Printer Print Head Retraction for Sheet Jam Prevention
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Solution Overview
Problem
In serial printers, sheets often come into contact with the print head during transportation, leading to jamming or decreased print quality due to the print head not being moved outside the sheet's path in time, especially when the sheet is pinched between input and output rollers and released, causing the rear edge to warp and contact the print head.
Innovation Solution
A printer configuration with input and output rollers that pinch the print medium, a print head moving between them, and a control section that determines if the roller combination changes during transport, allowing the print head to be retracted outside the sheet's path before transport, preventing contact by adjusting the transport state to avoid collisions and warping.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the print head is moved to the outside of the range where sheets pass prior to transporting sheets, then sheet jamming is prevented, but print quality decreases due to ink being attached to the sheet
Solution Approach 1:
The control section determines in advance whether the print head should be in the retracted state or non-retracted state before transporting the print medium from the current position to the target position. This preliminary determination prevents sheet jamming by ensuring the print head is in the correct position before transport begins, while avoiding unnecessary retraction that would degrade print quality.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the positional parameter of the print head between two states: retracted state (outside the range where print medium passes) and non-retracted state (within the printing position range). This parameter change is controlled based on the determination result, allowing the print head to be in the optimal position for either transport reliability or print quality depending on the situation.
2Manufacturing precision
If the print head is not moved to the outside of the range where sheets pass, then print quality is maintained, but sheets come into contact with the print head causing jamming
Solution Approach 1:
The control section makes a preliminary determination about the print head position state before transport. This advance planning ensures that when transport is needed, the print head is already in the appropriate state, preventing contact with the sheet while avoiding unnecessary movements that would affect print quality.
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses feedback from the determination of whether the print head should be retracted or not to control the actual position of the print head. This feedback mechanism ensures that the print head position is optimized based on the specific transport situation, preventing sheet contact while maintaining print quality when possible.
3Reliability
If the print head is retracted before transporting the print medium, then contact between print medium and print head is prevented, but printing efficiency decreases due to additional movement time
Solution Approach 1:
The system dynamically changes the print head position parameter between retracted and non-retracted states based on the determined transport requirements. This selective parameter change prevents unnecessary retraction movements, maintaining printing efficiency while ensuring contact prevention when needed.
Solution Approach 2:
The control section determines in advance whether retraction is necessary before transport. This preliminary action avoids unnecessary retraction and return movements, thereby preventing contact between the print medium and print head only when required, thus maintaining printing efficiency.
4Reliability
If the print head position is adjusted based on roller combination changes, then sheet warping contact is prevented, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The control section determines in advance whether the combination of input rollers and output rollers would change when transporting the print medium from the current position to the target position. Based on this preliminary determination, it decides whether to transport in the retracted state or non-retracted state, preventing sheet warping contact without requiring complex real-time adjustments during transport.
Data Source
AI summary
A printer includes a pair of input rollers, a pair of output rollers, a print head and a control section. The control section is configured to transport a print medium by rotating the input rollers and the output rollers after printing on a target region and before printing on a next target region. The control section is configured to determine, before carrying out transporting, whether a combination of the input rollers and the output rollers which pinch the print medium would change in a case where the print medium were transported from a current position to a next target position, and, in a case where there would be a change, the control section being configured to transport the print medium from the current position to the target position in a retracted state where the print head is moved to an outside of a range where the print medium passes.