Patent Application
20200385223
A printer or copier includes an input tray in which sheets of paper are stacked for feeding into the printer or copier. The input tray has a certain size that defines the capacity of printable media it will hold before the tray has to be refilled with additional paper.
For machines such as enterprise printers and copiers, users often have printing or copying jobs involving hundreds or maybe thousands of pages. The print medium input tray contains a restrictive number of sheets of printable media before additional media must be put into the tray by a user for continued printing/copying. This often requires a user to be constantly and visually monitoring the printing/copying process so that additional media may be placed in the tray when necessary. This constant monitoring may be a wasted use of the user's time. The examples described herein provide a sensor that detects the height of a lift plate carrying sheets of print media. As the stack of print media decreases; i.e., as the print media is fed into the printer/copier, the stack of print media decreases, and the lift plate rises, which reduces the distance between the sensor and the lift plate. The sensor uses this change/decrease in distance to indicate to a remote user operating a communication device how much print media is left in the tray. This data allows the remote user to monitor the status of the tray; i.e., how much print media remains in the tray and make arrangements; i.e., travel to the printer/copier to refill the tray or inform a user who is local to the printer, etc. to re-load the tray with additional print media without a long delay and thus reduce the amount of time that the tray stays empty. This is especially helpful for bulk print jobs requiring a near-constant supply of paper. This also eliminates the need for a local user to be constantly monitoring the printer to check when the tray is empty. Accordingly, the examples described herein provide a sensor that monitors the height of a lift plate of a printer and generates a qualitative indicator of the amount of paper remaining in the tray, and then reports the data to a remote user. As referred to herein, the term printable medium or media may refer to one or more sheets of paper or any other media suitable for insertion into a document management machine or device such as a printer, scanner, copier, or fax machine, etc.
An example provides an apparatus, for example a document management machine or device, including a lift plate of a tray to hold a print medium. A support member is operatively connected to the lift plate. A sensor is attached to the support member to measure a distance between the sensor and the lift plate. A processor is provided to receive a measurement of the distance of the lift plate from the sensor, and output an indicator describing an amount of print media in the tray based on the measurement of the distance of the lift plate from the sensor. The processor may also generate an object identifier value corresponding to the measurement of the distance between the sensor and the lift plate. The processor may further generate a qualitative description of an amount of print media in the tray based on the object identifier value. The processor may send any of the indicator, object identifier value, and the qualitative description to a communication device remotely-located from the tray. The object identifier value may correspond to an amount of print media in the tray as a function of an angle of rotation of the lift plate. The sensor may detect a time-of-flight laser that is directed substantially perpendicular to the lift plate. Furthermore, the sensor may include an infrared sensor. The sensor may calculate a height of the lift plate relative to a bottom of the tray based on the measured distance of the lift plate from the sensor. The distance between the sensor and the lift plate may decrease as an amount of print media in the tray decreases. The indicator may be any of a qualitative indicator and a quantitative indicator. Moreover, the indicator may correlate the amount of print media in the tray as a function of the angle of rotation of the lift plate.
Another example provides a method of remotely monitoring a status of a tray. The method may be stored in a machine-readable storage medium including instructions that when executed cause a processor of an electronic device to detect a print medium on a lift plate positioned in the tray, automatically measure an angle of rotation of the lift plate as an amount of print media decreases on the lift plate, generate an indicator that correlates the amount of print media in the tray as a function of the measurement of the angle of rotation of the lift plate, and transmit the indicator to a communication device that is remotely-located from the tray. The indicator may include an object identifier value corresponding to the measurement of the angle of rotation of the lift plate. The indicator may include a qualitative description of the amount of print media in the tray based on the measurement of the angle of rotation of the lift plate. The indicator may include a color-coded indicator.
The print medium 25 may be any type of print medium, as described above, and include any suitable feature including the size, shape, material, thickness, or any other quality suitable for placement in a tray 20 and suitable for being held by the lift plate 15. A support member 30 is operatively connected to the lift plate 15. The support member 30 may be configured in any suitable manner and positioned in any location relative to the lift plate 15. Moreover, the support member 30 may contain multiple components or arranged as part of a sub-system of components. The support member 30 includes suitable mechanical properties to withstand repetitive use of the lift plate 15 and any other mechanical, electrical, or chemical properties often experienced by a lift plate 15 or tray 20 installed and used in a printer or copier device. A sensor 35 is attached to the support member 30 to measure a distance D of the lift plate 15 from the sensor 35. In an example, the sensor 35 includes a time-of-flight sensor, which may calculate the distance D based on the known speed of light and utilizing a light signal or laser to project onto the lift plate 15 and measure the time it takes for the light signal or laser to travel from the sensor 35 to the lift plate 15 and back to the sensor 35 after reflecting off the lift plate 15. However, other types of sensors may be used in accordance with various examples of the apparatus 10. As used herein, the term laser refers to a concentrated and amplified beam of light projected by a light source.
A processor 40 is provided to receive a measurement of the distance D of the lift plate 15 from the sensor 35, and output an indicator 45 describing an amount of print media 25 in the tray 20 based on the measurement of the distance D of the lift plate 15 from the sensor 35. The connection between the sensor 35 and the processor 40 may be a wired or wireless connection. In various examples, the processor 40 may include a microprocessor, an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) processor, a digital signal processor, a networking processor, a multi-core processor, or other suitable processors selected to be communicatively linked to the sensor 35. In an example, the indicator 45 may be either a quantitative indicator providing a count or estimate of the amount of print media 25 remaining in the tray 20, or a qualitative indicator in the form of descriptions about the status of the lift plate 15 including a qualitative description of the amount of print media 25 remaining on the lift plate 15 and in the tray 20, the time remaining until the print media 25 will be fully exhausted and additional print media 25 will have to be added to the tray 20, the relative position of the lift tray 20 within the tray 20, a category of the amount of print media 25 remaining in the tray 20, among other types of descriptions about the status of the lift plate 15 and/or tray 20. In an example, a qualitative description of the amount of print media 25 remaining in the tray 20 may be Very Low, Low, Half, High, Full, etc. or any other type of qualitative and/or quantitative descriptor of the amount of print media 25 in the tray 20. For example, a qualitative and/or quantitative output may include a percentage or the number of sheets of print media 25 left in the tray 20. Moreover, these outputs may be broken up into as many levels as desired. Accordingly, the examples described herein are not limited to any specific number of tray status outputs.
The communication device 50 may be linked to the processor 50 through a wired connection or through a wireless connection over a communication network. The communication device 50 may be configured to be run as a computer application program, e.g., an app, to provide the indicator 45 in a user-friendly and easily-accessible format to permit a user to be apprised of the status of the lift plate 15 and/or tray 20 at any time. Updates to the computer application program may be administered by the processor 40, in one example, or may be administered by another source either stored on the communication device 50 or elsewhere. The processor 40 may receive updates in the form of automatic firmware updates or downloadable software updates, which may be further updated to the communication device 50, according to an example, and which may be installed or updated by the communication device 50, according to another example.
In an example, the sensor 35 may detect a time-of-flight laser 55 that is directed substantially perpendicular to the lift plate 15. In this example, a laser 55 including light waves is directed towards the lift plate 15 and the sensor 35 calculates the transceiving time for sending and returning the light waves bouncing back from the lift plate 15 to the sensor 35. The laser 55 may comprise a substantially conical shape that progressively enlarges the further it travels away from the sensor 35. Accordingly, the sensor 35 calculates the total time for transmission of the laser 55 and receipt of the bounce-back of the laser 55 and transmits the data to the processor 40. The transceiving time for sending/receiving the laser 55 is a function of the height H of the lift plate 15, and accordingly the sensor 35 is able to measure the height H of the lift plate 15 based on the measured transceiving time. In order to generate as accurate a measurement as possible, no intervening components are positioned in between the pathway between the sensor 35 and the lift plate 15 for transceiving the laser 55. Moreover, the sensor 35 is positioned near the laser source 54, which is shown in
In another example, the processor 40 is able to utilize the measured transceiving time to calculate the height H of the lift plate 15 itself without requiring the sensor 35 to perform the calculation. Furthermore, other types of lasers 55 may be utilized to allow the sensor 35 to measure the height H of the lift plate 15. According to another example, the sensor 35 may detect a distance D between the sensor 35 and the lift plate 15 based on the measured transceiving time for sending/receiving the laser 55 to/from the lift plate 15. The distance D and the height H are inversely related to one another in that as the height H of the lift plate 15 increases, the distance D between the sensor 35 and the lift plate 15 decreases. Similarly, as the height Hof the lift plate 15 decreases, the distance D between the sensor 35 and the lift plate 15 increases. According to an example, the sensor 35 may calculate the height H of the lift plate 15 relative to a bottom 21 of the tray 20 based on the measured distance D of the lift plate 15 from the sensor 35. In an example, the distance D between the sensor 35 and the lift plate 15 may decrease as the amount of print media 25 in the tray 20 decreases. The indicator 45 may correlate the amount of print media 25 in the tray 20 as a function of an angle of rotation θ of the lift plate 15.
When print media 25 is inserted into a tray 20, it rests on the lift plate 15. The more print media 25, the greater the force exerted on the lift plate 15 causing the lift plate 15 to be lowered in the tray 20. A full stack of print media 25 may cause the lift plate 15 to be completely lowered in the tray 20 and resting in a substantially parallel alignment compared with the tray 20 itself. As print media 25 are fed into the document management device 60 for printing or copying, etc., the amount of print media 25 remaining in the tray 20 decreases, which decreases the amount of force being exerted on lift plate 15, which allows the lift plate 15 to rise upwards in the tray 20. The rising action of the lift plate 15 as the amount of print media 25 decreases is representative of the change in height H of the lift plate 15 such that the more print media 25 that is on the lift plate 15, the lower/smaller the height H, and conversely the less print media 25 that is on the lift plate 15, the higher/greater the height H. Because the height H of the lift plate 15 and the distance D between the sensor 35 and the lift plate 15 are inversely proportional, there is a rising action of the lift plate 15 as the amount of print media 25 decreases, which is representative of the change in distance D between the sensor 35 and the lift plate 15 such that the less print media 25 that is on the lift plate 15, the less/smaller the distance D, and conversely the more print media 25 that is on the lift plate 15, the more/greater the distance D.
In
The processor 40 may generate a qualitative description 70 of the amount of print media 25 in the tray 20 based on the object identifier value 65. The processor 40 may send any of the object identifier value 65 and the qualitative description 70 to the communication device 50 remotely-located from the tray 20. In an example, the object identifier value 65 corresponds to the amount of print media 25 in the tray 20 as a function of the angle θ of rotation of the lift plate 15. In another example, the qualitative description 70 may provide the status of the lift plate 15 including the amount of printable media remaining on the lift plate 15 and in the tray 20, the time remaining until the print media 25 will be fully exhausted and additional print media 25 will have to be added to the tray 20, the relative position of the lift plate 15 within the tray 20, a category of the amount of print media 25 remaining in the tray 20, among other types of descriptions about the status of the lift plate 15 and/or tray 20. In this regard, the qualitative description 70 is analogous to the indicator 45 described above with reference to
The object identifier value 65 may be an output reading generated by the sensor 35 and output by the processor 40 providing the status of the amount of print media 25 remaining on the lift plate 15 in the tray 20. The object identifier value 65 may be a binary output providing only numeric readings or it may be a qualitative description of the status of the lift plate 15 and the amount of print media 25 remaining in the tray 20. In an example, the object identifier value 65 may provide a range of the amount of print media 25 remaining in the tray 20. The object identifier value 65 may be combined with any of the indicator 45 and qualitative description 70 to be output or displayed by the communication device 50. Furthermore, any of the indicator 45, object identifier value 65, and qualitative description 70 may be color-coded and may be visually displayed by the communication device 50 in any color, shape, or visual format, according to an example.
As described above, a time-of-flight laser 55 is directed substantially perpendicular to the lift plate 15. In another example, the sensor 35 may include an infrared sensor 35 utilizing the transmission of infrared waves for measuring the distance D between the sensor 35 and the lift plate 15, or for measuring the height H of the lift plate 15. In other examples, the sensor 35 may be configured as any suitable detector capable of measuring the amount of print media 25 remaining in the tray 20.
The lift plate sensor device 100 further includes the support member 30 above the first side 16, which may be operatively connected to the pick idler shaft 85. The support member 30 includes the sensor 35 held therein in a stable manner to provide support for the sensor 35. An offset arm 80 is positioned below the second side 17 of the lift plate 15. The offset arm 80 includes a width greater than the width of the lift plate 15 such that it is offset or exposed when viewed from above the lift plate 15. The sensor 35 and laser source 54 are positioned in the support member 30 to be substantially aligned with the offset arm 80 such that the exposed portion 81 of the offset arm 80 is in a direct path of the sensor 35 and laser source 54. In an example, the sensor 35 and laser source 54 are positioned substantially parallel to the exposed portion 81 of the offset arm 80. The laser source 54 directs the laser 55, if configured as a time-of-flight sensor, or other such infrared signal down to the exposed portion 81 of the offset arm 80 such that the laser 55 is substantially perpendicular to the offset arm 80. The sensor 35 measures the time it takes for the laser 55 to be transmitted to, and reflected from, the offset arm 80 back to the sensor 35. The transceiving time is a function of the height H of the lift plate 15 and the distance D between the sensor 35 and the lift plate 15, and more particularly, the distance D between the sensor 35 and the offset arm 80 of the lift plate 15, as previously described above. While the lift plate sensor device 100 is shown to include only one support member 30 with a corresponding sensor 35, other examples may provide for a pair of support members 30 positioned on either end of the pick idler shaft 85. Having a dual sensor system may enhance the measurement of the height H and distance D calculations and may act as a back-up/reserve system in case one of the sensors becomes disabled and/or non-functioning.
Similarly, in
According to the examples described herein, the sensor 35 may utilize different measurements to determine the position of the lift plate 15. In one example, the sensor 35 may measure the distance D between the lift plate 15 and the sensor 35 using the laser 55 and a time-of-fight detection scheme. The processor 40 may be programmed with a corresponding set of instructions that automatically align the measured distance D to a corresponding indicator 45, object identifier value 65, and/or qualitative description 70 relative to the status of the amount of media 25 on the lift plate 15 in the tray 20. In another example, the sensor 35 may measure the height Hof the lift plate 15 by either detecting the position of the lift plate 15 relative to the bottom of the tray 20 or to detect the angle θ of rotation of the lift plate 15. The processor 40 may be programmed with a corresponding set of instructions that automatically align the measured height H or angle θ of rotation of the lift plate 15 to a corresponding indicator 45, object identifier value 65, and/or qualitative description 70 relative to the status of the amount of media 25 on the lift plate 15 in the tray 20. In another example, the sensor 35 may detect the distance D between the lift plate 15 and the sensor 35 using the laser 55 and any of the sensor 35 and the processor 40 may be programmed with a corresponding set of instructions that automatically align the distance D to a correspond pre-programmed height H. For example, the sensor 35 may be programmed to set the lowest height of the lift plate 15 at 0 mm and any upward movement or rotation of the lift plate 15 detected by the sensor 35 is automatically assigned a height based on the difference in the transceiving time of the laser 55, as described above.
In another example, the indicator 45 may provide a time remaining until the print media 25 has been completely exhausted in the tray 20, which further provides a user with an indication of when additional print media 25 must be inserted into the tray 20. Another example provides a postponement feature such that if a print or copy job is sent to the document management device 60 that will take more print media 25 than the sensor 35 detects are in the tray 20, the document management device 60 may postpone the print/copy job or alert the user on the communication device 50 that there is insufficient print media 25 in the tray to accommodate the requested print/copy job. Conventional print/copy behavior would be to print/copy using the available print media 25 until they tray 20 runs out of the print media 25 and wait to print/copy the rest of the job when they tray 20 is refilled. However, the postponement feature provided by the example herein would be useful for secure print/copy jobs where it would be undesirable to have only a partial print/copy job sitting in the output bin of the document management device 60 waiting for the tray 20 to be refilled.
Various examples described herein may include both hardware and software elements. The examples that are implemented in software may include firmware, resident software, microcode, etc. Other examples may include a computer program product configured to include a pre-configured set of instructions, which when performed, may result in actions as stated in conjunction with the methods described above. In an example, the preconfigured set of instructions may be stored on a tangible non-transitory computer readable medium or a program storage device containing software code.
Processor 40 may include a central processing unit, microprocessors, and/or other hardware devices suitable for retrieval and execution of instructions stored in a machine-readable storage medium 155. Processor 40 may fetch, decode, and execute computer-executable instructions 162, 164, 166, and 168 to enable execution of locally-hosted or remotely-hosted applications for controlling action of the electronic device 150. The remotely-hosted applications may be accessible on one or more remotely-located devices, for example. As an alternative or in addition to retrieving and executing instructions, processor 40 may include one or more electronic circuits including a number of electronic components for performing the functionality of one or more of instructions 162, 164, 166, and 168.
The machine-readable storage medium 155 may be any electronic, magnetic, optical, or other physical storage device that stores executable instructions. Thus, the machine-readable storage medium 185 may be, for example, Random Access Memory, an Electrically-Erasable Programmable Read-Only Memory, a storage drive, an optical disc, and the like. In one example, the machine-readable storage medium 155 may include a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium. The machine-readable storage medium 155 may be encoded with executable instructions for enabling execution of remotely-hosted applications accessed on the one or more remotely-located devices.
In an example, the processor 65 of the electronic device 5 executes computer readable instructions. For example, computer-executable detecting instructions 162 may detect a print medium 25 on a lift plate 15 positioned in the tray 20. Computer-executable measuring instructions 164 may automatically measure an angle θ of rotation of the lift plate 15 as an amount of print media 25 decreases on the lift plate 15. Computer-executable generating instructions 166 may generate an indicator 45 that correlates the amount of print media 25 in the tray 20 as a function of the measurement of the angle θ of rotation of the lift plate 15. Computer-executable transmitting instructions 168 may transmit the indicator 45 to a communication device 50 that is remotely-located from the tray 20. As described above, the indicator 45 may include an object identifier value 65 corresponding to the measurement of the angle θ of rotation of the lift plate 15. The indicator 45 may include a qualitative description 70 of the amount of print media 25 in the tray 20 based on the measurement of the angle θ of rotation of the lift plate 15. The indicator 45 may include a color-coded indicator 75.
The present disclosure has been shown and described with reference to the foregoing exemplary implementations. Although specific examples have been illustrated and described herein it is manifestly intended that the scope of the claimed subject matter be limited only by the following claims and equivalents thereof. It is to be understood, however, that other forms, details, and examples may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the disclosure that is defined in the following claims.
| Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/US2017/062363 | 11/17/2017 | WO | 00 |
