JP2005193597A - Inkjet recording device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To improve the leveling property of ink in high-speed and low-speed recording in a conventional line system inkjet recording device. <P>SOLUTION: By adding a mechanism to move the irradiation position of a UV irradiator or the position of a head unit in parallel with the transfer direction of a recording object, or mounting a plurality of the UV irradiator in parallel with the transfer direction of the recording object and by optionally using the UV irradiators, time from the discharge of ink to the hardening and fixation of the ink is controlled so as to vary or the quantity of ink drops is controlled so as to vary in accordance with the transfer speed or the UV irradiation position. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to an ink jet recording apparatus that performs recording on a recording material by discharging ink.

  A line-type recording operation in one system of the ink jet recording apparatus will be described with reference to FIG.

  First, when receiving data 121 from the host computer 110, the receiving process 121 stores the data in the receiving buffer 123. In the expansion process 122, based on the data in the reception buffer 123, data is rearranged in accordance with the nozzle configuration of the print head, print data is generated, and stored in the print data buffer 124. When the generation of the recording data is completed, the recording control process 125 activates the mechanism unit control device 130. When the mechanism control device 130 is activated, first, the head unit 100 is moved to a predetermined position by the head unit vertical movement device 102. The vertical direction is a direction perpendicular to the conveyance direction of the recording material and is a direction of an arrow Y in FIG. Thereafter, the recording material 155 set in the paper feeding device 150 is started to be conveyed by the recording material conveyance mechanism 180. At this time, the head unit 100 remains stopped. When conveyance of the recording material 155 is started, ink is ejected from the nozzles of the print head in accordance with the recording data in synchronization with the conveyance of the recording material 155 and recording on the recording material 155 is executed. The If there is recording data continuously, the recording object 155 is repeatedly conveyed, and ink is ejected from the nozzles of the print head in accordance with the recording data in synchronization with the conveyance of the recording object 155 as described above. Recording on the recording material 155 is continuously performed. As described above, in the case of the line method, the head unit 100 is in a stopped state during the recording operation, and recording is performed while the recording medium 155 moves.

  Immediately after recording, the recorded recording material 155 is irradiated with ultraviolet light by the UV irradiation device 140 as a subsequent process, and the ink attached to the recording material 155 is cured. Thereafter, the recording material 155 is conveyed to the paper discharge device 160 and stacked in order.

  Since it is necessary to eject ink from the print head in synchronization with the conveyance of the recording material 155, an encoder 170 is generally attached to the recording material conveyance mechanism 180, and a pulse signal from the encoder 170 is supplied. Based on the above, the mechanism controller 130 controls the ink ejection timing.

  Next, the contents of the recording control process 125 will be described with reference to FIG.

  In the recording control process 125, first, a head driving condition such as a head driving voltage is set (S100), and after the head unit is moved to a predetermined position (S105), recording for starting the conveyance of the recording material 55 is performed. A possible signal is output (S130), and recording data output in the recording data buffer 124 is started by a recording data output start process (S140). Thereafter, output of recording data and ink ejection are executed in synchronization with the conveyance of the recording material 55, and after the output of recording data for one page is completed (S145), the output of all pages is completed (S150). The recording data output start process (S140) is repeated.

  By the way, in the ink jet recording apparatus 120 illustrated in FIG. 12, the position of the head unit 100 and the position of the UV curing process by the UV irradiation apparatus 140 are fixed, and the transport speed of the recording medium transport mechanism 180 is high. The time from ink ejection to UV curing is performed in a very short time. If the recorded image has a black area with a relatively large area (hereinafter referred to as solid black), the ink density of the solid black area can be spotted by UV curing before the ink droplets are sufficiently spread. There is. That is, when high-speed recording is performed, there arises a problem that the leveling property is deteriorated. Of course, this problem does not occur if the recording speed is lowered, but the production capacity is lowered, which is not an essential measure.

  In general, the lower the recording speed, the higher the ink droplet landing position accuracy and the better the recording quality. When high-quality recording is performed, the recording speed may be reduced. is there. In this case, since the time from ink ejection to UV curing becomes longer, the ink tends to spread. For example, when a small character is recorded, there is a problem that the character is crushed. An example of the recording result when a small character is crushed is shown in FIG.

  In addition, although a method for improving leveling properties by improving ink has been proposed (see, for example, Patent Document 1), it takes an ink development period and cost to improve the ink, and the use of the apparatus. Since a condition depending on ink is added as a condition, there is a problem that versatility is impaired. Also, if the ink is likely to spread, the small character collapse described with reference to FIG. 10 is likely to occur.

JP 2003-034764 A

  In the conventional line type ink jet recording apparatus, there is a problem that the leveling property is influenced by the time from ink ejection until the ink is cured and fixed. However, since the time until the ink is cured and fixed is determined by the recording speed, the recording quality, and the physical positional relationship of the ink jet recording apparatus, it cannot be easily changed.

  An object of the present invention is to provide a line type ink jet recording apparatus which eliminates the drawbacks of the conventional line type ink jet recording apparatus and improves the leveling property of ink in high speed and low speed recording.

  In order to solve the above problems, in the present invention, a transport mechanism that transports a recording object, a head unit on which a print head including a plurality of nozzles for ejecting ink is mounted, and ink is cured and fixed. A line-type inkjet recording apparatus that performs recording with the head unit stopped during recording on the recording material, and means for detecting the conveyance speed of the recording material; And a means for moving the irradiation position of the irradiation apparatus in parallel with the conveyance direction of the recording material, and the irradiation position of the UV irradiation apparatus is varied according to the conveyance speed.

  In addition, there are a transport mechanism that transports the recording material, a head unit on which a print head composed of a plurality of nozzles for ejecting ink is mounted, and a plurality of UV irradiation devices for curing and fixing the ink. In a line-type inkjet recording apparatus that performs recording while the head unit is stopped during recording on the recording object, a means for detecting the conveyance speed of the recording object and a plurality of UV irradiation apparatuses may be arbitrarily provided. It has a means to select, The said UV irradiation apparatus is selected according to the said conveyance speed, It is characterized by the above-mentioned.

  In addition, it has a transport mechanism for transporting a recording material, a head unit on which a print head composed of a plurality of nozzles for ejecting ink is mounted, and a UV irradiation device for curing and fixing the ink. In a line-type inkjet recording apparatus that performs recording while the head unit is stopped during recording on the recording material, means for detecting the recording material conveyance speed, and the head unit as the recording material conveyance direction. And a means for moving the head unit in accordance with the transport speed.

  In addition, it has a transport mechanism for transporting a recording material, a head unit on which a print head composed of a plurality of nozzles for ejecting ink is mounted, and a UV irradiation device for curing and fixing the ink. In the line-type inkjet recording apparatus that performs recording while the head unit is stopped during recording on the recording medium, means for detecting the conveyance speed of the recording medium and means for varying the ink droplet amount And the ink droplet amount is varied according to the transport speed.

  In addition, it has a transport mechanism for transporting a recording material, a head unit on which a print head composed of a plurality of nozzles for ejecting ink is mounted, and a UV irradiation device for curing and fixing the ink. In the line-type inkjet recording apparatus that performs recording while the head unit is stopped during recording on the recording material, the unit has means for detecting the UV irradiation position, and means for varying the ink droplet amount, The ink droplet amount is varied according to the UV irradiation position.

  In addition, it has a transport mechanism for transporting a recording material, a head unit on which a print head composed of a plurality of nozzles for ejecting ink is mounted, and a UV irradiation device for curing and fixing the ink. In a line-type inkjet recording apparatus that performs recording while the head unit is stopped during recording on the recording medium, the line-type inkjet recording apparatus has means for detecting the UV irradiation position and means for varying the conveyance speed of the recording medium. The conveyance speed is varied according to the UV irradiation position.

  In addition, it has a transport mechanism for transporting a recording material, a head unit on which a print head composed of a plurality of nozzles for ejecting ink is mounted, and a UV irradiation device for curing and fixing ink. A means for determining recording information relating to data to be recorded on a recording material such as characters and images in a line-type inkjet recording apparatus that performs recording while the head unit is stopped during recording on the recording material; And a means for moving the irradiation position of the irradiation apparatus in parallel with the conveyance direction of the recording material, and the irradiation position of the UV irradiation apparatus is varied according to the recording information.

  In addition, there are a transport mechanism that transports the recording material, a head unit on which a print head composed of a plurality of nozzles for ejecting ink is mounted, and a plurality of UV irradiation devices for curing and fixing the ink. In the line-type inkjet recording apparatus that performs recording while the head unit is stopped during recording on the recording object, means for determining recording information regarding data to be recorded on the recording object such as characters and images, A unit for arbitrarily selecting a plurality of UV irradiation apparatuses is provided, and the UV irradiation apparatus is selected according to the recording information.

  In addition, it has a transport mechanism for transporting a recording material, a head unit on which a print head composed of a plurality of nozzles for ejecting ink is mounted, and a UV irradiation device for curing and fixing ink. Means for determining recording information relating to data to be recorded on a recording material such as characters and images in a line type ink jet recording apparatus that performs recording while the head unit is stopped during recording on the recording material; And a means for moving the unit in parallel with the conveyance direction of the recording material, and the position of the head unit is variable according to the recording information.

  In addition, it has a transport mechanism for transporting a recording material, a head unit on which a print head composed of a plurality of nozzles for ejecting ink is mounted, and a UV irradiation device for curing and fixing ink. Means for determining recording information relating to data to be recorded on a recording material such as characters and images in a line-type inkjet recording apparatus that performs recording while the head unit is stopped during recording on the recording material; And means for varying the droplet amount, and varying the ink droplet amount according to the recording information.

  In addition, it has a transport mechanism for transporting a recording material, a head unit on which a print head composed of a plurality of nozzles for ejecting ink is mounted, and a UV irradiation device for curing and fixing ink. Means for determining recording information relating to data to be recorded on a recording material such as characters and images in a line-type inkjet recording apparatus that performs recording while the head unit is stopped during recording on the recording material; And means for varying the droplet amount, and varying the ink droplet amount according to the recording information.

  Furthermore, a transport mechanism that transports the recording material, a head unit on which a print head composed of a plurality of nozzles for ejecting ink is mounted, and a UV irradiation device for curing and fixing the ink are provided. Means for determining recording information relating to data to be recorded on a recording material, such as characters and images, in a line-type inkjet recording apparatus that performs recording while the head unit is stopped during recording on the recording material; Means for varying the conveyance speed of the recorded matter, and varying the conveyance speed in accordance with the recording information.

  According to the present invention, since the irradiation position of the UV irradiation apparatus can be changed according to the recording speed, the time from ink ejection to ink curing and fixing can be made variable. As a result, curing and fixing by UV irradiation can be performed at an optimum timing. Therefore, it is possible to perform a recording operation that maintains high leveling performance.

  In addition, since the time from ink ejection to ink curing and fixing can be changed by changing the recording speed or the irradiation position of the UV irradiation device based on the leveling characteristics unique to the ink, Therefore, versatility is improved because various types of ink can be used.

  Furthermore, when the recording information indicating that a small character or the like is recorded can be determined in advance, the recording speed or the irradiation position of the UV irradiation device is changed based on the recording information to reduce the recording information. It is also possible to avoid collapsing characters.

  The purpose of varying the time from ink ejection to ink curing and fixing is realized by means of adding a mechanism for moving the irradiation position of the UV irradiation apparatus or means for controlling the recording speed to change.

  A first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG.

  In FIG. 1, a UV irradiation apparatus moving guide unit 10 and a support member 15 that supports the other are added to the case of the conventional example. The UV irradiation device moving guide unit 10 moves the UV irradiation device 140 in parallel with the conveyance direction of the recording material 155, and as a result, the UV irradiation position can be arbitrarily changed. That is, the distance between the ink discharge position of the head unit 100 and the UV irradiation position is variable. Although not shown, the UV irradiation device moving guide unit 10 is driven by a stepping motor or a servo motor, and its current position is recorded by the recording control process 125 of the inkjet control device 120 via the mechanism control device 130. Can be read. Conversely, the recording control process 125 can issue an instruction to move to an arbitrary position to the UV irradiation apparatus moving guide unit 142 via the mechanism control unit 130.

  Incidentally, an encoder 170 is attached to the recording material transport mechanism 180, and a pulse signal of the encoder 170 is input to the mechanism unit control device 130 and used for controlling ink ejection timing. Although not shown, the mechanism unit control device 130 is equipped with a microprocessor so that the period of the pulse signal can be measured. Thereby, the conveyance speed of the recording medium conveyance mechanism 180 can be calculated, and the calculation result can be read by the recording control device 125.

  Next, the recording control process 125 when performing the recording operation will be described with reference to FIG.

  The head drive condition setting process (S100) and the head unit movement process (S105) are the same as in the conventional example. Thereafter, the transport speed is read by the transport speed reading process 20 (S110). In the UV irradiation position calculation process 30, the UV irradiation position is calculated based on the transport speed calculated based on the pulse signal from the encoder 170 described in FIG. 1 (S112). Then, based on the calculation result, the UV irradiation device is moved to a predetermined position by the UV irradiation device moving process 35 (S114). Thereafter, in the same manner as in the conventional example, a recordable signal output for starting the conveyance of the recording material is performed (S130), and the output of the recording data in the recording data buffer 124 is started by the recording data output start process (S140). . Thereafter, the recording data is output and the ink is ejected in synchronization with the conveyance of the recording material. After the output of the recording data for one page is completed (S145), the recording is completed until the output of all pages is completed (S150). The data output start process (S140) is repeated.

  The UV irradiation position is Pu, the conveyance speed is V (mm / sec), the reference conveyance speed is Vo (mm / sec), the UV irradiation position reference value is Po (mm), the conveyance speed dependence coefficient is k, and the UV irradiation position is the head. When the direction away from the unit 100 is a plus direction, the following formula A is used.

Pu = Po + k × (V−Vo) (Formula A)
When the transport speed V is faster than the reference transport speed Vo as in Formula A, the UV irradiation position Pu moves in a direction away from the head unit, and conversely, when the transport speed V is slower than the reference transport speed Vo. The UV irradiation position Pu moves in a direction approaching the head unit. In this way, when the transport speed is high, the timing of curing and fixing the ink by UV irradiation is delayed, so that the ink is cured after the ink is sufficiently spread. On the other hand, when the conveyance speed is slow, the timing of curing and fixing the ink by UV irradiation is advanced, so that the ink can be cured and fixed before spreading more than necessary.

  A second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG.

  In FIG. 3, a second UV irradiation device 40 is added to the conventional example. As a result, two UV irradiation devices are mounted, which can be controlled by the mechanism control device 130 and can be controlled from the recording control device 125 in the inkjet control device 120. Similarly to the first embodiment, the mechanism control device 130 can calculate the conveyance speed, and the calculation result can be read by the recording control device 125.

  Next, the processing of the recording control processing 125 when performing the recording operation will be described with reference to FIG.

  The head drive condition setting process (S100) and the head unit movement process (S105) are the same as in the conventional example. Thereafter, the transport speed is read by the transport speed reading process 20 (S110). Subsequently, in the UV irradiation apparatus selection process 50, which UV irradiation apparatus is to be used is selected based on the conveyance speed read in the conveyance speed reading process 20 (S116). When the conveyance speed is faster than the reference conveyance speed, the second UV irradiation apparatus 40 is selected, and when the conveyance speed is slower than the reference conveyance speed, the UV irradiation apparatus 140 is selected. Thereafter, in the same manner as in the conventional example, a recordable signal output for starting the conveyance of the recording material is performed (S130), and the output of the recording data in the recording data buffer 124 is started by the recording data output start process (S140). . Thereafter, the recording data is output and the ink is ejected in synchronization with the conveyance of the recording material. After the output of the recording data for one page is completed (S145), the recording is completed until the output of all pages is completed (S150). The data output start process (S140) is repeated.

  In this way, when the conveyance speed is high, the timing of curing and fixing the ink by UV irradiation is delayed, so that the ink is cured after the ink has sufficiently spread. On the other hand, when the conveyance speed is slow, the timing of curing and fixing the ink by UV irradiation is advanced, so that the ink can be cured and fixed before spreading more than necessary.

  In the present embodiment, since there are only two UV irradiation apparatuses, one of the UV irradiation apparatuses is selected depending on the conveyance speed, which is effective when there are only two types of conveyance speeds. If three or more UV irradiation apparatuses are mounted, it is possible to cope with three or more types of conveyance speeds.

  A third embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG.

  In FIG. 5, a head unit moving guide unit 60 for moving the head unit itself in parallel with the recording material transport direction and a support member 65 for supporting the other are added to the conventional example. With the head unit moving guide unit 60, the head unit 100 can be moved to an arbitrary position in parallel with the conveyance direction of the recording material 155. . That is, the distance between the ink discharge position of the head unit 100 and the UV irradiation position is variable. Although not shown, the head unit moving guide unit 60 is driven by a stepping motor or a servo motor, and the current position is set by the recording control processing 125 of the inkjet control device 120 via the mechanism control device 130. It can be read. Conversely, the recording control processing 125 can issue an instruction to move to an arbitrary position to the head unit moving guide unit 60 via the mechanism control device 130.

  Incidentally, an encoder 170 is attached to the recording material transport mechanism 180, and a pulse signal of the encoder 170 is input to the mechanism unit control device 130 and used for controlling ink ejection timing. Although not shown, the mechanism unit control device 130 is equipped with a microprocessor so that the period of the pulse signal can be measured. Thereby, the conveyance speed of the recording medium conveyance mechanism 180 can be calculated, and the calculation result can be read by the recording control device 125.

  Next, the processing of the recording control processing 125 when performing the recording operation will be described with reference to FIG.

  The head drive condition setting process (S100) and the head unit movement process (S105) are the same as in the conventional example. Thereafter, the transport speed is read by the transport speed reading process 20 (S110). Subsequently, in the ink discharge position calculation process 70, the ink discharge position is calculated based on the transport speed read in the transport speed reading process 20 (S120). Then, the head unit 100 moves to the position calculated by the ink discharge position calculation processing 70 by the head unit transport direction movement processing 75 (S122). Thereafter, in the same manner as in the conventional example, a recordable signal output for starting the conveyance of the recording material is performed (S130), and the output of the recording data in the recording data buffer 124 is started by the recording data output start process (S140). . Thereafter, the recording data is output and the ink is ejected in synchronization with the conveyance of the recording material. After the output of the recording data for one page is completed (S145), the recording is completed until the output of all pages is completed (S150). The data output start process (S140) is repeated.

  Ink discharge position Pi, transport speed V (mm / sec), reference transport speed Vo (mm / sec), ink discharge position reference value Pr (mm), transport speed dependency coefficient k, ink discharge position UV If the direction away from the irradiation device is positive, it is calculated by the following formula B.

Pi = Pr + k × (V−Vo) (Formula B)
When the transport speed V is faster than the reference transport speed Vo as in Formula B, the ink ejection position Pi moves in a direction farther from the UV irradiation device, and conversely, the transport speed V is slower than the reference transport speed Vo. In this case, the ink discharge position Pi is moved in a direction approaching the UV irradiation apparatus. In this way, when the transport speed is high, the timing of curing and fixing the ink by UV irradiation is delayed, so that the ink is cured after the ink is sufficiently spread. On the other hand, when the conveyance speed is slow, the timing of curing and fixing the ink by UV irradiation is advanced, so that the ink can be cured and fixed before spreading more than necessary. That is, also in the present embodiment, the same effect as in the first embodiment can be obtained.

  In the case of the first to third embodiments described above, a mechanism unit for physically changing the position of the UV irradiation device or the head unit is added. Here, the control method is performed without adding the mechanism unit. A means for improving the leveling property by changing will be described. Therefore, the configurations of the ink jet recording apparatus and the ink jet mechanism are the same as those of the conventional example, and the fourth embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG.

  FIG. 7 shows the process of the recording control process 125 described with reference to FIG. 12 of the conventional example when performing the recording operation. A conveyance speed reading process 20 is added to the case of the conventional example.

  In the recording control process 125, first, the conveyance speed is read by the conveyance speed reading process 20 (S110). Thereafter, the head drive voltage is changed according to the transport speed read in the transport speed reading process 20 in the head drive condition setting process (S100). The subsequent processing is the same as in the conventional example.

  In an ink jet recording apparatus using a piezoelectric element, the ink droplet amount can be varied to some extent by the head driving voltage, and the head driving voltage can be varied for the purpose of setting the recording density. Although not shown, the head driving condition setting process described with reference to FIG. 7 is a process for changing the head driving voltage according to the recording density set from the operation panel or the like, and is a function provided conventionally. In this embodiment, the condition for setting the head drive voltage is added with a condition for the conveyance speed so that the head drive voltage can be varied according to the conveyance speed.

  If the head drive voltage is Z (V), the transport speed is V (mm / sec), the reference transport speed is Vo (mm / sec), the head drive voltage reference voltage is Zo (V), and the transport speed dependence coefficient is k, The head drive voltage Z is calculated by the following formula C.

Z = Zo + k × (V−Vo) (Formula C)
As in Expression C, when the transport speed V is faster than the reference transport speed Vo, the head drive voltage Z is high, and conversely, when the transport speed V is slower than the reference transport speed Vo, the head drive voltage Z is low. . In this way, when the transport speed is fast, the amount of ink droplets increases, so the curing and fixing timing of the ink by UV irradiation does not change, but the ink spreads sufficiently because of the large amount of ink droplets. Will be cured. On the other hand, when the transport speed is slow, the amount of ink droplets decreases, so even if the curing and fixing timing of the ink by UV irradiation is the same, the ink does not spread excessively because there are few ink droplets, Good curing and fixing can be performed. That is, also in the present embodiment, substantially the same effect as in the first embodiment can be obtained.

  The fourth embodiment described above is an example in which the position of the UV irradiation apparatus is fixed, but the position of the UV irradiation apparatus may vary from apparatus to apparatus depending on the installation conditions of the mechanism unit of the inkjet recording apparatus. is there. In such a case, since the method of the fourth embodiment is inconvenient if it is left as it is, a method that can cope with the case where the position of the UV irradiation apparatus is changed will be described.

  A fifth embodiment of the invention will be described with reference to FIG.

  FIG. 8 shows the process of the recording control process 125 described with reference to FIG. 12 of the conventional example when performing a recording operation. A UV irradiation position reading process 80 is added to the case of the conventional example.

  In the recording control process 125, first, the UV irradiation position is read by the UV irradiation position reading process 80, and the distance between the UV irradiation position and the ink ejection position is calculated (S160). Thereafter, in the head driving condition setting process, the head driving voltage is changed according to the UV irradiation position read in the UV irradiation position reading process 80 (S100). The subsequent processing is the same as in the conventional example.

  As described in the fourth embodiment, in the ink jet recording apparatus using the piezoelectric element, the ink droplet amount can be varied to some extent by the head driving voltage, and the head driving voltage can be varied for the purpose of setting the recording density. Yes. Although not shown, the head driving condition setting process described in FIG. 8 is a process for changing the head driving voltage according to the recording density set from the operation panel or the like, and is a function provided conventionally. In this embodiment, by adding a UV irradiation position condition as the setting condition of the head driving voltage, the head driving voltage is varied according to the UV irradiation position.

  The head drive voltage is Z (V), the head drive voltage reference voltage is Zo (V), the UV irradiation position dependency coefficient is k, the distance between the UV irradiation position and the ink discharge position is L, and the distance between the UV irradiation position and the ink discharge position is Assuming that the reference distance is Lo, the head drive voltage Z is calculated by the following formula D.

Z = Zo-k * (L-Lo) (Formula D)
When the distance L between the UV irradiation position and the ink ejection position is smaller than the reference distance Lo between the UV irradiation position and the ink ejection position as in the formula D, the head drive voltage Z becomes high, and conversely, When the distance L between the ink ejection positions is larger than the reference distance Lo between the UV irradiation position and the ink ejection position, the head drive voltage Z is lowered. In this way, when the distance to the UV irradiation position is small, the amount of ink droplets increases, so that the ink is easy to spread, and the ink is cured after being spread appropriately. On the other hand, when the distance to the UV irradiation position is large, the amount of ink droplets decreases, so that the ink does not spread excessively and good curing and fixing can be performed. That is, also in the present embodiment, the same effect as in the fourth embodiment can be obtained.

  In the fifth embodiment, the head drive voltage is changed in accordance with the UV irradiation position to improve the leveling property. However, when the recording quality is given priority and the performance of the recording speed may be reduced, other methods may be used. It can be realized by a method.

  A sixth embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG.

  In FIG. 9, a conveyance speed instruction process 85 is added to FIG. 8 described in the fifth embodiment.

The recording control process 125 first calculates the distance between the UV irradiation position and the ink ejection position by the UV irradiation position reading process 80 (S160). Subsequently, according to the distance between the UV irradiation position and the ink discharge position calculated in the UV irradiation position reading process 80, the conveyance speed instruction process 85 instructs the conveyance speed (S165).
Subsequent head drive condition setting processing (S100) and subsequent steps are the same as in the fifth embodiment.

  As described above, since the conveyance speed is changed according to the UV irradiation position, as a result, the time from ink ejection to UV irradiation is changed.

  If the reference transport speed is Vo (mm / sec), the UV irradiation position dependency coefficient is k, the distance between the UV irradiation position and the ink discharge position is L, and the reference distance between the UV irradiation position and the ink discharge position is Lo, the specified transport The speed V (mm / sec) is calculated by the following formula E.

V = Vo + k × (L−Lo) (Formula E)
When the distance L between the UV irradiation position and the ink discharge position is smaller than the reference distance Lo between the UV irradiation position and the ink discharge position as in the formula E, the transport speed V becomes faster, and conversely the UV irradiation position and the ink. When the distance L between the ejection positions is larger than the reference distance Lo between the UV irradiation position and the ink ejection position, the transport speed V is increased. In this way, when the distance to the UV irradiation position is small, the transport speed is slowed down, so that the ink hardens after the ink has spread sufficiently. On the other hand, when the distance to the UV irradiation position is large, the transport speed is fast, so that the ink does not spread excessively and good curing and fixing can be performed. That is, also in this embodiment, the same effect as that of Embodiment 5 can be obtained.

  In the first to sixth embodiments described above, the UV irradiation position is varied according to the conveyance speed, and the ink droplet amount is varied according to the UV irradiation position, and the recorded contents are taken into consideration. Absent. As described in the conventional example, when a small character is recorded, if the time from ink ejection to UV irradiation is long, the character collapse as shown in FIG. 10 may occur.

  By the way, recording information such as whether or not small characters are included can be controlled to be determined by a receiving process or a developing process in the inkjet control apparatus, and the recording control process is performed based on the recording information. Can also be processed.

  When recording with small characters or small areas surrounded by black, it is possible to prevent crushing of small characters by performing UV irradiation early after ink ejection and before ink spreads. Is possible. In other words, depending on the recording conditions such as the presence of small characters as recording information, the UV irradiation position can be made variable, the transport speed can be made variable, or the amount of ink droplets can be made variable, thereby making the characters due to ink spreading. It is possible to prevent crushing.

  In an ink jet recording apparatus that uses UV ink and has an apparatus for curing the UV ink, it can be used for applications in which leveling as recording quality becomes a problem.

1 is a configuration explanatory diagram of an embodiment of the present invention. (Example 1) It is a flowchart of the recording control process of the Example of this invention. (Example 1) 1 is a configuration explanatory diagram of an embodiment of the present invention. (Example 2) It is a flowchart of the recording control process of the Example of this invention. (Example 2) 1 is a configuration explanatory diagram of an embodiment of the present invention. Example 3 It is a flowchart of the recording control process of the Example of this invention. Example 3 It is a flowchart of the recording control process of the Example of this invention. (Example 4) It is a flowchart of the recording control process of the Example of this invention. (Example 5) It is a flowchart of the recording control process of the Example of this invention. (Example 6) It is explanatory drawing of character crushing. (Conventional example) It is a flowchart of the recording control process of a prior art example. (Conventional example) It is structure explanatory drawing of a prior art example. (Conventional example)

Explanation of symbols

5 Support Material 10 UV Irradiation Device Movement Guide Unit 20 Conveyance Speed Reading Processing 30 UV Irradiation Position Calculation Processing 35 UV Irradiation Device Movement Processing 40 Second UV Irradiation Device 50 UV Irradiation Device Selection Processing 60 Head Unit Movement Guide Unit 65 Support Material 70 Ink Ejection Position Calculation Process 75 Head Unit Transport Direction Movement Process 80 UV Irradiation Position Reading Process 85 Transport Speed Instruction Process

Claims (12)

  A transport mechanism that transports the recording material, a head unit on which a print head composed of a plurality of nozzles for ejecting ink is mounted, and a UV irradiation device for curing and fixing the ink, In a line-type inkjet recording apparatus that performs recording while the head unit is stopped during recording on a recording medium, means for detecting the conveyance speed of the recording medium and the irradiation position of the UV irradiation apparatus convey the recording medium An inkjet recording apparatus comprising: a means for moving in parallel with the direction; and the irradiation position of the UV irradiation apparatus is varied in accordance with the transport speed.   A transport mechanism that transports the recording material, a head unit on which a print head including a plurality of nozzles for ejecting ink is mounted, and a plurality of UV irradiation devices for curing and fixing the ink, In a line-type inkjet recording apparatus that performs recording while the head unit is stopped during recording on the recording object, a means for detecting the conveyance speed of the recording object and a plurality of UV irradiation apparatuses are arbitrarily selected. An inkjet recording apparatus comprising: means for selecting the UV irradiation apparatus according to the transport speed.   A transport mechanism that transports the recording material, a head unit on which a print head composed of a plurality of nozzles for ejecting ink is mounted, and a UV irradiation device for curing and fixing the ink, In a line type ink jet recording apparatus that performs recording while the head unit is stopped during recording on a recording material, means for detecting the recording material conveyance speed, and the head unit in parallel with the recording material conveyance direction And an ink jet recording apparatus, wherein the position of the head unit is varied in accordance with the transport speed.   A transport mechanism that transports the recording material, a head unit on which a print head composed of a plurality of nozzles for ejecting ink is mounted, and a UV irradiation device for curing and fixing the ink, In a line-type inkjet recording apparatus that performs recording with the head unit stopped during recording on a recording medium, the line-type inkjet recording apparatus includes means for detecting the conveyance speed of the recording medium and means for varying the ink droplet amount. An ink jet recording apparatus, wherein the ink droplet amount is varied in accordance with the transport speed.   A transport mechanism that transports the recording material, a head unit on which a print head composed of a plurality of nozzles for ejecting ink is mounted, and a UV irradiation device for curing and fixing the ink, In a line-type inkjet recording apparatus that performs recording while the head unit is stopped during recording on a recording medium, the line-type inkjet recording apparatus includes a unit that detects a UV irradiation position and a unit that varies the amount of ink droplets. An ink jet recording apparatus, wherein the ink droplet amount is varied according to the irradiation position.   A transport mechanism that transports the recording material, a head unit on which a print head composed of a plurality of nozzles for ejecting ink is mounted, and a UV irradiation device for curing and fixing the ink, In the line-type inkjet recording apparatus that performs recording while the head unit is stopped during recording on the recording material, the device has means for detecting the UV irradiation position and means for changing the conveyance speed of the recording material, An ink jet recording apparatus, wherein the conveyance speed is varied according to the UV irradiation position.   A transport mechanism that transports the recording material, a head unit on which a print head composed of a plurality of nozzles for ejecting ink is mounted, and a UV irradiation device for curing and fixing the ink, In a line-type inkjet recording apparatus that performs recording while the head unit is stopped during recording on a recording object, means for determining recording information relating to data to be recorded on the recording object, such as characters and images, and a UV irradiation apparatus Means for moving the irradiation position in parallel with the conveyance direction of the recording material, and changing the irradiation position of the UV irradiation apparatus according to the recording information.   A transport mechanism that transports the recording material, a head unit on which a print head including a plurality of nozzles for ejecting ink is mounted, and a plurality of UV irradiation devices for curing and fixing the ink, In a line-type inkjet recording apparatus that performs recording while the head unit is stopped during recording on the recording object, means for determining recording information related to data to be recorded on the recording object such as characters and images, and a plurality of units An ink jet recording apparatus comprising: means for arbitrarily selecting a certain UV irradiation apparatus, and selecting the UV irradiation apparatus according to the recording information.   A transport mechanism that transports the recording material, a head unit on which a print head composed of a plurality of nozzles for ejecting ink is mounted, and a UV irradiation device for curing and fixing the ink, In a line-type inkjet recording apparatus that performs recording while the head unit is stopped during recording on a recording object, means for determining recording information relating to data to be recorded on the recording object, such as characters and images, and a head unit An ink jet recording apparatus comprising: means for moving in parallel with a conveyance direction of a recording material; and changing a position of a head unit according to the recording information.   A transport mechanism that transports the recording material, a head unit on which a print head composed of a plurality of nozzles for ejecting ink is mounted, and a UV irradiation device for curing and fixing the ink, Means for determining recording information relating to data to be recorded on a recording material, such as characters and images, and an ink droplet in a line type ink jet recording apparatus for recording while the head unit is stopped during recording on the recording material; An ink jet recording apparatus, wherein the ink droplet amount is variable in accordance with the recording information.   A transport mechanism that transports the recording material, a head unit on which a print head composed of a plurality of nozzles for ejecting ink is mounted, and a UV irradiation device for curing and fixing the ink, Means for determining recording information relating to data to be recorded on a recording material, such as characters and images, and an ink droplet in a line type ink jet recording apparatus for recording while the head unit is stopped during recording on the recording material; An ink jet recording apparatus, wherein the ink droplet amount is variable in accordance with the recording information. A transport mechanism that transports the recording material, a head unit on which a print head composed of a plurality of nozzles for ejecting ink is mounted, and a UV irradiation device for curing and fixing the ink, Means for determining recording information relating to data to be recorded on a recording material such as characters and images in a line-type inkjet recording apparatus that performs recording while the head unit is stopped during recording on the recording material; And an ink jet recording apparatus, wherein the transport speed is varied in accordance with the recording information.

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