Patent application number | Description | Published |
20090196645 | METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR DYNAMIC POWER MANAGEMENT IN MARKING DEVICES - A method and apparatus for operating a fuser in a marking device is disclosed. The method may include determining a total power available for warm-up of fuser elements in a fuser, determining power constraints of the fuser elements, selecting a power allocation to be applied to the fuser elements, calculating a fuser warm-up time based on the determined total power available, the determined power constraints, and the selected power allocation, determining whether the fuser warm-up time is reduced, wherein if the fuser warm-up time is reduced, applying the selected power allocation. | 08-06-2009 |
20100073417 | Heated Drum Assembly Having A Multiple Speed Fan For Use In A Printer - A heated drum assembly enables improved thermal control of a hollow drum in the heated drum assembly by selectively directing air flow from a fan to different portions of the hollow drum. The heated drum assembly includes a hollow drum having a circumferential wall that defines an outer boundary for an internal cavity, the hollow drum having a first end and a second end and a longitudinal axis about which the hollow drum rotates, at least two stationary heaters that are located within the internal cavity of the hollow drum to heat the circumferential wall as it passes by the heaters, one of the two stationary heaters being located near one end of the hollow drum and the other stationary heater being located near the other end of the hollow drum, a fan located at one of the two ends of the hollow drum, at least two temperature sensors, one temperature sensor being located proximate one of the two ends of the hollow drum, and the other temperature sensor being located proximate the other of the two ends of the hollow drum, each sensor generating a signal indicative of a temperature proximate the temperature sensor, and a controller coupled to the heaters, the fan, and the two temperature sensors, and configured to control a temperature of the circumferential wall of the drum to a set point, the controller activating at least one of the heaters in response to a signal from at least one of the temperature sensors indicating a temperature below a first predetermined temperature threshold, and operating the fan at one of at least three speeds in response to a predetermined relationship between the two temperature signals generated by the temperature sensors and a second predetermined threshold. | 03-25-2010 |
20100135686 | GAIN SCHEDULING APPROACH FOR FUSER CONTROL TO REDUCE INTER-CYCLE TIME - A fusing apparatus includes a fuser roll and a pressure roll which define a nip therebetween. An internal heat source is disposed within a interior of the fuser roll. An external heat source is disposed adjacent the fuser roll for heating an outer surface of the fuser roll. One or both of the internal heat source and the external heat source is controlled during a print job such that the thermal gradient across the fuser roll is adjusted. As a result, a temperature overshoot which generally occurs after the print job is finished can be reduced. The influence of subsequent jobs on the fuser roll surface temperature can also be accommodated. | 06-03-2010 |
20100178071 | APPARATUSES USEFUL FOR PRINTING AND METHODS OF CONTROLLING A TEMPERATURE OF A SURFACE IN APPARATUSES USEFUL FOR PRINTING - Apparatuses useful for printing and methods of controlling a temperature of a surface in an apparatus useful for printing are disclosed. An exemplary embodiment of the apparatuses includes a first roll including a first outer surface and at least one first heating element for heating the first outer surface; a second roll including a second outer surface; a nip between the first outer surface and the second outer surface; a first temperature sensor for sensing a pre-nip temperature at a pre-nip location; and a first voltage modulator connected to each first heating element and the first temperature sensor. The first voltage modulator receives a temperature signal from the first temperature sensor indicative of the pre-nip temperature and modulates an AC voltage supplied to each first heating element to maintain each first heating element continuously ON at a power level ranging from partial power to full power to control the pre-nip temperature. | 07-15-2010 |
20100215381 | METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR AUTOMATICALLY ADJUSTING NIP WIDTH BASED ON A SCANNED NIP PRINT IMAGE ON ULTRAVIOLET (UV)-SENSITIVE MEDIA IN AN IMAGE PRODUCTION DEVICE - A method and apparatus for automatically adjusting nip width based on a scanned nip print image on ultraviolet (UV)-sensitive media in an image production device is disclosed. The method may include receiving a signal to generate a nip print, automatically inserting a sheet of UV-sensitive media into a fuser nip in the image production device, pausing the sheet of UV-sensitive media in the fuser nip for a predetermined time period, illuminating the UV-sensitive media with ultraviolet light to generate a nip print, scanning the generated nip print, determining if a nip width adjustment is required based on the scanned nip print, and if it is determined that a nip width adjustment is required based on the scanned nip print, adjusting the nip width using a nip width adjustment device. | 08-26-2010 |
20100284713 | APPARATUSES USEFUL FOR PRINTING AND METHODS OF MITIGATING EDGE WEAR EFFECTS IN APPARATUSES USEFUL FOR PRINTING - Apparatuses useful for printing and methods of mitigating media edge wear effects in apparatuses useful for printing are provided. An exemplary apparatus useful for printing includes a first roll including a first outer surface; a second member including a conformable second outer surface forming a nip with the first outer surface; and a registration distribution system including a motor for translating at least the second member, relative to a medium passing through the nip, in at least a first zig-zag motion pattern from a first home position to a second home position. | 11-11-2010 |
20100303493 | APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR ADJUSTMENT OF A PRINTER FUSER NIP - An apparatus ( | 12-02-2010 |
20110052235 | APPARATUSES USEFUL IN PRINTING AND METHODS OF CONTROLLING THE TEMPERATURE OF SURFACES IN APPARATUSES USEFUL IN PRINTING - Apparatuses useful in printing and methods of controlling the temperature of surfaces in apparatuses useful in printing are provided. An exemplary embodiment of the apparatuses useful in printing includes a belt including a first surface; at least one heat source for heating the first surface; a roll including a second surface; a temperature sensor positioned to measure a temperature of the second surface; and a roll positioning device coupled to the roll for positioning the second surface of the roll in contact with the first surface of the belt to form a nip and increase the temperature of the second surface, and for positioning the second surface out of contact with the first surface to decrease the temperature of the second surface, in response to the temperature measured by the temperature sensor. | 03-03-2011 |
20110096353 | PRINTING PROCESS MODEL PREDICTIVE CONTROL WITH DISTURBANCE PREVIEW - According to aspects of the embodiments, there is provided methods and systems that incorporate a model predictive controller (MPC) in an image reproduction machine with known disturbance information. The MPC uses the control action at a current time in order to minimize the impact of an impending disturbance as well as to maximize current control performance. The impending disturbance is used by the MPC to determine an incremental change that combines steady state and transient state impact on the image reproduction machine. Disturbance such as print media type, image content type, physical dimension of the print media, weight of the print media, and print job data can be employed. Further, control of the image reproduction machine is generated in real time over a receding horizon, for the purpose of minimizing a cost function indicative of image variation, energy consumption, or the like. | 04-28-2011 |
20110103851 | APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR AN ASYMMETRICAL PRINTER FUSER NIP - An apparatus ( | 05-05-2011 |
20110182635 | APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR CONTROLLING THE RATE OF MOVEMENT OF A FUSING BELT IN A PRINTING APPARATUS - An apparatus ( | 07-28-2011 |
20110182636 | APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR CONTROLLING THE CHANGE OF DIRECTION OF A FUSING BELT IN A PRINTING APPARATUS - An apparatus ( | 07-28-2011 |
20110211879 | APPARATUSES USEFUL IN PRINTING ONTO MEDIA AND METHODS OF MITIGATING MEDIA EDGE WEAR EFFECTS ON FIXING BELTS IN PRINTING - Apparatuses useful in printing and methods of mitigating media edge wear effects on fixing belts in printing are provided. An exemplary apparatus useful for printing onto media includes a first roll including a first surface; a second roll including a second surface; a fixing member including a third surface; a fixing belt supported on the first surface and second surface, the fixing belt including a surface forming a nip with the fixing member; a registration distribution system for translating the first roll, second roll, fixing member and fixing belt, as a unit, transversely with respect to a media travel path of media received at the nip; and a belt steering mechanism connected to the second roll for translating the fixing belt across the first surface of the first roll at the nip, transversely to the media travel path, while the registration distribution system translates the first roll, second roll, fixing member and fixing belt transversely to the media travel path. | 09-01-2011 |
20120020714 | APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR REDUCING FUSER NOISE IN A PRINTING APPARATUS - An apparatus and method that reduces fuser noise in a printing apparatus. The method can include generating a first image on a first media sheet traveling in a media path. The method can include generating a second image on a second media sheet traveling in the media path consecutive to and a first distance from the first media sheet. The method can include reducing the first distance between the first media sheet and the second media sheet to a second distance between the first media sheet and the second media sheet after generating the first image. The method can include fusing the second image to the second media sheet after reducing the first distance between the first media sheet and the second media sheet. | 01-26-2012 |
20120123608 | METHODS, APPARATUS, AND SYSTEMS FOR FUSER ASSEMBLY POWER CONTROL - A fuser assembly stepped power control system includes a controller that outputs control signals to independently control individual lamps in the fuser assembly. Multiple lamps are turned on with a delay between actuation of each lamp to reduce in-rush current. Control signals are output by the controller as a function of temperature error. | 05-17-2012 |
20120328311 | APPARATUS, METHODS, AND SYSTEMS FOR ENGAGING AND DISENGAGING A FIXING NIP FOR CUT SHEET PROCESSING - A fixing device includes a first fixing member a second fixing member that are movable to engage and disengage a fixing nip defined by the first and second fixing member. The fixing nip is disengaged to accommodate entry and exit of a cut sheet, and engaged to accommodate warm-pressure fixing a marking material image to the cut sheet. | 12-27-2012 |
20140122375 | PARKING PRICING SYSTEM - A parking pricing with occupancy feedback control for achieving an optimal occupancy level for a parking space area, so that at least one space is available and circling is not necessary. The parking pricing with occupancy feedback control system proposes to implement a market based parking pricing from an occupancy control approach. The parking price system seeks to maintain a desired occupancy level by measuring real-time parking space occupancy and using controller to automatically adjust parking rates to change with real-time demand. Occupancy feedback control is used to adjust parking space pricing so that the occupancy level approaches a target capacity level. Parking space sensors measure the presence of the vehicles, a parking control engine compares the real-time occupancy of the parking spaces to the target occupancy of the parking spaces, and adjusts the parking pricing to regulate the demand, so that the parking space occupancy converges to its target. | 05-01-2014 |