System and method for controlling inkjet operation in an inkjet printer using image content data
AssigneeGenesee Valley Innovations, LLC
InventorsSeemit Praharaj, Jason M. LeFevre, Douglas K. Herrmann, Varun Sambhy
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Abstract
A printer and method of operating the printer adjusts firing signal waveforms for inkjets that eject at least one ink drop into one or more ink images produced by the printer to reduce the ink drop variability of the ink drops ejected into the one or more images. A range of acceptable ink drop volumes is identified using a nominal ink drop volume and a maximum ink drop volume deviation. The firing signals for the inkjets outside of this identified range are adjusted to shift the ink drops ejected by these inkjets into the range of acceptable ink drop volumes.
Claims20
A printer comprising:
- a plurality of printheads, each printhead being configured to eject ink drops onto a substrate as the substrate passes each printhead in a process direction;
- a plurality of printhead drivers, each printhead driver being operatively connected to one of the printheads in the plurality of printheads in a one-to-one correspondence and each printhead driver being configured to operate inkjets within the one printhead operatively connected to the printhead driver;
- and
- a controller operatively connected to each printhead driver, the controller being configured to:
- receive ink image content data for an ink image to be printed in a print job;
- identify, based at least in part on the received ink image content data for the ink image to be printed, an inkjet to be operated during the print job, the inkjet configured to eject ink drops having a range of ink drop volumes about a nominal ink drop volume;
- identify a first firing signal for the inkjet to be operated during the print job, the first firing signal configured to eject ink drops having a first volume outside the range of ink drop volumes about the nominal ink drop volume;
- and
- identify a second firing signal for the inkjet to be operated during the print job, the second firing signal defining an adjustment of the first firing signal and configured to eject ink drops having a second volume within the range of ink drop volumes about the nominal ink drop volume;
- each printhead driver being further configured to generate the first firing signal and the second firing signal for the inkjet to be operated during the print job.
A method for operating a printer comprising:
- receiving ink image content data for each ink image to be printed in a print job;
- identifying inkjets in a plurality of printheads to be operated to eject ink drops during the print job, the ink drops having a volume about a nominal ink drop volume;
- identifying a first firing signal for the inkjets to be operated during the print job, the first firing signal configured to eject ink drops having a first volume outside a range of ink drop volumes about the nominal ink drop volume;
- identify a second firing signal for the inkjets to be operated during the print job, the second firing signal defining an adjustment of the first firing signal and configured to eject ink drops having a second volume within the range of ink drop volumes about the nominal ink drop volume;
- and
- generating the first firing signal and the second firing signal during the print job.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.