Liquid discharge apparatus, liquid discharge method, and storage medium

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11318741-B2
Application number	US-202017073668-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 19, 2020
Priority date	Oct 23, 2019
Publication date	May 3, 2022
Grant date	May 3, 2022

Abstract

A liquid discharge apparatus includes a head, a sensor, a motor, and control circuitry. The head is configured to discharge liquid in a plurality of times of scanning. The sensor is configured to measure a density of a region formed with the liquid discharged in first scanning among the plurality of times of scanning. The motor is configured to move a measurement position at which the sensor performs measurement. The control circuitry is configured to control discharge of the head in second scanning performed after the first scanning among the plurality of times of scanning, based on the measurement position and the density measured at the measurement position.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A liquid discharge apparatus, comprising:
a head configured to discharge liquid in a plurality of times of scanning;
a sensor configured to measure a density of a region formed with the liquid discharged in first scanning among the plurality of times of scanning;
a motor configured to move a measurement position at which the sensor performs measurement; and
control circuitry configured to control discharge of the head in second scanning performed after the first scanning among the plurality of times of scanning, based on the measurement position and the density measured at the measurement position,
wherein the head is configured to discharge the liquid to form an image with the liquid, and
the control circuitry is configured to:
generate an expected value of a color of the image;
calculate a deviation amount between the density and the expected value, based on the density and the measurement position; and
correct the deviation amount before formation of the image is completed by discharge of the head in the second scanning.

2. The liquid discharge apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein the control circuitry is configured to correct a drive waveform input to the head.

3. The liquid discharge apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein the head is configured to discharge the liquid based on input image data to form the image, and
the control circuitry is configured to correct the image data.

4. The liquid discharge apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein the control circuitry is configured to correct a size of the liquid to be discharged from the head.

5. The liquid discharge apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein the control circuitry is configured to correct a solid portion having an area equal to or larger than a predetermined value in the image.

6. The liquid discharge apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein the control circuitry is configured to calculate a relationship between the density and, the measurement position.

7. A liquid discharge method for a liquid discharge apparatus including a head configured to discharge liquid in a plurality of times of scanning, the head being configured to discharge the liquid to form an image with the liquid, the method comprising:
measuring, with the liquid discharge apparatus, a density of a region formed with the liquid discharged in first scanning among the plurality of times of scanning;
moving, with the liquid discharge apparatus, a measurement position at which the liquid discharge apparatus performs the measuring of the density;
controlling, with the liquid discharge apparatus, discharge of the head in second scanning performed after the first scanning among the plurality of times of scanning, based on the measurement position and the density measured at the measurement position;
generating an expected value of a color of the image;
calculating a deviation amount between the density and the expected value, based on the density and the measurement position; and
correcting the deviation amount before formation of the image is completed by discharge of the head in the second scanning.

8. A non-transitory storage medium storing program code for causing a computer to execute a liquid discharge process for a liquid discharge apparatus including a head configured to discharge liquid in a plurality of times of scanning, the head being configured to discharge the liquid to form an image with the liquid, the process comprising:
measuring, with the liquid discharge apparatus, a density of a region formed with the liquid discharged in first scanning among the plurality of times of scanning;
moving, with the liquid discharge apparatus, a measurement position at which the liquid discharge apparatus performs the measuring of the density;
controlling, with the liquid discharge apparatus, discharge of the head in second scanning performed after the first scanning among the plurality of times of scanning, based on the measurement position and the density measured at the measurement position;
generating an expected value of a color of the image;
calculating a deviation amount between the density and the expected value, based on the density and the measurement position; and
correcting the deviation amount before formation of the image is completed by discharge of the head in the second scanning.

Assignees

• Takahashi Hiroki
• Ricoh Co Ltd

Inventors

• Takahashi Hiroki

Classifications

• B41J2/04581

  controlling heads based on piezoelectric elements · CPC title

• G06K15/027

  Test patterns and calibration (arrangements for controlling or analysing printing mechanisms of typewriters or selective printing units B41J29/393 takes precedence; colour correction using test pattern analysis in general H04N1/6033) · CPC title

• B41J2/2132 Primary

  Print quality control characterised by dot disposition, e.g. for reducing white stripes or banding (methods for local corrections by dot omission, image edge enhancement, or multi-pass mask selection G06K15/102; colour conversion H04N1/40) · CPC title

• B41J2/04588 Primary

  using a specific waveform · CPC title