Adaptive Flushing Using Bit Planes for Inkjet Printheads
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Solution Overview
Problem
Inkjet printheads experience nozzle clogging due to drying of recording material when idle, leading to decreased print quality and waste of material during flushing operations.
Innovation Solution
An adaptive flushing system that processes bit planes to determine which nozzles need flushing and which do not, ensuring that each nozzle jets at least once within a given period, thereby conserving recording material and improving image quality.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If flushing operations are performed periodically on all nozzles, then nozzle clogging is prevented, but recording material is wasted
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by differentiating flushing treatment for different nozzles based on their individual usage patterns. Instead of uniform flushing, the system identifies specific nozzles that require flushing by analyzing print data to determine which nozzles have not jetted within a predetermined period, applying flushing only to those localized areas where it is actually needed.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements dynamics by making the flushing operation adaptive and variable rather than static and uniform. The flushing pattern changes dynamically based on print data analysis, adjusting which nozzles receive flushing treatment based on real-time usage patterns detected from the print job being processed.
2Reliability
If flushing operations are performed frequently, then nozzle clogging is prevented, but image quality may deteriorate due to waste material
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by analyzing print data before executing flushing operations. The system预先 determines which nozzles require flushing by examining the print job data to identify nozzles that have not been used within a predetermined period, allowing selective flushing to be performed only where necessary rather than blanket flushing that would waste material.
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses the print data itself to identify which nozzles need flushing, allowing the printing process to self-regulate its maintenance needs based on actual usage patterns rather than requiring external intervention or fixed scheduling.
3Loss of substance
If bit planes are processed to identify flush-ineligible pixels, then recording material is conserved, but processing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies segmentation by dividing the image data into bit planes and further into pixel blocks for processing. This segmentation allows the system to efficiently analyze and identify flush-ineligible pixels through systematic processing of individual bit planes and blocks, managing complexity through structured division of the processing task.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements partial action by processing only the necessary portions of the bit plane data (specific bits indicating jetting symbols) rather than analyzing all pixel data. The system focuses on identifying flush-ineligible pixels through targeted analysis of relevant bit planes, avoiding unnecessary processing of data that does not contribute to flushing decisions.
Data Source
AI summary
Systems, methods, software for adaptive flushing. In one embodiment, an adaptive flushing system obtains bit plane data from a plurality of bit planes, and arranges the bit plane data into one or more pixel blocks. For a pixel block, the adaptive flushing system identifies a flush record for the pixel block that indicates a flush eligibility status for each of the pixels in the pixel block, and updates the flush record to indicate the flush eligibility status as flush-ineligible for each of the pixels in the pixel block having a jetting symbol specified in the bit planes. The adaptive flushing system selects a candidate pixel(s) from the pixel block as a candidate for flushing, and modifies the bit plane data in one or more of the bit planes to include a flush symbol at the candidate pixel when the candidate pixel has a flush eligibility status that is flush eligible.