Medium Transport Device Tension Release Mechanism
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Solution Overview
Problem
Medium transport devices often experience slip transport due to excessive tension, leading to reduced accuracy and banding issues in recording devices like inkjet printers, as existing technologies do not effectively manage tension release during the transition from winding to transport operations.
Innovation Solution
A medium transport device with a tension applying unit, a drive unit, and a controller that releases tension after the winding operation is completed, ensuring the tension is reduced before starting the transport operation, and the shaft member is controlled to align with a predetermined stop position to prevent excessive tension application.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Force
If tension is applied by the tension applying unit during transport operation, then the medium can be transported with sufficient pulling force, but slip transport occurs leading to reduced transport accuracy and banding issues
Solution Approach 1:
The controller releases the tension applied by the tension applying unit before the transport unit starts its transport operation. This preliminary action of releasing tension prevents the pulling force from causing slip transport during the transport operation, thereby maintaining transport accuracy while still allowing sufficient pulling force to be available when needed for winding operations.
2Manufacturing precision
If tension is released before transport operation starts, then slip transport is prevented and transport accuracy is improved, but the medium may become slack during winding operation
Solution Approach 1:
The system dynamically adjusts the tension state based on the operational phase. The controller applies tension during winding operations to maintain medium stability and prevent slackness, then releases tension before transport operations to ensure accurate transport. This dynamic switching between tensioned and relaxed states optimizes both winding stability and transport precision.
Data Source
AI summary
A medium transport device includes a transport unit configured to transport a medium in a transport direction, a winding unit configured to wind the medium, a tension applying unit configured to apply a tension to the medium between the transport unit and the winding unit, a drive unit configured to drive the tension applying unit, and a controller configured to control the drive unit, in which the controller is configured to control the drive unit such that an application of the tension by the tension applying unit is released at a time when a subsequent transport operation by the transport unit is started after a termination of an winding operation of the medium by the winding unit.