Abstract: To control movement of a member to be driven by using a scale having a plurality of indices at a predetermined interval, and a sensor which is attached to the member to be driven along the scale and detects the indices, a time until the next index is detected is predicted on the basis of the output waveform of the sensor. Then, a signal concerning the current position of the member is generated on the basis of the predicted time. The current position of the member can be controlled with high precision even during acceleration/deceleration.

Abstract: An area on the printing sheet which can be printed through a single scanning operation of a printing head is divided into a plurality of smaller areas. The printing sheet is transported a distance corresponding to each divided area to print the image using different nozzles of the printing head for each divided area. When a back end portion of the printing sheet is printed, the distance transported is reduced to set inoperative nozzles that are not used for the printing operation. Then, when the printing sheet slips out from the upstream roller pair and it is then detected that the printing sheet is to be transported a distance longer than predetermined amount of rotation of the roller, the inoperative nozzles are used to shift an operative nozzle range depending on the extra amount of rotation. Thus, the extra transportation of the printing sheet is corrected.

Abstract: A method for aligning two or more printhead modules (2) mounted to a support member (3) in a printer, the method including:

Abstract: A serial printer includes a carriage reciprocating in a main scanning direction, a reading sensor mounted in carriage, a timing fence arranged in the main scanning direction, a mechanism preventing movement of carriage in the main scanning direction, and a controlling portion detecting a set condition for image formation in accordance with read data of timing fence from reading sensor for controlling image formation. Controlling portion detects the set condition for image formation only in accordance with the read data of timing fence, so that detection of the set condition for image formation is enabled without increasing the size of an apparatus and cost, or without decreasing a processing efficiency in image formation.

Abstract: Spaced pins support and align the strip. Apertures in the strip engage the pins with no fastening. The strip—best a transparent member and glued strength member—is end-mounted and -tensioned. Ideally the apertures are slots to constrain the strip as to only one dimension, and spaced (ideally about 30 cm on centers) to facilitate cutting various-size strips (e. g. for spans of roughly 91½, 106½, 152½ and 183 cm) from common, preapertured stock. The strip is longer than a meter; the invention is progressively more valuable for 1¼ m or longer strips. At least one pin is placed to keep fundamental oscillation of the strip, due to environmental vibration, from moving the strip out of position. The invention can take the form of the strip only, for use with the pins; or a printer with encoding system having the strip and pins—and a sensor responsive to the encoder to control printing; or a method of preparing a system for use.

Abstract: In accordance with the described invention, a stepper motor that drives a printer's movable subsystem, e.g. a sled-mounted ink-jet service station, is replaced with a less expensive and quieter DC motor, and continuous positional feedback is obtained via a fixed subsystem-mounted optical sensor array in cooperation with a movable subsystem-mounted code strip that includes a home-position encoding region. The code strip produces in the optical sensor array, in reflective response to a fixed subsystem-mounted light source, a plurality of modulated signals as the substantial extent of the code strip passes by, thereby enabling positional tracking of the movable subsystem's motion, and produces a secure home-position identification signal set when the homing patch is in the `view` of the array.

Abstract: An embodiment of the present invention comprises a system that causes a printer carriage to scan from a reference position to a second position. The status of the peripheral is monitored by the host computer with detectors that can sense the position of the carriage when at the reference position and the second position. A count is made of the number of clock pulses that occur during a time the carriage scans from scans reference position to the second position. A lookup table is then used that is indexed by the number of clock pulses. This provides a set of parameters the host computer will need to have available to use the peripheral right.

Abstract: A recording apparatus of the kind arranged to perform recording by moving a carriage on which a recording head is mounted is provided with a linear encoder which consists of a linear scale part arranged in parallel to a moving route of the carriage to have position information recorded in the longitudinal direction thereof at a predetermined pitch and a detecting head arranged to detect the position information of the scale part. The detecting head includes a protective film thereon and a slider which fittingly engages the scale part and is formed with a polyphenylene sulfide material containing 10 to 50% of a filler.

Abstract: A movement distance monitoring pulse counter counts drive pulses being applied to a carriage-moving pulse motor, and produces a count value M. An optical sensor attached to a head carriage detects slits of a slit encoder passed by the head carriage. A slit counter counts output pulses of the optical sensor, and produces a reset signal every time the count reaches a preset number of output pulses corresponding to a monitoring carriage movement distance. The count value M is reset in response to the reset signal. When the count value M exceeds a preset number of drive pulses corresponding to the monitoring carriage movement distance, an abnormality detection signal is produced.

Abstract: A printing machine for printing at printing positions along a line, and for performing a positional control by linear encoder. The printing machine comprises a linear encoder memory and detecting means. The linear encoder memory has a line-shaped magnetic recording medium formed of an alloy consisting essentially of iron, chromium, cobalt, no more than 0.03 weight % of carbon, and optionally 0.05 to 3 weight % of at least one element selected from the group consisting of titanium, vanadium, molybdenum and tungsten. The linear encoder memory extends parallel along a line of printing positions. The detecting means is coupled to the magnetic recording medium and is movable relative to the magnetic recording medium. The decting means detects a magnetic record on the magnetic recording medium. The detecting means comprises a magnetic head which includes a magnetic sensor element and a supporting mount.

Abstract: A paper edge detecting device for a printing apparatus in which a paper margin of a print paper can be detected with high accuracy. A mark printing process is executed upon power-on of a printer, so that a carriage is displaced from an original position H0 to a position corresponding to a set pulse number H.sub.P and stopped at that position to print on the print paper a linear mark M aligned in a direction perpendicular to a displacement direction of the carriage. Thereafter, a mark detection process is executed, and the carriage is displaced from the original position H0 until the mark M is detected by the photosensor. Subsequently, a correction amount generating process is executed to calculate a correction value .alpha. on the basis of the set pulse number H.sub.P and the count value C.sub.P when the mark M is detected by the photosensor.

Abstract: A paper width of a sheet of paper is input into a paper width setting section. In case of defining a non-print area at a fore end of the paper, a paper bail roller is manually separated from a platen to output a detection signal A from a paper bail switch. In this case, a paper feeding motor is controlled to be driven by a control device, thereby feeding the paper until the fore end of the paper reaches the paper bail roller. On the other hand, in case of starting printing from the fore end of the paper, an operating section is operated to output a command signal B therefrom.

Abstract: A device for actuating a tilting lever used in sensing sheet-type recording media includes a tilting lever having first and second arms and being swingably mounted about a pivot axis attached to a frame, from a first reference position to a second reference position. A first permanent magnet cooperates with a magnetized contact region on the first tilting-lever arm and is arranged to rest against the magnetized contact region when the first arm is in the first reference position. A second permanent magnet cooperates with a further magnetized contact region on the second arm and is arranged to rest against the further contact region when the second arm is in the second reference position.

Abstract: A printing apparatus includes a platen on which a printing medium is set, a carriage which is movable along the platen and having a guide for guiding the printing medium to the platen and a printing head for making a print on the printing medium which is set on the platen, a first motor for moving the carriage along the platen, a second motor for feeding the printing medium, and a controller for controlling the first motor so that the carriage is moved to a first position until a tip end of the printing medium passes between the printing head and the platen and the carriage is moved to a second position after the tip end of the printing medium passes between the printing head and the platen, where the first and second positions are mutually different positions.

Abstract: The position of a print head, movable back and forth over the width of a paper band, is used as an index versus parameter data in menu presentation recorded parallel to the extension of the print-head motion path in a device for the setting of operating parameters of a printer. In order to eliminate a conventional continuous and repeated printing of the operating parameters on paper, a new setting of the programming at the printer can be performed such that the operating parameters (3) are visually displayed in form of a permanent or callable display (4) at the casing (5) of the printer. A position-determining element (6) is furnished at the print head (1). The momentary position indicator (7) of the print head (1) is reproduced on the display (4) for the operating parameters (3), as illustrated in FIG. 4.

Abstract: A printing apparatus includes a platen on which a printing medium is set, a carriage which is movable along the platen and having a guide for guiding the printing medium to the platen and a printing head for making a print on the printing medium which is set on the platen, a first motor for moving the carriage along the platen, a second motor for feeding the printing medium, and a controller for controlling the first motor so that the carriage is moved to a first position until a tip end of the printing medium passes between the printing head and the platen and the carriage is moved to a second position after the tip end of the printing medium passes between the printing head and the platen, where the first and second positions are mutually different positions.

Abstract: A positioning unit for use in completing forms at a word processing station having a display unit, a computer, a text input device and a printer. The positioning unit has a transparent contact plate into which a copy of the form is placed and underneath which a movable position marker directs onto the copy a light dot which is moved in synchronism with a cursor on a screen of a display unit. The position marker is mounted on a frame below the contact plate and is movable in line and column directions parallel to the contact plate so as to follow the movement of the cursor, so that an operator can observe where on a corresponding form in the printer text entered into a computer via the input device and viewable on the screen, will be typed on the printer.

Abstract: In a layout display device of an electronic printer, a per character display segment number is calculated by a CPU in accordance with a total display segment number of the layout display section and possible printing range data, and an input character number is multiplied with the calculated value to thereby turn on the display segments of the section corresponding to the input character number.

Abstract: To enable a microprocessor to operate within its bandwidth limitations while controlling a serial printer, means are provided for adjusting the microprocessor system clock rate when the printer is in its rate mode. In particular, the output of a counter clocked by the pulses from an encoder representing the velocity of a member is controlled; the output of the counter being selectively applied to the microprocessor in accordance with the velocity of the member being controlled.

Abstract: In an illustrative embodiment, a first advance signal is produced whenever a character is supplied to the keyboard control unit which is to be associated with advance of the printer carriage. Such a character may be shifted through a keyboard buffer storage, and then produce a second advance signal when it is transmitted to a receiving device for actually triggering a carriage advance. Second control signals are also produced in response to characters from other input units or which are received via a trunk line. A counter registers carriage position to be attained when the characters in the buffer have all been printed, for example by responding to second advance signals which are in addition to those due to characters from the buffer, and for responding to first control signals as a measure of characters being supplied via the buffer storage system. Alternatively, the second advance signals can also be the measure of characters supplied from the buffer.