Image forming apparatus conveyance correction using orderly-arrayed marks
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing image forming technologies, such as inkjet printers, face challenges in accurately correcting the conveyance of recording sheets due to variations in friction caused by different materials, which affects the precision of image formation and movement detection.
Innovation Solution
An image forming apparatus that includes a conveyor, an image forming device, a marker to add orderly-arrayed marks on the recording medium, and a detector to calculate the movement of these marks, allowing for precise correction of the conveyance based on detected movement.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If a high-precision camera is used to capture fiber patterns on the recording sheet, then the measurement precision of the amount of movement is improved, but the device complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of capturing complex fiber patterns with a high-precision camera, the invention uses a marker to add simple, clearly identifiable marks (such as two-dimensional barcodes or multiple-dot patterns) onto the recording sheet. These simplified marks serve as copies or substitutes for the original fiber patterns, enabling movement detection through pattern matching while significantly reducing the requirements for camera precision and system complexity
Solution Approach 2:
The invention changes the detection parameter from capturing natural fiber patterns (which require high precision) to detecting artificially added marks with high contrast and clear geometric features. By transforming the detection target into marks with distinct parameters (such as specific dot arrangements or barcode structures), the system achieves accurate movement measurement without requiring high-precision imaging equipment
2Measurement precision
If pattern matching is performed on captured images at prescribed time intervals, then the amount of movement of the recording sheet can be obtained, but the productivity is reduced due to multiple capture operations
Solution Approach 1:
The marker adds the detection marks onto the recording sheet in advance, before the imaging process begins. This preliminary marking eliminates the need for multiple capture operations at different time intervals, as the marks remain visible and detectable throughout the entire imaging process, allowing movement to be calculated from a single image capture
Solution Approach 2:
The invention extracts only the essential information needed for movement detection by using simple geometric marks (such as dot patterns or barcodes) instead of capturing the entire fiber pattern. This extraction approach allows movement measurement without requiring repeated imaging, as the simplified marks can be accurately detected from a single image
Data Source
AI summary
An image forming apparatus includes a conveyor configured to convey a recording medium based on a prescribed amount of conveyance, an image forming device configured to form an image on the recording medium conveyed by the conveyor, a marker configured to add a plurality of orderly-arrayed marks on the recording medium when the recording medium is conveyed by the conveyor, a detector configured to detect the plurality of orderly-arrayed marks on the recording medium, and circuitry. The circuitry of the image forming apparatus is configured to calculate an amount of movement of the plurality of orderly-arrayed marks detected by the detector, and correct the prescribed amount of conveyance of the recording medium based on the amount of movement.