Printhead control system and inkjet printer system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9975329-B2
Application number	US-201515543543-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 24, 2015
Priority date	Apr 24, 2015
Publication date	May 22, 2018
Grant date	May 22, 2018

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to a printhead control system for a printer, wherein the printer includes at least one printhead comprising a plurality of nozzles for ejecting printing fluid, wherein the nozzles include high drop weight nozzles and low drop weight nozzles ejecting drops of different drop weight, and are each arranged to eject printing fluid on a print medium such as to print images in frame areas of the print medium and such as to clean nozzles in spit bar areas of the print medium; the printer further includes a transport unit for moving the print medium relative to the printhead, wherein the print medium includes frame areas for printing images and spit bar areas for cleaning the nozzles; the printhead control device including: a module to determine a first group of said nozzles located over a frame area of the print medium and a second group of said nozzles located over a spit bar area of the print medium; a module to operate the high drop weight nozzles of the first group such as to eject printing fluid and print an image in the frame area; a module to operate disable the low drop weight nozzles of the first group such as to not eject printing fluid in the frame area; and a module to operate the high drop weight nozzles and the low drop weight nozzles of the second group such as to alternately eject printing fluid in the spit bar area.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method for operating a printhead in a printer, wherein the printhead includes a plurality of nozzles for ejecting a printing fluid on a print medium, the nozzles comprise high drop weight nozzles and low drop weight nozzles ejecting drops of different drop weight, and arranged to eject printing fluid on the print medium such as to print images in frame areas of the print medium and such as to clean nozzles in spit bar areas of the print medium, the method comprising:
moving the print medium relative to the printhead;
determining a first group of said nozzles located over a frame area of the print medium and a second group of said nozzles located over a spit bar area of the print medium;
operating the high drop weight nozzles of the first group such as to eject printing fluid and print an image in the frame area;
disabling the low drop weight nozzles of the first group such as not to eject printing fluid in the frame area;
operating the high drop weight nozzles and the low drop weight nozzles of the second group such as to alternately eject printing fluid in the spit bar area.

2. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the high drop weight nozzles of the first group and the alternating nozzles of the second group are operated to eject printing fluid with the same firing frequency.

3. The method according to claim 2 , wherein the high drop weight nozzles of the first group and the alternating nozzles of the second group are operated to eject printing fluid with a firing frequency corresponding to a high speed mode of the inkjet printer.

4. The method according to claim 1 , wherein operating the high drop weight nozzles of one of said groups comprises ejecting printing fluid by firing nozzles comprised in a row of high drop weight nozzles.

5. The method according to claim 4 , wherein operating the first and second groups of nozzles comprises receiving column data defining a pattern of nozzles to be fired, and generating a header indicating the row of high drop weight nozzles for firing said pattern of nozzles in the spit bar area.

6. The method according to claim 1 , wherein operating the low drop weight nozzles of said second groups comprises ejecting printing fluid by firing nozzles comprised in a row of low drop weight nozzles.

7. The method according to claim 5 , wherein operating the first and second group of nozzles comprises receiving column data defining a pattern of nozzles to be fired, and generating a header indicating the row of low drop weight nozzles for firing said pattern of nozzles in the spit bar area.

8. A printhead control system for a printer, wherein the printer includes at least one printhead comprising a plurality of nozzles for ejecting printing fluid, wherein the nozzles include high drop weight nozzles and low drop weight nozzles ejecting drops of different drop weight, and arranged to eject printing fluid on a print medium such as to print images in frame areas of the print medium and such as to clean nozzles in spit bar areas of the print medium; the printer further includes a transport unit for moving the print medium relative to the printhead;
the printhead control device including:
a module to determine a first group of said nozzles located over a frame area of the print medium and a second group of said nozzles located over a spit bar area of the print medium;
a module to operate the high drop weight nozzles of the first group such as to eject printing fluid and print an image in the frame area;
a module to disable the low drop weight nozzles of the first group such as to not eject printing fluid in the frame area; and
a module to operate the high drop weight nozzles and the low drop weight nozzles of the second group such as to alternately eject printing fluid in the spit bar area.

9. The printhead control system according to claim 8 , further including a module to operate the high drop weight nozzles of the first group and the alternating nozzles of the second group to eject printing fluid with the same firing frequency.

10. The printhead control system according to claim 8 , further comprising a datapath FPGA receiving column data from a memory buffer, wherein the column data contains a pattern of nozzles to be fired by nozzles of a die of the printhead, the die comprises at least two trenches of nozzles, and each of the trenches comprises at least one row of high drop weight nozzles and at least one row of low drop weight nozzles.

11. The printhead control system according to claim 10 , wherein the datapath FPGA generates a header indicating the row of nozzles for firing said pattern of nozzles in the spit bar area.

12. The printhead control system according to claim 10 , wherein the printhead comprises a plurality of said dies, wherein the datapath FPGA receives one column data for each of the dies.

13. An inkjet printer system comprising:
at least one printhead including a plurality of nozzles for ejecting printing fluid, wherein the nozzles include high drop weight nozzles and low drop weight nozzles ejecting drops of different drop weight, and arranged to eject printing fluid on a print medium such as to print images in frame areas of the print medium and such as to clean nozzles in spit bar areas of the print medium;
a transport unit for moving the print medium relative to the printhead; and
a printhead control device including:
a module to determine a first group of said nozzles located in a frame area of the printing paper and a second group of said nozzles located in a spit bar area of the printing paper;
a module to operate the high drop weight nozzles of the first group such as to eject printing fluid and print an image in the frame area;
a module to disable the low drop weight nozzles of the first group such as not to eject printing fluid in the frame area;
a module to operate the high drop weight nozzles and the low drop weight nozzles of the second group such as to alternately eject printing fluid in the spit bar area, and
a module to operate the high drop weight nozzles of the first group of nozzles and the alternating nozzles of the second group of nozzles with the same firing frequency.

14. The inkjet printer system according to claim 13 , further comprising a datapath FPGA receiving column data from a memory buffer, wherein the column data contains a pattern of nozzles to be fired by nozzles of a die of the printhead, the die comprises at least two trenches of nozzles, and each of the trenches comprises at least one row of high drop weight nozzles and at least one row of low drop weight nozzles.

15. The inkjet printer system according to claim 14 , wherein the datapath FPGA generates a header indicating the row of nozzles for firing said pattern of nozzles in the spit bar area.

Assignees

• Hewlett Packard Development Co

Inventors

• Vidal Fortia Joan
• Abello Rosello Lluis
• Burns Ron

Classifications

• B41J2/145

  Arrangement thereof · CPC title

• B41J2/04586

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

• B41J2/04535 Primary

  involving calculation of drop size, weight or volume · CPC title

• 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

• B41J2/04551 Primary

  using several operating modes · CPC title