Abstract: A piezo-resistive thermal detection apparatus for detecting the temperature of fluid inside a cavity device, such as the temperature of ink inside an inkjet print head. The apparatus includes a detection region and a plurality of piezo-resistive devices. The detection region is disposed on the inkjet print head in the form of a rectangle and made of a semiconductor material. The piezo-resistive devices are disposed on centers of each side of the detection region, wherein stresses produced by deformation of the piezo-resistive devices are exerted on the piezo-resistive devices. When the temperature of the ink rises, the surface of the inkjet print head is heated and expands, resulting in the deformation of the thermal detection apparatus. The piezo-resistive devices experience large amounts of stress due to the deformation of the thermal detection apparatus and thus the resistances of the piezo-resistive devices change.

Abstract: An ink jet printer has an ink jet printing head with a plurality of nozzles, an ink jet compensation controlling device for driving the ink jet printing head, and a detecting device for detecting a status of the nozzles. When the detecting device detects at least one malfunctioning nozzle, the ink jet compensation controlling device selects a group of normal nozzles according to the position of the malfunctioning nozzle and controls the group of normal nozzles to form corresponding printing strips on the document. The printing strips formed by the normal nozzles cover an area of the printing strips normally formed by the malfunctioning nozzle.

Abstract: A method for determining a printhead misalignment of a printer. One step includes printing a printhead alignment test pattern including spaced-apart images at least partially aligned substantially along a printhead scan axis. A sensor is moved along the printhead scan axis at a known speed over the plurality of images. Sampled data points are obtained from the sensor at a known sampling rate. Another step includes determining the locations along the printhead scan axis of the edges of the images using the sampled data points, the known speed of the sensor, and the known sampling rate. An additional step includes calculating the printhead misalignment from the determined locations of the edges of the images.

Abstract: An ink drop detector includes a sensing target which is imparted with an electrical stimulus when struck by at least one ink drop burst which has been ejected from an ink drop generator. The detector also includes electronics coupled to the sensing target which characterize the electrical stimulus in terms of a mathematical phase. Methods for analyzing ink ejected from an ink drop generator, and a method for optimizing ink drop generator firing frequency are also provided.

Abstract: Apparatus and method for monitoring print quality produced by a digital printing mechanism in real-time. Print quality is measured by: generating a background reflectance signal representative of the reflectance of a substrate; scanning the image to generate a post-print reflectance signal; comparing the reflectance signal with the post-print reflectance signal; and, if the post-print reflectance signal is greater than a predetermined fraction of said reflectance signal, generating an output signal indicative of poor quality. In one embodiment of the invention, the output signal is also generated if the post-print reflectance signal is less than a predetermined minimum value.

Abstract: Determination of an adjustment value for adjusting the shifting of recording positions is made easier. The adjustment value is one for adjusting the shifting of recording positions in the direction of main scanning when ink drops are ejected and dots formed on a print medium. Patches T21-T25 and patches T31-T35 are printed in order to determine the extent (adjustment value) to which dot formation positions are shifted on a reverse pass during bidirectional printing. Each patch is formed based on the same print data D1 related to yellow (Y), light cyan (LC), and light magenta (LM) dots. Each dot is formed on the forward and reverse passes of main scanning when the patches T21-T25 are formed. The patches are printed by varying the dot recording positions on a reverse pass in small increments. The patches T31-T35 are formed solely on the forward pass of a main scan.

Abstract: An apparatus for controlling errant ink drops in an inkjet printer having a plurality of nozzles for ejecting ink drops along a droplet trajectory and printing the ejected ink drops onto a receiver, including: at least one airflow channel arranged to provide a non-uniform airflow pattern located along a portion of the droplet trajectory, wherein the apparatus is in close proximity to the plurality of nozzles and prior to the receiver, such that the non-uniform airflow pattern provides compensation for errors in the printing of the ejected ink drops on the receiver and means for moving air in the airflow channel.

Abstract: A replaceable ink container for providing ink to a printhead of a printing system. The ink container has a housing that includes and ink reservoir for containing a supply of ink, and an ink level sensor for sensing a low ink condition in the ink reservoir. The ink reservoir includes a capillary ink storage member. The ink level sensor includes resistance probes that are in fluid communication with the supply of ink, but are free from contact with the capillary ink storage member. The resistance probes are mounted to the housing by way of sensor ports that extend through the housing and prevent contact between the capillary ink storage member and the probes. The resistance probes protrude slightly from an exterior surface of the housing to define electrical contacts for engaging corresponding electrical contacts of the printing system. A change in electrical resistance measured across the resistance probes indicates a low ink condition in the ink reservoir.

Abstract: A method of printing a receiving material using an ink jet printer provided with a print head having at least one print element, the print head being fixed on a support element, wherein the print head is heated to a working temperature higher than room temperature, moving the support element with respect to the receiving material in a main scanning direction and in a sub-scanning direction, image-wise actuation of the print element so that ink drops are ejected from the print head in the direction of the receiving material, and guaranteeing that the position that the print head occupies with respect to a fixed point on the support element during the printing of the receiving material is substantially a predetermined position.

Abstract: An improvement for non-uniformity correction in a printing apparatus (10) wherein an image forming assembly (22) forms an image using a plurality of exposure elements, and the amount of exposure energy at each individual exposure element is capable of being varied. A test print (50) is generated, having a series of test patches or zones with predetermined density levels. A scanner (40) scans the test print (50) to obtain density value readings within each test density zone (52) for each pixel that corresponds to each exposure element. Density value readings are averaged. Then, difference in measurement from this average is used to compute a correction factor for each individual exposure element. An image data manager (12) conditions the input data by this correction factor, then sends the conditioned image data to the image forming assembly (22) for printing.

Abstract: Service of a container depleted of a consumable resource is facilitated in a device holding a plurality of containers for consumable resources. One of the plurality of containers for consumable resources is depleting of consumable resources. The container depleted of the consumable resource is discovered. The depleted container is discovered by either realizing the container has a low level of the consumable resource or is empty of the consumable resource. The amount of consumable resource in each container is discovered either by measuring the remaining consumable resource or by tracking indicia of the remaining consumable resource. In response to discovering the depleted container, the depleted container is moved into a service position. Optionally, an access to the depleted container is opened and the depleted container is ejected.

Abstract: An ink jet type printing apparatus in which an ink supply needle is located near one side in a direction perpendicular to the reciprocated directions of a carriage, a circuit board is mounted on a wall of an ink cartridge in the vicinity of the side on which an ink supply port is formed and plural contacts for connecting to external control means are formed on the exposed surface of the circuit board.

Abstract: A print head includes rows of plural nozzles, from which ink drops are ejected. A plurality of driving elements are respectively associated with each nozzle. A plurality of switching circuits are respectively associated with each row of nozzles. Each switching circuit is provided with a plurality of switching elements, respectively associated with each driving elements. Each switching element supplies a signal to drive an associated driving element. Each of a plurality of detectors detects a condition of associated nozzles and outputting a detecting signal in accordance with the detected condition. A controller drives the print head based on the detecting signals. At least one signal line transmits the detecting signals to the controller in a time sequence manner. The number of the signal line is less than the number of the detectors.

Abstract: A test pattern is scanned to find ideal print-medium advance for a pen (or other marking device). The pattern has a medium; and, marked on it, image patches each with overlapped swaths stepped by different distances. At best there are different-color pens; and for each distance a set of patches, each with a patch for each color (preferably area fills at sensitive tones by color). All patches in a set are best adjacent along a scan direction, with alignment lines above each set across the whole pattern, and a nozzle-conditioning patch at each image patch. A processor prints the pattern, operates a sensor and uses its signals to find optimum advance. The system finds and prints with ideal advance for a most-active pen; or weighs pen activity to find an optimum for all pens based on certain statistical and/or prospective choices.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for printing a print job includes determining which nozzles of a printhead are currently failing, estimating a number of additional printhead nozzles that will fail while printing the print job, calculating a maximum number of failing nozzles that may not be exceeded in order to maintain a specified quality level for the print job, and determining if the number of currently failing printhead nozzles added to the estimated number of additional printhead nozzles that will fail exceeds the calculated maximum number of failing nozzles. The method and apparatus also includes providing a notification in the event that the number of currently failing printhead nozzles added to the estimated number of additional printhead nozzles that will fail exceeds the calculated maximum number of failing nozzles.

Abstract: A method, system and apparatus for improving the image quality of a print job. In the method, a print job having a print length and a print width is initiated. The print job is paused in response to at least one of the print length and the print width exceeding a modifiable servicing interval. A service strip is printed and evaluated to determine whether the image quality of the print job is above a predetermined quality threshold. The print job is resumed in response to the print job being above the predetermined quality threshold. In the system, a printer is controlled by processor to initiate the print job, pause the print job, and print the service strip as required. The service strip is sensed by a sensor system and data associated with the sensing of the service strip is relayed to the processor for evaluation. In response to the print job being above the predetermined quality threshold, the printer is controlled by the processor to resume the print job.

Abstract: It is checked whether an ink used in a printhead has a high density. The type of a printing medium used for a print operation is also identified. An image is printed by scanning the printhead once or a plurality of times. When a print operation is to be performed by using a thick ink, an image is printed by using mask data and the driving frequency of the head which are set for the thick ink. When a print operation is to be performed by using a thin ink, an image is printed by using mask data and the driving frequency of the head which are set for the thin ink and the type of printing medium used for the print operation. Codes of the respective color data of print data are determined in accordance with the types of inks used for a print operation, and an image is printed by printing a plurality of dots or dots in an overlapping state by the multi-pass method.

Abstract: Described herein is a monolithic printhead formed using integrated circuit techniques. Thin film layers, including ink ejection elements, are formed on a top surface of a silicon substrate. The various layers are etched to provide conductive leads to the ink ejection elements. At least one ink feed hole is formed through the thin film layers for each ink ejection chamber. A trench is etched in the bottom surface of the substrate so that ink can flow into the trench and into each ink ejection chamber through the ink feed holes formed in the thin film layers. An orifice layer is formed on the top surface of the thin film layers to define the nozzles and ink ejection chambers. A phosphosilicate glass (PSG) layer, providing an insulation layer beneath the resistive layers, is etched back from the ink feed holes and is protected by a passivation layer to prevent the ink from interacting with the PSG layer. Other layers may also be protected from the ink by being etched back.

Abstract: A solid ink loader for feeding solid ink sticks in a phase change ink jet printer, which includes a first feed channel having a first insertion end and a first melt end for receiving ink sticks and at least one key plate for covering the at least one feed channel. The at least one key plate includes a first plate portion having a first insertion opening for admitting the solid ink sticks into the at least one feed channel, and a first plurality of viewing areas between the insertion opening and the melt end of the at least one channel.

Abstract: The liquid droplet ejecting apparatus includes an ejecting head having a plurality of nozzles for ejecting liquid droplets and a plurality of liquid droplet ejecting devices arranged in correspondence with the plurality of nozzles, respectively, and driven with modulation in response to signals, a detection unit for detecting a condition of a virtual surface opposed to the ejecting head or an angle detection unit for detecting an angle made by a direction, in which liquid droplets are ejected from at least a part of the plurality of nozzles of the ejecting head, and a preset reference direction, and a unit for prohibiting liquid droplet ejection from at least a part of the plurality of nozzles of the ejecting head depending on a result of detection by the detection unit or an angle detected by the angle detection unit.