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US 8,770,718 B2Granted
Inkjet printer having switched firing of adjacent nozzles applying common color
AssigneeMarvell World Trade Ltd.
InventorsGregory F. Carlson, Steven Goss
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A printing system includes a printhead having adjacent inkjet nozzles for dispensing a common colored ink and a controller adapted to direct firing of the adjacent inkjet nozzles so that adjacent local areas using the common colored ink are printed on a printing medium with alternate firings of the adjacent inkjet nozzles.
Claims15
A printing system comprising:
- an array of nozzles forming a printhead including a first inkjet nozzle and a second inkjet nozzle, aligned in a column direction, that comprise a nozzle pair, wherein the nozzle pair is arranged such that the second inkjet nozzle is the closest inkjet nozzle to the first inkjet nozzle in the column direction and the first inkjet nozzle and the second inkjet nozzle are configured to dispense a common colored ink;
- wherein the image data is such that the first inkjet nozzle and the second inkjet nozzle are arranged in a logical pair for a local region of the image, wherein the length of the local region in the column direction is less than the length of the nozzle array that forms the printhead;
- a controller configured to implement a printing process comprising:
- receiving the image data, and
- alternating an activation of the first inkjet nozzle and the second inkjet nozzle with respect to the local region such that both the first inkjet nozzle and the second inkjet nozzle are activated to print the image date within the local region during the printing process.
2 more elements
A method for operating a printing system comprising:
- receiving image data;
- selecting, as part of a printing process, from an array of nozzles forming a printhead, a first inkjet nozzle and a second inkjet nozzle, aligned in a column direction, to form a nozzle pair of inkjet nozzles for printing at least a portion of the image data, wherein the nozzle pair is arranged such that the second inkjet nozzle is the closest inkjet nozzle to the first inkjet nozzle in the column direction;
- arranging the image data such that the first inkjet nozzle and the second inkjet nozzle form a logical pair for a local region of the image, wherein the length of the local region in the column direction is less than the length of the nozzle array that forms the printhead;
- activating, as part of the printing process for the local region, the first inkjet nozzle to print the portion of the image data on a printing medium while the second inkjet nozzle is in a non-activated state;
- and
- alternating, as part of the printing process for the local region, an activation of the nozzle pair by switching the first inkjet nozzle to the non-activated state and activating the second inkjet nozzle to print the portion of the image data on the printing medium, such that both the first inkjet nozzle and second inkjet nozzle are activated to print the portion of the image data during the printing process for the local region.
3 more elements
A printing method comprising:
- dispensing ink in a printing process corresponding to image data using, from an array of nozzles forming a printhead, a first inkjet nozzle and a second inkjet nozzle aligned in a column direction, wherein the first inkjet nozzle and the second inkjet nozzle comprise a nozzle pair arranged such that the second inkjet nozzle is the closest inkjet nozzle to the first inkjet nozzle in the column direction;
- wherein the first inkjet nozzle and the second inkjet nozzle are arranged in a logical pair associated with a local region of the image, wherein the length of the local region is less than the length of the nozzle array that forms the printhead;
- activating, as part of the printing process for the local region, the first inkjet nozzle to dispense ink corresponding to the image data on a printing medium while the second inkjet nozzle is in a non-activated state;
- advancing the printing medium during the printing process;
- and
- alternating, as part of the printing process for the local region, an activation of the nozzle pair by switching the first inkjet nozzle to the non-activated state and activating the second inkjet nozzle to dispense ink corresponding to the image data on the printing medium, wherein both the first inkjet nozzle and the second inkjet nozzle are activated to print the image data during the printing process for the local region.
3 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.