Laminated Sheet Cutting Position Control for Film Meandering

Solution Overview

Problem

Conventional laminating apparatuses fail to maintain the alignment of sheets during lamination, leading to uneven distribution of sheets in the width direction, resulting in defective products due to the cutting process not aligned with the laminate film, as the laminate film meanders during conveyance, causing shifts in the sheet's posture with respect to the laminate film's outer shape.

Innovation Solution

A cutting apparatus equipped with a cutter that cuts the recording medium with a predetermined margin, a recording medium outer shape detector to detect the outer shape, and a hardware processor to determine the cutting position based on the detected shape, ensuring accurate alignment and preventing shifts.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Productivity

If the cutting apparatus performs cutting at a fixed cutting position corresponding to the film width, then the cutting process is simple and efficient, but the sheet position in the width direction becomes displaced due to laminate film meandering during conveyance

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecutting efficiencyVSAvoidsheet alignment accuracy

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSManufacturing precision

Solution Approach 1:

The system performs preliminary detection of the sheet's outer shape position using the recording medium outer shape detector before cutting. This allows the control unit to calculate the appropriate cutting position in advance, accounting for any displacement caused by laminate film meandering, thereby ensuring accurate sheet alignment without requiring complex real-time adjustments during the cutting process.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The system incorporates feedback through the recording medium outer shape detector that continuously monitors the sheet's position and outer shape. The detected information is fed back to the control unit, which adjusts the cutting position accordingly. This closed-loop feedback mechanism ensures that cutting accuracy is maintained despite variations in laminate film conveyance.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #23Feedback

2Manufacturing precision

If the posture of the sheet is corrected before lamination, then the alignment accuracy is improved, but the position of the sheet in the width direction still becomes displaced due to laminate film meandering during conveyance

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvesheet alignment accuracyVSAvoidcutting position reliability

Core Design Contradiction:

Manufacturing precisionVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The system performs preliminary detection of the sheet's outer shape position using the recording medium outer shape detector before cutting. This allows the control unit to calculate the appropriate cutting position in advance, accounting for any displacement caused by laminate film meandering, thereby ensuring accurate sheet alignment without requiring complex real-time adjustments during the cutting process.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The system replaces mechanical adjustment mechanisms with an information-based solution. Instead of physically adjusting the sheet position during conveyance, the system uses the recording medium outer shape detector to capture position information and the control unit to calculate corrected cutting positions, substituting mechanical correction with computational adjustment.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

Data Source

PatentUS20250345960A1Cutting apparatus, image forming system, and cutting position determining method

Publication Date: 2025.11.13 KONICA MINOLTA INC

AI summary

A cutting apparatus includes: a cutter that cuts a recording medium, both sides of which are laminated with a laminate film, at a position to an outer side by a predetermined margin amount; a recording medium outer shape detector that detects an outer shape portion of the recording medium; and a hardware processor that determines a cutting position by the cutter based on a position of the outer shape portion detected by the recording medium outer shape detector.