Inkjet Printer Nozzle Abnormal Ejection Detection and Maintenance Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing liquid ejecting apparatuses, such as inkjet printers, face issues with unnecessary consumption of recording media due to interruptions in the printing process caused by abnormal ejection of nozzles, which can lead to decreased printing quality and waste, especially when the maintenance time exceeds a threshold value.
Innovation Solution
A liquid ejecting apparatus that includes a liquid ejecting unit and an abnormal ejection detecting unit, which detects abnormal ejection and decides whether to interrupt the printing process based on the maintenance time required, allowing the process to continue if the time is below a threshold and reserving maintenance operations if it exceeds, thereby minimizing media consumption and maintaining quality.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the printing process is interrupted for maintenance operation when abnormal ejection is detected, then the ejection abnormality can be solved, but the recording medium is unnecessarily consumed and printing quality decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the decision parameter from a binary stop/continue approach to a continuous evaluation based on maintenance time threshold. By comparing the required maintenance time against a predetermined threshold, the system dynamically adjusts its response - only interrupting when the maintenance operation is quick enough not to cause quality degradation, thereby reducing unnecessary recording medium consumption.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces dynamic decision-making where the printing process interruption decision is not fixed but adapts based on the specific maintenance time required for each abnormal ejection event. The system evaluates the maintenance time requirement in real-time and adjusts the printing control accordingly, making the system flexible rather than rigid.
2Reliability
If the printing process is interrupted for maintenance operation when abnormal ejection is detected, then the ejection abnormality can be solved, but the printing quality decreases due to color change before and after interruption
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses the maintenance time threshold as a critical parameter to control the printing interruption decision. By setting and comparing against this threshold, the system ensures that printing is only interrupted when the maintenance operation will complete quickly enough to avoid noticeable color changes or quality degradation in the recorded medium.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent performs preliminary evaluation of the maintenance time requirement before actually interrupting the printing process. By assessing whether the maintenance operation will exceed the threshold time, the system prevents unnecessary interruptions that would cause quality degradation, allowing printing to continue when possible.
3Loss of substance
If the printing process continues without interruption when abnormal ejection is detected, then the recording medium is saved, but the abnormal ejection may cause further quality degradation
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a time threshold parameter that transforms the decision from a simple continue/stop choice to a conditional decision based on maintenance duration. This parameter enables the system to distinguish between acceptable maintenance operations (those completing within the threshold) and unacceptable ones (exceeding the threshold), optimizing both medium usage and quality.
4Reliability
If the printing process is frequently interrupted for maintenance operations, then the ejection reliability is improved, but the productivity decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the printing control strategy from frequent interruptions to threshold-based selective interruptions. By evaluating the maintenance time requirement against a predetermined threshold, the system minimizes unnecessary printing stoppages, thereby maintaining higher productivity while still ensuring ejection reliability when the maintenance operation is brief enough.
Data Source
AI summary
A liquid ejecting apparatus includes a liquid ejecting unit that has a plurality of nozzles that eject liquid drops, and performs a recording process on a recording medium; and an abnormal ejection detecting unit that detects whether abnormal ejection in the nozzles exists, in which when the abnormal ejection detecting unit detects that nozzles with abnormal ejection exist, if a time required for a maintenance operation in order to solve the abnormal ejection of the nozzles is equal to or shorter than a threshold value, the recording process is interrupted and the maintenance operation is performed, and if the time required for the maintenance operation is longer than the threshold value, the maintenance operation is reserved and the recording process is continued.