Recording device, control method, and program

Abstract

To suppress generation of positional deviation in a scanning direction between scans in a hand-held type recording device.SOLUTION: A hand-held type recording device has recording means extending in a first direction, and records an image on a recording region that is a region where the recording means scans a recording medium so as to record an image for one scan by being moved in a scanning direction crossing the first direction, has: two positional information sensors arranged at two different positions in the first direction; and control means for estimating a positional deviation amount in the scanning direction of a second recording region corresponding to second scan with respect to a first recording region corresponding to first scan on the basis of the moving amounts of the two positional information sensors relating to the first scan, and controlling the second scan on the basis of the estimated positional deviation amount, when second scan next to the first scan is performed by moving the recording means in the first direction by a predetermined moving amount, after completion of the first scan.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 7

Description

Technical Field

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

Background Art

[0002] Printers have been developed that record images by discharging ink from the nozzle array of a print head as it is manually moved.

[0003] Patent Document 1 describes a portable image forming apparatus having a roller unit on the bottom surface that integrally rotates two rotatable roller portions on the same axis and records an image as it is moved in the scanning direction.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] There may be a difference in the diameters of the two roller portions in the roller unit. Further, when two roller units are arranged so that the axis of the roller unit is perpendicular to the scanning direction, there may be a difference in perpendicularity between the two roller units. For this reason, a recording apparatus such as that of Patent Document 1 may move in a curved rather than a straight line, and the shape of the recording area, which is the area scanned by the nozzle array of the print head on the recording medium, may be a fan shape rather than a rectangle. When the recording area is a fan shape, if the recording apparatus is moved in a direction intersecting the scanning direction to perform the next recording scan, a positional shift in the scanning direction may occur between the recording area by the previous recording scan.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] The recording device of the present disclosure has a recording means extending along a first direction, and by being moved in a scanning direction intersecting the first direction, the recording means scans a recording area, which is an area scanned on a recording medium to record an image for one scan, and is a hand-held recording device for recording an image in the recording area. The recording device includes two position information sensors arranged at two different positions in the first direction, and two rollers arranged at two different positions in the first direction, control means for controlling the recording device. After completion of a first scan, when the control means performs a second scan following the first scan by moving the recording means by a predetermined amount of movement in the first direction, based on the movement amounts of the two position information sensors related to the first scan, determine whether the shape of the recording area is a convex fan shape or a concave fan shape, the amount of positional deviation in the scanning direction of a second recording area corresponding to the second scan with respect to a first recording area corresponding to the first scan, the determination, is estimated based on the amount of movement of the two position information sensors related to the first scan, and the second scan is controlled based on the estimated amount of positional deviation.

Advantages of the Invention

[0007] According to the technology of the present disclosure, it is possible to suppress the influence of positional deviation in the scanning direction occurring between scans in a hand-held recording device.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0008]

Figure 1

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Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0009] Hereinafter, with reference to the drawings, embodiments of the technology of the present disclosure will be exemplarily described. However, the components described in the following embodiments are merely examples, and the scope of the technology of the present disclosure is not limited to only the components described in the following embodiments.

[0010] <First Embodiment> In a recording device that records by applying a recording material such as toner or ink to a recording medium such as paper, it is common for a print head to apply the recording material onto the recording medium conveyed by a paper feeding and discharging mechanism. In a recording device having such a paper feeding and discharging mechanism, since the size of the device is large, the stationary type has been the mainstream. On the other hand, due to the recent spread of smart devices and the like, small and lightweight recording devices have been developed.

[0011] In the present embodiment, a manual scanning type handheld recording device that performs the same recording as a recording device equipped with a paper feeding and discharging mechanism will be described. This is achieved by manually moving the recording device in the conveyance direction of the recording medium and the scanning direction intersecting the conveyance direction in a recording device equipped with a paper feeding and discharging mechanism.

[0012] [Configuration of Portable Printer] FIG. 1 is a diagram for explaining the configuration of a portable printer 100 which is a manual scanning type handheld recording device according to the present embodiment.

[0013] FIG. 1(a) is a bottom view of the portable printer 100. The bottom surface of the portable printer 100 is the surface that faces the recording medium such as paper and comes into contact with the recording medium. The print head 101 is an inkjet head that ejects ink as droplets to record an image, and is provided with an ink ejection nozzle row 102 (hereinafter simply referred to as the nozzle row) that discharges ink as a recording means. The nozzle row 102 shown in FIG. 1(a) is a plurality of physical ejection ports from which ink arranged in a row is ejected. In FIG. 1(a), an example where the nozzle row 102 is only one row is illustrated, but in reality, it is common to have nozzle rows corresponding to the number of colors used.

[0014] Note that the portable printer 100 of the present embodiment will be described as an inkjet printer having an inkjet head, but other printers having other recording means to which the technology of the present disclosure is applicable, such as a thermal transfer type or an ink ribbon type, may also be used.

[0015] On the bottom surface of the portable printer 100, two position information sensors 103a and 103b for acquiring information on the relative position on the recording medium are arranged. The position information sensor 103a is arranged above in the direction in which the nozzle row 102 in the print head 101 extends, and the position information sensor 103b is arranged below in the direction in which the nozzle row 102 in the print head 101 extends. The upper nozzles in the nozzle row 102 are the nozzles for recording the upper part of the image to be recorded.

[0016] The position information sensors 103a and 103b are sensors of the same type as the optical sensors used in a mouse or the like. The position information sensors 103a and 103b irradiate light on the recording medium on which the portable printer 100 is placed, and read the state of that part as a pattern. By continuously capturing how the pattern changes with respect to the movement of the portable printer 100, the movement amount of the portable printer 100 is calculated.

[0017] The coordinates shown in FIG. 1 indicate the movement coordinates of the portable printer 100. The Y direction of the coordinates is a direction parallel to the direction in which the nozzle row 102 is arranged. The X direction is a direction perpendicular to the direction in which the nozzle row 102 is arranged. By reading with the position information sensors 103a and 103b, the position information (movement amount) in the X direction and the Y direction is acquired.

[0018] To assist the portable printer 100 in moving in the X direction, roller units 104a and 104b are respectively arranged at both ends in the X direction on the bottom surface of the print head 101. The roller units 104a and 104b each have two roller parts. That is, the roller unit 104a has roller parts 108a and 108b, and the roller unit 104b has roller parts 108c and 108d. The roller parts 108a to d contact the recording medium and rotate to assist in moving in the X direction. In the portable printer 100 of the present embodiment, the roller parts 108a to d are provided, but a configuration without the roller parts 108a to d may also be used as long as it can move in the X direction and the Y direction described later.

[0019] FIG. 1(b) is a top view showing the configuration of the upper surface of the portable printer 100. The upper surface is the surface where the portable printer 100 and the user's hand come into contact. On the upper surface of the portable printer 100, a power button 105 for switching the power of the portable printer 100 on and off, and a control button 106 for switching recording start, recording stop, etc. are arranged. Also, an LED 107 for notifying the user of the power state, recording state, error, etc. is arranged. In the portable printer 100 of the present embodiment, recording is performed by the user manually moving the portable printer 100 in the +X direction while the recording medium is in a grounded state.

[0020] After the recording for one scan is completed, the user moves the portable printer 100 in the -Y direction by a distance d of the length of the nozzle row 102 shown in FIG. 1(a) to perform a line feed, and thus the transition to the next scan is made. The movement in the -Y direction by the length d is performed, for example, by the user moving the portable printer 100 until the position information sensors 103a and 103b detect the movement in the -Y direction by the distance d. Alternatively, it may be performed by having a line feed mechanism (not shown) that assists the movement in the -Y direction and the user operating the line feed mechanism. The portable printer 100 can form an image on the recording medium in the same recording procedure as a printer having a paper feeding and discharging mechanism by the user repeatedly performing the scan in the X direction and the line feed in the -Y direction.

[0021] [Configuration of the control unit] FIG. 2 is a diagram for explaining the hardware configuration of the control unit of the portable printer 100 of the present embodiment. The control unit 200 of the portable printer includes a CPU 201, an image processing accelerator 202, a data transfer I / F 203, a RAM 204, a ROM 205, and a head controller 206.

[0022] The CPU 201 performs data arithmetic processing. The image processing accelerator 202 is a block specialized for the image processing operations of the portable printer 100 and performs data arithmetic processing in cooperation with the CPU 201. The data transfer I / F 203 exchanges data with devices external to the portable printer 100, such as a personal computer device (PC), a smartphone, etc. The RAM 204 is used as a temporary storage area when the CPU 201 and the image processing accelerator 202 perform operations. The ROM 205 holds parameters used when the CPU 201 and the image processing accelerator 202 perform operations. The parameters read from the ROM 205 may be expanded to the RAM 204. The head controller 206 controls the ejection of ink by the print head 101.

[0023] In response to the power button 105 being pressed by the user, the start or end of the power supply to the control unit 200 is switched. Also, the pressing of the control button 106 is transmitted to the control unit 200, and the control unit 200 causes the print head 101 to start or stop recording according to the recording state. The CPU 201 lights the LED 106 in a predetermined pattern or causes it to emit light in a predetermined color according to the power state, the recording state, an error, etc.

[0024] Taking the position coordinates of the portable printer 100 when the control button 106 is pressed in a state where recording can be started as the origin. The CPU 201 calculates the amount of movement by continuously acquiring position information from the position information sensors 103a and 103b according to the movement of the portable printer 100.

[0025] [Functional Configuration of Image Processing] FIG. 3 is a diagram showing the functional configuration of the control unit 200 related to image processing. The input unit 301 acquires the image data received via the data transfer I / F 203 and the print settings as input data. The acquired input data is output to the image processing accelerator 202.

[0026] The image processing accelerator 202 includes a scaling unit 302, a color correction unit 303, a color separation unit 304, an output gradation correction unit 305, and a quantization processing unit 306.

[0027] The scaling unit 302 scales the input image based on the print size set by the user. The print size is the size of the image formed on the recording medium. The color correction unit 303 converts the color space of the image data into the color space specific to the portable printer 100. The color separation unit 304 decomposes the color-corrected data into gradation data corresponding to the ink colors. The output gradation correction unit 305 corrects the characteristics that occur when the print head applies ink to the recording medium. The quantization processing unit 306 performs a predetermined quantization process on the gradation data corresponding to each ink color and converts it into multi-bit quantization data.

[0028] By the scaling unit 302, the color correction unit 303, the color separation unit 304, the output gradation correction unit 305, and the quantization processing unit 306 performing their respective processes, the image data is converted into print data for each ink color. Then, based on the print data, the print head 101 ejects dots to record an image on the recording medium.

[0029] The image data to be image-processed in this embodiment is data of an image that has been previously divided in the Y direction of the image into the length of the nozzle array 102 used for one-scan recording. Therefore, image processing is performed on the image divided so as to correspond to each scan. Alternatively, after performing the above-described image processing on the data of the entire image, the data may be divided so that the size in the Y direction becomes the length of the nozzle array 102 to generate print data for one scan.

[0030] Also, in this embodiment, an example is shown in which image processing is performed by the portable printer 100 main body, but a PC, a smartphone, etc. may perform at least part of the image processing. In that case, the input unit 301 may acquire the image-processed data and the print settings together as input data. Also, the content of the image processing is not limited to the above-described content, and any correction process or the like may be added.

[0031] [Regarding the Comparative Example of the Recording Area] FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing a recording area when the portable printer 100 scans the recording medium once. The recording area is an area scanned by the print head 101 (nozzle row 102) to record an image for one scan based on print data on the recording medium.

[0032] FIG. 4(a) is a diagram showing a recording area 401 when the portable printer 100 moves straight in the X direction at the start of recording. As shown in FIG. 4(a), the recording area 401 in this case is a rectangular area.

[0033] FIG. 4(b) is a diagram showing an example in which the recording area becomes a fan shape because the portable printer 100 does not move straight in the X direction at the start of recording but moves in a curved manner. There may be a difference in the diameters of the upper roller parts 108a, 108c and the lower roller parts 108b, 108d arranged in the roller units 104a, 104b. Also, there may be a difference in the perpendicularity between the two roller units 104a, 104b arranged so as to extend perpendicular to the scanning direction (X direction). In addition, regardless of whether there are roller parts or not, the portable printer 100 may be moved with a part that comes into contact with the desk, such as an elbow, during human operation as a fulcrum. In such a case, the portable printer 100 may move in a curved manner instead of moving straight in the X direction at the start of recording.

[0034] When a curved movement is made, the recording area that should originally be rectangular becomes a fan-shaped area like the recording area 402 in FIG. 4(b). Note that when the portable printer 100 moves in a curved manner, the recording area 402 may be a convex fan shape or a concave fan shape.

[0035] The movement amount of the portable printer 100 is continuously calculated based on the detection results of the position information sensors 103a, 103b. That is, the change in the pattern of the short distances obtained by the position information sensors 103a, 103b with a short time difference is detected as the difference in position, and the movement amount is obtained.

[0036] FIG. 5 shows the difference in the state transition of the position information sensor 103a. FIG. 5(a) is a diagram showing the transition of the position of the position information sensor 103a when the portable printer 100 is moved while being curved. When it is moved in a curved manner, in many cases, even if the difference in the change of the pattern is acquired, the difference in the position in the Y direction cannot be acquired, and only the difference in the position in the X direction is detected. On the other hand, FIG. 5(b) is a diagram showing the transition of the position information sensor 103a when the portable printer moves straight obliquely. In this case, the difference in position in both the X direction and the Y direction will be detected.

[0037] When the portable printer 100 is moved while being curved so as to be the recording area 402 in FIG. 4(b), the state transition of the position information sensors 103a and 103b becomes the state in FIG. 5(a). Therefore, in both FIGS. 4(a) and (b), the Y component of the position information acquired from the position information sensors 103a and 103b is 0. Thus, in the case of the portable printer 100 moved while being curved, the position information in the X direction and the Y direction with the recording start position as the origin cannot be correctly acquired. The moving amount in the X direction acquired by the portable printer 100 is information on the distance representing the path along which the position information sensors 103a and 103b have moved (hereinafter referred to as the path distance).

[0038] FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram for explaining the recording area when, after scanning and recording once in the scanning direction (X direction) shown in FIG. 4, the operation of moving the length d of the nozzle row 102 by the length d of the nozzle row 102 in the direction perpendicular to the scanning direction from the position where the recording of the main scan was started and recording again in the scanning direction is repeated. The recording areas 601 to 606 are the recording areas after the second scan and subsequent scans.

[0039] FIG. 6(a) is a diagram showing the recording area when, as in FIG. 4(a), it moves straight in the X direction at the start of recording in the first scan and subsequent second scans. In FIG. 6(a), there is no displacement in the position between the recording area of the previous scan and the recording area of the main scan, and the image is recorded as the image data.

[0040] On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 6(b), similar to FIG. 4(b), FIG. 6(b) is a diagram showing a comparative example of a recording area when the portable printer 100 moves in a curved manner even during the first scan and subsequent scans. As shown in FIG. 6(b), when the portable printer 100 moves in a curved manner, the positional deviation from the recording area of the previous scan increases with each scan, and the amount of positional deviation from the recording area of the previous scan becomes maximum at the end of the recording area at the end of the recording. That is, at the end of the recording area, a positional deviation of the path distance dm indicated by the thick line portion in FIG. 6(b) occurs. If a positional deviation occurs between the recording areas of each scan, there is a risk that a desired image cannot be obtained on the recording medium.

[0041] As described above, the path distance is acquired as the amount of movement in the X direction from the position information sensors 103a and 103b. For this reason, for example, in a portable printer in which only one position information sensor is arranged, it is difficult to estimate the amount of positional deviation dm from the previous recording area only from the amount of movement obtained from the position information sensor. On the other hand, in the present embodiment, since two position information sensors are provided, as will be described later, the amount of positional deviation between the recording area of the previous scan and the current recording area can be estimated.

[0042] As shown in FIG. 1(a), the position information sensor 103a and the position information sensor 103b are preferably arranged at separated positions in the Y direction, which is a direction intersecting the scanning direction. For example, as shown in FIG. 1(a), the position information sensor 103a is arranged to be located further in the +Y direction than the roller portions 108a and 108c. The position information sensor 103b is arranged to be located further in the -Y direction than the roller portions 108b and 108d. By arranging the position information sensor 103a and the position information sensor 103b with a sufficient distance therebetween, the shape of the recording area on the recording medium corresponding to the recording scan can be easily estimated. The estimation of the shape of the recording area will be described later.

[0043] [Recording process for suppressing the maximum amount of positional deviation between scans] FIG. 7 is a flowchart for explaining the process of performing recording while suppressing the influence of positional deviation between scans in the present embodiment. A series of processes shown in the flowchart of FIG. 7 are performed by the CPU 201 of the control unit 200 expanding and executing program codes stored in the ROM 203 in the RAM 202. Also, some or all of the functions of the steps in FIG. 7 may be realized by hardware such as an ASIC or an electronic circuit. Note that the symbol "S" in the description of each process means that it is a step in the flowchart, and the same applies to the subsequent flowcharts.

[0044] In S701, the input unit 301 acquires image data via the data transfer I / F 203. The acquired image data is converted into print data by the image processing accelerator 202 as described with reference to FIG. 3, and the print data is acquired. The input unit 301 may acquire the print data via the data transfer I / F 203.

[0045] In S702, after the CPU 201 detects the pressing of the control button 106, it causes the print head 101 to execute a recording process for one scan via the head controller 206. The print head 101 executes a recording process for one scan as the movement in the X direction is detected by the position information sensors 103a and 103b. The recording for one scan in this step is performed based on the print data acquired in S701. Among the loop processes of S702 to S709, the scan for recording in the current loop process is referred to as the present scan.

[0046] In S703, the CPU 201 acquires the travel distances of the two position information sensors 103a and 103b at the time when the recording of the present scan is completed based on the detection results of the two position information sensors 103a and 103b.

[0047] FIG. 8 is a diagram for explaining the recording area of the present scan. As shown in FIG. 8, in this step, the travel distance la of the position information sensor 103a when the present scan is performed and the travel distance lb of the position information sensor 103b when the present scan is performed are acquired.

[0048] Incidentally, although S703 is described as the next step after S702 for convenience of explanation, the travel distance la and the travel distance lb may be acquired each time the scanning is performed in S702. Then, it may be determined whether the recording scan is completed based on the travel distance la and the travel distance lb.

[0049] In S704, the CPU 201 determines whether the shape of the recording area is a convex fan shape or a concave fan shape.

[0050] FIG. 8(a) is a diagram for explaining the recording area and the travel distance of the position information sensor when the main scan is performed so as to form a convex fan-shaped recording area. The recording area 801 is the recording area of the main scan. The recording areas 802 to 804 after the next scan when the recording after the next scan is executed without correcting the start position as in the comparative example of FIG. 6(b) are shown by broken lines.

[0051] FIG. 8(b) is a diagram for explaining the recording area and the travel distance of the position information sensor when the main scan is performed so as to form a concave fan-shaped recording area. The recording area 810 is the recording area of the main scan, and the recording areas 821 to 823 after the next scan when the start position is not corrected are shown by broken lines.

[0052] The method for determining the shape of the recording area is to compare the travel distance la of the position information sensor 103a and the travel distance lb of the position information sensor 103b. If the travel distance la is larger, it is determined as a convex fan shape. If the travel distance lb is larger, it may be determined as a concave fan shape. If the shape of the recording area has been determined in advance by performing preliminary operations, it may not be necessary to determine the shape of the recording area in this step, and the determined shape of the recording area may be acquired.

[0053] In S705, the CPU 201 acquires the length ls from the position information sensor 103a to the position information sensor 103b and the length d of the nozzle row 102. By measuring this information at the factory for each printer body, it is possible to reduce the amount of correction error caused by misalignment of the sensor mounting positions.

[0054] In S706, the CPU 201 calculates (estimates) the maximum amount of positional deviation dm between the recording area of the current scan and the recording area of the next scan. Since the method for calculating the maximum amount of positional deviation differs depending on whether the shape of the scan area is a convex fan shape or a concave fan shape, it is calculated by a method corresponding to the determination in S704.

[0055] First, the method for calculating the maximum amount of positional deviation in the case of a convex fan shape will be described. The CPU 201 calculates the radius r shown in Fig. 8(a) from Equation (1). The radius r in the case of a convex fan shape is the radius of the arc drawn by the position information sensor 103b in the current scan.

[0056]

Equation

[0057] Then, the CPU 201 calculates the maximum amount of positional deviation dm by Equation (4) based on the difference between the distance lc of the upper side of the recording area of the current scan and the distance ld of the lower side of the recording area. The right side of Equation (4) is obtained by subtracting Equation (3) for obtaining the distance ld from Equation (2) for obtaining the distance lc.

[0058] As shown in Fig. 8, the distance lc is the path distance of the upper end of the nozzle row 102 of the print head 101, and the distance ld is the path distance of the lower end of the nozzle row 102 of the print head 101. As shown in Fig. 8, b in Equation (2) and Equation (3) is the length from the lower end of the nozzle row 102 of the print head 101 to the position information sensor 103b. Note that Equation (4) is obtained assuming that the scan trajectories of the distance lc and the distance ld are substantially equal.

[0059]

Equation

[0060]

Number

[0061]

Number

[0062] Next, a method for calculating the maximum position shift amount in the case of a concave fan shape will be described. The CPU 201 calculates the radius r shown in FIG. 8(b) from Equation (5). In the case of a concave fan shape, the radius r is the radius of the arc drawn by the position information sensor 103a in the main scan.

[0063]

Number

[0064] Then, the CPU 201 calculates the maximum position shift amount dm from Equation (8) based on the difference between the distance lc of the upper side of the recording area and the distance ld of the lower side of the recording area. The right side of Equation (8) is an equation obtained by subtracting Equation (6) for obtaining the distance lc from Equation (7) for obtaining the distance ld. As shown in FIG. 8, a is the length from the upper end of the nozzle row 102 of the print head 101 to the position information sensor 103a. Equation (8) is an equation obtained assuming that the scanning trajectories of the distance lc and the distance ld are substantially equal.

[0065]

Number

[0066]

Number

[0067]

Number

[0068] In addition, after calculating the distance lc from the upper side and the distance ld from the lower side of the recording area in this scan, the maximum position shift amount dm may be calculated by calculating the difference therebetween.

[0069] The arrangement of the position information sensors 103a and 103b may be changed so that the travel distance of one of the position information sensors 103a and 103b becomes the same as the distance lc and the travel distance of the other becomes the same as the distance ld. In this case, the maximum position shift amount dm may be calculated from the difference between the two travel distances obtained from the position information sensors 103a and 103b.

[0070] Then, the CPU 201 calculates the offset amount of the start position of the next scan from the maximum position shift amount dm between the recording area of this scan and the recording area of the next scan. In this embodiment, half of the maximum position shift amount dm (dm / 2) is used as the offset amount.

[0071] In S707, when the shape of the recording area is a convex fan shape, the CPU 201 sets the position in the X direction at the start position of the next scan to a position shifted by a predetermined amount in the direction opposite to the scan direction from the position in the X direction at the start position of this scan. In this embodiment, it is set to a position shifted by the offset amount calculated in S704. When the shape of the recording area is a concave fan shape, the CPU 201 sets the position in the X direction at the start position of the next scan to a position shifted by the offset amount calculated in S704 in the scan direction from the position in the X direction at the start position of this scan.

[0072] In S708, the CPU 201 performs a process of notifying the user of the start position of the next scan.

[0073] When the print head 101 scans to the end position of the recording area of this scan by moving the portable printer 100 in the recording process of this scan (S702), the CPU 201 notifies the user that the end position has been reached via the LED 106.

[0074] The user who has received the notification of the end position moves the portable printer 100 in the direction opposite to the scanning direction of this scan. At this time, the movement amount is calculated based on the detection results of the position information sensors 103a and 103b. Then, in this step, when the CPU 201 determines that the position of the print head 101 in the X direction has moved until it reaches the position in the X direction at the start position of the next scan, it gives a notification indicating that the transition to the next scan is possible via the LED 106. When the offset amount determined in S706 is 0, the user will be notified that the transition to the next scan is possible when the printer has moved to the start position of this scan. When the offset amount is determined, the user will be notified that the transition is possible when the printer has moved to a position shifted by the offset amount from the start position of this scan.

[0075] The user who has received the notification of the possibility of transitioning to the next scan operates the portable printer 100 to move the portable printer 100 by the length d of the nozzle row 102 in the direction perpendicular to the scanning direction. By the user performing this operation, the portable printer is moved to the start position of the recording area for the next scan.

[0076] Fig. 9(a) is a diagram for explaining the recording area when it has been moved to the start position of the next scan by the above processing in the case where the recording area is a convex fan shape. The recording area 801 in Fig. 9(a) is the recording area of this scan, and is schematically shown to correspond to the recording area 801 in Fig. 8(a). The recording areas 902 to 904 are the recording areas corresponding to the recording areas 802 to 804 of the comparative example in Fig. 8(a).

[0077] The recording area 902 is the recording area for the next scan when the processing of the present embodiment is performed. The start position 806 of the recording area 902 is offset by an offset amount dm / 2 compared to the start position 805 of the recording area 801 of the current scan. In FIG. 6(b) of the comparative example, the maximum positional deviation amount between the current scan and the next scan was dm, but in the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 9(a), the maximum positional deviation amount between the current scan and the next scan is suppressed to dm / 2. Thus, in the present embodiment, by setting the start position of the next scan based on dm and controlling the portable printer to move to that position, it is possible to suppress the maximum value of the actual positional deviation amount. As a result, a recording area can be formed more correctly for the image data.

[0078] FIG. 9(b) is a diagram for explaining the recording area when it is moved to the start position of the next scan by the above processing in the case where the recording area is a concave fan shape. The recording area 810 in FIG. 9(a) is the recording area of the current scan and is schematically illustrated corresponding to the recording area 810 in FIG. 8(b). The recording areas 921 to 922 are the recording areas corresponding to the recording areas 821 to 823 of the comparative example in FIG. 8(b).

[0079] The recording area 921 is the recording area for the next scan when the processing of the present embodiment is performed. Even when the recording area is a concave fan shape, the start position 820 of the recording area 921 is offset by an offset amount dm / 2 compared to the start position 811 of the recording area 810 of the current scan. Thus, even when the recording area is a concave fan shape, it is possible to suppress the maximum value of the actual positional deviation amount.

[0080] In the above description, the offset amount of the start position of the next scan is set to half of the maximum positional deviation amount dm to suppress the positional deviation so that there is no positional deviation at the center of the scanning areas of the current scan and the next scan. Actually, even within the recording area, there are areas where no ink is ejected and no image is recorded, and it is not always the case that an image is recorded in all of the recording areas scanned by the print head 101 (nozzle row 102) in the current scan. Therefore, the offset amount may be changed according to the positional relationship of the images in the areas scanned by the nozzle row 102 in the current scan.

[0081] Also, as a method for notifying the user of the transition to the next scan, the CPU 201 has described the method of notifying the user via the LED 106. However, the method of notifying the user is not limited to the method via the LED 106. Any means capable of notifying the user may be used. For example, a display may be arranged on the portable printer 100, and the CPU 201 may display a screen on the display to notify the user. Also, notification by sound using a buzzer or the like, or notification may be made by the vibration of the portable printer 100 itself. Also, instead of the portable printer 100 making the notification, the notification may be made via a host such as a PC or a smart device.

[0082] In S709, the CPU 201 determines whether there is a next scan. If there is no next scan, the process ends. If there is a next scan, the process returns to S702 and the recording process continues. For the sake of convenience of explanation, the determination of whether there is a next scan has been described as being made after the notification of the transition information of the next scan. However, for example, the determination of whether there is a next scan may also be made after S703. In that case, if the result is NO, S704 to S708 may be skipped and the process may end.

[0083] In the above description, the travel distances la and lb of one scan are obtained from the position information sensors 103a and 103b, and the offset amounts corresponding thereto are calculated. That is, it has been described that the offset amount is calculated at the timing between the completion of the current scan and the start of the next scan. If the offset amount cannot be calculated at this timing, the offset amount of the start position of the next scan may be calculated from the travel distances obtained from the position information sensors 103a and 103b during the current scan.

[0084] Specifically, S702 and S703 are executed in parallel. In S703, the CPU 201 acquires the travel distances of the position information sensors 103a and 103b respectively in the period from the start of recording to the current point during the main scan. Then, in S706, the CPU 201 calculates the radius r and estimates the distance lc from the upper side and the distance ld from the lower side of the recording area based on the radius r and the image size for recording in the main scan. And the maximum position deviation amount dm may be calculated based on the estimated distances lc and ld to determine the offset amount. Or, the offset amount may be calculated based on the maximum scan amount specified in the main scan before the start of the main scan.

[0085] For example, when recording an image for one scan is halfway done, the travel distances of the position information sensors 103a and 103b are acquired respectively. Then, the distances lc and ld are calculated from the acquired travel distances, and the value obtained by doubling the absolute value of the difference between the calculated distances lc and ld may be regarded as the maximum position deviation amount dm to determine the offset amount.

[0086] As described above, according to this embodiment, even when an image is recorded as the portable printer is curved and moved in multiple scans, the influence due to the positional deviation of the recording area occurring between scans can be suppressed.

[0087] In the method described above, when the recording area is a convex fan shape, as shown in Fig. 9(a), the start position shifts to the left each time of scanning. Therefore, when scanning and recording are continued multiple times, depending on the size of the recording medium or the size of the recordable area within the recording medium, the recordable area may be exceeded. For this reason, the start position of the recording by the first scan may be adjusted. In the case of a concave fan shape, as shown in Fig. 9(b), the start position shifts to the right each time of scanning.

[0088] FIG. 10 is a diagram for explaining the start position of the main scan different from that in FIG. 9(a). Place the portable printer 100 at position 1005 in FIG. 10 and move the portable printer 100 in a direction opposite to the scanning direction for recording. Then, when the portable printer 100 is moved by θ / 2 which is half of the angle θ of the arc drawn by the recording of the main scan, the CPU 201 notifies the user and stops the movement of the portable printer 100. As shown in FIG. 10, the position of the print head 101 of the portable printer 100 when stopped based on the notification of the CPU 201 may be set as the start position 1006 of the recording of the main scan. The recording area 1001 is a recording area where the print head 101 scans for recording by performing scanning from the start position 1006. The recording areas 1002 to 1004 are recording areas after the next scan and subsequent scans.

[0089] If the recording area 1001 of the main scan is the same size as the recording area 801 in FIG. 8(a), the portable printer 100 may be moved in a direction opposite to the scanning direction from position 1005 until the path distance obtained from the position information sensor 103a becomes la / 2. Even in this case, the portable printer 100 can be moved so that the print head 101 is located at the start position 1006. As described above, the distance of the upper side and the lower side of the recording area, or the offset amount can be measured or calculated in advance and stored in the ROM 205. Therefore, it is possible to perform control to move to the start position 1006 by estimating θ or the distance la from the information stored in the ROM 205. Thereby, it is possible to suppress the portable printer 100 from protruding from the determined area.

[0090] Also, in the above description, an example in which two position information sensors are arranged has been described, but three or more position information sensors may be provided. In this case, based on the position information of at least two of the three or more position information sensors, the maximum position deviation amount dm may be calculated to obtain the offset amount, or the maximum position deviation amount dm may be calculated using the position information of all the position information sensors.

[0091] <Second Embodiment> In this embodiment, in addition to the method of setting the start position of the next scan described in the first embodiment based on the offset amount, a method of suppressing the influence of positional deviation between scans by deforming the image to be recorded on the recording medium will be described. For this embodiment, the description will focus on the differences from the first embodiment. For parts not specifically stated, the configuration and processing are the same as those in the first embodiment.

[0092] FIG. 11 is a flowchart for explaining the process of performing recording while suppressing the influence of positional deviation between scans in this embodiment. The processes of S1101 to S1109 are the same as those of S701 to S709, so the description will be omitted.

[0093] When it is determined in S1109 that there is a next scan, the process proceeds to S1110, and the CPU 201 deforms the image to be recorded in the next scan on the data based on the offset amount calculated in S1106.

[0094] FIG. 12 is a diagram for explaining an example of the method of image deformation in this embodiment. FIG. 12(a) is an image shown by the print data used for recording in the next scan. That is, if the recording area is rectangular as shown in FIG. 4(a), the image formed on the recording medium is also rectangular as shown in FIG. 12(a). Also, in FIG. 12, the image in the print data is assumed to be an image with the entire recording area being black, and the actual recording area obtained as a result of the recording scan is described as a convex fan shape.

[0095] FIG. 12(b) is a diagram showing the image after deforming the image of FIG. 12(a) in this step. As shown in FIG. 12(b), in S1110, the CPU 201 deforms the length of the upper side of the image so that each of the left and right sides of the upper side is compressed by dm / 2, which is the offset amount calculated in S1106, and deforms the image so that the lower side is in a non-compressed state. In the case of a convex fan shape, the length of the lower side of the image is deformed so as to be equal to the distance lb of the lower side of the recording area.

[0096] When the recording area has a concave fan shape, the length of the lower side is deformed so that each of the left and right sides of the lower side is compressed by dm / 2, which is the offset amount calculated in S1106, and conversely, the upper side is deformed in the image so that there is no compression.

[0097] As shown in Fig. 12(a), the horizontal width W of the image before deformation is the length in the scanning direction in the recording area when a rectangular recording area is formed on the recording medium. The height d of the image before deformation is set to the length d of the nozzle row 102 of the print head 101. In this case, the deformed horizontal width W´ at the position of height y from the lower side of the image is calculated by Equation (9).

[0098]

Equation

[0099] To reflect it in the data so that it becomes an image with a horizontal width W´, it is only necessary to add a margin A (white) obtained by Equation (10) to the left and right of the image at the height y from the lower side of the image.

[0100]

Equation

[0101] Fig. 12(c) is a diagram of the image recorded on the recording medium using the image deformed in S1110. In this way, by deforming the image used for recording in each scan on the data, it is possible to suppress the positional deviation of the image recorded on the recording medium. As a result, the image can be more appropriately recorded on the recording medium as in the image indicated by the print data.

[0102] Fig. 13 shows an example of performing image deformation so that the image formed on the recording medium becomes rectangular when the recording area has a convex fan shape. An example of another method of image deformation executable in S1110 will be described with reference to Fig. 13.

[0103] FIG. 13(a) is a diagram of an image 1301 represented by print data used for recording in one scan. The image 1305 in FIG. 13(c) is a diagram of an image after image deformation on the data with respect to the image 1301 in FIG. 13(a). FIG. 13(b) is a diagram showing an image 1302 formed on a recording medium by recording for one scan using the image in FIG. 13(c).

[0104] The dotted-line area in FIG. 13(b) is the recording area 1303 of the main scan, which corresponds to the recording area 801 in FIG. 8(a). As shown in FIG. 13(b), the recording area 1303 that the print head 101 (nozzle row 102) scans for recording will be described as having a convex fan shape similar to the recording area 801 in FIG. 8. When recording is performed based on the image-deformed image 1305 shown in FIG. 13(c), by scanning the recording area 1303 indicated by the dotted line with the print head 101 (nozzle row 102), a rectangular image 1302 indicated by the solid line is recorded on the recording medium. In FIG. 13(c), the dotted-line rectangular area 1307 is an area corresponding to the convex fan-shaped recording area 1303 in FIG. 13(b). As shown in the image 1305, when the recording area has a convex fan shape, it is necessary to deform the image on the data into a concave shape so that a rectangular image is recorded on the recording medium.

[0105] An example of a method for calculating pixel data at each pixel position in the image shown in FIG. 13(c) will be described. When calculating the pixel data at position 1306 in FIG. 13(c), first, the position 1304 on the recording area 1303 in FIG. 13(b) corresponding to position 1306 is determined. Then, it is calculated which position in the rectangular image 1302 the position 1304 corresponds to. And the position in the image 1301 corresponding to the position 1304 in the image 1302 is determined. Since the image 1302 in FIG. 13(b) corresponds to the image 1301 before image deformation, the position in the image 1301 corresponding to the position 1304 in the image 1302 can be determined. And the pixel data at the determined position in the image 1301 is determined as the pixel data at position 1306. In this way, by calculating the pixel data corresponding to each position in the image shown in FIG. 13(c), an image deformed as shown in FIG. 13(c) can be generated to record the rectangular image 1302 shown in FIG. 13(b).

[0106] When performing the image deformation in FIG. 13, the moving amount of the portable printer 100 for the transition to the next scan may also be changed. For example, in order to continuously record the rectangular image 1302 shown in FIG. 13(b) even in the next scan, d' shown in FIG. 13(b) is calculated during the recording of the current scan, and the portable printer 100 may be moved by d' in a direction perpendicular to the scanning direction to transition to the next scan.

[0107] As described above, according to the present embodiment, by deforming the image to be recorded on the recording medium, it is possible to suppress the influence of the positional deviation in the scanning direction that occurs between scans.

[0108] In the above description, a method is shown in which the start position of the next scan is changed based on the offset amount and the image is further deformed. Alternatively, the start position of the next scan may not be changed, and only the image to be recorded in the next scan may be deformed. That is, S1107 in the flowchart of FIG. 11 may be skipped. Even with only the image deformation process, it is possible to suppress the positional deviation of the image between the current scan and the next scan.

[0109] <The Third Embodiment> In the above-described embodiment, the form of a portable printer that records an image by one-way scanning has been described. In the present embodiment, a form of performing recording by reciprocating scanning will be described, in which after recording and scanning in the scanning direction (+X direction), the nozzle row 102 is moved by the length d in a direction perpendicular to the scanning direction, and then scanning is performed in the opposite direction (-X direction) to record an image.

[0110] FIG. 14 is a diagram for explaining a comparative example when the portable printer 100 records an image by reciprocating scanning. FIG. 14 shows a recording area when the recording area is in a convex fan shape but the start position is not changed based on the offset amount. The recording area 1401 is the recording area of the first scan. The recording areas 1402 to 1403 after the second scan are shown by the areas surrounded by dotted lines. As shown in FIG. 14, when recording an image by reciprocating scanning, the amount of positional deviation between the recording area at the end and the recording area based on the previous scan is dm at the end, and the maximum positional deviation occurs at the end. Therefore, in the present embodiment, a method for suppressing the maximum value of the amount of positional deviation between scans will be described even when recording an image by reciprocating scanning. Regarding the present embodiment, the description will be centered on the differences from the first embodiment. The same configurations and processes as those in the first embodiment are used for parts not specifically described.

[0111] FIG. 15 is a flowchart for explaining the process of performing recording while suppressing the influence of positional deviation between scans in the present embodiment. Since S1501 to S1506 are the same processes as S701 to S706, the description thereof will be omitted.

[0112] In S1507, it is determined whether the recording area determined in S1504 is in a convex fan shape. If it is in a convex fan shape (S1507 is YES), in S1508, the CPU 201 changes the transition position (line feed position) to the next scan based on the offset amount. If the transition position is not changed in this step, the end position of the recording area of this scan is set as the transition position to the next scan.

[0113] FIG. 16 is a diagram for explaining a recording area when recording by reciprocating scanning is performed by the method of the present embodiment. FIG. 16(a) is a diagram when the recording area is a convex fan shape. The recording area 1601 is an area where the print head 101 (nozzle row 102) scans when performing recording of the main scan. The recording area 1602 is an area where the nozzle row 102 scans by the next scan. In the comparative example of FIG. 14, it is an example in which the end position 1405 of the recording area 1401 of the main scan is set as the transition position of the next scan. On the other hand, in the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 16(a), the position obtained by adding the offset amount dm / 2 to the end position 1603 of the recording area of the main scan is changed to the transition position 1604 of the next scan.

[0114] FIG. 16(b) is a diagram when the recording area is a concave fan shape. When the recording area is a concave fan shape (S1507 is NO), the transition position is not changed, and the end position 1622 of the recording area 1610 of the main scan becomes the transition position. On the other hand, in S1509, the CPU 201 changes the start position of the recording area 1620 of the next scan based on the offset amount. In the present embodiment, the position obtained by adding the offset amount dm / 2 to the position 1623 after line feed in the next scan is set as the start position 1621 of the recording area 1620 of the next scan.

[0115] Then, in S1510, the CPU 201 notifies the user of the transition to the next scan. When the recording area is a convex fan shape, even if the portable printer 100 is moved so that the print head 101 (nozzle row 102) is positioned at the end position 1603 of the recording area of the main scan, the user is notified that the transition to the next scan is not possible. That is, the user is prompted to move the portable printer 100 further in the scanning direction from the end position 1603. Then, when the portable printer 100 is moved so that the print head 101 (nozzle row 102) is positioned at the transition position 1604 calculated in S1508, the user is notified of the availability of the transition to the next scan via the LED 106.

[0116] The portable printer 100 is moved by a person to record an image. For this reason, if the movement of the portable printer 100 for the main scan is performed until the print head 101 is positioned at the end position 1603 of the recording area 1601, the user may judge that the recording of the main scan is completed and shift to the operation for the next scan. That is, since the user recognizes the image to be recorded, there is a possibility that the portable printer 100 will shift to the next scan according to the recording of the image. As a result, the portable printer 100 cannot perform the recording of the next scan from the set start position. On the other hand, in the present embodiment, since the user is notified via the LED 106, even when recording is performed by reciprocating scanning, line breaks can be made at a position considering the offset amount.

[0117] On the other hand, when the recording area is a concave fan shape, in S1510, the CPU 201 notifies that the shift to the next scan is possible when the portable printer 100 is moved so that the print head 101 (nozzle row 102) is positioned at the end position 1622 of the recording area of the main scan.

[0118] The user who has received the notification of the shift possibility via the LED 106 moves the portable printer 100 to the position for the next scan by operating the portable printer 100. As a result, in the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 16, the maximum amount of positional deviation from the recording area of the previous scan is suppressed from dm of the comparative example to dm / 2.

[0119] The method of notifying the impossibility of shifting by the LED 106 may be any method different from the method of notifying the possibility of shifting to the next scan. For example, in the present embodiment, the notification of the impossibility of shifting is a single-color blinking pattern.

[0120] Next, in S1511, the CPU 201 determines whether there is a next scan. If there is a next scan, the process proceeds to S1502, and the CPU 201 performs recording processing for the next scan. If the start position is not changed, the position after shifting to the next scan is set as the start position of the next scan. Therefore, in the case of a convex fan shape, the start position 1605 of the recording area, which is the position where the recording of the next scan starts, is the position after a line break. In the case where the recording area is a concave fan shape, the start position 1621 is the position advanced by the offset amount from the position after the line break.

[0121] As described above, according to this embodiment, even when recording is performed by reciprocating scanning, it is possible to suppress the positional deviation of the image between the main scan and the next scan.

[0122] <Fourth Embodiment> In this embodiment, a method of notifying the shift to the next scan is described in consideration of the landing deviation of ink dots when recording is performed by reciprocating scanning. This embodiment will be mainly described with differences from the third embodiment. For parts not specifically stated, the same configuration and processing as in the third embodiment are adopted. That is, similar to the third embodiment, the case where the portable printer 100 of this embodiment performs recording by reciprocating scanning will be described.

[0123] In an inkjet printer that performs recording by scanning a print head that ejects ink as droplets to record an image, the print head moves relative to the recording medium from the time when ink is ejected from the nozzles of the print head until it lands on the recording medium. Therefore, the landing position of the ink is shifted in the scanning direction.

[0124] FIG. 17 is a diagram for explaining the deviation of the landing position of the ink in the inkjet printer. As shown in FIG. 17(a), the amount of deviation xd of the landing position in the scanning direction is generally determined by the conditions of the moving speed S of the print head 101 during recording, the speed V of the ejected droplets, and the distance D from the nozzle row that ejects the ink to the recording medium. Considering the speed V of the droplets of a general inkjet printer, the distance D to the recording medium, and the moving speed S at which the portable printer 100 is moved by a person, the amount of deviation xd of the landing position of the ink is about 100 μm.

[0125] For example, assume that the portable printer 100 moves at the moving speed S from the start position 1600 of the recording area 1601 in FIG. 16(a) to the transition position 1604 further in the scanning direction of the end position 1603. Assume that the portable printer 100 also moves at the moving speed S in the next scan. In this case, as shown in FIG. 17(b), at the end position 1603 of the recording area 1601 in the current scan, the landing position is shifted by xd×2 (200 μm) with respect to the position corresponding to the end position 1603 in the recording area 1602 of the next scan. Therefore, there is a possibility that a deviation occurs between the image recorded on the recording medium by the current scan and the image recorded by the next scan, and an appropriate image may not be formed. Thus, in this embodiment, a method of changing the transition position to the next scan in consideration of the deviation of the landing position will be described.

[0126] FIG. 18 is a flowchart for explaining the process of performing recording while suppressing the influence of the positional deviation between scans in this embodiment. Since S1801 to S1807 are the same processes as S1501 to S1507, the description thereof is omitted. Also, since S1810 to S1812 are the same processes as S1509 to S1511, the description thereof is omitted.

[0127] When the recording area is a convex fan shape (S1807 is YES), in S1808, the CPU 201 changes the transition position of the next scan to a position shifted by a predetermined amount in the scanning direction of the current scan from the end position of the recording area of the current scan, considering the offset amount and the deviation of the landing position.

[0128] FIG. 19 is a diagram for explaining the transition position changed by the method of the present embodiment. FIG. 19(a) is a diagram for explaining the transition position after the change when the recording area is a convex fan shape, and the recording area 1902 is the recording area for the next scan. The transition position 1905 is changed to a position further moved in the scanning direction by a distance obtained by adding the offset amount dm / 2, the total xd×2 of the landing position deviation amount xd of the current scan and the landing position deviation amount xd of the next scan, from the end position 1903 of the recording area 1901 of the current scan.

[0129] When the recording area is a concave fan shape (S1807 is NO), in S1809, the CPU 201 changes the transition position to the next scan to a position shifted by an amount xd×2 considering the landing position deviation in the scanning direction of the current scan, from the end position of the recording area of the current scan.

[0130] As described above, in the present embodiment, the user is notified that it is impossible to transition to the next scan until the print head 101 reaches the position considering the landing position deviation, and when the print head 101 reaches the position considering the landing position deviation, a notification that the transition to the next scan is possible is given. As a result, it becomes possible to record an image considering the landing position deviation between scans.

[0131] Note that the present embodiment is applicable even when there is no need to calculate the offset amount in a rectangular recording area as shown in FIG. 6(a). When the recording area is rectangular, in the flowchart of FIG. 18, in S1807, it is determined as NO and the process proceeds to S1809. As shown in FIG. 19(b), the CPU 201 changes the transition position to the next scan from the end position 1911 of the recording area 1910 of the current scan to a position 1912 obtained by adding the total xd×2 of the landing position deviation amount xd of the current scan and the landing position deviation amount xd of the next scan. The recording area 1920 is the recording area for the next scan.

[0132] Even in this case, it is possible to suppress inappropriate recording of an image due to the landing position deviation between scans. Note that when the recording area is rectangular, since the offset amount is 0, S1805 to S1806 and S1810 may be skipped.

[0133] <Other Embodiments> In the above-described embodiment, an example in which the process proceeds to the next scan when the recording of the current scan is completed has been shown. In addition, the present embodiment can also be applied to the case where the process proceeds to the next scan with the portable printer 100 additionally moved outside the recording area of the current scan. For example, the offset amount may be determined by adding or subtracting the moving amount of the additional movement to or from half of the maximum positional deviation amount dm.

[0134] In the above-described embodiment, the offset amount or the image deformation amount of the start position of the next scan is set to half of the maximum positional deviation amount dm between scans. However, the offset amount or the image deformation amount is not limited to that value. For example, the offset amount or the image deformation amount of the start position of the next scan may be changed according to the ratio of the image data in the left and right regions in the recording area of the current scan.

[0135] The present disclosure can also be realized by supplying a program that realizes one or more functions of the above-described embodiments to a system or apparatus via a network or a storage medium, and causing one or more processors in a computer of the system or apparatus to read and execute the program. It can also be realized by a circuit (for example, ASIC) that realizes one or more functions.

Description of Reference Numerals

[0136] 100 Portable Printer 101 Print Head 103a Position Information Sensor 103b Position Information Sensor 201 CPU

Claims

1. A handheld recording device having a recording means extending along a first direction, and recording an image in a recording area which is an area scanned by the recording means on a recording medium by moving in a scanning direction intersecting the first direction to record an image for one scan, comprising: two position information sensors arranged at two different positions in the first direction; two rollers arranged at two different positions in the first direction; control means for controlling the recording device, wherein when performing a second scan subsequent to the first scan by moving the recording means by a predetermined amount of movement in the first direction after completion of the first scan, the control means determines whether the shape of the recording area is a convex fan shape or a concave fan shape based on the amount of movement of the two position information sensors related to the first scan, estimates the amount of positional deviation in the scanning direction of a second recording area corresponding to the second scan with respect to a first recording area corresponding to the first scan based on the determination and the amount of movement of the two position information sensors related to the first scan, and controls the second scan based on the estimated amount of positional deviation. The recording device according to claim 1, characterized in that

2. The control means estimates the amount of positional deviation based on the amount of movement of the two position information sensors during a period from the start to the end of the first scan. The recording device according to claim 1, characterized in that

3. The control means estimates the amount of positional deviation based on the amount of movement of the two position information sensors during a period from the start to before the end of the first scan. The recording device according to claim 1, characterized in that

4. The control means estimates, as the amount of positional deviation, an amount corresponding to a difference between a distance of an upper side and a distance of a lower side of the first recording area. The recording device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that

5. The control means determines an offset amount based on the amount of positional deviation, and sets a start position of the second recording area based on the offset amount. The recording device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that

6. The offset amount is a value that is half of the amount of positional deviation. The recording device according to claim 5, characterized in that

7. The control means acquires an image for which the recording means performs recording, performs a process of deforming the image based on the offset amount, and the recording means ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ Performing recording on the recording medium based on the deformed image The recording apparatus according to claim 5 or 6, characterized in that.

8. The scanning direction of the first scanning and the scanning direction of the second scanning are the same direction, The control means is, When the first recording area has a shape where the upper side is longer than the lower side, the start position of the second recording area is set at a position shifted by the offset amount in the direction opposite to the scanning direction from the start position of the first recording area, When the first recording area has a shape where the lower side is longer than the upper side, the start position of the second recording area is set at a position shifted by the offset amount in the scanning direction from the start position of the first recording area The recording apparatus according to any one of claims 5 to 7, characterized in that.

9. The control means is, After completion of the first scanning, until the recording means is positioned at the set start position of the second recording area, control is performed to move the recording apparatus for the user The recording apparatus according to any one of claims 5 to 8, characterized in that.

10. The first scanning direction, which is the scanning direction of the first scanning, is the direction opposite to the second scanning direction, which is the scanning direction of the second scanning, The control means is, The transition position from the first scanning to the second scanning is set at a position shifted by a predetermined amount in the first scanning direction from the end position of the first recording area The recording apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that.

11. The recording means is a plurality of discharge ports for discharging a recording material, The predetermined amount is a value based on the landing deviation amount of the recording material discharged from the discharge port The recording apparatus according to claim 10, characterized in that.

12. The control means is, When the first recording area has a shape where the upper side is longer than the lower side, the sum of the value based on the positional deviation amount and the value based on the landing deviation amount is set as the predetermined amount The recording apparatus according to claim 11, characterized in that.

13. Further having a notification means for notifying the user, The control means is, Even after completion of the recording of the image by the first scanning, until the recording means is moved to the transition position, it is notified that the transition to the second scanning is not possible, and when the recording means is moved to the transition position, the notification means is controlled to issue a notification prompting the transition to the second scanning The recording apparatus according to any one of claims 10 to 12, characterized in that.

14. When a notification prompting the transition to the second scan is issued by the notification means, when the user operates the recording apparatus, the recording apparatus is moved by the predetermined movement amount in the first direction. The recording apparatus according to claim 13, characterized in that.

15. The rollers that rotate by contacting the recording medium and assist the movement of the recording apparatus are arranged in one direction and the other direction in the first direction, respectively. One of the two position information sensors is arranged further in the one direction than the roller arranged in the one direction. The other of the two position information sensors is arranged further in the other direction than the roller arranged in the other direction. The recording apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 14, characterized in that.

16. The control means calculates the maximum positional deviation amount based on the difference between the distance of the upper side of the recording area and the distance of the lower side of the recording area, and starts recording by the second scan from the position shifted by half of the maximum positional deviation amount. Control. The recording apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 15, characterized in that.

17. Recording means extending along the first direction; Two position information sensors arranged at two different positions in the first direction; And having A control method for a hand-held recording apparatus that records an image in a recording area, which is an area scanned by the recording means on a recording medium to record an image for one scan by being moved in a scanning direction intersecting the first direction. There is, After completion of the first scan, when performing the second scan next to the first scan by moving the recording means by a predetermined movement amount in the first direction, Based on the movement amounts of the two position information sensors related to the first scan, determine whether the shape of the recording area is a convex fan shape or a concave fan shape. Estimating the amount of positional deviation in the scanning direction of the second recording area corresponding to the second scan with respect to the first recording area corresponding to the first scan based on the determination and the movement amounts of the two position information sensors related to the first scan, and controlling the second scan based on the estimated amount of positional deviation. A control method characterized by that.

18. A program for causing a computer to execute the control method according to claim 17.

Images