Inkjet Printer Dot Group Composition for Color Balance

Solution Overview

Problem

Inkjet printers face challenges in maintaining color balance and vividness due to varying color developing capabilities of inks, leading to insufficient ink ejection and poorer image quality when adjusting for weaker inks.

Innovation Solution

The implementation of an inkjet printer with two ink heads and a controller that composes dot groups from ink dots of different inks, forming multiple print layers to adjust color balance by setting higher compositional proportions for inks with weaker color developing capabilities, ensuring sufficient ink ejection and vividness.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Manufacturing precision

If the ejection amounts of inks with stronger color developing capability are reduced to match the weakest ink, then color balance is improved, but ink ejection amount and image vividness deteriorate

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecolor balanceVSAvoidink ejection amount

Core Design Contradiction:

Manufacturing precisionVSQuantity of substance

Solution Approach 1:

The patent divides the ink ejection process into two separate stages: a first ejection that deposits ink dots at lower concentrations to establish color balance, and a second ejection that deposits additional ink dots at higher concentrations to enhance vividness. This segmentation allows each ejection to be optimized for its specific purpose without compromising the other.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The patent introduces a temporal dimension by performing ink ejection in two sequential passes rather than a single pass. The first pass establishes color balance with reduced ink amounts, while the second pass enhances vividness with additional ink. This transforms a single-dimensional problem into a two-dimensional solution space.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #17Another dimension (Dimensionality change)

2Manufacturing precision

If the ejection amounts of inks with stronger color developing capability are reduced to match the weakest ink, then color balance is improved, but image vividness deteriorates

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecolor balanceVSAvoidimage vividness

Core Design Contradiction:

Manufacturing precisionVSIllumination intensity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent divides the ink ejection process into two separate stages: a first ejection that deposits ink dots at lower concentrations to establish color balance, and a second ejection that deposits additional ink dots at higher concentrations to enhance vividness. This segmentation allows each ejection to be optimized for its specific purpose without compromising the other.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The patent introduces a temporal dimension by performing ink ejection in two sequential passes rather than a single pass. The first pass establishes color balance with reduced ink amounts, while the second pass enhances vividness with additional ink. This transforms a single-dimensional problem into a two-dimensional solution space.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #17Another dimension (Dimensionality change)

3Manufacturing precision

If multiple print layers are formed with different dot group compositions, then both color balance and vividness are improved, but device complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecolor balanceVSAvoidcontroller composition logic

Core Design Contradiction:

Manufacturing precisionVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent divides the ink ejection process into two separate stages: a first ejection that deposits ink dots at lower concentrations to establish color balance, and a second ejection that deposits additional ink dots at higher concentrations to enhance vividness. This segmentation allows each ejection to be optimized for its specific purpose without compromising the other.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The patent introduces a temporal dimension by performing ink ejection in two sequential passes rather than a single pass. The first pass establishes color balance with reduced ink amounts, while the second pass enhances vividness with additional ink. This transforms a single-dimensional problem into a two-dimensional solution space.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #17Another dimension (Dimensionality change)

Data Source

PatentUS10406809B2Inkjet printer

Publication Date: 2019.09.10 ROLAND DG CORP

AI summary

An inkjet printer composes a first dot group including a first base dot group from ink dots of a first ink, and a second dot group including a second base dot group and a second additional dot group from ink dots of a second ink having a weaker color developing capability than the first ink. A total proportion of the first dot group with respect to the ink dots of the first ink is set to be a first print coverage greater than or equal to 100%. A total proportion of the second dot group with respect to the ink dots of the second ink is set to be a second print coverage greater than the first print coverage. Ink dots including the second additional dot group form a first print layer, and ink dots including the first base dot group and the second base dot group form a second print layer over or under the first print layer.