Liquid discharge apparatus and liquid discharge method

Abstract

To provide a technique useful for confirming a condition for obtaining proper color development including the occurrence presence / absence of a density reversal phenomenon.SOLUTION: A liquid discharge device comprises: a liquid discharge part; and a control part which controls discharge of liquid by the liquid discharge part. A plurality of types of liquid are ink in a plurality of colors, and has a first ink group which can express another color by being mixed with each other, and second ink which can singly express similar color as the other color. The control part can form on a medium a first mixed color pattern and a second mixed color pattern using a larger amount of the first ink group than the first mixed color pattern by controlling the liquid discharge part to discharge the first ink group, can form on the medium a single color pattern by controlling the liquid discharge part to discharge the second ink, and includes the first mixed color pattern, the second mixed color pattern, and the single color pattern and forms on the medium a patch in which the second mixed color pattern is adjacent to the first mixed color pattern and the single color pattern.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a liquid ejection device and a liquid ejection method.

Background Art

[0002] An inkjet recording system is disclosed that includes a recording head that ejects ink and a controller that controls the recording head, and performs recording on a recording medium based on image data (see Patent Document 1). Document 1 shows the optical density of a patch image when a patch that gradually increases the duty, which is the amount of ink applied per unit area for black ink, is recorded on a recording medium.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003] [[ID=……]]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] In order to form an image on a medium using a plurality of colors of ink, it is necessary to confirm whether desirable coloring can be obtained as a result of ink ejection onto the medium. According to Document 1, it is disclosed that the optical density increases as the duty increases. However, when attempting to express another color by mixing a plurality of colors of ink, a phenomenon may be observed in which the measured density decreases conversely as the duty increases. Such a phenomenon will be referred to as a density inversion phenomenon hereinafter. Document 1 does not consider the density inversion phenomenon. Therefore, there is a need for a technique that is useful for confirming the conditions for obtaining appropriate coloring, including the occurrence or non-occurrence of the density inversion phenomenon.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0005] A liquid dispensing device capable of dispensing multiple types of liquids into a medium, comprising: a liquid dispensing unit having multiple nozzles for dispensing the liquids; and a control unit for controlling the dispensing of the liquids by the liquid dispensing unit, wherein the multiple types of liquids include multiple inks, comprising: a first ink group capable of expressing different colors by mixing them with each other; and a second ink capable of expressing a single color of the same color family as the other color; the control unit can control the liquid dispensing unit to dispense the first ink group, thereby forming a first mixed color pattern using the first ink group and a second mixed color pattern using a larger amount of the first ink group than the first mixed color pattern on the medium; and can control the liquid dispensing unit to dispense the second ink, thereby forming a single-color pattern using the second ink on the medium, comprising the first mixed color pattern, the second mixed color pattern and the single-color pattern, wherein the second mixed color pattern forms patches on the medium adjacent to the first mixed color pattern and the single-color pattern.

[0006] A liquid dispensing device capable of dispensing multiple types of liquids into a medium is used to perform a liquid dispensing method, wherein the multiple types of liquids include a first ink group of multiple colors that can be mixed with each other to express a different color, and a second ink that can express a color of the same color family as the other color as a single color, and the method includes a patch forming step of forming patches on the medium by controlling a liquid dispensing unit having multiple nozzles for dispensing the liquid, wherein the patch forming step is made possible by controlling the liquid dispensing unit to dispense the first ink group, thereby forming a first mixed color pattern using the first ink group and a second mixed color pattern using a larger amount of the first ink group than the first mixed color pattern on the medium, and by controlling the liquid dispensing unit to dispense the second ink, thereby forming a single-color pattern on the medium using the second ink, and the patch on the medium includes the first mixed color pattern, the second mixed color pattern and the single-color pattern, wherein the second mixed color pattern is adjacent to the first mixed color pattern and the single-color pattern. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0007] [Figure 1] A block diagram showing a simplified configuration of the apparatus in this embodiment. [Figure 2] A simplified diagram showing the relationship between the medium and the liquid dispensing head, etc., from an overhead perspective. [Figure 3] This flowchart shows the process executed by the control unit in this embodiment. [Figure 4] A diagram showing an example of a set of patches printed on a medium. [Figure 5] A diagram illustrating the correspondence between the amount of ink and brightness of the patterns that make up a patch. [Figure 6] A diagram showing patches selected by the user from a group of patches, marked with a circle (○). [Figure 7] A figure showing an example of a patch printed on a medium in the second embodiment. [Figure 8] Figures 8A, 8B, and 8C show examples where bleeding has occurred. [Figure 9] A diagram showing an example of a patch printed on a medium in the third embodiment. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0008] Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the figures. Note that the figures are merely illustrative examples for illustrating these embodiments. Because the figures are illustrative, the proportions, shapes, and shading may not be accurate, they may not be consistent with each other, and some parts may be omitted.

[0009] 1. Outline of the device configuration: Figure 1 shows a simplified configuration of the liquid dispensing device 10 according to this embodiment. The liquid dispensing method of this embodiment is performed by the liquid dispensing device 10.

[0010] The liquid dispensing device 10 includes a control unit 11, a display unit 13, an operation reception unit 14, a storage unit 15, a communication IF 16, a transport unit 17, a liquid dispensing unit 18, etc. IF stands for interface. The control unit 11 is composed of one or more ICs having a CPU 11a as a processor, ROM 11b, RAM 11c, etc., and other non-volatile memory, etc.

[0011] In the control unit 11, the processor, i.e., the CPU 11a, performs calculation processing according to the program 12 stored in the ROM 11b or other memory, using the RAM 11c as a work area, thereby realizing various functions such as the image formation control unit 12a, the selection reception unit 12b, and the condition setting unit 12c. The processor is not limited to a single CPU; it may be configured to perform processing using multiple CPUs or hardware circuits such as ASICs, or it may be configured so that the CPU and hardware circuits cooperate in performing processing.

[0012] The display unit 13 is a means for displaying visual information and is composed of, for example, a liquid crystal display or an organic EL display. The display unit 13 may also include a display and a drive circuit for driving the display. The operation reception unit 14 is a means for receiving input from the user and is implemented by, for example, physical buttons, a touch panel, a mouse, or a keyboard. Of course, a touch panel may be implemented as a function of the display unit 13. The display unit 13 and the operation reception unit 14 together may be called the operation panel of the liquid dispensing device 10. The display unit 13 and the operation reception unit 14 may be part of the configuration of the liquid dispensing device 10, but they may also be peripheral devices attached to the liquid dispensing device 10 externally.

[0013] The storage unit 15 is, for example, a hard disk drive, a solid-state drive, or other memory-based storage means. The storage unit 15 may be considered as a part of the memory possessed by the control unit 11. Alternatively, the storage unit 15 may be considered as a part of the control unit 11. The communication IF 16 is a general term for one or more interfaces that allow the liquid dispensing device 10 to communicate with an external device via wired or wireless connection in accordance with a predetermined communication protocol that includes a known communication standard. The external device is, for example, a communication device such as a personal computer, server, smartphone, or tablet terminal.

[0014] The transport unit 17 is a means for transporting the medium 30 along a predetermined transport direction under the control of the control unit 11. The transport unit 17 includes, for example, rollers that rotate to transport the medium 30, and a motor as a power source for rotation. Alternatively, the transport unit 17 may be a mechanism that transports the medium 30 by mounting it on a belt or pallet moved by a motor. The medium 30 is, for example, paper, but any medium that can be subjected to liquid discharge may be used, and may be made of materials other than paper, such as film or fabric.

[0015] The liquid ejection unit 18 is a means for ejecting multiple types of liquids using an inkjet method under the control of the control unit 11 to form an image on the medium 30 transported by the transport unit 17. The liquid ejection unit 18 includes a liquid ejection head 20 and a carriage 21, which will be described later. The droplets ejected from the nozzle 22 of the liquid ejection head 20 are called dots. The liquid ejection head 20 can eject inks of various colors, such as cyan (C), magenta (M), yellow (Y), and black (K). Of course, the liquid ejection head 20 can also eject inks of colors other than CMYK inks, or various liquids that do not fall under the category of ink. The liquid ejection head 20 may also be called a recording head, print head, printing head, inkjet head, etc. Furthermore, the liquid ejection device 10 having the liquid ejection head 20 may also be called a recording device, printing device, printing device, inkjet printer, etc.

[0016] The liquid ejection device 10 may be configured to be realized by a single device, or may be realized by a system including a plurality of communicably connected devices. For example, the liquid ejection device 10 may be a system including an information processing device that plays the role of the control unit 11 and a device that includes the conveyance unit 17 and the liquid ejection unit 18 and executes liquid ejection under the control of the information processing device. In this case, the information processing device can be recognized as a control device, an image processing device, or the like.

[0017] FIG. 2 simply shows the relationship between the medium 30 and the liquid ejection head 20 etc. from a top view. According to FIG. 2, the liquid ejection head 20 is mounted on the carriage 21. The carriage 21 is movable back and forth along a predetermined main scanning direction D1 by the power of a carriage motor (not shown) under the control of the control unit 11. Therefore, the liquid ejection head 20 moves forward and backward along the main scanning direction D1 together with the carriage 21.

[0018] The liquid ejection head 20 has nozzle rows for each type of liquid. In FIG. 2, four nozzle rows 23C, 23M, 23Y, and 23K are simply shown. Each of the white circles shown in FIG. 2 is an individual nozzle 22. One nozzle row corresponding to one type of liquid is composed of a plurality of nozzles 22 having a constant or substantially constant nozzle pitch, which is the interval between the nozzles 22 in the direction intersecting the main scanning direction D1. The nozzle row 23C is a nozzle row composed of a plurality of nozzles 22 that eject C ink. Similarly, the nozzle row 23M is a nozzle row composed of a plurality of nozzles 22 that eject M ink, the nozzle row 23Y is a nozzle row composed of a plurality of nozzles 22 that eject Y ink, and the nozzle row 23K is a nozzle row composed of a plurality of nozzles 22 that eject K ink.

[0019] The control unit 11 causes the liquid ejection head 20 to eject liquid onto the medium 30 based on image data representing an image. As is known, in the liquid ejection head 20, a drive element is provided for each nozzle 22, and by controlling the application of a drive signal to the drive element of each nozzle 22 according to the image data, each nozzle 22 ejects dots or does not eject dots, thereby forming an image represented by the image data on the medium 30. The liquid ejection by the liquid ejection head 20 accompanying the movement of the carriage 21 is called a pass or a scan.

[0020] Reference numeral D2 indicates the conveyance direction D2 of the medium 30 by the conveyance unit 17. The conveyance unit 17 conveys the medium 30 from upstream to downstream in the conveyance direction D2. The upstream and downstream in the conveyance direction D2 are simply referred to as upstream and downstream. The conveyance direction D2 intersects the main scanning direction D1. The intersection of the main scanning direction D1 and the conveyance direction D2 is orthogonal or substantially orthogonal. A plurality of nozzle rows such as the nozzle rows 23C, 23M, 23Y, 23K of the liquid ejection head 20 are arranged along the main scanning direction D1 and are in the same position in the conveyance direction D2.

[0021] In such a configuration, the control unit 11 can perform dot-based image formation on the medium 30 by combining the conveyance of the medium 30 by a predetermined distance by the conveyance unit 17 and the pass by the carriage 21 and the liquid ejection head 20 with respect to the stationary medium 30. When either one of the intersecting main scanning direction D1 and conveyance direction D2 is regarded as the "first direction", the other is regarded as the "second direction". Either of the directions D1 and D2 may be regarded as the first direction, but in the description of FIG. 4 and the like described later, the main scanning direction D1 is regarded as the first direction and the conveyance direction D2 is regarded as the second direction.

[0022] The liquid ejected by the liquid ejection head 20 includes a "first ink group" of multiple colors of ink that can be mixed to express other colors, and a "second ink" that can express a color of the same family as the aforementioned other color using a single ink. In the example in Figure 2, the CMY inks belong to the first ink group because they can express so-called composite black when mixed. The K ink, on the other hand, belongs to the second ink because it expresses black using a single ink. Colors of the same family are colors that have the same or similar hue. Gray, composite black, and black are achromatic colors and can be said to be colors of the same family. Furthermore, even among chromatic colors, the relationship of colors of the same family can hold true.

[0023] 2. First Embodiment: Next, the first embodiment will be described. Figure 3 shows a flowchart illustrating the processes executed by the control unit 11 according to the program 12. Part or all of the flowchart represents the liquid discharge method according to this embodiment. In particular, step S100 corresponds to the "patch formation process," which can be considered as a separate invention. Below, we will first explain step S100, and then briefly explain steps S110 and S120.

[0024] In step S100, the image formation control unit 12a of the control unit 11 forms a "patch group," which is a collection of patches, on the medium 30 based on the image data. The image formation control unit 12a acquires predetermined patch image data representing the patch group from an image data storage location such as the storage unit 15 or memory inside or outside the liquid ejection device 10. The format of the patch image data at the time of acquisition is not particularly limited, but the image formation control unit 12a converts the acquired patch image data into data in a format used for liquid ejection by the liquid ejection head 20. This conversion includes color conversion processing and halftone processing, and the data in a format used for liquid ejection is data that defines the presence or absence of dots for each pixel and for each ink color CMYK. "With dots" means that dots will be ejected, and "without dots" means that dots will not be ejected. The image formation control unit 12a then controls the liquid ejection head 20 according to the converted patch image data and forms the patch group on the medium 30 by ejecting the necessary dots from each nozzle 22 of each nozzle row in each pass.

[0025] In this embodiment, the image forming control unit 12a controls the liquid ejection unit 18 to eject the first ink group, thereby enabling the formation of a "first color mixing pattern" using the first ink group and a "second color mixing pattern" using a larger amount of the first ink group than the first color mixing pattern on the medium 30. Furthermore, the image forming control unit 12a controls the liquid ejection unit 18 to eject the second ink, thereby enabling the formation of a "monochromatic pattern" using the second ink on the medium 30.

[0026] Figure 4 shows an example of a patch group 45 formed on the medium 30 by step S100. In other words, the patch image data described above is data representing the patch group 45. The patch group 45 consists of multiple patches 40 arranged in two dimensions along the main scanning direction D1 and the transport direction D2. In the example in Figure 4, a total of 25 patches 40 are shown, with 5 arranged along the main scanning direction D1 and 5 along the transport direction D2. Of course, the number of patches 40 constituting the patch group 45 does not need to be limited to 25.

[0027] Each of the multiple patches 40 contains a first color mixing pattern 41, a second color mixing pattern 42, and a single-color pattern 43. In patch 40, the second color mixing pattern 42 is adjacent to the first color mixing pattern 41 and the single-color pattern 43. In the example in Figure 4, the three patterns within patch 40 are arranged in the order of first color mixing pattern 41, second color mixing pattern 42, and single-color pattern 43 in the main scanning direction D1. As explained above, the first color mixing pattern 41 and the second color mixing pattern 42 are composite black patterns created by mixing CMY inks, and the single-color pattern 43 is a black pattern created by K ink. In the example in Figure 4, the area ratio of the first color mixing pattern 41, the second color mixing pattern 42, and the single-color pattern 43 constituting one patch 40 is approximately 1:1:1, but this area ratio is not required.

[0028] In Figure 4, Ck0, Ck1, Ck1, Ck2, Ck2, Ck3, Ck3, Ck4, and Ck4, Ck5, indicated at positions of every 40 patches along the main scanning direction D1, represent the amounts of CMY ink used to form the first color mixing pattern 41 and the amounts of CMY ink used to form the second color mixing pattern 42. Similarly, K1, K2, K3, K4, and K5, indicated at positions of every 40 patches along the transport direction D2, represent the amounts of K ink used to form the single-color pattern 43. The amounts of CMY ink may also be referred to as the amounts of composite black ink. The ink amounts may also be referred to as duty cycles.

[0029] The ink amount is the ink ejection amount per unit area. For example, the ink amount of the CMY ink in one first color mixing pattern 41 can be represented by the ratio of the total number of dots of the CMY ink for forming the one first color mixing pattern 41 to the number of pixels of the one first color mixing pattern 41 represented by the patch image data. Based on the patch image data, if dots of all CMY inks are formed for all pixels of one first color mixing pattern 41, the ink amount of the CMY ink in this first color mixing pattern 41 is 300%. Similarly, the ink amount of the CMY ink in one second color mixing pattern 42 can be represented by the ratio of the total number of dots of the CMY ink for forming the one second color mixing pattern 42 to the number of pixels of the one second color mixing pattern 42 represented by the patch image data. Also, the ink amount of the K ink in one single-color pattern 43 can be represented by the ratio of the number of dots of the K ink for forming the one single-color pattern 43 to the number of pixels of the one single-color pattern 43 represented by the patch image data, and takes values from 0 to 100%.

[0030] The magnitude relationship of the ink amounts Ck0, Ck1, Ck2, Ck3, Ck4, Ck5 of the CMY ink is Ck0 < Ck1 < Ck2 < Ck3 < Ck4 < Ck5. Also, the magnitude relationship of the ink amounts K1, K2, K3, K4, K5 of the K ink is K1 < K2 < K3 < K4 < K5. The descriptions of these ink amounts Ck0, Ck1, Ck2, Ck3, Ck4, Ck5 and ink amounts K1, K2, K3, K4, K5 may or may not be actually printed on the medium 30 together with the patch group 45. Also, when printing the ink amounts Ck0, Ck1, Ck2, Ck3, Ck4, Ck5 and ink amounts K1, K2, K3, K4, K5 on the medium 30 together with the patch group 45, these respective ink amounts may of course be specific numerical values such as 30% or 120%.

[0031] As can be seen from Figure 4, patches 40 at the same position in the main scanning direction D1 have the same amount of ink in their first color mixing pattern 41 and the same amount of ink in their second color mixing pattern 42. Also, patches 40 at the same position in the transport direction D2 have the same amount of ink in their single-color pattern 43. In Figure 4, for example, the bottom left patch 40 corresponding to ink amounts Ck0, Ck1, K5 is a patch formed with the CMY ink amount of the first color mixing pattern 41 being Ck0, the CMY ink amount of the second color mixing pattern 42 being Ck1, and the K ink amount of the single-color pattern 43 being K5. Similarly, for example, the top right patch 40 corresponding to ink amounts Ck4, Ck5, K1 is a patch formed with the CMY ink amount of the first color mixing pattern 41 being Ck4, the CMY ink amount of the second color mixing pattern 42 being Ck5, and the K ink amount of the single-color pattern 43 being K1.

[0032] In the following, to identify patch 40, it may be described along with the ink amounts of the first color mixing pattern 41, the second color mixing pattern 42, and the single-color pattern 43. For example, the bottom left patch 40 will be described as patch 40(Ck0,Ck1,K5). Now, considering two patches 40 aligned along the main scanning direction D1, for example, patch 40(Ck0,Ck1,K1) and patch 40(Ck1,Ck2,K1), the total amount of CMY ink used to form the first color mixing pattern 41 and the second color mixing pattern 42 is naturally greater for patch 40(Ck1,Ck2,K1). Therefore, when counting the patches 40 as the 1st, 2nd, etc., from left to right in Figure 4 along the main scanning direction D1, it can be said that the image forming control unit 12a forms the nth patch 40 among the multiple patches 40 arranged along the first direction using a larger amount of the first ink group than the (n-1)th patch 40. In the example in Figure 4, n is an integer from 2 to 5. Also, as can be seen from Figure 4, the second color mixing pattern 42 of the (n-1)th patch 40 and the first color mixing pattern 41 of the nth patch 40 are formed with the same amount of ink.

[0033] Furthermore, considering two patches 40 aligned along the transport direction D2, for example, patch 40(Ck0,Ck1,K1) and patch 40(Ck0,Ck1,K2), the amount of K ink used to form the single-color pattern 43 is greater in patch 40(Ck0,Ck1,K2). Therefore, when counting the patches 40 as the 1st, 2nd, etc., along the transport direction D2, for example from downstream to upstream, the image formation control unit 12a can be said to form the mth patch 40 among the multiple patches 40 aligned along the second direction using a larger amount of second ink than the m-1th patch. In the example in Figure 4, m is an integer from 2 to 5.

[0034] Next, we will explain how to use the patch group 45 formed on the medium 30 by step S100. The user visually evaluates the patch group 45 formed on the medium 30 and selects the patch 40 whose density increases sequentially from the first color mixing pattern 41 to the second color mixing pattern 42 and then to the single-color pattern 43. High density means dark, and low density means bright. Normally, an image formed with only K ink has a higher density than a composite black image. Therefore, the patch 40 whose density increases sequentially from the first color mixing pattern 41 to the second color mixing pattern 42 and then to the single-color pattern 43 will be referred to as the "good color development patch" below, meaning a patch with good color development.

[0035] Figure 5 illustrates the correspondence between the ink amount and brightness of the patterns that make up patch 40. In Figure 5, the ink amounts Ck0, Ck1, Ck2, Ck3, Ck4, Ck5 and ink amounts K1, K2, K3, K4, K5, as explained in Figure 4, are plotted on the horizontal axis, and the lightness obtained when each pattern formed on the medium 30 with these ink amounts is measured is plotted on the vertical axis. The lightness is the L* value in the L*a*b* color system. In Figure 5, the lightness of the first mixed color pattern 41 and the second mixed color pattern 42 is shown by solid lines, and the lightness of the single-color pattern 43 is shown by a dashed line.

[0036] According to Figure 5, the brightness of the single-color pattern 43 formed with K ink alone decreases as the amount of K ink increases. In other words, the density of the single-color pattern 43 also increases in proportion to the increase in the amount of K ink. On the other hand, the first mixed color pattern 41 and the second mixed color pattern 42, formed by mixing CMY inks, show a decrease in brightness for a while as the amount of CMY ink increases, but the brightness may increase beyond a certain ink amount. In the example in Figure 5, the brightness corresponding to ink amount Ck4 is higher than the brightness corresponding to ink amount Ck3, indicating a density reversal phenomenon between ink amounts Ck3 and Ck4.

[0037] Figure 6 shows the patches 40 selected by the user from the patch group 45 shown in Figure 4, marked with a circle (○). All of the patches 40 marked with a circle are those that the user deemed to have good color development. The user does not need to actually mark the patches 40 on the medium 30 with a circle, but here the circle is added to make the selection results easier to understand.

[0038] In this embodiment, it is not necessarily required to measure the color of the patch group 45 formed on the medium 30 in step S100. By visually inspecting the patch group 45, the user can compare adjacent first color mixing patterns 41 and second color mixing patterns 42, and adjacent second color mixing patterns 42 with single-color patterns 43 for each patch 40. Therefore, the user can recognize if a density reversal phenomenon has occurred within a certain patch 40. Then, the user can select a patch with good color development in which the density has not been reversed between the first color mixing pattern 41 and the second color mixing pattern 42, and the single-color pattern 43 has a higher density than the second color mixing pattern 42.

[0039] Users may photograph the patch group 45 formed on the medium 30 using a smartphone camera or digital still camera, and then evaluate the image data obtained from this photography or analyze it with an application to select patches with good color reproduction.

[0040] In step S110, the selection reception unit 12b receives the selection of the patches 40 formed on the medium 30 in step S100. That is, the user inputs the patches with good color development selected from the patch group 45 as described above by operating the operation reception unit 14, and the selection reception unit 12b receives this input. The method of inputting the selection result of the patches 40 is not particularly limited. For example, if each patch 40 formed on the medium 30 is numbered in advance, the user can simply input the numbers of all the patches 40 selected as described above via the operation reception unit 14.

[0041] Alternatively, the selection reception unit 12b may display an image of the patch group 45 on the display unit 13 based on the patch image data. The user may then input the selection result for patch 40 by touching the patch that matches the patch 40 selected as described above, from among the patches in the image of the patch group 45 displayed on the display unit 13, based on visual inspection of the patch group 45 formed on the medium 30.

[0042] In step S120, the condition setting unit 12c sets the conditions to be used for subsequent liquid ejection according to the ink amount corresponding to the patch 40 selected by the selection receiving unit 12b in step S110. Specifically, the condition setting unit 12c identifies the patch 40 with the largest amount of ink in the first ink group and the largest amount of ink in the second ink among the selected patches 40. According to the example in Figure 6, the patch 40 with the largest amount of ink in the CMY ink and the largest amount of ink in the K ink among the selected patches 40 is patch 40 (Ck2, Ck3, K5). Therefore, the condition setting unit 12c identifies patch 40 (Ck2, Ck3, K5) and sets the conditions based on the identified patch 40 (Ck2, Ck3, K5).

[0043] The user does not have to select and input all of the patches with good color reproduction; instead, they may select and input only the patch 40 with the highest amount of ink in the first ink group and the highest amount of ink in the second ink group. In this case, according to the example above, in step S110, the selection receiving unit 12b accepts the selection of patch 40 (Ck2, Ck3, K5). In this way, when the selection receiving unit 12b accepts the selection of only one patch 40 in step S110, one patch 40 is effectively identified, so the condition setting unit 12c can omit the process of identifying one patch 40 in step S120.

[0044] The condition setting unit 12c sets, for example, the upper limit of the CMY ink amount for representing composite black to the ink amount Ck3 of the second color mixing pattern 42 of the identified patch 40 (Ck2, Ck3, K5). The condition setting unit 12c may also set the upper limit of the K ink amount for representing black with K ink to the ink amount K5 of the single-color pattern 43 of the identified patch 40 (Ck2, Ck3, K5). With such condition settings, it can be said that the condition setting unit 12c has determined at least a portion of the ink amounts to be used for subsequent liquid ejection. The condition setting unit 12c saves the conditions set in this way to a predetermined memory and ends the flowchart in Figure 3.

[0045] From this point onward, the image forming control unit 12a, when dispensing liquid based on image data arbitrarily specified by the user, causes the liquid dispensing unit 18 to dispense liquid in compliance with the conditions set by the condition setting unit 12c. Note that if the type of medium 30 is different, the color and density reproduced on the medium 30 will change. Therefore, in step S120, the condition setting unit 12c sets conditions linked to the type of medium 30 used to form the patch group 45 in step S100. Then, when dispensing liquid based on image data arbitrarily specified by the user, the image forming control unit 12a should adopt the conditions set linked to the type of medium 30 used.

[0046] 3. Second Embodiment: Next, a second embodiment will be described. In the second embodiment, explanations common to the first embodiment will be omitted as appropriate. In the second embodiment, the control unit 11 forms a "bleed determination unit" on the patch 40 for determining ink bleeding in the patch formation process of step S100. The bleeding determination unit includes a "first element" formed by the first ink group and a "second element" formed by the second ink.

[0047] Figure 7 illustrates a portion of the patch group 45 formed on the medium 30 based on the patch image data in step S100. In the examples of Figures 4 and 6, the patch group 45 contains 25 patches 40, but Figure 7 shows a magnified view of some of those patches 40. Specifically, Figure 7 shows only patches 40(Ck0,Ck1,K4), patch 40(Ck1,Ck2,K4), patch 40(Ck0,Ck1,K5), and patch 40(Ck1,Ck2,K5) from among the multiple patches 40 formed on the medium 30.

[0048] Each patch 40 has a blurring detection unit 50. In other words, in the second embodiment, the image forming control unit 12a forms the patch 40, which includes the blurring detection unit 50, on the medium 30. Each of the other patches 40 not shown in Figure 7 also includes a blurring detection unit 50 in the same way. Furthermore, the description of the blurring detection unit 50 is common to all patches 40.

[0049] According to Figure 7, the bleeding detection unit 50 is the region where four elements are adjacent in the order of space element 51, first element 52, second element 53, and space element 54, which are areas where no liquid is discharged. Space elements 51 and 54 are areas where the surface of the medium 30 is exposed and no dots are formed. Space elements 51 and 54 may also be called blank spaces or paper white. The bleeding detection unit 50 is formed within the second color mixing pattern 42 that constitutes the patch 40. Therefore, the first element 52 is the region of the second color mixing pattern 42 sandwiched between space element 51 and second element 53. However, the bleeding detection unit 50 may also be formed within the first color mixing pattern 41 that constitutes the patch 40. In that case, the first element 52 is the region of the first color mixing pattern 41 sandwiched between space element 51 and second element 53.

[0050] The second element 53 of the bleeding detection unit 50 is a region formed with the same amount of K ink as the single-color pattern 43 of the patch 40 having the bleeding detection unit 50. Therefore, for the second element 53 of the bleeding detection unit 50 in patch 40 (Ck0, Ck1, K5), it is a region formed with K ink of amount K5. In Figure 7, the space element 51, first element 52, second element 53, and space element 54 constituting the bleeding detection unit 50 are arranged along the transport direction D2, but they may also be arranged along the main scanning direction D1.

[0051] Furthermore, the bleeding detection unit 50 may be formed within the single-color pattern 43 that constitutes the patch 40. In that case, the first element 52 is a region formed with the same CMY ink amounts as the second mixed color pattern 42 of the same patch 40, and the region of the single-color pattern 43 sandwiched between the first element 52 and the space element 54 corresponds to the second element 53.

[0052] Even when a group of patches 45 consisting of patches 40 having a bleeding detection unit 50 is formed on the medium 30, the user selects a patch with good color development and inputs the selection result, as in the first embodiment. Furthermore, in the second embodiment, the user evaluates the bleeding detection unit 50 for each patch 40 formed on the medium 30 and selects a patch 40 in which no ink bleeding has occurred in the bleeding detection unit 50. A patch 40 in which no ink bleeding has occurred in the bleeding detection unit 50 will be referred to as a "bleed-free patch" below. The space elements 51, 54, the first element 52, and the third element 53 that constitute the bleeding detection unit 50 are all narrow and small areas compared to the first color mixing pattern 41, the second color mixing pattern 42, and the single-color pattern 43 of the patch 40, making it difficult to identify when the ink is bleeding.

[0053] Figures 8A, 8B, and 8C each show examples where bleeding occurs in the bleeding detection unit 50 on the medium 30. In the example in Figure 8A, the first element 52 and the second element 53 of the bleeding detection unit 50 have bled together and become one, making it impossible to distinguish between the first element 52 and the second element 53. In the example in Figure 8B, a region of a different color from both the first element 52 and the second element 53 of the bleeding detection unit 50 has been created due to ink bleeding. In the example in Figure 8C, the first element 52 of the bleeding detection unit 50 has bled, causing the space element 51 to disappear, and the second element 53 has bled, causing the space element 54 to disappear. The manner in which bleeding occurs in the bleeding detection unit 50 is not limited to the examples shown in Figures 8A, 8B, and 8C, but users can confirm whether or not a patch is bleeding-free by visually evaluating the bleeding detection unit 50.

[0054] Therefore, in step S110 of the second embodiment, the selection receiving unit 12b receives both the selection of a patch with good color development and the selection of a patch without bleeding, which are input by the user through the operation receiving unit 14. Then, in step S120, the condition setting unit 12c identifies the patch 40 among the patches 40 selected by the selection receiving unit 12b in step S110 that is a patch with good color development and a patch without bleeding, and that has the largest amount of ink in the first ink group and the largest amount of ink in the second ink. The processing after identifying the patch in this way is as described in the first embodiment.

[0055] Here again, we assume that each patch 40 marked with a circle in Figure 6 is a patch with good color development. Then, as a result of evaluating the bleeding detection unit 50 for each patch 40, the user selects the patches with the CMY ink amounts of the first color mixing pattern 41 and the second color mixing pattern 42 as patches without bleeding, specifically the patch 40 with the combination of Ck0 and Ck1, the patch 40 with the combination of Ck1 and Ck2, and the patch 40 with the combination of Ck2 and Ck3. In this case, patch 40 (Ck2, Ck3, K5) corresponds to both a patch with good color development and a patch without bleeding, and is the patch 40 with the largest amount of ink in the first ink group and the second ink.

[0056] Alternatively, suppose that, as a result of evaluating the bleeding detection unit 50 for each patch 40, the user selects the patch 40 with the Ck0 and Ck1 combination and the patch 40 with the Ck1 and Ck2 combination as the non-bleeding patches, respectively, based on the ink amounts of the CMY inks in the first color mixing pattern 41 and the second color mixing pattern 42. In this case, patch 40 (Ck1, Ck2, K5), not patch 40 (Ck2, Ck3, K5), corresponds to both the patch with good color development and the non-bleeding patch, and is the patch 40 with the largest ink amounts for both the first ink group and the second ink.

[0057] Of course, in the second embodiment as well, the user may not select and input all of the patches with good color development or all of the patches without bleeding, but rather select and input only the patch 40 that falls under either the patch with good color development or the patch without bleeding, and among those patches, has the largest amount of ink in the first ink group and the largest amount of ink in the second ink.

[0058] 4. Third Embodiment: The third embodiment can be considered a modification of the second embodiment. Therefore, explanations of the third embodiment that are common to both the second and third embodiments will be omitted. Figure 9 illustrates one patch 40 included in the patch group 45 formed on the medium 30 based on patch image data in step S100. In Figure 9, only patch 40 (Ck1, Ck2, K5) is shown as a patch 40 containing the blurring detection unit 50, but naturally, each of the other patches 40 in the patch group 45 also contains the blurring detection unit 50 in the same way.

[0059] According to Figure 9, the bleeding detection unit 50 according to the third embodiment has a two-dimensional code 55 formed using the second ink within the second color mixing pattern 42 of the patch 40. More specifically, the two-dimensional code 55 formed with K ink corresponds to the "second element," and the area of ​​the second color mixing pattern 42 near the two-dimensional code 55 and the background of the two-dimensional code 55 corresponds to the "first element," and the bleeding detection unit 50 is composed of this first and second element. The two-dimensional code 55 of the bleeding detection unit 50 is an area formed with the same amount of K ink as the single-color pattern 43 of the patch 40 having the bleeding detection unit 50. Therefore, the two-dimensional code 55 of the bleeding detection unit 50 in patch 40 (Ck1, Ck2, K5) is formed with K ink in an amount of K5.

[0060] The image forming control unit 12a may also function as a blurring detection unit 50, forming a two-dimensional code 55 within the first color mixing pattern 41 using the second ink. Alternatively, the image forming control unit 12a may, as a blurring determination unit 50, form a two-dimensional code 55 using the first ink group within the single-color pattern 43 corresponding to the second element. In this case, the two-dimensional code 55 as the first element is formed with the same CMY ink amounts as the second mixed-color pattern 42 of the same patch 40.

[0061] The user can determine whether each patch 40 in the patch group 45 formed on the medium 30 is a non-bleed patch by whether or not they were able to read the two-dimensional code 55 of the bleed detection unit 50. For example, the user can take a picture of the two-dimensional code 55 in the patch 40 with their smartphone camera and try to see if they can accurately read the information recorded in the two-dimensional code 55 using an application for decoding two-dimensional codes. The content of the information recorded in the two-dimensional code 55 can be anything, but here we assume it is known to the user and the application.

[0062] If the ink forming the 2D code 55 and the ink forming the background of the 2D code 55 mix and bleed within patch 40, the application may fail to read the 2D code. The user should select patch 40 containing the 2D code 55 as a bleed-free patch if the application can accurately read the information recorded in the 2D code 55.

[0063] Furthermore, from the perspective of determining whether or not there is blurring based on whether or not it can be read using a camera, application, or visual inspection, the first or second element constituting the blurring determination unit 50 of the third embodiment is not limited to a two-dimensional code, but may also be, for example, a barcode or a specific string of characters. Furthermore, including the second and third embodiments, the ink bleeding detection unit 50 can be any image or area suitable for determining ink bleeding, and various configurations can be adopted.

[0064] 5. Summary: As described above, according to this embodiment, the liquid dispensing device 10 capable of dispensing multiple types of liquids into the medium 30 comprises a liquid dispensing unit 18 having multiple nozzles 22 for dispensing liquids, and a control unit 11 that controls the dispensing of liquids by the liquid dispensing unit 18. The multiple types of liquids include a first ink group of multiple colors that can express different colors by mixing them with each other, and a second ink that can express a color of the same color family as the other color as a single color. The control unit 11 controls the liquid ejection unit 18 to eject the first ink group, thereby forming a first color mixing pattern 41 using the first ink group and a second color mixing pattern 42 using a larger amount of the first ink group than the first color mixing pattern 41 in the medium 30. The control unit 11 controls the liquid ejection unit 18 to eject the second ink, thereby forming a single-color pattern 43 using the second ink in the medium 30. The medium 30 forms patches 40 that include the first color mixing pattern 41, the second color mixing pattern 42, and the single-color pattern 43, with the second color mixing pattern 42 adjacent to the first color mixing pattern 41 and the single-color pattern 43.

[0065] According to the above configuration, patches 40 are formed on the medium 30 where the second color mixing pattern 42 is adjacent to the first color mixing pattern 41 and the single-color pattern 43. Therefore, the user can directly compare the density of the first color mixing pattern 41 with the density of the second color mixing pattern 42, and directly compare the density of the second color mixing pattern 42 with the density of the single-color pattern 43. As a result, it is possible to easily and accurately check whether the color development of the patch 40 is good, including whether or not there is a density reversal phenomenon, and to check the appropriate amount of ink to obtain a liquid ejection result with good color development. Furthermore, by forming such patches 40 on the medium 30, the above checks can be performed visually or using simple devices such as the camera of a smartphone that the user normally has, without using specialized colorimeters such as optical densitometers.

[0066] Furthermore, according to this embodiment, the control unit 11 forms a plurality of patches 40 on the medium 30 along a first direction, and forms the nth patch 40 among the plurality of patches 40 arranged along the first direction using a larger amount of the first ink group than the (n-1)th patch 40. According to the above configuration, by gradually increasing the amount of ink in the first ink group in each patch 40, it becomes possible to easily confirm the relationship between the presence or absence of density reversal and the amount of ink in the first ink group.

[0067] Furthermore, according to this embodiment, the control unit 11 forms a plurality of patches 40 on the medium 30 along a second direction intersecting the first direction, and forms the m-th patch 40 among the plurality of patches 40 arranged along the second direction using a larger amount of second ink than the (m-1)th patch 40. According to the above configuration, by gradually increasing the amount of the second ink in each patch 40 in a direction intersecting the direction in which the amount of the first ink group in each patch 40 changes, it is possible to easily check the differences in density between the first color mixing pattern 41, the second color mixing pattern 42, and the single-color pattern 43 for each patch 40.

[0068] Furthermore, according to this embodiment, the control unit 11 may form a bleeding determination unit 50 for determining ink bleeding on the patch 40, and the bleeding determination unit 50 may include a first element formed by a first ink group and a second element formed by a second ink. According to the above configuration, it is possible to easily check the patch 40 and ink amount that satisfy the conditions for achieving both good color development without density reversal and no bleeding.

[0069] Furthermore, according to this embodiment, the control unit 11 may be configured such that the seepage determination unit 50 is a region where liquid is not discharged, and each of the four elements, space element 51, first element 52, second element 53, and space element 54, forms an adjacent region. According to the above configuration, the presence or absence of blurring can be easily confirmed by visually inspecting the continuously arranged space element 51, first element 52, second element 53, and space element 54.

[0070] Furthermore, according to this embodiment, the control unit 11 may, as a bleeding determination unit 50, form a two-dimensional code 55 using the second ink within the first color mixing pattern 41 or the second color mixing pattern 42, or form a two-dimensional code 55 using the first ink group within the single-color pattern 43. According to the above configuration, it is easy to check whether or not there is any smudging based on whether or not the two-dimensional code 55 can be read.

[0071] Furthermore, the control unit 11 may accept the selection of a patch 40 formed on the medium 30 and determine the amount of ink to be used for subsequent liquid ejection according to the amount of ink corresponding to the selected patch 40. According to the above configuration, the control unit 11 can determine an appropriate amount of ink to be used for subsequent liquid ejection, depending on the amount of ink in patch 40 that satisfies conditions such as good color development.

[0072] This embodiment discloses inventions in various categories, not limited to devices or systems, but also including methods executed by devices or systems, and programs 12 that cause a processor to execute these methods. For example, in a liquid dispensing method performed by a liquid dispensing device 10 capable of dispensing multiple types of liquids onto a medium 30, the multiple types of liquids include a first ink group of multiple colors that can express different colors by mixing them together, and a second ink that can express a color of the same color family as the other color as a single color. The method includes a patch formation step in which a patch 40 is formed on the medium 30 by controlling a liquid dispensing unit 18 having multiple nozzles 22 for dispensing the liquid. In the patch formation process, by controlling the liquid discharge unit 18 to discharge the first ink group, it is possible to form a first color mixing pattern 41 using the first ink group and a second color mixing pattern 42 using a larger amount of the first ink group than the first color mixing pattern 41 on the medium 30. By controlling the liquid discharge unit 18 to discharge the second ink, it is possible to form a single-color pattern 43 using the second ink on the medium 30. Thus, a patch 40 is formed on the medium 30 that includes the first color mixing pattern 41, the second color mixing pattern 42, and the single-color pattern 43, with the second color mixing pattern 42 adjacent to the first color mixing pattern 41 and the single-color pattern 43.

[0073] Further explanation regarding this embodiment will be provided. In step S100, the image forming control unit 12a may form only one patch 40 instead of controlling the liquid ejection unit 18 to form a patch group 45 on the medium 30. In other words, there does not need to be multiple patches 40 formed on the medium 30. For example, if the amount of ink for each color ink to be used for liquid ejection for image formation is predetermined to some extent, the image forming control unit 12a can form one patch 40 on the medium 30 using the predetermined amount of ink and allow the user to confirm whether the color development of this patch 40 is appropriate.

[0074] Specific examples of the first and second ink groups are not limited to the combination of CMY inks, which represent composite black, and K ink, which represents black. For example, since red (R) chromatic colors can be represented by mixing M ink and Y ink, this embodiment may be applied with MY ink as the first ink group and R ink, which represents red on its own, as the second ink. In addition, various combinations of the first and second ink groups can be envisioned for various color systems, such as blue and green.

[0075] When we say that the second color mixing pattern is "adjacent" to the first color mixing pattern and the single-color pattern, the second color mixing pattern may or may not be touching the first color mixing pattern and the single-color pattern. The effect is achieved by arranging the patterns close enough that a comparison of density with adjacent patterns can be suitably achieved visually, so there may be space between the patterns as long as this effect is achieved. Therefore, the first color mixing pattern, the second color mixing pattern, and the single-color pattern need to be arranged close enough to each other that they can be judged to form a set of patches.

[0076] In the second and third embodiments, the patch 40 selected as a good color development patch that has the largest amount of ink from the first ink group and the second ink may not be the same as the patch 40 selected as a no-bleed patch that has the largest amount of ink from the first ink group and the second ink. For example, suppose the patch 40 with the largest amount of ink from the first ink group and the second ink among the good color development patches is patch 40 (Ck2, Ck3, K5), and the patch 40 with the largest amount of ink from the first ink group and the second ink among the no-bleed patches is patch 40 (Ck1, Ck2, K5). In such a case, in step S120, the condition setting unit 12c may change the patch 40 used as the basis for setting the conditions according to the attributes of the image. For example, in printing based on image data that represents nature scenes or portraits, rich color reproduction and vibrancy are prioritized over the absence of bleeding, while in printing based on image data that represents text or documents, the absence of bleeding is prioritized over good color reproduction. Therefore, in the above example, the condition setting unit 12c sets conditions according to the amount of ink in patch 40 (Ck2, Ck3, K5) linked to attributes such as nature scenes or portraits. On the other hand, it also sets conditions according to the amount of ink in patch 40 (Ck1, Ck2, K5) linked to attributes such as text or documents. With this configuration, from the flowchart in Figure 3 onward, the image formation control unit 12a can adopt the optimal ink amount setting according to the attributes of the image represented by the image data and form an image on the medium 30 by liquid ejection.

[0077] The configuration of the liquid dispensing unit 18 is not limited to those described above. For example, in the liquid dispensing unit 18, the carriage 21 may be configured to perform reciprocating movement along the transport direction D2 in addition to the main scanning direction D1. Alternatively, the liquid ejection unit 18 may be configured without a carriage 21. In this case, the liquid ejection head 20 is fixed in the middle of the transport path of the medium 30 by the transport unit 17, and is equipped with a row of nozzles for each type of liquid, having a length that can cover the width of the medium 30 in the main scanning direction D1. The image forming control unit 12a may then eject a liquid such as ink from the liquid ejection head 20 onto the medium 30 as it is being transported by the transport unit 17. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0078] 10...Liquid dispensing device, 11...Control unit, 12...Program, 12a...Image forming control unit, 12b...Selection reception unit, 12c...Condition setting unit, 13...Display unit, 14...Operation reception unit, 15...Storage unit, 16...Communication IF, 17...Transport unit, 18...Liquid dispensing unit, 20...Liquid dispensing head, 21...Carriage, 22...Nozzle, 23C, 23M, 23Y, 23K...Nozzle rows, 30...Media, 40...Patch, 41...First color mixing pattern, 42...Second color mixing pattern, 43...Monochrome pattern, 45...Patch group, 50...Bleeding detection unit, 51, 54...Space element, 52...First element, 53...Second element, 55...2D code

Claims

1. A liquid dispensing device capable of dispensing multiple types of liquids into a medium, A liquid dispensing unit having multiple nozzles for dispensing the aforementioned liquid, The system comprises a control unit that controls the discharge of the liquid by the liquid discharge unit, The aforementioned multiple types of liquids are A first group of inks consisting of multiple colors, which can be mixed together to express different colors, A second ink capable of representing a color of the same color family as the aforementioned other color in a single unit, The control unit, By controlling the liquid discharge unit to discharge the first ink group, it is possible to form a first color mixing pattern using the first ink group and a second color mixing pattern using a larger amount of the first ink group than the first color mixing pattern on the medium. By controlling the liquid dispensing unit to dispense the second ink, it is possible to form a single-color pattern using the second ink on the medium. The first color mixing pattern, the second color mixing pattern, and the single-color pattern are included, wherein the second color mixing pattern forms patches adjacent to the first color mixing pattern and the single-color pattern on the medium. The control unit, A plurality of the patches are formed in the medium along a second direction that intersects the first direction in which the liquid discharge unit reciprocates. A liquid dispensing device characterized in that the m-th patch among a plurality of patches arranged along the second direction is formed using a larger amount of the second ink than the (m-1)th patch.

2. The control unit, A plurality of the patches are formed in the medium along the first direction. The liquid dispensing device according to claim 1, characterized in that the nth patch among the plurality of patches arranged along the first direction is formed using a larger amount of the first ink group than the (n-1)th patch.

3. The control unit forms a bleeding determination unit for determining ink bleeding on the patch, The liquid dispensing device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the bleeding determination unit includes a first element formed by the first ink group and a second element formed by the second ink.

4. The liquid dispensing device according to claim 3, characterized in that the control unit, as the seepage determination unit, forms an adjacent region in the order of space element, first element, second element, and space element, where each of the four elements is adjacent to the control unit.

5. The liquid dispensing apparatus according to claim 3, characterized in that the control unit, as the bleeding determination unit, forms a two-dimensional code using the second ink within the first color mixing pattern or the second color mixing pattern, or forms a two-dimensional code using the first ink group within the single-color pattern.

6. The control unit, The selection of the patch formed on the medium is accepted. The liquid dispensing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the amount of ink to be used for subsequent liquid dispensing is determined according to the amount of ink corresponding to the patch selected.

7. A liquid dispensing method performed by a liquid dispensing device capable of dispensing multiple types of liquids into a medium, The aforementioned multiple types of liquids include a first group of inks of multiple colors that can be mixed together to express a different color, and a second ink that can express a color of the same color family as the aforementioned other color as a single color. The patch formation step involves controlling a liquid discharge unit having multiple nozzles for discharging the liquid to form a patch on the medium. In the aforementioned patch formation step, By controlling the liquid discharge unit to discharge the first ink group, it is possible to form a first color mixing pattern using the first ink group and a second color mixing pattern using a larger amount of the first ink group than the first color mixing pattern on the medium. By controlling the liquid dispensing unit to dispense the second ink, it is possible to form a single-color pattern using the second ink on the medium. The first color mixing pattern, the second color mixing pattern, and the single-color pattern are included, wherein the second color mixing pattern forms the patches adjacent to the first color mixing pattern and the single-color pattern on the medium. In the aforementioned patch formation step, A step of forming a plurality of patches in the medium along a second direction intersecting the first direction in which the liquid discharge portion reciprocates, A step of forming the m-th patch among a plurality of patches arranged along the second direction using a larger amount of the second ink than the (m-1)th patch, A liquid dispensing method characterized by having the following features.

Images