Patents by Inventor Naoki Sudo

Naoki Sudo has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Publication number: 20170274642
    Abstract: There is provided a liquid droplet discharging control device for a liquid droplet discharging apparatus which includes a liquid droplet discharging head in which a plurality of nozzles discharging liquid droplets are formed, discharges liquid droplets while relatively moving the head and a medium in a direction intersecting a direction in which the nozzles are arranged. The liquid droplet discharging control device includes a controller that causes a first nearby nozzle, which discharges a dot adjacent to a dot row corresponding to a predetermined nozzle which is not capable of discharging a liquid droplet, to discharge a liquid droplet for a dot of a large size and that causes a second nearby nozzle, which is separated from the predetermined nozzle and discharges a dot adjacent to a dot row corresponding to the first nearby nozzle, to discharge no liquid droplet for a dot.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 16, 2017
    Publication date: September 28, 2017
    Inventors: Akito SATO, Naoki SUDO
  • Patent number: 9770898
    Abstract: An image forming device includes a pattern determining unit and a pattern forming unit. In response to determining that dots are formed continuously in a moving direction on a dot omission pixels within a designated range in the moving direction based on recording data before supplementation of dots by a defective nozzle, and in response to determining that dots are formed continuously in the moving direction on adjacent pixels within the designated range, the pattern determining unit determines a dot pattern after supplementation for a plurality of pixels based on the recording data such that the dot pattern after supplementation is indicative of either enlarging at least a portion of dots formed on the adjacent pixels within the designated range or arranging dots in secondary adjacent pixels within the designated range regardless of dot arrangement of the secondary adjacent pixels according to the recording data before supplementation of dots.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 15, 2016
    Date of Patent: September 26, 2017
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Akito Sato, Naoki Sudo
  • Publication number: 20170129236
    Abstract: An image forming device includes a pattern determining unit and a pattern forming unit. In response to determining that dots are formed continuously in a moving direction on a dot omission pixels within a designated range in the moving direction based on recording data before supplementation of dots by a defective nozzle, and in response to determining that dots are formed continuously in the moving direction on adjacent pixels within the designated range, the pattern determining unit determines a dot pattern after supplementation for a plurality of pixels based on the recording data such that the dot pattern after supplementation is indicative of either enlarging at least a portion of dots formed on the adjacent pixels within the designated range or arranging dots in secondary adjacent pixels within the designated range regardless of dot arrangement of the secondary adjacent pixels according to the recording data before supplementation of dots.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 23, 2017
    Publication date: May 11, 2017
    Inventors: Akito SATO, Naoki SUDO
  • Patent number: 9636925
    Abstract: A recording apparatus is provided in which a recording medium and a plurality of nozzles including a plurality of nozzles for black which is lined up in a predetermined line-up direction to form black dots and a plurality of nozzles for color which is lined up in the line-up direction to form composite black dots move relatively in a relative movement direction that is different from the line-up direction. The recording apparatus includes a processing unit that forms composite black dots with a nozzle group included in the plurality of nozzles for color to complement dots which are to be formed by a failed nozzle included in the plurality of nozzles for black. The nozzle group includes a plurality of nozzles that is positioned differently in the line-up direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 2, 2015
    Date of Patent: May 2, 2017
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Masahiro Fukazawa, Naoki Sudo, Akito Sato
  • Patent number: 9539807
    Abstract: Banding has been prone to take place as regards black ink. Nozzle columns for color inks are arranged side by side in a direction in which a medium is conveyed, and are allocated to each color, and an amount of the medium equivalent to the length of the nozzle columns of each of the colors among the nozzle columns for the color inks is fed, to print on a forward path and return path from the nozzle columns for the color inks. As such, by repeatedly printing 100% of the total number of dots on every single scan for the color inks, the corresponding print region is covered.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 22, 2013
    Date of Patent: January 10, 2017
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Akito Sato, Naoki Sudo
  • Patent number: 9544471
    Abstract: A print control apparatus is configured to control a print head adapted to discharge ink droplets of a plurality of sizes to execute printing. The print control apparatus includes a print control unit configured to acquire a gradation value of an ink color based on image data and to determine whether or not to discharge an ink droplet of one of the plurality of sizes based on the gradation value. The print control unit is configured to determine that the ink droplet to be discharged is the ink droplet of a first size or smaller when the gradation value belongs to a maximum value-side partial range including a maximum value, and to determine that the ink droplet to be discharged is only the ink droplet of the first size when the gradation value belongs to a range towards a minimum value-side than the partial range.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 3, 2014
    Date of Patent: January 10, 2017
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Tetsuya Matsumura, Naoki Sudo
  • Patent number: 9517634
    Abstract: A printing control apparatus is configured to use a recording head where a plurality of nozzles are arranged in a row formation with a predetermined pitch, and configured to perform interlace printing such that a resolution is equal to or more than a resolution that is based on the pitch when printing is performed due to ink droplets being discharged from each of the nozzles. The printing control apparatus includes a dischargeable amount acquiring section configured to determine a dischargeable amount per unit of time according to a remaining amount of ink in an ink cartridge, and a split printing control section configured to split a predetermined region in one band an odd number of times according to the dischargeable amount per unit of time, and configured to carry out interlace printing in each of split regions on an outward path and a return path.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 25, 2015
    Date of Patent: December 13, 2016
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Takashi Kobayashi, Naoki Sudo
  • Publication number: 20160297192
    Abstract: An image forming device includes a pattern determining unit and a pattern forming unit. In response to determining that dots are formed continuously in a moving direction on a dot omission pixels within a designated range in the moving direction based on recording data before supplementation of dots by a defective nozzle, and in response to determining that dots are formed continuously in the moving direction on adjacent pixels within the designated range, the pattern determining unit determines a dot pattern after supplementation for a plurality of pixels based on the recording data such that the dot pattern after supplementation is indicative of either enlarging at least a portion of dots formed on the adjacent pixels within the designated range or arranging dots in secondary adjacent pixels within the designated range regardless of dot arrangement of the secondary adjacent pixels according to the recording data before supplementation of dots.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 15, 2016
    Publication date: October 13, 2016
    Inventors: Akito SATO, Naoki SUDO
  • Patent number: 9457585
    Abstract: A print apparatus that is configured to cause a print head provided with nozzles and a printing substrate to move relatively, eject an ink from the nozzles, and record dots onto the printing substrate includes a print control unit. The print control unit is configured to perform a control for ejecting the ink from the nozzles, and the print control unit modifies a proportion at which dots are formed adjacent to one another depending on an ejected amount of ink.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 7, 2014
    Date of Patent: October 4, 2016
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Takuma Hayashi, Naoki Sudo
  • Patent number: 9415595
    Abstract: A recording method in which dot omission pixels that are contiguous in a scanning direction due to defective nozzles included in a plurality of black nozzles and neighboring pixels that neighbor the dot omission pixels in a direction that intersects the scanning direction are included in a plurality of pixels that configure the printed image; and black ink droplets that form black dots for complement are discharged from the black nozzles to the neighboring pixels along with discharging color ink droplets that form the composite black dots for complement on the dot omission pixels from color nozzles when complementing the dots due to the defective nozzles.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 3, 2015
    Date of Patent: August 16, 2016
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Naoki Sudo, Akito Sato
  • Publication number: 20160229178
    Abstract: A printing control apparatus includes a defective nozzle detecting section that detects a defective nozzle included in the plurality of nozzles; and a complementing section that forms a complementary dot which complements dots of a first raster to be recorded using the defective nozzle on at least one of a second raster and the first raster using a complementary nozzle included in the plurality of nozzles. The complementing section includes an adjusting section which sets main scanning being performed after the defective nozzle is detected as a first main scanning, sets main scanning being performed M times after the defective nozzle is detected as a M-th main scanning, and allows a usage rate of ink in the first main scanning to be greater than a usage rate of ink in the M-th main scanning, regarding the usage rate of ink discharged using the same complementary nozzle.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 22, 2016
    Publication date: August 11, 2016
    Inventors: Masahiro Fukazawa, Akito Sato, Naoki Sudo, Hiroki Sato
  • Patent number: 9403374
    Abstract: A recording apparatus records an image onto a recording medium by repeating processes of: ejecting liquid from a nozzle in a liquid ejecting head while the liquid ejecting head is scanning the recording medium in a first direction; and transporting the recording medium in a second direction intersecting the first direction. This recording apparatus includes: an inclination acquisition section that acquires an inclination of the liquid ejecting head; and a recording controller that records a first image and a second image onto the recording medium through a first scan and a second scan independent of the first scan, respectively. The recording controller corrects a connection misalignment between the first and second images by displacing a recorded location of the second image in the first direction in accordance with the inclination, and reduces the displacement when a non-recorded region is present between the first and second images.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 11, 2015
    Date of Patent: August 2, 2016
    Assignee: SEIKO EPSON CORPORATION
    Inventors: Masato Suzuki, Naoki Sudo
  • Patent number: 9393778
    Abstract: An image forming device includes a pattern determining unit and a pattern forming unit. When dots are formed continuously in a scan direction on a dot omission pixels within a designated range in the scan direction when according to recording data before supplementation of dots by a defective nozzle, and dots are formed continuously in the scan direction on adjacent pixels within the designated range, the pattern determining unit determines a dot pattern after supplementation formed on a plurality of pixels based on the recording data so as to perform at least one of enlarging at least a portion of dots formed on the adjacent pixels within the designated range, and arranging dots in secondary adjacent pixels within the designated range. The pattern forming unit forms the dot pattern after supplementation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 26, 2015
    Date of Patent: July 19, 2016
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Akito Sato, Naoki Sudo
  • Publication number: 20160144613
    Abstract: A recording method for performing recording on a medium by forming dots by ejecting a liquid from nozzles during scanning. The recording method includes detecting an abnormal nozzle; disposing a normal nozzle in a row where dot missing occurs due to the abnormal nozzle by moving a medium by a first moving amount; performing first complementary recording in which at least a part of a dot missing region is complemented by a first dot which is recorded by the normal nozzle during the scanning; moving the medium by a second moving amount; and performing second complementary recording in which a second dot of which a size is greater than a size of a dot determined based on printing data is recorded on a row adjacent to a row of the abnormal nozzle by the normal nozzle that is positioned adjacent to the abnormal nozzle during the scanning.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 18, 2015
    Publication date: May 26, 2016
    Applicant: SEIKO EPSON CORPORATION
    Inventors: Masahiro FUKAZAWA, Akito SATO, Naoki SUDO, Hiroki SATO
  • Patent number: 9340035
    Abstract: An ink jet printer in which a plurality of nozzles includes a failed nozzle that fails to discharge an ink droplet, a primary vicinal nozzle that forms a dot in an adjacent pixel which is adjacent in a direction intersecting a scanning direction to a dot-missing pixel which is caused by the failed nozzle and is continuous in the scanning direction, and a secondary vicinal nozzle that forms a dot in a secondary adjacent pixel which is adjacent to the adjacent pixel on the opposite side of the adjacent pixel from the dot-missing pixel, and a dot formation unit forms a dot by displacing the position of a dot formed by an ink droplet from the primary vicinal nozzle in the scanning direction and the position of a dot formed by an ink droplet from the secondary vicinal nozzle in the scanning direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 3, 2015
    Date of Patent: May 17, 2016
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Naoki Sudo, Akito Sato
  • Patent number: 9340015
    Abstract: An inkjet printer includes a print head, a nozzle position specifying section and a print control section. The print head includes a plurality of nozzles to eject ink. The nozzle position specifying section is configured to specify a position of a first nozzle that exhibits defective ejection. The print control section is configured to print dots in a plurality of sizes. The print control section is configured to change a dot size of a dot to be printed by a second nozzle, which is positioned adjacent to the first nozzle, to a larger size than a dot size specified in an image data, and to change a dot size of a dot to be printed by a third nozzle, which is positioned adjacent to the second nozzle, to a smaller size than the dot to be printed by the second nozzle after the change.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 26, 2014
    Date of Patent: May 17, 2016
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Naoki Sudo, Akito Sato
  • Patent number: 9315017
    Abstract: A recording apparatus includes a first nozzle row and a second nozzle row. A part of nozzles of the first nozzle row and the second nozzle row are overlapped in a predetermined alignment direction. A defective nozzle is included in the nozzles of the first nozzle row. The recording apparatus includes a processing unit that causes the nozzle closest to the defective nozzle in one side of the opposite sides in the alignment direction to be selected as a first complementary nozzle and the closest nozzle in the other side thereof to be selected as a second complementary nozzle among the nozzles in an overlap section of the second nozzle row with the first nozzle row, and complementary dots that complement a dot which is supposed to be formed by the defective nozzle to be formed by the first complementary nozzle and the second complementary nozzle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 20, 2015
    Date of Patent: April 19, 2016
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Masahiro Fukazawa, Naoki Sudo, Akito Sato
  • Patent number: 9216572
    Abstract: A printing device include a control section that causes the head to execute an ejection operation of forming an image forming dot for printing an image designated as a print target and a flushing dot other than the image forming dot on a printing medium, wherein the control section has an acquiring unit that acquires a prescribed parameter in printing conditions for forming the image forming dot on the printing medium, a determining unit that determines a margin area in which the flushing dot is not formed in an end portion of the printing medium based on the prescribed parameter, and an executing unit that executes the ejection operation so as not to form the flushing dot in the margin area on the printing medium.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 26, 2013
    Date of Patent: December 22, 2015
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Naoki Sudo, Akito Sato
  • Patent number: 9180710
    Abstract: A printing control apparatus includes a split printing control section configured to split a region that is printable in one band into a plurality of regions according to a predetermined number of splits, and configured to carry out interlace printing in each of split regions on an outward path and a return path. The split printing control section is further configured to determine whether there is data where dots are applied in a region in a vicinity of a boundary of two of the split regions, which includes at least one of the two of the split regions that are adjacent to each other, based on printing data for each of the split regions, and configured to carry out printing by making the number of splits an odd number of times in a case where there is data where dots are applied.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 25, 2015
    Date of Patent: November 10, 2015
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Takashi Kobayashi, Naoki Sudo
  • Patent number: 9180682
    Abstract: A printing apparatus includes a printing head that includes a nozzle array, and a discharging control unit. The nozzle array is divided into a plurality of nozzle groups that is configured by a predetermined number of nozzles. The discharge control unit, when an abnormal nozzle having abnormal function of discharging the ink is included in any of the plurality of nozzle groups in a case of discharging the ink to a band area from the nozzle of each of the plurality of nozzle groups by assigning halftone data to the nozzle of each of the plurality of nozzle groups, assigns the halftone data assigned to the abnormal nozzle to the nozzle that is included in other pluralities of nozzle groups which are not the nozzle group including the abnormal nozzle according to a ratio that is a preset assignment ratio for each of the other pluralities of nozzle groups.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 7, 2015
    Date of Patent: November 10, 2015
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Masahiro Fukazawa, Naoki Sudo, Akito Sato