Inkjet Printer Shape Data Rotation for Unevenness Accuracy
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional inkjet printers face challenges in forming intended unevenness on recording media due to the difference between the scanning direction of the printer head and the direction of the ink pattern, leading to deterioration in reproduction accuracy, especially when the pattern direction is diagonal or oriented differently from the main-scanning and sub-scanning directions.
Innovation Solution
An image processing apparatus that acquires shape data representing the unevenness, determines the direction of the pattern, and generates corrected shape data by rotating it to match the main-scanning or sub-scanning direction of the printer, ensuring the ink pattern aligns with the direction that achieves higher reproduction accuracy, thereby improving the formation of unevenness on the recording medium.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If ink is discharged from a recording head to form unevenness on a recording medium, then ink accumulation can create texture, but the wet ink spreads and the target unevenness cannot be formed
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by pre-processing the shape data to predict and compensate for ink spread before actual printing. The processing unit calculates a corrected shape that accounts for expected ink diffusion, so when ink is discharged, the spread results in the desired target unevenness rather than distortion
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes parameters by adjusting discharge characteristics such as ink amount, discharge timing, and discharge position based on the predicted spread. The control unit modifies these parameters dynamically to counteract the harmful spreading effect and achieve precise unevenness formation
2Adaptability or versatility
If the pattern direction of ink unevenness does not align with the scanning direction of the printer head, then creative texture patterns can be achieved, but reproduction accuracy deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs preliminary rotation of the shape data to align the pattern direction with the printer's scanning direction before generating discharge data. This pre-alignment ensures that the ink discharge follows the optimal scanning path, maintaining high reproduction accuracy while still achieving the desired texture pattern through subsequent processing
Solution Approach 2:
The patent transforms the problem from a 2D pattern orientation issue into a 3D discharge trajectory problem by considering the scanning direction as a constraint dimension. It rotates the shape data in the horizontal direction to match the scanning direction, effectively changing the dimensional approach to resolve the contradiction between pattern flexibility and printing accuracy
Data Source
AI summary
An apparatus includes an acquisition unit that acquires first shape data representing a shape of ink unevenness, a first determination unit that determines a direction of a pattern of the ink unevenness based on the first shape data, a second determination unit that determines a rotation angle for changing the direction of the pattern of the ink unevenness based on at least one of a movement direction of a head of a printer and a movement direction of a recording medium, and a generation unit that generates second shape data representing a shape having a pattern in at least one of the movement direction of the head and the movement direction of the recording medium based on the first shape data and the rotation angle.