US 6,783,201 B2 · Ink jet printing appartus for identifying ejection error

Abstract

This invention provides a printing apparatus which has an ink ejection head capable of forming an image at high resolution and still can reliably identify a location where an ink ejection error has occurred without using an expensive image reading device. This printing apparatus has a distance adjusting device to change a distance between the ink ejection head and the print medium, and a controller to set a plurality of different distances by controlling the distance adjusting device. The controller controls the distance adjusting device to selectively set either a first distance that produces a normal printed image having within a predetermined range a landing error on the print medium of ink droplets ejected from the print head or a second distance that produces a landing error greater than the predetermined range.

Claims11

Dependent claims

A printing apparatus for ejecting ink droplets from an ink ejection means onto a print medium to form an image, the printing apparatus comprising:

generation means for generating detection pattern data to detect an ink ejection deviation, the ink ejection deviation being a deviation of a landing position of the ink droplets ejected on the printing medium by the ink ejection means;
detection means for detecting the deviation of the landing position based on the detection pattern data;
distance adjusting means to change a distance between the ink ejection means and the print medium;
and
control means to set a plurality of different distances by controlling the distance adjusting means,
wherein the control means controls the distance adjusting means such that in a case where a detection pattern is formed in order to detect the landing position of ink droplets, the distance between the ink ejection means and the print medium is set to a second distance which is greater than a first distance for performing normal printing.

3 more elements

A printing apparatus for ejecting ink droplets from an ink ejection means onto a print medium to form an image, the printing apparatus comprising:

generation means for generating detection pattern data to detect an ink ejection deviation, the ink ejection deviation being a deviation of a landing position of the ink droplets ejected on the printing medium by the ink ejection means;
detection means for detecting the deviation of the landing position based on the detection pattern data;
distance adjusting means to change a distance between the ink ejection means and the print medium;
and
control means to set a plurality of different distances by controlling the distance adjusting means,
wherein the control means controls the distance adjusting means such that in a case where a detection pattern is formed in order to detect the landing position of ink droplets, the distance between the ink ejection means and the print medium is set to a second distance which is greater than a first distance for obtaining a normal printed image, and the first distance results in a landing error within a predetermined range while the second distance results in a landing error greater than the predetermined range.

3 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Ink jet printing appartus for identifying ejection error

Life of this patent

Ink jet printing appartus for identifying ejection error

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims11