Lenticular Printing Head Positioning via Cutout Detection
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing printing technologies face challenges in achieving high positioning accuracy and improved printing quality when printing on media with lenticular lenses that have cutout portions on the edge of lens components, requiring complex methods to detect and adjust ink discharge.
Innovation Solution
A printing apparatus that discharges fluid onto a printing medium with a lenticular lens, where the lens body on one end has low shape accuracy, and the printing head is controlled to start discharge from the end with higher shape accuracy, simplifying the process and improving positioning accuracy, and optionally includes a printing head movement unit and end portion detection unit for enhanced control and throughput.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If the cutout width of the edge portion of the lens component is detected and the discharge position of the ink is adjusted on the basis of the cutout width, then printing quality is improved, but the process becomes more complex and time-consuming
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts only the essential feature needed for positioning - the presence of a cutout portion at the end portion of the lens sheet - and uses this as a simple start marker for printing. Instead of measuring and adjusting based on cutout width, the system simply detects whether a cutout exists and uses that end portion as the printing start position, thereby simplifying the process while maintaining printing quality.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of detecting the cutout width and adjusting the discharge position forward from the detected position, the invention inverts the approach by directly designating the end portion with the cutout as the discharge start position. This reversal eliminates the need for width measurement and position adjustment calculations, simplifying the overall process.
2Manufacturing precision
If the cutout width of the edge portion of the lens component is detected and the discharge position of the ink is adjusted on the basis of the cutout width, then printing quality is improved, but the printing throughput is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The cutout portion is formed in advance at the end portion of the lens sheet during manufacturing, serving as a pre-prepared positioning marker. This preliminary action eliminates the need for real-time measurement and adjustment during the printing process, thereby maintaining printing quality while improving throughput by removing time-consuming detection and calculation steps.
3Productivity
If a simple method is used to start printing without detecting cutout width, then the process is simplified and throughput is improved, but positioning accuracy may be compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The invention uses a simple, disposable cutout portion as a positioning marker instead of complex measurement systems. The cutout is a permanent feature on the lens sheet that provides reliable positioning without requiring sophisticated detection equipment or complex processing, thus achieving both simplicity and accuracy.
Data Source
AI summary
For a lenticular in which a lens body having low shape accuracy is disposed on one end portion, when the other end portion of the lenticular is detected, a position of a carriage at the time of detecting the end portion of the lenticular is stored in a buffer as a paper end position, a carriage motor is controlled such that the carriage is separated from a home position and moved in a main scanning direction, and a printing head is controlled such that an ink discharge having a color according to printing data is started at the paper end position. Since the lens body having high shape accuracy is disposed on the end portion of the lenticular, it is possible to land the ink onto a more suitable position with respect to the lens body, thereby allowing printing quality to be improved.