Processing of images for high volume pagewidth printing

• US 6,652,052 B2
• Filed: 04/12/2002
• Issued: 11/25/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 07/15/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Memjet Technology Ltd. (Memjet Limited)
• Original Assignee: Silverbrook Research Pty Limited
• Inventors: Silverbrook, Kia
• Primary Examiner(s): Meier, Stephen D.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Do, An H.
• Application Number:
  US10/120,350
• Publication Number:
  US 20020158924A1
• Time in Patent Office: 592 Days
• Field of Search: 347/5, 347/9, 347/14, 347/19, 347/12, 347/40, 347/43, 382/302-305, 395/115
• US Class Current: 347/5
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/14427 Structure of ink jet print heads with thermal bend detached actuators
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/145 Arrangement thereof
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/155 for line printing
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/1601 Production of bubble jet print heads B41J2/1606, B41J2/162 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/1623 bonding and adhesion
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/1626 etching
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/1628 dry etching
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/1629 wet etching
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/1631 photolithography
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/1632 machining
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/1635 dividing the wafer into individual chips
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/1637 molding
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/1639 sacrificial molding
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/1642 thin film formation by CVD [chemical vapor deposition]
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/1643 thin film formation by plating
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/1645 thin film formation by spincoating
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/1646 thin film formation by sputtering
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/1648 Production of print heads with thermal bend detached actuators
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/16585 for paper-width or non-reciprocating print heads
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/17503 Ink cartridges
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/17513 : Inner structure
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/17596 : Ink pumps, ink valves
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2002/041 : Electromagnetic transducer
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2202/21 : Line printing
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 29/38 : Drives, motors, controls or automatic cut-off devices for the entire printing mechanism
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 3/445 : Printers integrated in other types of apparatus, e.g. printers integrated in cameras
• CPC Class Codes: B82Y 30/00 : Nanotechnology for materials or surface science, e.g. nanocomposites
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/79 : in semiconductor storage media, e.g. directly-addressable memories
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/86 : Secure or tamper-resistant housings
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2129 : Authenticate client device independently of the user
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 1/121 : by printing code marks applying code marks to labels B65C9/46; marking or coding completed packages B65B61/26
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 15/102 : using ink jet print heads
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 15/1857 : involving parallel processing in the same printing apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/06037 : multi-dimensional coding
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/073 : Special arrangements for circuits, e.g. for protecting identification code in memory protection against unauthorised use of computer memory G06F12/14
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/14 : using light without selection of wavelength, e.g. sensing reflected white light G06K7/10831 - G06K7/1097 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/1417 : 2D bar codes
• CPC Class Codes: G11C 11/56 : using storage elements with more than two stable states represented by steps, e.g. of voltage, current, phase, frequency
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/40031 : for a plurality of reproducing elements simultaneously
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/00 : Cameras or camera modules comprising electronic image sensors; Control thereof
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/2628 : Alteration of picture size, shape, position or orientation, e.g. zooming, rotation, rolling, perspective, translation

Abstract

An image processing apparatus for a printer includes a print engine controller that is configured to receive image data in an image storage format. The print engine controller includes data processing circuitry that is configured to process the image data at a rate of at least one billion pixels per second to transform the data into print data. The print engine controller includes data communication circuitry that is operatively connected to the data processing circuitry and is configured to communicate the print data to a printhead.

Claims

1. A method of processing an image for printing, the method comprising the steps of:

receiving image data in an image storage format;

transforming the image data into print data at a rate of at least one billion pixels per second; and

communicating the print data to a printhead.

2. A method as claimed in claim 1, which includes the step of transforming the image data into print data at a rate of at least ten billion pixels per second.

3. A method as claimed in claim 2, which includes the step of transforming the image data into print data at a rate of at least twenty billion pixels per second.

4. A method as claimed in claim 3, which includes the step of communicating the print data to the printhead at a rate of at least twenty billion pixels per second.

5. A method as claimed in claim 1, which includes the step of receiving the image data in a compressed format with the step of transforming the image data including the step of expanding the image data to produce output data representing decompressed page images.

6. A method as claimed in claim 5, which includes the step of expanding the image data to produce output data representing six color channels in a bi-level format.

7. A method as claimed in claim 1, in which the step of communicating the print data to a printhead includes the step of addressing a number of printhead chips of the printhead with the print data.

8. An image processing apparatus for a printer, the image processing apparatus comprising

a data input means that is configured to receive image data in an image storage format;

a data processing means that is operatively connected to the data input means and is configured to process the image data at a rate of at least one billion pixels per second to transform the data into print data; and

a data communication means that is operatively connected to the data processing means and is configured to communicate the print data to a printhead.

9. An image processing apparatus as claimed in claim 8, which includes at least one print engine controller, the data input means, the data processing means, and the data communication means being at least partly defined by the print engine controller.

10. An image processing apparatus as claimed in claim 9, which includes at least one memory storage device, the, or each, memory storage device being connected to one respective print engine controller to facilitate the temporary storage of the image and print data while the image and print data is processed and communicated to the printhead.

11. An image processing apparatus as claimed in claim 10, which includes at least one micro controller that is connected to one respective print engine controller via a micro controller interface to control operation of the print engine controller, the data input means including the micro controller interface.

12. An image processing apparatus as claimed in claim 11, which includes a number of print engine controllers, a number of corresponding memory storage devices and a number of micro controllers, each print engine controller, each memory storage device and each micro controller being operatively connectable to a set of printhead chips, the printhead being defined by a number of the sets of printhead chips.

13. An image processing apparatus as claimed in claim 12, in which each print engine controller is in the form of an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC) that includes a data bus to facilitate communication between various components of the print engine controller.

14. An image processing apparatus as claimed in claim 13, in which each print engine controller includes memory storage control circuitry and memory storage interface circuitry operatively connected between its associated memory storage device and the data bus, the memory storage interface circuitry being configured to provide an interface for read and write access to the memory storage device for the various components of the print engine controller and to provide arbitration between competing components for read and write access to the memory storage device, and the memory storage control circuitry being configured to provide the memory storage interface circuitry with access to the memory storage device.

15. An image processing apparatus as claimed in claim 14, in which each print engine controller includes control circuitry and a control circuitry interface, the control circuitry being operatively connected between the data bus and the control circuitry interface, the control circuitry being configured to provide a means for reading and writing registers of the print engine controller and for reading and writing to the memory storage device in data blocks having a predetermined bit size and the control circuitry interface being configured to receive register reads to be written by the control circuitry.

16. An image processing apparatus as claimed in claim 15, in which each print engine controller includes page expansion circuitry that is operatively connected to the data bus and is configured to read compressed image data and to write out decompressed image data.

17. An image processing apparatus as claimed in claim 16, in which each print engine controller includes line loading and line formatting circuitry and printhead interface circuitry, the line loading and line formatting circuitry being connected between the data bus and the printhead interface circuitry that is operatively connected to the associated printhead chips, the line loading and line formatting circuitry being configured to read the decompressed image data, to format the decompressed image data for the printhead chips and to write the formatted decompressed image data to the printhead interface and the printhead interface circuitry being configured for sending dot data to the printhead chips and for providing suitable synchronization between a number of the print engine controllers.

18. An inkjet printer that comprises

a support structure;

a platen positioned in the support structure;

a print assembly positioned operatively with respect to the platen to define a printing zone between the platen and the print assembly, the print assembly comprising

an elongate carrier; and

a number of printhead chips positioned on the carrier, the printhead chips together defining a printhead;

an image processing apparatus that is operatively arranged with respect to the print assembly, the image processing apparatus comprising

a data input means configured to receive image data in an image storage format;

a data processing means that is configured to process the image data at a rate of at least one billion pixels per second to transform the data into print data; and

a data communication means that is configured to communicate the print data to the printhead; and

a feed mechanism positioned on the support structure for feeding a print medium though the printing zone.