EP1073967B1

EP1073967B1 - Method of operating computerized printer heads

Info

Publication number: EP1073967B1
Application number: EP99914741A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Yoram Duchovne
Original assignee: Hewlett Packard Industrial Printing Ltd
Current assignee: Scitex Vision Ltd
Priority date: 1998-04-23
Filing date: 1999-04-20
Publication date: 2008-10-08
Anticipated expiration: 2019-04-20
Also published as: JP2002512138A; IL124182A; DE69939695D1; EP1073967A2; WO1999054139A2; AU3343699A; WO1999054139A3; EP1073967A4; ATE410737T1

Abstract

A method of operating printing heads (H) (Fig. 8), particularly of the ink-jet type. The method includes the steps of providing a series of more than one printing heads (H), mounting of the heads (H) on a common carriage in a side-by-side, partly sidewise overlapping position. The method also includes activating the heads (H) for printing on a substrate in a programmed periodical sequence.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to computerized printing, and particularly to the operation of ink-jets printing heads.
Ink-jets printing heads are most extensively used, available in a variety of types and capacities. Generally, a printing head as denoted H in Fig. 1a comprises a series of tiny ink- emitting nozzles N, and a computer programmed mechanism for controlling the timing of each and every one of the nozzles according to the pattern to be printed. The printed pattern, for example the letter a as shown in Fig. 1 b, is printed by the head H while traveling over a substrate, usually a paper sheet P, by a series of dots each formed by one of the vertically arranged nozzles. The accumulation of the dots completes the requested pattern. Once the head completes a line or row over the paper sheet, the latter is pulled upwards and the head commences its travel in the opposite direction (Fig. 1c) to print the requested patterns such as s at the beginning (end) of the next raw and the letter o at the end of this reverse travel.
This bi-directional method of printing head displacements is of course destined to increase the speed of the printing process, which is the general trend in the design of printers by the relevant industry at large. However, due to mechanical limitations governed on the one hand by the reaction time of the printing head nozzles and on the other hand by travel speed of the printing head carriage, the printing speed has not been significantly increased despite all directed efforts.
US-A 4 528 576 discloses a method according to the preamble of claim 1.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to substantially increase the printing speed by ink-jets printing heads of computerized printers.
It is a further object of the present invention to improve the quality of the printing and to avoid vacant spaces generated due to clogged or otherwise incomplete injection of ink by malfunctioned heads.
It is a still further object of the present Invention to make use of groups of two or more printing heads, operating in unison and thus reducing and/or selectively distributing the working load of each individual printing head of such group.
It is a still further object of the invention to increase the printing speed by providing a matrix of printing heads capable of printing more than one row at a time.
It is a still further object of the invention to provide matrixes of the printing heads operating in parallel and/or in series and thus allowing the distribution of the printing job in a selectively programmed form.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

According to one aspect of the invention there is provided a method for operating ink-jet print heads, comprising the steps set forth in claim 1.
Other advantageous aspects are set forth in the depended claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

These and additional features and advantages of the invention will become more clearly understood in the light of the ensuring description of preferred embodiments thereof, given by way of example only with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein -

Fig. 1a schematically shows the face side of a typical ink-jets printing head;
Fig. 1b illustrates the conventional printing process of a first row,
Fig. 1c illustrates the conventional printing process of a second, following row;
Fig. 2a shows an assembly of four printing heads, mounted onto a common carriage, illustrating a first arrangement according to the principles of the present invention;
Fig. 2b illustrates the printing process according to a first mode of operation;
Fig. 3 exemplifies the printing of certain symbols, assuming (for illustration purposes only) that the symbols are composed of a series of single dots only;
Fig. 4 illustrates the use of the first mode of operation for printing the symbols of Fig. 3;
Fig. 5 illlustrates a second mode of operation;
Fig. 6 illustrates a third mode of operation;
Fig. 7 shows a second assembly arrangement of printing heads applicable to the method of the present invention; and
Fig. 8 shows a third assembly arrangement of printing heads applicable to the method of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Referring now to Figs. 2a and 2b, there is shown that more than one head --4 in the present example, denoted A, B, C and D -- have been combined and mounted onto the same carriage (not shown).
In operation, as most schematically and exaggerated illustrated in Fig. 2b, the heads are so programmed that ink-ejection cycles A-B-C-D-A and so forth are maintained, namely in exact succession (hereinafter "Mode 1").
It will be readily understood that the Mode 1 printing speed is multiplied by four (or other number equal to the number of heads) without diluting the (longitudinal) density of dots. The vertical density remains the same.
For illustrating the advantages and diversification capabilities, attainable by this mode of operation, reference shall be first made to Figs. 3 and 4.
In Fig. 3 there are shown the letters a, b and c. It is assumed, for the sake of explanation only, that the letters are composed of singular, discrete dots only - which of course is not the case in reality.
As most clearly seen in Fig. 4, the utilization of Mode 1 is such that the first column is produced by head A , the second by head B, the third by C and the fourth by D, and so forth in the same sequence.
The main advantage derived is, as above said, the multiplication of the carriage speed, and hence the reduction of overall printing duration.
In printing processes, it sometimes occurs that the dots must be applied more than once on the same spot. This is required if the substrate is of an absorbent, fibrous or porous material such as cardboard or even cloth; or if certain parts of a text, or portions of colored prints are to be emphasized. Conventionally, in such cases, double or triple printing is applied, causing waste of time.
Mode 2 of the present invention method presents an effective solution, as exemplified in Fig. 5.
Hence, since every portion of the printed area is passed-over by more than one head, it is most convenient to program the system so that two (or more) heads will eject the ink on one and the same spot.
Using the letters example of the previous example, it is shown that a pair of heads, say A+C and B+D are associated and used for the application of "double-printing", as explained.
Fig. 6 illustrates yet another mode of operation -- Mode 3.
This mode contributes to the art of printing in the following manner. It may occur, during the printing process, that one or more of the nozzles become clogged or otherwise cease to function properly. In conventional systems, the complete head has to be replaced, should the quality (density) of the print be retained.
In the usage mode exemplified in Fig. 6, pairs (or more) of the series of heads are linked in such a fashion that one can replace the other regarding any given point. Thus, per every column, a dot can be applied by either one of the pair of associated heads, in a selective, i.e. programmed, manner.
Mode 3 therefore allows for real time surveillance of the printing process, e.g. by using suitable scanners; once a local quality deterioration is observed, say because one of head A nozzle stopped working, a command will be transmitted to head C to "take over" and apply the ink to the same spot, previously fed by head A; and the same with regard to the pair of B and D heads.
The "multi-head" concept herein proposed is readily extendable in another direction schematically presented in Fig. 7.
Here, a matrix of 4x3 heads is assembled, driven by a common carriage (not shown).
All the attributes discussed above are applicable, in addition to, that 3 rows at a time are produced. The advancement speed of the paper sheet is tripled, besides the time gain of the printing process proper.
In the embodiment illustrated in Fig. 8, the heads A to D are not alligned one with respect to the other, resulting in a rhombus or rhomboid patterned matrixes. Thus, a part of head A is sidewise overlapped by head B; C overlaps A and B; and D overlaps A, B and C. This arrangement attains most of the benefits of the Fig. 7 arrangement, but with a considerably smaller number of heads.
It should be emphasized that all heads of every group as heretofore described may be of the same color, of different colors, or of the multi-color type, at the designer's option.
The advantages of the method are most striking in printing colored patterns. Hence, the four heads group is the most efficient, each head containing ink of one of the four basic colors (cyano, magenta, yellow and black) used in the colors separation technique.

Claims

A method of operating ink jet print heads, comprising the steps of :
(i) providing at-least two print heads (A, B, C, D) for printing a single color, each of the print heads (A, B, C, D) having a plurality of nozzles configured for applying drops of ink to a substrate;

(ii) mounting the heads on a common carriage configured to move across a substrate, the heads (A, B, C, D) being mounted such that each nozzle from a first group of the nozzles of a first of the print heads (A, B, C, D) travels along a path collinear with a nozzle from a second group of nozzles of a second of the print heads (A, B, C, D); and characterized by a further step of:

(iii) activating the heads to apply ink to a substrate by use of nozzles from both said first and second groups of nozzles.
The method of Claim 1, wherein the heads (A, B, C, D) are activated in a manner such that nozzles from said first group of nozzles are selectively actuated to apply drops of ink to the substrate to print a first column, and nozzles from said second group of nozzles are selectively actuated to apply drops of ink to print a second column, and so forth.
The method of Claim 1, wherein the heads (A, B, C, D) are activated in a manner such that nozzles from said second group of nozzles are selectively actuated to apply drops of ink to the substrate in the same positions as drops of ink applied by corresponding nozzles from said first group of nozzles.
The method of Claim 1, further comprising identifying at least one nozzle from said first group of nozzles as a malfunctioning nozzle, wherein the heads (A, B, C, D) are actuated in a manner such that, to print a required pattern, a corresponding nozzle from another group of nozzles takes over the work.
The method of Claim 1, wherein the at least two print heads (A, B, C, D) are mounted on the common carriage in staggered partially overlapping relation.
The method of Claim 1, wherein the at least two print heads (A, B) include a third print head (C) and a fourth print head (D), the third and fourth print heads (C, D) being mounted such that each nozzle from a first group of the nozzles of a first (A) of the print heads (A, B, C, D) travels along a path collinear with a nozzle from each of said third and fourth print heads (C, D).
The method of Claim 6, wherein the at least four heads (A, B, C, D) are mounted on the common carriage in staggered partially overlapping relation.