Inkjet Printer Head Velocity Control via Path Segmentation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Inkjet printers face issues with ink consumption and image quality due to momentary changes in conveyance velocity of the recording medium, particularly when switching between different conveyance paths, which can lead to foreign substances adhering to non-participating recording heads and causing maintenance needs, and resulting in ink wastage and potential image disorder.
Innovation Solution
The implementation of an image recording apparatus with first and second recording heads and corresponding conveyance paths, where the recording medium is conveyed differently to avoid passing certain positions, reducing the need for maintenance on non-participating heads and using a velocity controller to manage conveyance velocity through bent and straight path sections to minimize velocity changes.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of substance
If the recording medium is conveyed along a bent path section to switch between conveyance paths, then the recording medium can avoid passing certain positions and reduce maintenance needs, but the conveyance velocity changes momentously which can cause image disorder
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary actions by stopping ink ejection before the recording medium enters the bent path section and resumes ejection after passage. This anticipatory control prevents velocity changes from affecting image quality while still allowing the bent path to reduce maintenance needs by avoiding certain recording heads.
Solution Approach 2:
The system dynamically adjusts the ink ejection state based on the recording medium's position in the conveyance path. By switching between ejection and non-ejection states in response to the bent path section, the system maintains image quality while achieving reduced ink consumption through selective maintenance avoidance.
2Manufacturing precision
If the recording medium is conveyed along a straight path section, then the conveyance velocity remains stable, but the recording medium must pass all positions requiring maintenance on all recording heads
Solution Approach 1:
The conveyance path is segmented into straight and bent sections, each serving different functions. The straight section maintains stable velocity for high-quality recording, while the bent section enables selective avoidance of recording heads to reduce maintenance and ink consumption. This segmentation allows the system to optimize for different objectives in different path sections.
3Reliability
If maintenance operation is performed on all recording heads, then all heads remain clean and functional, but ink is wasted on non-participating heads and time is lost
Solution Approach 1:
The system applies local quality by performing maintenance only on recording heads that actually participate in recording for a given task. By identifying which heads are needed and which are not, the system maintains only the necessary heads, reducing both maintenance time and ink consumption while preserving reliability of the functional recording heads.
Data Source
AI summary
An image recording apparatus including: (a) first and second recording heads; (b) a first conveyance path transiting first and second positions that are opposed to the first and second recording heads; (c) a second conveyance path transiting the first position and a third potion that is other than the second position. The first conveyance path includes a first/second-positions communicating path section communicating the first and second positions while the second conveyance path includes a first/third-positions communicating path section communication the first and third positions. One of the first/second-positions communicating path section and the first/third-positions communicating path section is bent larger than the other. A conveyance velocity of a recording medium is reduced while the recording medium is being conveyed along the above-described one of the communicating path sections, in a case where the liquid is kept ejected from the first recording head upon arrival of the recording medium in the one of the communicating path sections.