Registration system with translating carriage and omni wheels

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10836596-B2
Application number	US-201815948580-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 9, 2018
Priority date	Apr 9, 2018
Publication date	Nov 17, 2020
Grant date	Nov 17, 2020

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.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A printing device, comprising:
a feeder module to feed a print media through the printing device;
a marking module, comprising:
an imaging module to print a desired image onto the print media; and
a registration system to align the print media such that the desired image is correctly printed onto the print media by the imaging module, wherein the registration system comprises:
at least one sensor to detect a position of the print media fed from the 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, wherein the translating carriage comprises:
an idler roller assembly comprising a first idler roller and a second idler roller, wherein the first idler roller is aligned with the first omni wheel and the second idler roller is aligned with the second omni wheel;
at least one bearing coupled to a shaft of the idler roller assembly to limit the idler roller assembly to a rotational movement;
a support shaft coupled to the idler roller assembly via at least one compression spring;
at least one bushing coupled to the support shaft to limit the support shaft to a linear movement along an inboard and outboard direction;
a translating rack coupled to the support shaft; and
a translating pinion coupled to the translating rack; 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 the imaging module that prints the desired image onto the print media, wherein the first omni wheel and the second omni wheel are rotated simultaneously with movement of the translating carriage to simultaneously correct a skew and a lateral input error of the print media; and

a finishing module to perform final processing of the print media after the desired image is printed.

2. The printing device of claim 1 , wherein the first omni wheel and the second omni wheel are positioned along a common center axis of rotation.

3. The printing device of claim 2 , wherein a distance between the first omni wheel and the second omni wheel is approximately equal to a width of the print media.

4. The printing device of claim 1 , wherein the first omni wheel and the second omni wheel are located on a same side of the print media.

5. The printing device 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.

6. The printing device 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.

7. The printing device of claim 6 , wherein an amount of the desired movement is based on at least one of: the skew of the print media or a lateral position of the print media relative to a desired alignment position.

8. The printing device of claim 6 , 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.

9. A printing device, comprising:
a feeder module to feed a print media through the printing device;
a marking module, comprising:
an imaging module to print a desired image onto the print media; and
a registration system to align the print media such that the desired image is correctly printed onto the print media by the imaging module, wherein the registration system comprises:
a charge coupled device (CCD) sensor to detect a lateral position relative to a designed alignment location and a skew of the print media fed from the 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, wherein the translating carriage comprises:
an idler roller assembly comprising a first idler roller and a second idler roller, wherein the first idler roller is aligned with the first omni wheel and the second idler roller is aligned with the second omni wheel;
at least one bearing coupled to a shaft of the idler roller assembly to limit the idler roller assembly to a rotational movement;
a support shaft coupled to the idler roller assembly via at least one compression spring;
at least one bushing coupled to the support shaft to limit the support shaft to a linear movement along an inboard and outboard direction;
a translating rack coupled to the support shaft; and

a translating pinion coupled to the translating rack; 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 the imaging module that prints the desired image onto the print media, wherein the first omni wheel and the second omni wheel are rotated simultaneously with movement of the translating carriage to simultaneously correct a skew and a lateral input error of the print media; and

a finishing module to perform final processing of the print media after the desired image is printed.

10. The printing device 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.

Assignees

• Xerox Corp

Inventors

• Terrero Carlos M
• Linder Michael J
• Irizarry Roberto A
• Swing Jeffrey N

Classifications

• B65H9/002 Primary

  changing orientation of sheet by only controlling movement of the forwarding means, i.e. without the use of stop or register wall · CPC title

• B41J13/32

  Means for positioning sheets in two directions under one control, e.g. for format control or orthogonal sheet positioning · CPC title

• B65H2404/15212

  rotating, pivoting or oscillating around an axis perpendicular to the roller axis · CPC title

• B65H5/062

  between rollers or balls · CPC title

• B41J11/42 Primary

  Controlling {printing material conveyance for accurate alignment of the printing material with the printhead; Print registering} · CPC title