Direct-to-Object Printer Marking System with Camera Alignment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing direct-to-object print systems face challenges in quickly and accurately applying marks to objects of varying shapes and sizes while they are being held by an object holder, as they require precise manipulation and alignment with a printhead.
Innovation Solution
A system comprising a camera for capturing object images, a processor for overlaying and adjusting marks on the images, and an actuator-controlled object holder that slides parallel to the printhead, allowing users to select and print marks directly on the object with precise location determination.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If a label is printed and applied to the surface of the object, then the object can be marked, but the process becomes complex and time-consuming
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the marking operation from the traditional label application process. Instead of printing a label separately and then applying it to the object, the system directly deposits ink onto the object surface through a printhead, eliminating the intermediate label carrier and simplifying the overall marking process.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an intermediary imaging system (camera) that captures the object's position and orientation, and a control system that uses this visual feedback to precisely position the printhead. This intermediary visual guidance system enables direct marking while maintaining accuracy, resolving the contradiction between process simplicity and marking precision.
2Manufacturing precision
If the object holder is fixed, then the object position is stable, but the mark location cannot be adjusted relative to the object
Solution Approach 1:
The patent makes the object holder dynamic by enabling it to move along the support member in response to control signals. This allows the holder to be positioned at different locations relative to the printhead, enabling flexible mark placement on different portions of the object while maintaining positioning precision through controlled movement.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements a feedback control system where the imaging system continuously monitors the object's position and the control system adjusts the object holder's location based on this feedback. This closed-loop control enables precise mark placement while maintaining adaptability to different object positions and orientations.
3Adaptability or versatility
If the printhead is stationary, then the system structure is simple, but it cannot print on objects of varying sizes and shapes
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies dynamics to the object holder rather than the printhead, keeping the printhead stationary while making the holder movable along the support member. This approach provides the necessary adaptability for printing on objects of varying sizes and shapes while maintaining relatively simple system structure, as only the holder requires actuation mechanisms.
4Productivity
If the object holder moves quickly, then productivity increases, but marking precision decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs periodic action through the pulsed or controlled movement of the object holder along the support member. The holder can move to different positions in a controlled sequence, pausing at each position to allow precise marking before moving to the next position. This periodic movement pattern enables both reasonable productivity and marking precision.
Solution Approach 2:
The feedback control system monitors the object holder's position and speed, adjusting movement parameters in real-time to maintain marking precision even during faster operation. The imaging system provides continuous feedback on object position, allowing the control system to compensate for speed variations and maintain accurate mark placement.
Data Source
AI summary
What is disclosed is system which facilitates the application of a mark to a surface of an object in a direct-to-object print system and a direct-to-object print system configured to use various embodiments of the present marking system. The present marking system comprises a camera for capturing an image of an object retained by an object holder configured to slideably traverse a support member positioned to be parallel to a plane formed by at least one printhead configured to eject in onto a surface of the object. A processor receives an image of an object held and communicates the image to a display. A mark to be printed on the object is retrieved and overlaid on the object in the image. A location of the overlaid mark is determined and communicated to a controller which causes the printhead to print the mark on the object at the location.