Inkjet printer and method for correcting inkjet printer

Abstract

Provided is an inkjet printer having a bidirectional printing function, the inkjet printer being capable of shortening a correction time when automatically correcting a deviation between a landing position of ink in an outgoing path in which a carriage moves to one side in the main scanning direction and a landing position of ink in a return path in which the carriage moves to the other side in the main scanning direction.　In this inkjet printer, when an automatic correction operation is started to automatically carry out a reciprocating landing position correction, which is a correction of a deviation between the landing position of ink in the outgoing path and the landing position of ink in the return path, a cap-out operation is implemented, a first printing operation, a second printing operation, and a pattern detection are carried out, and after startup of the automatic correction operation, a cap-in operation is carried out after calculation of a correction amount necessary for completing the reciprocating landing position correction has been completed. In addition, after startup of the automatic correction operation, the cap-in operation is not carried out until calculation of the correction amount necessary for carrying out the reciprocating landing position correction has been completed.

Description

Inkjet printer and inkjet printer correction method

[0001] The present invention relates to an inkjet printer equipped with an inkjet head, a correction method for such an inkjet printer, and an inkjet printer equipped with a maintenance unit for preventing clogging of a plurality of nozzles formed in the inkjet head.

[0002] Conventionally, inkjet printers that print by ejecting ink onto a print medium are known (see, for example, Patent Documents 1 and 2). The inkjet printers described in Patent Documents 1 and 2 include an inkjet head that ejects ink, a carriage on which the inkjet head is mounted, a main scanning drive unit that moves the carriage back and forth in the main scanning direction, and a sub-scanning drive unit that transports the print medium in the sub-scanning direction.

[0003] The inkjet printer described in Patent Document 1 is an inkjet printer with a so-called bidirectional printing function, in which an inkjet head ejects ink during both a forward pass in which the carriage moves in one direction in the main scanning direction and a backward pass in which the carriage moves in the other direction in the main scanning direction to perform printing. To ensure print quality, an inkjet printer that performs bidirectional printing needs to correct the deviation between the landing position of ink ejected from the inkjet head during the forward pass and the landing position of ink ejected from the inkjet head during the backward pass. Therefore, this inkjet printer calculates the deviation between the landing position of ink during the forward pass and the landing position of ink during the backward pass, and corrects the landing position based on the calculated deviation.

[0004] In the inkjet printer described in Patent Document 2, a control unit that controls the operation of the inkjet printer sets the feed amount (sub-scanning movement amount) of the print medium during sub-scanning operation according to the printing conditions. In addition, the control unit corrects the feed amount based on parameters stored in a storage unit and parameters input from an input unit in order to improve the print quality on the print medium.

[0005] Also, conventionally, inkjet printers have been known that include a print head and a carriage on which the print head is mounted (see, for example, Patent Document 3). The inkjet printer described in Patent Document 3 includes a purge unit for performing a performance maintenance operation for the print head. The purge unit includes a cap and a wiper. In this inkjet printer, the performance maintenance operation for the print head involves the purge unit performing a wiping operation, a preliminary ejection operation, and a capping operation, in that order. In addition, in this inkjet printer, before the capping operation, an empty suction operation is performed in which the ink received by the cap is collected in a waste ink collection body by a purge pump.

[0006] Inkjet printers that eject ink to print on a medium are also known (see, for example, Patent Document 4). The inkjet printer described in Patent Document 4 includes two inkjet heads that eject ink, a carriage on which the two inkjet heads are mounted, and a carriage drive mechanism that moves the carriage in the main scanning direction. The inkjet printer also includes a maintenance unit (cleaning device) that prevents clogging of the multiple nozzles formed in the inkjet heads. The maintenance unit is located in a standby position for the carriage.

[0007] The maintenance unit includes two capping mechanisms, a slide frame that holds the two capping mechanisms, and a base frame that holds the slide frame. If the direction perpendicular to the up-down direction and the main scanning direction is defined as the front-rear direction, the capping mechanisms are slidable in the front-rear direction relative to the slide frame. The slide frame is slidable in the main scanning direction relative to the base frame and is also movable up and down. The capping mechanisms include a cap member that covers the ink ejection surface of the inkjet head, a support plate that floatingly supports the cap member via a compression coil spring, and a cap slide member to which the support plate is fixed. The cap slide member is held by the slide frame so that it can slide in the front-rear direction.

[0008] In the inkjet printer described in Patent Document 4, the capping mechanism is movable between a retracted position and a cap position. A first tension spring is disposed between the base frame and the slide frame, biasing the slide frame relative to the base frame so that the capping mechanism remains in the retracted position. A second tension spring is disposed between the slide frame and the cap slide member, biasing the cap slide member to one side in the front-to-rear direction relative to the slide frame. A locking portion that locks with a portion of the carriage is fixed to one end of the slide frame in the main scanning direction. Two contact portions that contact a portion of the carriage are formed on the locking portion. The two contact portions are disposed with a gap between them in the front-to-rear direction.

[0009] In the inkjet printer described in Patent Document 4, the capping mechanism is located in a retracted position when the inkjet head is ejecting ink onto a medium. When the carriage moves to one side in the main scanning direction toward a standby position where a maintenance unit is located, the carriage comes into contact with a locking portion. When the carriage moves further to one side in the main scanning direction while still in contact with the locking portion, the slide frame slides upward relative to the base frame while sliding to one side in the main scanning direction, and the cap slide member slides to one side in the front-to-rear direction relative to the slide frame, moving the capping mechanism to the capping position. When the capping mechanism moves to the capping position, the cap member covers the ink ejection surface. At this time, the abutment portion formed on the cap member abuts against the surface of the inkjet head on the other side in the front-to-rear direction.

[0010] JP 2021-62491 A JP 2020-26121 A JP 2018-22960 A JP 2012-176563 A

[0011] The inventors of the present application are developing an inkjet printer having an inkjet head. If the inkjet printer under development is to be equipped with a bidirectional printing function, in order to ensure print quality, it will be necessary to correct the deviation between the ink landing position on the forward pass, in which the carriage moves to one side in the main scanning direction, and the ink landing position on the return pass, in which the carriage moves to the other side in the main scanning direction, as in the inkjet printer described in Patent Document 1. It is preferable that this correction of the landing position can be performed in a short time.

[0012] Therefore, a first object of the present invention is to provide an inkjet printer having a bidirectional printing function that can shorten the correction time when automatically correcting the misalignment between the ink landing position on a forward pass, in which the carriage moves to one side in the main scanning direction, and the ink landing position on a return pass, in which the carriage moves to the other side in the main scanning direction. Another object of the present invention is to provide an inkjet printer correction method having a bidirectional printing function that can shorten the correction time when automatically correcting the misalignment between the ink landing position on a forward pass and the ink landing position on a return pass.

[0013] Furthermore, in order to improve the print quality of the medium in the inkjet printer currently under development, the inventors are considering correcting the transport amount (feed amount) of the medium in the sub-scanning direction at a predetermined timing, such as when the inkjet printer is installed or when the type of medium to be printed on is changed. It is preferable that this correction of the transport amount of the medium in the sub-scanning direction can be performed in a short time.

[0014] Therefore, a second object of the present invention is to provide an inkjet printer that prints on a medium and that can shorten the correction time when automatically correcting the medium transport amount in the sub-scanning direction. Also, a second object of the present invention is to provide an inkjet printer correction method that can shorten the correction time when automatically correcting the medium transport amount in the sub-scanning direction in an inkjet printer that prints on a medium.

[0015] The inventors of the present application are also developing a lower-cost inkjet printer that includes a maintenance unit similar to that of the inkjet printer described in Patent Document 4. In order to reduce the cost of the inkjet printer under development, it is preferable that the maintenance unit be lower-cost.

[0016] Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide an inkjet printer that is equipped with a maintenance unit for preventing clogging of multiple nozzles formed in an inkjet head, and that can reduce the cost of the maintenance unit.

[0017] In order to achieve the first object, an inkjet printer of the present invention is an inkjet printer equipped with an inkjet head that ejects ink, the inkjet printer comprising: a carriage on which the inkjet head is mounted; a carriage drive mechanism that moves the carriage in a main scanning direction; a maintenance unit that prevents clogging of a plurality of nozzles of the inkjet head; and a control unit that controls the inkjet printer, the inkjet printer further comprising: a detection mechanism that detects a correction pattern printed to correct a deviation between a first landing position, which is a landing position of ink ejected from the inkjet head when the carriage moves toward the first direction, and a second landing position, which is a landing position of ink ejected from the inkjet head when the carriage moves toward the second direction, where one side of the main scanning direction is defined as a first direction side and the other side of the main scanning direction opposite to the first direction side is defined as a second direction side; the inkjet printer further comprises: an ink ejection surface on which a plurality of nozzles are arranged, the inkjet head has an ink ejection surface formed on its underside; and the maintenance unit covers the ink ejection surface from below, whereby the inkjet head has an ink ejection surface on which a plurality of nozzles are arranged, whereby the inkjet head has an ink ejection surface on which a plurality of nozzles are arranged, whereby the inkjet head has an ink ejection surface on which a plurality of nozzles are arranged, whereby the inkjet head has an ink ejection surface on which a plurality of nozzles are ejected, the maintenance unit covers the inkjet printer from below, whereby the inkjet printer ... The inkjet printer is provided with a cap member for correcting the misalignment between the first and second landing positions, and is installed in a maintenance area that is outside the printing area in the main scanning direction. The control unit causes the inkjet printer to perform an automatic correction operation for automatically correcting the reciprocating landing positions, which is a correction for the deviation between the first landing position and the second landing position. The automatic correction operation includes a first printing operation in which ink is ejected from the inkjet head while moving the carriage in a first direction to print a correction pattern on the medium, and a second printing operation in which ink is ejected from the inkjet head while moving the carriage in a second direction to print the correction pattern on the medium. The printing operation includes a second printing operation, a pattern detection operation in which a detection mechanism detects the correction pattern printed in the first printing operation and the correction pattern printed in the second printing operation, a cap-in operation in which a cap member covers the ink ejection surface, and a cap-out operation in which the cap member covering the ink ejection surface is removed from the ink ejection surface, and the control unit calculates a correction amount for correcting the reciprocating impact position based on the detection result of the detection mechanism in the pattern detection operation, and before the automatic correction operation is started, the cap member covers the ink ejection surface, and when the automatic correction operation is started, the control unitThe cap-out operation is performed, and then the first printing operation, the second printing operation, and the pattern detection operation are performed. After the automatic correction operation is started, the cap-in operation is performed once the calculation of the correction amount required to complete the reciprocating landing position correction is completed, and the cap-in operation is not performed until the calculation of the correction amount required to perform the reciprocating landing position correction is completed after the automatic correction operation is started.

[0018] Furthermore, in order to solve the first problem, a correction method for an inkjet printer of the present invention is a correction method for an inkjet printer equipped with an inkjet head that ejects ink, the inkjet printer comprising: a carriage on which the inkjet head is mounted; a carriage drive mechanism that moves the carriage in a main scanning direction; and a maintenance unit that prevents clogging of a plurality of nozzles of the inkjet head, the inkjet printer also comprising: a detection mechanism that detects a correction pattern printed to correct a deviation between a first landing position, which is a landing position of ink ejected from the inkjet head when the carriage moves in the first direction, and a second landing position, which is a landing position of ink ejected from the inkjet head when the carriage moves in the second direction, where one side of the main scanning direction is defined as a first direction side and the other side of the main scanning direction opposite to the first direction side is defined as a second direction side; the inkjet head has an ink ejection surface on whose bottom surface a plurality of nozzles are arranged; and the maintenance unit detects a correction pattern printed on the inkjet head from below, where the inkjet head has an ink ejection surface on which a plurality of nozzles are arranged, where the area in the main scanning direction where printing is performed by the inkjet head is defined as a printing area. The inkjet printer includes a cap member for covering the inkjet head and is installed in a maintenance area that is an area outside the printing area in the main scanning direction. The correction method for the inkjet printer includes an automatic correction operation for automatically correcting reciprocating landing positions, which is a correction for a deviation between a first landing position and a second landing position, and includes a first printing operation for ejecting ink from the inkjet head while moving the carriage in a first direction to print a correction pattern on the medium, and a second printing operation for ejecting ink from the inkjet head while moving the carriage in a second direction to print the correction pattern on the medium. the ink jet printer is caused to perform an automatic correction operation including a pattern detection operation in which a detection mechanism detects the correction pattern printed in the first printing operation and the correction pattern printed in the second printing operation, a cap-in operation in which a cap member covers the ink ejection surface, and a cap-out operation in which the cap member covering the ink ejection surface is removed from the ink ejection surface, and a correction amount for correcting the reciprocating impact position is calculated based on the detection result of the detection mechanism in the pattern detection operation, and the cap member covers the ink ejection surface before the automatic correction operation is started,When the automatic correction operation is started, a cap-out operation is performed, followed by a first printing operation, a second printing operation, and a pattern detection operation. After the automatic correction operation is started, a cap-in operation is performed only after calculation of the correction amount required to complete the reciprocating landing position correction is completed, and the cap-in operation is not performed until calculation of the correction amount required to perform the reciprocating landing position correction is completed after the automatic correction operation is started.

[0019] In this invention, when an automatic correction operation is started for automatically correcting the reciprocating landing position, which corrects the misalignment between a first landing position, which is a landing position of ink ejected from the inkjet head when the carriage moves to one side in the main scanning direction, and a second landing position, which is a landing position of ink ejected from the inkjet head when the carriage moves to the other side in the main scanning direction, a cap-out operation is performed, followed by a first printing operation, a second printing operation, and a pattern detection operation. After the automatic correction operation starts, the cap-in operation is performed only after calculation of the correction amount required to complete the reciprocating landing position correction is completed. Therefore, in this invention, the correction time required for automatically correcting the misalignment between the first landing position and the second landing position can be shortened compared to when the cap-in operation is performed after calculation of the correction amount required for the reciprocating landing position correction is completed.

[0020] In the present invention, for example, the reciprocating landing position correction includes a first accuracy correction that corrects the deviation between the first landing position and the second landing position with a predetermined first accuracy, and a second accuracy correction that corrects the deviation between the first landing position and the second landing position with a second accuracy higher than the first accuracy after the first accuracy correction has been performed, and the automatic correction operation includes a first printing operation, a second printing operation, and a pattern detection operation for automatically performing the first accuracy correction, and also includes a first printing operation, a second printing operation, and a pattern detection operation for automatically performing the second accuracy correction, and the control unit controls the automatic correction When the operation for automatic correction is started, a cap-out operation is performed, and then a first printing operation, a second printing operation, and a pattern detection operation are performed to automatically perform the first accuracy correction, thereby calculating a first accuracy correction amount, which is the correction amount for performing the first accuracy correction, and then a first printing operation, a second printing operation, and a pattern detection operation are performed to automatically perform the second accuracy correction, thereby calculating a second accuracy correction amount, which is the correction amount for performing the second accuracy correction, and then a cap-in operation is performed, and it is preferable not to perform the cap-in operation after the start of the operation for automatic correction until calculation of the second accuracy correction amount is completed.

[0021] Furthermore, in order to achieve the second object, an inkjet printer of the present invention is an inkjet printer that prints on a medium, and includes an inkjet head that ejects ink, a carriage on which the inkjet head is mounted, a carriage drive mechanism that moves the carriage in a main scanning direction, a medium transport mechanism that transports the medium in a sub-scanning direction that is perpendicular to the up-and-down direction and the main scanning direction, a detection mechanism that detects a correction pattern printed in order to correct the amount of transport of the medium in the sub-scanning direction by the medium transport mechanism, a maintenance unit that prevents clogging of multiple nozzles of the inkjet head, and a control unit that controls the inkjet printer, wherein an ink ejection surface on which multiple nozzles are arranged is formed on the underside of the inkjet head, and the area where printing is performed by the inkjet head in the main scanning direction is defined as the printing area, and the maintenance unit includes a cap member that covers the ink ejection surface from below, and is installed in the maintenance area that is an area outside the printing area in the main scanning direction, and the control unit automatically performs medium transport amount correction, which is the correction of the amount of transport of the medium in the sub-scanning direction by the medium transport mechanism. the inkjet printer is caused to perform an automatic correction operation for correcting the medium transport amount, the automatic correction operation including a medium transport operation for transporting a medium, on which a correction pattern is to be printed, to a predetermined reference position using a medium transport mechanism, a printing operation for ejecting ink from an inkjet head while moving a carriage in a main scanning direction to print the correction pattern on the medium, a pattern detection operation for detecting the correction pattern printed in the printing operation using a detection mechanism, a cap-in operation for covering the ink ejection surface with a cap member, and a cap-out operation for removing the cap member covering the ink ejection surface from the ink ejection surface; the control unit calculates a correction amount for correcting the medium transport amount based on the detection result of the detection mechanism in the pattern detection operation, the cap member covers the ink ejection surface before the automatic correction operation is started, and the control unit performs the cap-out operation when the automatic correction operation is started, and then performs the medium transport operation, printing operation, and pattern detection operation to calculate the correction amount, and repeats the medium transport operation, printing operation, pattern detection operation, and calculation of the correction amount until the calculated correction amount becomes equal to or less than a predetermined reference value, and performs the cap-in operation when the correction amount becomes equal to or less than the reference value;After the automatic correction operation is started, the cap-in operation is not performed until the correction amount becomes equal to or less than the reference value.

[0022] Furthermore, in order to solve the second problem, the present invention provides an adjustment method for an inkjet printer, which is a correction method for an inkjet printer that prints on a medium, the inkjet printer comprising: an inkjet head that ejects ink; a carriage on which the inkjet head is mounted; a carriage drive mechanism that moves the carriage in a main scanning direction; a medium transport mechanism that transports the medium in a sub-scanning direction that is perpendicular to the up-and-down direction and the main scanning direction; a detection mechanism that detects a correction pattern printed in order to correct the amount of transport of the medium in the sub-scanning direction by the medium transport mechanism; and a maintenance unit that prevents clogging of multiple nozzles of the inkjet head, wherein an ink ejection surface on which multiple nozzles are arranged is formed on the underside of the inkjet head, and the area where printing is performed by the inkjet head in the main scanning direction is defined as a printing area, the maintenance unit comprises a cap member that covers the ink ejection surface from below, and is installed in the maintenance area that is an area outside the printing area in the main scanning direction, and the correction method for the inkjet printer comprises correcting the amount of transport of the medium in the sub-scanning direction by the medium transport mechanism. the inkjet printer is caused to perform automatic correction operations for automatically correcting the medium transport amount, the automatic correction operations including a medium transport operation for transporting a medium, on which a correction pattern is to be printed, to a predetermined reference position by a medium transport mechanism, a printing operation for ejecting ink from an inkjet head while moving a carriage in a main scanning direction to print the correction pattern on the medium, a pattern detection operation for detecting the correction pattern printed in the printing operation by a detection mechanism, a cap-in operation for covering the ink ejection surface with a cap member, and a cap-out operation for removing the cap member covering the ink ejection surface from the ink ejection surface, and the inkjet printer calculates a correction amount for correcting the medium transport amount based on the detection result of the detection mechanism in the pattern detection operation, the cap member covers the ink ejection surface before the automatic correction operation is started, and when the automatic correction operation is started, the cap-out operation is performed, and then the medium transport operation, printing operation, and pattern detection operation are performed to calculate the correction amount, and the medium transport operation, printing operation, pattern detection operation, and calculation of the correction amount are repeated until the calculated correction amount becomes equal to or less than a predetermined reference value, and when the correction amount becomes equal to or less than the reference value,The cap-in operation is performed, and after the automatic correction operation is started, the cap-in operation is not performed until the correction amount becomes equal to or less than the reference value.

[0023] In this invention, when an automatic correction operation for automatically correcting the medium transport amount, which is the correction of the medium transport amount in the sub-scanning direction by the medium transport mechanism, is started, a cap-out operation is performed, and then a medium transport operation, a printing operation, and a pattern detection operation are performed to calculate the correction amount. The medium transport operation, printing operation, pattern detection operation, and calculation of the correction amount are repeated until the calculated correction amount becomes equal to or less than a predetermined reference value. When the correction amount becomes equal to or less than the reference value, a cap-in operation is performed. Therefore, in this invention, the correction time when automatically correcting the medium transport amount in the sub-scanning direction can be shortened compared to when a cap-in operation is performed between the start of the automatic correction operation and the time when the correction amount becomes equal to or less than the reference value.

[0024] In the present invention, it is preferable that the maintenance unit includes a cap suction mechanism for sucking ink from the cap member and discharging it from the cap member, and the control unit performs an idle suction operation to cause the cap suction mechanism to suck ink from the cap member when the cap member is detached from the ink ejection surface. This configuration makes it possible to prevent ink from the cap member from overflowing from the cap member and to prevent ink from solidifying in the cap member. Furthermore, this configuration makes it possible to prevent ink from the cap member from adhering to the ink ejection surface when the ink ejection surface of the inkjet head is covered by the cap member.

[0025] In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, an inkjet printer of the present invention includes an inkjet head that ejects ink, a carriage on which the inkjet head is mounted, a carriage drive mechanism that moves the carriage in a main scanning direction perpendicular to the up-down direction, and a maintenance unit that prevents clogging of a plurality of nozzles of the inkjet head, wherein an ink ejection surface on which a plurality of nozzles are arranged is formed on the underside of the inkjet head, and the maintenance unit includes a cap member that covers the ink ejection surface from below, a slide member that holds the cap member so that it can be raised and lowered, a base member that holds the slide member so that it can be moved, and a maintenance unit that holds the slide member so that it can be moved relative to the base member. and a spring member that biases the slide member, and if the main scanning direction is the left-right direction and the direction perpendicular to the up-down direction and the left-right direction is the front-rear direction, the slide member is movable relative to the base member between a cap position where the cap member covers the ink ejection surface and a retracted position where the cap member is separated from the ink ejection surface, and when the slide member that is positioned in the retracted position moves up while moving to one side in the left-right direction relative to the base member and also moves to one side in the front-rear direction, the slide member is positioned in the cap position, and the spring member biases the slide member to at least the other side in the left-right direction relative to the base member and to one or the other side in the front-rear direction.

[0026] In the inkjet printer of the present invention, the maintenance unit includes a slide member that holds the cap member so that it can be raised and lowered, a base member that movably holds the slide member, and a spring member that biases the slide member relative to the base member. In this invention, when the slide member, which is located in the retracted position, moves to one side in the left-right direction while rising and moving to one side in the front-to-back direction, the slide member is located in the cap position. Furthermore, in this invention, the spring member biases the slide member to at least the other side in the left-to-right direction relative to the base member and also to one side or the other in the front-to-back direction. Therefore, this invention allows a single spring member to perform both the functions of the first tension spring and the second tension spring provided in the inkjet printer described in Patent Document 4. Therefore, this invention reduces the number of parts in the maintenance unit and reduces the cost of the maintenance unit.

[0027] In the present invention, for example, the maintenance unit includes one spring member, and the spring member is a tension coil spring. In this case, since the maintenance unit includes only one spring member, the cost of the maintenance unit can be further reduced. In this case, for example, one left-right end of the tension coil spring is attached to the slide member, and the other left-right end of the tension coil spring is attached to the base member, and the tension coil spring is inclined with respect to the left-right direction when viewed from the top-down direction and is also inclined with respect to the left-right direction when viewed from the front-to-back direction.

[0028] In the present invention, for example, an inkjet printer includes one inkjet head and one cap member. In this case, because only one cap member is held by the slide member, even if the slide member, which is located in the retracted position, moves to one side in the left-right direction relative to the base member while rising and moving to one side in the front-to-back direction to place the slide member in the cap position, by improving the attachment accuracy of the single cap member to the slide member, it is possible to improve the relative positional accuracy between the cap member and the inkjet head when the slide member is located in the cap position. Therefore, even if the slide member, which is located in the retracted position, moves to one side in the left-right direction relative to the base member while rising and moving to one side in the front-to-back direction to place the slide member in the cap position, it is possible to reliably cover the ink ejection surface of the inkjet head with the cap member.

[0029] In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, an inkjet printer of the present invention includes an inkjet head that ejects ink, a carriage on which the inkjet head is mounted, a carriage drive mechanism that moves the carriage in a main scanning direction that is perpendicular to the up-down direction, and a maintenance unit that prevents clogging of a plurality of nozzles of the inkjet head, wherein an ink ejection surface on which a plurality of nozzles are arranged is formed on the underside of the inkjet head, and the maintenance unit includes a cap member that covers the ink ejection surface from below, a slide member that holds the cap member so that it can be raised and lowered, a base member that holds the slide member so that it can be moved, and a slide member that is movable relative to the base member. and a biasing member that biases the cap member, and when the main scanning direction is the left-right direction, the slide member is movable relative to the base member between a cap position where the cap member covers the ink ejection surface and a retracted position where the cap member is separated from the ink ejection surface, and when the slide member that is positioned in the retracted position moves up while moving to at least one side in the left-right direction relative to the base member, the slide member is positioned in the cap position, and a single contact portion is formed on the slide member that comes into contact with a carriage that moves to one side in the left-right direction, and the slide member moves from the retracted position to the cap position as the carriage moves to one side in the left-right direction while in contact with the contact portion.

[0030] In the inkjet printer of the present invention, the slide member is formed with one contact portion with which the carriage, which moves to one side in the left-right direction, comes into contact, rather than two contact portions as in the inkjet printer described in Patent Document 4. Therefore, in the present invention, the structure of the slide member can be simplified, thereby reducing the cost of the slide member. Therefore, in the present invention, the cost of the maintenance unit can be reduced.

[0031] Furthermore, according to the inventor's investigations, for example, if the sliding member is formed with two contact portions spaced apart in the front-to-rear direction perpendicular to the up-down and left-to-right directions, if the carriage moving to one side in the left-to-right direction does not simultaneously contact both contact portions, a twist may occur between the carriage and the sliding member, preventing the sliding member from moving smoothly to the cap position. In contrast, in the present invention, the sliding member is formed with only one contact portion, preventing a twist between the carriage and the sliding member and enabling the sliding member to move smoothly to the cap position.

[0032] In the present invention, for example, an inkjet printer is provided with one inkjet head and one cap member, and if the direction perpendicular to the up-down direction and the left-right direction is defined as the front-to-rear direction, when the slide member, which is positioned in the retracted position, moves up while moving to one side in the left-to-right direction relative to the base member and also moves to one side in the front-to-rear direction, the slide member is positioned in the cap position.

[0033] In this case, because only one cap member is held by the slide member, even if the slide member, which is located in the retracted position, moves to one side in the left-right direction relative to the base member while rising and also moves to one side in the front-to-back direction to place the slide member in the cap position, improving the attachment accuracy of the single cap member to the slide member makes it possible to improve the relative positional accuracy between the cap member and the inkjet head when the slide member is located in the cap position. Therefore, even if the slide member, which is located in the retracted position, moves to one side in the left-right direction relative to the base member while rising and also moves to one side in the front-to-back direction to place the slide member in the cap position, it is possible to reliably cover the ink ejection surface of the inkjet head with the cap member.

[0034] In the present invention, for example, the slide member is formed with a second contact portion that can contact the other side surface of the inkjet head in the front-to-rear direction, the contact portion being formed at one end of the slide member in the front-to-rear direction, and the second contact portion being formed at the other end of the slide member in the front-to-rear direction, so that when the slide member is positioned in the cap position, the second contact portion is in contact with the other side surface of the inkjet head in the front-to-rear direction. In this case, since the second contact portion is formed on the slide member and the second contact portion is in contact with the other side surface of the inkjet head in the front-to-rear direction when the slide member is positioned in the cap position, it is possible to improve the accuracy of the relative position of the inkjet head and the cap member in the front-to-rear direction when the slide member is positioned in the cap position. Therefore, it is possible to reliably cover the ink ejection surface of the inkjet head with the cap member.

[0035] As described above, the present invention makes it possible to shorten the correction time required for an inkjet printer with bidirectional printing capability to automatically correct the misalignment between the ink landing position on the outgoing pass, in which the carriage moves to one side in the main scanning direction, and the ink landing position on the return pass, in which the carriage moves to the other side in the main scanning direction. Furthermore, the present invention makes it possible to shorten the correction time required for an inkjet printer that prints on a medium to automatically correct the medium transport amount in the sub-scanning direction.

[0036] 1. A perspective view of an inkjet printer according to an embodiment of the present invention. 1. A schematic diagram for explaining the configuration of the inkjet printer shown in FIG. 1. 2. A block diagram for explaining the configuration of the inkjet printer shown in FIG. 1. 3. A schematic diagram for explaining the configuration of the maintenance unit shown in FIG. 1. 4. A flowchart for explaining a method for correcting reciprocating impact positions executed in the inkjet printer shown in FIG. 1. 5. A flowchart for explaining a method for correcting a medium transport amount executed in the inkjet printer shown in FIG. 1. 6. A perspective view of an inkjet printer according to an embodiment of the present invention. 7. A schematic diagram for explaining the configuration of the inkjet printer shown in FIG. 8. A perspective view of the maintenance unit shown in FIG. 9. 10. A plan view of the maintenance unit shown in FIG. 9, showing a state when the slide member is in the retracted position. 11. A plan view of the maintenance unit shown in FIG. 9, showing a state when the slide member is in the cap position. 12. A schematic cross-sectional view for explaining the configuration of the E-E cross section of FIG. 10. 13. A schematic cross-sectional view for explaining the configuration of the F-F cross section of FIG. 11. 14. A schematic cross-sectional view for explaining the configuration of the G-G cross section of FIG. 11.

[0037] First Embodiment A first embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

[0038] (General Configuration of Inkjet Printer) Fig. 1 is a perspective view of an inkjet printer 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 2 is a general diagram for explaining the configuration of the inkjet printer 1 shown in Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a block diagram for explaining the configuration of the inkjet printer 1 shown in Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is a general diagram for explaining the configuration of the maintenance unit 14 shown in Fig. 1.

[0039] The inkjet printer 1 (hereinafter referred to as "printer 1") of this embodiment is a commercial inkjet printer that prints on a medium 2 such as paper, fabric, or resin film. The medium 2 is formed in a long, narrow strip shape. The printer 1 includes an inkjet head 3 (hereinafter referred to as "head 3") that ejects ink toward the medium 2, a carriage 4 on which the head 3 is mounted, a carriage drive mechanism 5 that moves the carriage 4 in a main scanning direction (Y direction in FIG. 1, etc.) perpendicular to the up-down direction (vertical direction, Z direction in FIG. 1, etc.), a Y bar 6 that movably holds the carriage 4, a medium transport mechanism 7 that transports the medium 2 in a sub-scanning direction (X direction in FIG. 1, etc.) perpendicular to the up-down direction and the main scanning direction, a platen 8 on which the medium 2 is placed, and a control unit 9 that controls the printer 1.

[0040] In the following description, the main scanning direction (Y direction) is referred to as the "left-right direction," and the sub-scanning direction (X direction) is referred to as the "front-rear direction." Furthermore, the Y1 direction side in FIG. 1, etc., which is one side of the left-right direction, is referred to as the "left side," the Y2 direction side in FIG. 1, etc., which is the opposite side of the left side, is referred to as the "right side," the X1 direction side in FIG. 1, etc., which is one side of the front-rear direction, is referred to as the "front" side, and the X2 direction side in FIG. 1, etc., which is the opposite side of the front side, is referred to as the "rear" side. In this embodiment, the left-right direction (Y direction) is the width direction of the medium 2. Furthermore, the up-down direction (Z direction) is the thickness direction of the medium 2 placed on the platen 8 during printing, and the front-rear direction (X direction) is the transport direction of the medium 2 moving over the platen 8.

[0041] The printer 1 is a printer with bidirectional printing capabilities. In the printer 1, for example, the head 3 ejects ink to print on the medium 2 on both the outward path where the carriage 4 moves to the left and the return path where the carriage 4 moves to the right. In the printer 1, printing on the medium 2 is performed by alternately repeating the reciprocating movement of the carriage 4 in the left-right direction by the carriage drive mechanism 5 and the forward transport operation of the medium 2 by the medium transport mechanism 7.

[0042] For example, one head 3 is mounted on the carriage 4. The head 3 ejects ink downward. An ink ejection surface 3a is formed on the underside of the head 3, on which a plurality of nozzles that eject ink are arranged. A plurality of nozzle rows are formed on the ink ejection surface 3a, arranged in the left-right direction (main scanning direction). The nozzle row is made up of a large number of nozzles arranged in the front-to-rear direction. The head 3 is equipped with a piezoelectric element (piezo element) that ejects ink from the nozzles. Note that a plurality of heads 3 may be mounted on the carriage 4.

[0043] The carriage drive mechanism 5 includes, for example, two pulleys, a belt that is stretched over the two pulleys and has a portion fixed to the carriage 4, and a motor that rotates the pulleys. A guide rail 10 that guides the carriage 4 in the left-right direction is fixed to the front of the Y-bar 6. The medium transport mechanism 7 includes a transport roller for transporting the medium 2, a roller drive mechanism that drives the transport roller, and a plurality of pinch rollers that are biased toward the transport roller and pinch the medium 2 between the transport roller and the roller. The roller drive mechanism includes a motor as a drive source.

[0044] The platen 8 is positioned below the carriage 4. The medium 2 is placed on the platen 8 during printing. In this embodiment, the mounting height of the head 3 relative to the carriage 4 is adjustable. For example, the mounting height of the head 3 relative to the carriage 4 can be adjusted in two stages. That is, the vertical gap (head gap) between the ink ejection surface 3a of the head 3 and the upper surface of the platen 8 can be adjusted in two stages. The mounting height of the head 3 relative to the carriage 4 is adjusted according to the thickness of the medium 2, etc. The control unit 9 is electrically connected to the head 3, carriage drive mechanism 5, and medium transport mechanism 7. Specifically, the piezo element of the head 3, the motor of the carriage drive mechanism 5, the motor of the medium transport mechanism 7, etc. are electrically connected to the control unit 9.

[0045] As described above, the printer 1 has a bidirectional printing function. When the printer 1 is installed, when the mounting height of the head 3 relative to the carriage 4 is adjusted, or when the thickness of the medium 2 on which printing is performed changes, the printer 1 corrects the deviation between the landing position of ink ejected from the head 3 when the carriage 4 moves to the left (hereinafter, this landing position will be referred to as the "first landing position") and the landing position of ink ejected from the head 3 when the carriage 4 moves to the right (hereinafter, this landing position will be referred to as the "second landing position"). Furthermore, when the printer 1 is installed, or when the type of medium 2 on which printing is performed changes, the printer 1 corrects the transport distance of the medium 2 in the sub-scanning direction by the medium transport mechanism 7. Specifically, the deviation between the designed transport distance and the actual transport distance of the medium 2 transported forward by the medium transport mechanism 7 is corrected.

[0046] The printer 1 is equipped with a detection mechanism 12 that detects a correction pattern for correcting the misalignment between the first and second landing positions, and a correction pattern for correcting the amount of transport of the medium 2 in the sub-scanning direction by the medium transport mechanism 7. The correction pattern is a test pattern that is test printed by the printer 1 on a test medium 2. The detection mechanism 12 is mounted on the carriage 4. The detection mechanism 12 is electrically connected to the control unit 9.

[0047] The detection mechanism 12 is a density detection mechanism for detecting the density of the correction pattern. The detection mechanism 12 is a reflective optical sensor that includes a light-emitting element that emits light toward the medium 2 on which the correction pattern is printed, and a light-receiving element that receives the light emitted from the light-emitting element and reflected by the medium 2. When the density of the correction pattern is high, the light reflectance of the correction pattern decreases, and the output of the detection mechanism 12 (specifically, the output of the light-receiving element) becomes small. On the other hand, when the density of the correction pattern is low, the light reflectance of the correction pattern increases, and the output of the detection mechanism 12 becomes large.

[0048] The printer 1 also includes a maintenance unit 14 for preventing clogging of the multiple nozzles of the head 3. The maintenance unit 14 performs cleaning of the head 3 and other operations to prevent clogging of the multiple nozzles of the head 3. For example, the maintenance unit 14 performs purging, which forcibly sucks ink out of the nozzles of the head 3, flushing, which forcibly ejects ink from the nozzles of the head 3, and wiping, which wipes the ink ejection surface 3 a with a specified wiper member. The maintenance unit 14 also performs capping, which covers the ink ejection surface 3 a.

[0049] If the area in the left-right direction (main scanning direction) where printing is performed by the head 3 (i.e., the area where printing is performed on the medium 2) is defined as the printing area PA, the maintenance unit 14 is installed in the maintenance area MA, which is an area outside the printing area PA (see FIG. 2 ). In this embodiment, the right end of the printer 1 is the maintenance area MA, and the maintenance unit 14 is installed at the right end of the printer 1. The maintenance unit 14 includes a cap member 15 for covering the ink ejection surface 3 a of the head 3 from below, and a cap suction mechanism 16 for sucking ink from the cap member 15 and discharging it from the cap member 15. The maintenance unit 14 also includes a slide member (not shown) that holds the cap member 15 and is slidable left-right, and a spring member (not shown) that biases the slide member toward the left.

[0050] When the head 3 and carriage 4, which are arranged in the printing area PA, move out of the printing area PA and to the right to perform maintenance on the head 3, the carriage 4 comes into contact with the slide member holding the cap member 15. If the carriage 4 moves further to the right in this state, the cap member 15 rises while moving rightward, covering the ink ejection surface 3a from below (see FIG. 4B). At this time, the upper end of the cap member 15 is in close contact with the underside of the head 3. Furthermore, if the carriage 4 moves leftward from this state, the cap member 15 descends while moving leftward, and the cap member 15 disengages from the ink ejection surface 3a (see FIG. 4A). In other words, the cap member 15 moves away from the ink ejection surface 3a so as not to come into contact with it.

[0051] That is, in this embodiment, the cap members 15 move left and right as the carriage 4 moves, rising and falling between a position where they cover the ink ejection surface 3a from below and a position where they are disengaged from the ink ejection surface 3a. The maintenance unit 14 may also be equipped with an elevation mechanism that raises and lowers the cap members 15 between a position where they cover the ink ejection surface 3a from below and a position where they are disengaged from the ink ejection surface 3a. In this case, the cap members 15 do not move left and right.

[0052] The cap suction mechanism 16 is, for example, a suction pump. The cap suction mechanism 16 is electrically connected to the control unit 9. When the cap suction mechanism 16 is driven with the cap members 15 covering the ink ejection surface 3a from below, the ink inside the nozzles of the head 3 is forcibly sucked out. In other words, purging is performed. When the cap suction mechanism 16 is driven with the cap members 15 detached from the ink ejection surface 3a, idle suction is performed, in which the ink inside the cap members 15 is sucked out and discharged. In other words, the control unit 9 performs an idle suction operation in which the cap suction mechanism 16 sucks out the ink inside the cap members 15 that are detached from the ink ejection surface 3a.

[0053] As described above, the printer 1 corrects the deviation between the first and second landing positions (hereinafter, this correction will be referred to as "reciprocating landing position correction (reciprocating dot position correction)") and corrects the amount of transport of the medium 2 in the sub-scanning direction by the medium transport mechanism 7 (hereinafter, this correction will be referred to as "medium transport amount correction (feed correction)"). Below, we will explain the reciprocating landing position correction method, which is a method of reciprocating landing position correction, and the medium transport amount correction method, which is a method of medium transport amount correction.

[0054] (Method of Correcting Reciprocating Impact Positions) FIG. 5 is a flowchart for explaining a method of correcting reciprocating impact positions executed by the printer 1 shown in FIG.

[0055] The reciprocating landing position correction is performed automatically. The control unit 9 causes the printer 1 to perform an automatic correction operation for automatically correcting the reciprocating landing position. The automatic correction operation includes a first printing operation in which ink is ejected from the head 3 while moving the carriage 4 to the left to print a correction pattern on the medium 2, and a second printing operation in which ink is ejected from the head 3 while moving the carriage 4 to the right to print the correction pattern on the medium 2. The medium 2 on which the correction pattern is printed is white printing paper, and the correction pattern is printed with high-density ink such as black ink, for example.

[0056] The automatic correction operation also includes a pattern detection operation in which the detection mechanism 12 detects the correction pattern printed in the first printing operation and the correction pattern printed in the second printing operation. In the pattern detection operation, the carriage 4 is moved left and right, and the correction pattern is detected by the detection mechanism 12 mounted on the carriage 4. In the pattern detection operation, the density of the correction pattern is also detected.

[0057] Furthermore, the automatic correction operation includes a cap-in operation in which the cap member 15 covers the ink ejection surface 3 a, and a cap-out operation in which the cap member 15 covering the ink ejection surface 3 a is removed from the ink ejection surface 3 a. That is, the control unit 9 causes the printer 1 to perform an automatic correction operation including a first printing operation, a second printing operation, a pattern detection operation, a cap-in operation, and a cap-out operation as an automatic correction operation for automatically correcting the reciprocating landing positions. The control unit 9 also calculates the correction amount for correcting the reciprocating landing positions based on the detection results of the detection mechanism 12 in the pattern detection operation.

[0058] The reciprocating landing position correction includes a coarse adjustment as a first accuracy correction that corrects the deviation between the first landing position and the second landing position with a predetermined first accuracy, and a final adjustment (fine adjustment) as a second accuracy correction that corrects the deviation between the first landing position and the second landing position with a second accuracy higher than the first accuracy after the coarse adjustment. In this embodiment, the reciprocating landing position correction is performed in two stages: the coarse adjustment and the final adjustment after the coarse adjustment. The automatic correction operation for performing the reciprocating landing position correction includes an operation for automatically performing the coarse adjustment and an operation for automatically performing the final adjustment. In other words, the automatic correction operation includes a first printing operation, a second printing operation, and a pattern detection operation for automatically performing the coarse adjustment, as well as a first printing operation, a second printing operation, and a pattern detection operation for automatically performing the final adjustment.

[0059] In reciprocating landing position correction, coarse adjustment and final adjustment are performed in this order. Furthermore, in reciprocating landing position correction, coarse adjustment and final adjustment are performed consecutively. Before the automatic correction operation for reciprocating landing position correction is started, the carriage 4 is positioned in the maintenance area MA, and the cap member 15 covers the ink ejection surface 3 a of the head 3. When the automatic correction operation for reciprocating landing position correction is started, as shown in FIG. 5 , the control unit 9 first moves the carriage 4, which is positioned in the maintenance area MA, to the left and performs a cap-out operation (step S1).

[0060] The control unit 9 then performs a medium transport operation in which the medium transport mechanism 7 transports the medium 2, on which the correction pattern is printed, to a predetermined reference position (step S2). The control unit 9 then performs a first printing operation and a second printing operation (steps S3 and S4), and then performs a pattern detection operation (step S5). The control unit 9 also calculates a correction amount for correcting the reciprocating impact position based on the detection result of the detection mechanism 12 in step S5 (step S6). In steps S3 and S4, a correction pattern for coarse adjustment is printed on the medium 2. In step S6, the control unit 9 calculates a first accuracy correction amount, which is the correction amount for coarse adjustment. Note that calibration of the detection mechanism 12 may be performed before the pattern detection operation.

[0061] When step S6 is completed, the coarse adjustment is complete. In the main adjustment, which is performed after the coarse adjustment, the control unit 9 operates the printer 1 based on the first accuracy correction amount. After step S6, the control unit 9 performs a medium transport operation in which the medium transport mechanism 7 transports the medium 2, on which the correction pattern is printed, to a predetermined reference position (step S7). Thereafter, the control unit 9 performs a first printing operation and a second printing operation (steps S8 and S9), and then performs a pattern detection operation (step S10). In steps S8 and S9, the correction pattern for the main adjustment is printed on the medium 2.

[0062] Furthermore, the control unit 9 calculates the correction amount for performing reciprocating impact position correction based on the detection result of the detection mechanism 12 in step S10 (step S11). In step S11, the control unit 9 calculates a second precision correction amount, which is the correction amount for performing this adjustment. When step S11 is completed, the calculation of the correction amount required for performing reciprocating impact position correction is complete. Thereafter, the control unit 9 performs a cap-in operation (step S12). When step S12 is completed, the automatic correction operation for automatically performing reciprocating impact position correction is complete.

[0063] In this embodiment, when the automatic correction operation for correcting the reciprocating landing positions is started, the control unit 9 performs a cap-out operation (step S1), performs a first printing operation, a second printing operation, and a pattern detection operation for automatically performing a rough adjustment to calculate a first accuracy correction amount (steps S3 to S6), performs a first printing operation, a second printing operation, and a pattern detection operation for automatically performing a main adjustment to calculate a second accuracy correction amount (steps S8 to S11), and then performs a cap-in operation (step S12). In other words, the control unit 9 does not perform the cap-in operation after the automatic correction operation is started until calculation of the second accuracy correction amount is completed.

[0064] In other words, in this embodiment, when the automatic correction operation is started, the control unit 9 performs a cap-out operation, and then performs the first printing operation, the second printing operation, and the pattern detection operation, and after the automatic correction operation is started, the control unit 9 performs a cap-in operation only after calculation of the correction amount (i.e., the second precision correction amount) required to complete the reciprocating impact position correction is completed, and does not perform the cap-in operation until calculation of the correction amount required to perform the reciprocating impact position correction is completed after the automatic correction operation is started.

[0065] The reciprocating landing position correction is performed for each of the multiple resolutions that can be printed by the printer 1. In this embodiment, the reciprocating landing position correction is performed both when printing is performed by moving the carriage 4 at the standard speed and when printing is performed by moving the carriage 4 at double speed (twice the standard speed). In other words, in this embodiment, the reciprocating landing position correction is performed both when printing is performed at the standard speed and when printing is performed at double speed.

[0066] For example, round-trip impact position correction is performed in each of the following cases: when printing at double speed with a resolution of 1200 dpi (dots per inch), when printing at standard speed with a resolution of 1200 dpi, when printing at double speed with a resolution of 800 dpi, when printing at standard speed with a resolution of 800 dpi, when printing at double speed with a resolution of 600 dpi, when printing at standard speed with a resolution of 600 dpi, and when printing at standard speed with a resolution of 300 dpi.

[0067] Depending on the resolution and printing speed at which reciprocating impact position correction is performed, at least one of the first printing operation and the second printing operation may be performed between steps S9 and S10. In this case, the first printing operation may be performed one or more times, and the second printing operation may be performed one or more times. Furthermore, during the automatic correction operation for performing reciprocating impact position correction, flushing, in which ink is forcibly ejected from the nozzles of the head 3, is performed as needed. During flushing, ink is ejected toward the cap member 15. After a predetermined number of flushing operations have been performed, the control unit 9 performs an idle suction operation.

[0068] (Method of Correcting the Medium Conveyance Amount) FIG. 6 is a flowchart for explaining a method of correcting the medium conveyance amount executed by the printer 1 shown in FIG.

[0069] As with the reciprocating impact position correction, the medium transport distance correction is performed automatically. The control unit 9 causes the printer 1 to perform an automatic correction operation for automatically correcting the medium transport distance. The automatic correction operation includes a medium transport operation in which the medium transport mechanism 7 transports the medium 2, on which a correction pattern is printed, to a predetermined reference position; a printing operation in which ink is ejected from the head 3 while moving the carriage 4 left and right to print the correction pattern on the medium 2; a pattern detection operation in which the detection mechanism 12 detects the correction pattern printed in the printing operation; a cap-in operation; and a cap-out operation.

[0070] That is, the control unit 9 causes the printer 1 to perform an automatic correction operation for automatically correcting the medium transport amount, the automatic correction operation including a medium transport operation, a printing operation, a pattern detection operation, a cap-in operation, and a cap-out operation. The control unit 9 also calculates the correction amount for correcting the medium transport amount based on the detection results of the detection mechanism 12 in the pattern detection operation. As with the reciprocating impact position correction, the medium 2 on which the correction pattern for correcting the medium transport amount is printed is white printing paper, and the correction pattern is printed with a high-density ink such as black ink.

[0071] Before the automatic correction operation for correcting the medium transport distance is started, the carriage 4 is positioned in the maintenance area MA, and the cap member 15 covers the ink ejection surface 3a of the head 3. When the automatic correction operation for correcting the medium transport distance is started, as shown in Figure 6, the control unit 9 first moves the carriage 4, which is positioned in the maintenance area MA, to the left to perform a cap-out operation (step S21). Thereafter, the control unit 9 performs a medium transport operation (step S22).

[0072] Thereafter, the control unit 9 performs a printing operation (step S23), and then performs a pattern detection operation (step S24). The control unit 9 also calculates a correction amount for correcting the medium transport distance based on the detection result of the detection mechanism 12 in step S24 (step S25). In step S23, a correction pattern for correcting the medium transport distance is printed on the medium 2. Thereafter, the control unit 9 determines whether the correction amount calculated in step S25 is equal to or less than a predetermined reference value (step S26).

[0073] If the correction amount exceeds the reference value in step S26, the process returns to step S22, and the control unit 9 again performs the medium transport operation, printing operation, pattern detection operation, and calculation of the correction amount. In step S22 after step S26, the medium 2 is transported to the reference position corrected based on the correction amount calculated in step S25. On the other hand, if the correction amount is equal to or less than the reference value in step S26, the control unit 9 performs a cap-in operation (step S27). When step S27 is completed, the automatic correction operation for automatically correcting the medium transport amount is completed.

[0074] In this embodiment, when the automatic correction operation for correcting the medium transport amount is started, the control unit 9 performs a cap-out operation, then performs a medium transport operation, a printing operation, and a pattern detection operation to calculate the correction amount, and repeats the medium transport operation, printing operation, pattern detection operation, and calculation of the correction amount until the calculated correction amount becomes equal to or less than a predetermined reference value. Also, when the correction amount becomes equal to or less than the predetermined reference value, the control unit 9 performs a cap-in operation, and does not perform the cap-in operation after the automatic correction operation for correcting the medium transport amount is started until the correction amount becomes equal to or less than the predetermined reference value.

[0075] Note that performing steps S22 to S25 only once rarely results in the correction amount falling below the reference value; steps S22 to S25 are typically performed three or four times. That is, the medium conveyance operation, printing operation, pattern detection operation, and correction amount calculation are repeated three or four times until the correction amount falls below the reference value. Furthermore, if the medium conveyance operation, printing operation, pattern detection operation, and correction amount calculation are repeated a predetermined number of times or more (for example, about 10 times), the control unit 9 executes a predetermined error process. Furthermore, as with the reciprocal impact position correction, flushing is performed as needed during the automatic correction operation for correcting the medium conveyance amount. After the predetermined number of flushings have been performed, the control unit 9 executes an idle suction operation.

[0076] (Major Effects of the Present Embodiment) As described above, in the present embodiment, when the automatic correction operation for correcting the reciprocating landing positions is started, the control unit 9 performs the cap-out operation, performs the first printing operation, the second printing operation, and the pattern detection operation for automatically performing the coarse adjustment to calculate the first accuracy correction amount, then performs the first printing operation, the second printing operation, and the pattern detection operation for automatically performing the main adjustment to calculate the second accuracy correction amount, and then performs the cap-in operation. After the automatic correction operation for correcting the reciprocating landing positions is started, the control unit 9 does not perform the cap-in operation until the calculation of the second accuracy correction amount is completed. Therefore, in the present embodiment, it is possible to shorten the correction time when automatically correcting the deviation between the first and second landing positions compared to when the cap-in operation is performed after the automatic correction operation for correcting the reciprocating landing positions is started and before the calculation of the second accuracy correction amount is completed.

[0077] In this embodiment, when the automatic correction operation for correcting the medium transport amount is started, the control unit 9 performs a cap-out operation, then performs a medium transport operation, a printing operation, and a pattern detection operation to calculate the correction amount, and repeats the medium transport operation, printing operation, pattern detection operation, and calculation of the correction amount until the calculated correction amount becomes equal to or less than a predetermined reference value. When the correction amount becomes equal to or less than the predetermined reference value, the control unit 9 performs a cap-in operation, and does not perform the cap-in operation until the correction amount becomes equal to or less than the predetermined reference value after the automatic correction operation for correcting the medium transport amount is started. Therefore, in this embodiment, it is possible to shorten the correction time when automatically correcting the transport amount of the medium 2 in the sub-scanning direction compared to when the cap-in operation is performed between the start of the automatic correction operation for correcting the medium transport amount and the time until the correction amount becomes equal to or less than the predetermined reference value.

[0078] (Other Embodiments) The above-described embodiment is one example of a preferred embodiment of the present invention, but the present invention is not limited to this and various modifications can be made within the scope that does not change the gist of the present invention.

[0079] In the above-described embodiment, the printer 1 may perform only reciprocating impact position correction, or may perform only medium transport distance correction. Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, if reciprocating impact position correction can be performed with only this adjustment, coarse adjustment does not need to be performed. Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, the medium 2 does not need to be formed in a long shape. In this case, for example, instead of the medium transport mechanism 7, the printer 1 may include a table on which the medium 2 is placed and a movement mechanism that moves the table or the Y-bar 6 in the front-to-rear direction. Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, the printer 1 may be a 3D printer that forms three-dimensional objects. Even in this case, when reciprocating impact position correction is performed, a first printing operation and a second printing operation are performed on the test medium 2.

[0080] Second Embodiment A second embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

[0081] (Overall Configuration of Inkjet Printer) Fig. 7 is a perspective view of an inkjet printer 101 according to an embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 8 is a schematic diagram for explaining the configuration of the inkjet printer 101 shown in Fig. 7.

[0082] The inkjet printer 101 (hereinafter referred to as "printer 101") of this embodiment is a commercial inkjet printer that prints on a medium 102 such as paper, fabric, or resin film. The medium 102 is formed in a long (elongated strip) shape. The printer 101 includes an inkjet head 103 (hereinafter referred to as "head 103") that ejects ink toward the medium 102, a carriage 104 on which the head 103 is mounted, a carriage drive mechanism 105 that moves the carriage 104 in a main scanning direction (Y direction in FIG. 7, etc.) perpendicular to the up-down direction (vertical direction, Z direction in FIG. 7, etc.), a Y bar 106 that movably holds the carriage 104, a medium transport mechanism 107 that transports the medium 102, and a platen 108 on which the medium 102 is placed.

[0083] The printer 101 of this embodiment is equipped with one head 103, and one head 103 is mounted on the carriage 104. In other words, the printer 101 is equipped with only one head 103, and only one head 103 is mounted on the carriage 104. The head 103 ejects ink downward. An ink ejection surface 103a is formed on the underside of the head 103, on which multiple nozzles that eject ink are arranged. Multiple nozzle rows arranged in the main scanning direction are formed on the ink ejection surface 103a. The nozzle row is made up of a large number of nozzles arranged in a direction perpendicular to the up-down direction and the main scanning direction. The head 103 is equipped with a piezoelectric element that ejects ink from the nozzles.

[0084] The carriage drive mechanism 105 includes, for example, two pulleys, a belt that is stretched over the two pulleys and has a portion fixed to the carriage 104, and a motor that rotates the pulleys. The medium transport mechanism 107 includes a transport roller for transporting the medium 102, a roller drive mechanism that drives the transport roller, and a plurality of pinch rollers that are urged toward the transport roller and pinch the medium 102 between themselves and the transport roller. The platen 108 is located below the carriage 104. The medium 102 is placed on the platen 108 during printing.

[0085] In the following description, the main scanning direction (Y direction) is referred to as the "left-right direction," and the X direction in Fig. 7, etc., which is perpendicular to the up-down direction and left-right direction, is referred to as the "front-rear direction." Furthermore, the Y1 direction side in Fig. 7, etc., which is one side of the left-right direction, is referred to as the "right" side, the Y2 direction side in Fig. 7, etc., which is the opposite side of the right side, is referred to as the "left" side, the X1 direction side in Fig. 7, etc., which is one side of the front-rear direction, is referred to as the "front" side, and the X2 direction side in Fig. 7, etc., which is the opposite side of the front, is referred to as the "rear" side.

[0086] In this embodiment, the left-right direction (Y direction) is the width direction of the medium 102. The up-down direction (Z direction) is the thickness direction of the medium 102 placed on the platen 108 during printing, and the front-rear direction (X direction) is the transport direction of the medium 102 moving over the platen 108 and is also the sub-scanning direction. In this embodiment, the right side (Y1 direction side) is one side of the left-right direction, and the left side (Y2 direction side) is the other side of the left-right direction. The front side (X1 direction side) is one side of the front-rear direction, and the rear side (X2 direction side) is the other side of the front-rear direction.

[0087] The printer 101 also includes a maintenance unit 109 for preventing clogging of the multiple nozzles of the head 103. The maintenance unit 109 cleans the head 103 to prevent clogging of the multiple nozzles of the head 103. For example, the maintenance unit 109 performs purging, which forcibly sucks ink from the nozzles of the head 103, flushing, which forcibly ejects ink from the nozzles of the head 103, and wiping, which wipes the ink ejection surface 103a with a predetermined wiper member. The maintenance unit 109 is located in a position outside the printing area in the left-right direction (main scanning direction) where printing on the medium 102 is performed. The maintenance unit 109 in this embodiment is located at the right end of the printer 101. The specific configuration of the maintenance unit 109 will be described below.

[0088] (Configuration of Maintenance Unit) FIG. 9 is a perspective view of the maintenance unit 109 shown in FIG. 7. FIG. 10 is a plan view of the maintenance unit 109 shown in FIG. 9, showing a state when the slide member 114 is in the retracted position 114A. FIG. 11 is a plan view of the maintenance unit 109 shown in FIG. 9, showing a state when the slide member 114 is in the cap position 114B. FIG. 12 is a schematic cross-sectional view for explaining the configuration of the E-E cross section in FIG. 10. FIG. 7 is a schematic cross-sectional view for explaining the configuration of the F-F cross section in FIG. 11. FIG. 8 is a schematic cross-sectional view for explaining the configuration of the G-G cross section in FIG. 11.

[0089] The maintenance unit 109 includes a cap member 113 for covering the ink ejection surface 103a of the head 103 from below. As described above, one head 103 is mounted on the carriage 104 of this embodiment, and therefore the maintenance unit 109 of this embodiment includes one cap member 113. The maintenance unit 109 also includes a slide member 114 that holds the cap member 113 so that it can be raised and lowered, a base member 115 that movably holds the slide member 114, and a spring member 116 that serves as a biasing member that biases the slide member 114 relative to the base member 115. The maintenance unit 109 of this embodiment includes one spring member 116. The spring member 116 of this embodiment is a tension coil spring. Therefore, in the following description, the spring member 116 will be referred to as a "tension coil spring 116."

[0090] The ink ejection surface 103a has a rectangular outer shape when viewed from above. Furthermore, when viewed from above, two of the four sides of the rectangular ink ejection surface 103a are parallel to the left-right direction, and the remaining two sides are parallel to the front-to-rear direction. The cap member 113 also has a rectangular outer shape corresponding to the outer shape of the ink ejection surface 103a when viewed from above. Furthermore, when viewed from above, two of the four sides of the rectangular cap member 113 are parallel to the left-to-right direction, and the remaining two sides are parallel to the front-to-rear direction. The cap member 113 is equipped with a rubber cap 117 whose outer periphery contacts the underside of the head 103. One end of a tube is attached to the bottom of the cap member 113. A suction mechanism is connected to the other end of the tube for purging, which forcibly sucks ink out of the nozzles of the head 103.

[0091] The slide member 114 is movable relative to the base member 115 between a capping position 114B, where the capping member 113 covers the ink ejection surface 103a, and a retracted position 114A, where the capping member 113 is separated from the ink ejection surface 103a. In this embodiment, when the slide member 114, which is disposed in the retracted position 114A, moves upward while moving at least to the right relative to the base member 115, the slide member 114 is disposed in the capping position 114B. Specifically, when the slide member 114, which is disposed in the retracted position 114A, moves upward while moving to the right relative to the base member 115 and also moves forward, the slide member 114 is disposed in the capping position 114B. The slide member 114 moves from the retracted position 114A to the capping position 114B in response to the movement of the carriage 104, which moves to the right while in contact with a contact portion 121a (described later) formed on the slide member 114. Furthermore, the sliding member 114 moves from the cap position 114B to the retracted position 114A due to the biasing force of the tension coil spring 116 or the like.

[0092] The slide member 114 has a rectangular outer shape when viewed from above. When viewed from above, two of the four sides of the rectangular slide member 114 are parallel to the left-right direction, and the remaining two are parallel to the front-rear direction. The slide member 114 includes a first slide member 120 that holds the cap member 113 so that it can be raised and lowered, and a second slide member 121 to which the first slide member 120 is fixed. The slide member 114 is composed of, for example, the first slide member 120 and the second slide member 121. The first slide member 120 and the second slide member 121 are formed in the shape of a rectangular parallelepiped box with an open top. Note that the first slide member 120 is not shown in FIG. 8 .

[0093] When viewed from above and below, the first slide member 120 and the second slide member 121 have rectangular shapes. When viewed from above and below, two of the four sides of the rectangular first slide member 120 and second slide member 121 are parallel to the left-right direction, and the remaining two are parallel to the front-rear direction. The cap member 113 is housed in the first slide member 120. A compression coil spring is disposed between the cap member 113 and the first slide member 120 to bias the cap member 113 upward relative to the first slide member 120. The first slide member 120 is housed in the left portion of the second slide member 121. A liquid-absorbing member 122, such as a sponge, is housed in the right portion of the second slide member 121. The liquid-absorbing member 122 is not shown in FIGS. 12 to 14.

[0094] The first slide member 120 is formed with a contact portion 120a as a second contact portion that can come into contact with the rear side surface of the head 103. The contact portion 120a is formed in the shape of a rectangular flat plate that rises upward. The contact portion 120a is formed at the rear end of the first slide member 120. That is, the contact portion 120a is formed at the rear end of the slide member 114. The contact portion 120a is also formed in two locations spaced apart in the left-right direction. Specifically, the contact portions 120a are formed in two locations, one at each end of the first slide member 120 in the left-right direction. The contact portion 120a comes into contact with the rear side surface of the head 103 when the slide member 114 is positioned at the cap position 114B.

[0095] The second slide member 121 is formed with one contact portion 121a that comes into contact with the carriage 104 moving to the right. That is, only one contact portion 121a is formed on the second slide member 121. The contact portion 121a is formed in a columnar shape that rises upward. The contact portion 121a is formed at the right front end portion of the second slide member 121. That is, the contact portion 121a is formed at the right end portion of the slide member 114 and also at the front end portion of the slide member 114. The left side surface of the contact portion 121a is curved so that its shape is an arc when viewed from the top-bottom direction. The right end portion of the carriage 104 is formed with a contact surface 104a that comes into contact with the contact portion 121a (see FIGS. 12 and 13). The contact surface 104a is a plane that is perpendicular to the left-right direction and faces rightward.

[0096] The second slide member 121 is also formed with a spring attachment portion 121b to which one end of the tension coil spring 116 is attached, and a guide pin 121c for guiding the slide member 114 between the retracted position 114A and the cap position 114B. The spring attachment portion 121b is formed on the right side surface of the second slide member 121. The guide pin 121c is formed on the front and rear side surfaces of the second slide member 121. The guide pin 121c is a cylindrical pin that protrudes outward in the front-to-rear direction. The guide pins 121c are formed at two locations, the right end and the left end of the second slide member 121, on each of the front and rear side surfaces of the second slide member 121.

[0097] The base member 115 is fixed to the main body frame of the printer 101. The base member 115 is formed in the shape of a rectangular parallelepiped box with an open top. The slide member 114 is housed in the base member 115. The base member 115 is formed with a spring mounting portion 115a (see FIG. 14 ) to which the other end of the tension coil spring 116 is attached, as well as a guide groove (cam groove) 115b and a guide portion 115c for guiding the slide member 114 between the retracted position 114A and the cap position 114B. The spring mounting portion 115a is located on the bottom side of the base member 115. The spring mounting portion 115a is located below and forward of the spring mounting portion 121b. The spring mounting portion 115a is also located to the left of the spring mounting portion 121b when the slide member 114 is located in the retracted position 114A.

[0098] The guide grooves 115b are formed on the front and rear side surfaces of the base member 115. The guide grooves 115b are formed in two locations on each of the front and rear side surfaces of the base member 115. A guide pin 121c engages with the guide grooves 115b from the inside in the front-to-rear direction. As shown in Figures 12 and 13, the guide grooves 115b are made up of a portion that is parallel to the left-to-right direction when viewed from the front-to-rear direction and a portion that slopes upward toward the right.

[0099] The guide portion 115c is formed on the front side surface of the base member 115. The guide portion 115c is also formed on the left end portion of the base member 115. The guide portion 115c protrudes toward the rear. The guide portion 115c is formed with an inclined surface 15d that slopes toward the front as it approaches the right side. The second slide member 121 contacts the guide portion 115c from the rear side. The biasing force of the tension coil spring 116 causes the front side of the second slide member 121 to contact the guide portion 115c with a predetermined contact pressure.

[0100] The right end of the tension coil spring 116 is attached to the spring mounting portion 121b of the slide member 114. The left end of the tension coil spring 116 is attached to the spring mounting portion 115a of the base member 115. As described above, the spring mounting portion 115a is located lower and forward of the spring mounting portion 121b, and is located to the left of the spring mounting portion 121b when the slide member 114 is located in the retracted position 114A. Therefore, the tension coil spring 116 is inclined with respect to the left-right direction when viewed from the top-bottom direction, and is also inclined with respect to the left-right direction when viewed from the front-to-back direction. Furthermore, the tension coil spring 116 biases the slide member 114 leftward and downward relative to the base member 115, and biases it forward.

[0101] When the head 103 and carriage 104 are positioned in the printing area where printing on the medium 102 occurs, the slide member 114 is positioned in the retracted position 114A. In this state, the front side of the contact portion 120a is positioned rearward of the rear side of the head 103 (see FIG. 10 ). When the carriage 104 moves to the right out of the printing area to perform maintenance on the head 103, the contact surface 104a of the carriage 104 comes into contact with the contact portion 121a. When the carriage 104 then moves further to the right while still in contact with the contact portion 121a, the cap member 113 and slide member 114 move rightward relative to the base member 115, rising and moving forward. When the slide member 114 reaches the cap position 114B, the carriage 104 stops.

[0102] When the slide member 114 is positioned at the cap position 114B, the contact portion 120a contacts the rear side of the head 103 (see FIG. 11). The upper end of the cap member 113 is in close contact with the lower surface of the head 103, covering the ink ejection surface 103a from below. In this state, for example, flushing is performed. When the carriage 104 moves to the left from this state, the biasing force of the tension coil spring 116 and the action of the guide groove 115b and guide portion 115c cause the cap member 113 and slide member 114 to move leftward relative to the base member 115, descend, and move rearward, so that the upper end of the cap member 113 separates from the lower surface of the head 103.

[0103] (Major Effects of This Embodiment) As described above, in this embodiment, the maintenance unit 109 includes the slide member 114 that holds the cap member 113 so that it can be raised and lowered, the base member 115 that movably holds the slide member 114, and the tension coil spring 116 that biases the slide member 114 relative to the base member 115. Also, in this embodiment, when the slide member 114 that is disposed in the retracted position 114A moves to the right, rises, and moves forward, the slide member 114 is disposed in the cap position 114B. Furthermore, in this embodiment, the tension coil spring 116 biases the slide member 114 leftward and downward relative to the base member 115, and biases it forward.

[0104] Therefore, in this embodiment, it is possible to provide both the function of the first tension spring and the function of the second tension spring described in the above-mentioned Patent Document 1 to a single type of tension coil spring 116. Therefore, in this embodiment, it is possible to reduce the number of parts of the maintenance unit 109 and reduce the cost of the maintenance unit 109. In particular, in this embodiment, the maintenance unit 109 is provided with only one tension coil spring 116, so it is possible to further reduce the cost of the maintenance unit 109.

[0105] In this embodiment, the slide member 114 is formed with one contact portion 121a that comes into contact with the carriage 104 that moves to the right, rather than two contact portions 121a formed on the slide member 114 as in the inkjet printer described in the above-mentioned Patent Document 1. Therefore, in this embodiment, it is possible to simplify the configuration of the slide member 114 and reduce the cost of the slide member 114. Therefore, in this embodiment, it is possible to reduce the cost of the maintenance unit 109.

[0106] Furthermore, according to the inventors' investigations, for example, if two contact portions 121 a spaced apart in the front-to-rear direction are formed on the slide member 114, unless the carriage 104 moving to the right simultaneously comes into contact with the two contact portions 121 a, a twist may occur between the carriage 104 and the slide member 114, and the slide member 114 may not be able to move smoothly to the cap position 114 B. In particular, in this embodiment, the slide member 114 is biased leftward and downward relative to the base member 115 and also forward by the single tension coil spring 116, making the slide member 114 prone to tilting. Therefore, if two contact portions 121 a spaced apart in the front-to-rear direction are formed on the slide member 114, the carriage 104 moving to the right is unlikely to simultaneously come into contact with the two contact portions 121 a. However, in this embodiment, since there is only one contact portion 121a formed on the slide member 114, it is possible to prevent twisting between the carriage 104 and the slide member 114 and to move the slide member 114 smoothly to the cap position 114B.

[0107] In this embodiment, the maintenance unit 109 is provided with one cap member 113. Therefore, in this embodiment, even when the slide member 114, which is disposed in the retracted position 114A, moves to the right relative to the base member 115 while rising and moving forward, thereby disposing the slide member 114 at the cap position 114B, by improving the attachment accuracy of one cap member 113 to the slide member 114, it is possible to improve the relative positional accuracy between the cap member 113 and the head 103 when the slide member 114 is disposed at the cap position 114B. Therefore, in this embodiment, it is possible to reliably cover the ink ejection surface 103a of the head 103 with the cap member 113.

[0108] In this embodiment, when the slide member 114 is positioned at the cap position 114B, the contact portion 120a of the slide member 114 is in contact with the rear side surface of the head 103. Therefore, in this embodiment, it is possible to improve the relative positional accuracy between the head 103 and the cap member 113 in the front-to-rear direction when the slide member 114 is positioned at the cap position 114B. Therefore, in this embodiment, it is possible to reliably cover the ink ejection surface 103a of the head 103 with the cap member 113.

[0109] (Other Embodiments) The above-described embodiment is one example of a preferred embodiment of the present invention, but the present invention is not limited to this and various modifications can be made within the scope that does not change the gist of the present invention.

[0110] In the embodiment described above, slide member 114 is configured from two members, first slide member 120 and second slide member 121, which are formed separately, but slide member 114 may also be configured from a single member. Also, in the embodiment described above, tension coil spring 116 may bias slide member 114 to the left and downward as well as rearward relative to base member 115. In this case, a guide portion with which second slide member 121 comes into contact from the front may be formed on base member 115, instead of guide portion 115c.

[0111] In the embodiment described above, the tension coil spring 116 does not have to bias the slide member 114 downward relative to the base member 115. In this case, the tension coil spring 116 is parallel to the left-right direction when viewed from the front-rear direction. Even in this case, the slide member 114 moving from the cap position 114B to the retracted position 114A is guided downward by the guide groove 115b.

[0112] In the above-described embodiment, the maintenance unit 109 may include two or more tension coil springs 116. In this case, for example, two tension coil springs 116 that urge the slide member 114 leftward and downward relative to the base member 115 and urge it forward relative to the base member 115 are arranged parallel to each other. In this case, the maintenance unit 109 may also include two or more tension coil springs 116 with different functions: one tension coil spring 116 that urges the slide member 114 leftward and downward relative to the base member 115, and another tension coil spring 116 that urges the slide member 114 forward relative to the base member 115. In the above-described embodiment, the maintenance unit 109 may also include a spring member other than the tension coil spring 116.

[0113] In the above-described embodiment, the contact portion 121a may be formed in the center of the second slide member 121 in the front-rear direction, or may be formed in the rear portion of the second slide member 121. Also, in the above-described embodiment, two or more contact portions 121a may be formed on the slide member 114. For example, two contact portions 121a may be formed on the slide member 114 and spaced apart in the front-rear direction. Also, in the above-described embodiment, the printer 101 may be provided with a plurality of heads 103. In this case, the maintenance unit 109 is provided with the same number of first slide members 120 as the heads 103. In this case, for example, a plurality of first slide members 120 are fixed to one second slide member 121.

[0114] Furthermore, if the printer 101 is equipped with multiple heads 103 and the same number of first slide members 120 as the heads 103, the multiple first slide members 120 may be held by a single second slide member 121 so as to be movable in the front-to-rear direction. In this case, the second slide member 121 moves left and right relative to the base member 115, but does not move in the front-to-rear direction. In this case, the maintenance unit 109 is equipped with, for example, a spring member that urges the first slide member 120 forward relative to the second slide member 121, and a spring member that urges the second slide member 121 leftward and downward relative to the base member 115.

[0115] In the above-described embodiment, the medium 102 does not have to be formed in a long shape. In this case, the printer 101 includes, for example, a table on which the medium 102 is placed and a table feed mechanism that moves the table in the forward and backward directions. The inkjet printer to which the present invention is applied may also be a 3D printer.

[0116] REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 Printer (inkjet printer) 2 Medium 3 Head (inkjet head) 3a Ink ejection surface 4 Carriage 5 Carriage drive mechanism 7 Medium transport mechanism 9 Control unit 12 Detection mechanism 14 Maintenance unit 15 Capping member 16 Cap suction mechanism MA Maintenance area PA Printing area X Sub-scanning direction, front-to-rear direction X1 One side in the front-to-rear direction X2 Other side in the front-to-rear direction Y Main scanning direction, left-to-right direction Y1 First direction side, one side in the left-to-right direction Y2 Second direction side, other side in the left-to-right direction Z Up-to-down direction 101 Printer (inkjet printer) 103 Head (inkjet head) 103a Ink ejection surface 104 Carriage 105 Carriage drive mechanism 109 Maintenance unit 113 Capping member 114 Slide member 114A Retracted position 114B Cap position 115 Base member 116 Tension coil spring (spring member, biasing member) 120a Contact portion (second contact portion) 121a Contact portion

Claims

1. An inkjet printer equipped with an inkjet head that ejects ink, comprising: a carriage on which the inkjet head is mounted; a carriage drive mechanism for moving the carriage in a main scanning direction; a maintenance unit for preventing clogging of a plurality of nozzles of the inkjet head; and a control unit for controlling the inkjet printer, the inkjet printer further comprising: a detection mechanism for detecting a correction pattern printed to correct a deviation between a first landing position, which is a landing position of ink ejected from the inkjet head when the carriage moves toward the first direction side, and a second landing position, which is a landing position of ink ejected from the inkjet head when the carriage moves toward the second direction side, where one side of the main scanning direction is defined as a first direction side and the other side of the main scanning direction opposite to the first direction side is defined as a second direction side; an ink ejection surface on which a plurality of nozzles are arranged is formed on the underside of the inkjet head; and where an area in the main scanning direction where printing is performed by the inkjet head is defined as a printing area, the maintenance unit comprises a cap member for covering the ink ejection surface from below, and is installed in the maintenance area which is an area outside the printing area in the main scanning direction, the control unit causes the inkjet printer to perform an automatic correction operation for automatically performing reciprocating landing position correction, which is a correction of a deviation between the first landing position and the second landing position, the automatic correction operation including a first printing operation of ejecting ink from the inkjet head while moving the carriage in the first direction to print the correction pattern on a medium, a second printing operation of ejecting ink from the inkjet head while moving the carriage in the second direction to print the correction pattern on the medium, a pattern detection operation of causing the detection mechanism to detect the correction pattern printed in the first printing operation and the correction pattern printed in the second printing operation, a cap-in operation of causing the cap member to cover the ink ejection surface, and a cap-out operation of removing the cap member covering the ink ejection surface from the ink ejection surface,the control unit calculates a correction amount for performing the reciprocating landing position correction based on the detection results of the detection mechanism in the pattern detection operation; before the automatic correction operation is started, the cap member covers the ink ejection surface; and when the automatic correction operation is started, the control unit performs the cap-out operation, and then performs the first printing operation, the second printing operation, and the pattern detection operation, and after the automatic correction operation starts, performs the cap-in operation only after calculation of the correction amount necessary to complete the reciprocating landing position correction has been completed, and does not perform the cap-in operation until calculation of the correction amount necessary to perform the reciprocating landing position correction has been completed after the automatic correction operation starts.

2. The reciprocating landing position correction includes a first accuracy correction for correcting a deviation between the first landing position and the second landing position with a predetermined first accuracy, and a second accuracy correction for correcting a deviation between the first landing position and the second landing position with a second accuracy higher than the first accuracy after the first accuracy correction is performed, and the automatic correction operation includes the first printing operation, the second printing operation, and the pattern detection operation for automatically performing the first accuracy correction, and also includes the first printing operation, the second printing operation, and the pattern detection operation for automatically performing the second accuracy correction, 2. The inkjet printer according to claim 1, wherein when the automatic correction operation is started, the control unit performs the cap-out operation, performs the first printing operation, the second printing operation, and the pattern detection operation for automatically performing the first accuracy correction to calculate a first accuracy correction amount which is the correction amount for performing the first accuracy correction, then performs the first printing operation, the second printing operation, and the pattern detection operation for automatically performing the second accuracy correction to calculate a second accuracy correction amount which is the correction amount for performing the second accuracy correction, and then performs the cap-in operation, and does not perform the cap-in operation until calculation of the second accuracy correction amount is completed after start of the automatic correction operation.

3. An inkjet printer for printing on a medium, comprising: an inkjet head for ejecting ink; a carriage on which the inkjet head is mounted; a carriage drive mechanism for moving the carriage in a main scanning direction; a medium transport mechanism for transporting the medium in a sub-scanning direction perpendicular to the up-down direction and the main scanning direction; a detection mechanism for detecting a correction pattern printed in order to correct the amount of transport of the medium in the sub-scanning direction by the medium transport mechanism; a maintenance unit for preventing clogging of multiple nozzles of the inkjet head; and a control unit for controlling the inkjet printer, wherein an ink ejection surface on which multiple nozzles are arranged is formed on the underside of the inkjet head, and the area in the main scanning direction in which printing is performed by the inkjet head is defined as a printing area, the maintenance unit comprises a cap member for covering the ink ejection surface from below, and is installed in the maintenance area which is an area outside the printing area in the main scanning direction, and the control unit causes the inkjet printer to perform an automatic correction operation for automatically performing a medium transport amount correction, which is a correction of the amount of transport of the medium in the sub-scanning direction by the medium transport mechanism, The automatic correction operation includes a medium transport operation in which the medium on which the correction pattern is printed is transported to a predetermined reference position by the medium transport mechanism, a printing operation in which ink is ejected from the inkjet head while moving the carriage in a main scanning direction to print the correction pattern on the medium, a pattern detection operation in which the detection mechanism detects the correction pattern printed in the printing operation, a cap-in operation in which the cap member covers the ink ejection surface, and a cap-out operation in which the cap member covering the ink ejection surface is removed from the ink ejection surface, and the control unit calculates a correction amount for correcting the medium transport amount based on the detection result of the detection mechanism in the pattern detection operation, and before the automatic correction operation is started, the cap member covers the ink ejection surface, andThe control unit performs the cap-out operation when the automatic correction operation is started, and then performs the medium transport operation, the printing operation, and the pattern detection operation to calculate the correction amount, and repeats the medium transport operation, the printing operation, the pattern detection operation, and calculation of the correction amount until the calculated correction amount becomes equal to or less than a predetermined reference value, and performs the cap-in operation when the correction amount becomes equal to or less than the reference value, and does not perform the cap-in operation after the automatic correction operation is started until the correction amount becomes equal to or less than the reference value.

4. An inkjet printer as described in any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the maintenance unit is provided with a cap suction mechanism for sucking ink inside the cap member and discharging it from the cap member, and the control unit performs an empty suction operation to cause the cap suction mechanism to suck ink inside the cap member that is detached from the ink ejection surface.

5. A correction method for an inkjet printer equipped with an inkjet head that ejects ink, the inkjet printer comprising: a carriage on which the inkjet head is mounted; a carriage drive mechanism for moving the carriage in a main scanning direction; and a maintenance unit for preventing clogging of a plurality of nozzles of the inkjet head, the inkjet printer also comprising a detection mechanism for detecting a correction pattern printed in order to correct a deviation between a first landing position, which is a landing position of ink ejected from the inkjet head when the carriage moves toward the first direction side, and a second landing position, which is a landing position of ink ejected from the inkjet head when the carriage moves toward the second direction side, where one side of the main scanning direction is defined as a first direction side and the other side of the main scanning direction opposite to the first direction side is defined as a second direction side; an ink ejection surface on which a plurality of nozzles are arranged is formed on the underside of the inkjet head; and where an area in the main scanning direction where printing is performed by the inkjet head is defined as a printing area, the maintenance unit comprises a cap member for covering the ink ejection surface from below, and is installed in the maintenance area which is an area outside the printing area in the main scanning direction,the inkjet printer correction method includes causing the inkjet printer to perform an automatic correction operation for automatically performing reciprocating landing position correction, which is a correction of a deviation between the first landing position and the second landing position, the automatic correction operation including a first printing operation of ejecting ink from the inkjet head while moving the carriage in the first direction to print the correction pattern on a medium, a second printing operation of ejecting ink from the inkjet head while moving the carriage in the second direction to print the correction pattern on the medium, a pattern detection operation of causing the detection mechanism to detect the correction pattern printed in the first printing operation and the correction pattern printed in the second printing operation, a cap-in operation of causing the cap member to cover the ink ejection surface, and a cap-out operation of removing the cap member covering the ink ejection surface from the ink ejection surface, and calculating a correction amount for performing the reciprocating landing position correction based on a detection result of the detection mechanism in the pattern detection operation, a cap-out operation being performed when the automatic correction operation is started, followed by the first printing operation, the second printing operation, and the pattern detection operation; and, after the automatic correction operation is started, the cap-in operation being performed only after calculation of the correction amount necessary to complete the reciprocating landing position correction has been completed, and, after the automatic correction operation is started, the cap-in operation is not performed until calculation of the correction amount necessary to perform the reciprocating landing position correction has been completed.

6. A correction method for an inkjet printer that prints on a medium, the inkjet printer comprising an inkjet head that ejects ink, a carriage on which the inkjet head is mounted, a carriage drive mechanism that moves the carriage in a main scanning direction, a medium transport mechanism that transports the medium in a sub-scanning direction perpendicular to the up-down direction and the main scanning direction, a detection mechanism that detects a correction pattern printed in order to correct the amount of transport of the medium in the sub-scanning direction by the medium transport mechanism, and a maintenance unit for preventing clogging of a plurality of nozzles of the inkjet head, an ink ejection surface on which a plurality of nozzles are arranged is formed on the underside of the inkjet head, and the maintenance unit comprises a cap member that covers the ink ejection surface from below, and is installed in a maintenance area that is an area outside the printing area in the main scanning direction, In the correction method for the inkjet printer, the inkjet printer is caused to perform an automatic correction operation for automatically performing a medium transport amount correction, which is a correction of the transport amount of the medium in the sub-scanning direction by the medium transport mechanism, the automatic correction operation including a medium transport operation for transporting the medium, on which the correction pattern is printed, to a predetermined reference position by the medium transport mechanism, a printing operation for ejecting ink from the inkjet head while moving the carriage in the main scanning direction to print the correction pattern on the medium, a pattern detection operation for causing the detection mechanism to detect the correction pattern printed in the printing operation, a cap-in operation for causing the cap member to cover the ink ejection surface, and a cap-out operation for removing the cap member covering the ink ejection surface from the ink ejection surface, and a correction amount for performing the medium transport amount correction is calculated based on a detection result of the detection mechanism in the pattern detection operation,a cap-out operation being performed when the automatic correction operation is started, and then the medium transport operation, the printing operation, and the pattern detection operation being performed to calculate the correction amount; and the medium transport operation, the printing operation, the pattern detection operation, and the calculation of the correction amount being repeated until the calculated correction amount becomes equal to or less than a predetermined reference value, and when the correction amount becomes equal to or less than the reference value, the cap-in operation being performed; and the cap-in operation not being performed after the automatic correction operation is started until the correction amount becomes equal to or less than the reference value.

7. An inkjet head for ejecting ink, a carriage on which the inkjet head is mounted, a carriage drive mechanism for moving the carriage in a main scanning direction perpendicular to the up-down direction, and a maintenance unit for preventing clogging of a plurality of nozzles of the inkjet head, wherein an ink ejection surface on which a plurality of the nozzles are arranged is formed on the underside of the inkjet head, and the maintenance unit comprises a cap member for covering the ink ejection surface from below, a slide member for holding the cap member so that it can be raised and lowered, a base member for movably holding the slide member, and a spring member for biasing the slide member against the base member, wherein the main scanning direction is defined as the left-right direction and a direction perpendicular to the up-down direction and the left-right direction is defined as the front-rear direction, the slide member is movable relative to the base member between a cap position where the cap member covers the ink ejection surface and a retracted position where the cap member is separated from the ink ejection surface, and when the slide member arranged in the retracted position moves upward while moving to one side in the left-right direction relative to the base member and moves to one side in the front-rear direction, the slide member is arranged in the cap position, The inkjet printer according to claim 1, wherein the spring member urges the slide member at least to the other side in the left-right direction relative to the base member and also urges the slide member to one side or the other side in the front-rear direction.

8. The inkjet printer according to claim 7, wherein the maintenance unit includes one spring member, the spring member being a tension coil spring.

9. An inkjet printer as described in claim 8, characterized in that one left-right end of the tension coil spring is attached to the slide member, the other left-right end of the tension coil spring is attached to the base member, and the tension coil spring is inclined left-right when viewed from the top-down direction and is also inclined left-right when viewed from the front-to-back direction.

10. The ink-jet printer according to any one of claims 7 to 9, comprising one ink-jet head and one cap member.

11. An inkjet head for ejecting ink, a carriage on which the inkjet head is mounted, a carriage drive mechanism for moving the carriage in a main scanning direction perpendicular to the up-down direction, and a maintenance unit for preventing clogging of a plurality of nozzles of the inkjet head, wherein an ink ejection surface on which a plurality of the nozzles are arranged is formed on the underside of the inkjet head, and the maintenance unit comprises a cap member for covering the ink ejection surface from below, a slide member for holding the cap member so that it can be raised and lowered, a base member for holding the slide member movably, and a biasing member for biasing the slide member against the base member, wherein, assuming that the main scanning direction is the left-right direction, the slide member is movable relative to the base member between a cap position where the cap member covers the ink ejection surface and a retracted position where the cap member is separated from the ink ejection surface, and when the slide member arranged in the retracted position rises while moving to at least one side in the left-right direction relative to the base member, the slide member is arranged in the cap position, and a single contact portion is formed on the slide member with which the carriage moving to one side in the left-right direction comes into contact, The inkjet printer according to claim 1, wherein the sliding member moves from the retracted position to the capping position in association with the movement of the carriage which moves to one side in the left-right direction while in contact with the contact portion.

12. An inkjet printer as described in claim 11, comprising one inkjet head and one cap member, and when a direction perpendicular to the up-down direction and the left-right direction is defined as a front-rear direction, when the slide member arranged at the retracted position moves to one side in the left-right direction relative to the base member while rising and also moves to one side in the front-rear direction, the slide member is arranged at the cap position.

13. The inkjet printer of claim 12, characterized in that the slide member is formed with a second contact portion capable of contacting the other side surface of the inkjet head in the front-to-rear direction, the contact portion being formed at an end portion on one side of the slide member in the front-to-rear direction, the second contact portion being formed at an end portion on the other side of the slide member in the front-to-rear direction, and the second contact portion being in contact with the other side surface of the inkjet head in the front-to-rear direction when the slide member is positioned at the cap position.

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