Patent application number | Description | Published |
20110139577 | SURFACE ROUGHNESS FOR IMPROVED VACUUM PRESSURE FOR EFFICIENT MEDIA HOLD-DOWN PERFORMANCE - Provided are vacuum transport systems, methods of making them and methods of transporting one or more objects. In accordance with various embodiments, there is a vacuum transport system including a vacuum plenum and one or more transport members configured to rotate around the vacuum plenum and wherein at least one of the one or more transport members can include a substrate, the substrate including a plurality of holes extending from a first side proximate to the vacuum plenum to a second side proximate to an object, wherein a surface of the second side comprises a textured surface having an average roughness Ra of about 2 μm to about 100 μm. | 06-16-2011 |
20120148322 | ANGLED ARRAY SENSOR METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR MEASURING MEDIA CURL - A method and system for accurately measuring a lead edge and a trail edge media curl utilizing an angled array sensor. One or more curled media sheets can be propelled in a process direction via a set of rollers/nips associated with a curler from a leading edge and/or trailing edge towards the angled array sensor. The angled array sensor having a rotation vector in the cross-process direction can be placed upstream or downstream of a media-propelling device and at an angle relative to the media sheet exiting the curler in order to calculate a function of sheet curl. The function of sheet curl can be obtained by measuring a point at which the propelled media sheet touches an array associated with the angled array sensor. Such a curl measurement approach enhances accuracy and robustness to environmental induced errors. | 06-14-2012 |
20130214023 | METHOD AND DEVICE FOR CONTROLLING TENSION APPLIED TO A MEDIA WEB - In a web printer, tension on the moving web is controlled by monitoring the tension on the web between two rollers and selectively operating an actuator driving the second roller to restore the tension to an acceptable range. The operation of the actuator includes modulating the speed at which the second roller is driven. | 08-22-2013 |
20130257956 | EXCESSIVE SUBSTRATE MEDIA HEIGHT DETECTION IN A PRINTING APPARATUS - A substrate media height detector for a printing system having a print head including a media transport having a surface for moving a sheet of substrate media along a media path in a process direction. An elongate detection member includes a portion extending across the media path in a cross-process direction and is spaced from the media transport surface a predetermined distance. The detection member is movably attached to a support structure and is deflectable upon engagement with a sheet of substrate media. A deflection sensor senses the deflection of the detection member by the substrate media. | 10-03-2013 |
20140092159 | SUBSTRATE MEDIA HEIGHT MEASUREMENT SYSTEM AND METHOD - A system and method for determining substrate media height including a media transport having a transport surface for carrying thereon substrate media along a media path in a process direction past a print zone. A media height detector is disposed upstream of the print zone. The height detector includes an elongate member disposed above the transport surface and extending across the transport surface in a cross-process direction. The elongate member is slanted with respect to the transport surface with a distance between the elongate member and the transport surface decreasing as the detector extends in the process direction. The height detector includes a deflection sensor operably connected to the elongate member. The deflection sensor senses deflection of the elongate member. | 04-03-2014 |
20140104332 | MOTION QUALITY IMPROVEMENT BY FEED-FORWARD TORQUE CONTROL OF IMAGING DRUM - A printer having an imaging drum rotatable around its longitudinal axis, receives a pattern of ink corresponding to an image to be printed. A transfix roller rotates around its longitudinal axis, and is selectively held against the imaging drum by a transfix force, the interface of the imaging drum and the transfix roll forms a transfix nip. An image is formed on the substrate passed through the transfix nip by the marking ink on the imaging drum. A motor drives the imaging drum through a power train with a speed and direction controlled by a motor drive unit. A substrate sensor detects the substrate at the transfix nip, and outputs a signal to the motor drive. The motor drive varies the torque applied to the imaging drum in response to the signal, to maintain a constant rotational speed of the imaging drum. | 04-17-2014 |
20140125748 | MEDIA TACKING TO MEDIA TRANSPORT USING A MEDIA TACKING BELT - When tacking print media to a print media transport belt in a printer, a tack module having a pair of nips is employed to control charge migration in across the print media in order to tolerate lead edge curl while ensuring uniform printing. An upstream nip is formed by a first bias transfer roll and a first backup roll, and a downstream nip is formed by a second bias transfer roll and a second backup roll. The respective backup rolls are offset slightly upstream of the respective bias transfer rolls. Charge of opposite polarities is applied to the first backup roll and the second bias transfer roll to facilitate taking of the print media to the print media transport belt. | 05-08-2014 |
20140168298 | IMAGE QUALITY BY PRINTING FREQUENCY ADJUSTMENT USING BELT SURFACE VELOCITY MEASUREMENT - Embodiments described herein are directed to a reflex printing system with improved image quality. A media transport moves a media substrate or an intermediate belt along a media path in a process direction past the two or more print heads, which deposit inks onto the media substrate or the intermediate belt. A velocity measuring device directly measures and transmits the speed of the surface of belt or media that is to receive the image to a controller, which sends print commands to the two or more print heads to control the frequency of the printing. The inks deposited on the media substrate or intermediate belt have a color registration of from 10 to 20 microns. | 06-19-2014 |
20140267485 | MOTION QUALITY OF A TRANSFIX NIP BY MEDIA THICKNESS AND/OR SKEW FEEDFORWARD TO NIP MOTOR TORQUE - Embodiments described herein are directed to a system for reducing velocity transits in a printing system caused by media entering into a transfer nip. The system includes: an imaging drum, a variable speed motor, a transfix roll, a transfix nip, a media transport, a thickness sensor, a skew sensor, a media sensor, a switching means and a controller. Media thickness and/or media skew measurements are used in a feedforward control scheme to increase the imaging drum torque when the media sensor detects a media immediately before it is engaged by the transfer nip. | 09-18-2014 |
20140267501 | Active Biased Electrodes for Reducing Electrostatic Fields Underneath Print Heads in an Electrostatic Media Transport - Embodiments described herein are directed to a system for reducing electrostatic fields underneath print heads in a direct marking printing system. The system includes: one or more print heads for depositing ink onto a media substrate; a media transport for moving the media substrate along a media path past the one or more print heads; a conductive platen contacting the media transport belt; an electrostatic field reducer that includes an alternating current charge device positioned upstream of the one or more print heads; and one or electrically isolated biased electrodes in registration with the ink deposition areas of the one or more print heads. The media transport includes a media transport belt and, when the media is on the transport belt it has an electrostatic field, which can cause printing defects. The electrostatic field reducer and electrodes reduce the electrostatic field on the surface of the media and thereby reduce printing defects. | 09-18-2014 |