Printing Apparatus Power Management via Predictive Energy Charging
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional printing apparatuses face issues with power fluctuations, leading to intermittent operation and potential print quality degradation due to insufficient power during sequence execution, especially when the carriage motor is stopped inappropriately during printing.
Innovation Solution
A printing apparatus and control method that utilize an electrical storage system, where power is charged and discharged to maintain an appropriate electrical storage amount, allowing for seamless execution of print sequences by ensuring the storage is adequately charged before starting the next sequence, thereby preventing power shortages and maintaining consistent print quality.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the consumption current of the motor is suppressed by using an electrical double layer capacitor, then the variation in consumption current is reduced, but the printing apparatus must be intermittently stopped to charge the capacitor, leading to loss of printing time
Solution Approach 1:
The control unit predicts the electrical energy required for upcoming print sequences and charges the electrical storage in advance during periods when power consumption is low. This preliminary charging ensures that sufficient energy is available before high-power operations, eliminating the need to interrupt printing to charge the capacitor.
Solution Approach 2:
The control unit continuously monitors the charge amount of the electrical storage and dynamically adjusts the charging strategy. By predicting future power requirements based on the print sequence and comparing with available charge, the system optimizes charging timing to maintain current stability without sacrificing printing productivity.
2Use of energy by stationary object
If the carriage motor is stopped during printing to manage power, then power consumption is controlled, but print quality degrades due to acceleration and deceleration effects
Solution Approach 1:
The control unit predicts the electrical energy required for each print sequence in advance and ensures the electrical storage is charged sufficiently before the sequence starts. This allows the carriage motor to operate continuously without interruption, maintaining constant speed and print quality while managing power consumption through proactive energy management.
3Power
If the electrical storage amount is insufficient before a print sequence, then power shortage occurs during execution, but charging during the sequence causes operation stops
Solution Approach 1:
The control unit predicts the electrical energy required for upcoming print sequences and charges the electrical storage in advance during periods when power consumption is low or between sequences. This ensures sufficient energy is available before high-power operations begin, eliminating the need to interrupt printing to charge the capacitor.
Solution Approach 2:
The control unit continuously monitors the charge amount of the electrical storage and dynamically adjusts the charging strategy. By predicting future power requirements based on the print sequence and comparing with available charge, the system optimizes charging timing to maintain sufficient power without sacrificing printing efficiency.
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
This approach enables efficient power management, ensuring that print sequences are executed with sufficient power, reducing the likelihood of operation stops and maintaining high-quality printing even with limited input power, thus enhancing the reliability and quality of the printing process.
Implementation Method 1
an electrical storage configured to be charged by power input from an external power supply
Data Source
AI summary
A printing apparatus includes an electrical storage that is charged by power input from an external power supply, a print unit that sequentially executes, by discharging the power charged in the electrical storage, a plurality of sequences in an operation sequence for printing on a print medium, and a charge unit that charges the power in the electrical storage from a period beginning when execution of one sequence by the print unit ends, until a next sequence starts. A prediction unit predicts an electrical energy amount necessary to execute the next sequence, and a control unit controls the print unit to execute the next sequence in a case in which an electrical storage amount of the electrical storage becomes greater than a threshold based on the electrical energy necessary to execute the next sequence by charging of the electrical storage by the charge unit.