Printing Head Ink Usage Calculation by Temperature and Mode
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for calculating the ejection amount of liquid in printing heads face a trade-off between processing speed and accuracy, with either increasing accuracy reducing speed or increasing speed reducing accuracy.
Innovation Solution
A printing apparatus that includes a controller unit to perform two distinct calculations for ink usage based on different printing modes, one for high speed and one for high accuracy, using an ejection amount conversion factor adjusted by the temperature of the printing head.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If the ink use amount is calculated by counting the number of dots printed by each nozzle and multiplying by ejection amount, then the calculation accuracy is improved but the calculation speed slows down
Solution Approach 1:
The ejection ports are divided into multiple groups, with each group containing a predetermined number of adjacent ejection ports. The controller calculates the use amount separately for each group rather than for every individual port, reducing the total number of calculations while maintaining sufficient accuracy for the application.
Solution Approach 2:
Adjacent ejection ports are merged into groups for collective calculation. By treating multiple ports as a single unit and calculating their combined ink consumption, the system reduces computational complexity and improves calculation speed while still providing accurate enough results for inventory management.
2Productivity
If the ink use amount is calculated by averaging the printed dot numbers between adjacent nozzles, then the processing speed is increased but the processing accuracy is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The system segments ejection ports into meaningful groups rather than treating them as individual units or simple averages. This segmentation allows for more accurate representation of actual usage patterns while keeping calculations manageable and efficient.
Solution Approach 2:
Different calculation approaches are applied to different groups of ejection ports based on their specific characteristics and usage patterns. This localized approach allows the system to optimize for both accuracy and speed in different regions of the printing head.
Data Source
AI summary
An object is to provide a technique of calculating an ejection amount of an ink in accordance with a printing head. A printing apparatus includes: a printing head including an ejection port array in which multiple ejection ports to eject an ink are arrayed; a conveyer unit configured to convey a printing medium in a conveyance direction; and a controller unit configured to control the printing head. The controller unit executes processing to obtain the printing dot number based on printing data and processing to calculate an amount of the ink used in a case of performing printing based on the printing data by using different calculation methods between a case where a first printing mode is set and a case where a second printing mode is set based on the printing dot number and an ejection amount conversion factor corresponding to a temperature of the printing head.