Lexmark International, Inc.

Texas Instruments Corporation

Patrick Laurence Kroger

David Golman King

Mahesan Chelvayohan

Randall David Mayo

Michael Anthony Marra, Iii

Adam Jude Ahne

Alexander Lloyd Chapman

Barry Baxter Stout

John Philip Bolash

Timothy Lee Anderson

Aditya Jayant Angal

Frank Edward Anderson

Christopher Alan Adkins

Sean Terrance Weaver

Kent Lee Ubellacker

Stephen Kelly Cunnagin

Martin Alan Johnson

Tommy Otis Lowe

Herman Anthony Smith

Nathan Wayne Foley

David Michael Cseledy

Jay William Vessels

Michael Duane Donovan

James Lesesne Bush, Iii

Eric Todd Debusschere

Dave King

Carrie A Klusek

Charles Aaron Judge

A method for use with an ink jet printhead having a plurality of nozzles, each of the plurality of nozzles having associated therewith a respective heating element, includes printing with the plurality of nozzles a test pattern while varying an energy of a respective heater pulse used to energize each respective heating element at each of a plurality of printhead carrier positions; scanning the test pattern with a reflectance sensor to generate reflectance data associated with the energy of the respective heater pulse used to energize each respective heating element at each of the plurality of printhead carrier positions; and determining an optimal non-nucleating heater pulse for use with the ink jet printhead based on the reflectance data.

Method for determining an optimal non-nucleating heater pulse for use with an ink jet printhead

Methods and systems for calibrating media indexing errors in a printing device are provided. In one embodiment, the method comprises feeding a calibration media through a printing device, sensing the position of the media as it moves through the printing device, sensing positions of a media indexing component as the media moves through the printing device, determining media indexing position errors based upon the sensed positions, and calculating a compensation factor to be applied based upon the errors. In some embodiments, parameters of a line and/or other function are determined from the error data and the parameters are utilized to calculate a compensation factor. Moreover, in some embodiments, it is determined what range the data fits within, and a predetermined compensation factor is determined based upon the range.

Methods and systems to calibrate media indexing errors in a printing device

A method for calibrating a printhead includes printing a test pattern, scanning the test pattern to obtain calibration data, performing an ink drop velocity optimization for the printhead using the calibration data, and determining a bi-directional offset based on the calibration data.

Method and apparatus for calibrating a printhead

An image sensor has two or three rows of imaging elements, all the imaging elements being of the same size. This provides the rows with a native resolution. The image sensor is also provided with three shift registers. First and second shift register elements receive information from respective corresponding imaging element in a first and second row of imagining elements while shift register elements of the third shift register receive information from four imaging elements. The four imaging elements form a super-pixel, allowing the sensor to output information in a low resolution mode, as well a native and a high resolution mode.

Multiple resolution optical imager using single size image elements

A method for determining ink drop velocity of a printhead located at a gap above a print medium. A first ink mark is printed at a first printhead velocity. A second ink mark is printed at a different (in magnitude and/or direction) second printhead velocity. The ink for the second ink mark is ejected from the printhead at the same print ejection position used for the first ink mark plus an offset distance (if any). An optical scan of at least a portion of the print medium is generated using a non-printhead-carrier-mounted optical scanner. The distance between the ink marks is measured using the optical scan. The ink drop velocity is calculated using the measured distance, the offset distance, the first and second printhead velocities, and the gap.

Method for determining ink drop velocity of carrier-mounted printhead using an optical scanner

An encoder and related methods for use in a printing device indexing system are provided. In some embodiments, the system comprises a feedroller or other component configured to index media through a printing device, and an encoder disk is coupled to the feedroller. In these embodiments, the system includes a reflective optical detector having a transmitter and a receiver provided adjacent a first surface of the encoder disk, the reflective optical detector being configured to detect the passage of the home position mark as the encoder disk rotates by the reflection of radiation off of the first surface. Also provided in some embodiments are methods for setting a counter to correspond with the home position of a rotatable element by utilizing threshold signal levels.

Methods and apparatuses for sensing rotational position of a component in a printing device

A method of correcting for sensitivity variation of media sensors includes determining a first signal level corresponding to a first calibration media having a first glossiness; determining a second signal level corresponding to a second calibration media having a second glossiness, the second glossiness being greater than the first glossiness; and determining a corrected normalized signal level ratio of an unknown media based on the first signal level of the first calibration media and the second signal level of the second calibration media.

Media type sensing method for an imaging apparatus

A printhead alignment test pattern has spaced-apart images at least partially aligned along an axis. Each image includes leading and trailing edge portions having respective image-outermost leading and trailing edges spaced apart along the axis and includes an intervening portion located between the leading and trailing edge portions. The leading and trailing edge portions have a higher print density than the intervening portion. A method for determining a printhead misalignment of a printer prints the test pattern, moves a sensor along the axis over the images, obtains data from the sensor, determines the locations along the printhead scan axis of the leading and/or trailing edges of the images using the data, and calculates the printhead misalignment from the determined locations of the leading and/or trailing edges of the images. The test pattern reduces cockling of the print media which improves the accuracy of the method.

Printhead alignment test pattern and method for determining printhead misalignment

A gauge for detecting the level of ink in a printer's ink reservoir includes: a transmitter antenna adapted to be positioned adjacent to an outer surface of a printer's ink reservoir; a transmitter circuit operatively coupled to the transmitter antenna for generating a radio-frequency signal for transmission by the transmitter antenna; a receiver antenna; a receiver circuit for obtaining at least a portion of the radio-frequency signal received by the receiver antenna; and a processing circuit, operatively coupled to the receiver circuit, and configured to determine an approximate level of ink in the ink reservoir based upon, at least in part, a characteristic of the obtained portion of the radio-frequency signal, such as a voltage level of the obtained portion of the radio-frequency signal.

Liquid level detection gauge and associated methods

A method of reducing printing defects in an ink jet printer including at least one printhead mounted to a printhead carrier for printing on a print media sheet, includes the steps of determining a vertical alignment error for at least one printhead and adjusting a sheet feed increment for the print media sheet based on the vertical alignment error.

Method of reducing printing defects in an ink jet printer

A media type sensing method for an imaging apparatus includes the steps of changing a light intensity of a light source by changing a drive signal, while monitoring for an output change of a comparator; determining a drive signal value of the drive signal at a point of detection of the output change; and correlating the drive signal value to a specific media type.

In an ink jet printer, a method of selecting an optimized energy level associated with a target ink drop velocity including the acts of: moving a printhead across a print medium at a plurality of scan velocities including a first velocity and a second velocity, printing at least one set of patterns on the print medium by supplying at least one predetermined energy level to at least one actuator of the printhead, the at least one set of patterns including a first pattern printed at the first velocity and a second pattern printed at the second velocity, associating the first pattern with the second pattern and selecting the optimized energy level associated with the target ink drop velocity.

Method and apparatus for adjusting drop velocity

A jet head box for a semiconductor substrate and nozzle plate containing fluid jet actuators. The jet head box includes an elongate substantially rigid body having a first surface and a second surface opposite the first surface. The body also includes a first recessed portion defining a substrate pocket area in the first surface thereof. An elongate slot extends through the body from the second surface to the first surface in the substrate pocket area. An encapsulant dam is provided adjacent at least one end thereof. A shelf is adjacent the encapsulant dam. The jet head box provides a low cost construction for simple miniature fluid jetting devices.

Jet head box

A method of optimizing a relationship between fire energy and drop velocity associated with a printhead is provided. A test pattern is printed by selectively supplying energy distribution signals to a plurality of actuators of the printhead. The energy distribution signals have distinct energy profiles. The test pattern is scanned to obtain drop velocity information corresponding to the energy distribution signals. Based on the drop velocity information, an energy profile is determined that optimizes the relationship between fire energy and drop velocity.

Method and apparatus for optimizing a relationship between fire energy and drop velocity in an imaging device

A method for determining ink drop velocity of a printhead located at a gap above a print medium. A first ink mark is printed at a first printhead velocity. A second ink mark is printed at a different (in magnitude and/or direction) second printhead velocity. The ink for the second ink mark is ejected from the printhead at the same print ejection position used for the first ink mark plus a predetermined offset distance (if any). The distance between the ink marks is measured. The ink drop velocity is calculated using the measured distance, the predetermined offset distance, the first and second printhead velocities, and the predetermined gap. In another method, an ink mark is printed, a distance is measured between the ink mark and the ink-ejection position, and the ink drop velocity is calculated using the measured distance, the printhead velocity, and the gap.

Growing community of inventors

Versailles, KY, United States of America

Patrick Laurence Kroger