Cue Mark Sensor for Multi-Head Inkjet Registration
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Solution Overview
Problem
Inkjet printing systems face challenges in maintaining accurate color-to-color registration due to physical properties of the print medium, conveyance, ink application, and drying processes, leading to registration errors that restrict the range of suitable applications, especially when paper weight is reduced or ink coverage varies.
Innovation Solution
A method involving multiple print heads that deposit material on a substrate moving along a transport path, utilizing a first sensor to detect cue marks at predetermined positions, allowing for precise alignment of image planes by determining the placement of printed material based on cue mark detection, thereby reducing registration errors.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If multiple cue sensors are added to detect cue marks for each linehead, then color registration accuracy is improved, but system complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
A single cue sensor is positioned to detect cue marks for multiple lineheads sequentially as the substrate moves through the printing system. The cue sensor serves all lineheads universally, eliminating the need for separate cue sensors for each linehead while maintaining registration accuracy through temporal sequencing based on substrate transport timing.
Solution Approach 2:
The position information of cue marks detected by the single cue sensor is used to determine the placement of image planes for multiple lineheads. The detection results are copied and applied to control the printing timing of each linehead, achieving multi-linehead registration control through a single detection point.
2Manufacturing precision
If variables such as paper weight, ink coverage, and drying conditions are controlled to reduce registration errors, then color plane alignment is improved, but the range of suitable print applications is restricted
Solution Approach 1:
The system uses feedback from the cue sensor detecting cue mark positions to dynamically adjust the printing timing of each linehead. The detected cue mark positions provide real-time information about substrate position variations, allowing the control system to compensate for stretching and shrinking effects without restricting ink coverage or paper weight choices.
Solution Approach 2:
The printing timing for each linehead is made dynamic rather than fixed, adjusting in real-time based on the detected cue mark positions. This dynamic timing adjustment allows the system to accommodate various paper weights and ink coverage conditions while maintaining registration accuracy, as the timing adapts to actual substrate behavior during printing.
Data Source
AI summary
A method for printing a plurality of image planes on a substrate, the method includes providing a plurality of print head for depositing material on the substrate as the substrate moves along a transport path; providing a first sensor in a predetermined position along a transport path relative to predetermined positions of the plurality of print heads; providing an indication of position of the substrate along the transport path; providing a plurality of cue marks at predetermined positions or intervals on the substrate which are detected by the first sensor; and determining placement of an image plane printed by at least one of the plurality of print heads upstream of the first sensor based on the detection of position of the cue marks on the substrate by the first sensor.