Ink placement adjustment

• US 20050073539A1
• Filed: 10/07/2003
• Published: 04/07/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 10/07/2003
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: Mucia, Antoni, McGarry, Mark, Serra, Josep-Maria
• Application Number:
  US10/680,033
• Publication Number:
  US 20050073539A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 347/14
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/2135 Alignment of dots

Abstract

Systems, methods, and devices are provided for printhead adjustment. In one apparatus embodiment, the apparatus includes an image scanning mechanism and a controller. The image scanning mechanism can provide positioning data about the position of drops of ink ejected onto media from nozzles of a number of stationary printheads. The controller can determine a Y axis offset of at least two ink drops based on the positioning data.

Claims

1. An apparatus for printhead adjustment, comprising:

an image scanning mechanism to provide positioning data about the position of drops of ink ejected onto media from nozzles of a number of stationary printheads; and

a controller to determine a Y axis offset of at least two ink drops based on the positioning data.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the controller is operable to adjust ink ejection timing of a number of nozzles based upon the determined Y axis offset.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the controller interprets the data to identify the Y axis offset between at least two ink drops ejected from two different of the stationary printheads.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the controller interprets the data to identify a rotational offset of at least two ink drops.

5. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the controller interprets the data to identify a rotational offset of at least two ink drops ejected from one of the stationary printheads.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the controller is operable to interpret the data to identify the positioning of the ink drops with respect to a print media advancement direction.

7. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the print media advancement direction is calculated based upon the position of a reference line.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the controller is operable to determine a rotational offset of at least two ink drops with respect to a reference line and adjust ink ejection timing of a number of nozzles based upon the rotational offset.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the apparatus has at least two stationary printheads having a nozzle overlap zone, and wherein the controller is operable to adjust ink ejection of a number of the nozzles based upon an X axis offset to reduce redundant ink drop ejection within the nozzle overlap zone.

10. An image forming system, comprising:

at least two printheads each having a number of nozzles thereon,

wherein the printheads are configured in a staggered, stationary array for forming an image on print media;

a scanning mechanism for scanning ink placement pattern information; and

a controller to determine X and Y axis offsets of at least two printheads based upon the ink placement pattern information.

11. The image forming system of claim 10, wherein the controller is operable to determine a rotational offset relative to a reference line.

12. The image forming system of claim 11, wherein the reference line represents a print media advancement direction.

13. An apparatus for printing, comprising:

an image scanning mechanism to provide positioning data about positioning of a number of nozzles of at least two stationary, staggered printheads; and

means for determining X and Y axis offsets of the printheads based on the positioning data.

14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the means for determining X and Y axis offsets includes determining a number of reference points and determining a positional difference between at least two of the number of reference points.

15. The apparatus of claim 14, further including means for adjusting at least one printhead based on the positional difference.

16. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein means for adjusting includes adjusting an ink ejection time of at least one nozzle.

17. The apparatus of claim 13, further includes means for determining a rotational offset of at least one printhead.

18. A method for ink pattern adjustment, comprising:

identifying a position for two points on print media printed by a stationary, staggered printhead array;

defining two reference points based upon the position of the two points;

measuring a positional difference between the two reference points; and

adjusting printhead ink ejection according to the positional difference.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the two points on print media printed by the stationary, staggered printhead array include points at the center of two ink pattern lines.

20. The method of claim 18, wherein the two points in the stationary, staggered printhead array include endpoints of at least one ink pattern line.

21. The method of claim 18, wherein the two reference points include points on a reference line such that an imaginary line drawn from a reference point to a point printed by the stationary, staggered printhead array forms a right angle.

22. The method of claim 18, wherein two ink pattern lines each have an overlapping endpoint and wherein the two reference points include one overlapping endpoint and an intersecting point, that is positioned at a right angle intersection of imaginary lines drawn from each overlapping endpoint.

23. The method of claim 18, wherein the two points in the stationary, staggered printhead array include points at the center of two printheads and wherein the two reference points include one center point and an intersecting point, that is positioned at a right angle intersection of imaginary lines drawn from each center point.

24. A computer readable medium having a set of executable instructions for causing a device to perform a method, comprising:

identifying a position for two points on print media printed by a stationary, staggered printhead array;

defining two reference points based upon the position of the two points;

measuring a positional difference between the two reference points; and

adjusting printhead ink ejection according to the positional difference.

25. The computer readable medium of claim 24, the method wherein adjusting printhead ink ejection includes adjusting during a print job.

26. A computer readable medium having a set of executable instructions for causing a device to perform a method, comprising:

ejecting an ink drop from two or more nozzles in a nozzle column of at least two staggered, stationary printheads to print an ink placement pattern on a print media;

repeatedly ejecting ink from a nozzle while advancing the print media to print a reference line;

scanning an image of the ink placement pattern and the reference line;

calculating a rotational offset for the ink placement pattern relative to the reference line; and

adjusting nozzle ink ejection timing based on the rotational offset relative to the reference line.