UV Curing Ink Recording Device Height Detection Control

Solution Overview

Problem

Existing recording devices face issues with ink dripping from the medium due to insufficient ultraviolet ray irradiation when the detection mechanism detects an abnormality in the medium's height, leading to interrupted printing and contamination of the user's environment.

Innovation Solution

A recording device equipped with a medium support unit, a recording unit using ultraviolet curing ink, an irradiation unit for ultraviolet rays, a detection unit for medium height, and a control unit that executes specific controls when an abnormal height is detected, including stopping recording, increasing the distance between the medium support unit and the recording unit, and irradiating the medium with ultraviolet rays.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If the detection mechanism detects an abnormality in the medium's height and interrupts printing, then the printing process is stopped to prevent further issues, but the ink on the medium remains insufficiently cured and may drip, contaminating the user environment

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvedetection accuracyVSAvoidink contamination

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The system performs preliminary ultraviolet ray irradiation on the medium after detecting an abnormality but before the user removes the medium. This preliminary curing action ensures that the ink is solidified in advance, preventing potential contamination while maintaining the interruption response.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The system converts the harmful situation of interrupted printing with uncured ink into a beneficial outcome by automatically initiating ultraviolet ray irradiation. The abnormality detection triggers a compensatory curing process that transforms the potential contamination risk into a controlled curing operation.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #22Blessing in disguise (Convert harm into benefit)

2Reliability

If the printing is interrupted in the middle due to detected abnormality, then the system responds to the detection, but the insufficient ultraviolet ray irradiation causes ink to drip from the medium

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvedetection accuracyVSAvoidcuring completeness

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSManufacturing precision

Solution Approach 1:

The system performs preliminary ultraviolet ray irradiation on the medium after detecting an abnormality but before the user removes the medium. This preliminary curing action ensures that the ink is solidified in advance, preventing potential contamination while maintaining the interruption response.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The height detection mechanism provides feedback about the medium's position, and this feedback triggers the ultraviolet ray irradiation control. The system uses the detection result to adjust the curing process, ensuring complete ink solidification even when printing is interrupted.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #23Feedback

3Object-affected harmful factors

If the distance between the medium support unit and the recording unit is increased after abnormality detection, then the medium can be safely handled, but the recording process is further delayed

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveink contaminationVSAvoidrecording delay

Core Design Contradiction:

Object-affected harmful factorsVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The system performs preliminary ultraviolet ray irradiation on the medium after detecting an abnormality but before the user removes the medium. This preliminary curing action ensures that the ink is solidified in advance, preventing potential contamination while maintaining the interruption response.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The ultraviolet ray irradiation process continues even after printing is interrupted. The system maintains the curing action as a continuous process that completes the ink solidification, ensuring that the useful action of curing is not interrupted along with the printing process.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #20Continuity of useful action

Applied Scientific Principles

This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.

Function Achieved in This Case

The solution effectively prevents ink from dripping and contaminating the environment by ensuring complete solidification of the ink through increased ultraviolet irradiation when an abnormality is detected, thereby maintaining a clean and safe user environment.

Implementation Method 1

a recording unit configured to record an image on the medium with an ink of ultraviolet curing type, an irradiation unit configured to irradiate the medium with an ultraviolet ray

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectUltraviolet curing: Photopolymerisation

Data Source

PatentUS20250196516A1Recording device and recording method of recording device

Publication Date: 2025.06.19 SEIKO EPSON CORP

AI summary

A recording device including a medium support unit configured to support a medium, a recording unit configured to record an image on the medium with an ink of ultraviolet curing type, an irradiation unit configured to irradiate the medium with an ultraviolet ray, a detection unit configured to detect a height of the medium, and a control unit configured to execute, when a height equal to or greater than a threshold is detected by the detection unit at a time of recording of an image by the recording unit, first control of stopping recording of an image by the recording unit, second control of causing a distance between the medium support unit and the recording unit to be greater than the distance before the detection unit detects a height equal to or greater than the threshold, and third control of irradiating the medium with an ultraviolet ray by the irradiation unit.