Printing control apparatus, printing apparatus, and printing contol method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10654285-B2
Application number	US-201816145284-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 28, 2018
Priority date	Sep 29, 2017
Publication date	May 19, 2020
Grant date	May 19, 2020

Abstract

A printing control apparatus is configured to control printing using a print head provided with, on different head chips, a plurality of nozzle groups including a first nozzle group and a second nozzle group configured to eject ink of a same color, with at least a portion of a formation range of each of the nozzle groups overlapping each other. The different head chips is disposed in a direction that crosses an alignment direction of nozzles. The printing control apparatus includes a halftone processing unit configured to generate halftone data specifying a presence or absence of dots for each pixel serving as data to drive the nozzle groups based on image data. The halftone processing unit is configured to generate first halftone data to drive the first nozzle group and second halftone data to drive the second nozzle group in an uncorrelated manner.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A printing control apparatus configured to control printing using a print head provided with, on different head chips, a plurality of nozzle groups including a first nozzle group and a second nozzle group configured to eject ink of a same color, with at least a portion of a formation range of each of the nozzle groups corresponding to ink of the same color and formed on the different head chips overlapping each other, and the different head chips being disposed in a direction that crosses an alignment direction of nozzles of each of the nozzle groups, the printing control apparatus comprising
a halftone processing unit configured to generate halftone data specifying a presence or absence of dots per pixel serving as data to drive the nozzle groups based on image data,
the halftone processing unit being further configured to generate first halftone data to drive the first nozzle group and second halftone data to drive the second nozzle group in an uncorrelated manner.

2. The printing control apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
the halftone processing unit is further configured to generate the first halftone data and the second halftone data that drive either one of the first nozzle group and the second nozzle group corresponding to an image having brightness of a predetermined highlight range in the image data.

3. The printing control apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
the halftone processing unit is configured to generate one of the first halftone data and the second halftone data by a dither method, and generate the other of the first halftone data and the second halftone data by an error diffusion method.

4. The printing control apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
each nozzle of each of the nozzle groups is configured to eject a first size dot and a second size dot smaller than the first size dot, and
the halftone processing unit is further configured to generate one of the first halftone data and the second halftone data as halftone data specifying a presence or absence of the first size dot, and the other of the first halftone data and the second halftone data as halftone data specifying a presence or absence of the second size dot.

5. A printing apparatus configured to execute printing using a print head provided with, on different head chips, a plurality of nozzle groups including a first nozzle group and a second nozzle group configured to eject ink of a same color, with at least a portion of a formation range of each of the nozzle groups corresponding to ink of the same color and formed on the different head chips overlapping each other, and the different head chips being disposed in a direction that crosses an alignment direction of nozzles of each of the nozzle groups, the printing apparatus comprising
a halftone processing unit configured to generate halftone data specifying a presence or absence of dots per pixel serving as data to drive the nozzle groups based on image data,
the halftone processing unit being further configured to generate first halftone data to drive the first nozzle group and second halftone data to drive the second nozzle group in an uncorrelated manner.

6. A printing control method for controlling printing using a print head provided with, on different head chips, a plurality of nozzle groups including a first nozzle group and a second nozzle group configured to eject ink of a same color, with at least a portion of a formation range of each of the nozzle groups corresponding to ink of the same color and formed on the different head chips overlapping each other, and the different head chips being disposed in a direction that crosses an alignment direction of nozzles of each of the nozzle groups, the printing control method comprising
generating halftone data specifying a presence or absence of dots per pixel serving as data to drive the nozzle groups based on image data,
the generating halftone data generating first halftone data to drive the first nozzle group and second halftone data to drive the second nozzle group in an uncorrelated manner.

Assignees

• Seiko Epson Corp

Inventors

• Hoshii Jun

Classifications

• B41J2/04573

  Timing; Delays · CPC title

• B41J2/04581

  controlling heads based on piezoelectric elements · CPC title

• B41J2/51

  serial printer type · CPC title

• B41J29/393

  Devices for controlling or analysing the entire machine {; Controlling or analysing mechanical parameters involving printing of test patterns} · CPC title

• B41J2/2135 Primary

  Alignment of dots · CPC title