Printing Device Transportation Direction Changing Mechanism
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Solution Overview
Problem
In printing devices, the overlap of preceding and following media during transportation can lead to bending of the preceding medium, causing stress and resulting in positional deviation or distortion, which decreases printing quality.
Innovation Solution
A printing device configuration that includes a transportation direction changing mechanism, such as a flap or nip contact controllable rollers, to change the direction of the following medium so that it overlaps the preceding medium without forcing the preceding medium to bend, thereby minimizing stress and maintaining printing quality.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If the trailing end portion of the preceding medium is pressed down by a lever to enable overlap with the following medium, then the overlap operation can be performed during printing, but the medium is bent and stress is transmitted causing positional deviation or distortion that decreases printing quality
Solution Approach 1:
A following medium pressing-down mechanism is introduced as an intermediary device to press down the leading end portion of the following medium. This mediator enables the overlap operation without requiring direct pressing of the preceding medium's trailing end, thereby preventing stress transmission to the printing area while still achieving the necessary overlap for continuous printing and maintaining printing quality
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of pressing down the trailing end portion of the preceding medium (the conventional approach), the invention inverts the approach by pressing down the leading end portion of the following medium. This inversion achieves the same overlap function while eliminating the harmful stress transmission to the preceding medium that is undergoing printing
2Productivity
If the medium is bent during printing to enable overlap operation, then the overlap can be achieved, but stress based on bending is transmitted toward the leading portion causing positional deviation or distortion
Solution Approach 1:
The following medium pressing-down mechanism serves as an intermediary that enables the overlap operation by acting on the following medium rather than the preceding medium. This intermediary approach allows the medium overlap function to be achieved while keeping the preceding medium in a stable, non-bent state during printing
Solution Approach 2:
The pressing-down action is localized to specific regions: the leading end portion of the following medium is pressed down, while the preceding medium's printing area remains unaffected. This local application of the pressing force achieves the overlap function without compromising the stability of the medium portion undergoing printing
Data Source
AI summary
A printing device includes a printing unit, a pair of transporting rollers (a pair of rollers) that is disposed right before the printing unit and that transport a medium to the printing unit, and a transportation direction changing mechanism that is disposed on an upstream side of the pair of transporting rollers and that changes a transportation direction of the medium before the medium is nipped by the pair of transporting rollers. The transportation direction changing mechanism changes a transportation direction of a following medium such that a leading end portion of the following medium overlaps a preceding medium when the printing unit performs printing in a state where the preceding medium is nipped by the pair of transporting rollers.