CONVEYANCE DEVICE, CONVEYANCE SYSTEM, AND HEAD UNIT POSITION ADJUSTING METHOD

• US 20180272770A1
• Filed: 03/20/2018
• Published: 09/27/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 03/21/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited
• Inventors: Tobita, Katsuhiro
• Granted Patent: US 10,639,916 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• 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: B41J 2/04586 controlling heads of a type not covered by groups B41J2/04575 - B41J2/04585, or of an undefined type
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/2146 for line print heads
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2025/008 comprising a plurality of print heads placed around a drum
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 25/001 Mechanisms for bodily moving print heads or carriages parallel to the paper surface
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 25/304 Bodily-movable mechanisms for print heads or carriages movable towards or from paper surface
• CPC Class Codes: B65G 47/268 by means of belt or chain conveyor

Abstract

A conveyance device includes a conveyor to convey a conveyed object in a conveyance direction, a head unit to perform an operation on the conveyed object, an actuator to move the head unit in a direction orthogonal to the conveyance direction, an actuator controller to control the actuator, a displacement sensor to detect a displacement amount representing an amount by which the head unit is moved by the actuator, and a controller. The controller is configured to calculate a detection result including at least one of a position of the conveyed object in the orthogonal direction, a speed of travel of the conveyed object, and a travel amount of the conveyed object. The controller is configured to calculate a command value based on the detection result and the displacement amount output from the displacement sensor, and output the command value to the actuator controller.

Claims

1. A conveyance device comprising:

a conveyor to convey a conveyed object in a conveyance direction;

a head unit to perform an operation on the conveyed object;

an actuator to move the head unit in an orthogonal direction to the conveyance direction;

an actuator controller to control the actuator;

a displacement sensor to detect a displacement amount representing an amount by which the head unit is moved by the actuator; and

a controller configured to;

calculate a detection result including at least one of a position of the conveyed object in the orthogonal direction, a speed of travel of the conveyed object, and a travel amount of the conveyed object;

calculate a command value based on the detection result and the displacement amount output from the displacement sensor; and

output the command value to the actuator controller.

2. The conveyance device according to claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to calculate a correction value to correct the command value based on a difference between an amount of travel indicated by the command value and the displacement amount output from the displacement sensor detecting the head unit controlled based on the command value.

3. The conveyance device according to claim 2, wherein the controller is configured to calculate the difference between the amount of travel and the displacement amount a plurality of times to obtain a plurality of differences and calculate the correction value based on the plurality of differences.

4. The conveyance device according to claim 2, wherein the controller is configured to calculate the correction value for each period selected from a period of oscillation of the displacement amount, an integral multiple of the period of oscillation of the displacement amount, a predetermined control period, and an integral multiple of the predetermined control period.

5. The conveyance device according to claim 2, wherein the controller is configured to correct the correction value for each period selected from a period of oscillation of the displacement amount, an integral multiple of the period of oscillation of the displacement amount, a predetermined control period, and an integral multiple of the predetermined control period.

6. The conveyance device according to claim 1, further comprising a conveyed object sensor to detect the conveyed object, the conveyed object sensor disposed corresponding to the head unit,

wherein the controller is configured to calculate the detection result based on an output from the conveyed object sensor.

7. The conveyance device according to claim 6, wherein the conveyed object sensor is to detect data representing a rugged shape of the conveyed object.

8. The conveyance device according to claim 6, wherein the conveyed object sensor is to detect an end of the conveyed object in the orthogonal direction.

9. The conveyance device according to claim 6, wherein the conveyed object sensor is an optical sensor.

10. The conveyance device according to claim 6, further comprising:

a first support disposed upstream from an operation position of the head unit in the conveyance direction; and

a second support disposed downstream from the head unit in the conveyance direction,

wherein the conveyed object sensor is disposed between the first support and the second support.

11. A conveyance system comprising:

a plurality of conveyance devices, each of which includes;

a conveyor to convey a conveyed object in a conveyance direction;

a head unit to perform an operation on the conveyed object;

an actuator to move the head unit in an orthogonal direction to the conveyance direction;

an actuator controller to control the actuator; and

a displacement sensor to detect a displacement amount representing an amount by which the head unit is moved by the actuator; and

a controller configured to;

calculate a detection result including at least one of a position of the conveyed object in the orthogonal direction, a speed of travel of the conveyed object, and a travel amount of the conveyed object;

calculate a command value based on the detection result and the displacement amount output from the displacement sensor; and

output the command value to the actuator controller.

12. A method for adjusting a position of a head unit to perform an operation on a conveyed object, the method comprising:

detecting a displacement amount representing an amount by which the head unit is moved by an actuator in an orthogonal direction to a conveyance direction in which the conveyed object is conveyed;

calculating a detection result including at least one of a position of the conveyed object in the orthogonal direction, a speed of travel of the conveyed object, and a travel amount of the conveyed object; and

adjusting, with the actuator, the position of the head unit based on the detection result and the displacement amount.