Adaptive QA Chart Width for Inkjet Printer Productivity
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Solution Overview
Problem
The existing method for printing Quality Assurance (QA) charts in high productivity ink jet printers negatively impacts productivity as it requires the printer to stop producing prints for the job to perform maintenance actions, leading to unnecessary downtime and ink waste due to QA charts being wider than the subsequent media sheets.
Innovation Solution
The method involves determining the maximum print width of subsequent media sheets and printing QA charts with the same or greater width, ensuring that nozzles not used for the subsequent sheets are not activated, thus preventing unnecessary maintenance actions and maintaining productivity.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If QA charts are printed on media with maximum width to detect all nozzle failures, then nozzle failure detection is improved, but productivity is reduced due to unnecessary maintenance actions and ink waste
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by tailoring the QA chart width to match the specific media width of the upcoming print job rather than using a fixed maximum width. This allows different regions of the print system to operate with appropriate widths - the QA chart uses the width needed for the subsequent media, avoiding unnecessary nozzle activation and maintenance actions while still providing adequate nozzle failure detection for that specific media size.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements dynamics by making the QA chart width adaptive rather than static. The system dynamically determines the appropriate QA chart width based on the media width of the upcoming print job, allowing the QA process to adapt to varying print requirements. This dynamic adjustment prevents unnecessary maintenance actions and ink waste while maintaining effective nozzle failure detection.
2Reliability
If QA charts are printed with maximum width to ensure comprehensive quality assessment, then quality assessment reliability is improved, but ink consumption increases due to wasted ink on unused nozzle areas
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by matching the QA chart width to the specific media width of the upcoming print job. This ensures that ink is only deposited on the portions of the QA chart that correspond to the actual media being printed, eliminating waste on unused nozzle areas while maintaining sufficient quality assessment coverage for the specific media size.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the parameter of QA chart width from a fixed maximum value to a variable value that adapts to the media width. This parameter change allows the system to optimize ink consumption by printing QA charts at the minimum necessary width that still provides adequate quality assessment for the specific media type and print job requirements.
3Measurement precision
If QA charts are printed using the same media as the print job to ensure accurate quality indication, then quality measurement accuracy is improved, but media consumption increases due to expensive media being used for QA
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies the principle of using cheap short-living objects by printing QA charts on inexpensive QA media rather than the expensive media used for the actual print job. This allows the system to maintain accurate quality measurement while minimizing media consumption costs, as the QA media is designed to be disposable and inexpensive compared to the premium media used for production printing.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses an intermediary approach by introducing dedicated QA media as a mediator between the print job media and the quality assessment process. This intermediary media type is specifically designed for QA purposes, providing the necessary properties for accurate quality measurement while being more economical than the production media. The QA chart acts as an intermediary that bridges the gap between cost-effective printing and accurate quality assessment.
Data Source
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AI summary
The present invention provides a method for printing a Quality Assurance print chart, QA chart, comprising the steps of: determining the maximum print width for at least one media sheet to be printed subsequently to the printing of the QA chart, selecting from a plurality of media types designated as being suitable for QA charts, a media type that has substantially the same or a greater media width as the determined print width for the at least one media sheet to be printed subsequently, setting a print width for the QA chart substantially to the determined print width, and printing the QA chart with the set print width on the selected media type.