Patent Application
20230264912
This patent application is based on and claims priority pursuant to 35 U.S.C. § 119(a) to Japanese Patent Application No. 2022-023941, filed on Feb. 18, 2022, in the Japan Patent Office, the entire disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference herein.
Embodiments of the present disclosure generally relate to a sheet feeding device and an image forming apparatus incorporating the sheet feeding device.
Image forming apparatuses for which a sheet roll is used are known in the art that includes a sheet feeding device that performs a sheet feeding operation after the sheet roll is set on a spool and placed on a holder of the sheet feeding device. Some techniques for the sheet feeding device have been proposed that detect a leading end of the sheet roll.
In one embodiment of the present disclosure, a novel sheet feeding device that feeds a sheet from a sheet roll includes a sensor, a roller, a support, circuitry, and a spool. The sensor detects a step at a leading end of the sheet roll. The roller is disposed at a position different from a position of the sensor in a circumferential direction of the sheet roll. The support supports the sensor and the roller to bring the sensor and the roller into contact with a surface of the sheet roll. The circuitry acquires a signal from the sensor as a sensor signal. The spool is insertable through a sheet tube of the sheet roll to rotate the sheet roll in conjunction with rotation of the spool. The sensor and the roller face an axial center of the spool. The support is pivotable within a range in which the sensor does not contact the spool. The circuitry detects a first inclination of the sensor signal when the leading end of the sheet roll passes by the roller and a second inclination of the sensor signal when the leading end of the sheet roll passes by the sensor, to determine whether the leading end of the sheet roll is present.
In another embodiment of the present disclosure, a novel sheet feeding device that feeds a sheet from a sheet roll includes a sensor, a roller, a support, circuitry, and a spool. The sensor detects a step at a leading end of the sheet roll. The roller is disposed at a position different from a position of the sensor in a circumferential direction of the sheet roll. The support supports the sensor and the roller to bring the sensor and the roller into contact with a surface of the sheet roll. The circuitry acquires a signal from the sensor as a sensor signal. The spool is insertable through a sheet tube of the sheet roll to rotate the sheet roll in conjunction with rotation of the spool. The sensor and the roller face an axial center of the spool. The support is pivotable within a range in which the sensor does not contact the spool The circuitry is configured to detect an inclination of the sensor signal when the leading end of the sheet roll passes by the sensor, determine, when detecting the inclination at an nth rotation of the sheet roll or the spool, whether the inclination is detected again at an (n+1)th rotation of the sheet roll or the spool, where n is an integer of one or more, and determine that the leading end of the sheet roll is present when continuously detecting the inclination for a given number of rotations of the sheet roll or the spool.
Also described is a novel image forming apparatus incorporating the sheet feeding device.
A more complete appreciation of embodiments of the present disclosure and many of the attendant advantages and features thereof can be readily obtained and understood from the following detailed description with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein:
The accompanying drawings are intended to depict embodiments of the present disclosure and should not be interpreted to limit the scope thereof. The accompanying drawings are not to be considered as drawn to scale unless explicitly noted. Also, identical or similar reference numerals designate identical or similar components throughout the several views.
In describing embodiments illustrated in the drawings, specific terminology is employed for the sake of clarity. However, the disclosure of this specification is not intended to be limited to the specific terminology so selected and it is to be understood that each specific element includes all technical equivalents that have a similar function, operate in a similar manner, and achieve a similar result.
Referring now to the drawings, embodiments of the present disclosure are described below. As used herein, the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise.
For the sake of simplicity, like reference numerals are given to identical or corresponding constituent elements such as parts and materials having the same functions, and redundant descriptions thereof are omitted unless otherwise required.
As used herein, the term “connected/coupled” includes both direct connections and connections in which there are one or more intermediate connecting elements.
According to an aspect of the present disclosure, a sheet feeding device that feeds a sheet from a sheet roll that is a wound long sheet includes a sensor, a roller, a support, a controller (or circuitry), and a spool.
The sensor and the roller are disposed on the support. The support supports the sensor and the roller to bring the sensor and the roller into contact with a surface of the sheet roll. The controller acquires a signal from the sensor as a sensor signal.
The sheet roll includes a sheet tube inside. The spool is inserted through the sheet tube when the sheet roll is disposed in the sheet feeding device. The sheet roll rotates in conjunction with the rotation of the spool.
The sensor and the roller face an axial center of the spool.
The roller is disposed at a position different from a position of the sensor in a circumferential direction of the sheet roll.
The sensor detects a step at a leading end of the sheet roll with accuracy.
The controller detects a first inclination of the sensor signal when the leading end of the sheet roll passes by the roller and a second inclination of the sensor signal when the leading end of the sheet roll passes by the sensor, to determine whether the leading end of the sheet roll is present.
The support is pivotable within a range in which the sensor does not contact the spool.
According to another aspect of the present disclosure, a sheet feeding device that feeds a sheet from a sheet roll that is a wound long sheet includes a sensor, a roller, a support, a controller (or circuitry), and a spool.
The sensor and the roller are disposed on the support. The support supports the sensor and the roller to bring the sensor and the roller into contact with a surface of the sheet roll. The controller acquires a signal from the sensor as a sensor signal.
The sheet roll includes a sheet tube inside. The spool is inserted through the sheet tube when the sheet roll is disposed in the sheet feeding device. The sheet roll rotates in conjunction with the rotation of the spool.
The sensor and the roller face an axial center of the spool.
The roller is disposed at a position different from a position of the sensor in a circumferential direction of the sheet roll.
The sensor detects a step at a leading end of the sheet roll with accuracy.
The support is pivotable within a range in which the sensor does not contact the spool.
The controller detects an inclination of the sensor signal when the leading end of the sheet roll passes by the sensor. When detecting the inclination at the nth rotation of the sheet roll or the spool, the controller determines whether the inclination is detected again at the (n+1)th rotation of the sheet roll or the spool. When continuously detecting the inclination for a given number of rotations of the sheet roll or the spool, the controller determines that the leading end of the sheet roll is present.
Note that “n” is an integer of one or more.
Accordingly, the sheet feeding device automatically and accurately detects that no sheet roll is set, without increasing the number of parts, and prevents processing that is to be executed when a sheet roll is set from being executed when no sheet roll is set.
The sheet feeding device according to the present embodiment feeds a sheet from a sheet roll. The sheet roll is a rolled recording medium such as a rolled long sheet of paper.
Referring now to
An image forming apparatus according to an aspect of an embodiment of the present disclosure is an ink jet printer that discharges ink droplets according to image data to print an image on a recording medium. According to another aspect of an embodiment of the present disclosure, the image forming apparatus may be an electrophotographic copier or printer that conveys a recording medium to print an image on the recording medium.
Referring now to
In
In
The image forming apparatus 80 further includes as a timing belt 67 along the main guide rod 64. The timing belt 67 is an endless belt that is entrained around a driving pulley 68 and a driven pulley 69. The driving pulley 68 is driven and rotated by a main scanning motor 70. The driven pulley 69 is disposed to apply a given tension to the timing belt 67. As the main scanning motor 70 drives and rotates the driving pulley 68, the driving pulley 68 rotates the timing belt 67 in the main scanning direction according to the rotational direction of the driving pulley 68.
The carriage 66 is coupled to the timing belt 67. As the driving pulley 68 rotates the timing belt 67 in the main scanning direction, the carriage 66 reciprocates in the main scanning direction along the main guide rod 64.
The image forming apparatus 80 further includes a cartridge holder 71 and a maintenance assembly 72 that are removably accommodated at an end position in the main scanning direction inside the housing 81. The cartridge holder 71 holds cartridges 73 that contain inks of different colors, namely, yellow (Y), magenta (M), cyan (C), and black (K). Each of the cartridges 73 is replaceably accommodated in the cartridge holder 71. The carriage 66 carries recording heads for the colors of Y, M, C, and K. Each of the cartridges 73 accommodated in the cartridge holder 71 is coupled to the recording head of the corresponding color via a pipe. The ink for each of the colors of Y, M, C and K is supplied from the cartridge 73 accommodated in the cartridge holder 71 to the recording head via the pipe.
In the image forming apparatus 80, while the carriage 66 moves in the main scanning direction, the recording heads carried on the carriage 66 discharge ink onto a sheet P that is conveyed intermittently on a platen (plate) 74 illustrated in
The sheet P is not limited to a sheet of paper. Various types of sheets such as a rolled film may be used as the sheet P. In the following description, for the sake of clarity, a sheet being conveyed may be referred to as the sheet P, the sheet P that is rolled may be referred to as a sheet roll Pr (Pa, Pb), and a core tube (core portion) of the sheet roll Pr may be referred to as a core tube Ps.
As illustrated in
The image forming apparatus 80 intermittently conveys the sheet P in the sub-scanning direction. While the conveyance of the sheet P in the sub-scanning direction is stopped, the recording heads carried on the carriage 66 moving in the main scanning direction discharge ink from nozzle rows onto the sheet P on the platen 74. Thus, the image forming apparatus 80 forms or records an image on the rolled sheet P.
For example, the maintenance assembly 72 cleans a discharge face of each of the recording heads, caps the recording heads, and discharges unnecessary ink from the recording heads. Thus, the maintenance assembly 72 discharges unnecessary ink from the recording heads and maintains the reliability of the recording heads.
The image forming apparatus 80 further includes an encoder sheet parallel to the timing belt 67 and the main guide rod 64 over at least a moving range of the carriage 66.
An encoder sensor is attached to the carriage 66 to read an encoder sheet. The image forming apparatus 80 controls the driving of the main scanning motor 70 based on the readings of the encoder sheet indicated by the encoder sensor, to control the movement of the carriage 66 in the main scanning direction.
Reflective sensors carried on the carriage 66, such as the encoder sensor and a sheet-leading-end sensor, detect opposed ends of the sheet P conveyed to an image forming device 60. At that time, the size of the sheet P is detected based on the positions of the opposed ends of the sheet P in the main scanning direction read by the sheet-leading-end sensor, which is a sensor for detecting a leading end of a sheet.
As illustrated in
The sheet rolls Pr are set on the spool bearing bases 5a and 5b. Specifically, the sheet roll Pa is set on the spool bearing base 5a whereas the sheet roller Pb is set on the spool bearing base 5b as illustrated in
A controller 110 illustrated in
Sheet roll receivers 8a and 8b are disposed below the sheet roll Pa and the sheet roll Pb, respectively, to prevent the sheet rolls Pr (i.e., the sheet rolls Pa and Pb) from falling.
The sheet P passes through the sheet conveyance passage 9 supported and defined by, for example, medium conveyance guides 18a and 18b. Then, the sheet P is conveyed onto the platen 74 in the image forming device 60.
In the image forming device 60, the recording heads discharge ink droplets of the colors of Y, M C, and K onto the sheet P according to image data. Thus, the image forming device 60 forms an image on the sheet P. A cutter 76 extending in the sub-scanning direction (i.e., the sheet width direction) is disposed at a sheet ejection portion in the forward conveying direction of the sheet P on which the image is formed, to cut the sheet P that is a continuous sheet to a given length.
The cutter 76 is fixed to a wire and a timing belt entrained around a plurality of pulleys, one of which is coupled to a drive motor, to align the leading end of the sheet P, which is a continuous sheet fed and conveyed from the sheet roll Pr. As the drive motor drives, the cutter 76 moves in the main scanning direction indicated by arrow Y in
Although
In the above description, the components relative to the sheet roll Pa has been distinguished from the components relative to the sheet roll Pb by different suffixes. Specifically, reference numerals with suffix “a” are given to the components relative to the sheet roll Pa whereas reference numerals with suffix “b” are given to the components relative to the sheet roll Pb (e.g., the spool bearing bases 5a and 5b). In the following description, the suffixes “a” and “b” may be omitted unless otherwise required.
In the present embodiment, for example, a sensor 98S may be disposed on each of the spool bearing bases 5a and 5b to detect whether the spool is set. The sensor 98S may be referred to as a spool sensor. The spool sensor allows detection as to whether the sheet roll is set and processing such as displaying a sheet feeding screen when the sheet roll is set.
Referring now to
A flange is disposed at a latitudinal end of the sheet roll Pr so that a spool is set to the flange. As illustrated in
As illustrated in
In addition, inserting the leading end of the sheet roll as evenly as possible is troublesome. When the leading end of the sheet is not evenly inserted, the sheet may be obliquely fed and causes a skew, which leads to re-operation or occurrence of a paper jam.
In an image forming apparatus that can accommodate sheet rolls vertically as illustrated in
To address such unfavorable situations as described above, a sheet feeding device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure detects, with a sensor, a step of a leading end of a sheet of a sheet roll to detect the leading end of the sheet and conveys the sheet to a sheet feeder. A medium supplier supplies the sheet of the sheet roll to a destination where the sheet is to be supplied. Examples of the medium supplier include, but are not limited to, the conveyance roller pairs 6a and 6b and the sheet conveyance passage 9 illustrated in
Although the old sheet is illustrated in
The spool may be referred to as a spool shaft or may be simply referred to as a shaft. The spool is, for example, cylindrical. The inside of the cylinder may or may not be hollow. The configuration of the spool is not particularly limited and may be selected as appropriate. Although the spool does not contact the sheet tube in principle, the spool may contact the sheet tube.
A sheet feeding device 90 includes at least an arm 91, a roller 92, a sensor 93, and a conveyance roller pair 6 serving as a conveyor. The sheet feeding device 90 may further include an entrance guide plate 95.
In
The arm 91 serving as a guide plate and a support for the sheet roll Pr is pivotable about a pivot 911. The arm 91 is pressed toward the sheet roll Pr or a spool by, for example, a spring at a position close to the pivot 911. Accordingly, the arm 91 contacts an outer diameter of the sheet roll Pr regardless of the diameter of the sheet roll Pr. Thick arrows indicate directions in which the arm 91 is pivoted.
The arm 91 is provided with the roller 92 and the sensor 93 at a position far from the pivot 911. The arm 91 pressed toward the sheet roll Pr supports the roller 92 and the sensor 93 such that the roller 92 and the sensor 93 contact the surface of the sheet roll Pr.
The arm 91 acts as a guide plate that guides the sheet of the sheet roll Pr in a conveying direction of the sheet, which may be referred to as a sheet conveying direction in the following description. An end portion of the arm 91 on which the sheet rolls Pr is set may have, for example, an arc shape along the outer diameter of the sheet roll Pr to hold the sheet roll Pr and prevent the sheet roll Pr from falling when a user sets the sheet roll Pr. The arm 91 also functions as a sheet roll receiver equivalent to each of the sheet roll receivers 8a and 8b in
The arm 91 serving as a support and a guide plate that guides the sheet roll Pr reduces the number of parts and the cost.
The roller 92 and the sensor 93 are disposed facing substantially the center of the sheet roll Pr, in other words, toward an axial center of the sheet roll Pr, regardless of the diameter of the sheet roll Pr.
The roller 92 is disposed at a position different from the position of the sensor 93 in a circumferential direction of the sheet roll Pr. In other words, the roller 92 and the sensor 93 are offset from each other in the circumferential direction of the sheet roll Pr.
The sensor 93 has a detection accuracy that allows the sensor 93 to detect a step, caused by the thickness of the sheet P, at the leading end of the sheet roll Pr. In other words, the sensor 93 detects the step at the leading end of the sheet roll Pr with accuracy.
The entrance guide plate 95 guides, in the sheet conveying direction, the sheet that has been stripped off or separated from the sheet roll Pr. In the example illustrated in
Referring now to
The controller 110 controls the entire sheet feeding device. For example,
The controller 110 includes, for example, a central processing unit (CPU), a random access memory (RAM), and a read only memory (ROM).
The CPU executes various programs and controls the entire image forming apparatus 80 according to arithmetic processing and control programs.
The RAM is a volatile storage medium that allows data to be read written at high speed. The CPU uses the RAM as a work area when executing a program.
The ROM is a read-only non-volatile storage medium that stores various programs and control programs.
The motor driving circuit 120 drives a motor under the control of the controller 110 to drive a sheet roll driver 130.
The sheet roll driver 130 rotates the sheet roll Pr in the forward direction or the reverse direction. The sheet roll driver 130 is implemented by, for example, a sheet roll rotation motor.
The motor driving circuit 140 drives a motor under the control of the controller 110 to drive a conveyance driver 150.
The conveyance driver 150 drives a conveyor 160.
The conveyor 160 conveys the sheet P. The conveyor 160 is implemented by, for example, the conveyance roller pair 6.
Now, a description is given of a configuration of the arm 91 as a support and a leading-end detecting operation, which is an operation to detect the leading end of the sheet roll Pr.
Specifically,
The arm 91 is disposed to locate the sensor 93 downstream from the roller 92 in the sheet conveying direction along a direction of the reverse rotation of the sheet roll Pr in an operation in which the sensor 93 detects the leading end of the sheet roll Pr that rotates in the reverse rotation.
The sensor 93 is, for example, an encoder sensor that includes an actuator 931 provided with slits 932. The sensor 93 may be referred to as a sheet thickness sensor or a leading-end sensor.
The actuator 931 is disposed between two side plates 933 that construct a housing of the sensor 93. A shaft 934 is fitted in a bearing of the side plates 933. The actuator 931 is pivoted about the shaft 934. For example, the actuator 931 is asymmetric about the shaft 934 as illustrated in
The sensor 93 includes a light emitting portion and a light receiving portion. The number of lights passing from the light emitting portion to the light receiving portion through the slits 932 of the actuator 931 is counted, in other words, the number of signal waveforms is counted, to detect the leading end of the sheet roll Pr. For example, the sensor 93 has a resolution of about 5 μm/pulse to detect a step corresponding to the thickness of the sheet P.
In the example configuration illustrated in
In the following description, the two or more rollers 92 may be referred to as rollers or a roller unit.
Specifically.
The sensor 93 and the rollers 92 are disposed close to each other and offset from each other in the circumferential direction of the sheet roll Pr. Such a configuration allows the rollers 92 disposed upstream from the sensor 93 in the sheet conveyance direction to keep pressing the leading end of the roll sheet Pr until immediately before the sensor 93 detects the leading end of the sheet roll Pr, as illustrated in
Although the rollers 92 are disposed upstream from the sensor 93 in the sheet conveying direction in the present embodiment, the leading end of the sheet roll Pr may be detected in a case where the rollers 92 are disposed downstream from the sensor 93 in the sheet conveying direction as illustrated in
In addition, the case where the sensor 93 is disposed between the two rollers 92 as illustrated in
Now, a description is given of a signal acquired from the sensor 93.
Like the example illustrated in
In
Specifically, the area (1) corresponds the position of the leading end Prs upstream from the roller 92 in the sheet conveying direction. The area (2) corresponds the position of the leading end Prs downstream from the roller 92 in the sheet conveying direction and upstream from the sensor 93 in the sheet conveying direction. The area (3) corresponds the position of the leading end Prs downstream from the sensor 93 in the sheet conveying direction.
As illustrated in
Referring now to
Referring now to
As illustrated in
In the present embodiment, the presence or absence of the leading end Prs can be detected by detection of an inclination K1 of the sensor signal when the leading end Prs passes by the roller 92 and an inclination K2 of the sensor signal when the leading end Prs passes by the sensor 93. In other words, with reference to
In the present embodiment, the inclination of the sensor signal when the leading end Prs passes by the roller 92 is referred to as the inclination K1 as a first inclination, whereas the inclination of the sensor signal when the leading end Prs passes by the sensor 93 is referred to as the inclination K2 as a second inclination. In
Referring now to
As illustrated in
Although the position indicated by broken line B in
As illustrated in
Referring now to
In
In
As described above, the presence or absence of the leading end Prs can be detected by detection of the inclination K1 of the sensor signal when the leading end Prs passes by the roller 92 and the inclination K2 of the sensor signal when the leading end Prs passes by the sensor 93. Further, in the present embodiment, the detection of both the inclination K1 and the inclination K2 enhances the accuracy for detecting the presence or absence of the leading end Prs.
As illustrated in
The period of time T1 may be selected as appropriate. Preferably, the period of time T1 is obtained by
T1=L/V+m1 [s],
where L (mm) represents a circumferential distance from the roller 92 to the sensor 93, V (mm/s) represents a linear velocity of the leading end Prs, and m1 (s) represents a margin time. Obtaining the period of time T1 as described above prevents the erroneous detection caused by the uneven surface of the sheet roll Pr and a failure in detecting the leading end Prs.
When the leading end Prs is not detected after one rotation of the sheet roll Pr or the spool after the start of the leading-end detecting operation, the sheet roll Pr or the spool is preferably rotated further to repeat the leading-end detecting operation. Thus, the detection accuracy is further enhanced. In this case, the number of times of execution is preferably set. Setting the number of times of execution prevents endless repetition of the leading-end detecting operation.
As represented by the above equation, the period of time T1 can be set as desired. The margin time m1 (s) is not particularly limited and may be set as appropriate, provided that the margin time m1 (s) is smaller than the period of time T1 (m1<T1). For example, the margin time m1 (s) may be set in consideration of, for example, the type of the sensor 93 or the thickness of the sheet roll Pr.
In the present embodiment, for example, the controller 110 determines whether the leading end Prs is present or absent. As will be described later, the controller 110 may detect the position of the leading end Prs in addition to the presence or absence of the leading end Prs. In this case, the position of the leading end Prs is a position in the circumferential direction of the sheet roll Pr.
In the example of detection described above, the controller 110 determines that the leading end Prs is present when the inclinations K1 and K2 are detected within the given period of time T1. Alternatively, as described below, the controller 110 may determine that the leading end Prs is present when the inclination K1 or the inclination K2 is detected at the (n+1)th rotation of the sheet roll Pr or the spool after the inclination K1 or the inclination K2 is not detected at the nth rotation of the sheet roll Pr or the spool in a plurality of rotations of the sheet roll Pr or the spool in repeated leading-end detecting operation.
Referring now to
In the example of detection described above, the controller 110 determines that the leading end Prs is present when the inclinations K1 and K2 are detected within the period of time T1 at the nth rotation of the sheet roll Pr or the spool. For example, in a case where the two or more rollers 92 are disposed along a roller axis as illustrated in
To reliably detect the inclinations K1 and K2, in the present embodiment, the controller 110 may determine whether the inclination K1 is detected again, within a given period of time T2, after detection of the inclinations K1 and K2. When the inclination K1 is detected again, the controller 110 may determine that the leading end Prs is present. Thus, the detection accuracy is further enhanced. The given period of time T2 (s) is obtained by adding a margin time m2 (s) to a period of time taken for the sheet roll Pr or the spool to make one rotation. When the inclination K1 is detected at the nth rotation of the sheet roll Pr or the spool, the controller 110 may determine whether the inclination K1 is detected at the next (n+1)th rotation of the sheet roll Pr or the spool.
Similarly, the controller 110 may determine whether the inclination K2 is detected again, within the given period of time T2, after detection of the inclinations K1 and K2. When the inclination K2 is detected again, the controller 110 may determine that the leading end Prs is present. Thus, the detection accuracy is further enhanced. When the inclination K1 is difficult to detect, the controller 110 preferably determines whether the inclination K2 is detected again, within the given period of time T2, after the detection of the inclination K2.
In particular, the controller 110 more preferably determines whether the inclination K1 or the inclination K2 is detected again, within the given period of time T2, after the detection of the inclinations K1 and K2 is repeated a plurality of times. In this case, the detection accuracy is further enhanced.
The examples described above refer to the operations performed in steps S21 to S25, S28, and S29 in the flow of
The margin time m2 (s) is not particularly limited and may be selected as appropriate, provided that the margin time m2 (s) is smaller than the given period of time T2 (m2<T2). Like the margin time m1 described above, the margin time m2 (s) may be set in consideration of, for example, the thickness of the sheet roll Pr or the type of the sensor 93.
Now, a description is given of whether the inclination K1 is detected again at the (n+1)th rotation after the inclination K1 is detected at the nth rotation of the sheet roll Pr or the spool. For example, when the inclination is detected at the nth rotation of the sheet roll Pr or the spool and the inclination is equal to or larger than a given value, the controller 110 may determine that the inclination K1 is detected. When the inclination is detected again at the (n+1)th rotation and the inclination is equal to or greater than the given value, the controller 110 may determine that the inclination K1 is detected. Note that the given value may be selected as appropriate. For example, when the absolute value of the detected inclination is equal to or greater than four, the controller 110 may determine that the inclination K1 is detected. The inclination K1 is detected again, within the given period of time T2, after the inclination K1 is detected. The same applies to the inclination K2. When the absolute value of the detected inclination is equal to or greater than a given value, the controller 110 may determine that the inclination K2 is detected. In this case, before the absolute value is determined, the sign of the inclination K2 is checked to determine that the inclination K2 is different from the inclination K1.
The controller 110 may examine the ratio of the inclinations instead of the way described above, to determine that the inclination K1 is detected again, within the given period of time T2, after the detection of the inclination K1. Note that K1 (n) and K1 (n+1) may not be exactly equal to each other, where K1 (n) represents the inclination K1 at the nth rotation of the sheet roll Pr or the spool and K1 (n+1) represents the inclination K1 at the (n+1)th rotation of the sheet roll Pr or the spool. When the ratio of K1 (n) to K1 (n+1) is within a given range, the controller 110 may determine that the inclination K1 is detected again, within the given period of time T2, after the detection of the inclination K1. For example, when K1 (n) is equal to or greater than K1 (n+1) (i.e., K1 (n)≥K1 (n+1)) and “K1 (n)/K1 (n+1)” is 1.0 or more and 1.2 or less, K1 (n) and K1 (n+1) may be equal to each other. When K1 (n) is less than K1 (n+1) (i.e., K1 (n)<K1 (n+1)) and “K1 (n)/K1 (n+1)” is 0.8 or more and less than 1.0, K1 (n) and K1 (n+1) may be equal to each other. The same applies to the inclination K2. For example, when K2 (n) is equal to or greater than K2 (n+1) (i.e., K2 (n)≥K2 (n+1)) and “K2 (n)/K2 (n+1)” is 1.0 or more and 1.2 or less, K2 (n) and K2 (n+1) may be equal to each other. When K2 (n) is less than K2 (n+1) (i.e., K2 (n)<K2 (n+1)) and “K2 (n)/K2 (n+1)” is 0.8 or more and less than 1.0, K2 (n) and K2 (n+1) may be equal to each other.
In an embodiment of the present disclosure, the controller 110 may determine whether the leading end Prs is present based on the detection of the inclination K2 alone. In this case, the inclination K2 of the sensor signal is detected when the leading end Prs passes by the sensor 93. When the inclination K2 is detected at the nth rotation of the sheet roll Pr or the spool, the controller 110 determines whether the inclination K2 is detected again at the (n+1)th rotation of the sheet roll Pr or the spool. When the inclination K2 is detected continuously during a given number of rotations of the sheet roll Pr or the spool, the controller 110 determines that the leading end Prs is present. Thus, the leading end Prs is detected even when the inclination K1 is difficult to detect. The given number of rotations of the sheet roll Pr or the spool may be selected as appropriate.
For example, in a case where the two or more rollers 92 are disposed along the roller axis as illustrated in
The inventor(s) have examined whether an irregularity other than the leading end Prs is erroneously detected as the leading end Prs when the controller 110 determines that the leading end Prs is present by the detection of the inclination K2 alone. The irregularity other than the leading end Prs may be erroneously detected as the leading end Prs in a case where the irregularity is sharp and the position of the irregularity coincides with the position of a sensor actuator. Such an irregularity may be formed when, for example, the sheet roll Pr is hit against a corner of an object. In a case where the irregularity is not sharp, the inclination is not detected as the inclination K2. In addition, for example, as compared with the shape of an R portion of the sensor actuator, an inclined portion of the irregularity is small. In other words, the inclination of the sensor signal is small. As a result, the irregularity is not detected as the leading end Prs. For these reasons, when the leading end Prs is determined based on the detection of the inclination K2 alone, an erroneous detection does not occur or merely occurs.
Referring now to
In step S11, the controller 110 detects that the sheet roll Pr is set in the sheet feeding device 90, for example, based on the result of detection performed by the sensor 93. The controller 110 controls the motor driving circuit 120 to cause the sheet roll driver 130 to rotate the sheet roll Pr in the reverse direction. In step S12, the sheet roll rotation motor (e.g., the sheet roll driver 130) is turned on to rotate the sheet roll Pr in the reverse direction to wind the sheet P. In step S13, the sensor 93 performs the leading-end detecting operation.
The encircled A in
Specifically, in step S14, the controller 110 determines that the leading end Prs is present based on the detection performed by the sensor 93. When the leading Prs is thus detected, in step S15, the controller 110 controls the motor driving circuit 120 to stop or turn off the sheet roll rotation motor at a leading-end stop position where the leading end Prs stops. In step S16, the sheet roll rotation motor is turned on to rotate the sheet roll Pr in the forward direction to feed the leading end Prs in the sheet conveying direction. In step S17, the motor driving circuit 140 rotates the conveyor 160 to convey the leading end Prs into the image forming apparatus 80.
On the other hand, in step S18, the controller 110 determines that the leading end Prs is absent, in other words, the leading end Prs is not detected. When the leading end Prs is not detected as a result of the flow E, in step S19, the sheet roll rotation motor is stopped or turned off. Thereafter, processing such as displaying a warning on a display is performed optionally.
Referring now to
In step S21, the number N of times of detection of the leading end Prs is set to 0.
In step S22, the controller 110 determines whether the inclination K1 is detected. When the inclination K1 is detected (YES in step S22), in step S23, the controller 110 determines whether the inclination K2 is detected within the period of time T1. When the inclination K2 is detected after the detection of the inclination K1 within the period of time T1 (YES in step S23), in step S24, the number N of times of detection of the leading end Prs is increased by one.
The controller 110 determines whether the inclination K2 is detected within the period of time T1 as described above with reference to
In step S25, the controller 110 determines whether the number N of times of detection of the leading end Prs is equal to or greater than a specific value “a.” The specific value “a” is a value assigned to indicate the number of times of detection of the leading end Prs based on which the controller 110 determines that the leading end Prs is present. The specific value “a” is an integer equal to or greater than one. The specific value “a” is increased to enhance the reliability of the leading-end detecting operation. Note that
When the number N of times of detection of the leading end Prs is equal to or greater than the specific value “a” (YES in step S25), in step S14, the controller 110 determines that the leading end Prs is detected, in other words, the controller 110 determines that the leading end Prs is present. Thus, the process proceeds to the main flow illustrated in
As described above, when the specific value “a” is one, the inclination K2 is detected after the inclination K1 is detected within the period of time T1 (in steps S21 to S25 of
In step S25, when the number N of times of detection of the leading end Prs is less than the specific value “a” (i.e., N<a) (NO in step S25), the leading-end detecting operation is continued as in steps S28 and S29 of
When the inclination K1 is detected again within the period of time T2 (YES in step S28), in step S29, the controller 110 determines whether the inclination K2 is detected, within the period of time T1, after the detection of the inclination K1. When the inclination K2 is detected, within the period of time T1, after the inclination K1 is detected (YES in step S29), the process returns to step S24 in which the number N of times of detection of the leading end Prs is increased by one. In step S25, the controller 110 determines again whether the number N of times of detection of the leading end Prs is equal to or greater than the specific value “a.” When the number N of times of detection of the leading end Prs is equal to or greater than the specific value “a” (YES in step S25), in step S14, the controller 110 determines that the leading end Prs is present. Thus, the process returns to the main flow illustrated in
In step S22 of
Specifically, in step S26, for example, the controller 110 determines whether the sensor output is present for a given period of time. For example, the given period of time is preferably equal to or longer than a period of time taken for the sheet roll Pr or the spool to make one rotation. Thus, the erroneous detection is reduced.
By contrast, when the inclination K1 is not detected (NO in step S22) and the sensor output is present (YES in step S26), in step S30, the controller 110 determines the number of rotations of the sheet roll Pr. Specifically, in step S30, the controller 110 determines whether the sheet roll Pr has rotated R times. As presented in the table of
Although the inclination K1 is not detected in the flow from step S22 to S30 through step S26, the sensor 93 may not be out of order because the sensor output is present. Since the inclination K1 is not detected for some reasons, the sheet roll Pr is repeatedly rotated to try to detect the inclination K1. Performing such processing a plurality of times reduces omission of detection of the leading end Prs despite the presence of the leading end Prs.
By contrast, when the sheet roll Pr has rotated R times (YES in step S30), the process proceeds to the flow E illustrated in
When the inclination K2 is not detected (No in step S23), when the inclination K1 is not detected again within the period of time T2 (NO in step S28), or when the inclination K2 is not detected again within the period of time T1 (NO in step S29), in step S30, the controller 110 determines the number of rotations of the sheet roll Pr. When the sheet roll Pr has rotated R times (YES in step S30), the process proceeds to the flow E illustrated in
In step S41, the number N of times of detection of the leading end Prs is set to 0. In step S42, the controller 110 determines whether the inclination K2 is detected. The determination in step S42 may be referred to as determination as to whether a sensor displacement output (K2) is detected.
When the inclination K2 is detected (YES in step S42), in step S43, the number N of times of detection of the leading end Prs is increased by one. In step S44, the controller 110 determines whether the number N of times of detection of the leading end Prs is equal to or greater than the specific value “a.” As described above, the specific value “a” is a value assigned to indicate the number of times of detection of the leading end Prs based on which the controller 110 determines that the leading end Prs is present. When the number N of times of detection of the leading end Prs is equal to or greater than the specific value “a” (YES in step S44), in step S14, the controller 110 determines that the leading end Prs is detected, in other words, the controller 110 determines that the leading end Prs is present. Thus, the process proceeds to the main flow illustrated in
In step S44, the specific value “a” is preferably two or more. The operation of step S46 is preferably performed at least once. In other words, the controller 110 preferably determines whether the inclination K2 is detected in a plurality of rotations of the sheet roll Pr or the spool. It is preferable, in step S44, that the controller 110 determines whether the inclination K2 is detected again at the (n+1)th rotation when the inclination K2 is detected at the nth rotation of the sheet roll Pr or the spool and that the controller 110 determines that the leading end Prs is present when the inclination K2 is detected continuously during a given number of rotations of the sheet roll Pr or the spool. In this case, the leading end Prs is detected with higher accuracy. For example, the irregularity other than the leading end Prs is prevented from being erroneously recognized as the inclination K2.
When the number N of times of detection of the leading end Prs is less than the specific value “a” (NO in step S44), in step S46, the controller 110 determines whether the inclination K2 is detected again, within the period of time T2, after the detection of the inclination K2. In other words, in step S46, the controller 110 determines whether the inclination K2 is detected again at the (n+1)th rotation of the sheet roll Pr or the spool when the inclination K2 is detected at the nth rotation of the sheet roll Pr or the spool (see
When the inclination K2 is not detected (NO in step S42), in step S45, the controller 110 determines the number of rotations of the sheet roll Pr. Specifically, in step S45, the controller 110 determines whether the sheet roll Pr has rotated R times. As described above, R represents a value assigned to indicate how many times the sheet roll Pr is rotated until the leading end Prs is detected. When the sheet roll Pr has not rotated R times yet (NO in step S45), in step S31, the number of rotations is counted up. Subsequently, in step S42, the controller 110 determines again whether the inclination K2 is detected.
By contrast, when the sheet roll Pr has rotated R times or more (YES in step S45), in step S18, the controller determines that the leading end Prs is absent. In step S19, the sheet roll rotation motor is turned off. Note that
When the inclination K2 is not detected again within the period of time T2 (NO in step S46), in step S45, the controller 110 determines the number of rotations of the sheet roll Pr. When the sheet roll Pr has rotated R times (YES in step S45), in step S18, the controller determines that the leading end Prs is absent. In step S19, the sheet roll rotation motor is turned off.
By performing the operations of steps S22, S26, and S30, and further performing the operations of steps S42, S44, and preferably S46, the controller 110 detects the presence or absence of the leading end Prs based on the detection of the inclination K2 alone when the inclination K1 is not detected. The operation of step S46 enhances the detection accuracy.
When a spool that is not provided with a sheet roll is set in a typical sheet feeding device, the sheet feeding device may execute processing that is to be executed when a sheet roll is set, even though no sheet roll is set. In such a case, an operator has to cancel the processing first. Thus, the operator takes extra labor and time. In addition, the operator may have to stop and recover the device.
Further, the typical sheet feeding device may need an increased number of parts to detect that no sheet roll is set and may have some difficulties in enhancing the detection accuracy. For example, a reflective sensor may be used to detect whether the detected object is a sheet roll or a spool shaft, based on the difference in reflectance between the surface of the sheet roll and the surface of the spool shaft. However, such a way increases the number of parts due to the addition of the sensor, leading to an increase in cost, and may cause erroneous detection due to the influence of external light. One approach to such unfavorable situations involves enhancing the accuracy for detecting that no sheet roll is set.
In the present embodiment, the leading end Prs is automatically and accurately detected simply by setting the spool on a holder of the sheet feeding device. In the present embodiment, when detecting the leading end Prs, the controller 110 determines that the sheet roll Pr is set. Such a configuration obviates the need to provide additional components such as a reflective sensor. In other words, such a configuration allows the controller 110 to detect that the sheet roll Pr s set, without increasing the number of parts.
As will be described later, according to the present embodiment, the sheet feeding device 90 prevents the processing that is to be executed when a sheet roll is set from being executed when no sheet roll is set. Typical feeding devices may display, on a display or a control panel, a sheet feeding screen when detecting that a spool is set on a holder. In a case where the sheet roll is not set and the spool is set alone, an operator or user needs to close the sheet feeding screen because the sheet to be fed is absent. In this case, if the operator or user erroneously presses a button for starting the sheet feeding on the sheet feeding screen, the image forming apparatus continues to move until the image forming apparatus determines that the sheet feeding has failed. In addition, the operator or user has to open the cover and stop the image forming apparatus. Thereafter, the operator or user has to take actions to recover the image forming apparatus. In short, typical feeding devices or image forming apparatuses increase the time and effort of the operator or user.
According to the embodiments of the present disclosure, the sheet feeding device automatically and accurately detects that no sheet roll is set, without increasing the number of parts, and prevents the processing that is to be executed when a sheet roll is set from being executed when no sheet roll is set.
Now, a description is given of a range of rotation of the arm 91 serving as a support.
When the sheet P that is wound around the sheet tube 99 is used up and runs out, the roller 92 disposed on the arm 91 contacts the sheet tube 99 while the sensor 93 contacts the sheet tube 99 to detect the sheet tube 99. In this case, the sensor 93 detects and outputs the unevenness or irregularity on the surface of the sheet tube 99.
As illustrated in
Specifically.
In
Specifically,
On the other hand,
In the automatic sheet feeding, when the spool 98 is set on a holder (e.g., the spool bearing bases 5a and 5b), a system ascertains that the spool 98 is set on the holder based on the detection performed by the spool sensor. As described above, the spool sensor detects that the spool 98 is set. The system then displays a sheet feeding screen on a display or a control panel.
The sheet feeding screen displays, for example, a screen for confirming the sheet type, a key for starting the sheet feeding, and a key for cancelling the sheet feeding. In the following description, the key for starting the sheet feeding and the key for cancelling the sheet feeding may be referred to as a sheet feeding start key and a sheet feeding cancel key, respectively. The content displayed on the sheet feeding screen may be changed as appropriate.
When the sheet feeding start key is pressed, an automatic sheet feeding operation is started. The automatic sheet feeding operation as a series of automatic sheet feeding operations includes, for example, an operation to detect the leading end Prs, an operation to convey the leading end Prs to the sheet feeder. When the automatic sheet feeding operation starts, typical image forming apparatuses may display the sheet feeding screen when a spool is placed on a holder without a sheet roll on the spool. Since the sheet feeding start key is displayed on the sheet feeding screen, an operator or user has to cancel the sheet feeding with the sheet feeding cancel key. Various situations are considered as a case where the spool is set on the holder without the sheet roll on the holder. For example, the spool may be placed on the sheet feeding device when there is no place to place the spool even though an operator or user does not intend to start the sheet feeding.
When the sheet feeding start key is pressed, the operation may be continued until the controller of the image forming apparatus determines that the automatic sheet feeding has failed. As a result, the operator or user has to open the cover and stop the image forming apparatus. In addition, after opening the cover and stopping the image forming apparatus, the operator or user has to recover the image forming apparatus. In short, typical feeding devices or image forming apparatuses increase the time and effort of the operator or user.
By contrast, in the present embodiment, the sheet feeding device 90 automatically and accurately detects the leading end Prs. Accordingly, for example, when the controller 110 determines that the leading end Prs is present, the controller 110 executes the processing that is to be executed when the sheet roll Pr is set. When the controller 110 determines that the leading end Prs is absent, the controller 110 does not execute the processing that is to be executed when the sheet roll Pr is set. As a result, the unfavorable situations as described above are prevented while the labor of the operator or user is reduced.
In the present embodiment, the controller 110 preferably detects the presence or absence of the leading end Prs after detecting that the spool 98 is disposed in the sheet feeding device 90. The controller 110 preferably displays, on a display, the sheet feeding screen that is used to feed the sheet when determining that the leading end Prs is present, and does not display, on the display, the sheet feeding screen when determining that the leading end Prs is absent, to prevent the sheet from being fed. Such processing prevents the operator or user from taking extra time and effort. In addition, such processing prevents the operator or user from pressing the sheet feeding start key when the spool 98 is set alone without the sheet roll Pr. Such processing may be executed in, for example, steps S18 and S19 in
In the present embodiment, when the signal from the sensor 93 is constant within a given period of time, the controller 110 may determine that either the spool 98 is disposed alone without the sheet roll Pr or the sensor 93 is out of order. In a case where the signal from the sensor 93 is constant or remains unchanged within a certain period of time during the leading-end detecting operation in the automatic sheet feeding, the controller 110 determines that either the spool 98 is disposed alone without the sheet roll Pr or the sensor 93 is out of order. Such a determination prevents the sheet feeding screen from being displayed and therefore prevents a sheet feed operation from being instructed when the sheet roll Pr is absent.
The given period of time is preferably equal to or longer than a period of time taken for the sheet roll Pr or the spool 98 to make one rotation. Thus, the erroneous detection is reduced.
As described above, the given period of time is equal to or longer than a period of time taken for the sheet roll Pr or the spool 98 to make one rotation. As illustrated in
When the controller 110 determines that either the spool 98 is disposed alone without the sheet roll Pr or the sensor 93 is out of order as described above, the controller 110 preferably displays, on the display, a warning indicating that either the spool 98 is disposed alone without the sheet roll Pr or the sensor 93 is out of order, instead of displaying, on the display, the sheet feeding screen that is used to feed the sheet. For example, when the operator or user is not aware that no sheet roll is set, such a warning can inform the operator or user that the sheet roll Pr is not set. In addition, such a configuration prevents a sheet feeding operation from being instructed when the sheet roll Pr is absent.
Referring now to
In
Now, a description is given of operations different from the operations illustrated in
Like the example illustrated in
The controller 110 may determine the number of rotations of the spool 98 instead of the number of rotations of the sheet roll Pr.
After the determination in step S52, in step S53, the controller 110 stops the driving system and displays a warning screen optionally. In the present example, the controller 110 displays a message indicating that either the spool 98 is set alone or the sensor 93 malfunctions. When the output of the sensor 93 is constant, either the spool 98 may be set alone without the sheet roll Pr or the sensor 93 may be out of order. For this reason, in the present embodiment, a message displayed on the warning screen is, for example, “the spool is set alone, or the sensor is out of order.”
When the sensor signal is not constant (YES in step S26), in step S30, the controller 110 determines whether the sheet roll Pr has rotated R times as described above. When the sheet roll Pr has rotated R times (YES in step S30), the process proceed to the flow E as described above. The flow E and the operations after step S23 are the same as those described above, and thus redundant description thereof is omitted.
According to the flow described above, the sheet feeding screen is prevented from being displayed when the sheet feeding device 90 malfunctions or when no sheet roll is set. Such a flow obviates the need for the operator or user to take actions to address unfavorable situations caused by the sheet feeding screen being displayed and prevents the operator or user from taking time and effort. In addition, the operations illustrated in
As described above, no signal is output, in other words, the sensor signal is constant, when the spool 98 is set alone without the sheet roll Pr. Similarly, no signal is output, in other words, the sensor signal is constant, when the sensor 93 is out of order. For this reason, these two cases are not distinguished from each other when no signal is output. For example, the controller 110 may determine that the sensor 93 is out of order as follows.
In the following description, the sensor 98S that detects that the spool 98 is disposed may be referred to as a spool sensor whereas the sensor 93 disposed on the arm 91 may be referred to as a leading-end sensor. For example, each of the spool bearing bases 5a and 5b may be provided with the sensor 98S serving as the spool sensor as illustrated in
In the present example, the controller 110 stores in advance a pre-operation. The pre-operation includes an operation that the spool sensor detects that the spool 98 is disposed and the leading-end sensor outputs no signal during rotation of the spool 98 for a given period of time. When the spool sensor and the leading-end sensor perform an operation equivalent to the pre-operation continuously a given number of times, the controller 110 determines that the leading-end sensor is out of order. Thus, a failure of the sensor 93 may be determined. In the present embodiment, in addition to the failure of the leading-end sensor (i.e., the sensor 93), a setting failure of a connector of the sensor may be detected.
Note that the operation of each sensor in the pre-operation is stored in, for example, a memory.
In
By contrast, in the flow illustrated in
Specifically, when no output of the sensor 93 is present (NO in step S26), in step S54, the controller 110 determines whether the spool sensor and the leading-end sensor have continuously performed an operation equivalent to the pre-operation a given number of times NS (i.e., NS times). When the spool sensor and the leading-end sensor have continuously performed the operation equivalent to the pre-operation the given number of times (NO in step S54), in step S57, the count is increased by one. Then, the process proceeds to step S26. When the spool sensor and the leading-end sensor have continuously performed the operation equivalent to the pre-operation NS times (YES in step S54), in step S55, the controller 110 determines that the sensor 93 malfunctions. Subsequently, in step S53, the controller 110 stops the driving system and displays the warning screen optionally. For example, a message indicating that the sensor is out of order is displayed on the warning screen. Such a message allows the operator or user to easily handle the situation.
Now, a detailed description is given of the pre-operation. As described above, the pre-operation includes an operation that the spool sensor detects that the spool 98 is set in the sheet feeding device 90 and that the leading-end sensor outputs no signal during rotation of the spool 98 for a given period of time. For example, a broken leading-end sensor is used so that the leading-end sensor outputs no signal in the pre-operation. The given period of time may be, for example, a period of time equal to or longer than a period of time taken for the spool 98 to make one rotation.
When the spool sensor and the leading-end sensor perform an operation equivalent to the pre-operation, it is stored how many times the operation has been performed. The number of times of the operation is compared with the given number of times NS. When the spool sensor and the leading-end sensor have continuously performed the operation equivalent to the pre-operation NS times, the controller 110 determines that the leading-end sensor is out of order.
The reason why the controller 110 determines in step S54 whether the spool sensor and the leading-end sensor have continuously performed the operation equivalent to the pre-operation NS times is that the controller 110 determines that the leading-end sensor is not out of order when the leading-end sensor outputs a signal at least once, in other words, when the output signal is not constant at least once. In this case, the count is cleared after the determination in step S26, which is determination of sensor output. Examples of the case where the leading-end sensor outputs a signal at least once includes a case where the sheet roll Pr is set.
Now, a description is given of an example of detection. However, the detection is not limited to the following example.
Firstly, for example, the spool 98 is set in the sheet feeding device 90 without the sheet roll Pr being set on the spool 98. At this time, the spool sensor outputs a signal. Thereafter, the spool 98 is rotated for a given period of time. However, the leading-end sensor outputs no signal or the signal is constant. Since such an operation is regarded as an operation equivalent to the pre-operation, the count is increased by one. In this case, the operation of step S51 in
Secondly, the spool 98 thus set firstly is set again. As a result, the spool sensor outputs a signal. Thereafter, the spool 98 is rotated for a given period of time. However, the leading-end sensor outputs no signal or the signal is constant. Since such an operation is regarded as an operation equivalent to the pre-operation, the count is increased by one.
When the number of times NS is two, the determination in step S54 is YES. Then, the controller 110 determines that the sensor malfunctions and displays a warning indicating the malfunction of the sensor. Thus, the malfunction of the sensor may be detected.
In the present example, the controller 110 determines whether the spool sensor outputs a signal when detecting that the sheet roll Pr is set in step S11 of
The count is cleared, for example, when the spool 98 is set firstly without the sheet roll Pr being set on the spool 98, resulting in an increase in the count, and the spool 98 is set secondly with the sheet roll Pr being set on the spool 98, resulting in detection of an output from the leading-end sensor.
According to one or more aspects of the present disclosure, a sheet feeding device is provided that automatically and accurately detects that no sheet roll is set, without increasing the number of parts, and that prevents the processing that is to be executed when a sheet roll is set from being executed when no sheet roll is set.
The above-described embodiments are illustrative and do not limit the present invention. Thus, numerous additional modifications and variations are possible in light of the above teachings. For example, elements and/or features of different illustrative embodiments may be combined with each other and/or substituted for each other within the scope of the present invention.
Any one of the above-described operations may be performed in various other ways, for example, in an order different from the one described above.
The functionality of the elements disclosed herein may be implemented using circuitry or processing circuitry which includes general purpose processors, special purpose processors, integrated circuits, application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), digital signal processors (DSPs), field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), conventional circuitry and/or combinations thereof which are configured or programmed to perform the disclosed functionality. Processors are considered processing circuitry or circuitry as they include transistors and other circuitry therein. In the disclosure, the circuitry, units, or means are hardware that carry out or are programmed to perform the recited functionality. The hardware may be any hardware disclosed herein or otherwise known which is programmed or configured to carry out the recited functionality. When the hardware is a processor which may be considered a type of circuitry, the circuitry, means, or units are a combination of hardware and software, the software being used to configure the hardware and/or processor.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022-023941 | Feb 2022 | JP | national |
