CN1454150A

CN1454150A - Ink jet fault tolerance using adjacent nozzles

Info

Publication number: CN1454150A
Application number: CN00819709.1A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 卡·西尔弗布鲁克
Original assignee: Silverbrook Research Pty Ltd
Current assignee: Memjet Technology Ltd
Priority date: 2000-06-30
Filing date: 2000-06-30
Publication date: 2003-11-05
Anticipated expiration: 2020-06-30
Also published as: CN100377879C; JP2004501009A; AU2000253742B2; ATE440727T1; ZA200210190B; DE60042844D1; CN1631671A; AU2000253742A1; CN1191934C

Abstract

A printing method identifies where parts of an image will not be printed due to device failure and if possible shifts ink dots sideways of lengthways to adjacent rows or columns so as to lessen the visual effect of failure to print at the original location.

Description

Utilize adjacent nozzle to correct ink jet fault

Technical field

The present invention relates to figure punch, relate in particular to ink is ejected into the printing of printing the equipment on the matrix.But use of the present invention is not limited to ink jet printing device again, and it also can cooperate laser printer, light emitting diode printer and digital copying machines to use.

Background technology

In ink jet printing device, printhead has row's nozzle.When the printing matrix phase moved for printhead, nozzle can optionally be ejected into ink on the matrix.Printhead can adopt the way of lining by line scan to print along the page width direction, or vertically prints along the page length direction, if page width printing head.If a spray nozzle clogging is arranged, the sweep type printhead will print many blank horizontal lines, and page width printing head will print a blank vertical line.This stray line is that PRN device causes, and is not that the user needs.

The invention provides a kind of method of correcting print image, can reduce or effectively eliminate the wrong visual effect of the nozzle generation of stopping up.The present invention can also cooperate the PRN device of other form, as long as this equipment can repeatedly be ejected into matrix with ink dot, no matter is passive printing or initiatively printing.The present invention also can cooperate laser printer, light emitting diode printer and digital copying machines to use jointly, if because the wrong mistake that also can produce repeatability in print image of their imaging drum or light source.Image one speech mentioned in this article is a broad sense, makes a general reference any print What, as: text and stick figure.

Summary of the invention

Put it briefly, the invention provides the method that a kind of image that digital PRN device is printed carries out error correction, owing to the mistake that device fails produces, make the PRN device can be in ad-hoc location printed dots correctly with compensation.This method comprises the steps: to determine one or more ad-hoc locations; To at least one ad-hoc location, other points that the print position of the point of the ad-hoc location that plan in the image is printed is transferred to image not have the transferring position of use.

From another angle, the invention provides a kind of printer, the device that this printer has a row row can be ejected into the equipment on the matrix and matrix phase is moved for this row's equipment, usually along moving perpendicular to the direction of a row, this printer comprises matrix:

A) determine the device of the one or more whether operate as normal in the said equipment;

B) control device, it can analyze image to be printed, determine to print but the position of the ink dot that do not print because certain equipment breaks down, and will put position transfer in print image to other position, make a little can by faulty equipment wherein the motion of a PRN device of a side print.

The ink dot motion simultaneously laterally, vertically or in two directions of printing in the original plan by the fault printing equipment.Preferably point can be transferred to the nearest position of the former print position of distance.

The fault PRN device can produce one or more defective lines in print image, so preferably will put the both sides of alternately transferring to the defective lines.Desirable transfer method is the both sides of ink dot only being transferred to the defective lines, if but there is not unnecessary print position in this delegation, also can be or transversely, vertically move simultaneously along the lines vertical transfer.Ink can be transferred to the upstream or downstream of former line position and print.

Description of drawings

In order to understand the present invention better, see also accompanying drawing and to the narration of preferred embodiment, wherein,

Fig. 1 is one group of nozzle schematic diagram of ink jet-print head.

Fig. 2 is the dot matrix schematic diagram without correction of Fig. 1 printhead prints.

Fig. 3 is Fig. 2 dot matrix schematic diagram through correcting by Fig. 1 printhead prints.

Fig. 4 is another dot matrix schematic diagram without correction by Fig. 1 printhead prints.

Fig. 5 is Fig. 4 dot matrix schematic diagram through correcting by Fig. 1 printhead prints.

The specific embodiment

As shown in Figure 1, printhead 10 is made of the one group of nozzle 12 that is in line.For convenience of explanation, only show 14 nozzles among the figure, in fact delegation's nozzle can comprise dozens of, thousands of nozzle.Paper usually along perpendicular to the direction of nozzle line from printhead below by, as shown in arrow 14.Printhead can be fixed, and also can be movably.When paper below printhead through out-of-date, nozzle A to N optionally prints to an ink dot matrix on the paper as required.Dot matrix is made up of a series of row and column, and the distance between them is respectively by distance between the nozzle and the decision of minimum paper feeding speed.Desirable point, vertical and horizontal distance should equate, still because the mechanism of command range is different, so be difficult to realization.Printhead can use page width printing head or less scan-type to print printer line by line.

For convenience of explanation, suppose that nozzle a-g and i-n can operate as normal, and nozzle h cisco unity malfunction or do not work fully for a certain reason.Simultaneously, the diagnostic system (those skilled in the art will be appreciated that) of supposing printer has detected nozzle h cisco unity malfunction.Usually, it mainly is because nozzle is partly or entirely stopped up that nozzle is not worked, thereby causes print point China ink quantity not sufficient even produce blank print point.

Fig. 2 is the schematic diagram of being printed by printhead 10 without a part of print job of correcting, and a blank column is wherein arranged, with " h " mark, and corresponding nozzle h, remaining row a-g and i-n are normal.Difference according to printhead 10: page width printing head or scan-type printhead, the page will produce one or more stray line.Annulus 16,18,20 and 22 representatives should print to row h, and the ink droplet on not having to print.Fig. 3 is the same image of being printed by printhead 10, but it is the image after correcting through the present invention.

As mentioned above, paper is along the direction process printhead of arrow 14, so row 1 is at first printed.In the row 1, the point 16 at row h place should be printed.Because nozzle h cisco unity malfunction is so control system begins to detect adjacent nozzles g and whether i needs printed dots.Because these two nozzles do not need printed dots, so control system partly selects a position printing to plan the point of printing at row h randomly from row g and row i.

Control system is alternately printed extra ink droplet in the both sides of defective nozzle usually, so first-selected print position should be the offside of the ink dot of printing last time.Certainly also exist and do not use for reference data conditions, for example: just detected a nozzle and broken down, or printer is restarted.In this case, control system will be chosen in left lateral or right lateral printing at random.

Because row g and row i have vacant position,, control system prints an ink dot so, being chosen in position g according to mentioned above principle.

On row h, there is not print point in the row 2, so do not need to increase extra ink dot.

A print point 18 is arranged at row on the h in the row 3, and row g and row h have vacant position, specifically, the additional ink dot printing is at row i.

On row h a print point 20 is arranged in the row 4, still, specifically, row g and row h do not have the room.Do not print extra ink dot so be expert in 4.And row g does not plan print point with row i in the row 5, all has vacant position.Because a last additional ink dot printing is at row i, so will plan at row h, the additional ink dot printing of printing in the row 4 is to row g, in the row 5.

On row h a print point 22 is arranged also in the row 6, specifically, row g and row h still do not have the room.So the extra ink dot of need printing is transferred to next line, at once 7, in.In the row 7, row h and row g do not plan print point, still, a plan print point are arranged among the row i.According to historical record, point 20 is printed on row g, so the preferred location of current extra ink dot 22 should be listed as i.But this position does not have vacancy, thus this point can only be printed on row g, and next extra ink dot still needs to print among the row g.Like this, will seem uneven on the microcosmic, but macro-effect is not obvious.

Fig. 5, Figure 6 shows that two print jobs are more than the point that Fig. 2, Fig. 3 need.Here, still suppose nozzle h cisco unity malfunction.Row 1 is at first printed, and needs to print a point 30 among the row h.Owing to have only row g to have vacant position, be printed on row g so put 30.The row h of row 2, row 3 needs to print a point, but because row g does not have the room, thus put 32 and point 34 all be printed among the row i " needs " alternately printing.

Row 4, row 6 do not need print point, but row 5, row 7 need to print.Owing to have only the delegation room, some 36a and point 38 print to respectively among capable g and the row i.

In addition, the present invention can also print the large scale ink dot in the normal position adjacent or close with unprinted position, and/or print extra ink dot in the position adjacent or close with unprinted position.

Here only introduced the method for determining position of several capable mid points below the target print line, if this technology have the characteristics of prediction will be better.For example:, should print a point on the right side of defective nozzle if according to the method for looking back; If but eyes front will find that ensuing several provisional capitals need printed dots in these row, so, better solution is exactly the left column that ink dot is printed on former row, rather than right row.Equally, this embodiment also can transfer to next line with point.Previous row is arrived in the dot printing that utilizes the characteristics of looking forward to the prospect can will require according to the needs of printing effect to print.

In addition, the present invention's digital printer that also can cooperate laser printer, LED printer, copying machines and other to utilize parts independently to print different ink dots uses jointly.For example, in the LED printer, certain LED may go wrong; In laser printer, certain photosensitive imaging drum may go wrong.In both cases, adjust the size of consecutive points and can hide or alleviate the defective that equipment fault produces, improve the visual effect of image.

Claims

1. method that the image that digital PRN device is printed carries out error correction owing to the mistake that device fails produces, makes the PRN device can be in one or more ad-hoc locations printed dots correctly with compensation, and this method comprises the steps:

A) determine one or more ad-hoc locations;

B) at least one ad-hoc location, other points that the print position of the point of the ad-hoc location that plan in the image is printed is transferred to image not have the transferring position of use.

2. the method for claim 1 is characterized in that, each print point horizontal transfer.

3. the method for claim 1 is characterized in that, each print point vertical transfer.

4. the method for claim 1 is characterized in that, each print point transversely, vertically both direction shifts.

5. the method for claim 1 is characterized in that, ink dot can be transferred to position possible more than two, and other shifted the position of ink dot or prints the position of shifting ink dot recently or the two near the selection of particular location was depended on.

6. the method for claim 1 is characterized in that, if comprise a plurality of ad-hoc locations in the delegation of image, the position of transfer respectively prints 50% about the both sides of this row greatly.

7. the method for claim 1 is characterized in that, if comprise a plurality of ad-hoc locations in the delegation of image, print point is along lines:

A) only laterally move; Or

B) laterally, vertically move simultaneously.

8. the method for claim 1 is characterized in that, the position after the transfer laterally or vertically or both direction directly adjacent simultaneously with original position.

9. the method for claim 1 is characterized in that, additional ink dot prints to the adjacent position of each ad-hoc location with the form of large scale ink droplet.

10. the method for claim 1 is characterized in that, additional ink dot prints to the adjacent position of each ad-hoc location with the form of extra ink droplet.

11. the device that a printer, this printer have a row row can be ejected into the equipment on the matrix and matrix phase is moved for this row's equipment, along moving perpendicular to the direction of a row, this printer comprises matrix usually:

B) control device, it analyzes image to be printed, determine to print but the position of the ink dot that do not print because certain equipment breaks down, and will put position transfer in print image to other position, make a little by faulty equipment wherein the motion of a PRN device of a side print.

12. printer as claimed in claim 11, it is characterized in that, control device judges whether in adjacent two equipment is required to print a point in being expert in the home position, if two devices all do not have print out task, start one of them device and in being expert in the home position, print this point.

13. printer as claimed in claim 11 is characterized in that, if control device determines that one of two adjacent equipment are required to print, control device starts another device and print this point in being expert in the home position.

14. printer as claimed in claim 11, it is characterized in that, if control device determines that two neighbouring devices all have print out task, control device will determine whether that one of described equipment can be activated, print this point at lastrow or next line, select to start one of them neighbouring device then at lastrow or the described point of next line.

15., it is characterized in that control device only starts directly adjacent with each faulty equipment equipment printing note should be by the point of faulty equipment printing as the described printer of claim 9-11.

16. printer as claimed in claim 11 is characterized in that, described equipment is ink-jet apparatus.

17. printer as claimed in claim 11 is characterized in that, described equipment is luminaire.

18. printer as claimed in claim 11 is characterized in that, described equipment is the part of photosensitive imaging drum.

19. the described printer of claim 11 is an ink-jet printer, described equipment is ink-jet apparatus, and described control device is printed bigger ink dot through the operation start neighbouring device.

20. printer as claimed in claim 11 is characterized in that, selected neighbouring device starts with the operating frequency that is higher than miscellaneous equipment, thus between each row printed dots.