Recording apparatus, control method therefor, and program

Abstract

To appropriately shorten a startup time of a recording apparatus.SOLUTION: A recording apparatus includes a recording head that performs recording on a recording medium, a conveyance mechanism that conveys the recording medium, a maintenance unit that executes a maintenance operation for the recording head, and a control part. The maintenance unit is configured to be able to receive power from the conveyance mechanism and to execute the maintenance operation on the basis of the received power. The control part determines presence / absence of the recording medium in the conveyance mechanism and a state of the maintenance unit when the recording apparatus is started up, and determines propriety of execution of a first initialization operation for initializing the conveyance mechanism and the maintenance unit on the basis of a result of the determination.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 6

Description

[Technical Field]

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

[0002] Patent Document 1 describes a technique for shortening the startup time of a recording device by not initializing some of the elements of the recording device when the device is started by powering it on (see Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2016-36941 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] Some recording devices are equipped with a maintenance unit that performs maintenance on the recording head using the power of the transport mechanism that transports the recording medium. Even in such a configuration, there is a need for technology that appropriately shortens the startup time of the recording device.

[0005] The present invention was made in response to the inventor's recognition of the above-mentioned problem, and has an exemplary object to provide a technique that is advantageous for appropriately shortening the startup time of a recording device. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] One aspect of the present invention relates to a recording device, the recording device comprising: a recording head for recording on a recording medium; a conveying mechanism for conveying a recording medium; a maintenance unit that performs a maintenance operation on the recording head; A recording device comprising: the maintenance unit is configured to be able to receive power for the transport mechanism and to be able to perform the maintenance operation based on the received power; When the recording device is started, the control unit determines whether or not there is a recording medium in the transport mechanism and the state of the maintenance unit, and based on the results of the determination, determines whether or not to perform a first initialization operation to initialize the transport mechanism and the maintenance unit. It is characterized by: [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] According to the present invention, the startup time of the recording device can be appropriately reduced. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an example of the system configuration of a recording apparatus according to an embodiment. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a schematic side view showing an example of the internal configuration of a recording apparatus. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a schematic top view showing an example of the internal configuration of the recording apparatus. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a schematic side view showing an example of the configuration of a maintenance unit. [Figure 5] FIG. 2 is a schematic top view showing an example of the configuration of a maintenance unit. [Figure 6] 10 is a flowchart of the startup process of the recording apparatus. [Figure 7] 10 is a flowchart showing details of a shortened initialization operation. [Figure 8] 10 is a flowchart showing details of the overall initialization operation. [Figure 9] 10 is a flowchart showing details of the transport mechanism initialization operation. [Figure 10] 10 is a flowchart showing details of the cutter unit initialization operation. [Figure 11] 10 is a flowchart showing the details of a roll paper retraction operation. [Figure 12] 10 is a flowchart showing details of a paper feeding operation. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0009] Hereinafter, embodiments will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Note that the following embodiments do not limit the scope of the claimed invention. Although multiple features are described in the embodiments, not all of these multiple features are necessarily essential to the invention, and multiple features may be combined arbitrarily. Furthermore, in the accompanying drawings, the same reference numerals are used to designate the same or similar components, and redundant explanations will be omitted.

[0010] (Overall configuration of the recording device) 1 is a block diagram showing an example of the system configuration of a recording device 100 according to an embodiment. In this embodiment, the recording device 100 is an inkjet recording device that performs recording by ejecting ink onto a sheet-like recording medium such as paper to form an image on the recording medium. The concept of an image here includes letters, numbers, symbols, figures, photographs, etc., as well as the spaces between them. 1 shows only elements related to the printing function of recording device 100, but the configuration of recording device 100 is not limited to this example. For example, recording device 100 may further include an image reading function for reading an image of a document. Alternatively, recording device 100 may be a multifunction peripheral (MFP) that further includes various functions such as a facsimile function.

[0011] The recording device 100 includes an input / output unit 121, an input / output unit interface (I / F) 122, a ROM 123, a RAM 124, a ROM interface 125, a memory controller 126, a host interface 127, a CPU 128, and an image processing unit 130. The recording device 100 also includes a recording head 151 and a head interface 152. The recording device 100 also includes a motor driver 161, a motor cutter 162, a transport motor 163, a maintenance motor 164, a carriage motor 165, and a paper feed motor 166. The recording device 100 also includes a sensor interface 172, a paper detection sensor 208, a roll paper detection sensor 209, and a cutter home position (HP) sensor 210. The recording device 100 also includes various sensors 171. The above-mentioned elements are connected to each other directly or indirectly via a system bus 132, and information (signals or data) required for executing recording is exchanged between the elements.

[0012] 2(a) and 2(b) are schematic side views showing an example of the configuration of the recording device 100. The recording device 100 further includes a roll paper tube 201, a carriage 203, a transport roller 204, a paper discharge port 205, a cutter unit 206, and a maintenance unit 207. In this embodiment, a long roll paper 202 wound around the roll paper tube 201 is used as the recording medium.

[0013] The carriage 203 is configured to be able to move back and forth in a predetermined direction, and the recording head 151 is mounted on the carriage 203. The carriage 203 moves back and forth based on the power of the carriage motor 165, thereby causing the recording head 151 to scan. The transport rollers 204 transport the roll paper 202 based on the power of the transport motor 163. The transport direction of the roll paper 202 intersects (substantially perpendicular to) the scanning direction of the recording head 151. The roll paper tube 201 rotates based on the power of the paper feed motor 166 in coordination with the transport motor 163, thereby supplying the roll paper 202 to the transport path. The roll paper tube 201 can also rotate in the reverse direction based on the power of the paper feed motor 166, and can also wind up the roll paper 202 on the transport path.

[0014] The recording device 100 is connected to a network 191 via a host interface 127, and receives a print job instructing the execution of recording, for example, from an external host computer 190. A printer driver compatible with the recording device 100 may be installed in the host computer 190. The host computer 190 may be a personal computer, or may be another electronic device such as an image reader, a digital camera, or a smartphone. Communication between the recording device 100 and the host computer 190 may be performed via a wired connection.

[0015] A CPU (Central Processing Unit) 128 reads a program for executing recording from a ROM (Read Only Memory) 123 and executes it on a RAM (Random Access Memory) 124. The CPU 128 functions as a control unit that controls the entire system of the recording device 100 and starts up the hardware prior to executing the program. The ROM 123 may be a flash ROM, for example, and stores programs executable by the CPU 128 as well as data necessary for driving and controlling each element. The RAM 124 may be a DRAM (Dynamic RAM), for example, and functions as a work area for the CPU 128, temporarily storing data necessary for executing recording, for example. In this way, the CPU 128 performs arithmetic processing based on the print job to drive and control each element.

[0016] The image processing unit 130, for example, converts print data included in a print job (e.g., data expressed in a page description language) into image data (bitmap data). The image processing unit 130 also converts the color space of the image data (e.g., YCbCr) into a standard RGB color space (e.g., sRGB). Additionally, the image processing unit 130 can perform syntax analysis, resolution conversion to an effective pixel count (the number of pixels that can be processed by the recording device 100), image analysis, image correction, and the like on the converted image data. The image data obtained by image processing by the image processing unit 130 is stored in the RAM 124.

[0017] The print head 151 can perform printing based on the image data while scanning is performed by the reciprocating movement of the carriage 203 (scanning printing). While the print head 151 is performing scanning printing, transport of the roll paper 202 is suppressed, and after the scanning printing is completed and before the next scanning printing starts, the roll paper 202 is transported again (intermittent transport). In other words, printing on the roll paper 202 is performed by alternating between the intermittent transport of the roll paper 202 and the scanning printing of the print head 151 (see FIG. 2(a)). The portion of the roll paper 202 that has been recorded by the recording head 151 is cut to a predetermined length by the cutter motor 162 driving the cutter unit 206, and the cut portion is output as a printed product (see Figure 2(b)). In this embodiment, only the transport path for the roll paper 202 is shown, but a transport path for cut paper may also be provided.

[0018] The paper detection sensor 208 is located upstream of the transport roller 204, and the roll paper detection sensor 209 is located further upstream. The upstream side here refers to the roll paper tube 201 side in the transport path or transport direction of the roll paper 202, and the opposite side is the downstream side.

[0019] The roll paper detection sensor 209 can detect the presence or absence of roll paper 202 supplied from the roll paper tube 201. A known optical sensor is used for the sensor 209, and the presence or absence of the roll paper 202 is detected based on the blocking of light due to the presence of the roll paper 202. The paper detection sensor 208 can detect the presence or absence of cut paper in addition to the presence or absence of the roll paper 202, and can be configured in the same way as the sensor 209. It should be noted that the sensors 208 and / or 209 may be other known sensors, such as mechanical sensors.

[0020] Information indicating the status inside the recording device 100 is acquired from the corresponding sensor via the sensor interface 172. For example, information indicating the position of the recording head 151 (position of the carriage 203) is acquired based on the detection results of the sensor 171. For example, information indicating the position or transport status of the roll paper 202 is acquired based on the detection results of the sensors 208 and / or 209.

[0021] The input / output unit 121 is configured to be able to accept operational input from the user and to output a display of necessary information, and for example, a touch panel display is used as the input / output unit 121. The input function and output function of the input / output unit 121 may be configured separately, and for example, a hard key and a display may be provided separately. A typical example of operational input from the user is print settings, and these print settings include, for example, a setting to enable / disable manual cutting. Furthermore, instead of a display, the output of the input / output unit 121 may be performed by a sound such as a buzzer or voice, or by lighting or flashing an LED.

[0022] 2, the input / output unit 121 is installed above the paper discharge port 205, and the user can perform operations such as inputting operations into the recording device 100 and receiving printed results from the input / output unit 121. In another embodiment, the input / output unit 121 may be an external electronic component, or may be part of the host computer 190.

[0023] (Maintenance operation) 2, the maintenance unit 207 is installed in a position where it can face the recording head 151 and the carriage 203, and is capable of performing maintenance on the recording head 151. As will be described in detail later, the maintenance motor 164 is used during maintenance operations by the maintenance unit 207, and at that time, the operation of the maintenance unit 207 is switched by driving the transport motor 163.

[0024] 3 is a schematic top view showing an example of the internal configuration of the recording apparatus 100. The carriage 203 carrying the recording head 151 moves back and forth along a guide rail 303 based on the power of the carriage motor 165, and is capable of moving back and forth in the direction d1 in the figure. The transport roller 204 rotates based on the power of the transport motor 163, and transports the roll paper 202 supported by the platen 305 in the direction d2 in the figure. The cutter unit 206 cuts the roll paper 202 after recording, downstream of the recording head 151 and carriage 203.

[0025] The maintenance unit 207 is installed to the side of the transport path of the roll paper 202, and the carriage 203 can move the recording head 151 to a position facing the maintenance unit 207. In this state, the maintenance unit 207 can perform maintenance on the recording head 151. Details will be described later, but the maintenance unit 207 is equipped with a cap 302 (see FIG. 4(a) etc.).

[0026] The transport motor 163 is capable of rotating a gear 304 that contacts the maintenance unit 207 via the transport roller 204 , and the power of the transport motor 163 makes it possible to switch the operation of the maintenance unit 207 via the gear 304 .

[0027] 4(a) is a schematic side view showing an example of the internal configuration of the maintenance unit 207. The maintenance unit 207 includes a plate member 401, a gear 402, a guide 403, a guide 404, and a pump 405.

[0028] The cap 302 is installed on top of the maintenance unit 207 and can move up and down to cap or uncapping the recording head 151, and the capping can prevent the evaporation of ink in the recording head 151. For example, when discharging the recorded roll paper 202, the recording head 151 is moved by the carriage 203 to a position opposite the cap 302, and then the cap 302 is raised to cap the recording head 151. Furthermore, the print head 151 can perform so-called preliminary ejection, which is ejecting ink while facing the cap 302 and without lifting (capping) the cap 302. By periodically repeating this preliminary ejection, it is possible to suppress evaporation of ink in the print head 151 even when the print head 151 is not capped.

[0029] 4(b), the cap 302 is connected to a waste ink absorber 406 via a tube 407. When the recording head 151 is capped, the waste ink received by the cap 302 can be discharged to the waste ink absorber 406 via the tube 407 by driving the pump 405 based on the power of the maintenance motor 164. When the pump 405 is driven while the recording head 151 is not capped, an idle suction operation can be performed to collect ink ejected into the cap 302 using the waste ink collector 406.

[0030] 4(a) again, as the gear 402 rotates, the plate member 401 can move left and right in the figure together with the guide 403 that meshes with the gear 402. With this configuration, it is possible to switch between maintenance operations performed by the maintenance unit 207, such as capping and dry suction operations.

[0031] 5(a) to 5(d) are schematic diagrams for explaining the configuration of the maintenance unit 207 from another perspective.

[0032] 5(a) shows a state in which the gear 402 is engaged with the guide 403. In this state, the gear 304 is disposed to the side of the gear 402 and in a position facing the gear 402. The gear 304 can rotate in synchronization with the conveying roller 204 based on the power of the conveying motor 163. In FIG. 5(a), the gear 402 and the gear 304 are spaced apart, and even if the conveying roller 204 rotates, the gear 402 does not rotate and the plate member 401 does not move. While roll paper 202 is on the transport roller 204, gear 402 and gear 304 are kept apart, and the movement of plate member 401 is restricted, preventing maintenance operations. This prevents damage to the maintenance unit 207, for example, even if the power is cut off while roll paper 202 is on the transport roller 204 and the user manually rotates the transport roller 204.

[0033] On the other hand, when a maintenance operation is performed, as shown in Fig. 5(b), the gear 402 and the gear 304 are joined together at their side surfaces to mesh with each other, allowing the gear 402 to rotate based on the power of the carry motor 163. The joining of the gears 402 and 304 is achieved, for example, by pushing the gear 304 toward the gear 402 when the carriage 203 stops at a predetermined position to mesh them together. In this state, the plate member 401 moves left and right in the figure when the carry motor 163 is driven.

[0034] 5(c), the guide 404 fixes the gear 304 by the above-mentioned movement of the plate member 401, and maintains the state in which the gear 304 is pressed toward the gear 402. As a result, during the maintenance operation, the plate member 401 is maintained in a movable state by the drive of the conveyance motor 163.

[0035] On the other hand, after the maintenance operation is completed, the gear 402 and the gear 304 are returned to the separated state (the state in FIG. 5(a)), whereby their meshing is released and the maintenance operation is not performed even if the conveying roller 204 rotates. The separation of the gear 402 and the gear 304 is achieved, for example, by moving the plate member 401 to the position in FIG. 5(a) at a position where the carriage 203 does not press the gear 304 toward the gear 402.

[0036] In this embodiment, when the pump 405 is driven by the power of the maintenance motor 164 with the plate member 401 moved to the position shown in Figure 5(c), an idle suction operation is performed, and the ink received by the cap 302 is collected in the waste ink collection body 406. Also, when the cap 302 is raised with the plate member 401 moved to the position shown in Figure 5(d), the recording head 151 can be capped.

[0037] 4(c) and 4(d), a cap arm 407 with a shaft 407A as a rotation axis is disposed between the cap 302 and the guide 404, and the cap 302 is supported by the cap arm 407. A height difference is formed on the surface of the guide 404 facing the cap arm 407.

[0038] 4C, the cap arm 407 comes into contact with the lower surface of the guide 404, lifting the cap 302. This allows the recording head 151 to be capped. 4(d), the cap arm 407 abuts against the higher surface of the guide 404, lowering the cap 302. This allows the recording head 151 to be uncapped.

[0039] That is, when the position of the guide 404 changes, the attitude of the cap arm 407 changes, thereby moving the cap 302 up and down. The height difference of the guide 404 may be connected by a curved surface or an inclined surface.

[0040] (Regarding the startup process of the recording device) 6 shows a flowchart of the startup process that is performed when the recording device 100 is powered on. This flowchart is mainly executed by the CPU 128.

[0041] In step S101 (hereafter simply referred to as "S101," and the same applies to other steps described below), the CPU 128 determines whether the state of the conveying mechanism is normal. In this embodiment, this determination is made based on the detection result of the paper detection sensor 208 as well as a paper presence / absence flag in the conveying path. The paper presence / absence flag in the conveying path is stored in ROM 123. For example, when roll paper 202 is supplied to / discharged from the conveying path, the paper presence / absence flag in the conveying path is stored in ROM 123 as information indicating the presence or absence of roll paper 202 in the conveying path. In this way, if the paper detection sensor 208 detects that the roll paper 202 is not present in the transport path, and the transport path paper presence / absence flag indicates that the roll paper 202 is not present in the transport path, the transport mechanism is determined to be in a normal state. If the transport mechanism is determined to be in a normal state, the process proceeds to S102; if not, the process proceeds to S104.

[0042] In S102, the CPU 128 determines whether the recording head 151 is in a cap closed state in which the recording head 151 is capped by the cap 302. For this determination, a cap state flag indicating the state of the cap 302 is used. The cap state flag is stored in the ROM 123. For example, the cap state flag is stored in the ROM 123 as information indicating either an operation to cap the recording head 151 with the cap 302 (cap closed operation) or an operation to release the capping (cap open operation). If it is determined that the cap is in the closed state, the process proceeds to S103, and if not, the process proceeds to S104.

[0043] The CPU 128 executes a short initialization operation (see FIG. 7) to be described later in S103, or executes a general initialization operation (see FIG. 8) to be described later in S104, and then ends this flowchart.

[0044] 7 is a flowchart showing the details of the shortened initialization operation in S103. In S201, CPU 128 executes the cutter unit initialization operation (see FIG. 10), which will be described later, and in S202, executes the roll paper retraction operation (see FIG. 11), which will be described later.

[0045] In S203, the CPU 128 sets the paper feed conveyance mechanism initialization flag to ON. The paper feed conveyance mechanism initialization flag is a flag for determining whether or not to initialize the conveyance mechanism during the paper feed operation (see FIG. 12) that supplies the roll paper 202, which will be described later.

[0046] 8 is a flowchart showing the details of the overall initialization operation in S104. In S301, CPU 128 executes the cutter unit initialization operation (see FIG. 10), which will be described later, and in S302, executes the roll paper retraction operation (see FIG. 11), which will be described later.

[0047] In S303, the CPU 128 executes a maintenance unit initialization operation to initialize the maintenance unit 207. In the maintenance unit initialization operation of this embodiment, in addition to the cap open operation described above, an operation to initialize the position of the carriage 203 and an operation to initialize the position of the plate member 401 are performed. After S303, the gear 402 and the gear 304 are separated from each other (see FIG. 5(a)), and the conveying roller 204 is able to rotate freely without being affected by the maintenance unit 207.

[0048] The CPU 128 executes the transport mechanism initialization operation (see FIG. 9) described below in S304, executes the cap closing operation described above in S305, and then ends this flowchart.

[0049] 9 is a flowchart showing the details of the conveyance mechanism initialization operation in S304. The conveyance mechanism initialization operation is performed in a state where the gear 402 and the gear 304 are separated and the conveyance roller 204 can rotate freely without being affected by the maintenance unit 207.

[0050] In S401, the CPU 128 executes an origin specifying operation to specify the origin of the carry roller 204. The carry amount of the roll paper 202 is controlled by a carry encoder (not shown) that detects the amount of rotation of the carry roller 204. Therefore, if the carry roller 204 is eccentric, an error in the carry amount will occur depending on the angle / phase of the carry roller 204. The carry error caused by the eccentricity of the carry roller 204 is corrected based on the angle / phase of the carry roller 204 (eccentricity correction). The origin of the carry roller corresponds to the reference point or starting point of the angle / phase of the carry roller 204, and is used to perform this eccentricity correction.

[0051] 2(c), in this embodiment, the conveyance roller 204 includes a conveyance encoder wheel 211 and a mark 212 formed thereon. The mark 212 indicates the origin position of the conveyance roller 204. When the conveyance roller 204 rotates based on the drive of the conveyance motor 163, the mark 212 is detected by a predetermined sensor, thereby making it possible to identify the origin of the conveyance roller 204. In the origin identification operation of the conveyance roller 204, when the conveyance roller 204 is rotated, the position at which the output signal of the sensor that detects the mark 212 changes from low level to high level, for example, can be identified as the origin of the conveyance roller 204.

[0052] FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing the details of the cutter unit initialization operations in S201 and S301.

[0053] In S501, the CPU 128 determines whether the cutter unit 206 is located at the cutter HP. This determination is made based on the detection result of the cutter HP sensor 210. The cutter HP sensor 210 may be, for example, a photointerrupter. If it is determined that the cutter unit 206 is located at the cutter HP, this flowchart ends; otherwise, the process proceeds to S502.

[0054] In S502, the CPU 128 moves the cutter unit 206 to the cutter HP based on the power of the cutter motor 162, and ends this flowchart.

[0055] FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing the roll paper retraction operations in S202 and S302 in detail.

[0056] In S601, the CPU 128 determines whether or not roll paper 202 is present at the position of the roll paper detection sensor 209. If it is determined that roll paper 202 is present at the position of the roll paper detection sensor 209, the process proceeds to S602; otherwise, the process ends.

[0057] In S602, the CPU 128 reverses the roll paper tube 201 using the power of the paper feed motor 166, rewinding the leading edge (downstream end) of the roll paper 202 to just before the roll paper detection sensor 209, thereby retracting the roll paper 202. This is achieved, for example, by further rotating the roll paper tube 201 in the reverse direction by a predetermined amount after the roll paper detection sensor 209 detects that the roll paper 202 is no longer present, and moving the leading edge of the roll paper 202 to a predetermined position.

[0058] FIG. 12 is a flowchart showing the details of the paper feeding operation for supplying the roll paper 202.

[0059] In S701, the CPU 128 executes a cap open operation, lowering the cap 302 to uncapping the recording head 151. After that, the CPU 128 further executes an operation to initialize the position of the carriage 203. After S701, the gear 402 and the gear 304 are separated from each other, allowing the conveying roller 204 to rotate freely without being affected by the maintenance unit 207.

[0060] In S702, the CPU 128 determines whether the paper feed conveyance mechanism initialization flag is ON. As described with reference to S203 in Fig. 7, the paper feed conveyance mechanism initialization flag is set to ON when the shortened initialization operation is executed. If the paper feed conveyance mechanism initialization flag is ON, the process proceeds to S703; if not, the process proceeds to S705.

[0061] In S703, the CPU 128 executes the above-mentioned transport mechanism initialization operation (see FIG. 9).

[0062] In S704, the CPU 128 sets the paper feed conveyance mechanism initialization flag to OFF. By setting the paper feed conveyance mechanism initialization flag to OFF, the conveyance mechanism initialization operation of S703 is prevented from being executed again in subsequent paper feed operations. As a result, after the execution of the abbreviated initialization operation, the transport mechanism initialization operation is executed only during the first paper feed operation, which means that the time required for the paper feed operation is extended, for example, by several seconds, only during the first paper feed operation after the abbreviated initialization operation is executed.

[0063] In S705, the CPU 128 executes the paper feed operation, that is, supplies and transports the roll paper 202 by rotating the roll paper tube 201 and transport roller 204 based on the power of the paper feed motor 166 and transport motor 163. At this time, the roll paper 202 is transported a predetermined distance after the position of the leading edge of the roll paper 202 is detected by the paper detection sensor 208. The position at the completion of this transport corresponds to the standby position before recording started.

[0064] According to this embodiment, as can be seen from a comparison between the shortened initialization operation in FIG. 7 and the overall initialization operation in FIG. 8, the shortened initialization operation does not include the maintenance unit initialization operation in S303. 6, a determination is made in S101 (whether the state of the transport mechanism is normal or not) and a determination is made in S102 (whether the cap is in the closed state or not). Therefore, if the determinations in S101 and S102 are all "Yes," it is guaranteed that the mechanisms such as the maintenance unit 207 and carriage 203 were in their predetermined positions at the time of the previous / immediately preceding power-off. Therefore, in such a case, a shortened initialization operation is performed.

[0065] When the abbreviated initialization operation is performed, the transport mechanism initialization operation is performed in S703 during the paper feed operation, but is not performed in the abbreviated initialization operation. That is, in the abbreviated initialization operation, some initialization is omitted, and the required time is reduced, for example, by several tens of seconds, compared to the full initialization operation. The names of each operation may be generalized; for example, the full initialization operation may be expressed as the first initialization operation, and the abbreviated initialization operation may be expressed as the second initialization operation.

[0066] (program) The present invention may be realized by supplying a program that realizes one or more functions of the above-described embodiments to a system or device via a network or a storage medium, and having one or more processors in a computer of the system or device read and execute the program. For example, the present invention may be realized by a circuit (e.g., an ASIC) that realizes one or more functions.

[0067] (others) In the embodiments, individual elements are named based on their main functions, but the functions described in the embodiments may be sub-functions and are not strictly limited to these expressions. Furthermore, these expressions can be replaced with other similar expressions. For the same purpose, the expression "unit" can be replaced with "tool," "component," "member," "structure," "assembly," etc. Alternatively, these terms may be omitted or added.

[0068] In addition, in the embodiment, the recording apparatus 100 that performs recording by an inkjet method is exemplified, but ink can be interpreted in a broad sense, and the concept can include various liquids such as a colorless and transparent reaction liquid. In the same spirit, the recording apparatus 100 can include a liquid ejection apparatus, and the recording head 151 can include a liquid ejection head.

[0069] Furthermore, two or more selectable elements exemplified in the embodiments are not strictly limited to the examples and may be arbitrarily combined, for example, each of the two or more selectable elements may be additionally or alternatively selected. For example, when two elements A and B are arbitrarily combined, they may be expressed as "A and / or B" or "at least one of A and B" to indicate either A only, B only, or both A and B.

[0070] (Summary of the embodiment) Some features exemplified in the above embodiments are as follows: [1] a recording head for recording on a recording medium; a conveying mechanism for conveying a recording medium; a maintenance unit that performs a maintenance operation on the recording head; A recording device comprising: the maintenance unit is configured to be able to receive power for the transport mechanism and to be able to perform the maintenance operation based on the received power; When the recording device is started, the control unit determines whether or not there is a recording medium in the transport mechanism and the state of the maintenance unit, and based on the results of the determination, determines whether or not to perform a first initialization operation to initialize the transport mechanism and the maintenance unit. A recording device characterized by: [2] The control unit If a recording medium is present in the conveyance mechanism or the maintenance unit is not in an initial state, the first initialization operation is performed; When there is no recording medium in the conveyance mechanism and the maintenance unit is in the initial state, the first initialization operation is not performed, and initialization of the conveyance mechanism is performed during the first paper feeding operation after the start-up of the recording device. The recording device according to [1]. [3] The control unit does not initialize the maintenance unit when there is no recording medium in the transport mechanism and the maintenance unit is in the initial state. The recording device according to [2]. [4] the conveying mechanism includes a conveying roller and a first gear that rotates together with the conveying roller; The maintenance unit includes a second gear that can mesh with the first gear, and receives the power from the transport mechanism by meshing the second gear with the first gear. The recording device according to [1] or [2], [5] a carriage that carries the recording head and moves back and forth so as to scan the recording head in a direction intersecting a direction in which the recording medium is conveyed by the conveyance mechanism; The carriage causes the second gear to mesh with the first gear by the reciprocating movement. The recording device according to [4], [6] The initialization of the transport mechanism includes identifying an origin of the transport roller. The recording device according to [4] or [5], [7] The recording medium is roll paper, the recording device further includes a cutter unit for cutting the roll paper; The control unit initializes the cutter unit regardless of whether or not a recording medium is present in the transport mechanism and regardless of the state of the maintenance unit. The recording device according to any one of [1] to [6], characterized in that: [8] The control unit retracts the roll paper to a predetermined position regardless of whether or not a recording medium is present in the transport mechanism and regardless of the state of the maintenance unit. The recording device according to [7]. [9] the maintenance unit includes a cap for capping the recording head, The recording device a sensor for detecting the presence or absence of a recording medium in the transport mechanism; a storage unit that stores first information indicating the presence or absence of a recording medium in the transport mechanism and second information indicating the state of the cap; Further provided with The control unit makes the determination based on the detection result of the sensor and the first information and the second information stored in the storage unit. The recording device according to any one of [1] to [8], characterized in that:

[10] a recording head for recording on a recording medium; a conveying mechanism for conveying a recording medium; a maintenance unit that performs a maintenance operation on the recording head; A control method for a recording device comprising: the maintenance unit is configured to be able to receive power for the transport mechanism and to be able to perform the maintenance operation based on the received power; The control method includes: a step of determining the presence or absence of a recording medium in the transport mechanism and the state of the maintenance unit when starting up the recording device; determining whether or not to perform a first initialization operation for initializing the transport mechanism and the maintenance unit based on a result of the determination; Contains A control method comprising:

[11] A program that causes a computer to execute each step of the control method described in

[10] . The program can be stored in a computer-readable non-volatile storage medium.

[0071] The invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various changes and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Accordingly, the following claims are appended to apprise the public of the scope of the invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0072] 100: recording device, 128: CPU (control unit), 151: recording head, 204: conveying roller, 207: maintenance unit.

Claims

1. a recording head for recording on a recording medium; a conveying mechanism for conveying a recording medium; a maintenance unit that performs a maintenance operation on the recording head; A recording device comprising: the maintenance unit is configured to be able to receive power for the transport mechanism and to be able to perform the maintenance operation based on the received power; When the recording device is started, the control unit determines whether or not there is a recording medium in the transport mechanism and the state of the maintenance unit, and determines whether or not to execute a first initialization operation to initialize the transport mechanism and the maintenance unit based on the results of the determination. A recording device characterized by:

2. The control unit If a recording medium is present in the transport mechanism or if the maintenance unit is not in an initial state, the first initialization operation is performed; When there is no recording medium in the transport mechanism and the maintenance unit is in the initial state, the first initialization operation is not performed, and the transport mechanism is initialized during the first paper feeding operation after the start-up of the recording apparatus.

2. The recording apparatus according to claim 1.

3. The control unit does not initialize the maintenance unit when there is no recording medium in the transport mechanism and the maintenance unit is in the initial state.

3. The recording apparatus according to claim 2.

4. the transport mechanism includes a transport roller and a first gear that rotates together with the transport roller; The maintenance unit includes a second gear that can mesh with the first gear, and receives the power from the transport mechanism by meshing the second gear with the first gear.

2. The recording apparatus according to claim 1.

5. a carriage that carries the recording head and moves back and forth so as to scan the recording head in a direction intersecting a direction in which the recording medium is conveyed by the conveyance mechanism; The carriage causes the second gear to mesh with the first gear by the reciprocating movement.

5. The recording apparatus according to claim 4.

6. The initialization of the transport mechanism includes identifying an origin of the transport roller.

5. The recording apparatus according to claim 4.

7. The recording medium is roll paper, the recording device further includes a cutter unit for cutting the roll paper; The control unit initializes the cutter unit regardless of whether or not a recording medium is present in the transport mechanism and regardless of the state of the maintenance unit.

2. The recording apparatus according to claim 1.

8. The control unit retracts the roll paper to a predetermined position regardless of whether or not a recording medium is present in the transport mechanism and regardless of the state of the maintenance unit.

8. The recording apparatus according to claim 7.

9. the maintenance unit includes a cap for capping the recording head, The recording device a sensor for detecting the presence or absence of a recording medium in the transport mechanism; a storage unit that stores first information indicating the presence or absence of a recording medium in the transport mechanism and second information indicating the state of the cap; Further provided with The control unit makes the determination based on the detection result of the sensor and the first information and the second information stored in the storage unit.

2. The recording apparatus according to claim 1.

10. a recording head for recording on a recording medium; a conveying mechanism for conveying a recording medium; a maintenance unit that performs a maintenance operation on the recording head; A control method for a recording device comprising: the maintenance unit is configured to be able to receive power for the transport mechanism and to be able to perform the maintenance operation based on the received power; The control method includes: a step of determining the presence or absence of a recording medium in the transport mechanism and the state of the maintenance unit when starting up the recording device; determining whether or not to execute a first initialization operation for initializing the transport mechanism and the maintenance unit based on a result of the determination; Contains A control method comprising:

11. A program for causing a computer to execute each step of the control method according to claim 10.

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