Viewahead Technology, Inc.

Conexant Systems, Inc.

Chong-Hing Cheung

Danjie Pan

Hua Peng

A printer that uses a number of control state machines to reconfigure logic array circuitry to perform image data processing in preparation for printing. The logic array circuitry is programmable and adaptable to accommodate a wide variety of printer components characteristic to digital image printing systems. The logic array circuitry is reconfigured, depending on the particular printer in which the invention is implemented, by the control state machines as they receive control state machine conditions corresponding to the printer components characteristic to that specific digital image printer. For example, the physical, mechanical, and electrical characteristics of the printer constitute the printer component that modify the control state machine conditions which in turn govern the configuration of the logic array circuitry through the control state machines. Examples of printer components used to determine the control state machine conditions include, among other things, the number of ink jet printer nozzles, the ink jet nozzle separation, the firing order of the ink jet nozzles, and other characteristics of the digital image printer including electrical processing circuitry characteristics of the digital image printer. Selected portions of the logic array of the printer is used to perform a variety of image data processing functions including, among other things, nozzle data shifting, nozzle data masking, nozzle dot counting, nozzle data mapping, and nozzle columns separation. Certain of these functions are performed using serial image data processing.

Flexible array image data processing for ink jet nozzle data control in digital image printing systems

A digital image printer that performs bit rotation and row alignment in preparation for final image reproduction. The present invention combines the two digital image data processing functions of bit rotation and row alignment into a single functional step. The two functions are performed simultaneously, in that, while row alignment is being performed during the deposition of a portion of the digital image data into a certain portion of a group of memory buffers, bit rotation is performed by extracting another portion of the digital image data from another portion of a group of memory buffers. The present invention reduces the number of required digital image data memory buffers required to perform the two functions of bit rotation and row alignment from conventional systems that perform the two functions sequentially and utilize a direct memory access channel to perform the data transfer between integrated circuitry that performs the two functions. The present invention presents a design that is inherently scaleable to accommodate any variety of digital image printing systems having various mechanical and electrical characteristics. The present invention does not require any digital image data preprocessing by a host before receiving the digital image data in preparation for digital image reproduction.

Integrated bit rotation and row alignment within digital image printing systems

An image data addressing system for a digital image printer operates on a plurality of image data having a horizontal format. Ink jet type digital printers require the alignment of the image data in a horizontal fashion to accommodate the vertical, mechanical arrangement of the ink jet nozzles. A program adapted to the specific components, circuitry and other characteristics of the digital image printer performs data addressing on the image data for preparation for ink jet firing by the ink jet nozzles. A common, integrated memory is used to perform the image data processing of the plurality of image data. The digital image printer adaptable program governs the storing of the image data so that it is adaptable to the specific components, circuitry and other characteristics of the digital image printer. An unused, consecutive portion of the integrated memory is provided at certain times during the image data processing. In certain embodiments of the invention, the image data addressing system is contained within a multi-functional peripheral. The multi-functional peripheral device is a peripheral device containing several internal devices that operate either independently or cooperatively to perform image data processing. Alternatively, the image data addressing system is found in a stand alone device that performs primarily one single function, namely, image data addressing. Highly computationally intensive functions use the unused, consecutive portion of the integrated memory. One particular function that is highly computationally intensive is motor control within an ink jet digital image printer.

Image data addressing for bit rotation block within digital image processors

A digital image printer that performs certain digital image processing functions using parallel integrated circuitry and other functions using serial integrated circuitry in an effort to minimize integrated circuit real estate. The serial integrated circuitry is allocated to certain functions within digital image printing system that perform various mechanical operations. The inherent mechanical time constant of these mechanical operations, when compared to electrical digital image processing operations performed using modern integrated circuitry, is relatively long. In other words, the mechanical operations are performed in a relatively longer time than is made possible using modern integrated circuitry and processors employed within digital image printing systems. The present invention dedicates certain of the functions used to perform digital image processing to be performed using slower, serial integrated circuitry. While this serial digital image processing is slow when compared to parallel digital image processing, there are advantages in the particular context of digital image printing systems, in that, serial processing integrated circuitry takes up significantly less space on an integrated circuit. Also, serial processing integrated circuitry is very easily scaleable to accommodate any variety of digital image printing systems having various mechanical and electrical characteristics. A very small size integrated circuit is achieved by dedicating serial processing integrated circuitry to a certain number of the total functions that must be performed in the digital image printer. Significant cost savings are also achieved given the greatly reduced size of the integrated circuit.

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Mission Viejo, CA, United States of America

Chong-Hing Cheung