US-12623472-B2 - Printing apparatus and computer-readable storage medium

US12623472B2US 12623472 B2US12623472 B2US 12623472B2US-12623472-B2

Abstract

A printing apparatus, includes a control unit to perform first control of, while performing printing by a printing unit in a state in which a trailing end portion of a preceding print medium overlaps a leading end portion of a succeeding print medium, controlling a conveying unit to separate the preceding print medium and the succeeding print medium from each other and, in the first control, adjusts a conveyance amount by the conveying unit to allow a conveying speed by the conveying unit to meet a criterion and adjusts a driving range of a nozzle based on the adjusted conveyance amount.

Inventors

KENTO TAMARI
Masashi Ito
Keisuke Arita
Motoyuki Taguchi
Sho Takahashi
Ryota Komatsu

Assignees

CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA

Dates

Publication Date: 20260512
Application Date: 20240624
Priority Date: 20230630

Claims (11)

1 . A printing apparatus comprising: a conveying unit configured to convey a print medium; a printing unit including a printhead having a nozzle, and configured to perform scanning printing for performing printing on the print medium while scanning the printhead in a direction crossing a conveyance direction of the print medium; and a control unit configured to control the conveying unit and the printing unit so that conveyance of the print medium and scanning printing of the printhead are alternately performed, wherein the control unit performs first control of, while performing printing by the printing unit in a state in which a trailing end portion of a preceding print medium overlaps a leading end portion of a succeeding print medium, controlling the conveying unit to separate the preceding print medium and the succeeding print medium from each other and, in the first control, adjusts a conveyance amount by the conveying unit to allow a conveying speed by the conveying unit to meet a criterion and adjusts a driving range of the nozzle based on the adjusted conveyance amount.
2 . The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein before the first control, the control unit performs second control of controlling the conveying unit so that the trailing end portion of the preceding print medium overlaps the leading end portion of the succeeding print medium during the printing unit performing printing on the preceding print medium.
3 . The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the conveying unit includes a first conveyance roller arranged on a downstream side of the printhead, and a second conveyance roller arranged on a downstream side of the first conveyance roller, and in the first control, the preceding print medium and the succeeding print medium are separated from each other by driving the first conveyance roller at a first conveying speed and driving the second conveyance roller at a second conveying speed higher than the first conveying speed.
4 . The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the control unit is capable of executing, instead of the first control, third control in which adjustment of the conveyance amount and adjustment of the driving range of the nozzle by the conveying unit are not performed, and in the third control, drives a most downstream side of the nozzle during scanning of the printhead, and in a case of performing the first control, drives an upstream side of the nozzle as compared to a case of performing the third control.
5 . The apparatus according to claim 4 , wherein in a case of performing the first control, the control unit specifies, with the driving range of the nozzle for performing the third control as an initial value, while gradually changing the initial value, a conveyance amount by the conveying unit for which the conveying speed by the conveying unit meets a criterion.
6 . The apparatus according to claim 5 , wherein if the conveyance amount by the conveying unit for which the conveying speed by the conveying unit meets a criterion cannot be specified, the control unit does not perform the first control.
7 . The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein in the first control, the control unit adjusts a conveyance amount of the preceding print medium, and adjusts the driving range of the nozzle used for scanning printing on the preceding print medium.
8 . The apparatus according to claim 7 , wherein in the first control, the control unit adjusts the conveyance amount of the preceding print medium by the conveying unit during execution of scanning printing of a last line on the preceding print medium, and adjusts the driving range of the nozzle for performing scanning printing of a last line on the preceding print medium.
9 . The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein in the first control, the control unit adjusts a conveyance amount of the succeeding print medium, and adjusts the driving range of the nozzle used for scanning printing on the succeeding print medium.
10 . The apparatus according to claim 9 , wherein in a case where a region from a position of a most downstream side of the nozzle in the succeeding print medium at a start of a separating operation of separating the preceding print medium and the succeeding print medium from each other to a position of the most downstream side of the nozzle in the succeeding print medium at an end of the separating operation is defined as a separation region, in the first control, the most downstream side of the nozzle is located in the separation region, and a most upstream side of the nozzle is located upstream of the separation region.
11 . A computer-readable storage medium storing a program, the program configured to cause a computer to function as each unit of the printing apparatus according to claim 1 .

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Field of the Invention The present invention mainly relates to a printing apparatus. Description of the Related Art Some of the printing apparatuses such as inkjet printers are configured to consecutively feed two or more sheet-like print media, sequentially perform printing on the print media, and convey the print media in an overlapping state during performing the printing (Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 6-56299). Such a conveyance mode is also expressed as successive overlapped conveyance. This conveyance mode can improve the efficiency of printing processing. In the above printing apparatus, the overlapping state of two or more print media is canceled (the print media are separated) and then sequentially output (discharged) from the apparatus main body. Such a separating operation is performed in the apparatus so that the order of the print media output from the apparatus main body is not changed. In order to implement the separating operation, the conveying speed of each print medium can be individually controlled. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention improves control during separating print media. One of the aspects of the present invention provides a printing apparatus comprising a conveying unit configured to convey a print medium, a printing unit including a printhead having a nozzle, and configured to perform scanning printing for performing printing on the print medium while scanning the printhead in a direction crossing a conveyance direction of the print medium, and a control unit configured to control the conveying unit and the printing unit so that conveyance of the print medium and scanning printing of the printhead are alternately performed, wherein the control unit performs first control of, while performing printing by the printing unit in a state in which a trailing end portion of a preceding print medium overlaps a leading end portion of a succeeding print medium, controlling the conveying unit to separate the preceding print medium and the succeeding print medium from each other and, in the first control, adjusts a conveyance amount by the conveying unit to allow a conveying speed by the conveying unit to meet a criterion and adjusts a driving range of the nozzle based on the adjusted conveyance amount. Further features of the present invention will become apparent from the following description of exemplary embodiments (with reference to the attached drawings). BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a schematic side view showing an example of the arrangement of a printing apparatus according to an embodiment; FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an example of the system arrangement of the printing apparatus; FIG. 3 is a view showing a mode of a printing order; FIG. 4 is a schematic side view showing an example of the printing apparatus in each state; FIG. 5 is a schematic side view showing an example of the printing apparatus in each state; FIG. 6 is a schematic side view showing an example of the printing apparatus in each state; FIGS. 7A to 7C are schematic top views showing an example of the printing apparatus in each state; FIG. 8 is a schematic top view showing an example of the printing apparatus in each state; FIGS. 9A and 9B is a flowchart showing overall control contents at the time of the execution of a printing operation; FIG. 10 is a schematic view for explaining a detailed mode of successive overlapped conveyance; FIGS. 11A to 11C are schematic views showing the conveyance mode at the time of the execution of a nozzle shift operation; FIGS. 12A and 12B are schematic views showing the conveyance mode at the time of the execution of the nozzle shift operation; FIG. 13 is a flowchart showing an example of nozzle shift calculation processing; FIG. 14 is a flowchart showing an example of an overlapping preparation operation; FIG. 15 is a flowchart showing an example of a separating operation; FIG. 16 is a timing chart showing the contents of drive control at the time of the execution of the separating operation; FIGS. 17A to 17C are schematic top views each showing the relative positional relationship regarding the succeeding print medium; FIGS. 18A to 18C are schematic top views showing a mode of the separating operation not accompanying the nozzle shift operation; FIGS. 19A to 19C are schematic top views showing a mode of the separating operation accompanying the nozzle shift operation; FIGS. 20A and 20B are schematic top views showing the relative positional relationship regarding the succeeding print medium; FIGS. 21A and 21B are schematic top views showing the printing mode in the succeeding print medium; FIGS. 22A and 22B are schematic top views showing the relative positional relationship regarding the succeeding print medium; FIG. 23 is a flowchart showing an example of an overlapping preparation operation; FIG. 24 is a flowchart showing an example of nozzle shift calculation processing; FIGS. 25A to 25D are schematic top views ea