Inkjet Printer Air Blowing Control for Temperature Uniformity
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Solution Overview
Problem
Inkjet printing apparatuses face issues with temperature unevenness along the medium, particularly at the ends, due to air blowing, which affects printing image quality.
Innovation Solution
A printing apparatus with a medium width detector and air blowing ports that adjust air blowing amounts based on the medium's width, using a controlling unit to minimize temperature drops at uncovered regions, and featuring a heating unit with heaters along the medium's width for uniform heating.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If air is blown uniformly across the entire medium supporting unit, then drying efficiency is improved, but temperature unevenness at the medium ends worsens
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by differentiating air blowing amounts across different regions. The air blowing unit adjusts the blowing amount for each region along the width direction based on the medium width, reducing air blowing in regions where the medium is not present (end portions) while maintaining adequate blowing where the medium is present. This localized adjustment prevents excessive temperature decrease at the medium ends while preserving drying efficiency in the covered regions.
2Speed
If air blowing amount is increased to improve drying, then drying speed is improved, but temperature drop at uncovered regions worsens
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements dynamics by making the air blowing amount adjustable and variable. The controlling unit dynamically adjusts the blowing amount for each region based on the detected medium width, allowing the system to adapt the drying conditions in real-time. This dynamic control enables high drying speed where needed while preventing excessive temperature drop in uncovered regions.
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 effectively reduces temperature drops at the medium's ends, enhancing printing image quality by maintaining uniform temperature across the medium's width.
Implementation Method 1
a heating unit configured to heat the medium supporting unit
Implementation Method 2
blowing air to ink ejected onto the medium from an air blowing unit for drying the ink
Data Source
AI summary
A printing apparatus includes a liquid ejecting unit configured to eject liquid to a medium, a medium supporting unit configured to support the medium on a support face, a medium width detector configured to detect a width of the medium supported at the supporting face. Further, the printing apparatus includes a plurality of air blowing ports provided along a width direction (X-axis direction) of the medium for blowing air toward the medium supporting unit, an air blowing unit from which the air is blown, a heating unit configured to heat the medium supporting unit. Further, the printing apparatus includes a controlling unit configured to control a blowing amount from each of the plurality of air blowing ports according to the width of the medium detected by the medium width detector.