Printing method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10173442-B2
Application number	US-201815919021-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 12, 2018
Priority date	Mar 21, 2017
Publication date	Jan 8, 2019
Grant date	Jan 8, 2019

Abstract

A printing method of a printing apparatus which includes a transport unit, a transport position output unit, a mark detecting unit, a steering unit, and a storage unit, the method including first processing in which the medium is transported by a first distance in the second direction, and positions the first mark on the downstream side of the detecting region in the second direction; second processing in which arriving at a predetermined position of the first mark is detected based on the output value of the drum encoder and a reference value; and third processing in which printing is started based on a detecting timing of the first mark, in which the first distance is a first stable transport distance or more which converges a deviation amount in the third direction into a predetermined first deviation amount until the first mark reaches the first predetermined position.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A printing method of a printing apparatus which includes
a transport unit which transports a recording medium in a first direction or a second direction opposite to the first direction;
a transport position output unit which outputs a signal which is used when obtaining a transport position of the recording medium using the transport unit;
a printing unit which prints an image on the recording medium;
a mark detecting unit which detects a mark overlapped with a detecting region, among a plurality of the marks which are provided in the recording medium in parallel to the first direction;
a steering unit which corrects a movement of the recording medium in a third direction which intersects the first direction, when transporting the recording medium in the first direction; and
a storage unit which stores an output value output from the transport position output unit when a first mark, among the plurality of marks, corresponding to a position at which printing of the image is started, is located at a first predetermined position with respect to the detecting region as a reference value, the method comprising:
first processing in which the recording medium is transported by a first distance in the second direction based on an output value of the transport position output unit, and the first mark is positioned on a downstream side of the detecting region in the second direction;
second processing in which a transport of the recording medium in the first direction is started after the first processing, and arriving at the first predetermined position of the first mark is detected based on a comparison of the output value of the transport position output unit and the reference value; and
third processing in which printing of the image using the printing unit is started based on a timing in which the first mark which moves from the first predetermined position to the detecting region is detected by the mark detecting unit, after the second processing,
wherein the first distance is a first stable transport distance or more which is necessary when converging a deviation amount of the recording medium in the third direction within a predetermined first deviation amount by a correction using the steering unit until the first mark reaches the detecting region in the second processing.

2. The printing method according to claim 1 , comprising:
including processing of obtaining the reference value before the first processing.

3. The printing method according to claim 2 ,
wherein the processing of obtaining the reference value includes
fourth processing in which the recording medium is transported in the second direction based on the output value of the transport position output unit, and the first mark is positioned on a downstream side of the detecting region in the second direction by a second distance;
fifth processing in which the first mark is positioned in the detecting region by transporting the recording medium, after the fourth processing; and
sixth processing in which the first mark is positioned at the first predetermined position by transporting the recording medium after the fifth processing, and the output value output from the transport position output unit is stored in the storage unit as the reference value, when the first mark reaches the first predetermined position.

4. The printing method according to claim 3 ,
wherein the fifth processing includes
seventh processing in which the recording medium is transported in the first direction based on the output value from the transport position output unit, and the first mark is positioned at a second predetermined position which is the downstream side of the detecting region in the first direction by a third distance; and
eighth processing in which the recording medium is transported in the second direction based on the output value of the transport position output unit, and the first mark located at the second predetermined position is positioned in the detecting region.

5. The printing method according to claim 4 ,
wherein the second distance is a second stable transport distance or more which is necessary when converging a deviation amount of the recording medium in the third direction into a predetermined second deviation amount, by a correction using the steering unit, until the first mark reaches the detecting region in the seventh processing.

6. The printing method according to claim 5 ,
wherein the first deviation amount is smaller than the second deviation amount, and
the second stable transport distance is shorter than the first stable transport distance.

Assignees

• Seiko Epson Corp

Inventors

• Shiiya Tomoyuki
• Kitahara Masashi

Classifications

• B65H18/145

  Reel-to-reel type web winding and unwinding mechanisms · CPC title

• B65H20/02

  by friction roller · CPC title

• B41J15/046

  for the guidance of continuous copy material, e.g. for preventing skewed conveyance of the continuous copy material · CPC title

• B41J11/0095 Primary

  Detecting means for copy material, e.g. for detecting or sensing presence of copy material or its leading or trailing end · CPC title

• B65H23/0326

  by moving the unwinding device · CPC title