compounds, polyethylene oxiso compounds, acrylic acid-based water-soluble polymers, and maleic anhydride-based water-soluble polymers. Among them, polysaccharide polymers and cellulose polymers are preferable.

Examples of the water-soluble metal salt include compounds which form typical ionic crystals and have a pH of 4 to 10, such as halides of alkali metals and alkaline earth metals. Representative examples of such compounds include, for example, NaCl, Na ₂ S
O ₄ , KCl and CH ₃ COONa, and the like, and as the alkaline earth metal, CaCl ₂ and MgC
l _2, and the like. Among them, salts of Na, K and Ca are preferred.

The method of incorporating the above substances and the like into the fabric in the pretreatment is not particularly limited, and examples thereof include a commonly used dipping method, bad method, coating method and spray method.

Further, the printing ink applied to the fabric for ink-jet printing simply adheres to the fabric when applied to the fabric, and is subsequently subjected to the step of fixing and reacting the dye on the fiber (dyeing step). Is preferred. Such a reaction fixing step may be carried out by a conventionally known method, for example, a steaming method, an HT steaming method, a thermofix method, or an alkaline pad steam method or an alkaline blotch steam method when a cloth which has been previously alkali-treated is not used. , Alkali shock method, alkali cold fix method and the like.

Further, the removal of unreacted dyes and the substances used in the pretreatment can be carried out after the above-mentioned reaction fixing step by washing according to a conventionally known method. In addition, it is preferable to use a conventional fixing process in combination with this cleaning.

FIG. 27 is a diagram for explaining recording data recorded by sequential multi-scan.

In FIG. 27, each rectangular area surrounded by a dotted line corresponds to one dot (pixel).
In the case of 0 dpi (dot / inch), the area of each rectangle is about (63.5 μm) ² . The portions indicated by black circles indicate the positions where dots are formed, and the portions where no black circles exist indicate portions where recording is not performed. The recording head moves in the direction of arrow F, and ink is ejected from the ink ejection nozzle at a predetermined timing. This sequential multi-scan is performed in order to correct variations in the size of ink droplets ejected from each nozzle and variations in density between the nozzles caused by variations in the ink ejection direction.
The same line (head moving direction) is recorded by a plurality of nozzles. By forming one line with a plurality of nozzles in this manner, density unevenness is reduced by utilizing the randomness of the characteristics of each nozzle of the print head. That is, in the case of sequential multi-scan by twice scanning, printing is performed using the upper half of the print head in the first scan, and printing is performed using the lower half nozzles of the print head in the second scan.

FIGS. 28 and 29 show recording examples by the sequential multi-scan.

For example, when recording the data shown in FIG. 27, first, as shown in FIG. 28, only the odd-numbered recording data of the data generated in the moving direction of the recording head is transferred to the upper half of the recording head. Record with the nozzle. Next, the recording head (carriage) is returned to the home position direction, and the cloth 36 is fed by half the width of the recording head, and as shown in FIG. 29, the even-numbered dots in the moving direction of the recording head are recorded this time. Recording is performed using the nozzle in the lower half of the head.
In this manner, data as shown in FIG. 27 is recorded on the cloth 36 by two scans.

FIG. 30 shows an example of printing by ordinary two-time multi-scan. The areas printed by the recording head 9 of the first print unit 431 are (lower 1) 701 and (lower 2) 70
2, (lower 3) 703 and the second print unit 431 ′
The area printed by the recording head 9 ′ of (1) is 704,
(Top 2) 705 and (Top 3) 706.

The cloth feed direction is as shown by the arrow in the figure, and the amount of one step feed of the cloth 36 corresponds to the recording width of the recording head. As is apparent from FIG. 30, all of the recorded area is composed of the upper half of the recording head 9 'of the second printing unit 431' and the recording head 9 of the first printing unit 431.
Or the lower half of the print head 9 'of the second print unit 431' and the print head 9 of the first print unit 431.
And recorded using the upper half. Here, the data recorded by each recording head is thinned out as shown in FIG. 28 and FIG. 29, and as a result of being superimposed and recorded by these two recording heads 9 and 9 ′, The indicated print density is obtained.

The present invention particularly provides an excellent effect in an ink jet recording head and a recording apparatus in which a flying liquid droplet is formed by utilizing thermal energy and recording is performed.

The typical configuration and principle are described, for example, in US Pat. Nos. 4,723,129 and 4,740.
It is preferable to use the basic principle disclosed in the specification of Japanese Patent No. 796. This method can be applied to both the so-called on-demand type and continuous type. In particular, in the case of the on-demand type, liquid (ink)
By applying at least one drive signal corresponding to the recorded information and providing a rapid temperature rise exceeding the nucleate boiling to an electrothermal transducer arranged corresponding to the sheet or the liquid path holding the Since thermal energy is generated in the electrothermal transducer and film boiling occurs on the heat-acting surface of the recording head, bubbles in the liquid (ink) corresponding to this drive signal on a one-to-one basis can be formed. It is valid. By discharging the liquid (ink) through the discharge opening by the growth and contraction of the bubble, at least one droplet is formed. When the drive signal is formed into a pulse shape, the growth and shrinkage of the bubble are performed immediately and appropriately, so that the ejection of the liquid (ink) having particularly excellent responsiveness can be achieved, which is more preferable.

As the driving signal in the form of a pulse, those described in US Pat. Nos. 4,463,359 and 4,345,262 are suitable. When the conditions described in US Pat. No. 4,313,124 of the invention relating to the temperature rise rate of the heat acting surface are adopted, excellent recording can be performed.

As the configuration of the recording head, in addition to the combination of a discharge port, a liquid path, and an electrothermal converter (linear liquid flow path or right-angled liquid flow path) as disclosed in the above-mentioned respective specifications, A configuration using U.S. Pat. No. 4,558,333 or U.S. Pat. No. 4,459,600 which discloses a configuration in which the heat acting surface is arranged in a bent region may be used. In addition, Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. Sho 5 discloses a configuration in which a common slit is used as a discharge section of an electrothermal converter for a plurality of electrothermal converters.
Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 9-123670 discloses a structure in which an opening for absorbing a pressure wave of thermal energy corresponds to a discharge portion.
A configuration based on JP-A-9-138461 can also be adopted.

Further, as a full-line type recording head having a length corresponding to the width of the maximum recording medium that can be recorded by the recording apparatus, the length is determined by combining a plurality of recording heads as disclosed in the above-mentioned specification. This may be either a configuration satisfying the above requirements or a configuration as a single recording head formed integrally.

In addition, the print head is replaceable with a print head of a replaceable chip type, which can be electrically connected to the main body of the apparatus or supplied with ink from the main body of the apparatus, or integrated with the print head itself. Alternatively, a cartridge type recording head provided with an ink tank may be used.

It is preferable to add recovery means for the print head, preliminary auxiliary means, and the like provided as components of the printing apparatus of the present invention since the effects of the present invention can be further stabilized. . If these are specifically mentioned, capping means for the recording head, cleaning means, pressurizing or suction means, preheating means using an electrothermal transducer or another heating element or a combination thereof, and printing Performing a preliminary ejection mode for performing another ejection is also effective for performing stable printing.

Further, the recording mode of the recording apparatus is not limited to the recording mode of only the mainstream color such as black, but may be a single recording head or a combination of plural recording heads. Alternatively, the apparatus may be provided with at least one of full colors by color mixture.

In the embodiments of the present invention described above, the ink is described as a liquid. However, an ink which solidifies at room temperature or below and which softens at room temperature, or which is liquid, In general, in the ink jet system, the temperature of the ink itself is controlled within a range of 30 ° C. or more and 70 ° C. or less to control the temperature so that the viscosity of the ink is in a stable ejection range. It is sufficient if the ink is in a liquid state.

In addition, the temperature rise due to thermal energy is positively prevented by using it as energy for changing the state of the ink from the solid state to the liquid state, or the ink is solidified in a standing state for the purpose of preventing evaporation of the ink. Either ink may be used, or in any case, the ink may be liquefied by application of heat energy according to the recording signal and ejected as a liquid ink, or may already start to solidify when reaching the recording medium. The use of ink having a property of being liquefied for the first time by heat energy is also applicable to the present invention. In such a case, the ink is disclosed in JP-A-54-5684.
No. 7 or Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 60-71260, in which the porous sheet is opposed to the electrothermal converter while being held in a liquid or solid state in the concave portions or through holes of the porous sheet. It may be. In the present invention, the most effective one for each of the above-mentioned inks is to execute the above-mentioned film boiling method.

In addition, as a form of the recording apparatus according to the present invention, a copying apparatus combined with a reader or the like as described above, or an image output terminal of an information processing apparatus such as a word processor or a computer is provided integrally or separately. Or a facsimile apparatus having a transmission / reception function.

In the above embodiment, the case where one pixel is composed of one dot has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and multi-value recording in which one pixel is composed of a plurality of dots is described. Of course, it can be applied to the case.

In the above embodiment, all the nozzles of the recording head are integrally mounted, and the case where recording is performed by changing the nozzles driven in accordance with each scan has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this. Instead, the recording may be performed by multi-scan using separate recording heads. In the case of such a separate recording head, the recording heads may be arranged at a distance of an integral multiple of the sub-scan feed width in the sub-scanning direction.

In the case of recording a color image, the above-described embodiment may be performed for each color.

The recording material is not limited to paper, but may be a film,
The case where an image is recorded on a cloth or the like is also included in the scope of the present invention.
Further, in the present invention, the fabric is not limited to a woven fabric, but also includes a nonwoven fabric.

The recorded material subjected to the post-processing step described above is thereafter cut into a desired size, and the cut pieces are used to obtain a final processed product such as sewing, bonding, welding, or the like. Process, dresses, dresses, ties, swimwear and other clothing and futon covers, sofa covers, handkerchiefs,
A curtain or the like is obtained. Many methods for fabricating fabrics and other daily necessities by sewing fabrics are described in, for example, known books such as "Latest Knit Sewing Manual": published by Sensei Journal Co., Ltd. and monthly magazine "Sou-Den": published by Bunka Publishing Bureau. Have been.

The present invention may be applied to a system composed of a plurality of devices or an apparatus composed of one device. Needless to say, the present invention can also be applied to a case where the present invention is achieved by supplying a program for implementing the present invention to a system or an apparatus.

As described above, according to these embodiments, even if there is a non-ejection in one scan at the time of multi-scan printing, dot missing is corrected in the subsequent scan, so that an image without image defects is always obtained. Can be obtained.

[0125]

As described above, according to the present invention, there is an effect that a recorded image having no defect can be obtained.

According to the present invention, even if a defect occurs in a recording element, the defect is automatically detected, and the recording should be performed by the defective recording element in the original recording scan by another recording element. Since the image can be replenished and recorded, there is an effect that an image having no defect can be recorded without reducing the recording speed of the image.

Further, according to another aspect of the invention, there is an effect that a uniform image with little density fluctuation can be obtained.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram for explaining a recording operation according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a diagram for explaining a recording example by a normal serial scan.

FIG. 3 is a diagram for explaining a recording example using a conventional multi-scan method.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of the printer device according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating a recording process in the printer device according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating a recording process in the printer device according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram showing a recording operation according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram showing a recording operation according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a block diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of a printer device according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 10 is a flowchart illustrating a recording process in a printer device according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 11 is a flowchart illustrating a recording process in a printer device according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating a recording operation by a printer device according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 13 is a block diagram illustrating a main configuration of a printer according to a sixth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 14 is a diagram illustrating γ correction characteristics in a γ control unit of a printer according to a sixth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 15 is a block diagram illustrating a main configuration of a printer device according to a seventh embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 16 is a cross-sectional view of the recording apparatus of the embodiment.

FIG. 17 is a perspective view of a recording unit of the recording apparatus according to the embodiment.

FIG. 18 is a perspective view illustrating a configuration of a monitor unit of the recording apparatus according to the embodiment.

19 is a cross-sectional view illustrating the recording head and the ink supply system of FIG.

FIG. 20 is a block diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of a recording apparatus according to an embodiment.

FIG. 21 is a diagram illustrating an example of an image defect due to a nozzle ejection failure.

FIG. 22 is a flowchart illustrating a recording process in the printer device according to the embodiment.

FIG. 23 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a basic configuration of an inkjet recording apparatus according to the present invention.

FIG. 24 is a schematic diagram showing an outline of a recording apparatus preferable for the method of the present invention.

FIG. 25 is a perspective view illustrating details of the configuration of a print unit A-2.

FIG. 26 is a perspective view showing an image recording section of an example of an ink jet recording apparatus used in the present invention.

FIG. 27 is a diagram for explaining recording data recorded by sequential multi-scan in the recording apparatus of the present embodiment.

FIG. 28 is a diagram for explaining thinning recording processing in the recording apparatus of the present embodiment.

FIG. 29 is a diagram illustrating a thinning recording process in the recording apparatus according to the present embodiment.

FIG. 30 is a diagram illustrating a print example of normal two-time multi-scan in the recording apparatus of the present embodiment.

[Explanation of symbols]

 9, 9 ', 101 Recording head 104 CCD sensor 120 Control unit 124 Carriage motor 130 CPU 140 Division unit 141, 142 γ control unit

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continuing on the front page (72) Nobuhiko Ogata 3-30-2 Shimomaruko, Ota-ku, Tokyo Inside Canon Inc. (72) Inventor Kiyoharu Tanaka 3-30-2 Shimomaruko, Ota-ku, Tokyo Canon (56) References JP-A-63-197669 (JP, A) JP-A-4-31067 (JP, A) JP-A-4-185462 (JP, A) JP-A-4-41243 (JP, A) A) JP-A-3-167453 (JP, A) JP-A-4-221666 (JP, A) JP-A-4-305483 (JP, A) JP-A-2-212150 (JP, A) JP-A-3 −227638 (JP, A) (58) Fields investigated (Int. Cl. ⁶ , DB name) B41J 29/46 B41J 2/01 G06F 3/12

Claims (14)

(57) [Claims] 1. A relative a plurality of recording elements relative to a recording medium
The same scanning area on the recording medium is alternately scanned while scanning.
Different first and second recording elements,
An image recording apparatus for recording an image by applying ink by a recording element , wherein the recording is performed on a recording medium while scanning with the recording element.
Detecting a reading means for reading the recorded image elements are recorded, the recording image read by the reading means, the failure of the recording device by comparing the image data to be originally recorded
Detecting means for detecting a defect of the first recording element by the detecting means;
Image data supplied to the second recording element when
In the printing scan by the second printing element based on
To the image data corresponding to the first recording element detected as good
An image recording apparatus comprising: a control unit configured to perform recording based on the image data. 2. A scanning operation subsequent to the reading means, wherein
Scan the same scanning area as the first printing element and the second printing element
A third recording element, and the first recording element and / or
When a defect of the second recording element is detected,
Indicates the detected first recording element and second recording
The image data corresponding to the element failure is stored in the first and / or
Or the third printing element following the scanning of the second printing element.
2. The image recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the recording is controlled so as to be supplemented by the scanning of the child . 3. An image recording apparatus for recording an image on a recording medium by scanning a recording head having a plurality of recording elements, wherein the recording means scans a recording area of the recording medium a plurality of times with the recording head and records the image. A recording unit that scans with the recording head to read a recording image recorded on a recording medium during recording scanning by the recording unit; and a recording image read by the reading unit and image information to be recorded. Determining means for comparing and determining a defective recording position; and replenishing recording means for recording an area determined as defective by the determining means in a subsequent recording scan by lowering the driving frequency of the recording head. An image recording apparatus, comprising: 4. An image recording apparatus for recording an image on a recording medium by scanning a recording head having a plurality of recording elements, and recording means for scanning a recording area of the recording medium by scanning the recording head a plurality of times. A density detection unit that scans together with the recording head to detect the density of a recorded image recorded on a recording medium during recording scanning by the recording unit; and a density of the recorded image detected by the density detection unit. Compare the density of the image information to be recorded with the density
Determining means for determining an area , and a density-defective area determined to be defective by the determining means
Density matches the density of the image information that should be recorded
After changing the drive voltage of the recording head so that
Density for performing density correction of the density defect area in the subsequent print scan
An image recording apparatus comprising: a correction unit . 5. The image recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the recording element discharges the ink onto a recording medium by causing a state change in the ink. 6. The recording element according to claim 5, wherein the recording element uses heat energy to cause a state change in the ink.
The image recording apparatus as described in the above. 7. Relative a plurality of recording elements relative to a recording medium
The same scanning area on the recording medium is
Different recording elements, including the recording element and the second recording element
An image recording method for recording an image by applying ink , wherein the recording is performed on a recording medium while scanning with the recording element.
A reading step of reading a recording image recorded by the element, and comparing the recording image read in the reading step with image data to be originally recorded to detect a defect of the recording element.
Detecting a defect of the first recording element by the detecting step.
Image data supplied to the second recording element when
In the printing scan by the second printing element based on
To the image data corresponding to the first recording element detected as good
An image recording method characterized in that recording based on the image is also performed . 8. The image recording method according to claim 7 , further comprising a fixing step of fixing the ink applied to the recording medium to the recording medium. 9. The image recording method according to claim 8 , further comprising a cleaning step of cleaning the recording medium on which recording has been performed after the fixing step. 10. An image recording method according to claim 7 or 8, further comprising the step of containing a pretreatment agent to said recording medium prior to recording on the recording medium. Wherein said recording medium is an image recording method according to any one of claims 7 to 1 1 characterized in that it is a fabric. 12. The recording medium is an image recording method according to any one of claims 7 to 1 1, characterized in that it is wallpaper. 13. A plurality of recording elements for a recording medium.
The same scanning area on the recording medium is
Different printing elements, including the printing element and the second printing element,
An image recording apparatus for applying an ink to record an image.
When the recording by the first recording element is defective,
The second recording element is an image supplied to the second recording element.
Supply to the first printing element by printing scan based on image data
Recording based on image data to be performed
Image recording device. 14. A plurality of recording elements for a recording medium.
The same scanning area on the recording medium is
Different printing elements, including the printing element and the second printing element,
An image recording method for recording an image by applying ink
When the recording by the first recording element is defective,
The second recording element is an image supplied to the second recording element.
Supply to the first printing element by printing scan based on image data
Recording based on image data to be performed
Image recording method.