Printing Control Apparatus and Printing Control Method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016229178-A1
Application number	US-201615004013-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Jan 22, 2016
Priority date	Feb 9, 2015
Publication date	Aug 11, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

A printing control apparatus includes a defective nozzle detecting section that detects a defective nozzle included in the plurality of nozzles; and a complementing section that forms a complementary dot which complements dots of a first raster to be recorded using the defective nozzle on at least one of a second raster and the first raster using a complementary nozzle included in the plurality of nozzles. The complementing section includes an adjusting section which sets main scanning being performed after the defective nozzle is detected as a first main scanning, sets main scanning being performed M times after the defective nozzle is detected as a M-th main scanning, and allows a usage rate of ink in the first main scanning to be greater than a usage rate of ink in the M-th main scanning, regarding the usage rate of ink discharged using the same complementary nozzle.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A printing control apparatus for a printing section that repeats main scanning in which a plurality of nozzles discharging ink droplets and an object to be printed are reciprocated in a main scanning direction, reciprocates the plurality of nozzles and the object to be printed in a sub scanning direction between one and the other of the main scanning, and forms dots of a raster in the main scanning direction by performing the main scanning M times (M is integer of two or more), the apparatus comprising:
a defective nozzle detecting section that detects a defective nozzle included in the plurality of nozzles; and a complementing section that forms a complementary dot which complements dots of a first raster to be recorded using the defective nozzle on at least one of a second raster and the first raster using a complementary nozzle included in the plurality of nozzles, wherein the complementing section includes an adjusting section which sets main scanning being performed after the defective nozzle is detected as a first main scanning, sets main scanning being performed M times after the defective nozzle is detected as a M-th main scanning, and allows a usage rate of ink in the first main scanning to be greater than a usage rate of ink in the M-th main scanning, regarding the usage rate of ink discharged using the same complementary nozzle.

2 . The printing control apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein the adjusting section sets main scanning after the first main scanning as a second main scanning, and allows the usage rate of ink in the first main scanning to be greater than the usage rate of ink in the second main scanning, regarding the usage rate of ink discharged using the same complementary nozzle.

3 . The printing control apparatus according to claim 2 ,
wherein the M-th means three times or more, and wherein the adjusting section sets the main scanning after the second main scanning as a third main scanning, and allows the usage rate of ink in the second main scanning to be greater than the usage rate of ink in the third main scanning, regarding the usage rate of ink discharged using the same complementary nozzle.

4 . The printing control apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein the adjusting section allows the usage rate of ink in the main scanning after the M-th main scanning to be constant, regarding the usage rate of ink discharged using the same complementary nozzle.

5 . The printing control apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein the complementary nozzle includes a first raster complementary nozzle for forming the complementary dot on the first raster, and a second raster complementary nozzle for forming the complementary dot on the second raster, and wherein, in the same main scanning, the adjusting section allows the usage rate of ink discharged using the first raster complementary nozzle to be greater than the usage rate of ink discharged using the second raster complementary nozzle.

6 . A printing control method for a printing section that repeats main scanning in which a plurality of nozzles discharging ink droplets and an object to be printed are reciprocated in a main scanning direction, reciprocates the plurality of nozzles and the object to be printed in a sub scanning direction between one and the other of the main scanning, and forms dots of a raster in the main scanning direction by performing the main scanning M times (M is integer of two or more), the method comprising:
detecting a defective nozzle included in the plurality of nozzles; and forming a complementary dot which complements dots of a first raster to be recorded using the defective nozzle on at least one of a second raster and the first raster using a complementary nozzle included in the plurality of nozzles, wherein the forming includes setting main scanning which is performed after the defective nozzle is detected as a first main scanning, setting main scanning which is performed M times after the defective nozzle is detected as a M-th main scanning, and allowing a usage rate of ink in the first main scanning to be greater than a usage rate of ink in the M-th main scanning, regarding the usage rate of ink discharged using the same complementary nozzle.

Assignees

• Seiko Epson Corp

Inventors

• Fukazawa Masahiro
• Sato Akito
• Sudo Naoki
• Sato Hiroki

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

• B41J2/2132 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

• B41J2/0451 Primary

  for detecting failure, e.g. clogging, malfunctioning actuator · CPC title

• B41J2/04586

  controlling heads of a type not covered by groups B41J2/04575 - B41J2/04585, or of an undefined type · CPC title