Image forming apparatus, information processing device, and image forming method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9782987-B2
Application number	US-201514876385-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 6, 2015
Priority date	Oct 8, 2014
Publication date	Oct 10, 2017
Grant date	Oct 10, 2017

Abstract

An image forming apparatus includes an image forming unit having at least two nozzle lines each having multiple nozzles to discharge different color droplets; a carriage that carries the image forming unit and is configured to reciprocate in the moving direction crossing an arrangement direction of the nozzles; and a control device to control dual-directional printing to form an image using the at least two nozzle lines in an outward and a return of the carriage. The control device executes color difference handling print control for discharging the different color droplets by using, of each of the nozzles in the at least two nozzle lines, the nozzles located at different positions in the arrangement direction of the nozzles while not overlapping in the moving direction of the carriage.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An image forming apparatus comprising:
an image forming unit comprising plural nozzle lines to discharge different color droplets, each nozzle line having multiple nozzles arranged in a nozzle arrangement direction;
a carriage that carries the image forming unit and is configured to reciprocate in a moving direction crossing the nozzle arrangement direction of the nozzles; and
a control device to control dual-directional printing to form an image using the plural nozzle lines in an outward direction and a return direction of the carriage,
wherein at least two non-adjacent nozzle lines amongst the plural nozzle lines discharge droplets of same color,
wherein the control device executes color difference handling print control to control the image forming unit to discharge the different color droplets by using, amongst all of the nozzles in the plural nozzle lines, plural nozzles located at different positions in the arrangement direction of the nozzles while not overlapping in the moving direction of the carriage, and
wherein amongst each pair of adjacent nozzles of respective nozzle lines amongst the plural nozzle lines, one nozzle, amongst the pair of adjacent nozzles and in one nozzle line, is shifted in the nozzle arrangement direction relative to the other nozzle, amongst the pair of adjacent nozzles and in the adjacent nozzle line that is adjacent to the one nozzle line, and
the control device selectively controls discharge by the pair of adjacent nozzles of respective nozzle lines such that when the one nozzle is ejecting while the carriage moves in the outward direction, the other nozzle which is adjacent to, and is shifted in the nozzle arrangement direction relative to, the one nozzle is not ejecting, and when the other nozzle is ejecting while the carriage moves in the return direction, the one nozzle which is adjacent to the other nozzle is not ejecting.

2. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the control device selectively uses the nozzles each having a nozzle resolution less than a nozzle resolution N in the color difference handling print control, where the nozzle resolution N represents a resolution obtained when the droplets are discharged with a nozzle distance in the arrangement direction of the nozzles.

3. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the control device determines whether to execute the color difference handling print control depending on a kind of printed images.

4. The image forming apparatus according to claim 3 , wherein the color difference handling print control is executed when the printed images are images or fill image.

5. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein whether a color causing a color difference is contained in an input image or printed image in the dual-directional printing is determined and the color difference handling print control is executed when the color causing a color difference is contained.

6. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the control device determines whether a color causing a color difference equal to or greater than a value is contained in an input image or printed image in the dual-directional printing and the control device executes the color difference handling print control when the color causing a color difference greater than the value is contained.

7. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein an input image or a print image is separated into an area including a color causing a color difference in the dual-directional printing and an area including no color causing a color difference therein and the control device executes the color difference handling print control in the area including the color causing a color difference.

8. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein an input image or a print image is separated into an area including a color causing a color difference equal to or greater than a value in the dual-directional printing and an area including no color causing a color difference equal to or greater than the value therein and the control device executes the color difference handling print control in the area including the color causing a color difference equal to or greater than the value.

9. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein two or more nozzle lines discharge black droplets and other nozzle lines discharge color droplets.

10. An information processing device to create print data for an image forming apparatus including:
a carriage carrying an image forming unit that has plural nozzle lines to discharge different color droplets, each nozzle line having multiple nozzles arranged in a nozzle arrangement direction,
wherein at least two non-adjacent nozzle lines amongst the plural nozzle lines discharge droplets of same color, and
wherein the carriage reciprocates in a direction crossing the nozzle arrangement direction of the nozzles, and dual directional printing by the image forming unit is controlled based on the print data created by the information processing device in which an image is formed in an outward direction and a return direction of the carriage to discharge droplets of each color by using, amongst all of the nozzles in the plural nozzle lines, plural nozzles located at different positions in the arrangement direction of the nozzles while not overlapping in the direction of movement of the carriage,
wherein amongst each pair of adjacent nozzles of respective nozzle lines amongst the plural nozzle lines, one nozzle, amongst the pair of adjacent nozzles and in one nozzle line, is shifted in the nozzle arrangement direction relative to the other nozzle, amongst the pair of adjacent nozzles and in the adjacent nozzle line that is adjacent to the one nozzle line, and
discharge by the pair of adjacent nozzles of respective nozzle lines is controlled based on the print data created by the information processing device such that when the one nozzle is ejecting while the carriage moves in the outward direction, the other nozzle which is adjacent to, and is shifted in the nozzle arrangement direction relative to, the one nozzle is not ejecting, and when the other nozzle is ejecting while the carriage moves in the return direction, the one nozzle which is adjacent to the other nozzle is not ejecting.

11. An image forming method comprising:
dual-directionally printing an image in an outward direction and a return direction of a carriage that carries an image forming unit having plural nozzle lines to discharge different color droplets and reciprocates in a moving direction crossing a nozzle arrangement direction of the nozzles, each nozzle line having multiple nozzles in the nozzle arrangement direction,
wherein at least two non-adjacent nozzle lines amongst the plural nozzle lines discharge droplets of same color; and
performing color difference handling print control in the dual-directional printing to control the image forming unit to discharge the different color droplets by using, amongst all of the nozzles in the plural nozzle lines, plural nozzles located at different positions in the arrangement direction of the nozzles while not overlapping in the moving direction of the carriage,
wherein amongst each pair of adjacent nozzles of respective nozzle lines amongst the plural nozzle lines, one nozzle, amongst the pair of adjacent nozzles and in one nozzle line, is shifted in the nozzle arrangement direction relative to the other nozzle, amongst the pair of adjacent nozzles and in the adjacent nozzle line that is adjacent to the one nozzle line, and
the color difference handling print control controls discharge by the pair of adjacent nozzles of r

Assignees

• Takagi Yasunobu
• Ricoh Co Ltd

Inventors

• Takagi Yasunobu

Classifications

• B41J2/2132

  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

• B41J2/2103

  Features not dealing with the colouring process per se, e.g. construction of printers or heads, driving circuit adaptations · CPC title

• B41J19/147 Primary

  Colour shift prevention · CPC title