Recording Apparatus Ink Ejection Timing Adjustment
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Solution Overview
Problem
The challenge is to perform highly accurate registration adjustment across the entire area of a maximum-width recording medium in a recording apparatus, where the reading unit may not be able to read the entire area simultaneously, leading to incomplete correction values and reduced measurement accuracy.
Innovation Solution
The solution involves a recording apparatus with a carriage that mounts a recording unit and a reading unit, which records and reads a test pattern in both directions of the recording medium, allowing for the generation of adjustment values for ink ejection control based on results from multiple reading operations, ensuring accurate registration adjustment even when the reading unit cannot read the entire area at once.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If the reading unit reads the entire area of the recording medium in a single operation, then measurement precision is improved, but the device complexity increases due to requiring a larger reading unit or more complex positioning mechanisms
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the reading operation into multiple segments (first reading operation and second reading operation) performed in different directions. The reading unit reads the test pattern in the normal conveyance direction first, then reads again after reversing the leading and trailing edges of the recording medium. This segmentation allows the reading unit to cover the entire area without requiring increased size or complex positioning mechanisms, while still achieving high measurement precision through combined analysis of both reading results.
2Device complexity
If the reading unit has limited coverage area, then the device complexity is reduced, but the measurement precision deteriorates due to incomplete reading of the test pattern
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies inversion by reversing the leading and trailing edges of the recording medium in the conveyance direction between the first and second reading operations. This allows the reading unit to capture different portions of the test pattern in each operation. By combining the results from both reading operations, the system achieves complete coverage and high measurement precision while maintaining a reading unit with limited coverage area and simple structure.
3Measurement precision
If multiple reading operations are performed to cover the entire area, then measurement precision is improved, but the loss of time increases due to additional reading cycles
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs periodic action by performing the reading operation twice with a systematic variation - the first reading in the normal conveyance direction and the second reading after reversing the leading and trailing edges. This periodic approach with deliberate variation allows efficient data collection for comprehensive measurement precision without excessive time loss, as the second reading provides complementary information that cannot be obtained from the first reading alone.
Data Source
AI summary
There is a case where a reading unit cannot read an entire area of a recording medium in a scanning direction of a carriage, or a case where reading accuracy is low in the entire area. In such a case, a result of reading a test pattern for adjusting an ejection timing at each position cannot be obtained with high accuracy in a single reading operation. In order to solve the issue, a recording apparatus performs a reading operation a plurality of times and generates, based on results from the respective operations, an adjustment value for adjusting the ejection timing at each position in the scanning direction.