US 2010/0245919 A1Published application

Recording apparatus, method of controlling recording apparatus and computer readable recording medium

AssigneeBrother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha

InventorTakashi KANZAKI

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Abstract

Positions of flushing candidate pixels are provided in standard areas S formed from pixels arranged in a matrix pattern. A reference area formation section forms a reference area Ref by arranging two standard areas S adjacently to each other in both a main scan direction and a conveyance direction. In a range where there are overlaps with virtual pixel rows 84 not associated with image dots for a virtual flushing area F virtually arranged at a randomly-determined position in the reference area Ref, an extraction section extracts pixels overlapping flushing candidate pixels in the reference area Ref. A head control section controls inkjet heads such that image dots and flushing dots corresponding to the extracted pixels are formed on a sheet P.

Claims11

Dependent claims

A recording apparatus comprising:

a conveyance mechanism which conveys a recording medium in a conveyance direction;
a liquid ejection head including a plurality of ejection ports which eject droplets toward the recording medium conveyed by the conveyance mechanism, to produce image dots, and which are arranged at intervals commensurate with a first resolution in a direction orthogonal to the conveyance direction;
an image data storage which stores image data showing, in a recording area defined in the recording medium, positions of image dots produced at intervals commensurate with the first resolution in the orthogonal direction and a second resolution in the conveyance direction;
a flushing area size storage which stores the number of virtual pixels arranged in the conveyance direction in a virtual flushing area in which a flushing area is represented in a virtual space, wherein the flushing area occupies a whole area of the recording area in the orthogonal direction and occupies at least a part of the recording area in the conveyance direction, and the flushing area includes a plurality of element rows having spatial elements arranged in the conveyance direction, the plurality of element rows being arranged in the orthogonal direction;
a standard flushing data storage which stores standard flushing data showing a standard flushing pattern within a standard area, wherein the standard area includes a plurality of elements rows having spatial elements arranged in the conveyance direction and has the same matrix shape as the virtual flushing area, and the standard flushing pattern includes flushing coordinate elements which are selected at least one from the spatial elements of each of the element rows of the standard area;
a reference area formation unit which repeatedly arranges the plural standard areas in at least one of the conveyance direction and the orthogonal direction to form a reference area;
an extraction unit which virtually arrange the virtual flushing area on an arbitrary position within the reference area, and selects the element row, in which the image dot is not included, from the element rows of the flushing area when the recording area is arranged on the flushing area, and extracts the coordinate element within the reference area in the selected element row as a flushing element;
and
an ejection controller which controls the ejection ports to eject droplets based on the image data and the flushing element extracted by the extraction unit.

6 more elements

A method of controlling a recording apparatus which includes a conveyance mechanism which conveys a recording medium in a conveyance direction;

and a liquid ejection head including a plurality of ejection ports which eject droplets toward the recording medium conveyed by the conveyance mechanism, to produce image dots, and which are arranged at intervals commensurate with a first resolution in a direction orthogonal to the conveyance direction, the method comprising:
storing image data showing, in a recording area defined in the recording medium, positions of image dots produced at intervals commensurate with the first resolution in the orthogonal direction and a second resolution in the conveyance direction;
storing the number of virtual pixels arranged in the conveyance direction in a virtual flushing area in which a flushing area is represented in a virtual space, wherein the flushing area occupies a whole area of the recording area in the orthogonal direction and occupies at least a part of the recording area in the conveyance direction, and the flushing area includes a plurality of element rows having spatial elements arranged in the conveyance direction, the plurality of element rows being arranged in the orthogonal direction;
storing standard flushing data showing a standard flushing pattern within a standard area, wherein the standard area includes a plurality of elements rows having spatial elements arranged in the conveyance direction and has the same matrix shape as the virtual flushing area, and the standard flushing pattern includes flushing coordinate elements which are selected at least one from the spatial elements of each of the element rows of the standard area;
repeatedly arranging the plural standard areas in at least one of the conveyance direction and the orthogonal direction to form a reference area;
virtually arranging the virtual flushing area on an arbitrary position within the reference area;
selecting the element row, in which the image dot is not included, from the element rows of the flushing area when the recording area is arranged on the flushing area, and extracts the coordinate element within the reference area in the selected element row as a flushing element;
and
controlling the ejection ports to eject droplets based on the image data and the extracted flushing element.

6 more elements

A computer readable recording medium storing a program which causes a recording apparatus, which includes a conveyance mechanism which conveys a recording medium in a conveyance direction;

and a liquid ejection head including a plurality of ejection ports which eject droplets toward the recording medium conveyed by the conveyance mechanism, to produce image dots, and which are arranged at intervals commensurate with a first resolution in a direction orthogonal to the conveyance direction, to perform:
storing image data showing, in a recording area defined in the recording medium, positions of image dots produced at intervals commensurate with the first resolution in the orthogonal direction and a second resolution in the conveyance direction;
storing the number of virtual pixels arranged in the conveyance direction in a virtual flushing area in which a flushing area is represented in a virtual space, wherein the flushing area occupies a whole area of the recording area in the orthogonal direction and occupies at least a part of the recording area in the conveyance direction, and the flushing area includes a plurality of element rows having spatial elements arranged in the conveyance direction, the plurality of element rows being arranged in the orthogonal direction;
storing standard flushing data showing a standard flushing pattern within a standard area, wherein the standard area includes a plurality of elements rows having spatial elements arranged in the conveyance direction and has the same matrix shape as the virtual flushing area, and the standard flushing pattern includes flushing coordinate elements which are selected at least one from the spatial elements of each of the element rows of the standard area;
repeatedly arranging the plural standard areas in at least one of the conveyance direction and the orthogonal direction to form a reference area;
virtually arranging the virtual flushing area on an arbitrary position within the reference area;
selecting the element row, in which the image dot is not included, from the element rows of the flushing area when the recording area is arranged on the flushing area, and extracts the coordinate element within the reference area in the selected element row as a flushing element;
and
controlling the ejection ports to eject droplets based on the image data and the extracted flushing element.

6 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.