Patent ID: 11958252
Assignee: 3D SYSTEMS, INC.
Field: Other special machines (Mechanical engineering)
Classification: CPC B | IPC B

Claim 5:
6. The method according to claim 1, wherein
a) a data memory is provided, in which the geometry data are stored,
b) a ring memory is provided, which has at least a number of memory spaces that corresponds to the number of print cycles, which comprise, in each instance, a number of memory locations that corresponds to the number of the emitters of the emitter array, each of which locations is assigned to an emitter, in each instance,
c) for a number of directly consecutive print cycles that corresponds to the number of print cycles, one of the memory spaces is assigned to each of these print cycles, in each instance,
d) for a first row of print dots stored in the data memory, a number of print dots that the emitter array is set up to print, corresponding to the number of emitters of the emitter array, is read out of the data memory,
e) for the emitters assigned to the print dots of the first row, an activation value is stored in the memory locations of the ring memory assigned to the emitters, in each instance, which value indicates whether the emitter assigned to the print dot in question is supposed to be activated in the print cycle assigned to the memory in question,
f) for a further row of print dots stored in the data memory, a number of print dots that the emitter array is set up to print, which number corresponds to the number of the emitters of the emitter array, is read out from the data memory,
g) for the print dots of the further row, an activation value is stored in the memory locations of the ring memory assigned to the emitters, which number corresponds to the number of emitters, and indicates whether the emitter assigned to the print dot in question is supposed to be activated in the print cycle assigned to the memory space in question,
h) steps f) and g) are repeated until, for a number of rows that corresponds to the number of print cycles, in each instance, a number of print dots corresponding to the number of emitters, in each instance, has been read out of the data memory, and corresponding activation values have been stored in the ring memory for these print dots,
i) the support and the emitter array are positioned relative to one another at the trigger point assigned to the print cycle, in the memory space of which activation values were last stored, and the emitters of the emitter array are controlled as a function of the activation values stored in this memory space,
j) in the event that at least one further print dot is still supposed to be printed,
the memory spaces are cyclically interchanged, in such a manner that the memory space to which the trigger point is assigned, at which the support and the emitter array were last positioned relative to one another for triggering the emitters, is the first memory space, and afterward
steps f) to j) are repeated.