Inkjet Recording Head Error Determination via Nozzle Compensation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Inkjet printers face issues with nozzle clogging due to increased ink viscosity or air bubbles, leading to dot omission in recording results, which can incorrectly determine a recording head as faulty even when actual recording is possible due to compensatory mechanisms among nozzle rows.
Innovation Solution
A recording device with a control unit that detects defective nozzles and determines the recording head's error state based on the number of defective nozzles within specific positional relationships, allowing for continued recording when compensatory mechanisms are effective.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the printer determines that recording should be stopped when dot omission is detected from the test pattern, then recording quality is maintained, but unnecessary cessation of recording occurs when compensatory mechanisms among nozzle rows are effective
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the error determination parameter from binary (defective/not defective) to quantitative (number of defective nozzles). By setting a threshold value for the number of defective nozzles, the system can distinguish between acceptable and unacceptable defect levels, allowing continued operation when defects are within compensable limits while maintaining quality standards when defects exceed thresholds.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies partial action by allowing recording to continue when only a portion of nozzles are defective, rather than stopping entirely. The compensatory mechanism among nozzle rows enables the system to tolerate partial defects, utilizing the functional redundancy of multiple nozzle rows to maintain acceptable recording quality while improving operational continuity.
2Reliability
If the printer stops recording when any defective nozzle is detected, then recording quality is ensured, but operational efficiency deteriorates due to unnecessary interruptions
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transforms the error determination from a binary state to a quantitative assessment by counting the number of defective nozzles and comparing against a predetermined threshold. This parameter change enables differentiated responses: continuing operation when defects are below the threshold and stopping only when they exceed it, thereby reducing unnecessary interruptions while maintaining quality standards.
3Measurement precision
If test pattern evaluation is performed to detect dot omission, then defective nozzles are identified, but the process becomes complex and time-consuming
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the essential detection function from complex test pattern evaluation and simplifies it to counting defective nozzles based on ejection status. By focusing only on the critical aspect (whether ink is ejected or not) and using the compensatory relationship among nozzle rows, the system achieves accurate defective nozzle identification without requiring complex test patterns or evaluation procedures.
Data Source
AI summary
A recording device includes a recording head including a plurality of nozzle rows of a plurality of nozzles for ejecting a same color ink, a detector configured to detect, from among the plurality of nozzles, a defective nozzle having an ejecting defect, and a control unit configured to determine whether the recording head is in an error state, based on a detection result from the detector. The control unit determines that the recording head is in the error state when, among the plurality of nozzles having a specific positional relationship in which the nozzles are configured to compensate for each other's ejection, at least a predetermined number the nozzles, which is greater than one, is the defective nozzle.