Patent ID: 9162509
Filing Date: 2015-10-20
Classification: B29C,B33Y,B41J

Abstract:
1. A printer comprising: a printhead configured with a plurality of inkjets to eject material; a supply of thermal substrate configured to move thermal substrate to a position opposite the printhead to receive material ejected from the printhead, the supply of thermal substrate having a plurality of thermal substrates; a support member having a pivot that enables the support member to rotate; an actuator operatively connected to the support member; an optical sensor configured to generate electrical signals corresponding to an optical density of a location on the thermal substrate; an actuator operatively connected to the optical sensor to move the optical sensor to a position opposite the thermal substrate onto which material has been ejected; and a controller operatively connected to the actuator connected to the optical sensor, the optical sensor, the actuator connected to the support member, and the printhead, the controller being configured to operate another actuator to move a single thermal substrate from the plurality of thermal substrates onto a support member at the position opposite the printhead, to operate the printhead to eject a predetermined number of material drops from each inkjet onto the thermal substrate to enable the predetermined number of material drops to form a test dot for each inkjet on the thermal substrate, to operate the actuator connected to the optical sensor to move the optical sensor to a position opposite the thermal substrate, to identify inoperative inkjets in the printhead with reference to the data received from the optical sensor that corresponds to optical densities of the thermal substrate at a plurality of locations on the thermal substrate, and to operate the actuator connected to the support member to rotate the support member about the pivot to enable a thermal substrate to drop from the support member.