Liquid Ejecting Apparatus Head Scanning Division for Ink Refilling
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Liquid ejecting apparatuses face defects due to delayed refilling of liquid in nozzles, particularly when the ejection amount exceeds the supply rate, leading to inefficiencies in forming raster areas.
Innovation Solution
A liquid ejecting apparatus with a control unit that calculates ejection amounts and performs multiple head scanning operations based on transitional changes in ejection amounts to form raster areas, thereby avoiding defects caused by delayed refilling by dividing the raster area into sections for efficient ink distribution.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If the ejection amount is increased to improve productivity, then the refilling speed becomes insufficient, causing liquid ejection defects
Solution Approach 1:
The raster area is divided into multiple sub-raster areas that can be processed in separate scanning operations. This segmentation allows the liquid ejecting apparatus to refill liquid between scanning operations, preventing ejection defects while maintaining high productivity. The control unit calculates total ejection amounts for each sub-raster and compares against refilling capacity to determine optimal division points.
2Reliability
If the refilling speed is increased to avoid liquid ejection defects, then the device complexity increases due to additional control mechanisms
Solution Approach 1:
The control unit performs preliminary calculation of the total ejection amount required for each sub-raster area before execution. By comparing this predetermined value against the refilling speed, the system determines the optimal number of scanning operations needed in advance, avoiding the need for complex real-time adjustment mechanisms during actual printing operations.
3Reliability
If multiple head scanning operations are performed to divide the raster area, then the productivity decreases due to increased operation time
Solution Approach 1:
The system dynamically adjusts the division of raster areas based on real-time calculations of ejection amounts and refilling speeds. The control unit flexibly determines the optimal number of scanning operations for each sub-raster, balancing quality requirements with productivity constraints. This dynamic optimization prevents excessive division that would unnecessarily reduce productivity.
Data Source
AI summary
A liquid ejecting apparatus includes a liquid supplying unit that supplies the liquid, a head unit that has a nozzle row, in which a plurality of nozzles for ejecting the liquid is aligned, a control unit that forms a raster area, in which a plurality of ejection dots in units of the nozzle rows is aligned in a main scanning direction, an ejection amount calculating unit that calculates ejection amounts of the liquid needed for forming the ejection dots, and a division scanning unit that divides the raster area so as to be formed by performing a plurality of head scanning operations in accordance with a transitional change in the ejection amounts that is formed by aligning the ejection amounts calculated by the ejection amount calculating unit in the order in which the ejection dots in units of nozzle rows are formed.