Printing apparatus

Abstract

A printing apparatus, comprising a recording system with a nozzle surface, a platen installed in a position to face the nozzle surface to hold the recording medium with a clearance provided between the nozzle surface and a surface of the recording medium held by the platen, a feeding system to carry the platen to a recording position, a detecting system which scans the surface of a recording medium to detect an object that may otherwise interfere the nozzle surface on the recording medium by scanning the surface of the recording medium, a scan objective area determining system to determine a scan objective area, which is an area to be scanned by the detecting system, and a scan controlling system which controls the detecting system to scan the scan objective area determined by the scan objective area determining system to detect the object on the recording medium, is provided.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE ACCOMPANYING DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an inkjet printer according to a first embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an electrical configuration of the inkjet printer according to the first embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 3 illustrates a configuration of a ROM in a control unit of the inkjet printer according to the first embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 4 illustrates a configuration of a RAM in the control unit of the inkjet printer according to the first embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a clearance sensor system of the inkjet printer according to the first embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 6 is a front view of the clearance sensor system of the inkjet printer according to the first embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 7 is a side view of the clearance sensor system of the inkjet printer according to the first embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 8 is an illustrative side view of the inkjet printer with an obstacle on a recording medium according to the first embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 9 illustrates a configuration of print data according to the first embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 10 illustrates a detailed configuration of header data of the print data according to the first embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 11 illustrates a detailed configuration of graphic data of the print data according to the first embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 12 illustrates a configuration of a platen information table storing area according to the first embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 13 illustrates movement of the platen being driven according to the first embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 14 is a flowchart of a controlling process of the inkjet printer when the print data is received by a CPU of the inkjet printer according to the first embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 15 is a flowchart of a position calculating process of the inkjet printer according the first embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 16 illustrates movement of the platen being driven according to a second embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 17 is a flowchart of a controlling process of the inkjet printer when the print data is received by a CPU of the inkjet printer according to the second embodiment of the invention.

Claims

1. A printing apparatus, comprising: a recording system with a nozzle surface from which ink is ejected onto a recording medium according to recording data;a platen which is installed in a position to face the nozzle surface to hold the recording medium with a clearance provided between the nozzle surface and a surface of the recording medium held by the platen;a feeding system to carry the platen to a recording position wherein the recording system forms an image on the recording medium according to the recording data;a detecting system which scans the surface of the recording medium to detect an object that may otherwise interfere the nozzle surface on the recording medium by scanning the surface of the recording medium;a scan objective area determining system to determine a scan objective area, which is an area to be scanned by the detecting system, based on a size of the platen and a record objective area being indicated in the recording data and on which the image is formed by the recording system; anda scan controlling system which controls the detecting system to scan an area on the recording medium including the scan objective area determined by the scan objective area determining system to detect the object on the recording medium.

2. The printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the platen is any one of a plurality of types of exchangeable platens;wherein the recording data includes information regarding at least one of a size and a type of the platen to be used in the printing apparatus; andwherein the scan objective area determining system determines the area to be scanned based on the information regarding at least one of the size and the type of the platen.

3. The printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the platen is any one of a plurality of types of exchangeable platens;wherein a platen type detecting system to detect a type of the platen being installed in the printing apparatus is provided;wherein a platen size storing system to store a size of the platen for each type of the exchangeable platen is provided; andwherein the scan objective area determining system determines the scan objective area by obtaining the size of the platen detected by the platen type detecting system.

4. The printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the scan objective area ranges from a record finishing position, in which forming the image is finished, to a record starting position, in which forming the image is started,wherein the scan objective area determining system comprises:a first detection finish feeding amount calculating system, which executes a calculation to obtain a first detection finish feeding amount indicating an amount for the platen to be carried from a ready position, wherein the platen stand by before an operation of the recording system to form the image, to a scanning finish position, wherein the record starting position coincides with the recording position, based on the size of the platen and the record objective area being indicated in the recording data, anda first detection start feeding amount calculating system, which execute a calculation to obtain a first detection start feeding amount indicating an amount for the platen to be carried from the ready position to a first scanning start position, wherein the record finishing position coincides with the recording position, based on the size of the platen and the record objective area being indicated in the recording data;wherein the scan controlling system activates the detecting system to scan the area on the recording medium including the scan objective area when the platen is carried from the ready position to the first scanning start position by the feeding system and ceases the detecting system scanning the scan objective area when the platen is carried to the first detection scanning finish position.

5. The printing apparatus according to claim 4, further comprising: a reference platen having a size as a reference size; anda reference feeding amount storing system to store a reference detection start feeding amount, which is an amount of the reference platen to be carried from the ready position to a reference record starting position, wherein an upper end of a record objective area of the reference platen coincides with the recording position;wherein the platen has a vertical length which is parallel to a feeding direction of the platen and the reference platen has a vertical length which is parallel to a feeding direction of the reference platen;wherein the first detection finish feeding amount calculating system executes the calculation to obtain the first detection finish feeding amount by:obtaining a difference between one of the vertical length of the platen which is indicated in the recording data, the vertical length of the platen which is determined based on the type of the platen, and the vertical length of the platen which is obtained from the platen size storing system, and the vertical length of the reference platen;dividing the difference by two;combining a length from an upper end of the platen to the upper end of the record objective area with the divided difference; andsubtracting the combined length from the reference detection start feeding amount stored in the reference feeding amount storing system;wherein the recording data includes information indicating a feeding amount of the platen to be carried when the image is formed on the recording medium according to the recording data; andwherein the first detection start feeding amount calculating system executes the calculation to obtain the first detection start feeding amount by:determining a vertical length of the record objective area based on the feeding amount of the platen to be carried when the image according to the recording data is formed within a range from the upper end to a lower end of the record objective area; andsubtracting the vertical length of the record objective area from the first detection finish feeding amount.

6. The printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a side of the platen closer to a downstream side with respect to the feeding direction of the platen is a lower side of the platen when the platen is carried to the recording position by the feeding system so that the image is formed on the recording medium held by the platen;wherein the scan objective area ranges from the lower side of the platen to the record starting position, in which forming the image by the recording system is started;wherein the scan objective area determining system comprises a second detection finish feeding amount calculating system, which executes a calculation to obtain a second detection finish feeding amount indicating an amount for the platen to be carried from a ready position, wherein the platen stand by before an operation of the recording system to form the image, to a scanning finish position, wherein the record starting position coincides with the recording position, based on the size of the platen and the record objective area being indicated in the recording data, andwherein the scan controlling system activates the detecting system to scan the area on the recording medium including the scan objective area when the platen starts to be carried from the ready position to the second scanning start position by the feeding system and ceases the detecting system scanning the scan objective area when the platen is carried to the second detection scanning finish position.

7. The printing apparatus according to claim 6, further comprising: a reference platen having a size as a reference size; anda reference feeding amount storing system to store a reference detection start feeding amount, which is an amount of the reference platen to be carried from the ready position to a reference record starting position, wherein an upper end of a record objective area of the reference platen coincides with the recording position;wherein the platen has a vertical length which is parallel to a feeding direction of the platen and the reference platen has a vertical length which is parallel to a feeding direction of the reference platen; andwherein the second detection finish feeding amount calculating system executes the calculation to obtain the second detection finish feeding amount by:obtaining a difference between one of the vertical length of the platen which is indicated in the recording data, the vertical length of the platen which is determined based on the type of the platen, and the vertical length of the platen which is obtained from the platen size storing system, and the vertical length of the reference platen;dividing the difference by two;combining a length from an upper end of the platen to the upper end of the record objective area with the divided difference; andsubtracting the combined length from the reference detection start feeding amount stored in the reference feeding amount storing system.

8. The printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein an error is indicated to a user of the printing apparatus when the detecting system detects the object that may otherwise interfere the nozzle surface of the recording system.

9. A detecting system for a printing apparatus having a recording system that forms an image on a recording medium according to recording data, which is adapted to scan the surface of the recording medium to detect an object that may otherwise interfere the recording system on the recording medium by scanning the surface of the recording medium,wherein the printing apparatus comprises:a platen which is installed in a position to face the recording system to hold the recording medium with a clearance provided between the recording system and a surface of the recording medium held by the platen;a feeding system to carry the platen to a recording position wherein the recording system forms an image on the recording medium according to the recording data;a scan objective area determining system to determine a scan objective area, which is an area to be scanned by the detecting system, based on a size of the platen and a record objective area being indicated in the recording data and on which the image is formed by the recording system; anda scan controlling system which controls the detecting system to scan an area on the recording medium including the scan objective area determined by the scan objective area determining system to detect the object on the recording medium.