JP2012131038A - Image recording device and transporting control method of recording medium in the image recording device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an image recording device which prevents the lowering of the stability of recording operation even if roll paper is transported while being peeled off from a winding core when recording is performed using the roll paper fixed at the winding core.SOLUTION: The image recording device has a first roller pair which has a sandwiching state that the roll paper wound around the winding core is transported while being sandwiched and a separating state that two rollers are separated, and is positioned upstream of a recording head in a transporting direction on a transporting path, a second roller pair which has the sandwiching state and the separating state, and is positioned downstream of the recording head in the transporting direction on the transporting path, and a sensor that detects an end of the roll paper at the upstream of the first roller pair in the transporting direction on the transporting path. When the end of the roll paper is detected by the sensor while the roll paper is transported by the second roller pair set in the separating state and the first roller pair set in the sandwiching state, the roll paper is transported by the first roller pair set in the separating state and the second roller pair set in the sandwiching state. Then, recording is performed on the roll paper by the recording head until the end detected by the sensor is reached.

Description

  The present invention relates to an image recording apparatus that conveys roll paper and records the roll paper, and a recording medium conveyance control method in the image recording apparatus.

  In general, an image recording apparatus, particularly an ink jet recording apparatus, can record on various recording media (such as paper). For example, recording on various types of recording media such as glossy paper and coated paper, various recording medium sizes such as A4 standard size and A0 standard size, and multiple types of recording media such as cut paper and roll paper is possible. By using such features, it is possible to output not only general printed materials such as documents and photographs but also printed materials for various uses such as POPs and posters.

  Patent Document 1 describes an image recording apparatus configured to insert and attach roll paper and cut paper from a common paper feed port. In the image recording apparatus having such a configuration, prior to attaching the sheet to the image recording apparatus, it is selected whether the sheet to be attached is roll paper or cut paper and input to the apparatus. By inputting the paper shape to the image recording apparatus in advance, it is possible to perform paper conveyance control optimum for each paper shape in various operations such as paper feeding, recording, and paper discharging.

  As a configuration for selecting the paper shape, Patent Document 2 describes a configuration in which any one of a plurality of buttons configured to select each paper shape provided on the operation panel is pressed. Patent Document 3 describes a configuration based on the length of time for which a single button is pressed. Alternatively, a configuration is known in which the paper shape sequentially selected by a toggle operation is switched every time a single button is pressed, and the selected paper shape can be confirmed at any time by display on an LCD or LED.

  An image recording apparatus having a configuration in which roll paper and cut paper are discharged from a common paper transport path is known. In such an image recording apparatus, optimal paper discharge control is performed by specifying the paper shape of a target paper to be discharged by a configuration for selecting or determining the paper shape as described above. Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2004-228561 describes a configuration for determining whether a paper shape is determined depending on whether the trailing edge of the paper is detected within a predetermined transport amount when the paper is transported in the downstream direction.

  In general, a roll paper is constituted by being wound several times around a winding core. For this reason, if the recording operation is continued, it approaches the winding core and finally reaches the contact with the winding core, that is, the end of the roll paper. There are two types of roll paper end processing depending on the type of roll paper. One is a configuration in which roll paper is wound as it is without being fixed to the core, and one is using double-sided tape to connect the roll paper back surface and the core surface several times to the core. It is a fixed configuration. In Patent Document 4, when recording is performed using roll paper having such a different end process, the recording process is immediately stopped when it is possible to determine whether or not the roll core is fixed to the winding core. Is described.

JP-A-8-324052 JP 2002-234222 A JP 2001-97582 A JP 2004-136514 A

  In general, the roll paper end is bonded and fixed using double-sided tape, but the adhesive strength of double-sided tape is weak and peels off from the winding core during recording medium transport, and the roll paper flows as it is on the transport path. End up. Ideally, when the roll paper is peeled off from the winding core, the end of the roll paper is detected by a sensor, and if possible, recording is performed up to the limit of the trailing edge of the roll paper.

  However, since the double-sided tape is attached to the end of the roll paper, if the double-sided tape flows on the conveyance path, the double-sided tape wraps around the conveyance roller, causing damage to the conveyance roller. In order to solve such a problem, it is conceivable to stop the recording process and the roll paper conveyance. However, due to the stop of the recording process, an unrecorded roll paper blank portion remains on the conveyance path, and the recording medium is removed. It will be consumed in vain.

  An object of the present invention is to solve such conventional problems. Therefore, in view of the above points, the present invention reduces the stability of the recording operation even when the roll paper is peeled off from the core and conveyed when recording is performed using the roll paper fixed to the core. It is an object of the present invention to provide an image recording apparatus that prevents the above-described problem and a recording medium conveyance control method in the image recording apparatus.

In order to solve the above problems, an image recording apparatus according to the present invention is an image recording apparatus that pulls out a roll paper wound around a winding core onto a conveyance path, and records it on the drawn roll paper by a recording head.
A first roller pair that has a nipping state in which the roll paper is nipped and conveyed by two rollers and a separated state in which the two rollers are separated from each other, and is located upstream of the recording head in the conveying direction on the conveyance path. When,
A second roller pair that has a nipping state in which the roll paper is nipped and conveyed by two rollers and a separated state in which the two rollers are separated from each other, and is located downstream of the recording head in the conveying direction on the conveyance path. When,
Detecting means for detecting an end of the roll paper on the transport path upstream of the first roller pair in the transport direction;
When the roll paper is conveyed with the second roller pair in the separated state and the first roller pair in the nipping state, and the end of the roll paper is detected by the detecting means, the first roller pair is A transport control unit configured to transport the roll paper in the separated state and the second roller pair in the sandwiched state;
Recording control means for recording by the recording head on the roll paper transported by the second pair of rollers brought into the pinched state by the transport control means until the end detected by the detection means; It is characterized by.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to prevent a decrease in the stability of the recording operation even when the roll paper is peeled off from the winding core and conveyed when recording is performed using the roll paper fixed to the winding core.

It is a figure which shows the structure of an image recording system. It is a figure which shows the block structure which processes image data. It is a figure which shows the block configuration of an image recording device. It is a figure which shows the structure of an image recording device. It is a figure which shows the structure of the conveyance path | route periphery in the case of conveying a cut sheet. It is a figure which shows the structure of the conveyance path periphery in the case of conveying roll paper. FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a spool used when a roll paper is mounted on an image recording apparatus. FIG. 10 is a diagram for explaining roll paper conveyance processing; It is a figure which shows a mode that roll paper is fixed to a winding core. It is a figure which shows a response | compatibility with the kind of roll paper, and the presence or absence of fixation to a winding core. 6 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a procedure of a recording medium conveyance control process. 12 is a flowchart illustrating another example of a procedure of a recording medium conveyance control process.

  Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. It should be noted that the following embodiments do not limit the present invention according to the claims, and all combinations of features described in the present embodiments are not necessarily essential to the solution means of the present invention. . The same constituent elements are denoted by the same reference numerals, and the description thereof is omitted.

[Example 1]
[Image recording system]
FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of an image recording system in an embodiment according to the present invention. Hereinafter, an ink jet recording apparatus will be described as an example of an image recording apparatus used in the image recording system. However, if the image recording apparatus has a roll paper transport mechanism described in FIG. 8 to be described later, an image recording apparatus using another recording method such as a thermal transfer method may be used instead of the ink jet recording device.

  An image recording apparatus 100 shown in FIG. 1 includes a printer engine 120 that records an image by an inkjet method. The printer engine 120 is a printer engine for color recording, and includes a plurality of recording heads (inkjet recording heads) that eject ink corresponding to each color of YMCK, and the plurality of recording heads are reciprocally scanned to form an image on a recording medium. Record. The configuration of the image recording apparatus 100 will be described later in detail with reference to FIGS.

  The host computer 200 stores various application programs 220, a printer driver 221 for the image recording apparatus 100, and the like on a hard disk (not shown). The image processing in this embodiment may be executed by the image recording apparatus 100 or may be executed by the printer driver 221 of the host computer 200. The printer driver 221 is provided from the manufacturer of the image recording apparatus 100 via a storage medium such as a CD-ROM, and is installed on the hard disk of the host computer 200. At the time of execution, the program is loaded into the RAM 223 of the host computer 200 and executed under the control of the CPU 222.

  The image recording apparatus 100 receives the recording data sent from the printer driver 221 and records an image by an instructed recording method, for example, multipass. The image recording apparatus 100 has mask information for determining dot positions to be recorded in each scan, and determines dot positions (nozzles) to be recorded in each pass according to the mask information. However, the mask information may be provided in the host computer 200, and the image recording apparatus 100 may be configured to record simply based on the received recording data.

  FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a block configuration for processing image data in the printer driver 221 in this embodiment. An input correction unit 301 illustrated in FIG. 2 inputs image data represented by 8 bits for each of RGB input from, for example, the application program 220 and the like, and C (cyan), M (magenta), and Y (yellow) used for recording. ) Each is converted to 8-bit data. The tone correction unit 302 generates and outputs CMYK (black) data based on the CMY data corrected by the input correction unit 301. The output correction unit 303 determines the value of image data recorded in each pass when recording is performed by the image recording apparatus 100. In this case, the data recorded in each pass may be corrected based on the correction data in the correction table 113. The quantization unit 304 quantizes the CMYK 8-bit image data output from the output correction unit 303 using, for example, an error diffusion method, and the CMYK 1-bit data (recording data) that is the quantization result. Output.

  FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a block configuration of the image recording apparatus. In the description of the image recording apparatus 100, the case where the image recording apparatus 100 itself has an image processing function as shown in FIG. 2 will be described. However, when the printer driver 221 on the host computer 200 side has this function, a simpler configuration in which this function is omitted can be achieved. A control unit 101 illustrated in FIG. 3 controls the operation of the entire image recording apparatus 100. The head driver 102 performs recording by driving the recording head 11 based on the recording data from the control unit 101. The motor drivers 103 and 104 rotate and drive the corresponding carriage motor 106 and LF motor (line feed motor) 107, respectively. The input unit 108 inputs image data from an external device such as the host computer 200 and supplies the image data to the control unit 101.

  Next, the configuration of the control unit 101 will be described. The CPU 110 is, for example, a microprocessor. The program memory 111 stores a program executed by the CPU 110 and the like. The RAM 115 has a work area for recording various data during operation of the CPU 110 and also has a print buffer 116 for storing recording data. A print buffer controller (PBC) 112 controls to take out recording data to be printed from the print buffer 116. The correction table 113 and the mask data 114 are used for determining recording data to be recorded at each scanning of the recording head 11.

[Mechanism around the recording unit of the image recording apparatus]
FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the image recording apparatus 100 in the present embodiment. In this embodiment, the case where the image recording apparatus 100 is an inkjet recording apparatus will be described. As shown in FIG. 4, the image recording apparatus 100 includes a recording head 11 and a carriage 12 that carries the recording head 11 and moves back and forth. The recording head 11 and the carriage 12 constitute an image recording unit 80. An ejection surface is provided on the surface of the recording head 11 facing the recording medium. A plurality of ejection port arrays are formed on the ejection surface, and different inks are ejected from the respective ejection port arrays. Each discharge port array is configured by arranging a plurality of discharge ports at a predetermined pitch. The image recording apparatus 100 is equipped with an ink tank 14, and each color ink is supplied from the ink tank 14 to each ejection port array of the recording head 11 via the ink supply tube 13 for each color.

  The carriage 12 is slidably guided and supported along a guide shaft 16 that is a guide member and a guide rail (not shown). The guide shaft and the guide rail are fixed to the frame 15 and the like of the image recording apparatus 100 so as to be parallel to each other. When a sheet-like recording medium such as paper is conveyed to the image recording unit 80, an image is formed on the recording medium by ejecting ink from the recording head 11 to the recording medium while reciprocating the carriage 12. The movement of the carriage 12 is controlled by a carriage motor 106 (not shown), a timing belt, a linear encoder, and the like. When performing this image recording, the speed of the carriage 12 needs to be kept constant, and is always monitored by a signal from a linear encoder. If the signal of the linear encoder changes due to some load during the movement of the carriage 12, the supply current to the carriage motor 106 is increased or decreased to keep the speed constant.

[Cut paper transport mechanism]
FIG. 5 is a vertical cross-sectional view when the cut sheet is conveyed in the image recording apparatus 100 shown in FIG. FIG. 6 is a longitudinal sectional view when the roll paper is conveyed by the image recording apparatus 100 shown in FIG. FIG. 7 is an exploded perspective view of a roll paper supply spool.

  Next, the paper feed conveyance mechanism of the image recording apparatus 100 in this embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. In this embodiment, the roll paper R is fed from the paper feed mechanism that feeds the cut paper P from the cassette 2 mounted at the bottom of the image recording apparatus 100 and the roll paper spool 32 that is mounted at the rear of the image recording apparatus 100. A paper feeding mechanism for paper is provided.

  First, the sheet feeding / conveying mechanism for the cut sheet P will be described. At the bottom of the image recording apparatus 100, a cassette 2 containing cut paper P as a recording medium is detachably mounted. In the sheet feeding portion of the cassette 2, a pair of rollers including a sheet feeding roller 5 and a separating roller for separating and feeding the cut sheets one by one is disposed. The cassette 2 includes a pressure plate 3 for stacking and supporting a plurality of cut sheets so that they can be pressed in the direction of an arrow, and an edge regulating plate (not shown) for regulating the side and rear ends of the plurality of cut sheets. Is provided. The pressure plate 3 is swingably attached to the cassette 2 and is urged in the direction of the arrow by a spring (not shown). By releasing the restriction by the pressure plate cam or the like, the cut sheet on the pressure plate 3 is pressed against the paper feed roller 5. When the sheet feeding roller 5 is rotated counterclockwise in the figure by a motor (not shown), one of the uppermost layers of the cut sheet P on the pressure plate 3 is sent out. At this time, the second and subsequent lower sheets are prevented from being conveyed by the frictional resistance of the separation roller 6.

  A torque limiter that generates a predetermined rotational load torque is provided inside the separation roller 6. For this reason, the separation roller 6 functions as a nip roller that generates a conveying force by sandwiching the cut sheet together with the sheet feeding roller 5 when a torque exceeding the rotational load torque is generated. That is, if the frictional force between the sheet feeding roller 5 and the sheet P is F1, the frictional force between the sheets is Fp, and the frictional force between the sheet P and the separation roller 6 (tangential force of the rotational load torque) is F3. These relationships are “F1> F3> Fp”. Therefore, only the uppermost sheet is sent out from the cassette 2 to the conveyance path A, and eventually reaches the nip between the conveyance roller 7a and the pinch roller 7b in the conveyance path.

  Further, the sheet P is conveyed by obtaining the conveying force of the conveying roller pair 7a and 7b, and eventually reaches the nip between the conveying roller 9 and the pinch roller 10 arranged in the vicinity of the upstream side of the image recording unit 80 in the conveying direction. In addition, on the upstream side of the transport roller pair 9 and 10, a flap 18 for switching to a transport path for the roll paper R, which will be described later, and a transport roller pair 8a and 8b for feeding the roll paper R are arranged. Has been. When the cut paper P is fed and transported, the flap 18 and the transport roller pairs 8a and 8b are at the retracted positions as shown in FIG. 5, and a transport path for the cut paper is secured. A platen 19 is disposed at a position facing the recording head 11, and the cut sheet P is conveyed onto the platen 19 in a narrow state sandwiched between the conveyance rollers 9 and 10. Then, image recording on the recording surface of the cut sheet P is started. The recorded cut paper P is discharged onto the paper discharge tray 22 through two pairs of rollers including a conveyance roller 20a and a spur 20b.

[Roll paper transport mechanism]
Next, the paper feed conveyance of the roll paper R set on the roll paper spool 32 will be described with reference to FIGS. In FIG. 7, the roll paper spool 32 is inserted through the paper tube S at the winding center of the roll paper R. A roll paper holder 30 is fixed to one end of the roll paper spool 32, and a lock portion 30 a is provided inside the roll paper holder 30. The inserted roll paper spool 32 is fixedly held by causing the lock portion 30a to bite into the inner surface of the paper tube S by a spring force. Next, the roll paper R is fixed to the roll paper holder 31 at the other end of the roll paper spool 32, so that the roll paper R is set so as to be able to be unwound from the roll paper spool 32. That is, the roll paper R is set so as to be unwound from the roll paper spool 32 by rotatably mounting the roll paper spool 32 on the apparatus main body 100.

  In the transport operation of the roll paper R, it is necessary to consider the inertial force of the roll paper itself. For this reason, the roll paper spool 32 is provided with a torque limiter 33 (FIG. 7), and a constant load torque is applied to the rotation (unwinding and winding) of the roll paper R. According to this configuration, since the roll paper R starts rotating (rotating) by the rotation of the conveying roller 9 and then the conveying roller 9 stops, the load torque by the torque limiter 33 is applied, so that the rotation by the inertial force occurs. Can be quickly converged. That is, consideration is given so that the roll paper R being conveyed does not become slack due to inertia.

  The roll paper R set in the apparatus is sent out through the conveyance path B. The fed roll paper pushes down the flap 18, passes between the transport rollers 8 a and 8 b released from the nip, and is sent out to a paper detection configuration (not shown) disposed in front of the transport roller 9. In this embodiment, the transport roller 8a is pivotally supported by a pendulum arm type flap 8. The roll paper feed up to this point may be performed by a user operation. When the roll paper R is detected by the paper detection configuration, the flap 8 is rotated, and the conveyance roller 8a is pressed against the pinch roller 8b to nip (nip) the roll paper R. Then, the roll paper is automatically fed to the transport roller 9 by rotationally driving the transport roller 8a. FIG. 6 shows the state of the transport mechanism at this time.

  Next, the roll paper R is transported onto the platen 19 while being sandwiched between the transport rollers 9 and 10, and image recording is started on the roll paper R. The recorded roll paper R is conveyed through two pairs of rollers including a conveying roller 20 a and a spur 20 b, and the trailing end is cut by a cutter 21 and is discharged onto a paper discharge tray 22.

  Further, the transport path B can transport not only the roll paper R but also cut paper. Similarly to the conveyance of the roll paper R described above, the cut paper set in the apparatus is sent out through the conveyance path B. Thereafter, it is conveyed onto the platen 19 in the same manner as the roll paper R is conveyed. Then, after being transported onto the platen 19, image recording and discharging are performed in the same manner as the transport of the cut paper P in FIG. Compared with the case where it is sent out through the conveyance path A, it has a gentler shape, so it is possible to convey relatively thick cut paper. It is also possible to transport long cut sheets that do not fit in the cassette 2.

[Recording operation using recording head]
Next, a recording operation in the image recording unit 80 will be described with reference to FIGS. The image recording apparatus according to the present embodiment is an ink jet recording apparatus, and records an image by ejecting ink from a recording head 11 to a recording medium based on image information. The recording head 11 and the carriage 12 are mounted. A guide member 16 for guiding the movement of the carriage 12 is installed on the frame 15 of the apparatus main body. That is, the carriage 12 on which the recording head 11 is mounted is guided and supported along the guide member 16 so as to be reciprocally movable for main scanning. The illustrated guide member 16 is formed of a shaft, and the carriage 12 is slidably supported on the guide member 16 via a bearing. The recording head 11 is provided with a discharge surface on which a discharge port array including a plurality of discharge port arrays is formed. In the case of recording a color image, a plurality of ejection port arrays are used according to the number of ink types.

  The image recording operation by the recording head 11 is started with respect to the recording medium (cut paper P or roll paper R) conveyed onto the platen 19. When recording for one line (one scan) by the recording head 11 synchronized with the movement of the carriage 12 is completed, the recording operation is temporarily stopped, and the recording medium positioned on the platen 19 is conveyed by a predetermined amount by the conveying roller 9. . Then, the image for the next one line is recorded while moving the recording head 11 along the guide member 16 again. By repeating such recording for one line and conveyance of the recording medium, image recording of the entire recording medium is performed.

  In FIG. 4, a recovery unit 23 for maintaining and recovering the ink ejection performance of the recording head 11 is disposed at a position (usually a home position) outside the recording area within the movement range of the carriage 12. While waiting for the recording operation, the recording head 11 is moved to a position facing the recovery unit 23 before and after recording, or between recording for one line, and a desired recovery operation is performed. Examples of the recovery operation include capping for sealing the ejection port of the recording head 11 with a cap, suction recovery for sucking ink from the ejection port, and wiping for cleaning the ejection surface of the recording head. By these recovery operations, it is possible to prevent clogging of the discharge port and maintain the image quality of the recorded image.

  After image recording by the recording head 11 is sequentially performed on the platen 19, the cut paper P is transported by the transport roller 20 a and the spur 20 b and is discharged onto the paper discharge tray 22. On the other hand, in the case of the roll paper R, after the image recording is completed, it is further conveyed downstream in the conveying direction by the conveying roller pair 9 and 19, and is cut by the cutter 21 while being nipped by the conveying roller 20a and the spur 20b, The paper is discharged onto the paper discharge tray 22. In the case of roll paper, after cutting and discharging are completed, the conveying roller pair 9 and 10 and the roll paper spool 32 are rotated in reverse to perform a winding operation, and the leading end of the roll paper is retracted to a predetermined position. To prepare for the next image recording.

[Conveying roll paper]
FIG. 8 is a diagram schematically showing a state in which the recording medium (roll paper R) is conveyed on the conveyance path (conveyance path B) of the image recording apparatus 100 in FIG. FIG. 8 shows a state in which the image recording apparatus 100 is transporting the roll paper R. At this time, the roll paper recording mode is selected by the user via the operation unit (not shown) of the image recording apparatus 100 in advance. With regard to the roll paper attachment, the user opens the roll cover 34 with the spool 32 being passed through the paper tube S of the roll paper R, and loads both ends of the spool 32 on the spool bearing portion in the roll cover 34. The leading end of the roll paper R is unwound and inserted into the paper supply port 37. Next, the user uses a pair of LF rollers 9 and 10 (first rollers) including a conveyance roller 9 (the conveyance roller at this position is particularly referred to as an LF roller) and a pinch roller 10 disposed on the upstream side of the image recording unit 80 (not shown). Feed until it hits the roller pair. When the leading edge of the paper passes the position of the PE sensor 38 having a paper detection configuration arranged in the middle of the conveyance path B, the presence of the paper is detected by the PE sensor 38 and the roll paper R feeding operation is started. When the sheet feeding operation is started, the LF roller 9 is rotated by the driving of the LF motor 107 (not shown), and the roll paper R is inserted into the LF roller pair 9 and 10, and the roll paper R is inserted into the downstream image recording unit 80. Transport.

  When the roll paper R is conveyed downstream by the LF roller 9, it is unwound from the roll by an amount corresponding to the conveyance amount, so that the roll rotates in the direction of the arrow. At this time, the spool 32 that is passed through the paper tube S of the roll paper R and rotatably supports the roll paper R in the circumferential direction also rotates together. Since the rotation of the spool 32 is configured to be transmitted to the code wheel of the rotary encoder 36 via a gear train (not shown), the rotary encoder 36 receives an electric signal in response to a state change caused by the rotation of the code wheel. Output as two phase pulses. That is, the two phase pulses output from the rotary encoder 36 are monitored and the phase difference is detected to determine whether the rotation is normal or reverse, and the rotation state of the roll (rotating in the unwinding direction) is detected. The

  FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating an image in which the end portion of the roll paper is fixed to the winding core. Several double-sided tapes 51 are attached to the back surface of the roll paper R, and the double-sided tape 51 is fixed so as to adhere to the surface of the core 50. FIG. 10 shows the table held in the image recording apparatus, that is, the roll core fixing presence / absence information of the roll paper end portion associated with the roll paper type supported by the image recording apparatus 100. Whether this table is of a type in which the end of the roll paper is fixed from the type of roll paper being conveyed when the end of the roll paper is detected by the roll paper sensor 40 during the conveyance of the roll paper Is used to determine

  Next, with reference to the flowchart of FIG. 11, the sheet conveyance process at the roll paper end portion in the recording process in the present embodiment will be described in detail. Each process shown in FIG. 11 is executed by the CPU 110 of the image recording apparatus 100, for example. During the recording process, the roll paper is conveyed through the conveyance path B by rotating the LF roller 9 by a predetermined amount so that the roll paper R inserted from the paper feed port 37 is nipped between the LF roller pair 9 and 10. The image is transferred to the platen 19 where the image recording unit 80 is located, and an image recording operation is performed. When the roll paper sensor 40 detects the roll paper end portion during the transport operation (S101), roll paper fixing presence / absence information corresponding to the type of roll paper being transported is acquired from the table (S102), and the roll paper end portion is acquired. Whether or not is fixed is determined (S103).

  Here, when it is determined that the roll paper end portion is not fixed, the roll paper R is continuously conveyed using the LF roller 9 so as to be nipped between the LF roller pair 9 and 10 (S110), Recording is performed until the end of the roll paper is detected by the PE sensor 38. When the end of the roll paper is detected, the recording process is terminated (S111), and the roll paper R is discharged by carrying a predetermined amount using the LF roller 9 (S112).

  On the other hand, a case will be described in which it is determined in S103 that the roll paper end portion is fixed and the roll paper type is fixed. In that case, since the end of the roll paper R is detected although it is fixed, it is considered that the roll paper R comes off from the winding core and the double-sided tape is attached to the back surface of the roll paper R. Accordingly, the LF roller 10 is raised using a motor (not shown) to release the nip state (that is, to be in a separated state), and the conveyance by the LF roller 9 that contacts the back surface of the roll paper R is stopped (S104). At the same time, the spur 20b is lowered (S105), the two rollers (second roller pair) with the pair 20a are held, and the conveyance of the roll paper R is started (S106). Thereafter, during the recording process, it is determined whether or not the end of the roll paper R is detected by the PE sensor 38 (an example of the end detection). Here, when the end is detected, a predetermined amount is conveyed using the spurs 20a and 20b, the recording process is performed on the roll paper, and the main recording process is ended (S107, an example of the recording control). In this embodiment, for example, when the end is detected, the driving of the spurs 20a and 20b is controlled based on the predetermined distance from the recording head to the PE sensor 38 and the conveyance speed of the roll paper, The recording may be performed up to the end of the roll paper by the recording head. Thereafter, the roll paper R restrained by the spurs 20a and 20b is removed by a user operation (S108), and a series of conveyance processes is completed. In S102 shown in FIG. 11, if the roll paper fixing presence / absence information cannot be acquired from the table, it is processed as being fixed.

[Example 2]
In the first embodiment, printing is performed up to the limit of the end of the roll paper so that no margin is left on the roll paper. However, when the roll paper sensor 40 detects the end of the roll paper, the spurs 20a and 20b are used for conveyance, so the spurs 20a and 20b come into contact with the location of the roll paper R on which the image is formed. . Since this is generally undesirable as an influence on the image recording surface, in the present embodiment, the processing described in the first embodiment is performed in consideration of the print quality designated by the host computer 200.

  FIG. 12 is a flowchart illustrating the procedure of the recording medium conveyance control process in the present embodiment. Each process shown in FIG. 12 is executed by the CPU 110 of the image recording apparatus 100, for example. The roll paper R inserted from the paper supply port 37 is fed through the conveyance path B so as to be nipped by the LF roller pair 9 and 10, and the roll paper R is rotated by a predetermined amount so that the roll paper R is provided in the image recording unit 80. The sheet is conveyed to the platen 19 and image recording is performed. When the roll paper sensor 40 detects the end of the roll paper during the transport operation (S101), roll paper fixing presence / absence information corresponding to the type of roll paper being transported is acquired from the table (S102), and the end of the roll paper is obtained. Whether or not is fixed is determined (S103).

  Here, when it is determined that the end portion of the roll paper is not fixed, the roll paper R is continuously conveyed by the LF roller 9 while being nipped between the LF roller pair 9 and 10. Thereafter, when the PE sensor 38 detects the end of the roll paper R, the recording process is finished (S111), a predetermined amount is conveyed using the LF roller 9, and the roll paper R is discharged (S112). finish. On the other hand, if it is determined in S103 that the roll paper type is fixed at the end, in this embodiment, designation of print quality in the recording mode from the host computer 200 is determined (S113, mode). An example of determination). The print quality is specified by the user via the host computer 200, for example. If it is determined that the high quality mode is designated as the print quality, the recording process is stopped, and the roll paper R held by the LF rollers 9 and 10 is removed by the user operation (S108). Then, a series of recording processing and conveyance processing are completed.

On the other hand, if it is determined in S113 that the high quality mode is not designated as the print quality, the LF roller 10 is raised using a motor (not shown) to release the nip state, The conveyance by the contacting LF roller 9 is stopped (S104). At the same time, the spur 20b is lowered (S105), and the conveyance of the roll paper R is started by the roll paper R using two rollers with the pair 20a (S106). Thereafter, when the PE sensor 38 detects the end of the roll paper R during the recording process, the recording process is performed by conveying a predetermined amount using the spurs 20a and 20b (S107). Thereafter, the roll paper R restrained by the spurs 20a and 20b is removed by a user operation (S108), and a series of conveyance processes is completed.
(Other examples)
The present invention can also be realized by executing the following processing. That is, software (program) that realizes the functions of the above-described embodiments is supplied to a system or apparatus via a network or various storage media, and a computer (or CPU, MPU, or the like) of the system or apparatus reads the program. It is a process to be executed.

Claims (6)

An image recording apparatus that pulls out a roll paper wound around a winding core onto a conveyance path and records on the drawn roll paper by a recording head,
A first roller pair that has a nipping state in which the roll paper is nipped and conveyed by two rollers and a separated state in which the two rollers are separated from each other, and is located upstream of the recording head in the conveying direction on the conveyance path. When,
A second roller pair that has a nipping state in which the roll paper is nipped and conveyed by two rollers and a separated state in which the two rollers are separated from each other, and is located downstream of the recording head in the conveying direction on the conveyance path. When,
Detecting means for detecting an end of the roll paper on the transport path upstream of the first roller pair in the transport direction;
When the roll paper is conveyed with the second roller pair in the separated state and the first roller pair in the nipping state, and the end of the roll paper is detected by the detecting means, the first roller pair is A transport control unit configured to transport the roll paper in the separated state and the second roller pair in the sandwiched state;
Recording control means for recording by the recording head on the roll paper conveyed by the second roller pair held in the nipped state by the conveyance control means until the end detected by the detection means. An image recording apparatus. An end detection means for detecting an end of the roll paper between the recording head and the first roller pair on the transport path;
When the end of the roll paper is detected by the end detection means, the recording control means, based on the distance between the recording head and the end detection means, until the end detected by the detection means, The image recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein recording is performed by the recording head on the roll paper conveyed by the second pair of rollers that has been held by the conveyance control unit. Based on the type of roll paper conveyed on the conveyance path, refer to a table in which the type of roll paper and information indicating whether the end of the roll paper is fixed to the winding core are associated with each other And determining means for determining whether or not the end of the roll paper being transported on the transport path is fixed to the winding core,
The conveyance control unit detects the end of the roll paper by the detection unit, and determines that the end of the roll paper conveyed on the conveyance path is fixed to the winding core by the determination unit. 3. The image recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the roll paper is conveyed with the first roller pair in the separated state and the second roller pair in the sandwiched state. 4. If it is determined by the determination means that the end of the roll paper being conveyed on the conveyance path is fixed to the winding core, whether or not the recording mode for the roll paper is a high-quality mode. It further comprises mode determination means for determining based on designation from the user,
When the mode determination unit determines that the recording mode for the roll paper is not the high-quality mode, the conveyance control unit sets the first roller pair to the separated state, and sets the second roller pair to the separation mode. When the roll paper is conveyed in the nipping state and the recording mode for the roll paper is determined to be the high-quality mode by the mode determination means, the recording control means performs recording on the roll paper. The image recording apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the process is terminated.   The image recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the image recording apparatus is an inkjet recording apparatus. The roll paper wound around the winding core has a nipping state in which the paper is nipped by two rollers and conveyed, and a separated state in which the two rollers are separated from each other, and is positioned upstream of the recording head in the conveying direction on the conveyance path. A pair of rollers, a nipping state in which the roll paper is nipped and conveyed by two rollers, and a separated state in which the two rollers are separated from each other, and are positioned downstream of the recording head in the conveying direction on the conveyance path And an image recording apparatus for recording on the roll paper by a recording head, and a sensor for detecting the end of the roll paper on the conveyance path upstream of the first roller pair in the conveyance direction. A transport control method to be executed,
The conveyance control means of the image recording apparatus conveys the roll paper with the second roller pair in the separated state and the first roller pair in the nipping state, and detects the end of the roll paper by the sensor. Then, a transport control step of transporting the roll paper with the first roller pair in the separated state and the second roller pair in the sandwiched state,
A recording control step of recording by the recording head on the roll paper transported by the second roller pair that is held in the holding state in the transport control step until the end point detected by the sensor. A characteristic conveyance control method.

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