Inkjet Printer Gap Correction for Wave-Shaped Media
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Solution Overview
Problem
Inkjet printers face challenges in accurately positioning ink droplets on recording sheets with wave-shaped deformations, as varying gap levels between the ink discharging surface and the recording medium lead to positional deviations, especially when using different types of recording media with distinct characteristics.
Innovation Solution
An inkjet printer system that includes an inkjet head, a head scanning unit, a wave shape generating mechanism, an obtaining device for recording medium type, a gap information storing device, and a correcting device to adjust gap information based on the type of recording medium, ensuring precise ink discharging timing.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If the recording sheet is deformed into a wave shape to enable printing on flexible media, then the printer can handle various types of recording media, but the gap between the ink discharging surface and the recording sheet varies depending on the wave portions, causing positional deviation of ink droplets
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary detection of gap information at multiple positions on the recording sheet before actual printing. This advance measurement allows the control device to calculate and store correction values for each position, ensuring that when printing occurs, the ink discharging timing can be accurately adjusted based on pre-acquired gap data, thereby maintaining positioning precision despite wave-shaped deformations
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the timing parameter of ink discharge based on the detected gap information. By adjusting the ink discharging timing according to the gap size at each position (smaller gaps require earlier discharge, larger gaps require later discharge), the system compensates for the varying distances caused by wave-shaped recording sheets, maintaining accurate ink droplet placement
2Manufacturing precision
If the ink discharging timing is adjusted for each individual mountain portion and valley portion to achieve accurate ink placement, then positioning precision improves, but the device complexity increases due to the need to detect and process gap information for each position
Solution Approach 1:
The system divides the recording sheet into multiple discrete positions (mountain portions and valley portions) and detects gap information independently at each position. This segmentation allows the control device to create a position-specific correction map, where each location has its own correction value stored in memory, enabling precise local adjustment without requiring a completely complex real-time measurement system during printing
Solution Approach 2:
The system creates a copy or map of the gap information at each position and stores it in the storage device. Instead of performing real-time complex calculations during printing, the system pre-captures the gap characteristics and stores them as correction data, which is then retrieved and applied during the printing process, simplifying the real-time control requirements
Data Source
AI summary
An inkjet printer including an inkjet head, a head scanning unit, a wave shape generating mechanism to deform a recording medium into a predetermined wave shape, an obtaining device to obtain information concerning a type of the recording medium to be used in a printing operation, a gap information storing device to store gap information related to a gap between an ink discharging surface and the recording medium in association with a predetermined type of the recording medium, the gap information being acquired from a predetermined range in the recording medium, and a correcting device to correct the gap information according to the type of the recording medium obtained by the obtaining device when the type of the recording medium obtained by the obtaining device is different from the predetermined type of the recording medium stored in association with the gap information, is provided.