Selectively heating a print zone of a printing system
AssigneeHewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.
InventorsFrancisco Javier Perez Gellida, David Toissaint, Antonio Garcia Verdugo
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A method of heating a print zone disposed between a print-head and a media support device of a printing system includes supplying a first amount of power to a heating assembly to form and direct heated air in a first temperature range to the print zone of the printing system. The method also includes determining whether a temperature of the printhead is within a warning temperature range and, if so, supplying a second amount of power that is less than the first amount of power to the heating assembly to form and direct heated air in a second temperature range to the print zone. Otherwise, the first amount of power is continued to be supplied to the heating assembly.
Claims14
A printing system, comprising:
- a media support device to support a media;
- printhead including at least one temperature sensitive resistor to detect a temperature therein, the printhead to selectively print an image on the media;
- a print zone disposed between the printhead and the media support device;
- a heating assembly to selectively form and direct heated air to the print zone;
- and
- a power modulation module to selectively supply a first amount of power to the heating assembly to form and direct heated air within a first temperature range to the print zone, supply a second amount of power to the heating assembly to form and direct heated air in a second temperature range to the print zone, and deactivate the heating assembly based on a detection of the temperature by the at least one temperature sensitive resistor of the printhead;
- wherein the second temperature range is less than the first temperature range;
- and
- wherein the power modulation module further comprises:
- a temperature detection module to determine whether the temperature of the printhead is within a warning temperature range, continue supplying the first amount of power to the heating assembly in response to a determination that the temperature of the printhead is not within the warming temperature range, and supply a second amount of power that is less than the first amount of power to the heating assembly in response to a determination that the temperature of the printhead is within the waring temperature range.
A method of heating a print zone disposed between a printhead and a media support device of a printing system, the method comprising:
- supplying a first amount of power to a heating assembly to form and direct heated air in a first temperature range to the print zone of the printing system;
- determining whether a temperature of the printhead is within a warning temperature range;
- and:
- continue supplying the first amount of power to the heating assembly in response to a determination that the temperature of the printhead is not within the warning temperature range;
- and
- supplying a second amount of power that is less than the first amount of power to the heating assembly to form and direct heated air in a second temperature range to the print zone in response to a determination that the temperature of the printhead is within the warning temperature range and, if so:
- subsequently determining whether the temperature of the printhead is within an acceptable temperature range;
- and:
- supplying the first amount of power to the heating assembly in response to a determination that the temperature of the printhead is within the acceptable temperature range;
- and
- deactivating the heating assembly to not direct heated air to the print zone in response to a determination that the temperature of the printhead is not within the acceptable temperature range.
A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having computer executable instructions stored thereon to operate a printing system to heat a print zone disposed between a printhead and a media support device thereof, the instructions are executable by a processor to:
- supply a first amount of power to a heating assembly to form and direct heated air within a first temperature range to the print zone;
- and
- determine whether a temperature of the printhead is within a warning temperature range;
- and:
- continue supplying the first amount of power to the heating assembly in response to a determination that the temperature of the printhead is not within the warning temperature range;
- and
- supply a second amount of power that is less than the first amount of power to the heating assembly in response to a determination that the temperature of the printhead is within the warning temperature range.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.