Printing apparatus and method of printing

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11376876-B2
Application number	US-202016835595-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 31, 2020
Priority date	Apr 1, 2019
Publication date	Jul 5, 2022
Grant date	Jul 5, 2022

Abstract

A printing apparatus (printer) is provided in which a base material is conveyed by a roll-to-roll method and feedback control is performed on a tension imposed on the base material, and which includes a control unit, a first drive motor (front drive motor) configured to control a speed of conveyance of conveying the base material, and a second drive motor (feeding motor, rear drive motor, winding motor) configured to control the tension imposed on the base material. In a case where a conveyance operation for conveying the base material is stopped based on detection of a foreign object, and when a speed of the first drive motor is at a predetermined value or less, the control unit stops the tension control performed by the second drive motor.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A printing apparatus in which a base material is conveyed by a roll-to-roll method and feedback control is performed on a tension imposed on the base material, the printing apparatus comprising:
a control unit;
a first drive motor configured to control a speed of conveyance of conveying the base material; and
a second drive motor configured to control the tension imposed on the base material, wherein
in response to determining that an emergency stop of a conveyance operation is to be performed, the control unit is configured to:
cause the first drive motor to stop; and
when a speed of the first drive motor is at a predetermined value or less, cause the second drive motor to stop controlling the tension imposed on the base material.

2. The printing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein when the conveyance operation is stopped, the control unit starts the tension control performed by the second drive motor after a passage of a predetermined time period.

3. The printing apparatus according to claim 1 , comprising a roll diameter sensor configured to detect a roll diameter of the base material wound in a roll shape, wherein
the control unit varies an inertia of the base material in accordance with a detection value of the roll diameter sensor, and controls the first drive motor when the conveyance operation is stopped based on the detection of a foreign object.

4. A printing method of a printing apparatus in which a base material is conveyed by a roll-to-roll method and feedback control is performed on a tension imposed on the base material, and which includes a control unit, a first drive motor configured to control a speed of conveyance of conveying the base material, and a second drive motor configured to control the tension imposed on the base material,
the printing method comprising:
determining that an emergency stop of a conveyance operation for conveying the base material is to be performed;
stopping, by the control unit, the first drive motor;
determining, by the control unit, that a speed of the first drive motor is at a predetermined value or less;
stopping, by the control unit, the second drive motor for controlling the tension imposed on the base material.

5. The printing method according to claim 4 , comprising a tension control step for, after completing tension control stopping step, starting the tension control performed by the second drive motor after a passage of a predetermined time period.

6. The printing method according to claim 4 , wherein
a roll diameter sensor configured to detect a roll diameter of the base material wound in a roll shape is provided,
the method comprising an inertia control step for, by the control unit, varying an inertia of the base material in accordance with a detection value of the roll diameter sensor, and controlling the first drive motor when the conveyance operation is stopped based on the detection of a foreign object.

Assignees

• Seiko Epson Corp

Inventors

• Yamada Jun
• Imamura Atsushi

Classifications

• B65H2515/10

  Mass, e.g. mass flow rate; Weight; Inertia · CPC title

• B65H2515/32

  Torque e.g. braking torque · CPC title

• B41J29/38

  Drives, motors, controls or automatic cut-off devices for the entire printing mechanism · CPC title

• B65H2801/15

  Digital printing machines · CPC title

• B41J15/165 Primary

  for tensioning continuous copy material by use of redirecting rollers or redirecting nonrevolving guides · CPC title