Print Artifact Compensation Using Inverse Transfer Functions
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current uniformity compensation methods for printhead nozzles in high-speed production printers are inefficient and often fail to adequately correct print artifacts such as voids and banding caused by defective nozzles and printhead overlap, requiring multiple iterations and additional printing of test patterns.
Innovation Solution
A print artifact compensation mechanism that generates inverse transfer functions to compensate for defective nozzles and printhead overlap by adjusting halftone thresholds and ink deposition functions, using Gaussian shaped ink deposition profiles to model ink contributions from adjacent functioning nozzles, thereby improving print output quality.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If current uniformity compensation methods are used to correct print artifacts, then some correction is achieved, but multiple iterations and additional printing of test patterns are required, resulting in time consumption
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by pre-calculating and storing compensation values in lookup tables for common nozzle defect patterns. During actual printing, the system retrieves pre-computed compensation data based on detected nozzle failures, avoiding the need for multiple iterative test patterns. This allows the compensation process to be completed in a single pass, significantly reducing time consumption while maintaining print quality correction.
2Manufacturing precision
If multiple iterations of compensation are performed to adequately correct print artifacts, then print quality improves, but the process becomes inefficient and time-consuming
Solution Approach 1:
The system pre-computes compensation values for various nozzle failure scenarios and stores them in lookup tables organized by defect type and location. When a nozzle failure is detected, the system immediately retrieves the appropriate pre-calculated compensation data and applies it in a single iteration, eliminating the need for multiple compensat ion passes and thereby maintaining high print quality while improving productivity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the iterative mechanical compensation process with a direct lookup and application system. Instead of repeatedly printing test patterns and adjusting compensation parameters through multiple cycles, the system substitutes this with a computational approach that uses pre-calculated lookup tables to provide immediate compensation, thereby eliminating iterative cycles and improving overall process efficiency.
3Manufacturing precision
If compensation is applied for printhead overlap and defective nozzles, then print artifacts are reduced, but the complexity of the compensation mechanism increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the compensation mechanism into distinct lookup tables for different types of defects (nozzle failures, printhead overlap, jet-outs). Each lookup table contains pre-computed compensation values specific to its defect type. This segmentation allows the system to handle multiple defect types independently through simple table lookups, reducing the overall complexity compared to a unified complex compensation algorithm while maintaining comprehensive coverage of various print artifacts.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces lookup tables as intermediary structures between nozzle failure detection and compensation application. These lookup tables serve as pre-computed translation layers that map detected defect patterns to appropriate compensation values. This intermediary approach simplifies the compensation mechanism by replacing complex real-time calculations with straightforward table lookups, thereby reducing computational complexity while achieving effective artifact reduction.
Data Source
AI summary
A system is disclosed. The system includes at least one physical memory device to store compensation logic and one or more processors coupled with the at least one physical memory device to execute the compensation logic to generate first and second sets of inverse transfer functions to compensate for a gap region, wherein each set of inverse transfer functions is generated for a corresponding group of overlapping pel forming elements based on ink deposition functions associated with the corresponding group and a joint target response, wherein the gap region is located between overlapping pel forming elements of the corresponding groups and generate compensated halftones based on the first and second sets of inverse transfer functions.