Printer Ribbon-Save Control for Short Blank Regions
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing printers waste ink ribbons when nonprinting regions are shorter than a predetermined length, as the ribbon save function is difficult to implement in such cases.
Innovation Solution
A printer system that includes a nonprinting region determining unit to identify blank regions in the printing data, and a medium conveying unit that stops the ink ribbon conveyance while conveying the medium at a specific speed in these regions, thereby saving ink.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of substance
If the ribbon save function is implemented with a predetermined length threshold, then ink ribbon waste is reduced for long nonprinting regions, but ink ribbon waste increases for short nonprinting regions
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the parameter of medium conveying speed dynamically based on the length of nonprinting regions. By storing multiple conveying speeds in association with different nonprinting region lengths and selecting the appropriate speed based on the detected region length, the system can perform ribbon save operations for both short and long nonprinting regions, resolving the contradiction between reducing ink waste and adapting to different region lengths.
2Loss of substance
If the medium conveying speed is reduced in nonprinting regions, then ink ribbon usage is saved, but printing productivity decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent makes the medium conveying speed dynamic rather than fixed. By storing multiple conveying speeds and selectively applying them based on nonprinting region characteristics, the system optimizes the balance between ink ribbon conservation and printing productivity. The conveying speed is adjusted according to the specific situation, allowing faster speeds when appropriate and slower speeds when ribbon saving is prioritized.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the conveying speed parameter based on the detected nonprinting region length. By associating multiple conveying speeds with different region length thresholds, the patent enables flexible parameter adjustment that reduces ink waste while maintaining acceptable productivity levels through optimized speed selection.
3Loss of substance
If the ink ribbon conveyance is stopped in nonprinting regions, then ribbon waste is minimized, but the system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The printing system performs self-service by automatically detecting nonprinting regions and controlling the ink ribbon conveyance accordingly. The control unit autonomously determines when to stop or reduce ribbon conveyance based on the printed matter information, eliminating the need for external intervention or complex additional control mechanisms while achieving ribbon waste reduction.
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses feedback from the printed matter information to control the ink ribbon conveyance. By detecting nonprinting regions through image data analysis and using this feedback to adjust ribbon conveyance, the system achieves intelligent ribbon management with controlled complexity through information-based control.
Data Source
AI summary
A printer includes a printing head to perform printing on a conveyed medium, a moving unit configured to move the printing head, an ink ribbon conveying unit to convey an ink ribbon and stop the conveyance, a storage unit to store a conveying speeds of the medium in association with nonprinting region dimensions for ribbon save operations, a nonprinting region determining unit to determine, based on printing data to be printed, whether at least one of the blank regions corresponds to one of the stored nonprinting region dimensions for ribbon save operations, and a first medium conveying unit to perform a ribbon save operation, if it is determined that a blank region in the printing data corresponds to one of the nonprinting region dimensions.