Patent ID: 8531743
Filing Date: 2013-09-10
Classification: B41J

Abstract:
1. A process for detecting missing inkjets in an inkjet image generating system comprising: operating at least one printhead to eject ink onto an image receiving member to form an ink image that corresponds to image data used to operate the at least one printhead; generating a digital image of the ink image on the image receiving member from light reflected by the ink image and the image receiving member to a plurality of light sensors linearly arranged on a support member that is transverse to movement of the image receiving member in a process direction; segmenting the digital image into a plurality of segments; generating in each segment a profile in the process direction for each light sensor in the plurality of light sensors by averaging a predetermined number of sensor values in a process direction for each light sensor that generated digital data in a segment of the digital image, the sensor value averages for each light sensor that generated digital data in a segment forming a profile for a segment; detecting a light streak in a segment from the profile generated for the segment by identifying an average cross-process direction sensor value for a predetermined number of contiguous sensor value averages within a generated profile, comparing the average cross-process direction sensor value to a sensor value average at each end of the predetermined number of contiguous sensor value averages in the cross-process direction, and detecting a light streak within a segment in response to the average cross-process direction sensor value being greater than the sensor value average at each end of the predetermined number of contiguous sensor value averages by at least a predetermined amount; and identifying a position of a missing inkjet at each detected light streak with reference to a position of a light sensor in the plurality of light sensors.