US 10,538,108 B2Granted

Liquid droplet discharging apparatus, and pattern reading method of liquid droplet discharging apparatus

AssigneeSeiko Epson Corporation

InventorSo Yokota

Life of this patent

Estimating the term…

Loading patent…

Abstract

A liquid droplet discharging apparatus includes a printing unit that moves a discharging head in a scanning direction and prints a test pattern on a medium by discharging a liquid droplets from nozzles of the discharging head, a transporting unit that intermittently transports the medium in a transporting direction, and a reading unit that reads the test pattern. The printing unit prints the test pattern by overlapping a transportation reference pattern and a transportation deviation pattern, in order to correct at least any one of a transportation amount of the medium being transported by the transporting unit and a discharging position to which the liquid droplets are discharged from the nozzles. The reading unit reads a completed part of the test pattern at the same time as printing the test pattern by the printing unit.

Claims4

Dependent claims

A liquid droplet discharging apparatus comprising:

a printing unit configured to:
move a discharging head in a scanning direction, the discharging head comprising a nozzle row in which a plurality of nozzles configured to discharge liquid droplets are arranged, the nozzles being arranged in a row direction that is different from the scanning direction, and
print a test pattern on a medium by discharging the liquid droplets from the discharging head;
a transporting unit configured to intermittently transport the medium in a transporting direction that is different from the scanning direction;
and
a reading unit configured to read the test pattern,
wherein the printing unit is configured to print the test pattern by overlapping a reference pattern and a deviation pattern deviated with respect to the reference pattern, in order to correct at least any one of (i) a transportation amount of the medium being intermittently transported by the transporting unit per transportation, and (ii) a discharging position to which the liquid droplets are discharged from the nozzles, and
wherein the reading unit is configured to read a completed part of the test pattern at the same time during which the test pattern is printed by the printing unit,
wherein the printing unit is configured to print the reference pattern by discharging the liquid droplets from a part of an upstream side nozzle positioned on an upstream side in the transporting direction among the nozzles,
wherein the printing unit is configured to print the deviation pattern by discharging the liquid droplets from a part of a downstream side nozzle positioned on a downstream side in the transporting direction among the nozzles, and
wherein a first length from a center of a reading region where the reading unit reads the medium to a center of the downstream side nozzle is an integral multiple of a second length from a center of the upstream side nozzle to the center of the downstream side nozzle in the transporting direction.

8 more elements

A pattern reading method for a liquid droplet discharging apparatus that comprises a printing unit configured to move a discharging head in a scanning direction, the discharging head comprising a nozzle row in which a plurality of nozzles configured to discharge liquid droplets are arranged, the nozzles being arranged in a row direction that is different from the scanning direction, and to print a test pattern on a medium by discharging the liquid droplets from the discharging head, a transporting unit configured to intermittently transport the medium in a transporting direction that is different from the scanning direction, and a reading unit configured to read the test pattern, the method comprising:

causing the printing unit to print the test pattern by overlapping a reference pattern and a deviation pattern deviated with respect to the reference pattern, in order to correct at least any one of (i) a transportation amount of the medium being intermittently transported by the transporting unit per transportation, and (ii) a discharging position to which the liquid droplets are discharged from the nozzles;
and
causing the reading unit to read a completed part of the test pattern at the same time during which the test pattern is printed by the printing unit,
wherein the printing unit is caused to print the reference pattern by discharging the liquid droplets from a part of an upstream side nozzle positioned on an upstream side in the transporting direction among the nozzles,
wherein the printing unit is caused to print the deviation pattern by discharging the liquid droplets from a part of a downstream side nozzle positioned on a downstream side in the transporting direction among the nozzles, and
wherein a first length from a center of a reading region where the reading unit reads the medium to a center of the downstream side nozzle is an integral multiple of a second length from a center of the upstream side nozzle to the center of the downstream side nozzle in the transporting direction.

3 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 15/926,695Filed 20 Mar 2018
Priority: JP 2017-05713923 Mar 2017
Published: US 2018/0272746 A127 Sep 2018
Granted: 21 Jan 2020
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification7 codes

B41J 2/2142
Print quality control characterised by dot disposition, e.g. for reducing white stripes or banding: detection of malfunctioning nozzles
B41J 2/15
Arrangement thereof: for serial printing
B41J 2/2135
Print quality control characterised by dot disposition, e.g. for reducing white stripes or banding: alignment of dots
B41J 11/42
Blanking or long feeds; Feeding to a particular line, e.g. by rotation of platen or feed roller: controlling printing material conveyance for…