Printer Feed Roller Speed Control for Laminated Sheet Alignment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Printers that transport laminated sheets along curved paths face issues with sheet deviation and paper jams due to feed rate differences between inner and outer sheets, requiring complex mechanisms or expensive adhesives to maintain alignment.
Innovation Solution
A printer design featuring a platen roller and feed rollers with adjustable feed rates and a curved exit guide that counters the curvature of the transport path, ensuring sheets are aligned by varying the feed rates of the rollers or their diameters to match the curvature, thereby eliminating sheet deviation without complex mechanisms or expensive adhesives.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a curved transport path is used, then the printer can achieve compact design and flexible layout, but feed rate differences cause sheet deviation and paper jams
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies dynamics by making the feed roller's rotational speed adjustable rather than fixed. The feed roller rotates at a different speed than the transport roller, and this speed difference can be dynamically adjusted to compensate for the curved path's effect on sheet feed rate, thereby maintaining sheet alignment throughout the curved transport section.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the parameter of rotational speed to resolve the contradiction. By varying the rotational speed of the feed roller relative to the transport roller, the system can compensate for the feed rate differences caused by the curved path geometry, maintaining consistent sheet alignment without changing the physical shape of the transport path.
2Reliability
If adhesion between sheets is improved, then sheet alignment is maintained, but expensive adhesive agents are required
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the chemical solution (adhesive agents) with a mechanical solution. Instead of using adhesives to bond sheets together, the system uses a mechanically adjusted feed roller with variable rotational speed to control sheet alignment through pure mechanical means, eliminating the need for expensive adhesive materials.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent eliminates the need for expensive adhesive agents by using a simple, adjustable mechanical feed roller system. The feed roller with variable speed control provides a cost-effective alternative to chemical adhesives, using readily available mechanical components to achieve the same alignment function.
3Reliability
If a bail roller is moved for adjustment, then sheet feed rate is equalized, but a complicated mechanism is required
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the feed control function into separate adjustable parameters. Instead of moving a bail roller through a complex mechanical linkage, the system divides the control into independent speed adjustment mechanisms for the feed roller, allowing each parameter to be optimized separately with simpler mechanical or electronic control.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses dynamic speed adjustment of the feed roller to replace the static bail roller positioning mechanism. By making the feed roller's rotational speed variable rather than fixed, the system achieves feed rate equalization through a simpler dynamic control mechanism rather than a complex mechanical linkage system.
Data Source
AI summary
A printer according to an embodiment of the present invention is a printer which transports a recording medium, provided with a plurality of laminated sheets, along a predetermined transport path including a curved portion. The printer is provided with a dot head for printing the recording medium, a platen roller which faces the dot head with the recording medium therebetween, and a feed guide which is located on the downstream side of the dot head and the platen roller with respect to the direction of transport and guides the recording medium in a manner such that the recording medium is bent in a direction opposite to that in which the curved portion is bent.