Ink Jet Recording Nozzle Fault Detection Using Reference Marks
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Full-line ink jet recording apparatuses face challenges in detecting faulty nozzles due to their wide recording heads, which make it difficult to identify and recover from faulty discharge states, especially in borderless printing scenarios, as existing methods require recording test patterns at the edge of the medium, which is not feasible with wider heads.
Innovation Solution
A method that records a test pattern with multiple reference marks across the width of the recording medium, allowing the scanner unit to read and identify faulty discharge nozzles by calculating their position based on the reference marks, even if the test pattern edge is not recorded, enabling detection and compensation without the need for edge recording.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If a full-line ink jet recording apparatus with a wide recording head is used to achieve high-speed recording, then recording speed is improved, but it becomes difficult to detect faulty nozzles using existing edge-based test pattern methods
Solution Approach 1:
The test pattern is segmented into multiple sections across the width of the recording medium, with each section containing reference marks that correspond to specific nozzle groups. This segmentation allows faulty nozzles to be detected in specific regions without requiring the entire test pattern edge to be recorded, solving the detection difficulty in full-line apparatuses.
Solution Approach 2:
Reference marks are introduced as intermediary elements between the nozzles and the test pattern. These reference marks serve as mediators that allow the system to identify nozzle positions and detect faults without relying on edge recording, thus enabling faulty nozzle detection in wide-format apparatuses.
2Difficulty of detecting and measuring
If test patterns are recorded at the edge of the recording medium to detect faulty nozzles, then faulty nozzle detection is enabled, but this approach is not feasible with wide recording heads in borderless printing
Solution Approach 1:
The detection approach transitions from relying on the longitudinal edge of the recording medium to using transverse reference marks distributed across the width of the medium. This dimensional shift enables faulty nozzle detection without requiring edge recording, making the system compatible with borderless printing and wide recording heads.
Solution Approach 2:
The test pattern design incorporates reference marks that serve multiple functions: they establish positional relationships, identify nozzle groups, and enable faulty nozzle detection. This multi-functionality allows the same test pattern structure to work across different apparatus types including full-line apparatuses with wide recording heads.
3Measurement precision
If precise conveyance and assembly are implemented to enable edge-based test pattern recording, then faulty nozzle detection accuracy is improved, but system costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system uses the recording head itself to create reference marks on the recording medium, which then serve as self-generated position references for detection. This self-service approach eliminates the need for external precision conveyance and assembly mechanisms, reducing system complexity while maintaining detection accuracy.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Enables effective identification and compensation for faulty nozzles in full-line ink jet recording apparatuses, maintaining image quality and operational efficiency without increasing costs associated with precise conveyance and assembly requirements.
Implementation Method 1
a scanner unit which reads image data of the image recorded on the recording medium
Data Source
AI summary
A faulty discharge detection technique to detect faulty discharge of nozzles in an ink jet recording apparatus includes recording a test pattern onto a recording medium so as to include at least two or more reference marks in the width direction of the recording medium, reading the test pattern by a scanner unit, determining whether or not there is a faulty discharge image from image data read in the test pattern reading, and calculating faulty discharge nozzle position to, in the event that there is a faulty discharge image in the image data, detect the reference marks and detect the position of nozzles in a faulty discharge state from the position of the faulty discharge image in the image data.