Liquid Ejecting Head Ink Loss Control via Dot Pattern Segmentation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Inkjet printers face issues with incomplete and unclear images when the printing operation is aborted due to insufficient sheet length, leading to ink loss and poor print quality.
Innovation Solution
A liquid ejecting device with a conveyer, multiple nozzle lines, a detector unit, image data storage, and a controller that creates and transmits second dot pattern data to prevent ink ejection from nozzles when an error is detected, ensuring complete image recording and minimizing ink loss.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of energy
If the printing operation is aborted when sheet length is insufficient, then ink loss and component damage are prevented, but incomplete and unclear image portions are formed in the printable area
Solution Approach 1:
The detector unit detects the rear end of the sheet in advance before it reaches the nozzle position. The controller uses this advance detection to determine whether to abort printing, allowing the system to take preliminary action before the sheet ends, thus preventing both ink loss and image defects by making an informed decision about whether to complete the current line of dots
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements feedback by detecting the sheet's rear end position and using this information to control the ejection of ink droplets. The controller continuously monitors sheet position and adjusts the printing operation accordingly, stopping droplet ejection at the appropriate moment to prevent both waste and image defects
2Productivity
If droplets are ejected from all nozzles simultaneously, then printing speed is maintained, but incomplete image formation occurs when printing is aborted due to sheet shortage
Solution Approach 1:
The printing operation is segmented into individual line data sets, each corresponding to a specific position on the sheet. The controller processes and transmits line data sequentially, allowing independent control of each line's ejection. This segmentation enables the system to maintain high-speed parallel ejection within each line while independently controlling when to stop ejection across all nozzles based on sheet detection
Solution Approach 2:
The system dynamically adjusts the printing operation based on real-time sheet detection. The controller can switch between continuous ejection mode (maintaining productivity) and aborted ejection mode (preventing image defects) depending on the detected sheet position. This dynamic control allows the system to adapt its ejection pattern to the actual printing conditions
Data Source
AI summary
A liquid ejecting device to eject droplets of liquid onto a recording medium is provided. The image ejecting device includes a recording medium conveyer, a liquid ejecting head, a detector unit, an image data storage, a controller, and a cancellation signal output unit to output cancellation signals in an error condition. The controller includes a creating unit to create first dot pattern data and sum segments extracted from the first dot pattern data to create second dot pattern data, a transmission unit, and a cancellation controller unit to stop the creating unit, create second dot pattern data by adding a dot pattern to the segments having been extracted from the first dot pattern data, and transmit the created second dot pattern data to the transmission unit. The controller controls the liquid ejecting head to eject the droplets from the nozzles according to the second dot pattern data.