US 12,472,753 B2
In-track stitching error correction
Rodney G. Mader, Springfield, OH (US); and John E. Ludwicki, The Villages, FL (US)
Assigned to Eastman Kodak Company, Rochester, NY (US)
Filed by Eastman Kodak Company, Rochester, NY (US)
Filed on Dec. 20, 2023, as Appl. No. 18/390,150.
Prior Publication US 2025/0206034 A1, Jun. 26, 2025
Int. Cl. B41J 2/21 (2006.01); G06K 15/02 (2006.01)
CPC B41J 2/2135 (2013.01) [B41J 2/2146 (2013.01); G06K 15/027 (2013.01); G06K 2215/101 (2013.01)] 16 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A method of reducing in-track stitch errors in an inkjet printer including a plurality of jetting modules that are staggered in an in-track direction such that adjacent jetting modules partially overlap in an overlap region, each of the plurality of jetting modules including a plurality of jets wherein some of the jets of adjacent jetting modules are overlapping jets that overlap in the overlap region, comprising:
a) applying test image print data to the linehead to produce a printed test image on a print media using the jets of adjacent jetting modules including the overlapping jets, wherein the test image print data includes:
a test pattern for each of a plurality of in-track offset values, including:
i) a first test pattern portion to be printed with a first of the adjacent jetting modules including a uniform density region having a slot with a slot width, the slot extending in a cross-track direction; and
ii) a second test pattern portion to be printed with a second of the adjacent jetting modules including a bar having a bar width, the bar extending in the cross-track direction;
wherein the bar width is substantially equal to the slot width;
wherein the uniform density region of the first test pattern portion and the bar of the second test pattern portion overlap in the cross-track direction and are printed with jets in the overlap region; and
wherein a nominal in-track position of the bar in each test pattern is offset from a nominal in-track position of the slot by the in-track offset value;
b) digitizing the printed test pattern to determine digitized test pattern data;
c) analyzing the digitized test pattern data for each in-track offset value in an analysis zone within the overlap region to determine a stitch score for each of the in-track offset values, wherein the stitch score represents a degree of alignment between the slot in the first test pattern portion and the bar in the second test pattern portion;
d) analyzing the determined stitch scores to determine an aim offset value where the slot in the first test pattern portion is aligned with the bar in the second test pattern portion; and
e) determining an offset correction value responsive to the determined aim offset value, wherein the offset correction value is adapted to be applied to production image data subsequently printed using the adjacent jetting modules of the linehead to reduce in-track stitch errors.