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US 8,297,728 B2Granted
Open loop print speed control
AssigneeXerox Corporation
InventorsAustin Lloyd Richards, William Bruce Weaver, Michael Kenneth Oehl
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Abstract
A method enables adjustment of a print speed for a phase change ink imaging device with reference to an ink level sensor in a print head reservoir indicating an open loop or a closed loop state. The adjustment may also be made with reference to a measured image density, which may be a rolling solid area coverage average.
Claims6
A method for controlling print speed of an imaging device, the method comprising:
- measuring an image density of at least a portion of a print job for the imaging device;
- detecting a state of a level sensor for an ink level in a print head reservoir in the imaging device, the detected state indicating an open loop state or a closed loop state;
- generating an estimate of a volume of ink in the print head reservoir with reference to the detected state of the level sensor;
- comparing the estimate of the volume of ink to a threshold value;
- adjusting a current print speed of the imaging device to a target speed in response to the estimate of the ink volume being less than the threshold value;
- modifying the estimate of the volume of ink with an amount corresponding to a volume of melted ink added to the print head reservoir;
- and
- transitioning the current print speed of the imaging device to a speed that is greater than the target speed with reference to a damping constant in response to the estimate of the ink volume indicating an ink level in the print head reservoir contacts a sensor in the printhead.
5 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.