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US 11,691,437 B2Granted
Modifying image data to compensate for defective printer nozzles
AssigneeElectronics for Imaging, Inc.
InventorSteven Billow
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
The disclosed embodiments include a method to compensate for defective printer nozzles. The method can include detecting a defective printer nozzle and initiating a print job including image data of the defective printer nozzle for a pixel location of an image. The image is to be printed in accordance with a print mask that maps printer nozzles to pixel locations of the image. The method can include modifying the image to print the image data in a neighboring pixel location relative to the pixel location of the image and printing the modified image.
Claims13
A printer system comprising:
- a plurality of printer nozzles that are able to eject ink onto a medium;
- a processor;
- and
- memory containing instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the printer system to:
- detect a defective printer nozzle among the plurality of printer nozzles;
- initiate a print job that includes image data to be used to print an image formed of raster rows and raster columns on the medium in accordance with a print mask,
- wherein the print mask maps the defective printer nozzle to a pixel at a first location;
- modify the image such that the pixel is printed by another printer nozzle of the plurality of printer nozzles at a second location,
- wherein the other printer nozzle is able to eject ink onto the medium in the same raster rows as the defective printer nozzle but in opposite odd or even positions;
- and
- print the modified image.
8 more elements
A printer system comprising:
- a plurality of printer nozzles that are able to eject ink onto a medium;
- a processor;
- and
- memory containing instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the printer system to:
- detect that a first printer nozzle of the plurality of printer nozzles is defective,
- identify image data that is associated with a print job to be printed by the printer system,
- wherein the image data includes a first pixel assigned to the first printer nozzle for printing at a first pixel location;
- enumerate a list of fully and partially complementary nozzles for the first printer nozzle;
- and
- cause the first pixel to be routed to a second printer nozzle of the plurality of printer nozzles, selected from among the list of fully and partially complementary nozzles, for printing at a second pixel location adjacent to the first pixel location.
7 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.