Recording apparatus and recording method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12533898-B2
Application number	US-202418611826-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 21, 2024
Priority date	Mar 24, 2023
Publication date	Jan 27, 2026
Grant date	Jan 27, 2026

Abstract

A recording apparatus including a medium supporting part, a recording unit, a movement unit, a height detection unit, and a control unit. The control unit causes the height detection unit to perform the primary detection and the secondary detection, in the primary detection, the displacement detection unit detects the contact and the non-contact with the medium while moving the contact part in a first direction such that when the contact is detected, a movement in the first direction is interrupted, and that the movement in the first direction is restarted after the medium supporting part is separated from the movement unit by a first distance, and in the secondary detection, the displacement detection unit detects the contact and the non-contact with the medium while moving the contact part in a second direction opposite to the first direction such that when the contact is detected.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A recording apparatus comprising:
a medium supporting part configured to support a medium; a recording unit configured to perform recording on the medium; a movement unit configured to relatively move with respect to the medium supporting part along a first axis; a detection unit attached to the movement unit; and a control unit, wherein the detection unit includes: an arm part turnably coupled to the movement unit, a contact part fixed at one end of the arm part, and a displacement detection unit configured to detect contact and non-contact of the contact part and the medium, the contact part is disposed to overlap the medium supporting part in a second axis orthogonal to the first axis, the medium supporting part is configured to relatively move along a third axis orthogonal to the first axis and the second axis with respect to the movement unit, the arm part turns about a turning shaft when the contact part makes contact with the medium while the movement unit moves, the displacement detection unit detects the contact and the non-contact based on a turn of the arm part, the control unit causes the detection unit to perform primary detection and secondary detection subsequent to the primary detection, in the primary detection, the displacement detection unit detects the contact and the non-contact while moving the contact part in a first direction along the first axis such that when the contact is detected, a movement in the first direction is interrupted, and that the movement in the first direction is restarted after the medium supporting part is separated from the movement unit by a first distance along the third axis, and in the secondary detection, the displacement detection unit detects the contact and the non-contact while moving the contact part in a second direction opposite to the first direction such that when the contact is detected, a movement in the second direction is interrupted, and that the movement in the second direction is restarted after the medium supporting part is separated from the movement unit along the third axis until the non-contact is detected.

2 . The recording apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
the control unit causes the displacement detection unit to perform a fault detection preceding the primary detection, and a fault of the detection unit is confirmed in the fault detection.

3 . The recording apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising a notification unit, wherein
the control unit provides a notification of a detection result of the primary detection and the secondary detection to a user through the notification unit.

4 . The recording apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein in the primary detection, when the movement in the first direction is completed without the contact being detected, the control unit operates such that the secondary detection is performed without performing an error determination.

5 . The recording apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
in the primary detection, the movement unit moves in the first direction at a first speed, in the secondary detection, the movement unit moves in the second direction at a second speed, and the first speed is higher than the second speed.

6 . A recording method using a recording apparatus, the recording apparatus comprising:
a medium supporting part configured to support a medium; a recording unit configured to perform recording on the medium; a movement unit configured to relatively move with respect to the medium supporting part along a first axis; a detection unit attached to the movement unit; and a control unit, wherein the detection unit includes: an arm part turnably coupled to the movement unit, a contact part fixed at one end of the arm part, and a displacement detection unit configured to detect contact and non-contact of the contact part and the medium, the contact part is disposed to overlap the medium supporting part in a second axis orthogonal to the first axis, the medium supporting part is configured to relatively move along a third axis orthogonal to the first axis and the second axis with respect to the movement unit, the arm part turns about a turning shaft when the contact part makes contact with the medium while the movement unit moves, the displacement detection unit detects the contact and the non-contact based on a turn of the arm part, the control unit causes the displacement detection unit to perform primary detection and secondary detection subsequent to the primary detection, in the primary detection, the displacement detection unit detects the contact and the non-contact while moving the contact part in a first direction along the first axis such that when the contact is detected, a movement in the first direction is interrupted, and that the movement in the first direction is restarted after the medium supporting part is separated from the movement unit by a first distance along the third axis, and in the secondary detection, the displacement detection unit detects the contact and the non-contact while moving the contact part in a second direction opposite to the first direction such that when the contact is detected, a movement in the second direction is interrupted, and that the movement in the second direction is restarted after the medium supporting part is separated from the movement unit along the third axis until the non-contact is detected.

Assignees

• Seiko Epson Corp

Inventors

• Moriyama Ryuji
• Momose Yoshihiko
• Ozaki Kazuma

Classifications

• B41J2/01 Primary

  Ink jet · CPC title

• B41J29/393

  Devices for controlling or analysing the entire machine {; Controlling or analysing mechanical parameters involving printing of test patterns} · CPC title

• B41J29/023

  with reduced dimensions · CPC title

• B41J25/3088 Primary

  with print gap adjustment means on the printer frame, e.g. for rotation of an eccentric carriage guide shaft · CPC title