Inkjet Printer Nozzle Defect Compensation via Dynamic Selection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Ink jet printers face issues with defective nozzles causing dot omission and stripe formation in printed images due to clogging or positional errors, especially in overlapping printing modes where defective nozzles at the end or within overlapping regions lead to noticeable defects.
Innovation Solution
A recording apparatus with multiple nozzles and complementing units that include substitute and vicinity formation nozzles, along with a selection unit to choose the appropriate complementing unit based on error amounts, allowing for effective dot complementation using either substitute nozzle complementation, vicinity complementation, or a combination of both to improve image quality.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If substitute nozzle complementation is used to compensate for defective nozzles, then dot omission is reduced, but stripe formation may occur due to transport errors
Solution Approach 1:
The patent dynamically switches between substitute nozzle complementation and vicinity complementation based on detected transport errors. When transport errors are within acceptable ranges, substitute nozzles are used to complement defective dots. When transport errors exceed thresholds, the system transitions to using vicinity nozzles to form complementing dots, thereby adaptively preventing stripe formation while maintaining dot completeness.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the operational parameters by selecting different complementation methods based on transport error magnitudes. It adjusts the complementation strategy from substitute nozzle-based (for small errors) to vicinity nozzle-based (for large errors), effectively changing how defect compensation is performed to avoid harmful stripe artifacts.
2Object-generated harmful factors
If vicinity complementation is used to avoid stripe formation, then image quality improves, but dot complementation effectiveness decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The system dynamically selects the appropriate complementation method based on real-time transport error detection. For small transport errors, substitute nozzle complementation is applied for effective dot recovery. For large transport errors, vicinity complementation is applied to prevent stripe formation, thereby optimally balancing both effectiveness and image quality.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the complementation parameter (substitute vs. vicinity nozzle selection) based on transport error thresholds, ensuring that the most appropriate method is applied for each specific error condition, thus optimizing both dot complementation effectiveness and stripe prevention.
3Manufacturing precision
If multiple complementation methods are implemented to handle various error conditions, then image quality improves, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies different complementation methods (substitute nozzle or vicinity nozzle) to different spatial and error conditions. Instead of using a single complex system for all cases, it locally adapts the complementation approach based on the specific transport error magnitude, simplifying the overall control logic while maintaining high image quality.
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses parameter-based decision making (comparing transport error magnitudes against thresholds) to select complementation methods, avoiding the need for complex adaptive algorithms. This parameter-driven approach achieves high image quality through simple conditional logic, effectively managing device complexity.
Data Source
AI summary
A recording apparatus includes a plurality of complementing units which form a complementing dot for complementing a dot to be formed using a defective nozzle; and a selection unit which selects any complementing unit from among the plurality of complementing units, in which the plurality of complementing units includes a substitute nozzle complementing unit which forms the complementing dot on the first raster using a substitute nozzle, without using a vicinity formation nozzle; and a combination complementing unit which forms a complementing dot on the first raster using the substitute nozzle, and on the second raster using the vicinity formation nozzle.