Ink Jet Recording Apparatus Error Handling and Protective Ejection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing ink jet recording apparatuses waste ink when errors occur, such as bent or perforated sheets, size discrepancies, or positional shifts, leading to unnecessary ink consumption as the entire print job is suspended and subsequent sheets are also inked before errors are detected.
Innovation Solution
An ink jet recording apparatus with a paper feeding device, transport device, image recording device, error information acquisition device, and control device that detects errors and suspends recording on affected sheets, performing a protective ejection of a minimal ink amount on subsequent sheets to prevent nozzle drying and allow for prompt error correction.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the image recording device continues to eject ink onto subsequent recording sheets after an error is detected on one sheet, then the ink jet head is protected from drying out, but wasteful consumption of ink occurs
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs a limited protective ejection of ink onto subsequent recording sheets rather than continuing normal image recording. This partial action protects the ink jet head from drying out while minimizing unnecessary ink consumption by ejecting only what is needed for maintenance purposes
2Loss of substance
If the image recording is suspended immediately upon detecting an error on a recording sheet, then wasteful ink consumption is prevented, but the ink jet head may dry out and become clogged
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs a preliminary protective ejection of ink onto the next recording sheet before suspending image recording. This preliminary action ensures the ink jet head remains functional and prevents clogging from ink drying, while the subsequent suspension of recording prevents wasteful ink consumption
3Loss of information
If the transport device continues to transport subsequent recording sheets through the image recording device after an error is detected, then the error detection system can identify the specific faulty sheet, but ink is wasted on sheets that will be discharged
Solution Approach 1:
The system segments the handling of recording sheets by separating the error detection function from the image recording function. The transport device continues moving sheets through for error detection purposes, while the image recording device selectively applies protective ejection only to the next sheet and suspends recording on subsequent sheets, thus identifying errors without wasting ink
Data Source
AI summary
An ink jet recording apparatus includes a controller that causes an image recording device, upon detecting an error with a recording sheet according to information acquired by an error information acquisition device, to suspend image recording on the recording sheet with which the error has been detected, and on another recording sheet being transported on an upstream side in a transport direction, of the recording sheet with which the error has been detected, and to perform a predetermined protective ejection including protecting an ink jet head of the image recording device, by ejecting a limited minute amount of ink from the ink jet head, at least onto a recording sheet transported subsequent to the recording sheet the image recording on which has been suspended.