Medium Transport Device Tension Control for Skew Reduction
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing medium transport devices struggle to suppress displacement and skew during medium transport due to tension-related issues, as they apply tension to the medium, leading to slippage and inaccuracies in positioning.
Innovation Solution
A medium transport device with a control unit that maintains tension release during the acceleration, constant-speed, and deceleration periods of the transport roller, using a tension applying unit with pivotable arms and a tension bar to control tension application and release, ensuring accurate medium transport.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If tension is applied to the medium during transport, then the medium can be controlled and guided, but displacement and skew occur due to slippage and tension-related issues
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies periodic tension release at predetermined intervals during medium transport. The control unit temporarily releases the tension applied by the tension applying unit, causing the medium to sag and unwind, then re-applies tension. This periodic action prevents cumulative displacement and skew while maintaining overall medium control throughout the transport process.
2Manufacturing precision
If tension is temporarily released to correct displacement, then medium positioning improves, but the occurrence of displacement itself during transport cannot be suppressed
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs preliminary tension release before displacement problems fully develop. By temporarily releasing tension at predetermined intervals during transport, the system proactively prevents the accumulation of displacement and skew that would otherwise occur under continuous tension, rather than merely correcting displacement after it has occurred.
Data Source
AI summary
A transport device includes a transport roller configured to transport a roll paper, a winding unit configured to wind the roll paper transported, a tension applying unit configured to apply tension to the medium between the transport roller and the winding unit, and a control unit configured to control the tension applying unit. The control unit is configured to control the tension applying unit to maintain a state where the tension is released, at least during an acceleration period of rotation of the transport roller within a period in which the transport roller applies a transporting force to the roll paper.