Printing Apparatus Overlap Conveyance Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
The existing printing apparatuses face challenges in maintaining print quality due to the overlap conveyance mode, which affects the quality of the succeeding medium during the printing process.
Innovation Solution
A printing apparatus with a control unit that controls the conveying units to ensure the leading end of a second print medium overlaps the trailing end of the first print medium, and then separates them to prevent overlap during non-printed regions, thereby suppressing print quality deterioration.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If successive overlapped conveyance is used to improve printing efficiency, then productivity increases, but print quality deteriorates due to media overlap during separation
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by differentiating the conveyance control based on the printing state. When printing is active, the succeeding medium is suppressed from conveying to prevent overlap on printed regions. When printing is inactive (in non-printed regions), the succeeding medium is allowed to convey and overlap. This localized control strategy resolves the contradiction by applying different conveyance rules to different spatial regions of the printing process.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements dynamic conveyance control where the conveyance state of the succeeding medium changes based on the printing state. The control unit dynamically switches between suppression mode (during printing) and allowance mode (during non-printing), making the system adaptive rather than static. This dynamic adjustment enables the system to maintain both high productivity and print quality.
2Manufacturing precision
If the succeeding medium is suppressed during separation to maintain print quality, then manufacturing precision improves, but productivity decreases due to reduced conveyance efficiency
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs periodic action by alternating between suppression periods and allowance periods based on the printing cycle. During printing operations, conveyance is suppressed; during non-printing operations, conveyance is allowed. This periodic switching optimizes the balance between print quality and productivity by minimizing the impact of suppression on overall efficiency while maintaining quality during critical printing phases.
Data Source
AI summary
A printing apparatus, comprising a printing unit, a first conveying unit, a second conveying unit at downstream side in a conveying direction of the first conveying unit, and a control unit for executing a first control such that a leading end portion of a second print medium succeeding a first print medium overlaps a trailing end portion of the first print medium and a second control such that the first and second print mediums are separated, wherein, in the second control, conveyance of the second print medium is suppressed while the printing unit is located in a region other than the to-be-printed region.