Printers and methods for detecting print media thickness therein
원문보기
IPC분류정보
국가/구분
United States(US) Patent
등록
국제특허분류(IPC7판)
B41J-011/00
B41J-013/00
출원번호
US-0408572
(2017-01-18)
등록번호
US-9802427
(2017-10-31)
발명자
/ 주소
Lim, Boon Kheng
Harinarayanan, Aravindkumar
Lim, Danny
출원인 / 주소
Datamax-O'Neil Corporation
대리인 / 주소
Additon, Higgins & Pendleton, P.A.
인용정보
피인용 횟수 :
1인용 특허 :
237
초록▼
Printer is provided having support base on which print media travels. Printer includes thickness detection module and processor. Thickness detection module includes pinch arm assembly with pinch arm having first and second ends, encoder, and proximate dual channel encoder sensor. First end is biased
Printer is provided having support base on which print media travels. Printer includes thickness detection module and processor. Thickness detection module includes pinch arm assembly with pinch arm having first and second ends, encoder, and proximate dual channel encoder sensor. First end is biased toward support base. Encoder with number of circumferentially spaced line pairs is disposed at second end. Pinch arm and encoder configured to rotate in response to engagement of pinch arm with at least print media portion. Dual channel encoder sensor configured to detect rotation direction and encoder count and output signal representing encoder count. Encoder count is number of circumferentially spaced line pairs that pass by dual channel encoder sensor as pinch arm and encoder rotate. Processor is communicatively coupled to dual channel encoder sensor and configured to receive signal and calculate print media thickness of portion from encoder count using conversion factor.
대표청구항▼
1. A printer having a support base on which print media travels, the printer comprising: a thickness detection module comprising a pinch arm assembly comprising: a pinch arm having a first end and a second end where the first end is biased toward the support base;an encoder disposed at the second en
1. A printer having a support base on which print media travels, the printer comprising: a thickness detection module comprising a pinch arm assembly comprising: a pinch arm having a first end and a second end where the first end is biased toward the support base;an encoder disposed at the second end of the pinch arm, the encoder having a number of circumferentially spaced line pairs, the pinch arm and encoder configured to rotate in response to engagement of the pinch arm with at least a portion of the print media,a dual channel encoder sensor proximate the encoder and configured to: detect the rotation direction and an encoder count comprising the number of circumferentially spaced line pairs that pass by the dual channel encoder sensor as the pinch arm and encoder rotate; andoutput a signal representing the encoder count; anda processor communicatively coupled to the dual channel encoder sensor and configured to: receive the signal; andcalculate a print media thickness of the portion of the print media from the encoder count using a conversion factor. 2. The printer according to claim 1, wherein the encoder count changes each time the print media thickness changes. 3. The printer according to claim 2, wherein the rotation direction changes each time the print media thickness changes, the rotation direction comprising a first rotation direction and a second rotation direction, the pinch arm and encoder rotating in the first rotation direction in response to an increase in the print media thickness and in the opposite second rotation direction in response to a decrease in the print media thickness. 4. The printer according to claim 3, wherein the encoder count increases with rotation in the first rotation direction and the encoder count decreases with rotation in the opposite second rotation direction. 5. The printer according to claim 4, wherein the pinch arm and encoder are configured to rotate in the first rotation direction in response to engagement with at least the portion of the print media comprising a print medium portion overlying a liner portion and in the opposite second rotation direction in response to engagement with at least the portion of the print media comprising a liner only portion, the encoder count from rotation in the first rotation direction comprising a first encoder count and the encoder count from rotation in the second rotation direction comprising a second encoder count that is less than the first encoder count. 6. The printer according to claim 5, wherein the print media thickness of the print medium portion overlying the liner portion is calculated from the first encoder count and the print media thickness of the liner only portion of the print media is calculated from the second encoder count, a thickness of the print medium calculated by subtracting print media thickness calculated from the second encoder count from the print media thickness calculated from the first encoder count. 7. The printer according to claim 1, wherein the first end of the pinch arm comprises a print media engagement end that engages with a top portion of at least the portion of the print media that is clamped between the print media engagement end and a top of the support base and that disengages therefrom when the pinch arm is not engaged with at least the portion of the print media. 8. The printer according to claim 7, wherein the pinch arm extends radially from a media guide, the pinch arm comprising an elongated substantially planar bar movably mounted on the media guide for rotation with respect to the media guide. 9. The printer according to claim 1, wherein the pinch arm assembly further comprises a biasing element for biasing the pinch arm toward the support base and into engagement with at least the portion of the print media. 10. The printer according to claim 9, further comprising a bracket above the support base for mounting of the biasing element, wherein a media roll disposed on a media supply spindle of the printer is configured to rotate in a predetermined direction to have the print media thereof fed into and passed through a channel defined between the bracket and the support base. 11. The printer according to claim 1, wherein the thickness detection module is located in the printer along a media path prior to a thermal print head utilized to thermally transfer a portion of ink from an ink ribbon in a ribbon roll to the print media with a thermal print head (TPH) pressure that is automatically adjusted for the calculated print media thickness. 12. The printer according to claim 1, wherein the encoder and the pinch arm are separate components of the pinch arm assembly. 13. The printer according to claim 1, wherein the pinch arm and encoder are integrally formed as one-piece. 14. A method for detecting the thickness of print media in a printer, the method comprising: setting an encoder count to zero in response to receiving a no print media sensor signal;receiving a signal from a dual channel encoder sensor proximate an encoder disposed at an end of a pinch arm, the encoder having a number of circumferentially spaced line pairs, the signal representing a rotation direction and the encoder count comprising the number of circumferentially spaced line pairs that, during a time interval, pass by the dual channel encoder sensor as the pinch arm and encoder rotate in the rotation direction; andin response to receiving the signal, calculating the print media thickness of the print media from the encoder count using a conversion factor. 15. The method according to claim 14, wherein receiving the signal comprises receiving a first signal representing a first rotation direction and a first encoder count, wherein the time interval comprises a first-time interval, and in response to receiving the first signal, calculating the print media thickness of a portion of the print media from the first encoder count. 16. The method according to claim 15, wherein receiving the signal comprises receiving a second signal representing an opposite second rotation direction and a second encoder count, during a second-time interval, as the pinch arm and encoder rotate in the second rotation direction; and in response to receiving the second signal, calculating the print media thickness of a different portion of the print media from the second encoder count. 17. The method according to claim 16, further comprising determining a label length, a gap length, and a label pitch from an interval time of encoder count and the velocity of the print media moving through the printer. 18. An assembly configured to detect a print media thickness in a printer, the assembly comprising: a pinch arm having a first end and a second end;an encoder disposed at the second end of the pinch arm, the encoder having a number of circumferentially spaced line pairs, the pinch arm and encoder configured to rotate in response to engagement of the pinch arm with at least a portion of the print media,a dual channel encoder sensor proximate the encoder; anda biasing element for urging the pinch arm into engagement with at least the portion of the print media. 19. The assembly according to claim 18, wherein the encoder and the pinch arm are separate components of the assembly. 20. The assembly according to claim 18, wherein the pinch arm and encoder are integrally formed as one-piece.
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