Printer device and method for generating appropriate conveyance force

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10946644-B2
Application number	US-201916421541-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 24, 2019
Priority date	May 24, 2018
Publication date	Mar 16, 2021
Grant date	Mar 16, 2021

Abstract

A temperature acquisition section (acquisition module) acquires a temperature of an environment in which a printer device is used. A printing condition acquisition section (acquisition module) acquires information relating to printing conditions of the printer device. A conveyance load estimation section (estimation module) estimates a conveyance load when a stepping motor (motor) provided in the printer device conveys a printing paper (print medium) based on the information acquired by the temperature acquisition section and the printing condition acquisition section. A current value setting section (setting module) sets a current value to be applied to the stepping motor based on the conveyance load estimated by the conveyance load estimation section. A motor control section (control module) controls the stepping motor by applying the current value set by the current value setting section to the stepping motor.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A printer device, comprising:
an acquisition module configured to acquire a temperature of an environment in which the printer device is used and information relating to printing conditions of the printer device, wherein the printing conditions comprise fixed information representing conditions that do not change during printing and variable information representing conditions that change during printing;
an estimation module configured to estimate a conveyance load when a motor provided in the printer device conveys a print medium based on the information acquired by the acquisition module;
a setting module configured to set a current value to be applied to the motor based on the conveyance load of the print medium estimated by the estimation module; and
a control module configured to control the motor by applying the current value set by the setting module to the motor,
wherein the acquisition module, at a start of printing, acquires the temperature of the environment and the printing conditions, and
wherein the acquisition module, during the printing, acquires the temperature of the environment and the variable information.

2. The printer device according to claim 1 , wherein
the acquisition module, at the start of the printing, acquires the temperature of the environment and at least one of a type of the print medium, a paper feeding form, a shape of a conveyance path, a printing speed, and a remaining quantity of the print medium as the information relating to the printing conditions, and further the acquisition module, during the printing, acquires the temperature of the environment and the remaining quantity of the print medium.

3. The printer device according to claim 1 , wherein
the estimation module estimates the conveyance load of the print medium by referring to a previously created table in which the conveyance load of the print medium and the information relating to the printing conditions are stored in an associated manner based on the information relating to the printing conditions acquired by the acquisition module.

4. The printer device according to claim 2 , wherein
the estimation module estimates the conveyance load of the print medium by referring to a previously created table in which the conveyance load of the print medium and the information relating to the printing conditions are stored in an associated manner based on the information relating to the printing conditions acquired by the acquisition module.

5. The printer device according to claim 1 , wherein
the setting module sets the current value to be applied to the motor to a higher value in a case in which the temperature of the environment acquired by the acquisition module is lower than a predetermined temperature and the conveyance load of the print medium estimated by the estimation module is higher than a predetermined conveyance load, as compared with a case in which the conveyance load is lower than the predetermined conveyance load.

6. The printer device according to claim 1 , wherein
the setting module sets the current value to be applied to the motor to a lower value in a case in which the temperature of the environment acquired by the acquisition module is higher than a predetermined temperature and the conveyance load of the print medium estimated by the estimation module is lower than a predetermined conveyance load, as compared with a case in which the conveyance load is higher than the predetermined conveyance load.

7. The printer device according to claim 1 , wherein
the setting module sets the current value to be applied to the motor to a higher value in a case in which the temperature of the environment acquired by the acquisition module is lower than a predetermined temperature.

8. The printer device according to claim 1 , wherein
the setting module sets the current value to be applied to the motor to a higher value in a case in which the conveyance load of the print medium estimated by the estimation module is higher than a predetermined conveyance load, as compared with a case in which the conveyance load is lower than the predetermined conveyance load.

9. The printer device according to claim 1 , wherein
the setting module sets the current value to be applied to the motor within a range below a predetermined upper limit value.

10. The printer device according to claim 1 , wherein
the acquisition module acquires a type of the print medium as the information relating to the printing conditions.

11. A method for generating an appropriate conveyance force by a printer device, comprising:
acquiring a temperature of an environment in which the printer device is used and information relating to printing conditions of the printer device, wherein the printing conditions comprise fixed information representing conditions that do not change during printing and variable information representing conditions that change during printing;
estimating a conveyance load when a motor provided in the printer device conveys a print medium based on the acquired information;
setting a current value to be applied to the motor based on the estimated conveyance load of the print medium; and
controlling the motor by applying the set current value to the motor;
wherein the acquiring further comprises, at a start of printing, acquiring the temperature of the environment and the printing conditions, and during the printing, acquiring the temperature of the environment and the variable information.

12. The method according to claim 11 , wherein
acquiring involves acquiring, at the start of the printing, the temperature of the environment and at least one of a type of the print medium, a paper feeding form, a shape of a conveyance path, a printing speed, and a remaining quantity of the print medium as the information relating to the printing conditions, and the acquiring further comprises acquiring, during the printing, the temperature of the environment and the remaining quantity of the print medium.

13. The method according to claim 11 , further comprising:
estimating the conveyance load of the print medium by referring to a previously created table in which the conveyance load of the print medium and the information relating to the printing conditions are stored in an associated manner based on the information relating to the printing conditions acquired by the acquiring.

14. The method according to claim 12 , further comprising:
estimating the conveyance load of the print medium by referring to a previously created table in which the conveyance load of the print medium and the information relating to the printing conditions are stored in an associated manner based on the information relating to the printing conditions acquired by the acquiring.

15. The method according to claim 11 , further comprising:
setting the current value to be applied to the motor to a higher value in a case in which the temperature of the environment acquired by the acquiring is lower than a predetermined temperature and the conveyance load of the print medium estimated by the estimating is higher than a predetermined conveyance load, as compared with a case in which the conveyance load is lower than the predetermined conveyance load.

16. The method according to claim 11 , further comprising:
setting the current value to be applied to the motor to a lower value in a case in which the temperature of the environment acquired by the acquiring is higher than a predetermined temperature and the conveyance load of the print medium estimated by the estimating is lower than a predetermined conveyance lo

Assignees

• Toshiba Tec Kk

Inventors

• Sugimoto Kazuaki

Classifications

• B41J15/04

  Supporting, feeding, or guiding devices; Mountings for web rolls or spindles · CPC title

• H02P8/00

  Arrangements for controlling dynamo-electric motors rotating step by step · CPC title

• B41J13/0018

  in the sheet input section of automatic paper handling systems · CPC title

• B41J11/0045

  Guides for printing material (curl smoothing B41J11/0005; platens B41J11/02, B41J11/06; guiding webs B41J15/046) · CPC title

• G05B19/19

  characterised by positioning or contouring control systems, e.g. to control position from one programmed point to another or to control movement along a programmed continuous path · CPC title