Print head configuration for hand-held printing

• US 8,827,442 B1
• Filed: 02/25/2008
• Issued: 09/09/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 02/23/2007
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Marvell International Limited (Marvell Technology Group Limited)
• Original Assignee: Marvell International Limited (Marvell Technology Group Limited)
• Inventors: Simmons, Asher
• Primary Examiner(s): Amari, Alessandro
• Assistant Examiner(s): LIU, KENDRICK X
• Application Number:
  US12/036,862
• Time in Patent Office: 2,388 Days
• Field of Search: 347/19, 347/43, 347/47, 347/109
• US Class Current: 347/109
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/01 Ink jet
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 3/28 for printing downwardly on flat surfaces, e.g. of books, drawings, boxes , envelopes, e.g. flat-bed ink-jet printers
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 3/36 for portability , i.e. hand-held printers or laptop printers B41J3/4075 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 3/39 hand-held
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 3/46 Printing mechanisms combined with apparatus providing a visual indication

Abstract

A hand-held printer is disclosed. The hand-held printer includes a print module configured for multidirectional printing, a print head in communication with the print module having a first nozzle array including a first plurality of nozzles, and a second nozzle array including a second plurality of nozzles, wherein the first plurality of nozzles are positioned substantially equidistant from a reference point and wherein the second plurality of nozzles are positioned substantially equidistant from the reference point and the first plurality of nozzles.

Claims

1. A hand-held printer comprising:

a print module configured for multidirectional hand-held printing and configured to receive image data stored in a memory;

a print head in communication with the print module and configured to deposit an image, based on the stored image data, on a medium;

a position sensor configured to generate sensor position information corresponding to a position of the hand-held printer, wherein the sensor position information corresponds to a position of the hand-held printer on the medium;

an image sensor configured to sample a portion of a most recently deposited image; and

an image processing module configured to;

calculate image position information within the stored image data, wherein the image position information corresponds to a position within the stored image data;

a position processing module configured to;

compare the sampled portion of the most recently deposited image to the image position in order to verify an accuracy of the sensor position information; and

correct the sensor position information based on the verified accuracy of the sensor position information;

a first nozzle array including a first plurality of nozzles fluidly coupled to a first reservoir; and

a second nozzle array including a second plurality of nozzles fluidly coupled to a second reservoir,

wherein the first reservoir is configured to store a different color than the second reservoir,

wherein the first plurality of nozzles are positioned substantially equidistant from a reference point and the second plurality of nozzles are positioned substantially equidistant from the reference point.

2. The hand-held printer of claim 1, wherein the first nozzle array is fluidly coupled to a magenta reservoir, the second nozzle array is fluidly coupled to a yellow reservoir, a third nozzle array is fluidly coupled to a cyan reservoir and a fourth nozzle array is fluidly coupled to a black reservoir.

3. The hand-held printer of claim 1, wherein the first nozzle array is a concentric nozzle array.

4. The hand-held printer of claim 1, wherein the print head is a thermal print head.

5. The hand-held printer of claim 1, wherein each of the nozzles within the first and second nozzle arrays includes a heating element in communication with the print module.

6. The hand-held printer of claim 1, wherein the image processing module is configured to determine whether the sampled portion of the deposited image includes enough information to determine an alignment correction for further printing.

7. The hand-held printer of claim 1, wherein the print head further comprises:

a third nozzle array including a third plurality of nozzles; and

a fourth nozzle array including a fourth plurality of nozzles.

8. The hand-held printer of claim 1, wherein the position processing module is configured to correct the sensor position information in order to compensate for an error in the sensor position information.

9. The hand-held printer of claim 1, wherein the position processing module is configured to correct for differences between the image position within the stored image data and the sensor position information by re-orienting the sensor position information to reflect a new position of the hand-held printer on the medium that has been verified by the comparison.

10. A hand-held printer comprising:

means for multidirectional printing configured to receive image data stored in a memory;

means for printing in communication with the means for multidirectional printing, and configured to deposit an image, based on the stored image data, on a medium;

means for generating sensor position information corresponding to a position of the hand-held printer, wherein the sensor position information corresponds to a position of the hand-held printer on the medium;

means for imaging configured to sample a portion of a most recently deposited image; and

means for processing configured to;

calculate image position information within the stored image data, wherein the image position information corresponds to a position within the stored image data;

compare the sampled portion of the most recently deposited image to the image position in order to verify an accuracy of the sensor position information, and

correct the sensor position information based on the verified accuracy of the sensor position information;

a first nozzle means including a first plurality of nozzles fluidly coupled to a first reservoir; and

a second nozzle means including a second plurality of nozzles fluidly coupled to a second reservoir,

wherein the first reservoir is configured to store a different color than the second reservoir,

wherein the first plurality of nozzles are positioned substantially equidistant from a reference point and the second plurality of nozzles are positioned substantially equidistant from the reference point.

11. The hand-held printer of claim 10, wherein the first nozzle means is a concentric nozzle array.

12. The hand-held printer of claim 10, wherein the means for printing further comprises:

third nozzle means including a third plurality of nozzles; and

fourth nozzle means including a fourth plurality of nozzles;

wherein the first nozzle means is fluidly coupled to a magenta reservoir, the second nozzle means is fluidly coupled to a yellow reservoir, the third nozzle means is fluidly coupled to a cyan reservoir and the fourth nozzle means is fluidly coupled to a black reservoir.

13. The hand-held printer of claim 12, wherein the first nozzle means is a concentric nozzle array.

14. The hand-held printer of claim 10, wherein the means for processing is configured to correct the sensor position information in order to compensate for an error in the sensor position information.

15. The hand-held printer of claim 10, wherein the means for processing is configured to correct for differences between the image position within the stored image data and the sensor position information by re-orienting the sensor position information to reflect a new position of the hand-held printer on the medium that has been verified by the comparison.

16. A method of printing using a hand-held printer, comprising:

receiving, by a print module, image data that is stored in a memory;

depositing, by a print head having a first plurality of nozzles and a second plurality of nozzles, an image on a medium using the stored image data;

generating sensor position information corresponding to a position of the hand-held printer, wherein the sensor position information corresponds to a position of the hand-held printer on the medium;

sampling, by an image sensor, a portion of a most recently deposited image;

calculating image position information within the stored image data, wherein the image position information corresponds to a position within the stored image data;

comparing, by a controller, the sampled portion of the most recently deposited image to the image position in order to verify an accuracy of the sensor position information; and

correcting sensor position information based on the verified accuracy of the sensor position information;

wherein the first plurality of nozzles are fluidly coupled to a first reservoir and the second plurality of nozzles are fluidly coupled to a second reservoir;

wherein the first reservoir includes a different color than the second reservoir; and

wherein the first plurality of nozzles are substantially equidistant from a reference point and the second plurality of nozzles are substantially equidistant from the reference point.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the sensor position information of the hand-held printer is calculated based on position information generated by one or more positioning sensors.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the sensor position information is corrected in order to compensate for an error in the sensor position information.

19. The method of claim 16, wherein correcting the sensor position information comprises correcting for differences between the image position within the stored image data and the sensor position information by re-orienting the sensor position information to reflect a new position of the hand-held printer on the medium that has been verified by the comparison.