Printer Nozzle Group Segmentation for Adjacent Area Printing

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Solution Overview

Problem

In printing apparatuses, when a print head and print medium come into contact, existing technologies result in wasted print medium due to the inability to effectively print adjacent areas without stopping the printing operation, especially when the print head and medium can't contact each other, leading to incomplete images and material wastage.

Innovation Solution

A printing apparatus with a transport belt, print head, carriage, and sensor that divides nozzles into groups to print images in adjacent areas by reassigning image data between nozzle groups, allowing for multi-pass printing and adjusting the carriage height to avoid contact, enabling printing beyond the non-printable areas without stopping the transport belt.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If printing is performed while avoiding the area where the print head and print medium come into contact, then the print medium is protected from damage, but the adjacent area in the transport direction cannot be printed completely, resulting in wasted print medium

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveprint medium protectionVSAvoidprint medium utilization

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

The nozzles of the print head are divided into multiple nozzle groups (first nozzle group, second nozzle group, etc.) along the transport direction. This segmentation allows different nozzle groups to print in different areas, enabling the print head to print in the adjacent area by switching between nozzle groups without contacting the print medium.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The print head's operational state is dynamically changed by switching between different nozzle groups based on the position being printed. When approaching a non-printable area, the system dynamically switches to a nozzle group that can print the adjacent area without contact, and switches back after passing the non-printable area.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #15Dynamics

2Reliability

If the printing operation is stopped to avoid contact between the print head and print medium, then the print medium is protected, but the printing productivity is reduced

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveprint medium protectionVSAvoidprinting operation time

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The printing operation continues without stopping by switching between different nozzle groups. While the first nozzle group prints in normal areas, the second nozzle group prints in adjacent areas near non-printable regions, ensuring continuous printing productivity while avoiding contact with the print medium.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #20Continuity of useful action

Solution Approach 2:

The system detects non-printable areas in advance using a sensor, and pre-switches to the appropriate nozzle group before reaching the non-printable area. This preliminary action allows the print head to navigate around non-printable areas without stopping the transport belt.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

3Manufacturing precision

If the print head scans across the entire width including adjacent areas, then complete image coverage is achieved, but contact with non-printable areas causes damage or printing defects

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveimage completenessVSAvoidprint head contact damage

Core Design Contradiction:

Manufacturing precisionVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The second nozzle group acts as an intermediary that prints the adjacent area from a different position, allowing the image to be completed without the print head contacting the non-printable area. The sensor serves as another intermediary by detecting non-printable areas and triggering the nozzle group switch.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Data Source

PatentUS11203200B2Printing apparatus, control method of printing apparatus, and non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing program

Publication Date: 2021.12.21 SEIKO EPSON CORP

AI summary

A printer includes: a transport belt; a print head that has a plurality of nozzles for discharging ink, a carriage that mounts the print head thereon, a sensor that detects a non-printable area of the print medium where the print medium placed on the transport belt and the print head are capable of coming into contact with each other; and a control section that performs printing by the print head by dividing the plurality of nozzles into a plurality of nozzle groups in the transport direction, and the control section prints an image indicated by image data assigned to one nozzle group by the other nozzle group different from the one nozzle group, in printing with respect to an adjacent area which is an area of which a length in the transport direction corresponds to a length of a nozzle row in the transport direction of the print head.