Inkjet Printer Gap Correction for Wave-Shaped Media
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Solution Overview
Problem
Inkjet printers face positional deviations when printing on wave-shaped recording sheets due to varying gap levels between the ink discharging surface and the recording medium, leading to ink droplets landing in undesired positions.
Innovation Solution
An inkjet printer system that includes a head scanning unit, conveyer unit, position detecting unit, wave shape generating mechanism, gap information storing device, and correcting device to adjust ink discharging timing based on gap information between the ink discharging surface and the recording medium, ensuring accurate ink placement on wave-shaped sheets.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the recording sheet is deformed into a wave shape to enable conveying through the printer, then the recording sheet can be fed through the printing mechanism, but the gap between the ink discharging surface and the recording sheet varies causing ink droplets to land in deviated positions
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary detection of the recording sheet's wave shape and gap variations before printing. The detection unit measures the actual gap between the ink discharging surface and the wave-shaped recording sheet at multiple positions, and the correction unit pre-calculates the necessary timing adjustments for ink droplet discharge based on these measurements, ensuring accurate landing positions despite the wave deformation
Solution Approach 2:
The system dynamically changes the ink discharge timing parameter based on the detected gap variations. By adjusting the discharge timing according to the local gap depth at each position on the wave-shaped sheet, the system compensates for the varying distances and maintains precise ink placement accuracy throughout the printing process
2Manufacturing precision
If the ink discharging timing is adjusted for each portion of the wave-shaped recording sheet to achieve accurate ink placement, then positional accuracy is improved, but the system complexity increases due to the need for detection and correction mechanisms
Solution Approach 1:
The system replaces complex mechanical adjustment mechanisms with a detection-and-correction control system. Instead of physically adjusting the inkjet head position or the recording sheet shape, the system uses detection units to measure gap variations and electronically corrects the ink discharge timing, achieving high precision through control algorithms rather than mechanical complexity
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs self-detection and self-correction of the wave shape effects. The detection unit automatically measures the gap variations caused by the wave shape, and the correction unit automatically adjusts the discharge timing based on these measurements, enabling the system to adapt to different wave shapes without external intervention or complex preset configurations
Data Source
AI summary
An inkjet printer, including an inkjet head, a conveyer unit to convey a recording medium in a conveying direction, a position detecting unit to detect a position of the recording medium along the conveying direction, a wave shape generating mechanism to deform the recording medium into a predetermined wave shape along a direction orthogonal to the conveying direction, a gap information storing device to store gap information related to a gap between an ink discharging surface of the inkjet head and the recording medium, and a correcting device to correct the gap information according to a position of the recording medium along the conveying direction, is provided.