Information
-
Patent Grant
-
6334565
-
Patent Number
6,334,565
-
Date Filed
Friday, October 15, 199925 years ago
-
Date Issued
Tuesday, January 1, 200223 years ago
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Inventors
-
Original Assignees
-
Examiners
Agents
-
CPC
-
US Classifications
Field of Search
US
- 226 176
- 226 177
- 226 174
- 226 187
-
International Classifications
-
Abstract
An apparatus for conveying a recording medium includes first and second rollers which define a common area through which the recording medium is conveyed. The first and second rollers contact the recording medium in the common area and rotate in concert to convey the recording medium from the common area. A cam leverages the second roller to vary an amount of nonzero force applied to the recording medium in the common area.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to conveying a recording medium and, more particularly, to varying an amount of force applied to the recording medium by conveying rollers.
Recording media is conveyed using rollers which “pinch” the media to move it to/from an imaging location. Heretofore, the same amount of pinch force was applied by the rollers to convey media regardless of the thickness (and thus the stiffness) of the media. This can result in poorly formed images since different amounts of force may be required to accurately convey “thin” media (on the order of 0.004 inches thick) than to accurately convey “thick” media (on the order of 0.007 to 0.008 inches thick).
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In general, in one aspect, the invention features an apparatus which conveys a recording medium. The apparatus includes first and second rollers that define a common area through which the recording medium is conveyed. The first and second rollers contact the recording medium in the common area and rotate in concert to convey the recording medium from the common area. A cam leverages the second roller to vary an amount of nonzero force applied to the recording medium in the common area.
Among the advantages of the invention may be one or more of the following. By leveraging the second roller, it is possible to vary the amount of force applied to the recording medium based, for example, on the thickness of the recording medium. Thus, when used with an imaging apparatus, the invention makes it possible to form accurate images on recording media of different thicknesses.
This aspect of the invention may include one or more of the following features. The common area is defined by surfaces of the first and second rollers. The cam may be movable into plural positions, each of which leverages the second roller differently to change the amount of force. The apparatus may include a bar arranged in a common mechanical coupling with the second roller. The cam is in contact with the bar and is movable relative to the bar to leverage the second roller. The first roller may be a capstan roller and the second roller may be a pinch roller.
The apparatus may include a control mechanism for controlling the cam to leverage the second roller. The control mechanism comprises a first gear connected to the cam, a second gear connected to the first gear by a belt which couples motion of the first gear to the second gear, and a lever which mates to a receptacle in the second gear and which is movable to control motion of the second gear. The second gear may include plural receptacles. The lever is capable of mating to each of these receptacles. The lever controls motion of the second gear to apply a first range of force when mated to a first one of the plural receptacles. The lever controls motion of the second gear to apply a second range of force when mated to a second one of the plural receptacles. The apparatus may include mechanical stops arranged relative to the lever for limiting a range of motion of the lever.
The apparatus may include a member which is in a common mechanical coupling with plural pinch rollers (including the second roller) and a bar which couples to the member and which is in contact with the cam. The cam is rotatable relative to the bar to leverage the plural pinch rollers via the bar and the member. The apparatus may include a second cam on an opposite side of the member from the first cam, and a second bar which couples to the member and which is in contact with the second cam. The second cam is rotatable relative to the second bar to leverage the plural pinch rollers via the second bar and the member.
The apparatus may include a mounting block which is coupled to the second roller, a member which is coupled to the mounting block, and a bar which is coupled to the member and which is in contact with the cam. The cam is rotatable relative to the bar to leverage the second roller via the bar, the member, and the mounting block. The mounting block may include a spring in contact with the member and the second roller for controlling motion of the second roller during leveraging. The apparatus may be part of a laser imaging system.
In general, in another aspect, the invention features an apparatus for conveying a recording medium. The apparatus includes conveying means for conveying the recording medium. The conveying means applies an amount of force to the recording medium during conveying. Changing means changes the amount of force. Among the features that may be included in the invention is a controlling means for controlling the changing means manually.
Other features and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following description and claims.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1
is a side view of a laser imaging system.
FIG. 2
is a perspective view of a pinch roller assembly, including a mechanism which controls an amount of force applied by pinch rollers in the assembly.
FIG. 3A
is a sectional view of the pinch roller assembly.
FIG. 3B
is a sectional view of the controlling cam.
FIG. 4
is a perspective view of a mechanism for controlling the amount of applied pinch force.
FIG. 5
is a side view of the mechanism of FIG.
4
.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
FIG. 1
shows a laser imaging system
10
. Laser imaging system
10
includes media supply
11
, capstan roller
12
, pinch roller
14
, and a laser source
15
. System
10
also include electronics (not shown) for controlling the motion of rollers
12
and
14
and optics (not shown) for controlling scanning of laser beam
18
to form images on medium
16
.
In operation, recording medium
16
is loaded, from media supply
11
, to a common area
17
between the surfaces of capstan roller
12
and pinch roller
14
. Recording medium
16
may be any type of medium; however, photosensitive metal film is used in this embodiment. Rollers
12
and
14
contact recording medium
16
in common area
17
and rotate in concert (in the directions of arrows
19
and
20
) to convey recording medium
16
away from common area
17
(in the direction of arrow
21
). While recording medium
16
is being conveyed in this manner, laser beam
18
is scanned over its surface roughly at plane
22
, thereby exposing recording medium
16
. This exposure changes properties of the recording medium
16
which, when further processed, results in the formation of an image at the points of exposure.
During conveying, a pinch force (in the direction of arrow
24
) is provided to recording medium
16
by pinch roller
14
. Pinch roller
14
is leveraged (i.e., moved) relative to capstan roller
12
(which remains substantially immobile) to vary the amount of this pinch force. Mechanisms for controlling the movement of pinch roller
14
are as follows.
Referring to
FIG. 2
, a view of these mechanisms in a pinch roller assembly
25
is shown. Pinch roller assembly
25
includes plural pinch rollers
26
a
to
26
e,
each of which is mechanically coupled to member
27
. When so coupled, pinch rollers
26
a
to
26
e
move in concert with member
27
, thus moving as a single roller, more or less. Pinch rollers
26
a
to
26
e
contact a single capstan roller (not shown in
FIG. 2
) when the pinch force is applied (via member
27
, see below); however, multiple capstan rollers may also be used.
The mechanical coupling to member
27
is the same for all of pinch rollers
26
a
to
26
e;
therefore, it will only be described with respect to pinch roller
26
a.
Pinch roller
26
a
is coupled to mounting blocks
29
a
and
29
b,
which do not interfere with conveying of the recording medium. These mounting blocks have a common design; therefore, only one mounting block
29
a
is described. Mounting block
29
a
includes a hole
30
which receives a shaft
31
of pinch roller
26
a,
thereby allowing pinch roller
26
a
to rotate relative to mounting block
29
a.
Flanges
32
a
and
32
b
on mounting block
29
a
align with sides
34
a
and
34
b,
respectively, on member
27
to align the mounting block to member
27
. Mounting block
29
a
is fixed to member
27
using screws or the like.
Internal to mounting block
29
a
is an assembly comprised of a spring
35
and a plunger
36
. Spring
35
is interposed between member
27
and plunger
36
. Plunger
36
contacts spring
35
and shaft
31
, and moves laterally (e.g., “up” and “down”) relative to pinch roller
26
a
as force is applied to pinch roller
26
a.
Spring
35
restricts the motion of plunger
36
(and thus the motion of pinch roller
26
a
), while still providing pinch roller
26
a
with some freedom of lateral movement relative to the recording medium during the application of a pinch force.
As shown in
FIG. 2
, pinch roller
26
a,
mounting block
29
a,
and member
27
are in a common mechanical coupling with (L-shaped) bar
39
a.
Bar
39
a
is fixed (via screws or the like) to a side
40
a
of member
27
. A similar such bar
39
b
is fixed to an opposite side
40
b
of member
27
. Bars
39
a
and
39
b
operate identically; therefore, only bar
39
a
is described.
In contact with the underside
41
of bar
39
a
is cam
42
a
(bar
39
b
contacts a similar cam
42
b
). Cam
42
a
is movable (that is, rotatable) relative to bar
39
a
to leverage bar
39
a
and, in turn, member
27
, mounting blocks
29
a
to
29
f,
and pinch rollers
26
a
to
26
e.
This leverage causes pinch rollers
26
a
to
26
e
to move into closer (that is, tighter) contact with the capstan roller, thereby increasing the amount of pinch force applied to a recording medium between the pinch rollers and the capstan roller.
Referring to
FIG. 3
, a cut-away view of assembly
25
taken along line
3
A-
3
A (
FIG. 2
) is shown. Cam
42
a
has a radius which varies relative to its center shaft
50
. This center shaft is rotatable and fixed (to side plate
51
, described below), meaning that center shaft
50
is laterally immobile relative to bar
39
a
but can rotate about its own axis (arrow
52
). As center shaft
50
and thus cam
42
a
rotates, variations in the radius of cam
42
a
will cause bar
39
a
to move upwards (arrow
54
) or downwards (arrow
55
), depending upon which radius of cam
42
a
comes into contact with bar
39
a.
As bar
39
a
moves, so does member
27
, mounting block
29
a,
and pinch roller
26
a,
thereby affecting the amount of pinch force applied to medium
56
by pinch roller
26
a
and capstan roller
57
.
For example, if cam
42
a
is rotated to a position where radius
59
is in contact with bar
39
a
(as shown), a low (nonzero) pinch force will result (for use, e.g., with thin recording media) since radius
59
is relatively small. If cam
42
a
is rotated to a position where radius
60
is in contact with bar
39
a,
a higher (nonzero) pinch force will result (for use, e.g., with thick recording media) since radius
60
is relatively large. Cam
42
a
is also provided with a “media loading” radius
61
. This radius is small relative to the remainder of cam
42
a
and, when cam
42
a
is rotated to a position where this radius
61
is in contact with bar
39
a,
a gap (or zero pinch force) will be produced between rollers
26
a
and
57
. This gap is used to load new media to common area
62
between rollers
26
a
and
57
.
Referring now to
FIG. 4
, a control mechanism
64
is shown for controlling cam
42
a
(cam
42
a
itself is not visible in
FIG. 4
) to leverage pinch rollers
26
a
to
26
e.
Control mechanism
64
is connected to side plate
51
, which is interposed between assembly
25
(
FIG. 2
) and electro-mechanical devices (not shown) for controlling the rotation of capstan roller
57
(the pinch rollers are passive in that they rotate when capstan roller
57
rotates).
Control mechanism
64
includes a master gear
65
and a slave gear
66
, which are mounted to shafts
67
and
69
, respectively, on side plate
51
. Shaft
67
is fixed. Master gear
65
rotates around shaft
67
and slave gear
66
rotates shaft
69
to rotate the cam. Slave gear
66
is mounted on the center shaft (shaft
69
) of the cam, which protrudes from side plate
51
. A belt
70
connects master gear
65
to slave gear
66
, and thus couples the motion (rotation) of master gear
65
to slave gear
66
. Belt
70
may include teeth (not shown) which mate to corresponding teeth (also not shown) on master gear
65
and slave gear
66
. In operation, rotating master gear
65
causes slave gear
66
to rotate which, in turn, causes the cam to rotate (since slave gear
66
is coupled to the center shaft of the cam).
A lever
71
is provided for controlling rotation of master gear
65
manually (and thus for changing the amount of pinching force). Receptacles
72
and
74
(e.g., holes) are provided on an outer portion
75
of master gear
65
for receiving lever
71
. When mated to one of these receptacles, lever
71
is used to control rotation of master gear
65
.
As shown in
FIGS. 4 and 5
, mechanical stops
76
a
and
76
b
are arranged relative to lever
71
for limiting the range of rotation of the lever (and thus of master gear
65
, slave gear
66
, and the cam). Mechanical stops
76
a
and
76
b
and receptacles
72
and
74
are arranged so that, when lever
71
is mated to receptacle
74
, cam
42
a
can be rotated between radius
60
(high pinch force) and radius
61
(media load) (FIG.
3
); and, when lever
71
is mated to receptacle
72
, cam
42
a
can be rotated between radius
59
(low pinch force) and radius
61
. Thus, by moving lever
71
from one receptacle to another, it is possible to change, and/or control, the amount of the pinch force manually.
Other embodiments not described herein are also included within the scope of the following claims. For example, more than two receptacles may be provided on outer portion
75
of master gear
65
. These additional receptacles would provide additional pinch force variations. Lever
71
could be mated to outer portion
75
differently. For example, lever
71
could be mated to a track on outer portion
75
which includes plural slots (similar to a manual gear shift). The lever could be moved along the track into (or out of) these slots to vary the amount of applied force. Such a configuration eliminates the need to remove lever
71
to reset the amount of force. Also, additional radii could be provided on the cam, again to provide further pinch force variations. The invention could be incorporated into a variety of different types of imaging systems using any type of recording medium, and is not limited to the specific configurations set forth above.
Claims
- 1. An apparatus which conveys a recording medium, comprising:first and second rollers which define a common area through which the recording medium is conveyed, the first and second rollers contacting the recording medium in the common area and rotating in concert to convey the recording medium from the common area; and a cam having at least three surfaces each having a different radius, the cam leveraging the second roller to vary an amount of force applied to the recording medium in the common area.
- 2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the common area is defined by surfaces of the first and second rollers.
- 3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the cam is movable into plural positions, each of the plural positions for leveraging the second roller differently to change the amount of force.
- 4. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a control mechanism for controlling the cam to leverage the second roller.
- 5. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the control mechanism comprises:a first gear connected to the cam; a second gear connected to the first gear by a belt which couples motion of the first gear to the second gear, the second gear including a receptacle; and a lever which mates to the receptacle and which is movable to control motion of the second gear.
- 6. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein:the second gear includes plural receptacles; and the lever is capable of mating to each of the plural receptacles, the lever controlling motion of the second gear to apply a first range of force when mated to a first one of the plural receptacles, and the lever controlling motion of the second gear to apply a second range of force when mated to a second one of the plural receptacles.
- 7. The apparatus of claim 5, further comprising mechanical stops arranged relative to the lever for limiting a range of motion of the lever.
- 8. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:a bar arranged in a common mechanical coupling with the second roller; wherein the cam is in contact with the bar and is movable relative to the bar to leverage the second roller.
- 9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first roller comprises a capstan roller and the second roller comprises a pinch roller.
- 10. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:a member which is in a common mechanical coupling with plural pinch rollers including the second roller; and a bar which couples to the member and which is in contact with the cam; wherein the cam is rotatable relative to the bar to leverage the plural pinch rollers via the bar and the member.
- 11. The apparatus of claim 10, further comprising:a second cam located on an opposite side of the member as the first cam; and a second bar which couples to the member and which is in contact with the second cam; wherein in the second cam is rotatable relative to the second bar to leverage the plural pinch rollers via the second bar and the member.
- 12. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:a mounting block which is coupled to the second roller; a member which is coupled to the mounting block; and a bar which is coupled to the member and which is in contact with the cam; wherein the cam is rotatable relative to the bar to leverage the second roller via the bar, the member, and the mounting block, and wherein the mounting block includes a spring in contact with the member and the second roller for controlling motion of the second roller during leveraging.
- 13. A laser imaging system which includes the apparatus of claim 1.
- 14. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the cam which leverages the second roller to vary an amount of force applied to the recording medium between a first nonzero force, a second nonzero force, and a zero force.
- 15. An apparatus for conveying a recording medium, comprising:conveying means for conveying the recording medium, the conveying means applying an amount of force to the recording medium; and changing means for changing the amount of force from a first nonzero force to a second nonzero force, the changing means including a cam having plural surfaces each having a different radius, wherein a first one of the plural surfaces provides the first nonzero force and a second one of the plural surfaces provides the second nonzero force.
- 16. The apparatus of claim 15, further comprising controlling means for controlling the changing means manually.
US Referenced Citations (6)