Long Medium Index-Hole Layout for Precise Remaining-Length Indication
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing long media for printing patterns and characters on signboards lack precise indication of remaining length, leading to inaccurate determination of the amount of medium required for printing, resulting in waste of ink, medium, and time when the remaining amount is insufficient.
Innovation Solution
A long medium design with alternating non-uniform pitches of index holes on both sides, using first and second index holes along the edges to provide detailed indication of remaining length, allowing accurate determination of the medium's remaining amount.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If the pitch between reference holes is increased or the number of holes serving as scales is increased to indicate remaining amount in more detail, then measurement precision is improved, but device complexity increases and ease of operation deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The long medium is divided into multiple sections with different pitch ratios. The first section has a first pitch between reference holes, while the second section has a second pitch that is a different ratio of the first pitch. This segmentation allows different resolution levels in different portions of the medium, achieving detailed measurement without uniformly increasing complexity throughout the entire medium.
Solution Approach 2:
Different sections of the long medium are assigned different local qualities in terms of pitch characteristics. The first section uses one pitch ratio for remaining amount indication, while the second section uses another pitch ratio. This local differentiation optimizes the balance between measurement precision and ease of reading at different positions along the medium.
2Measurement precision
If the number of holes serving as scales between reference holes is doubled to double the resolution, then measurement precision is improved, but ease of operation deteriorates due to reading difficulty
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of doubling the number of holes throughout the entire medium, the patent segments the medium into sections with different pitch ratios. This provides detailed measurement precision in each section while maintaining a manageable number of holes per section, thus preserving reading ease.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a new dimension of pitch ratio variation between sections. Rather than simply increasing the number of holes in one dimension, it creates differentiation across sections using varying pitch ratios, achieving enhanced precision without proportionally increasing the number of holes in each section.
3Device complexity
If the pitch between reference holes is increased to reduce the number of holes, then device complexity is reduced, but measurement precision deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The medium is segmented into sections with different pitch characteristics. Each section can have a larger pitch between reference holes, reducing the number of holes needed in that section, while the variation in pitch ratios across sections maintains overall measurement precision.
Solution Approach 2:
The pitch parameter between reference holes is changed across different sections of the medium. By varying the pitch ratio between the first and second sections, the patent optimizes the balance between the number of holes (device complexity) and measurement precision, allowing larger pitches in some sections without sacrificing overall precision.
Data Source
AI summary
A long medium has a start end, a final end, a first side edge connecting the start end and the final end, and a second side edge connecting the start end and the final end. The long medium includes first reference holes formed at a first pitch along the first side edge, N pieces of first conveyance holes formed along the first side edge at a second pitch smaller than the first pitch, and formed between adjacent first reference holes, in which N is a positive integer, first index holes formed along the first side edge at a third pitch smaller than the first pitch and respectively positioned in first index hole forming areas each set between the adjacent first reference holes, and second reference holes formed at the first pitch along the second side edge.