Conveyor Guide Member Grooves for Inkjet Printers
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Solution Overview
Problem
The existing conveyor devices in inkjet recording apparatuses experience uneven circulation speed of the conveyor belt due to excessive pressure loss in the paths constituted by the grooves and through holes of the guide member, leading to misalignment of ink droplets and printing shifts.
Innovation Solution
A conveyor device with a guide member featuring a surface having grooves and through holes, where air escape channels are in communication with the grooves, allowing air to flow into the air flow chamber even when the conveyor belt is covered with a recording medium, thereby reducing excessive negative pressure and maintaining consistent conveyor belt speed.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the guide member has grooves and through holes for sucking the conveyor belt, then the recording medium can be held on the conveyor belt, but pressure loss excessively increases leading to uneven circulation speed
Solution Approach 1:
The guide member is divided into multiple independent suction units, each with its own grooves and through holes. This segmentation allows air to be suctioned through multiple parallel paths, reducing the pressure loss in each individual path while maintaining the overall holding capability on the conveyor belt.
2Force
If negative pressure is increased to improve holding force, then the recording medium is held more securely, but the conveyor belt circulation speed becomes uneven
Solution Approach 1:
The invention uses a suction device that creates negative pressure in an air flow chamber, which then flows through multiple grooves and through holes in the guide member. This pneumatic system distributes the suction force evenly across multiple paths, maintaining adequate holding force while preventing excessive pressure loss that would cause uneven circulation speed.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This configuration minimizes unevenness in the conveyor belt's circulation speed, ensuring that ink droplets land on target positions, reducing printing shifts and maintaining image quality.
Implementation Method 1
The suction section creates negative pressure in the air flow chamber. As such, the suction section sucks air through the suction holes in the conveyor belt and through the grooves and the through holes in the guide member.
Implementation Method 2
The suction section sucks on the recording medium through the conveyor belt and the guide member.
Implementation Method 3
The recording medium is held on the conveyor belt by using static electricity to attract the recording medium or negative pressure to suck the recording medium.
Data Source
AI summary
A conveyor device is installed opposite to a recording head in a recording apparatus. The conveyor device includes a conveyor belt that conveys a recording medium. The conveyor device further includes a suction section. The suction section includes a guide member having through holes and an air escape channel. The guide member is located opposite to the recording head with the conveyor belt therebetween. The suction section sucks on the recording medium through the conveyor belt and the guide member. The guide member has a surface having grooves therein. The surface faces the recording head with the conveyor belt therebetween. The surface has a recess located outside of a region where the grooves are located. The recess constitutes a part of the air escape channel. The air escape channel is in communication with one or more of the grooves.