Recording device and control method

Abstract

This technology provides a way to suppress the increase in waiting time before recording is performed. [Solution] The device includes: a first detection means that is movable in the width direction of the recording medium intersecting the transport direction of the recording medium and switches between a first mode and a second mode to detect the position of the end of the recording medium; an acquisition means that acquires position information of the end based on the output from the first detection means in the first mode and the second mode, respectively; an adjustment means that performs a first output adjustment to adjust the output in the first mode and a second output adjustment to adjust the output in the second mode; and a recording control means that can selectively perform a first recording in which position information is not acquired during recording and a second recording in which position information is acquired during recording, wherein the adjustment means performs the first output adjustment before performing the first recording and performs the first output adjustment and the second output adjustment before performing the second recording.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a recording apparatus and a control method.

Background Art

[0002] In a recording apparatus that ejects ink by an inkjet method and records on a recording medium, when performing seamless recording without providing a margin at the end of the recording medium, if the detection accuracy of the end position of the recording medium is low, it may induce contamination inside the apparatus and the occurrence of margins. Patent Document 1 discloses a technique for detecting the end position of a recording medium based on a detection signal corresponding to the reflected light from the recording medium using a single detection unit. Further, Patent Document 1 discloses a technique for acquiring output values from sensors at multiple locations on the recording medium and performing output adjustment of the sensors based on these output values in order to suppress a decrease in end detection accuracy due to the influence of environmental variations.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] However, in the case of a configuration having a plurality of different sensors, it is necessary to perform the output adjustment of Patent Document 1 in each sensor before recording, and it has taken time until recording is executed.

[0005] The present disclosure has been made in view of the above problems, and an object thereof is to provide a technique capable of suppressing an increase in waiting time until recording is executed.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] To achieve the above objective, one embodiment of the recording apparatus according to the present invention includes a recording head mounted on a recording medium that ejects ink to record onto a transported recording medium, a carriage movable in the width direction of the recording medium intersecting the transport direction of the recording head, a light-emitting unit provided on the carriage that irradiates the recording medium with light, and three light-receiving units that receive reflected light from the recording medium and are provided at different positions in the width direction, and a first detection means that can switch between a first mode in which the edge of the recording medium is detected based on the output corresponding to the amount of light received by one of the light-receiving units, and a second mode in which the edge is detected based on the difference in output corresponding to the amount of light received by two light-receiving units not used in the first mode, and the first mode The device comprises: an acquisition means for acquiring position information of the end based on the output from a detection means and for acquiring position information of the end based on the output from a first detection means in a second mode; an adjustment means for performing a first output adjustment for adjusting the output from the first detection means in a first mode and a second output adjustment for adjusting the output from the first detection means in a second mode; and a recording control means capable of selectively performing a first recording in which position information of the end is not acquired during recording and a second recording in which position information of the end is acquired during recording, wherein the adjustment means performs the first output adjustment before performing the first recording and performs the first output adjustment and the second output adjustment before performing the second recording. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] According to this disclosure, it will be possible to suppress the increase in waiting time before recording is performed. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0008] [Figure 1] External view of the recording device. [Figure 2] A diagram showing the internal configuration of the recording device. [Figure 3] A schematic diagram of the recording unit. [Figure 4] Schematic diagram of the first and second sensors. [Figure 5]A diagram showing a light-receiving element provided on a light-receiving member. [Figure 6] A block diagram centered on the configuration of the control system of a recording device. [Figure 7] A diagram for explaining the change in the output voltage of the first sensor. [Figure 8] A diagram showing an output waveform indicating the change in the output voltage of the first sensor. [Figure 9] A diagram for explaining the operation of the second sensor in differential mode. [Figure 10] A diagram for explaining the output voltage at one light-receiving part of the second sensor in differential mode. [Figure 11] A diagram showing an output waveform indicating the change in the output in differential mode. [Figure 12] A diagram showing an output waveform indicating the change in the output in single mode. [Figure 13] A diagram for explaining the output adjustment in the second sensor. [Figure 14] A diagram for explaining the outline of micro margin recording. [Figure 15] A diagram for explaining the outline of bordered recording. [Figure 16] A flowchart showing the content of the adjustment process. [Figure 17] A flowchart showing the content of the paper feeding process. [Figure 18] A flowchart showing the content of the adjustment process after the paper feeding process. [Figure 19] A flowchart showing the content of the paper feeding process in other embodiments. [Figure 20] A flowchart showing the content of the adjustment process in other embodiments. [Figure 21] A flowchart showing the content of the adjustment process in other embodiments.

Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0009] Hereinafter, an example of an embodiment of a recording apparatus and a control method will be described in detail while referring to the attached drawings. Note that the following embodiments do not limit the present disclosure, and not all combinations of the features described in this embodiment are essential for the solution means of the present disclosure. Also, the positions, shapes, etc. of the components described in the embodiment are merely examples, and are not intended to limit the scope of this disclosure thereto.

[0010] (First Embodiment) First, a recording apparatus according to the first embodiment will be described in detail while referring to FIGS. 1 to 16. In this embodiment, as an example of the recording apparatus, an inkjet recording apparatus that discharges a recording material such as ink as a liquid by an inkjet method and records it on a recording medium will be described. The recording material includes a treatment liquid or the like that performs a predetermined treatment on the ink discharged onto the recording medium.

[0011] "Recording" not only forms significant information such as characters and graphics, but also widely forms images, patterns, patterns, etc. on a recording medium regardless of whether they are significant or not, or includes cases where the recording medium is processed, and it does not matter whether it is manifested so that it can be perceived visually by humans. Also, in this embodiment, as the "recording medium", sheet-like paper is assumed, but it may be cloth, plastic film, wood, cardboard, or metal film.

[0012] Figure 1 is an external view of the recording device. Figure 2 is a diagram showing the internal configuration of the recording device. Figure 3 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of the recording section, where (a) is a plan view and (b) is a front view. In this specification, when facing the side from which the recording medium is ejected after recording, the direction from the right side of the recording device to the left side is described as the X direction, the direction from the back side (rear side) of the recording device to the front side (front side) is described as the Y direction, and the direction from the bottom side of the recording device to the top side is described as the Z direction. Thus, the X, Y, and Z directions are directions from one side to the other and are mutually orthogonal. In this specification, each direction is indicated with a "+" (plus) sign when it is going from one side to the other, and with a "-" (minus) sign when it is going from the other side to the one side.

[0013] The recording device 10 shown in Figure 1 houses a recording unit 206 (see Figure 3) within a housing 14 (see Figure 1) that ejects ink from a recording head 12 (see Figure 2) to record onto a transported recording medium M. The recording device 10 has a flattened, roughly rectangular parallelepiped shape due to the housing 14.

[0014] The housing 14 is equipped with multiple openable and closable covers, and by opening and closing these covers, it is possible to access the components located inside. The recording device 10 has an operation unit 16 on the front that displays various information and accepts user operations, a notification unit 18 that provides voice notifications, and an ejection unit 20 from which the recording medium M is ejected after recording.

[0015] The recording device 10 has a roll holding unit 22 on its rear side that holds a roll R (see Figure 2) formed by winding a sheet-like recording medium M, and is capable of unwinding the roll R and feeding the recording medium M to the recording unit 206. The recording device 10 also has a sheet feeding unit 24 that can feed, for example, a cut sheet-like recording medium M of a size conforming to JIS standards to the recording unit 206. Furthermore, the recording device 10 includes an ink tank 26 for storing ink supplied to the recording head 12 and a storage unit 28 for housing a waste liquid tank (not shown) for storing waste ink. Although not shown, the recording device 10 may also be equipped with a reading unit for reading an image of a document. In this case, the reading unit may be configured to be openable and closable, and the inside of the recording device 10 may be accessible by opening the reading unit.

[0016] The recording device 10 includes a transport unit 202 for transporting sheet-shaped recording media MR fed from a roll holding unit 22 and cut-sheet-shaped recording media MC fed from a sheet feeding unit 24, and a transport sensor 204 capable of detecting these recording media M (see Figure 2). In this specification, the sheet-shaped recording media unwound from the roll R is referred to as "recording media MR," the cut-sheet-shaped recording media as "recording media MC," and when referring to both recording media MR and recording media MC, it is referred to as "recording media M." The device also includes a recording unit 206 for ejecting ink to record onto the recording media M transported by the transport unit 202, and a cutter unit 208 for cutting the recording media M after recording.

[0017] The roll holding unit 22 unwinds the held roll R by rotating it in a predetermined direction and transfers the recording medium MR to the transport unit 202 in the +Y direction for feeding. Conversely, by rotating the held roll R in the opposite direction to the predetermined direction, the recording medium MR is wrapped around the roll R and transferred in the -Y direction for winding. The roll R is held in the roll holding unit 22 with the spool 210 inserted into the paper tube, and the roll holding unit 22 rotates the spool 210 using a motor (not shown), thereby rotating the roll R in the predetermined direction and the opposite direction.

[0018] The transport unit 202 includes a drive roller 212 that rotates by the drive of a line feed (LF) motor 612 (see Figure 6), and a driven roller 214 that presses against and is driven by the drive roller 212. The recording medium M fed from the roll holding unit 22 and the sheet feeding unit 24 is nipped by the drive roller 212 and the driven roller 214, and transported in the ±Y direction by the drive of the drive roller 212. The drive mechanism of the drive roller 212 can, for example, employ a gear mechanism driven by a motor. The amount transported by the transport unit 202 is controlled based on the detection result of a sensor (not shown), such as an encoder, provided on the LF motor 612. The transport mechanism for the recording medium M in the transport unit 202 is not limited to the configuration using the drive roller 212 and the driven roller 214, and various known technologies can be used.

[0019] The transport sensor 204 is located upstream of the transport unit 202 in the transport direction (+Y direction) of the recording medium M. The transport sensor 204 is used to determine whether the recording medium M is being properly fed to the transport unit 202, for example. The transport sensor 204 is, for example, an optical sensor.

[0020] The recording unit 206 is located downstream of the transport unit 202 in the transport direction (+Y direction) of the recording medium M. The recording unit 206 includes a recording head 12 capable of ejecting ink, and a carriage 216 on which the recording head 12 is mounted and which is capable of reciprocating in the X direction. The carriage 216 is slidably mounted on a guide rail (not shown) extending in the X direction, and is configured to move in the X direction from one side to the other (+X direction) and from the other side to the one side (-X direction) by the drive of a carriage motor 610 (see Figure 6). Therefore, in the recording device 10, the recording head 12 mounted on the carriage 216 is also capable of reciprocating in the X direction via the carriage 216.

[0021] For the carriage 216, a belt drive mechanism using a carriage (CR) motor 610 as the drive source can be employed. The position of the carriage 216 is acquired by a position coordinate acquisition unit 618 (see Figure 6) based on the detection result of an encoder sensor (not shown), and the movement of the carriage 216 can be controlled based on the acquired position information. In addition, a tube (not shown) connected to an ink tank 26 is connected to the carriage 216, and ink stored in the ink tank 26 is supplied to the recording head 12 via this tube.

[0022] The recording unit 206 includes a recording head 12 that moves via a carriage 216, and a platen 218 that supports a recording medium M transported by a transport unit 202 at an opposing position. In the recording unit 206, the recording head 12 ejects ink from the recording medium M, which is transported in the +Y direction and supported by the platen 218, while moving in the width direction (±X direction) of the recording medium M via the carriage 216. In this embodiment, the platen 218 has the characteristic of absorbing irradiated light and not reflecting, or reflecting, said light. The recording head 12 has a nozzle row 12a formed on the surface facing the platen 218, in which a plurality of nozzles for ejecting ink are arranged in parallel. The nozzle row 12a extends in the Y direction, which intersects (orthogonal in this embodiment) with the direction of movement of the recording head 12 (X direction).

[0023] In the recording device 10, the recording medium M, which has been transported to the recording start position by the transport unit 202, is recorded by ejecting ink while moving (scanning) the recording head 12 in the X direction based on the recording data. Next, the transport unit 202 transports the recording medium M by a predetermined amount, and then the recording operation is performed again. In this way, the recording device 10 performs recording based on the recording data on the recording medium M by repeatedly and alternately executing the recording operation and the transport operation.

[0024] The recording unit 206 is equipped with a first sensor 302 and a second sensor 304 capable of detecting the edge of the recording medium M in the X direction (see Figure 3). The first sensor 302 and the second sensor 304 are mounted on the carriage 216, thereby enabling them to reciprocate in the X direction via the carriage 216. The first sensor 302 is mounted on one side (right side) of the carriage 216 in the X direction. The second sensor 304 is mounted on the other side (left side) of the carriage 216 in the X direction.

[0025] The first sensor 302 and the second sensor 304 are positioned so that they overlap with the nozzle row 12a and a portion of it in the Y direction. In the recording device 10, when not recording, the recording head 12 (carriage 216) is positioned in a standby position located on one side in the X direction. This standby position is located outside the recording area where the recording head 12 ejects ink onto the recording medium M for recording.

[0026] The detection results of the first sensor 302 and the second sensor 304 are associated with a position on the recording medium M based on the detection result of the carriage 216 position by the encoder sensor and the amount of recording medium M transported by the transport unit 202. For example, the first sensor 302 and the second sensor 304 can detect the position of the carriage 216. As will be described in detail later, the first sensor 302 and the second sensor 304 are optical sensors equipped with a light-emitting unit and a light-receiving unit. In this embodiment, it is possible to obtain coordinate information of the carriage 216 in the X direction by reading an encoder scale (not shown) extending in the X direction using an encoder sensor (not shown) provided on the carriage 216.

[0027] The cutter unit 208 is equipped with a cutter for cutting the recording medium M and is capable of reciprocating in the X direction by a motor (not shown). As a result, the recording medium M is cut in the X direction by the cutter unit 208. The cutter unit 208 may also be equipped with a pressure sensor to detect the pressure applied to the cutter.

[0028] <First sensor and second sensor> Next, the configurations of the first sensor 302 and the second sensor 304 will be described. Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of the first sensor 302 and the second sensor 304, where (a) is the first sensor 302 and (b) is the second sensor 304. Figure 5 is a diagram showing the light-receiving element provided on the light-receiving member 414.

[0029] The first sensor 302 includes a light-emitting unit 402 capable of irradiating light onto a platen 218 and a recording medium M supported by the platen 218, and a light-receiving unit 404 capable of receiving reflected light from the platen 218 and the recording medium M (see Figure 4(a)). In this embodiment, the light-emitting unit 402 is positioned on one side (rear side) in the Y direction relative to the light-receiving unit 404, but it is not limited to this, and for example, it may be positioned on the other side (front side) in the Y direction, or on one or the other side in the X direction.

[0030] The second sensor 304 includes a light-emitting unit 412 capable of irradiating light onto a platen 218 and a recording medium M supported by the platen 218, and a light-receiving member 414 capable of receiving reflected light from the platen 218 and the recording medium M (see Figure 4(b)). In this embodiment, the light-emitting unit 412 is positioned on the other side (front side) in the Y direction relative to the light-receiving member 414, but it is not limited to this, and for example, it may be positioned on one side in the Y direction, or on one or the other side in the X direction.

[0031] The light-receiving member 414 includes a light-receiving element section 504 in which a plurality of light-receiving elements 502 are arranged in a matrix in the X and Y directions (see Figure 5). That is, the light-receiving element section 504 has a plurality of rows of light-receiving elements arranged in parallel in a predetermined number in the Y direction, and these rows are arranged along the X direction. In this specification, in each figure showing the light-receiving element section 504, including Figure 4, light-receiving elements located in the middle of the Y direction are omitted. The light-receiving member 414 then forms three light-receiving sections in the light-receiving element section 504 (see Figure 4(b)). Specifically, the first light-receiving section 422 is formed by one or more rows of light-receiving elements located on the other side of the X direction in the light-receiving element section 504. The second light-receiving section 424 is formed by one or more rows of light-receiving elements located on one side of the X direction in the light-receiving element section 504.

[0032] In this embodiment, the first light-receiving section 422 and the second light-receiving section 424 overlap each other in the Y direction and are spaced apart in the X direction. Furthermore, a third light-receiving section 426 is formed by one or more rows of light-receiving elements located between the first light-receiving section 422 and the second light-receiving section 424 of the light-receiving element section 504 and not used in the first light-receiving section 422 and the second light-receiving section 424. The rows of light-receiving elements used in each light-receiving section may be fixed or they may be increased or decreased. When the number of light-receiving element rows is increased or decreased, for example, the adjustment section 620 (see Figure 6) is used to increase or decrease the number of light-receiving element rows.

[0033] The outputs from each light-receiving unit in the light-receiving member 414 are input to the output switching amplifier 430. The output switching amplifier 430 is capable of switching the output mode. Specifically, the output switching amplifier 430 is configured to be switchable by the main controller 600 between a differential mode based on the output values ​​of the first light-receiving unit 422 and the second light-receiving unit 424, and a single mode based on the output value of the third light-receiving unit 426. In differential mode, the outputs from the first light-receiving unit 422 and the second light-receiving unit 424 are input to the differential amplifier 432 provided in the output switching amplifier 430. In single mode, the output from the third light-receiving unit 426 is input to the single amplifier 434 provided in the output switching amplifier 430. In this embodiment, the second sensor 304 and the output switching amplifier 430 function as detection units capable of detecting the edge of the recording medium by outputting an output corresponding to the amount of light received at the light-receiving unit.

[0034] <Configuration of the control system for the recording device> Next, the configuration of the control system of the recording device 10 will be described. Figure 6 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the control system of the recording device 10.

[0035] The recording device 10 includes a main controller 600 that controls the overall operation of the recording device 10. The main controller 600 performs various processes based on programs and data stored in FlashROM 602, RAM 604, etc. FlashROM 602 is a non-volatile storage that stores programs, parameters, and correction data used in various processes. RAM 604 is a volatile storage that temporarily holds programs and data.

[0036] The main controller 600 controls the ejection of ink from the recording head 12 via the head driver 606. The main controller 600 also controls the drive of various motors via the motor driver 608. The motors controlled by the motor driver 608 include the CR motor 610 for moving the carriage 216 in the X direction and the LF motor 612 for driving the drive roller 212 that transports the recording medium M. In addition to these motors, although not shown in the diagram, motors that drive the maintenance unit (not shown) for maintaining and restoring the ink ejection performance from each nozzle in the recording head 12 are also controlled via the motor driver 608. The main controller 600 detects the drive amount of each motor using encoder sensors 614 corresponding to each motor and controls their drive. The encoder scale read by the encoder sensor 614 is a linear scale and a rotary case, but in both cases, the drive amount is detected from the sensor count.

[0037] The main controller 600 is also connected to the first sensor 302 and the second sensor 304. In the first sensor 302, the main controller 600 controls the drive of the light-emitting unit 402. In the light-receiving unit 404 of the first sensor 302, the signal based on the amount of light received is amplified to a level suitable for the main controller 600, and the main controller 600's sensor input 616 acquires an analog input level. In the second sensor 304, the main controller 600 controls the drive of the light-emitting unit 412. In the light-receiving member 414 of the second sensor 304, the signal based on the amount of light received is converted by the differential amplifier 432 or single amplifier 434 of the output switching amplifier 430, and then amplified to a level suitable for the main controller 600.

[0038] The main controller 600 acquires an analog input level from the amplified signal via the sensor input 616. To analogously match the received light signal level, the gain of the differential amplifier 432 is configured to be changeable from the main controller 600. Based on the signals obtained from the first sensor 302 and the second sensor 304, and the signal obtained from the encoder sensor 614, the main controller 600 acquires the position coordinates of the detection position at each sensor in the position coordinate acquisition unit 618. The main controller 600 adjusts the output of the output switching amplifier 430, such as its amplification factor, and also includes an adjustment unit 620 that adjusts the amount of light emitted from the light-emitting parts of the first sensor 302 and the second sensor 304.

[0039] <Detection operation by the first and second sensors> The recording medium M is generally white, while in this embodiment, the platen 218 has light-absorbing properties, meaning it is black. Therefore, almost all of the light emitted from the light-emitting part is reflected by the recording medium M, and almost all of it is absorbed by the platen 218. As a result, there is a difference in the amount of light received at the light-receiving part between the recording medium M and the platen 218. The first sensor 302 and the second sensor 304 detect the edge of the recording medium M based on this difference in the amount of light received at the light-receiving part between the recording medium M and the platen 218.

[0040] =Detection operation by the first sensor 302= First, an overview of the detection operation by the first sensor 302 will be described. Figure 7 is a diagram illustrating the changes in the output of the first sensor 302 in three different states. Figure 8 is a diagram showing an example of the output waveform of the first sensor 302. Note that in Figure 7, for ease of understanding, the light-emitting unit 402 is positioned at a distance in the X direction from the light-receiving unit 404.

[0041] Figure 7 shows the case where the first sensor 302 moves above the recording medium M supported by the platen 218 from one side in the X direction to the other side (-X direction), and transitions from the state shown in Figure 7(a) to the state shown in Figure 7(b) and then to the state shown in Figure 7(c). The light receiving unit 404 receives reflected light from within the spot diameter Sd of the light receiving unit 404, converts the received light into a voltage, and outputs a voltage corresponding to the amount of light. The light emitting unit 402 irradiates light into the entire area within the spot diameter Sd of the light receiving unit 404.

[0042] When the recording medium M is located within the entire area of ​​the spot diameter Sd, the amount of light received by the light receiving unit 404 is maximized due to the reflected light from the recording medium M located within the spot diameter Sd, and the output voltage of the light receiving unit 404 reaches its maximum value (see Figure 7(a)).

[0043] As the first sensor 302 moves in the -X direction from the state shown in Figure 7(a), and the platen 218 is positioned within the region of the spot diameter Sd, the amount of light reflected from the spot diameter Sd decreases as the proportion of the region occupied by the platen 218 increases. Therefore, the amount of light received by the light receiving unit 404 decreases in accordance with the movement of the first sensor 302, and the output voltage of the light receiving unit 404 gradually decreases (see Figure 7(b)).

[0044] Then, from the state shown in Figure 7(b), the first sensor 302 moves further in the -X direction until the recording medium M is no longer located within the entire area of ​​the spot diameter Sd, meaning only the platen 218 is located within that area. At this point, light reflected from within the spot diameter Sd is almost eliminated. As a result, the output voltage of the light receiving unit 404 becomes its minimum value (see Figure 7(c)).

[0045] The output waveform based on these changes in output voltage is shown in Figure 8. Near the edge of the recording medium M, where the proportion of the recording medium M within the spot diameter Sd changes, the output waveform changes, and the output voltage value decreases in accordance with the decrease in this proportion. Therefore, from this change in output waveform, the output voltage at the position corresponding to the edge position of the recording medium M is set as a threshold, and the position coordinate acquisition unit 618 (see Figure 6) acquires the edge position of the recording medium M from the coordinates when the threshold is passed. Such thresholds are determined experimentally, for example, depending on the type of recording medium used.

[0046] =Detection operation by the second sensor 304= Next, an overview of the detection operation by the second sensor 304 will be described. The second sensor 304 is configured to allow selection between a differential mode using the first light receiving unit 422 and the second light receiving unit 424, and a single mode using the third light receiving unit 426. In other words, when the second sensor 304 is set to differential mode by the main controller 600, it uses the first light receiving unit 422 and the second light receiving unit 424 to detect, for example, the edge of the recording medium M in the X direction. When the second sensor 304 is set to single mode by the main controller 600, it uses the third light receiving unit 426 to detect, for example, the edge of the recording medium M in the X direction.

[0047] • Detection operation in differential mode First, an overview of the detection operation using differential mode will be explained. Figure 9 illustrates the irradiation of light from the light-emitting unit 412 and the reception of light by the first light-receiving unit 422 and the second light-receiving unit 424 in the second sensor 304. Figure 10 shows the changes in output from the first light-receiving unit 422 and the second light-receiving unit 424 in three different states. Figure 11 shows the output waveforms of the first light-receiving unit 422 and the second light-receiving unit 424 and the output waveform of the differential amplifier 432 when the relative positional relationship between the recording medium M supported by the platen 218 and the second sensor 304 is changed in the X direction. Note that in Figures 9, 10, and 11, the light-emitting unit 412 is positioned at a distance in the X direction from the light-receiving member 414 for ease of understanding.

[0048] In differential mode, the first light-receiving unit 422 receives reflected light from the light-receiving region La1 that it can receive, converts the received light into a voltage, and outputs a voltage corresponding to the amount of light. Also in differential mode, the second light-receiving unit 424 receives reflected light from the light-receiving region La2 that it can receive, converts the received light into a voltage, and outputs a voltage corresponding to the amount of light. The light-receiving regions La1 and La2 do not overlap in the X direction, but their areas coincide. The term "coincident area" is not limited to strictly coincidence, but also includes cases where the difference between the areas of the two light-receiving regions La1 and La2 is within a predetermined range.

[0049] In differential mode, the output voltages from the first light-receiving unit 422 and the second light-receiving unit 424 are input to the differential amplifier 432. The differential amplifier 432 amplifies the difference between the voltage value VA output from the first light-receiving unit 422 and the voltage value VB output from the second light-receiving unit 424, and outputs a differential signal Vout. The light-emitting unit 412 illuminates all areas within the light-receiving region La1 of the first light-receiving unit 422 and all areas within the light-receiving region La2 of the second light-receiving unit 424 with light.

[0050] The changes in the output waveforms of the first light-receiving unit 422 and the second light-receiving unit 424 in differential mode will be explained with reference to Figure 10, focusing on one of the light-receiving units. Figure 10 shows the case where the second sensor 304 moves above the recording medium M supported by the platen 218 from one side in the X direction to the other side (-X direction). In Figure 10, the state transitions in the order of the state shown in Figure 10(a), the state shown in Figure 10(b), and the state shown in Figure 10(c). When the recording medium M is located within the entire light-receiving region La, the amount of light received by the light-receiving unit is maximized by the reflected light from the recording medium M located within the light-receiving region La, and the output voltage of the light-receiving unit is maximized (see Figure 10(a)).

[0051] As the second sensor 304 moves in the -X direction from the state shown in Figure 10(a), and the platen 218 is positioned within the light-receiving region La, the larger the proportion of the region occupied by the platen 218, the lower the amount of light reflected from the light-receiving region La becomes. Therefore, as the second sensor 304 moves, the amount of light received by the light-receiving section decreases, and the output voltage of the light-receiving section gradually decreases (see Figure 10(b)).

[0052] Then, from the state shown in Figure 10(b), the second sensor 304 moves further in the -X direction until the recording medium M is no longer located within the entire light-receiving region La, meaning only the platen 218 is located within it. At this point, almost no light is reflected from within the light-receiving region La. As a result, the output voltage of the light-receiving section becomes its minimum value (see Figure 10(c)).

[0053] In the second sensor 304, the output voltage changes in the first light-receiving unit 422 and the second light-receiving unit 424 as described above. Since the first light-receiving unit 422 and the second light-receiving unit 424 are located at different positions in the X direction, the position where the output voltage changes (where the output waveform slopes) is shifted in the X direction. The output voltages of the first light-receiving unit 422 and the second light-receiving unit 424 are input to the differential amplifier 432. The differential amplifier 432 outputs a differential signal Vout based on the difference between the output voltage of the first light-receiving unit 422 and the output voltage of the second light-receiving unit 424. Therefore, the output waveform showing the change in the differential signal Vout forms a waveform of a predetermined shape in the region where there is a difference between the output voltage of the first light-receiving unit 422 and the output voltage of the second light-receiving unit 424, that is, near the edge of the recording medium M. The output waveform of the differential amplifier 432 will be described below with reference to Figure 11.

[0054] Assume that the second sensor 304 is located at a first position where the recording medium M is positioned across the entire light-receiving area La1 of the first light-receiving unit 422 and the light-receiving area La2 of the second light-receiving unit 424. In this case, both the output voltage VA of the first light-receiving unit 422 and the output voltage VB of the second light-receiving unit 424 reach their maximum values ​​and are the same. Therefore, at the first position, the difference between the output voltage VA and the output voltage VB becomes 0V, and the differential signal Vout from the differential amplifier 432 becomes 0V. Note that in Figure 11, a gap is provided between the output waveforms of the output voltage VA and the output waveform of the output voltage VB where the output voltages are the same, for ease of understanding.

[0055] When the second sensor 304 moves from the first position to the other side of the X direction (-X direction), the second sensor 304 transitions to the second position. In the second position, the recording medium M is located in the entire light-receiving area La1 of the first light-receiving unit 422, while the platen 218 is located in a part of the light-receiving area La2 of the second light-receiving unit 424. In this second position, a difference occurs between the output voltage VA of the first light-receiving unit 422 and the output voltage VB of the second light-receiving unit 424. Specifically, the output voltage VA of the first light-receiving unit 422 becomes higher than the output voltage VB of the second light-receiving unit 424. More specifically, the output voltage VA of the first light-receiving unit 422 maintains its maximum value, while the output voltage VB of the second light-receiving unit 424 gradually decreases as it moves. Therefore, in the second position, the difference between the output voltage VA and the output voltage VB gradually increases with movement, causing the differential signal Vout to increase.

[0056] Furthermore, if the second sensor 304 moves further in the -X direction from the second position, the second sensor 304 transitions to the third position. In the third position, the recording medium M is located across the entire light-receiving area La1 of the first light-receiving unit 422, while the platen 218 is located across the entire light-receiving area La2 of the second light-receiving unit 424. In this third position, the output voltage VA of the first light-receiving unit 422 maintains its maximum value, while the output voltage VB of the second light-receiving unit 424 reaches and maintains its minimum value. As a result, the difference between the output voltage VA and the output voltage VB becomes maximum, causing the differential signal Vout to take its maximum value.

[0057] Subsequently, as the second sensor 304 moves further in the -X direction from the third position, the second sensor 304 transitions to the fourth position. In the fourth position, the platen 218 is located in a part of the light-receiving area La1 of the first light-receiving unit 422, and the platen 218 is located in the entire light-receiving area La2 of the second light-receiving unit 424. In this fourth position, the output voltage VA of the first light-receiving unit 422 gradually decreases with movement, while the output voltage VB of the second light-receiving unit 424 maintains its minimum value. Therefore, in the fourth position, the difference between the output voltage VA and the output voltage VB gradually decreases with movement, and as a result, the differential signal Vout decreases.

[0058] Then, as the second sensor 304 moves further in the -X direction from the fourth position, the second sensor 304 transitions to the fifth position. In the fifth position, the platen 218 is positioned over the entire area of ​​both the light-receiving region La1 of the first light-receiving unit 422 and the light-receiving region La2 of the second light-receiving unit 424. In this fifth position, the output voltage VA of the first light-receiving unit 422 and the output voltage VB of the second light-receiving unit 424 both take their minimum values ​​and become the same value. Therefore, in the fifth position, the difference between the output voltage VA and the output voltage VB becomes 0V, and the differential signal Vout from the differential amplifier 432 becomes 0V.

[0059] In response to the change in the output Vout of the differential amplifier 432, the system detects a position P1 that exceeds a preset first threshold Th1 and a position P2 that falls below the first threshold Th1, and acquires the midpoint P0 as the edge position of the recording medium M. This first threshold Th1 is determined experimentally, for example, depending on the type of recording medium M used.

[0060] • Detection operation in single mode Next, an overview of the detection operation in single mode will be described. Figure 12 shows the output waveform corresponding to the change in the output voltage VC of the third light receiving unit 426 and the output waveform corresponding to the change in the output signal Vout of the single amplifier 434 when the relative positional relationship between the recording medium M supported on the platen and the second sensor 304 is changed in the X direction. Note that the light-emitting unit 412 is omitted in Figure 12 for ease of understanding.

[0061] In single mode, the third light-receiving unit 426 receives reflected light within the light-receiving region La3 that it can receive, converts the received light into a voltage, and outputs a voltage corresponding to the amount of light. The output voltage from the third light-receiving unit 426 is input to the single amplifier 434, where it is amplified, inverted, and output. The light-emitting unit 412 illuminates all areas within the light-receiving region La3 of the third light-receiving unit 426 with light.

[0062] The changes in the output waveform at the third light receiving unit 426 and the output waveform at the single amplifier 434 in single mode will be explained with reference to Figure 12. Figure 12 shows the case where the second sensor 304 moves above the recording medium M supported by the platen 218, from one side in the X direction to the other side (in the -X direction).

[0063] Assume that the second sensor 304 is located at the sixth position where the recording medium M is positioned within the entire light-receiving area La3 of the third light-receiving unit 426. In this case, the output voltage VC of the third light-receiving unit 426 is at its maximum value, and the output signal Vout based on the output voltage VC is at its minimum value.

[0064] When the second sensor 304 moves in the -X direction from the sixth position, the second sensor 304 transitions to the seventh position, where the platen 218 is positioned within a portion of the light-receiving area La3 of the third light-receiving unit 426. In this seventh position, the amount of light received by the third light-receiving unit 426 decreases in proportion to the proportion of the light-receiving area La3 occupied by the platen 218. Therefore, in the seventh position, the output voltage VC of the third light-receiving unit 426 gradually decreases as it moves. As a result, the output signal Vout gradually increases in accordance with the change in the output voltage VC.

[0065] Then, as the second sensor 304 moves further in the -X direction from the seventh position, the second sensor 304 transitions to the eighth position, where the platen 218 is positioned over the entire light-receiving area La3 of the third light-receiving unit 426. In this eighth position, reflected light from the light-receiving area La3 is almost eliminated, and the amount of light received by the third light-receiving unit 426 is minimized. Therefore, in the eighth position, the output voltage VC of the third light-receiving unit 426 becomes its minimum value, and the output signal Vout based on this output voltage VC becomes its maximum value.

[0066] Based on the output voltage VC of the third light-receiving unit 426, the output signal Vout of the single amplifier 434 changes, and a preset second threshold Th2 is detected at a position P3. This position P3 is then acquired as the edge position of the recording medium M. This second threshold Th2 is determined experimentally, for example, depending on the type of recording medium M used.

[0067] <Output adjustment via adjustment unit> Next, we will explain the output adjustment by the adjustment unit 620 (see Figure 6). Figure 13 is a diagram illustrating the output adjustment by the adjustment unit 620, where (a) and (b) are diagrams illustrating the output adjustment of the output switching amplifier 430, and (c) is a diagram illustrating the output adjustment of the light-emitting units 402 and 412.

[0068] First, an overview of the output adjustment operation of the output switching amplifier 430 will be explained. In differential mode, the second sensor 304 is moved to a position where the edge of the recording medium M is located between the first light receiving section 422 and the second light receiving section 424 of the second sensor 304. At this position, the differential signal Vout output from the differential amplifier 432 is obtained based on the difference between the output voltage VA from the first light receiving section 422 and the output voltage VB from the second light receiving section 424. The adjustment unit 620 adjusts the output of the output switching amplifier 430 so that the differential signal Vout at this time sufficiently exceeds the first threshold Th1.

[0069] In single mode, the second sensor 304 is moved to a position where the recording medium M is located within the entire light-receiving area La3 of the third light-receiving unit 426 of the second sensor 304. At this position, the output signal Vout is obtained from the single amplifier 434 based on the output voltage VC from the third light-receiving unit 426. The output of the output switching amplifier 430 is adjusted by the adjustment unit 620 so that the output signal Vout at this time sufficiently exceeds the second threshold Th2.

[0070] Next, the output adjustment of the light-emitting units 402 and 412 will be described. The adjustment unit 620 adjusts the amount of light emitted from the light-emitting units 402 and 412 via the light emission amount adjustment circuit 1302. Specifically, the current adjustment circuit 1304 adjusts the amount of current under control from the adjustment unit 620, and the amount of light emitted from the light-emitting units 402 and 412 is adjusted by supplying the LED light source 1306 with the current adjusted by the current adjustment circuit 1304. Thus, in this embodiment, the adjustment unit 620 adjusts the output from the output switching amplifier 430 based on the output of the second sensor 304, based on the amount of light emitted from the light-emitting units and the amplification factor of the output switching amplifier 430.

[0071] <Overview of recording operation> In the above configuration, the recording device 10 records on the recording medium M based on the recording job. In the following description, the recording device 10 will be described as recording in both directions, specifically the forward direction (+X direction) from one side of the X direction to the other and the return direction (-X direction) from the other side of the X direction to the one side, as an example. The recording device 10 records an image based on the recording data on the recording medium M by repeatedly performing a scan accompanied by recording by the recording head 12, with the scan direction differing in the transport direction (Y direction) of the recording medium. Furthermore, the recording device 10 is capable of selectively performing bordered recording, which has a margin around the recorded image, and micro-margin recording, which records right at the edge of the recording medium, thereby achieving a visual effect equivalent to borderless recording, where there is no margin around the recorded image. That is, in this embodiment, bordered recording is recording with a visible margin at the edge of the recording medium, while micro-margin recording is recording without a margin at the edge of the recording medium, or with a margin that is difficult to see.

[0072] The execution of bordered recording and micro-margin recording is controlled by the main controller 600, which controls the transport by the transport unit 202, the ejection of ink from the recording head 12, and the movement of the carriage 216. Thus, in this embodiment, the main controller 600 functions as a recording control unit that can selectively execute bordered recording and micro-margin recording.

[0073] =Micromargin Record= First, an overview of the recording operation in micro-margin recording will be explained. Figure 14 is a diagram illustrating the overview of the recording operation in micro-margin recording. When micro-margin recording is started, the carriage 216 (see Figure 14(a)), which is in the standby position, moves in the forward direction, and ink is ejected from the recording head 12 to start scanning with recording (see Figure 14(b)). As will be described in detail later, the recording start position in the X direction at this time is acquired before recording and is set to a position that coincides with one end ER of the recording medium M, or a position that is slightly inside the recording medium M from the end ER (for example, about 0.5 mm). During this forward-moving scanning with recording, the second sensor 304 monitors the other end EL of the recording medium M. When the second sensor 304 passes the end EL, that is, when the end EL is detected, the position coordinate acquisition unit 618 acquires the position of the end EL based on the result of the detection (see Figure 14(c)). When this scanning with recording is completed, the carriage 216 stops (see Figure 14(d)). Subsequently, the transport unit 202 transports the recording medium M by a predetermined amount in the +Y direction (see Figure 14(e)). When the position of the end EL is obtained, the main controller 600 determines the recording start position in the X direction for the next scan with recording based on the obtained position of the end EL.

[0074] When the forward scanning with recording is completed, the carriage 216 (see Figure 14(f)), which is stopped at the other side of the carriage 216's movement range, is moved in the reverse direction, and ink is ejected from the recording head 12 to start the next scanning with recording (see Figure 14(g)). In this scanning with recording, the recorded image is formed from the recording start position determined based on the detection result of the second sensor 304 during the previous scanning with recording in the forward direction. During this scanning with recording that moves in the reverse direction, the first sensor 302 monitors one end ER of the recording medium M. When the first sensor 302 passes the end ER, that is, when it detects the end ER, the position coordinate acquisition unit 618 acquires the position of the end ER based on the result of the detection (see Figure 14(h)). When this scanning with recording is completed, the carriage 216 stops (see Figure 14(i)). After that, the transport unit 202 transports the recording medium M by a predetermined amount in the +Y direction (see Figure 14(j)). Furthermore, once the position of the end ER is obtained, the main controller 600 determines the recording start position in the X direction for the next scan based on the obtained end ER position. Specifically, the position obtained by correcting the acquired end ER position information with a correction value (see S1622 described later) is set as the recording start position.

[0075] Subsequently, the carriage 216 (see Figure 14(k)), which is stopped at one side of the carriage 216's movement area, is moved in the forward direction, and ink is ejected from the recording head 12 to perform the next scan with recording (see Figure 14(l)). In this scan with recording, the recorded image is formed from the recording start position determined based on the detection result of the first sensor 302 during the previous scan with recording in the reverse direction. In this way, recording to the recording medium M is performed by repeatedly and alternately executing scans with recording in the forward and reverse directions. In this micro-margin recording, the recording start position in a scan with recording is determined based on the edge of the recording medium acquired during the previous scan with recording. Thus, in micro-margin recording, the recording area can be changed according to the position information of the edge of the recording medium during recording.

[0076] =Bordered Record= Next, an overview of the recording operation with borders will be described. Figure 15 is a diagram illustrating the overview of the recording operation with borders. When border recording is started, the carriage 216 (see Figure 15(a)), which is in the standby position, moves in the forward direction, and ink is ejected from the recording head 12 to start scanning with recording (see Figure 15(b)). In this scanning with recording, as will be described in detail later, recording starts from a recording start position set based on the position information of the edge (ER) of the recording medium M before recording in the X direction. This recording start position is located a predetermined amount (for example, about 5 mm) inside the recording medium M from the edge ER of the recording medium M. When this scanning with recording is completed, the carriage 216 stops (see Figure 15(c)). After that, the transport unit 202 transports the recording medium M by a predetermined amount in the +Y direction (see Figure 15(d)).

[0077] Once the forward scanning with recording is complete, the carriage 216 (see Figure 15(e)), which is stopped at the other end of the carriage's movement range, is moved in the reverse direction, and ink is ejected from the recording head 12 to start the next scanning with recording (see Figure 15(f)). In this scanning with recording, recording begins in the X direction from a preset recording start position. This recording start position is set based on the position information of the edge of the recording medium M before recording and the information regarding the width of the recording medium M that the recording job has. It is located a predetermined amount (for example, about 5 mm) inside the recording medium M from the edge EL of the recording medium M. When this scanning with recording is complete, the carriage 216 stops (see Figure 15(g)). After that, the transport unit 202 transports the recording medium M by a predetermined amount in the +Y direction (see Figure 15(h)).

[0078] Subsequently, the carriage 216 (see Figure 15(i)), which is stopped at one side of the carriage 216's movement area, moves in the forward direction while ink is ejected from the recording head 12 to perform the next scan with recording (see Figure 15(j)). In this way, by repeatedly performing scans with recording in the forward and reverse directions alternately, recording is performed on the recording medium M. In this bordered recording, the recording start position in the scan with recording is set to the position obtained in the adjustment process described later, which is performed before recording.

[0079] <Adjustment process> In the recording device 10, when performing the micro-margin recording and bordered recording described above, an adjustment process is performed to adjust the output of the first sensor 302 and the second sensor 304 before actually performing the recording operation. Specifically, when the execution of a recording process based on a recording job is instructed, the adjustment process is performed, and then the recording process based on the recording job is executed. As described above, in micro-margin recording, the margin amount during recording is set to about 0 mm or 0.5 mm, so high accuracy is required for detecting the edge of the recording medium M. On the other hand, in bordered recording, the margin amount during recording is set to about 5 mm, so high accuracy is not required for detecting the edge of the recording medium M. Therefore, in this adjustment process, the output of the first sensor 302 and the second sensor 304 is adjusted according to the accuracy required for the recording to be performed.

[0080] Figure 16 is a flowchart detailing the adjustment process for adjusting the outputs of the first sensor 302 and the second sensor 304. The series of processes shown in the flowchart of Figure 16 are performed by the main controller 600 loading the program code stored in the Flash ROM 402 into the RAM 404 and executing it. Alternatively, some or all of the functions of the steps in Figure 16 may be performed by hardware such as an ASIC or electrical circuit. In this specification, the symbol S in the description of each process in the flowchart means a step in that flowchart. Furthermore, the following description of the adjustment process will use the case where a sheet-shaped recording medium MR is unwound from a roll R and transported as an example.

[0081] When the adjustment process begins, first, in S1602, the main controller 600 determines whether the recording to be performed is a micro-margin recording or not. In S1602, it is determined whether the type of recording set for the recording job is a micro-margin recording or not. If in S1602 it is determined that the type of recording set for the recording job is a bordered recording, that is, the recording to be performed is not a micro-margin recording, the process proceeds to S1604. In S1604, the main controller 600 performs single-mode output adjustment of the second sensor 304. Specifically, in S1604, the transport unit 202 first transports the recording medium MR, which has been unwound from the roll R, to an adjustment position where, for example, its leading edge is located downstream in the +Y direction from the movement area of ​​the carriage 216. The adjustment position can be any position where the end of the recording medium MR in the X direction can be detected by the first sensor 302 and the second sensor 304 when the carriage 216 is moved back and forth in the X direction. Subsequently, in S1604, the output adjustment of the second sensor 304 in single mode is performed. Specifically, the output signal Vout on the recording medium M is adjusted to sufficiently exceed the threshold Th2. The output adjustment of the second sensor 304 is performed by the adjustment unit 620, which adjusts the amount of light emitted by the light-emitting unit 412 and the amplification factor of the output switching amplifier 430. Alternatively, various known techniques may be used for the output adjustment of the second sensor 304, such as the output adjustment method disclosed in Patent Document 1.

[0082] In S1604, since the recording to be performed is a bordered recording and high-precision acquisition of position information is not required, only single-mode output adjustment is performed on the second sensor 304, which allows for output adjustment with relatively simple operation. If the differential mode output adjustment of the second sensor 304 were performed in S1604, it would be necessary to perform both single-mode and differential mode output adjustments (see S1612 to S1616 described later), which would require time for sensor output adjustment. Therefore, in S1604, only single-mode output adjustment of the second sensor 304 is performed based on the detection accuracy level required for bordered recording. This shortens the processing time of S1604, and as a result, the time required for adjustment processing when performing bordered recording is reduced, allowing for a smooth transition to the recording process.

[0083] Next, in S1606, the main controller 600 performs output adjustment of the first sensor 302. Specifically, in S1606, the adjustment unit 620 adjusts the amount of light emitted by the light-emitting unit 402 and the amplification factor of the amplifier (not shown) that amplifies the output of the light-receiving unit 404. For output adjustment of the first sensor 302, various known techniques may be used, such as the output adjustment method disclosed in Patent Document 1. Then, in S1608, the main controller 600 detects one end ER of the recording medium MR in the X direction using the first sensor 302, acquires position information of the end ER, and terminates this adjustment process. In S1608, the position information of the end ER is acquired based on the detection result of the end ER by the first sensor 302 when the carriage 216 is moving, for example, in both directions. Once the adjustment process is complete, a recording process is executed to perform bordered recording based on the recording job. In this recording process, the position information of the edge ER acquired in S1608 is used as the reference value for the recording start position when performing a scan that involves recording in the forward direction. The recording start position when performing a scan that involves recording in the reverse direction is determined, for example, based on the recording start position in the forward direction and the size of the image data to be recorded in the X direction. In this way, in bordered recording, the recording area is fixed based on the position information of the edge of the recording medium before recording and recording is performed. In this embodiment, the main controller 600 functions as a setting unit that sets the reference value for the recording start position when performing a scan that involves recording.

[0084] Furthermore, if it is determined in S1602 that the recording type set for the recording job is micro-margin recording, that is, if the recording to be performed is micro-margin recording, the process proceeds to S1610. In S1610, the main controller 600 performs output adjustment of the second sensor 304 in single mode. Then, in S1612, the main controller 600 performs output adjustment of the first sensor 302. The specific processing details in S1610 and S1612 are the same as in S1604 and S1606.

[0085] Next, in S1614, the main controller 600 detects the other end EL of the recording medium MR in the X direction using the second sensor 304 in single mode and acquires the position information of the end EL. In S1614, the position information of the end EL is acquired based on the detection result of the end EL by the second sensor 304 when the carriage 216 is moved, for example, in the forward direction. Then, in S1616, the main controller 600 performs differential mode output adjustment of the second sensor 304. Specifically, in S1616, the carriage 216 is moved to position the optical center of the second sensor 304 at a position corresponding to the position information of the end EL acquired in S1614. Then, in this state, the output adjustment of the second sensor 304 in differential mode is performed so that the differential signal Vout is a value that sufficiently exceeds the threshold Th1. As a result, the second sensor 304 can acquire the position information of the ends ER and EL of the recording medium MR with high accuracy.

[0086] Subsequently, in S1618, the main controller 600 acquires position information of the ends ER and EL of the recording medium MR using the second sensor 304 in differential mode. In S1618, for example, the position information of the end EL is acquired based on the detection result of the end EL when the carriage 216 is moved in the forward direction. Also in S1618, for example, the position information of the end ER is acquired based on the detection result of the end ER when the carriage 216 is moved in the return direction. Next, in S1620, the main controller 600 acquires position information of the end ER of the recording medium MR using the first sensor 302. In S1620, for example, the position information of the end ER is acquired based on the detection result of the end ER when the carriage 216 is moved in the return direction.

[0087] Then, in S1622, the main controller 600 obtains a correction value to correct the position information obtained based on the detection result of the first sensor 302, based on the position information of the end ER obtained in S1620 and the position information of the end ER obtained in S1618. In other words, in S1622, a correction value is obtained to approximate the position information based on the detection result of the first sensor 302, which is relatively inaccurate, to the position information based on the detection result of the second sensor 304 in differential mode, which is relatively accurate. Specifically, in S1622, the difference between the position information of the end ER obtained in S1618 and the position information of the end ER obtained in S1620 is obtained, and the obtained value is acquired as a correction value to correct the position information based on the detection result of the first sensor 302. The acquired correction value is stored in the memory area of ​​the recording device 10, such as RAM 604. By correcting the position information obtained based on the detection result of the first sensor 302 with this correction value, it becomes possible to approximate the position information obtained based on the detection result of the second sensor 304, which has a higher detection capability. Thus, in this embodiment, the main controller 600 functions as a correction value acquisition unit that acquires a correction value for correcting the position information of the edge of the recording medium.

[0088] Next, in S1624, the main controller 600 uses the first sensor 302 to detect the leading edge of the recording medium MR in the transport direction and places the recording medium MR into a waiting position. Specifically, in S1624, first, the carriage 216 is moved to a position where the first sensor 302 is located on the recording medium MR being transported. Then, the recording medium MR is transported in the -Y direction by the transport unit 202 while being rewound onto the roll R by the roll holding unit 22. During this transport of the recording medium MR in the -Y direction, the first sensor 302 detects the position of the leading edge of the recording medium MR located downstream in the +Y direction. Then, the recording medium MR is transported a predetermined amount in the -Y direction from the position where the leading edge was detected, and placed into a waiting position. The predetermined position is, for example, the position where the leading edge of the recording medium MR is located downstream in the +Y direction from the first sensor 302.

[0089] Subsequently, in S1626, the position information of the end ER of the recording medium MR is acquired by the first sensor 302, and this adjustment process is terminated. In S1626, for example, the position information of the end ER is acquired based on the detection result of the end ER when the carriage 216 is moved in both directions. Once the adjustment process is completed, a recording process is executed to perform micro-margin recording based on the recording job. In this recording process, the position information of the end ER acquired in S1626 is corrected using the correction value acquired in S1622, and this corrected position information is used as the recording start position when performing the first scan with recording. Therefore, in this scan with recording, position information that can be expected to have higher accuracy than the position information of the end ER acquired simply based on the detection result of the first sensor 302 is used.

[0090] <Variation> • In the above explanation, the adjustment process determines whether it is micro-margin recording or borderless recording, and adjusts the output of the first sensor 302 and the second sensor based on this determination. However, it is not limited to this. The adjustment process may also adjust the output of the sensors used during recording operation according to the various types of recording. Specifically, suppose the recording device 10 performs a first record using position information of the edge of the recording medium M acquired by a predetermined sensor, and a second record using spatial coordinate information of the recording medium for determining the recording area, acquired by a sensor different from the predetermined sensor. In this case, when performing the first record, the output of the predetermined sensor is adjusted, and when performing the second record, the output of a sensor different from the predetermined sensor is adjusted.

[0091] • In the above explanation, the leading edge of the recording medium MR is positioned to wait at a predetermined position downstream of the first sensor 302 in the +Y direction during the adjustment process S1624, but the explanation is not limited to this. The predetermined position may be a position where the leading edge of the recording medium MR is located upstream of the first sensor 302 in the +Y direction. In this case, for example, after obtaining the correction value in S1622, the position information of the end ER may be obtained by the first sensor 302, and then the recording medium MR may be positioned to wait at the predetermined position described above.

[0092] • In the above explanation, when performing edge-recorded recording, the position information of the end ER is obtained by the first sensor 302 in S1608, but this is not the only option. In other words, in S1608, for example, the position information of the end ER may be obtained by the second sensor 304 in single mode.

[0093] • In the above explanation, the recording method for recording with a border uses position information from the first sensor 302, but it is not limited to this. For example, the configuration may acquire or estimate the position information of the edge of the recording medium M based on various known technologies.

[0094] • In the above explanation, micro-margin recording is performed using the first sensor 302 and the second sensor 304, but it is not limited to this. For example, the end ER and end EL of the recording medium M may be detected using only the second sensor 304. Alternatively, known techniques that can acquire the position information of the end ER and EL may be used during scanning accompanied by recording, or known techniques that can estimate said position information using various types of information may be used.

[0095] <Effects and Effects> As described above, in the recording device 10 according to this embodiment, before executing the recording process, the output adjustments of the first sensor 302 and the second sensor 304 are performed according to the type of recording to be performed. Specifically, when performing recording in which the recording area is fixed based on the position information of the edge of the recording medium before recording (borderless recording), the output adjustment of the second sensor 304 in differential mode, which is capable of acquiring highly accurate position information, is omitted. On the other hand, when performing recording in which the recording area can be changed based on the position information of the edge of the recording medium during recording (micro-margin recording), the output adjustments of each sensor, including the output adjustment of the second sensor 304 in differential mode, which is capable of acquiring highly accurate position information, are performed.

[0096] This allows the system to transition to recording after being instructed to start recording based on a recording job, while ensuring the detection accuracy appropriate to the type of recording to be performed during the adjustment process. Therefore, when performing recordings that do not require high-precision positional information from various sensors, such as borderless recording, the system can smoothly transition to recording after being instructed to start recording, thus shortening the time required for recording.

[0097] (Second Embodiment) Next, a recording device according to the second embodiment will be described with reference to Figures 17 and 18. In the following description, for components that are the same as or equivalent to those in the recording device according to the first embodiment described above, the same reference numerals used in the first embodiment will be used, and detailed explanations will be omitted.

[0098] In the second embodiment, for example, after replacing the roll R of the roll holding unit 22, a paper feeding process is performed to feed the recording medium MR so that it can be transported while suppressing skew. Once the paper feeding process is completed, the recording device 10 remains in a standby state until it is instructed to start recording by a recording job. When such an instruction is received, an adjustment process is performed, followed by a recording process that performs recording based on the recording job. The paper feeding process and the adjustment process after the paper feeding process will be described in detail below. In the following descriptions of the paper feeding process and adjustment process, the case in which a sheet-shaped recording medium MR is unwound from the roll R and transported will be described as an example.

[0099] <Paper feeding process> Figure 17 is a flowchart detailing the paper feeding process for feeding recording media MR so that it can be transported while suppressing skew. The series of processes shown in the flowchart of Figure 17 are performed by the main controller 600 loading the program code stored in the Flash ROM 402 into the RAM 404 and executing it. Alternatively, some or all of the functions of the steps in Figure 17 may be performed by hardware such as an ASIC or electrical circuit.

[0100] When the paper feeding process begins, in S1702, the main controller 600 first transports the recording medium MR, which has been unwound from the roll R, by the transport unit 202 to a set position where its leading edge is located downstream in the +Y direction from the movement area of ​​the carriage 216. This set position can be any position where the end of the recording medium MR in the X direction can be detected by the first sensor 302 and the second sensor 304 when the carriage 216 moves back and forth in the X direction. Furthermore, the set position may be the same as the adjustment position described above, or it may be a different position.

[0101] Then, in S1704, the main controller 600 performs output adjustment of the second sensor 304 in single mode. At this stage of paper feeding, it is still undecided what kind of recording will be performed, and it is possible that highly accurate detection of position information may not be necessary. For this reason, in the paper feeding process, only single-mode output adjustment of the second sensor 304 is performed, which can be performed with relatively simple operation. If the output adjustment of the second sensor 304 in differential mode were performed in S1704, it would be necessary to perform both single-mode and differential-mode output adjustment (see S1612 to S1616 above), and the sensor output adjustment would take time. For this reason, in S1704, only single-mode output adjustment of the second sensor 304 is performed to shorten the processing time, and as a result, the time required for paper feeding is shortened.

[0102] Next, in S1706, the main controller 600 adjusts the output of the first sensor 302. Then, in S1708, the main controller 600 moves the carriage 216 in the forward and reverse directions in the X-direction to acquire position information of the ends ER and EL of the recording medium MR and calculate the length of the recording medium MR in the X-direction. In S1708, when moving the carriage 216 in the forward direction, the second sensor 304 detects the end EL using single mode and acquires position information of the end EL. Also in S1708, when moving the carriage 216 in the reverse direction, the first sensor 302 detects the end ER and acquires position information of the end ER. Note that in S1708, the first sensor 302 may be used to acquire position information of both the end ER and the end EL, or the second sensor 304 may be used to acquire position information of both the end ER and the end EL.

[0103] Subsequently, in S1710, the main controller 600 transports the recording medium MR at the set position by a predetermined amount in the -Y direction. Then, in S1712, the main controller 600 moves the carriage 216 and acquires the position information of the end EL using the first sensor 302 or the second sensor 304. Then, in S1712, using the first sensor 302 or the second sensor 304 that was used to acquire the position information of the end EL in S1708, the position information of the end EL of the recording medium MR at a position moved by a predetermined amount in the -Y direction from the set position is acquired. Therefore, the set position described above is a position that takes into account the amount of transport in the -Y direction in S1710, so that even after transport in the -Y direction in S1710, the end EL of the recording medium MR can be detected by the sensor due to the movement of the carriage 216.

[0104] Next, in S1714, the main controller 600 determines whether or not skew occurs during the transport of the recording medium MR. In S1714, the difference between the position information of the end ER acquired in S1712 and the position information of the end ER acquired in S1708 is acquired, and it is determined whether or not this difference exceeds a predetermined threshold. If the difference exceeds the threshold, it is determined that skew occurs during the transport of the recording medium MR, and if the difference is less than or equal to the threshold, it is determined that skew does not occur during the transport of the recording medium MR. The threshold used in S1714 is, for example, a value corresponding to the amount of skew that is permissible with micro-margin recording, and is experimentally determined based on, for example, the margin amount set for micro-margin recording, the predetermined amount in S1710 (amount of transport in the -Y direction), etc. Thus, in this embodiment, the main controller 600 functions as a skew detection unit that detects skew that occurs when the transport unit 202 transports the recording medium.

[0105] In S1714, if it is determined that skew has occurred during the transport of the recording medium MR, the process proceeds to S1716, where the main controller 600 issues an error notification indicating that skew has occurred during the transport of the recording medium MR and terminates this paper feeding process. At this time, the user is also notified to restart the paper feeding process for the recording medium MR that has been unwound from the roll R held by the roll holding unit 22. Error notifications and notifications prompting the restart of the paper feeding process are communicated to the user via the operation unit 16, notification unit 18, etc. Also, in S1714, if it is determined that skew has not occurred during the transport of the recording medium MR, the process proceeds to S1718, where the main controller 600 moves the recording medium MR to a standby position where it waits after feeding and terminates this paper feeding process. In this standby position, the recording medium MR is ready to be transported by the transport unit 202.

[0106] <Adjustment process> Next, the adjustment process performed after the paper feeding process will be described. When the start of recording based on a recording job is instructed, the recording process will begin after the adjustment process is executed. In this embodiment, the output adjustment of the second sensor 304 in single mode and the output adjustment of the first sensor 302 are performed during the paper feeding process. Therefore, these processes are omitted in the adjustment process. The adjustment process performed in the recording device 10 of this embodiment will be described in detail below with reference to Figure 18.

[0107] Figure 18 is a flowchart detailing the adjustment process performed by the recording device according to this embodiment. The series of processes shown in the flowchart of Figure 18 are performed by the main controller 600 loading the program code stored in the FlashROM 402 into the RAM 404 and executing it. Alternatively, some or all of the functions of the steps in Figure 18 may be performed by hardware such as an ASIC or electrical circuit.

[0108] When the adjustment process begins, first, in S1802, the main controller 600 determines whether the recording to be performed is a micro-margin recording or not. The specific processing content of S1802 is the same as that of S1602. If it is determined in S1802 that it is not a micro-margin recording, the process proceeds to S1804. In S1804, the main controller 600 detects one end ER of the recording medium MR in the X direction using the first sensor 302, obtains the position information of the end ER, and terminates this adjustment process. The specific processing content of S1804 is the same as that of S1608.

[0109] Furthermore, if it is determined in S1802 that it is a micro-margin recording, the process proceeds to S1806, where the main controller 600 acquires the position information of the end EL of the recording medium MR using the second sensor 304 in single mode. Then, in S1808, the main controller 600 performs output adjustment of the second sensor 304 in differential mode. Next, in S1810, the main controller 600 acquires the position information of the ends ER and EL of the recording medium MR using the second sensor 304 in differential mode. Then, in S1812, the main controller 600 acquires the position information of the end ER of the recording medium MR using the first sensor 302.

[0110] Subsequently, in S1814, the main controller 600 obtains a correction value to correct the position information obtained based on the detection result of the first sensor 302, based on the position information of the end ER obtained in S1812 and the position information of the end ER obtained in S1810. Then, in S1816, the main controller 600 places the recording medium MR in a predetermined position. Furthermore, in S1818, the main controller 600 obtains the position information of the end ER of the recording medium MR using the first sensor 302 and terminates this adjustment process. The specific processing content from S1806 to S1818 is the same as that of S1614 to S1626 described above, so a detailed explanation is omitted.

[0111] Thus, when the adjustment process is performed via the paper feed process, the output adjustment of the second sensor 304 in single mode and the output adjustment of the first sensor 302 have already been performed during the paper feed process, so these processes that were performed in the adjustment process of the first embodiment are omitted. Specifically, when performing bordered recording, processes S1604 and S1606 of the adjustment process of the first embodiment, which are performed without going through the paper feed process, are deleted. Also, when performing micro-margin recording, processes S1610 and S1612 of the adjustment process of the first embodiment, which are performed without going through the paper feed process, are deleted. As a result, the time required for the adjustment process is shortened, and the transition to the recording process becomes smoother.

[0112] <Variation> • In the above explanation, in S1708 to S1714, the skew occurring during transport of the recording medium MR is detected based on the position of the end ER before and after moving the recording medium MR in the -Y direction, but it is not limited to this. For example, the leading end of the recording medium MR in the transport direction (the end located downstream in the +Y direction) is transported to a position where it can be detected by the first sensor 302, and then the carriage 216 is moved in the X direction, and the leading end is detected at predetermined intervals. When there is a detection position where the leading end is no longer detected by the detection of the first sensor 302, it is determined that skew is occurring during transport of the recording medium MR.

[0113] • In the above explanation, the position information of the end ER is obtained by the first sensor 302 in S1818, but this is not the only option. The position information of the end ER may also be obtained by the second sensor 304 in differential mode.

[0114] <Effects and Effects> As described above, the recording device 10 according to this embodiment performs a paper feeding process to feed the recording medium in a way that suppresses skew during transport. Specifically, based on the position information of the end ER using the first sensor and the second sensor, the amount of skew that occurs during transport of the recording medium is kept below a certain level. Furthermore, in the adjustment process performed after the paper feeding process, the output adjustment of the first sensor and the output adjustment of the second sensor in single mode, which were performed during the paper feeding process, are omitted. As a result, the time required for the adjustment process is shortened, and the system can smoothly transition to the recording process after the instruction to start the recording process is given.

[0115] (Third embodiment) Next, a recording device according to the third embodiment will be described with reference to Figures 19 and 20. In the following description, for components that are the same as or equivalent to those in the recording device according to the first embodiment described above, the same reference numerals used in the first embodiment will be used, and detailed explanations will be omitted.

[0116] The third embodiment differs from the second embodiment described above in that, depending on the type of recording, the amount of deviation from the ideal position of the transported recording medium in the X direction is suppressed. In the following description of the paper feeding and adjustment processes, the case in which a sheet-shaped recording medium MR is unwound from a roll R and transported is described as an example.

[0117] <Paper feeding process> Figure 19 is a flowchart detailing the paper feeding process performed by the recording device 10 according to this embodiment. The series of processes shown in the flowchart of Figure 19 are performed by the main controller 600 loading the program code stored in the Flash ROM 402 into the RAM 404 and executing it. Alternatively, some or all of the functions of the steps in Figure 19 may be performed by hardware such as an ASIC or electrical circuit.

[0118] When the paper feeding process begins, first, in S1902, the main controller 600 transports the recording medium MR, which has been unwound from the roll R, to the set position. Then, in S1904, the main controller 600 adjusts the output of the second sensor 304 in single mode. Next, in S1906, the main controller 600 adjusts the output of the first sensor 302. After that, in S1908, the main controller 600 acquires the position information of the ends ER and EL of the recording medium MR. The specific processing content from S1902 to S1908 is the same as that described in S1702 to S1708 above, so the explanation is omitted.

[0119] Next, in S1910, the main controller 600 determines whether the amount of deviation d1 of the edge ER from a preset ideal position is greater than the threshold t1, based on the position information of the edge ER acquired in S1908. The ideal position is, for example, the position where the edge of the recording medium MR in the X direction should be located according to the design of the device. Alternatively, the ideal position may be the position in the X direction where, when performing micro-margin recording, there is no ink overflow from the recording medium MR, or the amount of overflow is suppressed to a certain level or less. The threshold t1 is set, for example, to the upper limit of the amount of deviation from the ideal position that is acceptable in edged recording. Specifically, in S1910, the difference between the position information of the edge ER acquired in S1908 and the position information of the ideal position is acquired as the amount of deviation d1, and it is determined whether this amount of deviation d1 is greater than the threshold t1. The acquired amount of deviation d1 is stored in a memory area such as RAM 604.

[0120] In S1910, if it is determined that d1 > t1, the process proceeds to S1912, where the main controller 600 issues an error notification indicating that the transport position of the recording medium MR is not appropriate, and terminates the paper feeding process. At this time, the user is also notified to restart the paper feeding process for the recording medium MR that has been unwound from the roll R held by the roll holding unit 22. Error notifications and notifications prompting the restart of the paper feeding process are communicated to the user via the operation unit 16, notification unit 18, etc. Thus, in this embodiment, the main controller 600 functions as a position detection unit that detects whether the recording medium transported by the transport unit 202 is in an acceptable recording position for the record to be executed.

[0121] In S1910, if it is determined that d1 ≤ t1, the process proceeds to S1914, where the main controller 600 moves the recording medium MR, which is at the set position, by a predetermined amount in the -Y direction. Then, in S1916, the main controller 600 obtains the position information of the end EL of the recording medium ME. Subsequently, in S1918, the main controller 600 determines whether or not skew is occurring during the transport of the recording medium MR.

[0122] If it is determined in S1918 that skew has occurred during the transport of the recording medium MR, the process proceeds to S1920, where the main controller 600 issues an error notification indicating that skew has occurred during the transport of the recording medium MR, and terminates this paper feeding process. If it is determined in S1918 that skew has not occurred during the transport of the recording medium MR, the process proceeds to S1922, where the main controller 600 moves to a waiting position after feeding the recording medium MR, and terminates this paper feeding process. The specific processing details from S1914 to S1922 are the same as those described in S1710 to S1718 above, so their explanation is omitted.

[0123] <Adjustment process> Next, the adjustment process performed after the paper feeding process in the recording device 10 according to this embodiment will be described. The adjustment process performed in the recording device 10 of this embodiment will be described in detail below with reference to Figure 20.

[0124] Figure 20 is a flowchart detailing the adjustment process performed by the recording device 10 according to this embodiment. The series of processes shown in the flowchart of Figure 20 are performed by the main controller 600 loading the program code stored in the FlashROM 402 into the RAM 404 and executing it. Alternatively, some or all of the functions of the steps in Figure 20 may be performed by hardware such as an ASIC or electrical circuit.

[0125] When the adjustment process begins, first, in S2002, the main controller 600 determines whether the recording to be performed is a micro-margin recording or not. If it is determined in S2002 that it is not a micro-margin recording, in S2004, the main controller obtains the position information of the recording medium ER using the first sensor 302 and terminates this adjustment process. The specific processing details in S2002 and S2004 are the same as those in S1802 and S1804 described above.

[0126] Furthermore, if it is determined in S2002 that it is a micro-margin recording, the process proceeds to S2006, where it is determined whether the displacement amount d1 is greater than the threshold t2. The threshold t2 is a value smaller than the threshold t1, and is set, for example, to the upper limit of the displacement amount from the ideal position that is acceptable in micro-margin recording. Specifically, in S2006, it is determined whether the displacement amount d1 acquired in S1910 and stored in a memory area such as RAM604 is greater than the pre-set threshold t2.

[0127] In micro-margin recording, since recording is performed right up to the edge of the recording medium, it is necessary to strictly control the recording start position in each scan that involves recording. For this reason, when performing micro-margin recording, the position and skew of the recording medium during transport also need to be controlled more strictly than when micro-margin recording is not performed, i.e., when performing edge-bound recording. Therefore, in this embodiment, when it is determined that micro-margin recording is being performed, first in S2006, it is determined more precisely whether the recording medium is located in a position approximating the ideal position. After that, after adjusting the output of the second sensor, in S2014, which will be described later, it is determined whether the transport position of the recording medium is in a position approximating the ideal position based on the position of the edge detected by the second sensor 304 in a more accurate differential mode.

[0128] In S2006, if it is determined that d1 ≤ t2, the process proceeds to S2008, where the main controller 600 acquires the position information of the end EL of the recording medium MR using the second sensor 304 in single mode. Next, in S2010, the main controller 600 performs output adjustment of the second sensor 304 in differential mode. Then, in S2012, the main controller 600 acquires the position information of the ends ER and EL of the recording medium MR using the second sensor 304 in differential mode. The specific processing content from S2008 to S2012 is the same as that described in S1806 to S1810 above.

[0129] Next, in S2014, the main controller 600 determines whether the amount of deviation d2 of the end ER from the ideal position is greater than the threshold t2, based on the position information of the end ER acquired in S2012. Specifically, in S2014, the difference between the position information of the end ER acquired in S2012 and the position information of the ideal position is acquired as the amount of deviation d2, and it is determined whether this amount of deviation d2 is greater than the threshold t2. If it is determined in S2014 that d2 > t2, the process proceeds to 2016, where the main controller 600 issues an error notification indicating that the transport position of the recording medium MR is not suitable for micro-margin recording, and terminates this adjustment process. At this time, a notification prompting removal of the recording medium MR may be issued, or a notification prompting re-feeding may be issued.

[0130] Furthermore, if it is determined in S2014 that d2 ≤ t2, the process proceeds to S2018, where the main controller 600 acquires position information of the end ER of the recording medium MR using the first sensor 302. Next, in S2020, the main controller 600 acquires a correction value to correct the position information acquired based on the detection result of the first sensor 302, based on the position information of the end ER acquired in S2012 and the position information of the end ER acquired in S2018. Then, in S2022, the main controller 600 places the recording medium MR in a predetermined position. After that, in S2024, the main controller 600 acquires position information of the end ER of the recording medium MR using the first sensor 302 and terminates this adjustment process. The specific processing content from S2018 to S2024 is the same as that described in S1812 to S1818 above.

[0131] Furthermore, if it is determined in S2006 that d1 > t2, the process proceeds to S2026, where the main controller 600 issues an error notification indicating that the transport position of the recording medium MR is not suitable for micro-margin recording. Also in S2026, the main controller 600 displays a selection screen on the operation unit 16 prompting the user to either repeat the transport position determination operation or cancel the recording based on the recording job.

[0132] Subsequently, in S2028, the main controller 600 determines whether or not the re-execution of the judgment operation is selected. If, in S2028, it is determined that the re-execution of the judgment operation is not selected, that is, that the recording has been canceled, then in S2030, the main controller 600 issues a notification prompting the removal of the recording medium MR (roll R), and terminates this adjustment process. The notification prompting the removal of the recording medium MR is issued via the operation unit 16 and the notification unit 18.

[0133] Furthermore, if it is determined in S2028 that the decision operation has been re-executed, the transport position of the recording medium MR is re-detected in S2032. Specifically, in S2032, the position information of the end ER of the recording medium MR is first re-acquired by the first sensor 302 or the second sensor 304 in single mode. Then, the difference between the acquired position information of the end ER and the position information of the ideal position is acquired as the displacement amount d3. Then, in S2034, the main controller 600 determines whether the displacement amount d3 acquired in S2032 is greater than the threshold t2.

[0134] If it is determined in S2034 that d3 ≤ t2, the process proceeds to S2008. If it is determined in S2034 that d3 > t2, the process proceeds to S2036, where the main controller 600 issues an error notification indicating that the transport state of the recording medium MR is not suitable for micro-margin recording. Then, in S2038, the main controller 600 displays a screen prompting the user to remove the recording medium MR (roll R), and terminates this adjustment process.

[0135] <Variation> • In the above explanation, the displacement amount d2 is obtained based on the position information of the end ER, but it is not limited to this, and may also be obtained based on the position information of the end EL. Also, the error notifications in S1912, S2016, and S2026 are performed based on the displacement amount from the ideal position of the end of the recording medium, but it is not limited to this. For example, they may be performed based on the degree of skew of the recording medium MR or the result of a comparison with the degree of skew.

[0136] <Effects and Effects> As described above, in the recording device 10 of this embodiment, during the paper feeding process, the transport position of the recording medium in the X direction is set to a position acceptable for recording with a border. Furthermore, during the adjustment process, when performing micro-margin recording, recording is performed only when the transport position of the recording medium in the X direction is a position acceptable for micro-margin recording. This suppresses the increase in the time required for paper feeding and adjustment processes, and allows processing to be performed in a transport state suitable for the recording to be performed, thereby improving user convenience.

[0137] (Fourth Embodiment) Next, a recording device according to the fourth embodiment will be described with reference to Figure 21. In the following description, detailed explanations of components that are the same as or equivalent to those in the recording device according to the first embodiment described above will be omitted, as the same reference numerals used in the first embodiment will be used.

[0138] If micro-margin recording has been performed at least once after the roll R has been replaced and the paper feeding process has been completed, the output adjustment of the second sensor 304 in differential mode using the transported recording medium M has already been performed during the previous micro-margin recording. Therefore, the fourth embodiment differs from the second embodiment described above in that the output adjustment of the second sensor 304 in differential mode is performed depending on whether the recording to be performed is a micro-margin recording performed for the first time after the paper feeding process. In the following description of the adjustment process, the case in which a sheet-shaped recording medium MR is unwound from the roll R and transported will be described as an example.

[0139] <Adjustment process> The adjustment process performed by the recording device 10 according to this embodiment will now be described. Figure 21 is a flowchart detailing the adjustment process performed by the recording device according to this embodiment. The series of processes shown in the flowchart of Figure 21 are performed by the main controller 600 loading the program code stored in the Flash ROM 402 into the RAM 404 and executing it. Alternatively, some or all of the functions of the steps in Figure 21 may be performed by hardware such as an ASIC or electrical circuit.

[0140] When the adjustment process begins, first, in S2102, the main controller 600 determines whether the recording to be performed is a micro-margin recording or not. If it is determined in S2102 that it is not a micro-margin recording, then in S2104, the main controller 600 obtains the position information of the end ER of the recording medium MR using the first sensor 302 and terminates this adjustment process. The specific processing details of S2102 and S2104 are as described above in S It is the same as 1802 and S1804.

[0141] In S2102, if it is determined that it is a micro-margin record, the process proceeds to S2106, where the main controller 600 determines whether or not it is the first micro-margin record to be executed after the paper feeding process. In the recording device 10, for example, when the paper feeding process is completed after replacing the roll R, a flag indicating that a micro-margin record has not been executed is turned ON, and then the flag is turned OFF when a micro-margin record is executed. Therefore, in S2102, it is determined whether or not the flag is ON. If the flag is ON, S2106 determines that it is the first micro-margin record to be executed after the paper feeding process. If the flag is OFF, S2106 determines that it is not the first micro-margin record to be executed after the paper feeding process. The method for determining whether the record to be executed is the first record to be executed is not limited to the method described above, and various known determination methods can be used.

[0142] In S2106, if it is determined that this is not the first micro-margin recording performed after the paper feeding process, that is, if it is the second or subsequent micro-margin recording performed after the paper feeding process, the process proceeds to S2112, which will be described later. Also, if it is determined in S2106 that this is the first micro-margin recording performed after the paper feeding process, the process proceeds to S2108, where the main controller 600 acquires the position information of the edge EL of the recording medium MR using the second sensor 304 in single mode. Then, in S2110, the main controller 600 performs output adjustment of the second sensor 304 in differential mode.

[0143] Next, in S2112, the main controller 600 acquires position information of the ends ER and EL of the recording medium MR using the second sensor 304 in differential mode. Then, in S2114, the main controller 600 acquires position information of the end ER of the recording medium MR using the first sensor 302. Subsequently, in S2116, the main controller 600 acquires a correction value to correct the position information acquired based on the detection result of the first sensor, based on the position information of the end ER acquired in S2114 and the position information of the end ER acquired in S2112.

[0144] Then, in S2118, the main controller 600 places the recording medium MR in a predetermined position. Furthermore, in S2120, the main controller 600 obtains the position information of the end ER of the recording medium MR using the first sensor 302, and terminates this adjustment process. The specific processing content from S2108 to S2120 is the same as that described in S1806 to S1818 above, so a detailed explanation is omitted.

[0145] <Effects and Effects> As described above, in the recording device 10 according to this embodiment, if the recording to be performed is the second or subsequent micro-margin recording performed after the paper feeding process, the output adjustment of the second sensor in differential mode and the related processing are omitted. Specifically, the process of acquiring the position information of the edge EL by the second sensor in single mode (S2108) and the output adjustment of the second sensor in differential mode (S2110) are omitted. As a result, when the recording device 10 performs the second or subsequent micro-margin recording after the paper feeding process, the time required for adjustment processing is shortened, and the recording process can be smoothly initiated.

[0146] (Other embodiments) This disclosure can also be implemented by supplying a program that implements one or more of the functions of the above embodiments to a system or device via a network or recording medium, and by having one or more processors in the computer of that system or device read and execute the program. It can also be implemented by a circuit (e.g., an ASIC) that implements one or more functions.

[0147] In the above embodiment, the first sensor 302 and the second sensor 304 are provided on the carriage 216, but the invention is not limited to this. The first sensor 302 and the second sensor 304 may be provided separately from the carriage 216, as long as they are configured to move in synchronization with the carriage 216. In this case, the first sensor 302 and the second sensor 304 are configured to move in synchronization with each other.

[0148] The various forms shown in the above embodiment and its variations may be combined as appropriate. The above disclosure of embodiments includes the following configurations and methods. (Composition 1) A recording head is mounted on a recording medium being transported, and a carriage is movable in the width direction of the recording medium intersecting the transport direction of the recording head, The carriage is provided with a light-emitting unit that irradiates the recording medium with light, and three light-receiving units that receive reflected light from the recording medium and are provided at different positions in the width direction, and the first detection means is switchable between a first mode in which the edge of the recording medium is detected based on the output corresponding to the amount of light received by one of the light-receiving units, and a second mode in which the edge is detected based on the difference in the output corresponding to the amount of light received by the two light-receiving units not used in the first mode. An acquisition means that acquires position information of the end based on the output from the first detection means in the first mode, and acquires position information of the end based on the output from the first detection means in the second mode, An adjustment means for performing a first output adjustment for adjusting the output from the first detection means in the first mode, and a second output adjustment for adjusting the output from the first detection means in the second mode, The system includes a recording control means capable of selectively performing a first recording in which the position information of the end is not acquired during recording, and a second recording in which the position information of the end is acquired during recording. The aforementioned adjustment means is Before performing the first recording, perform the first output adjustment, A recording device characterized by performing the first output adjustment and the second output adjustment before performing the second recording. (Configuration 2) The carriage further comprises a second detection means including a light-emitting unit that irradiates light onto the recording medium and a light-receiving unit that receives reflected light from the recording medium, The first detection means is provided on one side in the width direction of the carriage, The second detection means is provided on the other side in the width direction of the carriage, The acquisition means further acquires the position information of the end based on the output from the second detection means, The adjusting means further, A third output adjustment is performed to adjust the output from the second detection means. The recording device according to configuration 1, characterized in that the third output adjustment is performed before performing the first recording and the second recording. (Composition 3) The recording device according to configuration 2, further comprising a correction value acquisition means for acquiring the difference between the position information of the end acquired by the acquisition means based on the output from the first detection means in the second mode and the position information of the end acquired by the acquisition means based on the output from the second detection means, as a correction value for correcting the position information of the end acquired by the acquisition means based on the output from the second detection means. (Composition 4) The recording device according to configuration 3, further comprising setting means for correcting the position information of the end obtained by the acquisition means based on the output from the second detection means with the correction value and setting it as a reference value that will be the recording start position in the width direction when the second recording is performed. (Composition 5) A holding means for holding the recording medium, A transport means for transporting the recording medium held by the holding means, The system further includes a skew detection means for detecting skew that occurs when the recording medium is transported by the transport means, based on the position information of the end of the replaced recording medium held by the holding means at a first position after transport by the transport means, and the position information of the end of the recording medium at a second position after transporting a predetermined amount from the first position by the transport means, The recording device according to any one of configurations 1 to 4, wherein the adjustment means performs the first output adjustment before the skew detection means detects the skew. (Composition 6) A holding means for holding the recording medium, A transport means for transporting the recording medium held by the holding means, The system further includes a position detection means for detecting whether a first deviation amount, which is the deviation amount from a predetermined position of the position information of the end of the replaced recording medium held by the holding means at a first position after being transported by the transport means, is less than or equal to a first threshold indicating that the recording medium being transported by the transport means is at an acceptable first transport position in the first record. The recording device according to configuration 5, characterized in that the adjustment means performs the first output adjustment before the position detection means performs the detection. (Composition 7) The recording apparatus according to configuration 6, characterized in that, when the recording medium after replacement is in a standby position where it can be transported by the transport means, and the execution of the second recording is instructed, the position detection means detects, before performing the second output adjustment, that the first displacement is less than or equal to a second threshold indicating that the recording medium being transported by the transport means is in a second transport position acceptable for the second recording. (Composition 8) The recording device according to configuration 7, further comprising a notification means that, when the position detection means does not detect that the position is the second transport position, reacquires position information of the end of the recording medium being transported by the transport means and provides a notification prompting the user to either re-detect the second transport position or cancel the second recording. (Composition 9) The recording device according to configuration 7, characterized in that, after the execution of the second output adjustment, the position detection means detects that the second amount of deviation of the end position information acquired by the acquisition means based on the output from the first detection means in the second mode is less than or equal to the second threshold. (Composition 10) The device further has a holding means for holding the recording medium, A recording device according to any one of configurations 1 to 9, characterized in that the first output adjustment and the second output adjustment are not performed when the second record to be executed is the second or subsequent second record after the replacement of the recording medium in the holding means. (Composition 11) The first record described above is a record that fixes the recording area based on the position information of the end before recording, The recording device according to any one of configurations 1 to 10, characterized in that the second record is a record in which the recording area can be changed based on the position information of the end during recording. (Composition 12) The first record is a record that provides a visible margin at the end of the recording medium, The recording device according to configuration 11, characterized in that the second record is a record without a margin at the end of the recording medium, or a record with a margin that is difficult to see. (Composition 13) A recording head is mounted on a recording medium being transported, and a carriage is movable in the width direction of the recording medium intersecting the transport direction of the recording head, The carriage is provided with a light-emitting unit that irradiates the recording medium with light, and three light-receiving units that receive reflected light from the recording medium and are provided at different positions in the width direction, and the first detection means is switchable between a first mode in which the edge of the recording medium is detected based on the output corresponding to the amount of light received by one of the light-receiving units, and a second mode in which the edge is detected based on the difference in the output corresponding to the amount of light received by the two light-receiving units not used in the first mode. An acquisition means that acquires position information of the end based on the output from the first detection means in the first mode, and acquires position information of the end based on the output from the first detection means in the second mode, A control method for a recording device having an adjustment means for performing a first output adjustment for adjusting the output from the first detection means in the first mode, and a second output adjustment for adjusting the output from the first detection means in the second mode, A first adjustment step which performs the first output adjustment described above, The system includes a second adjustment step that performs the first output adjustment and the second output adjustment, The first adjustment step is performed before performing a first recording in which the position information of the end is not acquired during recording. The control method is characterized in that the second adjustment step is performed before performing a second recording that acquires position information of the end during recording. (Composition 14) The recording device is The carriage further comprises a second detection means including a light-emitting unit that irradiates light onto the recording medium and a light-receiving unit that receives reflected light from the recording medium, The acquisition means further acquires the position information of the end based on the output from the second detection means, The adjustment means further performs a third output adjustment to adjust the output from the second detection means, The control method according to configuration 13, characterized in that the first adjustment step and the second adjustment step further perform the third output adjustment. (Composition 15) The control method according to configuration 14, further comprising a correction value acquisition step of acquiring the difference between the position information of the end acquired by the acquisition means based on the output from the first detection means in the second mode and the position information of the end acquired by the acquisition means based on the output from the second detection means, as a correction value for correcting the position information of the end acquired by the acquisition means based on the output from the second detection means. (Composition 16) The recording device is A holding means for holding the recording medium, The system further comprises a transport means for transporting the recording medium held by the holding means, The control method described above is When the recording medium is replaced in the holding means, the system includes a skew detection step that detects skew occurring during the transport of the recording medium by the transport means, based on the position information of the end of the recording medium at a first position transported by the transport means and the position information of the end of the recording medium at a second position transported by the transport means by a predetermined amount from the first position. The control method according to any one of configurations 13 to 15, characterized in that the first adjustment step is performed before the oblique detection step. (Composition 17) The recording device is A holding means for holding the recording medium, The system further comprises a transport means for transporting the recording medium held by the holding means, The control method described above is When the recording medium is replaced in the holding means, the system further includes a first position detection step of detecting that the first deviation amount, which is the amount of deviation from a predetermined position of the position information of the end of the recording medium at a first position transported by the transport means, is less than or equal to a first threshold indicating that the recording medium is at a first transport position acceptable for the first recording. The control method according to any one of the configurations 16, characterized in that the first adjustment step is performed before the oblique detection step. (Composition 18) The control method according to configuration 16 or 17, characterized in that when the recording medium after replacement is in a standby position where it can be transported by the transport means, and the execution of the second recording is instructed, the first adjustment step is not performed in the second adjustment step. (Composition 19) The control method according to configuration 17, further comprising a second position detection step, before performing the second output adjustment, detecting that the first displacement amount is less than or equal to a second threshold indicating that the recording medium is in an acceptable second transport position for the second recording, when the second recording is instructed to be performed while the replaced recording medium is in a standby position that can be transported by the transport means. (Composition 20) The control method according to configuration 19, further comprising a notification step in which, if the second position detection step does not detect that the position is the second transport position, the system reacquires position information of the end of the recording medium being transported by the transport means and provides a notification prompting the system to either re-detect the second transport position or cancel the second recording. (Composition 21) The control method according to configuration 19, further comprising a third position detection step of detecting, after the execution of the second output adjustment, that the second amount of deviation, which is the amount of deviation from the predetermined position of the end position information acquired by the acquisition means based on the output from the first detection means in the second mode, is less than or equal to the second threshold. (Composition 22) The recording device further comprises a holding means for holding the recording medium, The control method according to any one of configurations 13 to 21, characterized in that the second adjustment step is not performed when the second record to be executed is the second or subsequent second record after the replacement of the recording medium in the holding means. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0149] 10 Recording device 304 Second Sensor 600 Main Controller 618 Position coordinate acquisition unit 620 Adjustment section

Claims

1. A recording head is mounted on a recording medium being transported, and a carriage is movable in the width direction of the recording medium intersecting the transport direction of the recording head, The carriage is provided with a light-emitting unit that irradiates the recording medium with light, and three light-receiving units that receive reflected light from the recording medium and are provided at different positions in the width direction, and the first detection means is switchable between a first mode in which the edge of the recording medium is detected based on the output corresponding to the amount of light received by one of the light-receiving units, and a second mode in which the edge is detected based on the difference in the output corresponding to the amount of light received by the two light-receiving units not used in the first mode. An acquisition means that acquires position information of the end based on the output from the first detection means in the first mode, and acquires position information of the end based on the output from the first detection means in the second mode, An adjustment means for performing a first output adjustment for adjusting the output from the first detection means in the first mode, and a second output adjustment for adjusting the output from the first detection means in the second mode, The system includes a recording control means capable of selectively performing a first recording in which the position information of the end is not acquired during recording, and a second recording in which the position information of the end is acquired during recording. The aforementioned adjustment means is Before performing the first recording, perform the first output adjustment, A recording device characterized by performing the first output adjustment and the second output adjustment before performing the second recording.

2. The carriage further comprises a second detection means including a light-emitting unit that irradiates light onto the recording medium and a light-receiving unit that receives reflected light from the recording medium, The first detection means is provided on one side in the width direction of the carriage, The second detection means is provided on the other side in the width direction of the carriage, The acquisition means further acquires the position information of the end based on the output from the second detection means, The adjusting means further, A third output adjustment is performed to adjust the output from the second detection means. The recording device according to claim 1, characterized in that the third output adjustment is performed before performing the first recording and the second recording.

3. The recording device according to claim 2, further comprising a correction value acquisition means for acquiring the difference between the position information of the end acquired by the acquisition means based on the output from the first detection means in the second mode and the position information of the end acquired by the acquisition means based on the output from the second detection means, as a correction value for correcting the position information of the end acquired by the acquisition means based on the output from the second detection means.

4. The recording device according to claim 3, further comprising setting means for correcting the position information of the end obtained by the acquisition means based on the output from the second detection means with the correction value and setting it as a reference value that will be the starting position of recording in the width direction when the second recording is performed.

5. A holding means for holding the recording medium, A transport means for transporting the recording medium held by the holding means, The system further includes a skew detection means for detecting skew that occurs when the recording medium is transported by the transport means, based on the position information of the end of the replaced recording medium held by the holding means at a first position after transport by the transport means, and the position information of the end of the recording medium at a second position after transporting a predetermined amount from the first position by the transport means, The recording device according to claim 1, wherein the adjustment means performs the first output adjustment before the skew detection means detects the skew.

6. A holding means for holding the recording medium, A transport means for transporting the recording medium held by the holding means, The system further includes a position detection means for detecting whether a first deviation amount, which is the amount of deviation from a predetermined position of the position information of the end of the replaced recording medium held by the holding means at a first position after being transported by the transport means, is less than or equal to a first threshold indicating that the recording medium being transported by the transport means is at an acceptable first transport position in the first record. The recording device according to claim 5, characterized in that the adjustment means performs the first output adjustment before the position detection means performs the detection.

7. The recording apparatus according to claim 6, characterized in that, when the recording medium after replacement is in a standby position where it can be transported by the transport means, and the execution of the second recording is instructed, the position detection means detects, before performing the second output adjustment, that the first displacement is less than or equal to a second threshold indicating that the recording medium being transported by the transport means is in a second transport position acceptable for the second recording.

8. The recording device according to claim 7, further comprising a notification means that, when the position detection means does not detect that the position is the second transport position, reacquires position information of the end of the recording medium being transported by the transport means and provides a notification prompting the user to either re-detect the second transport position or cancel the second recording.

9. The recording device according to claim 7, characterized in that, after the execution of the second output adjustment, the position detection means detects that the second amount of deviation of the position information of the end acquired by the acquisition means based on the output from the first detection means in the second mode, from the predetermined position, is less than or equal to the second threshold.

10. The device further has a holding means for holding the recording medium, The recording device according to claim 1, characterized in that the first output adjustment and the second output adjustment are not performed when the second record to be executed is the second or subsequent second record after the replacement of the recording medium in the holding means.

11. The first record described above is a record that fixes the recording area based on the position information of the end before recording, The recording device according to claim 1, characterized in that the second record is a record in which the recording area can be changed based on the position information of the end during recording.

12. The first record is a record that provides a visible margin at the end of the recording medium, The recording apparatus according to claim 11, characterized in that the second record is a record without a margin at the end of the recording medium, or a record with a margin that is difficult to see.

13. A recording head is mounted on a recording medium being transported, and a carriage is movable in the width direction of the recording medium intersecting the transport direction of the recording head, The carriage is provided with a light-emitting unit that irradiates the recording medium with light, and three light-receiving units that receive reflected light from the recording medium and are provided at different positions in the width direction, and the first detection means is switchable between a first mode in which the edge of the recording medium is detected based on the output corresponding to the amount of light received by one of the light-receiving units, and a second mode in which the edge is detected based on the difference in the output corresponding to the amount of light received by the two light-receiving units not used in the first mode. An acquisition means that acquires position information of the end based on the output from the first detection means in the first mode, and acquires position information of the end based on the output from the first detection means in the second mode, A control method for a recording device having adjustment means for performing a first output adjustment for adjusting the output from the first detection means in the first mode, and a second output adjustment for adjusting the output from the first detection means in the second mode, A first adjustment step in which the first output adjustment described above is performed, The system includes a second adjustment step that performs the first output adjustment and the second output adjustment, The first adjustment step is performed before performing a first recording in which the position information of the end is not acquired during recording. The control method is characterized in that the second adjustment step is performed before performing a second recording that acquires position information of the end during recording.

14. The recording device is The carriage further comprises a second detection means including a light-emitting unit that irradiates light onto the recording medium and a light-receiving unit that receives reflected light from the recording medium, The acquisition means further acquires the position information of the end based on the output from the second detection means, The adjustment means further performs a third output adjustment to adjust the output from the second detection means, The control method according to claim 13, further characterized in that the first adjustment step and the second adjustment step are performed by the third output adjustment.

15. The control method according to claim 14, further comprising a correction value acquisition step of acquiring the difference between the position information of the end acquired by the acquisition means based on the output from the first detection means in the second mode and the position information of the end acquired by the acquisition means based on the output from the second detection means, as a correction value for correcting the position information of the end acquired by the acquisition means based on the output from the second detection means.

16. The recording device is A holding means for holding the recording medium, The system further comprises a transport means for transporting the recording medium held by the holding means, The control method described above is When the recording medium is replaced in the holding means, the system includes a skew detection step that detects skew that occurs when the recording medium is transported by the transport means, based on the position information of the end of the recording medium at a first position transported by the transport means and the position information of the end of the recording medium at a second position transported by the transport means by a predetermined amount from the first position. The control method according to claim 13, characterized in that the first adjustment step is performed before the oblique detection step.

17. The recording device is A holding means for holding the recording medium, The system further comprises a transport means for transporting the recording medium held by the holding means, The control method described above is When the recording medium is replaced in the holding means, the system further includes a first position detection step of detecting that the first deviation amount, which is the amount of deviation from a predetermined position of the position information of the end of the recording medium at a first position transported by the transport means, is less than or equal to a first threshold indicating that the recording medium is at a first transport position acceptable for the first record. The control method according to claim 16, characterized in that the first adjustment step is performed before the oblique detection step.

18. The control method according to claim 16 or 17, characterized in that when the recording medium after replacement is in a standby position where it can be transported by the transport means, and the execution of the second recording is instructed, the first adjustment step is not performed in the second adjustment step.

19. The control method according to claim 17, further comprising a second position detection step, which, when the recording medium after replacement is positioned in a standby position where it can be transported by the transport means, and the execution of the second recording is instructed, detects, before performing the second output adjustment, that the first displacement amount is less than or equal to a second threshold indicating that the recording medium is in an acceptable second transport position for the second recording.

20. The control method according to claim 19, further comprising a notification step in which, if the second position detection step does not detect that the position is the second transport position, the position information of the end of the recording medium being transported by the transport means is reacquired and a notification is given prompting the user to either re-detect the second transport position or cancel the second recording.

21. The control method according to claim 19, further comprising a third position detection step of detecting, after the execution of the second output adjustment, that the second amount of deviation, which is the amount of deviation from the predetermined position of the end position information acquired by the acquisition means based on the output from the first detection means in the second mode, is less than or equal to the second threshold.

22. The recording device further comprises holding means for holding the recording medium, The control method according to claim 13, characterized in that the second adjustment step is not performed when the second record to be executed is the second or subsequent second record after the replacement of the recording medium in the holding means.

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