Inkjet image forming apparatus and control method of the same

Abstract

An inkjet image forming apparatus includes a printhead including a nozzle array having a plurality of nozzles arranged in a main scanning direction, an auxiliary printhead having an auxiliary nozzle to fire ink to assist the nozzles to print the image and capable of reciprocating in the main scanning direction, and a detecting unit formed integrally with the auxiliary printhead, and a control method of the inkjet image forming apparatus includes firing ink onto an ink firing position between ink dots printed by two neighboring nozzles in a high-resolution mode, and/or firing ink onto an ink firing position where a missing dot caused by a defective nozzle exists in a compensation mode.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

These and/or other aspects and advantages of the present general inventive concept will become apparent and more readily appreciated from the following description of the embodiments, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings of which:

FIG. 1 is a side sectional view illustrating an inkjet image forming apparatus, according to an embodiment of the present general inventive concept;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view illustrating a reciprocating unit and a carrying unit of FIG. 1, according to an embodiment of the present general inventive concept;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view illustrating a printhead of the inkjet image forming apparatus of FIG. 1, according to an embodiment of the present general inventive concept;

FIG. 4 is a view illustrating an operation of a control portion of the inkjet image forming apparatus of FIG. 1, according to an embodiment of the present general inventive concept;

FIG. 5A is a view illustrating a nozzle test pattern, according to an embodiment of an embodiment of the present general inventive concept;

FIG. 5B is a view illustrating an auxiliary nozzle test pattern printed in a high-density print mode with respect to the nozzle test pattern illustrated in FIG. 5A, according to an embodiment of an embodiment of the present general inventive concept;

FIG. 6A is a view illustrating a nozzle test pattern when defective nozzles exist, according to an embodiment of the present general inventive concept;

FIG. 6B is a view illustrating an auxiliary nozzle test pattern printed in a compensation mode with respect to the nozzle test pattern illustrated in FIG. 6A, according to an embodiment of an embodiment of the present general inventive concept;

FIG. 7A is a view illustrating a nozzle test pattern when defective nozzles exist, according to an embodiment of the present general inventive concept;

FIG. 7B is a view illustrating an auxiliary nozzle test pattern printed in high-density print and compensation modes with respect to the nozzle test pattern illustrated in FIG. 7A, according to an embodiment of an embodiment of the present general inventive concept;

FIG. 8A is a view illustrating a nozzle test pattern printed using grouped nozzles, according to an embodiment of the present general inventive concept;

FIG. 8B is a view illustrating an auxiliary nozzle test pattern printed in high-density print and compensation modes with respect to the nozzle test pattern illustrated in FIG. 8A, according to an embodiment of an embodiment of the present general inventive concept; and

FIGS. 9A and 9B are flowcharts illustrating a control method of an inkjet image forming apparatus, according to an embodiment of the present general inventive concept.

Claims

1. A printhead unit of an image forming apparatus, the printhead unit comprising: a first printhead comprising a plurality of first nozzles to eject ink onto a printing medium to form an image on the printing medium; anda second printhead spaced apart from the first printhead by a predetermined distance in a conveying direction of the printing medium and moveable in a main scanning direction perpendicular to the conveying direction, the second printhead comprising a plurality of second nozzles to eject ink onto the printing medium to increase a print resolution of the printhead unit and/or to compensate for a defective nozzle of the plurality of first nozzles.

2. The printhead unit of claim 1, wherein the first printhead is an array type printhead and the second printhead is a shuttle type printhead.

3. The printhead unit of claim 1, further comprising: a detecting unit attached to the second printhead to detect the image printed on the printing medium; anda control unit to control operations of the first printhead, the second printhead, and the detecting unit.

4. The printhead unit of claim 3, wherein the detecting unit and the plurality of second nozzles are spaced apart from each other by a first predetermined distance in the main scanning direction.

5. The printhead unit of claim 4, wherein the detecting unit and the plurality of first nozzles are spaced apart from each other by a second predetermined distance in the conveying direction, and the detecting unit is spaced apart from a nozzle of the plurality of first nozzles by a third predetermined distance in the main scanning direction.

6. The printhead unit of claim 5, wherein the control unit stores constant values corresponding to the first, second, and third predetermined distances.

7. The printhead unit of claim 6, wherein the control unit synchronizes the ejection of the ink by the plurality of first nozzles and the plurality of second nozzles using the constant values.

8. The printhead unit of claim 6, wherein the control unit continuously updates the constant values to precisely align ink dots ejected by the first and second printheads onto the printing medium.

9. The printhead unit of claim 6, wherein the control unit updates the constant values during predetermined time periods to precisely align ink dots ejected by the first and second printheads onto the printing medium.

10. The printhead unit of claim 1, wherein the first printhead ejects a plurality of ink drops at locations on the printing medium corresponding to the plurality of first nozzles, and the second printhead ejects at least one auxiliary ink drop between two adjacent ink drops of the plurality of ink drops to increase the print resolution of the printhead unit.

11. The printhead unit of claim 1, wherein the plurality of first nozzles includes the defective nozzle, and the second printhead ejects at least one ink drop at a location on the printing medium corresponding to the defective nozzle to compensate for the defective nozzle.

12. An inkjet image forming method, comprising: ejecting ink dots onto a printing medium using a plurality of first nozzles of a first printhead as the printing medium moves in a conveying direction to form a first print line of an image;stopping the movement of the printing medium and ejecting auxiliary ink dots onto predetermined positions on the first print line using a plurality of second nozzles of a second printhead spaced apart from the first printhead by a predetermined distance in the conveying direction, the second printhead being moveable in a main scanning direction perpendicular to the conveying direction; andmoving the printing medium having the ejected ink dots and auxiliary ink dots in the conveying direction and repeating the ejecting of the ink dots using the plurality of first nozzles, the stopping of the movement of the printing medium, and the ejecting of the auxiliary ink dots using the plurality of second nozzles for each print line of the image.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the predetermined positions on the first print line correspond to at least one of locations between adjacent one of the ink dots ejected by the plurality of first nozzles, and locations of blank dots of at least one defective nozzle of the plurality of first nozzles.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein the predetermined positions on the first print line correspond to locations between adjacent one of the ink dots ejected by the plurality of first nozzles, and locations of blank dots of at least one defective nozzle of the plurality of first nozzles.

15. An image forming apparatus, comprising: a first printhead having a plurality of first nozzles to form an image on a printing medium;a second printhead having a plurality of second nozzles; anda control unit to control the second printhead to form a second image on the printing medium with the image according to one of a high definition mode and a compensation mode.