Abstract: An apparatus and method are provided for the use of an optical sensor to determine the position of a printing device relative to a piece of paper or a paper-handling surface. The optical sensor reads marks to detect movement and/or direction of movement or spacing of imprints on the paper. Benefits include swath stitching calibration, color to color registration, producing printing device alignment data and generating information for printing device firing signals. The present invention is applicable to a wide field of printing technologies, including, but not limited to, acoustic ink printing, thermal ink jet printing, piezo ink jet printing, ionographic printing and a variety of other printing technologies involving the need for positioning a printing device relative to a piece of paper.

Abstract: An apparatus and method are provided for the use of an optical sensor to determine the position of a printing device relative to a piece of paper or a paper-handling surface. The optical sensor reads marks to detect movement and/or direction of movement or spacing of imprints on the paper. Benefits include swath stitching calibration, color to color registration, producing printing device alignment data and generating information for printing device firing signals. The present invention is applicable to a wide field of printing technologies, including, but not limited to, acoustic ink printing, thermal ink jet printing, piezo ink jet printing, ionographic printing and a variety of other printing technologies involving the need for positioning a printing device relative to a piece of paper.

Abstract: Systems and methods are provided that improve the registration between the color separation images. The systems and methods control the output of the image data for one or more of the color separation images and the velocity of an image-carrying member to remove or reduce registration offsets based on determined position and velocity of the image-carrying member. A position-determining sensor on an image-carrying member device module is used to determine the process-direction position of the image-carrying member to provide real time motion information by simultaneously sensing a plurality of position-determining marks. A position-determining controller determines the process-direction position of the image-carrying member by detecting the plurality of position-determining marks using the position-determining sensor and averaging or correlating the detected data.

Abstract: A method of controlling the movement of copy sheets along a copy sheet path by providing a target by a high level controller for the movement of copy sheets within the copy sheet path and controlling movement of copy sheets within segments of the copy sheet path. Movement in each segment is controlled by subcontrollers activating segment drives. Feedback data are conveyed to the high level controller and to other subcontrollers on the movement of copy sheets within segments of the copy sheet path and copy sheet movement is adjusted by the copy sheet drives of selected segments of the copy sheet path in order to achieve the target.

Abstract: An inductive-type rotary encoder includes a stator having at least one conductive pattern on one side thereof, and a rotor having another conductive pattern on one side thereof which faces the at least one conductive pattern of the stator. The conductive patterns are inductively coupled to one another so as to generate an output signal indicative of the angular position of the rotor relative to the stator. In order to reduce the overall size and number of parts required, the circuitry for energizing the stator conductive pattern(s) and for generating the output signal can be provided on a printed circuit board, the opposite side of which contains the at least one stator conductive pattern.

Abstract: A method and apparatus provides on-line calibration of low cost encoders by interfacing an encoder with a microprocessor and driving a shaft to which the encoder is attached at a slow constant speed and at a fast constant speed. Data is collected by the microprocessor for the slow and fast speeds and a mathematical analysis is performed which determines the torque disturbances occurring at each point in the rotational cycle of the shaft and which further determines the actual location of each encoder line on the encoder in the rotational cycle of the shaft. By knowing the actual location of each encoder line and the number of counts between encoder lines for a given speed, a high accuracy encoder can be realized at a minimal cost.