JP5614192B2 - Recording apparatus and control method of recording apparatus - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a recording apparatus and a control method for the recording apparatus.

  As a recording apparatus, an ink jet printer is widely known. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a printer that performs recording on a recording medium drawn from a roll body in which a long recording medium is wound in a roll shape. Have been described. The printer described in the document has a structure in which a recording medium is conveyed in a state where tension is applied.

JP 2007-313663 A

  By the way, when a recording medium such as a roll body is used, if the outer diameter of the roll body becomes smaller than a predetermined value by performing a recording operation, left and right meanders appear in the feeding direction of the recording medium, and the recording medium is recorded. There is a problem that slack occurs in the medium. Good recording cannot be performed on the recording medium in such a loose state.

  The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and a recording apparatus capable of transporting a recording medium without slacking even when the outer diameter of the roll body is reduced, and a control method for the recording apparatus The purpose is to provide.

  In order to solve the above-described problems, a recording apparatus according to the present invention includes a target support unit that supports a roll-shaped target obtained by winding a long target in a roll shape, and the target along the length direction of the target. A support means for supporting along the transport path; a drive roller for pulling out the roll target by winding the long target; a target transport system for intermittently transporting the target to the support means; A recording unit that performs a recording process on the target supported by the support unit, a control unit that controls each transport operation of the target by the driving roller, and each transport operation of the target by the target transport system Prior to starting, an outer diameter measuring unit for measuring the outer diameter of the roll target, the control unit, When the outer diameter measuring unit measures that the outer diameter of the roll target is equal to or less than a predetermined value, the conveyance operation when the outer diameter of the roll target is larger than the predetermined value is performed. Among the transport operations, the target transport operation is performed in a state where acceleration of the drive roller is increased in at least an acceleration drive step for accelerating the drive roller from a stopped state to a predetermined speed.

  According to the recording apparatus of the present invention, when the outer diameter of the roll target is equal to or less than a predetermined value, the target transport operation is performed with at least the acceleration in the driving roller of the acceleration drive step among the target transport operations. Since it performs, a long target can be let out from a roll-shaped target in the state which provided sufficient tension | tensile_strength. Therefore, it is possible to prevent left and right meandering from occurring in the target feeding direction, and to transport the target below the recording unit in a state where no slack occurs. Therefore, highly reliable recording can be performed.

In the recording apparatus, the outer diameter measuring unit is provided in the movable unit that is movable in response to a change in the outer diameter of the roll target, and the abutting surface of the roll target is in contact with the outer surface of the roll target. It is preferable that a contact part and a sensor part for detecting the position of the movable part are included.
According to this structure, the external measurement part can measure the outer diameter of a roll-shaped target simply and reliably.

In the recording apparatus, it is preferable that a portion of the movable portion corresponding to the detection position of the sensor portion is a widened portion that is wider than other portions.
According to this configuration, since the widened portion is provided in the movable portion, the sensor portion can reliably detect the position of the movable portion. Further, since the portion other than the widened portion in the movable portion can be formed thin, the movable portion can be reduced in weight. Therefore, it is possible to prevent a load from being applied to the roll target by the contact of the contact portion.

In the recording apparatus, in addition to the acceleration drive step, the target transport operation includes a steady drive step of rotating the drive roller that has reached a predetermined speed at a constant speed, and a rotation speed of the drive roller. A decelerating drive step for decelerating from the predetermined speed, and the control unit, when the outer diameter measuring unit measures that the outer diameter of the roll target is equal to or less than a predetermined value, It is preferable to increase the deceleration of the driving roller in the deceleration driving step as compared with the conveying operation performed when the outer diameter of the roll target is larger than a predetermined value.
According to this configuration, the time required for the acceleration drive step and the deceleration drive step can be shortened, and as a result, the time required for the target transport operation can be shortened. Therefore, the target transport operation can be performed in a short time, and the tact time of the recording operation can be shortened.

  The control method of the recording apparatus of the present invention includes a target support unit that supports a roll target formed by winding a long target in a roll shape, and the target along a transport path along the length direction of the target. A supporting means for supporting, a driving roller for pulling out the roll target by winding the long target, a target transport system for intermittently transporting the target to the supporting means, and supported by the supporting means. A recording apparatus control method comprising: a recording unit that performs a recording process on the target in a state in which the target is in contact; and an outer diameter measuring unit that measures an outer diameter of the roll-shaped target. Each transport operation of the target includes an acceleration drive step for accelerating the rotation speed of the drive roller, and the target that has reached a predetermined speed. A stationary drive step for rotating the moving roller at a constant speed; and a deceleration drive step for decelerating the rotational speed of the drive roller from the predetermined speed, and the target transport system starts each transport operation of the target Prior to this, when the outer diameter measuring unit measures that the outer diameter of the roll target is equal to or less than a predetermined value, the transport operation performed when the outer diameter of the roll target is larger than the predetermined value. Compared to the above, the target transporting operation is performed in a state where at least the acceleration of the driving roller in the acceleration driving step is increased.

  According to the control method of the recording apparatus of the present invention, in each target transport operation, when the outer diameter of the roll target becomes a predetermined value or less, the target is transported in the state where the acceleration in the drive roller of the acceleration drive step is increased. Since the operation is performed, a long target can be fed out from the roll target in a state where a sufficient tension is applied. Therefore, it is possible to prevent left and right meandering from occurring in the target feeding direction, and to transport the target below the recording unit in a state where no slack occurs. Therefore, highly reliable recording can be performed.

Further, in the control method of the recording apparatus, when the outer diameter measuring unit measures that the outer diameter of the roll target is equal to or less than a predetermined value, the outer diameter of the roll target is less than a predetermined value. It is preferable to increase the deceleration of the drive roller in the deceleration drive step as compared to the transport operation performed when the speed is large.
According to this configuration, the time required for the acceleration drive step and the deceleration drive step can be shortened, and as a result, the time required for the target transport operation can be shortened. Therefore, the target transport operation can be performed in a short time, and the tact time of the recording operation can be shortened.

1 is a diagram illustrating a printer according to an embodiment. FIG. 3 is a plan view of a printing area where printing is performed in the printer. A side sectional view of a platen. The functional block diagram of a printer. The principal part enlarged view which shows the periphery structure of a measuring apparatus. 10 is a flowchart illustrating a processing routine related to conveyance and printing processing. The flowchart which shows the process routine regarding a conveyance process. The graph which shows the relationship between the ON / OFF signal in a sensor, and the state of a roll body. The figure which shows the speed profile at the time of the conveyance operation of continuous paper. The figure which shows the speed profile at the time of the conveyance operation | movement of the continuous paper which concerns on a modification.

  Hereinafter, as an embodiment of a recording apparatus and a control method thereof, a printer and a printer control method will be described with reference to the drawings. The scope of the present invention is not limited to the following embodiment, and can be arbitrarily changed within the scope of the technical idea of the present invention. Moreover, in the following drawings, in order to make each structure easy to understand, the actual structure may be different from the scale, number, or the like in each structure.

  FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a printer according to the present embodiment. FIG. 2 is a plan view of a printing area in which printing is performed in the printer. FIG. 3 is a side sectional view of the platen.

The printer 11 (recording apparatus) employs an inkjet system that ejects liquid onto a continuous paper 12 from a plurality of recording heads (liquid ejection heads) as a printing system, and is a long shape wound in a roll shape. The continuous paper (target) 12 is sequentially fed out to perform a printing process, and the continuous paper 12 after printing is wound into a roll again.
In this embodiment, an XYZ orthogonal coordinate system is set in which the width direction of the continuous paper 12 in the horizontal plane is the X direction, the transport direction of the continuous paper 12 orthogonal to the X direction is the Y direction, and the vertical direction is the Z direction. Yes.

  The printer 11 includes a main body unit 14 that executes a printing process, a feeding unit 13 that supplies the continuous paper 12 to the main body unit 14, and a winding unit 15 that winds the continuous paper 12 discharged from the main body unit 14. I have.

  The main body portion 14 includes a main body case 16, the feeding portion 13 is installed on the upstream side (−Y side) in the transport direction of the main body case 16, and the winding portion 15 is downstream in the transport direction of the main body case 16 (+ Y side). Is installed. The feeding unit 13 is connected to the medium supply unit 16a provided on the side wall 16A on the upstream side (−Y side) of the main body case 16 while the medium is provided on the side wall 16B on the downstream side (+ Y side) in the transport direction. The winding unit 15 is connected to the discharge unit 16b.

  The feeding portion 13 is connected to a support plate 17 attached to the lower portion of the side wall 16 </ b> A of the main body case 16, a winding shaft (target support portion) 18 provided on the support plate 17, and a medium supply portion 16 a of the main body case 16. The feeding table 19, the relay roller 20 provided at the tip of the feeding table 19, and a measuring device (outer diameter measuring unit) 70 are provided. On the winding shaft 18, a roll body (roll target) 12 a composed of continuous paper 12 wound in a roll shape is rotatably supported. The outer diameter measuring device 70 is for measuring the outer diameter of the roll body 12a that changes over time by performing a printing process. The continuous paper 12 fed out from the roll body 12 a is wound around the relay roller 20, converted to the upper surface of the feeding table 19, and conveyed to the medium supply unit 16 a along the upper surface of the feeding table 19. The roll body 12a has an initial outer diameter of about 600 mm attached to the winding shaft 18.

  The winding unit 15 includes a winding frame 41, a relay roller 42 provided on the winding frame 41, and a winding drive shaft 43. The continuous paper 12 discharged from the medium discharge unit 16 b is wound around the relay roller 42 and guided to the winding drive shaft 43, and is wound into a roll by the rotational drive of the winding drive shaft 43.

  A plate-like base 21 is installed horizontally in the main body case 16 of the main body 14, and the main body case is partitioned into two spaces by the base 21. A space above the base 21 is a printing chamber 22 that performs printing processing on the continuous paper 12. The printing chamber 22 includes a platen (medium support unit) 28 fixed on the base 21, a recording head (recording processing unit) 36 provided above the platen 28, and a carriage 35 a that supports the recording head 36. Two guide shafts 35 (see FIG. 2) for supporting the carriage 35a and a valve unit 37 are provided. The two guide shafts 35 are arranged in parallel with each other along the transport direction (Y direction), and the carriage 35a is configured to be reciprocally movable in the transport direction. In the case of this embodiment, the carriage 35 a and the two guide shafts 35 belong to a recording processing unit transport system that transports the recording head 36.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the platen 28 includes a box-shaped support base 28 a having an upper surface opened, and a mounting plate 28 b attached to the opening of the support base 28 a. The support base 28 a is fixed on the base 21, and the inside surrounded by the support base 28 a and the mounting plate 28 b is a negative pressure chamber 31. The continuous paper 12 is placed on the support surface PL (upper surface in the drawing) of the placement plate 28b.

  The mounting plate 28b is formed with a large number of through holes 28A penetrating the mounting plate 28b in the thickness direction. The side wall (in this embodiment, the side wall on the −Y side) is provided on one side wall of the support base 28a. An exhaust port 28 </ b> B that penetrates through is formed. A suction fan 29 is connected to the exhaust port 28B. By sucking the inside of the negative pressure chamber 31 by the suction fan 29, a suction force is applied to the continuous paper 12 through the numerous through holes 28A, and the continuous paper 12 is adsorbed to the support surface PL of the mounting plate 28b to be flat. Can be

A supply conveyance system including a plurality of conveyance rollers is provided on the upstream side (−Y side) of the platen 28 in the conveyance direction. The supply conveyance system is provided in the vicinity of the first conveyance roller pair 25 provided in the printing chamber 22 near the platen 28, the relay roller 24 provided in the lower space of the main body case 16, and the medium supply unit 16a. Relay roller 23.
The first transport roller pair 25 includes a first drive roller (drive roller) 25a and a first driven roller 25b. As shown in FIG. 2, a first transport motor (first drive motor) 26 and a first encoder 26E are connected to the first drive roller 25a.

  In the supply conveyance system, the continuous paper 12 carried into the main body case 16 from the feeding unit 13 via the medium supply unit 16a is wound around the first drive roller 25a via the relay rollers 23 and 24 from below, Nipped by the first conveying roller pair 25. Then, with the rotation of the first drive roller 25 a driven by the first transport motor 26, the first transport roller pair 25 is fed out horizontally on the support surface PL of the platen 28.

On the other hand, a discharge conveyance system including a plurality of conveyance rollers is provided on the downstream side (+ Y side) of the platen 28 in the conveyance direction. The discharge conveyance system includes a second conveyance roller pair 33 provided on the opposite side of the platen 28 from the first conveyance roller pair 25, a reverse roller 38 and a relay roller 39 provided in a space on the lower side of the main body case 16. And a feed roller 40 provided in the vicinity of the medium discharge portion 16b.
The second transport roller pair 33 includes a second drive roller 33a and a second driven roller 33b. As shown in FIG. 2, a second transport motor (second drive motor) 34 and a second encoder 34E are connected to the second drive roller 33a. Since the second driven roller 33b is disposed on the printing surface side (upper surface side) of the continuous paper 12, the end in the width direction (X direction) of the continuous paper 12 to avoid damage to the printed image. It is good also as a structure contact | abutted only to an edge part.

  In the discharge conveyance system, the second conveyance roller pair 33 that nips the continuous paper 12 carries out the continuous paper 12 from the platen 28 as the second driving roller 33 a driven by the second conveyance motor 34 rotates. The continuous paper 12 fed from the second transport roller pair 33 is transported to the feed roller 40 via the reverse roller 38 and the relay roller 39, and is fed to the take-up unit 15 by the feed roller 40 via the medium discharge unit 16b. It is.

  In the present embodiment, the target transport in which the supply transport system including the first transport roller pair 25 and the discharge transport system including the second transport roller pair 33 transport the continuous paper 12 as a recording medium within the main body 14. It belongs to the system.

Next, in the case of the present embodiment, the plurality of recording heads 36 are attached to the carriage 35a via the head attachment plate 36a. The head mounting plate 36a is configured to be movable in the medium width direction (X direction) on the carriage 35a. The head mounting plate 36a can be controlled in position by a head position control unit 35b connected to the carriage 35a, and by moving the head mounting plate 36a in the medium width direction (X direction), a plurality of recording heads 36 are integrated. Line feed can be operated. The recording heads 36 are arranged at regular intervals in the medium width direction so that the adjacent recording heads 36 are alternately arranged in two stages in the medium transport direction (Y direction) on the head mounting plate 36a.
The head position controller 35b controls the position of the recording head 36 in the medium width direction (X direction) and controls the position of the carriage 35a in the medium conveyance direction (Y direction; head scanning direction). The recording head 36 can be arranged at a desired position.

Each of the plurality of recording heads 36 is connected to a valve unit 37 via an ink supply tube (not shown). The valve unit 37 is provided on the inner wall of the main body case 16 in the printing chamber 22 and is connected to an ink tank (ink reservoir) (not shown).
The valve unit 37 supplies the ink supplied from the ink tank to the recording head 36 while temporarily storing the ink.

On the lower surface (nozzle formation surface) of the recording head 36, a large number of ink discharge nozzles are arranged in the medium width direction (X direction). The recording head 36 performs printing by ejecting ink supplied from the valve unit 37 from the ink discharge nozzle toward the continuous paper 12 on the platen 28.
Note that the recording head 36 may have a plurality of ink discharge nozzle arrays. In this case, when performing color printing of 4 colors or 6 colors, if ink is assigned to each ink discharge nozzle row for each color type, a single recording head 36 can eject a plurality of colors of ink. Become.

  In the printing chamber 22, an area on the platen 28 is a printing area R in which printing is performed on the continuous paper 12 by ink ejection from the ink discharge nozzles. The continuous paper 12 is intermittently conveyed by the supply conveyance system and the discharge conveyance system described above. Specifically, the continuous paper 12 having a length corresponding to the printing region R is loaded onto the platen 28 every time printing is performed, and is sent to the discharge conveyance system after the printing process.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the guide shaft 35 extending into the printing chamber 22 extends from the printing region R to the outside in the medium conveyance direction. Thereby, the carriage 35a can be moved to an area outside the printing area R. A first maintenance area R1 is provided on the upstream side (−Y side) in the medium conveyance direction of the printing area R, and a second maintenance area R2 is provided on the downstream side (+ Y side) in the medium conveyance direction.

A maintenance unit 60 is provided in the first maintenance region R1. The maintenance unit 60 includes, for example, a cap member and a wiping member that are provided corresponding to each recording head 36, and a suction device that is connected to the cap member and sucks the inside of the cap member.
The second maintenance area R2 is not provided with a maintenance unit or the like, and is a work space in which an operator's hand or arm can be inserted. By disposing the carriage 35a in the second maintenance region R2, the nozzle forming surface of the recording head 36 can be exposed in the work space, and the operator can clean the nozzle forming surface, replace the recording head 36, and the like. It becomes possible.

  The continuous paper 12 after the printing process is naturally dried while being conveyed in the discharge conveyance system. However, the continuous paper 12 may be provided with a heating device for forcibly drying the ink and fixing the ink to the continuous paper 12. Good. For example, the platen 28 may be provided with a platen heater that heats the mounting plate 28b, or the heating device may be provided in the discharge conveyance system.

Next, FIG. 4 is a functional block diagram of the printer 11.
As shown in FIG. 4, the printer 11 includes a controller (control unit) 44 that controls the driving state of the entire apparatus. The controller 44 includes a CPU 45, a ROM 46, and a RAM 47 serving as a central processing unit. The ROM 46 stores a processing routine program and the like related to printing processing and conveyance processing described later. The RAM 47 is used as a temporary storage area for calculation results in the CPU 45 and a temporary storage area for print data input from the external input device 48.

  The controller 44 includes a head driver 49, a first transport motor driver (first motor control unit) 50, a second transport motor driver (second motor control unit) 52, a suction fan motor driver 54, a torque detection sensor 53, a pressure The detection sensor 32, the outer diameter measuring device 70, and the external input device 48 are connected.

  A plurality of recording heads 36 and a head position controller 35b are connected to the head driver 49. In the printing process, the controller 44 reads the print data input from the external input device 48 from the RAM 47 and transmits the read print data to the head driver 49. The head driver 49 drives the recording head 36 and the head position control unit 35b based on the print data received from the controller 44, and controls the position of the recording head 36 on the continuous paper 12 from the ink discharge nozzles of the recording head 36. Ink droplets are ejected to form an image on the continuous paper 12.

  The first transport motor driver 50 detects the amount of rotation of the first transport motor 26 based on the count signal output from the first encoder 26E connected to the first transport motor 26, and the amount of rotation of the first transport motor 26 Feedback control. That is, the first transport motor driver 50 rotationally drives the first drive roller 25 a by the first transport motor 26 until the predetermined transport length input from the controller 44 is reached, and the continuous paper is fed from the first transport roller pair 25. 12 is fed out onto the platen 28.

  In the present embodiment, the first transport motor driver 50 controls the rotational acceleration of the first transport motor 26 based on the measurement result output from the outer diameter measuring device 70 that measures the outer diameter of the roll body 12a. It is supposed to be.

  On the other hand, the second transport motor driver 52 drives the second transport motor 34 by torque control based on a control signal input from the controller 44. In the present embodiment, a torque detection sensor 53 that detects the torque of the second transport motor 34 is connected to the controller 44, and the controller 44 detects the torque detection result of the second transport motor 34 that is output from the torque detection sensor 53. Based on the above, the torque of the second transport motor 34 is feedback controlled via the second transport motor driver 52. As a result, a predetermined tension based on the torque of the second transport motor 34 is applied to the continuous paper 12 via the second drive roller 33a.

  In general, since a motor has a substantially proportional relationship between torque and current, the magnitude of the current is determined according to the load of the motor if the rotation speed of the motor is constant. That is, the magnitude of the current required for driving the motor is determined according to the load applied to the roller. Therefore, the magnitude of the load applied to the motor can be detected by detecting the magnitude of the current flowing through the motor. Therefore, in the present embodiment, as the torque detection sensor 53, a current sensor of the second transport motor driver 52 that detects the magnitude of the current flowing through the second transport motor 34 is used. As a result, the controller 44 sets the current value of the second transport motor 34 as the torque setting value for the second transport motor driver 52, and the second transport motor driver 52 sets the second transport motor driver 52 based on the input current value. 2. Current feedback control of the transport motor 34 is performed.

  In this embodiment, since the second transport motor 34 is driven by torque control, the second encoder 34E connected to the second transport motor 34 is used to detect the feed length when transporting the continuous paper 12. Although not, it is used for the initialization operation of the second transport motor 34 when the apparatus is activated and for the stop control of the second drive roller 33a.

  The suction fan motor driver 54 drives and controls the suction fan motor 30 connected to the rotation shaft of the suction fan 29 based on a control signal input from the controller 44. By rotating the suction fan 29 at a predetermined speed by the driving force of the suction fan motor 30, the inside of the negative pressure chamber 31 can be decompressed with a predetermined suction force based on the rotation speed. As a result, the negative pressure in the negative pressure chamber 31 acts on the continuous paper 12 as an adsorption force with respect to the support surface PL of the platen 28 through the through hole 28A of the placement plate 28b.

  FIG. 5 is an enlarged view of a main part showing a peripheral configuration of the outer diameter measuring device 70. As shown in FIG. 5, the outer diameter measuring device 70 includes a lever part (movable part) 71 and an abutting part that is provided at one end of the lever part 71 and abuts on the outer surface of the roll body 12 a supported by the winding shaft 18. 72 and a sensor part 73 for detecting the position of the lever part 71. The lever portion 71 is movably attached to the support plate 17 so that the position of the contact portion 72 can be changed in accordance with the change in the outer diameter of the roll body 12a. A dog plate 71 a is provided at a portion corresponding to the sensor portion 73 in the lever portion 71. The dog plate 71 a is configured by a widened portion whose width is larger than that of other portions of the lever portion 71. The lever portion 71 does not come into contact with the roll body 12a, and only the contact portion 72 comes into contact with the roll body 12a.

  The sensor unit 73 includes a first sensor 73a, a second sensor 73b, and a third sensor 73c. The first to third sensors 73 a to 73 c are configured by, for example, reflective sensors, and can receive light reflected by the dog plate 71 a provided on the lever portion 71. With this configuration, portions of the lever portion 71 other than the dog plate 71a can be formed thin. Therefore, the lever part 71 can be reduced in weight and the load given to the roll body 12a is reduced by the lever part 71 (contact part 72) contacting.

  The 1st sensor 73a is for detecting the dog board 71a in the lever part 71 of the upper retraction position at the time of replacement | exchange of the above-mentioned roll body 12a. The second sensor 73b is for detecting the dog plate 71a in the lever portion 71 when the outer diameter of the roll body 12a reaches a predetermined value (for example, 200 mm in the present embodiment). The third sensor 73c is for detecting the dog plate 71a in the lever portion 71 when the remaining amount of the continuous paper 12 in the roll body 12a becomes small.

  The abutting portion 72 is constituted by a roller that rotates with the rotation of the roll body 12a, for example. Thereby, it is prevented that friction arises between the contact part 72 and the roll body 12a, and it prevents that the rotation of the roll body 12a is prevented. For example, when the roll body 12a is replaced, the lever portion 71 can be fixed at a position retracted upward in order to avoid interference with the roll body 12a.

  By the way, in the printer 11, the outer diameter of the roll body 12a changes small with time that the continuous paper 12 is fed out sequentially (intermittently) from the roll body 12a by the printing process. When the outer diameter of the roll body 12a is smaller than a predetermined value, the weight of the roll body 12a is reduced, so that sufficient tension cannot be applied to the continuous paper 12, and the left and right sides of the continuous paper 12 with respect to the feeding direction can be reduced. The meandering may occur and the continuous paper 12 conveyed below the recording head 36 may be slack. The recording head 36 has a problem that it cannot perform a good printing process on the continuous paper 12 in which such slack occurs.

  In contrast, the printer 11 according to this embodiment uses the outer diameter measuring device 70 to measure the outer diameter of the roll body 12a that changes little over time. The rotational acceleration of one transport motor 26 is controlled. Thereby, it is possible to prevent the continuous paper 12 from being slack and to perform a good printing process even when the outer diameter of the roll body 12a becomes smaller with time.

  Hereinafter, conveyance control and printing control in the printer 11 will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing a processing routine relating to conveyance and printing processing, and FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing a processing routine relating to conveyance processing. The controller 44 performs conveyance control and printing control in the printer 11 by reading out and executing a program of processing routines related to the conveyance processing and printing processing from the ROM 46. Although not shown, when the controller 44 executes the processing routine program relating to the conveyance process and the printing process, print data used for printing on the continuous paper 12 is input from the external input device 48 to the RAM 47. Then, the print data is supplied to the recording head 36 via the head driver 49.

  As shown in FIG. 6, first, in step S <b> 10, the controller 44 sets the suction force in the negative pressure chamber 31 by the suction fan 29 to F <b> 1 by setting the rotation speed of the suction fan motor 30.

  Next, in step S <b> 11, the controller 44 transmits a control command signal to the suction fan motor driver 54. Then, the suction fan 29 starts to rotate with the rotation of the suction fan motor 30, thereby generating a negative pressure in the negative pressure chamber 31. As a result, an attracting force acts on the continuous paper 12 on the support surface PL of the platen 28 from the inside of the negative pressure chamber 31 through the through hole 5 of the mounting plate 28b. In this case, the continuous paper 12 is sucked onto the support surface PL of the platen 28 with a second suction force that is substantially equal to the suction force F1 of the suction fan 29.

  The suction force of the suction fan 29 is such that the continuous paper 12 does not stick firmly to the support surface PL of the platen 28 so as not to hinder the conveyance of the continuous paper 12 by the first drive roller 25a. Is set to the size of Therefore, the tension is surely applied to the continuous paper 12 on the support surface PL of the platen 28 from the second drive roller 33a. Therefore, the second drive roller 33a is a tension that acts on the continuous paper 12 as described later. Can be adjusted with high accuracy. Further, since the attractive force acting on the continuous paper 12 from the support surface PL of the platen 28 becomes low, the driving loads of the first transport motor 26 and the second transport motor 34 when the continuous paper 12 is transported may be excessive. It is to be avoided.

  Subsequently, in step S <b> 12, the controller 44 sucks the pressure in the negative pressure chamber 31 as the suction fan 29 is driven based on the detection signal from the pressure detection sensor 32 provided in the negative pressure chamber 31. It is determined whether or not the pressure has been reduced to a pressure value substantially equal to the suction force F1 of the fan 29.

  If the determination result in step S12 is affirmative (pressure in the negative pressure chamber 31 = F1), the controller 44 reduces the pressure by the suction fan 29 until the pressure in the negative pressure chamber 31 reaches a desired pressure value. It is determined that the transfer has been completed, and the process proceeds to the transport operation (step S13).

  On the other hand, when the determination result in step S <b> 12 is negative (pressure in the negative pressure chamber 31 ≠ F <b> 1), the controller 44 determines that the pressure reduction in the negative pressure chamber 31 by the suction fan 29 is not completed. Then, the controller 44 continues the pressure reduction in the negative pressure chamber 31 by the suction fan 29 so that the pressure in the negative pressure chamber 31 is reduced to a desired pressure value.

  The carrying operation (step S13) includes steps S21 to S28 shown in FIG. In the transport operation, first, before performing the transport operation of the continuous paper 12, the controller 44 outputs a control signal for starting the outer diameter measurement of the roll body 12a to the outer diameter measuring device 70. The outer diameter measuring device 70 that has received the control signal starts a routine for measuring the outer diameter of the roll body 12a (step S21).

  In the outer diameter measurement routine, the outer diameter measuring device 70 detects ON / OFF signals from the first sensor 73a, the second sensor 73b, and the third sensor 73c, and determines the outer diameter of the roll body 12a based on this detection signal. Execute the measurement process. When the outer diameter of the roll body 12a reaches a predetermined value, the controller 44 is notified accordingly.

  Here, the operation of the outer diameter measuring apparatus 70 will be described. FIG. 8 is a graph showing the relationship between the ON / OFF signal in each sensor 73a, 73b, 73c of the outer diameter measuring device 70 and the outer diameter of the roll body 12a.

  As shown in FIG. 8, when only the first sensor 73a is in the ON state, and the second sensor 73b and the third sensor 73c are in the OFF state, the lever portion 71 is lifted to the retracted position set upward. Corresponding, and the signal that the outer diameter measuring device 70 notifies to the controller 44 at this time is referred to as a first signal.

  Further, when the first sensor 73a, the second sensor 73b, and the third sensor 73c are in the OFF state, the outer diameter of the roll body 12a corresponds to a predetermined value or more. At this time, the outer diameter measuring device 70 is the controller 44. The signal notified to is referred to as a second signal.

  Further, when only the second sensor 73b is in the ON state and the first sensor 73a and the third sensor 73c are in the OFF state, this corresponds to a state in which the outer diameter of the roll body 12a becomes a predetermined value (200 mm). A signal notified from the diameter measuring device 70 to the controller 44 is referred to as a third signal.

  When only the first sensor 73a is in the ON state and the second sensor 73b and the third sensor 73c are in the OFF state, the outer diameter of the roll body 12a is reduced and the remaining amount of the continuous paper 12 is slightly reduced. The signal that corresponds to the outside diameter measuring device 70 and notifies the controller 44 at this time is referred to as a fourth signal.

  That is, when the controller 44 detects the first signal notified from the outer diameter measuring device 70, it determines that the printer 11 is in maintenance work such as replacement of the roll body 12a (step S22). In this case, the controller 44 notifies an error that the roll body 12a is being replaced (step S23).

  Further, when the controller 44 detects the second signal notified from the outer diameter measuring device 70, the controller 44 determines that the outer diameter of the roll body 12a is greater than or equal to a predetermined value (step S24). As described above, when the outer diameter of the roll body 12a is equal to or larger than the predetermined value, the continuous paper 12 does not meander. Therefore, when the second signal is notified from the outer diameter measuring device 70, that is, when the outer diameter of the roll body 12a is larger than a predetermined value, the controller 44 drives the first transport motor 26 in a normal mode to be described later. (Step S25).

  Further, when the controller 44 detects the third signal notified from the outer diameter measuring device 70, the controller 44 determines that the outer diameter of the roll body 12a is equal to or smaller than a predetermined value (step S26). In this case, the controller 44 drives the first transport motor 26 in the acceleration mode (step S27).

  The printer 11 sequentially performs the conveying operation of the continuous paper 12 based on the speed profile as shown in FIG. In FIG. 9, the section indicated by the double arrow A indicates a change (speed profile) of the rotation speed of the first transport motor 26 based on the normal mode described above, and the section indicated by the double arrow B is The change of the rotational speed (speed profile) of the 1st conveyance motor 26 based on the said acceleration mode is shown.

As shown in FIG. 9, the normal drive mode and the acceleration mode include an acceleration drive step T1, a steady drive step T2, and a deceleration drive step T3.
Specifically, the acceleration driving step T1 is for accelerating the rotation speed of the first transport motor 26 from the stopped state to a predetermined speed, and the steady driving step T2 is the first driving speed that has reached the predetermined speed by the acceleration driving step T1. The first transport motor 26 is rotated at a constant speed, and the deceleration drive step T3 is for reducing the rotational speed of the first transport motor 26 rotating at a constant speed.

  When the outer diameter of the roll body 12a is equal to or smaller than a predetermined value, the printer 11 according to the present embodiment increases the acceleration of the acceleration driving step T1 as compared with the normal mode (the outer diameter of the roll body 12a is larger than the predetermined value). The drive of the first transport motor 26 is controlled. Specifically, in the normal mode, the acceleration time in the acceleration driving step T1 and the deceleration time in the deceleration driving step T3 are set to 1 sec. On the other hand, in the acceleration mode, the acceleration time in the acceleration driving step T1 is set to 0.3 sec, and the deceleration time in the deceleration driving step T3 is set to 1.0 sec. Note that the transport amount of the continuous paper 12 defined by the area of the substantially trapezoidal region configured by the steps T1 to T3 is common in both the normal mode and the acceleration mode. Therefore, in the acceleration mode, the time of the steady drive step T2 is set longer than that in the normal mode.

  Thus, in the present embodiment, when the outer diameter of the roll body 12a is equal to or smaller than a predetermined value in the transport operation of the continuous paper 12, the acceleration of the acceleration drive step T1 is increased compared to the normal mode, and the first transport motor. 26 is driven, sufficient tension can be applied to the roll body 12a having a reduced outer diameter, and the continuous paper 12 can be fed out satisfactorily. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the left and right meandering from occurring in the feeding direction of the continuous paper 12 and to convey the continuous paper 12 below the recording head 36 in a state where no slack occurs. Therefore, highly reliable printing processing can be performed.

  In the transport operation, the controller 44 sets the rotation amount of the first transport motor 26 to C, and defines the transport amount (feed length) of the continuous paper 12 by the first drive roller 25a. The rotation amount C of the first transport motor 26 is determined so that the transport amount of the continuous paper 12 by the first drive roller 25a is rotated when the first drive roller 25a is rotationally driven with the rotation drive of the first transport motor 26. 1 is set so as to have a length corresponding to the print region R from the left end (downstream end in the transport direction) to the right end (upstream end in the transport direction). In the present embodiment, the rotation amount C is input to the first transport motor driver 50 as the count number of the first encoder 26E.

  Further, the controller 44 sets the magnitude of the tension applied to the continuous paper 12 from the second drive roller 33a by setting the management torque value of the second transport motor 34 to T1. The management torque value Tr1 of the second transport motor 34 is such that the magnitude of the tension acting on the continuous paper 12 on the platen 28 from the second drive roller 33a based on the torque of the second transport motor 34 is the continuous paper 12 during transport. It is set to a size that can sufficiently suppress fluttering.

  The controller 44 determines whether or not the rotation amount of the first transfer motor 26 has reached the rotation amount C based on the rotation amount information of the first transfer motor 26 transmitted from the first transfer motor driver 50. And the controller 44 continues conveyance of the continuous paper 12 by the 1st drive roller 25a until the conveyance amount of the continuous paper 12 by the 1st drive roller 25a becomes a desired conveyance amount. When the controller 44 determines that the transport of the continuous paper 12 is completed, the controller 44 stops the first transport motor 26 and stops the transport of the continuous paper 12.

  The controller 44 monitors the rotation amount C of the first drive roller 25a as needed, and in addition, the tension acting on the continuous paper 12 from the second drive roller 33a based on the detection signal from the torque detection sensor 53. The pressure change in the negative pressure chamber 31 accompanying the rotational drive of the suction fan 29 is monitored as needed based on the detection signal from the pressure detection sensor 32. Then, the controller 44 is driven by the first transport motor driver 50, the second transport roller 25a, the second drive roller 33a, and the suction fan 29 driven (rotation amount, tension, suction force). When a deviation occurs with respect to the driving conditions defined based on the control signals transmitted from the motor driver 52 and the suction fan motor driver 54, an error notification is performed. That is, the controller 44 is a control signal transmitted from the first transport motor driver 50, the second transport motor driver 52, and the suction fan motor driver 54 by the first drive roller 25a, the second drive roller 33a, and the suction fan 29. Based on the above, whether or not it is operating normally is monitored at any time. Thereby, high operation reliability can be obtained in the transport operation.

  Further, during the conveyance, the suction force of the suction fan 29 is set to such a magnitude that the continuous paper 12 is not firmly adsorbed to the support surface PL of the platen 28. Thereby, it is possible to prevent the conveyance of the continuous paper 12 from being hindered by the suction force of the platen 28, and it is possible to avoid an excessive driving load on the first conveyance motor 26 and the second conveyance motor 34 during conveyance. Further, since the tension of the second drive roller 33a can be reliably applied to the continuous paper 12 without being obstructed by the suction force of the platen 28, the magnitude of the tension can be adjusted with high accuracy.

  In addition, when the controller 44 detects the fourth signal notified from the outer diameter measuring device 70, the controller 44 determines that the remaining amount of the roll body 12a is small, and it is time for the roll body 12a to be replaced by the user. An error to notify the effect is notified (step S28).

Returning to FIG. 6 again, in step S14, the controller 44 sets the rotational speed of the suction fan motor 30 to change the suction force of the suction fan 29 to F2. The suction force F2 is a value larger than the suction force F1 of the suction fan 29 set in step S13. At this time, the conveyance of the continuous paper 12 is stopped, and the portion of the continuous paper 12 disposed on the platen 28 is adsorbed to the support surface PL of the platen 28 with a first adsorbing force substantially equal to the suction force F2.
That is, the printer 11 according to the present embodiment causes the continuous paper 12 to be attracted to the support surface PL of the platen 28 with a relatively large first attracting force when the printing process is performed, while compared to the first attracting time when the transport process is performed. The continuous paper 12 is attracted to the support surface PL of the platen 28 with a small second attracting force (suction force F1).

  Next, in step S <b> 15, the controller 44 transmits a control command signal to the suction fan motor driver 54. Then, by changing the rotation speed of the suction fan motor 30, the negative pressure generated in the negative pressure chamber 31 changes as the suction fan 29 is driven. As a result, the continuous paper 12 on the support surface PL of the platen 28 is attracted onto the support surface PL of the platen 28 with an adsorption force substantially equal to the suction force F2 of the suction fan 29. In this case, the continuous paper 12 in a state where the conveyance is stopped is subjected to a relatively large adsorption force on the support surface PL of the platen 28, so that the continuous paper 12 is displaced on the support surface PL of the platen 28. Almost never.

  In this embodiment, the controller 44 increases the magnitude of the suction force of the suction fan 29 to F2 in step S14, and then decreases the management torque value of the second transport motor 34 to T2 in step S19. That is, since the suction force of the suction fan 29 is increased in a state where the tension applied to the continuous paper 12 from the second drive roller 33a is relatively large, the continuous paper 12 can maintain the platen while maintaining high flatness. Adsorbed on the 28 support surfaces PL. Therefore, even if the magnitude of the tension acting on the continuous paper 12 from the second drive roller 33a is reduced, the continuous paper 12 is firmly adsorbed on the support surface PL of the platen 28. There is almost no displacement on the support surface PL of the platen 28.

  Subsequently, in step S16, the controller 44 performs a printing process. Specifically, the controller 44 reads print data for the continuous paper 12 from the RAM 47 and transmits the read print data to the head driver 49. Then, the head driver 49 starts a printing operation on the continuous paper 12 by ejecting ink from the ink discharge nozzles of the recording head 36 onto the continuous paper 12 supported on the support surface PL of the platen 28. That is, the recording head 36 is configured to execute a printing process on the continuous paper 12 between each rotation operation of the first drive roller 25a intermittently performed by the first transport motor driver 50.

  After the printing operation on the continuous paper 12 by the recording head 36 is completed, the controller 44 proceeds to step S17. The controller 44 determines whether or not to continue the printing process for the continuous paper 12 in step S17. If the controller 44 determines that the printing process for the continuous paper 12 is continued in step S17, the controller 44 proceeds to step S10 and recursively executes the processes from step S10 to step S16. On the other hand, if it is determined in step S17 that the printing process for the continuous paper 12 is not continued, the controller 44 ends the processing routine program relating to the conveyance process and the printing process for the continuous paper 12.

  According to the control method of the printer 11 and the printer 11 according to the embodiment, when the outer diameter of the roll body 12a is equal to or less than a predetermined value in the transport operation of the continuous paper 12, the first transport motor 26 is based on the acceleration mode. Therefore, the continuous paper 12 can be fed out from the roll body 12a with sufficient tension applied. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the left and right meandering from occurring in the feeding direction of the continuous paper 12 and to convey the continuous paper 12 below the recording head 36 in a state where no slack occurs. Therefore, highly reliable printing processing can be performed.

Further, according to the printer 11 of the present embodiment, the outer diameter measuring device 70 includes the contact portion 72 that contacts the outer surface of the roll body 12a, and the sensor portion 73 that detects the position of the lever portion 71. Therefore, the outer diameter of the roll body 12a can be measured easily and reliably.
Further, the lever portion 71 of the outer diameter measuring device 70 is provided with a dog plate 71a composed of a widened portion that is wider than the other portions, so that each sensor 73a, 73b, 73c of the sensor portion 73 is provided. Thus, the position of the lever portion 71 can be reliably detected. Moreover, since parts other than the dog board 71a can be formed thinly in the lever part 71, the lever part 71 can be reduced in weight. Therefore, the load applied to the roll body 12a can be reduced when the lever portion 71 (contact portion 72) contacts.

In addition, you may change the said embodiment as follows.
For example, in the above embodiment, the case where the acceleration of the acceleration driving step T1 is changed by one step when the outer diameter of the roll body 12a is smaller than a predetermined value has been described. Accordingly, the acceleration of the acceleration drive step T1 may be changed in a plurality of steps, such as two steps and three steps. According to this configuration, the continuous paper 12 can be sent out more in accordance with the change in the outer diameter of the roll body 12a, so that a more reliable transport operation can be performed.

  Moreover, although the said embodiment demonstrated the case where only the acceleration of acceleration drive step T1 was enlarged compared with normal mode, when the controller 44 judged that the outer diameter of the roll body 12a is below a predetermined value, The invention is not limited to this. As shown in FIG. 10, when the controller 44 determines that the outer diameter of the roll body 12a is equal to or less than a predetermined value, the deceleration of the deceleration drive step T3 may be increased together with the acceleration of the acceleration drive step T1. Absent. Specifically, the acceleration time at the acceleration driving step T1 and the deceleration time at the deceleration driving step T3 are both set to 0.3 sec.

  According to this configuration, the time required for the acceleration driving step T1 and the deceleration driving step T3 can be shortened, and as a result, the time required for the transport operation of the continuous paper 12 can be shortened. Therefore, the conveyance operation of the continuous paper 12 can be performed in a short time, and the tact time of the printing process can be shortened.

As an adsorption unit that adsorbs the continuous paper 12 to the support surface PL of the platen 28, an electrostatic adsorption device that electrostatically adsorbs the continuous paper 12 to the support surface PL of the platen 28 may be employed.
In this case, the electrostatic adsorption device causes the continuous paper 12 to be electrostatically adsorbed to the support surface PL of the platen 28 by the first electrostatic adsorption force during the printing process of the continuous paper 12, and during the conveyance process of the continuous paper 12, It is desirable that the continuous paper 12 be electrostatically attracted to the support surface PL of the platen 28 with a second electrostatic attraction force smaller than the first electrostatic attraction force.

  A list data of management torque values Tr1 and Tr2 of the second transport motor 34 corresponding to each material of the continuous paper 12 may be stored in the ROM 46 in advance. In this case, the controller 44 reads out the management torque values Tr1 and Tr2 of the second transport motor 34 from the ROM 46 in accordance with the material of the continuous paper 12 on which each process is performed during the transport processing and printing processing of the continuous paper 12. The torque of the second drive roller 33a is controlled by the management torque values Tr1 and Tr2 of the second transport motor 34.

  The magnitude relationship between the management torque values Tr1 and Tr2 is not limited to the above embodiment. For example, when the continuous paper 12 that has a very large swelling ratio when absorbing ink is used, the second transport motor 34 at the time of the printing process is larger than the management torque value Tr1 of the second transport motor 34 at the time of the transport process. The management torque value T2 may be set to be larger.

  The platen 28 may be provided with an air release valve that opens the inside of the negative pressure chamber 31 to the atmosphere. By using the suction force adjustment by the suction fan 29 and the air release valve in combination, the degree of decompression in the negative pressure chamber 31 can be quickly reduced, and the conveyance of the continuous paper 12 can be started at an earlier timing.

  Instead of the pressure detection sensor 32 according to the above embodiment, a flow rate detection sensor for detecting the flow rate of the air exhausted through the suction fan 29 may be provided. If the negative pressure chamber 31 is discarded by the suction fan 29, the exhaust flow rate decreases as the pressure decreases. Therefore, the pressure in the negative pressure chamber 31 can be estimated based on the exhaust flow rate detected by the flow rate detection sensor. it can.

Further, a long plastic film or the like may be used as a recording medium.

In the above-described embodiment, the recording apparatus is embodied as an ink jet printer. However, the present invention is not limited to this. Other liquids other than ink (liquids in which functional material particles are dispersed or mixed in a liquid, a flow such as a gel) It is also possible to embody the present invention in a liquid ejecting apparatus that ejects or ejects (including a solid body).
For example, a liquid that ejects a liquid (liquid material) that is dispersed or dissolved in a material such as an electrode material or a color material (pixel material) used for manufacturing a liquid crystal display, an EL (electroluminescence) display, and a surface emitting display. The liquid ejecting apparatus may be a liquid ejecting apparatus that ejects a bio-organic matter used for biochip manufacturing, or a liquid ejecting apparatus that ejects a liquid that is used as a precision pipette and serves as a sample. In addition, transparent resin liquids such as UV curable resin to form liquid injection devices that pinpoint lubricant oil onto precision machines such as watches and cameras, and micro hemispherical lenses (optical lenses) used in optical communication elements. A liquid ejecting apparatus that ejects a liquid onto the substrate, a liquid ejecting apparatus that ejects an etching solution such as acid or alkali to etch the substrate, and a liquid ejecting that ejects a liquid (fluid) such as a gel (eg, physical gel) It may be a device. The present invention can be applied to any one of these liquid ejecting apparatuses.

T1 ... Acceleration driving step, T2 ... Steady driving step, T3 ... Deceleration driving step, 11 ... Printer (recording device), 12 ... Continuous paper (target), 12a ... Roll body (roll-shaped target), 25 ... First driving roller (Drive roller), 28 ... platen (medium support part), 33a ... second drive roller, 34 ... second transport motor (second drive motor), 34E ... second encoder, 36 ... recording head (recording processing part), 44 ... Controller (control part), 71 ... Lever part (movable part), 71a ... Dog plate (widening part), 72 ... Contact part, 73 ... Sensor part 73

Claims (4)

A target support part for supporting a roll target formed by winding a long target into a roll,
Support means for supporting the target along a transport path along the length direction of the target;
A target transport system that includes a drive roller that draws from the roll target by winding the long target, and intermittently transports the target to the support means;
A recording unit that performs a recording process on the target supported by the support unit;
A control unit for controlling each transport operation of the target by the drive roller;
Before the target transport system starts each transport operation of the target, an outer diameter measuring unit that measures the outer diameter of the rolled target,
When the outer diameter measuring unit measures that the outer diameter of the roll-shaped target is equal to or less than a predetermined value, the control unit performs a transport operation when the outer diameter of the roll-shaped target is larger than a predetermined value. contrast, among the transport operation of the target, have rows conveying operation of a target while increasing the acceleration of the driving roller in the acceleration drive step for accelerating at least said driving roller from a stopped state to a predetermined speed,
In addition to the acceleration driving step, the target transport operation includes a steady driving step of rotating the driving roller that has reached a predetermined speed at a constant speed, and rotation of the driving roller.
Decelerating driving step of decelerating the speed from the predetermined speed,
The control unit, when the outer diameter measuring unit measures that the outer diameter of the roll-shaped target is equal to or less than a predetermined value, the conveyance performed when the outer diameter of the roll-shaped target is larger than a predetermined value The recording apparatus , wherein the deceleration of the driving roller in the deceleration driving step is increased as compared with the operation .   The outer diameter measuring unit includes a movable unit that is movable in response to a change in the outer diameter of the roll-shaped target, a contact unit that is provided on the movable unit and is in contact with an outer surface of the roll-shaped target, The recording apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: a sensor unit that detects a position.   The recording apparatus according to claim 2, wherein a portion of the movable portion corresponding to the detection position of the sensor portion is a widened portion that is wider than other portions. A target support part for supporting a roll target formed by winding a long target into a roll; support means for supporting the target along a transport path along a length direction of the target; and A target transport system that includes a drive roller that draws from the roll target by winding the target, intermittently transports the target to the support means, and a recording process for the target that is supported by the support means A recording unit comprising: a recording unit comprising: a recording unit including: an outer diameter measuring unit that measures an outer diameter of the roll target;
Each of the target transport operations by the target transport system includes an acceleration drive step for accelerating the rotational speed of the drive roller, a steady drive step for rotating the drive roller that has reached a predetermined speed, and the drive roller. A decelerating drive step for decelerating the rotational speed of the motor from the predetermined speed,
Before the target transport system starts each transport operation of the target, when the outer diameter measuring unit measures that the outer diameter of the roll target is a predetermined value or less, the outer surface of the roll target is removed. diameter than the transport operation performed when greater than a predetermined value, have rows conveying operation of a target while increasing the acceleration in the driving roller of at least the acceleration drive step,
When the outer diameter measuring unit measures that the outer diameter of the roll target is equal to or less than a predetermined value, compared to the transport operation performed when the outer diameter of the roll target is larger than a predetermined value, A method for controlling a recording apparatus, comprising increasing a deceleration of the driving roller in a deceleration driving step .

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