Liquid Jetting Apparatus Floating Medium Detection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing liquid jetting apparatuses face challenges in avoiding contact between liquid jet heads and media due to floating, leading to potential damage and operational issues, as they often require increased mechanism and drive source sizes to accommodate longer moving distances for all heads uniformly.
Innovation Solution
A liquid jetting apparatus with multiple liquid jet heads and a medium transport system that includes floating detection units and individually adjustable movement parameters for each head, allowing for customized moving distances and speeds to prevent contact, even when floating distances vary across positions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the height of all liquid jet heads is uniformly increased to avoid contact with floating medium, then contact between liquid jet heads and medium is prevented, but the mechanism and drive source sizes increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the liquid jet heads into multiple independent groups (first liquid jet head, second liquid jet head, etc.) that can be controlled separately. Each head has its own height adjustment capability, allowing selective raising of only those heads that would contact the floating medium, rather than uniformly raising all heads. This segmentation enables localized adjustment that prevents contact while minimizing overall mechanism size.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements dynamic height adjustment for each liquid jet head based on real-time detection of medium floating conditions. The head raising/lowering units can independently adjust the height of individual heads or groups of heads in response to detected floating, creating a dynamic system that adapts to varying floating conditions rather than using a fixed uniform height increase for all heads.
2Reliability
If the height of liquid jet heads is frequently adjusted to avoid contact with floating medium, then contact is prevented, but operational time is increased
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses a medium floating detection unit to detect floating conditions in advance before contact occurs. Upon detection, the system proactively raises the affected liquid jet heads to a safe height, preventing contact before it happens. This preliminary action reduces the need for frequent reactive adjustments and minimizes operational interruptions.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements a feedback control system where the medium floating detection unit continuously monitors the medium surface and provides real-time information to the head raising/lowering control units. This feedback enables the system to make precise, minimal adjustments only when and where needed, rather than continuously adjusting all heads, thereby reducing operational time while maintaining contact prevention.
Data Source
AI summary
There are provided a liquid jetting apparatus and a method of coping with the floating of a medium that enable the originally required moving distance of a liquid jet head to be set in a case where the contact between the liquid jet head and a medium caused by the floating of the medium is to be avoided. The liquid jetting apparatus includes a first medium floating detection unit (140) that detects the floating of a medium, a first head raising/lowering unit (400) that moves a first liquid jet head, a first movement parameter setting unit (142) that sets a first movement parameter, a first head raising/lowering control unit (120) that controls the first head raising/lowering unit, a second head raising/lowering unit (400) that moves a second liquid jet head, a second movement parameter setting unit (142) that sets a second movement parameter separately from the first movement parameter, and a second head raising/lowering control unit (120) that controls the second head raising/lowering unit.