Patent ID: 8038236

Claim:
A device for patterning wood or wood-containing workpieces, comprising: a printing means configured as an ink-jet printing means having a plurality of nozzles from which drops of ink can be expelled, a control means for controlling the printing means, a workpiece carrier means for carrying the workpiece to be patterned, a conveyor means for bringing about a relative movement between the workpiece to be patterned and the printing means, and a detection means for detecting the relative position between the ink-jet printing means and at least one surface to be patterned of the respective workpiece to be patterned, wherein the detection means is disposed and configured so as to be in a predetermined, fixed relationship to the ink-jet printing means and/or to detect at least the distance between the ink-jet printing means and at least one surface of the respective workpiece to be patterned, wherein the detection means is further disposed on the printing means via a movable and/or pivotable element such that the detection means is capable of detecting along a direction substantially orthogonal to the direction in which the drops of ink from at least one nozzle are expelled, and wherein the control means is configured by the detection means to selectively switch the plurality of nozzles on and off.