Head voltage correcting method for inkjet printing apparatus, an apparatus using same, and a program thereof

An inkjet printing apparatus for printing on a printing medium by dispensing ink droplets thereto, the apparatus comprising:

• a head including a plurality of head modules arranged in a direction perpendicular to a transport direction of the printing medium, each of the head modules having a plurality of nozzles for dispensing the ink droplets;
• a transporting device disposed in a position spaced from and opposed to the head for transporting the printing medium;
• and
• a printing controller for printing testing charts on the printing medium, the testing charts including
• a lowest density head module check pattern printed by using, as a drive voltage, a reference voltage set beforehand for each of the head modules;
• satellite check patterns printed with respective drive voltages along the transport direction while changing the drive voltage at predetermined steps from the reference voltage for each of the head modules;
• band-by-band density variable patterns printed by one of the head modules, by using a certain drive voltage over a predetermined length in the transport direction, while changing the drive voltage at a predetermined step for each predetermined length in the transport direction;
• and
• in-band density variable patterns printed by a head module adjacent the one of the head modules, while changing the drive voltage at a predetermined step within the predetermined length in the transport direction of the band-by-band density variable patterns;
• wherein, from the lowest density head module check pattern, a head module with minimum density is determined to be a lowest density head module;
• from the satellite check patterns, the drive voltage which does not cause the lowest density head module to produce satellites is determined to be a satellite-free drive voltage, and the satellite-free drive voltage is determined to be a new reference voltage for the lowest density head module;
• and
• regarding the band-by-band density variable patterns printed by using the satellite-free drive voltage among the band-by-band density variable patterns by the lowest density head module, and the in-band density variable patterns by the adjacent head module, a drive voltage of the in-band density variable patterns of the adjacent head module having density in agreement in the direction perpendicular to the transport direction is determined to be a new reference voltage for the adjacent head module, or regarding those printed by using the satellite-free drive voltage of the in-band density variable patterns by the lowest density head module, and the band-by-band density variable patterns by the adjacent head module, a drive voltage of the band-by-band density variable patterns of the adjacent head module having density in agreement in the direction perpendicular to the transport direction is determined to be a new reference voltage for the adjacent head module,
• where there is a further adjacent head module provided adjacent the adjacent head module,
• regarding those printed by using the new reference voltage for the adjacent head module of the in-band density variable patterns by the adjacent head module, and the band-by-band density variable patterns by the further adjacent head module, among the band-by-band density variable patterns by the further adjacent head module adjacent the adjacent head module, a drive voltage of the band-by-band density variable patterns of the further adjacent head module having density in agreement in the direction perpendicular to the transport direction is determined to be a new reference voltage for the further adjacent head module,
• or regarding those printed by using the new reference voltage for the adjacent head module of the band-by-band density variable patterns by the adjacent head module, and the in-band density variable patterns by the further adjacent head module, among the in-band density variable patterns by the further adjacent head module adjacent the adjacent head module, a drive voltage of the in-band density variable patterns of the further adjacent head module having density in agreement in the direction perpendicular to the transport direction is determined to be a new reference voltage for the further adjacent head module.

A head voltage correcting program for inkjet printing apparatus which perform printing on a printing medium with a head having a plurality of head modules, each with a plurality of nozzles for dispensing ink droplets, the head modules being arranged in a direction perpendicular to a transport direction of the printing medium, the program comprising the following processes executed by a controller:

• a testing chart printing process for printing testing charts on the printing medium, the testing charts including:
• a lowest density head module check pattern printed by using, as a drive voltage, a reference voltage set beforehand for each of the head modules;
• satellite check patterns printed with respective drive voltages along the transport direction while changing the drive voltage at predetermined steps from the reference voltage for each of the head modules;
• band-by-band density variable patterns printed by one of the head modules, each by using a certain drive voltage over a predetermined length in the transport direction, which patterns being printed while changing the drive voltage at predetermined steps for each predetermined length in the transport direction;
• and
• in-band density variable patterns printed by a head module adjacent the one of the head modules, each of which patterns is printed by changing the drive voltage at predetermined steps within the predetermined length in the transport direction of the band-by-band density variable patterns;
• a lowest density head module determining process for determining, from the lowest density head module check pattern, a head module with minimum density to be a lowest density head module;
• a satellite-free drive voltage determining process for determining, from the satellite check patterns, the drive voltage which does not cause the lowest density head module to produce satellites, to be a satellite-free drive voltage, and determining the satellite-free drive voltage to be a new reference voltage for the lowest density head module;
• and
• a new reference voltage determining process, regarding the band-by-band density variable patterns printed by using the satellite-free drive voltage among the band-by-band density variable patterns by the lowest density head module, and the in-band density variable patterns by the adjacent head module, for determining a drive voltage of the in-band density variable patterns of the adjacent head module having density in agreement in the direction perpendicular to the transport direction to be a new reference voltage for the adjacent head module, or regarding those printed by using the satellite-free drive voltage of the in-band density variable patterns by the lowest density head module, and the band-by-band density variable patterns by the adjacent head module, for determining a drive voltage of the band-by-band density variable patterns of the adjacent head module having density in agreement in the direction perpendicular to the transport direction to be a new reference voltage for the adjacent head module,
• where there is a further adjacent head module provided adjacent the adjacent head module,
• regarding those printed by using the new reference voltage for the adjacent head module of the in-band density variable patterns by the adjacent head module, and the band-by-band density variable patterns by the further adjacent head module, among the band-by-band density variable patterns by the further adjacent head module adjacent the adjacent head module, for determining a drive voltage of the band-by-band density variable patterns of the further adjacent head module having density in agreement in the direction perpendicular to the transport direction to be a new reference voltage for the further adjacent head module, or regarding those printed by using the new reference voltage for the adjacent head module of the band-by-band density variable patterns by the adjacent head module, and the in-band density variable patterns by the further adjacent head module, among the in-band density variable patterns by the further adjacent head module adjacent the adjacent head module, for determining a drive voltage of the in-band density variable patterns of the further adjacent head module having density in agreement in the direction perpendicular to the transport direction to be a new reference voltage for the further adjacent head module.

A head voltage correcting method for inkjet printing apparatus which perform printing with a head having a first and a second head modules, each having a plurality of nozzles for dispensing ink droplets, on a printing medium moving relative to the head, the method comprising:

• a lowest density head module determining step for causing the first and second head modules to print lowest density head module check patterns on the printing medium by applying a reference voltage to each of the first and second head modules, and determining a lowest density head module capable of printing on the printing medium in lower density between the first and second head modules by determining one of the lowest density head module check patterns having the lower density between the lowest density head module check patterns;
• a satellite-free drive voltage determining step for causing the lowest density head module to print a plurality of satellite check patterns on the printing medium by applying thereto a plurality of different strength drive voltages lower than the reference voltage, identifying a satellite-free pattern from the plurality of satellite check patterns, and determining the drive voltage of the time when the satellite-free pattern to be a satellite-free drive voltage;
• a reference pattern determining step for determining the satellite-free pattern to be a reference pattern;
• and
• a new reference voltage determining step for causing a non-lowest density head module, which does not correspond to the lowest density head module of the first and second head modules, to print a plurality of density variable patterns on the printing medium by applying thereto a plurality of different strength drive voltages lower than the satellite-free drive voltage, identifying a pattern with the same density as the reference pattern from among the density variable patterns, setting the drive voltage of the time when the density pattern as new reference voltage for the non-lowest density head module, and setting the satellite-free drive voltage as new reference voltage for the lowest density head module.