Line type liquid discharge apparatus, control method of line type liquid discharge apparatus, and device driver, and printing system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9352558-B2
Application number	US-201514818666-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 5, 2015
Priority date	Aug 6, 2014
Publication date	May 31, 2016
Grant date	May 31, 2016

Abstract

The degree of thickening of ink for each of nozzles based on dot pattern data is calculated based on a thickening value Z (n+1)=Z (n)×a×bs s ×bm m ×bl l , and information the dot pattern data corresponding to the nozzle, which indicates that small dots are formed in when the thickening value is equal to or greater than a threshold is replaced with information indicating that middle dots which are larger than the small dots are formed. On the other hand, in a case where the thickening value is returned to be smaller than the threshold (a previous state) when after the thickening value becomes equal to or greater than the threshold, information of the dot pattern data corresponding to the nozzle, which indicates that the small dots are formed is maintained as it is without being replaced.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A line type liquid discharge apparatus comprising:
a line type liquid discharge head that includes a plurality of nozzles, discharges a liquid from the nozzles by driving of an actuator, and then forms dots with impacted liquids on an impacted object;
a driving waveform generation circuit that generates a driving waveform for driving the actuator; and
a control circuit that controls discharging of the liquid by the line type liquid discharge head based on discharge data including information indicating a size of a dot formed on the impacted object,
wherein the control circuit calculates degree of thickening of the liquid for each of the nozzles, discharges relatively large dots compared to small dots to an area on which relatively the smallest dots are supposed to be formed from the nozzles based on the discharge data when the degree of thickening of the liquid in the nozzle becomes a first state which is determined in advance, and discharges relatively the smallest dots to an area on which relatively the smallest dots are supposed to be formed based on the discharge data when the degree of thickening after becoming the first state returns to become a second state before becoming in the first state.

2. The line type liquid discharge apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein when n is set to a natural number including 0, Z (0) is set to a constant indicating an initial value of the degree of thickening, a is set to a constant which is determined based on liquid characteristics, bs, bm, and bl are set to constants respectively relating to the small dot, a middle dot which is larger than the small dot, and a large dot which is larger than the middle dot, and s, m, and l are set to numbers of discharged ink droplets of each of the small dot, the middle dot, and the large dot during an n-th discharge period, the degree of thickening in a predetermined discharge period is represented by the following Expression.
Z ( n+ 1)= Z ( n )× a×bs s ×bm m ×bl l

3. A control method of a line type liquid discharge apparatus which includes a line type liquid discharge head that includes a plurality of nozzles, discharge a liquid from the nozzles by driving of an actuator, and then forms dots with impacted liquids on an impacted object; a driving waveform generation circuit that generates a driving waveform for driving the actuator; and a control circuit that controls discharging of the liquid by the line type liquid discharge head based on discharge data including information indicating a size of dot formed on the impacted object, the method comprising:
calculating degree of thickening of a liquid for each of the nozzles;
discharging relatively large dots compared to small dots to an area on which relatively the smallest dots are supposed to be formed based on the discharge data from the nozzles when the degree of thickening of the liquid in the nozzle becomes a first state which is determined in advance; and
discharging relatively the smallest dots based on the discharge data to an area on which relatively the smallest dots are supposed to be formed when the degree of thickening after becoming the first state returns to become a second state before becoming in the first state.

4. A device driver that is executable in a host apparatus which is communicatably connected to a line type liquid discharge head that includes a plurality of nozzles, discharges a liquid from the nozzles by driving of an actuator, and then forms dots with impacted liquids on an impacted object, the device driver causing the host apparatus to execute:
generating discharge data which includes information indicating a size of dots formed on an impacted object from job data for causing the line type liquid discharge apparatus to execute a liquid discharge operation;
calculating degree of thickening of a liquid based on the discharge data for each of the nozzles;
replacing information of the discharge data corresponding to nozzles, which indicates that relatively smallest dots are formed with information indicating that dots which are larger than small dots are formed when the degree of thickening of the liquid in the nozzle becomes a first state which is determined in advance; and
maintaining the information of the discharge data corresponding to nozzles, which indicates that small dots are formed without being replaced when the degree of thickening after becoming the first state returns to become a second state before becoming in the first state.

5. A printing system that is formed of a host apparatus and a line type liquid discharge apparatus which is communicatably connected to the host apparatus,
wherein the line type liquid discharge apparatus includes a line type liquid discharge head that includes a plurality of nozzles, discharges a liquid from the nozzles by driving of an actuator, and then forms dots with impacted liquids on an impacted object; and a driving waveform generation circuit that generates a driving waveform for driving the actuator,
wherein the driving waveform generation circuit generates a driving waveform in accordance with a size of a dot which is formed on the impacted object, and
the host apparatus executes a device driver relating to a liquid discharging operation in the line type liquid discharge apparatus, and
wherein the device driver causing the host apparatus to execute:
generating discharge data including information indicating the size of dots formed on the impacted object from job data for causing the line type liquid discharge apparatus to execute a liquid discharge operation;
calculating degree of thickening of a liquid based on the discharge data for each of the nozzles;
replacing information indicating that relatively smallest dots are formed in the discharge data corresponding to nozzles with information indicating that dots which are larger than small dots are formed when the degree of thickening of the liquid in the nozzle becomes a first state which is determined in advance; and
maintaining the information of the discharge data corresponding to nozzles, which indicates that small dots are formed without being replaced when the degree of thickening after becoming the first state returns to become a second state before becoming in the first state.

Assignees

• Seiko Epson Corp

Inventors

• Zhang Junhua

Classifications

• B41J2/04581 Primary

  controlling heads based on piezoelectric elements · 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

• B41J2/04588

  using a specific waveform · CPC title

• B41J2/16526

  by applying pressure only · CPC title

• B41J2/04593

  Dot-size modulation by changing the size of the drop · CPC title