Print planning method involving pixel pits and ink-jet printer

Abstract

The invention relates to the technical field of ink-jet printing of display screens, in particular to a printing planning method related to a pixel pit and an ink-jet printer, and the method comprises the steps: obtaining the coordinates of a first spray hole at a preset time interval; the coordinate of the first spraying hole is the coordinate of any spraying hole corresponding to the ink dripping point in the ink dripping point range in the first sub-pixel pit; the substrate is divided into a plurality of printing strokes, the first stroke is any one printing stroke, and the first sub-pixel pit is any one sub-pixel pit in the first printing stroke; if the Y-axis coordinate of the first spray hole is not in the ink drop point range of the first sub-pixel pit, determining a second spray hole, and after the first spray hole is replaced by the second spray hole, generating a first printing file so as to complete drop point planning of the first printing stroke; and the Y-axis coordinate of the second spray hole is within the ink drop point range of the first sub-pixel pit. According to the method, only the spraying holes with the spraying hole coordinates changed in the printing file are updated, so that the printing planning efficiency is improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of inkjet printing technology for displays, specifically to a printing planning method involving pixel pits and an inkjet printer. Background Technology

[0002] Currently, inkjet printers print pixel pits on a substrate. After the printhead module has been printing for a period of time, the state of the nozzles (e.g., nozzle ejection angle, droplet volume, ejection speed, and nozzle coordinates) often changes. To ensure print quality, it is necessary to monitor the state of the nozzles in the printhead module; promptly disable nozzles whose state does not meet printing requirements, re-plan the print process, and generate the print file.

[0003] At this point, the process of re-planning the print run mainly includes: 1. Screening the nozzles and selecting those in normal condition; 2. Dividing the substrate bitmap into multiple sub-maps for print travel; 3. Matching the landing points with the nozzles; For any sub-map, first plan the landing points for a single line, then plan the individual print travel, and summarize all print travels to generate the print file. This print planning process is very time-consuming, especially for printing large substrates (taking G5.5 full-size substrate RGB printing as an example, the number of landing points on the entire substrate exceeds several billion).

[0004] Therefore, a printing planning method involving pixel pits and an inkjet printer are needed to improve the printing planning efficiency of pixel pits. Summary of the Invention

[0005] This application provides a print planning method involving pixel pits and an inkjet printer, which improves print planning efficiency by updating only the nozzles whose nozzle coordinates change in the print file.

[0006] The first aspect of this application discloses a printing planning method involving pixel pits. The printing planning method includes: obtaining the coordinates of a first nozzle at preset time intervals to facilitate the detection of nozzle coordinates in the printhead module of the inkjet printer; wherein, the coordinates of the first nozzle are any nozzle coordinates corresponding to an ink droplet landing point within the ink droplet landing point range of the first sub-pixel pit; the ink droplet landing point range of the first sub-pixel pit is the ink droplet landing point area within the first sub-pixel pit; the coordinates of the first nozzle include the Y-axis coordinate of the first nozzle; the substrate is divided into multiple printing strokes, the first stroke is any printing stroke, and the first sub-pixel pit is any sub-pixel pit within the first printing stroke; if the Y-axis coordinate of the first nozzle is not within the ink droplet landing point range of the first sub-pixel pit, then a second nozzle is determined, and after replacing the first nozzle with the second nozzle, a first print file is generated to complete the landing point planning of the first printing stroke, so that the inkjet printer performs pixel pit printing operation according to the first print file; the Y-axis coordinate of the second nozzle is within the ink droplet landing point range of the first sub-pixel pit.

[0007] In the above solution, for the printing planning scenario of pixel pit substrates, the substrate is divided into multiple printing strokes. The printing plan for any given printing stroke is generally different, requiring individual printing planning for each stroke. A printing stroke contains multiple sub-pixel pits (e.g., R sub-pixel pits, G sub-pixel pits, B sub-pixel pits), and each sub-pixel pit has a defined droplet landing point range (droplets falling within this range generally meet the requirements for film thickness and uniformity). When the Y-axis coordinate of the nozzle is outside the droplet landing point range, a new nozzle needs to be determined. This only requires updating the nozzles with changed Y-axis coordinates in the previous print file (detecting the nozzle coordinates of the printhead module in the inkjet printer) to obtain a new print file. This eliminates the need to re-plan the printing for all nozzles, significantly shortening printing planning time and improving printing efficiency.

[0008] In one possible implementation, if the Y-axis coordinate of the first nozzle is not within the range of the ink droplet landing point of the first sub-pixel pit, then the second nozzle is determined; specifically, this includes: if the Y-axis coordinate of the first nozzle is not within the range of the ink droplet landing point of the first sub-pixel pit, then the second nozzle is determined according to the first backup nozzle group; wherein, the first backup nozzle group is constructed when the nozzle coordinates of the printhead module were previously detected, and the nozzle coordinates in the first backup nozzle group are located within the range of the ink droplet landing point of the first sub-pixel pit and were not selected by the printhead module printing plan in the previous step; determining the second nozzle according to the first backup nozzle group specifically includes: in the first backup nozzle group, the second nozzle is determined in ascending order of the nozzle Y-axis coordinate; the first backup nozzle group includes the second nozzle and the third nozzle, and the Y-axis coordinate of the second nozzle is smaller than the Y-axis coordinate of the third nozzle.

[0009] The above scheme discloses a method for determining the second nozzle (new nozzle). By setting a first backup nozzle group to participate in the selection process of the second nozzle, the selection efficiency of the second nozzle can be improved; that is, it is only necessary to determine the second nozzle from the pre-built first backup nozzle group, without having to re-match the Y-axis coordinate of the nozzle with the ink droplet landing point range of the first sub-pixel pit.

[0010] In one possible implementation, the Y-axis coordinate of the first nozzle is not within the range of the ink droplet landing point of the first sub-pixel pit, including any of the following: after the first nozzle is disabled, the Y-axis coordinate of the first nozzle is not within the range of the ink droplet landing point of the first sub-pixel pit; the first nozzle is disabled because one or more of the ink droplet states, such as the ink droplet ejection angle, ink droplet volume, and ink droplet ejection speed, exceed the corresponding preset range; the first nozzle is not disabled, but the Y-axis coordinate of the first nozzle is not within the range of the ink droplet landing point of the first sub-pixel pit.

[0011] The above scheme discloses two scenarios where the Y-axis coordinate of the first nozzle is outside the range of the ink droplet landing point of the first sub-pixel pit. Specifically, it discusses whether the first nozzle is disabled; if the first nozzle is disabled, it has no coordinates and is considered to be outside the range of the first sub-pixel pit.

[0012] In one possible implementation, if the Y-axis coordinate of the first nozzle is not within the range of the ink droplet landing point of the first sub-pixel pit, then the second nozzle is determined; specifically, if the Y-axis coordinate of the first nozzle is not within the range of the ink droplet landing point of the first sub-pixel pit, then the second nozzle is determined according to the second backup nozzle group; the second backup nozzle group is constructed when detecting the nozzle coordinates of the printhead module, and the nozzle coordinates in the second backup nozzle group are based on the Y-axis coordinates before the first nozzle is offset, and a preset number of nozzles are constructed in the offset direction and non-offset direction of the first nozzle on the Y-axis.

[0013] The above scheme also discloses a method for determining the second nozzle. By setting up a second backup nozzle group to participate in the selection process of the second nozzle, on the one hand, the second backup nozzle group can be used directly to determine the second nozzle; on the other hand, the second backup nozzle group can be used to determine the second nozzle only when the first backup nozzle group cannot determine it. Regardless of the method, the selection efficiency of the second nozzle can be improved; the reasons are the same as in the previous scheme and will not be repeated here.

[0014] In one possible implementation, determining the second nozzle based on the second backup nozzle group specifically includes: determining the nozzles within the ink droplet landing point range of the first sub-pixel pit in the second backup nozzle group as the second nozzles, in ascending order of the nozzle Y-axis coordinates; wherein the nozzles in the second backup nozzle group and within the ink droplet landing point range of the first sub-pixel pit include the second nozzle and the fourth nozzle, and the Y-axis coordinate of the second nozzle is smaller than the Y-axis coordinate of the fourth nozzle.

[0015] The above scheme aims to disclose the method for determining the second nozzle in the second backup nozzle group. The order of the Y-axis coordinates from largest to smallest is also acceptable and is not restricted. By pre-setting the order, the screening efficiency of the second nozzle can be improved.

[0016] In one possible implementation, the nozzle coordinates in the second backup nozzle group are based on the Y-axis coordinates of the first nozzle before its offset, and are constructed after a preset number of nozzles are selected in both the offset and non-offset directions of the first nozzle on the Y-axis. The printing planning method further includes: if the offset direction of the first nozzle on the Y-axis is the positive direction of the Y-axis, then the number of nozzles in the first nozzle group is determined to be less than the number of nozzles in the second nozzle group; wherein, the Y-axis coordinates of the nozzles in the first nozzle group are greater than the Y-axis coordinates of the first nozzle before its offset, and the Y-axis coordinates of the nozzles in the second nozzle group are less than the Y-axis coordinates of the first nozzle before its offset; if the offset direction of the first nozzle on the Y-axis is the negative direction of the Y-axis, then the number of nozzles in the third nozzle group is determined to be less than the number of nozzles in the fourth nozzle group; wherein, the Y-axis coordinates of the nozzles in the third nozzle group are less than the Y-axis coordinates of the first nozzle before its offset, and the Y-axis coordinates of the nozzles in the fourth nozzle group are greater than the Y-axis coordinates of the first nozzle before its offset.

[0017] The above scheme aims to disclose a more efficient way to determine the second nozzle. The number of nozzles selected in the offset direction of the first nozzle is smaller, and the number of nozzles selected in the opposite offset direction of the first nozzle is larger. By constructing the second backup nozzle group in this way, the efficiency of determining the second nozzle is higher (compared to selecting the same number of nozzles in both the offset direction and the opposite offset direction of the first nozzle (i.e., the non-offset direction mentioned above)).

[0018] In one possible implementation, if the Y-axis coordinate of the first nozzle is not within the range of the ink droplet landing point of the first sub-pixel pit, then the second nozzle is determined; specifically, if the Y-axis coordinate of the first nozzle is not within the range of the ink droplet landing point of the first sub-pixel pit, then the second nozzle is determined according to the third backup nozzle group; the third backup nozzle group is constructed when detecting the nozzle coordinates of the printhead module, and the nozzle coordinates in the third backup nozzle group are based on the Y-axis center coordinate of the ink droplet landing point range in the first sub-pixel pit, and a preset number of nozzles are constructed in the offset direction and non-offset direction of the first nozzle on the Y-axis.

[0019] The above scheme aims to disclose a method for determining the second nozzle. When detecting the coordinates of the nozzles, the third backup nozzle group can be used directly to determine the second nozzle; alternatively, the third backup nozzle group can be used only when the first backup nozzle group cannot determine the second nozzle. Generally, the offset distance of the printhead module in the Y-axis direction is small, and the first backup nozzle group is sufficient to determine the second nozzle with high efficiency; the third backup nozzle group is for printing scenarios with larger offset distances in the Y-axis direction.

[0020] In one possible implementation, the multiple print runs further include a second print run, which is any print run other than the first print run, and the second sub-pixel pit is any sub-pixel pit in the second print run; the print planning method further includes: obtaining the coordinates of the fifth nozzle; the coordinates of the fifth nozzle are the coordinates of any nozzle corresponding to an ink droplet landing point within the ink droplet landing point range in the second sub-pixel pit, and the coordinates of the fifth nozzle include the Y-axis coordinate of the fifth nozzle; if the Y-axis coordinate of the fifth nozzle is within the ink droplet landing point range in the second sub-pixel pit, then the landing point planning of the second print run is performed using a second print file, and the second print file is the print file corresponding to the second print run when the nozzle coordinates of the fifth nozzle were last detected for the printhead module in the inkjet printer.

[0021] The above solution aims to demonstrate that not only is print planning required for other print runs, but also that if the Y-axis coordinate of the nozzle does not change, there is no need to update the nozzle. In other words, when the Y-axis coordinates of all nozzles remain unchanged, the print file obtained from the previous detection of the nozzle coordinates of the printhead module in the inkjet printer can be directly used, greatly improving the efficiency of print run planning.

[0022] In one possible implementation, the printing planning method further includes: if the X-axis coordinate of the first nozzle is not within the droplet landing point range of the first sub-pixel pit, then performing distance compensation on the X-axis coordinate of the first nozzle; wherein, the coordinate of the first nozzle includes the X-axis coordinate of the first nozzle, and the droplet landing point range of the first sub-pixel pit includes both the X-axis range and the Y-axis range; the X-axis coordinate of the first nozzle not being within the droplet landing point range of the first sub-pixel pit includes any of the following: after the first nozzle is disabled, the determined X-axis coordinate of the second nozzle is not within the droplet landing point range of the first sub-pixel pit; the first nozzle is disabled because one or more of the droplet states, such as the droplet ejection angle, droplet volume, and droplet ejection speed, exceed the corresponding preset range; the first nozzle is not disabled, but the X-axis coordinate of the first nozzle is not within the droplet landing point range of the first sub-pixel pit.

[0023] The above solution addresses the scenario where the X-axis coordinate of the nozzle is outside the droplet landing area of ​​the first sub-pixel pit. Since the nozzle's X-axis coordinate is outside this area, timing compensation can be applied to the nozzle's X-axis coordinate, allowing the nozzle to eject ink earlier or later. This timing compensation can be converted into compensation for the nozzle's offset distance on the X-axis.

[0024] Furthermore, whether the X-axis coordinate of the nozzle is within the droplet landing point range includes two cases: one is that the first nozzle is not disabled, and its X-axis coordinate is not within the droplet landing point range; the other is that after the first nozzle is disabled, a second nozzle is re-matched in the Y-axis direction of the first nozzle, and the X-axis coordinate of the second nozzle is not within the droplet landing point range. Distance compensation along the X-axis can be performed in both cases.

[0025] In one possible implementation, the method specifically includes: obtaining the difference between a first coordinate and a second coordinate as a distance compensation value; the first coordinate being the X-axis coordinate of the first nozzle during the previous detection of the nozzle coordinates of the printhead module in the inkjet printer, and the second coordinate being the X-axis coordinate of the first nozzle during the current detection of the nozzle coordinates of the printhead module in the inkjet printer; if the difference is positive, shifting the row of the first nozzle corresponding to the landing point in the third print file in the negative X-axis direction by the distance corresponding to the difference, and generating a fourth print file so that the inkjet printer can perform pixel pit printing operation based on the fourth print file; the third print file is the print file corresponding to the first coordinate during the previous detection of the nozzle coordinates of the printhead module in the inkjet printer; if the difference is negative, shifting the row of the first nozzle corresponding to the landing point in the third print file in the positive X-axis direction by the distance corresponding to the difference, and generating a fifth print file so that the inkjet printer can perform pixel pit printing operation based on the fifth print file.

[0026] The above solution discloses a specific method for distance compensation. This method allows for relatively efficient updates to only the corresponding ink droplet landing row after the nozzle X-axis coordinate changes, thereby greatly improving print planning efficiency.

[0027] Furthermore, if the X-axis coordinate of the nozzle is within the droplet landing area, there is no need to update the print file from the previous print planning detection. Moreover, the above solution, when performing distance compensation for the nozzle in the X-axis direction within the sub-pixel pit, uses the difference between the X-axis coordinate of the nozzle in the sub-pixel pit during the previous nozzle coordinate detection and the X-axis coordinate of the nozzle in the sub-pixel pit during the current nozzle coordinate detection. Compared to directly using the difference between the X-axis coordinate of the nozzle in the sub-pixel pit during the current nozzle coordinate detection and the X-axis coordinate of the edge of the corresponding droplet landing area in the substrate bitmap, this significantly improves print planning efficiency. If the X-axis coordinate of the droplet landing area edge is used, the inkjet printer needs to acquire the droplet landing data in the substrate bitmap (i.e., first determine the landing row within the droplet landing area of ​​the sub-pixel pit corresponding to the nozzle in the previous print planning, and then determine the landing row from the substrate bitmap data), resulting in a large amount of data processing and low print planning efficiency.

[0028] The second aspect of this application discloses an inkjet printer, including a processor, a memory, a user interface, and a network interface. The memory is used to store instructions, and both the user interface and the network interface are used to communicate with other devices. The processor is used to execute the instructions stored in the memory to cause the inkjet printer to perform a printing planning method involving pixel pits as described in any of the above.

[0029] The beneficial effects of this application include: For printing planning scenarios involving pixel-hole substrates, the substrate is divided into multiple printing passes. The printing plan for each pass is generally different, requiring individual printing planning for each pass. A printing pass contains multiple sub-pixels (e.g., R sub-pixels, G sub-pixels, B sub-pixels), and each sub-pixel has a defined droplet landing point range (droplets falling within this range generally meet requirements for film thickness and uniformity). When the Y-axis coordinate of the nozzle is outside the droplet landing point range, a new nozzle needs to be determined. This only requires updating the nozzles with changed Y-axis coordinates in the previous print file (detecting the nozzle coordinates of the printhead module in the inkjet printer) to obtain a new print file. This eliminates the need to re-plan the printing for all nozzles, significantly reducing printing planning time and improving printing efficiency. By setting the first backup nozzle group to participate in the selection process of the second nozzle, the selection efficiency of the second nozzle can be improved; that is, it is only necessary to determine the second nozzle in the pre-built first backup nozzle group, without having to rematch the Y-axis coordinate of the nozzle with the ink droplet landing point range of the first sub-pixel pit. Two scenarios were disclosed where the Y-axis coordinate of the first nozzle was not within the range of the ink droplet landing point of the first sub-pixel pit. By setting up a second backup nozzle group to participate in the selection process of the second nozzle, on the one hand, the second backup nozzle group can be used directly to determine the second nozzle; on the other hand, the second backup nozzle group can be used to determine the second nozzle only when the first backup nozzle group cannot determine the second nozzle. In either case, the selection efficiency of the second nozzle can be improved. Pre-setting the selection order of nozzles in the second backup nozzle group can improve the selection efficiency of the second nozzles. The number of nozzles selected in the offset direction of the first nozzle should be smaller, and the number of nozzles selected in the opposite offset direction of the first nozzle should be larger. Constructing the second backup nozzle group in this way is more efficient than selecting the same number of nozzles in both the offset direction and the opposite offset direction of the first nozzle (i.e., the non-offset direction mentioned above). Not only is it necessary to plan the printing of other print strokes, but it is also not necessary to update the nozzle when the Y-axis coordinate of the nozzle does not change. If the X-axis coordinate of the nozzle is not within the range of the ink droplet landing point, timing compensation can be performed on the X-axis coordinate of the nozzle to allow the nozzle to eject ink earlier or later. Timing compensation can be converted into offset distance compensation of the nozzle on the X-axis. Only the landing point line that has been offset in the X-axis direction needs to be updated, thereby improving the printing planning efficiency. It enables the nozzle X-axis coordinate to be updated only in a relatively efficient manner after the nozzle's corresponding ink droplet landing row changes, thereby greatly improving print planning efficiency. Attached Figure Description

[0030] Figure 1 This is a schematic flowchart of a printing planning method involving pixel pits disclosed in this application specification; Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of distance compensation after the X-axis offset of the nozzle in a sub-pixel pit, as disclosed in this application specification; Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of X-axis distance compensation and Y-axis nozzle update in a sub-pixel pit as disclosed in this application specification; Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of a first backup nozzle assembly disclosed in this application specification; Figure 5a This is a schematic diagram of a second backup nozzle assembly disclosed in this application specification; Figure 5b This is a schematic diagram of the nozzle offset in the X-axis direction as disclosed in this application specification; Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of an inkjet printer disclosed in this application specification. Detailed Implementation

[0031] To enable those skilled in the art to better understand the technical solutions in this specification, the technical solutions in the embodiments of this specification will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of this application, and not all embodiments.

[0032] In the description of the embodiments of this application, the words "for example" or "for instance" are used to indicate examples, illustrations, or explanations. Any embodiment or design that is described as "for example" or "for instance" in the embodiments of this application should not be construed as being more preferred or advantageous than other embodiments or design options. Rather, the use of the words "for example" or "for instance" is intended to present the relevant concepts in a specific manner.

[0033] In the description of the embodiments of this application, the term "multiple" means two or more. For example, multiple systems means two or more systems, and multiple screen terminals means two or more screen terminals. Furthermore, the terms "first" and "second" are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly specifying the indicated technical features. Thus, a feature defined with "first" or "second" may explicitly or implicitly include one or more of that feature. The terms "comprising," "including," "having," and variations thereof all mean "including but not limited to," unless otherwise specifically emphasized.

[0034] This specification discloses a printing planning method involving pixel pits. For example... Figure 1 As shown, the printing planning method includes steps S101-S102.

[0035] Step S101: At a preset time interval, obtain the coordinates of the first nozzle to facilitate the detection of nozzle coordinates in the printhead module of the inkjet printer; wherein, the coordinates of the first nozzle are any nozzle coordinates corresponding to the ink droplet landing point within the ink droplet landing point range of the first sub-pixel pit; the ink droplet landing point range of the first sub-pixel pit is the ink droplet landing point area in the first sub-pixel pit; the coordinates of the first nozzle include the Y-axis coordinate of the first nozzle; the substrate is divided into multiple printing strokes, the first stroke is any printing stroke, and the first sub-pixel pit is any sub-pixel pit in the first printing stroke.

[0036] In this step, one printing stroke is the stroke in which the printhead module prints once in the X-axis direction of the substrate.

[0037] Step S102: If the Y-axis coordinate of the first nozzle is not within the range of the ink droplet landing point of the first sub-pixel pit, then determine the second nozzle, replace the first nozzle with the second nozzle, and generate the first print file to complete the landing point planning of the first print stroke, so that the inkjet printer performs the printing operation of the pixel pit according to the first print file; the Y-axis coordinate of the second nozzle is within the range of the ink droplet landing point of the first sub-pixel pit.

[0038] In this scenario, for the printing planning of the pixel pit substrate, the substrate is divided into multiple printing passes. The printing plan for any one of the printing passes is generally different, requiring separate printing planning for each print pass. A print pass contains multiple sub-pixel pits (e.g., R sub-pixel pits, G sub-pixel pits, B sub-pixel pits), and each sub-pixel pit has a designated droplet landing point range (the droplets falling within this range generally meet the requirements for printed film thickness and film uniformity).

[0039] When the Y-axis coordinate of the nozzle is outside the range of the ink droplet landing point, a new nozzle needs to be determined. This time, only the nozzles with changed Y-axis coordinates need to be updated in the previous print file (which detected the nozzle coordinates of the printhead module in the inkjet printer), resulting in a new print file. This eliminates the need to replan the print layout for all nozzles, significantly reducing print planning time and improving printing efficiency.

[0040] It should be noted that the nozzle coordinates are based on the first nozzle of the printhead module. The coordinates of other nozzles are constructed from their distances from the first nozzle along the X and Y axes. The X-axis represents the printing direction of the printhead module, and the Y-axis represents the movement direction of the printhead module. The nozzle coordinates can be directly obtained from the data of the droplet detection unit, and the nozzle coordinates can also be obtained using conventional methods (based on the coordinates of the ink droplets ejected from the nozzle in the test area), which will not be described in detail here.

[0041] In addition, the preset interval time can be set according to actual needs without limitation; the range of ink droplet landing points can be set according to the size of the pixel pit and the film thickness without limitation.

[0042] In one example, if the Y-axis coordinate of the first nozzle is not within the range of the ink droplet landing point of the first sub-pixel pit, then the second nozzle is determined. Specifically, this includes: if the Y-axis coordinate of the first nozzle is not within the range of the ink droplet landing point of the first sub-pixel pit, then the second nozzle is determined according to the first backup nozzle group; wherein, the first backup nozzle group is constructed when the nozzle coordinates of the printhead module were previously detected, and the nozzle coordinates in the first backup nozzle group are located within the range of the ink droplet landing point of the first sub-pixel pit and were not selected by the printhead module printing plan in the previous time; determining the second nozzle according to the first backup nozzle group specifically includes: in the first backup nozzle group, the second nozzle is determined in ascending order of the nozzle Y-axis coordinates; the first backup nozzle group includes the second nozzle and the third nozzle, and the Y-axis coordinate of the second nozzle is smaller than the Y-axis coordinate of the third nozzle.

[0043] In this example, by setting the first backup nozzle group to participate in the selection process of the second nozzle, the selection efficiency of the second nozzle can be improved; that is, it is only necessary to determine the second nozzle in the pre-built first backup nozzle group, without having to rematch the Y-axis coordinate of the nozzle with the ink droplet landing point range of the first sub-pixel pit.

[0044] At this point, a first backup nozzle group is constructed based on the previous detection of the nozzle coordinates of the printhead module. The nozzles in the first backup nozzle group are those that are within the ink droplet landing point range of the first sub-pixel pit and were not selected during the previous detection of the nozzle coordinates of the printhead module, nor were they selected during the current detection of the nozzle coordinates of the printhead module (if a nozzle selected during the current detection is selected by another sub-pixel pit, then that nozzle will print other sub-pixel pits and cannot be used for printing planning of the first sub-pixel pit).

[0045] like Figure 4 As shown, the right-hand diagram illustrates three sub-pixel pits corresponding to one pixel on an RGB substrate, while the left-hand nozzle module 400 only illustrates a few nozzle holes. Figure 4 The example illustrates matching the droplet landing range (red area) of the R sub-pixel pit (red box area) with the nozzles in the printhead module 400, i.e., planning the printing of the R sub-pixel pit. The Y-axis coordinates of nozzles 401, 402, and 403 in the printhead module 400 are all within the droplet range of the R sub-pixel pit. During the previous nozzle coordinate detection, nozzle 401 (as in the example, the first nozzle) was selected as the nozzle for the R sub-pixel pit printing plan, and nozzles 402 and 403 can be directly constructed as the first backup nozzle group. During the current nozzle coordinate detection, if nozzle 401 shifts in the Y-axis direction and is no longer within the droplet landing range of the R sub-pixel pit, the second nozzle (i.e., ...) can be directly determined from the first backup nozzle group. Figure 4 (Select from nozzles 402 and 403).

[0046] In one example, the Y-axis coordinate of the first nozzle is not within the range of the ink droplet landing point of the first sub-pixel pit, including any of the following: after the first nozzle is disabled, the Y-axis coordinate of the first nozzle is not within the range of the ink droplet landing point of the first sub-pixel pit; the first nozzle is disabled because one or more of the ink droplet states, such as the ink droplet ejection angle, ink droplet volume, and ink droplet ejection speed, exceed the corresponding preset range; the first nozzle is not disabled, but the Y-axis coordinate of the first nozzle is not within the range of the ink droplet landing point of the first sub-pixel pit.

[0047] At this point, the issue of whether the first nozzle is disabled is specifically discussed; after the first nozzle is disabled, the first nozzle has no coordinates and is considered to be outside the range of the first sub-pixel pit.

[0048] Furthermore, the preset ranges for droplet ejection angle, droplet volume, and droplet ejection speed can all be set according to actual needs without limitation. Additionally, reasons for nozzle disabling include nozzle clogging, which will not be listed here.

[0049] In one example, if the Y-axis coordinate of the first nozzle is not within the range of the ink droplet landing point of the first sub-pixel pit, then the second nozzle is determined; specifically, if the Y-axis coordinate of the first nozzle is not within the range of the ink droplet landing point of the first sub-pixel pit, then the second nozzle is determined according to the second backup nozzle group; the second backup nozzle group is constructed when detecting the nozzle coordinates of the printhead module, and the nozzle coordinates in the second backup nozzle group are based on the Y-axis coordinates before the first nozzle is offset, and a preset number of nozzles are constructed in the offset direction and non-offset direction of the first nozzle on the Y-axis.

[0050] In this example, by setting a second backup nozzle group to participate in the selection process of the second nozzle, on the one hand, the second backup nozzle group can be used directly to determine the second nozzle; on the other hand, the second backup nozzle group can be used to determine the second nozzle only when the first backup nozzle group cannot determine the second nozzle. In either case, the selection efficiency of the second nozzle can be improved. The reason is the same as in the previous example, and will not be repeated here.

[0051] At this point, if the nozzles in the printhead module have a large offset in the Y-axis direction, or if the droplet landing range is set too small (based on actual printing needs), it may result in the nozzles in the first backup nozzle group not being within the droplet landing range of the first sub-pixel pit, meaning the first backup nozzle group cannot determine the second nozzle. In this case, the second nozzle can be determined using the second backup nozzle group. There is no limit to the preset number; it can be set according to actual needs or empirical values.

[0052] In one example, determining the second nozzle based on the second backup nozzle group specifically includes: determining the nozzles within the ink droplet landing point range of the first sub-pixel pit in the second backup nozzle group as the second nozzles, in ascending order of the nozzle Y-axis coordinates; wherein the nozzles in the second backup nozzle group and within the ink droplet landing point range of the first sub-pixel pit include the second nozzle and the fourth nozzle, and the Y-axis coordinate of the second nozzle is smaller than the Y-axis coordinate of the fourth nozzle.

[0053] At this point, the order of the Y-axis coordinates from largest to smallest is also acceptable and is not restricted. By pre-setting the order, the screening efficiency of the second nozzle can be improved.

[0054] In one example, the nozzle coordinates in the second backup nozzle group are based on the Y-axis coordinates of the first nozzle before its offset, and are constructed after taking a preset number of nozzles in both the offset and non-offset directions of the first nozzle on the Y-axis. The printing planning method further includes: if the offset direction of the first nozzle on the Y-axis is the positive direction of the Y-axis, then the number of nozzles in the first nozzle group is determined to be less than the number of nozzles in the second nozzle group; wherein, the Y-axis coordinates of the nozzles in the first nozzle group are greater than the Y-axis coordinates of the first nozzle before its offset, and the Y-axis coordinates of the nozzles in the second nozzle group are less than the Y-axis coordinates of the first nozzle before its offset; if the offset direction of the first nozzle on the Y-axis is the negative direction of the Y-axis, then the number of nozzles in the third nozzle group is determined to be less than the number of nozzles in the fourth nozzle group; wherein, the Y-axis coordinates of the nozzles in the third nozzle group are less than the Y-axis coordinates of the first nozzle before its offset, and the Y-axis coordinates of the nozzles in the fourth nozzle group are greater than the Y-axis coordinates of the first nozzle before its offset.

[0055] At this point, the number of nozzles selected in the offset direction of the first nozzle should be smaller, and the number of nozzles selected in the opposite offset direction of the first nozzle should be larger. Constructing the second backup nozzle group in this way is more efficient than selecting the same number of nozzles in both the offset direction and the opposite offset direction of the first nozzle (i.e., the non-offset direction mentioned above).

[0056] It should be noted that the Y-axis coordinates of the nozzles in the nozzle module are generally different; therefore, the Y-axis coordinates of the nozzles in the third and fourth nozzle groups mentioned above will not be equal to the Y-axis coordinates of the first nozzle.

[0057] by Figure 5a Taking the second backup nozzle group as an example, we will explain it. Figure 5aIn this example, taking the droplet landing range of the R sub-pixel pit as an example, the example nozzle that matched the droplet landing range of the R sub-pixel pit during the previous nozzle coordinate detection was 501b. During this nozzle coordinate detection, nozzle 501b shifts in the negative Y-axis direction to the position of nozzle 501a. At this point, using the Y-axis coordinate of nozzle 501b as a reference, two nozzles are selected in its offset direction: nozzles 502 and 503; and four nozzles are selected in its non-offset direction (opposite direction): nozzles 504, 505, 506, and 507; thus constructing the second backup nozzle group. In the second backup nozzle group, the Y-axis coordinates of nozzles 502 and 507 are not within the droplet landing point range of the R sub-pixel pit (in this case, the Y-axis coordinates of the droplet landing point range are compared), and they are directly excluded; the second nozzle is determined from the nozzles in the second backup nozzle group whose Y-axis coordinates are within the droplet landing point range of the R sub-pixel pit. When selecting based on the nozzles' Y-axis coordinates in ascending order, Figure 5a It can be determined that nozzle 503 replaces nozzle 501a (i.e., the first nozzle in the example) as the second nozzle.

[0058] In one example, if the Y-axis coordinate of the first nozzle is not within the range of the ink droplet landing point of the first sub-pixel pit, then the second nozzle is determined; specifically, if the Y-axis coordinate of the first nozzle is not within the range of the ink droplet landing point of the first sub-pixel pit, then the second nozzle is determined according to the third backup nozzle group; the third backup nozzle group is constructed when detecting the nozzle coordinates of the printhead module, and the nozzle coordinates in the third backup nozzle group are based on the Y-axis center coordinate of the ink droplet landing point range in the first sub-pixel pit, and a preset number of nozzles are constructed in the offset direction and non-offset direction of the first nozzle on the Y-axis.

[0059] At this point, when detecting the coordinates of the nozzles, the third backup nozzle group can be used directly to determine the second nozzle; alternatively, the third backup nozzle group can be used only when the first backup nozzle group cannot determine the second nozzle. Generally, the offset distance of the printhead module in the Y-axis direction is small, and the first backup nozzle group is sufficient to determine the second nozzle with high efficiency; the third backup nozzle group is for printing scenarios with larger offset distances in the Y-axis direction.

[0060] Furthermore, the differences between the second and third backup nozzle groups are explained. Both the second and third backup nozzle groups were constructed during the current nozzle coordinate detection, which is relatively less efficient than the construction of the first backup nozzle group. The second backup nozzle group uses the Y-axis coordinates of the first nozzle before its offset, coordinates that were known during the previous nozzle coordinate detection. When the offset distance of the first nozzle is large (i.e., the first backup nozzle group cannot determine the second nozzle), the number of nozzles selected in the non-offset direction (i.e., the opposite offset direction) of the first nozzle in the second backup nozzle group must be sufficient to ensure that the second backup nozzle group can determine the second nozzle. In other words, the number of nozzles selected in the non-offset direction of the first nozzle in the second backup nozzle group is an empirical value and is related to the offset distance of the first nozzle (e.g., ...). Figure 5a (Discussion in the text).

[0061] The third backup nozzle group does not need to consider the Y-axis offset distance of the first nozzle. Constructing the third backup nozzle group requires first determining the Y-axis center coordinates of the ink droplet landing point range within the first sub-pixel pit as a reference. Then, a preset number of nozzles are selected in both the positive and negative Y-axis directions (i.e., the offset direction and the opposite direction of the first nozzle). At this point, it is necessary to convert the Y-axis center coordinates of the ink droplet landing point range within the sub-pixel pit to the coordinates of the nozzles in the current printhead module, converting the Y-axis center coordinates of the ink droplet landing point range to the Y-axis coordinates of the nozzles in the printhead module as the reference. Then, a preset number of nozzles are selected in both the positive and negative Y-axis directions. The number of nozzles selected in the positive and negative Y-axis directions can be the same or different; there is no restriction on this.

[0062] Furthermore, if the Y-axis offset of the nozzle module is large and the first backup nozzle group cannot determine the second nozzle, the second backup nozzle group or the third backup nozzle group can be selected without restriction.

[0063] In one example, the multiple print runs also include a second print run, which is any print run other than the first print run, and the second sub-pixel pit is any sub-pixel pit in the second print run; the print planning method further includes: obtaining the coordinates of the fifth nozzle; the coordinates of the fifth nozzle are the coordinates of any nozzle corresponding to the droplet landing point within the droplet landing point range in the second sub-pixel pit, and the coordinates of the fifth nozzle include the Y-axis coordinate of the fifth nozzle; if the Y-axis coordinate of the fifth nozzle is within the droplet landing point range in the second sub-pixel pit, then the landing point planning of the second print run is performed using a second print file, and the second print file is the print file corresponding to the second print run when the nozzle coordinates of the fifth nozzle were last detected for the printhead module in the inkjet printer.

[0064] In this example, not only is print planning required for other print runs, but the nozzle does not need to be updated if its Y-axis coordinate remains unchanged. That is, when the Y-axis coordinates of all nozzles remain unchanged, the print file obtained from the previous detection of the nozzle coordinates of the printhead module in the inkjet printer can be directly used; this greatly improves the efficiency of print run planning.

[0065] In one example, if the X-axis coordinate of the first nozzle is not within the droplet landing point range of the first sub-pixel pit, distance compensation is performed on the X-axis coordinate of the first nozzle; wherein, the coordinate of the first nozzle includes the X-axis coordinate of the first nozzle, and the droplet landing point range of the first sub-pixel pit includes the X-axis range and the Y-axis range; the X-axis coordinate of the first nozzle being outside the droplet landing point range of the first sub-pixel pit includes any of the following: after the first nozzle is disabled, the determined X-axis coordinate of the second nozzle is not within the droplet landing point range of the first sub-pixel pit; the first nozzle is disabled because one or more of the droplet states, such as the droplet ejection angle, droplet volume, and droplet ejection speed, exceed the corresponding preset range; the first nozzle is not disabled, but the X-axis coordinate of the first nozzle is not within the droplet landing point range of the first sub-pixel pit.

[0066] In the example above, the X-axis coordinate of the nozzle is not within the range of the ink droplet landing point. Timing compensation can be performed on the X-axis coordinate of the nozzle to allow the nozzle to eject ink earlier or later. Timing compensation can be converted into compensation for the offset distance of the nozzle on the X-axis.

[0067] Furthermore, whether the X-axis coordinate of the nozzle is within the droplet landing point range includes two cases: one is that the first nozzle is not disabled, and its X-axis coordinate is not within the droplet landing point range; the other is that after the first nozzle is disabled, a second nozzle is re-matched in the Y-axis direction of the first nozzle, and the X-axis coordinate of the second nozzle is not within the droplet landing point range. Distance compensation along the X-axis can be performed in both cases.

[0068] by Figure 5b For example, we will explain why the X-axis coordinate of the nozzle is not within the range of the ink droplet landing point of the sub-pixel pit. Figure 5b Taking the R sub-pixel pit as an example, the nozzle 508a is offset to the position of nozzle 508b, with the offset direction being the positive direction of the X-axis; the offset distance is X1. In this case, distance compensation along the X-axis is required.

[0069] In one example, the process specifically includes: obtaining the difference between a first coordinate and a second coordinate as a distance compensation value; the first coordinate being the X-axis coordinate of the first nozzle during the previous detection of the nozzle coordinates of the printhead module in the inkjet printer, and the second coordinate being the X-axis coordinate of the first nozzle during the current detection of the nozzle coordinates of the printhead module in the inkjet printer; if the difference is positive, the row of the first nozzle corresponding to the landing point in the third print file is shifted in the negative direction of the X-axis by the distance corresponding to the difference, generating a fourth print file so that the inkjet printer can perform the pixel pit printing operation based on the fourth print file; the third print file is the print file corresponding to the first coordinate during the previous detection of the nozzle coordinates of the printhead module in the inkjet printer; if the difference is negative, the row of the first nozzle corresponding to the landing point in the third print file is shifted in the positive direction of the X-axis by the distance corresponding to the difference, generating a fifth print file so that the inkjet printer can perform the pixel pit printing operation based on the fifth print file.

[0070] In this way, after the X-axis coordinate of the nozzle changes, only the corresponding ink droplet landing row of the nozzle is updated in a relatively efficient manner, thereby greatly improving the efficiency of print planning.

[0071] Furthermore, if the X-axis coordinate of the nozzle is within the droplet landing area, there is no need to update the print file from the previous print planning detection. Moreover, the above solution, when performing distance compensation for the nozzle in the X-axis direction within the sub-pixel pit, uses the difference between the X-axis coordinate of the nozzle in the sub-pixel pit during the previous nozzle coordinate detection and the X-axis coordinate of the nozzle in the sub-pixel pit during the current nozzle coordinate detection. Compared to directly using the difference between the X-axis coordinate of the nozzle in the sub-pixel pit during the current nozzle coordinate detection and the X-axis coordinate of the edge of the corresponding droplet landing area in the substrate bitmap, this significantly improves print planning efficiency. If the X-axis coordinate of the droplet landing area edge is used, the inkjet printer needs to acquire the droplet landing data in the substrate bitmap (i.e., first determine the landing row within the droplet landing area of ​​the sub-pixel pit corresponding to the nozzle in the previous print planning, and then determine the landing row from the substrate bitmap data), resulting in a large amount of data processing and low print planning efficiency.

[0072] like Figure 2As shown, the left image represents the printing plan after the previous nozzle coordinate detection. After the pixel pit substrate is rasterized, one grid represents one drop point. The number of offset grids is obtained according to the ratio of the X-axis offset distance to the grid X-axis size. When matching the nozzles with the drop points in the pixel pits (printing plan), one nozzle matches one row of ink drop points (if color is considered for RGB, one nozzle still matches one row of ink drop points, and it is a row of ink drop points of the same color). The left image shows the printing plan of a pixel in the substrate bitmap; it illustrates the printing plan of the R sub-pixel pit (red box), the G sub-pixel pit (green box), and the B sub-pixel pit (blue box). No. 2 and No. 4 print three sub-pixel pits simultaneously, No. 6 prints the G and B sub-pixel pits, and No. 8 prints the B sub-pixel pit. The right-hand image shows the printing plan for nozzles 2, 4, 6, and 8 during this nozzle coordinate detection. Clearly, the droplet landing rows corresponding to nozzles 2 and 8 have shifted in the X-axis direction; landing row 201 has been updated, and nozzle 2 in the right-hand image is now relative to the left-hand image. Figure 2 The offset direction of nozzle number 2 is the negative direction of the X-axis (i.e., nozzle number 2 in the right figure is offset from nozzle number 2 in the left figure). Figure 2 (The difference in X-axis coordinates of nozzle #2 is negative). Simply move the printing planning row of nozzle #2 in the right-hand diagram one grid in the positive direction of the X-axis to complete the update of the landing row; Similarly, for nozzle #8 in the right-hand diagram, move the printing planning row of nozzle #8 in the negative direction of the X-axis to complete the update of the landing row.

[0073] like Figure 3 As shown, the left image represents the print plan after the previous nozzle coordinate detection. After nozzle number 4 in the left image shifted in the Y-axis direction, it became impossible to plan the print for the fourth line of ink droplet placement. The right image shows that nozzle number 5 was selected to update nozzle number 4 (i.e., the placement line plan corresponding to nozzle number 5 in the right image was used to replace the placement line corresponding to nozzle number 4 in the left image). Figure 3 The 301 update is shown in the diagram. Furthermore, since row 5 in the right-hand diagram is offset in the positive X-axis direction relative to row 4 in the left-hand diagram, when updating the print file in the left-hand diagram, row 5 in the right-hand diagram should be moved one grid grid in the negative X-axis direction. It should be noted that in pixel pit printing, one nozzle corresponds to one row of ink droplets; therefore, in the above discussion, the nozzle number and the droplet row number are the same.

[0074] This specification also discloses an inkjet printer, including a processor, a memory, a user interface, and a network interface. The memory is used to store instructions, the user interface and the network interface are both used to communicate with other devices, and the processor is used to execute the instructions stored in the memory to cause the inkjet printer to perform a printing planning method involving pixel pits as described in any of the above.

[0075] An inkjet printer, used to execute the print planning method, includes: at preset time intervals, acquiring the coordinates of a first nozzle to facilitate the detection of nozzle coordinates in the printhead module of the inkjet printer; wherein, the coordinates of the first nozzle are any nozzle coordinates corresponding to an ink droplet landing point within the ink droplet landing point range of the first sub-pixel pit; the ink droplet landing point range of the first sub-pixel pit is the ink droplet landing point area within the first sub-pixel pit; the coordinates of the first nozzle include the Y-axis coordinate of the first nozzle; the substrate is divided into multiple print strokes, the first stroke is any print stroke, and the first sub-pixel pit is any sub-pixel pit within the first print stroke; if the Y-axis coordinate of the first nozzle is not within the ink droplet landing point range of the first sub-pixel pit, then a second nozzle is determined, and after replacing the first nozzle with the second nozzle, a first print file is generated to complete the landing point planning of the first print stroke, so that the inkjet printer performs the pixel pit printing operation according to the first print file; the Y-axis coordinate of the second nozzle is within the ink droplet landing point range of the first sub-pixel pit.

[0076] In one example, if the Y-axis coordinate of the first nozzle is not within the range of the ink droplet landing point of the first sub-pixel pit, then the second nozzle is determined. Specifically, this includes: if the Y-axis coordinate of the first nozzle is not within the range of the ink droplet landing point of the first sub-pixel pit, then the second nozzle is determined according to the first backup nozzle group; wherein, the first backup nozzle group is constructed when the nozzle coordinates of the printhead module were previously detected, and the nozzle coordinates in the first backup nozzle group are located within the range of the ink droplet landing point of the first sub-pixel pit and were not selected by the printhead module printing plan in the previous time; determining the second nozzle according to the first backup nozzle group specifically includes: in the first backup nozzle group, the second nozzle is determined in ascending order of the nozzle Y-axis coordinates; the first backup nozzle group includes the second nozzle and the third nozzle, and the Y-axis coordinate of the second nozzle is smaller than the Y-axis coordinate of the third nozzle.

[0077] In one example, the Y-axis coordinate of the first nozzle is not within the range of the ink droplet landing point of the first sub-pixel pit, including any of the following: after the first nozzle is disabled, the Y-axis coordinate of the first nozzle is not within the range of the ink droplet landing point of the first sub-pixel pit; the first nozzle is disabled because one or more of the ink droplet states, such as the ink droplet ejection angle, ink droplet volume, and ink droplet ejection speed, exceed the corresponding preset range; the first nozzle is not disabled, but the Y-axis coordinate of the first nozzle is not within the range of the ink droplet landing point of the first sub-pixel pit.

[0078] In one example, if the Y-axis coordinate of the first nozzle is not within the range of the ink droplet landing point of the first sub-pixel pit, then the second nozzle is determined; specifically, if the Y-axis coordinate of the first nozzle is not within the range of the ink droplet landing point of the first sub-pixel pit, then the second nozzle is determined according to the second backup nozzle group; the second backup nozzle group is constructed when detecting the nozzle coordinates of the printhead module, and the nozzle coordinates in the second backup nozzle group are based on the Y-axis coordinates before the first nozzle is offset, and a preset number of nozzles are constructed in the offset direction and non-offset direction of the first nozzle on the Y-axis.

[0079] In one example, determining the second nozzle based on the second backup nozzle group specifically includes: determining the nozzles within the ink droplet landing point range of the first sub-pixel pit in the second backup nozzle group as the second nozzles, in ascending order of the nozzle Y-axis coordinates; wherein the nozzles in the second backup nozzle group and within the ink droplet landing point range of the first sub-pixel pit include the second nozzle and the fourth nozzle, and the Y-axis coordinate of the second nozzle is smaller than the Y-axis coordinate of the fourth nozzle.

[0080] In one example, the nozzle coordinates in the second backup nozzle group are constructed based on the Y-axis coordinates of the first nozzle before its offset, taking a preset number of nozzles in both the offset and non-offset directions of the first nozzle along the Y-axis. Specifically, if the offset direction of the first nozzle along the Y-axis is the positive direction of the Y-axis, then the number of nozzles in the first nozzle group is determined to be less than the number of nozzles in the second nozzle group; wherein, the Y-axis coordinates of the nozzles in the first nozzle group are greater than the Y-axis coordinates of the first nozzle before its offset, and the Y-axis coordinates of the nozzles in the second nozzle group are less than the Y-axis coordinates of the first nozzle before its offset. If the offset direction of the first nozzle along the Y-axis is the negative direction of the Y-axis, then the number of nozzles in the third nozzle group is determined to be less than the number of nozzles in the fourth nozzle group; wherein, the Y-axis coordinates of the nozzles in the third nozzle group are less than the Y-axis coordinates of the first nozzle before its offset, and the Y-axis coordinates of the nozzles in the fourth nozzle group are greater than the Y-axis coordinates of the first nozzle before its offset.

[0081] In one example, the multiple print runs also include a second print run, which is any print run other than the first print run, and the second sub-pixel pit is any sub-pixel pit in the second print run; The operation is performed as follows: obtain the coordinates of the fifth nozzle; the coordinates of the fifth nozzle are any nozzle coordinates corresponding to the ink droplet landing point within the ink droplet landing point range in the second sub-pixel pit, and the coordinates of the fifth nozzle include the Y-axis coordinate of the fifth nozzle; if the Y-axis coordinate of the fifth nozzle is within the ink droplet landing point range in the second sub-pixel pit, then the landing point planning of the second print run is performed using the second print file, and the second print file is the print file corresponding to the second print run when the nozzle coordinates of the fifth nozzle were last detected for the printhead module in the inkjet printer.

[0082] In one example, if the X-axis coordinate of the first nozzle is not within the droplet landing point range of the first sub-pixel pit, distance compensation is performed on the X-axis coordinate of the first nozzle; wherein, the coordinate of the first nozzle includes the X-axis coordinate of the first nozzle, and the droplet landing point range of the first sub-pixel pit includes the X-axis range and the Y-axis range; the X-axis coordinate of the first nozzle being outside the droplet landing point range of the first sub-pixel pit includes any of the following: after the first nozzle is disabled, the determined X-axis coordinate of the second nozzle is not within the droplet landing point range of the first sub-pixel pit; the first nozzle is disabled because one or more of the droplet states, such as the droplet ejection angle, droplet volume, and droplet ejection speed, exceed the corresponding preset range; the first nozzle is not disabled, but the X-axis coordinate of the first nozzle is not within the droplet landing point range of the first sub-pixel pit.

[0083] In one example, the distance compensation for the X-axis coordinate of the first nozzle specifically includes: obtaining the difference between the first coordinate and the second coordinate as the distance compensation value; the first coordinate is the X-axis coordinate of the first nozzle when the nozzle coordinates of the printhead module in the inkjet printer were previously detected, and the second coordinate is the X-axis coordinate of the first nozzle when the nozzle coordinates of the printhead module in the inkjet printer are detected in the current test; if the difference is positive, the landing point line corresponding to the first nozzle in the third print file is shifted in the negative direction of the X-axis by the distance corresponding to the difference, generating a fourth print file so that the inkjet printer can perform the pixel pit printing operation according to the fourth print file; the third print file is the print file corresponding to the first coordinate when the nozzle coordinates of the printhead module in the inkjet printer were previously detected; if the difference is negative, the landing point line corresponding to the first nozzle in the third print file is shifted in the positive direction of the X-axis by the distance corresponding to the difference, generating a fifth print file so that the inkjet printer can perform the pixel pit printing operation according to the fifth print file.

[0084] It should be noted that the above embodiments of the apparatus are only illustrated by the division of the above functional modules. In practical applications, the above functions can be assigned to different functional modules as needed, that is, the internal structure of the device can be divided into different functional modules to complete all or part of the functions described above. In addition, the apparatus and method embodiments provided in the above embodiments belong to the same concept, and the specific implementation process can be found in the method embodiments, which will not be repeated here.

[0085] The specification also discloses a computer-readable storage medium storing instructions that, when executed, perform the method described above.

[0086] This embodiment also discloses an electronic device, which may be an inkjet printer, to perform the above-described method. (Refer to...) Figure 6The electronic device may include: at least one processor 601, at least one communication bus 602, display 603, network interface 604, and at least one memory 605.

[0087] The communication bus 602 is used to enable communication between these components.

[0088] The display 603 may include a display screen and a camera.

[0089] The network interface 604 may optionally include a standard wired interface or a wireless interface (such as a Wi-Fi interface).

[0090] The processor 601 may include one or more processing cores. The processor 601 connects to various parts of the server using various interfaces and lines, and performs various server functions and processes data by running or executing instructions, programs, code sets, or instruction sets stored in the memory 605, and by calling data stored in the memory 605. Optionally, the processor 601 may be implemented using at least one hardware form of Digital Signal Processing (DSP), Field-Programmable Gate Array (FPGA), or Programmable Logic Array (PLA). The processor 601 may integrate one or a combination of several of the following: Central Processing Unit (CPU), Graphics Processing Unit (GPU), and modem. The CPU primarily handles the operating system, user interface, and applications; the GPU is responsible for rendering and drawing the content required for display; and the modem handles wireless communication. It is understood that the modem may also not be integrated into the processor 601 and may be implemented as a separate chip.

[0091] The memory 605 may include random access memory (RAM) or read-only memory. Optionally, the memory 605 may include a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium. The memory 605 may be used to store instructions, programs, code, code sets, or instruction sets. The memory 605 may include a program storage area and a data storage area. The program storage area may store instructions for implementing an operating system, instructions for at least one function (such as touch functionality, sound playback functionality, image playback functionality, etc.), instructions for implementing the various method embodiments described above, etc.; the data storage area may store data involved in the various method embodiments described above, etc. Optionally, the memory 605 may also be at least one storage device located remotely from the aforementioned processor 601. As shown in the figure, the memory 605, as a computer storage medium, may include an operating system, a network communication module, and application programs for a display module.

[0092] exist Figure 6 In the electronic device shown, the display 603 is mainly used to provide an input interface for the user and to obtain the user input data; while the processor 601 can be used to call the application program stored in the memory 605. When executed by one or more processors 601, the electronic device performs one or more methods as described in the above embodiments.

[0093] It should be noted that, for the sake of simplicity, the foregoing method embodiments are all described as a series of actions. However, those skilled in the art should understand that this application is not limited to the described order of actions, as some steps may be performed in other orders or simultaneously according to this application. Furthermore, those skilled in the art should also understand that the embodiments described in the specification are preferred embodiments, and the actions and modules involved are not necessarily essential to this application.

[0094] In the above embodiments, the descriptions of each embodiment have different focuses. For parts not described in detail in a certain embodiment, please refer to the relevant descriptions in other embodiments.

[0095] In the several embodiments provided in this application, it should be understood that the disclosed apparatus can be implemented in other ways. For example, the apparatus embodiments described above are merely illustrative; for instance, the division of units is only a logical functional division, and in actual implementation, there may be other division methods. For example, multiple units or components may be combined or integrated into another system, or some features may be ignored or not executed. Furthermore, the shown or discussed mutual couplings or direct couplings or communication connections may be through some service interfaces; indirect couplings or communication connections between apparatuses or units may be electrical or other forms.

[0096] The units described as separate components may or may not be physically separate. The components shown as units may or may not be physical units; that is, they may be located in one place or distributed across multiple network units. Some or all of the units can be selected to achieve the purpose of this embodiment according to actual needs.

[0097] Furthermore, the functional units in the various embodiments of this application can be integrated into one processing unit, or each unit can exist physically separately, or two or more units can be integrated into one unit. The integrated unit can be implemented in hardware or as a software functional unit.

[0098] If the integrated unit is implemented as a software functional unit and sold or used as an independent product, it can be stored in a computer-readable storage device (CMD). Based on this understanding, the technical solution of this application, in essence, or the part that contributes to the prior art, or all or part of the technical solution, can be embodied in the form of a software product. This computer software product is stored in a memory 605 and includes several instructions to cause a computer device (which may be a personal computer, server, or network device, etc.) to execute all or part of the steps of the methods of the various embodiments of this application. The aforementioned memory 605 includes various media capable of storing program code, such as a USB flash drive, external hard drive, magnetic disk, or optical disk.

[0099] The above are merely exemplary embodiments of this disclosure and should not be construed as limiting the scope of this disclosure. Any equivalent changes and modifications made in accordance with the teachings of this disclosure shall still fall within the scope of this disclosure. Those skilled in the art will readily conceive of other embodiments of this disclosure upon considering the specification and the disclosure of practical truth. This application is intended to cover any variations, uses, or adaptations of this disclosure that follow the general principles of this disclosure and include common knowledge or customary techniques in the art not described in this disclosure. The specification and embodiments are considered exemplary only, and the scope and spirit of this disclosure are defined by the claims.

Claims

1. A printing planning method involving pixel pits, characterized in that, The printing planning method includes: The coordinates of the first nozzle are obtained at preset intervals to facilitate the detection of nozzle coordinates in the printhead module of the inkjet printer. The coordinates of the first nozzle are any nozzle coordinates corresponding to an ink droplet within the ink droplet landing area of ​​the first sub-pixel pit. The ink droplet landing area of ​​the first sub-pixel pit is the area of ​​ink droplets within the first sub-pixel pit. The coordinates of the first nozzle include its Y-axis coordinate. The substrate is divided into multiple printing strokes, the first stroke being any printing stroke, and the first sub-pixel pit being any sub-pixel pit within the first printing stroke. If the Y-axis coordinate of the first nozzle is not within the range of the ink droplet landing point of the first sub-pixel pit, then the second nozzle is determined. After replacing the first nozzle with the second nozzle, the first print file is generated to complete the landing point planning of the first print stroke, so that the inkjet printer can perform the printing operation of the pixel pit according to the first print file; the Y-axis coordinate of the second nozzle is within the range of the ink droplet landing point of the first sub-pixel pit.

2. The printing planning method according to claim 1, characterized in that, If the Y-axis coordinate of the first nozzle is not within the range of the ink droplet landing point of the first sub-pixel pit, then the second nozzle is determined; specifically including: If the Y-axis coordinate of the first nozzle is not within the range of the ink droplet landing point of the first sub-pixel pit, then the second nozzle is determined according to the first backup nozzle group; wherein, the first backup nozzle group is constructed when the nozzle coordinates of the printhead module are detected last time, and the nozzle coordinates in the first backup nozzle group are located within the range of the ink droplet landing point of the first sub-pixel pit and are nozzles that were not selected in the previous printhead module printing plan. Determining the second nozzle based on the first backup nozzle group specifically includes: determining the second nozzle in the first backup nozzle group in ascending order of the nozzle's Y-axis coordinate; the first backup nozzle group includes the second nozzle and the third nozzle, and the Y-axis coordinate of the second nozzle is smaller than that of the third nozzle.

3. The printing planning method according to claim 2, characterized in that, The Y-axis coordinate of the first nozzle is not within the range of the ink droplet landing point of the first sub-pixel pit, including any of the following: After the first nozzle is disabled, the Y-axis coordinate of the first nozzle is not within the range of the ink droplet landing point of the first sub-pixel pit; the first nozzle is disabled because one or more of the ink droplet states, such as the ink droplet ejection angle, ink droplet volume, and ink droplet ejection speed, exceed the corresponding preset range. The first nozzle is not disabled, and the Y-axis coordinate of the first nozzle is not within the range of the ink droplet landing point of the first sub-pixel pit.

4. The printing planning method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, If the Y-axis coordinate of the first nozzle is not within the range of the ink droplet landing point of the first sub-pixel pit, then the second nozzle is determined; specifically including: If the Y-axis coordinate of the first nozzle is not within the range of the ink droplet landing point of the first sub-pixel pit, then the second nozzle is determined according to the second backup nozzle group. The second backup nozzle group is constructed when detecting the nozzle coordinates of the printhead module. The nozzle coordinates in the second backup nozzle group are based on the Y-axis coordinates before the first nozzle is offset, and a preset number of nozzles are constructed in the offset direction and non-offset direction of the first nozzle on the Y-axis.

5. The printing planning method according to claim 4, characterized in that, The nozzle coordinates in the second backup nozzle group are based on the Y-axis coordinates before the first nozzle offset, and a preset number of nozzles are constructed in both the offset direction and the non-offset direction of the first nozzle on the Y-axis. Specifically, it includes: If the offset direction of the first nozzle on the Y-axis is the positive direction of the Y-axis, then the number of nozzles in the first nozzle group is determined to be less than the number of nozzles in the second nozzle group; wherein, the Y-axis coordinate of the nozzle in the first nozzle group is greater than the Y-axis coordinate of the first nozzle before offset and the Y-axis coordinate of the nozzle in the second nozzle group is less than the Y-axis coordinate of the first nozzle before offset. If the first nozzle is offset in the negative direction of the Y-axis, then the number of nozzles in the third nozzle group is less than the number of nozzles in the fourth nozzle group; wherein the Y-axis coordinate of the nozzle in the third nozzle group is less than the Y-axis coordinate of the first nozzle before offset, and the Y-axis coordinate of the nozzle in the fourth nozzle group is greater than the Y-axis coordinate of the first nozzle before offset.

6. The printing planning method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, If the Y-axis coordinate of the first nozzle is not within the range of the ink droplet landing point of the first sub-pixel pit, then the second nozzle is determined; specifically including: If the Y-axis coordinate of the first nozzle is not within the range of the ink droplet landing point of the first sub-pixel pit, then the second nozzle is determined according to the third backup nozzle group. The third backup nozzle group is constructed when detecting the nozzle coordinates of the printhead module. The nozzle coordinates in the third backup nozzle group are based on the Y-axis center coordinate of the range of ink droplet landing point in the first sub-pixel pit, and a preset number of nozzles are constructed in the offset direction and non-offset direction of the first nozzle on the Y-axis.

7. The printing planning method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The multiple print runs also include a second print run, which is any print run other than the first print run, and the second sub-pixel pit is any sub-pixel pit in the second print run; The printing planning method also includes: Obtain the coordinates of the fifth nozzle; the coordinates of the fifth nozzle are any nozzle coordinates corresponding to the ink droplet landing point within the ink droplet landing point range in the second sub-pixel pit, and the coordinates of the fifth nozzle include the Y-axis coordinate of the fifth nozzle. If the Y-axis coordinate of the fifth nozzle is within the range of the ink droplet landing point in the second sub-pixel pit, then the landing point planning of the second print stroke is performed using the second print file. The second print file is the print file corresponding to the second print stroke when the nozzle coordinate of the fifth nozzle was detected for the nozzle module in the inkjet printer last time.

8. The printing planning method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The printing planning method further includes: if the X-axis coordinate of the first nozzle is not within the range of the ink droplet landing point of the first sub-pixel pit, then distance compensation is performed on the X-axis coordinate of the first nozzle; wherein, the coordinate of the first nozzle includes the X-axis coordinate of the first nozzle, and the range of the ink droplet landing point of the first sub-pixel pit includes the X-axis range and the Y-axis range. The X-axis coordinate of the first nozzle is not within the range of the ink droplet landing point of the first sub-pixel pit, including any of the following: After the first nozzle is disabled, the X-axis coordinate of the determined second nozzle is not within the range of the ink droplet landing point of the first sub-pixel pit; the first nozzle is disabled because one or more of the ink droplet states, such as the ink droplet ejection angle, ink droplet volume, and ink droplet ejection speed, exceed the corresponding preset range. The first nozzle is not disabled, and the X-axis coordinate of the first nozzle is not within the range of the ink droplet landing point of the first sub-pixel pit.

9. The printing planning method according to claim 8, characterized in that, The distance compensation for the X-axis coordinate of the first nozzle specifically includes: The difference between the first coordinate and the second coordinate is obtained as the distance compensation value. The first coordinate is the X-axis coordinate of the first nozzle when the nozzle coordinate of the printhead module in the inkjet printer was detected last time. The second coordinate is the X-axis coordinate of the first nozzle when the nozzle coordinate of the printhead module in the inkjet printer is detected this time. If the difference is positive, the row of the first nozzle in the third print file is shifted in the negative direction of the X-axis by the distance corresponding to the difference, so as to generate a fourth print file, so that the inkjet printer can perform the pixel pit printing operation according to the fourth print file; the third print file is the print file corresponding to the first coordinate when the nozzle coordinates of the printhead module in the inkjet printer were detected last time. If the difference is negative, the row of the first nozzle in the third print file will be shifted in the positive direction of the X-axis by the distance corresponding to the difference, and a fifth print file will be generated so that the inkjet printer can perform the pixel pit printing operation according to the fifth print file.

10. An inkjet printer, characterized in that, It includes a processor, a memory, a user interface, and a network interface. The memory is used to store instructions, and both the user interface and the network interface are used to communicate with other devices. The processor is used to execute the instructions stored in the memory so that the inkjet printer performs a printing planning method involving pixel pits as described in any one of claims 1-9.

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