Abstract: In an image forming device where first and second components are disposed in rotating contact with one another, the first component is driven by a first motor and a second component is driven by a second motor through a gear train with some predetermined backlash. The first and second components can be controllably accelerated according to respective first and second velocity profiles. The second component may be accelerated at a rate faster than the first component by an amount sufficient to substantially eliminate backlash in the gear train by a time the first and second components reach a common process speed. The first and second profiles may be adapted such that the mathematical integral of the time area between curves defining the profiles substantially matches the backlash amount.

Abstract: Correction of rotary encoder eccentricity in an image forming device having a motor controller using period and position pulse train feedback signals. A motor includes an encoder disc rotating with the motor and at least two encoder sensors disposed at different circumferential positions about the encoder disc. A controller may use a high speed clock to calculate a corrected speed count based on speed counts determined from the number of clock cycles that elapse per cycle of pulse trains from the encoders. The controller may also calculate a corrected position count based at least partly on one or more position counts determined from the number of clock cycles that elapse between periodic sampling points and transitions of encoder pulse trains. The corrected position count may also be calculated based on a position count and one or more speed counts.

Abstract: A method of determining a relative speed between two separately driven members in an image forming apparatus, includes the steps of: transporting a print medium using a print media transport assembly including an exit nip, the print media transport assembly operable at a first transport speed; driving a rotatable member associated with an entrance nip using an electric motor at a second transport speed which is independent from the first transport speed; transferring the print medium from the exit nip to the entrance nip; detecting an electrical characteristic of the motor when the print medium is present in each of the exit nip and the entrance nip; and determining a relative speed between the first transport speed and the second transport speed.

Abstract: The present invention provides a novel system (200) for cleaning sponge or porous polymeric products (FIG. 1), e.g., scrubbing brush. The system includes, among other elements, a chemical source region (201) that has at least one cleaning chemical such as an acid, a base, a solvent, and other cleaning materials. A washer unit (209) (e.g., rotatable basket-type) is coupled to the chemical source region (201). In most embodiments, the washer unit (209) is coupled to the source region by lines or pipes that introduce chemicals into the washer unit (209) in a selected manner. To oversee operations of the system, a controller (207) is coupled to the washer unit. The controller is operative to provide at least one process recipe for cleaning a porous polymeric product.

Abstract: A method of controlling a controllable force generator within a controllable suspension system interconnected between a first member M.sub.1 and a second member M.sub.2. The method includes the steps of obtaining a first signal (V.sub.abs) representative of the absolute velocity of the first member M.sub.1, obtaining a second signal (V.sub.rel) representative of the relative velocity between the first and second members, and setting a desired damping force for the generator based upon a control policy which defines a control surface. The control policy includes a preselected gain, an absolute velocity, and a shaping function of relative velocity wherein said control surface exhibits only continuous first derivatives for V.sub.rel *V.sub.abs >0 and wherein the control surface is devoid of any surface discontinuities. This control policy effectively eliminates the jerkiness in certain prior art control methods, such as skyhook.