Inkjet printer drop placement calibration method, apparatus, control board, and device

Abstract

The application discloses an ink drop landing point calibration method and device of an inkjet printer, a control board and equipment, and relates to the technical field of inkjet printing. The method sprays at least first type ink drops and second type ink drops to a printing medium according to a preset ink ejection rule by driving a nozzle row, obtains an ink drop landing point detection diagram, and the ink drop landing point detection diagram includes a reference ink drop landing point sub-detection diagram. Then, the driving waveform of the nozzle row is adjusted according to the position of the reference ink drop landing point sub-detection diagram until the reference ink drop landing point sub-detection diagram is located on the preset position, thereby realizing the calibration of the landing point positions of different types of ink drops, making the landing point positions consistent or basically consistent when the same nozzle sprays different types of ink drops, and thereby improving the printing delicacy, bidirectional accuracy, and character sharpness, and improving the image printing quality.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of inkjet printing technology, and in particular to a method, apparatus, control board, and device for calibrating ink droplet landing points in an inkjet printer. Background Technology

[0002] Inkjet printing technology refers to the technology of ejecting ink droplets from nozzles on a printhead onto a printing medium to obtain images or text. Inkjet printers often use piezoelectric printheads. The inkjet process of a piezoelectric printhead involves a piezoelectric crystal applying pressure pulses to the ink. When a driving waveform is applied to the piezoelectric crystal, the crystal deforms, creating the pressure for ink ejection. Under this pressure, the inkjet tubes in the printhead expel ink droplets, which are then ejected at high speed from the nozzles onto the substrate to form an image. Different durations and amplitudes of the driving waveform applied to the printhead result in different droplet sizes and placement positions on the printing medium.

[0003] In practical production applications, users typically perform calibrations before printing images using inkjet printers, including printhead physical position calibration, printhead distance calibration, printhead color registration calibration, and bidirectional calibration. However, they don't calibrate the difference in the position of different sized ink droplets on the printing medium when the same nozzle sprays them. Printhead driver board manufacturers fine-tune the printhead drive waveform to ensure consistent printing positions when the nozzle sprays different sized ink droplets, thus guaranteeing good printing results. However, this finely tuned drive waveform may be used on different printing devices, each using different printheads. When the printhead is driven by the finely tuned waveform to spray different sized ink droplets, the positions of the droplets on the printing medium will differ, affecting print detail, text sharpness, and ultimately leading to poor image quality. Summary of the Invention

[0004] In view of this, embodiments of the present invention provide a method, apparatus, control board and device for calibrating ink droplet landing points in inkjet printers, in order to solve the problem in the prior art where differences in the landing point positions of different types of ink droplets affect image printing quality.

[0005] In a first aspect, embodiments of the present invention provide a method for calibrating the ink droplet landing point of an inkjet printer, the method comprising:

[0006] The nozzle array is driven to eject at least a first type of ink droplet and a second type of ink droplet onto the printing medium according to a preset ink ejection rule to obtain an ink droplet landing point detection map, wherein the ink droplet landing point detection map includes a plurality of ink droplet landing point sub-detection maps;

[0007] Obtain the ink droplet landing point detection map that meets the preset conditions in the ink droplet landing point detection map, and record it as the reference ink droplet landing point detection map;

[0008] When the reference ink droplet landing point detection map is not in the preset position of the ink droplet landing point detection map, the driving waveform of the nozzle array is adjusted and the nozzle array is driven to re-eject at least the first type of ink droplets and the second type of ink droplets according to the preset ink ejection rule to obtain a new ink droplet landing point detection map, until the reference ink droplet landing point detection map obtained according to the new ink droplet landing point detection map is located at the preset position.

[0009] Preferably, the preset ink dispensing rule is:

[0010] The nozzle array is staggered in that the nozzles spray the first type of ink droplets and the second type of ink droplets, including: odd-numbered nozzles spray the first type of ink droplets while even-numbered nozzles spray the second type of ink droplets, or even-numbered nozzles spray the first type of ink droplets while odd-numbered nozzles spray the second type of ink droplets.

[0011] Preferably, the preset ink dispensing rule is:

[0012] The nozzle array may be configured such that the first half of the nozzles sprays type 1 ink droplets and the second half of the nozzles sprays type 2 ink droplets, or the first half of the nozzles sprays type 2 ink droplets and the second half of the nozzles sprays type 1 ink droplets.

[0013] Preferably, the driving nozzle array ejects at least a first type of ink droplet and a second type of ink droplet onto the printing medium according to a preset ink ejection rule to obtain an ink droplet landing point detection map, wherein the ink droplet landing point detection map includes a plurality of ink droplet landing point sub-detection maps, and further includes:

[0014] Set the ink droplet landing point calibration diagram according to the preset ink output rules;

[0015] The preset position is determined based on the ink droplet landing point calibration diagram.

[0016] Preferably, the ink droplet landing point calibration map includes at least an odd number of ink droplet landing point sub-calibration maps, and each ink droplet landing point calibration map is marked with calibration parameters below it;

[0017] Preferably, the ink droplet detection map includes at least an odd number of ink droplet sub-detection maps, and each ink droplet detection map is marked with calibration parameters below it.

[0018] Preferably, when the reference ink droplet landing point detection map is not at a preset position in the ink droplet landing point detection map, adjusting the driving waveform of the nozzle array and driving the nozzle array to re-eject at least the first type of ink droplets and the second type of ink droplets according to the preset ink ejection rule to obtain a new ink droplet landing point detection map, until the reference ink droplet landing point detection map obtained according to the new ink droplet landing point detection map is located at the preset position includes:

[0019] Adjust the amplitude or application time of the drive waveform according to the calibration parameters.

[0020] Preferably, the first type of ink droplet and the second type of ink droplet are any one of large ink droplets, medium ink droplets, and small ink droplets, and the second type of ink droplet is different from the first type of ink droplet. The ink volume of the large ink droplet is a first preset ink volume, the ink volume of the medium ink droplet is a second preset ink volume, and the ink volume of the small ink droplet is a third preset ink volume. The first preset ink volume is greater than the second preset ink volume, and the second preset ink volume is greater than the third preset ink volume.

[0021] Preferably, the preset condition is: the distance between the projections of the center points of the landing positions of the first type of ink droplet and the second type of ink droplet in the ink droplet landing spot detection map along the nozzle arrangement direction is less than or equal to a preset threshold.

[0022] Preferably, the step of obtaining an ink droplet sub-detection map that meets preset conditions in the ink droplet detection map, denoted as the reference ink droplet detection map, includes:

[0023] The image acquisition device is controlled to scan the ink droplet landing point detection image to obtain an electronic version of the ink droplet landing point detection image;

[0024] The electronic ink droplet detection map is analyzed to obtain an ink droplet sub-detection map that meets the preset conditions, which is recorded as the reference ink droplet detection map.

[0025] Secondly, embodiments of the present invention provide an inkjet printer ink droplet calibration device, the device comprising:

[0026] The jetting module is used to drive the nozzle array to jet at least a first type of ink droplet and a second type of ink droplet onto the printing medium according to a preset ink ejection rule to obtain an ink droplet landing point detection map, wherein the ink droplet landing point detection map includes a plurality of ink droplet landing point sub-detection maps;

[0027] The acquisition module is used to acquire the ink droplet landing point sub-detection map that meets the preset conditions in the ink droplet landing point detection map, and denoted as the reference ink droplet landing point detection map.

[0028] The calibration module is used to adjust the driving waveform of the nozzle array and drive the nozzle array to re-eject at least the first type of ink droplets and the second type of ink droplets according to the preset ink ejection rule to obtain a new ink droplet detection map when the reference ink droplet detection map is not in the preset position of the ink droplet detection map, until the reference ink droplet detection map obtained according to the new ink droplet detection map is located at the preset position.

[0029] Thirdly, embodiments of the present invention provide an inkjet printer droplet landing point calibration control board, the control board comprising: at least one processor, at least one memory, and computer program instructions stored in the memory, wherein when the computer program instructions are executed by the processor, the method as described in any one of the first aspects is implemented.

[0030] Fourthly, embodiments of the present invention provide an inkjet printing device, comprising:

[0031] A calibration device and a control board, wherein the control board is connected to the calibration device and is used to control the operation of the calibration device, wherein the calibration device is as described in the second aspect of the inkjet printer droplet calibration device, and the control board is as described in the third aspect of the inkjet printer droplet calibration control board.

[0032] In summary, the beneficial effects of the present invention are as follows:

[0033] The inkjet printer droplet landing point calibration method, apparatus, control board, and device provided in this invention calibrate the landing point of inkjet printers by driving a nozzle array to eject at least a first type of ink droplet and a second type of ink droplet onto the printing medium according to a preset ink ejection rule, thereby obtaining an ink droplet landing point detection map, wherein the ink droplet landing point detection map includes a plurality of ink droplet landing point sub-detection maps; obtaining an ink droplet landing point detection map that meets a preset condition from the ink droplet landing point detection map, and denoting it as a reference ink droplet landing point detection map; when the reference ink droplet landing point detection map is not in a preset position in the ink droplet landing point detection map, adjusting the driving waveform of the nozzle array and driving the nozzle array to re-eject at least a first type of ink droplet and a second type of ink droplet according to the preset ink ejection rule until the reference ink droplet landing point detection map is located at the preset position, thereby achieving calibration of the landing point positions of different types of ink droplets, so that the landing point positions are consistent or substantially consistent when the same nozzle ejects different types of ink droplets, thereby improving printing fineness, bidirectional accuracy, text sharpness, and image printing quality. Attached Figure Description

[0034] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention, the drawings used in the embodiments of the present invention will be briefly introduced below. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative effort, and these are all within the protection scope of the present invention.

[0035] Figure 1 This is a flowchart illustrating the ink droplet calibration method for inkjet printers according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0036] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the nozzle array according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0037] Figure 3This is a schematic diagram of the ink droplet landing point position according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0038] Figure 4a This is a schematic diagram of the ink droplet landing point position according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0039] Figure 4b This is a schematic diagram of the ink droplet landing point position according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0040] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the ink droplet landing point calibration diagram according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0041] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the ink droplet landing point detection diagram according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0042] Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of adjusting the driving waveform according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0043] Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram of the ink droplet landing point detection diagram according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0044] Figure 9 This is a schematic diagram of the ink droplet landing point calibration diagram according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0045] Figure 10 This is a schematic diagram of the ink droplet landing point detection diagram according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0046] Figure 11 This is a schematic diagram of the ink droplet landing point calibration diagram according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0047] Figure 12 This is a schematic diagram of the ink droplet landing point detection diagram according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0048] Figure 13 This is a schematic diagram of the ink droplet landing point calibration diagram according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0049] Figure 14 This is a schematic diagram of the ink droplet landing point detection diagram according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0050] Figure 15 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the inkjet printer ink droplet calibration device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0051] Figure 16 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the ink droplet calibration control board for an inkjet printer according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0052] Figure 17 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of an inkjet printing device according to an embodiment of the present invention. Detailed Implementation

[0053] The features and exemplary embodiments of various aspects of the present invention will now be described in detail. To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of the present invention clearer, the present invention will be further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments. It should be understood that the specific embodiments described herein are only configured to explain the present invention and are not configured to limit the present invention. For those skilled in the art, the present invention can be practiced without some of these specific details. The following description of the embodiments is merely intended to provide a better understanding of the present invention by illustrating examples of the invention.

[0054] It should be noted that, in this document, relational terms such as "first" and "second" are used merely to distinguish one entity or operation from another, and do not necessarily require or imply any such actual relationship or order between these entities or operations. Furthermore, the terms "comprising," "including," or any other variations thereof are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion, such that a process, method, article, or apparatus that comprises a list of elements includes not only those elements but also other elements not expressly listed, or elements inherent to such a process, method, article, or apparatus. Without further limitations, an element defined by the phrase "comprising..." does not exclude the presence of additional identical elements in the process, method, article, or apparatus that includes said element.

[0055] Example 1

[0056] This invention provides a method for calibrating ink droplet placement in an inkjet printer, preferably a single-pass printer or a scanning printer. The single-pass printer or scanning printer includes: at least one piezoelectric printhead, which includes at least one row of nozzles, each nozzle containing an ink cavity; at least one control board and a printhead driver board, the printhead driver board applying a driving waveform to the printhead to control the nozzles in the printhead to eject ink droplets onto the printing medium to form an image.

[0057] Please see Figure 1 The method includes the following steps:

[0058] S1: Drive the nozzle array to spray at least the first type of ink droplets and the second type of ink droplets onto the printing medium according to the preset ink output rules to obtain an ink droplet landing point detection map, wherein the ink droplet landing point detection map includes a plurality of ink droplet landing point sub-detection maps;

[0059] S2: Obtain the ink droplet landing point detection map that meets the preset conditions in the ink droplet landing point detection map, and record it as the reference ink droplet landing point detection map;

[0060] S3: When the reference ink droplet landing point detection map is not in the preset position of the ink droplet landing point detection map, adjust the driving waveform of the nozzle array and drive the nozzle array to re-eject at least the first type of ink droplets and the second type of ink droplets according to the preset ink ejection rule to obtain a new ink droplet landing point detection map, until the reference ink droplet landing point detection map obtained according to the new ink droplet landing point detection map is located at the preset position.

[0061] Specifically, commonly used printheads can typically eject three different types of ink droplets: large, medium, and small. The amount of ink ejected during printing differs for each type of droplet. For example, the ink volume for large droplets is set to 10 PL (first preset ink volume is 10 PL), for medium droplets to 7 PL (second preset ink volume is 7 PL), and for small droplets to 5 PL (third preset ink volume is 5 PL). The first, second, and third preset ink volumes can be determined based on actual printing conditions. The 10 PL, 7 PL, and 5 PL values ​​mentioned above are merely examples and may vary in practice.

[0062] Ideally, different types of ink droplets ejected from the same nozzle will land in the same position on the printing medium. For example... Figure 2 As shown, large ink droplets 10 and medium ink droplets 20 are ejected from the same nozzle, and the center positions of the landing points of large ink droplets 1 and medium ink droplets 2 are consistent. For the same row of nozzles P (one printhead channel), if the nozzles eject large ink droplets 10 and medium ink droplets 20 alternately, such as even-numbered nozzles 0, 2, ... ejecting large ink droplets 10 and odd-numbered nozzles 1, 3 ejecting medium ink droplets 20, or even-numbered nozzles ejecting medium ink droplets 20 and odd-numbered nozzles ejecting large ink droplets 10, the resulting droplet landing pattern is as follows. Figure 3 As shown, large ink droplets 10 and medium ink droplets 20 will both be in the same column. However, in actual printing, it may appear as follows: Figure 4a As shown in Figure 4b, large ink droplets 10 and medium ink droplets 20 are not in the same column, but are in two separate columns. This means that when the same nozzle ejects large and medium ink droplets, the landing positions of these two different types of ink droplets will differ, thus affecting the image printing quality. Therefore, it is necessary to calibrate the ink droplet landing positions so that the positions are consistent or within an acceptable range when the same nozzle ejects different types of ink droplets.

[0063] In one embodiment, before calibrating the droplet landing position, a droplet landing point calibration diagram can be set according to a preset ink dispensing rule of the nozzle array. This preset ink dispensing rule can be that the nozzles in the nozzle array spray first-type and second-type ink droplets alternately, such as even-numbered nozzles spraying first-type ink droplets and odd-numbered nozzles spraying second-type ink droplets, or even-numbered nozzles spraying second-type ink droplets and odd-numbered nozzles spraying first-type ink droplets; it can also be that after the first nozzle in the nozzle array sprays first-type ink droplets, a second-type ink droplet is sprayed after a gap of one nozzle, and then a first-type ink droplet is sprayed after another gap of one nozzle, and so on; or it can be that the nozzles in the first half of the nozzle array spray first-type ink droplets and the nozzles in the rear half spray second-type ink droplets, etc. The preset ink dispensing rule can be set according to actual conditions and is not limited here. In this embodiment, the preset ink dispensing rule is that the nozzles in the nozzle array spray first-type and second-type ink droplets alternately. The droplet landing point calibration diagram set according to this preset ink dispensing rule is as follows: Figure 5 As shown, the ink droplet landing point calibration diagram includes at least three columns of ink droplet landing point sub-calibration diagrams, denoted as the first ink droplet landing point calibration. Figure 11 Second ink droplet calibration Figure 12 and calibration of the third ink droplet Figure 13 Preferably, calibration parameters, indicated by numbers or symbols, are marked below or above each droplet landing point calibration diagram to facilitate quick adjustment of the driving waveform corresponding to each type of droplet based on the calibration parameters, such as increasing or decreasing the amplitude of the driving waveform. Each droplet landing point calibration diagram contains two different types of droplets, denoted as Type 1 droplets and Type 2 droplets. Here, Type 1 and Type 2 droplets can be any of large, medium, and small droplets; preferably, the ink volume of Type 1 and Type 2 droplets is different. Figure 5 Second ink droplet calibration Figure 12 When the first type of ink droplets and the second type of ink droplets are in the same column, it indicates that there is no difference in the position of the first type of ink droplets and the second type of ink droplets landing on the printing medium when ejected from the same nozzle. This is for calibration of the second droplet landing point. Figure 12 The calibration parameters are marked below: the number "0" is used as the reference ink droplet calibration diagram; while if the calibration is performed as in the first ink droplet calibration... Figure 11 And calibration of the third ink droplet Figure 13 (calibration at the first ink droplet point) Figure 11 And calibration of the third ink droplet Figure 13The calibration parameters marked below are (symbols "+" and "-"). When the first type of ink droplet and the second type of ink droplet are not in the same column, it indicates a difference in the landing position of the first type of ink droplet and the second type of ink droplet on the printing medium when ejected by the same nozzle. In this case, it is necessary to adjust the drive waveform applied to the nozzles ejecting the first type of ink droplet and / or the second type of ink droplet in the nozzle column, thereby adjusting the landing position of the first type of ink droplet and / or the second type of ink droplet. By setting an ink droplet landing point calibration diagram, it is possible to visually compare it with the ink droplet landing point detection diagram obtained from actual printing, thereby determining how to adjust the drive waveform applied to the nozzle column.

[0064] When detecting the location of ink droplets, the drive nozzle array ejects at least two types of ink droplets, one type and the other type, onto the printing medium according to a preset ink ejection rule, resulting in an actual ink droplet location detection map. For example, the obtained ink droplet location detection map is shown below. Figure 6 As shown. This droplet landing detection map includes at least three columns of droplet landing sub-detection maps. A droplet landing detection map that meets preset conditions is obtained. These preset conditions are that the landing positions of the first type of ink droplet and the second type of ink droplet are located in the same column, or the distance between the projections of the center points of the landing positions of the first type of ink droplet and the second type of ink droplet along the nozzle arrangement direction is less than or equal to a preset threshold. The droplet landing detection map that meets these preset conditions is recorded as the baseline droplet landing detection map. From... Figure 6 As can be seen, the reference droplet landing point detection map is marked with the symbol "+". According to the droplet landing point calibration map, only when the reference droplet landing point detection map is located at the position marked "0" does it indicate that there is no difference in the landing point positions of the first and second droplet types in this nozzle array. That is, the reference droplet landing point detection map is not located in the preset position "0", and the drive waveform applied to the nozzle array needs to be adjusted. The adjustment method can be determined based on the mark corresponding to the position of the reference droplet landing point detection map. For example... Figure 6 As shown, the location of the reference ink droplet detection map is marked with a "+". At this point, it can be done as follows: Figure 7As shown, the amplitude (voltage) of the drive waveform applied to the nozzle array or the duration of the applied voltage is increased. The specific increase in amplitude (voltage) or duration of the applied voltage depends on the actual situation. Applying the same drive waveform to different printheads will result in different droplet ejection speeds and trajectories, thus requiring analysis based on the actual application. In one embodiment, a drive waveform adjustment lookup table for a specific type of printhead can be obtained through repeated testing. For example, the drive waveform adjustment lookup table records that when the reference droplet landing point detection map is at the "+" mark, the amplitude of the drive waveform corresponding to the first type of droplet and / or the second type of droplet is increased by 3V; when the reference droplet landing point detection map is at the "-" mark, the amplitude of the drive waveform corresponding to the first type of droplet and / or the second type of droplet is decreased by 4V. After adjusting the drive waveform, the drive printhead re-ejects the first type of droplet and the second type of droplet according to the original preset ink ejection rules, obtaining a new droplet landing point detection map. The reference droplet landing point detection map is then re-observed to see if it is at the "0" mark. If it is, the calibration of the droplet landing point position is complete. If not, then readjust the drive waveform and re-eject ink droplets to obtain a new droplet landing point detection map until the reference droplet landing point sub-detection map is at mark "0" (preset position).

[0065] Similarly, if the obtained ink droplet landing point detection map is as follows Figure 8 As shown, the location of the reference ink droplet detection map is marked with "-". At this time, the amplitude (voltage) of the drive waveform applied to the nozzle array or the duration of the applied voltage can be reduced. The specific reduction in amplitude (voltage) or the duration of the applied voltage can also be determined according to the actual situation.

[0066] In one embodiment, such as Figure 9 As shown, the set ink droplet landing point calibration map includes 5 columns of ink droplet landing point sub-calibration maps. Correspondingly, each column of sub-ink droplet landing point calibration map is marked with numbers and positive / negative signs, etc., as calibration parameters. The reference ink droplet landing point calibration map is located at the "0" mark. The nozzle array is controlled to alternately eject first-type and second-type ink droplets according to a preset ink ejection rule. The resulting ink droplet landing point detection map is shown below. Figure 10As shown, the reference droplet landing point detection map is located at mark "+2". The amplitude (voltage) of the drive waveform applied to the nozzles ejecting the first type of ink droplets and / or the second type of ink droplets in the nozzle array, or the duration of the applied voltage, is increased. In one embodiment, a drive waveform adjustment lookup table for a specific type of printhead can be obtained through repeated testing. For example, according to this drive waveform adjustment lookup table, when the reference droplet landing point detection map is at mark "+", the amplitude of the drive waveform is increased by 3V; when it is at mark "+2", the amplitude is increased by 9V. After adjusting the drive waveform accordingly, the printhead re-ejects the first and second type of ink droplets according to the original preset ink ejection rules, obtaining a new droplet landing point detection map. The reference droplet landing point detection map is then observed to see if it is at mark "0". If it is, the calibration of the droplet landing point position is complete. If not, the drive waveform is adjusted again, and ink droplets are ejected again to obtain a new droplet landing point detection map, until the reference droplet landing point detection map is at mark "0" (the preset position).

[0067] In other embodiments, the preset ink dispensing rule is that the upper half of the nozzles in the nozzle array sprays type 1 ink droplets while the lower half sprays type 2 ink droplets. The corresponding droplet landing point calibration diagram set according to this preset ink dispensing rule is shown below. Figure 11 As shown in the image, the ink droplet landing point detection diagram obtained during actual inkjet printing is as follows. Figure 12 As shown. Similarly, the driving waveform is adjusted according to the position of the reference ink droplet detection map to complete the calibration of the ink droplet position.

[0068] In other embodiments, the preset ink dispensing rule is that the nozzles in the middle of the nozzle array dispense type 1, type 2, and type 3 ink droplets in a staggered manner. That is, the first nozzle dispenses type 1 ink droplets, the second nozzle dispenses type 2 ink droplets, the third nozzle dispenses type 3 ink droplets, the fourth nozzle dispenses type 1 ink droplets, the fifth nozzle dispenses type 2 ink droplets, the sixth nozzle dispenses type 3 ink droplets, and so on. The corresponding ink droplet landing point calibration diagram set according to this preset ink dispensing rule is as follows. Figure 13 As shown in the image, the ink droplet landing point detection diagram obtained during actual inkjet printing is as follows. Figure 14 As shown. Similarly, the driving waveform is adjusted according to the position of the reference ink droplet detection map to complete the calibration of the ink droplet position.

[0069] In some embodiments, after the drive nozzle array prints according to a preset ink dispensing rule to obtain an ink droplet landing detection map, an image acquisition device such as a digital camera, video camera, or scanner is used to capture / acquire the ink droplet landing detection map on the printing medium to obtain an electronic version of the ink droplet landing detection map. At this time, machine vision technology can be used to automatically detect whether the reference ink droplet landing sub-detection map in the electronic version of the ink droplet landing detection map is at position "0" in the ink droplet landing detection map. If not, the drive waveform is adjusted accordingly based on the actual position of the reference ink droplet landing detection map, and the printhead is driven to re-eject the first type of ink droplets and the second type of ink droplets according to the original preset ink dispensing rule to obtain a new ink droplet landing detection map. The new ink droplet landing detection map is re-acquired, and machine vision technology is used to automatically identify whether the reference ink droplet landing detection map is at the position marked "0". If it is, the calibration of the ink droplet landing position is completed. If not, the drive waveform is adjusted again and ink droplets are re-ejected to obtain a new ink droplet landing detection map. Images are acquired and automatically detected until the reference ink droplet landing detection map is at the position marked "0" (preset position). Utilizing machine vision to automatically detect ink droplet landing points eliminates the need for manual intervention, making it more convenient and faster, and further improving detection efficiency.

[0070] In summary, the inkjet printer droplet landing point calibration method provided by this invention involves driving a nozzle array to eject at least a first type of ink droplet and a second type of ink droplet onto the printing medium according to a preset ink ejection rule, thereby obtaining an ink droplet landing point detection map, wherein the ink droplet landing point detection map includes several ink droplet landing point sub-detection maps; acquiring an ink droplet landing point detection map that meets a preset condition from the ink droplet landing point detection map, and denoting it as a reference ink droplet landing point detection map; when the reference ink droplet landing point detection map is not in a preset position in the ink droplet landing point detection map, adjusting the driving waveform of the nozzle array and driving the nozzle array to re-eject at least a first type of ink droplet and a second type of ink droplet according to the preset ink ejection rule until the reference ink droplet landing point detection map is located at the preset position, thereby achieving calibration of the landing point positions of different types of ink droplets, so that the landing point positions are consistent or substantially consistent when the same nozzle ejects different types of ink droplets, thereby improving printing fineness, bidirectional accuracy, text sharpness, and image printing quality.

[0071] Example 2

[0072] Please see Figure 15 This invention provides an inkjet printer droplet calibration device 200, the device 200 comprising:

[0073] The jetting module 201 is used to drive the nozzle array to jet at least a first type of ink droplets and a second type of ink droplets onto the printing medium according to a preset ink ejection rule to obtain an ink droplet landing point detection map, wherein the ink droplet landing point detection map includes a plurality of ink droplet landing point sub-detection maps;

[0074] The acquisition module 202 is used to acquire the ink droplet landing point sub-detection map that meets the preset conditions in the ink droplet landing point detection map, and denoted as the reference ink droplet landing point detection map;

[0075] The calibration module 203 is used to adjust the driving waveform of the nozzle array and drive the nozzle array to re-eject at least the first type of ink droplets and the second type of ink droplets according to the preset ink ejection rule to obtain a new ink droplet detection map when the reference ink droplet detection map is not in the preset position of the ink droplet detection map, until the reference ink droplet detection map obtained according to the new ink droplet detection map is located at the preset position.

[0076] Preferably, in the injection module 201, the preset ink output rule is:

[0077] The nozzle array is staggered in that the nozzles spray the first type of ink droplets and the second type of ink droplets, including: odd-numbered nozzles spray the first type of ink droplets while even-numbered nozzles spray the second type of ink droplets, or even-numbered nozzles spray the first type of ink droplets while odd-numbered nozzles spray the second type of ink droplets.

[0078] Preferably, in the injection module 201, the preset ink output rule is:

[0079] The nozzle array consists of nozzles in the front half that spray type 1 ink droplets and nozzles in the rear half that spray type 2 ink droplets.

[0080] Preferably, the device 200 further includes:

[0081] The calibration diagram setting module is used to set the ink droplet landing point calibration diagram according to the preset ink output rules.

[0082] The preset position determination module is used to determine the preset position based on the ink droplet landing point calibration diagram.

[0083] Preferably, in the calibration map setting module, the ink droplet landing point calibration map includes at least an odd number of ink droplet landing point sub-calibration maps, and each ink droplet landing point calibration map is marked with calibration parameters below it.

[0084] Preferably, in the calibration template 203, the amplitude or application time of the driving waveform is adjusted according to the calibration parameters.

[0085] Preferably, in the ejection module 201, the first type of ink droplet and the second type of ink droplet are any one of large ink droplets, medium ink droplets, and small ink droplets, and the second type of ink droplet is different from the first type of ink droplet. The ink volume of the large ink droplet is a first preset ink volume, the ink volume of the medium ink droplet is a second preset ink volume, and the ink volume of the small ink droplet is a third preset ink volume. The first preset ink volume is greater than the second preset ink volume, and the second preset ink volume is greater than the third preset ink volume.

[0086] Preferably, in the acquisition module 202, the preset condition is: the distance between the projections of the center points of the landing positions of the first type of ink droplet and the second type of ink droplet in the ink droplet landing spot detection map along the nozzle arrangement direction is less than or equal to a preset threshold.

[0087] In summary, the inkjet printer droplet landing point calibration device provided in this embodiment of the invention calibrates the landing point positions of different types of ink droplets by driving a nozzle array to eject at least a first type of ink droplet and a second type of ink droplet onto the printing medium according to a preset ink ejection rule, thereby obtaining an ink droplet landing point detection map, wherein the ink droplet landing point detection map includes a plurality of ink droplet landing point sub-detection maps; obtaining an ink droplet landing point detection map that meets a preset condition from the ink droplet landing point detection map, and denoting it as a reference ink droplet landing point detection map; when the reference ink droplet landing point detection map is not in the preset position of the ink droplet landing point detection map, adjusting the driving waveform of the nozzle array and driving the nozzle array to re-eject at least a first type of ink droplet and a second type of ink droplet according to the preset ink ejection rule until the reference ink droplet landing point detection map is located at the preset position, thereby achieving calibration of the landing point positions of different types of ink droplets, so that the landing point positions are consistent or substantially consistent when the same nozzle ejects different types of ink droplets, thereby improving printing fineness, bidirectional accuracy, text sharpness, and image printing quality.

[0088] Example 3

[0089] Please see Figure 16 This is a schematic diagram of the hardware structure of the inkjet printer droplet calibration control board provided in an embodiment of the present invention.

[0090] The inkjet printer droplet calibration control board may include a processor 301 and a memory 302 storing computer program instructions.

[0091] Specifically, the processor 301 may include a central processing unit (CPU), an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), or one or more integrated circuits that can be configured to implement the embodiments of the present invention.

[0092] Memory 302 may include mass storage for data or instructions. For example, and not limitingly, memory 302 may include a hard disk drive (HDD), floppy disk drive, flash memory, optical disk, magneto-optical disk, magnetic tape, or Universal Serial Bus (USB) drive, or a combination of two or more of these. Where appropriate, memory 302 may include removable or non-removable (or fixed) media. Where appropriate, memory 302 may be internal or external to a data processing device. In a particular embodiment, memory 302 is a non-volatile solid-state memory. In a particular embodiment, memory 302 includes read-only memory (ROM). Where appropriate, the ROM may be a mask-programmed ROM, a programmable ROM (PROM), an erasable PROM (EPROM), an electrically erasable PROM (EEPROM), an electrically rewritable ROM (EAROM), or flash memory, or a combination of two or more of these.

[0093] The processor 301 reads and executes computer program instructions stored in the memory 302 to implement any of the inkjet printer droplet calibration methods in the above embodiments.

[0094] In one example, the inkjet printer droplet calibration control board may also include a communication interface 303 and a bus 310. For example, Figure 16 As shown, the processor 301, memory 302, and communication interface 303 are connected through bus 310 and complete communication with each other.

[0095] The communication interface 303 is mainly used to realize communication between various modules, devices, units and / or equipment in the embodiments of the present invention.

[0096] Bus 310 includes hardware, software, or both, that couples components of an inkjet printing device together. For example, and not limitingly, bus 310 may include an Accelerated Graphics Port (AGP) or other graphics bus, an Enhanced Industry Standard Architecture (EISA) bus, a Front Side Bus (FSB), HyperTransport (HT) interconnect, an Industry Standard Architecture (ISA) bus, an Infinite Bandwidth Interconnect, a Low Pin Count (LPC) bus, a memory bus, a Microchannel Architecture (MCA) bus, a Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI) bus, a PCI-Express (PCI-X) bus, a Serial Advanced Technology Attachment (SATA) bus, a Video Electronics Standards Association Local (VLB) bus, or other suitable buses, or combinations of two or more of these. Where appropriate, bus 310 may include one or more buses. While specific buses are described and illustrated in embodiments of the invention, the invention contemplates any suitable bus or interconnect.

[0097] Example 4

[0098] Please see Figure 17 This invention provides an inkjet printing device 400, which includes a calibration device 200 and a control board 401. The control board 401 is connected to the calibration device 200 and is used to control the operation of the calibration device 200. The calibration device 200 is as described in Embodiment 2 regarding the inkjet printer droplet calibration device, and the control board 401 is as described in Embodiment 3 regarding the inkjet printer droplet calibration control board.

[0099] Furthermore, in conjunction with the inkjet printer droplet calibration method in the above embodiments, this invention can be implemented using a computer-readable storage medium. This computer-readable storage medium stores computer program instructions; when these computer program instructions are executed by the processor 301, they implement any of the inkjet printer droplet calibration methods described in the above embodiments.

[0100] In summary, the inkjet printer droplet landing point calibration method, apparatus, control board, and device provided in this embodiment of the invention calibrate the landing point of inkjet printers by driving a nozzle array to eject at least a first type of ink droplet and a second type of ink droplet onto the printing medium according to a preset ink ejection rule, thereby obtaining an ink droplet landing point detection map, wherein the ink droplet landing point detection map includes a plurality of ink droplet landing point sub-detection maps; obtaining an ink droplet landing point detection map that meets a preset condition from the ink droplet landing point detection map, and denoting it as a reference ink droplet landing point detection map; when the reference ink droplet landing point detection map is not in a preset position in the ink droplet landing point detection map, adjusting the driving waveform of the nozzle array and driving the nozzle array to re-eject at least a first type of ink droplet and a second type of ink droplet according to the preset ink ejection rule until the reference ink droplet landing point detection map is located at the preset position, thereby achieving calibration of the landing point positions of different types of ink droplets, so that the landing point positions are consistent or substantially consistent when the same nozzle ejects different types of ink droplets, thereby improving printing fineness, bidirectional accuracy, text sharpness, and image printing quality.

[0101] It should be clarified that the present invention is not limited to the specific configurations and processes described above and shown in the figures. For the sake of brevity, detailed descriptions of known methods are omitted here. In the above embodiments, several specific steps are described and shown as examples. However, the method process of the present invention is not limited to the specific steps described and shown. Those skilled in the art can make various changes, modifications, and additions, or change the order of steps, after understanding the spirit of the present invention.

[0102] The functional blocks shown in the above-described structural diagram can be implemented as hardware, software, firmware, or a combination thereof. When implemented in hardware, they can be, for example, electronic circuits, application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), appropriate firmware, plug-ins, function cards, etc. When implemented in software, the elements of this invention are programs or code segments used to perform the required tasks. The programs or code segments can be stored on a machine-readable medium or transmitted over a transmission medium or communication link via data signals carried in a carrier wave. "Machine-readable medium" can include any medium capable of storing or transmitting information. Examples of machine-readable media include electronic circuits, semiconductor memory devices, ROM, flash memory, erasable ROM (EROM), floppy disks, CD-ROMs, optical disks, hard disks, fiber optic media, radio frequency (RF) links, etc. Code segments can be downloaded via computer networks such as the Internet, intranets, etc.

[0103] It should also be noted that the exemplary embodiments mentioned in this invention describe methods or systems based on a series of steps or apparatus. However, this invention is not limited to the order of the steps described above; that is, the steps can be performed in the order mentioned in the embodiments, or in a different order, or several steps can be performed simultaneously.

[0104] The above description is merely a specific embodiment of the present invention. Those skilled in the art will clearly understand that, for the sake of convenience and brevity, the specific working processes of the systems, modules, and units described above can be referred to the corresponding processes in the foregoing method embodiments, and will not be repeated here. It should be understood that the protection scope of the present invention is not limited thereto. Any person skilled in the art can easily conceive of various equivalent modifications or substitutions within the technical scope disclosed in the present invention, and these modifications or substitutions should all be covered within the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A method for calibrating the ink droplet landing point of an inkjet printer, characterized in that, The method includes: Set the ink droplet landing point calibration diagram according to the preset ink output rules, and determine the preset position according to the ink droplet landing point calibration diagram; The nozzle array is driven to eject at least a first type of ink droplet and a second type of ink droplet onto the printing medium according to the preset ink ejection rule to obtain an ink droplet landing point detection map. The ink droplet landing point detection map includes several ink droplet landing point sub-detection maps. The ink volume of the first type of ink droplet and the second type of ink droplet is different. The preset ink ejection rule is that the nozzles in the nozzle array eject the first type of ink droplet and the second type of ink droplet alternately, including: odd number of nozzles eject the first type of ink droplet and even number of nozzles eject the second type of ink droplet, or even number of nozzles eject the first type of ink droplet and odd number of nozzles eject the second type of ink droplet. Obtain a sub-detection map of ink droplets that meets a preset condition in the ink droplet landing detection map, and denot it as the reference ink droplet landing detection map. The preset condition is that the distance between the projections of the center points of the landing positions of the first type of ink droplet and the second type of ink droplet in the ink droplet landing detection map along the nozzle arrangement direction is less than or equal to a preset threshold. When the reference ink droplet landing point detection map is not at the preset position in the ink droplet landing point detection map, the amplitude or application time of the driving waveform of the nozzle array is adjusted according to the calibration parameters corresponding to the reference ink droplet landing point detection map, and the nozzle array is driven to re-eject at least the first type of ink droplets and the second type of ink droplets according to the preset ink ejection rule to obtain a new ink droplet landing point detection map, until the reference ink droplet landing point detection map obtained according to the new ink droplet landing point detection map is located at the preset position.

2. The inkjet printer droplet calibration method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The preset ink output rule is as follows: The nozzle array consists of two parts: the first half of the nozzles sprays type 1 ink droplets and the second half of the nozzles sprays type 2 ink droplets, or the first half of the nozzle array sprays type 2 ink droplets and the second half of the nozzles sprays type 1 ink droplets.

3. The inkjet printer droplet landing point calibration method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The ink droplet landing detection map includes at least an odd number of ink droplet landing sub-detection maps, and each ink droplet landing detection map is marked with calibration parameters.

4. The inkjet printer droplet landing point calibration method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The first type of ink droplet and the second type of ink droplet are any one of large ink droplets, medium ink droplets and small ink droplets, and the second type of ink droplet is different from the first type of ink droplet. The ink volume of the large ink droplet is a first preset ink volume, the ink volume of the medium ink droplet is a second preset ink volume, and the ink volume of the small ink droplet is a third preset ink volume. The first preset ink volume is greater than the second preset ink volume, and the second preset ink volume is greater than the third preset ink volume.

5. The inkjet printer droplet landing point calibration method according to any one of claims 1-4, characterized in that, The process of obtaining an ink droplet detection map that meets preset conditions from the ink droplet detection map, denoted as the reference ink droplet detection map, includes: The image acquisition device is controlled to scan the ink droplet landing point detection image to obtain an electronic version of the ink droplet landing point detection image; The electronic ink droplet detection map is analyzed to obtain an ink droplet sub-detection map that meets the preset conditions, which is recorded as the reference ink droplet detection map.

6. A device for calibrating the droplet landing point of an inkjet printer, characterized in that, The apparatus for implementing the method as described in any one of claims 1 to 5, comprising: The jetting module is used to set an ink droplet landing point calibration map according to a preset ink dispensing rule, determine a preset position according to the ink droplet landing point calibration map, and drive the nozzle array to jet at least a first type of ink droplet and a second type of ink droplet onto the printing medium according to the preset ink dispensing rule to obtain an ink droplet landing point detection map. The ink droplet landing point detection map includes several ink droplet landing point sub-detection maps. The ink volume of the first type of ink droplet and the second type of ink droplet is different. The preset ink dispensing rule is that the nozzles in the nozzle array jet the first type of ink droplet and the second type of ink droplet alternately, including: odd number of nozzles jet the first type of ink droplet and even number of nozzles jet the second type of ink droplet, or even number of nozzles jet the first type of ink droplet and odd number of nozzles jet the second type of ink droplet. The acquisition module is used to acquire an ink droplet landing point sub-detection map that meets a preset condition in the ink droplet landing point detection map, which is denoted as the reference ink droplet landing point detection map. The preset condition is that the distance between the projections of the center points of the landing points of the first type of ink droplet and the second type of ink droplet in the ink droplet landing point detection map along the nozzle arrangement direction is less than or equal to a preset threshold. The calibration module is used to adjust the amplitude or application time of the driving waveform of the nozzle array according to the calibration parameters corresponding to the reference ink droplet detection map when the reference ink droplet detection map is not at the preset position in the ink droplet detection map, and drive the nozzle array to re-eject at least the first type of ink droplets and the second type of ink droplets according to the preset ink ejection rule to obtain a new ink droplet detection map, until the reference ink droplet detection map obtained according to the new ink droplet detection map is located at the preset position.

7. A droplet landing point calibration control board for an inkjet printer, characterized in that, The control board includes: at least one processor, at least one memory, and computer program instructions stored in the memory, which, when executed by the processor, implement the method as described in any one of claims 1-5.

8. An inkjet printing device, characterized in that, include: Calibration device and control board, The control board is connected to the calibration device and is used to control the operation of the calibration device. The calibration device is the inkjet printer ink droplet landing point calibration device as described in claim 6, and the control board is the inkjet printer ink droplet landing point calibration control board as described in claim 7.

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