System and method for high speed inoperative inkjet compensation

摘要

An apparatus enables a printer to identify neighboring inkjets to compensate for inoperative inkjets with reference to different search patterns. The apparatus includes a plurality of mutliplexers, a memory, a decoder, and a controller. The multiplexers are operatively connected to the memory to receive data that selects one of a plurality of image data pixels on the inputs of the multiplexers. The outputs of the multiplexers are concatenated in a predetermined order and the decoder identifies a highest priority image data pixel available for inoperative inkjet compensation. The controller operates the memory to output the data stored at the plurality of storage locations in a first sequence to enable the multiplexers to output the image data pixels in the predetermined order for the decoder.

主权项

1. An apparatus for identifying an inkjet to compensate for a defective inkjet comprising:
a plurality of mutliplexers, each multiplexer having a plurality of inputs for receiving a same plurality of image data pixels in an image, each multiplexer having a selector port that is configured to output one of the image data pixels in the plurality of image data pixels with reference to data provided to the selector port of the multiplexer in response to an enable signal being active at the multiplexer; a memory having a plurality of storage locations, an output of the memory being operatively connected to each selector port of the multiplexers in the plurality of multiplexers, each storage location in the memory providing data to each selector port in the plurality of multiplexers that selects one of the image data pixels in the plurality of image data pixels being received at the plurality of inputs at the multiplexer when the enable signal becomes active at the multiplexer; a decoder operatively connected to an output of each multiplexer to enable the decoder to receive the image data pixels from the plurality of multiplexers in a predetermined order, the decoder being configured to identify a highest priority image data pixel available for inoperative inkjet compensation in the plurality of image data pixels that is between a highest priority image data pixel on a first side of the inoperative inkjet and a highest priority image data pixel on a second side of the inoperative inkjet; and a controller configured to generate a first signal that identifies the image data pixels at the plurality of inputs at the multiplexers as being on the first side or the second side of an image data pixel to be ejected by an inoperative inkjet, to operate the memory to output the data stored at the plurality of storage locations in a first sequence in response to the first signal identifying the image data pixels as being on the first side of the image data pixel to be ejected by the inoperative inkjet and to operate the memory to output the data stored in the plurality of storage locations in a second sequence in response to the first signal identifying the image data pixels as being on the second side of the image data pixel to be ejected by the inoperative inkjet, the first sequence of data being different than the second sequence of data and to activate the enable signal for each multiplexer selectively to enable the multiplexers to output the image data pixels in the predetermined order for the decoder.