Modifying image data to compensate for defective printer nozzles

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10953665-B2
Application number	US-201916709744-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 10, 2019
Priority date	Jul 8, 2016
Publication date	Mar 23, 2021
Grant date	Mar 23, 2021

Abstract

The disclosed embodiments include a method to compensate for defective printer nozzles. The method can include detecting a defective printer nozzle and initiating a print job including image data of the defective printer nozzle for a pixel location of an image. The image is to be printed in accordance with a print mask that maps printer nozzles to pixel locations of the image. The method can include modifying the image to print the image data in a neighboring pixel location relative to the pixel location of the image and printing the modified image.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method comprising:
detecting a defective printer nozzle of a plurality of printer nozzles;
initiating a print job including image data to be printed by the defective printer nozzle at a pixel location of an image in accordance with a print mask that maps the plurality of printer nozzles to a plurality of pixel locations of the image;
modifying the image to print the image data in a neighboring pixel location relative to the pixel location of the image, wherein modifying the image comprises:
modifying the image to print a portion of the image data in a plurality of neighboring pixel locations relative to the pixel location of the image; and
printing the modified image.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein modifying the image comprises:
modifying the image to print the image data in a plurality of neighboring pixel locations relative to the pixel location of the image.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein modifying the image comprises:
modifying the image to print the image data in each of a plurality of neighboring pixel locations relative to the pixel location of the image.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein modifying the image comprises:
modifying the image to print the image data in another pixel location other than the pixel location of the image.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the pixel location is a first pixel location, and modifying of the image comprises:
randomly selecting a partially complementary nozzle to print the image data in a second pixel location other than the first pixel location of the image.

6. The method of claim 5 , wherein modifying of the image comprises:
adjusting a value of the image data for the second pixel location.

7. The method of claim 5 , wherein modifying of the image comprises:
adjusting the image data for the second pixel location to be less than a maximum value.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the image is modified only if modifying the print mask to print the image data would not compensate for the defective printer nozzle.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the method is performed by a shuttle-based printer operable to print the image by ejecting ink by the plurality of printer nozzles onto a medium while moving over the medium.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein the image is modified in accordance with a level of compensation selected by a heuristic, a set of rules, or an algorithm.

11. A method comprising:
detecting a defective printer nozzle of a plurality of printer nozzles;
initiating a print job including image data to be printed by the defective printer nozzle in accordance with a print mask that maps the plurality of printer nozzles to a plurality of pixel locations of an image;
applying a compensation scheme that modifies the image to print the image data in a neighboring pixel location relative to a pixel location where the defective printer nozzle was to print the image data, wherein modifying the image comprises: modifying the image to print a portion of the image data in a plurality of neighboring pixel locations relative to the pixel location of the image.

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein printing the image comprises:
printing the image data using a complementary printer nozzle.

Assignees

• Electronics For Imaging Inc

Inventors

• Billow Steven

Classifications

• G06K15/107

  Mask selection · CPC title

• B41J2/04581

  controlling heads based on piezoelectric elements · CPC title

• B41J2/0458

  controlling heads based on heating elements forming bubbles · CPC title

• B41J2/2142

  Detection of malfunctioning nozzles (generating single droplets or particles on demand by pressure, e.g. electromechanical transducers B41J2/045, B41J2/05; jet deflection sensors B41J2/125; for cleaning purposes B41J2/16579) · CPC title

• B41J2/2146

  for line print heads · CPC title