Heater Transportation Surface Curling Ink Drying
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing liquid ejecting apparatuses face inefficiencies in drying ink on curled or curved paper sheets due to reduced heat transfer efficiency and smudging issues, as conventional heaters either have low dry efficiency or are ineffective in maintaining contact with the paper surface.
Innovation Solution
A liquid ejecting apparatus with a heater serving as both the heating and transportation surface, accompanied by upstream and downstream rollers with varying distances from the heater, ensures the paper sheet is held and pressed against the heater, maintaining contact and enhancing drying efficiency even when curled, using different materials for rollers to manage friction and transportation resistance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a non-contact heater is used to dry ink by radiation heat, then the paper sheet can be heated without physical contact, but the dry efficiency is lower than that of a contact heater
Solution Approach 1:
The heater is merged with the transportation surface to form a single integrated component. The heating surface serves dual purposes: it heats the paper sheet through thermal radiation and simultaneously serves as the transportation surface that guides and supports the paper sheet through the drying section, eliminating the need for separate heating and transportation mechanisms.
Solution Approach 2:
The heater acts as an intermediary element that bridges the gap between the paper sheet and the heating source. By making the heater itself the transportation surface, it mediates both the heating process and the paper sheet transportation in a single integrated action, improving thermal contact efficiency while maintaining operational simplicity.
2Productivity
If a plate-shaped heater is used to dry ink by direct contact, then heat transfer efficiency increases, but the paper sheet may not sufficiently come into contact with the heater surface and is lifted due to curl
Solution Approach 1:
The system dynamically adapts to the paper sheet's physical state by using the heater's own geometry to guide and press the curled paper sheet against the heating surface. The heater's extended structure allows it to accommodate the paper sheet's curvature while maintaining continuous contact, and the paper sheet's weight and the heater's positioning work together to ensure consistent pressing throughout the drying section.
Solution Approach 2:
The heater is positioned and dimensioned to create an equipotential contact surface that accommodates the paper sheet's natural curling. The extended heater structure with specific positioning allows the paper sheet to be pressed against the heating surface at multiple points, ensuring uniform contact pressure distribution and reliable heat transfer regardless of the paper sheet's initial curvature.
3Productivity
If the paper sheet is curled with the printing surface curved inward, then the curled cut paper does not sufficiently come into contact with the plate-shaped heater, but increasing pressure may cause smudging
Solution Approach 1:
The system uses the heater's extended structure and positioning to dynamically guide the curled paper sheet into contact with the heating surface. The heater's geometry allows it to accommodate the paper sheet's curvature while applying gentle, distributed pressure that prevents smudging, and the paper sheet's own weight contributes to maintaining contact throughout the drying section.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the physical parameters of the heating process by using a larger, extended heater structure that provides a broader contact area. This distributes the heating pressure over a larger area, reducing localized pressure that could cause smudging, while still maintaining sufficient thermal contact efficiency through the extended heating surface.
4Reliability
If rollers are used to press the paper sheet against the heater, then contact is maintained, but friction and transportation resistance increase
Solution Approach 1:
The heater is merged with the transportation surface function, eliminating the need for separate rollers to press the paper sheet against a separate heating element. The heater itself serves as the transportation surface, guiding and supporting the paper sheet through the drying section while maintaining contact, thereby reducing the number of components that would generate friction and transportation resistance.
Solution Approach 2:
The pressing function is extracted from the transportation mechanism and integrated into the heater itself. Instead of using rollers to press the paper sheet against a separate heater, the heater's own structure and positioning provide the necessary contact and guiding functions, removing the rollers from the system and their associated friction problems.
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
The apparatus efficiently dries ink on curled or curved paper sheets by ensuring consistent contact with the heater, reducing smudging and maintaining positional accuracy in transportation, thereby improving dry efficiency and preventing ink transfer to rollers.
Implementation Method 1
The non-contact heater is configured to dry ink on the paper sheet by heating both surfaces of the paper sheet in a non-contact manner by the pair of heaters
Implementation Method 2
a heater having a heating surface which also serves as a transportation surface of the medium
Implementation Method 3
a rotatable upstream roller that is disposed at a position opposite the heating surface with respect to a transportation path of the medium; and a rotatable downstream roller that is disposed at a position downstream to the upstream roller in the transportation direction and opposite the heating surface with respect to the transportation path of the medium
Implementation Method 4
a liquid ejecting head that ejects liquid onto a medium
Data Source
AI summary
A drying unit that dries a printed paper sheet is disposed at a position downstream to a liquid ejecting head in a transportation direction. The drying unit includes a heater having a heating surface that also serves as a transportation surface of the paper sheet, an upstream roller that is disposed at a position opposite the heating surface, and a downstream roller that is disposed at a position downstream to the upstream roller in the transportation direction and opposite the heating surface. A distance between the upstream roller and the heating surface is longer than a distance between the downstream roller and the heating surface.