Printing device that reliably feeds recording medium from feeding cassette to conveying roller

Abstract

A conveying roller is disposed downstream of a feeding roller in a conveying direction and conveys a sheet of recording medium to a printing position along a conveying path. A medium detecting unit is disposed between the feeding roller and the conveying roller along the conveying path and detects the sheet of the recording medium. A printing unit performs printing at the printing position. A target-rotational-amount setting unit sets a target rotational amount for feeding the sheet of the recording medium to the conveying roller, based on a rotational amount of the feeding roller measured from when the feeding roller begins feeding the sheet of the recording medium accommodated in the feeding cassette until the medium detecting unit detects the sheet of the recording medium. A controller controls the feeding roller to continue rotating, until the rotational amount of the feeding roller reaches the target rotational amount.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Illustrative aspects in accordance with the invention will be described in detail with reference to the following figures wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a multifunction device according to an embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 2 is a side view conceptually illustrating the internal structure of the multifunction device;

FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing the primary electrical structure of the multifunction device;

FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating steps in a printing process;

FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating steps in a feeding process;

FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating steps in a pulse counting process executed by the multifunction device;

FIG. 7A is a side view conceptually illustrating the progress of a recording paper during the feeding process, wherein a leading edge of the recording paper has been fed out of a paper cassette;

FIG. 7B is a side view conceptually illustrating the progress of the recording paper during the feeding process, wherein the leading edge of the recording paper has arrived at a paper sensor; and

FIG. 7C is a side view conceptually illustrating the progress of the recording paper during the feeding process, wherein the leading edge of the recording paper has arrived at a conveying roller.

Claims

1. A printing device comprising: a feeding cassette that is configured to accommodate at least one sheet of a recording medium;a feeding roller that feeds a sheet of the recording medium accommodated in the feeding cassette along a conveying path in a conveying directions;a conveying roller that is disposed downstream of the feeding roller in the conveying direction and that conveys the sheet of the recording medium fed by the feeding roller to a printing position along the conveying path;a medium detecting unit that is disposed between the feeding roller and the conveying roller along the conveying path and that detects the sheet of the recording medium fed by the feeding roller;a printing unit that performs printing on the sheet of the recording medium at the printing position;a target-rotational-amount setting unit that sets a target rotational amount for feeding the sheet of the recording medium to the conveying roller, based on a rotational amount of the,feeding roller measured from when the feeding roller begins feeding the sheet of the recording medium accommodated in the feeding cassette until the medium detecting unit detects the sheet of the recording medium; anda controller that controls the feeding roller to continue rotating until the rotational amount of the feeding roller reaches the target rotational amount.

2. The printing device according to claim 1, wherein the target-rotational-amount setting unit sets the target rotational amount each time the feeding roller feeds a sheet of the recording medium.

3. The printing device according to claim 1, wherein the controller controls the conveying roller to rotate in a reverse direction during a time period in which the controller controls the feeding roller to continue rotating, the reverse direction being a direction for conveying the recording medium opposite the conveying direction.

4. The printing device according to claim 1, further comprising a rotational-amount detecting unit that detects the rotational amount of the feeding roller, wherein the controller includes:a leading-edge determining section that determines whether the medium detecting unit has detected a leading edge of the sheet of the recording medium;a first calculating section that calculates the rotational amount of the feeding roller based on detection results of the rotational-amount detecting unit, when the leading-edge determining section determines that the leading edge has not yet reached the medium detecting unit;a threshold determining section that determines whether the rotational amount of the feeding roller calculated by the first calculating section is greater than or equal to a predetermined threshold value; anda calibration-value adding section that adds a predetermined calibration value to the target rotational amount when the threshold determining section determines that the rotational amount is greater than or equal to the predetermined threshold value.

5. The printing device according to claim 4, wherein the threshold determining section includes a plurality of threshold determining sections including: a first threshold determining section that determines whether the rotational amount is greater than or equal to a first threshold value; anda second threshold determining section that determines whether the rotational amount is greater than or equal to a second threshold value greater than the first threshold value; andwherein the calibration-value adding section includes a plurality of calibration-value adding sections including:a first calibration-value adding section that adds a first calibration value to the target rotational amount only at one time for the sheet of the recording medium, when the first threshold determining section determines that the rotational amount is greater than or equal to the first threshold value; anda second calibration-value adding section that adds a second calibration value to the target rotational amount only at one time for the sheet of the recording medium, when the second threshold determining section determines that the rotational amount is greater than or equal to the second threshold value, the second calibration value being greater than the first calibration value.

6. The printing device according to claim 4, wherein the controller further includes: a second calculating section that calculates the rotational amount of the feeding roller based on detection results of the rotational-amount detecting unit, when the leading-edge determining section determines that the leading edge has reached the medium detecting unit;a target determining section that determines whether the rotational amount of the feeding roller calculated by the second calculating section is greater than or equal to the target rotational amount;a repeating section that repeats calculation of the rotational amount by the second calculating section, when the target determining section that determines that the rotational amount is less than the target rotational amount, thereby controlling the feeding roller to continue rotating for feeding the sheet of the recording medium; anda halting section that halts rotation of the feeding roller when the target determining section determines that the rotational amount is greater than or equal to the target rotational amount.

7. The printing device according to claim 4, wherein the controller further includes: a feeding-time determining section that determines whether a predetermined feeding time has elapsed since the feeding roller begins feeding the sheet of the recording medium, when the medium detecting unit has not detected the leading edge; anda cancel-print-flag setting section that sets a cancel print flag that indicates whether to cancel a printing operation when the feeding-time determining section determines that the predetermined feeding time has elapsed.