Inkjet Recording Head Reversing Position Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Inkjet recording apparatuses face issues with poor ink ejection and degradation in image quality due to some nozzle arrays failing to reach the ink receiver during reciprocation, leading to incomplete preliminary ejection and reduced printing throughput.
Innovation Solution
The control unit determines the reversing position of the recording head's reciprocation to ensure all nozzle arrays pass over the ink receiver in a single scan, allowing for simultaneous preliminary ejection and printing, thereby improving throughput and preventing image quality degradation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the recording head reciprocates to perform preliminary ejection onto the ink receiver, then ink ejection reliability is improved, but some nozzle arrays may fail to reach the ink receiver position during reciprocation
Solution Approach 1:
The patent dynamically adjusts the reversing position of the recording head based on the recording region and selected nozzle arrays. By making the reciprocation range adaptive rather than fixed, the system ensures that all active nozzle arrays can reach the ink receiver position when needed, resolving the contradiction between reliability and accessibility.
Solution Approach 2:
The control unit changes the reciprocation parameters (reversing position, scanning range) according to the recording region and nozzle array selection. This parameter adjustment ensures that the recording head moves sufficiently to allow all relevant nozzle arrays to pass over the ink receiver, maintaining both reliability and operational feasibility.
2Manufacturing precision
If the recording head moves to perform preliminary ejection, then ink ejection quality is improved, but printing throughput is reduced due to increased moving distance
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the preliminary ejection function with the recording function by performing both operations during the same reciprocation cycle. The recording head performs preliminary ejection from nozzle arrays that have passed over the ink receiver, then continues to the recording region, eliminating the need for separate preliminary ejection trips and thus maintaining throughput while ensuring ink quality.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs preliminary ejection action during the reciprocation cycle before recording begins. By preparing the nozzle arrays in advance during the same scan that will be used for recording, the system avoids additional time consumption and maintains printing throughput while ensuring proper ink ejection quality.
3Productivity
If the reversing position is optimized for recording region, then printing efficiency is improved, but some nozzle arrays cannot reach the ink receiver for preliminary ejection
Solution Approach 1:
The patent makes the reversing position dynamic rather than fixed. The control unit calculates the appropriate reversing position based on the recording region and which nozzle arrays are active. This dynamic adjustment ensures that the reversing position is far enough to allow all active nozzle arrays to reach the ink receiver while still optimizing for the recording region, resolving the contradiction between efficiency and reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the reciprocation parameters (reversing position, scanning range) adaptively based on the recording region and nozzle array selection. This parameter optimization ensures that the recording head moves sufficiently to allow all relevant nozzle arrays to pass over the ink receiver while maintaining printing efficiency for the actual recording region.
Data Source
AI summary
An inkjet recording apparatus may include a recording unit, an ink receiver, and a control unit. The recording unit records an image on a sheet by causing a recording head including a plurality of nozzle arrays to reciprocate along a surface of the sheet in a direction in which the plurality of nozzle arrays is arranged. The ink receiver receives ink ejected outside the sheet in preliminary ejection from the recording head. Depending on a recording region on the sheet and which of the plurality of nozzle arrays is or are to be used for recording, the control unit determines a reversing position at which the recording head is reversed in direction of the reciprocation such that all of the plurality of nozzle arrays pass over the ink receiver in a single scan included in the reciprocation.