US 7,070,251 B2 · Method of adjusting the duration of printing pulses

Abstract

The present invention relates to a method of printing using dots of ink discharged from nozzles to form the image. To ensure quality and efficiency of printing, a feed back mechanism from the printhead is used, to provide real time readings on various parameters of the printhead. These readings are compared to a pulse parameter table, to adjust the parameter of the pulse to ensure quality and efficiency of the printing. The temperature of the printhead is sensed to allow the timing of the firing pulses to be adjusted to take into consideration the viscosity of the ink. The amount of voltage available to the pulse actuator can be sensed so that the pulse width can be adjusted to compensate for a flat battery or high voltage source. The resistivity of the actuator heater can be sensed so as to adjust the pulse widths to maintain a constant energy irrespective of the heater resistivity.

Claims5

Dependent claims

A method of controlling an image printed by a printhead having nozzles which discharge a dot of ink by means of a firing pulse generated by an actuator, said method comprising steps of:

generating a programmable pulse duration table for required ink;
loading said nozzles with ink;
sensing a temperature of the printhead;
feeding data on the temperature of the printhead into said pulse duration table;
sensing a voltage available to the actuator;
feeding data, on the available voltage, into said pulse duration table;
feeding an output from said pulse duration table to a pulse width generator;
thereby
pulsing each nozzle for an appropriate pulse duration, as determined by the pulse duration table in response to the feeding data.

6 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application

10/636,229Filed 8 Aug 2003 · division

Priority

AU PP70249 Nov 1998

Published

US 2004/0041867 A14 Mar 2004

Granted

4 Jul 2006

Term ends

Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification61 codes

B41J 2/04596
Control methods or devices therefor, e.g. driver circuits, control circuits: non-ejecting pulses
B41J 2/0452
Control methods or devices therefor, e.g. driver circuits, control circuits: reducing demand in current or voltage
B41J 2/04528
Control methods or devices therefor, e.g. driver circuits, control circuits: aiming at warming up the head
B41J 2/04543
Control methods or devices therefor, e.g. driver circuits, control circuits: block driving

Method of adjusting the duration of printing pulses

Life of this patent

Method of adjusting the duration of printing pulses

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims5