Recording apparatus and recording position correcting method

A recording apparatus for forming an image by means of main scanning executed by a plurality of recording heads and sub-scanning as a relative moving operation between the recording heads and a recording medium in a direction different from the main scanning direction, comprising:

• image formation means for forming a reference image at a first predetermined position on the recording medium during a forward direction main scanning of said plurality of recording heads, the reference image extending in a sub-scanning direction, while forming particular images at second predetermined positions on the recording medium during the forward direction main scanning and a reverse direction main scanning of the plurality of recording heads, wherein the first predetermined position is different from the second predetermined positions;
• image detection means for performing scanning on the recording medium to detect the reference image and the particular images formed by the plurality of recording heads;
• measuring means for measuring an image interval between the particular images formed by the plurality of recording heads, and for measuring another image interval in the main scanning direction between the reference image and each of the predetermined images formed during each of the forward direction main scanning and reverse direction main scanning, based on output from said image detection means;
• and
• data processing means for calculating the amounts of offset of recording positions of the particular images formed by the plurality of recording heads, based on measurements carried out by said measuring means.

A recording apparatus for forming an image by means of main scanning executed by a plurality of recording heads and sub-scanning as a relative moving operation between the recording heads and a recording medium in a direction different from the main scanning direction, comprising:

• image formation means for forming a reference image at a first predetermined position on the recording medium during a forward or reverse direction main scanning of one of the recording heads, the reference image extending in the main scanning direction, while forming particular images at second predetermined positions on the recording medium in the sub-scanning direction by using the plurality of recording heads, the first predetermined position being different from the second predetermined positions;
• image detection means for performing sub-scanning on the recording medium to detect the reference image and the particular images formed by the recording heads;
• and
• measuring means for measuring an interval in the sub-scanning direction between the reference image and each of the particular images formed by each of the plurality of recording heads, based on output from said image detection means;
• and
• data processing means for calculating the amounts of offset of the recording positions of the particular images formed by the plurality of recording heads, based on measurements carried out by said measuring means.

A recording apparatus for forming an image by means of main scanning as a reciprocating operation of a recording head and sub-scanning as a relative moving operation between the recording head and a recording medium in a direction different from the main scanning direction, comprising:

• image formation means for forming a reference image at a first predetermined position on the recording medium during a forward direction main scanning of the recording head, the reference image extending in a sub-scanning direction, while forming particular images at second predetermined positions on the recording medium during the forward direction main scanning and a reverse direction main scanning of the recording head, wherein the first predetermined position is different from the second predetermined positions;
• image detection means for performing main scanning on the recording medium to detect the reference image and the particular images formed during the forward direction main scanning and reverse direction main scanning;
• and
• data processing means for determining a center position of particular images in the main scanning direction from detection start and end positions of the particular images associated with main scanning by said image detection means, and calculating the amount of offset between a recording position of the particular images formed during the forward direction main scanning and another recording position of the particular images formed during the reverse direction main scanning, based on the main-scanning direction center positions of the particular images formed in the forward direction main scanning and reverse direction main scanning.

A recording apparatus for forming an image by means of main scanning executed by a plurality of recording heads and sub-scanning as a relative moving operation between the recording heads and a recording medium in a direction different from the main scanning direction, comprising:

• image formation means for forming a reference image at a first predetermined position on the recording medium during a forward or reverse direction main scanning of one of the recording heads, the reference image extending in the sub-scanning direction, while forming particular images at second predetermined positions on the recording medium by using the plurality of recording heads, wherein the first predetermined position is different from the second predetermined positions;
• image detection means for scanning the recording medium to detect the reference image and the particular images formed by the plurality of recording heads;
• and
• data processing means for determining a center position of the particular images in a scanning direction of said image detection means, from detection start and end positions of the particular images associated with scanning by said image detection means, and calculating the amount of offset between recording positions of the particular images formed by the plurality of recording heads, based on the center positions of the particular images formed by the plurality of recording heads.

A recording apparatus for forming an image by allowing one or more recording heads to relatively scan a recording medium, comprising:

• image formation means for forming particular images at predetermined positions on the recording medium by means of a plurality of recording operations performed by the one or more recording heads;
• image detection means for detecting the particular images formed by each of the plurality of recording operations, said image detection means having a sensor for detecting a quantity of reflected light resulting from irradiation of the recording medium with light and indicating a change in the quantity of reflected light depending on a rate at which an image is present within a detection range;
• and
• data processing means for setting the sensor at an identical position in a scanning direction in a boundary portion of each of the particular images on the recording medium that are formed by each of the plurality of recording operations, in order to detect the quantity of light, and for calculating the amount of offset of recording positions of the images obtained by the plurality of recording operations based on the difference in the detected amount of reflected light.

A recording position correcting method with respect to a recording apparatus for forming an image by means of main scanning as a reciprocating operation of a recording head and sub-scanning as a relative moving operation between the recording head and a recording medium in a direction different from the main scanning direction, said method comprising the steps of:

• forming a reference image at a first predetermined position on the recording medium during a forward direction main scanning, the reference image extending in the sub-scanning direction, while forming particular images at second predetermined positions on the recording medium during the forward direction main scanning and a reverse direction main scanning of the recording head, wherein the first predetermined position is different from the second predetermined positions;
• detecting the reference image and the particular images formed during the forward direction main scanning and reverse direction main scanning, by using image detection means for main scanning on the recording medium;
• measuring an image interval in the main scanning direction between the reference image and each of the particular images formed during each of the forward direction main scanning and a reverse direction main scanning, based on output from said image detection means;
• and
• calculating the amount of offset between a recording position of the image formed during the forward direction main scanning and another recording position of the image formed during the reverse direction main scanning, based on measurements carried out by said measuring step.

A recording position correcting method with respect to a recording apparatus for forming an image by means of main scanning executed by a plurality of recording heads and sub-scanning as a relative moving operation between the recording heads and a recording medium in a direction different from the main scanning direction, said method comprising the steps of:

• forming a reference image at a first predetermined position on the recording medium during a forward direction main scanning of the recording heads, the reference image extending in a sub-scanning direction, while forming particular images at second predetermined positions on the recording medium during the forward direction main scanning and a reverse direction main scanning of the plurality of recording heads, wherein the first predetermined position is different from the second predetermined positions;
• detecting the reference image and the predetermined images formed by the plurality of recording heads by using image detection means for main scanning on the recording medium;
• measuring an interval between the particular images formed by the plurality of recording heads, based on output from the image detection means;
• measuring another interval in the main scanning direction between the reference image and each of the particular images formed during each of the forward direction main scanning and reverse direction main scanning, based on an output from the image detection means;
• and
• calculating the amounts of offset of recording positions of the images formed by the plurality of recording heads, based on measurements carried out by said measuring step.

A recording position correcting method with respect to a recording apparatus for forming an image by means of main scanning as a reciprocating operation of a recording head and sub-scanning as a relative moving operation between the recording head and a recording medium in a direction different from the main scanning direction, said method comprising the steps of:

• forming a reference image at a first predetermined position on the recording medium during a forward direction main scanning of the recording head, the reference image extending in a sub-scanning direction, while forming particular images at second predetermined positions on the recording medium during the forward direction main scanning and reverse direction main scanning of the recording head, wherein the first predetermined position is different from the second predetermined positions;
• detecting the reference image and the particular images formed during the forward direction main scanning and reverse direction main scanning, by using image detection means being main scanning on the recording medium;
• and
• determining a center position of the particular images in the main scanning direction from detection start and end positions of the particular images associated with main scanning by the image detection means, and calculating the amount of offset between a recording position of the particular images formed during the forward direction main scanning and another recording position of the particular images formed during the reverse direction main scanning, based on the main-scanning direction center positions of the particular images formed in the forward direction main scanning and reverse direction main scanning.

A recording position correcting method with respect to a recording apparatus for forming a image by means of main scanning executed by a plurality of recording heads and sub-scanning as a relative moving operation between the recording heads and a recording medium in a direction different from the main scanning direction, said method comprising the steps of:

• forming a reference image at a first predetermined position on the recording medium during a forward or reverse direction main scanning of one of the recording heads, the reference image extending in a sub-scanning direction, while forming particular images at second predetermined positions on the recording medium by using the plurality of recording heads, wherein the first predetermined position is different from the second predetermined positions;
• detecting the reference image and the predetermined images formed by the plurality of recording heads image, by using detection means being scanning on the recording medium;
• and
• determining a center position of the particular images in a scanning direction of the image detection means, from detection start and end positions of the particular images associated with scanning by the image detection means, and calculating the amount of offset between recording positions of the particular images formed by the plurality of recording heads, based on the center positions of the particular images formed by the plurality of recording heads.

A recording position correcting method with respect to a recording medium for forming an image by allowing one or more recording heads to relatively scan a recording medium, said method comprising the steps of:

• forming particular images at predetermined positions on the recording medium by means of a plurality of recording operations performed by the one or more recording heads;
• detecting the particular images formed by each of the plurality of recording operations, by using image detection means having a sensor for detecting a quantity of reflected light resulting from irradiation of the recording medium with light and indicating a change in the quantity of reflected light depending on a rate at which the image is present within a detection range;
• and
• setting said sensor at an identical position in a scanning direction in a boundary portion of each of the particular images on the recording medium that are formed by each of the plurality of recording operations, in order to detect the quantity of light, and calculating the amount of offset of recording positions of the images obtained by the plurality of recording operations based on the difference in the detected amount of reflected light.