Dynamic Print Medium Advancing Distance Adjustment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Inkjet printing technologies face challenges in maintaining uniformity and avoiding visible unprinted lines (white swath boundaries) and overlapping swaths due to variations in print medium and sweep speeds, which affect the advancing distance of the print medium.
Innovation Solution
A controller-adjusted print medium advancing mechanism that adjusts the distance between swaths based on the sweep speed of the printer head, ensuring the advancing distance matches the swath width, thereby minimizing white and dark swath boundaries by comparing sweep speeds with predetermined thresholds and adjusting the advancing distance accordingly.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If the print medium is advanced by a fixed distance between sweeps, then the printing process is simple and fast, but visible unprinted lines (white swath boundaries) and overlapping swaths appear due to variations in sweep speed and medium properties
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies dynamics by making the print medium advancing distance variable rather than fixed. The controller dynamically adjusts the advancing distance between sweeps based on detected variations in sweep speed and print medium properties, ensuring that each swath aligns properly with the previous one regardless of speed fluctuations, thereby eliminating white swath boundaries and overlaps
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements feedback by using sensors to detect actual sweep speed and print medium characteristics, then using this information to adjust the advancing distance between sweeps. This closed-loop control system continuously monitors and corrects for variations, maintaining swath uniformity and preventing visible unprinted lines while preserving high printing speed
2Productivity
If the sweep speed is increased to improve productivity, then printing is faster, but the advancing distance becomes mismatched with swath width, causing visible boundaries and overlaps
Solution Approach 1:
The system dynamically adjusts the advancing distance based on the actual sweep speed. When sweep speed increases to improve productivity, the controller automatically increases the advancing distance proportionally, maintaining the correct relationship between swath width and advance distance, thus preventing visible boundaries and overlaps even at high speeds
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the parameter of advancing distance in response to sweep speed variations. By continuously monitoring sweep speed and adjusting the advancing distance parameter accordingly, the system maintains print quality consistency across different operating speeds, eliminating the trade-off between speed and reliability
Data Source
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AI summary
A sweep speed is determined for sweeping a printer head of a printer across a print medium for printing a swath of an image on the print medium. A distance by which to advance the print medium is at least partially determined in accordance with the determined sweep speed and the print medium is advanced by the determined distance.