Ink-jet Printer Head LED Module Stray Light Control
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Ink-jet recording apparatuses face challenges in reducing stray light during ink curing, leading to uneven ink curing and inefficiencies due to reflected light from the medium being emitted outside the intended area.
Innovation Solution
The apparatus incorporates light-emitting units arranged near the medium, divided into multiple areas along the main-scanning direction to adjust light intensity, with increased light emission at the outer ends and reduced emission at the center, and includes light absorption means coated with diffuse reflection materials to minimize stray light propagation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If light is emitted from the lamp to cure the ink, then the ink curing function is achieved, but stray light is generated and emitted to the outside
Solution Approach 1:
The patent converts the harmful reflected light into a beneficial component by introducing a reflector that redirects the reflected light back onto the medium. The reflector transforms what would be stray light into useful curing light, thereby eliminating the harmful effect while maintaining the curing function.
Solution Approach 2:
The reflector acts as an intermediary element between the lamp and the medium. It intercepts the reflected light and redirects it, serving as a mediator that controls the light path and prevents stray light from escaping while ensuring proper ink curing.
2Productivity
If the lamp is positioned to cure the ink effectively, then curing efficiency is improved, but stray light increases
Solution Approach 1:
The reflector converts the harmful reflected light into beneficial curing light by redirecting it back onto the medium. This allows the lamp to be positioned for effective curing while the reflector prevents the same light from becoming stray light, thus maintaining high productivity without increasing harmful effects.
3Manufacturing precision
If light emission intensity is increased to ensure uniform curing, then curing uniformity is improved, but stray light emission increases
Solution Approach 1:
The reflector serves as an intermediary that controls the light path. Even when the lamp emits high intensity light, the reflector intercepts and redirects the reflected light, preventing it from becoming stray light while ensuring uniform distribution of curing light across the medium.
Solution Approach 2:
The reflector converts what would be harmful high-intensity stray light into beneficial uniform curing light. By redirecting the reflected light back onto the medium, it ensures uniform curing even when the lamp operates at high intensity, thereby eliminating the trade-off between curing uniformity and stray light emission.
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 configuration effectively reduces stray light, ensuring uniform ink curing by limiting light diffusion and absorption, resulting in reliable and efficient ink curing.
Implementation Method 1
light-emitting units which are provided to the irradiation means at a position near the medium, which are plurally arranged at least in the main-scanning direction
Implementation Method 2
light absorption means coated with diffuse reflection materials to minimize stray light propagation
Implementation Method 3
light absorption means coated with diffuse reflection materials
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3
AI summary
Provided is an ink-jet printer including a printer head (15) which ejects ink onto a medium (M) while moving relative to the medium in a main-scanning direction, an LED module (25) which exposes the ink ejected onto the medium to light while moving in the main-scanning direction together with the printer head so as to cure the ink, and LED light sources (26) which are provided to the LED module at a position near the medium (M), which are plurally arranged at least in the main-scanning direction, and which are divided into a plurality of areas (E1-E8) in accordance with an arrangement position with respect to the LED module (25) to adjust an amount of light during light emission for each area.