Recording device and control method for recording device

Abstract

To provide a recording device and a control method of the recording device that can accurately position a recording unit at a recording position without increasing a component dimension of a movable part, regardless of the size of tolerance.SOLUTION: A recording unit is positioned by coming into contact with an adjustment cam. The recording unit includes a recording unit main body and a movable part that are capable of relative movement via a biasing member. A control unit executes first control (S13, S14) in which a motor is driven with a drive amount obtained by adding a divided drive amount DA2 being a drive amount equal to or less than the size of a detection range to a minimum drive amount DA1 from a movement start position to a contact range minimum value as a reference drive amount SDA (S12). If no relative movement is detected by the detection unit in the first control, the control unit performs a drive amount determination operation in which a drive amount obtained by adding the divided drive amount DA2 to the reference drive amount SDA is set as a new reference drive amount SDA (S15). The control unit can execute second control (S13, S14) to drive the motor with the reference drive amount SDA determined in the drive amount determination operation.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 20

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a printing apparatus having a function for positioning a printing unit that moves along a movement path, and a method for controlling the printing apparatus. [Background technology]

[0002] For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a recording device including a transport unit that transports a medium and a recording unit that records a liquid such as ink on the medium. The recording device includes a movement mechanism that moves the recording unit along a movement direction. The recording unit moves to a plurality of positions including a recording position and a retreat position retreated from the recording position. The recording device includes a cap unit that caps the recording unit to keep it moist when not recording.

[0003] The moving mechanism includes a driving unit such as a motor and a power transmission mechanism that transmits the power of the driving unit to the recording unit. The power transmission mechanism may be, for example, a rack-and-pinion mechanism including a pinion and a rack.

[0004] The recording device includes an adjustment cam (an example of a contact portion) that positions the recording portion at a recording position. The recording portion is positioned at the recording position by contacting the adjustment cam. The recording portion includes a spring (an example of a biasing member) that biases the recording portion in a direction to press it against the adjustment cam while in contact with the adjustment cam. The recording portion includes a unit body (an example of a recording portion body) having a recording head, and a rack forming member having a rack. The unit body and the rack forming member are connected to be able to move relatively in the movement direction.

[0005] The recording unit moves a distance according to the drive amount of the motor. When the recording unit is placed at the recording position, the unit body abuts against the adjustment cam, and then the movement of the rack-forming member continues, causing the rack-forming member to move in the movement direction relative to the unit body, which is stopped in abutment against the adjustment cam. This relative movement compresses a spring interposed between the unit body and the rack-forming member. The recording unit is positioned in a state where it is pressed against the adjustment cam by the biasing force of the spring. The recording unit is equipped with a detection unit (sensor) that detects the relative movement of the rack-forming member with respect to the unit body up to a position where an appropriate biasing load can be applied.

[0006] On the other hand, during capping, the unit body receives a biasing force from the cap part in contact with the recording head and moves relative to the rack forming member in a direction away from the recording position to the end. Therefore, the cap part comes into contact with the recording head with the unit body in contact with the end, so that the recording head is reliably capped. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0007] [Patent Document 1] JP 2023-77402 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0008] However, in the above configuration, due to the large number of parts, the large variation in the amount of movement of the recording unit, and the variation in the position of the adjustment cam, for example, the unit body and the adjustment cam may come into contact earlier than expected. In this case, the amount of movement of the rack forming member may become larger than the specified amount, and the rack forming member may move to the end where it comes into contact with the unit body. In this case, the reaction force that the unit body receives from the rack forming member may change the attitude of the recording unit, affecting the positional accuracy of the recording unit.

[0009] On the other hand, even if the drive unit is driven at a predetermined drive amount, there are cases where the rack forming member does not move the required amount relative to the unit body due to variations within the tolerance range. In this case, the recording unit is not pressed sufficiently against the adjustment cam, or the recording unit does not abut against the adjustment cam. In these cases, the gap between the recording head and the medium is likely to deviate from the target value, which leads to a decrease in recording quality.

[0010] Since there is a limit to measures to reduce the tolerance, a measure to set a larger drive amount in anticipation of the tolerance can be considered. However, in this case, if the unit body and the adjustment cam come into contact earlier than expected, it is necessary to ensure a long distance for the rack forming member to move relatively to the unit body so that it does not hit the end. This requires the rack to be long, which increases the size of the device. For this reason, there is a demand for accurately positioning the recording unit at the recording position without increasing the dimensions of the moving parts such as the rack forming member. [Means for solving the problem]

[0011] A recording device that solves the above problem includes a recording unit that records on a medium, a moving mechanism that moves the recording unit in a moving direction, a contact unit that positions the recording unit by contacting the moving recording unit, a drive unit that drives the moving mechanism, and a control unit, wherein the recording unit includes a recording unit main body that can contact the contact unit and has a recording head that performs the recording, a moving unit that can move relatively to the recording unit main body and receives a force from the moving mechanism, a biasing member that is provided between the recording unit main body and the moving unit and biases the recording unit in the moving direction, and a detection unit that detects the relative movement between the recording unit main body and the moving unit by displacing the moving unit by an amount of relative movement, and a range within which the moving unit can move after the detection unit detects the relative movement is defined as a detection range. When the contact range is defined as the range in which the recording unit can move from the movement start position and come into contact with the contact unit, if the size of the detection range is smaller than the size of the contact range, the control unit is capable of executing a first control in which the control unit drives the drive unit using a drive amount obtained by adding a minimum drive amount, which is the sum of the drive amount from the movement start position to the minimum value of the contact range and the drive amount equivalent to the relative movement amount, to a divided drive amount, which is a drive amount less than the size of the detection range, as a reference drive amount, and determines whether the detection unit has detected the relative movement; and if the detection unit is unable to detect the relative movement in the first control, the control unit is capable of executing a drive amount determination operation in which the drive amount obtained by adding the divided drive amount to the reference drive amount is set as the new reference drive amount, and drives the drive unit with the reference drive amount determined in the drive amount determination operation.

[0012] A control method for a recording device that solves the above problem includes a recording unit that records on a medium, a moving mechanism that moves the recording unit in a moving direction, a contact unit that positions the recording unit by contacting the moving recording unit, and a drive unit that drives the moving mechanism, wherein the recording unit has a recording unit main body that can abut against the contact unit and has a recording head that performs the recording, a moving unit that can move relatively to the recording unit main body and receives a force from the moving mechanism, a biasing member that is provided between the recording unit main body and the moving unit and biases the recording unit in the moving direction, and a detection unit that detects the relative movement between the recording unit main body and the moving unit, and wherein a detection range is set as a range within which the moving unit can move after the detection unit detects the relative movement. and executing a first control for driving the drive unit using a drive amount obtained by adding a minimum drive amount, which is a drive amount from the movement start position to the minimum value of the contact range, to a divided drive amount, which is a drive amount equal to or smaller than the detection range, as a reference drive amount when the size of the detection range is smaller than the size of the contact range, and determining whether the detection unit has detected the relative movement. and executing a second control for driving the drive unit using the reference drive amount determined by the drive amount determination operation when the detection unit cannot detect the relative movement in the first control. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0013] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a recording apparatus according to an embodiment. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a front sectional view showing the recording device when the recording unit is in the recording position in the embodiment. [Diagram 3] FIG. 3 is a schematic front sectional view showing the recording device when the recording unit is in a capping state. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing the recording unit and the moving mechanism in a state where the recording unit is at the recording position. [Diagram 5]FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view showing the recording unit and the moving mechanism, showing a state in which the recording unit is at the recording position. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view showing the recording unit and the moving mechanism, showing a state in which the recording unit is in the retracted position. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing the recording unit. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 shows the recording section in the recording position. [Figure 9] FIG. 9 is a schematic front view showing the recording section and the cap unit. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a schematic diagram of the movement area and position of the recording unit. [Figure 11] FIG. 11 is a schematic front view showing a state in which the recording unit is located in front of the recording position. [Figure 12] FIG. 12 is a schematic front view showing a state in which the recording unit is in the recording position. [Figure 13] FIG. 13 is a schematic front view, partly cut away, of the recording unit in the capped state. [Figure 14] FIG. 14 is a schematic front view showing a partially broken recording section and the deviation of the adjusting cam when the recording section is at the origin position. [Figure 15] FIG. 15 is a schematic front view, partly cut away, showing the recording section when it is in the recording position. [Figure 16A] FIG. 16A is a schematic diagram illustrating a first control including a first detection operation. [Figure 16B] FIG. 16B is a schematic diagram illustrating the second control including the second detection operation. [Figure 17] FIG. 17 is a schematic front view, partly cut away, illustrating the first control of the recording unit. [Figure 18] FIG. 18 is a schematic front view, partly cut away, illustrating the second control of the recording unit. [Figure 19] FIG. 19 is a block diagram showing the electrical configuration of the recording apparatus. [Figure 20] FIG. 20 is a flowchart showing the adjustment value determination control. [Figure 21A]FIG. 21A is a schematic diagram illustrating the first control in the second embodiment. [Figure 21B] FIG. 21B is a schematic diagram illustrating the first second control. [Figure 21C] FIG. 21C is a schematic diagram illustrating the second control for the second time. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0014] Hereinafter, one embodiment of a recording apparatus will be described with reference to the drawings. <Recording device configuration> A recording device 11 shown in FIG. 1 is, for example, an inkjet printer that records images such as characters and photographs by ejecting ink, which is an example of liquid, onto a medium such as paper or fabric.

[0015] In the drawings, the recording device 11 is assumed to be placed on a horizontal plane, with the direction of gravity indicated by the Z axis, and the directions along the horizontal plane indicated by the Y and X axes. The Y, X, and Z axes are perpendicular to one another. The X axis indicates the depth direction of the recording device 11, and the Y axis indicates the width direction of the recording device 11. The direction parallel to the X axis is also the width direction of the medium M, and is therefore sometimes referred to as the width direction X.

[0016] <Overall configuration of recording device 11> 1, the recording device 11 includes a rectangular parallelepiped device body 12. The device body 12 constitutes an inkjet printer. The device body 12 includes a housing 12A that houses components. The recording device 11 may be a multifunction device that includes an image reading unit 13. The image reading unit 13 may be disposed on the upper part of the device body 12.

[0017] The image reading unit 13 includes a reading unit 13A that reads an original document D. The image reading unit 13 may have a feed-type reading function in which the reading unit 13A reads an original document D fed one sheet at a time. The image reading unit 13 may also have a flatbed-type reading function in which the reading unit 13A reads an original document D set on an original document table that is exposed when a document table cover is opened.

[0018] The recording device 11 may include a medium storage section 14 capable of storing multiple media M. The medium storage section 14 may be, for example, a cassette. The medium storage section 14 may be provided in one stage or multiple stages (for example, four stages in FIG. 1). If it is a cassette, the medium storage section 14 is inserted into the housing 12A in a detachable state by sliding in the X direction at the bottom of the device main body 12. The multiple medium storage sections 14 store, for example, media M of different sizes or types. The recording device 11 may also include a supply tray 18, such as a feed tray, on which the medium M can be placed.

[0019] The recording device 11 may have a display unit 15 on the device body 12. The display unit 15 is, for example, a touch panel. An operation unit 15A may be configured by the touch operation function of the display unit 15. A user can give instructions to the recording device 11 by operating the operation unit 15A. The recording device 11 also has a power button 15B that is operated to turn the power ON / OFF. Note that the operation unit 15A may be an operation button provided separately from the display unit 15.

[0020] 1, the recording device 11 has a recording unit 50 that performs recording on a medium M. The recording unit 50 records characters, images, or the like on the medium M fed from the medium storage unit 14 or the supply tray 18.

[0021] The recording device 11 includes a stacker 16 that receives the medium M after recording. The recording device 11 has a recess 12B between the device body 12 and the image reading unit 13. The stacker 16 includes a discharge tray 16A that is attached to the bottom of the recess 12B. The discharge tray 16A is a member having a rectangular plate shape. In this embodiment, the discharge tray 16A is attached in a detachable state to the device body 12. The recorded medium M discharged from the device body 12 to the recess 12B is loaded on the upper surface (loading surface) of the discharge tray 16A. The discharge tray 16A is inclined at a predetermined angle so that the downstream side of the discharge direction in which the medium M is discharged is higher than the upstream side.

[0022] The recording device 11 includes a control unit 100 that controls the recording device 11. The control unit 100 performs a variety of control functions, including recording control for controlling a recording mechanism including the recording unit 50, reading control for controlling the image reading unit 13, and display control for controlling the display unit 15. The control unit 100 includes a computer 110 (see FIG. 19). The computer includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) and a memory (not shown). The CPU is an arithmetic processing device. The memory is a storage device that secures an area for storing programs for the CPU or a working area, and includes memory elements and storage such as RAM (Random Access Memory) and EEPROM (Electrically Erasable Programmable Read-Only Memory). The CPU controls the operation of each unit of the recording device 11 according to the programs stored in the memory.

[0023] <Internal configuration of recording device 11> Next, the internal configuration of the recording device 11 will be described with reference to Figures 2 and 3. The direction in which the medium M is transported may be referred to as "downstream," and the opposite direction may be referred to as "upstream." In addition, in Figures 2 and 3, a transport path T for the medium M is shown by a dashed line. In the recording device 11, the medium M is transported through the transport path T shown by the dashed line in Figures 2 and 3.

[0024] The F-axis direction is the transport direction of the medium M in a recording area set between the recording head 51 and the transport belt 26 described later. The +F direction is downstream in the transport direction, and the opposite -F direction is upstream in the transport direction. The V-axis direction is perpendicular to the F-axis direction and is the movement direction of the recording unit 50. The +V direction of the V-axis direction is the direction in which the recording unit 50 moves toward the transport path T1 during recording, and the -V direction is the direction in which the recording unit 50 moves away from the transport path T1 during recording. Note that in some figures, the FVY coordinate system may be used instead of the XYZ coordinate system.

[0025] The transport path T in the recording device 11 will be described below with reference to Fig. 2. The recording device 11 is configured so that an expansion unit 12C can be connected to the lower part of the device main body 12. Figs. 2 and 3 show the state in which the expansion unit 12C is connected. The device main body 12 has a medium storage section 14 for storing media M at the lower part. When the expansion unit 12C is connected, multiple (e.g., three) medium storage sections 14 are further provided below it. The number of media cassettes provided in the expansion unit 12C may be one or two.

[0026] The recording device 11 includes a transport unit 20 that transports the medium M supplied from each medium storage unit 14 or the supply tray 18 along the transport path T. The transport unit 20 includes a plurality of rollers, as shown below, arranged along the transport path T. A pick roller 21 that sends out the stored medium M in the -Y direction is provided for each medium storage unit 14. A feed roller pair 22 that feeds the medium M sent out in the -Y direction by the pick roller 21 in an obliquely upward direction is provided downstream of the pick roller 21 in the transport direction. The feed roller pair 22 may be a separation roller pair including a separation roller that separates the medium M one by one. In the following, unless otherwise specified, the "roller pair" is assumed to be composed of a drive roller driven by a motor (not shown) and a driven roller that rotates in contact with the drive roller.

[0027] The medium M sent out from the three lower media storage units 14 is transported to the transport roller pair 38 by the transport roller pair 23. The medium M is nipped by the transport roller pair 38 and transported to the transport roller pair 31. The medium M sent out from the topmost (first) media storage unit 14 is transported to the transport roller pair 31 by the feed roller pair 22 without passing through the transport roller pair 38.

[0028] Supply roller 24 and separation roller 25 are provided near transport roller pair 38. Supply roller 24 and separation roller 25 are a roller pair that feeds medium M from supply tray 18 (see FIG. 1).

[0029] The medium M receiving the feeding force from the transport roller pair 31 is sent to a recording area on the transport belt 26, which is an area facing the recording head 51. Note that hereinafter, the medium transport path from the transport roller pair 31 to the transport roller pair 32 is referred to as a recording transport path T1.

[0030] The recording head 51 constitutes the recording unit 50. The recording head 51 performs recording by ejecting ink, which is an example of liquid, onto the surface of the medium. The recording head 51 is an ink ejection head configured so that nozzles that eject ink cover the entire area in the width direction of the medium. It is configured as an ink ejection head that can record over the entire width of the medium without moving in the width direction of the medium. However, the ink ejection head is not limited to this, and may be a serial recording type that is mounted on a carriage and ejects ink while moving in the width direction of the medium.

[0031] The recording unit 50 is provided so as to be capable of advancing and retreating with respect to the recording transport path T1. The recording unit 50 is provided so as to be movable between a recording position where it advances onto the recording transport path T1 to perform recording on the medium M, and a retreat position where it retreats from the recording transport path T1.

[0032] Fig. 2 shows a state in which the recording unit 50 is in the recording position. In this state, recording is performed on the medium M. Fig. 3 shows a state in which the recording unit 50 is in the retracted position. Note that Fig. 3 shows the position of the recording unit 50 when the nozzle opening surface 51a of the recording head 51 is capped by the cap portion 71 of the cap unit 70.

[0033] 2 and 3, the recording device 11 includes one or more (for example, four) liquid storage units 17A-17D. The liquid storage units 17A-17D are ink storage units. Ink ejected from the recording head 51 is supplied from each of the liquid storage units 17A-17D to the recording head 51 through a tube (not shown). The liquid storage units 17A-17D are detachably provided in the mounting units 18A-18D, respectively.

[0034] The recording device 11 also includes waste liquid storage units 19. The waste liquid storage units 19 store ink as waste liquid discharged from the recording head 51 toward a flushing cap (not shown) for maintenance purposes.

[0035] The conveyor belt 26 is an endless belt that is wound around pulleys 27 and 28. The conveyor belt 26 rotates when one of the conveyor belts 27 and 28 is driven by a motor (not shown). The medium M is conveyed to a position facing the recording head 51 while being attracted to the belt surface of the conveyor belt 26. The medium M can be attracted to the conveyor belt 26 by a known attraction method such as an air suction method or an electrostatic attraction method.

[0036] Here, the transport path T1 during recording, which passes through a position facing the recording head 51, is configured to intersect both the horizontal direction and the vertical direction Z and transport the medium M upward. As a result, the V-axis direction, which is the movement direction of the recording unit 50, also intersects both the horizontal direction and the vertical direction. Since the movement direction of the recording unit 50 is parallel to the V-axis direction, it is hereinafter also referred to as the "movement direction V". The inclination angle α of the movement direction V with respect to the horizontal direction is smaller than 45°. More specifically, the inclination angle α is approximately 15°. This configuration makes it possible to prevent the device from becoming extremely large in the horizontal direction and the vertical direction Z. Note that the movement direction V may be parallel to the horizontal direction.

[0037] Next, the medium M on whose first surface has been recorded by the recording head 51 is sent further upward by the transport roller pair 32 located downstream of the transport belt 26. A flap 39 is provided downstream of the transport roller pair 32. The flap 39 switches the transport direction of the medium M. When the medium M is to be discharged as is, the transport path of the medium M is switched by the flap 39 to head toward the upper transport roller pair 35. In this case, the medium M is discharged by the transport roller pair 35 toward the discharge tray 16A.

[0038] When recording is to be performed on the second side of the medium M in addition to the first side, the transport direction of the medium M is directed to the branch position K1 by the flap 39. The medium M then passes through the branch position K1 and enters the switchback path T2. The switchback path T2 is, for example, the medium transport path above the branch position K1. A pair of transport rollers 36, 37 is provided on the switchback path T2. The medium M that has entered the switchback path T2 is transported upward by the pair of transport rollers 36, 37. Then, when the lower end of the medium M passes the branch position K1, the rotation direction of the pair of transport rollers 36, 37 is switched. As a result, the medium M is transported downward.

[0039] A reversing path T3 is connected to the switchback path T2. The reversing path T3 is a medium transport path that extends from the branching position K1, for example, through the transport roller pairs 33 and 34 to the transport roller pair 38. The medium M transported downward from the branching position K1 receives a feed force from the transport roller pairs 33 and 34 and reaches the transport roller pair 38. The medium M is then reversed along a curved path and sent to the transport roller pair 31.

[0040] The medium M is again sent to a position facing the recording head 51, and the second side opposite to the first side on which recording has already been performed faces the recording head 51. As a result, the recording head 51 records on the second side of the medium M. In this way, double-sided recording on the medium M is performed.

[0041] <Guide configuration of the recording unit 50 and the cap unit 70> Next, a guide configuration for guiding the recording unit 50 and the cap unit 70 along the movement path will be described with reference to FIG. 9. As shown in FIG. 9, the recording device 11 includes a guide unit 40 for guiding the recording unit 50 along the movement path. The guide unit 40 has a first guide rail 41 extending along the movement direction V, and second guide rails 42, 43 extending in a direction intersecting the first guide rail 41. The second guide rails 42, 43 branch off from a midpoint of the first guide rail 41 and extend along the Z-axis direction. The guide rails 41 to 43 are, for example, grooved rails that are open on the sides facing the side surfaces on both sides in the X-axis direction of the recording unit 50. The recording unit 50 has guide rollers 52 guided by the guide rails 41 to 43 on both side surfaces in the X-axis direction.

[0042] The moving mechanism 60 includes a motor 58 as an example of a drive unit that moves the recording unit 50, and a rack-and-pinion mechanism including a pinion 67 (drive gear) and a rack 64a that transmit the power of the motor 58 to the recording unit 50. The pinion 67 rotates forward and backward by the power of the motor 58. When the motor 58 is driven, the recording unit 50 moves in the moving direction V along the first guide rail 41 by the power transmitted through the meshing between the pinion 67 and the rack 64a. The recording unit 50 moves to a retracted position away from the recording position V3 in the -V direction by being guided by the first guide rail 41. The specific stop position of the recording unit 50 will be described later.

[0043] The recording device 11 includes a cap unit 70, a moving mechanism 73 for the cap unit 70, and a guide rail 77. The cap unit 70 has a cap 71 portion. When not recording, the cap unit 70 is in a cap position (see FIG. 3) and caps the nozzle opening surface 51a of the recording head 51 with the cap portion 71. The guide rail 77 extends along the moving direction F. The guide rail 77 is, for example, a grooved rail that is open on the side facing both side surfaces of the cap unit 70 in the X-axis direction. Guide rollers (not shown) provided on both side surfaces of the cap unit 70 are guided by the guide rail 77.

[0044] The moving mechanism 73 moves the cap unit 70 in the moving direction F. The moving mechanism 73 includes a cap motor 75 as a drive unit, a pinion 74 (driving gear) rotated by the power of the cap motor 75, and a rack 76. The rack 76 is fixed to the cap unit 70. The cap unit 70 moves along the moving direction F as the rack 76 meshes with the pinion 74 rotated by the power of the cap motor 75 moves. Note that the power transmission mechanism that transmits the power of the cap motor 75 to the cap unit 70 is not limited to a rack-and-pinion mechanism, and may be another mechanism such as a belt-type power transmission mechanism.

[0045] A plurality of rollers (not shown) are rotatably attached to each side of the cap unit 70. The rollers engage with guide rails 77 on both sides. The rollers rotate and are guided by the guide rails 77. The recording device 11 is equipped with a sensor 79 capable of detecting the cap unit 70 when it is in the retracted position.

[0046] Next, the movement range of the recording unit 50 will be described with reference to Fig. 10. Fig. 10 is a schematic diagram showing the movement range of the recording unit 50. In Fig. 10, the position of the recording unit 50 in the V-axis direction is based on the position of the nozzle opening surface 51a in the V-axis direction.

[0047] 10, the position where the recording head 51 advances furthest on the recording transport path T1 (see FIG. 2) is a recording position V3. This recording position V3 corresponds to the position of the recording unit 50 shown in FIG.

[0048] The gap (hereinafter also referred to as "PG") between the nozzle opening surface 51a and the conveyor belt 26 at the recording position V3 is adjusted by an adjustment cam 81 (see FIG. 12) as an example of a contact portion described later. Position V3b is the position furthest in the -V direction within the adjustment range of PG. The recording head 51 at position V3b is not shown in FIG. 10. When the recording head 51 is at position V3, position V3b, or between positions V3 and V3b, recording is performed on the medium M.

[0049] Position V4 is the position where the recording unit 50 is farthest from the recording transport path T1 in the -V direction, and is the exchange position V4 for attaching and detaching the recording unit 50. Attaching and detaching the recording unit 50 when the recording unit 50 is at position V4 will be described later.

[0050] Position V2 is a wiped position V2 where the nozzle opening surface 51a of the recording head 51 is wiped. The nozzle opening surface 51a is wiped by a wiper provided in a wiper unit (not shown). The wiper is made of an elastic material such as rubber or elastomer. The wiper unit is provided so as to be movable in the X-axis direction, which is the direction along the nozzle opening surface 51a, by a motor (not shown). When the wiper unit moves in the X-axis direction, the nozzle opening surface 51a is wiped by the wiper.

[0051] Position V1 is a capped position V1 where the nozzle opening surface 51a is capped by the cap portion 71. Position V1b is a position where a flushing operation (idle ejection) is performed on the cap portion 71, that is, where liquid such as ink is ejected from all nozzles (not shown) of the recording head 51. The recording head 51 at position V1b is not shown in FIG.

[0052] <Regarding movement of the recording unit 50> Next, a mechanism for moving the recording unit 50 will be described with reference to Figs. 4 to 7. The recording device 11 includes a moving mechanism 60 for moving the recording unit 50 in a moving direction V. The moving mechanism 60 includes a right guide member 61A, a left guide member 61B, a second member 63, a first pinion 65, a third rack forming member 64, and a second pinion 67, all shown in Figs. 5 and 6. The first pinion 65 is configured to apply an external force in the moving direction V to the moving unit 62M.

[0053] The recording unit 50 includes a recording unit main body 50a having a recording head 51, and a moving unit 62M. The moving unit 62M is configured with a second rack forming member 62 having a second rack 62a. The moving unit 62M is capable of moving relative to the recording head 51 by receiving a force from the moving mechanism 60. The moving unit 62M and the recording unit main body 50a are capable of being displaced relatively along a moving direction V, which will be described later.

[0054] Next, a configuration for guiding the recording unit 50 in the V-axis direction will be described. As shown in Fig. 4, a pair of guide rollers 52 is provided on the -X-direction side of the recording unit 50 in the X-axis direction. The pair of guide rollers 52 is provided on a shaft 49 that protrudes in the -X direction. The pair of guide rollers 52 is provided to be freely rotatable with respect to the shaft 49. The pair of guide rollers 52 is provided with a gap between them along the V-axis direction.

[0055] As shown in Fig. 7, a pair of guide rollers 52 are provided on the +X-direction side of the recording unit 50 in the X-axis direction. Note that Fig. 7 does not show the moving mechanism 60 shown in Fig. 4, and only shows the recording unit 50. The pair of guide rollers 52 are provided on shafts 49 that protrude in the +X direction. The pair of guide rollers 52 are provided to be freely rotatable with respect to the shafts 49. The pair of guide rollers 52 are provided at an interval along the V-axis direction.

[0056] 5 and 6, the guide member 61 has a first rack 61a formed along the movement direction V on the side facing the recording unit 50. As shown in FIG. A second rack forming member 62 is provided at both ends of the recording unit 50 in the X-axis direction, and a second rack 62a is formed on the second rack forming member 62 along the V-axis direction. The first rack 61a and the second rack 62a face each other, and a first pinion 65 is disposed between the first rack 61a and the second rack 62a. The pinion 65 is first meshed with both the first rack 61a and the second rack 62a. The teeth of the first rack 61a, the second rack 62a, and the first pinion 65 all have tooth width directions aligned along the F-axis direction, which is a direction perpendicular to the moving direction V of the recording unit 50.

[0057] 3 and 4, the first pinion 65 is rotatably provided on the second member 63. On both sides in the X-axis direction of the second member 63, lower roller support members 54 are provided as shown in Fig. 4, and two lower rollers 53 are provided on the lower roller support members 54 at an interval along the V-axis direction. The lower rollers 53 are driven rollers supported by the lower roller support members 54 so as to be freely rotatable.

[0058] The two lower rollers 53 provided on the side of the recording unit 50 in the +X direction enter into grooves in the first guide rail 41 provided in the guiding unit 40 shown in Fig. 9, and are guided in the movement direction V. The two lower rollers 53 provided on the side of the recording unit 50 in the -X direction enter into a groove formed along the V-axis direction in the right first guide rail 41 (not shown), and are guided in the movement direction V.

[0059] 4, a third rack forming member 64 is provided below the second member 63, and a third rack 64a is formed below the third rack forming member 64 along the V-axis direction. The tooth width direction of the third rack 64a is aligned along the Y-axis direction. A second pinion 67 meshes with the third rack 64a.

[0060] The third rack forming member 64 is provided on both ends in the X-axis direction below the second member 63. The second pinion 67 is provided at a position facing the third rack 64a on a rotation shaft 68 having a rotation axis center parallel to the Y-axis direction. The two second pinions 67 are configured to rotate simultaneously by the rotation of the rotation shaft 68. The power of the motor 58 is transmitted to the rotation shaft 68 via a gear mechanism not shown in FIG. 4.

[0061] In FIG. 4, a control unit 100 that controls a motor 58 can grasp the position of the recording unit 50 in the V-axis direction based on signals received from various sensors that will be described later. In the above configuration, when the second pinion 67 rotates by the power of the motor 58, the second member 63 moves along the V-axis direction. Here, the guide member 61 shown in Figures 5 and 6, i.e., the first rack 61a, is fixedly provided. Therefore, the first pinion 65 provided on the second member 63 that moves in the V-axis direction rotates based on meshing with the first rack 61a.

[0062] The first pinion 65 meshes with a second rack 62a provided on the recording unit 50. Therefore, when the first pinion 65 rotates, the recording unit 50 moves so as to be pushed out in the V axis direction.

[0063] For example, when the second member 63 moves in the -V direction by the power of the motor 58 while the recording unit 50 is in the recording position shown in Fig. 5, the first pinion 65 on the right side of Fig. 5 rotates counterclockwise in Fig. 5, and the first pinion 65 on the left side of Fig. 5 rotates clockwise in Fig. 5. This causes the recording unit 50 to move in the -V direction.

[0064] Furthermore, when the second member 63 moves in the +V direction by the power of the motor 58 while the recording unit 50 is in the retracted position shown in Fig. 6, the first pinion 65 on the right side of Fig. 6 rotates in the clockwise direction in Fig. 6, and the first pinion 65 on the left side of Fig. 6 rotates in the counterclockwise direction in Fig. 6. This causes the recording unit 50 to move in the +V direction.

[0065] Strictly speaking, a force that tries to move the recording unit 50 in the +V direction is acting on the recording unit 50 due to the action of gravity. This is because the +V direction includes a +Z direction component. Therefore, when the recording unit 50 moves in the +V direction, the movement mechanism 60 applies a force in the -V direction to the recording unit 50, and the movement of the recording unit 50 in the -V direction due to the action of gravity is restricted. However, after the recording unit 50 abuts against an adjustment cam 81 (see FIG. 11) described later, the movement mechanism 60 applies a force in the +V direction to the recording unit 50, which will be described later.

[0066] When the recording unit 50 moves in the −V direction, the movement mechanism 60 applies a force to the recording unit 50 in the −V direction. 5 and 6, a range M1 in the V-axis direction is a movement range of the second member 63 based on the center of the rotation axis of the first pinion 65. Also, in Fig. 5 and 6, a range M2 in the V-axis direction is a movement range of the recording unit 50 based on the end position of the second rack forming member 62 in the -V direction.

[0067] As described above, the recording unit 50 moves in the V-axis direction by the rotation of the first pinion 65, but since the first pinion 65 itself is configured to move in the V-axis direction, the movement range M2 of the recording unit 50 is larger than the movement range M1 of the second member 63. In this embodiment, the movement range M2 is approximately twice as large as the movement range M1.

[0068] As described above, the movement mechanism 60 includes the guide member 61, the first pinion 65 meshing with the first rack 61a, the second rack 62a, and the second member 63. The guide member 61 is formed with the first rack 61a along the movement direction of the recording unit 50. The second rack 62a is provided at a position facing the first rack 61a in the recording unit 50, is a rack formed along the V-axis direction which is the movement direction of the recording unit 50, and meshes with the first pinion 65. The second member 63 is provided with the first pinion 65 rotatably and is movable in the V-axis direction by receiving power from the motor 58.

[0069] Then, due to the rotation of the first pinion 65 moving in the V-axis direction, the movement amount of the recording unit 50 becomes greater than the movement amount of the second member 63. In other words, the movement amount of the recording unit 50 can be ensured while suppressing the movement amount of the second member 63. Therefore, the increase in size of the mechanism that moves the second member 63 can be suppressed, and specifically, in this embodiment, the length of the third rack 64a in the V-axis direction can be suppressed. As a result, the increase in size of the recording device 11 can be suppressed.

[0070] Moreover, the movement mechanisms 60 are provided on both sides of the recording unit 50 in the X-axis direction. The movement mechanisms 60 on both sides make the amount of movement in the V-axis direction equal at one end side and the other end side of the recording unit 50 in the X-axis direction. This makes it possible to move the recording unit 50 in the V-axis direction while appropriately maintaining the posture of the recording unit 50.

[0071] Moreover, the tooth width direction of the first rack 61a, the second rack 62a, and the first pinion 65 is aligned along the F-axis direction, and the F-axis direction is generally aligned with the attachment / detachment direction of the recording unit 50. As a result, when attaching or detaching the recording unit 50, the meshing of the first rack 61a, the second rack 62a, and the first pinion 65 does not interfere, and the recording unit 50 can be easily attached or detached.

[0072] In addition, even if the first pinion 65 vibrates in the tooth width direction when the second member 63 moves, the vibration is unlikely to be transmitted to the second rack 62a, i.e., the recording unit 50, so that the recording unit 50 can be protected from vibration and breakdowns of the recording unit 50 can be suppressed.

[0073] The tooth width direction of the first rack 61a, the second rack 62a, and the first pinion 65 is along the F-axis direction, and in this embodiment, forms a slight angle with respect to the attachment / detachment direction of the recording unit 50. However, they may be parallel to the attachment / detachment direction of the recording unit 50.

[0074] 4, since a plurality of third racks 64a and second pinions 67 are provided in the X-axis direction, the second member 63 can be moved in the V-axis direction while appropriately maintaining the posture of the second member 63. This makes it possible to move the recording unit 50 while appropriately maintaining the posture of the recording unit 50.

[0075] Next, referring to Fig. 7 and Fig. 8, a description will be given of control when moving the recording unit 50 from the retracted position toward the recording position. As shown in Fig. 7, the recording unit 50 has a detection unit 86 that detects relative movement between the recording unit main body 50a and the moving unit 62M (second rack forming unit 62). The detection unit 86 includes a first detection unit 86A and a second detection unit 86B provided on the recording unit main body 50a. The first detection unit 86A and the second detection unit 86B are provided at positions that are the same in the moving direction V relative to the recording unit main body 50a and are spaced apart in the intersecting direction (X direction) that intersects with the moving direction V.

[0076] 8, the recording unit main body 50a of the recording unit 50 includes a first detection unit 86A and a second detection unit 86B on both sides of an intermediate position Xc between the two guide rollers 52 in the X-axis direction. In this embodiment, the distance between the intermediate position Xc and the first detection unit 86A and the distance between the intermediate position Xc and the second detection unit 86B in the X-axis direction are equal. In this embodiment, both the first detection unit 86A and the second detection unit 86B are optical sensors.

[0077] 7 and 8, the second rack forming member 62 is a moving section 62M that is capable of moving relative to the recording section main body 50a in a moving direction V. The moving section 62M is provided with a detected section 62d. The detected section 62d of the moving section 62M provided on the -X direction side is switchable between a state in which it blocks the optical axis of the first detection section 86A (On state) and a state in which it does not block the optical axis (Off state) in accordance with the relative movement between the recording section main body 50a and the moving section 62M.

[0078] Similarly, a detected portion 62d is also provided in the moving portion 62M configured by the second rack forming member 62 provided on the +X direction side. The detected portion 62d can be switched between a state in which it blocks the optical axis of the second detection portion 86B (On state) and a state in which it does not block the optical axis (Off state) in accordance with the relative movement between the recording unit main body 50a and the moving portion 62M.

[0079] In this manner, the first detection unit 86A and the second detection unit 86B constitute the detection unit 86 for detecting the relative movement between the recording unit main body 50a and the moving unit 62M. As described above, the control unit 100, which receives detection signals from the first detection unit 86A and the second detection unit 86B, can detect the relative movement between the recording unit main body 50a and the moving unit 62M.

[0080] Next, the recording unit main body 50a is provided with a detection target 50f as shown in Fig. 8. In this embodiment, the detection target 50f is provided at a middle position Xc between both ends of the recording unit main body 50a in the X-axis direction as shown in Fig. 8.

[0081] As shown in Figs. 13 to 15, an origin detection unit 85 is provided in a position independent from the recording unit 50 in the device body 12 of the recording device 11. The origin detection unit 85 can detect the recording unit 50 at an origin position V0 on the movement path along which the recording unit 50 moves in the V direction. The origin position V0 is the home position of the recording unit 50. The origin detection unit 85 is a home position sensor. In this embodiment, the origin detection unit 85 is an optical sensor.

[0082] The detected portion 50f of the recording unit main body 50a can be switched between a state in which it blocks the optical axis of the origin detection unit 85 (On state) and a state in which it does not block the optical axis (Off state) as the recording unit 50 moves. As described above, the control unit 100 that receives the detection signal from the origin detection unit 85 can detect that the recording unit 50 is located at the home position. Note that in this embodiment, the home position of the recording unit 50 may be the origin position V0 shown in FIG. 10, or may be set to a position V1b where a flushing operation is performed.

[0083] 4, the motor 58 is provided with a rotary encoder 91 (see also FIG. 19). The control unit 100 can detect the drive amount of the motor 58, i.e., the movement amount of the recording unit 50, based on a detection signal from this rotary encoder 91. Based on the detection signal from the rotary encoder 91, the control unit 100 can obtain the position of the recording unit 50 on a movement path extending along the V direction with respect to the origin position V0.

[0084] <Configuration of the recording unit 50> Next, the configuration of the recording unit 50 will be described with reference to Fig. 11, Fig. 12, etc. The recording unit main body 50a has engagement pins 50d (see Fig. 11) on both sides in the X-axis direction as portions that engage with the moving unit 62M. Two engagement pins 50d are provided at both sides in the X-axis direction of the recording unit main body 50a, spaced apart in the V-axis direction. Two guide holes 62b extending in the V-axis direction are provided at an interval along the V-axis direction in the moving unit 62M. The engagement pins 50d enter the guide holes 62b, so that the recording unit main body 50a and the moving unit 62M are connected to each other and can move relatively along the V-axis direction.

[0085] The recording unit 50 includes a biasing member 55 that biases the recording unit 50 in the moving direction V. The biasing member 55 is provided between the recording unit main body 50a and the moving unit 62M (see also FIG. 7). In this embodiment, the biasing member 55 is a compression coil spring. The biasing member 55 is not limited to a compression coil spring, and may be a tension coil spring, a torsion coil spring, or the like, as long as it can exert a force between the recording unit main body 50a and the moving unit 62M.

[0086] 11, the recording unit main body 50a includes a spring receiving portion 50c. The moving unit 62M includes a spring receiving portion 62c. The biasing member 55 exerts a pressing force between the spring receiving portion 50c and the spring receiving portion 62c. This pressing force acts to separate the spring receiving portion 50c and the spring receiving portion 62c.

[0087] When the recording unit 50 is not in contact with the adjustment cam 81 described later, the biasing member 55 is in a most extended state between the spring receiving portion 50c and the spring receiving portion 62c. The engagement pin 50d is located on the +V direction side in the guide hole 62b.

[0088] An adjustment mechanism 80 having an adjustment cam 81 is provided at a position in the +V direction with respect to the recording unit 50. The adjustment cam 81 is provided rotatably around an eccentric shaft 82 by receiving power from an adjustment motor 83 (see FIG. 19). The adjustment cams 81 are provided on both sides of the recording unit 50 in the X-axis direction as shown in FIG.

[0089] 8, the recording unit 50 has cam contact surfaces 50b that come into contact with the adjustment cam 81. The cam contact surfaces 50b are located on both sides of the recording unit 50 in the X-axis direction. The recording unit 50 is located at the recording position V3 by the cam contact surface 50b coming into contact with the adjustment cam 81. Here, the adjustment cam 81 rotates around an eccentric shaft 82. Therefore, the position of the cam contact surface 50b in the V-axis direction can be adjusted by rotating the adjustment cam 81. In other words, the recording position V3 can be adjusted within the range of positions V3 to V3b shown in FIG. 10. The recording position V3 is adjusted according to, for example, the thickness of the medium M on which recording is to be performed.

[0090] The control unit 100 (see FIG. 1 and FIG. 4) drives the motor 58 to move the recording unit 50 to the recording position. In this case, the motor 58 is further driven from the state where the cam abutment surface 50b abuts against the adjustment cam 81 to move the moving unit 62M in the +V direction. At this time, the recording unit main body 50a does not move in the +V direction because the cam abutment surface 50b abuts against the adjustment cam 81. As shown in the change from FIG. 11 to FIG. 12, only the moving unit 62M moves in the +V direction. This relative movement between the recording unit main body 50a and the moving unit 62M causes the biasing member 55 to contract. The cam abutment surface 50b of the recording unit main body 50a shown in FIG. 12 is pressed against the adjustment cam 81. In the state shown in FIG. 12, the control unit 100 (see FIG. 4) may perform hold control of the motor 58.

[0091] <Capping status> Next, the capping state of the recording unit 50 will be described with reference to Fig. 13. To achieve the capping state shown in Fig. 13, the recording unit 50 temporarily retreats to a retreat position on the -V direction side of the capped position V1. Next, the cap unit 70 moves to the capping position shown in Fig. 13. The recording unit 50 then moves from the retreat position in the +V direction, thereby setting the recording unit 50 in the capping state shown in Fig. 13.

[0092] As shown in FIG. 13, the cap unit 70 has a spring 78 between the cap body 72 and the cap part 71. In the capping state, the recording part body 50a is pressed in the -V direction by the urging force of the spring 78 with the cap part 71 abutting against the nozzle opening surface 51a of the recording head 51. Therefore, the recording part body 50a pressed by the cap part 71 moves in the -V direction relative to the moving part 62M, compressing the urging member 55. At this time, the moving part 62M is displaced in the -V direction relative to the recording part body 50a, so that the engagement pin 50d comes into contact with the second restricting part 62f formed by the end face of the guide hole 62b. As a result, the nozzle opening surface 51a of the recording head 51 is reliably capped by the cap part 71.

[0093] <Regarding variation in the positional relationship between the recording unit 50 and the adjustment cam 81> Next, the variation in the positional relationship between the recording unit 50 and the adjustment cam 81 will be described with reference to Figs. 14 and 15. Figs. 14 and 15 show a state in which a part of the side plate of the recording unit main body 50a is broken to expose the biasing member 55 and the second rack forming member 62 located at the back. Fig. 14 shows a state in which the recording unit 50 is at the origin position V0. Fig. 15 shows a state in which the recording unit 50 is at the recording position V3.

[0094] As shown in Fig. 14, the positional relationship between the recording unit 50 and the adjustment cam 81 varies within the tolerance range due to assembly variations of the recording unit 50 and the guide unit 40, etc., and variations in the drive amount of the motor 58. In Fig. 14, the variation in the positional relationship between the recording unit 50 and the adjustment cam 81 is shown as the positional variation of the adjustment cam 81 with respect to the recording unit 50 at the origin position V0. Therefore, the variation of the adjustment cam 81 shown in Fig. 14 also includes variations due to other factors such as assembly errors of parts other than the adjustment cam 81 and variations in the drive amount of the motor 58. Note that this variation is within the tolerance range.

[0095] In FIG. 14, the range in which the recording unit 50 can move from the movement start position SP and come into contact with the adjustment cam 81 is defined as the contact range CA. The contact range CA indicates the variation in the tolerance range of the adjustment cam 81 as the variation in the contact position of the adjustment cam 81, which is the contact destination of the cam contact surface 50b. The adjustment cam 81 when located at the median value of the contact range CA is shown by a solid line. The position of the median value of this contact range CA is defined as the standard position. The adjustment cam 81 when located at the minimum value CAmin of the contact range CA and the adjustment cam 81 when located at the maximum value CAmax of the contact range CA are shown by two-dot chain lines. The size of the contact range CA is equal to the size of the tolerance range. In FIG. 14, different reference symbols are used to distinguish the three adjustment cams 81 in the tolerance range. That is, the adjustment cam 81 located at the median value of the contact range CA is given the reference symbol 81S. The adjustment cam 81 located at the minimum value CAmin of the contact range CA is given the reference symbol 81A. The adjusting cam 81 positioned at the maximum value CAmax of the contact range CA is denoted by reference symbol 81B.

[0096] The relative movement amount ΔPA is a movement amount that further displaces the moving part 62M relatively in the +V direction with respect to the recording part main body 50a after the cam abutment surface 50b of the recording part 50 abuts against the adjustment cam 81. By compressing the biasing member 55 by the amount of the relative movement amount ΔPA, the recording part 50 is pressed against the adjustment cam 81 by a biasing force according to the compression amount of the biasing member 55. As a result, the recording part 50 is stably held at the recording position V3.

[0097] When the recording unit 50 is moved to the recording position V3 toward the adjustment cam 81 in the standard position shown by the solid line in FIG. 14, the motor 58 is driven by the standard drive amount SDA0. The standard drive amount SDA0 includes a drive amount of the relative movement amount ΔPA. The detection unit 86 detects the relative movement of the moving unit 62M relative to the recording unit main body 50a by the relative movement amount ΔPA after the cam abutment surface 50b of the recording unit 50 abuts against the adjustment cam 81. The engagement pin 50d shown in FIG. 14 moves relatively in the -V direction by the relative movement amount ΔPA from the position where it abuts against the first regulating portion 62e formed by the end face on the +V side of the guide hole 62b. This relative movement of the moving unit 62M moves the detected portion 62d to a position where it does not block the optical axis of the detection unit 86, so that the detection unit 86 switches from the Off state to the On state. In this way, the detection unit 86 detects the relative movement of the moving unit 62M in the +V direction with respect to the recording unit main body 50a by the relative movement amount ΔPA (see FIG. 15).

[0098] In this embodiment, adjustment value determination control (FIG. 20) is performed to determine the adjustment value RD (see FIG. 19) used to correct the standard driving amount SDA0 for each recording device 11. The adjustment value determination control will be described later in detail.

[0099] As shown in Fig. 15, the range within which the moving part 62M can move after the detection part 86 detects the relative movement is defined as the detection range SA. The detection range SA is the range from the position of the moving part 62M when the detection part 86 detects the detected part 62d to the position where the engagement pin 50d hits the second restriction part 62f. The detection range SA has a size equal to the allowable movement distance SL within which the moving part 62M is allowed to move in the +V direction until the engagement pin 50d hits the second restriction part 62f formed by the end face of the guide hole 62b on the -V direction side as shown in Fig. 15 when the detection part 86 detects the relative movement.

[0100] In addition, when the engaging pin 50d is in contact with the second restricting portion 62f, the recording unit 50 receives a reaction force from the second restricting portion 62f via the engaging pin 50d. This reaction force acts at a position away from the center of gravity of the recording unit 50, and therefore acts as a force in a direction that tilts the recording unit 50 from a position parallel to the X-axis direction. At the recording position V3, if the recording unit 50 tilts in position, the recording quality is affected by changes in the gap (PG) between the recording head 51 and the medium M and changes in the ink ejection direction from the nozzles of the recording head 51. For this reason, when the recording unit 50 is at the recording position V3, it is necessary to position the engaging pin 50d in a range where it does not hit the second restricting portion 62f of the guide hole 62b. In addition, if the engaging pin 50d is in a position where it touches the second restricting portion 62f but receives almost no reaction force from the second restricting portion 62f, it does not induce tilting of the recording unit 50. For this reason, the adjustment value determination control described later is performed on the condition that the engaging pin 50d is located within the detection range SA.

[0101] <Regarding adjustment value determination control> Next, the adjustment value determination control will be described with reference to Figs. 16A, 16B, 17, and 18. Figs. 16A and 17 explain the first control in the adjustment value determination control and the drive amount determination operation for determining the drive amount. Figs. 16B and 18 explain the second control in the adjustment value determination control and the drive amount determination operation for determining the drive amount. Figs. 17 and 18 show a state in which a part of the side plate located in the +X direction of the recording unit main body 50a is broken to expose the biasing member 55 and the second rack forming member 62 located at the back. Figs. 16A to 18 also show the dimensions of the relative movement amount ΔPA and the movement allowable distance SL in a schematic manner for convenience of explanation.

[0102] First, the adjustment value determination control will be described with reference to Figures 16A and 16B. The adjustment value determination control is a control for determining an adjustment value RD for correcting the standard drive amount SDA0 corresponding to the median value of the contact range CA in response to differences in variation within the tolerance range for each recording device 11. The adjustment value RD is determined from the drive amount when the detection unit 86 detects the relative movement of the moving unit 62M with respect to the recording unit main body 50a.

[0103] In this adjustment value determination control, if the motor 58 is driven with such a drive amount that the engagement pin 50d hits the second restriction portion 62f, the recording unit 50 may be tilted by the reaction force when the engagement pin 50d hits the second restriction portion 62f. The adjustment value RD obtained in such a state where the recording unit 50 is tilted is unreliable. Therefore, the adjustment value determination control is performed under the condition that the engagement pin 50d is located within the detection range SA (equal to or less than the allowable movement distance SL).

[0104] In detail, while gradually increasing the movement amount when the recording unit 50 moves from the movement start position SP toward the adjustment cam 81, the drive amount when the detection unit 86 detects the relative movement of the relative movement amount ΔPA is calculated. In other words, while gradually increasing the drive amount of the motor 58 when moving the recording unit 50 to the recording position V3, the drive amount when the detection unit 86 detects the relative movement is calculated. The control unit 100 performs a detection operation multiple times to search whether the detection unit 86 has detected the relative movement of the relative movement amount ΔPA between the recording unit 50 and the moving unit 62M. The control unit 100 performs a first control (FIG. 16A) including a first detection operation and a second control (FIG. 16B) including a second detection operation.

[0105] Next, the first control including the first detection operation will be described with reference to Fig. 16A. The number of detection operations performed multiple times is indicated by N. The drive amount of the motor 58 in the Nth detection operation is indicated by the reference drive amount SDA(N). Here, N=1, 2, ..., n. n is the maximum number of detection operations. The maximum number n is a natural number equal to or greater than 2.

[0106] In each detection operation performed N times, the reference drive amount SDA(N) of the motor 58 each time is expressed using the minimum drive amount DA1 and the divided drive amount DA2. The reference drive amount SDA(N) for the Nth time is expressed as SDA(N) = DA1 + N * DA2. The reference drive amount SDA(1) in the first control including the first detection operation shown in FIG. 16A is expressed as SDA(1) = DA1 + DA2. Here, the minimum drive amount DA1 is the minimum drive amount DAmin obtained by adding the drive amount until reaching the minimum value CAmin of the contact range CA and the drive amount for the relative movement amount ΔPA (DA1 = DAmin).

[0107] The divided drive amount DA2 is determined as follows. The maximum drive amount DAmax that is the target of search in the detection operation is the drive amount obtained by adding the relative movement amount ΔPA to the maximum value CAmax of the contact range CA. A drive amount exceeding the maximum drive amount DAmax is regarded as an error because the positional relationship between the recording unit 50 and the adjustment cam 81 exceeds the tolerance range.

[0108] The number of divisions N is determined so that the divided drive amount DA2 when the range MA from the minimum drive amount DAmin to the maximum drive amount DAmax is equally divided into N is less than or equal to the movement allowable distance SL which is the size of the detection range SA. Note that when the range MA is less than or equal to the size SL of the detection range SA, even if the motor 58 is driven with the maximum drive amount DAmax from the first time, the engagement pin 50d does not hit the second restricting portion 62f, so division is not necessary. However, in this case, there is a concern about an increase in the size of the apparatus due to the lengthening of the second rack 62a.

[0109] In the present embodiment, even when the size SL of the detection range SA is smaller than the size of the range MA, that is, the size of the contact range CA (SL < MA), while performing a detection operation in which the engagement pin 50d does not hit the second restricting portion 62f, the drive amount when the detection unit 86 detects relative movement is determined. In the present embodiment, an example in which adjustment value determination control is adopted when the size SL of the detection range SA is smaller than the size of the contact range CA (SL < CA) will be described.

[0110] The range MA is divided into N from the minimum drive amount DA1 (=DAmin) obtained by adding the drive amount until the recording unit 50 abuts against the adjustment cam 81 and the drive amount for the relative movement amount ΔPA to the maximum drive amount DAmax, which is the maximum drive amount, and the divided drive amount DA2 is a value obtained by dividing the range MA into N. The division number N is determined so as to satisfy the condition that the divided drive amount DA2 is equal to or less than the allowable movement distance SL (DA2≦SL). Here, the divided drive amount DA2 can be selected at any value as long as it satisfies the condition that the divided drive amount DA2 is equal to or less than the allowable movement distance SL. However, increasing the division number N increases the number of detection operations. Therefore, the minimum division number N is preferable. In this embodiment, the minimum division number N is adopted. FIG. 16A shows an example in which the size SL of the detection range SA is 1 / 2 of the range MA (SL=MA / 2). Therefore, the minimum value of N that satisfies SL≦MA / N is N=2. Therefore, the division number N is N=2. The divided drive amount DA2 is the allowable movement distance SL, which is the size of the detection range SA, as the value obtained by dividing the size of the range MA in half.

[0111] Then, the reference drive amount SDA(1), which is the drive amount of the first control including the first detection operation, is set as SDA(1)=DA1+DA2. The control unit 100 performs a drive amount determination operation to determine the drive amount of the first control by this calculation. If the detection unit 86 cannot detect the relative movement in the first detection operation in the first control and does not become the On state, the second control is subsequently performed.

[0112] 16B, in the second control including the second detection operation, the reference drive amount SDA(2), which is the drive amount of the motor 58, is expressed as SDA(2)=SDA(1)+DA2. In other words, the second reference drive amount SDA(2) is expressed as a value obtained by adding the allowable movement distance SL to the first reference drive amount SDA(1).

[0113] <Regarding adjustment value determination control> Next, the adjustment value determination control will be described with reference to FIG. 17 and FIG. 18. FIG. 17 describes the first control, and FIG. 18 describes the second control. In FIG. 17 and FIG. 18, the adjustment cam 81 is shown as being located slightly closer to the center than the maximum value CAmax in the contact range CA. In FIG. 17 and FIG. 18, the adjustment cam 81 at this position is denoted by the reference symbol 81C. In FIG. 17 and FIG. 18, the recording unit 50 is at the origin position V0, which is the movement start position SP. The recording unit 50 stops at the origin position V0 based on the detection result of the origin detection unit 85. In detail, when the recording unit 50 reaches the origin position V0 from the exchange position V4 and passes through the origin position V0, the origin detection unit 85 switches from the On state to the Off state and then switches back to the Off state. The control unit 100 controls the motor 58 to stop based on the detection by the origin detection unit 85, so that the recording unit 50 stops at the origin position V0.

[0114] On the other hand, when the recording unit 50 moves in the -V direction to the origin position V0 after the first control ends, for example, when the recording unit 50 reaches the origin position V0 from the recording position V3, the origin detection unit 85 switches from the On state to the Off state. The control unit 100 controls the motor 58 to stop based on this detection by the origin detection unit 85, and the recording unit 50 stops at the origin position V0.

[0115] The optical axis of the detection unit 86 (86A, 86B) fixed to the recording unit main body 50a at the origin position V0 is blocked by the detected portion 62d of the moving unit 62M. Therefore, the detection unit 86 is in the Off state.

[0116] In FIG. 17, the recording unit 50 is at the origin position V0. The recording unit 50 moves from the exchange position V4 to the origin position V0, which is the movement start position SP. At the origin position V0, the origin is returned to. When the origin detection unit 85 detects that the recording unit 50 has reached the origin position V0, the control unit 100 resets the counter 111 (see FIG. 19). Therefore, the count value of the counter 111 indicates the exact position value on the movement path of the recording unit 50 along the V-axis direction. The first control is started with the origin position V0 as the movement start position SP.

[0117] Next, the second control in the adjustment value determination control will be described with reference to Fig. 18. In Fig. 18, the recording unit 50 is at the origin position V0. If the first detection operation ends without either of the two detection units 86A, 86B being turned on in the first control, the recording unit 50 is moved to the origin position V0, which is the movement start position SP. The reference drive amount SDA(2) of the second control is SDA(2) = SDA(1) + SL.

[0118] Next, the details of the adjustment value determination control performed by the control unit 100 will be described with reference to Fig. 17 and Fig. 18. When the size of the detection range SA is smaller than the size of the contact range CA as shown in Fig. 17, the control unit 100 performs the following control. That is, the control unit 100 drives the motor 58 with a reference drive amount SDA obtained by adding a minimum drive amount DA1 obtained by adding a drive amount from the movement start position SP to the minimum value of the contact range CA and a drive amount for the relative movement amount ΔPA, and a divided drive amount DA2 which is a drive amount equal to or smaller than the size of the detection range SA. The control unit 100 can perform a first control for determining whether the detection unit 86 has detected a relative movement.

[0119] 18, if the detector 86 cannot detect relative movement in the first control, the controller 100 performs the following control. That is, the controller 100 performs a drive amount determination operation in which the drive amount obtained by adding the divided drive amount DA2 to the reference drive amount SDA is set as a new reference drive amount SDA. The controller 100 can then execute a second control in which the motor 58 is driven by the reference drive amount SDA determined in the drive amount determination operation.

[0120] The control unit 100 repeatedly performs the drive amount determination operation and the second control when the detection unit 86 cannot detect relative movement. When the reference drive amount SDA determined by the drive amount determination operation exceeds the maximum value CAmax of the contact range CA, the control unit 100 executes the second control with the reference drive amount SDA that exceeds the maximum value CAmax of the contact range CA, thereby terminating the drive amount determination operation and the second control.

[0121] If the detection unit 86 cannot detect the relative movement when the drive amount determination operation and the second control are completed, the control unit 100 notifies the user of the error. The control unit 100 notifies the user of the error by displaying a message or the like notifying the user of the error on the display unit 15.

[0122] In the adjustment value determination control of this embodiment, the detection states of the two detectors 86A and 86B are monitored. If the first detector 86A and the second detector 86B cannot detect the relative movement in the first control, the control unit 100 executes the second control.

[0123] In the first control, if one of the first detection unit 86A and the second detection unit 86B detects the relative movement and the other does not detect the relative movement, the second control is not executed. The position of the recording unit main body 50a when one of the first detection unit 86A and the second detection unit 86B detects the relative movement is set as the detection position DP. The control unit 100 can execute the third control in which the motor 58 is driven with a new reference drive amount SDA obtained by adding the divided drive amount DA2 (≦SL) to the drive amount from the movement start position SP to the detection position DP. In other words, the control unit 100 executes the third control in which the motor 58 is driven with a new reference drive amount SDA obtained by adding the drive amount from the movement start position SP to the detection position DP to the drive amount equal to or less than the drive amount equal to or less than the size SL of the detection range SA.

[0124] The control unit 100 reports an error when the detection distance difference ΔD, which is the difference between the driving amount D1 until the first detection unit 86A detects relative movement and the driving amount D2 until the second detection unit 86B detects relative movement, is greater than the specified distance DS, which is a threshold value.

[0125] The recording device 11 caps the recording head 51 by bringing the cap part 71 into contact with the recording head 51. During capping, the moving part 62M moves the maximum amount of the detection range SA. In this case, the recording unit main body 50a and the moving part 62M come into contact. When the recording head 51 and the cap part 71 come into contact with each other, the recording unit main body 50a and the moving part 62M come into contact with each other.

[0126] <Electrical configuration of the recording device 11> Next, the electrical configuration of the recording device 11 will be described with reference to Fig. 19. As shown in Fig. 19, the recording device 11 includes the control unit 100 described above. The control unit 100 inputs recording data PD. The control unit 100 controls the driving of the recording unit 50 based on the recording data PD, thereby printing on the medium M. The recording data PD includes print commands, printing condition information, and image data. The printing condition information includes the type and size of the medium, color / monochrome printing mode, etc.

[0127] The control unit 100 is electrically connected to the operation unit 15A, the display unit 15, the first detection unit 86A, the second detection unit 86B, the origin detection unit 85, and the rotary encoder 91 as an input system. The detection units 85, 86A, and 86B are, for example, optical sensors. The detection units 85, 86A, and 86B include a light-emitting unit and a light-receiving unit (both not shown), and are turned on when the light-receiving unit receives light from the light-emitting unit. On the other hand, the detection units 85, 86A, and 86B are turned off when the light from the light-emitting unit is blocked by the detection target unit 62d and 50f and is no longer received by the light-receiving unit.

[0128] The control unit 100 is electrically connected to the recording unit 50, the moving mechanism 60, the adjustment mechanism 80, and the transport unit 20 as an output system. More specifically, the control unit 100 is electrically connected to the motor 58 constituting the moving mechanism 60, the adjustment motor 83 constituting the adjustment mechanism 80, and the transport motor 90 constituting the transport unit 20. The control unit 100 is electrically connected to the cap motor 75 and the pump (not shown) constituting the cap unit 70. When the cap motor 75 is driven, the cap unit 70 is guided by the guide rail 77 and moves in the moving direction F. When not recording or during cleaning, the control unit 100 moves each of the recording unit 50 and the cap unit 70, so that the recording head 51 is capped by the cap unit 71.

[0129] The control unit 100 includes a computer 110. The computer 110 includes a counter 111 and a memory unit 112. The memory unit 112 includes a memory area for storing information such as a program PR, an adjustment value RD, a minimum drive amount DA1, a divided drive amount DA2, and a movement allowable distance SL. The program PR includes an adjustment value determination control routine shown in the flowchart of FIG. 20. The adjustment value determination control determines an adjustment value RD required for adjusting the drive amount of the motor 58 to correctly move the recording unit 50 to a target position such as the recording position V3 in response to the variation within the tolerance range for each recording device 11. The minimum drive amount DA1 and the divided drive amount DA2 are used in a drive amount determination operation for determining the drive amount of the motor 58 when performing the first control and the second control for determining the adjustment value.

[0130] The control unit 100 may be configured as software implemented by the computer 110 executing a program PR, or as hardware including an electronic circuit such as an ASIC, or as a combination of software and hardware.

[0131] The counter 111 is reset at the origin position V0, and counts a count value indicating the position on the V-axis path (V-axis scale) with the origin position V0 being zero. For example, when the recording unit 50 is inserted onto the guide rail 41 in the recording device 11 after replacement or maintenance of the recording unit 50, the control unit 100 performs control to determine the adjustment amount. When the recording unit 50 reaches the origin position V0, the counter 111 is reset. After this reset, the counter 111 counts the number of input pulses or the number of pulse edges from the rotary encoder 91 that detects the rotation of the motor 58. The count value of the counter 111 indicates the position of the recording unit 50 in the moving direction V. The control unit 100 recognizes the position of the recording unit 50 at each moment from the count value of the counter 111.

[0132] <Operation of the First Embodiment> Next, the operation of the recording device 11 will be described. A new recording unit 50 to be replaced in the recording device 11 or a recording unit 50 after maintenance is inserted through the opening 16B. The recording unit 50 is inserted into the replacement position V4. The user selects the service mode screen by operating the operation unit 15A and selects the item "recording unit drive amount adjustment". Then, the control unit 100 executes the program PR for adjustment value determination control shown in FIG. 20. The rotation position of the adjustment cam 81 when executing this adjustment value determination control may be the rotation position at that time as it is, or may be changed to the rotation position set for the adjustment value determination control. The control unit 100 moves the recording unit 50 set in the guide unit 40 in the housing 12A to the origin position V0. The control unit 100 resets the counter 111 based on the detection signal input from the origin detection unit 85. After that, the counter 111 counts, for example, the number of pulse edges included in the detection pulse signal input from the rotary encoder 91 that detects the rotation of the motor 58. The count value of this counter 111 indicates the position of the recording unit 50 on the movement path with respect to the origin position V0.

[0133] The computer 110 of the control unit 100 executes a program PR for adjustment value determination control. The adjustment value determination control executed by the control unit 100 (computer 110) will be described below with reference to the flowchart in Fig. 20. Note that this adjustment value determination control is executed by a command based on the operation of the operation unit 15A when an operator sets the recording unit 50 in the guide unit 40 for pre-shipment inspection of the recording device 11, or for head replacement, maintenance, or the like.

[0134] First, in step S11, the control unit 100 reads the minimum driving amount DA1 and the divided driving amount DA2 from the storage unit 112. Then, the control unit 100 sets the additional amount A to the divided driving amount DA2 (A=DA2).

[0135] In step S12, the control unit 100 calculates the reference drive amount SDA by the formula SDA=DA1+A. Since A=DA2, the control unit 100 calculates the reference drive amount SDA by the formula SDA=DA1+DA2. The control unit 100 performs such a drive amount determination operation.

[0136] In step S13, the control unit 100 drives the motor 58 by the reference drive amount SDA. If the drive of the motor 58 at this time is the first detection operation for detecting the relative movement between the recording unit main body 50a and the moving unit 62M, the control unit 100 performs the first control with this drive.

[0137] In step S14, the control unit 100 judges whether the detection unit 86 has detected it. That is, the control unit 100 judges whether the detection unit 86 has detected the relative movement between the recording unit main body 50a and the moving unit 62M. If the detection unit 86 does not detect the relative movement, the process proceeds to step S15. On the other hand, if the detection unit 86 detects the relative movement, the process proceeds to step S17.

[0138] As shown in FIG. 15, after the recording unit main body 50a comes into contact with the adjustment cam 81, the moving unit 62M further moves in the +V direction relative to the recording unit main body 50a. Then, when the relative movement of the moving unit 62M with respect to the recording unit main body 50a reaches the position shown in FIG. 15, the detection unit 86 detects the detected portion 62d. In this step S14, it is determined whether or not the detection unit 86 has detected the recording unit 50a. For example, in the example shown in FIG. 17, the recording unit main body 50a does not come into contact with the adjustment cam 81 at the first reference drive amount SDA(1). Therefore, in the first control including the first detection operation, the detection unit 86 does not detect the relative movement. In this case, the process proceeds to step S15.

[0139] In step S15, the control unit 100 calculates a new reference drive amount SDA using the previous reference drive amount SDA and the divided drive amount DA2 (SDA=SDA+DA2). That is, the new reference drive amount SDA is calculated by adding the divided drive amount DA2 to the previous reference drive amount SDA. Here, if the number of detection operations is N (N is a natural number), the Nth reference drive amount SDA is expressed as SDA=DA1+N*DA2 using the minimum drive amount DA1. Therefore, the new N+1th reference drive amount SDA is expressed as SDA=DA1+(N+1)*DA2. That is, if the detection unit 86 does not detect a relative movement, the new reference drive amount SDA is incremented by the divided drive amount DA2 with respect to the previous reference drive amount SDA.

[0140] In step S16, the control unit 100 moves the recording unit 50 to the origin position V0. That is, the control unit 100 drives the motor 58 to move the recording unit 50 to the origin position V0. In this way, the recording unit 50 returns to the movement start position SP. When the control unit 100 finishes the process of step S16, it returns to step S13.

[0141] Then, in step S14, the processes of steps S13 to S16 are repeatedly executed until the detection unit 86 detects relative movement and enters a detection state. That is, until the detection unit 86 detects relative movement, the drive amount determination operation for determining (calculating) the drive amount to be applied to the second detection operation in step S15 and the second control including the second and subsequent detection operations in step S13 are repeatedly executed. In this embodiment, two detection operations are sufficient, so the first control and the second control are each executed once. Thus, when the detection unit 86 enters a detection state in step S14, the control unit 100 proceeds to step S17.

[0142] In step S17, the control unit 100 judges whether or not both of the two detection units 86A and 86B have detected the mark. In other words, the control unit 100 judges whether or not both of the first detection unit 86A and the second detection unit 86B, which are spaced apart in the X-axis direction of the recording unit main body 50a, have detected the mark. If only one of the two detection units 86A and 86B has detected the mark, the process proceeds to step S18. If both of the detection units 86A and 86B have detected the mark, the process proceeds to step S20.

[0143] In step S18, the control unit 100 calculates a new additional amount A using the drive amount D1 detected by one of the two detection units 86A, 86B first and the allowable movement distance SL. That is, the new additional amount A is calculated by the formula A=D1-DA1+SL. The detection position DP of the drive amount D1 is a position where it is allowed to move in the +V direction by another SL. Therefore, the drive amount obtained by adding SL to the drive amount D1 is calculated as the additional amount A that can be calculated as the next new drive amount, A=D1-DA1+SL. Note that this step S18 corresponds to a process of executing a third control in which the drive unit (motor 58) is driven using the drive amount DA1 from the movement start position SP to the detection position DP plus the divided drive amount DA2 (≦SL) as a new reference drive amount SDA.

[0144] In the next step S19, the control unit 100 moves the recording unit 50 to the origin position V0. The control unit 100 drives the motor 58 to move the recording unit 50 to the origin position V0. In this way, the recording unit 50 returns to the movement start position SP. When the control unit 100 finishes the process of step S19, the process returns to step S12.

[0145] In the next step S12, the control unit 100 calculates the reference drive amount SDA by the formula SDA=DA1+A using the additional amount A. That is, SDA=D1+SL is calculated. In the next step S13, the control unit 100 drives the motor 58 with the reference drive amount SDA. In the determination process of step S14, one of the detection units 86 has already detected the relative movement in the previous drive, so the process proceeds to step S17. Then, in step S17, the control unit 100 determines whether or not both of the detection units 86A, 86B have detected the relative movement. When the detection state is reached in which both of the detection units 86A, 86B have detected the relative movement, the process proceeds to step S20.

[0146] In step S20, the control unit 100 determines whether the detected distance difference ΔD is smaller than the specified distance DS (ΔD < DS). The control unit 100 calculates a detected distance difference ΔD (= |D1 - D2|), which is the difference between a first driving amount D1 that is the driving amount at the time of earlier detection among the two detection units 86A and 86B, and a second driving amount D2 that is the driving amount at the time of later detection among the two detection units 86A and 86B. The specified distance DS is a threshold value. If ΔD < DS is not satisfied, the process proceeds to step S21.

[0147] In step S21, the control unit 100 performs an abnormality notification. The control unit 100 performs a notification including a message notifying the abnormal content estimated as the reason for ΔD < DS not being satisfied to the display unit 15, and a message notifying the content for eliminating the abnormality. For example, a message notifying that the recording unit 50 may have been inserted in an inclined posture and a message prompting to reset the recording unit 50 are displayed on the display unit 15. The operator who sees the message resets the recording unit 50. On the other hand, if ΔD < DS is satisfied in step S20, the process proceeds to step S22.

[0148] In step S22, the control unit 100 calculates an adjustment value RD. The control unit 100 determines the adjustment value RD based on the first driving amount D1 and the second driving amount D2, which are the respective driving amounts when the two detection units 86A and 86B detect relative movement. For example, among the first driving amount D1 and the second driving amount D2, the larger driving amount that both detection units 86A and 86B can detect relative movement may be selected. Then, the control unit 100 may calculate a correction value, which is the difference between the selected driving amount (selected driving amount) and the standard driving amount, as the adjustment value RD. In the storage unit 112, a plurality of standard driving amounts corresponding to each position V1 to V4, etc. of the recording unit 50 are stored as reference data. The corrected driving amount obtained by correcting the standard driving amount in this reference data with the correction value may be calculated as the adjustment value RD. In short, the adjustment value RD may be data that can directly or indirectly obtain the corrected driving amount when driving the motor 58 hereafter.

[0149] In step S23, the control unit 100 stores the adjustment value RD in the storage unit 112. In this way, the control unit 100 ends the adjustment value determination control. For example, when moving the recording unit 50 to the recording position V3, the control unit 100 acquires the adjustment value RD from the storage unit 112. If the adjustment value RD is a correction value, the control unit 100 uses the correction value to calculate the correction drive amount each time. On the other hand, if the adjustment value is a correction drive amount, the control unit 100 acquires the correction drive amount from the reference data in the storage unit 112.

[0150] The control unit 100 drives the motor 58 with the correction drive amount. That is, when the count value of the counter 111 reaches the target count value corresponding to the correction drive amount, the motor 58 is stopped. At this time, the motor 58 starts to decelerate from the deceleration start position set before the target count value, so that the recording unit 50 stops accurately at the target recording position V3. The recording unit 50 stops when it moves a distance corresponding to the correction drive amount from the retracted position. The recording unit 50 stops accurately at the recording position V3 shown in FIG. 12 and FIG. 15, that is, at the position where the moving unit 62M moves in the +V direction relative to the recording unit main body 50a by the relative movement amount ΔPA. Just before the recording unit 50 stops at this recording position V3, the two detection units 86A and 86B detect the relative movement and become On.

[0151] When both detection units 86A, 86B are in the On state, the control unit 100 can confirm that the recording unit 50 has stopped at an appropriate relative movement amount based on the count value of the counter 111 when the recording unit 50 was stopped, and that the recording unit 50 is not tilted beyond the allowable range in the X-axis direction.

[0152] By using the adjustment value RD, the positional accuracy of the recording unit 50 is improved when the recording unit 50 is placed at the recording position V3. As a result, the gap between the nozzle opening surface 51a of the recording head 51 and the medium M is set to an appropriate value. This improves the positional accuracy of the ink droplets ejected from the nozzles of the recording head 51 landing on the medium M, allowing recording on the medium M with high recording quality.

[0153] In addition, by using the adjustment value RD, the positional accuracy of the recording unit 50 is improved when the recording unit 50 is placed at various stop positions such as the recording position V3, the capped position V1, the wiped position V2, etc. For example, the recording unit 50 is placed at the capped position V1 with high positional accuracy, so that the capping shown in FIG. 13 can be performed reliably. In the process of reaching the capped state shown in FIG. 13, the recording unit main body 50a pressed in the -V direction by the urging force of the spring 78 from the capping unit 71 moves in the -V direction relative to the moving unit 62M. This relative movement causes the recording unit main body 50a to hit the second restricting portion 62f via the engagement pin 50d. In this way, the recording head 51 is capped in a state in which the recording unit main body 50a hits the second restricting portion 62f. Therefore, the recording head 51 is reliably capped. As a result, a high moisturizing effect is obtained for the nozzle during capping, and thickening and drying of the ink in the nozzle can be suppressed.

[0154] Furthermore, by ensuring reliable capping, during cleaning performed under the capping state, air leakage is less likely to occur at the seal between the nozzle opening surface 51a and the cap portion 71. For example, by introducing negative pressure into the space surrounded by the nozzle opening surface 51a and the cap portion 71 using a suction pump, cleaning can be performed effectively to forcibly discharge ink from the nozzles of the recording head 51.

[0155] Furthermore, by improving the positional accuracy when the recording unit 50 is positioned at the wiped position V2, the wiper can properly wipe the nozzle opening surface 51a. As a result, the nozzle opening surface 51a can be wiped cleanly without leaving any residual droplets. This suppresses ejection defects such as deflection of the ink droplets that occur when the ink droplets ejected from the nozzles come into contact with droplets adhering near the nozzles. This also contributes to improving the quality of recording on the medium M.

[0156] Therefore, according to this embodiment, the following effects can be obtained. (1) The recording device 11 includes a recording unit 50, a moving mechanism 60, an adjustment cam 81 as an example of an abutment unit, a motor 58 as an example of a drive unit, and a control unit 100. The moving mechanism 60 moves the recording unit 50 in a moving direction V. The motor 58 drives the moving mechanism 60. The adjustment cam 81 positions the recording unit 50 by abutting against the moving recording unit 50. The recording unit 50 includes a recording unit main body 50a having a recording head 51 for recording, a moving unit 62M capable of moving relative to the recording unit main body 50a, an urging member 55, and a detection unit 86. The moving unit 62M receives a force from the moving mechanism 60. The urging member 55 is provided between the recording unit main body 50a and the moving unit 62M, and urges the recording unit 50 in the moving direction V. The recording unit main body 50a can abut against the adjustment cam 81. The detection unit 86 detects the relative movement between the recording unit main body 50a and the moving unit 62M by the displacement of the moving unit 62M by the relative movement amount ΔPA. The range within which the moving unit 62M can move after the detection unit 86 detects the relative movement is set as the detection range SA. The range within which the recording unit 50 can move from the movement start position SP and come into contact with the adjustment cam 81 is set as the contact range CA. If the size of the detection range SA is smaller than the size of the contact range CA, the control unit 100 performs the control shown in the following (a). (a) The motor 58 is driven using a reference drive amount SDA obtained by adding a minimum drive amount DA1, which is the sum of the drive amount from the movement start position SP to the minimum value of the contact range CA and the drive amount for the relative movement amount ΔPA, and a divided drive amount DA2, which is the drive amount equal to or smaller than the size of the detection range SA. A first control can be executed to determine whether the detection unit 86 has detected relative movement. If the detector 86 cannot detect the relative movement in the first control, the controller 100 performs the control shown in the following (b). (b) A drive amount determination operation is performed in which the reference drive amount SDA plus the divided drive amount DA2 is set as a new reference drive amount SDA. A second control can be executed to drive the motor 58 with the reference drive amount SDA determined in the drive amount determination operation.

[0157] According to this configuration, the motor 58 is driven by a minimum drive amount DA1 obtained by adding the drive amount from the movement start position SP to the minimum value CAmin of the contact range CA and the relative movement amount ΔPA to a drive amount equal to or less than the size of the detection range SA (movement allowable distance SL). As a result, the relative movement amount of the moving part 62M after the recording part main body 50a and the adjustment cam 81 come into contact with each other is always within the detection range SA. Therefore, it is possible to suppress the possibility of the recording part main body 50a and the moving part 62M hitting each other. That is, it is possible to ensure the positional accuracy of the recording head 51. Furthermore, since it is not necessary to increase the amount by which the moving part 62M can move (detection range SA) to suppress hitting, it is possible to reduce the size of the device. Therefore, regardless of the size of the tolerance, the recording part 50 can be correctly positioned at the recording position V3 without increasing the component dimensions of the moving part 62M.

[0158] (2) When the detector 86 cannot detect relative movement, the controller 100 repeatedly performs the drive amount determination operation and the second control. When the reference drive amount SDA determined by the drive amount determination operation exceeds the maximum value CAmax of the contact range CA, the controller 100 executes the second control with the reference drive amount SDA exceeding the maximum value CAmax of the contact range CA. With the execution of this second control, the drive amount determination operation and the second control are terminated. This configuration can be used even when the number of divisions is three or more, and the effect described in (1) above can be obtained in the same way.

[0159] (3) When the drive amount determination operation and the second control are completed, if the detection unit 86 cannot detect the relative movement, the control unit 100 notifies the user of an error. According to this configuration, it is possible to notify the user that an abnormality has occurred.

[0160] (4) The detection unit 86 includes a first detection unit 86A and a second detection unit 86B provided on the recording unit main body 50a. The first detection unit 86A and the second detection unit 86B are provided at the same position in the moving direction V relative to the recording unit main body 50a and at a position spaced apart in the intersecting direction X intersecting the moving direction V. The control unit 100 executes the second control when neither the first detection unit 86A nor the second detection unit 86B can detect the relative movement in the first control. With this configuration, the detection timing may differ even between the detection units 86. Even in such a case, it is possible to detect that the recording unit main body 50a has come into contact with the adjustment cam 81 while ensuring the positioning accuracy of the recording head 51.

[0161] (5) The detection unit 86 includes a first detection unit 86A and a second detection unit 86B provided at an interval on the recording unit main body 50a in the cross direction X crossing the moving direction V. If one of the first detection unit 86A and the second detection unit 86B detects the relative movement in the first control and the other does not detect the relative movement, the control unit 100 does not execute the second control. If the position of the recording unit main body 50a when one of the first detection unit 86A and the second detection unit 86B detects the relative movement is set as the detection position DP, the third control can be executed in which the motor 58 is driven with a drive amount obtained by adding the divided drive amount DA2 to the drive amount from the movement start position SP to the detection position DP as a new reference drive amount SDA. With this configuration, it is possible to detect that the recording unit main body 50a has come into contact with the adjustment cam 81 while ensuring the positioning accuracy of the recording head 51 by suppressing the contact between the recording unit main body 50a and the moving unit 62M.

[0162] (6) When the detection distance difference ΔD (=|D1-D2|), which is the difference between the first drive amount D1, which is the drive amount until the first detection unit 86A detects the relative movement, and the second drive amount D2, which is the drive amount until the second detection unit 86B detects the relative movement, is larger than the specified distance DS, which is the threshold value (ΔD>DS), an error is notified. With this configuration, an abnormality can be detected. By notifying when an abnormality exists, the effect on recording can be suppressed.

[0163] (7) The recording device 11 includes a cap unit 71 that caps the recording head 51 by contacting the recording head 51. When the moving unit 62M moves an allowable movement distance SL that is the maximum amount of the detection range SA, the recording unit main body 50a and the moving unit 62M come into contact with each other. When the recording head 51 comes into contact with the cap unit 71, the recording unit main body 50a and the moving unit 62M come into contact with each other. This configuration ensures reliable capping.

[0164] (8) The control method of the recording device 11 includes performing the control shown in (a) above and performing the control shown in (b) above in the configuration of the recording device 11 shown in (1) above. The control (a) above is performed when the size of the detection range SA is smaller than the size of the contact range CA. The control (b) above is performed when the detection unit 86 cannot detect relative movement in the first control. According to this method, the same effect as the recording device 11 described in (1) above can be obtained.

[0165] (9) In the control method for the recording device 11, if the detection unit 86 cannot detect relative movement, the drive amount determination operation and the second control are repeatedly performed. If the reference drive amount SDA determined by the drive amount determination operation exceeds the maximum value CAmax of the contact range CA, the second control is performed with the reference drive amount SDA exceeding the maximum value CAmax of the contact range CA. With the execution of this second control, the drive amount determination operation and the second control are terminated. According to this method, the same effects as those of the recording device 11 described in (2) above can be obtained.

[0166] (10) The control method of the recording device 11 includes notifying an error if the detection unit 86 cannot detect the relative movement when the drive amount determination operation and the second control are completed. According to this method, the same effect as that of the recording device 11 described in (3) above can be obtained.

[0167] (11) In the control method for the recording device 11, the detection unit 86 includes a first detection unit 86A and a second detection unit 86B provided in the recording unit main body 50a. The first detection unit 86A and the second detection unit 86B are provided at the same position in the moving direction V relative to the recording unit main body 50a and at positions spaced apart in the intersecting direction X intersecting the moving direction V. If neither the first detection unit 86A nor the second detection unit 86B can detect relative movement in the first control, the second control is executed. According to this method, the same effect as that of the recording device 11 described in (4) above can be obtained.

[0168] (12) In the control method for the recording device 11, the detection unit 86 includes a first detection unit 86A and a second detection unit 86B provided at an interval on the recording unit main body 50a in the cross direction X crossing the movement direction V. If one of the first detection unit 86A and the second detection unit 86B detects the relative movement in the first control and the other does not detect the relative movement, the second control is not executed. If the position of the recording unit main body 50a when one of the first detection unit 86A and the second detection unit 86B detects the relative movement is set as the detection position DP, the control includes executing a third control in which the motor 58 is driven with a drive amount obtained by adding the divided drive amount DA2 to the drive amount from the movement start position SP to the detection position DP as a new reference drive amount SDA. According to this method, the same effect as that of the recording device 11 described in (5) above can be obtained.

[0169] Second embodiment Next, a second embodiment will be described with reference to Figures 21A to 21C. The second embodiment is an embodiment in which the detection operation is performed three or more times. Figures 21A to 21C show an example in which the detection operation is performed three times.

[0170] The range MA from the minimum drive amount DA1 (=ADmin) to the maximum drive amount DAmax is divided into N to determine the divided drive amount DA2. At this time, the division number N is determined so that the divided drive amount DA2 is equal to or less than the size (allowable movement distance SL) of the detection range SA. In the example shown in FIG. 21A, the division number N at which the divided drive amount DA2 is equal to or less than the size SL of the detection range SA is 3 or more (N≧3). In the example shown in FIG. 21A, the divided drive amount DA2 obtained by dividing the range MA into N is set to a value equal to SL, which is the maximum value of the size SL of the detection range SA or less. In this embodiment, when DA2=SL, the minimum value (e.g., "3") of N that satisfies the condition of the division number N at which the divided drive amount DA2 is equal to or less than the size SL of the detection range SA (e.g., N≧3) is adopted. Note that the divided drive amount DA2 may be any value that is equal to or less than the allowable movement distance SL, which is the size of the detection range SA.

[0171] First, in FIG. 21A, the reference drive amount SDA(1) in the first detection operation is set to the sum of the minimum drive amount DA1 and the divided drive amount DA2 (SDA(1)=DA1+DA2). The process of calculating this reference drive amount SDA(1) corresponds to the process of step S12 in FIG. 20. The control unit 100 drives the motor 58 with this reference drive amount SDA(1) (step S13). The processes of steps S14 to S23 in FIG. 20 are the same as those in the first embodiment. In this way, the control unit 100 performs the first drive amount determination operation (step S12) and the first control (steps S13, S14, S17). If the detection unit 86 does not detect a relative movement in the process of driving the motor 58 with the reference drive amount SDA(1), a second detection operation is performed.

[0172] As shown in FIG. 21B, the control unit 100 calculates the reference drive amount SDA(2) in the second detection operation as a value (SDA(2)=SDA(1)+DA2) obtained by adding the divided drive amount DA2 to the previous (first) reference drive amount SDA(1). The process of calculating this reference drive amount SDA(2) corresponds to the process of step S15 in FIG. 20. The control unit 100 drives the motor 58 with this reference drive amount SDA(2) (step S13). The processes of steps S14 to S23 in FIG. 20 are the same as those in the first embodiment. In this way, the control unit 100 performs the second drive amount determination operation (step S15) and the second control (steps S13, S14, S17). If the detection unit 86 does not detect a relative movement in the process of driving the motor 58 with the reference drive amount SDA(2), a third detection operation is performed.

[0173] As shown in FIG. 21C, the control unit 100 calculates the reference drive amount SDA(4) in the third detection operation as a value (SDA(3)=SDA(2)+DA2) obtained by adding the divided drive amount DA2 to the previous (second) reference drive amount SDA(2). The process of calculating this reference drive amount SDA(3) corresponds to the process of step S15 in FIG. 20. The control unit 100 drives the motor 58 with this reference drive amount SDA(3) (step S13). The processes of steps S14 to S23 in FIG. 20 are the same as those in the first embodiment. In this way, the control unit 100 performs the third drive amount determination operation (step S15) and the second control (steps S13, S14, S17). If the detection unit 86 does not detect a relative movement in the process of driving the motor 58 with the reference drive amount SDA(3), an abnormality is notified. In other words, since the drive amount exceeds the maximum value CAmax+ΔPA of the contact range CA in the third time, the drive amount determination operation and the second control are not performed one more time. Even if the detection units 86A and 86B are turned on by performing one more time, the detected position is outside the tolerance range and cannot be adopted. Therefore, the control unit 100 does not perform another unnecessary process.

[0174] In this way, the number of divisions N can be determined according to the size of the contact range CA and the size SL of the detection range SA, which are determined by the tolerance. Therefore, any combination of the contact range CA (tolerance) and the size SL of the detection range SA can be accommodated by selecting the number of divisions N at which the divided drive amount DA2 is equal to or less than SL. The minimum value of the number of divisions at which the divided drive amount DA2 is equal to or less than SL may be selected. In this way, the number of repetitions of the drive amount determination operation and the second control can be kept low. As a result, the time required for the adjustment value determination control can be shortened.

[0175] The above embodiment can be modified to the following modified examples. Further modified examples can be appropriately combined with the above embodiment and the following modified examples, or further modified examples can be appropriately combined with each other.

[0176] The number of the detection units 86 is not limited to two, and may be three or more. For example, the third detection unit may be provided at a position different from the first detection unit 86A and the second detection unit 86B in the recording head 51. The third detection unit may be provided at a position between the first detection unit 86A and the second detection unit 86B in the intersecting direction (the X direction, which is the longitudinal direction of the line head) intersecting with the moving direction V in the recording head 51. In this way, the twist and tilt of the recording head 51 can be detected more accurately than in the second embodiment. For example, even if the first detection unit 86A and the second detection unit 86B provided on both sides of the longitudinal direction of the recording head made of a line head are both in a detection state, even if the recording head 51 is deflected such that the central part in the longitudinal direction is in a different position, the third detection unit can detect this type of deflection of the recording head 51 because it is in a detection state different from the first detection unit 86A and the second detection unit 86B. 20 is a process for determining whether or not all three detection units 86 are in a detection state. If the detection distance difference is equal to or greater than the specified distance DS in step S20, an abnormality is notified (step S21), so that the above-mentioned bending abnormality of the recording head 51 is also detected and notified.

[0177] The number of detection units 86 may be one. If the position where the recording unit main body 50a hits the moving unit 62M is a position where a force is generated toward the center of gravity of the recording unit 50 or near the center of gravity, the force that tilts the recording unit 50 in the X-axis direction when the hit is suppressed. Note that when there is only one detection unit 86, in order to avoid tilting of the recording unit 50, the detection unit 86 may be at or near the middle position Xc in the X-axis direction (width direction X) of the recording unit main body 50a, or may be at a position that is shifted from the middle position Xc by a predetermined amount or more.

[0178] The retreat position to which the recording unit 50 returns between the first and second detection operations does not have to be the origin position V0. In other words, if the return to the origin has already been completed, the recording unit 50 may be configured to return to a predetermined position (next movement start position) closer to the recording position V3 than the origin position V0. With this configuration, the movement start position SP in the second control from the second time onwards is closer to the recording position V3 than the movement start position SP in the first control, so the time required for the adjustment value determination control can be shortened.

[0179] The recording unit main body 50a may have a guide hole, and the moving unit 62M may have an engagement pin that is inserted into the guide hole. The location where the relative movement between the recording unit main body 50a and the moving unit 62M exceeds the detection range SA and hits is not limited to the second restriction portion 62f formed by the engagement pin 50d and the end face of the guide hole 62b on the -V direction side. The wall surface of the recording unit main body 50a may hit the wall surface of the moving unit 62M.

[0180] The abnormality notification (error notification) is not limited to notification by displaying a message or the like on the display unit 15 of the recording device 11. Notification contents such as a message may be displayed on the monitor of a host device such as a PC that is connected to the recording device 11 by wire or wirelessly so as to be able to communicate with the recording device 11. Furthermore, notification may be by voice notification through a speaker of the recording device 11 or the host device, or by sound such as a buzzer from a sound generator.

[0181] When the power transmission mechanism for transmitting the power of the motor 58 is a rack-and-pinion mechanism, the moving mechanism 60 may not include an extendable rack mechanism having two rack stages. For example, the rack may have only one stage. In this case, a rack forming member having one rack stage is provided so as to be movable in the V direction relative to the recording unit main body 50a, thereby forming a moving unit.

[0182] The moving unit 62M is not limited to a rack forming member, and may be a member fixed to the rack forming member. For example, it may be a connecting member that connects a pair of second rack forming members 62 located on both sides of the recording unit main body 50a in the X-axis direction. In short, the moving unit may be a part of the recording unit 50 that is movable relative to the recording unit main body 50a.

[0183] The moving mechanism 60 and the moving unit 62M are not limited to a rack-and-pinion mechanism as a power transmission mechanism that transmits the power of the motor 58. In short, it is sufficient that the recording unit 50 is biased in the moving direction by a biasing member 55 such as a spring with respect to the moving unit, which is the part located at the most downstream in the power transmission direction of the power transmission mechanism. The power transmission mechanism may be a belt-type power transmission mechanism, a chain-type power transmission mechanism, a ball screw-type power transmission mechanism, or the like. In these power transmission mechanisms, it is sufficient that the recording unit 50 is biased by a biasing member 55 such as a spring and can move relatively to the moving unit 62M, which is the part located at the most downstream in the power transmission direction, or to the moving unit fixed to this part.

[0184] The biasing member 55 may be a spring other than a compression spring, a tension spring, or a torsion coil spring, such as a leaf spring. Furthermore, the biasing member 55 is not limited to a spring, and may be an elastic member such as rubber or elastomer. In short, it is sufficient for the biasing member 55 to apply a biasing force to the recording unit main body 50a in a direction against the relative movement between the moving unit and the recording unit main body 50a after the recording unit main body 50a abuts against the abutment portion.

[0185] The medium M is not limited to paper, but may be a synthetic resin film, board paper, a laminate medium, fabric, or the like. The recording device 11 is not limited to an inkjet printing device (printer) that prints on paper, but may be a textile printing device. The recording device 11 may be a dot impact printer or a laser printer.

[0186] The technical concepts and effects obtained from the above-described embodiment and modified examples will be described below. (A) A recording device includes a recording unit that records on a medium, a moving mechanism that moves the recording unit in a moving direction, a contact unit that positions the recording unit by contacting the moving recording unit, a drive unit that drives the moving mechanism, and a control unit, the recording unit includes a recording unit main body that can contact the contact unit and has a recording head that performs the recording, a moving unit that can move relatively to the recording unit main body and receives a force from the moving mechanism, a biasing member that is provided between the recording unit main body and the moving unit and biases the recording unit in the moving direction, and a detection unit that detects the relative movement between the recording unit main body and the moving unit by displacing the moving unit by an amount of relative movement, and a detection range is a range within which the moving unit can move after the detection unit detects the relative movement, and the recording unit When the contact range is defined as a range in which the contact portion can move from a movement start position and come into contact with the contact portion, if the size of the detection range is smaller than the size of the contact range, the control unit can execute a first control in which the control unit drives the drive unit using a drive amount obtained by adding a minimum drive amount obtained by adding a drive amount from the movement start position to the minimum value of the contact range and a drive amount equivalent to the amount of relative movement to a divided drive amount that is equal to or smaller than the size of the detection range as a reference drive amount, and determines whether the detection unit has detected the relative movement. If the detection unit cannot detect the relative movement in the first control, the control unit can execute a drive amount determination operation in which the drive amount obtained by adding the divided drive amount to the reference drive amount is set as a new reference drive amount, and execute a second control in which the control unit drives the drive unit with the reference drive amount determined in the drive amount determination operation.

[0187] According to this configuration, the drive unit is driven with a drive amount obtained by adding a minimum drive amount obtained by adding a drive amount for the relative movement amount from the movement start position to the minimum value of the abutment range and a drive amount equal to or less than the size of the detection range. This ensures that the relative movement amount of the moving unit after the recording unit main body and the abutment unit abut is within the detection range. This makes it possible to reduce the risk of the recording unit main body and the moving unit hitting each other. In other words, the positional accuracy of the recording head can be ensured. Furthermore, since it is not necessary to increase the amount that the moving unit can move (detection range) to prevent hitting, the device can be made smaller. Therefore, regardless of the size of the tolerance, the recording unit can be correctly positioned at the recording position without lengthening the component dimensions of the moving unit.

[0188] (B) In the recording device described in (A) above, the control unit may repeat the drive amount determination operation and the second control when the detection unit cannot detect the relative movement, and when the reference drive amount determined by the drive amount determination operation exceeds a maximum value of the contact range, perform the second control with the reference drive amount exceeding the maximum value of the contact range, thereby terminating the drive amount determination operation and the second control. This configuration can handle cases where the number of divisions is 3 or more, and also provides the effect described in (A) above.

[0189] (C) In the recording device described in (B) above, the control unit may notify an error if the detection unit cannot detect the relative movement when the drive amount determination operation and the second control are completed. With this configuration, it is possible to notify that an abnormality has occurred.

[0190] (D) In ​​the recording device according to any one of (A) to (C) above, the detection unit includes a first detection unit and a second detection unit provided in the recording unit main body, the first detection unit and the second detection unit are provided at the same position in the moving direction relative to the recording unit main body and spaced apart in a cross direction intersecting the moving direction, and the control unit may execute the second control when neither the first detection unit nor the second detection unit can detect the relative movement in the first control. According to this configuration, there may be a difference in detection timing between the detection units. Even in such a case, it is possible to detect that the recording unit main body has come into contact with the contact unit while ensuring the positioning accuracy of the recording head.

[0191] (E) In the recording device according to any one of (A) to (D) above, the detection unit may include a first detection unit and a second detection unit provided at an interval on the recording unit main body in a direction intersecting the movement direction, and the control unit may perform a third control in which, when one of the first detection unit and the second detection unit detects the relative movement in the first control and the other does not detect the relative movement, the control unit does not perform the second control, and, when the position of the recording unit main body when one of the first detection unit and the second detection unit detects the relative movement is taken as a detection position, the control unit drives the drive unit by adding the divided drive amount to the drive amount from the movement start position to the detection position as the new reference drive amount. With this configuration, it is possible to detect that the recording unit main body has come into contact with the contact portion while ensuring the positioning accuracy of the recording head by suppressing contact between the recording unit main body and the moving unit.

[0192] (F) In the recording device described in (D) or (E) above, an error may be notified when a difference between an amount of drive until the first detection unit detects the relative movement and an amount of drive until the second detection unit detects the relative movement is greater than a threshold value. With this configuration, an abnormality can be detected. By notifying when an abnormality exists, the effect on recording can be suppressed.

[0193] (G) In the recording device according to any one of (A) to (F) above, a cap unit is provided that caps the recording head by contacting the recording unit main body, and when the moving unit moves the maximum amount of the detection range, the recording unit main body and the moving unit come into contact, and when the recording unit main body and the cap unit come into contact, the recording unit main body and the moving unit come into contact. With this configuration, capping can be reliably performed.

[0194] (H) A method for controlling a recording device comprising: a recording unit which records on a medium; a moving mechanism which moves the recording unit in a moving direction; a contact unit which positions the recording unit by contacting the moving recording unit; and a drive unit which drives the moving mechanism, wherein the recording unit has a recording unit main body which can contact the contact unit and has a recording head which performs the recording; a moving unit which can move relatively to the recording unit main body and receives a force from the moving mechanism; a biasing member which is provided between the recording unit main body and the moving unit and biases the recording unit in the moving direction; and a detection unit which detects the relative movement between the recording unit main body and the moving unit, wherein a range within which the moving unit can move after the detection unit detects the relative movement is defined as a detection range, The method includes: executing a first control for driving the driving unit with a drive amount obtained by adding a minimum drive amount, which is a drive amount from the movement start position to the minimum value of the contact range, to a divided drive amount, which is a drive amount equal to or smaller than the detection range, as a reference drive amount when the size of the detection range is smaller than the size of the contact range, and determining whether the detection unit has detected the relative movement; and executing a drive amount determination operation for setting a drive amount obtained by adding the divided drive amount to the reference drive amount as a new reference drive amount when the detection unit cannot detect the relative movement in the first control, and driving the driving unit with the reference drive amount determined in the drive amount determination operation. This method can provide an effect similar to that of the recording device described in (A) above.

[0195] (I) The method for controlling the recording device described in (H) above may include repeating the drive amount determination operation and the second control when the detection unit cannot detect the relative movement, and, when the reference drive amount determined by the drive amount determination operation exceeds a maximum value of the contact range, performing the second control with the reference drive amount exceeding the maximum value of the contact range, thereby terminating the drive amount determination operation and the second control. This method provides the same effects as the recording device described in (B) above.

[0196] (J) In the control method for the recording device described in (H) or (I) above, if the detection unit cannot detect the relative movement when the drive amount determination operation and the second control are completed, an error may be notified. This method provides the same effects as the recording device described in (C) above.

[0197] (K) In the method for controlling a recording device according to any one of (H) to (J) above, the detection unit may include a first detection unit and a second detection unit provided in the recording unit main body, the first detection unit and the second detection unit are provided at the same position in the moving direction relative to the recording unit main body and spaced apart in a cross direction intersecting the moving direction, and when neither the first detection unit nor the second detection unit can detect the relative movement in the first control, the second control may be executed. This method provides the same effect as the recording device described in (D) above.

[0198] (L) In the recording device described in any one of (H) to (K) above, the detection unit may include a first detection unit and a second detection unit provided at an interval on the recording unit main body in a direction intersecting the movement direction, and when one of the first detection unit and the second detection unit detects the relative movement in the first control and the other does not detect the relative movement, the second control is not executed, and when the position of the recording unit main body when one of the first detection unit and the second detection unit detects the relative movement is taken as a detection position, a third control is executed in which the drive amount obtained by adding the divided drive amount to the drive amount from the movement start position to the detection position is used as the new reference drive amount to drive the drive unit. With this method, an effect similar to that of the recording device described in (E) above can be obtained. [Explanation of symbols]

[0199] 11...recording device, 12...device body, 12A...housing, 12B...recess, 12C...additional unit, 13...image reading unit, 13A...reading unit, 14...media storage unit, 15...display unit, 15A...operation unit, 15B...power button, 16...stacker, 16A...ejection tray, 16B...opening, 17A to 17D...liquid storage unit, 18...supply tray, 18A to 18D...mounting unit, 19...waste liquid storage unit, 20...transport unit, 20N...nozzle, 21...pick roller, 22...feed roller pair, 23...transport roller pair, 24...supply roller, 25...separation roller, 26...transport belt, 27...pulley, 28 ...pulley, 31...pair of transport rollers, 32...pair of transport rollers, 33...pair of transport rollers, 34...pair of transport rollers, 35...pair of transport rollers, 36...pair of transport rollers, 37...pair of transport rollers, 38...pair of transport rollers, 39...flap, 40...guide portion, 41...first guide rail, 42...second guide rail, 43...second guide rail, 49...shaft, 50...recording portion, 50a...recording portion main body, 50b...cam contact surface, 50c...spring receiving portion, 50d...engagement pin, 50f...detected portion, 51...recording head, 51a...nozzle opening surface, 52...guide roller, 53...lower roller, 54... Lower roller support member, 55... biasing member, 58... motor as an example of a drive unit, 60... moving mechanism, 61... guide member, 61a... first rack, 61A... right guide member, 61B... left guide member, 62M... moving unit, 62... second rack forming member, 62a... second rack, 62b... guide hole, 62c... spring receiving portion, 62d... detected portion, 62e... first regulating portion, 62f... second regulating portion, 63... second member, 64... third rack forming member, 64a... third rack (rack), 65... first pinion, 67... second pinion, 68... rotating shaft, 70... cap unit, 71... cap portion, 72...cap body, 73...movement mechanism, 74...pinion, 75...cap motor, 76...rack, 77...guide rail, 78...spring, 79...sensor, 80...adjustment mechanism, 81...adjustment cam as an example of abutment portion, 82...eccentric shaft, 83...adjustment motor, 85...origin detection portion, 86...detection portion, 86A...first detection portion, 86B...second detection portion, 90...conveyance motor, 91...rotary encoder, 100...control portion, 110...computer, 111...counter, 112...memory portion, α...tilt angle, V...movement direction, F...movement direction, PD...recorded data, PR...program,A...Addition amount, SL...Allowable movement distance which is the size of the detection range SA, CA...Contact range, SDA...Reference drive amount, SD...Reference drive amount, SDA0...Standard drive amount, DA1...Minimum drive amount, DA2...Divided drive amount, DAmax...Maximum drive amount (maximum drive amount), MA...Range, D1...First drive amount, D2...Second drive amount, DP...Detection position, n...Maximum number of times, N...Number of divisions, RD...Adjustment value, SA...Detection range, ΔPA...Relative movement amount, CAmax...Maximum of contact range value, CAmin...minimum value of contact range, ΔD...detection distance difference, DS...prescribed distance, M...medium, D...original, T...transport path, T1...transport path during recording, T2...switchback path, T3...reversal path, K1...branching position, M1...movement range, M2...movement range, V0...origin position, V1...capped position, V1b...position, V2...wiped position, V3...recording position, V3b...position, V4...exchange position, X...width direction (cross direction), Xc...middle position, Z...vertical direction.

Claims

1. a recording unit for recording on a medium; A moving mechanism that moves the recording unit in a moving direction; a contact portion that contacts the moving recording portion to position the recording portion; A drive unit that drives the moving mechanism; A control unit, The recording unit is a recording unit main body having a recording head capable of abutting against the abutting portion and performing the recording; a moving unit that is capable of moving relative to the recording unit main body and receives a force from the moving mechanism; a biasing member provided between the recording unit main body and the moving unit, the biasing member biasing the recording unit in the moving direction; a detection unit that detects the relative movement between the recording unit main body and the moving unit by displacing the moving unit by a relative movement amount, a detection range is a range in which the moving unit can move after the detection unit detects the relative movement, If the range in which the recording unit can move from the movement start position and come into contact with the contact portion is defined as the contact range, When the size of the detection range is smaller than the size of the contact range, The control unit is a first control is capable of executing a first control for determining whether the detection unit has detected the relative movement by driving the drive unit using a drive amount obtained by adding a minimum drive amount obtained by adding a drive amount from the movement start position to the minimum value of the contact range and a drive amount equivalent to the relative movement amount to a divided drive amount that is equal to or smaller than the size of the detection range, When the detection unit cannot detect the relative movement in the first control, A recording device characterized in that it is capable of performing a drive amount determination operation in which a drive amount obtained by adding the divided drive amount to the reference drive amount becomes the new reference drive amount, and a second control is executed in which the drive unit is driven with the reference drive amount determined in the drive amount determination operation.

2. 2. The recording device according to claim 1, The control unit repeats the drive amount determination operation and the second control when the detection unit cannot detect the relative movement, and when the reference drive amount determined by the drive amount determination operation exceeds a maximum value of the contact range, executes the second control with the reference drive amount that exceeds the maximum value of the contact range, thereby terminating the drive amount determination operation and the second control.

3. 3. The recording device according to claim 2, The recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control unit notifies an error if the detection unit cannot detect the relative movement when the drive amount determination operation and the second control are completed.

4. 2. The recording device according to claim 1, the detection unit includes a first detection unit and a second detection unit provided in the recording unit main body, the first detection unit and the second detection unit are provided at the same position in the moving direction relative to the recording unit main body and spaced apart from each other in an intersecting direction intersecting the moving direction, The recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control unit executes the second control when neither the first detection unit nor the second detection unit can detect the relative movement in the first control.

5. 2. The recording device according to claim 1, the detection unit includes a first detection unit and a second detection unit provided on the recording unit body at an interval in a direction intersecting the movement direction, The control unit is When one of the first detection unit and the second detection unit detects the relative movement in the first control and the other detection unit cannot detect the relative movement, the second control is not executed, When one of the first detection unit and the second detection unit detects the relative movement, the position of the recording unit main body is defined as a detection position. a drive amount obtained by adding the divided drive amount to a drive amount from the movement start position to the detection position, and using the resulting drive amount as a new reference drive amount to drive the drive unit, said recording apparatus being capable of executing a third control.

6. 6. The recording apparatus according to claim 4 or 5, a drive amount until the first detection unit detects the relative movement and a drive amount until the second detection unit detects the relative movement are greater than a threshold value, the recording device notifying an error.

7. 2. The recording device according to claim 1, a cap portion that caps the recording head by contacting the recording unit body, When the moving part moves by the maximum amount of the detection range, the recording part body and the moving part come into contact with each other, The recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein when the recording unit body and the cap unit come into contact with each other, the recording unit body and the moving unit come into contact with each other.

8. a recording unit for recording on a medium; A moving mechanism that moves the recording unit in a moving direction; a contact portion that contacts the moving recording portion to position the recording portion; A drive unit that drives the movement mechanism, The recording unit is a recording unit main body having a recording head capable of abutting against the abutting portion and performing the recording; a moving unit that is capable of moving relative to the recording unit main body and receives a force from the moving mechanism; a biasing member provided between the recording unit main body and the moving unit, the biasing member biasing the recording unit in the moving direction; A control method for a recording apparatus having a detection unit that detects the relative movement between the recording unit main body and the moving unit, comprising: a detection range is a range in which the moving unit can move after the detection unit detects the relative movement, If the range in which the recording unit can move from the movement start position and come into contact with the contact portion is defined as the contact range, When the size of the detection range is smaller than the size of the contact range, a first control is executed to drive the driving unit using a reference driving amount obtained by adding a divided driving amount, which is a driving amount equal to or smaller than the size of the detection range, to a minimum driving amount, which is a driving amount from the movement start position to a minimum value of the abutment range, and to determine whether the detection unit has detected the relative movement; When the detection unit cannot detect the relative movement in the first control, performing a drive amount determination operation in which a drive amount obtained by adding the divided drive amount to the reference drive amount is set as a new reference drive amount, and a second control is executed to drive the drive unit with the reference drive amount determined in the drive amount determination operation; 13. A method for controlling a recording apparatus comprising:

9. A method for controlling a recording apparatus according to claim 8, comprising the steps of: When the detection unit cannot detect the relative movement, the drive amount determination operation and the second control are repeatedly performed, and when the reference drive amount determined by the drive amount determination operation exceeds a maximum value of the contact range, the second control is performed with the reference drive amount exceeding the maximum value of the contact range, thereby terminating the drive amount determination operation and the second control. A method for controlling a recording apparatus comprising the steps of:

10. A method for controlling a recording apparatus according to claim 9, comprising the steps of: When the drive amount determination operation and the second control are completed, if the detection unit cannot detect the relative movement, an error is notified.

13. A method for controlling a recording apparatus comprising:

11. A method for controlling a recording apparatus according to claim 8, comprising the steps of: the detection unit includes a first detection unit and a second detection unit provided in the recording unit main body, the first detection unit and the second detection unit are provided at the same position in the moving direction relative to the recording unit main body and spaced apart from each other in an intersecting direction intersecting the moving direction, a control method for a recording apparatus, comprising the steps of: executing the second control when neither the first detection section nor the second detection section can detect the relative movement in the first control;

12. A method for controlling a recording apparatus according to claim 8, comprising the steps of: the detection unit includes a first detection unit and a second detection unit provided on the recording unit body at an interval in a direction intersecting the movement direction, When one of the first detection unit and the second detection unit detects the relative movement in the first control and the other detection unit cannot detect the relative movement, the second control is not executed, When one of the first detection unit and the second detection unit detects the relative movement, the position of the recording unit main body is defined as a detection position. executing a third control in which the driving unit is driven using a driving amount obtained by adding the divided driving amount to a driving amount from the movement start position to the detection position as a new reference driving amount; 13. A method for controlling a recording apparatus comprising:

Images