Detecting defective nozzles
AssigneeHewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.
InventorsAlexander Govyadinov, Clayton L. Holstun
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A method of detecting a defective nozzle within a nozzle array, may comprise grouping each nozzle with a number of other nozzles within the nozzle array, measuring fluid output from each group of nozzles with a fluid detector, individually regrouping each nozzle within a group of nozzles whose fluid output is detected as not being commensurate with the amount of fluid that should be ejected from that group with a number of known non-defective nozzles to form a number of subsequent groups, and measuring fluid output from the subsequent groups of nozzles to determine which nozzle among the subsequent groups of nozzles is defective.
Claims18
A method of detecting a defective nozzle within a nozzle array comprising:
- grouping each nozzle with a number of other nozzles within the nozzle array;
- measuring fluid output from each group of nozzles with a fluid detector;
- individually regrouping each nozzle within a group of nozzles whose fluid output is detected as not being commensurate with the amount of fluid that should be ejected from that group with a number of known non-defective nozzles to form a number of subsequent groups;
- and
- measuring fluid output from the subsequent groups of nozzles to determine which nozzle among the subsequent groups of nozzles is defective.
A method of detecting a defective nozzle associated with a printing system comprising:
- within a nozzle array, grouping each nozzle with a number of other nozzles;
- firing fluid droplets from a first group of nozzles;
- measuring fluid output from the first group of nozzles;
- determining whether fluid output from the first group of nozzles is commensurate with the amount of fluid that should be ejected from the first group;
- and
- when it has been determined that fluid output from the first group of nozzles is not commensurate with the amount of fluid that should be ejected from the first group:
- regrouping each nozzle within the first group of nozzles with a number of known non-defective nozzles to form a number of regrouped nozzle groups;
- firing ink droplets from each regrouped nozzle groups;
- measuring ink output from the regrouped nozzle groups;
- and
- determining which nozzle within the regrouped nozzle groups is defective.
A computer program product for detecting defective nozzles within a nozzle array, the computer program product comprising:
- a computer readable storage medium comprising computer usable program code embodied therewith, the computer usable program code comprising:
- computer usable program code to, when executed by a processor, group each nozzle with a number of other nozzles within the nozzle array;
- computer usable program code to, when executed by a processor, measure fluid output from each group of nozzles with a fluid detector;
- computer usable program code to, when executed by a processor, individually regroup each nozzle within a group of nozzles whose fluid output is detected as not being commensurate with the amount of fluid that should be ejected from that group with a number of known non-defective nozzles to form a number of subsequent groups;
- and
- computer usable program code to, when executed by a processor, measure fluid output from the subsequently regrouped groups of nozzles to determine which nozzle among the subsequently regrouped groups of nozzles is defective;
- in which measuring ink output from the subsequently regrouped groups of nozzles comprises ejecting fluid simultaneously from each nozzle in regrouped nozzle groups, each regrouped nozzle group at a time.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.