Printing device, and non-transitory computer-readable recording medium therefor

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12160553-B2
Application number	US-202217809609-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 29, 2022
Priority date	Jun 30, 2021
Publication date	Dec 3, 2024
Grant date	Dec 3, 2024

Abstract

A printing device is provided with a print head having a plurality of nozzles configured to eject ink droplets therefrom, a supplier configured to supply ink contained in a container to the print head, and a controller. The controller is configured to perform obtaining ink information having correlation with a height of a liquid surface of the ink contained in the container, obtaining subject image data representing an image to be printed, generating print data based on the subject image data, and causing the print head to eject ink droplets based on the print data. The generating includes adjusting the print data in accordance with the ink information.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A printing device, comprising:
a print head having a plurality of nozzles configured to eject ink droplets therefrom;
a supplier configured to supply ink contained in a container to the print head; and
a controller,
wherein the controller is configured to perform:
obtaining ink information indicative of a height of a liquid surface of the ink contained in the container with respect to an aperture of the nozzles;
comparing the obtained ink information with preset ink information, the preset ink information being indicative of a defined height of the liquid surface of the ink with respect to the aperture of the nozzles;
obtaining subject image data representing an image to be printed;
generating print data based on the subject image data; and
causing the print head to eject ink droplets based on the print data,
the generating including adjusting the print data in accordance with the comparing.

2. The printing device according to claim 1 , wherein
the subject image data is image data indicating a color of each pixel by a color value according to a first color system;
the adjusting includes converting the color value according to the first color system to a color value according to a second color system including multiple components corresponding to multiple inks used for printing; and
the converting includes converting using:
a first color conversion profile when the comparing has a first comparison result; and
a second color conversion profile different from the first color conversion profile when the comparing has a second comparison result different from the first comparison result.

3. The printing device according to claim 1 , wherein:
the subject image data is image data indicating a color of each pixel in accordance with a first color system;
the generating includes converting a color value in accordance with the first color system to a color value according to a second color system including multiple components corresponding to multiple inks used for printing; and
the adjusting includes compensating the color value in accordance with the first color system based on the comparing before the converting the color.

4. The printing device according to claim 1 , wherein:
the subject image data is image data indicating a color of each pixel in accordance with a first color system;
the generating includes converting a color value in accordance with the first color system to a color value according to a second color system including multiple components corresponding to multiple inks used for printing; and
the adjusting compensates the color value according to the second color system based on the comparing before the converting.

5. The printing device according to claim 1 , wherein:
the subject image data is image data indicating a color for each pixel by a color value according to a second color system that includes multiple components corresponding to multiple inks used for printing by a print engine;
the adjusting includes a halftone process of converting the subject image data to dot data indicating a dot formation status of each pixel;
the halftone process is executed using:
a first parameter when the comparing has a first comparison result; and
a second parameter different from the first parameter when the comparing has a second comparison result different from the first comparison result.

6. The printing device according to claim 1 , wherein:
the supplier is configured to supply first color ink contained in a first container and a second color ink contained in a second container to the print head;
the print head having first nozzles configured to eject the first color ink and second nozzles configured to eject the second color ink;
the ink information includes first information indicative of the height of the liquid surface of the first color ink contained in the first container with respect to an aperture of the first nozzles, and second information indicative of the height of the liquid surface of the second color ink contained in the second container with respect to an aperture of the second nozzles; and
the adjusting includes:
first adjusting data regarding a first color of the print data in accordance with the height of the liquid surface of the first color ink based on the first information; and
second adjusting data regarding a second color of the print data in accordance with the height of the liquid surface of the second color ink based on the second information.

7. The printing device according to claim 1 , wherein the container has a communication opening communicating between an inside and an outside of the container.

8. The printing device according to claim 7 , further comprising a valve configured to open and close the communication opening to switch between a communicating state in which the inside and the outside of the container communicate and a non-communicating state in which the inside and the outside of the container do not communicate.

9. The printing device according to claim 8 , wherein the controller is configured to control the valve to be in the non-communicating state during a period in which printing is being executed.

10. The printing device according to claim 8 , wherein the controller is configured to control the valve to be in the communicating state during a period in which printing is being executed.

11. The printing device according to claim 1 , wherein the adjusting is increasing density of an image represented by the print data when the ink information indicates that the height of the liquid surface is a first height, in comparison with a case where the ink information indicates that the height of the liquid surface is a second height which is higher than the first height.

12. The printing device according to claim 1 , wherein the container is arranged at a position where a height of a liquid surface of the ink is higher than apertures of the nozzles in a state where a maximum amount of the ink is contained in the container.

13. The printing device according to claim 1 , wherein the ink information indicative of the height is a count value indicating an amount of ink used for printing.

14. A non-transitory computer-readable recording medium for a printing device having a print head having a plurality of nozzles configured to eject ink droplets therefrom, a supplier configured to supply ink contained in a container to the print head, and a controller,
wherein the non-transitory computer-readable recording medium contains computer-executable instructions which cause, when executed by the controller, the printing device to perform:
obtaining ink information indicative of a height of a liquid surface of the ink contained in the container with respect to an aperture of the nozzles;
comparing the obtained ink information with preset ink information, the preset ink information being indicative of a defined height of the liquid surface of the ink with respect to the aperture of the nozzles;
obtaining subject image data representing an image to be printed;
generating print data based on the subject image data; and
causing the print head to eject ink droplets based on the print data,
wherein the generating includes adjusting the print data in accordance with the comparing.

15. A printing device, comprising:
a print head having a plurality of nozzles configured to eject ink droplets therefrom;
a supplier configured to supply ink contained in a container to the print head; and
a controller,
wherein the controller is configured to perform:
obtaining ink information indicative of a height of a liquid su

Assignees

• Brother Ind Ltd

Inventors

• Osakabe Yoshinori
• Kuroyanagi Sosuke
• Hoga Masahiro
• Ishikawa Hiroyuki
• Morikawa Jun
• Shirono Taichi
• Nakazawa Fumio

Classifications

• H04N1/6019

  using look-up tables (H04N1/6025 takes precedence) · CPC title

• H04N1/4015

  of the reproducing head · CPC title

• B41J2002/17589

  using ink level as input for printer mode selection or for prediction of remaining printing capacity · CPC title

• B41J2/2128

  by means of energy modulation (control methods or devices therefor, e.g. driver circuits or control circuits B41J2/04501) · CPC title

• B41J2/17566

  Ink level or ink residue control · CPC title