Medicine Packaging Ink Ribbon Tension Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional medicine packaging devices require a tension bar to manage the ink ribbon, leading to inconvenient operation and potential degradation of printing quality due to intermittent winding and possible axial deviation of the tension bar.
Innovation Solution
The medicine packaging device eliminates the need for a tension bar by using a reader-writer to read and write information on a recording medium within the ink ribbon roll, controlling the winding motor to maintain consistent tension, and employing a torque transmission control unit to ensure the ink ribbon runs at the same speed as the continuous sheet during printing.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a tension bar is used to manage the ink ribbon, then the ink ribbon can be kept under tension, but the operation becomes inconvenient and printing quality may be degraded
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes the tension bar from the system entirely and replaces it with a motor-driven winding mechanism that actively controls ink ribbon tension through rotation, eliminating the mechanical complexity and operational inconvenience associated with the tension bar
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the passive mechanical tension bar system with an active motor-driven winding mechanism controlled by a controller, substituting mechanical tension management with a more reliable electromechanical control system
2Device complexity
If the tension bar is supported in a cantilevered manner, then the structure is simplified, but the axial direction may deviate from orthogonal to the packaging sheet transfer direction
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes the cantilevered tension bar support structure entirely and replaces it with a motor-driven winding mechanism, eliminating both the structural simplification benefit and the alignment precision problem
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the mechanical cantilevered support structure with an electromechanical winding mechanism that actively controls ribbon position and tension through motor rotation, achieving both structural simplification and precision control
3Device complexity
If winding is performed intermittently in response to periodic swing of the tension bar, then the tension bar can be supported simply, but printing quality may be degraded
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs periodic winding action controlled by the controller based on the oscillation cycle of the ink ribbon, creating tension at appropriate intervals to prevent slack while maintaining simple mechanism structure
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses the oscillation state of the ink ribbon as feedback to control the timing and frequency of winding operations, ensuring that winding occurs at optimal moments to maintain tension without degrading printing quality
Data Source
AI summary
Provided is a medicine packaging device. The medicine packaging device includes: a reader-writer that reads information from an IC tag installed at a supply core of an ink ribbon roll detachably installed to an ink ribbon cassette as well as writes information to the IC tag; a motor control unit that controls a winding motor for rotating a winding core, based on a used length of the ink ribbon which is information read from the IC tag, so that the ink ribbon of the ink ribbon roll runs in a winding direction at a higher speed than a feeding speed of a continuous sheet for packaging; and a written information output unit that outputs information showing the used length of the ink ribbon which has been changed due to use of the ink ribbon, to the reader/writer as information written on the IC tag.