US5297871A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Paper feeding control apparatus and method for printers
Assignee: Seiko Epson Corp
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Filing: 1991-11-29
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Granted: 1994-03-29
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Expires: 2011-11-29
Abstract
Abstract A vertical forms control apparatus for a printer, and a printing method, which corrects dot pitch errors in the subscanning direction. A paper feeding control apparatus is provided with a print head scanned in a direction of paper width and having a plurality (N) of dot forming elements aligned with a dot pitch (P) in a direction in which the paper is advanced, a pulse motor connected to a paper advancing mechanism via a transmission such that the pulse motor requires a plurality of steps to make a rotation corresponding to the dot pitch (P), and a microcomputer for outputting drive pulses to the pulse motor 1, the drive pulses indicating the number-of-steps-for-an-advancement-of-one-line (P×N) plus correction steps. In printing across a plurality of lines with the lines connected together, if blank spaces or overlaps are developed, pulses in a number required for rotating the pulse motor in an amount corresponding to the width of the blank spaces or overlaps are added to or subtracted from a standard value so that the pulse motor undergoes a correct amount of rotation for each line. By this arrangement, errors between lines due to machining errors of parts can be corrected so that image data formed of a plurality of lines can be printed with a high quality with no blank spaces and overlaps.
Inventors
- 👤 Satoshi Fujioka
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-05 20:23
CPC Classifications
B; B41; B41J; B41J11/00; B41J11/36; B41J11/42; B41J2/00; B41J2/485; B41J2/505
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 9
Claim 1
Independent Claim
172 words
A printing apparatus comprising: a print head and means for scanning said print head in a direction of width of a paper to be printed, said print head having a plurality (N) of dot forming elements aligned in a longitudinal direction of said paper and with a dot pitch (P) in the longitudinal direction; a paper-advancing mechanism for advancing said paper in the longitudinal direction; a pulse motor and a transmission, said pulse motor being connected to said paper advancing mechanism via said transmission such that said pulse motor requires a plurality of steps to make said pulse motor rotate an amount corresponding to an advancement of said paper advancing mechanism in the longitudinal direction equal to said dot pitch (P); and control means for outputting drive pulses to said pulse motor to advance said paper in a number of steps (S) for an advancement of said paper by one line (P×N) plus a number of steps for correction wherein said pulse motor is advanced by a fraction of said dot pitch.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
172 words
A printing apparatus comprising: a print head and means for scanning said print head in a direction of width of a paper to be printed, said print head having a plurality (N) of dot forming elements aligned in a longitudinal direction of said paper and with a dot pitch (P) in the longitudinal direction; a paper-advancing mechanism for advancing said paper in the longitudinal direction; a pulse motor and a transmission, said pulse motor being connected to said paper advancing mechanism via said transmission such that said pulse motor requires a plurality of steps to make said pulse motor rotate an amount corresponding to an advancement of said paper advancing mechanism in the longitudinal direction equal to said dot pitch (P); and control means for outputting drive pulses to said pulse motor to advance said paper in a number of steps (S) for an advancement of said paper by one line (P×N) plus a number of steps for correction wherein said pulse motor is advanced by a fraction of said dot pitch.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
44 words
The printing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: a plurality of sets of number-of-steps-for-one-line-advancement data; means for storing said data; and means for determining a thickness of said paper, wherein said number-of-steps-for-one-line-advancement data is determined in accordance with the thickness of said paper.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
44 words
The printing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: a plurality of sets of number-of-steps-for-one-line-advancement data; means for storing said data; and means for determining a position of said paper, wherein said number-of-steps-for-one-line-advancement data is determined in accordance with the position of said paper.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
38 words
The printing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: a plurality of sets of number-of-steps-for-one-line-advancement data for eliminating blank spaces, overlapping and misalignment between adjacent printing lines printed by said print head; and means for storing said data.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
152 words
A printing method comprising the steps of: scanning a print head having a plurality of dot forming elements arranged with a predetermined dot pitch as measured in a paper advancing direction over the surface of a recording sheet in a print head scanning direction; driving said print head with a recording signal to cause said printing head to print dots on said recording sheet in a line in a pattern determined by said recording signal; advancing said recording sheet in the paper advancing direction by applying pulses to a pulse motor driving a paper-advancing mechanism; determining a number of pulses applied to said pulse motor in accordance with both a predetermined line spacing between adjacent lines to be printed by said print head and a correction amount corresponding to a fraction of the dot pitch so as to eliminate blank spaces, overlapping and misalignment between adjacent lines printed by said print head.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
152 words
A printing method comprising the steps of: scanning a print head having a plurality of dot forming elements arranged with a predetermined dot pitch as measured in a paper advancing direction over the surface of a recording sheet in a print head scanning direction; driving said print head with a recording signal to cause said printing head to print dots on said recording sheet in a line in a pattern determined by said recording signal; advancing said recording sheet in the paper advancing direction by applying pulses to a pulse motor driving a paper-advancing mechanism; determining a number of pulses applied to said pulse motor in accordance with both a predetermined line spacing between adjacent lines to be printed by said print head and a correction amount corresponding to a fraction of the dot pitch so as to eliminate blank spaces, overlapping and misalignment between adjacent lines printed by said print head.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
28 words
The printing method of claim 5, further comprising the steps of determining a thickness of said recording sheeting, and determining said correction amount in accordance with said thickness.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
27 words
The printing method of claim 5, further comprising the steps of determining a position of said paper, and determining said correction amount in accordance with said position.
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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1997-03-28 | 1997-09-27 | 1998-03-29 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 2001-03-28 | 2001-09-27 | 2002-03-29 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2005-03-28 | 2005-09-27 | 2006-03-29 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |