Image recording apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11345171-B2
Application number	US-202117208061-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 22, 2021
Priority date	Jun 4, 2020
Publication date	May 31, 2022
Grant date	May 31, 2022

Abstract

An image recording apparatus having a recorder, a first driving device, a second driving device, a driving-force transmission device, a sensor, a memory, and a controller to conduct a conveying process and a recording process alternately and repetitively, is provided. In the conveying process, on condition that a rotationally driven amount of the first driving device exceeded a target rotation amount, the controller conducts feedback control on the first driving device to rotate reversely. On condition that the first driving device was rotationally driven reversely under the feedback control, the controller stores a maximum value and a stopping value in the memory, determines a correction value, and determines a post-correction rotation amount based on the target rotation amount and an amount corresponding to the correction value, and in the conveying process, the controller drives the first driving device rotationally by the post-correction rotation amount.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An image recording apparatus, comprising:
a recorder movable in a moving direction;
a first driving device configured to be driven rotationally;
a second driving device configured to convey a recordable medium in a conveying direction by rotating, the conveying direction intersecting with the moving direction;
a driving-force transmission device configured to drive a rotational driving force from the first driving device to the second driving device;
a sensor configured to output a signal corresponding to a rotationally driven amount of the first driving device;
a memory; and
a controller configured to conduct a conveying process, in which the recordable medium is conveyed in the conveying direction by driving the first driving device rotationally by a target rotation amount in a first rotational direction and stopping rotation of the first driving device, and a recording process, in which a part of an image is recorded on the recordable medium by moving the recorder in the moving direction, alternately and repetitively to record the image on the recordable medium,
wherein, in the conveying process,
on condition that the controller determines the rotationally driven amount of the first driving device exceeded the target rotation amount based on the signal output from the sensor, the controller conducts feedback control targeted at the target rotation amount to drive the first driving device rotationally in a second rotational direction reversely from the first rotational direction;
on condition that the controller determines that the first driving device was rotationally driven in the second rotational direction under the feedback control, the controller stores, based on the signal output from the sensor, a maximum value and a stopping value in the memory, the maximum value indicating a peak rotated amount of the first driving device in the first rotational direction in the conveying process, the stopping value indicating a rotated amount of the first driving device when the rotation of the first driving device was stopped in the conveying process; and
the controller determines a correction value, the correction value being proportional to a value obtained by subtracting the stopping value from the maximum value; and
the controller determines a post-correction rotation amount based on the target rotation amount and an amount corresponding to the correction value for the conveying process to be conducted next after the recording process, and

wherein, in the conveying process conducted next after the recording process, the controller drives the first driving device rotationally by the post-correction rotation amount in the first rotational direction and stops rotation of the first driving device.

2. The image recording apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein the memory stores an upper-limit value, and
wherein the controller is configured to, on condition that the correction value exceeds the upper-limit value, determines the post-correction rotation amount based on the target rotation amount and an amount corresponding to the upper-limit value in place of the correction value.

3. The image recording apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising a driving source,
wherein the first driving device includes paired first conveyer rollers, to which a driving force from the driving source is transmitted, each of the paired first conveyer rollers being configured to rotate about a rotation axis extending along the moving direction,
wherein the second driving device includes paired second conveyer rollers located downstream from the paired first conveyer rollers in the conveying direction, each of the paired second conveyer rollers being configured to rotate about a rotation axis extending along the moving direction,
wherein the controller is configured to determine a position of a rear end of the recordable medium in the conveying direction based on the signal output from the sensor, and
wherein, on condition that the rear end of the recordable medium is at a position downstream in the conveying direction from a nipping position between the paired first conveyer rollers, the controller is configured to determine the post-correction rotation amount.

4. The image recording apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein the memory stores a lower-limit value, and
wherein the controller is configured to, on condition that the correction value is smaller than the lower-limit value, determines the post-correction rotation amount based on the target rotation amount and an amount corresponding to the lower-limit value in place of the correction value.

Assignees

• Brother Ind Ltd

Inventors

• Arakawa Yuta
• Kanazawa Gakuro

Classifications

• B65H2557/63

  Optimisation, self-adjustment, self-learning processes or procedures, e.g. during start-up · CPC title

• B65H2513/412

  Direction of rotation of motor powering the handling device · CPC title

• B65H2511/212

  Rotary position · CPC title

• B65H2557/264

  with key characteristics based on closed loop control · CPC title

• B65H2801/06

  Office-type machines, e.g. photocopiers · CPC title