Transparent Ink Test Pattern for Printing Alignment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing printing technologies face challenges in accurately measuring the landing positions of transparent ink, as the ruled lines formed on a base-coat can be difficult to detect, leading to reduced measurement precision.
Innovation Solution
A test pattern configuration is implemented where the ink color of the base-coat and the ruled lines are differentiated, allowing for easier detection, and the use of multiple print tips and nozzle rows to measure various types of impact displacement, including tip, row, and positional misalignment, with wider spacings between ruled lines to enhance visibility even if bleeding occurs.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If transparent ink is ejected onto a base-coat of colored ink to form test patterns, then the test pattern can be formed on the print medium, but the ruled lines of the transparent ink become difficult to see, causing a drop in measurement precision
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a specific colored ink as an intermediary layer between the base-coat and the transparent ink test pattern. This intermediary colored ink layer enhances the contrast and visibility of the transparent ink ruled lines, making them easier to detect and measure precisely. The colored ink acts as a mediator that improves the optical contrast without interfering with the transparent ink's properties.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent utilizes color changes by selecting specific colors for the base-coat ink and the colored ink layer to maximize contrast with the transparent ink. By carefully choosing color combinations (e.g., complementary colors or colors with different light absorption properties), the ruled lines formed by transparent ink become more visible against the colored background, thereby improving measurement precision.
2Adaptability or versatility
If multiple print tips and nozzle rows are used to measure various types of impact displacement, then comprehensive misalignment detection is achieved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements multi-functionality by designing a print head where multiple print tips and nozzle rows serve multiple purposes. The same physical structure is used to measure different types of misalignment (tip misalignment, row misalignment, head misalignment) by analyzing the relative positions of ruled lines from different nozzles. This universal design allows comprehensive measurement capabilities without proportionally increasing device complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent divides the measurement function into segmented components - each print tip and nozzle row is responsible for forming specific ruled lines that correspond to particular measurement objectives. By segmenting the measurement tasks across multiple nozzles, the system can detect various types of impact displacement independently and then integrate the results, making the complex measurement process manageable and systematic.
Data Source
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AI summary
A test pattern creation method employing a printing apparatus, the printing apparatus including a transparent ink print head that ejects a transparent ink, a first print head that ejects a first colored ink, and a second print head that ejects a second colored ink. The creation method includes forming a base-coat on a print medium using the first colored ink, and creating, as a plurality of ruled lines to measure impact displacement of the transparent ink, a first ruled line set formed by layering the transparent ink over the base-coat, and a second ruled line set formed outside a region corresponding to the base-coat using the second colored ink.