Printers are widely used to print images on print media. Typically, unbalanced forces acting on the print media during printing operations cause the print media to become skewed relative to a print media travel path within the printer. Such skewing of print media often results in a misalignment of the resulting image which is printed on the surface thereof. Therefore, it is desirable to remove any skew which may have accumulated in print media prior to disposition of a printed image on the surface thereof.
For a detailed description of various examples of the invention, reference will now be made to the accompanying drawings in which:
Certain terms are used throughout the following description and claims to refer to particular system components. As one skilled in the art will appreciate, computer companies may refer to a component by different names. This document does not intend to distinguish between components that differ in name but not function. In the following discussion and in the claims, the terms “including” and “comprising” are used in an open-ended fashion, and thus should be interpreted to mean “including, but not limited to . . . . ” Also, the term “couple” or “couples” is intended to mean either an indirect, direct, optical or wireless electrical connection. Thus, if a first device couples to a second device, that connection may be through a direct mechanical or electrical connection, through an indirect mechanical or electrical connection via other devices and connections, through an optical electrical connection, or through a wireless electrical connection. The phrases “printing operations” and “print operations” generally refer to any movement of print media within a printer, whether or not an image is actually being printed on the surface of the print media.
The following discussion is directed to various examples of the invention. Although one or more of these examples may be preferred, the examples disclosed should not be interpreted, or otherwise used, as limiting the scope of the disclosure, including the claims. In addition, one skilled in the art will understand that the following description has broad application, and the discussion of any example is meant only to be descriptive of that example, and not intended to intimate that the scope of the disclosure, including the claims, is limited to that example.
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Turn pinch 104 further comprises a turn roller 110 and a first pinch roller 118. Turn roller 110 is disposed along the path 26 and is arranged to rotate about an axis 115. The first pinch roller is also disposed along the path 26, immediately opposite the turn roller 110, and is arranged to rotate about an axis 117 which is substantially parallel to and radially offset from the axis 115. As will be described in more detail below, the turn roller 110 and the first pinch roller 118 engage one another such that a piece of print media 22 is wedged or pinched between the rollers 110, 118. Therefore, the roller 118 is driven to rotate by the roller 110, via the contact or engagement between the rollers 110, 118. Thus, by rotating the roller 110 print media 22 is driven or advanced along the path 26 between the rollers 110, 118. The turn motor 114 is mechanically coupled to the roller 110 and is arranged to drive or force the roller 110 to rotate about the axis 115. Motor 114 is also electrically coupled to the controller 140 via a conductor 116. In some examples, motor 114 is a servo motor; however, any suitable motor or driving means may be used.
Feed pinch 106 is disposed along the path 26, adjacent to the turn pinch 104 and further comprises a feed roller 120 and a second pinch roller 128. Feed roller 120 is disposed along the path 26 and is arranged to rotate about an axis 125. A second pinch roller 128 is disposed along the path 26, immediately opposite the feed roller 120, and arranged to rotate about an axis 127 which is substantially parallel to and radially offset from the axis 125. As will be described in more detail below, the feed roller 120 and the second pinch roller 128 engage one another such that a piece of print media 22 is wedged or pinched between the rollers 120, 128. Therefore, the roller 128 is driven to rotate by the roller 120, via the contact or engagement between the rollers 120, 128. Thus, by rotating the roller 120, print media 22 is driven or advanced along the path 26, between the rollers 120, 128. The second motor 124 is mechanically coupled to the roller 120 and is arranged to drive or force the roller 120 to rotate about the axis 125. Motor 124 is also electrically coupled to the controller 140 via a conductor 126. In some examples, motor 124 is a servo motor; however, any suitable motor or driving means may be used.
A curved surface 121 is disposed adjacent the print media travel path 26, between the rollers 110, 118, and the rollers 120, 128. As will be described in more detail below, during print operations surface 121 directs or forces the leading edge 22a of the print media 22 to bend or deform in order to guide or direct print media 22 toward the rollers 120, 128 after passing between the rollers 110, 118.
Optical Sensor 134 is disposed along the print media travel path 26 between the turn pinch 104 and the feed pinch 106, and is electrically coupled to the controller 140 via a conductor 136. In this example, sensor 134 is an optical sensor and is arranged to measure or detect the presence of the leading edge 22a of print media 22, between the turn pinch 104 and the feed pinch 106. Sensor 134 is further arranged to generate a signal, which is routed to the controller 140 via conductor 136. In this example, buckle height sensor 130 is also disposed along the print media travel path 26 between the turn pinch 104 and the feed pinch 106, and is electrically coupled to the controller 140 via conductor 132. Sensor 130 is arranged to measure the buckle height H22 of the print media 22 or the distance between the sensor 130 and the print media 22, and to generate a signal which is routed to controller 140 via conductor 132. As will be described in more detail below, the height H22 corresponds to the amount of deflection or buckle of the print media 22 which occurs during de-skewing operations.
As previously described, controller 140 is electrically coupled to the turn motor 114, the feed motor 124, the sensor 130, and the sensor 134, via conductors 116, 126, 132, and 136, respectively. In some examples, the controller 140 is also electrically coupled to other sensors and/or motors (e.g., sensors 30) disposed throughout the printer (e.g., printer 10). As will be described in more detail below, controller 140 is generally arranged to adjust or control the output speed of the motors 114 and 124. In some examples, the controller 140 alters or adjusts the speed of the motors 114 and 124 based on the output signal of the sensors 130, 134, and/or the sensors 30 (e.g., sensors 30) disposed within the printer (e.g., printer 10).
As previously described, roller pinches 40 are disposed along the print media travel path 26, downstream of the print mechanism 18 and the system 100 (note: only two roller pinches 40 are shown in
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Additionally, sensor 134 detects the leading edge 22a of the print media 22 as it advances toward the feed pinch 106 and generates a signal which is routed to the controller 140 via conductor 136. In some examples, upon receiving the signal routed from the sensor 134, the controller 140 directs the turn roller 110 to continue to rotate for a predetermined number of revolutions in order to cause the leading edge 22a of the print media 22 to be driven into engagement with the feed pinch 106. At this point, the rollers 120, 128 within the feed pinch 106 are not rotating, and thus, when the leading edge 22a of the print media 22 contacts the rollers 120, 128, advancement of the leading edge 22a along the path 26 is halted.
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Further, once contact is initiated between the media 22 and the feed pinch 106, the additional revolutions of the roller 110 cause the print media 22 to bulge or buckle along the print media travel path 26 between the pinches 104 and 106. If the buckle of the print media 22 is too large the surface of the media will contact the surfaces lining the print media path 26 (e.g., the curved surface 121), resulting in drag or friction in the print media 22 which further leads to the production of additional skew within the print media 22. This drag or friction can also, in some examples, lead to an alteration in the velocity or feed rate of the print media 22 along the path 26. Further, in some cases, the print media 22 may even become damaged as a result of contacting the surfaces lining the print media path 26. Thus, in some examples, the sensor 130 measures the buckle height H22 as the turn roller 110 drives the leading edge 22a of the print media 22 into engagement with the feed pinch 106 and generates a signal which is routed to the controller 140 via the conductor 132. The controller 140 then compares the measured height H22 to a range of predetermined values. If the measured height is outside of the predetermined range, the controller 140 directs the roller 120 to rotate, via the motor 124, such that the print media 22 is advanced along the path 26 toward the print mechanism 18. The predetermined values for the height H22 may be based on a variety of factors, such as, for example, the overall width or height of the print media travel path 26, the type of print media 22, the desired angle of approach for the media 22 into the feed pinch 106, and the desired shape or position on the media 22 within the print zone (i.e., proximate to the print mechanism 18). Additionally, in some examples, the value of H22 may vary along the length of a piece of print media 22. In particular, in some examples, the desired value of H22 may be smaller for the trailing edge of the print media 22 relative to the desired value of H22 for the leading edge (e.g., edge 22a).
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First, as previously described, in some examples the controller 140 adjusts or controls the relative rotational speeds and/or angular positions of the rollers 110 and 120 independently of one another based on the output of the sensor 130. More specifically and in a manner which is similar to that which is described above during the initial de-skewing process, the sensor 130 may monitor the buckle height H22 of the print media disposed between the turn pinch 104 and the feed pinch 106 as the rollers of each pinch 104, 106 are rotating to advance the print media 22 along path 26. If the measured value for the height H22 falls outside of the acceptable range of values, previously described, the controller 140 may adjust the speeds of the roller 110 and/or the roller 120 in order to maintain a desired buckle height H22 within the predetermined range. The acceptable range for the value of the buckle height H22 may vary depending on factors such as, for example, the amount of slip occurring in the pinches 104, 106, the desired angle of entry for the media 22 in to the pinch 106, drag on the media 22 along the path 26 between the pinches 104, 106, and variations in the diameters of the rollers 110, 120 (e.g., due to manufacturing tolerances).
Further and as previously described, in some examples, the controller 140 adjusts or controls the relative rotational speeds and/or angular positions of the rollers 110 and 120 based on a predetermined timing sequence. In these examples, the controller 140 automatically adjusts the relative rotational speeds and/or angular positions of one or both of the rollers 110 and 120 based on a predetermined time sequence which accounts for certain known parameters such as, for example, the diameters of the rollers 110, 120, variations in feed rates for different sections or regions along the print media travel path 26, and known variations in the relative feeds rates of the turn pinch 104 and the feed pinch 106.
Still further and as previously described, in some examples, the controller 140 adjusts or controls the relative rotational speeds and/or angular positions of the rollers 110 and 120 based on the output of the sensors 30 disposed along the travel path 26. Specifically, sensors 30 are electrically coupled to the controller 140 by any suitable means and are arranged to sense the location of print media 22 at various locations along path 26 and generate signals which are routed to the controller 140. For example,
The signals produced by the sensors 30 are then used to determine whether, for example, certain regions or sections along the print media travel path 26 are experiencing varying feed rates. In particular, the controller 140 receives and analyzes the signals from the sensors 30 (e.g., through the conductor 32 for the sensor 30 shown in
Still further and also as previously described, in some examples, the controller 140 adjusts or controls the relative rotational speeds and/or angular positions of the rollers 110, 120 in the manner described above based on the type of print media 22 being fed along the print media travel path 26. In particular, different types of print media 22 may have a wide range of thickness and stiffness properties. Thus, by noting the type of print media 22 being used, the controller 140 may adjust the relative speeds of the motor 114 and/or the motor 124 in order to ensure that skew is adequately reduced or removed for the given type of print media 22. For example, if a relatively thick type of print media 22, such as cardstock, is being routed along the print media travel path, the controller 140 may reduce the speed of the turn roller 110 via the motor 114 in order to avoid excess buckling between the pinches 104, and 106. In some examples, the type of print media is manually selected by a user or operator of the printer 10 via some sort of interface, such as, for example, the control panel 24, while in other examples, the type of print media 22 is automatically determined. For example, in some implementations, the type of print media 22 is automatically determined by the controller 140 through interpretation of the signals routed from a driver (e.g., from a computer or similar device), through caliper measurements, and/or through interpretation of light reflection or scatter off of the print media 22 itself.
While examples disclosed here have described and shown the controller 140 to be coupled to the motors 114, 124 via conductors 116 and 126, respectively, and coupled to sensors 130 and 134 via conductors 132 and 136 respectively, in other examples, no such conductors may be included and the controller 140 may be electrically coupled to various components via a wireless or optical connection, while still complying with the principles disclosed herein. Additionally, while examples disclosed herein have described and shown the de-skewing assembly 100 disposed within the printer 10, other examples may utilize the de-skewing assembly 100 described herein within other types of devices, such as, for example, a roll media printer, or a media-feeding scanner.
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Initially, method 200 begins by advancing a piece of print media with a first roller. In particular, print media is advanced via engagement or contact with a first roller (e.g., turn roller 110) at block 205. Thereafter, the print media contacts a second roller (e.g., feed roller 120) at block 210 that is fixed or is stopped, thus halting any further advance of the print media beyond the second roller. After the print media has made contact and is halted by the stationary second roller in block 210, a determination is made as to the amount of buckle which the print media experiences between the first and second rollers (e.g., such as through measurement of the buckle height H22 through sensor 130). Finally, the method 200 includes a step of engaging the second roller to rotate in block 220 and thus advancing the print media based on the determined amount of buckle in block 215.
The above discussion is meant to be illustrative of the principles and various examples of the present invention. Numerous variations and modifications will become apparent to those skilled in the art once the above disclosure is fully appreciated. It is intended that the following claims be interpreted to embrace all such variations and modifications.