Dynamic Nozzle Grouping for Metallic Ink Drying and Print Head Life
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Solution Overview
Problem
The existing techniques for metallic inkjet printing result in uneven nozzle usage, leading to reduced lifespan of printing elements and decreased quality of metallic color representation due to insufficient drying time of metallic ink before application of color ink.
Innovation Solution
A printing apparatus with a conveyance unit and scan unit that controls the timing of metallic and color ink application, ensuring a sufficient time difference for the metallic ink to dry before the color ink is applied, using a configuration with separate rows of nozzles for metallic and color inks and adjusting the number of nozzles and conveyance amount to maintain this time difference.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If the printing element of a specific nozzle is kept being used by using the technique described in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2016-55463, then a sufficient time difference is obtained for metallic ink drying, but unevenness in the use frequency of the printing element occurs, reducing the life of the print head
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies dynamics by making the nozzle selection dynamic rather than static. The print control unit dynamically switches between different first element groups in the metallic row and different second element groups in the color row, ensuring that no single nozzle is overused. This dynamic switching maintains the required time difference for metallic ink drying while distributing usage evenly across multiple nozzles, thereby extending print head life.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements preliminary action by pre-arranging multiple first element groups and multiple second element groups in advance. The print control unit plans the switching sequence beforehand to ensure that when one set of nozzles is used, other nozzles are available to take over, maintaining the drying time requirement while preventing any single nozzle from being continuously overloaded.
2Manufacturing precision
If the time difference between application of metallic ink and color ink is increased to ensure adequate drying, then metallic color representation quality is improved, but printing productivity is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent resolves this contradiction by transitioning from a single-dimension approach (sequential printing with fixed nozzle assignment) to a multi-dimensional approach. Multiple first element groups and multiple second element groups are arranged spatially in different dimensions along the metallic row and color row. This allows the system to maintain the required time difference for drying while overlapping operations in different spatial dimensions, thereby preserving printing productivity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies segmentation by dividing the metallic row into multiple first element groups and the color row into multiple second element groups. This segmentation allows different groups to be activated at different times, ensuring adequate drying time for metallic ink while maintaining continuous printing operations through parallel processing capabilities of multiple nozzle groups.
3Manufacturing precision
If blank nozzle area is provided to secure drying time, then metallic color representation quality is improved, but device complexity and loss of printing area are increased
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies universality by making the nozzle groups multi-functional. Each first element group in the metallic row and each second element group in the color row can serve as active printing nozzles or as standby nozzles depending on the printing stage. This multi-functionality eliminates the need for dedicated blank nozzle areas, as the same nozzles can be switched between different functional states, thereby reducing device complexity while maintaining drying time requirements.
Data Source
AI summary
An object is to attain both a high-quality metallic color representation and suppression of a reduction in life of a nozzle. The present invention is a printing apparatus including: a conveyance unit configured to convey a printing medium in a first direction; a printing unit including a metallic array in which a plurality of printing elements for applying a metallic ink including metal particles is arrayed along the first direction and a color array in which a plurality of printing elements for applying a color ink including a color material is arrayed along the first direction; a scan unit configured to cause the printing unit to scan a plurality of times in a second direction intersecting with the first direction for a predetermined area on a printing medium; and a print control unit configured to control a printing operation so as to print a metallic color image.