Detection Of Missing Nozzle For An Inkjet Printhead

A method for detecting a defective nozzle in a printhead, comprising:

• performing maintenance on the print head by sequentially firing the nozzles of the printhead;
• during each said nozzle firing, receiving acoustical energy associated with the presence or absence of a respective ink droplet;
• determining whether each of the nozzles are operable or defective based at least in part on the received acoustical energy;
• and
• firing the defective nozzle repeatedly if the nozzle is determined to be operating improperly.

A printer having a printhead for ejecting ink from a plurality of nozzles, comprising;

• a printer controller;
• said controller configured to carry out a printhead maintenance routine where each nozzle is sequentially fired to eject ink;
• said controller configured to receive a signal representative of an acoustical signal occurring during the sequential firing of each nozzle;
• and
• said controller further configured to process the representative signals to determine whether each nozzle is ejecting ink.