Inkjet Printer Sheet Feeding Timing Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Inkjet printers face challenges in maintaining an appropriate short distance between sheets during conveyance, leading to complex speed control and potential noise and feeding failures due to frequent changes in conveyance speed.
Innovation Solution
An inkjet printer system with a tray, feeder, conveyor, recording head, carriage, and controller that performs intermittent conveyance, image recording, and calculated feeding processes to manage sheet conveyance and feeding timing, ensuring an appropriate distance between sheets while minimizing speed changes.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If the conveyance speed for the subsequent sheet is frequently changed to maintain appropriate distance, then the sheet distance control is improved, but noises and feeding failures occur
Solution Approach 1:
The system calculates the number of remaining passes in advance and determines the optimal feeding timing before the conveyance process begins. By pre-calculating when to feed the subsequent sheet based on remaining passes, the system avoids frequent speed changes during conveyance, thereby maintaining feeding stability while achieving proper sheet distance control.
2Manufacturing precision
If the conveyance of the preceding sheet is stopped during image recording, then image recording precision is improved, but the distance between sheets becomes shorter requiring complicated control
Solution Approach 1:
The system uses feedback from the calculated number of remaining passes to automatically adjust the feeding timing of the subsequent sheet. This feedback mechanism simplifies the control system by replacing complex real-time distance monitoring and speed adjustment with a straightforward counter-based approach that maintains appropriate sheet spacing while allowing the preceding sheet to stop for high-precision image recording.
3Productivity
If the feeder starts feeding the subsequent sheet too early, then productivity is improved, but sheet collision occurs
Solution Approach 1:
The system replaces mechanical distance monitoring and speed adjustment mechanisms with a computational approach based on counting remaining passes. This substitution allows the feeder to start the subsequent sheet at the optimal time calculated from remaining pass data, maximizing productivity while preventing sheet collisions through intelligent timing rather than mechanical control.
Data Source
AI summary
An inkjet printer includes a controller configured to perform an intermittent conveyance process including controlling a conveyor to intermittently convey a preceding sheet, an image recording process including controlling a recording head to perform image recording for each single pass on the preceding sheet while controlling a carriage moving mechanism to move a carriage with the recording head mounted thereon over each single pass in a direction along a scanning direction, a remaining-pass calculating process including calculating a count of remaining passes to be recorded on the preceding sheet, and a feeding process including, in response to the calculated count of the remaining passes being a particular number, controlling a feeder to start feeding a subsequent sheet at a point of time when a first particular period of time elapses from a next timing to start conveyance of the preceding sheet in the intermittent conveyance process.