Ink Jet Printer Optical Movement Sensor Feedback Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Ink jet printers face drawing failures due to variations in conveyance line speed and positional errors of the drawing target on packaging materials, which exceed the preset landing accuracy tolerance.
Innovation Solution
An ink jet printer system that includes an ink tank, a nozzle for ejecting ink, a storage unit for drawing data, an optical movement measurement sensor to track the movement of the drawing target, and a drawing control unit that adjusts ink ejection based on reference position information and measurement values to maintain accurate drawing.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If conventional ink jet printing is used without movement compensation, then the device complexity is low, but drawing precision deteriorates due to conveyance speed variations and positional errors
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements feedback control by using an optical movement measurement sensor to detect the actual position and movement of the drawing target, then feeding this information back to the drawing control unit. The control unit calculates the offset between the actual position and the expected position based on conveyance data, and adjusts the ink ejection timing and position accordingly to compensate for errors, thereby maintaining high drawing precision despite conveyance variations
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces mechanical position measurement methods with optical measurement. Instead of using mechanical encoders or physical position sensors on the conveyance system, an optical movement measurement sensor uses light to non-contactively measure the actual position and movement of the drawing target, reducing mechanical complexity while improving measurement accuracy for drawing precision control
2Manufacturing precision
If ink ejection timing is adjusted to compensate for conveyance variations, then drawing precision is improved, but the control complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The drawing control unit receives conveyance data from the conveyance device and actual position data from the optical movement measurement sensor. It calculates the offset between expected and actual positions in real-time, then adjusts the ink ejection timing and position based on this offset feedback, dynamically compensating for conveyance speed variations and positional errors to maintain landing accuracy
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs preliminary calculations of the offset position based on conveyance data before ink ejection occurs. The drawing control unit pre-determines the necessary timing and position adjustments based on predicted conveyance variations, allowing the ink ejection system to be proactively compensated rather than reactively corrected, simplifying the real-time control requirements
3Productivity
If high-speed conveyance is used to increase productivity, then productivity is improved, but drawing precision deteriorates due to increased conveyance speed variations
Solution Approach 1:
The optical movement measurement sensor continuously monitors the actual position and speed of the drawing target during high-speed conveyance. The drawing control unit uses this real-time feedback to calculate offset positions and adjust ink ejection timing dynamically, compensating for conveyance speed variations that occur at high speeds, thereby maintaining drawing precision while enabling high-productivity operation
Solution Approach 2:
The system transitions from static, fixed-timing ink ejection control to dynamic control that adapts to changing conveyance conditions. The drawing control unit continuously updates ink ejection timing and position based on real-time conveyance data and optical position measurements, allowing the system to maintain precision across a range of conveyance speeds including high-speed operation
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 system effectively suppresses drawing failures by accurately controlling ink ejection in response to movement variations and positional offsets, ensuring consistent and precise drawing of characters, codes, and images on moving objects.
Implementation Method 1
an optical movement measurement sensor that receives light from the drawing target object and generates a measurement value related to movement of the drawing target object in the conveyance direction based on the received light
Implementation Method 2
a nozzle configured to eject the ink supplied from the ink tank toward a drawing target object
Data Source
AI summary
Occurrence of a drawing failure is suppressed. An ink jet printer includes: a nozzle configured to eject ink toward a drawing target object; a storage unit that stores drawing data specifying an ejection timing of the nozzle at each of a plurality of offset positions in a conveyance direction, the ejection timing corresponding to drawing information; an optical movement measurement sensor that receives light from the drawing target object and generates a measurement value related to movement of the drawing target object in the conveyance direction based on the received light; and a drawing control unit that controls ink ejection from the nozzle based on reference position information indicating that a reference position of the drawing target object is at a predetermined position, a current offset position with respect to the reference position based on the measurement value generated by the optical movement measurement sensor, and the drawing data.