Roll-Fed Recording Apparatus with Splice-Aware Pre-Ejection Conveyance
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing recording apparatuses generate excessive waste sheets due to the conveyance of sheets to avoid recording on spliced portions, which can damage the recording head and reduce conveyance accuracy.
Innovation Solution
Implementing a pre-ejection conveyance control mechanism that sets the amount of sheet to be conveyed before ejection based on splice detection and door status during jam clearing operations, ensuring no spliced portion is present in the recording path when ejection starts.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the sheet is conveyed to avoid recording on the spliced portion, then the recording head is protected from damage, but the amount of waste sheet increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary detection of spliced portions using an optical sensor before the recording head reaches them. When a splice is detected, the conveyance unit pre-conveys the sheet by a calculated amount to reposition the splice away from the recording head's path, preventing damage while minimizing waste by only conveying the necessary distance
Solution Approach 2:
The optical sensor continuously monitors the sheet for spliced portions and provides feedback to the control unit. Based on this feedback, the system dynamically adjusts the conveyance amount to precisely position the sheet so that the splice is located at an optimal position away from the recording head, reducing unnecessary sheet waste while ensuring protection
2Reliability
If a fixed amount of sheet is conveyed each time a splice is detected, then the recording head is protected, but conveyance accuracy deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of using a fixed conveyance amount, the system dynamically calculates the conveyance distance based on the actual position of the detected splice relative to the recording head. The control unit adjusts the conveyance amount in real-time to precisely position the splice at an optimal location, maintaining high conveyance accuracy while protecting the recording head
Data Source
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AI summary
A sheet supplied from a roll is conveyed by a first conveyance unit and a second conveyance unit located on a downstream side of the first conveyance unit. The sheet is conveyed by a first conveyance amount while being inspected by a sensor for a spliced portion, which is a splice between sheets, and in a case where the spliced portion is not detected while the sheet is conveyed by the first conveyance amount, the first conveyance amount is changed in a control operation of causing a head to start ejecting liquid onto the sheet.