Printing Apparatus Distance Sensor Floating Medium Adjustment

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Solution Overview

Problem

Printing adjustment patterns on media with floating or cockling issues due to heat and moisture absorption lead to ineffective adjustments, requiring multiple prints and resource wastage, as existing methods do not account for the non-planar surface.

Innovation Solution

A printing apparatus with a carriage equipped with a distance sensor and control unit that measures and specifies a stable printing range on the medium, allowing for accurate placement of adjustment patterns without repositioning the medium, using a sonic wave sensor for reliable distance measurement.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Ease of operation

If the adjustment pattern is printed on the medium without considering floating, then the printing adjustment process is simple, but the adjustment pattern becomes distorted and adjustment effectiveness deteriorates

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveprinting adjustment process simplicityVSAvoidadjustment pattern accuracy

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of operationVSManufacturing precision

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies preliminary action by measuring the distance to the medium surface and identifying the floating region before printing the adjustment pattern. The control unit specifies a printable region that excludes the floating area, ensuring the adjustment pattern is printed only on stable, planar portions of the medium. This pre-measurement and region specification prevents pattern distortion while maintaining operational simplicity.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

2Manufacturing precision

If the adjustment pattern is printed multiple times to account for floating, then the adjustment pattern accuracy improves, but the consumption of medium and ink increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveadjustment pattern accuracyVSAvoidmedium and ink waste

Core Design Contradiction:

Manufacturing precisionVSLoss of substance

Solution Approach 1:

The patent eliminates the need for multiple printing attempts by performing preliminary distance measurement and floating region identification before printing. The control unit calculates and specifies the optimal printable region in advance, ensuring the adjustment pattern is printed correctly on the first attempt only, thereby preventing waste of medium and ink.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The system uses the distance sensor to automatically detect and map the floating regions of the medium, and the control unit automatically specifies the printable region based on this information. This self-service approach eliminates manual intervention and ensures accurate, waste-free printing without requiring multiple attempts.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #25Self-service

3Productivity

If the adjustment pattern is printed on the floating portion of the medium, then the printing process is faster, but the detection precision of the adjustment pattern deteriorates

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveprinting speedVSAvoidconcentration sensor detection accuracy

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSMeasurement precision

Solution Approach 1:

The patent performs preliminary distance measurement using the distance sensor to identify floating regions before printing the adjustment pattern. The control unit specifies a printable region that excludes these floating areas, ensuring the pattern is printed only on stable, planar portions of the medium. This allows the concentration sensor to accurately detect the pattern without distortion, maintaining detection precision while preserving printing speed.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Applied Scientific Principles

This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.

Function Achieved in This Case

Enables efficient printing adjustments by identifying and utilizing a stable region on the medium for pattern printing, reducing waste and improving print quality without repositioning the medium.

Implementation Method 1

a carriage including a printing head and a distance sensor, the carriage being configured to move, and a control unit configured to move the carriage to measure, by using the distance sensor, a distance to the medium at each position

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectSonic wave measurement: Sound

Data Source

PatentUS11142007B2Printing apparatus and printing adjustment method

Publication Date: 2021.10.12 SEIKO EPSON CORP

AI summary

Provided is a printing apparatus including a platen portion including a platen surface on which a medium is disposed, and a carriage including a printing head and a distance sensor, the carriage being configured to move in a direction B on the platen surface. The printing apparatus further includes a control unit configured to move the carriage to measure, by using the distance sensor, a distance to the medium at each position to which the carriage moves, and to specify, based on information of the position and the distance, a position of an adjustment pattern printing range in which an adjustment pattern is printed on the medium.