Missing nozzle detection method and sensor for an ink jet printer

1. A sensor for detecting malfunctioning ones of a plurality of nozzles of a printhead in an ink jet printer, said sensor comprising:

at least two terminals defining a single gap therebetween, said single gap having a plurality of substantially linear segments, said segments being displaced from one another in a paper feed direction and in a direction orthogonal to said paper feed direction; and

an electrical measuring device configured to detect a change in an electrical resistance between said terminals when ink is in said single gap.

2. The sensor of claim 1 , wherein said at least two terminals comprise two terminals.

3. The sensor of claim 1 , wherein adjacent said segments are displaced from one another in the paper feed direction by a single pel width.

4. The sensor of claim 1 , wherein each said segment has a length of between 10 pels and 300 pels.

5. The sensor of claim 1 , wherein each said segment is oriented in a scan direction substantially perpendicular to the paper feed direction.

6. The sensor of claim 1 , wherein adjacent ones of the nozzles are displaced from one another by a first distance in the paper feed direction, adjacent said segments being displaced from one another in the paper feed direction by the first distance.

7. The sensor of claim 1 , wherein said single gap has a width of approximately one pel.

8. A method of detecting malfunctioning ones of a plurality of nozzles of a printhead in an ink jet printer, said method comprising the steps of:

providing a sensor including at least two terminals defining at least one gap therebetween;

attempting to jet ink from a first of the nozzles into said at least one gap;

measuring a resistance between at least two of said terminals to determine whether the ink has been jetted into said at least one gap; and

repeating said attempting and measuring steps for each remaining said nozzle.

9. The method of claim 8 , comprising the further step of allowing said ink in said at least one gap to at least one of dry and evaporate between each said measuring step.

10. The method of claim 8 , wherein said at least two terminals comprise two terminals, said at least one gap comprising a single, one-pel-wide gap having a plurality of substantially linear segments, said segments being displaced from one another in a paper feed direction, each said segment being oriented in a scan direction substantially perpendicular to the paper feed direction.

11. The method of claim 10 , wherein adjacent ones of the nozzles are displaced from one another by a first distance in the paper feed direction, adjacent said segments being displaced from one another in the paper feed direction by the first distance.

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein each said attempting step includes attempting to jet ink into a respective one of said segments.

13. The method of claim 12 , wherein each said segment has a first length, a first said attempting step including jetting a plurality of sets of side-by-side pels, each said set having a second length one of less than and equal to said first length, said pels within a same said set being aligned in the scan direction, said sets of pels being aligned in the scan direction, a first said measuring step including measuring said resistance after each individual said set of side-by-side pels has been jetted.

14. The method of claim 13 , comprising the further step of determining a position in the paper feed direction of said first nozzle based on said measuring steps.