Printer Ribbon Drive Flywheel and Composite Transmission
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional printers using sublimation transfer techniques experience rotational variation between worm and helical gears, leading to inconsistent ink ribbon conveyance speed, which decreases photographic printing quality, especially at the end of the ribbon's life, in low-temperature environments, and high-density printing modes.
Innovation Solution
A printer with a motor, winding axle, and flywheel mechanism that adjusts rotation timing based on ink ribbon diameter, using a control unit to stop the motor rotation stepwise and identify the correct stopping point to prevent over-running, ensuring consistent ink ribbon conveyance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a module of the helical gear is made smaller to increase the gear ratio, then the gear ratio increases, but the speed during ribbon feeding slows and throughput of the photographic printing decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses a composite drive system combining a belt drive mechanism and a gear mechanism. The belt drive provides high-speed transmission with large center distance, while the gear mechanism provides precise low-speed transmission. This composite approach allows achieving high gear ratio without sacrificing throughput, as the belt drive handles the speed reduction while maintaining high speed capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent transitions from a single-stage gear transmission to a two-stage transmission system involving both belt and gear mechanisms. This dimensional change in the transmission architecture allows independent optimization of speed ratio and throughput by distributing functions across different transmission stages.
2Reliability
If a module of the helical gear is made smaller to increase the gear ratio, then the gear ratio increases, but the durability of the module decreases
Solution Approach 1:
By using a composite belt-gear drive system, the patent avoids the need to reduce gear module size. The belt drive handles the primary speed reduction with large center distance, allowing the gear mechanism to use larger, more durable modules for precise positioning without compromising overall gear ratio achievement.
3Speed
If conventional gear mechanisms are used to transmit rotation to the winding axle, then rotational speed is reduced, but rotational variation occurs when gears ride over teeth causing variation in conveyance speed
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a belt as an intermediary transmission element between the motor and the winding axle. The belt drive mechanism smooths out rotational variations that occur in direct gear meshing, providing more stable conveyance speed while still achieving the necessary speed reduction to the winding axle.
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
This solution improves photographic printing quality by reducing rotational variation and maintaining consistent ribbon feeding speed, enhancing durability and throughput without compromising module size.
Implementation Method 1
a flywheel that is coupled with the shaft
Implementation Method 2
a flywheel that is coupled with the shaft
Data Source
AI summary
In a printer that drives by a ribbon motor (302), a winding axle that holds an ink ribbon positioned between a thermal head that performs a photographic printing operation with respect to a photographic medium conveyed along a sub-scanning direction and a platen that opposes the photographic print head with the photographic medium between the photographic print head and the platen, a flywheel (303) is coupled to a shaft of the ribbon motor (302), and a rotational force of the ribbon motor (302) is transmitted to the winding axle, via a worm gear (501) and a helical gear (502).