Inkjet Carriage Power Control for Cover Lock Safety
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional inkjet recording devices do not ensure sufficient safety as there is a risk of the carriage moving and hitting an operator's hand when the cover is opened, due to potential malfunctions or timing differences in detecting the cover opening and stopping the carriage.
Innovation Solution
An inkjet recording device with a carriage power control unit that manages the power supply to the carriage driving unit, and a lock control unit that releases the cover lock when the lock releasing unit is operated, ensuring the carriage is stopped before the cover is opened, thereby preventing accidental movement.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the carriage is stopped in response to detection of cover opening, then safety is improved, but there is a time difference and possibility of malfunction causing insufficient safety
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by stopping the carriage movement before the cover is opened, rather than after detection. The control unit stops the carriage in advance when it detects that the cover is about to be opened, eliminating the time delay between detection and stopping. This ensures the carriage is already stationary when the cover opens, preventing any potential injury from delayed response or malfunction.
2Reliability
If the cover and housing are locked during printing, then safety is improved, but the carriage may still move due to malfunction when lock is released
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an intermediary control unit that mediates between the lock mechanism and the carriage driving unit. When the cover lock is released, the control unit first ensures the carriage is completely stopped and positioned safely before allowing the cover to open. This intermediary control layer prevents direct coupling between lock release and carriage movement, eliminating the risk of malfunction-induced movement while maintaining ease of operation.
3Reliability
If the carriage is stopped at home position when error is detected, then safety is improved, but the carriage may move when cover is opened and hand is inserted
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary anti-action by implementing a control mechanism that prevents carriage movement in advance when the cover is opened. The control unit detects cover opening and immediately issues a stop command to the carriage driving unit, counteracting any potential harmful movement before it can occur. This preliminary protective action ensures that even if the carriage was moving or positioned at home, it will not move to harm the operator's hand.
Data Source
AI summary
An inkjet recording device includes a carriage including a print head for firing ink droplets onto a recording medium from a nozzle; a carriage driving unit configured to drive the carriage; an openable cover configured to cover a moving area of the carriage; a cover lock member configured to lock the cover to a housing; a lock control unit configured to control lock and release of the lock of the cover by the cover lock member; a lock releasing unit configured to request the lock control unit to release the lock; and a carriage power control unit configured to control opening and closing of a power supplying path to the carriage driving unit. The lock control unit causes the cover lock member to release the lock if the lock releasing unit is operated and the carriage power control unit opens the power supplying path to the carriage driving unit.