Printer Blur Measurement and Parameter Adjustment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Printers often suffer from mechanical imperfections in their transport paths, leading to inaccurate dispensing of printing fluid and resulting in degraded print quality due to airflow disturbances between sheets of print medium, causing blurry images.
Innovation Solution
A method and apparatus that measure blur by printing test images, scanning them to calculate blur counts, and adjusting printer parameters such as airflow or image placement to reduce blur in subsequent prints.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If the printer operates with standard transport path mechanics, then the printing process can proceed at normal speed, but mechanical imperfections cause inaccurate ink dispensing and blurry images
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary actions by printing test images and measuring blur before actual printing operations. The blur measurement is conducted in advance to determine transport path imperfections, and print parameters are adjusted beforehand to compensate for these imperfections, ensuring accurate ink drop placement without requiring complex real-time corrections
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes print parameters such as ink dispensing timing, position, or amount based on measured blur levels. By adjusting these parameters in response to detected transport path variations, the system compensates for mechanical imperfections and maintains accurate ink drop placement without modifying the physical transport path structure
2Reliability
If airflow is increased between print sheets to prevent jams, then paper transport reliability improves, but airflow disturbances cause blurry images
Solution Approach 1:
The system implements feedback by measuring blur in test images and using this information to adjust print parameters. The blur measurement provides feedback about the actual effect of airflow on ink drop placement, allowing the system to compensate for airflow disturbances and maintain print quality while preserving reliable paper transport
Solution Approach 2:
The system applies preliminary anti-action by pre-adjusting print parameters to counteract the harmful effects of airflow. Before actual printing, the system measures blur caused by airflow and modifies ink dispensing parameters in advance to compensate for these disturbances, preventing blur rather than correcting it after the fact
3Manufacturing precision
If blur measurement and parameter adjustment is implemented, then print quality improves, but additional processing steps are required
Solution Approach 1:
The blur measurement and parameter adjustment are performed as preliminary actions before actual printing operations. By conducting these measurements and adjustments in advance, the system ensures high print quality without adding significant time to the main printing process, as the compensation parameters are established beforehand
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses test images as copies to measure blur characteristics without printing actual production images. This approach allows the system to gather necessary measurement data while minimizing time loss, as the test images are simple and can be processed quickly to determine blur levels and adjust parameters
Data Source
AI summary
A method for measuring a blur of a print job and adjusting printer parameters in response to the blur is disclosed. For example, the method may be performed by a multi-function device (MFD) and includes printing an image on a print media, scanning the image, calculating a blur count for each location of the image in a cross-process direction, determining that the blur count for at least one location of the image is above a blur threshold, and adjusting at least one print parameter for a subsequently printed image on the MFD.