Print Zone Air Guide for Uniform Ink Drying on Recording Media
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Solution Overview
Problem
In low-temperature environments, uneven air distribution caused by components with unevenness or holes in the printing zone can lead to non-uniform drying of recording liquids on a recording medium, resulting in deteriorated image quality.
Innovation Solution
A recording apparatus with a conveying unit, platen, recording head, pressing unit, air blowing unit, and guide member to uniformly distribute air over the recording medium, using blown air guide plates to prevent air disturbance and ensure uniform drying.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If a printing zone blowing mechanism is mounted to dry ink on a recording medium, then drying speed is improved, but uniformity of drying is deteriorated due to air disturbance by components with unevenness or holes
Solution Approach 1:
A guide member is introduced as an intermediary component between the air blowing unit and the recording medium. This guide member has a smooth surface that redirects the blown air, preventing direct contact between the air flow and uneven components (such as pinch rollers), thereby eliminating air disturbance while maintaining effective drying speed
Solution Approach 2:
The air blowing function is segmented into two distinct components: the air blowing unit that generates the air flow, and the guide member that directs and smooths the air flow. This segmentation allows each component to perform its specific function optimally - the air blowing unit provides drying power while the guide member ensures uniform distribution
2Productivity
If air is blown directly to the recording medium, then drying efficiency is improved, but air uniformity is deteriorated by component unevenness
Solution Approach 1:
The guide member serves as a mediator that receives air from the air blowing unit and redistributes it uniformly across the recording medium. Its smooth surface prevents air turbulence caused by nearby components, ensuring stable and uniform air flow that maintains both drying efficiency and air uniformity
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The solution allows for uniform drying of recording liquids on the recording medium, improving image quality by ensuring consistent drying conditions across the medium.
Implementation Method 1
blowing air to the recording medium, the printing zone blowing mechanism can accelerate drying of the ink immediately after the ink has been ejected onto the recording medium
Data Source
AI summary
A recording apparatus includes a conveying unit configured to convey a recording medium in a conveyance direction, a platen configured to support the recording medium conveyed by the conveying unit, a recording head configured to perform recording on the recording medium supported by the platen, a pressing unit configured to press the recording medium upstream of the platen in the conveyance direction, an air blowing unit configured to blow air toward a supported region of the recording medium, which is supported by the platen, from an upstream side in the conveyance direction, and a guide member configured to be fixed to the pressing unit, provide partitioning between a space facing a blown air outlet of the air blowing unit and the pressing unit, and guide the air blown by the air blowing unit.