US 12,263,685 B2
Printing apparatus, printing method, and computer readable medium
Sachiko Murakami, Okazaki (JP); and Akira Minami, Nagoya (JP)
Assigned to BROTHER KOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA, Nagoya (JP)
Filed by BROTHER KOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA, Nagoya (JP)
Filed on Jun. 9, 2023, as Appl. No. 18/332,689.
Claims priority of application No. 2022-094156 (JP), filed on Jun. 10, 2022.
Prior Publication US 2023/0398792 A1, Dec. 14, 2023
Int. Cl. B41J 2/355 (2006.01); B41J 2/32 (2006.01); B41J 2/36 (2006.01); B41J 29/38 (2006.01)
CPC B41J 2/3558 (2013.01) [B41J 2/32 (2013.01); B41J 2/355 (2013.01); B41J 2/36 (2013.01); B41J 29/38 (2013.01); B41J 2202/31 (2013.01)] 16 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A printing apparatus comprising:
a thermal head in which a plurality of heating elements is arranged in a main scanning direction;
a moving mechanism configured to relatively move a print medium with respect to the thermal head in a sub-scanning direction crossing the main scanning direction;
a controller configured to control the thermal head and the moving mechanism; and
a storage unit configured to store first print data in which pixels are arranged in the main scanning direction and the sub-scanning direction, the pixels including print pixels indicating pixels with which corresponding dots are formed on the print medium by heat generated by the heating elements and non-print pixels with which no dot is formed on the print medium, the first print data being for printing a first print image represented by the print pixels,
wherein the controller is configured to execute
generation processing of generating second print data based on the first print data stored in the storage unit, the generation processing including:
extracting, from the non-print pixels, a target pixel to which one of the print pixels is adjacent on one side or the other side in the sub-scanning direction and to which one of the print pixels is adjacent on one side or the other side in the main scanning direction;
generating n divided pixels by dividing the extracted target pixel into n in the main scanning direction, n being an integer equal to or greater than 2;
identifying a second print image formed of the print pixels and at least one divided print pixel with which corresponding dot is formed on the print medium and chosen from the n divided pixels in order of closeness to one of the print pixels adjacent to the extracted target pixel in the main scanning direction, and
generating the second print data for printing the second print image, and
control processing of controlling the thermal head and the moving mechanism based on at least the second print data generated by the generation processing, the control processing including:
setting, as a first value, a value of energy applied to the heating element in order to cause the heating element to generate heat at a position corresponding to one of the print pixels on the print medium; and
setting, as a second value, a value of energy smaller than the first value and applied to the heating element in order to cause the heating element to generate heat at a position corresponding to the target pixel on the print medium.
 
13. A printing method comprising:
generating second print data based on first print data in which pixels are arranged in a main scanning direction and a sub-scanning direction crossing the main scanning direction, the pixel including print pixels indicating pixels with which corresponding dots are formed on a print medium by heat generated by a heating element of a thermal head in which a plurality of heating elements are arranged in the main scanning direction, the non-print pixels indicating pixels with which no dot is formed on the print medium, the first print data being for printing a first print image represented by the print pixels; and
controlling the thermal head and a moving mechanism, based on at least the second print data generated in the generating, configured to relatively move the print medium with respect to the thermal head in the sub-scanning direction,
wherein the generating includes:
extracting, from the non-print pixels, a target pixel to which one of the print pixels is adjacent on one side or the other side in the sub-scanning direction and to which one of the print pixels is adjacent on one side or the other side in the main scanning direction;
generating n divided pixels by dividing the extracted target pixel into n in the main scanning direction, n being an integer equal to or greater than 2;
identifying a second print image formed of the print pixels and at least one divided print pixel with which corresponding dot is formed on the print medium and chosen from the n divided pixels in order of closeness to one of the print pixels adjacent to the extracted target pixel in the main scanning direction; and
generating the second print data for printing the second print image, and
wherein the controlling includes:
setting, as a first value, a value of energy applied to the heating element in order to cause the heating element to generate heat at a position corresponding to one of the print pixels on the print medium; and
setting, as a second value, a value of energy smaller than the first value and applied to the heating element in order to cause the heating element to generate heat at a position corresponding to the target pixel on the print medium.
 
15. A non-transitory computer readable medium storing a program causing a computer to execute a process for performing printing on a print medium, the process comprising:
generating second print data based on first print data in which pixels are arranged in a main scanning direction and a sub-scanning direction crossing the main scanning direction, the pixel including print pixels indicating pixels with which corresponding dots are formed on the print medium by heat generated by a heating element of a thermal head in which a plurality of heating elements are arranged in the main scanning direction, the non-print pixels indicating pixels with which no dot is formed on the print medium, the first print data being for printing a first print image represented by the print pixels; and
controlling the thermal head and a moving mechanism, based on at least the second print data generated in the generating, configured to relatively move the print medium with respect to the thermal head in the sub-scanning direction,
wherein the generating includes:
extracting, from the non-print pixels, a target pixel to which one of the print pixels is adjacent on one side or the other side in the sub-scanning direction and to which one of the print pixels is adjacent on one side or the other side in the main scanning direction;
generating n divided pixels by dividing the extracted target pixel into n in the main scanning direction, n being an integer equal to or greater than 2;
identifying a second print image formed of the print pixels and at least one divided print pixel with which corresponding dot is formed on the print medium and chosen from the n divided pixels in order of closeness to one of the print pixels adjacent to the extracted target pixel in the main scanning direction; and
generating the second print data for printing the second print image, and
wherein the controlling includes:
setting, as a first value, a value of energy applied to the heating element in order to cause the heating element to generate heat at a position corresponding to one of the print pixels on the print medium; and
setting, as a second value, a value of energy smaller than the first value and applied to the heating element in order to cause the heating element to generate heat at a position corresponding to the target pixel on the print medium.