Printing Apparatus Skew Correction Drive Control
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing printing apparatuses face challenges in downsizing while maintaining print quality, as applying a common motor drive to conveying roller pairs near the printing position requires suspending printing for skew correction, leading to potential degradation in print quality during continuous printing.
Innovation Solution
A printing apparatus with separate drive units for conveying rollers, where the drive control unit manages the motors to continue driving the downstream unit and stop the upstream unit during skew correction, ensuring continuous printing on the preceding medium without degrading print quality.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Volume of moving object
If a common motor drives multiple conveying roller pairs including those near the printing position, then the apparatus can be downsized and costs reduced, but printing must be suspended during skew correction causing degradation in print quality
Solution Approach 1:
The conveying system is divided into multiple independently controllable roller pairs (first conveying roller pair, second conveying roller pair, third conveying roller pair) with separate drive units. This segmentation allows the first drive unit to stop the first conveying roller pair for skew correction while the second drive unit continues driving the second conveying roller pair, enabling continuous printing without suspension and maintaining both compact size and print quality.
2Measurement precision
If the first conveying roller pair is stopped for skew correction on a succeeding print medium, then skew correction can be performed, but printing on a preceding print medium must be suspended causing degradation in print quality
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary positioning by stopping the first conveying roller pair (driven by first drive unit) to align the succeeding print medium for skew correction, while the second conveying roller pair (driven by second drive unit) continues moving the preceding print medium through the printing position. This preliminary action enables skew correction without interrupting the printing process, maintaining both correction precision and print quality.
3Productivity
If separate drive units are used for first and second conveying roller pairs, then continuous printing can be maintained during skew correction, but the apparatus size and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The conveying system is divided into multiple independently controllable roller pairs (first conveying roller pair, second conveying roller pair, third conveying roller pair) with separate drive units. This segmentation allows the first drive unit to stop the first conveying roller pair for skew correction while the second drive unit continues driving the second conveying roller pair, enabling continuous printing without suspension and maintaining both compact size and print quality.
Data Source
AI summary
A printing apparatus can be downsized while degradation in the print quality can be suppressed. To perform skew correction on a second print medium on which printing is to be performed subsequent to a first print medium, a first conveying unit disposed upstream of the printing position where the printing unit performs printing on the print medium is stopped. Then, driving and stopping of third conveying unit disposed downstream of a second conveying unit is controlled, depending on whether the first print medium after printing has already passed by the second conveying unit when the first conveying unit is stopped, the second conveying unit being driven by the same driving source as that for the first conveying unit and being disposed downstream of the printing position.