Recording device and program

Abstract

To realize high efficiency of recording processing, and prevention of noise and reduction of consumption power.SOLUTION: A recording device comprises: conveyance means for conveying a recording medium; recording means which scans a recording head in a direction crossing a conveyance direction of the recording medium; and control means which controls the conveyance means and the recording means so that conveyance of the recording medium and scanning of the recording head are alternately performed. When continuously recording onto a preceding recording medium and a subsequent recording medium, the control means performs first control for controlling the conveyance means so that the preceding and subsequent recording media are separated from each other while performing recording by the recording means in the state that a rear end part of the preceding recording medium and a tip of the subsequent recording medium are overlapped. In the first control, a conveyance amount by the conveyance means is adjusted so that a conveyance speed by the conveyance means satisfies standards, and a drive range of noise is adjusted on the basis of the adjusted conveyance amount.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates primarily to a recording device. [Background technology]

[0002] Some recording devices, such as inkjet printers, continuously feed two or more sheet-like recording media, perform recording on the recording media in sequence, and transport the recording media in an overlapped state when performing the recording (see Patent Document 1). This type of transport mode is also referred to as overlapped continuous transport, and this type of transport mode makes it possible to increase the efficiency of the recording process. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 6-56299 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In the above-mentioned recording device, two or more recording media are output (ejected) from the device body in order after the overlapping state is eliminated (separated), and such a separation operation is performed within the device so that the order of the recording media output from the device body does not change. In order to realize such a separation operation, the conveying speed of each of the recording media can be controlled individually.

[0005] The present invention was made in response to the inventor's recognition of the above-mentioned problems, and has an object to improve control when separating recording media. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] One aspect of the present invention relates to a recording device, the recording device comprising: A conveying means for conveying a recording medium; a recording means including a recording head having nozzles, and performing scanning recording by scanning the recording head in a direction intersecting a conveying direction of the recording medium to record on the recording medium; a control unit that controls the conveying unit and the recording unit so that conveying of the recording medium and scanning recording by the recording head are performed alternately, The control means performs a first control for controlling the transport means so that the preceding and succeeding recording media are separated from each other while performing recording by the recording means in a state in which the rear end of the preceding recording medium and the front end of the succeeding recording medium are overlapped, and in the first control, adjusts a transport amount by the transport means so that a transport speed by the transport means satisfies a standard, and adjusts a drive range of the nozzles based on the adjusted transport amount. It is characterized by: Effect of the Invention

[0007] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a recording apparatus with improved control when separating recording media. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a schematic side view showing an example of the configuration of a recording apparatus according to an embodiment. [Diagram 2] FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an example of the system configuration of a recording apparatus. [Diagram 3] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing one aspect of a printing order. [Figure 4] 5A to 5C are schematic side views showing examples of a recording device in each state. [Diagram 5] 5A to 5C are schematic side views showing examples of a recording device in each state. [Figure 6] 5A to 5C are schematic side views showing examples of a recording device in each state. [Figure 7] 5A to 5C are schematic top views showing examples of a recording device in each state. [Figure 8] 5A to 5C are schematic side views showing examples of a recording device in each state. [Figure 9] 5 is a flowchart showing the overall control content when a recording operation is executed. [Figure 10] FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram for explaining a detailed aspect of overlapping continuous feeding. [Figure 11] 5A to 5C are schematic diagrams showing a conveying manner when a nozzle shift operation is performed. [Figure 12] 5A to 5C are schematic diagrams showing a conveying manner when a nozzle shift operation is performed. [Figure 13] 10 is a flowchart showing an example of a nozzle shift calculation process. [Figure 14] 11 is a flowchart showing an example of a stacking preparation operation. [Figure 15] 11 is a flowchart showing an example of a separation operation. [Figure 16] 5 is a timing chart showing the contents of drive control when performing a separation operation. [Figure 17] FIG. 4 is a schematic top view showing the relative positional relationship with respect to a subsequent recording medium. [Figure 18] FIG. 13 is a schematic top view showing a separation operation that does not involve a nozzle shift operation. [Figure 19] FIG. 13 is a schematic top view showing an aspect of a separation operation accompanied by a nozzle shift operation. [Figure 20] FIG. 4 is a schematic top view showing the relative positional relationship with respect to a subsequent recording medium. [Figure 21] FIG. 4 is a schematic top view showing a recording state on a subsequent recording medium. [Figure 22] FIG. 4 is a schematic top view showing the relative positional relationship with respect to a subsequent recording medium. [Diagram 23] 11 is a flowchart showing an example of a stacking preparation operation. [Figure 24] 10 is a flowchart showing an example of a nozzle shift calculation process. [Diagram 25] 11 is a schematic top view showing an example of a recording area for a subsequent recording medium. FIG. [Figure 26] 11 is a flowchart showing an example of an additional time calculation process. [Figure 27] FIG. 13 is a schematic top view showing an example of the contents of an additional time calculation process. [Figure 28] 11 is a flowchart showing an example of an adjustment process. [Figure 29] 11 is a flowchart showing an example of a separation operation. [Diagram 30] 11 is a flowchart showing an example of a pattern-specific additional available time calculation process. [Diagram 31] 11A and 11B are diagrams showing some patterns referred to during additional time calculation processing. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0009] Hereinafter, the embodiments will be described in detail with reference to the attached drawings. Note that the following embodiments do not limit the invention according to the claims. Although the embodiments describe a number of features, not all of these features are essential to the invention, and the features may be combined in any manner. Furthermore, in the attached drawings, the same reference numbers are used for the same or similar configurations, and duplicated descriptions are omitted.

[0010] <Overall composition> 1 is a schematic diagram for explaining an example of the configuration of a recording device 9 according to an embodiment, and illustrates operation states ST1 to ST3 of the recording device 9. The recording device 9 includes a carriage 1, a recording head 7, a platen 8, a sheet stacking unit 11, a detection sensor 16, a paper discharge unit 25, and rollers 2 to 6, 10, 12, and 20 to 23.

[0011] State ST1 shows a state in which sheet-like recording media P, such as cut sheets, are stacked on sheet stacking section 11. Roller 2 is a pickup roller that rotates while in contact with the uppermost recording medium P among the multiple recording media P stacked on sheet stacking section 11, thereby picking up the one recording medium P. Roller 3 is a feed roller that feeds the picked-up recording medium P downstream in the conveying direction along conveying path 100. Roller 4 is a driven roller that is biased against feed roller 3 to sandwich and feed recording medium P together with feed roller 3.

[0012] The transport direction here refers to the transport direction of the recording medium P. The side in the same direction as the transport direction of the recording medium P is expressed as the downstream side, and the side opposite to the transport direction is expressed as the upstream side. For ease of explanation, the downstream end of the recording medium P is expressed as the leading edge, and the portion of the recording medium P including the leading edge is expressed as the leading portion. Similarly, the upstream end of the recording medium P is expressed as the trailing edge, and the portion of the recording medium P including the trailing edge is expressed as the trailing end portion.

[0013] A one-way roller is used as the pickup roller 2. When the picked up recording medium P reaches the position of rollers 3 and 4 and feeding of the recording medium P is started by rollers 3 and 4, the driving of the pickup roller 2 may be stopped. In this case, the pickup roller 2 rotates idly until the rear end of the recording medium P passes by, and can suppress the pickup of the next recording medium P.

[0014] Roller 5 is a transport roller that transports the recording medium P fed by rollers 3 and 4 to a position facing the recording head 7. Roller 6 is a driven roller that is biased against the transport roller 5 to sandwich and transport the recording medium P together with the transport roller 5.

[0015] The rollers 3 and 4 form a feed nip portion, and the rollers 5 and 6 form a transport nip portion, and the recording medium P is appropriately guided along a predetermined path between them in the transport path 100. The detection sensor 16 is provided downstream of the rollers 3 and 4, and is capable of detecting the recording medium P (its leading and trailing ends) being transported.

[0016] State ST2 shows the recording head 7 recording on the recording medium P transported by rollers 5 and 6. In this embodiment, the recording head 7 is an inkjet head capable of recording on the recording medium P by ejecting ink from nozzles 71 (see FIG. 7, etc.) arranged in a predetermined direction. The platen 8 is disposed opposite the recording head 7 and supports the recording medium P from its back surface (the surface opposite to the printing surface).

[0017] The carriage 1 carries a recording head 7, and scans the recording head 7 in a direction intersecting / substantially perpendicular to the transport direction (the intersecting / substantially perpendicular direction is called the scanning direction). In such a configuration, the recording head 7 can also be expressed as a serial head, and the recording device 9 can also be expressed as a serial printer.

[0018] Roller 10 is a transport roller that transports the recording medium P on which recording has been performed by the recording head 7 toward roller 20. Roller 12 is a driven roller that is biased against transport roller 10 to sandwich and transport the recording medium P on which recording has been performed together with transport roller 10.

[0019] State ST3 shows the state in which the recorded recording medium P is discharged to the discharge section 25. Roller 20 is a transport roller that transports the recorded recording medium P transported by rollers 10 and 12. Roller 21 is a driven roller that is biased against the transport roller 20 to sandwich and transport the recorded recording medium P together with the transport roller 21.

[0020] Roller 22 is a discharge roller that is disposed upstream of discharge section 25 and discharges recorded recording medium P, which has been transported from transport roller 20 along transport path (discharge path) 104, to discharge section 25. Roller 23 is a driven roller that is biased against discharge roller 22 to sandwich recorded recording medium P together with discharge roller 22 and discharge it to discharge section 25.

[0021] <System configuration> 2 is a block diagram showing an example of the system configuration of the recording device 9. The recording device 9 further includes a CPU 201, a ROM 202, a RAM 203, and an interface (I / F) unit 213.

[0022] A CPU (Central Processing Unit) 201 controls the operation of each element and performs the necessary arithmetic processing. Although details will be described later, the CPU 201 can also control each of the rollers described above so that two recording media P to be continuously conveyed are conveyed with the rear end of the leading sheet overlapping the front end of the trailing sheet. A ROM (Read Only Memory) 202 holds information such as programs and data executed by the CPU 201. A RAM (Random Access Memory) 203 temporarily holds input data received from a host computer 214 via an I / F unit 213, and also temporarily holds processed data obtained by arithmetic processing by the CPU 201.

[0023] The recording apparatus 9 further includes a recording head driver 217, a motor driver 218, and motors 204, 205, 206, 207, and 215. The motor driver 218 controls the motors 204, 205, 206, 207, and 215 individually.

[0024] For example, the motor driver 218 controls the drive of the feed motor 206 to drive the pickup roller 2, and controls the drive of the feed motor 207 to drive the feed roller 3, thereby transporting the recording medium P from the sheet stacking section 11 to a recording position by the recording head 7. In response to the detection sensor 16 detecting the passage of the recording medium P, the motor driver 218 controls the drive of the transport motor 205 to drive the transport rollers 5 and 10, thereby moving the recording medium P relative to the recording head 7. Meanwhile, the motor driver 218 controls the drive of the carriage motor 204 to drive the carriage 1, thereby causing the recording head 7 to scan, and at the same time, the recording head driver 217 controls the drive of the recording head 7 to realize recording on the recording medium P. Thereafter, the motor driver 218 controls the drive of the paper discharge motor 215 to drive the transport rollers 20 and the paper discharge rollers 22 , thereby discharging the recorded recording medium P to the paper discharge section 25 .

[0025] In this embodiment, in which the recording head 7 is a serial head, an operation of intermittently transporting the recording medium P by a predetermined amount by the transport roller 5 (intermittent transport operation) and an operation of ejecting ink from the recording head 7 while scanning the recording head 7 by the carriage 1 during that time (i.e., while transport of the recording medium P is suppressed) (scanning recording operation) are alternately repeated. In this way, recording is performed on the recording medium P. Incidentally, scanning recording can also be called print scanning or the like.

[0026] Other rollers, not shown here, may be similarly driven by motor driver 218 and corresponding motors.

[0027] The host computer 214 includes a printer driver 2141 for communicating with the recording device 9, and when an operation input instructing execution of recording is received from a user, the host computer 214 outputs data representing a recorded image together with recording information indicating the quality, etc., as a print job. In the recording device 9, the CPU 201 receives the print job via the I / F unit 213, performs calculation processing, and controls the drivers 217 and 218 based on the results.

[0028] <About recording operations involving overlapping continuous feed> Hereinafter, in this example, a recording operation will be described in the case where one print job includes recording data for two pages each corresponding to two sheets of recording medium P, similar to FIG.

[0029] Fig. 3 shows one mode of the printing order, and the parameters in the figure indicate the printing order N, the page K in the recording data, and the number of recording media M. That is, in the example of Fig. 3, the recording data for the first page is recorded on the first recording medium P, and then the recording data for the second page is recorded on the second recording medium P. Note that the printing order in this example is set so that the recording medium P is discharged with its front surface (printing surface) facing downward, that is, in a so-called face-down method, and the printing order is not limited to this example.

[0030] 4, first, the feed motor 206 is driven at a relatively low speed, which rotates the pickup roller 2 at 7.6 inches / sec (state ST11). The rotation of the pickup roller 2 picks up the topmost sheet (referred to as the first recording medium P1) of the multiple recording media P stacked on the sheet stacking unit 11. The feed roller 3 is driven by the feed motor 207 to rotate in the same direction as the pickup roller 2 at substantially the same speed, and the picked-up recording medium P1 is then conveyed by the feed roller 3. For ease of explanation, the driving mode or transport mode at this time (driving at a speed of 7.6 [inch / sec]) will be expressed as low-speed driving or low-speed transport below.

[0031] As described above, a one-way roller is used as the pickup roller 2. After the pickup roller 2 rotates until the recording medium P1 passes the feed roller 3, the drive of the pickup roller 2 is suppressed and the recording medium P1 is then conveyed continuously by the feed roller 3.

[0032] The recording medium P1 thus conveyed is detected by the detection sensor 16. When the leading edge of the recording medium P1 is detected by the detection sensor 16, the driving mode of the feed motor 207 is switched and the feed motor 207 is driven at a relatively high speed, whereby the feed roller 3 rotates at 20 [inch / sec]. For ease of explanation, the driving mode or transport mode at this time (driving at a speed of 20 [inch / sec]) will be expressed as high-speed driving or high-speed transport below.

[0033] Thereafter, the feed roller 3 continues to rotate, and the leading edge of the recording medium P1 hits the transport nip portion formed by the rollers 5 and 6 (state ST12). At this time, the transport roller 5 is in a stopped / non-driven state. After the leading edge of the recording medium P1 hits the transport nip portion of the rollers 5 and 6, the pickup roller 3 rotates a predetermined amount, so that the recording medium P1 is aligned with its leading edge hitting the transport nip portion, thereby correcting the skew (skew correction operation).

[0034] After the skew correction operation for the recording medium P1 is completed, the conveying motor 205 is driven to start rotating the conveying roller 5, which conveys the recording medium P1 at 15 inches / sec (state ST13). After the recording medium P1 reaches the recording operation start position, which is a position facing the recording head 7, the recording head 7 starts recording on the recording medium P1 based on the recording data. In addition, the operation of adjusting the recording medium P1 to the starting position for the recording operation is performed by positioning the leading edge of the recording medium P1 by the transport nip portion (rollers 5 and 6) and then rotating the transport roller 5 a predetermined amount based on that position.

[0035] When the recording medium P1 is adjusted to the recording operation start position, the feed motor 207 is switched to low-speed driving, so that the feed roller 3 rotates at 7.6 [inch / sec]. During the execution of the recording operation, the recording medium P1 is intermittently conveyed, during which the conveying roller 5 is driven intermittently, and in synchronization with this, the feed roller 3 is intermittently driven by the feed motor 207. At this time, the driving forces of the rollers 3 and 5 are adjusted so that the recording medium P1 is in a tension state between the rollers 3 and 5, and the rotation speed (rotation amount) of the feed roller 3 when the recording medium P1 is not interposed is smaller than that of the conveying roller 5. Therefore, the feed roller 3 is rotated by the conveying roller 5 via the recording medium P1, and rotates at the same rotation speed as the conveying roller 5.

[0036] Incidentally, while the recording medium P1 is being intermittently transported, the transport rollers 20 are intermittently driven by the paper discharge motor 215 in the same manner as the transport rollers 5.

[0037] 5, the succeeding recording medium P (hereinafter referred to as the second recording medium P2) is then picked up by the pickup roller 2 in the same manner as the preceding recording medium P1, and is transported by the feed roller 3 (state ST14). At this time, the recording medium P1 is in a state where it is being recorded by the recording head 7. When the leading edge of the recording medium P2 is detected by the detection sensor 16, the feed motor 207 is switched to high-speed driving, whereby the feed roller 3 rotates at 20 [inch / sec].

[0038] Here, due to its responsiveness, the detection sensor 16 requires a certain interval between two consecutively conveyed recording media P in order to properly detect the ends of the individual recording media P. Therefore, in order for the detection sensor 16 to detect the trailing end of the recording medium P1 and then the leading end of the subsequent recording medium P2, an interval corresponding to the time responsiveness of the sensor 16 can be provided between the trailing end of the recording medium P1 and the leading end of the recording medium P2. In this embodiment, the pick-up operation of the recording medium P2 can be performed in response to detection of the trailing end of the recording medium P1 passing through the detection sensor 16. The pick-up roller 2 can be controlled so that a gap of a predetermined distance or more is formed between the trailing end of the recording medium P1 and the leading end of the recording medium P2.

[0039] After state ST14, the recording medium P2 is transported at a high speed (state ST15) relative to the speed at which the recording medium P1 recorded by the recording head 7 is transported downstream (the speed of the recording medium P1 when it is actually being transported; the same applies below). As a result, the leading edge of the recording medium P2 overlaps the rear edge of the recording medium P1. In response to the leading edge of the recording medium P2 being detected by the detection sensor 16, the feed roller 3 is continuously driven at a rotation speed of 20 [inch / sec], so that the leading edge of the recording medium P2 catches up with the rear edge of the recording medium P1. The recording medium P2 is transported by the feed roller 3 until its leading edge reaches a predetermined position upstream of the transport nip portion (rollers 5 and 6). The position of the leading edge of the recording medium P2 can be calculated from the amount of rotation of the feed roller 3 after the leading edge of the recording medium P2 is detected by the detection sensor 16, and the feed roller 3 is controlled based on the calculation result.

[0040] Thereafter, while the transport roller 5 is stopped to perform the final scan recording by the recording head 7 on the recording medium P1 (which may also be expressed as recording the final line, forming the image of the final line, etc.), the feed roller 3 is driven to abut the leading edge of the recording medium P2 against the transport nip portion, thereby correcting the skew of the recording medium P2 (state ST16).

[0041] Here, after the final scan recording of the recording head 7 on the recording medium P1, a separation operation is performed to separate the recording media P1 and P2, so that a predetermined preparatory operation may be performed prior to the separation operation when the final scan recording is performed on the recording medium P1. The details of this operation will be described later as a nozzle shift operation.

[0042] 6, in response to the completion of the final scanning recording of the recording head 7 on the recording medium P1, the conveying roller 5 is rotated a predetermined amount (state ST17). As a result, the recording medium P2 is adjusted to the recording operation start position while maintaining the state in which the recording medium P2 is superimposed on the recording medium P1.

[0043] When the recording medium P2 is adjusted to the recording operation start position, the feed motor 207 is switched to low-speed driving, as in the recording operation for the recording medium P1, so that the feed roller 3 rotates at 7.6 [inch / sec]. During the execution of the recording operation, the recording medium P2 is transported intermittently, and the next recording based on the recording data is started on the recording medium P2 by the recording head 7. When the recording medium P2 is transported intermittently, the recording medium P1 is also transported intermittently. In this manner, the conveying operation is performed in a state in which the succeeding recording medium P2 is overlapped on the preceding recording medium P1 (hereinafter, referred to as overlapping continuous conveyance).

[0044] <Recording medium separation operation> In the above-mentioned overlapping continuous feeding, if the sheets are discharged in this state using the face-down method, the order of the sheets may be changed, which may cause a decrease in the sheet discharge performance. In this embodiment, therefore, a separation operation is performed to separate the recording media P1 and P2, and the recording media are discharged without being overlapped, thereby preventing a decrease in discharge performance.

[0045] At least two rollers are used to realize the separation operation, and in this embodiment, one of them on the upstream side is the conveying roller 10, and the other on the downstream side is the conveying roller 20. Based on the amount of rotation of the conveying roller 5 from the start of the recording operation on the recording medium P and its length (sheet length), it is determined that the rear end of the recording medium P1 has passed the conveying roller 10 (state ST18A). 7A is a schematic diagram showing the relative positional relationship between elements in state ST18A. At this time, the conveying roller 20 and the paper discharge roller 22 are continuously rotated by the paper discharge motor 215 independently of the conveying rollers 5 and 10, thereby enabling the separation operation to be realized. In this embodiment, the recording device 9 is a serial printer, and even during the separation operation, the intermittent transport operation of the recording medium P and the scanning and recording operation of the recording head 7 during that time are alternately repeated.

[0046] 7A, the conveying speed of the conveying rollers 5 and 10 is V1, and the conveying speed of the conveying roller 20 and the discharge roller 22 is V2. The overlapping amount of the recording media P1 and P2 is W, and the distance from the separation start position to the most downstream position of the nozzle 71 is Dr. The most downstream position Hs of the nozzle 71 is calculated as W+Dr from the leading edge of the recording medium P2. The conveying speed V2 of the conveying roller 20 and the discharge roller 22 is set to an upper limit speed V2max (V2max≧V2) as a standard or allowable range for one of the purposes, such as preventing noise and reducing power consumption. In addition, a wait operation may be performed to stop the conveying rollers 5 and 10 in order to separate the recording media P1 and P2 by the separation operation.

[0047] After the separation operation is started, the recording medium P1 is conveyed by the conveying rollers 20, and the rear end of the recording medium P1 passes by the conveying rollers 20 (state ST18B). 7B is a schematic diagram showing the relative positional relationship between the elements in state ST18B. At this time, the speed of the conveying roller 20 is controlled so that the distance between the rear end of the recording medium P1 and the front end of the recording medium P2 becomes a distance Dp and the separation operation ends (Dp≧0 (preferably Dp>0)). This allows the recording media P1 and P2 to be appropriately separated from each other, and the state in which the rear end of the recording medium P1 and the front end of the recording medium P2 overlap is resolved.

[0048] 7B, the distance from the separation start position to the separation end position is defined as L. The most downstream position He of the nozzle 71 is calculated as L-Dp+Dr from the front end of the recording medium P2.

[0049] 7C is a schematic diagram for comparing the above-mentioned positions Hs and He. The region between the positions Hs and He corresponds to a region where a separation operation is performed on the sheet with respect to the most downstream position of the nozzle 71, and is called a separation region Rh. The distance (length, width) Lh of the separation region Rh is Lh=LW-Dp The separation region Rh corresponds to the region where the recording medium P2 passes through the conveying roller 10 after the trailing end of the recording medium P1 passes through the conveying roller 10 until it passes through the conveying roller 20. The position Hs corresponds to the separation start position, and the position He corresponds to the separation end position.

[0050] The driving mode for realizing the separation operation may be partially changed without departing from the spirit thereof; for example, positions Hs and He may be the most downstream positions of the nozzles 71 used in each recording operation, but may be different for each recording operation. The timing to start the separation operation may be after the rear end of the recording medium P1 has passed the conveying roller 10. The timing to end the separation operation may be controlled so that the distance between the rear end of the recording medium P1 and the front end of the recording medium P2 is equal to or greater than the distance Dp. In addition, in this example, the separation operation is completed when the rear end of the preceding recording medium P1 passes through the conveying roller 20, but as another example, it may be completed before the rear end of the recording medium P1 passes through any predetermined point. In addition, in this example, rollers 10 and 20 are mainly used for the separation operation, but as another example, when the transport roller 10 is a one-way roller, rollers 5 and 10 may be mainly used for the separation operation. That is, of the two rollers mainly used for the separation operation, the upstream one may be located either upstream or downstream of the recording head 7.

[0051] 8, the recording medium P1 which has been recorded in this manner is discharged to the discharge tray 25 by the transport rotor 20 and the discharge rollers 22 (state ST19). In a similar manner, the recording medium P2, after being recorded, is discharged to the discharge tray 25 by the transport rotor 20 and the discharge rollers 22 (state ST20).

[0052] In this manner, the overlapping continuous feeding, the separation operation, and the nozzle shift operation are performed in sequence to perform the recording operation on the multiple recording media P. Note that, although each operation has been described here using the example of single-sided printing, the contents thereof can also be applied to double-sided printing.

[0053] <Control content when performing overlapped continuous feeding> The control contents for realizing the recording operation with overlapping continuous feeding according to this embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 9. Here, generalized control contents will be described using the print order N, page K in the recording data, and number M of recording media as parameters (N is an arbitrary integer from 1 to Nmax) illustrated in Fig. 3. It is assumed that N, K and M correspond to each other, that is, N is an integer between 1 and Nmax, and the Nth (K) page is recorded on the Nth (M) recording medium in the Nth order.

[0054] 9 is a flowchart S30 showing the overall control content when performing a recording operation. This flowchart S30 can be executed mainly by the CPU 201.

[0055] In step S301 (hereinafter simply referred to as "S301." The same applies to other steps described later), a parameter N is initialized to N=1.

[0056] In S302, the parameter Nmax is obtained based on the recorded data.

[0057] In S304, feeding of the Nth recording medium is started by driving at a low speed (transport speed 7.6 [inch / sec]).

[0058] In S305, it is determined whether or not the leading edge of the Nth recording medium has passed the sensor 16. If the leading edge of the Nth recording medium has passed the sensor 16 (if Yes), the process proceeds to S306, and if not (if No), the process returns to S305.

[0059] In S306, the transport mode of the Nth recording medium is switched to high-speed driving (transport speed 20 [inch / sec]), so that the leading edge of the Nth recording medium catches up with the trailing edge of the preceding (N-1)th recording medium.

[0060] In S307, it is determined whether N = 1. If N = 1 (if the determination is Yes), that is, if there is no preceding recording medium P to be overlapped, the process proceeds to S308. On the other hand, if N = 1 is not (if the determination is No), that is, if there is a possibility of overlapping continuous feeding, a nozzle shift calculation process described later is executed in S70, and an overlap preparation operation described later is executed in S40 based on the result.

[0061] In S308, skew correction of the Nth recording medium is performed. Here, if it is determined in S307 that N=1 (if Yes is determined in S307), skew correction of the Nth recording medium is performed independently. Also, if it is determined in the overlap preparation operation S40 described later that Fr=0, skew correction of the Nth recording medium is performed while overlapping with the (N-1)th recording medium, and if it is determined that Fr=1, skew correction of the Nth recording medium is performed independently.

[0062] In S309, the Nth recording medium is adjusted to the recording operation start position. If the Nth recording medium is corrected for skew in a state where it overlaps with the (N-1)th recording medium in S308, the adjustment is performed in that state.

[0063] In S310, the transport mode of the Nth recording medium is switched to low-speed drive (transport speed 7.6 [inch / sec]).

[0064] In S311, the recording operation for the Nth page on the Nth recording medium is started.

[0065] In S312, it is determined whether or not N = 1. If N = 1 (if the determination is Yes), the process proceeds to S313, and if not (if the determination is No), the process proceeds to S316.

[0066] In S316, it is determined whether or not overlapped continuous feeding has been performed. If overlapped continuous feeding has been performed (if the determination is Yes), the separation operation is performed in S50 and the process proceeds to S318, which will be described in further detail later, but if not (if the determination is No), S50 is omitted and the process proceeds to S318.

[0067] In S318, the (N-1)th recording medium is discharged onto the discharge tray 25.

[0068] In S313, the parameter N is incremented (N=N+1).

[0069] In S314, it is determined whether N≦Nmax. If N≦Nmax (Yes), the process proceeds to S315, and if not (No), the process proceeds to S317.

[0070] In S315, it is determined whether or not the rear end of the (N-1)th recording medium has passed the sensor 16. If the rear end of the (N-1)th recording medium has passed the sensor 16 (if the determination is Yes), the process returns to S304, and if not (if the determination is No), the process returns to S315.

[0071] In S317, the (N-1)th recording medium is ejected. With this, recording on all recording media P is considered to be complete, and the flow chart S30 ends.

[0072] -First Example <One mode of overlapping continuous transmission> 10 is an enlarged schematic diagram for explaining the detailed aspect of the above-mentioned overlapping continuous feeding in which the succeeding recording medium P2 is overlapped and conveyed on the preceding recording medium P1. States ST21 to ST25 in the figure show the state of the recording media P1 and P2 on the conveying path from rollers 3 and 4 to rollers 5 and 6. In this embodiment, the conveying path from rollers 3 and 4 to rollers 5 and 6 may be provided with a pressing lever 17 for directing the rear end of the recording medium P passing therethrough downward.

[0073] For ease of explanation, the transport path from rollers 3 and 4 to rollers 5 and 6 is divided into three areas SecA1 to SecA3. Area SecA1 corresponds to the area from the recording medium detection sensor 16 to position Ps1. Area SecA2 corresponds to the area between positions Ps1 and Ps2. Area SecA3 corresponds to the area between positions Ps2 and Ps3. The operation of overlapping the leading end of the succeeding recording medium P2 on the trailing end of the preceding recording medium P1 can be achieved in area SecA2 by the action of pressure lever 17. Points Ps1 to Ps3 can be set based on the structure of the conveying path from rollers 3 and 4 to rollers 5 and 6. For example, point Ps1 can be set based on the movable area and biasing force of pressing lever 17. Point Ps2 can be set based on the position of pressing lever 17, and point Ps3 can be set as a predetermined position upstream of rollers 5 and 6.

[0074] State ST21 corresponds to a state in which the recording medium P2 is conveyed so that the leading edge of the recording medium P2 catches up with the trailing edge of the recording medium P1 located in area SecA2. As the leading edge of the recording medium P2 catches up with the trailing edge of the recording medium P1, an overlapping operation is realized in which the recording medium P2 is partially overlapped on the recording medium P1, as shown in state ST23. On the other hand, the overlapping operation is not performed when the trailing end of the recording medium P1 is located in the area SecA1 as shown in state ST22, or when the trailing end of the recording medium P1 is located in the area SecA3 as shown in state ST24. State ST25 shows the state when the succeeding recording medium P2 is stopped (see S401 in FIG. 14). Point Ps3 corresponds to the position of the leading edge of the recording medium P2 at this time. Although details will be described later, when canceling the overlapping state of the recording media P1 and P2, it can be determined in state ST25 whether or not the cancellation is to be performed.

[0075] <Nozzle shift operation> As described above, the conveying speed V2 of the conveying roller 20 and the discharge roller 22 is set to an upper limit speed V2max (V2≦V2max) as a standard or allowable range for the purpose of preventing noise and reducing power consumption. Therefore, depending on the contents of the recording data, a situation may occur where V2>V2max. Therefore, in this embodiment, a preparatory operation prior to the separation operation may be performed as necessary during the overlapping operation. In this preparatory operation, the conveying amount of the recording medium P1 is adjusted, and accordingly, the driving range of the nozzles 71 in the recording head 7 is adjusted to realize the final scanning recording on the recording medium P1 (nozzle shift operation). Although the term "adjust" is used in this specification, other terms such as "change," "shift," "resetting," and "correction" may be used without departing from the spirit of the present specification.

[0076] 11(A) to 11(C) are schematic top views showing the transport state when the nozzle shift operation is performed, and FIGS. 12(A) to 12(B) are schematic side views thereof. When the length of the recording medium P is distance Lp, the recording area (last line recording area) Kye by the final scan recording of the recording head 7 on the recording medium P1 is located at a distance Le from the leading edge of the recording medium P1, as shown in Fig. 11(A). The recording width (print width) of the recording area Kye is distance De. The overlap amount of the recording media P1 and P2 is W (variable), and its initial value is W0. Note that the larger the overlap amount W, the higher the transport efficiency of the multiple recording media P generally becomes, so the initial overlap amount W0 also corresponds to the maximum value of the overlap amount W.

[0077] FIG. 11B shows the relative positional relationship between elements (here, recording media P1 and P2, rollers 5 and 10, and nozzle 71) when no nozzle shift operation is performed. 11C shows the above relative positional relationship when the overlap amount W is set to its minimum value, the minimum overlap amount Wmin. When the length of the nozzle 71 is distance Dn and the distance from the roller 5 to the nozzle 71 (the upstream end of the nozzle 71) is distance L1, the minimum overlap amount Wmin is expressed as follows: Wmin = Lp - (Le + Dn + L1) This can be expressed as: That is, the overlap amount W is adjustable within the range of W0≧W≧Wmin.

[0078] Fig. 12A corresponds to a schematic side view when the overlap amount W is the initial value W0 (as in Fig. 11B). Fig. 12B corresponds to a schematic side view when the recording medium P1 is shifted downstream from the state in Fig. 12A to the overlap amount Wsep.

[0079] The overlap amount Wsep can be determined as the maximum value of W that satisfies V2≦V2max. As can be seen by comparing Figures 12(A) to 12(B), the overlap amount W is adjusted in the nozzle shift operation. This adjusts the driving range of the nozzles 71 in the print head 7 for achieving the final scan printing on the print medium P1 (the driving target is changed), and accordingly, the transport amount of the print medium P1 is adjusted. Here, the last line has been recorded on the preceding recording medium P1, and the leading edge of the succeeding recording medium P2 has been abutted against the transport nip portion (rollers 5 and 6) and is being skew-corrected. Although details will be described later, when the overlap amount W is changed from W0 to Wsep by the nozzle shift operation, the transport amount of the recording medium P1 is added by W0-Wsep, and the range of the nozzles 71 to be driven is shifted downstream by W0-Wsep.

[0080] <Nozzle shift calculation process> The shift amount (adjustment amount) of the conveyance amount of the recording medium P (recording medium P1 in the above example) and the shift amount of the drive target of the nozzle 71 when performing the above-mentioned nozzle shift operation are calculated by a nozzle shift calculation process S70 (see FIG. 9). FIG. 13 is a flowchart showing an example of the nozzle shift calculation process S70.

[0081] In S701, the nozzle shift execution flag Fn and the exception handling flag Fr are initialized to Fn=0 and Fr=0 (Fn=0 indicates that the nozzle shift operation is not performed, and Fn=1 indicates that the nozzle shift operation is performed. Also, Fr=0 indicates that the exception handling is not performed, and Fr=1 indicates that the exception handling is performed).

[0082] In S702, an initial overlap amount W0 is calculated based on the print data for the preceding print medium P (the print medium P1 in the above example).

[0083] In S703, the overlap amount W is set to the initial overlap amount W0.

[0084] In S704, the minimum overlap amount Wmin within the changeable range of the nozzle 71 to be driven is calculated. As described above, the minimum overlap amount Wmin is calculated as follows: Wmin = Lp - (Le + Dn + L1) (See FIG. 11(C)).

[0085] In S705, the number of scans that can be performed while the most downstream position of the nozzle 71 passes through the separation region Rh (its distance Lh) by intermittent conveyance is calculated as the number of scans Sc based on the print data for the succeeding print medium P (print medium P2 in the above example). The time required for one scan is defined as the scan time Ts (see FIG. 16).

[0086] In S706, the separation time Tmax is calculated. The separation time Tmax is calculated based on the number of scans Sc, the scan time Ts, the distance Lh of the separation region Rh, and the conveying speed V1 of the succeeding recording medium P. Tmax = Lh / V1 + Sc × Ts =(LW-Dp) / V1+Sc×Ts It should be noted that the conveying speed V1 of the succeeding recording medium P is the conveying speed of the conveying roller 10 in this embodiment.

[0087] 16 is a timing chart showing the drive control of each mechanism during the separation operation. The transport rollers 5 and 10 are driven intermittently (transport speed V1), and the carriage 1 is driven at a scanning speed Vc during that time. Note that the drive of the carriage 1 is shown by a rectangular signal waveform, but the scan time Ts may include acceleration and deceleration times before and after the scanning and recording operation. The transport roller 20 is driven at a transport speed V1 or V2, and is driven at the transport speed V2 when performing the separation operation.

[0088] 13 again, in S707, the speed V2 of the preceding recording medium P when performing the separation operation is calculated. The speed V2 is calculated based on the separation possible time Tmax and the distance Lh of the separation region Rh, V2=Lh / Tmax It can be calculated as follows.

[0089] In S708, it is determined whether the speed V2 of the preceding recording medium P is equal to or less than the upper limit speed V2max (whether V2≦V2max). If the speed V2 is equal to or less than the upper limit speed V2max (if Yes is determined), this flow chart ends, and if not (if No is determined), the process proceeds to S709.

[0090] In S709, the nozzle shift execution flag Fn=1 is set.

[0091] In S710, a predetermined amount is subtracted from the overlap amount W, and the overlap amount W thus subtracted is temporarily stored in the RAM 203 or the like. The amount to be subtracted in this step may be, for example, an integer multiple of the pitch of the nozzles 71, a fixed value such as 0.1 mm or 1 mm, or a calculated value based on the number of subtractions (the number of times S705 to S711 are repeated).

[0092] In S711, it is determined whether the overlap amount W between the rear end of the preceding recording medium P and the front end of the succeeding recording medium P is equal to or less than the minimum overlap amount Wmin (whether W≦Wmin). If it is determined that the overlap amount W is equal to or less than the minimum overlap amount Wmin (if Yes), the process proceeds to S712, and if not (if No), the process returns to S705. If the determination in S711 is No, the distance Lh (=LW-Dp) of the separation region Rh changes due to subtraction of the overlap amount W, so the number of scans Sc is recalculated in S705.

[0093] In S712, the nozzle shift execution flag Fn is set to 0 and the exception processing flag Fr is set to 1. That is, the nozzle shift operation is deemed to be unable to separate the recording medium P from the recording medium P by adjusting the overlap amount W (the overlapping state between the preceding recording medium P and the succeeding recording medium P cannot be resolved), and exception processing is executed.

[0094] By repeating S705 to S711 in this manner, the maximum overlap amount Wsep under the condition V2≦V2max can be approximately determined. At the end of this flowchart, for example, if the nozzle shift execution flag Fn=0 and the exception processing flag Fr=0, neither the nozzle shift operation nor the exception processing is performed, and the overlap amount W is set to the initial overlap amount W0. Also, for example, when the nozzle shift execution flag Fn=1 and the exception processing flag Fr=0, the nozzle shift operation is set to be performed, and the overlap amount W is set to a value subtracted by repeating S705 to S711.

[0095] <About stacking preparation operation> FIG. 14 is a flow chart showing an example of the stacking preparation operation S40. In S401, the Nth recording medium P being conveyed is stopped at a predetermined position upstream of the conveying roller 5. The position of the leading edge of the Nth recording medium P can be calculated, for example, based on the amount of rotation of the feed roller 3 after the leading edge of the Nth recording medium P is detected by the recording medium detection sensor 16.

[0096] In S402, it is determined whether or not an overlapping continuous feeding execution condition, which indicates whether overlapping continuous feeding can be executed, is satisfied. For example, if the overlap amount W is smaller than a reference, it may be determined that the overlapping continuous feeding execution condition is not satisfied (overlapping continuous feeding cannot be executed). If it is determined that the overlapping continuous feeding execution condition is satisfied (if Yes is determined), the process proceeds to S403, and if not (if No is determined), the process proceeds to S410.

[0097] In S403, it is determined whether the exception processing flag Fr=0 (whether to execute exception processing) or not. If Fr=0 (if judged Yes), the process proceeds to S404, and if not (if judged No), the process proceeds to S410.

[0098] In S404, it is determined whether the nozzle shift execution flag Fn = 0 (whether to execute the nozzle shift operation) If Fn = 0 (if the determination is Yes), the process proceeds to S405, and if not (if the determination is No), the process proceeds to S406.

[0099] In S405, it is determined whether or not recording of the last line has started on the (N-1)th recording medium P. If the recording has not started (if the determination is No), the process returns to S405, and if not (if the determination is Yes), this flow chart ends.

[0100] When performing the nozzle shift operation (if the result of S404 is No), In S406, it is determined whether or not a conveying operation has been started for recording the final line on the (N-1)th recording medium P. If the conveying operation has not been started (if the determination is No), the process returns to S406, and if not (if the determination is Yes), the process proceeds to S407. In S407, the transport amount for recording the final line on the (N-1)th recording medium P is adjusted, and the transport operation is performed with a transport amount obtained by adding W0-W to the transport amount when no nozzle shift operation is performed. In S408, it is determined whether or not recording of the last line has started on the (N-1)th recording medium P. If the recording has not started (if the determination is No), the process returns to S408, and if not (if the determination is Yes), the process proceeds to S409. In S409, the range of nozzles 71 to be driven when printing the final line on the (N-1)th recording medium P is adjusted, and nozzles 71 are driven in a range shifted downstream by W0-W from the driving range when no nozzle shift operation is performed.

[0101] When the overlapped continuous feeding execution condition is not met (when the result of S402 is No) and when the exception processing is executed (when the result of S403 is No), In S410, it is determined whether or not recording of the last line is completed on the (N-1)th recording medium P. If the recording is not completed (if the determination is No), the process returns to S410, and if not (if the determination is Yes), the process proceeds to S411. In S411, the (N-1)th recording medium P is conveyed by the conveying roller 5. In S412, it is determined whether or not the conveyance amount of the (N-1)th recording medium P after its rear end has passed the conveyance roller 5 satisfies the criterion. If the conveyance amount does not satisfy the criterion (if No is determined), the process returns to S412, and if not (if Yes is determined), the process proceeds to S413. In S413, the conveying roller 5 is stopped.

[0102] In this embodiment, the process of eliminating the overlapping state of the preceding and succeeding recording media P is exemplified as the exceptional process, but the example of the exceptional process is not limited to this. For example, the preceding recording medium P (the (N-1)th recording medium P) may be transported until the separation operation is completed while the succeeding recording medium P (the Nth recording medium P) is kept waiting by the above-mentioned wait operation during the separation operation. Alternatively, the overlap amount W may be reduced by transporting the preceding recording medium P by a predetermined amount after the completion of the recording of the last line. These may be combined with other aspects within the scope of the gist of the invention.

[0103] <About separation operation> FIG. 15 is a flow chart showing an example of the separation operation S50. In S501, the conveying speed V2 of the preceding recording medium P is calculated (V2=Lh / Tmax, V2≦V2max).

[0104] In S502, it is determined whether or not the trailing end of the preceding recording medium P has passed through the conveying rollers 10 (i.e., the upstream rollers used in the separation operation). If the trailing end of the preceding recording medium P has not passed through the conveying rollers 10 (if the determination is No), the process returns to S502, and if not (if the determination is Yes), the process proceeds to S503.

[0105] In S503, the conveying roller 20 (the downstream roller used in the separation operation) is driven to rotate, and conveys the preceding recording medium P at a speed V2 (≦V2max).

[0106] In S504, it is determined whether the paper interval after the separation operation between the rear end of the preceding recording medium P and the front end of the succeeding recording medium P is equal to or greater than Dp. If the paper interval is less than Dp (if No is determined), the process returns to S504, and if not (if Yes is determined), this flow chart ends.

[0107] In this embodiment, the separation operation is considered to be complete when S504 returns Yes (when the paper distance after the separation operation between the rear end of the preceding recording medium P and the front end of the following recording medium P is equal to or greater than Dp), but other end conditions may be set. For example, the separation operation may be completed when the rear end of the preceding recording medium P reaches the conveying roller 20, or when the rear end of the recording medium P1 passes a preset arbitrary point.

[0108] The conveying speed exemplified in the above description is a substantially constant speed in this embodiment, but may be an average speed taking into consideration stops and acceleration / deceleration.

[0109] -Second Example <Nozzle shift operation according to the second embodiment> The above-described first embodiment illustrates an example in which the nozzle shift operation is performed on a preceding recording medium P. The second embodiment differs from the first embodiment mainly in that the nozzle shift operation is performed on a succeeding recording medium P.

[0110] FIG. 17A is a schematic top view showing the relative positional relationship between an area Ky2-1 to be printed by the first scan, an area Ky2-2 to be printed by the second scan, and a separation area Rh therebetween, on the subsequent printing medium P2. 17B is a schematic top view showing the relative positional relationship when the nozzle shift operation is not performed, with the nozzles 71 also shown, and showing that the planned recording area Ky2-1 has become the recorded area Kd2-1 through recording. In this example, the most downstream side of the nozzles 71 is used for recording the planned recording area Ky2-2 (note that, as will be described in detail later, the planned recording area Ky2-2 becomes the recorded area Kd2-2 through recording). Fig. 17C is a schematic top view showing the relative positional relationship when a nozzle shift operation is performed. This example differs from the example of Fig. 17B in that the most upstream side of the nozzles 71 is used for printing in the print target area Ky2-2.

[0111] As described above (see FIG. 7C), the separation region Rh corresponds to the region between positions Hs (=W+Dr) and He (=L-Dp+Dr). Here, the nozzle position (distance from the tip of the recording medium P2 to the nozzle 71) when recording in the intended recording region Ky2-2 is performed by the most downstream side of the nozzle 71 is set to position Rk2 (see FIG. 17B). Similarly, the nozzle position when recording in the intended recording region Ky2-2 is performed by the most upstream side of the nozzle 71 is set to position Rj2 (see FIG. 17C). That is, during the second scan which involves a nozzle shift operation, the nozzle position can be said to be adjustable within the range from Rk2 to Rj2.

[0112] Here, the position of the second scan with respect to the succeeding recording medium P2 (the distance from the leading edge of the recording medium P2 to this position) is set to position J2. At this time, since the position J2 of the second scan coincides with the most downstream position of the nozzle 71, Rk2=J2 (See FIG. 17(B)). In addition, when the recording width (printing width) during the second scan is the distance I2, the distance Dn (the length of the nozzle 71) and the printing width I2 are used to obtain Rj2=J2+I2-Dn (See FIG. 17(C)).

[0113] Figures 18(A) to 18(C) show an example of a case where a previous separation operation (separation operation without a nozzle shift operation) is performed on a subsequent recording medium P2. Figure 18(A) shows an aspect similar to Figure 17(A) and is shown for comparison with Figures 18(B) to 18(C). Figure 18(B) shows the timing at which the separation operation is started together with the preceding recording medium P1. Figure 18(C) shows the case where the separation operation is not completed properly.

[0114] When the nozzle shift operation is not performed, the most downstream side of the nozzle 71 is used for each scan recording, and therefore the most downstream side of the nozzle 71 is not included in the planned recording area Ky2-2 during the period from the state of Fig. 18(B) to the state of Fig. 18(C). In other words, transport stop of the recording medium P2 is not performed in the separation area Rh (transport stop due to scan recording), and the separation operation time does not include the transport stop time due to scan recording of the planned recording area Ky2-2. In such a case, in order to achieve separation, it may be necessary to separate the preceding recording medium P1 at a relatively high conveying speed. On the other hand, in this embodiment, an upper limit speed V2max is set for the conveying speed V2. Therefore, as illustrated in FIG. 18C, it becomes difficult to complete the separation of the recording media P1 and P2 within the period, and the recording media P1 and P2 may remain overlapped when the rear end of the preceding recording medium P1 passes through the conveying roller 20 (paper interval Dp'<0).

[0115] Figures 19(A) to 19(C) show an example of a case where a separation operation accompanied by a nozzle shift operation is performed on the succeeding recording medium P2. Figure 19(A) shows the timing when the separation operation starts. Figure 19(B) shows the timing when scanning and recording are performed on the recording area Ky2-2. Figure 19(C) shows the timing when the separation operation is completed. When a nozzle shift operation is performed during the second scan (see FIG. 19(B)), the driving range of the nozzle 71 is adjusted so that the upstream side of the nozzle 71 is used, and accordingly, the transport amount in the intermittent transport of the transport rollers 5 and 10 is adjusted.

[0116] Fig. 20(A) is a schematic top view showing the relative positional relationship between the separation region Rh, the regions Kd2-1 and Ky2-2, and the nozzle 71 when the nozzle shift operation is not performed. Similarly, Fig. 20(B) is a schematic top view showing the relative positional relationship when the nozzle shift operation is performed. In the figure, nozzle range Nz1 corresponds to the recordable range of nozzle 71 during the first scan. Nozzle ranges Nz2 and Nz2' correspond to the recordable range of nozzle 71 during the second scan that does not involve a nozzle shift operation. Nozzle range Nz2' corresponds to the recordable range of nozzle 71 during the second scan that involves a nozzle shift operation.

[0117] The intended recording area Ky2-2 is located downstream of the nozzle range Nz2 when no nozzle shift operation is performed (see FIG. 20(A)), and is located upstream of the nozzle range Nz2' when a nozzle shift operation is performed (see FIG. 20(B)). As can be seen by comparing FIGS. 20(A) and 20(B), performing a nozzle shift operation makes it possible to add a transport stop operation of the recording medium P2 accompanying scan recording within the separation area Rh. In other words, it is possible to add a transport stop time due to scan recording of the intended recording area Ky2-2 during the execution of the separation operation. By performing the nozzle shift operation in this way, it is possible to substantially extend the time required for the separation operation, and therefore it is possible to suppress or reduce the conveying speed V2 to the upper limit speed V2max or less relatively easily (compared to the case where the nozzle shift operation is not performed). As a result, as shown in FIG. 19(C), it may be possible to appropriately realize the separation operation.

[0118] 21A shows, as a reference example, a state in which 1 to m scan recordings are assigned when no nozzle shift operation is performed, and the print widths are illustrated as widths I1, I2, ..., Im, respectively, and the positions of those scans are illustrated as positions J1, J2, ..., Jm. Figure 21(B) shows, as a reference example, a state in which the scan recording allocation illustrated in Figure 21(A) is changed when a nozzle shift operation is performed, and the print width I2 for the second scan is divided into print widths I2' and I2". The positions of these scans are illustrated as positions J2' and J2", respectively. In such a case, the recording that could have been achieved with one scan recording by the second scan is now achieved with two scan recordings, and the nozzle shift operation increases the total number of scans (total number of scans). Therefore, the recording time required to complete recording on the entire recording medium P may increase due to the additional stop time of the recording medium P. This may cause a decrease in the efficiency of the recording process (productivity of printed matter).

[0119] Therefore, in this embodiment, the nozzle shift operation is executed so that the total number of scans on one recording medium P does not increase.

[0120] For the second scan performed without nozzle shift (second scan performed outside the separation region Rh), whether or not a scan record can be added within the separation region Rh by performing a nozzle shift operation can be determined based on whether a parameter Rs2 described below exists. That is, the determination can be made based on whether or not an Rs2 (Rj2≦Rs2≦Rk2) that satisfies Hs≦Rs2≦He exists (in the following description, this condition can be expressed as a condition for allowing additional scan records). For example, in the example of FIG. 17C, Hs≦Rj2≦He, and it can be said that Rs2 exists that satisfies the above-mentioned condition for additional scanning and recording. Therefore, it can be determined that additional scanning and recording is possible within the separation region Rh by performing a nozzle shift operation during the second scan. Details of this determination process will be described later.

[0121] Figures 22(A) and 22(B) are schematic diagrams for explaining the transport amount and adjustment amount of the drive range of the nozzle 71 accompanying the nozzle shift operation. Figure 22(A) shows the case where the nozzle shift operation is not performed (when scanning and recording are performed using the most downstream side of the nozzle 71). Figure 22(B) shows the case where the nozzle shift operation is performed (when the drive range of the nozzle 71 is adjusted to the upstream side).

[0122] 22A (an example in which the nozzle shift operation is not performed), the distance from the leading edge of the recording medium P2 to the nozzle 71 (the most downstream position) during the second scan is R2. The transport amount from when the recording medium P2 passes the transport roller 5 until the second scan is performed is Eo2. 22B (an example in which a nozzle shift operation is performed), the distance from the front end of the recording medium P2 to the nozzle 71 during the second scan is Rs2. The transport amount from when the recording medium P2 passes the transport roller 5 until the second scan is performed is Es2. Incidentally, the distance from the transport roller 5 to the leading edge of the recording medium P2 during the second scan is equal to the transport amount from when the recording medium P2 passes the transport roller 5 until the second scan is performed.

[0123] As can be seen by comparing Figures 22(A) and 22(B), when the nozzle shift operation is performed, the leading edge of the recording medium P2 during the second scan is shifted upstream by R02-Rs2. Therefore, the transport amount Es2 when the nozzle shift operation is performed is set by subtracting R02-Rs2 from the transport amount E02 when the nozzle shift operation is not performed. That is, Es2=Eо2-(Rо2-Rs2) This is expressed as: Accordingly, the driving range of the nozzles 71 used in the second scan is adjusted so as to shift upstream by R02-Rs2.

[0124] <Control content when performing recording operation> When performing a recording operation involving a nozzle shift operation according to the second embodiment, in the flow chart S30 illustrated in Fig. 9, the overlap preparation operation S40, the nozzle shift calculation process S70, and the separation operation S50 can be modified as illustrated in Figs. 23, 24, and 29, respectively, which will be described later. Additionally, an adjustment process S90 (see Fig. 28), which will be described later, can be inserted after S310 and before S311, and the conveyance amount of the recording medium P and the driving range of the nozzle 71 can be adjusted.

[0125] <About stacking preparation operation> FIG. 23 is a flow chart showing an example of the stacking preparation operation S40. In S401, the Nth recording medium is stopped at a predetermined position in front of the transport roller 5 based on the detection result of the detection sensor 16 and the amount of rotation of the feed roller 3.

[0126] In S402, it is determined whether or not the exception processing flag Fr=0, which indicates whether or not exception processing is to be performed (Fr=0 indicates that exception processing is not to be performed, and Fr=1 indicates that exception processing is to be performed). If Fr=0 (if the determination is Yes), the process proceeds to S403, and if not (if the determination is No), the process proceeds to S404.

[0127] In S403, it is determined whether the final scan of the print head 7 on the (N-1)th print medium has been completed. If the final scan has been completed (if Yes is determined), the flow chart S40 ends and the process proceeds to S308 in Fig. 9, otherwise (if No is determined), the process returns to S403.

[0128] In S404, the same exception processing as in the first embodiment is carried out.

[0129] <Nozzle shift calculation process> FIG. 24 is a flowchart showing an example of the nozzle shift calculation process S70.

[0130] In S701, the nozzle shift execution flag Fn and the exception handling flag Fr are initialized to Fn=0 and Fr=0 (Fn=0 indicates that the nozzle shift operation is not performed, and Fn=1 indicates that the nozzle shift operation is performed. Also, Fr=0 indicates that the exception handling is not performed, and Fr=1 indicates that the exception handling is performed).

[0131] In S702, the separation possible time Tmax and separation required time Tend are calculated. The separation possible time Tmax corresponds to the time from when the trailing end of the preceding recording medium P passes the conveying roller 5 until the leading end of the succeeding recording medium P reaches the conveying roller 10. The separation required time Tend corresponds to the time from when the separation operation starts until the trailing end of the preceding recording medium P reaches the conveying roller 10 when the preceding recording medium P is conveyed at the upper limit speed V2max. These are respectively calculated using the distance L from the separation start position to the separation end position as follows: Tmax = Lh / V1 + Sc × Ts =(LW-Dp) / V1+Sc×Ts Tend=L / V2max This can be expressed as:

[0132] In S703, it is determined whether Tend>Tmax. If Tend>Tmax (if judged Yes), it is determined that a nozzle shift operation is necessary and the process proceeds to S704. If not (if judged No; if Tmax≧Tend), it is determined that a nozzle shift operation is unnecessary and the process ends. In this case, the nozzle shift execution flag Fn=0 (nozzle shift operation is not executed) and the exception processing flag Fr=1 (exception processing is executed).

[0133] In S704, the positions Hs (=W+Dr) and He (=L-Dp+Dr) are calculated.

[0134] In S705, based on the recording data of the succeeding recording medium P, the position JX of the Xth scan and its print width IX are calculated as shown in FIG. 25A, where X=any integer from 1 to m.

[0135] In S706, for the X-th scan, based on the recording data of the subsequent recording medium P, as shown in FIG. 25(B), the nozzle position RoX when the nozzle shift operation is not performed is calculated. Also, as shown in FIG. 25(C), the nozzle position RkX when scanning and recording is performed using the most downstream side of the nozzle 71 is calculated, and as shown in FIG. 25(D), the nozzle position RjX when scanning and recording is performed using the most upstream side of the nozzle 71 is calculated. These can be calculated using the nozzle length Dn, the scanning and recording position JX, and the printing width IX as RkX = JX RjX = JX + IX - Dn shown below. In addition, the above parameters (i.e., Ro2, Rk2, and Rj2) in the case of X = 2 are as shown in FIGS. 17(B) to 17(C) and 22(A) to 22(B).

[0136] Thereafter, although the details will be described later, for the X-th scan of the subsequent recording medium P, the additional time calculation process S80 is performed to calculate the conveyance stop time Tad due to the scanning and recording added in the separation region Rh by the nozzle shift operation and the nozzle position RsX. The conveyance stop time Tad corresponds to the additional time associated with the addition of the scanning and recording. In addition, the above parameter (i.e., Rs2) in the case of X = 2 is as shown in FIG. 22(B).

[0137] In S707, it is determined whether Tmax + Tad ≥ Tend. If Tmax + Tad ≥ Tend (in the case of a Yes determination), the process proceeds to S709 assuming that the separation of the preceding recording medium P and the subsequent recording medium P is possible by executing the nozzle shift operation. Otherwise (in the case of a No determination. When Tmax + Tad < Tend.), the process proceeds to S710 assuming that the separation is difficult by the nozzle shift operation.

[0138] In S710, the exception processing flag Fr = 1 (executing exception processing) is set and this flowchart is terminated. In this case, the nozzle shift execution flag Fn = 0 (not executing the nozzle shift operation) and the exception processing flag Fr = 1 (executing exception processing).

[0139] In S708, the nozzle shift execution flag Fn=1 (nozzle shift operation is executed).

[0140] In S709, the transport amount EsX when the nozzle shift operation is performed is calculated by subtracting RоX-RsX from the transport amount EоX when the nozzle shift operation is not performed, ESX=EOX-(ROX-RSX) It is calculated as follows. Accordingly, the amount of shift upstream of the driving range of the nozzle 71 used in the Xth scan is calculated as ROX-RsX (note that ROX-RsX=0 may be obtained depending on the result of RsX calculated in the additional time calculation process S80 described below.) In this case, the nozzle shift execution flag Fn=1 (nozzle shift operation is executed), and the exception processing flag Fr=0 (exception processing is not executed).

[0141] <Additional time calculation process> FIG. 26 is a flowchart showing an example of the additional time calculation process S80. 27(A)-27(B) are schematic diagrams for explaining how Tad and RsX are calculated by determining whether or not scanning and recording can be added within the separation region Rh by nozzle shift operation, and calculating while gradually changing the nozzle position. In the figure, the nozzle position RkX when scanning and recording is performed using the most downstream side of the nozzle 71 in the Xth scan, and the nozzle position RjX when scanning and recording is performed using the most upstream side of the nozzle 71 are shown. Also, the area Ak in the figure corresponds to the common area between the area between RjX and RkX and the area between positions Hs and He. Other details will be described later.

[0142] In S801, for the Xth scan, the nozzle position RsX described above is initialized by the nozzle position RkX when scanning and recording is performed using the most downstream side of the nozzle 71, and RsX=RkX.

[0143] In S802, X is initialized to X = 1, and the conveyance stop time Tad due to the scanning record added in the separation region Rh by the nozzle shift operation is initialized to Tad = 0.

[0144] In S803, for the X-th scan, it is determined whether Hs ≤ RоX ≤ He. If Hs ≤ RоX ≤ He (in the case of a Yes determination), the process proceeds to S804; otherwise (in the case of a No determination), the process proceeds to S805.

[0145] In S804, RsX = RоX is set.

[0146] In S805, for the X-th scan, it is determined whether Hs ≤ RsX ≤ He. If Hs ≤ RsX ≤ He (in the case of a Yes determination), the process proceeds to S806; otherwise (in the case of a No determination), the process proceeds to S807.

[0147] In S806, the conveyance stop time TX due to the scanning record of the X-th scan is added to Tad. The conveyance stop time TX substantially corresponds to the scan time.

[0148] In S807, a subtraction process of a predetermined amount is performed on the nozzle position RsX. Here, the subtraction amount in this step is Gs = (RkX - RjX) / Z, but as another example, it may be a value that is an integer multiple of the pitch of nozzle 71, or a fixed value such as 0.1 mm or 1 mm, or an arithmetic value based on the number of subtractions (the number of repetitions of S805, S807 to S808) may also be used.

[0149] In S808, it is determined whether RsX < RjX. If RsX < RjX (in the case of a Yes determination), the process proceeds to S809; otherwise (in the case of a No determination), the process returns to S805.

[0150] In S809, for the X-th scan, the scanning record in the separation region Rh by the nozzle shift operation is considered to be unable to be added, that is, the nozzle shift operation is not performed. For example, RsX = RoX is set.

[0151] The above S805, S807, and S808 are performed while repeating the subtraction process for the nozzle position RsX until it is determined in S805 that Hs ≦ RsX ≦ He, thereby determining whether additional scanning records within the separation region Rh due to the nozzle shift operation are possible. As shown in FIG. 27(A), the nozzle 71 used for scanning records can be adjusted within the range from the mode Nk where the most downstream side is used to the mode Nj where the most upstream side is used. The repetition of the subtraction process in S807 corresponds to G0, G1, G2, ···, GZ, G(Z + 1) in the figure. In the example of FIG. 27(A), there is a common region Ak. Therefore, during the repetition of the subtraction process in S807 (at the timing of G2 in this example), it is determined in S805 that Hs ≦ RsX (= RkX - Gs × 2) ≦ He, that is, it is determined that additional scanning records can be added within the separation region Rh. As a result, in S806, the conveyance stop time TX due to the scanning records of the X-th scan is added. On the other hand, in the example of FIG. 27(B), since there is no common region Ak, it is not determined in S805 that Hs ≦ RsX ≦ He even at the timing of GZ. After that, when it becomes G(Z + 1) in S807, it is not determined in S808 that RsX < RjX. As a result, in S809, for the X-th scan, it is determined that additional scanning records within the separation region Rh due to the nozzle shift operation are not possible, RsX = RoX is set, and it is determined not to perform the nozzle shift operation.

[0152] In S810, it is determined whether the X-th scan is the recording of the last line of the subsequent recording medium P. If the X-th scan is the last line (when the determination is Yes), this flowchart ends; otherwise (when the determination is No), it proceeds to S811.

[0153] In S811, the parameter X is incremented (X = X + 1), and it returns to S803.

[0154] <Regarding the adjustment process> FIG. 28 is a flowchart showing an example of the adjustment process S90 inserted after S310 and before S311 in FIG. 9. In S901, it is determined whether or not the nozzle shift execution flag Fs = 1. If the nozzle shift execution flag Fs = 1 (if judged as Yes, in which case the nozzle shift operation is to be executed), the process proceeds to S902, and if not (if judged as No), this flow chart ends.

[0155] In S902, the transport amount when performing the nozzle shift operation and the driving range of the nozzle 71 are adjusted. Regarding the transport amount EsX (see S709), ESX=EOX-(ROX-RSX) Set to. Accordingly, the driving range of the nozzles 71 used in each scanning recording is shifted upstream by ROX-RsX.

[0156] <About separation operation> FIG. 29 is a flow chart showing an example of the separation operation S50. In S501, it is determined whether or not the nozzle shift execution flag Fs = 1. If the nozzle shift execution flag Fs = 1 (if the determination is Yes, the nozzle shift operation is to be executed), the process proceeds to S502, and if not (if the determination is No, the nozzle shift operation is not to be executed), the process proceeds to S503.

[0157] In S502, the conveying speed V2 of the preceding recording medium P when performing the nozzle shift operation is calculated (V2≦V2max). In this case, the conveying speed V2 is V2 = Lh / (Tmax + Tad) It can be calculated as follows.

[0158] In S503, the conveying speed V2 of the preceding recording medium when the nozzle shift operation is not performed is calculated (V2≦V2max). In this case, the conveying speed V2 is V2=Lh / Tmax It can be calculated as follows.

[0159] In S504, it is determined whether or not the trailing end of the preceding recording medium P has passed through the conveying rollers 10 (i.e., the upstream rollers used in the separation operation). If the trailing end of the preceding recording medium P has not passed through the conveying rollers 10 (if the determination is No), the process returns to S504, and if not (if the determination is Yes), the process proceeds to S505.

[0160] In S505, the conveying roller 20 (the downstream roller used in the separation operation) is driven to rotate, and conveys the preceding recording medium P at a speed V2 (≦V2max).

[0161] In S506, it is determined whether the paper interval after the separation operation between the rear end of the preceding recording medium P and the front end of the succeeding recording medium P is equal to or greater than Dp. If the paper interval is less than Dp (if No is determined), the process returns to S506, and if not (if Yes is determined), this flow chart ends.

[0162] In this embodiment, the separation operation can be properly performed, and the preceding recording medium P can be conveyed so that the conveying speed V2 satisfies the standard. Therefore, this embodiment can be said to have the same effect as the first embodiment.

[0163] -Modification of the second embodiment The calculation of the transport stop time Tad and the nozzle position RsX can be realized by other equivalent aspects. For example, in the nozzle shift calculation process S70 illustrated in FIG. 24, calculation or identification based on pattern matching may be performed instead of the additional time calculation process S80.

[0164] FIG. 30 is a flow chart showing an example of a pattern-specific additional available time calculation process S82 as an alternative to the additional time calculation process S80. Figs. 31(a) to 31(g) are top view schematic diagrams for explaining several patterns referred to when executing the additional available time calculation process S82 for each pattern. By specifying in advance which of these reference patterns the relative positional relationship between elements based on the recording data corresponds to, it becomes possible to determine whether it is possible to add scanning records in the separation region Rh by the nozzle shift operation, and it becomes possible to relatively easily realize the calculation of Tad and RsX.

[0165] As shown in Fig. 31(a), for a certain scanning record, the nozzle 71 used for recording in the recording region Kr can be adjusted within the range from the mode Nk where the most downstream side is used to the mode Nj where the most upstream side is used. In the figure, the position RkX corresponds to the nozzle position when the most downstream side of the nozzle 71 is used, and the position RjX corresponds to the nozzle position when the most downstream side of the nozzle 71 is used. Also, the aforementioned separation start position Hs (=W + Dr), separation end position He (=L - Dp + Dr), and the common region Ak between the region between RjX and RkX and the region between Hs and He are shown. When the common region Ak exists, it is possible to add scanning records in the separation region Rh by the nozzle shift operation, and when the common region Ak does not exist, it is not possible to add them.

[0166] Here, considering RkX≥RjX and He≥Hs, the relative positional relationships of RkX, RkX, He, and Hs can be divided into the following six patterns: Fig. 31(b) Pattern where RjX>He; Fig. 31(c) Pattern where RkX>He and Hs≤RjX≤He; Fig. 31(d) Pattern where Hs≤RjX≤He and Hs≤RkX≤He; Fig. 31(e) Pattern where RjX<Hs and Hs≤RkX≤He; Fig. 31(f) Pattern where RkX<Hs; and Fig. 31(g) Pattern where RjX<Hs<RkX and RjX<He<RkX, are. Based on these six patterns, the possibility of additional scanning and recording in the separation area Rh by nozzle shift operation is determined by S823 to S830 described later. Focusing on the presence or absence of a common area Ak, among these six patterns, in the cases of the patterns in Figures 31(b) and 31(f), additional scanning and recording in the separation area Rh by nozzle shift operation is not possible, but in the cases of the other patterns, additional possible time calculation process S82 by pattern will be described below with reference to Figure 30.

[0167] In S821, for the Xth scan, the nozzle position RsX described above is initialized by the nozzle position RkX when scanning and recording is performed using the most downstream side of the nozzle 71, and RsX=RkX.

[0168] In S822, X is initialized to X=1, and the transport stop time Tad due to the scan recording, which is added to the separation region Rh by the nozzle shift operation, is initialized to Tad=0.

[0169] In S823, for the Xth scan, it is determined whether Hs≦RоX≦He. If Hs≦RоX≦He (Yes), the process proceeds to S831, and if not (No), the process proceeds to S824. In the pattern of FIG. 31(d) (Hs≦RjX≦He and Hs≦RkX≦He), RjX≦RоX≦RkX, so it is determined that Hs≦RоX≦He (Yes), and the process proceeds to S831.

[0170] In S824, for the Xth scan, it is determined whether Hs≦RkX≦He. If Hs≦RkX≦He (Yes, as in the pattern shown in FIG. 31(e)), the process proceeds to S825, and if not (No, as in the patterns shown in FIG. 31(b), 31(c), 31(f), and 31(g)), the process proceeds to S827.

[0171] In S825, RsX=RkX is set.

[0172] In S826, the transport stop time TX due to the scan recording of the Xth scan is added to Tad.

[0173] In S827, for the Xth scan, it is determined whether Hs≦RjX≦He. If Hs≦RjX≦He (Yes, as in the pattern shown in FIG. 31(c)), the process proceeds to S828, and if not (No, as in the patterns shown in FIG. 31(b), 31(f) and 31(g)), the process proceeds to S829.

[0174] In S828, set RsX=RjX.

[0175] In S829, for the Xth scan, it is determined whether RjX≦Hs and He≦RkX. If RjX≦Hs and He≦RkX (Yes, as in the pattern shown in FIG. 31(g)), the process proceeds to S830, and if not (No, as in the patterns shown in FIG. 31(b) and 31(f)), the process proceeds to S831.

[0176] In S830, RsX is set to Hs.

[0177] In S831, it is determined whether the Xth scan is for printing the last line of the subsequent printing medium P. If the Xth scan is for the last line (if Yes), this flow chart ends, and if not (if No), the process proceeds to S811.

[0178] In S832, the parameter X is incremented (X=X+1), and the process returns to S803.

[0179] The above flowchart will be described again with reference to FIGS. 31(b) to 31(g). If the result of S823 is No (if Hs≦RоX≦He is not true for the Xth scan), this corresponds to a case where scanning and recording have not already been performed by the separation operation in the initial state in which the nozzle shift operation is not performed. In the pattern of FIG. 31(c) having the common area Ak, it is determined in S824 that Hs≦RkX≦He is satisfied (Yes in S824), and in S826, the transport stop time TX, which substantially corresponds to the scan time, is added to the transport stop time Tad. As shown in FIG. 31(c), the common area Ak is in the range of RjX to He, so RsX=RkX is set in S825, but this is not limited thereto, and the range may be set within RjX≦RsX≦He.

[0180] Similarly, in the pattern of FIG. 31(e) having the common area Ak, it is determined in S827 that Hs≦RjX≦He is satisfied (Yes determination in S827). Also, in the pattern of FIG. 31(g), it is determined in S829 that RjX≦Hs and He≦RkX are satisfied (Yes determination in S829). These proceed to a step for performing a nozzle shift operation. In the pattern of FIG. 31(e), the common area Ak is in the range of Hs to RkX, and in the pattern of FIG. 31(g), the common area Ak is in the range of RjX to RkX. Therefore, although RsX=RkX is set in S825, this is not limited thereto, and each may be set in the range of Hs≦RsX≦RkX or in the range of RjX≦RsX≦RkX.

[0181] 31(b) to 31(g), in the patterns of Fig. 31(b) and 31(f) that do not have a common area Ak, the condition for scanning and recording within the separation area Rh by the nozzle shift operation is the condition for which additional recording is not possible. For these patterns, it is determined in S829 that RjX≦Hs or He≦RkX is not satisfied (No in S829), and the process ends without adding the transport stop time TX, which essentially corresponds to the scan time, to the transport stop time Tad.

[0182] In the pattern of FIG. 31(d), since Hs≦RkX≦He and Hs≦RjX≦He, Hs≦RоX≦He is always satisfied, and therefore, in S823, it is determined that Hs≦RоX≦He is satisfied (Yes in S823). In the pattern of FIG. 31(d), scanning and recording are already performed in the separation operation in the initial state in which the nozzle shift operation is not performed, and the process ends without adding the transport stop time TX to the transport stop time Tad. Also, in the patterns of FIG. 31(c), 31(g), and 31(e), if scanning and recording are not already performed in the separation operation in the initial state, it is determined that Hs≦RоX≦He is satisfied in S823 (Yes in S823), and the process ends without adding the transport stop time TX to the transport stop time Tad.

[0183] By using such pattern matching, it is possible to relatively easily determine whether or not additional scanning and recording within the separation region Rh can be performed by the nozzle shift operation, and to calculate Tad and RsX.

[0184] As described above, according to the first and second embodiments, in a configuration capable of realizing overlapping continuous feeding so that the rear end of the preceding recording medium P1 and the leading end of the following recording medium P2 overlap, the intermittent conveying operation and the scanning and recording operation are alternately repeated for the overlapping recording media P1 and P2. When discharging the recording media after recording, the conveying rollers 10, 20, etc. are driven so that the recording media are separated from each other, and prior to this, a nozzle shift operation is performed so that the conveying speed V2 satisfies a standard. According to such a driving or control mode, the separation operation is appropriately controlled, and for example, the overlapping continuous feeding can increase the efficiency of the recording process, and the separation operation at the conveying speed V2 that satisfies the standard can prevent noise and reduce power consumption.

[0185] <Program> The present invention may be realized by supplying a program that realizes one or more functions of the above-described embodiments to a system or device via a network or a storage medium, and having one or more processors in a computer of the system or device read and execute the program. For example, the present invention may be realized by a circuit (e.g., ASIC) that realizes one or more functions.

[0186] <Other> In the embodiments, each element is named based on its main function, but the functions described in the embodiments may be sub-functions and are not strictly limited to those expressions. Furthermore, those expressions can be replaced with similar expressions. In the same spirit, the expression "unit" can be replaced with "tool," "component," "member," "structure," "assembly," etc. Alternatively, those expressions may be omitted or added.

[0187] <Summary of the embodiment> Some features of the embodiment are as follows: [1] A conveying means for conveying a recording medium; a recording means including a recording head having nozzles, and performing scanning recording by scanning the recording head in a direction intersecting a conveying direction of the recording medium to record on the recording medium; a control unit that controls the conveying unit and the recording unit so that conveyance of the recording medium and scanning recording by the recording head are performed alternately, The control means performs a first control for controlling the transport means so that the preceding and succeeding recording media are separated from each other while performing recording by the recording means in a state in which the rear end of the preceding recording medium and the front end of the succeeding recording medium are overlapped, and in the first control, adjusts a transport amount by the transport means so that a transport speed by the transport means satisfies a standard, and adjusts a drive range of the nozzles based on the adjusted transport amount. A recording device comprising: [2] The control means performs, before the first control, a second control for controlling the transport means so that a rear end of the preceding recording medium and a front end of the succeeding recording medium overlap each other while the recording means is recording on the preceding recording medium. The recording device according to [1], [3] The conveying means is A first conveying roller disposed downstream of the recording head; a second conveying roller disposed downstream of the first conveying roller; Including, In the first control, the first transport roller is driven at a first transport speed, and the second transport roller is driven at a second transport speed that is higher than the first transport speed, thereby separating the preceding and succeeding recording media from each other. The recording device according to [1] or [2], [4] The control means A third control in which the adjustment of the conveyance amount by the conveying means and the adjustment of the driving range of the nozzles are not performed can be executed in place of the first control, and in the third control, the most downstream side of the nozzles is driven when the recording head is scanned, When the first control is performed, the nozzle is driven on the upstream side more than when the third control is performed. The recording device according to any one of [1] to [3], [5] When performing the first control, the control means sets a driving range of the nozzle when performing the third control as an initial value, and gradually changes the initial value to specify a transport amount by the transport means at which a transport speed by the transport means satisfies a criterion. The recording device according to [4], [6] The control means does not perform the first control when the conveyance amount by the conveying means that satisfies a standard for the conveyance speed by the conveying means cannot be identified. The recording device according to [5], [7] In the first control, the control means adjusts a transport amount for the preceding recording medium and adjusts a drive range of the nozzles used for scanning recording on the preceding recording medium. The recording device according to any one of [1] to [6], [8] In the first control, the control means adjusts a conveyance amount of the preceding recording medium by the conveyance means when performing scanning and recording of the final line on the preceding recording medium, and adjusts a driving range of the nozzles for performing scanning and recording of the final line on the preceding recording medium. The recording device according to [7], [9] In the first control, the control means adjusts a transport amount for the subsequent recording medium and adjusts a drive range of the nozzles used for scanning recording on the subsequent recording medium. The recording device according to any one of [1] to [8],

[10] When a separation region is defined as a region from a most downstream position of the nozzle on the subsequent recording medium when a separation operation for separating the preceding and subsequent recording media from each other starts to a most downstream position of the nozzle on the subsequent recording medium when the separation operation ends, In the first control, the most downstream side of the nozzle is located within the separation region, and the most upstream side of the nozzle is located upstream of the separation region. The recording device according to [9].

[11] A program for causing a computer to execute each means of the recording device according to any one of [1] to

[10] . This program can be stored in a computer-readable medium so as to be executable by a processor.

[0188] The invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications and variations are possible without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Accordingly, the following claims are appended to apprise the public of the scope of the invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0189] P: recording medium, 7: recording head, 71: nozzle, 9: recording device, 10: conveying roller, 20: conveying roller, 201: CPU, 217: recording head driver, 218: motor driver.

Claims

1. A conveying means for conveying a recording medium; a recording means including a recording head having nozzles, and performing scanning recording by scanning the recording head in a direction intersecting a conveying direction of the recording medium to record on the recording medium; a control unit that controls the conveying unit and the recording unit so that conveying of the recording medium and scanning recording by the recording head are performed alternately, The control means performs a first control for controlling the transport means so that the preceding and succeeding recording media are separated from each other while performing recording by the recording means in a state in which the rear end of the preceding recording medium and the front end of the succeeding recording medium are overlapped, and in the first control, adjusts a transport amount by the transport means so that a transport speed by the transport means satisfies a standard, and adjusts a drive range of the nozzles based on the adjusted transport amount. A recording apparatus comprising:

2. The control means performs, before the first control, a second control for controlling the transport means so that a rear end of the preceding recording medium and a front end of the succeeding recording medium overlap each other while the recording means is recording on the preceding recording medium.

2. The recording apparatus according to claim 1.

3. The conveying means is A first conveying roller disposed downstream of the recording head; a second conveying roller disposed downstream of the first conveying roller; Including, In the first control, the first transport roller is driven at a first transport speed, and the second transport roller is driven at a second transport speed that is higher than the first transport speed, thereby separating the preceding and succeeding recording media from each other.

2. The recording apparatus according to claim 1.

4. The control means A third control, which does not adjust the conveyance amount by the conveying means and the driving range of the nozzles, can be executed in place of the first control, and in the third control, the nozzles are driven on the most downstream side when scanning the recording head, When the first control is performed, the nozzle is driven on the upstream side more than when the third control is performed.

2. The recording apparatus according to claim 1.

5. When the first control is performed, the control unit sets a driving range of the nozzle when the third control is performed as an initial value, and gradually changes the initial value to specify a conveyance amount by the conveying unit at which a conveyance speed by the conveying unit satisfies a criterion.

5. The recording apparatus according to claim 4.

6. The control unit does not perform the first control when the conveyance amount by the conveying unit that satisfies a conveyance speed by the conveying unit cannot be specified.

6. The recording apparatus according to claim 5.

7. In the first control, the control means adjusts a transport amount for the preceding recording medium and adjusts a drive range of the nozzles used for scanning recording on the preceding recording medium.

2. The recording apparatus according to claim 1.

8. In the first control, the control means adjusts a conveyance amount of the preceding recording medium by the conveyance means when executing scanning and recording of the final line on the preceding recording medium, and adjusts a driving range of the nozzles for scanning and recording of the final line on the preceding recording medium.

8. The recording apparatus according to claim 7.

9. In the first control, the control means adjusts a transport amount for the subsequent recording medium and adjusts a drive range of the nozzles used for scanning recording on the subsequent recording medium.

2. The recording apparatus according to claim 1.

10. When a separation region is defined as a region from a most downstream position of the nozzle on the subsequent recording medium when a separation operation for separating the preceding and subsequent recording media from each other starts to a most downstream position of the nozzle on the subsequent recording medium when the separation operation ends, In the first control, the most downstream side of the nozzle is located within the separation region, and the most upstream side of the nozzle is located upstream of the separation region.

10. The recording apparatus according to claim 9.

11. A program for causing a computer to execute each of the means of the recording device according to any one of claims 1 to 10.

Images