Self-adaptive thickness self-flattening printer
By combining the media detection module and the flattening control module, precise flattening of papers of different thicknesses and warps is achieved, solving the problem of insufficient adaptability of traditional printing equipment and improving printing quality and equipment stability.
Patent Information
- Authority / Receiving Office
- CN · China
- Patent Type
- Utility models(China)
- Current Assignee / Owner
- ZHUJI ZHUOMA ELECTRONIC TECH CO LTD
- Filing Date
- 2025-06-11
- Publication Date
- 2026-04-17
AI Technical Summary
Traditional printing equipment cannot effectively adapt to paper of different thicknesses and warps, resulting in problems such as blurry printing, ink splatter, broken lines, or nozzle clogging.
The paper thickness and warpage are detected by a media detection module, and flattening is performed in sections by a flattening control module. Precise flattening is achieved through a thickness sensor, a reflective laser displacement sensor array, and a miniature pressure head array.
It improves printing quality, prevents localized paper unevenness and irregular adhesion, and ensures print quality and equipment stability.
Smart Images
Figure CN224130724U_ABST
Abstract
Description
Technical Field
[0001] This utility model belongs to the field of printing technology, specifically relating to an adaptive thickness self-flattening printer. Background Technology
[0002] With the continuous development of digital printing technology, printing equipment is widely used in office printing, industrial manufacturing, labeling and document processing, logistics packaging and other fields. The types of media used in modern printing scenarios are becoming increasingly diverse, including not only ordinary paper, coated paper, PET film, and card stock, but also complex media with different thicknesses and surface properties, such as release label paper, composite materials, and coated materials.
[0003] Traditional printing equipment typically uses mechanical or fixed-position paper clamping components, which can only be adapted to different paper thicknesses through manual or simple mechanical adjustments. This makes it impossible to achieve dynamic adjustment for non-standard media or warped paper. In addition, most existing flattening controls apply uniform pressure across the entire width, which cannot handle local undulations, wrinkles, or irregular adhesion of paper, easily causing problems such as blurry printing, ink splatter, broken lines, or nozzle clogging. Utility Model Content
[0004] In view of the above-mentioned problems in the prior art, the purpose of this utility model is to provide an adaptive thickness self-flattening printer that can detect the thickness and warping of the medium through the medium detection module, and at the same time rely on the flattening control module to perform regional flattening operation on the medium to ensure the printing effect.
[0005] An adaptive thickness self-flattening printer includes a media detection module, a flattening control module, a printing execution module, and a central control module. The central control module is communicatively connected to the media detection module, the flattening control module, and the printing execution module. The media detection module includes a thickness detection unit and a warpage detection unit. The thickness detection unit is used to collect media thickness values, and the warpage detection unit is used to collect media surface height data. The central control module is used to drive the flattening control module to perform regional flattening operations on the media and to drive the printing execution module to perform printing actions.
[0006] Preferably, the thickness detection unit includes a thickness sensor and an auxiliary thickness sensor, both of which are installed in the printing channel. The thickness sensor is used to collect the center thickness of the medium, and the auxiliary thickness sensor is used to collect the thickness of the edge region of the medium.
[0007] Preferably, the warpage detection unit includes a reflective laser displacement sensor array arranged along the width of the medium and installed in the printing channel to detect the height data of the medium surface when the medium moves through.
[0008] Preferably, the flattening control module includes a flattening component and a linear actuator. The flattening component includes a miniature pressure head array, and the linear actuator is connected to the miniature pressure head array. It is driven by the central control module to control each pressure head to perform regional lifting and lowering movements in the vertical direction.
[0009] Preferably, the flattening control module includes a pressure sensor and a displacement encoder. The pressure sensor is used to detect the contact resistance between the pressure head and the medium in real time and feed it back to the central control module. The displacement encoder is used to record the deviation between the actual displacement of the pressure head and the target displacement and feed it back to the central control module.
[0010] Preferably, the medium detection module includes a feature detection unit, which includes a capacitive proximity sensor, an RGB color sensor, and a reflective optical sensor.
[0011] Preferably, the printing execution module includes a printhead interface, a power supply unit, and an output control unit. The printhead interface is provided with multiple printhead interfaces, each of which is connected to a thermal inkjet printhead. The power supply unit is used to provide a controlled pulse voltage to drive the nozzle heating element to form bubbles to achieve ink droplet ejection. The output control unit is used to control the on / off state of the power supply unit.
[0012] The beneficial effects of this invention are: the thickness self-flattening printer uses a combination of a thickness sensor and an auxiliary thickness sensor in its thickness detection unit to collect the thickness of the center and edge areas of the medium, which can accurately determine whether there is thickness abnormality or multiple overlapping of the medium.
[0013] The warpage detection unit uses a reflective laser displacement sensor array to scan and identify abnormal conditions such as surface warpage, bulging, and local protrusions on the moving medium, acquiring medium surface height data. The central control module then drives the flattening control module to perform regional flattening operations based on the medium surface height data, ensuring the medium is flat before printing, thus improving printing quality. Attached Figure Description
[0014] The accompanying drawings are provided to further illustrate the present invention and form part of the specification. They are used together with the embodiments of the present invention to explain the present invention, but do not constitute a limitation thereof. In the drawings:
[0015] Figure 1 This is a system block diagram of the present invention;
[0016] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the printer printing channel of the present invention;
[0017] Figure 3 This is a circuit diagram of the power supply unit of the present invention;
[0018] Figure 4 This is a circuit diagram of the nozzle interface of the present invention.
[0019] The following are labeled in the diagram: 1. Thickness sensor; 2. Auxiliary thickness sensor; 3. Warpage detection unit; 4. Flattening control module. Detailed Implementation
[0020] Example 1
[0021] like Figure 1 As shown, an adaptive thickness self-flattening printer includes a media detection module, a media identification module, a flattening control module 4, a printing execution module, and a central control module. The central control module is communicatively connected to the media detection module, the media identification module, the flattening control module 4, and the printing execution module.
[0022] The media detection module includes a thickness detection unit, a warpage detection unit 3, and a feature detection unit. The media detection module uses the thickness detection unit to detect the thickness of the media, the warpage detection unit 3 to detect the warpage of the media, and the feature detection unit to collect the classification feature information of the media. It then transmits the media thickness information, warpage information, and classification feature information to the central control module.
[0023] The central control module integrates the thickness data and surface height data of the medium to determine whether there are abnormal states such as warping, bending, cornering or multi-layer overlap in the current medium and generates a warping distribution map, which is used to generate a matching flattening control strategy to guide the flattening control module 4 to perform flattening actions in different regions.
[0024] Specifically, such as Figure 2 As shown, the thickness detection unit includes upper and lower thickness sensors 1, and an auxiliary thickness sensor 2. The upper and lower thickness sensors 1 are respectively installed on the upper and lower surfaces of the paper feed channel, and the center thickness of the medium is detected by laser ranging or micro-displacement sensor.
[0025] The auxiliary thickness sensor 2 is arranged on the left and right sides or obliquely symmetrically on the thickness sensor 1 to obtain the thickness or curvature difference of the medium edge area, so as to realize error compensation and preliminary warping identification of thickness detection.
[0026] The warpage detection unit 3 includes an array of reflective laser displacement sensors arranged along the width of the medium and mounted above the paper feed path. For example... Figure 2 As shown in the figure, the arrow indicates the direction of medium movement. When the medium moves through, the reflective laser displacement sensor array continuously detects the surface height of the medium through the light spot reflection signal, realizing the scanning and identification of abnormal states such as warping, bulging, and local protrusions on the medium surface, and obtaining the surface height data of the medium.
[0027] The feature detection unit includes various sensors for collecting classification feature information of the medium. The classification feature information of the medium includes capacitance, color, and reflectivity; correspondingly, the feature detection unit includes capacitive proximity sensors, RGB color sensors, and reflective optical sensors. It should be noted that the type and number of sensors can be adjusted according to specific usage requirements, with the aim of collecting sufficient classification feature information for medium classification and identification.
[0028] The media identification module includes a data preprocessing unit and a media classification model. The data preprocessing unit normalizes the media classification feature information, such as media thickness, capacitance, color, and reflectivity, collected by the media detection module. The media classification model uses a convolutional neural network (CNN) to classify and identify the media based on the processed media classification feature information, and transmits the classification results to the central control module.
[0029] Based on the classification and identification results from the media identification module, the central control module generates a matching printing control strategy to guide the printing execution module in performing printing actions.
[0030] Based on the multidimensional data provided by various sensors in the media detection module, the media identification module no longer relies on a single dimension when classifying media, which improves the response capability and judgment robustness under different working conditions. At the same time, it is beneficial for the central control module to generate or call more suitable printing control strategies, thereby improving the printing effect.
[0031] like Figure 2 As shown, the flattening control module 4 includes a flattening component, a linear actuator, a pressure sensor, and a displacement encoder. The flattening component includes a miniature pressure head array, composed of multiple distributed miniature pressure head arrays. The linear actuator is connected to the miniature pressure head array and is driven by the central control module to control the vertical lifting and lowering of each pressure head in designated areas, supporting precise control of the set stroke.
[0032] The pressure sensor is used to detect the contact resistance between the pressure head and the medium in real time and feed it back to the central control module to realize pressure monitoring and feedback closed-loop regulation, which is conducive to the self-learning of the central control module to generate pressure flattening control strategy.
[0033] The displacement encoder is used to record the deviation between the actual displacement of the pressure head and the target displacement, and to help identify whether the flattening component has experienced displacement jamming or flattening failure.
[0034] Furthermore, the flattening control module 4 communicates with the historical database, enabling it to dynamically adjust the pressure curve of the pressure head based on parameters such as different materials, paper thickness, and warping, and possessing self-learning and pressure optimization capabilities. The historical database is stored and updated in real-time by a built-in storage unit.
[0035] The flattening control module 4 works in conjunction with the media detection module and the media identification module to achieve a high degree of data fusion and logical coupling. Based on the results of the media detection module and the media identification module, the corresponding flattening control strategy is matched to achieve fine flattening control of multiple types and different characteristics of media, ensuring the fit and clarity of the printing process.
[0036] The printing execution module includes multiple printhead interfaces, a power supply unit, an output control unit, and a monitoring unit.
[0037] The printhead interface is used to connect to the thermal inkjet printhead; the power supply unit is used to provide controlled pulse voltage to drive the nozzle heating element to form bubbles and achieve ink droplet ejection; the output control unit is used to receive the "print enable" signal sent by the central control module, and only drives the power supply unit to enable after the "flattening complete" signal is confirmed, to prevent the printhead from ejecting ink prematurely when the paper is not flattened; after the power supply unit is enabled, the printhead interface activates the inkjet logic to complete synchronous inkjet output, and supports multi-printhead linkage or alternating inkjet strategies.
[0038] Specifically, the circuit structure of the power supply unit is as follows: Figure 3 As shown, the power supply unit includes a power chip U1 and peripheral circuitry. Through the coordination between the power chip U1 and the peripheral circuitry, the output signal V_OUT1 drives the thermal inkjet printhead via the printhead interface. The circuit structure of the printhead interface is as follows: Figure 4 As shown, multiple printhead interfaces can be provided to enable simultaneous inkjet printing by multiple printheads or alternating inkjet printing by multiple printheads.
[0039] The monitoring unit is used to monitor the working status of each channel in the inkjet process in real time. The monitoring content includes: nozzle heating current, voltage fluctuation, and open circuit or overheating of the printhead. The monitoring unit feeds back the monitoring results to the central control module to determine whether there is any abnormality or aging of the printhead. If the abnormality exceeds the limit, the nozzle channel can be automatically switched, the inkjet parameters can be adjusted, or an alarm can be triggered.
[0040] Working principle: When the self-adaptive thickness self-flattening printer is in use, the thickness sensor 1 detects the thickness value of the center of the medium when the medium is placed in the printing channel, the auxiliary thickness sensor 2 detects the thickness value of the edge area of the medium, and the reflective laser displacement sensor array arranged along the width of the medium detects the surface height data of the medium, thereby obtaining the thickness value and warping of the medium.
[0041] During the thickness and warpage detection processes, various sensors in the feature detection unit collect classification feature information such as capacitance, color, and reflectivity, and the medium type is identified through the medium identification module.
[0042] The central controller generates a matching flattening-printing control strategy based on the collected media information, which drives the flattening control module 4 and the printing execution module to perform their respective actions.
[0043] The flattening control module 4, based on the area coordinates and intensity information output by the central control module, controls the linear actuator to drive the miniature pressure head in the corresponding area to perform a pressing action. During the pressing process, pressure sensor data is read in real time, and the pressed pressure value is compared with the set pressure range value based on the intensity information output by the central control module. If the pressed pressure value is lower or higher than the set pressure range value, the linear actuator's action is automatically adjusted or the pressing action is stopped, and an alarm is triggered. During the pressing process, the deviation between the actual displacement and the target displacement of the pressure head is recorded in real time by a displacement encoder and fed back to the central control module. After the flattening action is completed, a "flattening complete" signal is sent to the central control module.
[0044] After receiving the "flattening complete" signal, the central control module transmits a "print enable" signal to the print execution module. Upon receiving the "print enable" signal from the central control module, the output control unit of the print execution module drives the power supply unit to output a controlled pulse voltage, thereby driving the nozzle heating element to form bubbles and causing the thermal inkjet printhead to eject ink droplets. During ink ejection, the monitoring unit monitors the operating status of each channel in real time and feeds the monitoring results back to the central control module to determine if there are any abnormalities or aging in the printhead. If an abnormality exceeds the limit, the unit can automatically switch nozzle channels, adjust inkjet parameters, or issue an alarm. The monitoring includes nozzle heating current, voltage fluctuations, and open circuit or overheating conditions in the printhead.
[0045] The above description is merely a preferred embodiment of the present utility model and is not intended to limit the present utility model. Although the present utility model has been described in detail with reference to the foregoing embodiments, those skilled in the art can still modify the technical solutions described in the foregoing embodiments or make equivalent substitutions for some of the technical features. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, improvements, etc., made within the spirit and principles of the present utility model should be included within the protection scope of the present utility model.
Claims
1. An adaptive thickness self-flattening printer, characterized by, It includes a media detection module, a flattening control module, a printing execution module, and a central control module. The central control module is communicatively connected to the media detection module, the flattening control module, and the printing execution module, respectively. The medium detection module includes a thickness detection unit and a warpage detection unit. The thickness detection unit is used to collect the thickness value of the medium, and the warpage detection unit is used to collect the surface height data of the medium. The central control module is used to drive the flattening control module to perform regional flattening operations on the medium, and to drive the printing execution module to perform printing actions.
2. The adaptive thickness self-fanning printer of claim 1, wherein, The thickness detection unit includes a thickness sensor and an auxiliary thickness sensor, both of which are installed in the printing channel. The thickness sensor is used to collect the center thickness of the medium, and the auxiliary thickness sensor is used to collect the thickness of the edge region of the medium.
3. The adaptive thickness self-fanning printer of claim 1, wherein, The warpage detection unit includes a reflective laser displacement sensor array arranged along the width of the medium and installed in the printing channel to detect the height data of the medium surface as the medium moves through.
4. The adaptive thickness self-fanning printer of claim 1, wherein, The flattening control module includes a flattening component and a linear actuator. The flattening component includes a miniature pressure head array, and the linear actuator is connected to the miniature pressure head array. It is driven by the central control module to control each pressure head to perform regional lifting and lowering movements in the vertical direction.
5. The adaptive thickness self-fanning printer of claim 4, wherein, The flattening control module includes a pressure sensor and a displacement encoder. The pressure sensor is used to detect the contact resistance between the pressure head and the medium in real time and feed it back to the central control module. The displacement encoder is used to record the deviation between the actual displacement of the pressure head and the target displacement and feed it back to the central control module.
6. The adaptive thickness self-platen printer of claim 1, wherein, The medium detection module includes a feature detection unit, which includes a capacitive proximity sensor, an RGB color sensor, and a reflective optical sensor.
7. The adaptive thickness self-platen printer of claim 1, wherein, The printing execution module includes a printhead interface, a power supply unit, and an output control unit. Multiple printhead interfaces are provided, and each printhead interface is connected to a thermal inkjet printhead. The power supply unit is used to provide a controlled pulse voltage to drive the nozzle heating element to form bubbles to achieve ink droplet ejection. The output control unit is used to control the on / off state of the power supply unit.