Imaging Device Media Transport Controller Timing Synchronization
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Solution Overview
Problem
Printing devices face challenges in achieving higher throughput due to timing-related issues, such as media sheets reaching transfer locations before the print engine is ready, and narrow interpage gaps leading to paper jams, which require user intervention.
Innovation Solution
An imaging apparatus with a controller that determines when the print engine is ready to transfer images and manages media sheet transport to prevent errors, allowing sheets to proceed without imaging until ready, and handles small or tiny gaps by adjusting print operations to avoid jams.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If the media sheet is transported to the transfer location at high speed to increase throughput, then the productivity is improved, but timing-related errors occur when the media sheet reaches the transfer location before the print engine is ready
Solution Approach 1:
The system dynamically adjusts the media transport speed to match the print engine's readiness status. When the print engine is not ready, the media transport is slowed or paused; when ready, transport proceeds at normal speed. This dynamic adjustment resolves the contradiction by making the transport system adaptive rather than fixed, allowing high throughput when possible while preventing timing errors when the print engine is unavailable.
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements feedback control by continuously monitoring the print engine's readiness status and using this information to control media transport. Sensors detect whether the media sheet is properly positioned and whether the print engine is ready, and this feedback is used to adjust transport timing. This closed-loop control prevents timing errors while maintaining high throughput during normal operation.
2Productivity
If the interpage gap is narrowed to increase throughput, then the productivity is improved, but paper jams occur when the gap becomes too narrow or undetectable
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary detection of the media sheet's leading edge before attempting to image it. By detecting the presence and position of media in advance, the system can determine whether a valid interpage gap exists before the media reaches the transfer location. This preliminary action allows the system to handle narrow gaps correctly without causing jams, while still maintaining high throughput by quickly processing detected media.
Solution Approach 2:
The system replaces mechanical gap detection methods with optical or electronic sensing. Instead of relying on mechanical switches or physical contacts that may fail with very narrow gaps, the system uses non-contact sensors to detect media presence and gap size. This substitution enables reliable detection of tiny gaps that would be undetectable with mechanical systems, allowing narrower gaps to be used safely for increased throughput.
3Manufacturing precision
If the print engine waits for perfect timing synchronization to transfer images, then the manufacturing precision is improved, but the productivity decreases due to idle time
Solution Approach 1:
The system changes the timing parameters of media transport based on print engine readiness. Instead of using a fixed transport speed, the system adjusts transport timing parameters dynamically - slowing down or pausing transport when the print engine is not ready, and proceeding at normal speed when ready. This parameter adjustment ensures accurate image transfer only when conditions are appropriate, while minimizing idle time to maintain productivity.
Data Source
AI summary
A method and apparatus for handling a time based error condition in an imaging apparatus. The method includes transporting a first media sheet from the media input tray towards the transfer nip of the imaging apparatus; and determining, when the first media sheet reaches a predetermined point in the media path, whether the print engine of the imaging apparatus is ready to transfer a first image of the plurality of images to the media sheet at the transfer nip. Upon a determination that the print engine is not ready, the first media sheet is transported through the transfer nip without transferring the first image thereto, until the first media sheet is placed in the output area, and a second media sheet is transported to the transfer nip, a first image is transferred to the second media sheet and the second media to sheet is transported to the output area.