Handheld Printer Skew Correction via Displacement Feedback
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Solution Overview
Problem
Handheld printers prone to rotation with respect to the print medium during image formation, leading to image skewing, especially at the initial position, where existing techniques for skew correction are inadequate.
Innovation Solution
An image forming apparatus equipped with a displacement detecting unit, skew information acquiring unit, and skew controlling unit that corrects skewing by detecting displacement in two directions and adjusting target discharge positions based on acquired skew information, ensuring accurate image alignment on the print medium.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If handheld printer is manually moved on print medium, then portability and ease of operation are improved, but rotation and skewing of the printer with respect to the print medium occur
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses position sensors to detect the actual position of the handheld printer on the print medium, and the control unit calculates skew information based on this feedback. The system then corrects the discharge positions of ink droplets based on the calculated skew, creating a closed-loop feedback system that maintains image alignment despite manual movement and rotation of the printer.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent dynamically changes the discharge position parameters of the ink droplets based on the detected skew. By calculating the skew information from position sensor data and adjusting the discharge positions accordingly, the system compensates for rotation and maintains proper image alignment on the print medium.
2Manufacturing precision
If skew correction is performed during image formation, then image alignment is improved, but skew correction at initial position cannot be performed
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs skew detection and calculation at the initial position before actual image formation begins. The control unit calculates skew information based on position sensor data obtained at the initial position, and uses this pre-calculated skew information to correct discharge positions for all subsequent ink droplets, enabling preliminary correction rather than continuous correction during the entire printing process.
Data Source
AI summary
An image forming apparatus includes a displacement detecting unit that detects a displacement of the image forming apparatus with respect to a first direction and a second direction that are parallel to a surface of a print medium when the image forming apparatus moves away from a first position, a skew information acquiring unit that acquires skew information of the image forming apparatus at the first position based on the displacement of the image forming apparatus, and a skew controlling unit that controls skewing of an image to be formed on the print medium based on the skew information of the image forming apparatus, the skewing of the image occurring when the image forming apparatus is skewed with respect to the print medium at the first position. The image forming apparatus further includes an image forming unit that forms the image skew-controlled by the skewing controlling unit.