Printer, method of printing, and non-transitory recording medium

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9352598-B2
Application number	US-201514847636-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 8, 2015
Priority date	Oct 20, 2014
Publication date	May 31, 2016
Grant date	May 31, 2016

Abstract

A printer including an optical moving amount calculator, an angle calculator, and a moving amount corrector is provided. The optical moving amount calculator calculates a moving amount of the printer or an object to be irradiated after a movement thereof, based on a difference in image data generated before and after the movement. The image data is generated by emitting light to the print medium or the object and receiving light reflected therefrom. The angle calculator calculates a deviation angle of an installation angle of the optical moving amount calculator installed in the printer, based on a calibration moving amount of the printer or the object after a calibration movement thereof that is a parallel translation. The moving amount corrector corrects the moving amount of the printer after the movement thereof, based on the calculated deviation angle of the optical moving amount calculator.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A printer performing printing while being moved on a print medium, comprising:
an optical moving amount calculator that calculates a moving amount of the printer or an object to be irradiated after a movement thereof, based on a difference in image data generated before and after the movement, the image data generated by emitting light to the print medium or the object and receiving light reflected therefrom;
an angle calculator that calculates a deviation angle of an installation angle of the optical moving amount calculator installed in the printer, based on a calibration moving amount of the printer or the object after a calibration movement thereof that is a parallel translation; and
a moving amount corrector that corrects the moving amount of the printer after the movement thereof, based on the calculated deviation angle of the optical moving amount calculator.

2. The printer according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a plurality of dischargers that discharge liquid droplets in accordance with image data of a print target; and
a position calculator that calculates a position coordinate of each of the dischargers on the print medium based on the corrected moving amount of the printer.

3. The printer according to claim 2 , wherein, when the position coordinate of one of the discharger on the print medium coincides with a position coordinate of the image data of the print target, the discharger discharges liquid droplets to the coincided position coordinate in accordance with the image data of the print target.

4. A method of printing performed by a printer being moved on a print medium, comprising:
emitting light to the print medium or an object to be irradiated;
receiving light reflected from the print medium or the object to generate image data;
calculating a moving amount of the printer after a movement thereof, based on a difference in the image data generated before and after the movement;
calculating a deviation angle of an installation angle of the optical moving amount calculator installed in the printer, based on a calibration moving amount of the printer or the object after a calibration movement thereof that is a parallel translation; and
correcting the moving amount of the printer after the movement thereof, based on the calculated deviation angle of the optical moving amount calculator.

5. The method according to claim 4 , further comprising:
calculating a position coordinate of a discharger included in the printer on the print medium based on the corrected moving amount.

6. The method according to claim 5 , further comprising:
when the position coordinate of the discharger on the print medium coincides with a position coordinate of image data of a print target, discharging liquid droplets to the coincided position coordinate in accordance with the image data of the print target.

7. A non-transitory recording medium storing a plurality of instructions which, when executed by one or more processors, cause the processors to perform a method, comprising:
emitting light to the print medium or an object to be irradiated;
receiving light reflected from the print medium or the object to generate image data;
calculating a moving amount of the printer after a movement thereof, based on a difference in the image data generated before and after the movement;
calculating a deviation angle of an installation angle of the optical moving amount calculator installed in the printer, based on a calibration moving amount of the printer or the object after a calibration movement thereof that is a parallel translation; and
correcting the moving amount of the printer after the movement thereof, based on the calculated deviation angle of the optical moving amount calculator.

Assignees

• Nakata Tetsuyoshi
• Harada Yasunari
• Watanabe Jun
• Fukasawa Tomoko
• Satoh Ryuuichi
• Tanaka Hiroki
• Hosokawa Toshiaki
• Ricoh Co Ltd

Inventors

• Nakata Tetsuyoshi
• Harada Yasunari
• Watanabe Jun
• Fukasawa Tomoko
• Satoh Ryuuichi
• Tanaka Hiroki
• Hosokawa Toshiaki

Classifications

• B41J29/38 Primary

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

• B41J3/36

  for portability {, i.e. hand-held printers or laptop printers (B41J3/4075 takes precedence)} · CPC title

• B41J2/2135

  Alignment of dots · CPC title