Image recording apparatus

Abstract

To prevent a recording agent and a medium from being wasted even if a medium different from a medium to be used to record an image is fed.SOLUTION: A control part executes: reception processing for receiving a recording indication including an indication specifying one of a roll sheet and a cut sheet as a recording sheet where an image is to be recorded; preliminary carrying processing (S17) for not recording the image on the sheet by a head after executing the reception processing, but carrying the sheet by a preliminary carrying length or longer by a carrying mechanism after a front end of the sheet reaches a detection position; and medium determination processing (S18) for determining, in response to detecting a rear end of the sheet by a rear end detection part during the preliminary carrying processing, whether or not the sheet fed by the feed roller is the recording sheet that the recording indication specifies.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 6

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an image recording apparatus including a roll body in which a long sheet-like medium is wound in a roll shape and a medium storage unit capable of storing a short sheet-like medium.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, an image recording apparatus including a roll body and a medium storage unit capable of storing a short sheet-like medium has been known. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a recording apparatus (image recording apparatus) having a roll paper holder in which roll paper (roll body) is set, a hopper in which a plurality of single sheets (short sheet-like media) are set in a stacked state, and a paper feed roller (feeding roller). In such a recording apparatus, when the roll paper is located at a position where it is picked up by the paper feed roller, the roll paper is fed by the paper feed roller. And when the single sheet is located at a position where it is picked up by the paper feed roller, the single sheet is fed by the paper feed roller.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] In an image recording apparatus such as Patent Document 1, even though an instruction to record an image on a roll medium, which is a sheet-like medium unwound from a roll body, has been given by the user, there is a possibility that a short sheet-like medium may be fed by the feed roller. Conversely, even though an instruction to record an image on a short sheet-like medium has been given by the user, there is a possibility that the roll medium may be fed by the feed roller. If a medium different from the medium to be used for image recording is fed in this way and an image is recorded on the medium, recording agents such as ink and the medium will be wasted.

[0005] An object of the present invention is to provide an image recording apparatus capable of preventing waste of a recording agent and a medium even when a medium different from the medium to be used for recording an image is fed.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] The image recording apparatus of the present invention includes a first portion capable of accommodating a roll body in which a long sheet-like medium is wound in a roll shape, and a second portion capable of accommodating a plurality of short sheet-like media stacked in a state, a medium accommodating portion having the second portion, a feeding roller that feeds either the roll medium, which is the sheet-like medium unwound from the roll body from the medium accommodating portion, or the short sheet-like medium, a transport mechanism that transports the medium fed by the feeding roller along the transport direction, a recording portion that is located on the downstream side in the transport direction from the feeding roller and records an image on the medium transported by the transport mechanism, a rear end detection portion capable of detecting a rear end, which is an end portion on the upstream side in the transport direction, of the medium transported by the transport mechanism at a detection position between the feeding roller and the recording portion, and a control portion. The length along the transport path from the detection position to an end portion on the upstream side in the transport direction at a recording position where the recording portion records an image on the medium in the transport path of the medium by the transport mechanism is shorter than the length along the transport direction of the short sheet-like medium.The control unit executes a reception process of receiving a recording instruction including an instruction to designate either the roll medium or the short-sheet-like medium as a recording medium for recording an image, and after executing the reception process, without recording an image on the medium by the recording unit, after the leading end, which is the downstream end of the medium in the conveyance direction, reaches the detection position by the conveyance mechanism, a preliminary conveyance process of conveying the medium by a length equal to or greater than the length of the short-sheet-like medium along the conveyance direction of the short-sheet-like medium, and a medium determination process of determining whether the medium fed by the feed roller is the recording medium according to the recording instruction. In the medium determination process, when the recording instruction designating the roll medium as the recording medium is received in the reception process, if the rear end of the medium is not detected by the rear end detection unit during the preliminary conveyance process, it is determined that the medium fed by the feed roller is the recording medium, and if the rear end of the medium is detected by the rear end detection unit during the preliminary conveyance process, it is determined that the medium fed by the feed roller is different from the recording medium. When the recording instruction designating the short-sheet-like medium as the recording medium is received in the reception process, if the rear end of the medium is detected by the rear end detection unit during the preliminary conveyance process, it is determined that the medium fed by the feed roller is the recording medium, and if the rear end of the medium is not detected by the rear end detection unit during the preliminary conveyance process, it is determined that the medium fed by the feed roller is different from the recording medium.

Effect of the Invention

[0007] According to the image recording apparatus of the present invention, based on the recording instruction received in the reception process and the detection result of the rear end of the medium by the rear end detection unit during the preliminary conveyance process executed without recording an image on the medium by the recording unit, it is possible to determine whether the medium fed by the feed roller is the recording medium according to the recording instruction. Therefore, even if a medium different from the medium to be used for recording an image is fed, it is possible to prevent the recording agent and the medium from being wasted.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0008]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5

Figure 6

Figure 7

Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[0009] <First Embodiment> The printer 100 (corresponding to the "image recording apparatus" of the present invention) according to a preferred first embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2. Here, the vertical direction, the front-rear direction, and the left-right direction shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 are defined as the vertical direction, the front-rear direction, and the left-right direction of the printer 100.

[0010] The printer 100 mainly includes a housing 100a, a feeding tray 1, a feeding roller 2, a conveying mechanism 3, a cutter 4, a head 5, a paper discharge tray 6, a roll body detection unit 71, a paper presence / absence detection unit 72, a rear end detection unit 73, a tray detection unit 74, a notification unit 8, and a control unit 10.

[0011] The feeding tray 1 (corresponding to the "medium storage part" of the present invention) is detachable from the lower part of the housing 100a. The feeding tray 1 is disposed below the head 5 within the housing 100a. The feeding tray 1 is insertable and removable along the front-rear direction with respect to the housing 100a through an opening 101 formed in the front wall of the housing 100a.

[0012] The feeding tray 1 has a main body part 1a composed of a bottom wall 18 and four side walls 19 provided at the edges of the bottom wall 18 (only two side walls 19 provided at the front and rear edges of the bottom wall 18 are shown in FIGS. 1 and 2). The feeding tray 1 is capable of accommodating the roll body R and the cut paper Kp. The feeding tray 1 has a roll body accommodating part 11a (corresponding to the "first part" of the present invention) capable of accommodating the roll body R as shown in FIG. 1, and a cut paper accommodating part 11b (corresponding to the "second part" of the present invention) capable of accommodating a plurality of cut papers Kp stacked in a state as shown in FIG. 2.

[0013] As shown in FIG. 1, the roll body R is formed by winding a long paper (corresponding to the "sheet-like medium" of the present invention) in a roll shape around the outer peripheral surface of a cylindrical core member Rc. The cut paper Kp is a paper (corresponding to the "sheet-like medium" of the present invention) shorter than the long paper constituting the roll body R, and is, for example, a paper of A4 size or B5 size. In the following description, when not distinguishing between the roll paper Rp unwound from the roll body R and the cut paper Kp, it may be referred to as "paper P".

[0014] The roll body accommodating part 11a accommodates the roll body R in a posture where the width direction of the roll paper Rp unwound from the roll body R coincides with the left-right direction. The roll body accommodating part 11a has two rollers 14, 15 and a roll cover 16. Both of the two rollers 14, 15 extend in the left-right direction and are arranged at a distance from each other in the front-rear direction. The rollers 14, 15 are each rotatable around a rotation axis extending along the left-right direction. The rollers 14, 15 support the roll body R from below in a state of being in contact with the outer peripheral surface of the lower part of the roll body R.

[0015] The roll cover 16 is a member that covers the roll body R housed in the roll body housing portion 11a. The roll cover 16 is detachable from the main body portion 1a or is configured to be rotatable about a rotation axis (not shown) extending along the left-right direction with respect to the main body portion 1a. By removing the roll cover 16 from the main body portion 1a or rotating it with respect to the main body portion 1a, the accommodation space of the roll body R can be exposed.

[0016] The cut paper storage portion 11b is located behind the roll body storage portion 11a. The cut paper storage portion 11b stores the cut paper Kp in a posture where the longitudinal direction of the cut paper Kp coincides with the left-right direction and the short-side direction coincides with the front-rear direction. The cut paper storage portion 11b has a support plate 17 that can support the cut paper Kp in a state where a plurality of sheets are stacked from below. The support plate 17 is disposed to face the bottom wall 18 of the feed tray 1. A convex portion 18a protruding upward is formed at the center in the left-right direction at the rear end portion (the right end portion in FIGS. 1 and 2) of the bottom wall 18 of the feed tray 1. A notch 17a is formed at the center in the left-right direction at the rear end portion (the right end portion in FIGS. 1 and 2) of the support plate 17. The upper surface of the convex portion 18a formed on the bottom wall 18 in a top view is located within the notch 17a.

[0017] The feed roller 2 feeds the sheet P from the feed tray 1. The feed roller 2 is disposed above the support plate 17 of the cut paper storage portion 11b. The feed roller 2 is pivotally supported at the tip of the arm 2a and rotates by the drive of a feed motor (not shown). The arm 2a is rotatably supported by a support shaft 2b. The support shaft 2b is supported by the housing 100a. The arm 2a is biased by a biasing member (not shown) so that the feed roller 2 approaches the bottom wall 18 of the feed tray 1.

[0018] When there is no sheet P on the upper surface of the convex portion 18a, the feed roller 2 contacts the upper surface of the convex portion 18a. When there is a sheet P on the upper surface of the convex portion 18a, the feed roller 2 contacts the sheet P. When the feed roller 2 is in contact with the sheet P and the feed motor is driven under the control of the control unit 10, the feed roller 2 rotates, and a conveying force in the direction from the front to the rear is applied to the sheet P in contact with the feed roller 2. Thereby, the sheet P is fed from the feed tray 1.

[0019] A separating piece 35 is arranged on the rear side of the feed tray 1. The separating piece 35 is for preventing double feeding when the cut sheet Kp is sent out from the feed tray 1 by the feed roller 2. The separating piece 35 is inclined such that the rear end is positioned above the front end. The separating piece 35 contacts the central portion in the width direction of the cut sheet Kp and separates the cut sheet Kp in contact with the feed roller 2 from the other cut sheets Kp. The sheet P sent out from the feed tray 1 and contacting the separating piece 35 is guided obliquely upward.

[0020] The transport mechanism 3 transports the sheet P fed from the feed tray 1 by the feed roller 2 so that it passes through the recording position A (see FIG. 1) of the head 5 described later and reaches the discharge tray 6. In the following description, the transport direction of the sheet P by the transport mechanism 3 from the feed tray 1 to the discharge tray 6 is simply referred to as the "transport direction". The transport mechanism 3 can also transport the sheet P in the direction opposite to the transport direction (the direction from the discharge tray 6 to the feed tray 1). Send direction (the direction from the discharge tray 6 to the feed tray 1).

[0021] The transport mechanism 3 includes an intermediate roller pair 31, a transport roller pair 32, and a discharge roller pair 33. The intermediate roller pair 31 is composed of a drive roller that rotates forward and backward by the drive of an intermediate motor (not shown) and a driven roller that rotates with the drive roller. When the intermediate motor is driven under the control of the control unit 10, the intermediate roller pair 31 rotates while sandwiching the sheet P and transports the sheet P. The intermediate roller pair 31 is located above the rear end of the feed tray 1. The intermediate roller pair 31 transports the sheet P sent out from the feed tray 1 by the feed roller 2 and going obliquely upward while sandwiching it.

[0022] The conveying roller pair 32 is composed of a driving roller that rotates forward and backward by the drive of a conveying motor (not shown) and a driven roller that rotates with the driving roller. The conveying roller pair 32 can correct the skew of the sheet P by the front end of the sheet P conveyed by the intermediate roller pair 31 coming into contact therewith. The paper discharge roller pair 33 is composed of a driving roller that rotates forward and backward by the drive of a paper discharge motor (not shown) and a driven roller that rotates with the driving roller. When the conveying motor and the paper discharge motor are driven under the control of the control unit 10, the conveying roller pair 32 and the paper discharge roller pair 33 rotate while sandwiching the sheet P and convey the sheet P.

[0023] The conveying roller pair 32 is located behind the head 5, and the paper discharge roller pair 33 is located in front of the head 5. The conveying roller pair 32 conveys the sheet P upward by the intermediate roller pair 31 and then conveys it forward while sandwiching the sheet P guided forward by a guide (not shown). Before the conveying roller pair 32 sandwiches the sheet P, the skew correction of the sheet P is performed by bringing the front end of the sheet P conveyed by the intermediate roller pair 31 into contact with the conveying roller pair 32 in a state where the conveying roller pair 32 is stopped or reversed. The conveying roller pair 32 sandwiches and conveys the sheet P after performing the skew correction of the sheet P. The paper discharge roller pair 33 conveys the sheet P conveyed forward by the conveying roller pair 32 forward while sandwiching it.

[0024] The cutter 4 is located between the rear end of the feeding tray 1 and the intermediate roller pair 31. The cutter 4 is composed of, for example, a disk-shaped rotary blade and a driven blade. Further, the cutter 4 may be composed of a rotary blade and a fixed blade. The cutter 4 rotates the rotary blade by the drive of a cutting motor (not shown) and reciprocates in the left-right direction. The roll paper Rp unwound and conveyed from the roll body R is cut in the width direction by the cutter 4 when the cutting motor is driven under the control of the control unit 10. Thereby, a rear end is formed on the roll paper Rp sent to the paper discharge tray 6.

[0025] The head 5 (corresponding to the "recording unit" of the present invention) includes a plurality of nozzles (not shown) formed on the lower surface and a driver IC (not shown). The head 5 is located on the downstream side in the conveyance direction from the paper feed roller 2, and records an image on the paper P fed from the paper feed tray 1 by the paper feed roller 2 and conveyed by the conveyance mechanism 3. The position facing the lower surface of the head 5 in the conveyance path of the paper P by the conveyance mechanism 3 is the recording position A where the head 5 records an image on the paper P. When the driver IC is driven under the control of the control unit 10, ink is ejected from the nozzles, and an image is recorded on the paper P when the paper P conveyed by the conveyance mechanism 3 passes through the recording position A. Note that the head 5 may be either a line type that ejects ink from the nozzles in a fixed position or a serial type that ejects ink from the nozzles while moving in the left-right direction.

[0026] The paper discharge tray 6 forms the upper front side wall of the housing 100a and is openable and closable with respect to the housing 100a. The paper P on which an image has been recorded by the head 5 is conveyed forward by the conveyance mechanism 3 and received by the open paper discharge tray 6. Thereby, the paper P is discharged from the printer 100 (inside the housing 100a).

[0027] When setting the roll paper Rp on the paper feed tray 1, first pull out the paper feed tray 1 from the housing 100a, operate the roll cover 16 to expose the accommodation space of the roll body R in the roll body accommodation portion 11a, and support the roll body R on the rollers 14 and 15. Subsequently, send the roll paper Rp backward until the leading end portion of the roll paper Rp unwound from the roll body R passes between the bottom wall 18 of the paper feed tray 1 and the support plate 17 and reaches the upper surface of the convex portion 18a or behind the convex portion 18a. Then, cover the roll body R with the roll cover 16 and insert the paper feed tray 1 into the housing 100a. Thereby, the roll paper Rp is set on the paper feed tray 1, the paper feed roller 2 comes into contact with the roll paper Rp, and the roll paper Rp can be fed.

[0028] When setting the cut paper Kp on the feed tray 1, first pull out the feed tray 1 from the housing 100a, and place a plurality of cut papers Kp stacked on the support plate 17 of the cut paper storage section 11b. Then, insert the feed tray 1 into the housing 100a. As a result, the cut paper Kp is set on the feed tray 1, the feed roller 2 comes into contact with the cut paper Kp, and the cut paper Kp can be fed. Since the cut paper Kp is stored in the cut paper storage section 11b with the short side direction aligned with the front-rear direction, the cut paper Kp sent rearward by the feed roller 2 is conveyed by the conveying mechanism 3 in a posture where its short side direction is along the conveying direction.

[0029] The roll body detection unit 71 can detect whether the roll body R is stored in the roll body storage section 11a of the feed tray 1. More specifically, the roll body detection unit 71 detects the roll paper Rp unwound from the roll body R, thereby detecting that the roll body R is stored in the roll body storage section 11a. The roll body detection unit 71 is provided below and rearward of the roller 15 in the roll body storage section 11a.

[0030] As shown in FIG. 3, the roll body detection unit 71 includes an actuator 71a and a sensor 71b. The actuator 71a is rotatably supported about the rotation axis 71a2. The axial direction of the rotation axis 71a2 is parallel to the left-right direction. The sensor 71b is a sensor that detects the actuator 71a. The sensor 71b is, for example, a photosensor having a light emitting element and a light receiving element (not shown). The actuator 71a is biased in the counterclockwise direction in FIG. 3 by a biasing member (not shown), and when no external force is applied, as shown in FIG. 3(a), it is located in the delivery path of the roll paper Rp from the roll body storage section 11a. At this time, the actuator 71a does not block the optical path of the sensor 71b.

[0031] As shown in FIG. 3(a), when the roll body R is not accommodated in the roll body accommodating portion 11a, no external force is applied to the actuator 71a, and the actuator 71a is positioned at a position where it does not block the optical path of the sensor 71b. On the other hand, when the roll body R is accommodated in the roll body accommodating portion 11a and the roll paper Rp unwound from the roll body R contacts the actuator 71a as shown in FIG. 3(b), the actuator 71a is pushed downward by the roll paper Rp. As a result, the actuator 71a rotates in the clockwise direction in FIG. 3 about the rotation axis 71a2, and blocks the optical path of the sensor 71b. Thereby, the roll body detection unit 71 can detect that the roll body R is accommodated in the roll body accommodating portion 11a.

[0032] The paper presence / absence detection unit 72 (corresponding to the "medium presence / absence detection unit" of the present invention) can detect whether or not the paper P is disposed at a feeding position where the paper P can be fed by the feeding roller 2. The paper presence / absence detection unit 72 is attached to the arm 2a.

[0033] As shown in FIG. 4, the paper presence / absence detection unit 72 includes an actuator 72a and a sensor 72b. The actuator 72a is supported by the arm 2a so as to be rotatable about the rotation axis 72a2. The axial direction of the rotation axis 72a2 is parallel to the left-right direction. The sensor 72b is a sensor that detects the actuator 72a. The sensor 72b is attached to the arm 2a. The sensor 72b is, for example, a photosensor having a light emitting element and a light receiving element (not shown). The actuator 72a is biased in the clockwise direction in FIG. 4 by a biasing member (not shown), and when no external force is applied, one end portion (the right end portion in FIG. 4) thereof is positioned below the lower end portion of the feeding roller 2. At this time, the other end portion (the left end portion in FIG. 4) of the actuator 72a does not block the optical path of the sensor 72b.

[0034] Note that, above the upper part of the convex portion 18a provided on the bottom wall 18 of the paper feed tray 1, a recess (not shown) for receiving one end of the actuator 72a located below the lower end of the paper feed roller 2 is formed. Therefore, when the paper feed roller 2 contacts the upper surface of the convex portion 18a, one end of the actuator 72a is located inside the recess and is positioned below the lower end of the paper feed roller 2.

[0035] When the paper P is not located at the paper feed position of the paper feed roller 2, no external force is applied to the actuator 72a, and as shown in FIG. 4(a), the actuator 72a is positioned at a position where it does not block the optical path of the sensor 72b. On the other hand, when the paper P is located at the paper feed position of the paper feed roller 2, as shown in FIG. 4(b), the paper P located on the upper surface of the convex portion 18a contacts the actuator 72a. Note that FIG. 4(b) shows the case when the roll paper Rp unwound from the roll body R is located at the paper feed position of the paper feed roller 2. At this time, one end of the actuator 72a is pushed upward by the paper P, causing the actuator 72a to rotate counterclockwise in FIG. 4 about the rotation axis 72a2 and block the optical path of the sensor 72b. Thereby, the paper presence / absence detection unit 72 can detect that the paper P is located at the detection position of the paper feed roller 2.

[0036] The rear end detection unit 73 can detect the rear end, which is the upstream end in the conveyance direction of the paper P conveyed by the conveyance mechanism 3, at the detection position between the paper feed roller 2 and the head 5. The rear end detection unit 73 is disposed in the vicinity of the intermediate roller pair 31, on the upstream side in the conveyance direction from the intermediate roller pair 31, and on the downstream side in the conveyance direction from the cutter 4. The rear end detection unit 73 is, for example, a transmissive or reflective photosensor having a light emitting element and a light receiving element (not shown) that emit light toward the conveyance path of the paper P by the conveyance mechanism 3. By the change in the output signal from the rear end detection unit 73, it is possible to detect whether or not the paper P is present at the detection position. That is, when changing from a state where the paper P is present at the detection position to a state where it is not, it is possible to detect that the rear end of the paper P has passed through the detection position.

[0037] Note that the length along the conveyance path from the detection position of the trailing edge detection unit 73 to the upstream end in the conveyance direction at the recording position A of the head 5 (hereinafter simply referred to as the "upstream end of the recording position A") is shorter than the preliminary conveyance length which is the conveyance length of the sheet P in the preliminary conveyance process described later.

[0038] The tray detection unit 74 is provided at a portion that defines the accommodation space of the paper feed tray 1 in the housing 100a. The tray detection unit 74 is, for example, a transmissive or reflective photosensor having a light emitting element and a light receiving element (not shown) that emit light toward the accommodation space of the paper feed tray 1. By the change in the output signal from the tray detection unit 74, it is possible to detect that the paper feed tray 1 has been removed from the housing 100a and that the paper feed tray 1 has been inserted into the housing 100a.

[0039] The notification unit 8 is for notifying the user of information. The notification unit 8 is, for example, a display provided on the printer 100 that displays the information to be notified to the user. Alternatively, the notification unit 8 is a speaker provided on the printer 100 that emits the information to be notified to the user as sound.

[0040] The control unit 10 is connected via an internal bus (not shown) to the paper feed motor, intermediate motor, conveyance motor, paper discharge motor, cutting motor, driver IC, roll body detection unit 71, paper presence / absence detection unit 72, trailing edge detection unit 73, tray detection unit 74, notification unit 8, etc. The control unit 10 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit), ROM (Read Only Memory), and RAM (Random Access Memory). Programs and data for the CPU to perform various controls are stored in the ROM. The RAM temporarily stores data used when the CPU executes programs.

[0041] The control unit 10 executes a reception process for receiving a recording instruction. The recording instruction is input by the user via an input device (not shown) such as a keyboard. In the reception process, the recording instruction input by the user is received. The recording instruction includes an instruction for designating either the roll paper Rp or the cut paper Kp as the recording paper for recording an image, and the image data related to the image to be recorded on the recording paper.

[0042] The printer 100 performs image recording with either the roll paper Rp or the cut paper Kp accommodated in the paper feed tray 1. When the control unit 10 detects by the roll detection unit 71 that the roll paper Rp is not accommodated, and detects by the paper presence / absence detection unit 72 that the paper P is arranged at the paper feed position, it can be determined that the cut paper Kp is accommodated in the paper feed tray 1. Further, when the control unit 10 detects by the roll detection unit 71 that the roll paper Rp is accommodated, and detects by the paper presence / absence detection unit 72 that the paper P is arranged at the paper feed position, it can be determined that the roll paper Rp is accommodated in the paper feed tray 1.

[0043] However, there may be a case where the user erroneously executes image recording with both the roll paper Rp and the cut paper Kp accommodated in the paper feed tray 1. Therefore, when the roll detection unit 71 detects that the roll paper Rp is accommodated, and the paper presence / absence detection unit 72 detects that the paper P is arranged at the paper feed position, it is not always the case that only the roll paper Rp is accommodated in the paper feed tray 1, and there is a possibility that both the roll paper Rp and the cut paper Kp are accommodated.

[0044] Also, when both the roll paper Rp and the cut paper Kp are accommodated in the paper feed tray 1, the cut paper Kp stacked in plurality on the roll paper Rp is arranged at the paper feed position of the paper feed roller 2, and the cut paper Kp is fed by the paper feed roller 2. Therefore, even if the recording instruction received in the reception process designates the roll paper Rp as the recording paper, the cut paper Kp is fed by the paper feed roller 2.

[0045] Therefore, when the control unit 10 is detected by the roll paper detection unit 71 that the roll paper Rp is accommodated, and is detected by the paper presence / absence detection unit 72 that the paper P is arranged at the feeding position, and receives a recording instruction to specify the roll paper Rp as the recording paper in the reception process, the control unit 10 executes a paper determination process (corresponding to the "medium determination process" of the present invention) to determine whether the paper P fed by the feeding roller 2 is the roll paper Rp. As will be described later, the paper determination process is performed based on the detection result of the rear end of the paper P by the rear end detection unit 73 during the preliminary conveyance process.

[0046] When the control unit 10 is detected by the roll paper detection unit 71 that the roll paper Rp is accommodated, and is detected by the paper presence / absence detection unit 72 that the paper P is arranged at the feeding position, and receives a recording instruction to specify the roll paper Rp as the recording paper in the reception process, the control unit 10 first executes a preliminary conveyance process. In the preliminary conveyance process, after executing the reception process, without recording an image on the paper P by the head 5, the conveyance mechanism 3 conveys the paper P by a length equal to or greater than the preliminary conveyance length after the leading end, which is the downstream end of the paper P in the conveyance direction, reaches the detection position of the rear end detection unit 73.

[0047] In the present embodiment, the preliminary conveyance length is the length along the conveyance direction of the cut paper Kp having the maximum size that can be accommodated in the cut paper storage unit 11b. The preliminary conveyance length may be, for example, the length along the conveyance direction of the cut paper Kp specified for the cut paper Kp used by the printer 100 by the user. In this case, the length along the conveyance path from the detection position of the rear end detection unit 73 to the upstream end of the recording position A is designed to be shorter than the length along the conveyance direction of the cut paper Kp having the minimum size that can be used by the printer 100.

[0048] In the preliminary conveyance process, the conveyance mechanism 3 conveys the sheet P so that the sheet P does not bend between the detection position and the head 5. As described above, since the length along the conveyance path from the detection position to the upstream end of the recording position A is shorter than the preliminary conveyance length, by the preliminary conveyance process, as shown in FIG. 1, the sheet P is conveyed until the leading end of the sheet P is located downstream in the conveyance direction from the upstream end in the conveyance direction at the recording position A.

[0049] The preliminary conveyance process is executed after the reception process is first executed after the power of the printer 100 is turned on, and after the reception process is first executed after it is detected by the tray detection unit 74 that the feed tray 1 has been inserted into the housing 100a.

[0050] In the sheet determination process, when the rear end of the sheet P is not detected by the rear end detection unit 73 during the preliminary conveyance process, it is determined that the sheet P fed by the feed roller 2 is the roll paper Rp (that is, the recording paper specified by the recording instruction). Also, when the rear end of the sheet P is detected by the rear end detection unit 73 during the preliminary conveyance process, it is determined that the sheet P fed by the feed roller 2 is not the roll paper Rp but the cut sheet Kp (that is, a sheet different from the recording paper specified by the recording instruction).

[0051] When the control unit 10 receives a recording instruction that designates the roll paper Rp as the recording paper in the reception process, the control unit 10 executes a recording area determination process based on the image data received in the reception process. In the recording area determination process, it is determined whether or not the portion of the roll paper Rp that is conveyed downstream in the conveyance direction from the upstream end of the recording position A by executing the preliminary conveyance process includes a recording area where an image is to be recorded.

[0052] When the control unit 10 determines in the sheet determination process that the sheet P fed by the feed roller 2 is the roll paper Rp, the control unit 10 conveys the sheet P (that is, the roll paper Rp) in the reverse Send direction according to the determination result in the recording area determination process. SendExecute the process. That is, in the recording area determination process, conversely, when it is determined that the recording area is included in the portion of the roll paper Rp that is conveyed downstream in the conveyance direction from the upstream end of the recording position A Send Execute the process, and conversely, when it is determined that the recording area is not included Send Do not execute the process. Conversely Send In the process, the roll paper Rp is conveyed in the reverse direction until the recording area on the roll paper Rp reaches the position upstream of the upstream end of the recording position A in the conveyance direction Send in the reverse direction.

[0053] When the control unit 10 receives a recording instruction that designates the roll paper Rp as the recording paper in the reception process and the rear end of the paper P is detected by the rear end detection unit 73 during the preliminary conveyance process, the conveyance mechanism 3 discharges the paper P (that is, the cut paper Kp) from the printer 100 and executes the discharge process.

[0054] Next, the operation when the printer 100 records an image on the paper P will be described with reference to the flowcharts shown in FIGS. 5 and 6. First, the control unit 10 determines whether or not a reception process for receiving a recording instruction input by the user has been executed (S1). The process of step S1 is repeatedly performed until it is determined that the reception process has been executed.

[0055] If it is determined in step S1 that the reception process has been executed (S1: YES), the control unit 10 determines whether or not the roll body R is detected as being accommodated by the roll body detection unit 71 (S2). If it is not detected that the roll body R is accommodated (S2: NO), the control unit 10 determines whether or not the paper P is detected as being arranged at the feeding position by the paper presence / absence detection unit 72 (S3).

[0056] When it is not detected that the sheet P is placed at the feeding position (S3: NO), the control unit 10 determines that neither the roll body R nor the cut sheet Kp is accommodated in the feeding tray 1. Then, it is determined whether the cut sheet Kp is specified as the recording paper in the recording instruction received in step S1 (S4). When the recording instruction is the cut sheet Kp (S4: YES), the control unit 10 controls the notification unit 8 to notify the user that the cut sheet Kp is to be set on the feeding tray 1 (S5), and returns to step S2 described above. When the recording instruction is the roll paper Rp (S4: NO), the control unit 10 controls the notification unit 8 to notify the user that the roll paper Rp is to be set on the feeding tray 1 (S6), and returns to step S2 described above.

[0057] On the other hand, when it is detected that the sheet P is placed at the feeding position (S3: YES), the control unit 10 determines that the cut sheet Kp is accommodated in the feeding tray 1, and determines whether the cut sheet Kp is specified as the recording paper in the recording instruction received in step S1 (S7). When the recording instruction is the cut sheet Kp (S7: YES), the cut sheet Kp is fed from the feeding tray 1 by the feeding roller 2, and an image is recorded on the cut sheet Kp conveyed in the conveying direction by the conveying mechanism 3 (S8), and the process ends. When the recording instruction is the roll paper Rp (S7: NO), the process proceeds to step S6 described above.

[0058] Also, in step S2, when it is detected that the roll body R is accommodated (S2: YES), the control unit 10 determines whether it is detected by the paper presence / absence detection unit 72 that the sheet P is placed at the feeding position (S9). When it is not detected that the sheet P is placed at the feeding position (S9: NO), the control unit 10 determines that the roll body R is accommodated in the feeding tray 1, but the roll paper Rp is not correctly set. Then, it is determined whether the roll paper Rp is specified as the recording paper in the recording instruction received in step S1 (S10).

[0059] When the recording instruction is the roll paper Rp (S10: YES), the control unit 10 controls the notification unit 8 to notify the user that the roll paper Rp is correctly set on the paper feed tray 1 (S11), and returns to the above-mentioned step S2. When the recording instruction is the cut paper Kp (S10: NO), the control unit 10 controls the notification unit 8 to notify the user that the cut paper Kp is set on the paper feed tray 1 (S12), and returns to the above-mentioned step S2.

[0060] On the other hand, when it is detected that the paper P is arranged at the paper feed position (S9: YES), the control unit 10 determines that the roll body R is accommodated in the paper feed tray 1 and the roll paper Rp is correctly set. Then, the control unit 10 determines whether the roll paper Rp is specified as the recording paper in the recording instruction received in step S1 (S13). When the recording instruction is the cut paper Kp (S13: NO), the process proceeds to the above-mentioned step S12.

[0061] Also, when the recording instruction is the roll paper Rp (S13: YES), the control unit 10 determines whether the reception process determined to be executed in the most recent step S1 is the reception process first executed after the power of the printer 100 is turned on (S14). If it is determined that it is the reception process first executed (S14: YES), the process proceeds to step S17 described later. On the other hand, if it is determined that it is not the reception process first executed (S14: NO), the control unit 10 determines whether the insertion / removal of the paper feed tray 1 is detected by the tray detection unit 74 after the power of the printer 100 is turned on (S15).

[0062] If it is determined that the insertion / removal of the paper feed tray 1 has not been detected after the power is turned on (S15: NO), the process proceeds to step S22 described later. On the other hand, if it is determined that the insertion / removal of the paper feed tray 1 has been detected after the power is turned on (S15: YES), the control unit 10 determines whether the reception process determined to have been executed in the most recent step S1 is the reception process first executed after the paper feed tray 1 is inserted into the housing 100a (S16). If it is determined that it is not the reception process first executed (S16: NO), the process proceeds to step S22 described later. Also, if it is determined that it is the reception process first executed (S16: YES), the control unit 10 executes a preliminary conveyance process (S17).

[0063] Thereafter, the control unit 10 executes a paper determination process to determine whether the paper P fed by the paper feed roller 2 is a roll paper Rp (S18). If it is determined that the fed paper P is a cut paper Kp (S18: NO), the control unit 10 executes a discharge process of discharging the cut paper Kp from the printer 100 by the conveyance mechanism 3 (S19). On the other hand, if it is determined that the fed paper P is a roll paper Rp (S18: YES), the control unit 10 executes a recording area determination process to determine whether a recording area is included in a portion of the roll paper Rp that is conveyed downstream in the conveyance direction from the upstream end of the recording position A by executing a preliminary conveyance process on the roll paper Rp, and determines whether it is necessary to reverse the roll paper Rp Send (S20).

[0064] Reverse the roll paper Rp Send If it is determined that it is necessary to reverse the roll paper Rp (S20: YES), the control unit 10 executes a reverse Send process (S21) and proceeds to step S22 described later. On the other hand, if it is determined that it is not necessary to reverse the roll paper Rp Send (S20: NO), the control unit 10 records an image on the roll paper Rp while conveying the roll paper Rp in the conveyance direction by the conveyance mechanism 3 (S22) and ends the process.

[0065] (Effect of the First Embodiment) As described above, the printer 100 of the first embodiment includes a roll body accommodating portion 11a capable of accommodating a roll body R, a cut paper accommodating portion 11b capable of accommodating cut paper Kp, a feed tray 1 having the same, a feed roller 2 for feeding either roll paper Rp or cut paper Kp as a sheet P from the feed tray 1, a conveyance mechanism 3 for conveying the sheet P, a head 5 for recording an image on the sheet P conveyed by the conveyance mechanism 3, a rear end detection portion 73 capable of detecting the rear end of the sheet P at a detection position between the feed roller 2 and the head 5, and a control portion 10. The control portion 10 performs a reception process of receiving a recording instruction including an instruction to specify either roll paper Rp or cut paper Kp as a recording sheet for recording an image, and after executing the reception process, without recording an image on the sheet P by the head 5, by the conveyance mechanism 3, after the leading end of the sheet P reaches the detection position, a preliminary conveyance process of conveying the sheet P by a length equal to or greater than a preliminary conveyance length, and based on the detection result of the rear end of the sheet P by the rear end detection portion 73 performed during the preliminary conveyance process, a sheet determination process of determining whether the sheet P fed by the feed roller 2 is the recording sheet according to the recording instruction.

[0066] According to the above configuration, based on the recording instruction received in the reception process and the detection result of the rear end of the sheet P by the rear end detection portion 73 during the preliminary conveyance process executed without recording an image on the sheet P by the head 5, it is possible to determine whether the sheet P fed by the feed roller 2 is the recording sheet according to the recording instruction. Therefore, even if a sheet P different from the sheet P to be used for recording an image is fed, it is possible to prevent the ink and the sheet P from being wasted.

[0067] Also, in the printer 100 of the above-described embodiment, in the preliminary conveyance process, the control portion 10 causes the conveyance mechanism 3 to convey the sheet P after the leading end of the sheet P reaches the detection position until the leading end of the sheet P is located downstream in the conveyance direction from the upstream end portion at the recording position A. Therefore, in the preliminary conveyance process, compared with the case where the leading end of the sheet P is not located downstream in the conveyance direction from the upstream end portion at the recording position A, it is less likely for a large deflection to be formed in the sheet P. Thus, it is possible to suppress the occurrence of wrinkles or the like on the sheet P.

[0068] Furthermore, in the printer 100 of the above-described embodiment, when the control unit 10 receives a recording instruction that designates the roll paper Rp as the recording paper in the reception process, and in the paper determination process, when it is determined that the paper P fed by the feed roller 2 is the recording paper (i.e., the roll paper Rp), the paper P is reversed Send and the reverse Send conveying process is executed. Therefore, an image can also be recorded on the leading end portion of the roll paper Rp conveyed to the downstream side in the conveying direction beyond the upstream end portion at the recording position A in the preliminary conveying process.

[0069] In addition, in the printer 100 of the above-described embodiment, the control unit 10 executes a recording area determination process for determining whether or not a recording area in which an image is to be recorded is included in a portion of the paper P that is conveyed to the downstream side in the conveying direction from the upstream end portion at the recording position A by executing the preliminary conveying process on the paper P based on the image data received in the reception process. Then, in the recording area determination process, when it is determined that the recording area is included, the reverse Send process is executed, and when it is determined that the recording area is not included, the reverse Send process is not executed. Therefore, even when the recording area is not included in the portion of the paper P that is conveyed to the downstream side in the conveying direction from the upstream end portion at the recording position A by executing the preliminary conveying process on the paper P, the influence of time loss in image recording can be reduced as compared with the case where the reverse Send process is executed.

[0070] Also, in the printer 100 of the above-described embodiment, the control unit 10 executes the preliminary conveying process after executing the reception process for the first time after the power is turned on, and after executing the reception process for the first time after it is detected by the tray detection unit 74 that the feed tray 1 has been inserted into the housing 100a. Therefore, the influence of time loss in image recording can be reduced as compared with the case where the preliminary conveying process is executed every time the reception process is executed.

[0071] Furthermore, in the printer 100 of the above-described embodiment, when the control unit 10 receives a recording instruction that designates the roll paper Rp as the recording paper in the reception process, and the trailing edge of the paper P is detected by the trailing edge detection unit 73 during the preliminary conveyance process, the conveyance mechanism 3 executes a discharge process of discharging the paper P from the printer 100. Therefore, when the recording paper for the recording instruction is the roll paper Rp and the paper P fed by the feed roller 2 is the cut paper Kp, the cut paper Kp can be discharged from the printer 100 without recording an image on the cut paper Kp.

[0072] In addition, in the printer 100 of the above-described embodiment, when the control unit 10 is detected by the roll body detection unit 71 that the roll body R is accommodated, and is detected by the paper presence / absence detection unit 72 that the paper P is arranged at the feeding position, and when the control unit 10 receives a recording instruction that designates the roll paper Rp as the recording paper in the reception process, the control unit 10 executes a preliminary conveyance process. When it is detected by the roll body detection unit 71 that the roll body R is accommodated, and it is detected by the paper presence / absence detection unit 72 that the paper P is arranged at the feeding position, both the roll body R and the cut paper Kp may be accommodated in the feed tray 1, and the cut paper Kp may be arranged at the feeding position. Therefore, in such a case, when the roll paper Rp is designated as the recording paper, by executing the preliminary conveyance process, even if the cut paper Kp is fed, it is possible to prevent the ink and the paper P from being wasted without recording an image on the cut paper Kp.

[0073] <Second Embodiment> Next, with reference to FIG. 7, the printer 200 according to the second embodiment of the present invention will be described. The preliminary conveyance process executed by the control unit 210 of the printer 200 in the present embodiment is different from that of the printer 100 of the first embodiment. Hereinafter, for those having the same configuration as the first embodiment, the same reference numerals will be given and the description thereof will be omitted as appropriate.

[0074] Printer 200 is provided with a space B (the space surrounded by the dashed-dotted line in FIG. 7) that allows the sheet P to bend between the detection position of the rear-end detection unit 73 and the head 5. In the preliminary conveyance process, the control unit 210, by means of the conveyance mechanism 3, after the leading edge of the sheet P reaches the detection position, stops the leading edge of the sheet P upstream of the recording position A in the conveyance direction while causing the sheet P to bend within the space B as shown by the dashed line in FIG. 7, and conveys the sheet P. Specifically, in order to perform skew correction of the sheet P before the conveyance roller pair 32 clamps the sheet P, when the leading edge of the sheet P conveyed by the intermediate roller pair 31 is made to abut against the conveyance roller pair 32 with the conveyance roller pair 32 stopped or reversed, the sheet P is caused to bend within the space B.

[0075] (Effects of the Second Embodiment) As described above, in the printer 200 of the second embodiment, in the preliminary conveyance process, the sheet P is conveyed while stopping the leading edge of the sheet P upstream of the recording position A in the conveyance direction and causing the sheet P to bend within the space B. Thus, similar to the first embodiment, even if a sheet P different from the sheet P to be used for image recording is fed, it is possible to prevent the ink and the sheet P from being wasted.

[0076] Also, in the printer 200 of the above-described embodiment, since the leading edge of the sheet P is not conveyed downstream in the conveyance direction from the upstream end portion at the recording position A in the preliminary conveyance process, when image recording is performed by the head 5 after the preliminary conveyance process is executed, unlike the first embodiment, Send it is possible to record an image on the leading edge portion of the sheet P without executing the reverse process.

[0077] Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described with reference to the drawings, the specific configuration should be considered not to be limited to these embodiments. The scope of the present invention is shown not by the description of the above-described embodiments but by the claims, and further includes all modifications within the meaning and scope equivalent to the claims.

[0078] In the above-described embodiment, the case where a roll body detection unit 71 capable of detecting whether or not the roll body R is accommodated in the feeding tray 1 and a paper presence / absence detection unit 72 capable of detecting whether or not the paper P is placed at the feeding position of the feeding roller 2 are provided has been described. However, these roll body detection unit 71 and paper presence / absence detection unit 72 may not be provided.

[0079] Here, the difference from the operation performed by the printer 100 of the first embodiment when the roll body detection unit 71 and the paper presence / absence detection unit 72 are not provided will be described. First, when it is determined in step S1 of the flowcharts shown in FIGS. 5 and 6 that the reception process has been executed, the process proceeds to step S14. Then, in the paper determination process performed in step S18, it is determined whether the paper P fed by the feeding roller 2 is the recording paper for the recording instruction. Specifically, in the paper determination process, when a recording instruction designating the roll paper Rp as the recording paper is received in the reception process, if the rear end of the paper P is not detected by the rear end detection unit 73 during the preliminary conveyance process, it is determined that the paper P fed by the feeding roller 2 is the recording paper (i.e., the roll paper Rp). When the rear end of the paper P is detected by the rear end detection unit 73 during the preliminary conveyance process, it is determined that the paper P fed by the feeding roller 2 is different from the recording paper (i.e., the cut paper Kp). Further, when a recording instruction designating the cut paper Kp as the recording paper is received in the reception process, if the rear end of the paper P is detected by the rear end detection unit 73 during the preliminary conveyance process, it is determined that the paper P fed by the feeding roller 2 is the recording paper (i.e., the cut paper Kp). When the rear end of the paper P is not detected by the rear end detection unit 73 during the preliminary conveyance process, it is determined that the paper P fed by the feeding roller 2 is different from the recording paper (i.e., the roll paper Rp).

[0080] When it is determined in the paper determination process that the paper P fed by the paper feed roller 2 is not the recording paper subject to the recording instruction, if the paper P fed by the paper feed roller 2 is the roll paper Rp, the roll paper Rp is rewound, and if the paper P fed by the paper feed roller 2 is the cut paper Kp, the discharge process is executed. When it is determined in the paper determination process that the paper P fed by the paper feed roller 2 is the recording paper subject to the recording instruction, in the recording area determination process of step S20, it is determined whether the portion of the paper P conveyed downstream in the conveyance direction from the upstream end at the recording position A includes the recording area where the image is to be recorded by performing the preliminary conveyance process on the paper P. When it is determined in the recording area determination process that the recording area is included, the paper P is reversed in the reverse process of step S21. Further, in step S22, while the paper P is conveyed in the conveyance direction by the conveyance mechanism 3, an image is recorded on the paper P. Send In the reverse process, the paper P is reversed. Send

[0081] As described above, in a printer not provided with the roll body detection unit 71 and the paper presence / absence detection unit 72, when the cut paper Kp is designated as the recording paper with both the roll body R and the cut paper Kp accommodated in the paper feed tray 1, the cut paper Kp is fed by the paper feed roller 2 and the image is recorded on the cut paper Kp. In this case, when the image is continuously recorded on a plurality of cut papers Kp and the cut papers Kp run out, there is a possibility that the roll paper Rp will be subsequently fed. Therefore, it is preferable to provide a cut paper detection unit capable of detecting that the cut paper Kp is accommodated in the cut paper accommodation unit 11b, and to stop the image recording when the cut paper detection unit detects that the cut paper Kp accommodated in the cut paper accommodation unit 11b has run out.

[0082] Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, the case where the paper feed tray 1 that can be inserted into and removed from the housing 100a has the roll body accommodation unit 11a and the cut paper accommodation unit 11b has been described, but it is not limited thereto. That is, the roll body accommodation unit 11a and the cut paper accommodation unit 11b may be provided in a medium accommodation unit that does not move with respect to the housing 100a. ​

[0083] Also, in the above-described embodiment, in the recording area determination process, when it is determined that the recording area is included, the reverse Send process is executed, and when it is determined that the recording area is not included, the reverse Send process is not executed. However, the present invention is not limited to this. That is, when the recording area determination process is not performed and the leading edge of the sheet P is conveyed downstream in the conveyance direction from the upstream end at the recording position A in the preliminary conveyance process until it is located downstream of the upstream end at the recording position A in the conveyance direction, the reverse Send process may be executed every time.

[0084] Furthermore, in the above-described second embodiment, in the preliminary conveyance process, the case where the leading edge of the sheet P conveyed by the intermediate roller pair 31 is brought into contact with the conveyance roller pair 32 while the conveyance roller pair 32 is stopped or reversed, and the sheet P is conveyed so as to bend within the space B has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this. In the preliminary conveyance process, the position where the leading edge of the sheet P is stopped is not limited to the position where it contacts the conveyance roller pair 32, and may be downstream of the detection position in the conveyance direction and upstream of the recording position A in the conveyance direction. However, since there is a risk of creases or the like forming on the sheet P if the bending of the sheet P becomes large, the position where the leading edge of the sheet P is stopped is preferably in the vicinity of the recording position A.

[0085] In addition, in the embodiment, the preliminary conveyance process has been described as being executed after the reception process is first executed after the power of the printer 100 is turned on, and after the insertion of the feed tray 1 into the housing 100a is detected by the tray detection unit 74 and the reception process is first executed. However, the present invention is not limited to this. The preliminary conveyance process may be executed regardless of the timing of power-on or the insertion of the feed tray 1 into the housing 100a.

[0086] Further, in the above-described embodiment, the case where a recording instruction for designating the roll paper Rp as a recording paper is received in the reception process and the cut paper Kp is conveyed in the preliminary conveyance process, and the discharge process for discharging the cut paper Kp is executed has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this. That is, the discharge process may not be executed, and the user may manually remove the cut paper Kp.

[0087] The present invention can be applied to an image forming apparatus in general including a paper feed tray 1 capable of accommodating a roll body R and a cut paper Kp. That is, for example, the present invention can be applied not only to an inkjet printer but also to a laser type recording unit in which an electrostatic latent image is formed by exposing a photoreceptor with a laser, and an electrophotographic printer including an LED type recording unit in which an electrostatic latent image is formed by exposing a photoreceptor with an LED. Further, the sheet-like medium is not limited to paper, and may be cloth or the like as long as it is sheet-like.

Explanation of Reference Numerals

[0088] 1 Paper feed tray (medium accommodating portion) 11a Roll body accommodating portion (first portion) 11b Cut paper accommodating portion (second portion) 2 Feed roller 3 Conveying mechanism 5 Head (recording portion) 10 Control unit 71 Roll body detection unit 72 Paper presence / absence detection unit (medium presence / absence detection unit) 73 Rear end detection unit 74 Tray detection unit 100a Housing B Space R Roll body Rp Roll paper (roll medium)

Claims

1. A medium storage unit having a first part capable of accommodating a roll body in which a long sheet-like medium is wound in a roll shape, and a second part capable of accommodating a plurality of short sheet-like media stacked on top of each other; A feeding roller for feeding either the roll medium, which is the sheet-like medium unwound from the roll body from the medium storage unit, or the short sheet-like medium; A transport mechanism for transporting the medium fed by the feeding roller along the transport direction; A recording unit that is located downstream of the feeding roller in the transport direction and records an image on the medium transported by the transport mechanism; A rear end detection unit capable of detecting the rear end, which is the upstream end in the transport direction, of the medium transported by the transport mechanism at a detection position between the feeding roller and the recording unit; And a control unit. The length along the transport path from the detection position to the upstream end in the transport direction at the recording position where the recording unit records an image on the medium in the transport path of the medium by the transport mechanism is shorter than the length along the transport direction of the short sheet-like medium, The control unit: A reception process for receiving a recording instruction including an instruction to designate either the roll medium or the short sheet-like medium as a recording medium for recording an image; After executing the reception process, without recording an image on the medium by the recording unit, by the transport mechanism, after the leading end, which is the downstream end in the transport direction of the medium, reaches the detection position, a preliminary transport process for transporting the medium by a length equal to or greater than the length along the transport direction of the short sheet-like medium; A medium determination process for determining whether the medium fed by the feeding roller is the recording medium according to the recording instruction is executed. In the medium determination process: When receiving the recording instruction that designates the roll medium as the recording medium in the reception process, if the rear end of the medium is not detected by the rear end detection unit during the preliminary conveyance process, it is determined that the medium fed by the feeding roller is the recording medium; if the rear end of the medium is detected by the rear end detection unit during the preliminary conveyance process, it is determined that the medium fed by the feeding roller is different from the recording medium. When receiving the recording instruction that designates the short sheet-like medium as the recording medium in the reception process, if the rear end of the medium is detected by the rear end detection unit during the preliminary conveyance process, it is determined that the medium fed by the feeding roller is the recording medium; if the rear end of the medium is not detected by the rear end detection unit during the preliminary conveyance process, it is determined that the medium fed by the feeding roller is different from the recording medium. An image recording apparatus characterized by this.

2. A medium storage unit having a first part capable of accommodating a roll body in which a long sheet-like medium is wound in a roll shape, and a second part capable of accommodating a plurality of short sheet-like media stacked on top of each other. A feeding roller that feeds either the roll medium, which is the sheet-like medium unwound from the roll body, or the short sheet-like medium, from the medium storage unit. A conveyance mechanism that conveys the medium fed by the feeding roller along the conveyance direction. A recording unit that is located downstream of the feeding roller in the conveyance direction and records an image on the medium conveyed by the conveyance mechanism. A rear end detection unit capable of detecting the rear end, which is the upstream end in the conveyance direction of the medium conveyed by the conveyance mechanism, at a detection position between the feeding roller and the recording unit. A control unit, and is provided with. The length along the conveyance path from the detection position to the upstream end in the conveyance direction at the recording position where an image is recorded on the medium by the recording unit in the conveyance path of the medium by the conveyance mechanism is shorter than the length along the conveyance direction of the short-sheet-shaped medium, The control unit, a reception process for receiving a recording instruction including an instruction to designate either the roll medium or the short-sheet-shaped medium as a recording medium on which an image is to be recorded, after executing the reception process, without recording an image on the medium by the recording unit, the conveyance mechanism conveys the medium by a length equal to or greater than the length along the conveyance direction of the short-sheet-shaped medium after the leading end, which is the downstream end in the conveyance direction of the medium, reaches the detection position, in a preliminary conveyance process, executes a medium determination process for determining whether the medium fed by the feed roller is the recording medium according to the recording instruction, In the medium determination process, when the recording instruction designating the roll medium as the recording medium is received in the reception process, if the rear end of the medium is not detected by the rear end detection unit during the preliminary conveyance process, it is determined that the medium fed by the feed roller is the recording medium, and if the rear end of the medium is detected by the rear end detection unit during the preliminary conveyance process, it is determined that the medium fed by the feed roller is different from the recording medium, when the recording instruction designating the short-sheet-shaped medium as the recording medium is received in the reception process, if the rear end of the medium is detected by the rear end detection unit during the preliminary conveyance process, it is determined that the medium fed by the feed roller is the recording medium, and if the rear end of the medium is not detected by the rear end detection unit during the preliminary conveyance process, it is determined that the medium fed by the feed roller is different from the recording medium, The conveyance mechanism can discharge the medium, The control unit, An image recording apparatus, characterized in that, when receiving a recording instruction for designating the roll medium as the recording medium in the reception process, and when the rear end of the medium is detected by the rear end detection unit during the preliminary conveyance process, the conveyance mechanism further executes a discharge process for discharging the medium.

3. A medium storage unit having a first portion capable of accommodating a roll body in which a long sheet-like medium is wound in a roll shape, and a second portion capable of accommodating a plurality of short sheet-like media stacked in a state; A feed roller for feeding either the roll medium which is the sheet-like medium unwound from the roll body or the short sheet-like medium from the medium storage unit; A conveyance mechanism for conveying the medium fed by the feed roller along the conveyance direction; A recording unit located downstream of the feed roller in the conveyance direction and recording an image on the medium conveyed by the conveyance mechanism; A rear end detection unit capable of detecting the rear end which is the upstream end in the conveyance direction of the medium conveyed by the conveyance mechanism at a detection position between the feed roller and the recording unit; And a control unit. The length along the conveyance path from the detection position to the upstream end in the conveyance direction at the recording position where the recording unit records an image on the medium in the conveyance path of the medium by the conveyance mechanism is shorter than the length along the conveyance direction of the short sheet-like medium; The control unit: A reception process for receiving a recording instruction including an instruction for designating either the roll medium or the short sheet-like medium as a recording medium for recording an image; After executing the reception process, without recording an image on the medium by the recording unit, the conveyance mechanism conveys the medium for a length equal to or greater than the length along the conveyance direction of the short sheet-like medium after the leading end which is the downstream end in the conveyance direction of the medium reaches the detection position, in a preliminary conveyance process; Execute a medium determination process for determining whether the medium fed by the feed roller is the recording medium subject to the recording instruction. In the medium determination process, When the recording instruction that designates the roll medium as the recording medium is received in the reception process, if the rear end of the medium is not detected by the rear end detection unit during the preliminary conveyance process, it is determined that the medium fed by the feed roller is the recording medium. When the rear end of the medium is detected by the rear end detection unit during the preliminary conveyance process, it is determined that the medium fed by the feed roller is different from the recording medium. When the recording instruction that designates the short-sheet-like medium as the recording medium is received in the reception process, if the rear end of the medium is detected by the rear end detection unit during the preliminary conveyance process, it is determined that the medium fed by the feed roller is the recording medium. When the rear end of the medium is not detected by the rear end detection unit during the preliminary conveyance process, it is determined that the medium fed by the feed roller is different from the recording medium. A roll body detection unit capable of detecting whether the roll body is accommodated in the first part of the medium storage unit. Further provided with a medium presence / absence detection unit capable of detecting whether the medium is disposed at a feeding position where the medium can be fed by the feed roller. The control unit executes the preliminary conveyance process when it is detected by the roll body detection unit that the roll body is accommodated in the first part, and it is detected by the medium presence / absence detection unit that the medium is disposed at the feeding position, and when the recording instruction that designates the roll medium as the recording medium is received in the reception process. An image recording apparatus characterized by this.

4. In the preliminary conveyance process, the control unit causes the conveyance mechanism to convey the medium from when the leading end of the medium reaches the detection position until the leading end of the medium is positioned downstream in the conveyance direction from the upstream end in the conveyance direction at the recording position. The image recording apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that.

5. The conveyance mechanism is capable of conveying the medium along a reverse conveyance direction opposite to the conveyance direction. In the medium determination process, when the control unit determines that the medium fed by the feed roller is the recording medium, the control unit further executes a reverse conveyance process of conveying the medium in the reverse conveyance direction. The image recording apparatus according to claim 4, characterized in that.

6. The recording instruction received in the reception process includes image data related to an image to be recorded on the recording medium. The control unit Based on the image data received in the reception process, by executing the preliminary conveyance process on the medium, it is determined whether a recording area in which an image is to be recorded is included in a portion of the medium that is conveyed downstream in the conveyance direction from the upstream end in the conveyance direction at the recording position. The control unit further executes a recording area determination process, In the recording area determination process, when it is determined that the recording area is included, the reverse conveyance process is executed, and when it is determined that the recording area is not included, the reverse conveyance process is not executed. The image recording apparatus according to claim 5, characterized in that.

7. A space is provided between the detection position and the recording unit that allows the medium to bend. In the preliminary conveyance process, the control unit causes the conveyance mechanism to convey the medium from when the leading end of the medium reaches the detection position until the leading end of the medium is stopped upstream of the recording position while allowing the medium to bend within the space. The image recording apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that.

8. Comprising a housing The medium storage unit is a tray that is insertable into and removable from the housing, and further includes a tray detection unit capable of detecting that the tray has been inserted into the housing, The control unit executes the preliminary conveyance process after first executing the reception process after the image recording apparatus is powered on, and after first executing the reception process after the tray detection unit detects that the tray has been inserted into the housing. The image recording apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that.

Images