Sheet feeding or delivering – Feeding – Separators
Reexamination Certificate
2002-11-05
2004-10-19
Walsh, Ronald T. (Department: 3653)
Sheet feeding or delivering
Feeding
Separators
C221S110000, C221S242000, C221S202000, C221S258000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06805342
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a printer-control method and a printer-control apparatus, and in particular, to a printer-control method and a printer-control apparatus that in a paper-supply operation into a printer, speed control of a paper-supply motor is performed when a printing paper abuts against a paper-feed roller and a driven roller and is nipped by them. Further, the present invention relates to a storage medium which stores a computer program for executing the printer-control method.
2. Related Background Art
FIG. 1
is an explanatory illustration typically showing structures of components that relate to paper-supply of printing paper and detection of upper and lower ends of the printing paper in a printer.
In the printer, as shown in
FIG. 1
, printing papers
50
that are set in a tray
90
are fed one by one by a paper-supply roller
64
. Then, an upper end of the printing paper
50
is detected by a paper sensor
15
. A paper-supply motor
63
(see
FIG. 10
) is coupled to the paper-supply roller
64
. The paper-supply roller
64
is driven by driving and controlling the paper-supply motor
63
and thus the paper is supplied into the printer.
Then, the printing paper
50
is fed by a paper-feed roller
65
and a driven roller
66
. Printing is performed on a platen
84
by an ink discharged from a printhead
9
. Printing advances to a vicinity of a lower end of the printing paper
50
while the printing paper
50
is successively fed. The printing paper
50
does not exist on the paper sensor
15
at a certain time. In this way, the lower end of the printing paper
50
is detected.
An operation of supplying a printing paper into a printer is generally performed as described above. In the paper-supply operation, when a printing paper abuts against a paper-feed roller and a driven roller and is nipped therebetween, i.e., at a time of so-called abutting and nipping, the upper end of the printing paper is desirably nipped between the paper-feed roller and the driven roller so as to be parallel to them.
In actuality, however, when the printing paper abuts the paper-feed roller and the driven roller and is nipped therebetween, the upper end of the printing paper is not perfectly parallel to the paper-feed roller and the driven roller. The upper end of the printing paper is often nipped while slightly inclined.
Then, after the printing paper is nipped, the printing paper which is nipped by the paper-feed roller and the driven roller is fed in a reverse direction and pushed back, i.e., discharging of the printing paper is performed. By repeating such nipping and discharging for several times, the upper end of the printing paper is perfectly parallel to the paper-feed roller and the driven roller. In this way, deskew of the printing paper is performed. Deskew operation of printing paper will be hereinafter described in detail with reference to the drawings.
FIGS. 2A through 2E
are explanatory illustrations typically showing states of the paper-supply roller, the paper-feed roller and the printing paper in deskew of the printing paper, seen from the side.
FIGS. 3A through 3E
are explanatory illustrations typically showing states of the paper-supply roller, the paper-feed roller and the printing paper in deskew of the printing paper, seen from above.
As shown in
FIGS. 2A and 3A
, when each printing paper
50
is fed by the paper-supply roller
64
one by one, in accordance with rotational operation of the paper-supply roller
64
, an upper end of the printing paper
50
gradually approaches the paper-feed roller
65
and the driven roller
66
. At this time, the upper end of the printing paper
50
is desirably parallel to the paper-feed roller
65
and the driven roller
66
. As shown in
FIG. 3A
, however, the upper end of the printing paper
50
may be inclined with respect to the paper-feed roller and the driven roller.
As shown in
FIGS. 2B and 3B
, when the paper-supply roller
64
is further rotated, the upper end portion of the printing paper
50
abuts against the paper-feed roller
65
and the driven roller
66
and is nipped therebetween. As described above, such state is referred to as nipping of the printing paper.
The paper-supply roller
64
is rotated by a predetermined amount and then stopped in order to deskew the printing paper. At this time, a length of the upper end portion of the printing paper which is extended off from the position at which the printing paper
50
is nipped by the paper-feed roller
65
and the driven roller
66
toward the printer is referred to as a nipping amount C. The nipping amount C is usually set for each type of the printing paper
50
and can be changed by setting a printer corresponding to the type of the printing paper
50
. Referring to
FIGS. 2B and 3B
, the state in which the printing paper
50
abuts against the paper-feed roller
65
and the driven roller
66
while being inclined is shown. Thus, the nipping amount C shows a nipping amount at a generally central portion of the printing paper
50
.
Then, as shown in
FIGS. 2C and 3C
, in order to deskew the printing paper
50
, the paper-feed roller
65
is rotated in reverse while the paper-supply roller
64
is stopped. The printing paper
50
is fed in reverse by the nipping amount C and thus discharged. The printing paper
50
which is fed in reverse by the nipping amount C and discharged is deflected. Further, the upper end of the printing paper
50
is forcibly abutted against the paper-feed roller
65
and the driven roller
66
because of flexibility of the printing paper itself. At this time, the upper end of the printing paper
50
is generally parallel to the paper-feed roller
65
and the driven roller
66
.
When the upper end of the printing paper
50
is generally parallel to the paper-feed roller
65
and the driven roller
66
, as shown in
FIGS. 2D and 3D
, the paper-feed roller
65
is rotated forward within a range of the nipping amount C, so that the upper end of the printing paper
50
is nipped by the paper-feed roller
65
and the driven roller
66
. Then, by repeating nipping shown in
FIGS. 2D and 3D
and discharging shown in
FIGS. 2C and 3C
for several times, the upper end of the printing paper
50
becomes parallel to the paper-feed roller
65
and the driven roller
66
.
When the upper end of the printing paper
50
becomes parallel to the paper-feed roller
65
and the driven roller
66
, the paper-feed roller
65
is rotated forward and the printing paper
50
is nipped again by the paper-feed roller
65
and the driven roller
66
. Further, the paper-supply roller
64
is rotated such that the printing paper
50
is released. Thereafter, subsequent paper-feed operation is performed. In this way, deskew of printing paper is performed.
Next, a description will be given about speed control of the paper-supply motor from the time when a paper-supply roller starts a paper-supply operation to the time when the paper-supply roller is stopped to deskew a printing paper.
FIG. 4
is a graph showing a first example of target speed, current speed and waveform of control signal for the paper-supply motor from the time when a paper-supply roller starts a paper-supply operation to the time when the paper-supply roller is stopped in order to deskew a printing paper.
FIG. 5
is a graph showing a section from 300 to 0 of remaining distance to a target stop position shown in
FIG. 4
with only a horizontal axis being enlarged.
The target stop position shown in
FIGS. 4 and 5
show a position at which an upper end of printing paper is nipped by the paper-feed roller
65
and the driven roller
66
by a predetermined nipping amount C and the paper-supply roller
64
is stopped in order to deskew the printing paper.
At a section from 800 ({fraction (1/1440)} inches (1 inch=2.54 cm): a unit will be appropriately omitted hereinafter) to 700 of remaining distance to the target stop position, a PID waveform is shown. Nevertheless, this section is not a PID control section but an acceleration
Takahara Toshiyuki
Takeishi Tetsuji
Bowers Kenneth W.
Seiko Epson Corporation
Sughrue & Mion, PLLC
Walsh Ronald T.
LandOfFree
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