Roll Sheet Conveying Roller Control to Prevent Unloaded Feed
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Solution Overview
Problem
In ink-jet recording mechanisms, the issue arises when a rolled sheet is not properly aligned for nipping by conveying rollers, leading to unloaded feed where the sheet medium is not conveyed.
Innovation Solution
A conveying apparatus with a conveyor, pressing mechanism, and detector system that ensures the sheet medium is detected and reliably nipped by rollers before conveyance, using a controller to execute processes for pressing and conveying.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If the conveying rollers are rotated without ensuring proper sheet alignment, then the conveyance operation can be initiated, but unloaded feed occurs where the sheet medium is not conveyed
Solution Approach 1:
The detector detects the sheet medium in advance before the conveying rollers rotate, and the pressing mechanism applies pressure to ensure proper nipping. This preliminary action prevents unloaded feed by verifying sheet presence and securing proper alignment before conveyance begins.
Solution Approach 2:
The detector provides feedback information about sheet medium presence to the control unit, which then controls the pressing mechanism and conveying rollers accordingly. This feedback loop ensures that conveyance only occurs when the sheet is properly positioned and nipped.
2Reliability
If the pressing mechanism is always maintained at the pressing position, then reliable sheet nipping is ensured, but the device complexity and energy consumption increase
Solution Approach 1:
The pressing mechanism operates periodically rather than continuously. It is activated only when the detector detects the sheet medium, applying pressure temporarily during conveyance operations. This reduces device complexity and energy consumption while maintaining reliable sheet nipping when needed.
3Loss of time
If the detector is positioned upstream of the nipping point, then early detection is achieved, but the sheet medium cannot be reliably nipped before conveyance starts
Solution Approach 1:
The pressing mechanism acts as an intermediary between the detector and the conveying rollers. The detector provides early upstream detection, and the pressing mechanism uses this information to apply pressure and ensure proper nipping before the conveying rollers rotate, bridging the gap between early detection and reliable nipping.
Data Source
AI summary
A conveying apparatus includes a conveyor which conveys a first sheet medium unwound from a roll body in a conveyance direction and which has first and second rollers to nip the first sheet medium at a nipping point; a pressing mechanism which is moved to a pressing position at which the first and second rollers are pressed against each other and a release position at which the first and second rollers are released from being pressed against each other; a detector which detects the first sheet medium located downstream of the nipping point; and a controller. The controller executes a first determining process of determining whether the first sheet medium is detected by the detector; a pressing process of moving the pressing mechanism from the release position to the pressing position; and a conveying process of causing the conveyor to convey the first sheet medium after the pressing process.