Patent ID: 8292387

Claim:
An image recording device having a conveyance mechanism for generating conveyance information about a record medium when the record medium is conveyed after being received upstream from a conveyance path, and a plurality of recording units, each of the plurality of recording units being provided with at least one nozzle array comprising a plurality of nozzles arranged in a direction orthogonal to a direction of conveyance of the record medium, and the plurality of recording units being arranged at predetermined intervals in the direction of conveyance so as to discharge ink by driving the plurality of nozzles of each recording unit, thereby performing a recording process on the record medium, the image recording device comprising: an encoder signal cycle measuring device for measuring an encoder signal cycle as the conveyance information about the record medium; a first nozzle drive cycle replacement device for replacing a nozzle drive cycle with a predetermined set cycle when the encoder signal cycle measured by the encoder signal cycle measuring device is shorter than the predetermined set cycle; a second nozzle drive cycle replacement device for replacing a predetermined period of the nozzle drive cycle with an optimum cycle between the predetermined set cycle and the measured encoder signal cycle when the encoder signal cycle measured by the encoder signal cycle measuring device changes from a point at which it is shorter than the predetermined set cycle to a point at which it is longer than the predetermined set cycle; and a third nozzle drive cycle replacement device for controlling a timing of a discharge drive of nozzle arrays subordinate to a recording unit downstream in the direction of conveyance depending on an image position recorded by nozzle arrays subordinate to a recording unit upstream in the direction of conveyance of the record medium.