Printing device and printing method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12466203-B2
Application number	US-202318534783-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 11, 2023
Priority date	Dec 13, 2022
Publication date	Nov 11, 2025
Grant date	Nov 11, 2025

Abstract

In a case in which a dot of a first raster line to be discharged by a first defective nozzle and a dot of a second raster line to be discharged by a second defective nozzle are determined to be adjacent to each other in a sub-scanning direction when a transport unit performs movement by a predetermined first distance, a printing device performs first control of executing either control of changing a distance of the movement performed by the transport unit immediately before the first defective nozzle forms the first raster line by an integer multiple of a nozzle pitch from the first distance, or control of changing a distance of the movement performed by the transport unit immediately before the second defective nozzle forms the second raster line by an integer multiple of the nozzle pitch from the first distance.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A printing device comprising:
a printing head including a nozzle row in which a plurality of nozzles each configured to discharge a dot of liquid to a medium are arranged at a predetermined nozzle pitch in a sub-scanning direction, the printing head being configured to discharge the dot while moving in a main scanning direction intersecting the sub-scanning direction; a transport unit configured to perform relative movement between the medium and the printing head in the sub-scanning direction; a storage unit configured to store information about defective nozzles of the plurality of nozzles forming the nozzle row; and a control unit configured to control the printing head and the transport unit, wherein of raster lines having a length component in the main scanning direction, the raster line formed at the medium using two or more nozzles of the plurality of nozzles, the two or more nozzles including a first defective nozzle that is one of the defective nozzles and a first normal nozzle that is one of normal nozzles, the normal nozzles being included in the plurality of nozzles and not corresponding to the defective nozzles, is defined as a first raster line, the raster line formed at the medium using two or more nozzles of the plurality of nozzles, the two or more nozzles including a second defective nozzle that is one of the defective nozzles and a second normal nozzle that is one of the normal nozzles, is defined as a second raster line, and in a case in which the dot of the first raster line to be discharged by the first defective nozzle and the dot of the second raster line to be discharged by the second defective nozzle are determined to be adjacent to each other in the sub-scanning direction when the transport unit performs the movement by a predetermined first distance, the control unit performs first control of executing either control of changing a distance of the movement performed by the transport unit immediately before the first defective nozzle forms the first raster line by an integer multiple of the nozzle pitch from the first distance, or control of changing a distance of the movement performed by the transport unit immediately before the second defective nozzle forms the second raster line by an integer multiple of the nozzle pitch from the first distance.

2 . The printing device according to claim 1 , wherein
in the first control, the control unit increases the distance of the movement performed by the transport unit immediately before the first defective nozzle forms the first raster line, or the distance of the movement performed by the transport unit immediately before the second defective nozzle forms the second raster line by an amount corresponding to the nozzle pitch from the first distance.

3 . The printing device according to claim 1 , wherein
in a case in which the raster line is formed at the medium using two or more nozzles of the plurality of nozzles, the two or more nozzles including the defective nozzle and the normal nozzle, the control unit is configured to perform second control of making a usage rate of the normal nozzle greater than that of the defective nozzle and causing the normal nozzle to discharge at least some of the dots to be discharged by the defective nozzle and the control unit performs the second control instead of the first control when a set print resolution is equal to or less than a predetermined resolution.

4 . The printing device according to claim 1 , wherein
when the raster line is formed at the medium using two or more nozzles of the plurality of nozzles, the two or more nozzles including the defective nozzle and the normal nozzle, the control unit is configured to perform second control of making a usage rate of the normal nozzle greater than that of the defective nozzle and causing the normal nozzle to discharge at least some of the dots to be discharged by the defective nozzle and the control unit receives a selection of either the first control or the second control and performs either the first control or the second control in accordance with the received selection.

5 . A printing method comprising
performing printing by controlling a printing head including a nozzle row in which a plurality of nozzles each configured to discharge a dot of liquid to a medium are arranged at a predetermined nozzle pitch in a sub-scanning direction, the printing head being configured to discharge the dot while moving in a main scanning direction intersecting the sub-scanning direction, and a transport unit configured to perform relative movement between the medium and the printing head in the sub-scanning direction, wherein of raster lines having a length component in the main scanning direction, the raster line formed at the medium using two or more nozzles of the plurality of nozzles, the two or more nozzles including a first defective nozzle that is one of defective nozzles of the plurality of nozzles forming the nozzle row and a first normal nozzle that is one of normal nozzles, the normal nozzles being included in the plurality of nozzles and not corresponding to the defective nozzles, is defined as a first raster line, the raster line formed at the medium using two or more nozzles of the plurality of nozzles, the two or more nozzles including a second defective nozzle that is one of the defective nozzles and a second normal nozzle that is one of the normal nozzles, is defined as a second raster line, and in the printing, in a case in which the dot of the first raster line to be discharged by the first defective nozzle and the dot of the second raster line to be discharged by the second defective nozzle are determined to be adjacent to each other in the sub-scanning direction when the transport unit performs the movement by a predetermined first distance, first control of executing either control of changing a distance of the movement performed by the transport unit immediately before the first defective nozzle forms the first raster line by an integer multiple of the nozzle pitch from the first distance, or control of changing a distance of the movement performed by the transport unit immediately before the second defective nozzle forms the second raster line by an integer multiple of the nozzle pitch from the first distance is performed.

Assignees

• Seiko Epson Corp

Inventors

• Toshima Kazuya

Classifications

• 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

• B41J2/2139

  Compensation for malfunctioning nozzles creating dot place or dot size errors (generating single droplets or particles on demand by pressure, e.g. electromechanical transducers B41J2/045) · CPC title

• B41J2/155

  for line printing · CPC title

• B41J29/393

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

• B41J2/165

  Prevention {or detection} of nozzle clogging, e.g. cleaning, capping or moistening for nozzles · CPC title