Printing with multiple print heads
AssigneeSeiko Epson Corporation
InventorToyohiko Mitsuzawa
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Abstract
Controlling ejection of ink drops with a less number of temperature sensors than the number of print heads. The present invention is an printing apparatus for printing by ejecting ink drops onto a print medium. The printing apparatus comprises N print heads, M temperature sensors, and an ejection controller. M temperature sensors are allocated in the printing apparatus. An ejection controller is configured to control the ejection of he ink drops from at least part of the N print heads in response to an output of the M temperature sensors. The integer M is smaller than the integer N.
Claims4
A printing apparatus for printing by ejecting ink drops onto a print medium, the printing apparatus comprising:
- N print heads,
- wherein each of the N print heads ejects a plurality of colors of ink,
- wherein each of the N print heads comprises a plurality of nozzles associated with each of the plurality of colors of ink ejected by the print head, and
- wherein N is an integer of at least two;
- M temperature sensors, M being an integer of at least one;
- and
- an ejection controller which controls the ejection of the ink drops from at least one of the N print heads in response to an output of the M temperature sensors,
- wherein the integer M is smaller than the integer N
- wherein the N print heads are located at a plurality of positions of different elevations in the printing apparatus;
- and
- wherein the M temperature sensors are disposed at at least one of the plurality of positions of different elevations.
A method of printing by ejecting ink drops onto a print medium, the method comprising the steps of:
- (a) providing:
- N print heads,
- wherein each of the N print heads ejects a plurality of colors of ink,
- wherein each of the N print heads comprises a plurality of nozzles associated with each of the plurality of colors of ink ejected by the print head, and
- wherein N is an integer of at least two;
- and
- M temperature sensors, M being an integer of at least one;
- and
- (b) controlling the ejection of the ink drops from at least one of the N print heads in response to an output of the M temperature sensors,
- wherein the integer M is smaller than the integer N,
- wherein the plurality of colors of ink ejected from each of the N print heads is every color of ink available in the printing apparatus;
- wherein the N print heads are located at a plurality of positions of different elevations;
- and
- wherein the M temperature sensors are located at at least one of the plurality of positions of different elevations.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.