Image Recording Apparatus Selective Suction Purge Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing image recording apparatuses face inefficiencies in completing image recording tasks due to unnecessary maintenance operations caused by discharge-defective nozzles with small dot recording ratios, leading to prolonged processing times and potential image quality issues.
Innovation Solution
An image recording apparatus equipped with a conveyer, recording head, carriage, discharge mechanism, and controller that performs multi-pass recording mode by determining the presence of discharge-defective nozzles and controlling ink discharge based on a threshold dot recording ratio, allowing for selective suction purge operations to maintain image quality and reduce processing time.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If uniform maintenance operation is performed when predefined conditions are satisfied, then image quality is maintained, but processing time increases due to unnecessary maintenance on nozzles with small dot recording ratios
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by differentiating maintenance operations based on the dot recording ratio of each nozzle. Instead of uniform maintenance, the system performs maintenance selectively: nozzles with dot recording ratio above threshold receive maintenance operations, while nozzles below threshold are excluded. This localized approach maintains image quality where needed while avoiding unnecessary maintenance time on nozzles that won't affect the overlapping area recording.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements partial action by performing maintenance operations on only a subset of nozzles rather than all nozzles. The controller determines which nozzles require maintenance based on their dot recording ratios, and maintenance is applied partially to only those nozzles that will actually record dots in the overlapping area. This prevents excessive maintenance actions on nozzles with small dot recording ratios.
2Reliability
If multi-pass recording is performed with thinned-out images, then nozzles with small dot recording ratios have less impact on image quality, but uniform maintenance still causes unnecessary processing delays
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by making maintenance operations dependent on the specific characteristics of each nozzle (dot recording ratio) and its position in the overlapping area. The controller evaluates each nozzle locally and determines maintenance necessity based on whether that specific nozzle will record dots in the overlapping area during multi-pass recording.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements dynamics by making the maintenance decision process adaptive and conditional rather than static and uniform. The controller dynamically adjusts maintenance operations based on real-time evaluation of dot recording ratios and the multi-pass recording configuration, changing maintenance behavior according to the specific recording conditions.
Data Source
AI summary
When image recording is performed using a multi-pass recording mode, and when a dot recording ratio for a thinned-out image to be recorded by a discharge-defective nozzle is equal to or more than a threshold value, the image recording is performed on a medium after a discharge operation. When image recording is performed using the multi-pass recording mode, and when the dot recording ratio is less than the threshold value, the image recording is performed on the medium without the discharge operation.