Recording device

Abstract

To provide a recording device which can detect the shape of a sheet with excellent efficiency even if a housing has the relatively narrow width.SOLUTION: A recording device according to the present invention comprises: conveyance means which conveys a sheet; a carriage which moves in the first direction heading toward a second end from a first end of the sheet conveyed by the conveyance means and the second direction opposite to the first direction; a first sensor which is arranged in the carriage and detects the sheet; and a second sensor which is arranged in the carriage so as to be apart in the first direction from the first sensor and detects the sheet. The recording device executes any of a first detection operation of making the carriage move in a first distance and making the first sensor detect a space between the side of the second end and the side of the first end of the sheet, and a second detection operation of making the carriage move in the second distance longer than the first distance and making the first sensor and the second sensor detect the space between the side of the second end and the side of the first end of the sheet.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 6

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a recording apparatus that records on a sheet supplied from a roll around which the sheet is wound. [Background technology]

[0002] In a recording device that records on a roll of a sheet, the leading edge of the sheet may have an inappropriate shape for recording. The recording device of Patent Document 1 can detect the shape of the leading edge of the sheet using a single sensor mounted on the carriage before the recording operation. If the detected shape of the leading edge of the sheet is inappropriate for recording, the leading edge of the sheet is cut off with a cutter. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2001-146052 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, in Patent Document 1, if the width of the housing is small compared to the movement range of the carriage, one sensor cannot detect the shape of the sheet. On the other hand, by using two sensors, the shape of the sheet can be detected. It has been found that using two sensors regardless of the width of the sheet can result in poor detection efficiency. Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a recording device that can efficiently detect the shape of a sheet even if the housing is relatively narrow compared to the movement range of the carriage. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] The recording device of the present invention is a recording device comprising: a conveying means for conveying a sheet; and a carriage that moves in a second direction opposite to a first direction from a first end toward a second end of the sheet conveyed by the conveying means, and has a first sensor arranged on the carriage for detecting the sheet; and a second sensor arranged on the carriage away from the first sensor in the first direction for detecting the sheet, and is characterized in that the recording device performs either a first detection operation in which the carriage moves a first distance and detects the gap between the second end side and the first end side of the sheet with the first sensor, or a second detection operation in which the carriage moves a second distance longer than the first distance and detects the gap between the second end side and the first end side of the sheet with the first sensor and the second sensor, and the second detection operation detects the second end side of the sheet with the second sensor and the first end side with the first sensor. [Effects of the Invention]

[0006] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a recording apparatus that can efficiently detect the shape of a sheet even if the housing has a width that is relatively narrow compared to the moving range of the carriage. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0007] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a system configuration of a recording apparatus. [Figure 2] FIG. 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a recording apparatus. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a top view of a recording unit including a carriage. [Figure 4] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing the relationship between the width of the carriage and the width of the sheet. [Figure 5] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing the relationship between the width of a sheet and the position of a sensor. [Figure 6] 10 is a flowchart showing a pre-cutting operation. [Figure 7] 10 is a flowchart showing a detection operation using one sensor. [Figure 8] 10 is a flowchart showing a detection operation using two sensors. [Figure 9]FIG. 10 is a diagram for comparing processing times. [Figure 10] 10A and 10B are diagrams illustrating the carriage movement range and the sheet position in the case of center-based feeding. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0008] Hereinafter, embodiments will be described with reference to the drawings. Note that although multiple features are described, not all of these multiple features are necessarily essential to the invention, and multiple features may be combined arbitrarily. Furthermore, in the drawings, the same reference numerals are used to designate the same or similar components, and redundant explanations may be omitted.

[0009] In the embodiments, "recording" includes not only forming meaningful information such as characters and figures, but also forming images, designs, patterns, etc. on a sheet or processing a medium. In the embodiments, paper is assumed as the sheet, but it may also be cloth, plastic film, etc. Furthermore, the present invention is applicable to electrophotographic recording devices other than inkjet type.

[0010] (Embodiment 1) <Recording device> In this embodiment, the recording device is one having only a recording function, but is not limited to this. For example, the recording device may be a multi-function peripheral (MFP) that further includes a reading unit that reads an image on a document and functions as a copier, or may be a multi-function peripheral (MFP) that adds other functions.

[0011] A recording device of this embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the system configuration of the recording device. In FIG. 1, a recording device 100 can be connected to a host computer 190 via a network 191. The recording device 100 has an input / output unit I / F 122, a ROM I / F 125, a memory controller 126, a host I / F 127, a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 128, and an image processing unit 130, which are connected via a system bus 132. The recording device 100 also has a flash ROM 123 and a RAM 124, which are connected to the system bus 132 via the ROM I / F 125 and the memory controller 126, respectively.

[0012] The CPU 128 is a control unit in the form of a microprocessor (microcomputer) that controls the operation of the recording device 100 by executing programs and activating hardware. The flash ROM 123 stores programs executed by the CPU 128 and various data necessary for various operations of the recording device 100. The RAM 124 is used as a work area for the CPU 128, as a temporary storage area for various received data, and stores various setting data.

[0013] The image processing unit 130 performs various types of image processing, such as converting (expanding) the recording data handled by the recording device 100 into image data, and other image processing. The image processing unit 130 also converts the color space (e.g., YCbCr) of the image data included in the input recording data into a standard RGB color space (e.g., sRGB). The image processing unit 130 also performs various image processing on the image data as needed, such as syntax analysis, resolution conversion to a number of pixels that can be recorded, image analysis, and image correction. The image data obtained by the image processing is stored in the RAM 124.

[0014] The recording device 100 includes a recording head 151, various motors, and various sensors. The motors include a cutter motor 162, a transport motor 163, a maintenance motor 164, a carriage motor 165, and a feed motor 166. The sensors include a sensor group 171 such as an encoder, and sensors 301A and 301B that detect the sheet. Each component is connected to the system bus 132 via the head I / F 152, the motor driver 161, or the sensor I / F 172. However, signals from the sensor 301A and the sensor 301B can be switched to connect only one to the sensor I / F. In other words, the signals are switched so that only one is input to a common input port. Note that the recording device 100 may have two input ports corresponding to the sensors 301A and 301B.

[0015] The recording head 151 is controlled by the CPU 128 via the head I / F 152, and records an image on a sheet based on image data. The recording head 151 ejects ink in synchronization with the conveyance of the sheet and the movement of the carriage, and records an image on the sheet.

[0016] The cutter motor 162 is a motor for driving a cutter that cuts the sheet fed from the roll, and is controlled by the CPU 128 via a motor driver 161. By driving the cutter motor 162, the leading edge of the sheet can be cut into a desired shape, and the sheet can be cut to a predetermined length after an image is recorded on it.

[0017] The transport motor 163 is a motor for driving transport rollers 204 that transport a sheet, and is controlled by the CPU 128 via a motor driver 161. During maintenance operations for the recording head 151, the operation of the maintenance unit 207 is switched by driving the transport motor 163. The maintenance motor 164 is a motor used during maintenance operations for the recording head 151, and is controlled by the CPU 128 via a motor driver 161. The carriage motor 165 is a motor for driving the carriage of the recording head 151, and is controlled by the CPU 128 via a motor driver 161. The feed motor 166 is a motor for rotating a roll to transport a sheet in cooperation with the transport motor 163, and is controlled by the CPU 128 via a motor driver 161. By driving the feed motor 166 to rotate the roll in the reverse direction, the sheet on the transport roller can also be wound onto the roll side. The CPU 128 acquires sensor signals from a sensor group 171 such as an encoder and a sheet detection sensor via a sensor I / F 172, thereby detecting the transport state of the roll and the position of the carriage 203.

[0018] The input / output unit 121 includes hard keys and a panel for the user to perform various operations such as recording settings, and a display unit for displaying (notifying) various information to the user. Here, the recording settings include a setting for enabling / disabling pre-cutting, which will be described later. The input / output unit 121 is controlled by the CPU 128 via the input / output unit I / F 122. The input / output unit 121 may display information to the user by outputting sound (buzzer, voice, etc.) based on acoustic information from a sound generator. While the input / output unit 121 is provided in the recording device 100, this is not limitative and the input / output unit 121 may be connected as an external component via a network 191, for example. The host computer 190 may also function as the input / output unit 121. In addition to the input / output unit 121, the recording device 100 may be connectable to other input / output units via the network 191, etc.

[0019] The host computer 190 is, for example, an external device that supplies print data, and may have a printer driver installed. Instead of the host computer 190, the printing device 100 may be connected to a data providing device that supplies print data, such as an image reader, a digital camera, or a smartphone. The host I / F 127 receives print data from the host computer 190 via stream communication, and the supplied print data is stored in RAM 124 via the memory controller 126. The connection between each device and the printing device 100 is not limited to a wired connection, and may be wireless.

[0020] FIG. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the recording device 100. FIG. 2(a) shows the feeding operation of a sheet fed from a roll, and FIG. 2(b) shows the discharge operation of a sheet cut from the roll. The roll around which the sheet is wound is installed on the rear side of the recording device 100. An image is recorded on the sheet fed from the roll in a recording unit, and the sheet with the recorded image is discharged from a discharge port 205 on the front side of the recording device 100. An input / output unit 121 for operating the recording device 100 is provided above the discharge port 205.

[0021] The feeding operation of feeding the sheet 202 from the roll 201 is performed by rotating the roll 201 by driving the feed motor 166. The fed sheet 202 is transported along the transport path by rotating the transport roller 204 driven by the transport motor 163, and reaches a position facing the carriage 203 carrying the recording head 151. The recording head 151 records an image by ejecting ink onto the transported sheet 202. A cutter unit 206 is disposed downstream of the recording head 203 in the sheet transport direction. The discharge operation of discharging the sheet cut from the roll is performed by driving the cutter motor 162 to move the cutter unit 206 in a direction intersecting the sheet transport direction. The cut sheet is discharged from the discharge port 205, allowing the user to receive the sheet with the image recorded on it. Note that the recording apparatus 100 may be configured to have transport paths corresponding to the roll and the cut sheet, and to be able to transport and discharge both the roll and the cut sheet.

[0022] 3 is a top view of the recording unit including the carriage. The recording unit includes the recording head 151, the carriage 203 that moves the recording head 151, and a platen 302 that supports the transported sheet. Here, in the movement direction of the carriage 203, the side where the maintenance unit 207 is installed is called the home side, and the opposite side is called the away side. The movement direction of the carriage 203 includes a forward direction from the home side to the away side, and a reverse direction opposite thereto.

[0023] The carriage 203 carries the print head 151 and moves back and forth along a guide 208 in a movement direction intersecting the sheet conveyance direction. The carriage 203 is driven by a carriage motor 163. The recording device 100 is provided with a maintenance unit 207 outside the conveyance path of the sheet 202, at a position facing the carriage 203 carrying the print head 151. The maintenance unit 207 enables maintenance operations for the print head 151. The recording operation is performed by a conveyance operation for conveying the sheet and an ejection operation for ejecting ink onto the sheet. The conveyance operation is performed by driving the conveyance motor 163 to rotate the conveyance roller 204 to convey the sheet 202. The ejection operation is performed by moving the print head 151 back and forth in the movement direction while ejecting ink from the print head 151. An image is recorded on the sheet 202 by alternately performing the conveyance operation and the ejection operation.

[0024] The carriage 203 has two sensors 301A and 301B spaced apart in the direction of movement. The sensors are composed of an LED, which is a light-emitting element, and a photodiode, which is a light-receiving element. The LED emits light toward the sheet 202 or platen 302, and the photodiode receives the light from the sheet 202 or platen 302. The sensor outputs a detection signal with a voltage level corresponding to the amount of light received by the photodiode. If the voltage level is equal to or less than a predetermined threshold, it is determined that the sheet 202 has been detected, and if the voltage level exceeds the threshold, it is determined that the platen has been detected. As a result, the sensor can detect the presence or absence of the sheet 202. When the sensor moves between one end and the other end of the sheet, it can distinguish the position of the sheet and the position of the platen, thereby detecting the shape of the sheet.

[0025] Figure 4 shows the relationship between the carriage width and the sheet width. The width of the carriage 203 in the movement direction is WC, and the width of the sheet 202 is WP. The home side position of the carriage 203 when it is at the limit position to which it can move toward the home side within its movement range is defined as "0." The away side is defined as the positive direction, and the distance from this "0" position is defined as the position in the carriage movement direction. During printing, the carriage 203 moves back and forth within a movement range between the home side limit position PH and the away side limit position PA. The movement range of the carriage 203 is smaller than the sum of the width WP of the maximum size sheet and the width WC of the carriage 203. This relationship allows the width of the housing of the recording device 100 to be reduced. In the recording device 100, the home side edge PL of the sheet 202 is transported along a reference position BL on the home side of the transport path, regardless of the width of the sheet 202.

[0026] FIG. 5 shows the relationship between the width of the seat 202 and the position of the sensors. FIG. 5(a) shows the case where the seat 202 is wide, and FIG. 5(b) shows the case where the seat 202 is narrow. The movable range of the carriage 203 is from PH to PA, i.e., PH-PA. The detection range of the home-side sensor 301A is WSA, and the detection range of the away-side sensor 301B is WSB. When the seat 202 is wide, the away-side edge PR of the seat 202 falls outside the detection range WSA of the home-side sensor 301A. In this case, the away-side sensor 301B is moved to the away-side edge PR of the seat 202, and the edge PR is detected by the sensor 301B. When the seat 202 is narrow, the away-side edge PR of the seat 202 falls within the detection range WSA of the home-side sensor 301A. In this case, the home-side sensor 301A is moved to the away-side edge of the seat 202, and the sensor 301A detects the side edge PR.

[0027] <Detection operation> 6 shows a flowchart of the pre-cutting operation for cutting the leading edge of the sheet. The pre-cutting operation is executed during the preparation operation before the recording operation.

[0028] In step S101, the CPU 128 performs edge detection of both widthwise edges of the sheet 202. Because the sheet width cannot be determined during edge detection, two sensors, sensor 301A and sensor 301B, are used interchangeably. First, the sheet 202 is conveyed a first distance downstream in the conveyance direction. Next, the carriage 203 is moved so that the center of the home-side sensor 301A is positioned 50 mm away from the reference position BL, which is the feeding reference. The sheet position is the position where the sheet is present regardless of the sheet width. The CPU 128 moves the carriage 203 from the sheet position toward the home side in the opposite direction. When sensor 301A detects the home-side edge PL of the sheet 202, the carriage 203 is stopped. Then, the CPU 128 moves the carriage 203 forward toward the away side. When the away-side sensor 301B detects the away-side edge PR of the sheet 202, the carriage 203 is stopped. The width of the seat 202 is calculated based on the detected distance between the position of the home side edge PL of the seat 202 and the position of the away side edge RR.

[0029] In step S102, the CPU 128 determines whether to perform pre-detection using one sensor 301A or both sensors 301A and 301B. Specifically, the CPU 128 compares the value (BL+WP) obtained by adding the width WP of the sheet 202 to the reference position BL with the value (PA-WC) obtained by subtracting the width WC of the carriage 203 from the limit position PA at which the carriage 203 can move to the away side. If the away-side edge position (BL+WP) of the sheet does not exceed the reach position (PA-WC) of the home-side sensor 301A, the CPU 128 determines that pre-detection is possible using only the home-side sensor 301A. This determination confirms that the home-side sensor 301A can move outward from the away-side edge PR of the sheet 202. Because the only variable is the width WP of the sheet 202, either detection operation 1 or detection operation 2 is executed based on the width WP. If it is determined that pre-detection can be performed using one sensor, the process proceeds to step S103, and if pre-detection is to be performed using two sensors, the process proceeds to step S104.

[0030] In step S103, the CPU 128 executes a detection operation 1 in which pre-detection is performed using one sensor, the details of which will be described with reference to the flowchart in FIG.

[0031] In step S104, the CPU 128 executes a detection operation 2 in which pre-detection is performed using two sensors, the details of which will be described with reference to the flowchart in FIG.

[0032] In step S105, the CPU 128 determines whether a pre-cutting operation is necessary. If the platen 302 is detected in step S103 or step S104, the leading edge of the sheet 202 has an improper shape. If the CPU 128 determines that a pre-cutting operation is necessary, the process proceeds to step S106. If the platen 302 is not detected, the CPU 128 determines that a pre-cutting operation is unnecessary and ends the flowchart of the pre-cutting operation.

[0033] In step S106, the CPU 128 conveys the sheet 202 downstream in the conveying direction by an amount corresponding to the cutting length, and cuts the leading edge of the sheet 202 into an appropriate shape. Thereafter, the flowchart of the pre-cutting operation ends.

[0034] Here, the detection operation 1 in step S103 will be described using the flowchart in Fig. 7. Detection operation 1 is performed when the width of the sheet 202 is narrow as shown in Fig. 5(b). In this case, pre-detection is performed only by the home-side sensor 301A disposed on the carriage 203.

[0035] In step S201, the CPU 128 moves the carriage 203 to the detection start position. To enable detection by the sensor 301A, the carriage 203 is moved so that the center of the sensor 301A is located 3 mm inward from the away side edge PR of the sheet 202 toward the home side, which is the inner side of the sheet. Note that the sheet 202 is being conveyed a second amount that is smaller than the first amount.

[0036] In step S202, the CPU 128 starts moving the carriage 203 toward the home side, which causes the sensor 301A to move in the opposite direction from the inside position on the away side.

[0037] In step S203, the CPU 128 determines whether the sensor 301A has detected the platen 302 while the carriage 203 is moving. If the platen 302 is detected, the leading edge of the sheet 202 has an improper shape. If the platen 302 is detected, the process proceeds to step S204, and if the platen 302 is not detected, the process proceeds to step S206.

[0038] In step S204, the CPU 128 stops the movement of the carriage 203.

[0039] In step S205, the CPU 128 conveys the sheet 202 until the sensor 301A detects the sheet 202. In this way, the cutting length in step S106 can be determined. After the sheet 202 is detected, the process returns to step S202, and the carriage 203 resumes moving toward the home side from the stopped position.

[0040] In step S206, the CPU 128 checks whether the sensor 301A has moved to the end position. The end position is a position of the sensor 301A 3 mm inward from the side edge PL on the home side of the seat 202 toward the away side of the seat 202. If the sensor 301A has not reached the end position, the process returns to step S203. If the sensor 301A has moved to the end position, the detection operation 1 ends.

[0041] Next, the detection operation 2 in step S104 will be described with reference to the flowchart in Fig. 8. The detection operation 2 is for the case where the width of the sheet 202 is wide as shown in Fig. 5(a). Pre-detection is performed using two sensors, 301A and 301B.

[0042] In step S301, the CPU 128 moves the carriage 203 to the detection start position. To enable detection by the away-side sensor 301B, the carriage 203 is moved so that the center of the sensor 301B is located 3 mm inward from the away-side side edge PR of the sheet 202 toward the home side. Note that the sheet is being conveyed a second amount that is less than the first amount.

[0043] In step S302, the CPU 128 starts moving the carriage 203 toward the home side, which causes the sensor 301B to move in the opposite direction from the inside position on the away side.

[0044] In step S303, the CPU 128 determines whether the sensor 301B detects the platen 302 while the carriage 203 is moving. If the platen 302 is detected, the leading edge of the sheet 202 has an improper shape. If the platen 302 is detected, the process proceeds to step S304, and if the platen 302 is not detected, the process proceeds to step S306.

[0045] In step S304, the CPU 128 stops the movement of the carriage 203.

[0046] In step S305, the CPU 128 conveys the sheet 202 until the sensor 301B detects the sheet 202. In this way, the cutting length in step S106 can be determined. After the sheet 202 is detected, the process returns to step S302, and the carriage 203 resumes moving toward the home side from the stopped position.

[0047] In step S306, the CPU 128 checks whether the sensor 301B has moved to the switching position. The switching position is 55 mm from the away-side edge PR of the seat 202 toward the home side. If the sensor 301B has not reached the switching position, the process returns to step S303. If the sensor 301B has moved to the switching position, the process proceeds to step S307.

[0048] In step S307, CPU 128 moves carriage 203 so that the center of sensor 301A is 50 mm toward the home side from the away-side edge PR of sheet 202, so that it can be detected by home-side sensor 301A. Sensor 301A moves to the away side 5 mm beyond the range detected by sensor 301B. This is because there is only one input port, so it is necessary to switch between sensors 301A and 301B. In this way, the entire width of the sheet can be detected by sensors 301A and 301B.

[0049] In step S308, the CPU 128 starts moving the carriage 203 toward the home side, which causes the sensor 301A to move in the opposite direction from the switching position.

[0050] In step S309, the CPU 128 determines whether the sensor 301A detects the platen 302 while the carriage 203 is moving. If the platen 302 is detected, the leading edge of the sheet 202 has an improper shape. If the platen 302 is detected, the process proceeds to step S310.

[0051] In step S310, the CPU 128 stops the movement of the carriage 203.

[0052] In step S311, the CPU 128 conveys the sheet 202 until the sensor 301A detects the sheet 202. In this way, the cutting length in step S106 can be determined. After the sheet 202 is detected, the process returns to step S308, and the movement of the carriage 203 resumes. If the platen 302 is not detected, the process proceeds to step S312.

[0053] In step S312, the CPU 128 determines whether the sensor 301A has completed movement to the end position. The end position is a position of the sensor 301A that is 3 mm inward from the home side edge PL of the seat 202 toward the away side. If the sensor 301A has not reached the end position, the process returns to step S309. If the sensor 301A has reached the end position, the detection operation 2 ends. Note that the switching order and movement direction of the sensors 301A and 301B do not have to be the above combination, and other combinations may be used as long as they are within the spirit of the present invention.

[0054] Here, the processing time for detection operation 1 and detection operation 2 will be explained using FIG. 9. The vertical axis represents the position of carriage 203 (the arrow direction is the away side), and the horizontal axis represents time. For simplicity, the comparison is made here assuming that the leading edge of sheet 202 is shaped so that it does not detect the platen during pre-detection. Note that the operation after sensor 301A or sensor 301B detects platen 302 is the same for detection operation 1 and detection operation 2, and the processing time is also the same. Also, it is assumed that the conditions such as the movement speed of carriage 203 are the same.

[0055] 9(a) shows the case of detection operation 1. (1) is an operation in which the carriage 203 starts moving toward the home side in step S202, does not detect the platen 302, and determines that it has moved to the end position in step S206, and stops the carriage 203. Note that in a configuration with two input ports, sensor 301A and sensor 301B, the detection time is the same as detection operation 1 even if the sheet width is wide.

[0056] 9(b) shows the case of detection operation 2. (2) is an operation in which, in step S302, carriage 203 starts moving toward the home side, but does not detect platen 302, and it is determined that carriage 203 has moved to the switching position, and carriage 203 is stopped. (3) is an operation in which, in step S307, home-side sensor 301A is moved to a position slightly toward the away side from the switching position. Sensor 301A moves to the range detected by sensor 301B. (4) is an operation in which, in step S308, carriage 203 starts moving toward the home side, but does not detect platen 302 with sensor 301A, and it is determined that carriage 203 has moved to the end position, and carriage 203 is stopped.

[0057] In this case, the time for (1) of detection operation 1, in which the carriage 203 moves a distance equivalent to the width of the sheet 202, and the sum of the time for (2) and (4) of detection operation 2, are approximately the same, excluding the overlapping range. Therefore, the time for (3) of detection operation 2 can be shortened in detection operation 1.

[0058] As described above, even if two sensors are provided, detection operation is performed using either one sensor or two sensors depending on the sheet width, making it possible to provide a recording device that can efficiently detect the shape of a sheet even if the housing is relatively narrow compared to the carriage movement range.

[0059] (Embodiment 2) A second embodiment of the present invention will be described. Note that the basic pre-cutting operation is the same as in the first embodiment, so only the differences will be described.

[0060] In the recording apparatus 100, regardless of the size of the sheet 202, the sheet 202 is fed by center-based feeding, in which the center of the width of the sheet 202 passes through the center position (PC in FIG. 10) in the width direction of the conveying path.

[0061] The flow of the pre-cutting operation is the same as the flowchart of FIG. 6 described in the first embodiment, but only the determination method in step S102 differs from that in the first embodiment.

[0062] Specifically, the value (PC+WP / 2) obtained by dividing the width (WP) of the sheet 202 by 2 and adding it to the center position (PC) in the width direction of the conveying path is compared with the value (PA-WC) obtained by subtracting the width (WC) of the carriage 203 from the limit position (PA) at which the carriage 203 can move to the away side. If PC+WP / 2 does not exceed PA-WC, the CPU 128 determines that pre-detection is possible using only the home-side sensor 301A. Since the only variable is the width WP of the sheet 202, the detection operation is switched based on the width WP. If it is determined that pre-detection is possible using one sensor, the process proceeds to step S103; if pre-detection is to be performed using two sensors, the process proceeds to step S104.

[0063] As described above, it is possible to provide a recording apparatus that can efficiently detect the shape of a sheet even if the housing has a width that is relatively narrow compared to the moving range of the carriage. [Explanation of symbols]

[0064] 203 Carriage 204 Conveyor roller 301A Sensor (Platform side) 301B Sensor (Away side)

Claims

1. A conveying means for conveying a sheet including a first sheet and a second sheet narrower than the first sheet; a recording means for recording an image on the sheet conveyed by the conveying means; a carriage that moves in a first direction from a first end toward a second end of the sheet conveyed by the conveying means and in a second direction opposite to the first direction; A recording device comprising: a first sensor disposed on the carriage and configured to detect a sheet; a second sensor disposed on the carriage away from the first sensor in the first direction to detect a sheet; a control means for executing a detection operation in which the first end side of the first sheet is detected by the first sensor and the second end side of the first sheet is detected by the second sensor.

2. 2. The recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the movement range of the carriage is smaller than the sum of the width of the carriage in the first direction and the width of a maximum size sheet that can be transported by the transport means.

3. 2. The recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the width of the sheet is calculated based on the position of the first edge detected by the first sensor and the position of the second edge detected by the second sensor.

4. 2. The recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control means switches to the second sensor after detecting the first end with the first sensor.

5. 2. The recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the position of the first end is the same regardless of the width of the sheet in the first direction.

6. 2. The recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said recording means is a recording head that ejects ink onto a sheet, and said carriage carries said recording head.

7. a maintenance unit for performing maintenance of the recording head, the maintenance unit being disposed outside a conveying path through which a sheet passes; 7. The recording apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the first end is on the side of the maintenance unit.

8. 2. The recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein, when detecting the first end, the control means moves the first sensor in the first direction, and then moves the first sensor in the second direction to cause the first sensor to detect the first end.

9. The recording device according to claim 1, characterized in that in the case of the second sheet, the control means causes the first sensor to detect the first end side of the second sheet, and then causes the first sensor to detect the second end side of the second sheet.

10. 2. The recording apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a cutter that cuts the sheet conveyed in the conveying direction.

11. 2. The recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein after the detection operation, the control means determines whether to detect the sheet using only the first sensor or to detect the sheet using both the first sensor and the second sensor.

Images