Printing apparatus and carriage apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11926152-B2
Application number	US-202217742524-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 12, 2022
Priority date	May 14, 2021
Publication date	Mar 12, 2024
Grant date	Mar 12, 2024

Abstract

A printing apparatus includes a carriage mounted with a printing unit; a first motor configured to move the carriage in a predetermined direction; a second motor configured to move the carriage in the predetermined direction; and a control unit. The control unit executes a first mode in which, when causing the printing unit to perform printing under a first printing condition, the first motor is driven in a first direction and the second motor is driven in the first direction, and a second mode in which, when causing the printing unit to perform printing under a second printing condition different from the first printing condition, the first motor is driven in the first direction and the second motor is driven in the first direction while changing an output ratio between the first motor and the second motor.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A printing apparatus comprising:
a carriage mounted with a printing unit configured to perform printing on a print medium;
a first motor configured to rotate in a first direction to move the carriage in a predetermined direction;
a second motor configured to rotate in the first direction to move the carriage in the predetermined direction; and
a control unit configured to control the first motor and the second motor,
wherein the control unit executes:
a first mode in which, when causing the printing unit to perform printing under a first printing condition, the first motor is driven in the first direction and the second motor is driven in the first direction, and
a second mode in which, when causing the printing unit to perform printing under a second printing condition different from the first printing condition, the first motor is driven in the first direction and the second motor is driven in the first direction while changing an output ratio between the first motor and the second motor.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
the second mode is a mode in which an output of one of the first motor and the second motor is controlled to be lower than an output of the other of the first motor and the second motor.

3. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
the first mode is a mode in which an output of the first motor and an output of the second motor are controlled to be equal to each other.

4. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
each of the first printing condition and the second printing condition is a condition related to the type of the print medium.

5. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
each of the first printing condition and the second printing condition is a condition related to a moving velocity of the carriage upon printing.

6. The apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a driving unit configured to move the carriage while using the first motor and the second motor as driving sources,
wherein the driving unit includes:
a plurality of rotation members, and
an endless belt wound around the plurality of rotation members and connected with the carriage,

the first motor is the driving source configured to rotate a first rotation member included in the plurality of rotation members, and
the second motor is the driving source configured to rotate a second rotation member included in the plurality of rotation members.

7. The apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a measurement unit configured to measure a characteristic of each of the first motor and the second motor,
wherein the measurement unit measures the characteristic related to an output of each of the first motor and the second motor.

8. The apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a measurement unit configured to measure a characteristic of each of the first motor and the second motor,
wherein the measurement unit:
measures, as the characteristic, a relationship between a velocity of the carriage moved by driving of the first motor and control information of the first motor, and
measures, as the characteristic, a relationship between a velocity of the carriage moved by driving of the second motor and control information of the second motor.

9. The apparatus according to claim 8 , wherein
the measurement unit measures the characteristic when the printing apparatus is activated.

10. The apparatus according to claim 8 , wherein
when printing is performed under the second printing condition, the measurement unit measures the characteristic before the printing.

11. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
when controlling in a third mode in which one of the first motor and the second motor is not driven, the control unit selects the motor to be driven in the third mode based on ratio information defining a use ratio between the first motor and the second motor.

12. The apparatus according to claim 11 , wherein
in the ratio information, the higher use ratio is set for the motor, of the first motor and the second motor, having high heat dissipation in an arrangement portion thereof.

13. The apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a cooling unit configured to cool the first motor and the second motor.

14. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
the control unit performs a movement test of the carriage by driving one of the first motor and the second motor.

15. The apparatus according to claim 14 , wherein
in the movement test, the carriage is moved in an entire range of a movement range thereof.

16. The apparatus according to claim 14 , wherein
in the movement test, the control unit increases stepwise an output of the motor driven in the movement test.

17. The apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a measurement unit configured to measure a velocity fluctuation amount of the carriage during constant-velocity movement of the carriage,
wherein the control unit controls the first motor and the second motor in a plurality of modes including the first mode and the second mode, and the measurement unit measures the velocity fluctuation amount in each mode.

18. The apparatus according to claim 17 , wherein
the measurement unit measures the velocity fluctuation amount based on detection results of a sensor that detects a position of the carriage.

19. The apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a sensor provided in the carriage and configured to read a registration adjustment pattern printed on the print medium,
wherein when reading the registration adjustment pattern by the sensor, the control unit moves the carriage by controlling the first motor and the second motor in a predetermined mode of a plurality of modes including the first mode and the second mode.

20. A carriage apparatus comprising:
a carriage mounted with a printing unit configured to perform printing on a print medium;
a first motor configured to rotate in a first direction to move the carriage in a predetermined direction;
a second motor configured to rotate in the first direction to move the carriage in the predetermined direction; and
a control unit configured to control the first motor and the second motor,
wherein the control unit executes:
a first mode in which, when causing the printing unit to perform printing under a first printing condition, the first motor is driven in the first direction and the second motor is driven in the first direction, and
a second mode in which, when causing the printing unit to perform printing under a second printing condition different from the first printing condition, the first motor is driven in the first direction and the second motor is driven in the first direction while changing an output ratio between the first motor and the second motor.

Assignees

• Canon Kk

Inventors

• Maruyama Ryohei
• Kuronuma Daigo
• Nagashima Masakazu
• Abe Tomohito
• Iimura Kenta
• Yoneyama Hiromasa
• Wada Naoaki
• Hirokawa Kichinosuke
• Fujikake Akira
• Yamaguchi Toshiaki
• Nozawa Hideyuki

Classifications

• B41J19/202 Primary

  Drive control means for carriage movement · CPC title

• B41J29/38 Primary

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

• B41J2/17509

  Whilst mounted in the printer · CPC title

• B41J19/205

  Position or speed detectors therefor · CPC title