Width detecting media hanger

• US 10,323,929 B1
• Filed: 12/19/2017
• Issued: 06/18/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 12/19/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hand Held Products Incorporated (Honeywell International Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Datamax-O'Neil Corporation (Honeywell International Inc.)
• Inventors: Wong, Chin Young, d'Armancourt, Sebastien Michel Marie Joseph
• Primary Examiner(s): Ton, Tri T
• Application Number:
  US15/846,958
• Publication Number:
  US 20190186894A1
• Time in Patent Office: 546 Days
• Field of Search: 356614-640
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 11/003 Paper-size detection, i.e. automatic detection of the length and/or width of copy material
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 11/0095 Detecting means for copy material, e.g. for detecting or sensing presence of copy material or its leading or trailing end
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 16/00 Unwinding, paying-out webs reel-to-reel type web winding and unwinding mechanisms B65H18/103, B65H18/145
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 16/04 cantilever type
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 2220/03 indicating an entity which is measured, estimated, evaluated, calculated or determined but which does not constitute an entity which is adjusted or changed by the control process per se
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 2301/41335 locking mechanism for roll, e.g. axial flange
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 2402/60 Coupling, adapter or locking means
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 2511/12 Width
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 2553/416 Array arrangement, i.e. row of emitters or detectors
• CPC Class Codes: G01B 11/02 for measuring length, width or thickness G01B11/08 takes precedence

Abstract

A printer comprises a processor; a media hanger comprising a sensor array receiving space extending along a length of the media hanger; and a sensor array positioned in the sensor array receiving space and communicatively connected to the processor, the sensory array comprising a plurality of sensor pairs, each sensor pair having an emitter and a receiver, the sensor array being configured to: emit light from the emitter outward from the media hanger, detect the emitted light after the emitted light is reflected off a surface of media loaded on the media hanger, transmit signal intensity of the reflected light detected by each of the sensor pairs to the processor; wherein the processor is configured to determine a width of the media loaded on the media hanger based on the signal intensity detected by each of the sensor pairs.

Claims

1. A printer comprising:

a processor;

a media hanger comprising a body for supporting loaded media and a sensor array receiving space extending along a length of the body; and

a sensor array positioned in the sensor array receiving space and communicatively connected to the processor, the sensory array comprising a plurality of sensor pairs, each sensor pair having an emitter and a receiver, the sensor array being configured to;

emit light from the emitter outward from the media hanger,

detect the emitted light after the emitted light is reflected off a surface of a roll of media loaded on the media hanger,

transmit signal intensity of the reflected light detected by each of the sensor pairs to the processor;

wherein the processor is configured to determine a width of the roll of media loaded on the media hanger based on the signal intensity detected by each of the sensor pairs.

2. The printer of claim 1, wherein the emitter emits infra-red light, and the receiver detect infra-red light.

3. The printer of claim 1, wherein each of the sensor pairs is spaced a known distance from adjacent sensor pairs.

4. The printer of claim 3, wherein each of the sensor pairs are positioned an equidistance apart from the adjacent sensor pairs.

5. The printer of claim 3, wherein increasing a number of sensor pairs along the length of the media hanger correspondingly increases a measurement precision of the loaded media width.

6. The printer of claim 3, wherein the sensor pairs located proximate to the surface of the loaded roll of media will have a high signal intensity of reflected light and sensor pairs located distal to the surface of the loaded roll of media will have a low signal intensity of reflected light.

7. The printer of claim 6, wherein the width of the roll of media is determined by summing a first total spacing length of sensor pairs having the high signal intensity.

8. The printer of claim 6, wherein a group of the sensor pairs located proximate to an edge of the loaded roll of media will have a signal intensity that transitions from the high signal intensity to the low signal intensity.

9. The printer of claim 1, comprising a transparent window covering the sensor array receiving space.

10. The printer of claim 9, wherein the light from the emitter is emitted at a known frequency, and the window is a bandpass filter that blocks light having frequencies outside the known frequency while passing light having the known frequency.

11. A method comprising:

emitting light from an emitter in a direction outward from a media hanger towards a roll of media supported by the media hanger, the emitted light being generated by a plurality of sensor pairs, each sensor pair comprising the emitter and a receiver;

detecting the emitted light with the receiver after the emitted light has been reflected off a surface of the loaded roll of media;

transmitting a signal intensity of the emitted light detected by the receiver in each of the sensor pairs to a processor, the receiver from each sensor pair detecting light emitted from the corresponding emitter in the sensor pair; and

processing the signal intensities detected by the receiver from each sensor pair to determine a width of the loaded roll of media.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein each of the sensor pairs are positioned an equidistance apart from the adjacent sensor pairs.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the sensor pairs located proximate to the surface of the loaded roll of media will have a high signal intensity of reflected light and sensor pairs located distal to the surface of the loaded roll of media will have a low signal intensity of reflected light.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein the width of the roll of media is determined by summing a first total spacing length of sensor pairs having the high signal intensity.

15. The method of claim 12, wherein a group of the sensor pairs located proximate to an edge of the loaded roll of media will have a signal intensity that transitions from the high signal intensity to the low signal intensity.

16. A media hanger assembly comprising:

a processor;

a body for supporting loaded media, the body comprising;

a sensor array receiving space extending along a length of the body, and

a light passing window extending along the length of the body; and

a sensor array positioned in the sensor array receiving space and communicatively coupled to the processor, the sensory array comprising a plurality of sensor pairs, each sensor pair having an emitter and a receiver, the sensor array being configured to;

emit light from the emitter outward from the media hanger,

detect the emitted light after the emitted light is reflected off a surface of a roll of media loaded on the body,

transmit signal intensity of the reflected light detected by each of the sensor pairs to the processor;

wherein the processor is configured to determine a width of the roll of media loaded on the body based on the signal intensity detected by each of the sensor pairs.

17. The assembly of claim 16, wherein each of the sensor pairs are positioned an equidistance apart from the adjacent sensor pairs.

18. The assembly of claim 17, wherein the sensor pairs located proximate to the surface of the loaded roll of media will have a high signal intensity of reflected light and sensor pairs located distal to the surface of the loaded roll of media will have a low signal intensity of reflected light.

19. The assembly of claim 17, wherein the width of the roll of media is determined by summing a first total spacing length of sensor pairs having the high signal intensity.

20. The assembly of claim 17, wherein a group of the sensor pairs located proximate to an edge of the loaded roll of media will have a signal intensity that transitions from the high signal intensity to the low signal intensity.