High throughput parallel drop detection scheme
AssigneeHewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.
InventorsJose Luis Valero, Francesc Subirada
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Abstract
The present invention is directed to a method and apparatus for testing the operational status of printhead nozzles. High throughput drop detection devices are used to detected ink drops that are fired from the printhead nozzles, and the operational status is determined from the ink drop characteristics. The ink drop characteristics may include the presence or absence of an ink drop. Ink drop characteristics may also include the size and the location of an ink drop. The drop detection devices are capable of detecting a plurality of ink drops that are ejected substantially simultaneously.
Claims24
A method for ascertaining the operational status of printhead nozzles, the method comprising:
- firing a plurality of the nozzles substantially simultaneously;
- detecting the substantially simultaneously fired ink drops;
- and
- determining a status of each of the plurality of printhead nozzles based on results from the detecting step.
A drop detection arrangement for monitoring a plurality of printhead nozzles, the arrangement comprising:
- a printhead arrangement with at least one printhead, each printhead comprising a plurality of nozzles;
- a drop detector for detecting ink drops substantially simultaneously ejected from the plurality of nozzles;
- and
- a microprocessor configured to determine the nozzle status of each of the plurality of nozzles based on the detected ink drops.
A method for testing the nozzles of a printhead arrangement, the method comprising:
- selecting a group of nozzles to be fired;
- substantially simultaneously firing ink drops from the selected nozzles;
- and
- detecting the substantially simultaneously fired ink drops;
- determining the status of each of the selected nozzles based on the detection of the ink drops.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.