JP5861253B2 - Recording apparatus and method for controlling recording apparatus - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a recording apparatus for recording an image on a recording medium, and a control method for the recording apparatus.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, in a recording apparatus that performs recording by scanning a recording head on a recording medium, there is a type that switches the operation of a carriage when using a recording medium having a step whose thickness changes while the recording head is scanned ( For example, see Patent Document 1). The recording apparatus described in Patent Document 1 detects a change in the thickness of the recording medium during carriage scanning by an optical sensor mounted on the carriage.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 7-117277

By the way, when the step of the recording medium exists along the scanning direction of the recording head, it is difficult to detect the position of the step by an optical sensor or the like mounted on the carriage. On the other hand, the operation is switched corresponding to the step. However, when the setting related to the level difference is erroneous due to human error, appropriate processing is not performed, and there is a possibility that a problem such as the recording head colliding with the recording medium occurs at the level difference.
In view of the above problems, the present invention enables a recording apparatus that scans a recording head on a recording medium to perform recording according to the position of the step on a recording medium having a step whose thickness changes, and malfunctions due to a setting error. The purpose is to prevent.

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a recording apparatus for recording on a recording medium having a step whose thickness changes , a conveying means for conveying the recording medium, a recording head mounted on a carriage, and the recording medium A gap roller that is mounted on the carriage together with the recording head at a position different from the recording head in the conveying direction of the recording medium, and that sets a gap between the recording surface and the recording head in contact with the recording surface of the recording medium; On the recording medium in a main scanning direction orthogonal to the conveyance direction of the recording medium, a control means for controlling the carriage driving means, and the recording medium with the step being in the main scanning direction. when conveyed along, the storage means for storing predetermined stepped region so as to include the position of the step, the For example, the control means controls the carriage driving means, in the step region is characterized by scanning the carriage at a lower speed than the outer of said stepped region.
According to the present invention, the gap roller and the recording head are moved at a low speed at a low speed in a step area including the positions of the steps of a plurality of recording media that can be recorded by the recording apparatus. Can be prevented from causing a malfunction due to contact between the recording head and the recording medium, and a setting related to the level difference of each recording medium is not required, so that a malfunction due to a setting error does not occur.

Further, in the above recording apparatus, before Symbol storage means, and to store the information about the position and size of the step region defined by a distance from the conveying direction leading end of the recording medium.
According to the present invention, it is possible to reliably correspond to the positions of the steps of a plurality of recording media, to reduce the scanning speed of the carriage by the steps, and to prevent problems due to contact between the recording head and the recording medium.

Further, the present invention is configured so that recording can be performed on a recording medium having no step in the recording apparatus, and the control unit is configured for either the recording medium having the step or the recording medium having no step. Further, the carriage is scanned in the step region at a lower speed than outside the step region.
According to the present invention, it is possible to perform recording on both a recording medium having a step and a recording medium having no step, while performing recording without distinguishing the recording medium depending on the presence or absence of the step. It is possible to reliably prevent problems caused by the contact between the recording head and the recording medium without requiring the setting for the step. Further, since a process for discriminating the recording medium is not required, the processing load is light and an improvement in throughput can be expected.

In the recording apparatus, the control unit may include a normal recording mode in which recording is performed on a recording medium having no step, and the recording medium having the step so that the step is along the transport direction. It is possible to switch between a first binding mode for transporting and recording and a second binding mode for transporting and recording the recording medium having the step so that the step is along the main scanning direction, Only in the second binding mode , the carriage is scanned in the step region at a lower speed than outside the step region.
According to the present invention, it is possible to perform recording on both a recording medium having a step and a recording medium having no step, while an operation corresponding to the step is omitted for a recording medium having no step. Efficiency can be improved.

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention differs from the recording head in a recording medium mounted in a carriage, a conveying unit that conveys a recording medium having a step whose thickness changes, and a conveying direction of the recording medium. in position, is mounted on the carriage together with the recording head, a gap roller for pressing the recording surface of the recording medium, the carriage on the recording medium, reciprocally scanned in the main scanning direction perpendicular to the conveying direction of the recording medium and a carriage drive means for, control a control method for a recording apparatus for recording on said recording medium, said recording medium, when the step is transported along the main scanning direction, the position of the step The control means for storing the step area set in advance so as to include and controlling the carriage driving means controls the carriage driving means, In serial step region is characterized by scanning the carriage at a lower speed than the outer of said stepped region.
According to the present invention, the gap roller and the recording head are moved at a low speed at a low speed in a step area including the positions of the steps of a plurality of recording media that can be recorded by the recording apparatus. Can be prevented from causing a malfunction due to contact between the recording head and the recording medium, and a setting related to the level difference of each recording medium is not required, so that a malfunction due to a setting error does not occur.

  According to the present invention, in response to the steps of a plurality of recording media that can be recorded by the recording apparatus, the carriage can be scanned at a low speed to prevent problems due to contact between the recording head and the recording medium. This eliminates the need for settings related to the system, so that malfunctions due to setting errors can be avoided.

1 is an external perspective view of a printer according to an embodiment. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a printer body. FIG. 3 is a side sectional view of the printer body. FIG. 3 is a perspective view illustrating a state where an upper part of the printer main body is removed. FIG. 3 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of a main part of the printer body. FIG. 3 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of a main part of the printer body. 2 is a functional block diagram of a printer control system. FIG. It is explanatory drawing which shows operation | movement of the printer at the time of passbook recording. 3 is a flowchart illustrating an example of an operation of a printer. 6 is a flowchart illustrating another operation example of the printer.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an appearance of a printer 10 as a recording apparatus according to an embodiment to which the invention is applied. The printer 10 of the present embodiment is a dot impact printer that includes a recording head 18 (see FIGS. 2 and 3) that includes a plurality of recording wires, and the recording wire is recorded from the recording head 18 via an ink ribbon. By striking toward the medium, dots are formed on the recording surface of the recording medium, and characters, images, symbols, etc. are recorded. An image or the like recorded by the printer 10 is composed of one line or a plurality of lines, and is recorded for each line.
A host computer 68 (FIG. 7) is connected to the printer 10 as an external device, and the printer 10 records (prints) in units of lines or pages based on various commands and data input from the host computer 68. Run.

As a recording medium usable in the printer 10, there are continuous sheets such as roll paper and fanfold paper, in addition to a cut sheet having a fixed size or an arbitrary size other than a fixed size. These cut sheets and continuous sheets may be made of paper such as plain paper, copy paper, cardboard, or the like, or a sheet made of synthetic resin, and these sheets may be processed by coating or infiltration. Further, as a cut sheet, in addition to a standard size cut paper (PPC paper, postcard, etc.), it is also possible to record in a booklet passbook or the like in which a plurality of sheets are bound.
In the present embodiment, a case where an image is recorded on the recording medium 100 by the printer 10 will be described. The recording medium 100 is the above cut sheet or passbook.

  The printer 10 shown in FIG. 1 has a configuration in which a main body is housed in an exterior formed by connecting an upper case 13 and a lower case 14 vertically below a cover 12 that is disposed at the top so as to be openable and closable. A manual feed port 15 for manually supplying and discharging the recording medium 100 is provided on the front surface of the exterior. In the present embodiment, the direction in which the recording medium 100 is inserted into the manual feed slot 15 is designated as direction A, the direction in which the recording medium 100 is ejected from the manual feed slot 15 is designated as direction B, and arrows A and B in the figure. Show.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the printer main body 11 housed in the exterior of the printer 10, and FIG. 3 is a side sectional view of the printer 10. A symbol C shown in FIG. 3 indicates a conveyance path of the recording medium 100.
As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the printer main body 11 has a main body frame including a left side frame 16 and a right side frame 17, and the main body frame includes a recording head 18 and a carriage 19. A mechanism unit 20, a platen 21 facing the recording head 18, a first transport mechanism unit 24 including a first transport roller 22 and a second transport roller 23, a second transport roller 26 including a third transport roller 25 and a fourth transport roller 26. The conveyance mechanism unit 27, the magnetic data reading unit 29 including the magnetic head 34 for reading / writing magnetic information of the magnetic stripe 101 included in the recording medium 100, and the recording medium 100 floating when reading / writing the magnetic information It is the structure which provided the sheet pressing part 30 which presses from above.

The left side frame 16 and the right side frame 17 are erected so as to face each other at the left and right ends of the printer main body 11. A carriage shaft 31 is bridged between the side frames 16, 17. , 17, the flat sheet-shaped front sheet guide 32 and the rear sheet guide 33 are fixed, and constitute the floor surface of the conveyance path C in which the recording medium 100 is conveyed. A platen 21 described later is arranged between the front seat guide 32 and the rear seat guide 33.
The left side frame 16 and the right side frame 17 constitute a ceiling surface of the conveyance path C of the recording medium 100, and a front frame 45 and a rear that support a second conveyance roller 23 and a fourth conveyance roller 26 described later. The frame 46 is fixed.

The first transport mechanism 24 is positioned on the front side of the platen 21, and the second transport mechanism 27 is positioned on the rear side of the platen 21. The first transport roller 22 and the third transport roller 25 are drive rollers that are rotationally driven by a transport motor 36 (FIG. 7) and a driving wheel train (not shown), and the second transport roller 23 and the fourth transport roller 26 are respectively , A driven roller that rotates as the first transport roller 22 and the third transport roller 25 rotate.
The 1st conveyance mechanism part 24 and the 2nd conveyance mechanism part 27 comprise a conveyance means with the conveyance motor 36 mentioned later.

As shown in FIG. 3, an alignment plate 54 is disposed between the platen 21 and the first transport roller 22. The alignment plate 54 is a plate-like member that extends along the width direction of the recording medium 100, that is, the digit direction, and is perpendicular to the conveyance path C. The alignment plate 54 is embedded under the transport path C, and moves forward and backward in the transport path C by the operation of the alignment motor 37 (FIG. 7). By causing the alignment plate 37 to protrude in the conveyance path C by the operation of the alignment motor 37 and conveying the recording medium 100 so as to abut against the alignment plate 54 by the first conveyance mechanism 24, the skew of the recording medium 100 is corrected. . This aligning plate 54 and the aligning motor 37 that drives the aligning plate 54 are combined to constitute an aligning means.
The magnetic head 34 is reciprocally driven by a magnetic motor 38 (FIG. 7) along two magnetic head guides that are bridged in parallel between the side frames 16 and 17. The magnetic head 34 magnetically records various information on the magnetic stripe 101 (FIG. 1) of the passbook used as the recording medium 100 and reads the information.

The carriage 19 is slidably inserted into the carriage shaft 31 and travels (scans) along the carriage shaft 31 by forward or reverse operation of a carriage drive motor 35 (FIG. 7) as a carriage drive means. The scanning direction of the carriage 19 is defined as the main scanning direction. The main scanning direction coincides with the digit direction.
A recording head 18 is mounted on the carriage 19 and moves along the main scanning direction on the recording surface of the recording medium 100 together with the carriage 19.
A platen 21 is disposed directly below the recording head 18 along the main scanning direction. The platen 21 is elastically supported while being urged by a biasing spring 40 (FIG. 3) from below, and the recording head is caused by this elastic force. The recording output of the recording wire protruding from 18 is received.
In addition, an ink ribbon drawn from the ribbon cartridge 39 is disposed on the carriage 19 so as to be positioned in front of the recording head 18. The recording head 18 protrudes a recording wire while running in the main scanning direction, and strikes the recording surface of the recording medium 100 via the ink ribbon. The ink of the ink ribbon is applied between the platen 21 and the recording head 18. An image including characters is recorded on the recording medium 100 by being attached to the recording medium 100 conveyed in between.

A gap roller 41 is mounted on the carriage 19 side by side with the recording head 18. The gap roller 41 is located on the side of the surface from which the recording head 18 protrudes the recording wire. The lower end of the gap roller 41 is positioned below the front end surface of the recording head 18 in a state in which the recording wire is not driven out, and resists the urging force of the urging spring 40 that pushes up the platen 21, on the platen 21 or the platen 21. The recording medium 100. Since the gap roller 41 is rotatably supported by the carriage 19, the gap roller 41 can move while being in contact with the platen 21 or the recording medium 100 while rotating when the carriage 19 is scanned.
Therefore, when the recording head 18 records on the recording medium 100, the distance (gap) between the leading end surface of the recording head 18 and the recording surface of the recording medium 100 is maintained at an appropriate size by the gap roller 41. Even if the thickness of the recording medium 100 changes during recording, the platen 21 elastically supported by the biasing spring 40 is displaced up and down to absorb the difference in thickness, and the gap is kept at an appropriate size. Be drunk.

The printer 10 also includes various sensors for controlling the recording operation.
As shown in FIG. 3, a plurality of alignment sensors 52 are disposed on the front side of the alignment plate 54. The alignment sensor 52 is, for example, a transmissive optical sensor that detects the presence or absence of the recording medium 100 by using a light emitting unit (such as an LED) and a light receiving unit (such as a phototransistor) that are opposed to each other with the conveyance path C interposed therebetween. The plurality of alignment sensors 52 are arranged side by side in the main scanning direction at predetermined intervals, and based on the detection state of the plurality of alignment sensors 52, whether or not the leading edge of the recording medium 100 is aligned along the alignment sensor 52, that is, the recording medium 100. It is possible to determine whether or not the alignment is successful. Further, since the leading end of the recording medium 100 is at the position of the alignment plate 54 when the alignment of the recording medium 100 is completed, it is based on the number of operation steps of the transport motor 36 after the alignment completion is detected by the alignment sensor 52. The position of the recording medium 100 in the transport direction can be obtained.

A medium width detection sensor 55 is mounted on the carriage 19 on the rear side of the recording head 18. The medium width detection sensor 55 is a reflective optical sensor in which a light emitting unit (LED or the like) and a light receiving unit (phototransistor or the like) are arranged side by side toward the conveyance path C, for example. The medium width detection sensor 55 moves on the platen 21 as the carriage 19 scans. During this movement, the detected value of the medium width detection sensor 55 and the scanning position of the carriage 19 are made to correspond to each other. And the width of the recording medium 100 are required.
Further, an insertion sensor 53 (FIG. 7) is disposed on the front side of the second transport roller 23 of the printer 10. The insertion sensor 53 is a transmissive optical sensor composed of, for example, a light emitting unit (LED or the like) and a light receiving unit (phototransistor or the like) disposed opposite to each other across the conveyance path C, and is manually inserted from the manual feed port 15. The recording medium 100 detected is detected.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing a state in which the upper part of the printer main body 11 is removed. FIG. 5 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the main part of the printer main body 11 showing the vicinity of the recording head 18. FIG. 6 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the main part in the vicinity of the recording head 18.
As shown in FIG. 4, a sheet guide 60 made of an elongated resin film is extended on the platen 21 in the main scanning direction.
As shown in FIG. 6, the front side of the sheet guide 60 is supported by the guide support portion 70, and the opposite side is in contact with the upper surface of the platen 21. When the recording medium 100 is inserted from the manual feed port 15 and conveyed along the conveyance path C toward the recording head 18, the sheet guide 60 comes into contact with the recording surface of the recording medium 100, and the gap roller 41 is placed on the sheet guide 60. Abut.
The gap roller 41 is located on the front side of the surface from which the recording head 18 protrudes the recording wire, and a part of the circumferential surface of the gap roller 41 is on the sheet guide 60 extending from the front side. During scanning, the gap roller 41 reciprocates on the sheet guide 60.

As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the guide support portion 70 that supports the seat guide 60 rotates the guide support shaft 71 spanned between the left side frame 16 and the right side frame 17 and the guide support shaft 71. A guide support bearing 72 that is freely supported, a spring support plate 73 that is fixed to an end portion of the guide support shaft 71 on the right side frame 17 side, and protrudes toward the recording head 18 side, and the guide support shaft 71 together with the spring support plate 73. A fixed contact portion 73A that protrudes on the opposite side of the spring receiving plate 73, an urging spring 75 that urges the spring receiving plate 73 from below, and a lower portion of the urging spring 75 are accommodated and supported from below. And a spring accommodating portion 74 that is configured. The base end portion of the sheet guide 60 is bonded and fixed to the guide support shaft 71 with, for example, a double-sided tape or an adhesive.
The right side frame 17 is provided with a presser lever 76 adjacent to the guide support portion 70. The presser lever 76 includes a rotary shaft 78 that is rotatably supported by the right side frame 17, a presser protrusion 79 that protrudes from the rotary shaft 78 toward the guide support portion 70, and a side opposite to the presser protrusion 79. A cam contact portion 77 protruding substantially upward is provided. The presser lever 76 is urged counterclockwise in FIGS. 5 and 6 by a presser spring (not shown). The presser protrusion 79 of the presser lever 76 is engaged in a state of being on the spring receiving plate 73 of the guide support part 70.

The guide support portion 70 is urged counterclockwise in FIG. 5 about the guide support shaft 71 by the urging force of the urging spring 75 housed in the spring housing portion 74. Here, the presser spring (not shown) that biases the presser lever 76 has a stronger biasing force than the biasing spring 75 that biases the guide support portion 70. Therefore, during the scanning of the carriage 19, as shown in FIG. 5, the presser lever 76 is urged by the urging force of the presser spring (not shown), and the presser projection 79 presses the spring receiving plate 73 downward. . Due to this pressing force, the guide support portion 70 rotates clockwise in the figure against the urging force of the urging spring 75, and the spring receiving plate 73 is kept pressed down. As a result, the sheet guide 60 is pressed against the platen 21 and is sandwiched between the gap roller 41 of the carriage 19 and the platen 21 or the recording medium 100.
On the other hand, when the carriage 19 moves to the end position (standby position) on the right side frame 17 side, the gap roller 41 is detached from the end of the sheet guide 60 and the pressing force to the sheet guide 60 is released. At the same time, when the carriage 19 is moved to the standby position, the cam inclined surface 19A formed on the side surface of the carriage 19 on the right side frame 17 side comes into contact with the cam contact portion 77. The cam contact portion 77 is pushed downward against the urging force of the presser spring (not shown) as the cam slope 19A approaches, and the presser lever 76 rotates clockwise in the figure. Along with this, the pressing force applied to the spring receiving plate 73 by the pressing protrusion 79 of the pressing lever 76 is released, and the spring receiving plate 73 is pushed up by the urging force of the urging spring 75 instead. Then, the guide support portion 70 rotates counterclockwise in the figure, and the contact portion 73A hits the front seat guide 32 and stops.
For this reason, while the carriage 19 is in the standby position, the guide support portion 70 maintains a state in which the spring receiving plate 73 is on the upper side and the contact portion 73A is on the lower side. That is, the sheet guide 60 is flipped upward away from the platen 21.

  Although not shown, an inclined surface extending downward is formed at the end of the platen 21 on the right side frame 17 side, and an end portion that is a flat step lower than the other portions is connected to the inclined surface. When the carriage 19 moves to the standby position, the gap roller 41 moves while being in contact with the upper surface of the platen 21 and stops at the end portion. In this state, the guide support part 70 rotates and the sheet guide 60 is flipped up.

The sheet guide 60 guides the recording medium 100 manually inserted from the manual feed port 15 so as to be smoothly conveyed to the lower side of the recording head 18.
The gap roller 41 is a roller that rotates while being in contact with the recording surface of the platen 21 or the recording medium 100 as described above. In order to avoid idling, the gap roller 41 is made of rubber or the like so that its peripheral surface has a relatively high friction coefficient. Is arranged. Due to this friction, it is difficult to transport the recording medium 100 while the gap roller 41 is in contact with the recording medium 100, but the sheet guide 60 is interposed between the recording medium 100 and the gap roller 41. Friction between the recording medium 100 and the gap roller 41 is reduced, and the recording medium 100 can be easily conveyed in the direction A in the figure.
Further, when the sheet guide 60 uses a stepped material such as a booklet or a passbook having a binding as the recording medium 100, the gap roller 41 moving in the main scanning direction can smoothly get over the step. It also has. Here, the step refers to a portion where the height (thickness) of the recording medium changes. In this embodiment, an example using the recording medium 100 having a linear step along the transport direction will be described. For example, the recording medium has a configuration having a plurality of linear steps, or a configuration in which a plurality of steps cross each other. The present invention can be applied even to a configuration having curved steps.
The sheet guide 60 is flipped up by moving the carriage 19 to the standby position when the recording medium 100 is transported in the direction B in the figure for feeding the recording medium 100 or discharging the recording medium 100. Since it is away from the medium 100, there is no obstacle to the conveyance.

Incidentally, when the recording medium 100 is a booklet-type passbook, a binding portion 102 is formed in the approximate center of the recording medium 100 as indicated by a broken line in FIG. When recording on the first and last pages of the passbook, the thickness of the recording medium 100 changes with the binding portion 102 as a boundary. The recording medium 100 used in the printer 10 is used in a direction in which the binding portion 102 is parallel to the main scanning direction. Therefore, when recording in the vicinity of the binding portion 102, as shown in FIG. The binding portion 102 may be positioned between the roller 41 and the wire protruding surface of the recording head 18. That is, the thickness of the recording medium 100 may be different between the gap roller 41 and the recording head 18.
In such a case, if the recording head 18 is transported toward the recording medium 100 from the standby position or the end position on the left side frame 16 side, the tip of the recording head 18 may collide with the side end of the recording medium 100. Is done. Normally, since the gap roller 41 presses the recording medium 100, the recording head 18 does not collide with the recording medium 100. However, when the binding portion 102 is between the gap roller 41 and the recording head 18 as shown in FIG. 6, even if the gap roller 41 presses the recording medium 100, the thickness of the recording medium 100 immediately below the recording head 18 is large. Since the recording medium 100 may be large and the recording medium 100 may bulge upward, the recording head 18 may come into contact with the recording medium 100.

  If the gap roller 41 and the recording head 18 are arranged in the main scanning direction, and the sizes of the recording head 18 and the gap roller 41 in the transport direction are substantially the same, the binding unit 102 has the gap roller 41 as shown in FIG. And the recording head 18 are not located. However, in this configuration, recording cannot be performed by the recording head 18 while the gap roller 41 rolls on the sheet guide 60. Further, when recording is performed on the side edge of the recording medium 100, the gap roller 41 may drop off from the recording medium 100, and the presence of the gap roller 41 is disadvantageous in that the scanning range of the carriage 19 is narrowed. . That is, the gap roller 41 positioned on the front side or the rear side with respect to the recording head 18 presses the recording medium 100 via the sheet guide 60 to ensure an appropriate gap between the recording head 18 and the recording medium 100. However, in the configuration of the printer 10 that performs recording, it is necessary to take measures against the recording head 18 coming into contact with the side edge of the recording medium 100 when recording the vicinity of the binding portion 102.

  Therefore, when the passbook having the binding unit 102 is used as the recording medium 100, the printer 10 switches the scanning speed of the carriage 19 to a low speed when recording the vicinity of the binding unit 102. Thereby, even if the recording head 18 contacts the side edge of the recording medium 100, the recording medium 100 is pushed down by the recording head 18, and normal recording can be performed. If the carriage 19 is scanned at a high speed, the recording head 18 and the recording medium 100 may collide and cause step-out or damage to the recording head 18. However, if the recording head 18 rides on the recording medium 100 at a low speed, the recording head 18 will come off. There is no risk of adjustment or damage. The switching of the scanning speed is controlled by the control system of the printer 10.

  The printer 10 includes the drive control of the first and second transport mechanisms 24 and 27, the travel control of the carriage 19, the control of the recording operation by the recording wire of the recording head 18, the read / write control of the magnetic data reading unit 29, and the like. As a control unit that controls the whole, for example, a control board unit 50 is provided below the rear side of the printer main body 11.

FIG. 7 is a functional block diagram showing the electrical configuration of the printer 10, that is, the configuration of the control system provided in the control board unit 50.
As shown in FIG. 7, the printer 10 includes a CPU 61, a RAM 63 that temporarily stores programs and data executed by the CPU 61, and a flash memory 64 as storage means that stores control programs executed by the CPU 61. These units are connected to each other via a bus 62. Further, a gate array (G / A) 65 is connected to the bus 62, and the recording head 18, alignment sensor 52, insertion sensor 53, medium width detection sensor 55, and motor driver 66 are connected to the gate array 65. The The gate array 65 acquires the output voltage values of the alignment sensor 52, the insertion sensor 53, and the medium width detection sensor 55, and outputs them to the CPU 61. Further, the gate array 65 drives the recording head 18 under the control of the CPU 61 to cause a recording wire (not shown) provided in the recording head 18 to project. Further, the gate array 65 controls the motor driver 66 under the control of the CPU 61 to drive the carriage drive motor 35, the transport motor 36, the alignment motor 37, and the magnetic motor 38.

  The carriage drive motor 35 is a motor that moves the carriage 19 along the main scanning direction, and the carriage 19 reciprocates as the carriage drive motor 35 rotates forward and backward. The conveyance motor 36 is a motor that rotates the first conveyance roller 22 and the third conveyance roller 25 described above, and the alignment motor 37 is a motor that moves the alignment plate 54 into and out of the conveyance path of the recording medium 100. The magnetic motor 38 is a motor that scans the magnetic data reading unit 29 (FIG. 2). These motors are all stepping motors, and the number of operation steps follows the pulses input from the motor driver 66 to each motor. The number of operation steps of these motors can be monitored more accurately by using a rotary encoder (not shown) or a linear encoder (not shown). Further, the paper position and the paper edge position can be obtained by relating the carriage position obtained from the number of pulses and the output of the sensor.

  The CPU 61 controls the gate array 65 and the motor driver 66 based on a control program stored in the flash memory 64 and acquires the detection state of each sensor via the gate array 65. For example, the CPU 61 samples these output voltage values of each sensor through a gate array 65 at a predetermined period (for example, 100 [ms (milliseconds)]) and performs A / D conversion to indicate these output voltages. Data is acquired, and the detection state of the recording medium 100 in each sensor is acquired based on this data.

Further, an interface (I / F) 67 connected to an external device of the printer 10 is connected to the bus 62. The interface 67 includes connectors conforming to various standards such as a serial interface, a parallel interface, a USB interface, and a network card interface, and is connected to an external device via this connector.
A host computer 68 outside the printer 10 is connected to the interface 67. The host computer 68 transmits / receives various information to / from the CPU 61 in accordance with the operation of the operator. This information includes various commands such as a recording start position designation command for instructing the start of recording by the recording head 18, a recording command, a transport command, and a discharge command, character and image data to be recorded on the recording medium 100, and the like. Here, the recording start position designation command includes the size of the recording medium 100, the distances from the top, bottom, left and right ends of the recording medium 100 to the recording area, the number of lines in the recording area, and the digits per line. Numbers etc. are included. Note that an operation unit that receives an input operation and a display unit that displays an operation result or the like may be connected to the bus 62.

As described above, the printer 10 stores, in the flash memory 64, a set value that defines a scanning range at a low speed in advance in order to perform control for switching the scanning speed of the carriage 19 in the vicinity of the binding unit 102.
FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram showing an operation when recording in the passbook as the recording medium 100. In the drawing, symbols A and B indicate the relationship with the direction of conveyance in the printer 10.
The printer 10 can record in various sizes of passbooks having the binding unit 102, and is illustrated as the smallest passbook 100a and the largest passbook 100b used in the printer 10. The bankbooks 100a and 100b are inserted into the printer 10 with the upper side in the figure as the tip.

The range in which the scanning speed in the vicinity of the binding portion 102 is low is the range 103a within the predetermined distance centered on the binding portion 102a in the passbook 100a, and the range 103b within the predetermined distance centered on the binding portion 102b in the passbook 100b. It is. The straight lines that define the ranges 103a and 103b mean that the straight lines are located immediately below the recording position of the printer 10, that is, the recording head 18.
The ranges 103a and 103b are not limited to the range in which the binding portions 102a and 102b are completely centered. For example, when the gap roller 41 is located on the front side of the recording head 18 as shown in FIG. , 103b may be offset to the proximal end side of the binding portions 102a, 102b. There is a possibility that the recording head 18 may come into contact with the recording medium 100 only when the gap roller 41 and the recording head 18 are located on the opposite side with the binding portion 102 interposed therebetween.

  As shown in FIG. 8, the ranges 103a and 103b in which the carriage 19 is scanned at a low speed are different between when the passbook 100a is used and when the passbook 100b is used. Therefore, it is conceivable that the size of the recording medium 100 is designated by a recording start position designation command or the like transmitted from the host computer 68 to the printer 10, and the range in which the carriage 19 is scanned at a low speed is determined based on this designation. Due to an input error or setting value of an operator who operates the host computer 68, or an error of a person who operates the printer 10, for example, although the bankbook 100b is inserted, the recording control for the bankbook 100a is performed. It can happen. In this case, the carriage 19 should be slowed down in the range 103b, but the carriage 19 is slowed down in the range 103a located at a position completely different from this, thereby avoiding a collision between the recording medium 100 and the recording head 18. Cannot be obtained.

In order to avoid a malfunction due to a setting error or an operation error, the printer 10 previously includes a binding area W (step area) including a range 103a corresponding to the smallest passbook 100a and a range 103b corresponding to the largest passbook 100b. Is set as a range for switching the carriage 19 to a low speed and stored in the flash memory 64. The passbooks 100a and 100b are passbooks having a minimum or maximum size within a range preferable for the specification of the printer 10 or a recordable range, and are notified to the user in advance, for example. The distance L1 from the leading end of the recording medium 100 to the leading end position of the range 103a of the passbook 100a is obtained from the distance from the leading end to the binding portion 102a and the width of the range 103a, and the distance L2 to the trailing end position of the range 103a of the passbook 100b. Is obtained from the distance from the leading end to the binding portion 102b and the width of the range 103b. The position and size of the binding area W can be obtained using these distances L1 and L2, but the size and position of the binding area W may be stored in the flash memory 64, or the distances L1 and L2 may be stored. May be stored.
Even if the recording medium 100 is a copy sheet or a single sheet without the binding unit 102, there is no possibility of causing a problem by temporarily reducing the conveyance speed of the carriage 19. The printer 10 may perform the above control regardless of the type of the recording medium 100. In this case, even if the setting relating to the type or the like of the recording medium 100 is incorrect, it is possible to reliably avoid problems due to the collision between the recording medium 100 and the recording head 18. In this case, the throughput may be slightly reduced, but the effect on the throughput is limited as compared with the case where the recording operation is stopped only by reducing the operation speed of the carriage 19 in a limited short range. In almost all cases, there will be no impact that would cause a drop in convenience.

  If the operation speed of the carriage 19 is always set to a low speed in the binding area W, it is possible to reliably prevent step-out and breakage when recording near the binding section 102 regardless of the size of the passbook. As a specific method for switching the scanning speed to a low speed, a method for switching the rotational speed of the carriage drive motor 35 to a low speed, or a gear for changing the scanning speed to a drive mechanism (not shown) that connects the carriage drive motor 35 and the carriage 19 is used. There is a method of providing a structure and switching this gear.

  The values of the distances L1 and L2 may be input by an operation unit (not shown) of the printer 10 or a command transmitted from the host computer 68 and stored in the flash memory 64, but each time recording is performed on the recording medium 100. The CPU 61 of the printer 10 may automatically detect the binding unit 102, obtain distances L <b> 1 and L <b> 2 based on the detected position of the binding unit 102, and store them in the flash memory 64. In this case, when the CPU 61 detects the binding portion 102 that deviates from the distances L1 and L2 already stored in the flash memory 64, the CPU 61 resets the distances L1 and L2 so as to include the newly detected binding portion 102. And stored in the flash memory 64.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart illustrating the operation of the printer 10.
The operation shown in FIG. 9 is realized by the CPU 61 reading and executing the control program stored in the flash memory 64. When executing the operation shown in FIG. 9, the CPU 61 functions as a control means.
When the CPU 61 of the printer 10 detects that the recording medium 100 has been inserted from the manual feed slot 15 by the insertion sensor 53 (step S11), the alignment motor 54 advances the alignment plate 54 to the transport path C by the alignment motor 37, and the transport motor 36. Thus, the first transport mechanism 24 is driven to align the recording medium 100 (step S12). When the CPU 61 detects that the alignment is completed based on the detection value of the alignment sensor 52, the CPU 61 receives the recording position designation command transmitted from the host computer 68 (step S13), and reaches the recording start position designated by this command. The recording medium 100 is conveyed (step S14).

The CPU 61 receives a recording command and a conveyance command from the host computer 68 (step S15), and determines whether or not the current recording position is within the binding area W (step S16).
Here, when the current recording position is not within the binding area W (step S16; No), the CPU 61 executes recording of one or more lines in accordance with the command received in step S15, and records each line. The recording medium 100 is transported according to the transport command (step S17). Then, it is determined whether or not the recording on the currently set recording medium 100 is completed (step S19). If the recording is not completed (step S19; No), the process returns to step S15. When recording is completed (step S19; Yes), the CPU 61 receives a paper discharge command transmitted from the host computer 68 (step S20), and conveys the recording medium 100 toward the manual feed port 15 (step S20). In step S21, the process proceeds to a waiting state for waiting for a new recording medium 100 to be inserted into the manual feed slot 15 (step S22), and the process is terminated.

  On the other hand, if the CPU 61 determines that the current recording position is within the binding area W (step S16; Yes), the CPU 61 switches the scanning speed of the carriage 19 to a low speed and sets one or more lines according to the command received in step S15. While recording a line, the recording medium 100 is transported according to the transport command every time one line is recorded (step S18), and the process proceeds to step S19. The scanning speed is, for example, about half or more of the normal conveyance speed executed in step S17.

The printer 10 not only switches the scanning speed to the low speed in the binding area W for all the recording media 100 but also reduces the scanning speed in the binding area W according to the type of the recording medium 100. Control for determining whether or not to perform switching control may be performed. The operation in this case is shown in FIG.
The operation shown in FIG. 10 is realized by the CPU 61 reading and executing the control program stored in the flash memory 64. When executing the operation shown in FIG. 10, the CPU 61 functions as a control means. In the operation of FIG. 10, the same processing as that of FIG. 9 is denoted by the same step number and description thereof is omitted.

  The printer 10 can execute a normal recording mode in which recording is performed on a recording medium 100 other than the bankbook, that is, a cut sheet without the binding unit 102, and a bankbook recording mode in which the bankbook is recorded as the recording medium 100. The passbook recording mode is divided into a vertical binding mode for processing a passbook having a binding portion 102 in the direction along the conveyance direction and a horizontal binding mode for processing a passbook having a binding portion 102 in a direction along the main scanning direction. The CPU 61 can execute these three operation modes. The operation mode is switched based on information included in a recording start position designation command transmitted from the host computer 68 after recording is started.

The CPU 61 of the printer 10 executes the operations of steps S11 to S13, and determines whether or not the operation mode is the passbook recording mode based on the recording position designation command transmitted from the host computer 68 (step S31). If it is determined that the passbook recording mode is selected, the CPU 61 further determines whether the mode is the vertical binding mode or the horizontal binding mode (step S32). If it is determined that the mode is the vertical binding mode, the CPU 61 performs steps S14 to S22. Perform the action.
On the other hand, when the operation mode is not the passbook recording mode (step S31; No) and when the operation mode is the passbook recording mode but the vertical binding mode (step S32; Yes), the CPU 61 records at the normal operation speed. Do. That is, the CPU 61 conveys the recording medium 100 to the recording start position designated by the recording start position designation command (step S33), receives the recording command and the conveyance command from the host computer 68 (step S34), and follows the received command. Recording of one line or a plurality of lines is executed and the recording medium 100 is transported according to the transport command every time one line is recorded (step S35). Then, it is determined whether or not the recording on the currently set recording medium 100 is completed (step S36). If the recording is not completed (step S36; No), the process returns to step S34. If the recording is completed (step S36; Yes), the CPU 61 proceeds to step S20.

  As described above, the printer 10 according to the embodiment to which the present invention is applied is a printer that performs recording on the recording medium 100 having the binding portion 102, and includes the recording head 18 mounted on the carriage 19 and the recording head 18. A gap roller 41 that is mounted on the carriage 19 and sets a gap between the recording surface and the recording head 18 in contact with the recording surface of the recording medium 100; a carriage drive motor 35 that reciprocates the carriage 19 on the recording medium 100; A CPU 61 that controls the carriage drive motor 35 and a flash memory 64 that stores a binding area W that is preset so as to include the binding sections 102 of a plurality of recording media 100 that can be recorded by the printer 10. In the binding area W, the carriage drive motor 35 is controlled. Scanning the carriage 19 at a lower speed than the outer parts region W. As a result, the gap roller 41 and the recording head 18 are moved at low speed in the binding area W that is preset and stored in the flash memory 64 so as to include the binding sections 102 of the plurality of recording media 100 that can be recorded by the printer 10. , The carriage 19 can be scanned at a low speed corresponding to the binding portion 102 to prevent a problem caused by the contact between the recording head 18 and the recording medium 100, and setting for the binding portion 102 of each recording medium 100 is necessary. Does not cause malfunctions due to incorrect settings.

  In addition, the printer 10 includes a conveyance unit that conveys the recording medium 100, and the carriage 19 is reciprocally scanned perpendicular to the conveyance direction of the recording medium 100, and the recording head 18 and the gap roller 41 are recorded on the carriage 19. The flash memory 64 is arranged side by side in the transport direction of 100 and stores information on the position and size of the binding area W defined by the distance from the front end of the recording medium 100 in the transport direction. The position of the binding portion 102 can be reliably handled, and the scanning speed of the carriage 19 can be lowered at the binding portion 102, thereby preventing problems caused by contact between the recording head 18 and the recording medium 100. In particular, with respect to the recording medium 100 having the binding portion 102 extending along the main scanning direction of the carriage 19, the gap roller 41 rides on the thin side corresponding to the difference in thickness generated at the binding portion 102 as a boundary, and the thick side In the case where there is a possibility that the recording head 18 may come into contact with the recording head 18, it is possible to reliably prevent problems due to the contact between the recording head 18 and the recording medium 100.

  Further, as described with reference to FIG. 9, the printer 10 can record a cut sheet or the like that does not have the binding unit 102 as the recording medium 100, and the CPU 61 has the recording medium 100 having the binding unit 102 and the binding unit. Since the carriage 19 is scanned at a lower speed in the binding area W than the outside of the binding area W, the recording can be performed regardless of the presence or absence of the binding area 102 with respect to any of the recording media 100 that do not have 102. On the other hand, by processing without distinguishing the recording medium 100 depending on the presence or absence of the binding portion 102, it is possible to make a setting based on the contact between the recording head 18 and the recording medium 100 without requiring settings regarding the binding portion 102 of each recording medium 100. Defects can be reliably prevented. In addition, since the process for discriminating the recording medium 100 is not required, the processing load is light and an improvement in throughput can be expected.

  Further, as described with reference to FIG. 10, the printer 10 moves the carriage 19 at a lower speed than the outside of the binding portion area W in the binding portion area W only when recording on the recording medium 100 having the binding portion 102. In this case, it is possible to record on both the recording medium 100 having the binding portion 102 and the recording medium 100 having no binding portion 102, while the recording medium 100 having no binding portion 102 is allowed to be recorded. On the other hand, since the operation corresponding to the binding unit 102 is omitted, the processing efficiency can be improved.

The above-described embodiment is merely an aspect of the present invention, and can be arbitrarily modified and applied within the scope of the present invention. For example, in the above-described embodiment, the scanning speed of the carriage 19 can be set in two stages, and the binding area W is described as being scanned at a low speed. However, the present invention is not limited to this. Alternatively, the scanning speed may be switched in more stages. In this case, it is preferable that the binding section W has the slowest speed. In the above embodiment, a passbook is described as an example of a recording medium having a binding portion (step), but the present invention is not limited to this, and has a step whose thickness changes. Any recording medium can be used. Furthermore, the printer 10 is not limited to a form connected to one host computer 68, and may be connected to a plurality of host computers 68, or may be configured to be connected to a host computer via a communication network.
In the above-described embodiment, the case where the present invention is applied to the printer 10 has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and may be applied to a recording apparatus incorporated in another device (such as a copying machine). Is also possible. In addition, it is needless to say that other detailed configurations according to the above embodiment can be arbitrarily changed.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Printer (recording apparatus), 18 ... Recording head, 19 ... Carriage, 21 ... Platen, 24 ... 1st conveyance mechanism part (conveyance means), 27 ... 2nd conveyance mechanism part (conveyance means), 35 ... Carriage drive motor (Carriage drive means), 36 ... conveyance motor (conveyance means), 41 ... gap roller, 50 ... control board, 60 ... sheet guide, 61 ... CPU (control means), 64 ... flash memory (storage means), 100 ... Recording medium 102 ... Binding portion (step), W ... Binding portion area (step area).

Claims (5)

In a recording apparatus for recording on a recording medium having a step with varying thickness,
Conveying means for conveying the recording medium;
A recording head mounted on the carriage;
A gap roller which is mounted on the carriage together with the recording head at a position different from the recording head in the conveyance direction of the recording medium, and sets a gap between the recording surface and the recording head in contact with the recording surface of the recording medium; ,
Carriage driving means for scanning the carriage on the recording medium in a main scanning direction orthogonal to a conveying direction of the recording medium;
Control means for controlling the carriage driving means;
Storage means for storing a step area that is preset to include the position of the step when the recording medium is transported in the transport direction in a direction in which the step is along the main scanning direction;
The control unit controls the carriage driving unit to cause the carriage to scan in the step region at a lower speed than outside the step region;
A recording apparatus. The storage means stores information relating to the position and size of the step region defined by the distance from the front end in the transport direction of the recording medium;
The recording apparatus according to claim 1. It is configured to be recordable on a recording medium that does not have a step,
The control means causes the carriage to scan in the step region at a lower speed than the outside of the step region for both the recording medium having the step and the recording medium not having the step;
The recording apparatus according to claim 1 or 2. The control means is a normal recording mode for recording on a recording medium having no step, and
A first binding mode in which the recording medium having the step is transported and recorded in the transport direction with the step being in the direction along the transport direction ;
The recording medium having the step can be switched between a second binding mode in which the step is conveyed and recorded in the conveyance direction in a direction along the main scanning direction, and
Scanning the carriage at the step area at a lower speed than outside the step area only in the second binding mode;
The recording apparatus according to claim 1 or 2. Mounted on the carriage together with the recording head at a position different from the recording head in a recording head mounted on the carriage, a transporting means for transporting a recording medium having a step of varying thickness, and a transporting direction of the recording medium; A gap roller that presses a recording surface of the recording medium; and a carriage driving unit that reciprocally scans the carriage on the recording medium in a main scanning direction orthogonal to the conveyance direction of the recording medium. A control method for a recording apparatus for performing
When the recording medium is transported in the transport direction with the step being in a direction along the main scanning direction, a step region preset to include the step position is stored, and the carriage driving unit is controlled. The control means controls the carriage driving means to scan the carriage at a lower speed in the step area than outside the step area;
A control method for a recording apparatus.

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