Guide bar determination

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11117378-B2
Application number	US-201716478801-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 1, 2017
Priority date	May 1, 2017
Publication date	Sep 14, 2021
Grant date	Sep 14, 2021

Abstract

An example service station system may include a guide bar to provide tension on web material. An example print apparatus may include a sensor mounted to a carriage and a controller to use data from the sensor to identify that the web material is incorrectly routed with reference to the guide bar.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A print apparatus comprising:
a service station comprising:
a guide bar;

a sensor mounted to a carriage, the sensor capable of optically sensing a difference between the guide bar and a web material; and
a controller to use data from the sensor to identify that the web material is incorrectly routed with reference to the guide bar.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the service station further comprising:
a plurality of spinnable bars, the guide bar located between the plurality of spinnable bars.

3. The apparatus of claim 2 , wherein the carriage is a print carriage and the apparatus further comprising:
a wiper system to provide a force on the web material towards the print carriage.

4. The apparatus of claim 3 , wherein:
the wiper system provides the force on the web material during a wiper operation by moving a wiper towards the print carriage with the web material against an edge of the wiper; and
the wiper system moves the wiper away from the print carriage after the wiper operation.

5. The apparatus of claim 4 , wherein the service station further comprises:
a first web roller; and
a second web roller, the web material to route from a path between the first web roller to the second web roller with the plurality of spinnable bars along the path.

6. The apparatus of claim 2 , wherein:
the guide bar is displaced from a plane of the plurality of spinning bars.

7. The apparatus of claim 2 , wherein:
the sensor is activated to optically sense at a location range between the plurality of spinnable bars within a tolerance of the guide bar; and
the controller uses data restricted to the location range that includes the expected location of the guide bar.

8. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein:
the sensor is an optical sensor capable of generating data corresponding to print head alignment.

9. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein:
the guide bar is to provide tension on the web material when routed on a side of the guide bar opposite to the carriage.

10. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the web material has a lighter color than the guide bar.

11. A service station system comprising:
a first roller and a second roller, the first roller and the second roller to form a path of web material between the first roller and the second roller when the web material is coupled to the first roller and the second roller;
a plurality of spinnable bars, the web material to route along the plurality of spinnable bars between the first roller and the second roller;
a wiper system with a blade edge to press, during a service operation, against the web material routed among the plurality of spinnable bars;
a guide bar located among the spinnable bars, the guide bar to provide tension on the web material due to displacement of the guide bar with respect to a plane on which the plurality of spinnable bars is located; and
a sensor to detect a position of the web material with respect to the guide bar.

12. The system of claim 11 , wherein the guide bar is optically different from the web material, the system further comprising:
the sensor being an optical sensor to optically sense a difference between the guide bar and the web material; and
a controller to determine from output of the sensor whether the web material is incorrectly routed with reference to the guide bar.

13. The system of claim 12 , wherein the controller is to compare data received from the sensor to a reference signal data pattern to determine whether the web material is incorrectly routed with reference to the guide bar.

14. The system of claim 11 , wherein the sensor is a distance sensor.

15. The system of claim 11 , further comprising a carriage supporting the sensor, the carriage to move the sensor to an expected location of the guide bar.

16. The system of claim 15 , wherein the sensor is spaced from a print head on the carriage by a same distance as that between the guide bar and the wiper system.

17. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium comprising a set of instructions executable by a processor resource to:
move a sensor across a distance corresponding to an expected location of a guide bar of a service station; and
determine whether web material is routed on a first side of a guide bar or a second side of the guide bar based on data generated from the sensor at the expected location of the guide bar.

18. The medium of claim 17 , wherein the set of instructions is executable by the processor resource to:
perform a print head service operation in response to a determination that the web material is routed on the first side of the guide bar; and
generate an error message in response to a determination that the web material is routed on the second side of the guide bar.

19. The medium of claim 17 , wherein the set of instructions is executable by the processor resource to:
record signal data when the sensor is positioned to sense the expected location; and
analyze the recorded signal data corresponding to the expected location with respect to whether there is a change in the signal across the distance corresponding to the expected location of the guide bar.

20. The medium of claim 17 , wherein the set of instructions is executable by the processor resource to:
identify a distance of the web material from the sensor using data taken by the sensor when at the expected location of the guide bar; and
compare the identified distance of the web material to an expected distance of the guide bar from the sensor.

Assignees

• Hewlett Packard Development Co

Inventors

• Dinares Argemi Marian
• Tarrida Tirado Francesc
• Herrero Saez Carlos
• Sole Pons Macia

Classifications

• B41J2/16535 Primary

  using wiping constructions (B41J2/16552 takes precedence) · CPC title

• B41J2002/1655

  with wiping surface parallel with nozzle plate and mounted on reels, e.g. cleaning ribbon cassettes · CPC title

• B41P2235/24

  using rolls of cleaning cloth · CPC title

• B41J2/44

  using single radiation source {per colour}, e.g. lighting beams or shutter arrangements (B41J2/475 takes precedence) · CPC title

• B41F35/00

  Cleaning arrangements or devices {(in manifolding apparatus or the like B41L41/00)} · CPC title