Image forming device

Abstract

To provide an image forming device capable of improving productivity and preventing enlargement in device size, while ensuring sufficient image quality.SOLUTION: An image forming device includes: a moving portion that has a head including a first discharging portion discharging a color material to a recording medium as droplets and a second discharging portion aligned to the first discharging portion in a predetermined direction and discharging a predetermined processing material to the recording medium as droplets, and can reciprocate in a predetermined direction; and a control portion that controls the presence / absence of discharging of the second discharging portion in each of plural movements in the predetermined direction of the moving portion, when discharging droplets from the head in each of both reciprocating movements in the moving portion.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, there are known image forming apparatuses in which a treatment material is dropped onto a recording medium during image formation. For example, Patent Documents 1 and 2 disclose a configuration in which a carriage equipped with a plurality of heads for color materials and a head for a treatment material moves in the width direction of the recording medium to form an image.

[0003] In the configuration described in Patent Document 1, a head for the processing material is provided at one end of the carriage, while in the configuration described in Patent Document 2, heads for the processing material are provided at both ends of the carriage. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2014-148098 [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2004-330554 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] Incidentally, to form a line image (a line image) along a predetermined direction, the carriage may be moved multiple times in the predetermined direction (the width direction) to deposit droplets at the same position in the predetermined direction multiple times to form the line image. In this case, if a treatment material head is provided, the positional relationship between the color material head and the treatment material head on the carriage does not change, so the order in which the color material and treatment material are deposited varies between movements toward one side of the predetermined direction and movements toward the other side. As a result, the treatment material cannot be deposited in the appropriate order, which can result in a problem of insufficient image quality.

[0006] The configuration described in Patent Document 1 is designed for use with post-processing materials, and therefore cannot solve the above problems. Furthermore, if sufficient image quality is to be ensured, the carriage must be returned to its reference position each time an image is formed, which creates the problem of slow printing speed.

[0007] Furthermore, the configuration described in Patent Document 2 requires that heads for the same processing material be provided on both ends of the carriage, which not only increases overall costs but also necessitates a larger carriage, resulting in problems such as an increased device size.

[0008] SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide an image forming apparatus that can improve productivity and prevent the apparatus size from increasing while ensuring sufficient image quality. [Means for solving the problem]

[0009] The image forming apparatus according to the present invention comprises: a head including a first ejection section that ejects a coloring material onto a recording medium as droplets, and a second ejection section that is arranged alongside the first ejection section in a predetermined direction and ejects a predetermined treatment material onto the recording medium as droplets; Equipped , Together with the head a moving unit that is reciprocally movable in the predetermined direction; a control unit that controls whether or not the second discharge unit discharges the droplets during each of the multiple movements of the moving unit in the predetermined direction when the droplets are discharged from the head during each of the two reciprocating movements of the moving unit; Equipped with 、 the processing material is a preprocessing material for preprocessing an image formed on the recording medium by the moving unit, the control unit controls the ejection of the first ejection unit and the second ejection unit so that the color material is carried on the treatment material ejected onto the recording medium; the moving unit is capable of forming a line image extending along the predetermined direction on the recording medium by moving back and forth in the predetermined direction, and is capable of forming a plurality of line images aligned in the conveying direction of the recording medium as the recording medium is conveyed; The control unit controls the ejection of the first ejection unit and the second ejection unit so that the plurality of line images include a line image made up of only the color material. . [Effects of the Invention]

[0010] According to the present invention, sufficient image quality can be ensured. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0011] [Figure 1] 1 is a diagram illustrating an overall configuration of an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the main parts of a control system of the image forming apparatus according to the present embodiment. [Figure 3] FIG. 10 is a diagram for explaining how the recording head moves from the end on the negative side in the X direction. [Figure 4] FIG. 10 is a diagram for explaining how the recording head moves from the end on the positive side in the X direction. [Figure 5] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a line image to which a pretreatment material has been applied. [Figure 6] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a line image to which a post-treatment material has been applied. [Figure 7] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a partial line image in a configuration in which a pretreatment material is applied. [Figure 8] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a partial line image in a configuration in which a pretreatment material is applied. [Figure 9] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a partial line image in a configuration in which a post-treatment material is applied. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a partial line image in a configuration in which a post-treatment material is applied. [Figure 11] 10 is a flowchart illustrating an example of an operation of change control of the image forming apparatus. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0012] DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of the present invention will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Fig. 1 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of an image forming apparatus 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0013] As shown in FIG. 1, the image forming apparatus 1 is an inkjet type image forming apparatus, and includes a belt conveying device 2, a recording head 3, and the like.

[0014] In addition, a Cartesian coordinate system (X, Y, Z) is used to explain the structure of the image forming apparatus 1 of this embodiment. The same Cartesian coordinate system (X, Y, Z) is used in the drawings that will be described later. For example, in FIG. 1 etc., the depth direction of the page is the X direction, the left-right direction is the Y direction, and the up-down direction is the Z direction.

[0015] In the belt conveying device 2, an endless conveying belt 23 of a predetermined width is stretched over a driving roller 21 and a driven roller 22 that are arranged in parallel at a predetermined interval. The upper surface of the conveying belt 23 stretched over the driving roller 21 and the driven roller 22 serves as a loading surface on which the recording medium P is placed in close contact.

[0016] An adhesive is applied to the surface of the conveyor belt 23 to adhere the recording medium P during conveyance to the upper surface of the conveyor belt 23. The drive roller 21 is driven by a sub-scanning motor (not shown).

[0017] In the belt conveying device 2, the drive roller 21 is rotated at a predetermined speed in the counterclockwise direction (see the arrow) in Fig. 1 by the rotational drive of the sub-scanning motor, thereby rotating and moving the conveying belt 23 stretched between the drive roller 21 and the driven roller 22. By this operation, the recording medium P placed on the upper surface of the conveying belt 23 is conveyed in the direction of the arrow A in the figure (the positive side of the Y direction), which is the sub-scanning direction.

[0018] The recording medium P may be any recording medium commonly used in inkjet recording, such as paper, fabric, plastic film, glass plate, etc. The recording medium P may be in the form of a sheet cut to a predetermined size, or may be in the form of a continuous length that is continuously unwound from a master roll wound into a roll.

[0019] A belt cleaning device (not shown) is provided on the opposite side of the belt conveying device 2 from the conveying surface of the recording medium P. Foreign matter adhering to the conveying belt 23 is removed by this belt cleaning device.

[0020] The recording head 3 has a plurality of recording elements (inkjet heads) and is arranged at a predetermined interval above the surface on which the recording medium P is placed on the conveyor belt 23. The recording head 3 ejects ink droplets (liquid droplets) from the ejection surfaces of the many nozzles provided on its lower surface, thereby recording a desired image on the recording medium P that is conveyed by the rotational movement of the conveyor belt 23.

[0021] In this embodiment, the recording head 3 is a shuttle type that is mounted on a carriage 31 and moves back and forth in a predetermined direction (X direction) perpendicular to the transport direction (Y direction) of the intermittently transported recording medium P. In this case, during recording, the drive of the drive roller 21 is controlled so that the transport belt 23 performs an intermittent operation of repeating a standby state and a driven state. The recording head 3 corresponds to the "head" of the present invention. The carriage 31 corresponds to the "moving unit" of the present invention.

[0022] 3, the recording head 3 has a first discharge section 3A and a second discharge section 3B. The first discharge section 3A discharges four (plural) color materials, Y, M, C, and K, as droplets onto the recording medium P. The second discharge section 3B is provided alongside the first discharge section 3A on the positive side in the X direction, and discharges a treatment material as droplets onto the recording medium P. Note that the carriage 31 is not shown in FIG. 3 and other figures.

[0023] 2 is a block diagram showing the main functional configuration of the image forming apparatus 1. The image forming apparatus 1 includes a control unit 100, a recording head driving unit 110, a conveyance driving unit 120, and an input / output interface .

[0024] The control unit 100 includes a CPU 101 (Central Processing Unit), a RAM 102 (Random Access Memory), a ROM 103 (Read Only Memory), and a storage unit 104.

[0025] The CPU 101 reads out various control programs and setting data stored in the ROM 103, stores them in the RAM 102, and executes the programs to perform various arithmetic processing. The CPU 101 also performs overall control of the overall operation of the image forming apparatus 1.

[0026] The RAM 102 provides a working memory space for the CPU 101 and stores temporary data. The RAM 102 may include a non-volatile memory.

[0027] The ROM 103 stores various control programs and setting data executed by the CPU 101. Note that, instead of the ROM 103, a rewritable non-volatile memory such as an EEPROM (Electrically Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory) or a flash memory may be used.

[0028] The storage unit 104 stores print jobs (image recording commands) and image data related to the print jobs input from the external device 6 via the input / output interface 130. As the storage unit 104, for example, an HDD (Hard Disk Drive) is used, and a DRAM (Dynamic Random Access Memory) or the like may also be used in combination.

[0029] The recording head driving unit 110 supplies a driving signal corresponding to the image data to the recording head 3 at an appropriate timing based on the control of the control unit 100, thereby causing the nozzles of the recording head 3 to eject an amount of ink corresponding to the pixel values ​​of the image data.

[0030] The transport drive unit 120 supplies a drive signal to the sub-scanning motor of the drive roller 21 under the control of the control unit 100, thereby rotating the transport belt 23 at a predetermined speed and timing.

[0031] The input / output interface 130 mediates the transmission and reception of data between the external device 6 and the control unit 100. The input / output interface 130 is configured, for example, by any one of various serial interfaces, various parallel interfaces, or a combination of these.

[0032] The external device 6 is, for example, a personal computer, and supplies image recording commands (print jobs), image data, and the like to the control unit 100 via an input / output interface 130.

[0033] Furthermore, in this embodiment, in order to form one line image along the X direction (hereinafter referred to as a line image), the recording head 3 is moved multiple times in a predetermined direction and droplets are dropped multiple times at the same position in the X direction on the recording medium P, thereby forming the line image. As the recording medium P is transported, multiple line images are formed in order in the Y direction (transport direction), thereby forming one image.

[0034] In this embodiment, one line image is formed by the recording head 3 moving (moving back and forth) multiple times in the X direction from a position corresponding to the positive end or negative end of the recording medium P in the X direction.

[0035] In this case, the control unit 100 controls the first discharger 3A to discharge the color material during the forward movement and the backward movement of the reciprocating movement in the X direction. In other words, the control unit 100 controls the first discharger 3A to discharge the color material during at least two of the multiple movements in the X direction.

[0036] Incidentally, when forming an image in which a treatment material is applied to a color material, if the recording head 3 (carriage 31) is moved back and forth to form a line image, the positional relationship between the first ejection section 3A and the second ejection section 3B does not change, and therefore the order in which the color material and treatment material are dropped varies between the outbound movement and the return movement.

[0037] In this embodiment, when the control unit 100 causes the recording head 3 to eject droplets during both reciprocating movements of the carriage 31, it controls whether or not the second ejection unit 3B ejects during each of the reciprocating movements of the recording head 3 in the X direction.

[0038] For example, it is assumed that the processing material is a pre-processing material for pre-processing an image formed on the recording medium P by the recording head 3 .

[0039] The pretreatment material is a treatment liquid that is applied to the recording medium P in advance before the colorant is applied to the recording medium P, and is intended to suppress the penetration of the colorant, for example, by agglomerating the colorant at a position corresponding to the pretreatment material and fixing it at that position.

[0040] In this case, the control unit 100 controls the second ejection unit 3B to eject the processing material at least once when the recording head 3 moves toward the outgoing side (one side) of its reciprocating movement, and to not eject the processing material from the second ejection unit 3B when the recording head 3 moves toward the returning side (the other side) of its reciprocating movement.

[0041] That is, the control unit 100 controls the ejection of the first ejection unit 3A and the second ejection unit 3B so that the color material is carried on the treatment material ejected onto the recording medium P.

[0042] 3, when forming one line image, if the recording head 3 is located at a position corresponding to the end of the recording medium P on the negative side in the X direction, movement toward the positive side in the X direction corresponds to movement toward the forward path. Since the second discharge unit 3B is located at the end of the recording head 3 on the positive side in the X direction, the control unit 100 controls the second discharge unit 3B to discharge the treatment material.

[0043] In addition, in this case, in the movement direction (toward the positive side of the X direction), the first discharger 3A is located downstream of the second discharger 3B, so the control unit 100 controls the first discharger 3A to discharge the color material.

[0044] 4, after the recording head 3 reaches a position corresponding to the end of the recording medium P on the positive side in the X direction, the recording head 3 moves backward toward the negative side in the X direction. The control unit 100 controls the first discharge unit 3A to discharge the color material, and the second discharge unit 3B not to discharge the treatment material.

[0045] By doing this, as shown in Figure 5, the treatment material L1, first color material L2, and second color material L3 are deposited onto the recording medium P in this order. The first color material L2 is the color material discharged from the first discharge section 3A during the first movement (movement on the outward path). The second color material L3 is the color material discharged from the first discharge section 3A during the second movement (movement on the return path). Note that Figures 5 to 10 show that the treatment material and color materials are dropped onto the recording medium P in this order from the negative side in the Z direction.

[0046] As shown in FIG. 4, when forming one line image, if the recording head 3 is located at a position corresponding to the end of the recording medium P on the positive side in the X direction, movement toward the negative side in the X direction corresponds to movement toward the outward path.

[0047] In this case, in the movement direction (towards the negative side of the X direction), the first discharge section 3A is located upstream of the second discharge section 3B, so the control section 100 controls the first discharge section 3A not to discharge color material and to discharge the treatment material from the second discharge section 3B.

[0048] 3, after the recording head 3 reaches a position corresponding to the negative end of the recording medium P in the X direction, the recording head 3 moves backward toward the positive side in the X direction. The control unit 100 controls the first discharge unit 3A to discharge the color material, and prevents the second discharge unit 3B from discharging the treatment material.

[0049] 4, after the recording head 3 reaches a position corresponding to the end of the recording medium P on the positive side in the X direction, the recording head 3 again moves to the negative side in the X direction. At this time, the control unit 100 controls the first discharge unit 3A to discharge the color material, but not the second discharge unit 3B to discharge the treatment material.

[0050] 5, the treatment material L1, the first color material L2, and the second color material L3 are placed on the recording medium P in this order. In this case, the first color material L2 is the color material ejected from the first ejection section 3A during the second movement (returning movement). In this case, the second color material L3 is the color material ejected from the first ejection section 3A during the third movement (movement after the forward and backward movement).

[0051] As a result, when the recording head 3 is moved multiple times to form one line image, it is possible to reliably deposit the color material on the pretreatment material.

[0052] Also, for example, it is assumed that the processing material is a post-processing material for post-processing the image formed on the recording medium P by the recording head 3.

[0053] The post-treatment material is a treatment liquid that is applied to the surface of the image after the coloring material has been applied to the recording medium P, and is used, for example, to coat the image surface and increase its resistance to abrasion.

[0054] In this case, the control unit 100 controls the second ejection unit 3B not to eject the processing material when the recording head 3 moves to the outgoing side (the other side) of its reciprocating movement, and controls the second ejection unit 3B to eject the processing material at least once when the recording head 3 moves to the return side (one side) of its reciprocating movement.

[0055] That is, the control unit 100 controls the ejection of the first ejection unit 3A and the second ejection unit 3B so that the treatment material is placed on the color material ejected onto the recording medium P.

[0056] 3, when forming one line image, if the recording head 3 is located at a position corresponding to the end of the recording medium P on the negative side in the X direction, movement to the positive side in the X direction corresponds to movement on the forward path. Since the second discharge unit 3B is located at the end of the recording head 3 on the positive side in the X direction, the control unit 100 controls the first discharge unit 3A to discharge the color material, and prevents the second discharge unit 3B from discharging the treatment material.

[0057] 4, after the recording head 3 reaches a position corresponding to the end of the recording medium P on the positive side in the X direction, the recording head 3 moves backward toward the negative side in the X direction. The control unit 100 controls the first discharge unit 3A to discharge the color material and the second discharge unit 3B to discharge the treatment material.

[0058] By doing this, as shown in Figure 6, the first color material L4, the second color material L5, and the treatment material L6 are placed on the recording medium P in this order. The first color material L4 is the color material ejected from the first ejection section 3A during the first movement (movement on the outward path). The second color material L5 is the color material ejected from the first ejection section 3A during the second movement (movement on the return path).

[0059] As shown in FIG. 4, when forming one line image, if the recording head 3 is positioned at a position corresponding to the end of the recording medium P on the positive side in the X direction, movement toward the negative side in the X direction corresponds to movement toward the outward path.

[0060] In this case, in the direction of movement, the first discharge section 3A is located upstream of the second discharge section 3B, so the control section 100 controls the first discharge section 3A to discharge color material and the second discharge section 3B not to discharge treatment material.

[0061] 3, after the recording head 3 reaches a position corresponding to the negative end of the recording medium P in the X direction, the recording head 3 moves backward toward the positive side in the X direction. The control unit 100 controls the first discharge unit 3A to discharge the color material, and prevents the second discharge unit 3B from discharging the treatment material.

[0062] 4, after the recording head 3 reaches a position corresponding to the end of the recording medium P on the positive side in the X direction, the recording head 3 again moves to the negative side in the X direction. At this time, the control unit 100 controls the first discharge unit 3A not to discharge the color material and the second discharge unit 3B to discharge the treatment material.

[0063] 6, the first color material L4, the second color material L5, and the treatment material L6 are applied to the recording medium P in this order. In this case, the first color material L4 is the color material ejected from the first ejection section 3A during the first movement (movement on the outward path). In this case, the second color material L5 is the color material ejected from the first ejection section 3A during the second movement (movement on the return path).

[0064] As a result, when the recording head 3 is moved multiple times to form one line image, it is possible to reliably apply the post-treatment material to the color material.

[0065] In this way, one line image is formed at each position in the conveyance direction (Y direction) of the recording medium P by moving the recording head 3 multiple times, thereby forming an image according to the image data.

[0066] In this embodiment, the treatment material and color material can be applied in an appropriate order to the recording medium P. For example, if the treatment material is a pretreatment material, the recording head 3 can be moved multiple times to form one line image, thereby ensuring that the color material is applied to the pretreatment material.

[0067] As a result, in a configuration in which the recording head 3 is moved multiple times and droplets are ejected multiple times at the same position in the X direction, sufficient image quality can be ensured.

[0068] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the recording medium P is transported in the Y direction by one line image each time the recording head 3 moves once in the X direction. As described above, in this embodiment, even if the recording heads 3 are positioned at both ends of the recording medium P in the X direction, image formation using a processing material is possible, and therefore multiple line images adjacent in the Y direction can be formed in parallel.

[0069] However, in a configuration where an image is formed by moving only in one direction in the X direction, for example, the nozzle moves from the negative side to the positive side in the X direction to eject droplets, then returns to the negative side in the X direction and moves back to the positive side in the X direction, repeating this operation, which can slow down the printing speed.

[0070] In contrast, in this embodiment, by forming images both by moving to the positive side in the X direction and by moving to the negative side in the X direction, it is possible to form multiple line images that are adjacent in the Y direction in parallel. As a result, compared to a configuration in which images are formed by moving only to one side in the X direction, it is possible to increase the printing speed and, ultimately, productivity.

[0071] Furthermore, since the second ejection section 3B corresponding to the treatment material is provided only on one side in a predetermined direction of the first ejection section 3A corresponding to the color material, the recording head 3 (carriage) can be made smaller than in a configuration in which second ejection sections are provided on both sides of the first ejection section. In other words, in this embodiment, it is possible to improve productivity and prevent the device size from increasing while ensuring sufficient image quality.

[0072] Furthermore, if an error occurs during image formation in the recording head 3, the control unit 100 stops the operation of the recording head 3 and outputs the treatment material dispensing status to, for example, the memory unit 104. When the control unit 100 stops the operation of the recording head 3, it may change the amount of treatment material dispensed after the operation of the recording head 3 is resumed, depending on the treatment material dispensing status before the stoppage, which is output and stored in the memory unit 104.

[0073] In this way, by storing in the memory unit 104 the position to which the treatment material has been applied when the recording head 3 is stopped, it is possible to prevent the treatment material from being applied twice when the operation of the recording head 3 is resumed.

[0074] In the above embodiment, when the processing material is a pre-processing material, the processing material is applied directly to the recording medium P, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the multiple line images aligned in the Y direction may include line images to which the processing material is not directly applied.

[0075] Specifically, the control unit 100 controls the ejection of the first ejection unit 3A and the second ejection unit 3B so that the plurality of line images includes a line image in which the treatment material is applied to the color material.

[0076] As shown in FIG. 4, when forming one line image, if the recording head 3 is positioned at a position corresponding to the end of the recording medium P on the positive side in the X direction, movement toward the negative side in the X direction corresponds to movement toward the outward path.

[0077] In this case, in the direction of movement, the first discharge section 3A is located upstream of the second discharge section 3B, so the control section 100 controls the first discharge section 3A to discharge color material and the second discharge section 3B to discharge treatment material.

[0078] 3, after the recording head 3 reaches a position corresponding to the negative side of the X direction on the recording medium P, the recording head 3 moves backward toward the positive side of the X direction. The control unit 100 controls the first discharge unit 3A to discharge the color material, and prevents the second discharge unit 3B from discharging the treatment material.

[0079] 7, the first color material L2, the treatment material L1, and the second color material L3 are applied to the recording medium P in this order. In this case, the first color material L2 is the color material ejected from the first ejection section 3A during the first movement (movement on the outward path). In this case, the second color material L3 is the color material ejected from the first ejection section 3A during the second movement (movement on the return path).

[0080] As a result, the treatment material L1 is positioned at least below the second color material L3 that is positioned on the image surface, and therefore a certain degree of effect can be obtained as a pretreatment material.

[0081] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, when forming one line image, if the recording head 3 is positioned at a position corresponding to the end of the recording medium P on the positive side in the X direction, at least three movements are required. In contrast, by controlling in this way, it is possible to reliably form a line image with two reciprocating movements, thereby improving productivity.

[0082] Furthermore, the control unit 100 may control the ejection of the first ejection unit 3A and the second ejection unit 3B so that the plurality of line images includes a line image made up of only color materials.

[0083] As shown in FIG. 4, when forming one line image, if the recording head 3 is positioned at a position corresponding to the end of the recording medium P on the positive side in the X direction, movement toward the negative side in the X direction corresponds to movement toward the outward path.

[0084] In this case, in the direction of movement, the first discharge section 3A is located upstream of the second discharge section 3B, so the control section 100 controls the first discharge section 3A to discharge color material and the second discharge section 3B not to discharge treatment material.

[0085] 3, after the recording head 3 reaches a position corresponding to the negative end of the recording medium P in the X direction, the recording head 3 moves backward toward the positive side in the X direction. The control unit 100 controls the first discharge unit 3A to discharge the color material, and prevents the second discharge unit 3B from discharging the treatment material.

[0086] By doing this, as shown in Fig. 8, the first color material L2 and the second color material L3 are placed on the recording medium P in this order. In this case, the first color material L2 is the color material ejected from the first ejection section 3A during the first movement (movement on the outward path). In this case, the second color material L3 is the color material ejected from the first ejection section 3A during the second movement (movement on the return path).

[0087] Since such a line image would be devoid of processing material, the control unit 100 controls the first discharge unit 3A and the second discharge unit 3B, for example, so that the line image and the line image adjacent to it in the conveying direction (Y direction) contain processing material.

[0088] This control can be changed as appropriate depending on the image formation start position of the recording head 3, for example, so that a line image such as that shown in Fig. 5 is formed. Furthermore, the line image may be formed in parallel with a line image that does not include a processing material, or may be formed separately.

[0089] This allows the amount of treatment material used to be reduced.

[0090] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, when the processing material is a post-processing material, the processing material is reliably applied to the image surface of the recording medium P, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, in a line image, the processing material may not be located in the uppermost layer.

[0091] Specifically, the control unit 100 controls the ejection of the first ejection unit 3A and the second ejection unit 3B so that the plurality of line images includes a line image in which the color material is placed on the treatment material.

[0092] As shown in FIG. 4, when forming one line image, if the recording head 3 is positioned at a position corresponding to the + side of the X direction on the recording medium P, movement to the - side of the X direction is movement to the outward side.

[0093] In this case, in the direction of movement, the first discharge section 3A is located upstream of the second discharge section 3B, so the control section 100 controls the first discharge section 3A to discharge color material and the second discharge section 3B to discharge treatment material.

[0094] 3, after the recording head 3 reaches a position corresponding to the negative end of the recording medium P in the X direction, the recording head 3 moves backward toward the positive side in the X direction. The control unit 100 controls the first discharge unit 3A to discharge the color material, and prevents the second discharge unit 3B from discharging the treatment material.

[0095] 9, the first color material L4, the treatment material L6, and the second color material L5 are applied to the recording medium P in this order. In this case, the first color material L4 is the color material ejected from the first ejection section 3A during the first movement (movement on the outward path). In this case, the second color material L5 is the color material ejected from the first ejection section 3A during the second movement (movement on the return path).

[0096] In the case of such a line image, the processing material is not positioned on the image surface, so the control unit 100 controls, for example, the first discharge unit 3A and the second discharge unit 3B so that the processing material is positioned on the image surface of the line image and the line image adjacent to it in the conveying direction (Y direction).

[0097] This control can be changed as appropriate depending on the image formation start position of the recording head 3, for example, so that a line image such as that shown in Fig. 6 is formed. Furthermore, the line image may be formed in parallel with a line image in which the processing material is not positioned on the image surface, or may be formed separately.

[0098] In the above embodiment, when forming one line image, at least three movements are required if the recording head 3 is positioned at a position corresponding to the end of the recording medium P on the positive side in the X direction. In contrast, by controlling in this way, it is possible to reliably form a line image with two reciprocating movements, thereby improving productivity.

[0099] Furthermore, the control unit 100 may control the ejection of the first ejection unit 3A and the second ejection unit 3B so that the plurality of line images includes a line image made up of only color materials.

[0100] As shown in FIG. 4, when forming one line image, if the recording head 3 is positioned at a position corresponding to the end of the recording medium P on the positive side in the X direction, movement toward the negative side in the X direction corresponds to movement toward the outward path.

[0101] In this case, in the direction of movement, the first discharge section 3A is located upstream of the second discharge section 3B, so the control section 100 controls the first discharge section 3A to discharge color material and the second discharge section 3B not to discharge treatment material.

[0102] 3, after the recording head 3 reaches a position corresponding to the negative end of the recording medium P in the X direction, the recording head 3 moves backward toward the positive side in the X direction. The control unit 100 controls the first discharge unit 3A to discharge the color material, and prevents the second discharge unit 3B from discharging the treatment material.

[0103] By doing this, as shown in Fig. 10, the first color material L4 and the second color material L5 are placed on the recording medium P in this order. In this case, the first color material L4 is the color material ejected from the first ejection section 3A during the first movement (movement on the outward path). In this case, the second color material L5 is the color material ejected from the first ejection section 3A during the second movement (movement on the return path).

[0104] In the case of such a line image, the processing material is not positioned on the image surface, so the control unit 100 controls, for example, the first discharge unit 3A and the second discharge unit 3B so that the processing material is positioned on the image surface of the line image and the line image adjacent to it in the conveying direction (Y direction).

[0105] This control can be changed as appropriate depending on the image formation start position of the recording head 3, for example, so that a line image such as that shown in Fig. 6 is formed. Furthermore, the line image may be formed in parallel with a line image in which the processing material is not positioned on the image surface, or may be formed separately.

[0106] This allows the amount of treatment material used to be reduced.

[0107] Furthermore, each of the above control modes may be selected as appropriate depending on the situation. Specifically, the control unit 100 may change the control mode of the ejection of the first ejection unit 3A and the second ejection unit 3B depending on the print ratio of the image formed on the recording medium P.

[0108] For example, when the image coverage in the image pattern is 50% or more, the control unit 100 selects a control mode that prioritizes image quality (image quality priority control) as shown in Fig. 5, and when the coverage is less than 50%, it selects a control mode that prioritizes productivity (productivity priority control) as shown in Fig. 7. Note that the control mode shown in Fig. 8 may also be incorporated.

[0109] A description will be given of an example of the change control operation of the image forming apparatus 1. Fig. 11 is a flowchart showing an example of the change control operation of the image forming apparatus 1. The process in Fig. 11 is appropriately executed when the control unit 100 receives an instruction to execute a print job, for example.

[0110] 11, the control unit 100 acquires information about an image pattern (step S101).The control unit 100 determines whether the coverage of the image is 50% or more (step S102).

[0111] If the result of the determination is that the coverage is 50% or more (step S102, YES), the control unit 100 executes control that prioritizes image quality (step S103). On the other hand, if the coverage is less than 50% (step S102, NO), the control unit 100 executes control that prioritizes productivity (step S104). After step S103 or step S104, this control ends.

[0112] This allows printing control to be performed in an appropriate control mode depending on the situation.

[0113] Furthermore, the control unit 100 may change the control mode of the ejection of the first ejection unit 3A and the second ejection unit 3B depending on the type of recording medium. For example, if the recording medium has high droplet permeability, the control unit 100 selects the control that prioritizes image quality as described above, and if the recording medium has low droplet permeability, it selects a control mode that reduces the amount of treatment material used, as shown in FIG.

[0114] Even in this way, printing control can be performed in an appropriate control mode according to the situation.

[0115] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the color material is applied to the recording medium P a total of two times and the treatment material is applied once, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the color material and treatment material may be applied multiple times to the recording medium P. Specifically, the control unit 100 may form a line image extending along the X direction on the recording medium P by moving back and forth in the X direction multiple times.

[0116] In this case, it is sufficient that the processing materials are applied in an appropriate order to the recording medium P. Specifically, if the processing material is a pre-processing material, it is sufficient that it is applied to the recording medium P before the color material is applied multiple times, and if the processing material is a post-processing material, it is sufficient that it is applied to the image surface.

[0117] This makes it possible to improve and enhance the function of the processing material and the color development of the color material in one line image.

[0118] Furthermore, the above-described embodiments are merely examples of specific embodiments for carrying out the present invention, and the technical scope of the present invention should not be construed as being limited by these embodiments. In other words, the present invention can be carried out in various forms without departing from the gist or main features thereof. [Explanation of symbols]

[0119] 1. Image forming device 2 Belt conveyor 3 Recording head 3A 1st discharge part 3B 2nd discharge part 21 Drive roller 22 driven roller 23 Conveyor belt 31 Carriage 100 control section 110 Recording head drive unit 120 Conveyor drive unit 130 Input / Output Interface

Claims

1. a moving unit that is mounted with a head including a first ejection unit that ejects a color material onto a recording medium as droplets, and a second ejection unit that is arranged alongside the first ejection unit in a predetermined direction and ejects a predetermined treatment material onto the recording medium as droplets, and that is capable of reciprocating in the predetermined direction together with the head; a control unit that controls whether or not the second discharge unit discharges the droplets during each of the multiple movements of the moving unit in the predetermined direction when the droplets are discharged from the head during each of the two reciprocating movements of the moving unit; Equipped with the processing material is a preprocessing material for preprocessing an image formed on the recording medium by the moving unit, the control unit controls the ejection of the first ejection unit and the second ejection unit so that the color material is carried on the treatment material ejected onto the recording medium; the moving unit is capable of forming a line image extending along the predetermined direction on the recording medium by moving back and forth in the predetermined direction, and is capable of forming a plurality of line images aligned in the conveying direction of the recording medium as the recording medium is conveyed; the control unit controls the ejection of the first ejection unit and the second ejection unit so that the plurality of line images includes a line image formed only of the color material. Image forming device.

2. A moving section that is equipped with a head including a first ejection section that ejects a coloring material onto a recording medium as droplets, and a second ejection section that is arranged alongside the first ejection section in a predetermined direction and ejects a predetermined treatment material onto the recording medium as droplets, and that is capable of reciprocating in the predetermined direction together with the head; a control unit that controls whether or not the second discharge unit discharges the droplets during each of the multiple movements of the moving unit in the predetermined direction when the droplets are discharged from the head during each of the two reciprocating movements of the moving unit; Equipped with the processing material is a post-processing material for performing post-processing of an image formed on the recording medium by the moving unit, the control unit controls the ejection of the first ejection unit and the second ejection unit so that the treatment material is applied to the color material ejected onto the recording medium; the moving unit is capable of forming a line image extending along the predetermined direction on the recording medium by moving back and forth in the predetermined direction, and is capable of forming a plurality of line images aligned in the conveying direction of the recording medium as the recording medium is conveyed; the control unit controls the ejection of the first ejection unit and the second ejection unit so that the plurality of line images includes a line image formed only of the color material. Image forming device.

3. the control unit controls the second discharge unit to discharge the treatment material at least once when the moving unit moves to one side of the reciprocating movement in the predetermined direction, and controls the second discharge unit not to discharge the treatment material when the moving unit moves to the other side of the reciprocating movement.

3. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1.

4. the control unit controls the first discharge unit to discharge the color material at least two times out of the plurality of movements in the predetermined direction. The image forming apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

5. the control unit changes a control mode of ejection of the first ejection unit and the second ejection unit in accordance with a print ratio of the image formed on the recording medium. The image forming apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4.

6. A moving unit that is equipped with a head including a first ejection unit that ejects a coloring material onto a recording medium as droplets, and a second ejection unit that is arranged alongside the first ejection unit in a predetermined direction and ejects a predetermined treatment material onto the recording medium as droplets, and that is capable of reciprocating in the predetermined direction together with the head; a control unit that controls whether or not the second discharge unit discharges the droplets during each of the multiple movements of the moving unit in the predetermined direction when the droplets are discharged from the head during each of the two reciprocating movements of the moving unit; Equipped with the control unit changes a control mode of ejection of the first ejection unit and the second ejection unit in accordance with a print ratio of the image formed on the recording medium. Image forming device.

7. the control unit changes a control mode of ejection of the first ejection unit and the second ejection unit depending on the type of the recording medium. The image forming apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 6.

8. the moving unit forms a line image extending along the predetermined direction on the recording medium by moving back and forth in the predetermined direction a plurality of times. The image forming apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 7.

9. When an error occurs during image formation in the moving unit, the control unit stops the operation of the moving unit and outputs a dripping status of the treatment material. The image forming apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 8.

10. A moving section that is equipped with a head including a first ejection section that ejects a coloring material onto a recording medium as droplets, and a second ejection section that is arranged alongside the first ejection section in a predetermined direction and ejects a predetermined treatment material onto the recording medium as droplets, and that is capable of reciprocating in the predetermined direction together with the head; a control unit that controls whether or not the second discharge unit discharges the droplets during each of the multiple movements of the moving unit in the predetermined direction when the droplets are discharged from the head during each of the two reciprocating movements of the moving unit; Equipped with When an error occurs during image formation in the moving unit, the control unit stops the operation of the moving unit and outputs a dripping status of the treatment material. Image forming device.

11. When the operation of the moving unit is stopped, the control unit changes the amount of the treatment material to be dripped after the operation of the moving unit is resumed, depending on the state of dripping of the treatment material before the operation of the moving unit is stopped.

11. The image forming apparatus according to claim 9 or 10.

Images