Control of heating elements for media conditioners

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11454907-B2
Application number	US-201816500338-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 27, 2018
Priority date	Jun 27, 2018
Publication date	Sep 27, 2022
Grant date	Sep 27, 2022

Abstract

In some examples, a media conditioner includes a conveying component to convey a sheet of printable media, a heating element to heat the conveying component, a temperature sensor to measure a temperature of the conveying component, a media sensor to detect the sheet of printable media, and a controller to provide a power level to the heating element. A temperature set-point is set to a pre-established value. Based on data from the temperature sensor, the controller is to maintain the temperature of the conveying component at the temperature set-point by varying the power level. The controller is to apply a boost to the power level based on a signal from the media sensor while the temperature set-point remains at the pre-established value.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A media conditioner comprising:
a conveying component to convey sheets of printable media;
a heating element to heat the conveying component;
a temperature sensor to measure a temperature of the conveying component;
a media sensor to detect the sheets of printable media; and
a controller to provide a power level to the heating element,
wherein, based on temperature data from the temperature sensor, the controller is to maintain the temperature of the conveying component at a temperature set-point by varying the power level,
wherein the temperature set-point is set to a pre-established value, and
wherein the controller is to selectively control power level based on a time-spacing between sequential sheets in the sheets of printed media as detected using the media sensor, without altering the temperature set-point.

2. The media conditioner of claim 1 wherein the sheet of printable media includes a leading edge and a trailing edge, and
wherein the controller is to apply a boost to the power level before the leading edge reaches the conveying component.

3. The media conditioner of claim 2 wherein the controller is to apply a decrease to the power level in response to the media sensor no longer detecting the sheet or before the trailing edge reaches the conveying component.

4. The media conditioner of claim 2 wherein the controller is to continue to maintain the temperature of the conveying component at the temperature set-point while the controller applies the boost.

5. The media conditioner of claim 1 wherein the power level includes a pulse-width-modulated (PWM) signal, and
wherein the boost includes a linear PWM ramp.

Assignees

• Hewlett Packard Development Co

Inventors

• Shibata Alan
• Raisanen Matthew
• Yraceburu Robert
• Brinkly Richard Lee

Classifications

• B41J11/00242

  Controlling the temperature of the conduction means · CPC title

• G03G15/2039 Primary

  with means for controlling the fixing temperature · CPC title

• G03G15/2042

  specially for the axial heat partition · CPC title

• B41J11/0095

  Detecting means for copy material, e.g. for detecting or sensing presence of copy material or its leading or trailing end · CPC title

• B41J2/14088

  Structure of heating means · CPC title