REGISTRATION SYSTEM WITH TRANSLATING CARRIAGE AND OMNI WHEELS

• US 20190308835A1
• Filed: 04/09/2018
• Published: 10/10/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 04/09/2018
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Xerox Corporation (Xerox Holdings Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Xerox Corporation (Xerox Holdings Corp.)
• Inventors: Terrero, Carlos M., Linder, Michael J., Irizarry, Roberto A., Swing, Jeffrey N.
• Granted Patent: US 10,836,596 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 11/42 Controlling printing material conveyance for accurate alignment of the printing material with the printhead; Print registering
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 11/44 by devices, e.g. programme tape or contact wheel, moved in correspondence with movement of paper-feeding devices, e.g. platen rotation
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 13/26 Registering devices
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 13/32 Means for positioning sheets in two directions under one control, e.g. for format control or orthogonal sheet positioning
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 2404/12 with at least an active member on periphery
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 2404/1424 moving in parallel to their axis
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 2404/15212 rotating, pivoting or oscillating around an axis perpendicular to the roller axis
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 2404/67 rotating around an axis parallel to face of material and parallel to transport direction
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 5/062 between rollers or balls
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 9/002 changing orientation of sheet by only controlling movement of the forwarding means, i.e. without the use of stop or register wall
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 9/20 Assisting by photoelectric, sonic, or pneumatic indicators

Abstract

A registration system for a printing device and a method for controlling the same are disclosed. For example, the registration system includes at least one sensor, omni wheels, a motor coupled to each omni wheel, a translating carriage, and a processor communicatively coupled to the at least one sensor, the motors, and the translating carriage, wherein the processor calculates a desired movement to move the omni wheels and the translating carriage based on the position of the print media.

Claims

1. A registration system for a printing device, comprising:

at least one sensor to detect a position of a print media fed from a feeder module;

a first omni wheel and a second omni wheel arranged such that a respective center axis of rotation of the first omni wheel and the second omni wheel are perpendicular to a process direction;

a first motor coupled to first omni wheel and a second motor coupled to the second omni wheel;

a translating carriage located opposite the first omni wheel and the second omni wheel, wherein the at least one sensor is located upstream of the first omni wheel, the second omni wheel, and the translating carriage; and

a processor communicatively coupled to the at least one sensor, the first motor, the second motor, and the translating carriage, wherein the processor calculates a desired movement of the first motor, the second motor, and the translating carriage to move the first omni wheel, the second omni wheel, and the translating carriage based on the position of the print media to align the print media with an imaging module that prints a desired image onto the print media.

3. The registration system of claim 1, wherein the first omni wheel and the second omni wheel are positioned along a common center axis of rotation.

4. The registration system of claim 3, wherein a distance between the first omni wheel and the second omni wheel is approximately equal to a width of the print media.

5. The registration system of claim 1, wherein the first omni wheel and the second omni wheel are located on a same side of the print media.

6. The registration system of claim 1, wherein the first omni wheel and a second omni wheel are on a first side of the print media and the translating carriage is on a second opposite side of the print media.

7. The registration system of claim 1, wherein the translating carriage, comprises:

an idler roller assembly comprising a first idler roller and a second idler roller;

a support shaft coupled to the idler roller assembly via at least one compression spring;

a translating rack coupled to the support shaft; and

a translating pinion coupled to the translating rack.

8. The registration system of claim 7, wherein the first idler roller is aligned with the first omni wheel and the second idler roller is aligned with the second omni wheel.

9. The registration system of claim 1, wherein the desired movement comprises a speed of rotation of the first omni wheel and the second omni wheel and a lateral movement of the translating carriage.

10. The registration system of claim 9, wherein an amount of the desired movement is based on at least one of:

a skew of the print media or a lateral position of the print media relative to a desired alignment position.

11. The registration system of claim 9, wherein the first omni wheel and the second omni wheel each comprise:

a central body portion that rotates around the respective center axis of rotation; and

a plurality of roller components coupled to an outer periphery of the central body portion, wherein each one of the plurality of roller components rotate around an axis that is perpendicular to the respective center axis of rotation.

2. (canceled)

12. A method for controlling a position of a print media in a registration system of a printing device via at least one omni wheel, comprising:

detecting a position of a print media fed from a feeder module via at least one sensor, wherein the at least one sensor is located upstream of a first omni wheel, a second omni wheel, and a translating carriage;

determining a desired movement of the first omni wheel, the second omni wheel, and the translating carriage based on the position of the print media, wherein the first omni wheel and the second omni wheel rotate in a process direction and the translating carriage moves perpendicular to the process direction; and

moving the first omni wheel, the second omni wheel, and the translating carriage in accordance with the desired movement to adjust the position of the print media to align the print media with an imaging module that prints a desired image onto the print media.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the position is detected via at least one sensor located upstream from the first omni wheel, the second omni wheel, and the translating carriage.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein the position comprises a skew and a lateral position of the print media relative to a desired alignment position.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the desired movement comprises a speed of rotation of the first omni wheel and the second omni wheel and a lateral movement of the translating carriage.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the speed of rotation of the first omni wheel and the second omni wheel is different to correct the skew.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein the desired movement comprises an amount of movement of the translating carriage to correct the lateral position of the print media.

18. The method of claim 12, wherein the moving comprises:

activating a respective motor coupled to the first omni wheel and the second omni wheel; and

activating a translating pinion to move a translating rack coupled to the translating carriage.

19. A registration system for a printing device, comprising:

a charge coupled device (CCD) sensor to detect a lateral position relative to a designed alignment location and a skew of a print media fed from a feeder module;

a first omni wheel and a second omni wheel arranged to rotate along a process direction around a respective center axis of rotation of the first omni wheel and the second omni wheel;

a first motor coupled to first omni wheel and a second motor coupled to the second omni wheel to rotate the first omni wheel and the second omni wheel in along the process direction;

a translating carriage located opposite the first omni wheel and the second omni wheel, wherein the charge coupled device is located upstream of the first omni wheel, the second omni wheel, and the translating carriage; and

a processor communicatively coupled to the CCD sensor, the first motor, the second motor, and the translating carriage, wherein the processor calculates an amount of desired movement of the first motor, the second motor, and the translating carriage to correct the skew and the lateral position of the print media to align the print media with an imaging module that prints a desired image onto the print media, wherein rotation of the first omni wheel and the second omni wheel correct a skew of the print media and a lateral movement of the translating carriage corrects the lateral position of the print media.

20. The registration system of claim 19, wherein the first omni wheel and the second omni wheel each comprise:

a central body portion that rotates around the respective center axis of rotation; and

a plurality of roller components coupled to an outer periphery of the central body portion, wherein each one of the plurality of roller components rotate around an axis that is perpendicular to the respective center axis of rotation.