Handheld recording device, control method, and program

Abstract

To provide a technique capable of suppressing generation of a recording result in which a recording quality is lowered when nozzles are changed and recording is performed.SOLUTION: A hand-held recording device alternately executes first operation of discharging ink from nozzles and performing recording, and second operation of moving in a second direction that a nozzle array extends on the basis of a detection result by detection means according to scanning in a first direction crossing the direction that the nozzle array extends, records a predetermined image on a recording medium, and changes a position of nozzles used in recording in scanning in the first operation after the second operation according to inclination when the inclination occurs in the nozzle array before and after the second operation. When at least one of exceeding a predetermined scanning range and finishing recording in the scanning, in the scanning in the first direction is satisfied, the second operation is regulated.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 9

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a manually scanned handheld recording device in which a user manually scans and records, a control method for the handheld recording device, and a program.

Background Art

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a technique for suppressing a decrease in recording quality due to variations in the conveyance amount by detecting an error in the conveyance amount of a recording medium and changing the nozzles of a recording head that can be used during recording in a serial scanning type recording device.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] By the way, as a recording device, a handheld recording device that records on a recording medium in the same manner as a serial scanning type recording device by manually moving the main body with respect to the recording medium is known. In such a handheld recording device, when moving to the area of the next scan, the handheld recording device may tilt with respect to the recording medium. In response to such a tilt, for example, it is conceivable to apply the technique of Patent Document 1 and change the nozzles of the recording head that can be used.

[0005] However, for example, when the inclination occurring in the handheld recording device exceeds the assumed inclination, or when the movement to the next scan is performed at a position that exceeds the assumed inclination or the assumed scanning area, there may be no nozzle to be changed. As a result, white streak-like lines, so-called white streaks, may occur due to the separation of the recording areas between scans, and there was a risk that the recording quality would deteriorate. Such a deterioration in recording quality is not known to the user until the actually generated recording result is confirmed.

[0006] The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object thereof is to provide a technique capable of suppressing the generation of a recording result with deteriorated recording quality when recording by changing nozzles.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0007] In order to achieve the above object, an embodiment of the present invention includes a recording unit that forms a nozzle row by arranging a plurality of nozzles that eject ink and performs recording by ejecting ink from the nozzles, and a detection unit that detects position information, and a first direction that intersects the direction in which the nozzle row extends by the user to Based on the detection result by the detection unit according to the scan, a first operation of ejecting ink from the nozzles in the recording unit for recording and a second direction in which the nozzle row extends by the user A second operation of moving is alternately executed to record a predetermined image on a recording medium, and when an inclination occurs in the nozzle row before and after the second operation, the position of the nozzle used for recording in the scan in the first operation after the second operation is changed according to the inclination. A handheld recording device, when at least one of the following is satisfied in the scan in the first direction: exceeding a predetermined scan range and not finishing the recording in the scan by the recording means the second operation to is characterized by having. notification means for notifying that

Effects of the Invention

Effects of the Invention

[0008] According to the present invention, it becomes possible to suppress the generation of a recording result with deteriorated recording quality when recording by changing the nozzle.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0009] [[Figure 1]] Schematic configuration diagram of a recording apparatus according to an embodiment. [[Figure 2]] Diagram showing a recording procedure by a recording apparatus. [[Figure 3]] Diagram showing the positions of constituent members according to the recording process. [[Figure 4]] Block configuration diagram of a control system of a recording apparatus. [[Figure 5]] Block diagram showing a functional configuration related to image processing in a control unit. [[Figure 6]] Diagram for explaining streaks generated in a recording area between scans due to the inclination of a nozzle row. [[Figure 7]] Diagram showing an example of changing available nozzles according to the inclination of a nozzle row. [[Figure 8]] Diagram for explaining a scanning range with respect to a recording area. [[Figure 9]] Diagram showing a detailed processing routine of a recording process. [[Figure 10]] Diagram showing a recording area, a scanning range, and available nozzles when recording by two scans. [[Figure 11]] Diagram for explaining a method of obtaining an inclination between scans generated by a line feed operation.

Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0010] Hereinafter, an example of an embodiment of a handheld recording apparatus, a control method, and a program will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Note that the following embodiments do not limit the present invention, and not all combinations of features described in the embodiments are essential for the solution means of the present invention. Also, the relative positions, shapes, etc. of the configurations described in the embodiments are merely examples, and do not limit the scope of the present invention only thereto.

[0011] In the following description, "recording" includes not only the case of forming significant information such as characters and figures, but also regardless of whether it is significant or not. Further, it includes the case of forming an image, a pattern, a pattern, a structure, etc. on a recording medium widely, or performing processing on the medium, regardless of whether it is manifested so that it can be visually perceived by humans. The "recording medium" includes not only paper used in general recording devices, but also cloth, plastic film, metal plate, glass, ceramics, resin, wood, leather, etc., which can receive ink.

[0012] (Configuration of the recording device) First, the configuration of the handheld recording device according to the embodiment will be described. Note that the handheld recording device is generally also referred to as a handy printer, a portable printer, etc. Further, in the following description, the "handheld recording device" is also simply referred to as the "recording device". FIG. 1 is a perspective configuration diagram of the recording device according to the embodiment, (a) is a view seen from above, and (b) is a view seen from below.

[0013] The recording device 10 in FIG. 1 is a manually scanned handheld recording device that the user manually scans (moves) on the placed recording medium to perform recording. The recording device 10 includes a lower unit 12 having various configurations for recording, and an upper unit 14 in which a control configuration is housed (see FIG. 1(a)).

[0014] The upper unit 14 is provided with a line feed handle 16 that is operated by the user when moving the recording device 10 in the +Y direction in which a nozzle row (described later) extends. Further, the upper unit 14 is provided with a button 18 having an LED lamp on a surface corresponding to the upper surface 10a of the recording device 10 to notify the user of an error or the like. When the button 18 is long-pressed, the power of the recording device 10 is switched on / off, and when it is short-pressed, recording start, recording stop, etc. are performed. Regarding the LED lamp of the button 18, various notifications can be made depending on its lighting pattern, lighting color, etc. In the present embodiment, the button 18 is configured to have an LED lamp, but it is not limited thereto, and in the recording device 10, the button 18 and the LED lamp may be provided as separate configurations.

[0015] The lower unit 12 is provided with a recording head 20 that discharges ink onto a recording medium facing the bottom surface 10b of the recording device 10 during recording. A nozzle row 20a in which a plurality of nozzles for discharging ink are arranged along the Y direction is formed in the recording head 20. Further, the lower unit 12 is provided with a guide roller 22 that guides the movement of the recording device 10 in the X direction that intersects (orthogonal in the present embodiment) the Y direction. Furthermore, the lower unit 12 is provided with a downstream position detection sensor 24 provided on the downstream side in the +Y direction and an upstream position detection sensor 26 provided on the upstream side in the +Y direction. The recording head 20 is located between the downstream position detection sensor 24 and the upstream position detection sensor 26 in the Y direction. Furthermore, the lower unit 12 is provided with a line feed leg 28 that is displaceable between a storage position housed in the lower unit 12 and a protruding position protruding in the -Z direction from the bottom surface 10b in response to the operation of the line feed handle 16. Although details will be described later, the recording device 10 is configured to be movable in the +Y direction by the displacement of the line feed leg 28 due to the operation of the line feed handle 16 from the state where the guide roller 22 is in contact with the ground.

[0016] (Recording by the recording device and operations of each component) Next, while explaining the recording method for the recording medium by the recording apparatus 10, each component of the recording apparatus 10 will be described in more detail. FIG. 2 is a diagram for explaining the procedure of recording an image by the recording apparatus 10. FIG. 2(a) is a diagram showing a state where the recording apparatus is placed at the recording start position on the recording medium. FIG. 2(b) is a diagram showing a state during the first scan. FIG. 2(c) is a diagram showing a state where the first scan is completed and the recording apparatus is moving to the scan start position in the second scan. FIG. 2(d) is a diagram showing a state during the second scan. FIGS. 3(a) to (h) are diagrams showing the positions of the respective components at each timing during recording.

[0017] The recording apparatus 10 performs a recording operation in which ink is ejected from each nozzle constituting the nozzle row 20a while moving in the +X direction (or -X direction) on the recording medium to perform recording. Then, after this recording operation, a line feed operation is performed in which the recording apparatus 10 is moved by a predetermined amount in the +Y direction. Thereafter, from the moved position, a recording operation is performed in which ink is ejected from the nozzle while moving in the -X direction (or +X direction), which is the direction opposite to the previous scan direction, to record in an area adjacent to the recording area recorded in the previous scan. Thus, in the recording apparatus 10, a recording operation for performing a scan in the X direction involving recording and a line feed operation for moving by a predetermined amount in the +Y direction after recording are alternately performed, and a predetermined image is recorded on the recording medium by scanning by a plurality of recording operations. Note that in this specification, the transition from one scan to the next scan is also referred to as a line feed.

[0018] More specifically, first, the recording apparatus 10 is placed at the recording start position where recording starts on the recording medium M (see FIG. 2(a)). As the recording start position, for example, it is placed at the upper left of the area on the recording medium M where an image is to be recorded. Since the recording apparatus 10 can record while reciprocating in the X direction, it may be placed at the upper right. In the present embodiment, in the scan of the recording apparatus 10, the odd-numbered scans will be described as scanning from left to right, and the even-numbered scans will be described as scanning from right to left.

[0019] At the recording start position, as shown in FIG. 3(a), in the recording apparatus 10, the guide roller 22 and the downstream position detection sensor 24 are in contact with the recording medium M. FIG. 3(a) is a view of the recording apparatus placed at the recording start position as seen in the direction of arrow A. In FIGS. 3(a) to (h), the side surface of the housing of the recording apparatus 10 is shown broken away in order to show the internal structure.

[0020] The distance between the bottom surface 10b of the recording apparatus 10 and the recording medium M is determined by the guide roller 22. Thereby, the distance between the nozzle in the recording head 20 and the recording medium M is designed to be a distance suitable for recording. The guide roller 22 includes a roller portion 22a provided upstream in the +X direction with respect to the recording head 20 and a roller portion 22b provided downstream in the +X direction (see FIG. 1(b)). Each of the roller portions 22a and 22b includes a pair of rollers 23, and the paired rollers 23 are connected by a shaft 25 so that their centers of rotation coincide. The shaft 25 is rotatably supported in the lower unit 12 so as to extend along the Y direction and is supported so that the play in the Y direction is small. Further, the roller 23 is processed, for example, by fixing small-diameter abrasive grains to the cylindrical surface in contact with the recording medium M so that the friction coefficient with the recording medium M is increased, and the diameters of the rollers 23 are made substantially equal in order to improve the straightness in the X direction. Furthermore, the roller portions 22a and 22b may be supported so that, for example, the parallelism is small to improve the straightness. With such a configuration, when the user manually scans the recording medium M, the guide roller 22 rotates in accordance with the movement of the recording apparatus 10 without idling, and its straightness is improved.

[0021] The downstream position detection sensor 24 is constantly pressed in the -Z direction, that is, the direction of contacting the recording medium M, and can measure the movement amount of the recording apparatus 10. The downstream position detection sensor 24 includes a case 24a that houses a sensor unit 24c capable of optically reading the surface of the recording medium M, and a pair of sliders 24b protruding in the -Z direction are formed in the case 24a. The downstream position detection sensor 24 has the slider 24b in contact with the recording medium M. Thereby, the distance between the sensor unit 24c and the recording medium M is kept constant.

[0022] In the recording apparatus 10 placed at the recording start position, the line feed handle 16 is biased in the -Y direction by a spring (not shown) and is located at the initial position as shown in FIG. 3(a). Further, the upstream position detection sensor 26 is retracted to a retracted position housed in the lower unit 12 in conjunction with a line feed mechanism drive gear train 32 (described later) and is separated from the recording medium M. Furthermore, the line feed leg 28 is located at a housing position housed in the lower unit 12 and separated from the recording medium M.

[0023] When the recording apparatus 10 is placed at the recording start position, next, the user manually moves the recording apparatus 10 in the +X direction while maintaining the state of contacting the recording medium M, and executes a recording operation in the recording apparatus 10 (see FIG. 2(b)). When the scanning (movement) of the recording apparatus 10 in the +X direction from the recording start position is started, the detection of the movement amount by the downstream position detection sensor 24 is started. The detection of the movement amount is continuously executed during the movement. In the downstream position detection sensor 24, the sensor unit 24c detects the movement amount from the scanning start position and integrates the movement amount to calculate the current position of the recording apparatus 10. The calculation of the current position of the recording apparatus 10 may be executed by a control unit 400 (described later) housed in the upper unit 14. During the recording operation, the positional relationship of each member is the same as that at the recording start position (see FIG. 3(a)).

[0024] For the downstream position detection sensor 24, a sensor capable of detecting the movement amount with high precision is used. Therefore, the distance between the sensor unit 24c and the recording medium M is, for example, 2.4 mm, and its tolerance range needs to be maintained within ±0.3 mm. Such a downstream position detection sensor 24 detects the relative movement amount between the recording apparatus 10 and the recording medium M with high precision. For this reason, in the recording apparatus 10, ink can be ejected from the recording head 20 and recorded at a timing corresponding to the movement amount based on the detection result of the downstream position detection sensor 24. Regarding the position detection method in the downstream position detection sensor 24, various known techniques capable of detecting the relative position between the recording apparatus 10 and the recording medium M can be used.

[0025] The recording head 20 ejects ink by an inkjet method from each nozzle constituting the nozzle row 20a. Therefore, at each nozzle, ink is ejected under the control of the control unit 400 according to the detection result of the downstream position detection sensor 24. Specifically, recording data is read from the RAM 412 (described later) according to the detection result, and the CPU 402 (described later) determines the timing and whether to eject or not eject ink at that position, and forms an image by appropriately ejecting ink from each nozzle of the recording head 20. Since the recording apparatus 10 is manually scanned by the user, there is no guarantee that the moving speed is constant, and the moving speed may change. Even if there is such a variation in the moving speed, the control unit 400 controls the ejection of ink from each nozzle of the recording head 20 so as to appropriately record an image on the recording medium M. After that, in the first scan, when the recording based on the recording data is completed, the user stops the scan of the recording apparatus 10 in the +X direction by visually checking the recording part or checking the lighting state of the LED lamp provided on the button 18.

[0026] When the scanning of the recording device 10 in the X direction is stopped, next, while maintaining the state where the recording device 10 is in contact with the recording medium M, the user operates the line feed handle 16 to move it in the +Y direction, and the recording device 10 executes a line feed operation (see Fig. 2(c)). Note that this line feed operation corresponds to a conveyance operation for conveying the recording medium in a direction intersecting the scanning direction after the recording operation by scanning in a serial scanning type recording device. That is, the line feed operation in the recording device 10 is an operation of moving the recording device 10 in the +Y direction to a position where the next recording operation by scanning is to be performed according to the position of the recording medium M in the recording area PA1 recorded by the recording operation by scanning in the X direction.

[0027] This line feed operation is executed by the user operating the line feed handle 16 to move it in the direction of arrow B. In the recording device 10, in conjunction with the operation of this line feed handle 16, the line feed leg 28 operates and moves by a predetermined amount in the +Y direction. Note that the predetermined amount will be described later as the movement amount D. During the line feed operation, in addition to the downstream position detection sensor 24, the upstream position detection sensor 26 also comes into contact with the recording medium M. Thereby, in the recording device 10, the movement state by the line feed operation is detected by two position detection sensors at different positions in the Y direction. Specifically, when there is a variation in the movement amount of the recording device 10 or when there is an inclination due to rotation in the direction of arrow R (see Fig. 2(c)) before and after the line feed operation, the amount can be detected by the two position detection sensors. The upstream position detection sensor 26 separates from the recording medium M when the movement by a predetermined amount in the +Y direction is completed.

[0028] The change in the positional relationship of each member during the line feed operation will be described with reference to FIGS. 3(a) to 3(h). In a state where the scanning in the X direction is stopped, as shown in FIG. 3(a), the guide roller 22 and the downstream position detection sensor 24 are in contact with the recording medium M. As shown in each figure of FIG. 3, the recording apparatus 10 includes a line feed lever 30 that operates in conjunction with the line feed handle 16, and a line feed mechanism drive gear train 32 that is driven in response to the operation of the line feed lever 30 to operate the line feed leg 28. Further, the recording apparatus 10 includes a reset lever 34 for returning the line feed mechanism drive gear train 32 to the initial state (the state shown in FIG. 3(a)), and a reset sub-lever 36 that acts in the latter half of the operation of returning to the initial state. Furthermore, the recording apparatus 10 includes a reset cam 38 that receives force from the reset lever 34 and the reset sub-lever 36.

[0029] When the line feed handle 16 is moved in the direction of arrow B by the user at the position where the scanning is stopped, as shown in FIG. 3(b), the line feed lever 30 is rotated by the line feed handle 16. Note that the line feed handle 16 is biased in the -Y direction by the biasing force of a spring, and the user pushes the line feed handle 16 in the +Y direction against this biasing force.

[0030] When the line feed lever 30 is rotated by the operation of the line feed handle 16, the lock that had retracted the upstream position detection sensor 26 so as not to contact the recording medium M descends, enabling the upstream position detection sensor 26 to move up and down. As a result, the upstream position detection sensor 26 descends due to the pressing force of a pressing spring (not shown) and comes into contact with the recording medium M. Similar to the downstream position detection sensor 24, the upstream position detection sensor 26 includes a case 26a that houses a sensor unit 26c capable of optically reading the surface of the recording medium M, and a pair of sliders 26b that protrude in the -Z direction are formed in the case 26a. The upstream position detection sensor 26 keeps the distance between the sensor unit 26c and the recording medium M constant by contacting the recording medium M at the slider 26b.

[0031] Then, when the line feed handle 16 is further pushed in the +Y direction and the line feed lever 30 further rotates, as shown in FIG. 3(c), the line feed mechanism drive gear train 32 operates, and the line feed leg 28 descends and contacts the recording medium M. Also, when the line feed handle 16 is further pushed in the +Y direction and the line feed lever 30 further rotates, due to further operation of the line feed mechanism drive gear train 32, the line feed leg 28 comes to press the recording medium M, and as a result, as shown in FIG. 3(d), the recording apparatus 10 starts to lift. The line feed leg 28 is configured to perform a translational movement having a rotation locus in conjunction with the gears of the line feed mechanism drive gear train 32. Further, the tip portion of the line feed leg 28 that contacts the recording medium M is formed of a material that is difficult to slip on the recording medium M. For this reason, when the line feed leg 28 is lowered by the line feed mechanism drive gear train 32 and the amount of descent exceeds a certain amount, the recording apparatus 10 is pushed up so as to perform a translational movement having a rotation locus.

[0032] Specifically, the recording apparatus 10 is pushed up by the line feed leg 28 and moves in the direction of arrow C. Note that FIG. 3(d) shows the state when the recording apparatus 10 has moved to about half of the movement amount during the line feed operation. At this time, it has moved in the +Y direction by a distance L1 from the position before the start of the line feed operation (the white triangle in the figure). Also, in FIG. 3(d), the distance between the bottom surface 10b of the recording apparatus 10 and the recording medium M has widened from the distance G1 (see FIG. 3(c)) to the distance G2, indicating that the recording apparatus 10 has been lifted. When the recording apparatus 10 is lifted, the guide roller 22 is separated from the recording medium P. For this reason, the recording apparatus 10 can move easily in directions other than the X direction. Note that even when the recording apparatus 10 is being pushed up by the line feed leg 28, the downstream position detection sensor 24 is configured to maintain the state of being in contact with the recording medium M, and the upstream position detection sensor 26 is maintained in the state of being in contact with the recording medium M by the pressing force of the pressing spring.

[0033] After that, when the line feed handle 16 is further pushed in the +Y direction and the line feed lever 30 further rotates, due to the operation of the line feed mechanism drive gear train 32, as shown in FIG. 3(e), the recording device 10 undergoes a translational movement with a rotational locus and descends while moving in the +Y direction. Specifically, due to the operation of the line feed mechanism drive gear train 32, the line feed leg 28 begins to rise. Due to the rise of this line feed leg 28, the recording device 10 descends under its own weight while moving in the +Y direction and moves in the direction of arrow D. As a result, the guide roller 22 of the recording device 10 comes into contact with the recording medium M, and the movement in the +Y direction ends. As a result, the recording device 10 moves in the +Y direction by a distance L2. During this operation as well, the downstream position detection sensor 24 and the upstream position detection sensor 26 maintain the state of being in contact with the recording medium M.

[0034] Next, the user releases the finger from the line feed handle 16 and returns the line feed handle 16 to the initial position as shown in FIG. 3(f). Since the line feed handle 16 is biased in the -Y direction by a spring, it returns to the initial position just by the user releasing the finger. In response to the movement of this line feed handle 16, the position of the line feed lever 30 also returns to its initial position (see FIG. 3(a)). The line feed lever 30 and the line feed mechanism drive gear train 32 are connected via a one-way clutch. Therefore, regardless of the position of the line feed lever 30, the line feed mechanism drive gear train 32 proceeds to the next operation.

[0035] The reset cam 38 of the line feed mechanism drive gear train 32 is at an angular phase where the forces of the spring-biased reset lever 34 and the reset sub-lever 36 are applied. Then, due to this force, a counterclockwise rotational force acts on the reset cam 38 in the figure. The line feed mechanism drive gear train 32 continues to operate as long as this rotational force continues to act. Also, the upstream position detection sensor 26 starts to move to the upper retracted position as the lock rises and begins to separate from the recording medium M.

[0036] Then, as shown in FIG. 3(g), when the line feed leg 28 is moved to the highest position during the reset operation by the line feed mechanism drive gear train 32, the upstream position detection sensor 26 is completely separated from the recording medium M. Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 3(h), when the forces of the reset lever 34 and the reset sub-lever 36 no longer act on the reset cam 38, the operation of the line feed mechanism drive gear train 32 stops, and the line feed mechanism drive gear train 32 returns to the initial position. At this stage, the recording apparatus 10 moves a distance L2 in the +Y direction, while the upstream position detection sensor 26 and the line feed leg 28 return to the same positions as in FIG. 3(a).

[0037] In this way, the line feed operation is executed. In this line feed operation, it can be seen that the recording apparatus 10 moves between FIGS. 3(c) and 3(e). During the line feed operation, although the distance between the bottom surface 10b of the recording apparatus 10 and the recording medium M expands from G1 to G2, the downstream position detection sensor 24 and the upstream position detection sensor 26 always remain in contact with the recording medium M. Therefore, the amount of movement during the line feed operation can be detected by these two sensors.

[0038] When the line feed operation is completed, next, the user manually moves the recording apparatus 10 in the -X direction while maintaining the state of contact with the recording medium M from the position moved by the line feed operation, and executes a recording operation on the recording apparatus 10 (see FIG. 2(d)). First, recording data is prepared in the same manner as in the first recording operation. If variations or inclinations in the amount of movement generated during the line feed operation occur, preparations for the second recording operation are made including corrections for that amount. The basic scanning is the same as the first scanning, but since recording data with the above corrections and the like is prepared during the line feed operation, the user can immediately start the second scanning after the line feed operation is completed.

[0039] In the second scan, similar to the first scan, while the downstream position detection sensor 24 detects the movement amount in the X direction, ink is ejected from the nozzles of the recording head 20 according to the position for recording. If proper correction is performed, the recording area PA1 recorded by the first scan and the recording area PA2 to be recorded by the second scan are continuous images without overlapping or separating from each other.

[0040] (Configuration of the control system of the recording apparatus) The recording apparatus 10 includes a control unit 400 for controlling the overall operation of the recording apparatus 10 in the upper unit 14. FIG. 4 is a block configuration diagram of the control unit 400. The control unit 400 includes a central processing unit (CPU) 402 that performs data arithmetic processing, and an image processing accelerator 404 specialized for image processing arithmetic and that performs image data processing in cooperation with the CPU 402. Further, the control unit 400 includes a data transfer interface (I / F) 408 that transmits and receives data to and from an external device 406 such as a personal computer (PC) or a mobile terminal such as a smartphone connected to the recording apparatus 10.

[0041] Also, the control unit 400 includes a RAM 410 that is a temporary storage area used when the CPU 402 and the image processing accelerator 404 perform arithmetic operations, and a ROM 412 that holds parameters and the like used when the CPU 402 and the image processing accelerator 404 perform arithmetic operations. Note that the parameters read from the ROM 412 may also be expanded in the RAM 410. Furthermore, the control unit 400 includes a head controller 414 that controls the ejection of ink from the recording head 20. The above components are connected by a bus 416.

[0042] The control unit 400 is connected to the button 18 and performs operations such as switching the power ON / OFF and recording control for starting and stopping recording according to the operation of the button 18 by the user. Further, the control unit 400 controls the lighting state of the LED lamp in the button 18. The control unit 400 varies the lighting pattern, lighting color, etc. of the LED lamp according to the power state, recording state, type of error, etc. When the button 18 is operated in a state where recording can be started and recording start is instructed, the control unit 400 sets the recording device 10 to a state where the recording operation can be started. Then, when manual scanning in the X direction is performed, the control unit 400 continuously acquires the position information of the recording device 10 in the CPU 402 based on the output from the downstream position detection sensor 24 with the scanning start position (recording start position) as the origin.

[0043] (Functional Configuration of Control Unit 400 Regarding Image Processing) Next, the functional configuration of the control unit 400 regarding image processing will be described. FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of the control unit regarding image processing. The control unit 400 executes image processing for generating recording data indicating recording and non-recording for each pixel from the image data, for example, by the CPU 402 and the image processing accelerator 404. Such image processing may be configured to be executed by either the CPU 402 or the image processing accelerator 404.

[0044] The control unit 400 includes an input unit 502 to which image data is input, and a magnification unit 504 that magnifies the image data output from the input unit 502 based on the size specified by the user. Image data is input to the input unit 502 from an external device 406 via the data transfer I / F 408. The size specified by the user for magnification by the magnification unit 504 is the size of the image formed on the recording medium M.

[0045] The control unit 400 includes a color correction unit 506 that converts the image data magnified by the zoom unit 504 into image data corresponding to the color reproduction range of the recording apparatus 10. Further, the control unit 400 includes a color separation unit 508 that converts the color signal values of the image data converted by the color correction unit 506 into color signal values corresponding to the inks used in the recording apparatus 10. Furthermore, the control unit 400 includes an output gradation correction unit 510 that adjusts the number of ink dots to be recorded for each ink color with respect to the image data having the ink color signal values converted by the color separation unit 508. Still further, the control unit 400 includes a quantization processing unit 512 that performs quantization processing on the image data having the color signal values obtained by the output gradation correction unit 510, and an output unit 514 that outputs the binary data (recording data) obtained by the quantization processing to the RAM 410.

[0046] Based on the recording data obtained by the image processing according to each of the above configurations, the control unit 400 outputs a control signal for controlling the recording head 20, and ink is appropriately ejected from each nozzle of the recording head 20 to perform recording on the recording medium M. In the present embodiment, although details will be described later, after performing image processing on the entire image data, recording data obtained by cutting out the data necessary for one scan will be used. Note that the method of image processing is not limited to this, and the image data input to the input unit 502 may be decomposed such that the size in the Y direction is the length of the nozzle array capable of ejecting ink in one scan, and image processing may be executed for each such image data.

[0047] In the present embodiment, the image processing is executed by the recording apparatus 10, but it is not limited thereto. Part of the image processing may be executed by the external device 406, and the remaining part of the image processing may be executed by the recording apparatus 10. Alternatively, the image processing may be executed by the external device 406. Furthermore, various known techniques can be used for the image processing, and various known correction processes and the like may be performed. In this case, as a functional configuration of the control unit 400 related to the image processing, a correction unit that executes the above correction process will be added.

[0048] (Recording process) Next, under the control of the control unit 400, a recording process will be described in which, by an operation by the user, a recording operation and a line feed operation are alternately executed in the recording apparatus 10 to perform recording on the recording medium M.

[0049] <Recording process according to the prior art> Here, consider the case where an image is formed on the recording medium M by two scans. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing the recording area recorded in the first scan and the recording area recorded in the second scan when an image is recorded on the recording medium in two scans using all the nozzles in the recording head. FIG. 6(a) is a diagram in which the second recording area Pa2 in the second scan is formed in parallel with the first recording area Pa1 in the first scan. FIG. 6(b) is a diagram in which the second recording area Pa2 is formed inclined in the direction toward the first recording area Pa1 with respect to the first recording area Pa1. FIG. 6(c) is a diagram in which the second recording area Pa2 is formed inclined in the direction away from the first recording area Pa1 with respect to the first recording area Pa1.

[0050] Note that in FIG. 6, the formed image is an image recorded based on image data in which the value of each pixel is a single fixed value (that is, an image filled with a single color). In the figure, the recording areas for each scan are shown separately. In this specification, the recording area is an area recorded on the recording medium M based on recording data by one scan of the recording apparatus. The recording apparatus 10 forms a recording area for one scan by scanning in a direction intersecting (orthogonal in this embodiment) the arrangement direction of the nozzle rows 20a. Also, in FIG. 6, the user moves to the next scan by moving the nozzle rows 20a in the arrangement direction of the nozzle rows 20a, more specifically, in the +Y direction, by a length d of the nozzle rows 20a. That is, the movement to the next scan when the nozzle rows 20a scan while being inclined with respect to the Y direction is to move in the +Y direction side along the inclined direction. In the following description, for ease of understanding, it is described that in the first scan, the nozzle rows 20a are parallel to the Y direction, and in the second scan, the nozzle rows 20a are inclined. Further, in FIG. 6, the nozzle rows 20a are formed by 12 nozzles, and all the nozzles are filled, which indicates that ink is ejected.

[0051] In FIG. 6(a), parallel to and adjacent to the first recording area Pa1, a second recording area Pa2 is formed, and each recording area is properly recorded. Therefore, no white streaks or black streaks occur in the recording result. In FIG. 6(b), the second recording area Pa2 is inclined in the direction toward the first recording area Pa1. That is, due to the inclination of the recording apparatus 10 caused by the line feed operation from the first scan to the second scan, the nozzle rows 20a are inclined by -θ0 with respect to the nozzle rows 20a in the first scan, and the second scan is being performed with the nozzle rows 20a inclined by -θ0. In FIG. 6(c), the second recording area Pa2 is inclined in the direction away from the first recording area Pa1. That is, due to the inclination of the recording apparatus 10 caused by the line feed operation from the first scan to the second scan, the nozzle rows are inclined by +θ0 with respect to the nozzle rows 20a in the first scan, and the second scan is being performed with the nozzle rows 20a inclined by +θ0.

[0052] In this specification, the direction of the inclination is indicated by "+" and "-". "-" represents the inclination of the nozzle row 20a such that the recording area to be formed hereafter inclines in the direction toward the already formed recording area. "+" represents the inclination of the nozzle row 20a such that the recording area to be formed hereafter inclines in the direction away from the already formed recording area.

[0053] Then, let Δθ be the degree of inclination of the nozzle row when moving from the pre-scan to the main scan, that is, the degree of inclination of the nozzle row during the main scan with respect to the nozzle row during the pre-scan. Also, let θ be the degree of inclination of the nozzle row during the main scan with respect to a predetermined scan as a reference (hereinafter, also simply referred to as "reference"). Assuming that the predetermined scan is the first scan and the main scan is the second scan, in the second scan, the inclination of the nozzle row with respect to the pre-scan (including the degree of inclination and the direction of inclination) and the inclination of the nozzle row with respect to the predetermined scan as a reference coincide. Also, the inclination between scans being 0° indicates a state where there is no inclination of the nozzle row between scans, and the inclination with respect to the reference being 0° indicates a state where there is no inclination of the nozzle row between the predetermined scan and the main scan. In Fig. 6(a), the inclination between scans is 0° and the inclination with respect to the reference is 0°.

[0054] When the recording device 10 inclines, the nozzle row 20a also inclines. When the nozzle row 20a inclines due to the line feed operation, in the second scan, it will scan in a direction inclined by Δθ with respect to the scan direction of the first scan. For this reason, in Fig. 6(b), compared with the case where there is no inclination in the nozzle row 20a (see Fig. 6(a)), at the end of the second scan, a positional deviation of 1.0 pitch in the -Y direction, that is, a positional deviation of -1.0 pitch, has occurred. Note that 1.0 pitch is the interval between adjacent nozzles in the nozzle row. Also, in Fig. 6(c), compared with the case where there is no inclination in the nozzle row 20a, at the end of the second scan, a positional deviation of 1.0 pitch in the +Y direction, that is, a positional deviation of +1.0 pitch, has occurred.

[0055] As a result, in Fig. 6(b), the recording areas for each scan overlap, and black streaks 602 appear in the overlapping portions. Also, in Fig. 6(c), the recording areas for each scan are separated from each other, and white streaks 604 appear in the separated portions. Thus, when the inclination of the recording device 10 due to the line feed operation causes an inclination in the nozzle row 20a, white streaks and black streaks are generated and the recording quality deteriorates.

[0056] <Recording process> Therefore, in the present embodiment, in accordance with the inclination of the recording device 10, spare nozzles that do not eject ink are provided at the ends of the nozzle row so that the nozzles capable of ejecting ink can be shifted. Then, information regarding the inclination of the nozzle row during the main scan with respect to the nozzle row during the pre-scan is obtained based on the position information of the recording end portion in the +Y direction of the pre-scan and the position information acquired by the downstream position detection sensor 24 and the upstream position detection sensor 26. After that, based on the obtained information, in the main scan, the position of the nozzles to be used is changed according to the position in the scanning direction (X direction). As a result, even if an inclination occurs in the nozzle row 20a between scans, a continuous image can be formed between the recording areas.

[0057] Also, even if the position of the nozzles used during scanning is changed using the spare nozzles in this way, there may be a case where there are no nozzles to be used and white streaks or the like occur. Therefore, in the present embodiment, measures are taken to deal with such cases where white streaks occur.

[0058] = Recording with spare nozzles provided First, the recording with a preliminary nozzle will be described. FIG. 7 is a diagram for explaining a recording method with a preliminary nozzle. FIG. 7(a) is a diagram showing the nozzles used at the start and end of each scan when there is no inclination in the recording apparatus 10 between two consecutive scans. FIG. 7(b) is a diagram showing the nozzles used at the start and end of each scan when, due to a line feed operation, the nozzle row 20a is inclined to the "-" side in the second scan with respect to the first scan due to the inclination of the recording apparatus 10. FIG. 7(c) is a diagram showing the nozzles used at the start and end of each scan when, due to a line feed operation, the nozzle row 20a is inclined to the "+" side in the second scan with respect to the first scan due to the inclination of the recording apparatus 10.

[0059] In addition, in FIG. 7, corresponding to FIG. 6, the nozzle row is composed of 12 nozzles, and both the first scan and the second scan are scanned within the scan range W. Also, the nozzles at both ends of the nozzle row 20a are used as preliminary nozzles. Although details will be described later, the inclination that occurs in the recording apparatus 10, that is, the inclination of the nozzle row 20a, is obtained based on the detection results of the downstream position detection sensor 24 and the upstream position detection sensor 26. Also, for the nozzles constituting the nozzle row 20a in the figure, the nozzles that do not eject ink in the corresponding scan are shown as white circles, and the nozzles that can eject ink in the corresponding scan are shown as black circles. The same applies to the following other drawings.

[0060] When there is no inclination in the nozzle row 20a between two consecutive scans, as shown in FIG. 7(a), in each scan, recording is performed using 10 nozzles excluding the nozzles at both ends of the nozzle row 20a. Then, in the line feed operation from the first scan to the second scan, the nozzle row 20a moves by a length e corresponding to 10 nozzles. The length e is e = d×10 / 12. Here, d is the total length of the nozzle row 20a in the nozzle arrangement direction. In this case, since there is no inclination in the nozzle row 20a in the second scan with respect to the first scan, both the first scan and the second scan perform recording using 10 nozzles excluding the nozzles at both ends of the nozzle row 20a.

[0061] When an inclination to the "-" side occurs in the nozzle row 20a at the second scan with respect to the first scan, as shown in Fig. 7(b), the position of the nozzle to be used in the nozzle row 20a is shifted at the second scan. Specifically, the position 702 of the recording end in the +Y direction of the first scan is acquired, and based on the position information in the X direction acquired during the second scan, the position of the nozzle to be used for recording is shifted to the +Y direction side according to the inclination of the nozzle row 20a. As a result, a continuous image can be formed without overlapping the recording areas between scans, and black streaks as generated in Fig. 6(b) do not occur.

[0062] When an inclination to the "+" side occurs in the nozzle row 20a at the second scan with respect to the first scan, as shown in Fig. 7(c), the position of the nozzle to be used in the nozzle row 20a is shifted at the second scan. Specifically, the position 702 of the recording end in the +Y direction of the first scan is acquired, and based on the position information in the X direction acquired during the second scan, the position of the nozzle to be used for recording is shifted to the -Y direction side according to the inclination of the nozzle row 20a. As a result, a continuous image can be formed without the recording areas being separated between scans, and white streaks as generated in Fig. 6(c) do not occur.

[0063] In addition, in Figs. 7(b) and (c), similar to Figs. 6(b) and (c), the scanning direction of the first scan is the +X direction, but the scanning direction of the second scan is the direction orthogonal to the inclined nozzle row 20a. Also, the line feed direction from the second scan to the third scan in the line feed operation is the arrangement direction of the nozzle row 20a at the second scan. That is, when the inclination of the nozzle row 20a at the second scan is, for example, -θ, the line feed direction is the direction inclined by -θ from the +Y direction.

[0064] In FIG. 7, the case where the recording device 10 is scanned in the scanning range W was described. In the recording device 10 that is manually scanned by the user, the user may scan the recording device 10 beyond the assumed scanning range. Therefore, next, the case where the recording device 10 is scanned longer than the assumed scanning range will be described. FIG. 8 is a diagram showing the recording areas in each scan when the line feed operation is executed inside and outside the assumed scanning range. FIG. 8(a) is a diagram showing the recording areas in each scan when the recording device 10 is scanned and recorded within the assumed scanning range, and FIG. 8(b) is a diagram showing the recording areas in each scan when the recording device 10 is scanned and recorded up to outside the assumed scanning range. Note that FIG. 8 shows the case where the nozzle row 20a is tilted to the "+" side by the line feed operation. The assumed scanning range is a value corresponding to the upper limit value of the inclination of the nozzle row that can be recorded without causing a deterioration in the recording quality using the preliminary nozzles.

[0065] In FIG. 8(a), compared with FIG. 7(c), the recording area in the scanning direction is smaller. As shown in FIG. 8(a), even when the recording area is smaller than the assumed scanning range in the scanning direction, by shifting and changing the positions of the nozzles that can be recorded according to the displacement of the nozzle row 20a, a continuous image can be formed between the scans. On the other hand, in FIG. 8(b), compared with FIG. 7(c), the size of the recording area is the same, but the actually scanned distance is twice the scanning range, which is the assumed scanning distance. As shown in FIG. 8(b), when the line feed operation is performed at a position scanned beyond the assumed scanning range, a continuous image may not be formed between the scans. This is because even if the inclination of the nozzle row 20a is within the assumed range, since the scanning distance of the second scan becomes long, the position of the nozzle row 20a at the end of the second scan is separated from the recording area of the first scan in the +Y direction. For this reason, a blank is generated between the recording area of the first scan and the recording area of the second scan, and a continuous image cannot be formed between the scans.

[0066] In FIG. 7(c), corresponding to the positional shift of +1.0 pitch (for one nozzle) in the +Y direction that occurs in the recording area at the end of scanning within the assumed scanning range, the nozzles at both ends of the nozzle row 20a are used as preliminary nozzles. By shifting the nozzles that can be recorded in the second scan in this way, continuous images can be recorded between scans. On the other hand, in FIG. 8(b), the scanning distance in the first scan is twice that of the assumed scanning range. For this reason, in FIG. 8(b), a positional shift of +2.0 pitch (for two nozzles) occurs in the recording area at the end of scanning, and the number of preliminary nozzles is insufficient. Therefore, the nozzles that can be recorded cannot be shifted sufficiently, and an unrecorded area 802 is generated between scans, resulting in white streaks. In this way, in the recording apparatus 10, since recording is performed by the user manually scanning, the scanning distance may become longer unexpectedly for the user, and white streaks or black streaks may occur.

[0067] =Recording Process according to the Present Embodiment= As described above, simply shifting the nozzles that can be recorded according to the inclination of the nozzle row 20a that occurs during the line feed operation may cause white streaks or black streaks. For this reason, in the present embodiment, further, the actual scanning distance with respect to the assumed scanning range is monitored. Hereinafter, the recording process executed in the present embodiment will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 9 and 10.

[0068] FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing a detailed processing routine of the recording process executed by the recording apparatus according to the embodiment. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing the available nozzle positions and the number of nozzles at the start and end of each scan, and the recording area and the scanning range at each scan when an image is recorded by two scans by the recording process. The series of processes shown in the flowchart of FIG. 9 is performed by the CPU 402 expanding and executing the program code stored in the ROM 412 in the RAM 410. Alternatively, some or all of the functions of the steps in FIG. 9 may be executed by hardware such as an ASIC or an electric circuit. Note that the symbol S in the description of each process means that it is a step in the flowchart.

[0069] In this embodiment, the preliminary nozzle has at least the number of nozzles capable of correcting the tilt error within the assumed scanning range. Note that the tilt error means the positional deviation in the line feed direction of the recording area due to the tilt of the nozzle array. When the nozzle pitch in this embodiment is 600 dpi, the distance between nozzles is about 42 μm. In this embodiment, regarding the tilt of the nozzle array 20a of the main scan with respect to the nozzle array 20a of the pre-scan, the upper limit value of the tilt to the "+" side is θmb, and the upper limit value of the tilt to the "-" side is θmt. And when the nozzle array of the main scan is tilted by θmb or θmt with respect to the nozzle array of the pre-scan, the magnitude of the positional deviation of the recording area at the end of the main scan is set to ±1.0 pitch (84 μm). The upper limit values of the tilt θmb and θmt are the upper limit values of the tilt allowed to suppress the occurrence of white streaks and black streaks and perform proper recording by executing the processing in this embodiment.

[0070] Also, in the following description, although details will be described later, the nozzle array 20a is composed of a total of 11 nozzles, including 10 nozzles capable of recording an area corresponding to the movement amount in the line feed operation and 1 nozzle corresponding to the tilt error generated in the scan after the line feed operation. In FIG. 10, the case where the tilt of the nozzle array 20a in the second scan is θmb, that is, the maximum assumed tilt to the "+" side, will be described. Note that in the recording process described below, the tilt of the nozzle array 20a described above can also be performed with a value smaller than θmb and θmt.

[0071] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the length (N) of the nozzle array 20a needs to satisfy the following formula (1) from the movement amount (D) during the line feed operation and the tilt error when scanning the scanning range (W) while tilting by the upper limit value θmb of the assumed tilt of the nozzle array 20a. Note that in this embodiment, the length N of the nozzle array 20a is 504 μm, which is the length of 11 nozzles. N≧W×tanθmb+D ··· (1)

[0072] In this specification, the scanning to be performed hereinafter and the scanning to be described will be referred to as the main scanning, the scanning performed immediately before the main scanning will be referred to as the pre-scanning, and the scanning performed immediately after the main scanning will be referred to as the post-scanning.

[0073] When the recording process starts, first, the CPU 402 acquires information on the nozzle downstream end position information at the end of the pre-scanning and the inclination with respect to the reference of the main scanning (S902). The nozzle downstream end position information at the end of the pre-scanning is information on the position of the recording end on the downstream side in the line feed direction at the end of the scanning, that is, the position of the nozzle at the lowermost end in the line feed direction that can be recorded in the nozzle row 20a. Also, the inclination with respect to the reference of the main scanning is information on the inclination of the main scanning with respect to a predetermined scanning (the first scanning in this embodiment) serving as a reference when the inclination of the main scanning with respect to the pre-scanning is inclined by θmb in the line feed direction. In the main scanning, recording is performed continuously from the position of the recording end portion of the pre-scanning. Therefore, in S902, using the nozzle downstream end position information at the end of the pre-scanning, it is set from which nozzle, starting from the nozzle end on the upstream side in the line feed direction in the main scanning, to be used.

[0074] The information on the nozzle downstream end position information at the end of the pre-scanning and the inclination with respect to the reference of the main scanning is acquired in 904 to be described later and stored in the storage area of the control unit 400. When the main scanning to be performed hereinafter is the first scanning, since there is no pre-scanning, in S902, the nozzle downstream end position information is set as the position 1002 corresponding to the position of the spare nozzle at the upper end of the nozzle row 20a in the first scanning (see FIG. 10), and the information on the inclination with respect to the reference is set to 0°. Then, in S902, from the acquired information, the recording end portion (end side) on the upstream side in the line feed direction of the recording area of the main scanning is acquired. In the first scanning, since the inclination with respect to the reference in the main scanning is 0°, the end portion 1012 is specified.

[0075] Next, the CPU 402 acquires the recording end portion on the downstream side in the line feed direction of the recording area to be formed in this scan (S904). In S904, first, the nozzle downstream end position information at the end of this scan, which is information regarding the nozzle position that becomes the recording end on the downstream side in the line feed direction at the end of this scan, is acquired. Also, information regarding the inclination with respect to a predetermined scan serving as a reference for the next scan when the inclination of the nozzle row 20a between scans is inclined by θmb in the next scan (θ) is acquired. These acquired pieces of information are stored and used in the process of S902 when performing the recording of the next scan. Then, using the nozzle downstream end position information at the end of this scan and the information regarding the inclination with respect to the reference of the next scan, the position information of the recording end portion on the downstream side in the line feed direction of the recording area formed in this scan is acquired.

[0076] In this scan to be executed next, when performing the line feed operation to the next scan, at least the area up to the area adjacent to the recordable area in the next scan when the inclination of the nozzle row 20a between scans is inclined by θmb is recorded. For this reason, the nozzle position that is the recording end on the downstream side in the line feed direction at the end of this scan becomes a position shifted by a movement amount D to the downstream side in the line feed direction from the nozzle position that is the recording end on the upstream side in the line feed direction at the end of the scan.

[0077] When this scan is the first scan, in S904, the nozzle downstream end position information at the end of this scan becomes the position 1004 corresponding to the position of the second nozzle from the lower end of the nozzle row 20a in the first scan (see FIG. 10). Also, the information regarding the inclination with respect to the reference of the next scan becomes θmb, which is the inclination with respect to the predetermined scan (first scan) in the second scan when the inclination of the second scan with respect to the first scan is inclined by θmb. Also, from these pieces of information, in S904, the end portion 1006 on the downstream side in the line feed direction of the recording area in the first scan is acquired.

[0078] After that, the CPU 402 acquires the recording data corresponding to the main scan (S906). In S906, using the information in S902 and the information in S904, the positions of the upper and lower ends of the available nozzles in the nozzle row at the start and end of the main scan are acquired. Then, from the acquired positions of the upper and lower ends of the nozzle row 20a at the start and end of the main scan, the recording data to be used in the main scan is cut out from the recording data for the entire image data. For example, if the main scan is the first scan, the position of the upper end of the nozzle row 20a at the start of the scan is position 1002, and the position of the lower end is position 1008. Also, the position of the upper end of the nozzle row 20a at the end of the scan is position 1002, and the position of the lower end is position 1004. From the position information thus obtained, as the recording data corresponding to the first scan, rectangular recording data with a length in the line feed direction from position 1002 to position 1008 is cut out from the recording data corresponding to the entire image data.

[0079] Then, the CPU 402 acquires the scanning range (scanning distance) in the main scan (S908). The scanning range is set to a range that can accommodate the upper limit value of the assumed inclination of the nozzle row 20a. That is, the scanning range is determined by the upper limit value. In the first scan, the upper limit value is θmb, and with an assumed inclination error of 1.0 pitch at the end of the scan due to this inclination, one spare nozzle corresponding to the inclination error is prepared. Therefore, the scanning range 1010 that can accommodate the inclination error of 1.0 pitch is acquired. The scanning distance of the scanning range 1010 is Wt. That is, in S908, by using the spare nozzle, the inclination error caused by the upper limit value (θmb) of the inclination of the nozzle row is used to acquire a range with a scanning distance that can cancel out the inclination error as the scanning range.

[0080] Thus, when the recording data and the scanning range of this scan are acquired, the CPU 402 performs recording based on the acquired recording data and scanning range (S910). In S910, the recording data of this scan acquired in S906 is associated with each nozzle, and ink is ejected according to the position information in the scanning direction acquired by the downstream position detection sensor 24. The correspondence between the recording data and the nozzles is determined based on the nozzle downstream end position information and the information on the inclination with respect to the reference acquired in S902, and the position information of the recording end acquired in S904, and the recording data is associated with the nozzles for recording. Also, when recording is started, the CPU 402 starts controlling the lighting pattern, emission color, etc. of the LED lamp according to the recording status.

[0081] Here, the processing from S902 to S910 for the first scan will be specifically described. In S902, position 1002 is acquired as the nozzle downstream end position information at the end of the previous scan. Also, inclination information 0° with respect to the reference in this scan is acquired. From these acquired pieces of information, the position of the nozzle at the upstream end in the line feed direction used at the start of the first scan is the second nozzle from the nozzle end on the upstream side in the line feed direction of the nozzle row 20a. Also, from the inclination information 0° with respect to the reference in this scan, end portion 1012 is specified as the recording end at the upstream side in the line feed direction of the recording area in the first scan. That is, end portion 1012 is the end side at the upstream side in the line feed direction of the recording data of the first scan acquired in S906.

[0082] In S904, position 1004 is acquired as the nozzle downstream end position information at the end of the first scan. Also, θmb is acquired as the information on the inclination with respect to the reference of the second scan (first scan). From these acquired pieces of information, the position of the nozzle at the downstream end in the line feed direction used at the start of the second scan is the first nozzle from the nozzle end on the downstream side in the improvement direction. Also, since the information on the inclination with respect to the reference of the second scan is θmb, end portion 1006 is specified as the recording end at the downstream side in the line feed direction of the recording area in the first scan. That is, end portion 1006 is the end side at the downstream side in the line feed direction of the recording data of the first scan acquired in S906.

[0083] In S906, for the entire recording data, the recording data is acquired from the information in S902 and S904. That is, based on the upper and lower ends of the available nozzles in the nozzle row at the start and end of the first scan, the recording data is acquired. Then, for the acquired recording data, the portion recorded in the second scan is masked with "0" so that only the portion recorded in the first scan is cut out. As a result, the nozzle positions at both ends in the line feed direction used at the start of the first scan at the start of recording and the recording data recorded in the first scan are generated. In S910, according to the inclination with respect to the reference of this scan and the position in the scanning direction based on the output from the downstream position detection sensor 24, the recording data corresponding to the nozzles is shifted for recording. Since the first scan is a predetermined reference scan, the inclination with respect to the reference is 0° in the first scan. Therefore, in the first scan, recording is performed without shifting the position of the nozzles, that is, without shifting the recording data corresponding to the nozzles.

[0084] When the recording of this scan starts, the CPU 402 determines whether there is a next scan (S912). In S912, it is determined whether there is any recording data that has not been recorded yet among the recording data. In S912, if it is determined that there is unrecorded recording data, it is determined that there is a next scan, and if it is determined that there is no such recording data, it is determined that there is no next scan.

[0085] In S912, if it is determined that there is no next scan, the CPU 402 determines whether the recording based on the recording data of this scan has ended (S914). In S914, if it is determined that the recording based on the recording data of this scan has not ended, it returns to S914. Also, in S914, if it is determined that the recording based on the recording data of this scan has ended, the CPU 402 notifies that the recording has ended (S916) and ends the recording process. In S916, that the recording has ended is notified by the LED lamp provided on the button 18.

[0086] Also, in S912, when it is determined that there is a next scan, the CPU 402 determines whether it is possible to move to the next scan (S918). In S918, the position information in the scanning direction by the downstream position detection sensor 24 and the information on the scanning range acquired in step 908 are used. In order to record continuous images between scans, the position where the new movement operation starts needs to be within the scanning range capable of corresponding to an inclination error of 1.0 pitch and at the position where the recording in the current scan has ended. Therefore, in the first scan, in S918, it is determined whether it is within the range of the scanning range 1010 and whether the recording in the current scan has ended.

[0087] That is, in S918, if it is within the scanning range acquired in S908 and the recording in the current scan has ended, it is determined that it is possible to move to the next scan. Also, in S918, if at least one of exceeding the scanning range acquired in S908 and the recording in the current scan not being ended is satisfied, it is determined that it is impossible to move to the next scan. That is, in S918, after the start of recording in the current scan, in the scan within the scanning range acquired in S908, it is determined that it is impossible to move to the next scan until the recording based on the recording data ends. Further, in S918, after the recording based on the recording data ends in the current scan, if the scan exceeds the scanning range acquired in S908, it is determined that it is impossible to record in the next scan. Note that when the recording based on the recording data ends, the CPU 402 measures the scanning distance from the recording end portion on the recording end side in the scanning direction.

[0088] In S918, when it is determined that movement to the next scan is impossible, the movement to the next scan is restricted (S920), and the process returns to S918. In S920, the LED lamp of button 18 notifies that movement to the next scan is impossible and physically makes it impossible to move to the next scan. Specifically, for the notification that movement to the next scan is impossible, for example, the emission color of the LED lamp is changed. More specifically, it is changed from green indicating that movement to the next scan is possible to red indicating that movement to the next scan is impossible. Also, for the state where movement to the next scan is physically impossible, for example, the drive gear train 32 of the line feed mechanism is controlled as an actuator and changed so that the gears are locked to make it impossible to move to the next scan. The notification that movement to the next scan is impossible and the specific details of making it impossible to move to the next scan are not limited to the above.

[0089] In this embodiment, the recording apparatus 10 moves to the next scan by a line feed mechanism composed of a plurality of members, but it may be configured to move to the next scan by the user or by using an auxiliary member or the like for feeding lines of the recording apparatus 10. Therefore, in S920, it may only notify that movement to the next scan is impossible. That is, in this embodiment, in S920, as a process for restricting movement to the next scan, at least one of notifying that movement to the next scan is impossible and physically making it impossible to move to the next scan may be executed.

[0090] Also, in S918, when it is determined that movement to the next scan is possible, the CPU 402 sets the state to allow movement to the next scan (S922) and determines whether the movement to the next scan has started (S924). In S922, as a process to allow movement to the next scan, it notifies that the state allows movement to the next scan and physically sets the state to allow movement to the next scan. Specifically, regarding the notification that the state allows movement to the next scan, for example, the emission color of the LED lamp is changed. More specifically, it is changed from red indicating that movement to the next scan is impossible to green indicating that movement to the next scan is possible. Also, regarding the state where physical movement to the next scan is possible, the gear lock in the line feed mechanism drive gear train 32 is released to enable movement to the next scan. Note that in S922, in accordance with S920, at least one of notifying the state where movement to the next scan is possible and mechanically setting the state where movement to the next scan is possible is executed.

[0091] In S924, for example, it is determined whether the line feed handle 16 has been operated. That is, when the line feed handle 16 is pushed in by a predetermined amount or more, it is determined that the movement to the next scan has started. Note that the determination of whether the movement to the next scan has started is not limited to determining whether the line feed handle 16 has been operated. In the case where there is no line feed mechanism, etc., it may be determined using the downstream position detection sensor 24, the upstream position detection sensor 26, etc.

[0092] In S924, when it is determined that the movement to the next scan has not started, it returns to S918. Also, in S924, when it is determined that the movement to the next scan has started, the movement to the next scan is performed (S926). In S926, the line feed operation is performed by the operation of the line feed handle 16 to activate the line feed mechanism, and the recording device 10 moves by the movement amount D in the line feed direction. As a result, the nozzle row 20a in the recording head 20 moves to the scan start position of the next scan. In the present embodiment, the position where the line feed to the second scan is performed in the first scan is the position 1014 within the scan range 1010.

[0093] In this embodiment, as described above, the movement amount D is the length of the nozzle row 20a excluding one preliminary nozzle, that is, the length e corresponding to ten nozzles. The movement amount D satisfies the conditions of the following equations (2) and (3) from the inclination error when the scanning range W is inclined by θmt and the scanning is completed. The movement amount D is larger than the inclination error when the scanning range W is inclined by θmt and the scanning is completed, so that the inclination error can be corrected in the direction opposite to the line feed direction. The inclination errors in the line feed direction and the opposite direction can be dealt with by reducing the number of nozzles used. D≧W×tanθmt ··· (2) D≧1 ··· (3)

[0094] Next, the CPU 402 acquires the inclination information generated by the line feed operation (S928). Specifically, in S928, the inclination Δθ of the nozzle row 20a when moving by the line feed operation (hereinafter, also simply referred to as "inclination Δθ") and the inclination θ of the nozzle row 20a in this scan with respect to a predetermined reference scan (hereinafter, also simply referred to as "inclination θ") are calculated. That is, Δθ represents the inclination of the nozzle row 20a between the scans before and after the line feed operation. In this embodiment, the predetermined reference scan is the first scan.

[0095] FIG. 11 is a diagram for explaining a calculation method for calculating the inclination Δθ and the inclination θ. In FIG. 11, for easy understanding, the recording device 10 at the end of the scan before the line feed operation, that is, the inclination of the nozzle row 20a, is shown at the top of the figure, and the recording device 10 at the start of the scan after the line feed operation, that is, the inclination of the nozzle row 20a, is shown at the bottom. In the predetermined reference scan, the nozzle row 20a is parallel to the Y direction.

[0096] In the recording device 10, in the extending direction of the nozzle row 20a, a downstream position detection sensor 24 and an upstream position detection sensor 26 are arranged so as to sandwich the recording head 20 provided with the nozzle row 20a. Let the distance between the downstream position detection sensor 24 and the upstream position detection sensor 26 be L. Also, let the position information detected by the downstream position detection sensor 24 and the upstream position detection sensor 26 at the end of the scanning before the line change operation be (Xb, Yb) and (Xa, Ya), respectively. Further, let the position information detected by the downstream position detection sensor 24 and the upstream position detection sensor 26 at the start of the scanning after the line change operation be (Xb´, Yb´) and (Xa´, Ya´), respectively. The inclination Δθ between the scans before and after the line change operation can be obtained from the following equation (4). Δθ = tan -1 {(ΔXb - ΔXa) / (L - ΔYa + ΔYb)} ··· (4)

[0097] Note that in equation (4), ΔXa is the difference between Xa and Xa´, ΔXb is the difference between Xb and Xb´, ΔY is the difference between Ya and Ya´, and ΔYb is the difference between Yb and Yb´.

[0098] In this embodiment, since the predetermined scan is the first scan, the inclination Δθ between the first scan and the second scan matches the inclination θ with respect to the reference, which represents the inclination of the second scan with respect to the first scan as the reference. When there are subsequent scans from the third scan onwards, the inclination θ with respect to the reference of the scan after the line change operation can be calculated by adding the inclination Δθ between the scans before and after the line change operation to the θ calculated in the scan before the line change operation. Note that in this embodiment, the inclination of the nozzle row 20a is obtained by the downstream position detection sensor 24 and the upstream position detection sensor 26, but it is not limited thereto. For example, a gyro sensor may be mounted on the recording device 10, and the inclination of the nozzle row 20a between the scans before and after the line change operation may be obtained from the angular velocity detected by the gyro sensor.

[0099] When the inclination information is acquired at S928, the CPU 402 returns to S902 and executes the subsequent processing. In the present embodiment, the recording of the second scan is to be performed. Specifically, the nozzle downstream end position information at the end of the first scan acquired at S902 is the position 1004 acquired in step S904 as the preparation before the recording of the first scan. Also, the information regarding the inclination with respect to the reference in the second scan when the inclination between the first scan and the second scan acquired at S902 is inclined by θmb is the inclination θmb. From these pieces of information, the recording end portion on the upstream side in the line feed direction of the recording area in the second scan is the end portion 1006 (see FIG. 10).

[0100] In the first scan, after the recording is completed, a line feed operation is performed from the position within the set scan range, and the movement amount D (the length e in the present embodiment) is moved from the position. For this reason, even if an inclination θmb occurs in the nozzle row 20a with respect to the first scan serving as the reference in the second scan, the position of the nozzle used at the start of the second scan is the first nozzle from the nozzle end on the upstream side in the line feed direction, as shown in FIG. 10.

[0101] Strictly speaking, during the line feed operation, since it is inclined by θ with respect to a predetermined scan serving as the reference, a deviation occurs in the ink landing position in the line feed direction, but this is a very small value with respect to the nozzle pitch, so it is considered that there is no influence on the position of the recordable nozzle. Also, when it is inclined by θ with respect to a predetermined scan, a positional deviation occurs in the scan direction between the nozzles, but this is also a very small value with respect to the nozzle pitch, so it is considered that there is no influence on the position of the recordable nozzle. Note that when the length N of the nozzle row 20a is very long, an influence on the position of the recordable nozzle occurs. In this case, correction is performed by changing the discharge timing of each nozzle according to the positional deviation in the scan direction between the nozzles. By this correction, the positional deviation in the scan direction caused by the inclination can be reduced. Also, when the pre-scan performs a line feed operation and moves to the main scan after scanning a distance T more within the recording area from the end of the recording area, until the recording based on the recording data starts from the start of the main scan, the scanning is performed by T×tanθ and then the recording starts. The distance T is acquired at S918.

[0102] Then, in S904, the recording end portion on the downstream side in the line feed direction of the recording area in the second scan is acquired. Specifically, first, position 1016 is acquired as the nozzle downstream end position information at the end of the second scan (see FIG. 10). Next, the inclination information θ with respect to the reference of the third scan when the inclination of the third scan in the second scan is inclined by θmb is 0°. This is because in this embodiment, one image is recorded in two scans, so there is no third scan. As a result, end portion 1018 is acquired as the recording end portion on the downstream side in the line feed direction of the recording area in the second scan.

[0103] Furthermore, in S906, as the recording data to be used in the second scan, the recording data from position 1004 to position 1016 in the line feed direction is cut out from the entire recording data. At this time, the area recorded in the first scan is masked with "0" and only the portion to be recorded in the second scan is cut out. Then, in S908, scan range 1020 is acquired as the scan range in the second scan. In the first scan, the scan range is the range of the scan distance Wt with the +X direction as the scan direction from the scan start position. In the second scan, the scan range is scan range 1020, which is the range of the scan distance Wt / cosθmt with the direction from position 1014, which is the scan start position, toward the lower left diagonal direction in the figure (the direction corresponding to the inclination θmt of nozzle row 20a) as the scan direction.

[0104] After that, in S910, the acquired recording data is associated with each nozzle, and recording is performed by discharging ink according to the position information in the scanning direction acquired from the downstream position detection sensor 24. That is, recording is performed by shifting the recording data corresponding to the nozzles according to the inclination with respect to the reference acquired in S902 and the position information in the scanning direction based on the downstream position detection sensor 24. Specifically, in the present embodiment, the inclination with respect to the reference in the second scan is θmb. Therefore, the scanning direction is based on the inclination θmb. When scanning is performed by a distance of 1 / tanθ, which is the distance by which the position of the nozzle is shifted by 1.0 pitch with respect to the scanning direction, the recording data corresponding to the nozzle position is updated. In the second scan, since the image is inclined in the Y direction, as the scan progresses, the corresponding recording data is shifted in the direction opposite to the line feed direction (-Y direction side) with respect to the nozzle row. As shown in FIG. 10, in the second scan, the recording data corresponding to the first nozzle from the nozzle end on the downstream side in the line feed direction is shifted by 1.0 pitch in the Y direction when comparing the start and end of the scan. In the present embodiment, since one image is formed by two scans, in S912, when it is determined that there is no next scan and in S914, when it is determined that recording has ended, recording end is notified in S916 and the recording process ends.

[0105] As described above, in the recording apparatus 10 according to the present embodiment, a scanning range corresponding to the upper limit value of the assumed inclination of the nozzle row 20a is set. And when at least one of the following conditions is satisfied: the recording apparatus 10 during scanning is being scanned beyond the set scanning range, and recording based on the recording data has not ended, the movement to the next scan is restricted. As the restriction on the movement to the next scan, at least one of the following is executed: notifying that the movement to the next scan is not possible, and physically making the state such that the movement to the next scan is not possible. Thereby, when moving beyond the scanning range corresponding to the upper limit value of the inclination of the nozzle row and there are no nozzles to be changed and white streaks occur, the line feed operation is not executed. Therefore, generation of a recording result with deteriorated recording quality is suppressed.

[0106] (Other embodiments) Note that the above-described embodiment may be modified as shown in the following (1) to (9).

[0107] (1) Although not particularly described in the above embodiment, in the recording process, regarding the inclination information acquired in S928, when at least one of the inclination Δθ and the inclination θ exceeds the corresponding threshold value, it may be determined that the inclination is too large and the preliminary nozzles are insufficient, and the recording operation may be restricted. As the restriction of the recording operation, at least one of notifying that recording is impossible and controlling the scanning mechanism such as the recording mechanism and the guide roller 22 to make the state where physical recording is impossible may be executed. Note that, in this case, when at least one of the inclination Δθ and the inclination θ is equal to or less than the corresponding threshold value, the recording operation is permitted. Also, although not particularly described in the above embodiment, the larger the inclination direction of the main scan with respect to a predetermined scan inclines to the "+" side, the larger the recording area during scanning becomes, and the larger the number of nozzles used becomes. On the other hand, the larger the inclination direction of the main scan inclines to the "-" side, the smaller the recording area during scanning becomes, and the smaller the number of nozzles used becomes.

[0108] (2) Although not particularly described in the above embodiment, the LED lamp of the button 18 notifies the user by changing the lighting pattern and the emission color. As an example, it is as follows. When the recording operation is completed, it blinks green, when it is possible to move to the next scan, it lights green, and when it is impossible to move to the next scan, it lights red. Alternatively, it lights red outside the scanning range and lights green when moving within the scanning range. Also, the LED lamp may emit single-color light. In this case, for example, when the recording operation is completed, when moving within the scanning range, when it is possible to move to the next scan, etc., the LED lamp is lit, and when moving outside the scanning range, when it is impossible to move to the next scan, etc., the LED lamp blinks.

[0109] (3) In the above-described embodiment, various notifications are performed using the LED lamp of the button 18, but the present invention is not limited thereto. For example, a display capable of displaying characters or symbols may be used to perform notifications by characters, symbols, or the like. Alternatively, a speaker may be used to perform notifications according to the type of sound, or voice guidance may be used to perform notifications. Further, notifications may be performed by vibration by a vibrator. Furthermore, notifications may be performed by an external device 406 or the like via the data transfer I / F 408. Note that various notifications may be executed by combining the above-described plurality of methods.

[0110] (4) Although not particularly described in the above embodiment, if recording is performed up to an area adjacent to the recordable area in the next scan when the nozzle row 20a that occurs during the line feed operation is inclined by the assumed inclination θmb, white streaks generated between scans can be suppressed. Therefore, in the recording apparatus 10, it is sufficient to print at least up to an area adjacent to the recordable area in the next scan when inclined by the inclination θmb, and it is also possible to record an area larger than the area described in the above embodiment. Specifically, for example, the recording area recorded in the first scan may be recorded up to the position 1008 (see FIG. 10) where recording is possible at the downstream end in the line feed direction of the nozzle row in the first scan. In the first layer, in the line feed direction, printing may be performed in any shape up to that position as long as it is between the position 1004 and the position 1008. Even in this case, it is possible to correct the inclination error and form a continuous image between scans, and it becomes possible to suppress the occurrence of white streaks even if a sudden inclination error occurs during the movement to the next scan.

[0111] (5) In the above-described embodiment, the recording area formed in each scan is trapezoidal or parallelogram-shaped, but the present invention is not limited thereto, and it may be rectangular. In a trapezoidal or parallelogram-shaped recording area, the joints between scans are inclined, so positional deviation is likely to occur in the X direction, and when positional deviation occurs, the joints become darker and streaks are likely to occur. By making the recording area rectangular, the occurrence of such streaks is suppressed.

[0112] (6) In the above-described embodiment, the recording device 10 is configured to scan in the orthogonal direction orthogonal to the nozzle row, but it is not limited thereto. For example, there is no problem as long as it cannot be made close to the orthogonal direction due to human visual characteristics. Further, when it can be made closer and deviates from the orthogonal direction, for example, it is conceivable that the recording head 20 including the nozzle row 20a is attached to the recording device 10 while being inclined. In this case, correction such as shifting the ejection timing of each nozzle in the nozzle row may be performed so as to form a recording area as in the above-described embodiment. Further, according to the inclination of the nozzle row, by adjusting the fixed movement amount in the arrangement direction of the nozzles and changing the distance between the nozzles for calculating the nozzle position and the number, the recording areas between the scans shown in the above-described embodiment can be continuously recorded.

[0113] (7) In the above-described embodiment, the recording device 10 in which the user manually scans and performs recording has been described as an example, but the embodiment is not limited thereto. For example, it is also applicable to a serial scan type recording device. In this case, in accordance with the inclination of the recording medium caused by the conveyance of the recording medium by the conveyance mechanism with respect to the nozzle row formed on the recording head, the recordable nozzle position is changed to form a recording area.

[0114] (8) In the above embodiment, in the control unit 400, it is determined whether or not it is possible to move to the next scan, and according to the determination result, the movement to the next scan is restricted or permitted. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the detection result by the downstream position detection sensor 24 and the acquired scan range information may be output to the external device 406 via the data transfer I / F 408, and in the external device 406, it may be determined whether or not it is possible to move to the next scan based on the input information. In this case, an instruction to restrict or permit the movement to the next scan is output to the recording device 10 according to the determination result. Further, for each process of the recording process described in the above embodiment, the external device 406 may execute the process to control the recording device 10. Furthermore, for the recording process described in the above embodiment, a part of the process may be performed by the control unit 400 and the remaining process may be executed by the external device 406.

[0115] (9) The above embodiment and the various forms shown in (1) to (8) may be combined as appropriate. The present invention can also be realized by supplying a program that realizes one or more functions of the above embodiment to a system or device via a network or a storage medium, and having one or more processors in the computer of the system or device read and execute the program. Further, it can also be realized by a circuit (for example, ASIC) that realizes one or more functions.

Explanation of Reference Numerals

[0116] 10 Recording device 20 Recording head 20a Nozzle array 24 Downstream position detection sensor 26 Upstream position detection sensor 400 Control unit

Claims

1. A recording means in which a plurality of nozzles for ejecting ink are arranged to form a nozzle row, and recording is performed by ejecting ink from the nozzles, and a detection means for detecting position information, Based on the detection result by the detection means according to the scanning by the user in the first direction intersecting the direction in which the nozzle row extends, a first operation of ejecting ink from the nozzles in the recording means to perform recording, and a second operation of moving the user in the second direction in which the nozzle row extends are alternately executed to record a predetermined image on the recording medium by the recording means, and when the nozzle row is inclined before and after the second operation, according to the inclination, a hand-held recording device that changes the position of the nozzles used for recording in the scanning in the first operation after the second operation, A hand-held recording device, characterized in that it has a notification means for notifying that the second operation cannot be executed when at least one of exceeding a predetermined scanning range and not finishing the recording in the scanning in the first direction is satisfied.

2. The hand-held recording device according to claim 1, further comprising a restricting means for restricting the second operation when at least one of exceeding the predetermined scanning range and not finishing the recording in the scanning in the first direction is satisfied.

3. Further comprising a moving means for moving the hand-held recording device in the second direction by pressing by the user, The hand-held recording device according to claim 2, wherein the restricting means restricts the movement in the second direction by the moving means.

4. The notification that the second operation cannot be executed by the notification means is executed using at least one of an LED lamp, a speaker, a display, and a vibrator. The hand-held recording device according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

5. The hand-held recording device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the predetermined scanning range is determined according to the upper limit value of the allowable inclination of the nozzle row.

6. When the inclination of the nozzle row that occurs before and after the second operation exceeds a threshold value, the regulation means further controls at least one of the recording mechanism by the recording means and the scanning mechanism of the handheld recording device in the first direction so that recording cannot be performed, thereby regulating the first operation. The handheld recording device according to claim 2 or 3.

7. The notification means further notifies that the first operation cannot be performed when the inclination of the nozzle row that occurs before and after the second operation exceeds a threshold value. The handheld recording device according to any one of claims 1 to 5.

8. The detection means is provided at two locations so as to sandwich the recording means along the second direction. The inclination of the nozzle row is obtained based on the detection results of the detection means provided at the two locations. The handheld recording device according to any one of claims 1 to 7.

9. A recording means in which a plurality of nozzles for discharging ink are arranged to form a nozzle row, and recording is performed by discharging ink from the nozzles, A control method for a handheld recording device, comprising: detection means for detecting position information, Based on the detection result by the detection means in response to scanning by the user in a first direction intersecting the direction in which the nozzle row extends, a first operation of discharging ink from the nozzles in the recording means to perform recording, and a second operation of moving the user in a second direction in which the nozzle row extends are alternately executed to record a predetermined image by the recording means on a recording medium. When an inclination occurs in the nozzle row before and after the second operation, the position of the nozzles used for recording in the scanning in the first operation after the second operation is changed according to the inclination. A handheld recording device, In the scanning in the first direction, when at least one of exceeding a predetermined scanning range and the recording in the scanning being completed is satisfied, notifying that the second operation cannot be performed. A control method characterized by this.

10. A program for causing a computer to execute the control method according to claim 9.

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