Recording apparatus and transporting control method in recording apparatus

• US 8,267,401 B2
• Filed: 03/29/2010
• Issued: 09/18/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 04/01/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation (Seiko Group)
• Original Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation (Seiko Group)
• Inventors: Nakajima, Norihiko
• Primary Examiner(s): McCullough, Michael
• Assistant Examiner(s): Sanders, Howard
• Application Number:
  US12/748,991
• Publication Number:
  US 20100252986A1
• Time in Patent Office: 904 Days
• Field of Search: 271/265.01, 271/3.14, 271/258.01
• US Class Current: 271/265.01
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 11/0095 Detecting means for copy material, e.g. for detecting or sensing presence of copy material or its leading or trailing end
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 11/42 Controlling printing material conveyance for accurate alignment of the printing material with the printhead; Print registering
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 2220/01 indicating an entity as a function of which control, adjustment or change is performed, i.e. input
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 2220/02 indicating an entity which is controlled, adjusted or changed by a control process, i.e. output
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 2511/22 Distance
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 2511/514 Particular portion of element
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 2511/518 Particular portion of element
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 2513/51 Sequence of process
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 2701/1311 leading edge
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 2701/1313 trailing edge
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 2801/12 Single-function printing machines, typically table-top machines
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 5/34 Varying the phase of feed relative to the receiving machine
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 7/20 Controlling associated apparatus

Abstract

Provided is a recording apparatus for performing recording on a medium, including: a transporting unit which transports the medium; a recording unit which performs the recording on the transported medium; a control unit which controls the transporting unit and the recording unit; and a detection unit which detects presence or absence of the medium at a predetermined position in a transporting path, wherein, during or after the transporting of the medium, after the detection unit detects medium absence if the detection unit detects medium presence during an interval until the transporting for a regulated distance, which is set as a value of a diameter or more of a hole provided to the medium, is finished, the control unit determines erroneous operation and performs a predetermined process so as to remove the erroneous operation state.

Claims

1. The recording apparatus for performing recording on a medium, comprising:

a transporting unit which transports the medium;

a recording unit which performs the recording on the transported medium;

a control unit which controls the transporting unit and the recording unit; and

a detection unit which detects presence or absence of the medium at a predetermined position of the upstream side in the transport direction from a recording position of the recording unit,

wherein the control unit includes a measuring unit which performs a measuring process for measuring a transporting amount of the medium in a first distance from a position where an end of the medium passes through the predetermined position to a position where the medium reaches a recording limit position where the recording of the recording unit can be performed,

wherein if the detection unit detects the medium absence, a performance of the measuring process of the measuring unit is temporarily suspended,

wherein if the detection unit detects the medium presence during or after transporting the medium from the time the medium absence is detected before the medium is transported for a regulated distance which is set to a value equal to or greater than a diameter of a hole provided to the medium and smaller than the first distance, a canceling process of canceling the performance of the measuring process that has been suspended is performed, and

wherein if the medium is transported for the regulated distance without detection of the medium presence by the detection unit, the measuring process that has been suspended is allowed to be performed based on a value where the transporting amount of the medium during suspending of the measuring process is reflected, and

wherein if the canceling process is performed, during or after transporting the medium, the control unit repeats the transporting of the medium for the regulated distance and the canceling process each time the detection unit detects the medium absence until the medium is transported for the regulated distance without detection of the medium presence by the detection unit during the transporting of the medium.

2. The recording apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein if the measuring unit measures the transporting amount in the first distance and the end of the medium reaches the recording limit position, the control unit controls the recording unit and the transporting unit to forcibly finish the recording operation of the recording unit and to discharge the medium by the transporting unit.

3. The recording apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the transporting unit includes a first transport roller pair provided at the upstream side of the recording unit in the transporting direction and a second transport roller pair provided at the downstream side of the recording unit in the transporting direction,

wherein a setting unit, which set the regulated distance to a value smaller than a distance from the predetermined position to the first transport roller pair, is further included, and

wherein, if it is determined based on the transporting amount of the medium measured by the measuring unit that the medium is in a first section where the medium is transported by the first transport roller pair and the second transport roller pair, the control unit controls the transporting unit in a first transporting control, and if it is determined that the medium is in a second section where the medium is transported only by the second transport roller pair, the control unit controls the transporting unit in a second transporting control different from the first transporting control.

4. The recording apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a medium mounting unit on which the medium is set in a stacked state;

a feeding unit which feeds the medium from the medium mounting unit; and

an interval detection unit which detects that a preceding medium that is fed from the medium mounting unit is transported to a position where an interval between the preceding medium and a following medium on the medium mounting unit is a regulated amount or more,

wherein if it is detected that the interval is secured to be the regulated amount or more, the control unit controls the transporting unit to feed the following medium in parallel with the preceding medium, and

wherein the recording apparatus further comprises a second setting unit which sets the interval to a value larger than the regulated distance.

5. A recording apparatus for performing recording on a medium, comprising:

a transporting unit which transports and discharges the medium;

a recording unit which performs the recording on the transported medium;

a control unit which controls the transporting unit and the recording unit;

a detection unit which detects presence or absence of the medium at a predetermined position of the upstream side in the transport direction from a recording position of the recording unit; and

a discharging distance acquisition unit which acquires a discharging distance necessary to discharge the medium,

wherein, after the medium reaches the discharging distance during discharging the medium or after discharging the medium for the discharging distance is finished, if the detection unit detects the medium absence, the control unit performs the transporting of the medium for a regulated distance which is set to a value more than of a diameter or more of a hole provided to the medium and less than a first distance from a position where an end of the medium passes through the predetermined position to a position where the medium reaches a recording limit position where the recording of the recording unit can be performed,

wherein if the detection unit detects the medium presence during the transporting of the medium for the regulated distance, the control unit performs a discharging operation of discharging the medium for a predetermined distance,

wherein if the transporting of the medium for the regulated distance is finished without detection of the medium presence by the detection unit, the control unit does not perform the discharging operation, and

wherein in the case where the discharging operation is performed, when the discharging operation is finished, if the detection unit detects the medium absence, the control unit repeats the transporting of the medium for the regulated distance and the discharging operation which is to be performed when the detection unit detects the medium presence during the transporting of the medium for the regulated distance until the medium is transported for the regulated distance without detection of the medium presence by the detection unit.

6. A recording apparatus for performing recording on a medium, comprising:

a transporting unit which transports the medium;

a recording unit which performs the recording on the transported medium;

a control unit which controls the transporting unit and the recording unit; and

a detection unit which detects presence or absence of the medium at a predetermined position of the upstream side in the transport direction from a recording position of the recording unit,

wherein the control unit includes a measuring unit which performs a measuring process for measuring a transporting amount in a first distance from a position where an end of the medium passes through the predetermined position to a position where the medium reaches a recording limit position where the recording of the recording unit can be performed,

wherein, during or after the transporting of the medium, if the detection unit detects medium absence, a performance of the measuring process of the measuring unit is temporarily suspended, and the control unit performs the transporting of the medium for a regulated distance which is set to a value equal to or greater than a diameter of a hole provided to the medium and smaller than the first distance;

wherein after the transporting of the medium for the regulated distance, the control unit determines the presence or absence of the medium based on a result of the detection of the detection unit;

wherein if the medium presence is determined, the control unit performs a canceling process of canceling the performance of the measuring process that has been suspended;

wherein if the medium absence is determined, the control unit does not perform the canceling process; and

wherein in the case where the canceling process is performed, during or after the transporting of the medium, the control unit repeats the transporting of the medium for the regulated distance, the determination of the presence or absence of the medium after the transporting of the medium for the regulated distance, and the canceling process each time the detection unit detects the medium absence until the result of the determination is the medium absence.

7. A transporting control method in a recording apparatus having a detection unit detecting presence or absence of a medium at a predetermined position in a transporting path, and a recording unit which performs recording on the medium provided at the downstream side of the detection unit in the transporting path, comprising:

performing transporting of the medium for a regulated distance which is set to a value equal to or greater than a diameter of a hole provided to the medium and smaller than a first distance from a position where an end of the medium passes through the predetermined position to a position where the medium reaches a recording limit position where the recording of the recording unit can be performed, during or after transporting of the medium, after the detection unit detects the medium absence;

performing a measuring process for measuring a transporting amount of the medium in the first distance;

performing a suspending process of suspending the measuring process if the detection unit detects the medium absence; and

performing a canceling process if the detection unit detects the medium presence during the transporting of the medium for the regulated distance, wherein the canceling process is not performed in the case where the medium is transported for the regulated distance without detection of the medium presence by the detection unit during the transporting of the medium for the regulated distance,

wherein in the case of performing the canceling process, during or after the transporting of the medium, of the medium for the regulated distance and the canceling process are repeated until the medium is transported for the regulated distance is finished without detection of the medium presence by the detection unit in the canceling process.