Inner plenum vacuum roller system for a cut sheet printer dryer transport

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11117764-B2
Application number	US-201916679215-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 10, 2019
Priority date	Nov 10, 2019
Publication date	Sep 14, 2021
Grant date	Sep 14, 2021

Abstract

A vacuum roller system and a method of operating the vacuum roller system can include a group of vacuum rollers operable to move a sheet of media through a dryer. The vacuum rollers do not require a vacuum to be drawn between the vacuum rollers. Each vacuum roller can include a plenum operable to direct the vacuum to a top portion of the vacuum roller to drive the sheet of media from one roller to the next roller. The plenum can engage vacuum holes in a rotating vacuum roller when the vacuum holes in the vacuum roller are aligned with the plenum.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A vacuum roller system, comprising:
a plurality of vacuum rollers that moves a sheet of media through a dryer, wherein the vacuum rollers in the plurality of vacuum rollers do not require a vacuum to be drawn between the vacuum rollers; and
wherein each vacuum roller among the plurality of vacuum rollers comprises a plenum among a plurality of plenums operable to direct the vacuum to a top portion of the vacuum roller to drive the sheet of media from one vacuum roller to a next vacuum roller among the plurality of vacuum rollers, wherein the plenum engages vacuum holes in the vacuum roller that rotates among the plurality of vacuum roller when the vacuum holes in the vacuum roller are aligned with the plenum;
wherein the each vacuum roller includes an inner stationary vacuum plenum system and a first shaft end portion and a second shaft end portion; and
wherein each of the first and second shaft end portions of the each vacuum roller includes a vacuum shaft, a bushing, and a flat portion, wherein a vacuum opening is located with respect to the plenum through a center of the vacuum shaft, the bushing is operable to allow the vacuum roller to rotate around the vacuum shaft, and the flat portion is used to prevent the vacuum shaft from rotating, and for controlling an optional rotation of the vacuum plenum among the plurality of plenums.

2. The vacuum roller system of claim 1 wherein the dryer comprises a downstream dryer of a printing system.

3. The vacuum roller system of claim 2 wherein:
an angle of the plenum is adjustable based on printing job data including at least one of: a weight of the sheet of media, a size of the sheet of media and a coating; and
the printing job data is entered by an operator of the printing system or comprises printing job data previously saved in the printing system.

4. The vacuum roller system of claim 1 further comprising a single drive system that rotates the each vacuum roller among the plurality of vacuum rollers about the plenum wherein the plenum comprises a fixed stationary plenum.

5. The vacuum roller system of claim 4 wherein the single drive system comprises a timing belt.

6. The vacuum roller system of claim 1 further comprising a plurality of timing belt pulleys wherein a shaft end portion is associated with at least one timing belt pulley among the plurality of timing belt pulleys and wherein another shaft portion is associated with at least one other timing belt pulley among the plurality of timing belt pulleys.

7. The vacuum roller system of claim 6 wherein an angle of the plenum is adjustable to move an acquisition point of the vacuum to the sheet of media.

8. The vacuum roller system of claim 1 further comprising an operator side vacuum baffle roller system sub-assembly that includes the plurality of vacuum rollers.

9. The vacuum roller system of claim 8 wherein the operator side vacuum baffle roller system sub-assembly includes the plurality of plenums comprising a roller plenum system axially located within a vacuum roller and operable to direct the vacuum to a set of holes including the vacuum holes to transfer cut sheet media comprising the sheet of media from vacuum roller to vacuum roller among the plurality of vacuum rollers.

10. A vacuum roller system, comprising:
at least one processor; and
a non-transitory computer-usable medium embodying computer program code, the computer-usable medium capable of communicating with the at least one processor, the computer program code comprising instructions executable by the at least one processor and configured for:
moving a sheet of media through a dryer with a plurality of vacuum rollers, wherein the vacuum rollers in the plurality of vacuum rollers do not require a vacuum to be drawn between the vacuum rollers; and
directing the vacuum to a top portion of the vacuum roller with a plenum among a plurality of plenums to drive the sheet of media from one vacuum roller to a next vacuum roller among the plurality of vacuum rollers, wherein each vacuum roller among the plurality of vacuum rollers comprises a plenum operable to direct the vacuum to the top portion of the vacuum roller to drive the sheet of media from the one roller to the next roller among the plurality of vacuum rollers, wherein the plenum engages vacuum holes in the vacuum roller that rotates among the plurality of vacuum roller when the vacuum holes in the vacuum roller are aligned with the plenum; and
adjusting an angle of the plenum based on printing job data including a weight of the sheet of media, a size of the sheet of media and a coating, wherein the printing job data is entered by an operator of the printing system or comprises printing job data previously saved in the printing system.

11. The vacuum roller system of claim 10 further comprising a plurality of timing belt pulleys wherein a shaft end portion is associated with at least one timing belt pulley among the plurality of timing belt pulleys and wherein another shaft portion is associated with at least one other timing belt pulley among the plurality of timing belt pulleys and wherein an angle of the plenum is adjustable to move an acquisition point of the vacuum to the sheet of media.

12. The vacuum roller system of claim 10 further comprising an operator side vacuum baffle roller system sub-assembly that includes the plurality of vacuum rollers.

13. The vacuum roller system of claim 10 wherein the operator side vacuum baffle roller system sub-assembly includes a roller plenum system axially located within a vacuum roller and operable to direct the vacuum to a set of holes to transfer cut sheet media from vacuum roller to vacuum roller among the plurality of vacuum rollers.

14. A method of operating a vacuum roller system, comprising:
moving a sheet of media through a dryer with a plurality of vacuum rollers, wherein the vacuum rollers in the plurality of vacuum rollers do not require a vacuum to be drawn between the vacuum rollers; and
directing the vacuum to a top portion of the vacuum roller with a plenum to drive the sheet of media from one vacuum roller to a next vacuum roller among the plurality of vacuum rollers, wherein each vacuum roller among the plurality of vacuum rollers comprises a plenum among a plurality of plenums operable to direct the vacuum to the top portion of the vacuum roller to drive the sheet of media from the one roller to the next roller among the plurality of vacuum rollers, wherein the plenum engages vacuum holes in the vacuum roller that rotates among the plurality of vacuum roller when the vacuum holes in the vacuum roller are aligned with the plenum; and
adjusting an angle of the plenum based on printing job data including a weight of the sheet of media, a size of the sheet of media and a coating, wherein the printing job data is entered by an operator of the printing system or comprises printing job data previously saved in the printing system.

15. The method of claim 14 wherein the dryer comprises a downstream dryer of a printing system.

16. The method of claim 14 further comprising rotating the vacuum rollers about a fixed stationary plenum with a single drive system.

17. The method of claim 16 wherein a shaft end portion is associated with at least one timing belt pulley among a plurality of timing belt pulleys and wherein another shaft portion is associated with at least one other timing belt pulley among the plurality of timing belt pulleys.

Assignees

• Xerox Corp

Inventors

• Herrmann Douglas K
• Praharaj Seemit
• Levy Michael J
• Lefevre Jason M
• Mcconville Paul
• Liu Chu-Heng
• Hoover Linn C
• Vankouwenberg David A

Classifications

• B65H2301/517

  Drying material · CPC title

• B41J11/0085

  Using suction for maintaining printing material flat (on rotatable drums B41J13/226) · CPC title

• B65H2403/21

  Timing belts · CPC title

• B41J13/076 Primary

  Construction of rollers; Bearings therefor · CPC title

• B41J11/00216

  using infrared [IR] radiation or microwaves · CPC title