Abstract: An overtube including: a manipulator channel through which is passed a long manipulator in which a movable portion disposed at a distal end is driven by a driving portion disposed at a proximal end; and a storage unit that stores identification information for the manipulator channel in a readable manner from outside.

Abstract: According to the present invention, there is disclosed an image forming apparatus comprising a constitution driven/controlled independently for each recording head. The apparatus rewrites image data or parameters or changes a driving voltage at a desired timing, and realizes a uniform or appropriate density of an image formed by control of an ink spout amount based on a temperature detection signal of the recording head detected by a temperature detection unit disposed in each recording head. The apparatus is capable of remarkably narrowing a mutual conveying interval among a plurality of conveyed recording mediums.

Abstract: A recording medium detection unit is provided on the upper stream side of a carrier mechanism in a carrier route and detects at least the front and back ends in a carrier direction of a recording medium. A nozzle array control unit controls the drive of a plurality of nozzles on the basis of job information reported by a higher-order device and the detection information of the front and back ends by the recording medium detection unit and enables the plurality of nozzles to perform a recording process for inject ink only an area in the range between the front and back ends of the recording medium. A control unit receives image data and also notifies the higher-order device of the stoppage of image data transfer according to the detection of the back end of the recording medium by the recording medium detection unit.

Abstract: An image recording apparatus, in which a line head is configured by arranging a plurality of nozzles, some of which are made to overlap, of short nozzle rows each having a jetting nozzle row arranged in one direction relative to a conveyance direction of a recording medium being conveyed by a conveyance mechanism and which forms records an image by jetting ink from the jetting nozzles onto the recording medium, comprises a conveyance information generating unit which generates conveyance information indicating a conveyance distance of the recording medium, a recording medium detecting unit which detects an edge of the recording medium being conveyed, and a controlling unit which performs a density correction of an image recorded by an overlapping portion of the short nozzle rows on the basis of a detection result of the recording medium detecting unit and the conveyance information obtained from the conveyance information generating unit.

Abstract: A control unit sets a head drive shortest cycle depending on a print mode, measures an encoder signal cycle, determines whether or not a measured encoder signal cycle is shorter than a head drive shortest cycle set in advance, switches a record synchronization signal to the head drive shortest cycle when it is determined that the measured encoder signal cycle is shorter (in YES), in No, corrects the position of superposed color dots and aligns record dots by a downstream recording unit to a dot position shift by an upstream recording unit when it is determined that the measured encoder signal cycle is longer (in NO), calculates and stores an amount of shift from an equal interval reference position by shifts of the head record synchronization signal and the measured encoder signal, and records an image in synchronization with a corrected record synchronization signal.

Abstract: An image recording apparatus, in which a line head is configured by arranging a plurality of nozzles, some of which are made to overlap, of short nozzle rows each having a jetting nozzle row arranged in one direction relative to a conveyance direction of a recording medium being conveyed by a conveyance mechanism and which forms records an image by jetting ink from the jetting nozzles onto the recording medium, comprises a conveyance information generating unit which generates conveyance information indicating a conveyance distance of the recording medium, a recording medium detecting unit which detects an edge of the recording medium being conveyed, and a controlling unit which performs a density correction of an image recorded by an overlapping portion of the short nozzle rows on the basis of a detection result of the recording medium detecting unit and the conveyance information obtained from the conveyance information generating unit.

Abstract: A control unit sets a head drive shortest cycle depending on a print mode, measures an encoder signal cycle, determines whether or not a measured encoder signal cycle is shorter than a head drive shortest cycle set in advance, switches a record synchronization signal to the head drive shortest cycle when it is determined that the measured encoder signal cycle is shorter (in YES), in No, corrects the position of superposed color dots and aligns record dots by a downstream recording unit to a dot position shift by an upstream recording unit when it is determined that the measured encoder signal cycle is longer (in NO), calculates and stores an amount of shift from an equal interval reference position by shifts of the head record synchronization signal and the measured encoder signal, and records an image in synchronization with a corrected record synchronization signal.

Abstract: A recording medium detection unit is provided on the upper stream side of a carrier mechanism in a carrier route and detects at least the front and back ends in a carrier direction of a recording medium. A nozzle array control unit controls the drive of a plurality of nozzles on the basis of job information reported by a higher-order device and the detection information of the front and back ends by the recording medium detection unit and enables the plurality of nozzles to perform a recording process for inject ink only an area in the range between the front and back ends of the recording medium. A control unit receives image data and also notifies the higher-order device of the stoppage of image data transfer according to the detection of the back end of the recording medium by the recording medium detection unit.

Abstract: This is an imaging apparatus having at least one recording unit arraying a plurality of nozzle arrays featured with a plurality of nozzles for jetting a single color ink onto a recording medium, and recording an image onto the recording medium by correcting a recording timing of each of the corresponding plurality of nozzle arrays by using individual correction parameter considering the individual characteristic of each of the plurality of nozzle arrays.

Abstract: This is an image forming apparatus provided with a recording head obtained by overlapping and disposing a plurality of short recording heads with a nozzle array composed of ink-jet nozzles arrayed in one direction, for jetting ink from the ink-jet nozzle, based on an image signal value and forming an image. The image forming apparatus comprises an overlap correction control unit for controlling drive of the ink-jet nozzles, according to a phase difference in a ink-jet nozzle position between the overlapped short recording heads to correct optical density of an image formed on an overlapped part of the recording heads and an optical density characteristic correction control unit for controlling drive of the ink-jet nozzles, according to a recording optical density characteristic of a nozzle array composed of the ink-jet nozzles independently of the overlap correction control unit.

Abstract: The invention provides an image recording apparatus comprising a recording unit in which at least two recording heads are disposed such that end portions of respective nozzle columns overlap each other in a recording medium conveying direction or such that the nozzle columns are located adjacent to each other at a predetermined interval, the image recording apparatus executing recording position recording medium width-direction moving processing for a detected deviation (lateral deviation amount) of a recording medium at both-lateral ends of the recording medium, image data distribution processing with a joint of the overlapping as a boundary, image-recording density-varying processing for the joint, and recording position recording medium conveying-direction moving processing in order to perform high quality image jointing processing, and an image recording method of the image recording apparatus.

Abstract: This is an imaging apparatus having at least one recording unit arraying a plurality of nozzle arrays featured with a plurality of nozzles for jetting a single color ink onto a recording medium, and recording an image onto the recording medium by correcting a recording timing of each of the corresponding plurality of nozzle arrays by using individual correction parameter considering the individual characteristic of each of the plurality of nozzle arrays.

Abstract: This is an image forming apparatus provided with a recording head obtained by overlapping and disposing a plurality of short recording heads with a nozzle array composed of ink-jet nozzles arrayed in one direction, for jetting ink from the ink-jet nozzle, based on an image signal value and forming an image. The image forming apparatus comprises an overlap correction control unit for controlling drive of the ink-jet nozzles, according to a phase difference in a ink-jet nozzle position between the overlapped short recording heads to correct optical density of an image formed on an overlapped part of the recording heads and an optical density characteristic correction control unit for controlling drive of the ink-jet nozzles, according to a recording optical density characteristic of a nozzle array composed of the ink-jet nozzles independently of the overlap correction control unit.

Abstract: The invention provides an image recording apparatus comprising a recording unit in which at least two recording heads are disposed such that end portions of respective nozzle columns overlap each other in a recording medium conveying direction or such that the nozzle columns are located adjacent to each other at a predetermined interval, the image recording apparatus executing recording position recording medium width-direction moving processing for a detected deviation (lateral deviation amount) of a recording medium at both-lateral ends of the recording medium, image data distribution processing with a joint of the overlapping as a boundary, image-recording density-varying processing for the joint, and recording position recording medium conveying-direction moving processing in order to perform high quality image jointing processing, and an image recording method of the image recording apparatus.

Abstract: According to the present invention, there is disclosed an image forming apparatus comprising a constitution driven/controlled independently for each recording head. The apparatus rewrites image data or parameters or changes a driving voltage at a desired timing, and realizes a uniform or appropriate density of an image formed by control of an ink spout amount based on a temperature detection signal of the recording head detected by a temperature detection unit disposed in each recording head. The apparatus is capable of remarkably narrowing a mutual conveying interval among a plurality of conveyed recording mediums.

Abstract: An image recording apparatus includes a recording head having a plurality of nozzles, a carriage, a transfer mechanism, a driving mechanism, a detection mechanism which optically detects an ink ejection state, and a controller. The plural nozzles are divided into a plurality of nozzle groups. The controller makes an ejection timing of each of the nozzle groups different from that of any other nozzle group. The shifting time of the timing of each of the nozzle group is shorter than an ejection cycle in image recording of each group.

Abstract: An image recording apparatus includes a recording head having a plurality of nozzles, a carriage, a transfer mechanism, a driving mechanism, a detection mechanism which optically detects an ink ejection state, and a controller. The plural nozzles are divided into a plurality of nozzle groups. The controller makes an ejection timing of each of the nozzle groups different from that of any other nozzle group. The shifting time of the timing of each of the nozzle group is shorter than an ejection cycle in image recording of each group.