JP2009184122A - Recording apparatus and control method - Google Patents

Abstract

In a recording apparatus, throughput is reduced while preventing ejection failure.
A recording head having a plurality of nozzles 144 arranged along a conveyance path 101 of a recording sheet 150 conveyed in the conveyance direction and arranged in an arrangement direction intersecting the conveyance direction, and given image information The recording apparatus 100 includes a recording head controller 240 that discharges ink from a part of the plurality of nozzles 144 to record an image on the recording paper 150, and the recording head controller 240 stores the image. A nozzle specifying unit 242 that specifies a nozzle 144 that discharges ink when recording, and a discharge failure detection unit 244 that detects whether or not there is a discharge failure in the nozzle 144 for the nozzle 144 specified by the nozzle specifying unit 242; When the defect detection unit 244 does not detect a discharge defect, image recording is started.
[Selection] Figure 7

Description

  The present invention relates to a recording apparatus and a control method. More specifically, the present invention relates to a recording apparatus that records an image on a recording medium by discharging ink while conveying the recording medium, and a control method for the recording apparatus.

  In a recording apparatus that records an image on a recording medium by ejecting ink from a nozzle, there may be a case where ejection failure is caused due to ink thickening or the like that occurs in the nozzle during rest. When the ejection failure occurs, the quality of the recorded image is deteriorated. Therefore, the recording apparatus is equipped with a nozzle cleaning function for the purpose of eliminating the ejection failure. However, it takes time to perform the cleaning, and many methods consume a large amount of ink. Therefore, it is not preferable to perform the cleaning excessively.

Patent Document 1 below describes a detection method for optically detecting an ink ejection failure. Patent Document 2 below describes an ink jet printer that automatically detects a defect of an ink nozzle from a print sample. Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Publication No. 2003-259259 describes that ejection failure is detected by an induced current generated when charged ink adheres to a sensing unit formed of a conductor. Thus, the user can know whether or not cleaning is necessary. In other words, since cleaning only needs to be performed when necessary, excessive cleaning is prevented.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 10-119307 JP 2000-272116 A JP 2005-262867 A

  However, recording apparatuses that record high-quality images at high speed tend to increase the number of nozzles and increase the size of the recording head. For this reason, the time required for cleaning becomes longer and the amount of ink consumed by the cleaning also increases.

  Accordingly, in order to solve the above-described problem, as a first embodiment of the present invention, a plurality of nozzles arranged along a transport path of a recording medium transported in the transport direction and arranged in an array direction intersecting the transport direction And a recording head control unit that records an image on a recording medium by ejecting ink from a part of a plurality of nozzles based on given image information. The head control unit includes a nozzle specifying unit that specifies a nozzle that discharges ink when recording an image, and a discharge failure detection unit that detects whether there is a discharge failure in the nozzle for the nozzle specified by the nozzle specifying unit, There is provided a recording apparatus that starts image recording when an ejection failure detection unit does not detect ejection failure. Thereby, unnecessary cleaning operations can be eliminated and image recording can be started quickly. Accordingly, it is possible to improve the throughput related to image recording.

  In the recording apparatus, the recording head control unit may perform cleaning of a plurality of nozzles when the ejection failure detection unit detects ejection failure. As a result, the detected ejection failure is eliminated, and high recording quality is maintained.

  In the recording apparatus, the recording head control unit may eject ink that does not form an image from a nozzle that is not specified by the nozzle specifying unit simultaneously with image recording. Thereby, in parallel with the recording operation of the image, cleaning of nozzles that are not used is executed, and the frequency of occurrence of ejection defects can be reduced.

  Furthermore, in the recording apparatus, when the nozzle specified for the image information with the nozzle specifying unit is included in the nozzle specified for the image information given immediately before the image information, the recording head control unit Alternatively, image recording may be started on the assumption that no ejection failure has been detected at the specified nozzle. As a result, it is possible to save time for reinspecting the nozzles that have been used immediately before and that have not caused ejection failures. Therefore, the processing time is shortened, and the ink consumed when the ejection failure is detected can be saved.

  Furthermore, in the recording apparatus, the ejection failure detection unit may detect ejection failure for the recording head every time the recording head operates beyond a certain operating amount. Thereby, it is possible to prevent the occurrence of defective discharge.

  Still further, in the recording apparatus, the nozzle specifying unit may update the nozzle specification based on a dimension of the recording medium in the arrangement direction. Thereby, the process related to the specification of the nozzle can be reliably executed at an early stage of the operation of the recording apparatus.

  Still further, in the recording apparatus, when the recording head control unit is given a series of image information including designation of recording media having different dimensions in the arrangement direction, the image information designating the recording medium having the same dimensions is provided. Images may be recorded continuously by extraction. Thereby, when recording a series of image information, the number of times of the process of specifying the nozzle and the process of cleaning the nozzle can be reduced, and the throughput in the case of recording the image can be reduced.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a recording head having a plurality of nozzles arranged on a transport path of a recording medium transported in the transport direction and arranged in an array direction intersecting the transport direction. A control method for controlling a recording apparatus including a recording head control unit that ejects ink from a part of a plurality of nozzles based on image information and records an image on a recording medium. A nozzle identification stage that identifies the nozzle that ejects the ink when the ink is discharged, and a ejection failure detection stage that detects the presence or absence of ejection failure in the nozzle for the nozzle identified in the nozzle identification stage. A control method is provided for starting the recording of an image when no is detected. As a result, unnecessary recording operations in the recording apparatus can be eliminated without depending on the hard wafer, and image recording can be started quickly. In addition, by supplying software for executing the control method via a recording medium or a communication line, the above-described effect can be obtained even in an existing recording apparatus.

  It should be noted that the above summary of the invention does not enumerate all the necessary features of the present invention. In addition, a sub-combination of these feature groups can also be an invention.

  Hereinafter, the present invention will be described through embodiments of the invention, but the following embodiments do not limit the invention according to the claims. In addition, not all the combinations of features described in the embodiments are essential for the solving means of the invention.

  FIG. 1 is a perspective view schematically showing the structure of the recording apparatus 100. The recording apparatus 100 includes a feeding unit 110 and a conveyance unit 120 that are disposed adjacent to each other, and a plurality of recording heads 140 that are disposed above the conveyance unit 120.

  The feeding unit 110 includes an endless belt 112, a driving roll 114, a driven roll 116, and a paper feeding unit 118. The paper feeding unit 118 accommodates a plurality of recording papers 150. The endless belt 112 is stretched around a drive roll 114 and a driven roll 116 that are arranged in parallel to each other. The drive roll 114 is rotationally driven by a motor or the like (not shown). As a result, the endless belt 112 travels horizontally between the drive roll 114 and the driven roll 116.

  The recording paper 150 taken out one by one from the paper feeding unit 118 by a feeding mechanism (not shown) is placed on the endless belt 112 and sent to the transport unit 120. Although not shown, the feeding unit 110 may be provided with an electrostatic adsorption device or the like for the purpose of adsorbing the recording paper 150 to the endless belt 112.

  The conveyance unit 120 includes an endless belt 122, a driving roll 124 and a driven roll 126. The endless belt 122 is stretched around a drive roll 124 and a driven roll 126 that are parallel to each other. The drive roll 124 is rotationally driven by a motor or the like (not shown). Thereby, in the upper part of the conveyance part 120, the endless belt 122 travels horizontally between the drive roll 124 and the one driven roll 126.

  Above the section where the endless belt 122 travels horizontally, a plurality of recording heads 140 are arranged in parallel along the travel direction of the endless belt 122. Further, in the same section, an ink supply unit 160 and a cleaning unit 170 are arranged on the side of the traveling direction of the endless belt 122. Each of the recording heads 140 is coupled to the ink supply unit 160 via the flexible tube 162.

  The ink supply unit 160 is disposed at a position higher than the recording head 140, and the cleaning unit 170 is disposed at a position lower than the recording head 140. Thereby, the recording head 140 can move to above the cleaning unit 170 without interfering with the ink supply unit 160.

  FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing the conveyance path 101 of the recording paper 150 in the recording apparatus 100. Components that are the same as those in FIG. 1 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant description is omitted.

  The recording paper 150 is taken out from the paper feeding unit 118 one by one, and then moved substantially horizontally by the feeding unit 110 and the conveying unit 120. In the transport unit 120, ink is ejected from the recording head 140 located above the recording paper 150, and an image is formed on the upper surface of the recording paper 150. The ink ejected from the recording head 140 is continuously supplied from the ink supply unit 160.

  Here, each of the recording heads 140 has a paper edge sensor 141 that detects that the paper edge of the recording paper 150 passing below has arrived on the upstream side in the conveyance direction T of the recording paper 150. Thereby, ink can be ejected and adhered to an accurate position on the recording paper 150. In addition, an adsorption unit 130 is disposed below each of the recording heads 140 so as to be substantially in contact with the lower surface of the endless belt 122.

  FIG. 3 is a partial cross-sectional view illustrating the structure and operation of the suction unit 130. 3 corresponds to the area surrounded by the dotted line A in FIG.

  Each of the suction units 130 includes a decompression chamber 134 that surrounds the lower surface of the endless belt 122, and a suction fan 136 disposed inside the decompression chamber 134. The suction holes 132 that are formed over the entire surface of the endless belt 122 and pass through the front and back of the endless belt 122 also form part of the suction portion 130.

  The suction fan 136 discharges the air inside the decompression chamber 134 to the outside of the decompression chamber 134 and generates a negative pressure inside the decompression chamber 134. This negative pressure acts on the recording paper 150 on the endless belt 122 through the suction hole 132.

  As a result, the recording paper 150 is attracted to the endless belt 122 and moves as the endless belt 122 travels. Therefore, by controlling the travel amount of the endless belt 122, the moving amount of the recording paper 150 can be accurately controlled, and the quality of the recorded image can be improved.

  FIG. 4 is a diagram showing the relationship between the dimensions of the recording paper 150 and the recording head 140. 4 shows a state in which the recording head 140 in the transport unit 120 is looked up from below, and the recording sheets 150 and 152 passing thereunder are indicated by dotted lines.

  Each of the recording heads 140 has a plurality of nozzle plates 142 arranged in the longitudinal direction on the lower surface thereof. Each nozzle plate 142 has a number of nozzles 144. As a result, the nozzle 144 is disposed on the lower surface of the recording head 140 over substantially the entire width thereof. In each of the nozzle plates 142, for example, ink having colors such as yellow, magenta, cyan, and black is ejected for each row of nozzles 144 to form a color image on the recording paper 150.

  The nozzles 144 are formed in a plurality of rows, and each of the nozzles 144 is arranged so as to be shifted from the adjacent nozzle 144 row in the extending direction of the row. By setting the amount by which the nozzle 144 row is shifted to half the pitch of the nozzles 144, it is possible to effectively increase the recording resolution of the recording head 140 while maintaining the interval between the nozzles 144 at a certain level or more.

  Further, a region where the density of the nozzles 144 is low occurs between the nozzle plates 142. Therefore, each of the recording heads 140 is arranged so as to be shifted in the longitudinal direction with respect to the adjacent recording heads 140. Thereby, an image can be recorded at a high recording density over the entire width of the recording paper 150.

  In the recording apparatus 100 including the recording head 140 as described above, the recording paper 150 is transported in the transport direction T perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the recording head 140 (hereinafter referred to as “width direction”). Here, when the recording apparatus 100 records an image on a narrow recording sheet 152, the nozzle 144 positioned outside in the longitudinal direction of the recording head 140 is positioned outside the recording sheet 150. Is not involved.

  The recording apparatus 100 may eject a large amount of ink from the nozzle 144 without recording an image for the purpose of cleaning the nozzle 144. Such an operation is called flushing, and is executed when the recording paper 150 is not loaded.

  FIG. 5 is a diagram schematically illustrating the structure and operation of the cleaning unit 170 in the recording apparatus 100. The cleaning unit 170 includes a cap unit 172, a suction pump 174, and a liquid storage unit 176.

  The cap portion 172 has an opening on the top surface and has a size that covers the bottom surface of the recording head 140 in a substantially airtight manner. The suction pump 174 sucks liquid from the inside of the cap part 172. The liquid storage unit 176 stores the liquid sucked out by the suction pump 174. A porous liquid absorbing member 178 is disposed inside the liquid storage portion 176.

  The cleaning unit 170 as described above operates as follows. When performing the cleaning operation, the recording head 140 moves from above the endless belt 122 to above the cap portion 172 as indicated by an arrow P in the drawing. Next, as indicated by an arrow Q in the drawing, the cleaning unit 170 moves upward to bring the cap unit 172 into contact with the lower surface of the recording head 140. Thereby, the nozzle 144 is covered with the cap part 172 substantially airtightly.

  Next, the suction pump 174 is operated to decompress the space defined by the cap unit 172 and the recording head 140. Accordingly, ink is forcibly sucked out from the inside of the recording head 140 via the nozzle 144. As a result, the ink thickened inside the nozzle 144 is forcibly removed together with the ink to be sucked out.

  The ink sucked into the cap part 172 is sucked into the liquid storage part 176 by the suction pump 174. In the liquid container 176, the ink is absorbed by the liquid absorbing member 178. This prevents the ink stored in the liquid storage unit 176 from flowing out when the recording apparatus 100 is moved.

  Note that when cleaning the nozzle 144, some of the ink sucked from the nozzle 144 may adhere to the lower surface of the nozzle plate 142. In order to remove such ink, a wiper may be provided in the vicinity of the cleaning unit 170 in some cases. Further, for the purpose of delaying the increase in the viscosity of the ink in the nozzles 144, the lower surface of the recording head 140 may be sealed by the cap unit 172 during a period when the recording apparatus 100 is not in operation.

  FIG. 6 is a diagram schematically illustrating the structure of the control system 200 of the recording apparatus 100. The control system 200 includes an input / output unit 250, a storage device 260, a processor 290, a paper feed control unit 210, a conveyance control unit 220, a cleaning control unit 270, a recording head control unit 240, and a discharge inspection control unit 280.

  The paper feed control unit 210, the conveyance control unit 220, and the cleaning control unit 270 control the operations of the feeding unit 110, the conveyance unit 120, and the cleaning unit 170 that have already been described. The recording head control unit 240 includes a nozzle specifying unit 242 and an ejection failure detection unit 244, and controls the operation of the recording head 140 related to image recording. The discharge inspection control unit 280 controls the operation of the discharge inspection unit 180. The operations of the recording head controller 240 and the ejection inspection controller 280 will be described later.

  The input / output unit 250 forms an interface for transmitting and receiving signals to and from the outside. Further, the input / output unit 250 also accepts user instruction input by operating the operation panel 230. On the other hand, the storage device 260 and the processor 290 form an execution unit, and execute each control by the paper feed control unit 210, the conveyance control unit 220, the cleaning control unit 270, the print head control unit 240, and the ejection inspection control unit 280.

  When the recording head control unit 240 transmits an instruction to the recording head 140 to eject ink, the ejection inspection unit 180 inspects whether ink is actually ejected from the nozzle 144 that has received the instruction. To do. Such a discharge inspection unit 180 can be formed, for example, by arranging an electrical or optical sensor in the vicinity of the nozzle. It can also be formed by reading a recording sheet 150 on which a test pattern is recorded. The discharge inspection control unit 280 controls the operation of the discharge inspection unit 180.

  In this way, the recording head 140 is arranged along the transport path 101 of the recording paper 150 transported in the transport direction and has a plurality of nozzles 144 arranged in the array direction intersecting the transport direction, and based on the given image information. The recording head 100 includes a recording head controller 240 that ejects ink from some of the plurality of nozzles 144 and records an image on the recording paper 150. The recording head controller 240 records an image. A nozzle specification unit 242 that specifies the nozzle 144 that discharges ink in the case, and a discharge failure detection unit 244 that detects whether there is a discharge failure in the nozzle 144 for the nozzle 144 specified by the nozzle specification unit 242, When the unit 244 does not detect a discharge failure, a recording apparatus that starts image recording is realized. Thereby, unnecessary cleaning operations can be eliminated and image recording can be started quickly. Accordingly, it is possible to improve the throughput related to image recording.

  FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing a control procedure executed in the control system 200. Note that the start in FIG. 7 means the start of a series of controls executed prior to image recording when the recording apparatus 100 records an image. The term “end” means that the processing executed before the image recording is started is completed.

  When the process is started, first, the input / output unit 250 receives image information including information on an image to be recorded (step S101). From the received image information, the dimension in the width direction of the recording paper 150 used when recording an image included in the image information is detected as width information (step S102). The width information may be directly included in the image information, or the width of the recorded image may be calculated from print image information generated on the recording apparatus 100 side.

  Next, the nozzle specifying unit 242 refers to the width information of the recording paper 150, and specifies the nozzle 144 that ejects ink when recording the image (step S103). As will be described later, in the recording apparatus 100, the ejection inspection is performed on the specified nozzle 144.

  Here, there is a case where another image recording operation has already been executed before the processing related to the image recording is started. In such a case, with respect to the nozzles 144 used for the previous image recording, the discharge inspection and cleaning described later have already been performed, so that overlapping processing can be omitted. Therefore, the nozzle 144 specified in step S103 is compared with the nozzle 144 specified in the previous recording operation (step S104).

  When all the nozzles 144 specified this time are included in the nozzles 144 specified last time (step S104; YES), it is determined that there is no discharge failure for these nozzles 144 or that the discharge failure has already been eliminated. it can. Therefore, without verifying the ejection failure, the ejection failure detection unit 244 is notified that there was no ejection failure for the specified nozzle 144 (step S105; NO). As a result, it is possible to save time for reinspecting the nozzles that have been used immediately before and that have not caused ejection failures. Therefore, the processing time is shortened, and the ink consumed when the ejection failure is detected can be saved.

  However, if a considerable amount of time has elapsed from the previous recording operation to the current recording operation, or a considerable amount of recording is performed between the start of the previous recording operation and the start of the current recording operation. If the operation has been executed, the state of the nozzle 144 may have changed. Therefore, when a considerable time has elapsed since the previous recording operation (step S105; YES), the process returns to the normal control procedure, and the ejection inspection is executed for the specified nozzle 144 (step S106). ). Thereby, it is possible to reliably prevent the occurrence of ejection failure.

  In step S103, the specification of the nozzle 144 may be updated by calculating the difference between the width information detected in step S102 and the width information related to the previous printing operation. Thereby, the process related to the specification of the nozzle can be reliably executed at an early stage of the operation of the recording apparatus.

  Further, steps S104 and S105 are premised on the fact that the recording operation has been executed before that, and therefore are omitted when the recording apparatus 100 operates for the first time. Further, for example, when it is clear that the image recording has not been executed immediately before, such as the first recording operation after the recording apparatus 100 is turned on, it may be omitted.

  In this way, the nozzles 144 that are involved in the image recording to be executed in the future but have not yet been confirmed to have no ejection defects or have been eliminated are identified. The identified nozzle 144 is notified to the discharge inspection control unit 280. The ejection failure inspection control unit 280 causes the ejection inspection unit 180 to perform an ejection inspection on the identified nozzle 144 (step S106).

  As a result of the ejection test, when the ejection failure unit 144 detects the ejection failure nozzle 144 (step S107; YES), the ejection inspection control unit 280 notifies the ejection failure detection unit 244 that the ejection failure has been detected. . The ejection failure detection unit 244 causes the recording head control unit 240 to wait for image recording and instructs the cleaning control unit 270 to perform cleaning. As a result, the cleaning unit 170 performs cleaning of the nozzle 144 (step S108). In this way, the ejection failure detected for the identified nozzle 144 is eliminated.

  When the cleaning is completed, the cleaning control unit 270 notifies the ejection inspection control unit 280 that the cleaning is completed. Upon receiving the notification, the discharge inspection control unit 280 causes the discharge inspection unit 180 to execute the discharge inspection again (step S106).

  When no discharge failure is detected from the beginning in the discharge inspection in step S106 (step S107; NO), or when no discharge failure is detected after completion of the cleaning in step S108 (step S107; NO), the discharge inspection control unit 280 notifies the ejection failure detection unit 244 to that effect. Accordingly, when the ejection failure detection unit 244 determines that the identified nozzle 144 has no ejection failure, the recording head control unit 240 instructs the recording head 140 to start image recording (step S109). ).

  In this way, an image can be recorded from the identified nozzle 144 in a state in which the ejection failure is eliminated. Since the ejection inspection is performed on the identified nozzle 144, the ejection inspection on the other nozzles 144 that are not involved in image recording can be omitted. Further, when no discharge failure is detected from the beginning, the discharge inspection for the nozzle 144 that has not been specified can be omitted. Therefore, the recording head control unit 240 can quickly start image recording.

  When an image is recorded by the nozzle 144 specified in the recording apparatus 100, the recording head control unit 240 forms an image from the nozzle 144 that is not specified by the nozzle specifying unit 242 in parallel with the image recording. Ink that is not used may be ejected. Accordingly, flushing of unused nozzles can be performed in parallel with the image recording operation, and the occurrence frequency of ejection defects can be reduced for all nozzles 144. However, when the width information detected in step S <b> 102 is not the width of the recording paper 150 but the width of the recording image, the nozzle 144 that performs the above-described parallel flushing is positioned outside the width of the recording paper 150. Limited to nozzle 144.

  Alternatively, cleaning may be performed on all the nozzles 144 immediately after the recording apparatus 100 is turned on. This eliminates ejection failures caused by ink thickening and the like that occur during the pause, and thus reduces the probability that ejection failures are detected when the above-described series of control procedures is executed. Accordingly, the throughput of operations related to recording of each image is improved.

  Further, when the image information received by the input / output unit 250 includes information specifying the recording paper 150 having a different size, or the recording paper 150 having a different size received by the input / output unit 250 is specified. When a plurality of pieces of image information are buffered in the storage device 260, the recording head control unit may extract image information having the same size of the designated recording paper 150 and continuously record the image information. Good.

  That is, a plurality of pieces of image information may be rearranged so that image information having equal width information forms an image group, and image information having the same size may be processed continuously. Alternatively, an image group having a large size may be sequentially processed into an image group having a small size. As a result, the number of times that the nozzle specifying unit 242 specifies the nozzle and the number of times that the cleaning control unit 270 executes cleaning when a discharge failure is detected are reduced, thereby reducing the throughput when recording an image. it can.

  In this way, a recording head 140 having a plurality of nozzles 144 arranged along the conveyance path 101 of the recording paper 150 conveyed in the conveyance direction and arranged in the arrangement direction intersecting the conveyance direction is given. A control method for controlling a recording apparatus 100 including a recording head control unit 240 that causes ink to be ejected from a part of a plurality of nozzles 144 while recording image information and records an image on a recording sheet 150. A nozzle specifying step for specifying the nozzle 144 that discharges ink when recording ink, and a discharge failure detecting step for detecting whether or not there is a discharge failure in the nozzle 144 for the nozzle 144 specified in the nozzle specifying step. When no ejection failure is detected at the detection stage, a control method for starting image recording is executed.

  As mentioned above, although this invention was demonstrated using embodiment, the technical scope of this invention is not limited to the range as described in the said embodiment. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications or improvements can be added to the above-described embodiment. It is apparent from the scope of the claims that the embodiments added with such changes or improvements can be included in the technical scope of the present invention.

2 is a perspective view schematically showing the structure of a recording apparatus 100. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a conveyance path 101 in the recording apparatus 100. FIG. 6 is a partial cross-sectional view illustrating the operation of the suction unit 130. FIG. FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating a dimensional relationship between recording paper 150 and recording head 140. It is a figure which shows the structure of the cleaning part 170 typically. 2 is a diagram schematically showing the structure of a control system 200. FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing a control procedure executed in the recording apparatus 100.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 100 Recording device, 101 Conveyance path, 102 Recording part, 110 Feed part, 112, 122 Endless belt, 114, 124 Drive roll, 116, 126 Driven roll, 118 Paper feed part, 120 Conveyance part, 130 Adsorption part, 132 Adsorption Hole, 134 decompression chamber, 136 suction fan, 140 recording head, 141 paper edge sensor, 142 nozzle plate, 144 nozzle, 150, 152 recording paper, 160 ink supply unit, 162 flexible tube, 170 cleaning unit, 172 cap unit, 174 Suction pump, 176 Liquid storage unit, 178 Liquid absorbing member, 180 Discharge inspection unit, 200 Control system, 210 Paper feed control unit, 220 Transport control unit, 230 Operation panel, 240 Head control unit, 242 Nozzle identification unit, 244 Discharge failure Detection unit, 250 Output unit, 260 storage device, 270 cleaning control unit, 280 discharge inspection control unit, 290 a processor, 310 an information processing apparatus, 320 an information recording medium, 330 communication line

Claims (8)

A recording head having a plurality of nozzles arranged along a conveying path of a recording medium conveyed in the conveying direction and arranged in an arrangement direction intersecting the conveying direction;
A recording apparatus comprising: a recording head control unit configured to eject ink from some of the plurality of nozzles based on given image information and record an image on the recording medium;
The recording head controller is
A nozzle identifying unit that identifies a nozzle that ejects ink when recording the image;
The nozzle specifying unit includes a discharge failure detection unit that detects whether there is a discharge failure in the nozzle, and starts recording the image when the discharge failure detection unit does not detect the discharge failure. Recording device.   The recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the recording head control unit performs cleaning of the plurality of nozzles when the ejection failure detection unit detects ejection failure.   The recording apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the recording head control unit discharges ink that does not form an image from a nozzle that is not specified by the nozzle specifying unit in parallel with the recording of the image. When the nozzle specified for the image information with the nozzle specifying unit is included in the nozzle specified for the image information given immediately before the image information,
The recording apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the recording head control unit starts recording the image on the assumption that an ejection failure is not detected at the identified nozzle.   The recording apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the ejection failure detection unit performs ejection failure detection on the recording head every time the recording head operates beyond a certain operation amount.   The recording apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the nozzle specifying unit updates nozzle specification based on a dimension of the recording medium in the arrangement direction.   The recording head control unit, when given a series of image information for a plurality of recording media including designation of the recording media having different dimensions in the arrangement direction, image information designating the recording media having the same dimensions The recording apparatus according to claim 6, wherein images are continuously recorded by extracting the image. A recording head having a plurality of nozzles arranged along a conveying path of a recording medium to be conveyed in the conveying direction and arranged in an arrangement direction intersecting the conveying direction;
A control method for controlling a recording apparatus comprising: a recording head control unit that discharges ink from some of the plurality of nozzles based on given image information and records an image on the recording medium;
A nozzle identifying step for identifying a nozzle for ejecting ink when recording the image;
A discharge failure detection step for detecting whether or not there is a discharge failure in the nozzle for the nozzle specified in the nozzle specification step, and recording of the image is started when no discharge failure is detected in the discharge failure detection step Control method to do.

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