Pulse Motor Thermal Management via Time-Based Rest Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Portable thermal printers face the challenge of motor overheating due to continuous operation, which can lead to motor breakage, and existing solutions that use temperature sensors are costly.
Innovation Solution
A portable printer system that includes a pulse motor, a printing head, a controller, and counters to determine a rest level based on elapsed and operating times, setting a rest time to pause the motor operation and prevent excessive temperature rise without the need for a temperature sensor.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If the pulse motor is continuously operated to maintain high printing productivity, then the printing productivity is improved, but the motor temperature rises excessively causing reliability degradation
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements periodic rest intervals in the pulse motor operation by detecting continuous operation through a counter and inserting rest periods between printing operations. This periodic action allows the motor to cool down while maintaining high overall productivity through efficient duty cycle management.
2Reliability
If a temperature sensor is used to control pulse motor operation and prevent overheating, then the motor reliability is improved, but the device cost increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the thermal sensing mechanism with an electronic counter-based time measurement system. Instead of using a temperature sensor to detect motor temperature, the system uses a counter to measure operation time and infer temperature rise, thereby eliminating the need for expensive temperature sensing hardware.
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses its existing timing and control resources (counter and control unit) to monitor motor operation and determine rest intervals, rather than requiring separate temperature sensing and control systems. This self-service approach leverages existing components to solve the overheating problem.
3Speed
If the pulse motor operates continuously without rest intervals, then the printing speed is improved, but the motor temperature rises causing harmful thermal effects
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces periodic rest intervals in the pulse motor operation by detecting continuous operation through a counter and inserting rest periods between printing operations. This periodic action allows the motor to cool down while maintaining high overall productivity through efficient duty cycle management.
Data Source
AI summary
In a portable printer that uses a pulse motor for feeding a recording medium and includes a printing head that prints the recording medium, a printer controller that controls the printing head, and a pulse motor controller that controls the pulse motor, rest level setting information having rest levels and rest times set in correspondence to one another is previously stored, the elapsed time after a printing process is started is counted, the operating time of the pulse motor is counted, a rest level is determined based on the elapsed time after the printing process is started and the operating time of the pulse motor, a rest time is set by referring to the rest level setting information based on the determined rest level and a rest process is performed based on the thus set rest time.