Inkjet Scan Timing Control for Smear-Free Paper Discharge
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Solution Overview
Problem
Ink-jet recording apparatuses face issues with ink smearing due to insufficient fixing time, particularly during top side discharge, where the recording medium is conveyed against gravitational force, leading to increased contact pressure and smudging.
Innovation Solution
Implementing a control mechanism that adjusts the scan speed and introduces wait times between recording operations to ensure adequate ink fixation, optimizing wait times based on recording medium type, image data width, and discharge method to prevent smearing without compromising throughput.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If the scan width of the recording head is limited up to the width of the image data to shorten recording time, then productivity is improved, but fixing time becomes insufficient causing ink smearing
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies dynamics by making the recording head scan width adjustable rather than fixed. The scan width is dynamically changed based on the image data width, allowing the system to optimize between productivity and quality. When image data width is smaller than recording medium width, the scan width is limited to the image data width to shorten recording time while still ensuring sufficient fixing time through controlled delay timing.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes multiple parameters including scan width, scan speed, and delay timing to resolve the contradiction. By adjusting these parameters based on image data characteristics and recording medium properties, the system achieves optimal balance between recording efficiency and ink fixation quality, preventing smearing while maintaining productivity.
2Reliability
If delay time is increased to ensure sufficient ink fixation, then smearing is prevented, but recording throughput decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The delay timing is made dynamic rather than fixed. The control unit adjusts delay timing based on scan width, scan speed, and image data characteristics. This allows the system to apply minimum necessary delay to prevent smearing while avoiding excessive delays that would reduce throughput, achieving optimal balance between quality and efficiency.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs preliminary calculation of appropriate delay timing based on scan width and scan speed before actual recording. This preliminary action allows the control unit to set optimal delay values in advance, ensuring sufficient fixing time is provided without unnecessarily extending total recording time, thus maintaining throughput while preventing smearing.
3Manufacturing precision
If the recording head scans the full width of the recording medium, then complete coverage is ensured, but actual scan time increases beyond necessary time for the image data width
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by making the scan width match the local requirements of the image data. Instead of uniformly scanning the entire recording medium width, the recording head scans only the necessary width corresponding to the image data. This localized approach ensures complete coverage of the image area while minimizing unnecessary scanning time.
Data Source
AI summary
A recording apparatus includes a recording unit configured to, in response to an instruction to record an image, apply a recording agent while performing a scan in a scan direction that intersects with a conveyance direction in which a recording medium is conveyed to record an image on the recording medium, a conveyance unit configured to convey the recording medium, a plurality of paper discharge units to which the recording medium is to be discharged, and a control unit configured to control, based on a width of recording data in the scan direction and recording scan speed of a recording scan, the recording unit to perform the scan so that time since start of the recording scan until start of a next recording scan becomes a predetermined value.