US20220112044A1 - Media support - Google Patents
Media support Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- US20220112044A1 US20220112044A1 US17/559,171 US202117559171A US2022112044A1 US 20220112044 A1 US20220112044 A1 US 20220112044A1 US 202117559171 A US202117559171 A US 202117559171A US 2022112044 A1 US2022112044 A1 US 2022112044A1
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- US
- United States
- Prior art keywords
- vacuum
- hold down
- suction cups
- down area
- supply
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
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Classifications
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- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B41—PRINTING; LINING MACHINES; TYPEWRITERS; STAMPS
- B41J—TYPEWRITERS; SELECTIVE PRINTING MECHANISMS, i.e. MECHANISMS PRINTING OTHERWISE THAN FROM A FORME; CORRECTION OF TYPOGRAPHICAL ERRORS
- B41J11/00—Devices or arrangements of selective printing mechanisms, e.g. ink-jet printers or thermal printers, for supporting or handling copy material in sheet or web form
- B41J11/0015—Devices or arrangements of selective printing mechanisms, e.g. ink-jet printers or thermal printers, for supporting or handling copy material in sheet or web form for treating before, during or after printing or for uniform coating or laminating the copy material before or after printing
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
- B65H—HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL, e.g. SHEETS, WEBS, CABLES
- B65H5/00—Feeding articles separated from piles; Feeding articles to machines
- B65H5/22—Feeding articles separated from piles; Feeding articles to machines by air-blast or suction device
- B65H5/222—Feeding articles separated from piles; Feeding articles to machines by air-blast or suction device by suction devices
- B65H5/224—Feeding articles separated from piles; Feeding articles to machines by air-blast or suction device by suction devices by suction belts
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
- B65H—HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL, e.g. SHEETS, WEBS, CABLES
- B65H11/00—Feed tables
- B65H11/002—Feed tables incorporating transport belts
- B65H11/005—Suction belts
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B41—PRINTING; LINING MACHINES; TYPEWRITERS; STAMPS
- B41J—TYPEWRITERS; SELECTIVE PRINTING MECHANISMS, i.e. MECHANISMS PRINTING OTHERWISE THAN FROM A FORME; CORRECTION OF TYPOGRAPHICAL ERRORS
- B41J11/00—Devices or arrangements of selective printing mechanisms, e.g. ink-jet printers or thermal printers, for supporting or handling copy material in sheet or web form
- B41J11/007—Conveyor belts or like feeding devices
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B41—PRINTING; LINING MACHINES; TYPEWRITERS; STAMPS
- B41J—TYPEWRITERS; SELECTIVE PRINTING MECHANISMS, i.e. MECHANISMS PRINTING OTHERWISE THAN FROM A FORME; CORRECTION OF TYPOGRAPHICAL ERRORS
- B41J11/00—Devices or arrangements of selective printing mechanisms, e.g. ink-jet printers or thermal printers, for supporting or handling copy material in sheet or web form
- B41J11/0085—Using suction for maintaining printing material flat
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
- B65G—TRANSPORT OR STORAGE DEVICES, e.g. CONVEYORS FOR LOADING OR TIPPING, SHOP CONVEYOR SYSTEMS OR PNEUMATIC TUBE CONVEYORS
- B65G21/00—Supporting or protective framework or housings for endless load-carriers or traction elements of belt or chain conveyors
- B65G21/20—Means incorporated in, or attached to, framework or housings for guiding load-carriers, traction elements or loads supported on moving surfaces
- B65G21/2027—Suction retaining means
- B65G21/2036—Suction retaining means for retaining the load on the load-carrying surface
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
- B65H—HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL, e.g. SHEETS, WEBS, CABLES
- B65H2404/00—Parts for transporting or guiding the handled material
- B65H2404/20—Belts
- B65H2404/23—Belts with auxiliary handling means
- B65H2404/231—Belts with auxiliary handling means pocket or gripper type
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
- B65H—HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL, e.g. SHEETS, WEBS, CABLES
- B65H2404/00—Parts for transporting or guiding the handled material
- B65H2404/20—Belts
- B65H2404/26—Particular arrangement of belt, or belts
- B65H2404/264—Arrangement of side-by-side belts
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
- B65H—HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL, e.g. SHEETS, WEBS, CABLES
- B65H2406/00—Means using fluid
- B65H2406/30—Suction means
- B65H2406/32—Suction belts
- B65H2406/322—Suction distributing means
- B65H2406/3221—Suction distributing means for variable distribution in the direction of transport
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
- B65H—HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL, e.g. SHEETS, WEBS, CABLES
- B65H2406/00—Means using fluid
- B65H2406/30—Suction means
- B65H2406/32—Suction belts
- B65H2406/322—Suction distributing means
- B65H2406/3223—Suction distributing means details of the openings in the belt, e.g. shape, distribution
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
- B65H—HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL, e.g. SHEETS, WEBS, CABLES
- B65H2406/00—Means using fluid
- B65H2406/30—Suction means
- B65H2406/36—Means for producing, distributing or controlling suction
- B65H2406/361—Means for producing, distributing or controlling suction distributing vacuum from stationary element to movable element
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
- B65H—HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL, e.g. SHEETS, WEBS, CABLES
- B65H2406/00—Means using fluid
- B65H2406/30—Suction means
- B65H2406/36—Means for producing, distributing or controlling suction
- B65H2406/363—Means for producing, distributing or controlling suction adjusting or controlling distribution of vacuum for a plurality of suction means
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
- B65H—HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL, e.g. SHEETS, WEBS, CABLES
- B65H2701/00—Handled material; Storage means
- B65H2701/10—Handled articles or webs
- B65H2701/17—Nature of material
- B65H2701/176—Cardboard
- B65H2701/1762—Corrugated
Definitions
- FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating an inkjet printer implementing one example of a new media support system.
- FIGS. 2 and 3 are plan and elevation section views, respectively, illustrating an example implementation for a media support system shown in the block diagram of FIG. 1 .
- FIG. 4 is a detail from FIG. 3 .
- FIGS. 5 and 6-8 are front and rear perspectives, respectively, of the example media support system shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 .
- FIGS. 6-8 show alternate lateral positions for vacuum control.
- FIGS. 9-11 are front elevation details showing alternate lateral positions for vacuum control, corresponding to the example in FIGS. 6-8 .
- FIG. 12 is a perspective detail showing one example vacuum control system in the media support system shown in FIGS. 2-8 .
- FIGS. 13-16 are section details showing alternate rotational positions for vacuum control in the example media support system shown in FIGS. 2-8 .
- FIGS. 17 and 18 are plan and elevation section views, respectively, illustrating another example implementation for a media support system shown in the block diagram of FIG. 1 .
- FIGS. 19 and 20 are flow diagrams illustrating example vacuum control processes, such as might be implemented in the media support system shown in FIGS. 2-4 .
- FIG. 21 is block diagram illustrating one example of a processor readable medium with vacuum control instructions, such as might be executed with a printer controller shown in FIG. 1 .
- Corrugated cardboard is widely used to make boxes. Although inkjet printers can print high quality images on corrugated cardboard, it is difficult to hold down corrugated cardboard flat during printing and drying to produce high quality inkjet images. Consequently, special, more expensive corrugated boards are sometimes used for inkjet printing.
- a new print media support has been developed to hold down regular, less expensive corrugated cardboard flat for inkjet printing.
- the support uses suction cups on a vacuum belt to help increase the hold down forces applied to corrugated cardboard and other print media compared to belts with vacuum holes alone.
- a vacuum control system supplies vacuum selectively to the suction cups that are covered by the print media as the suction cups circulate through the media hold down area, to reduce leakage and thus enable the use of smaller capacity vacuum pumps to generate the desired hold down forces.
- processor readable medium means any non-transitory tangible medium that can embody, contain, store, or maintain instructions and other information for use by a processor and may include, for example, circuits, integrated circuits, ASICs (application specific integrated circuits), hard drives, random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), and flash memory.
- ASICs application specific integrated circuits
- RAM random access memory
- ROM read-only memory
- FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating an inkjet printer 10 implementing one example of a new media support system 12 .
- FIGS. 2 and 3 are plan and elevation section views, respectively, illustrating one implementation for a media support system 12 shown in the block diagram of FIG. 1 .
- printer 10 includes media support system 12 with a media support 14 that includes a continuous loop belt 16 and suction cups 18 on belt 16 .
- System 12 also includes a vacuum pump or other suitable vacuum source 20 , a vacuum control system 22 to control the supply of vacuum to suction cups 18 , and a belt drive mechanism 24 to circulate belt 16 .
- Printer 10 includes a printing unit 26 to print to a sheet of cardboard or other print media on support 14 and a dryer 28 to dry ink or other imaging material on printed media.
- Printing unit 26 may be implemented, for example, as an inkjet printhead assembly.
- Dryer 28 may be implemented, for example, as a hot air dryer.
- Printer 10 includes a controller 30 operatively connected to media support system 12 , printing unit 26 , and dryer 28 .
- Controller 30 represents the processing and memory resources and the instructions, electronic circuitry and components needed to control the operative elements of printer 10 .
- controller 30 includes vacuum control instructions 32 to control the supply of vacuum to suction cups 18 through vacuum control system 22 .
- printer 10 includes a sensor 34 to sense print media on support 14 . Controller 30 may use feedback from sensor 34 to help control the supply of vacuum to suction cups 18 .
- drive mechanism 24 may be used to circulate belt 16 .
- drive mechanism 24 may include a drive roller to turn the belt and idler rollers to keep tension in the belt.
- a motor is operatively connected to the drive roller to turn the belt at the direction of printer controller 30 , directly or through a separate motor controller.
- belt 16 is configured as four individual belts 16 A, 16 B, 16 C, 16 D arranged parallel to one another laterally across a media support area 36 , under printing unit 26 and dryer 28 in this example.
- Each belt 16 A- 16 D circulates through an upper run 38 , collectively defining support area 36 , and a lower run 40 .
- Arrows 42 indicate the direction each belt moves through upper run 38 .
- Arrows 44 indicate the direction each belt moves through lower run 40 .
- belt drive mechanism 24 ( FIG. 1 ) includes a single drive roller 46 to turn all four belts 16 A- 16 D simultaneously, and idler rollers 48 to keep tension in the belts.
- Suction cups 18 are arranged along the outer perimeter 50 of each belt 16 A- 16 D so that multiple suction cups are exposed simultaneously along upper run 38 to hold down a media sheet 52 supported on the belts.
- sheet media is shown, examples are not limited to supporting sheet media, but may be used to support continuous web and other non-sheet media.
- media sheet 52 does not cover the full width of support area 36 , defined by all four belts 16 A- 16 B, and thus is supported on belts 16 A, 16 B, and 16 C.
- each suction cup 18 includes a port 54 through which air may be evacuated from the suction cup.
- Each port 54 is aligned with a hole 56 in the belt to connect the corresponding port to the vacuum control system.
- each suction cup 18 is a discrete part affixed to the belt. In other examples, where suction cups 18 are integral to the belt, each port 54 will be coextensive with the corresponding hole 56 .
- FIGS. 5-16 illustrate media support system 12 in more detail.
- FIGS. 5 and 6-8 are front and rear perspectives of system 12 , respectively.
- FIGS. 9-11 are front elevation details showing alternate lateral positions for vacuum control system 22 corresponding to FIGS. 6-8 .
- FIG. 12 is a perspective detail of vacuum control system 22 and
- FIGS. 13-16 are section details showing alternate rotational positions for vacuum control system 22 .
- vacuum control system 22 includes vacuum chambers 58 immediately adjacent to the inner perimeter 60 along the upper run 38 of each belt 16 A- 16 D.
- a slot 62 ( FIGS. 4 and 12 ) in each vacuum chamber 58 is aligned with holes 56 in each belt 16 A- 16 D to allow air to be evacuated from each suction cup 18 through port 54 as the suction cup moves over a vacuum chamber 58 .
- Vacuum control system 22 also includes conduits 64 that fan out from a central duct 66 to each chamber 58 . In the example shown in the figures, two ducts 66 supply vacuum to corresponding groups 67 ( FIG.
- each duct 66 is attached to a vacuum source 20 ( FIG. 5 ). Circumferential slots 70 in each duct 66 connect conduits 64 to vacuum source 20 .
- each duct 66 is rotatable to open and close individual conduits 64 to control the supply of vacuum to suction cups 18 along each belt. Also, as best seen in the sequence of FIGS. 6-8 and 9-11 , each duct 66 is translatable to simultaneously open and close all of the conduits 64 for one or more belts 16 A- 16 D. A seal 72 around each duct 66 inhibits vacuum leaks along each circumferential slot 70 . Seals 72 are omitted from FIGS. 6-8 and 12 to more clearly show other features of vacuum control system 22 .
- Control system 22 is configured to control the supply of vacuum collectively to the suction cups among belts 16 A- 16 D.
- FIGS. 6-8 and 9-11 illustrate one example for controlling the supply of vacuum collectively to the suction cups among the belts.
- each central duct 66 includes a group 73 of three slots 70 for belts 16 A and 16 B, a group 73 of two slots 70 for belt 16 C, and a single slot 70 for belt 16 D.
- ducts 66 are positioned translationally (laterally across the hold down area) so that a circumferential slot 70 in each duct 66 is aligned laterally with the conduits 64 to every belt 16 A- 16 D, to supply vacuum to the suction cups on all four belts 16 A- 16 D (when individual conduits are open), as indicated by flow arrows 74 in FIG. 9 .
- ducts 66 are positioned translationally so that a slot 70 is aligned laterally to belts 16 A, 16 B and 16 C, but not belt 16 D, to supply vacuum to the suction cups on three of the four belts (when individual conduits are open), as indicated by flow arrows 74 in FIG. 10 .
- FIGS. 10 In FIGS.
- ducts 66 are positioned translationally so that a slot 70 is aligned laterally to belts 16 A and 16 B, but not belts 16 C and 16 D, to supply vacuum to the suction cups on two of the four belts (when individual conduits are open), as indicated by flow arrows 74 in FIG. 11 .
- each duct 66 functions as a valve to simultaneously open and close all of the conduits in a group of conduits fanning out from the duct to one of the belts.
- the width of media 52 is preset and ducts 66 are moved to the corresponding translational position before printing begins.
- a sensor 34 senses the size of media 52 entering the media support area to signal controller 30 ( FIG. 1 ) to move ducts 66 , through control system 22 , to the corresponding translational position “on the fly” during a printing operation.
- control system 22 is also configured to control the supply of vacuum individually to the suction cups on each belt 16 A- 16 D.
- FIGS. 13-16 illustrate one example for controlling the supply of vacuum individually to the suction cups on each belt.
- the leading edge of media sheet 52 has reached sensor 34 ( FIG. 3 ) to signal controller 30 ( FIG. 1 ) to supply vacuum to media hold down area 68 through control system 22 .
- ducts 66 are rotating in sync with the leading edge of media sheet 52 moving through media hold down area 68 to open each conduit 64 in sequence, to supply vacuum to chambers 58 and the corresponding suction cups 18 in hold down area 68 , and then close each conduit 64 in sequence as the trailing edge of sheet 52 passes by.
- Each duct 66 functions as a valve to open and close each of the conduits individually in sync with the passing media so that a leading suction cup is connected to the vacuum source and then a trailing suction cup is connected to the vacuum source while the leading suction cup is still connected to the vacuum source.
- leading suction cup reaches the end of the hold down area, it is disconnected from the vacuum source while the second, trailing suction cup is still connected to the vacuum source.
- second, trailing suction cup reaches the end of the hold down area, it too is disconnected from the vacuum source.
- the sequence continues with leading and trailing suction cups until the media sheet is moved all the way through the hold down area.
- Vacuum chambers 58 , conduits 64 and the rotatable and translatable vacuum ducts 66 together function as a manifold to simultaneously distribute vacuum collectively to multiple groups of suction cups across the width of multiple suction cup belts and individually to suction cups along the length of each of the belt, as described above with reference to FIGS. 6-16 .
- the suction cup belt is implemented as a single belt 16 with multiple rows of suction cups 18 .
- conduits 64 and ducts 66 are embedded in a support structure 76 that also functions as a seal to inhibit vacuum leaks along circumferential slots 70 .
- vacuum chambers 58 , conduits 64 and the rotatable and translatable vacuum ducts 66 together function as a manifold to simultaneously distribute vacuum collectively to multiple groups of suction cups across the width of the belt and individually to suction cups along the length of the belt.
- belt holes 56 and suction cups 18 are arranged uniformly around each belt in a straight line.
- Other suitable lengthwise arrangements are possible.
- the spacing between the parallel lines of suction cups is not uniform.
- media sheet 52 is registered to the bottom of the media support area (the right side in the direction the sheet moves through the media support area).
- the spacing between lines of suction cups may be greater near the registration reference where even the narrowest sheet will cover the suction cups, as shown, and lesser away from the registration reference to more easily accommodate sheets of increasing width.
- a vacuum control system 22 shown in the figures are just examples. Other suitable configurations are possible. For example, more or fewer vacuum chambers 58 , conduits 64 , and/or ducts 66 may be used to vary the size of the media hold down area and/or the concentration of vacuum chambers within the hold down area. For another example, other valve mechanisms may be used to open and close the supply of vacuum to the suction cups.
- FIG. 19 is a flow diagram illustrating one example of a vacuum control process 100 , such as might be implemented with a vacuum control system 22 shown in FIGS. 2-18 .
- media entering a media hold down area is sensed (block 102 ) and, based on the sensing, vacuum is supplied to individual suction cups along the length of a suction cup belt as each suction cup passes through the media hold down area (block 104 ).
- the supply of vacuum to each suction cup is initiated when the suction cup enters the hold down area and ends when each suction cup leaves the hold down area.
- FIG. 20 is a flow chart illustrating another example of a vacuum control process 110 , such as might be implemented with a vacuum control system 22 shown in FIGS. 2-16 .
- media entering a media hold down area is sensed (block 112 ) and, based on the sensing, vacuum is simultaneously distributed collectively to multiple groups of suction cups across the width of one or multiple suction cup belts and individually to suction cups along the length of the belt(s) (block 114 ).
- vacuum is distributed collectively to multiple groups of suction cups across the width of the belt(s) in block 114 based on the width of the media entering the hold down area.
- FIG. 21 is a block diagram illustrating one example of a processor readable medium 78 with vacuum control instructions 32 , such as might be executed with a printer controller 30 in FIG. 1 .
- Vacuum control instructions 32 may include, for example, instructions to perform process 100 shown in FIG. 19 .
- Vacuum control instructions 32 may include, for another example, instructions to perform process 110 shown in FIG. 20 .
- A”, “an” and “the” used in the claims means one or more.
- a continuous loop belt means one or more continuous loop belts and subsequent reference to “the belt” means the one or more belts.
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- Ink Jet (AREA)
Abstract
Description
- This is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 15/918,959 filed Mar. 12, 2018 which claims priority to E.P. application no. 17167310.6 filed Apr. 20, 2017, each incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
- Large format inkjet printers use vacuum tables to hold down foamboard, cardboard and other inflexible or semi-flexible print media. High capacity vacuum pumps are used to develop the hold down forces needed to keep large sheets of such media flat during printing and drying.
-
FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating an inkjet printer implementing one example of a new media support system. -
FIGS. 2 and 3 are plan and elevation section views, respectively, illustrating an example implementation for a media support system shown in the block diagram ofFIG. 1 . -
FIG. 4 is a detail fromFIG. 3 . -
FIGS. 5 and 6-8 are front and rear perspectives, respectively, of the example media support system shown inFIGS. 2 and 3 .FIGS. 6-8 show alternate lateral positions for vacuum control. -
FIGS. 9-11 are front elevation details showing alternate lateral positions for vacuum control, corresponding to the example inFIGS. 6-8 . -
FIG. 12 is a perspective detail showing one example vacuum control system in the media support system shown inFIGS. 2-8 . -
FIGS. 13-16 are section details showing alternate rotational positions for vacuum control in the example media support system shown inFIGS. 2-8 . -
FIGS. 17 and 18 are plan and elevation section views, respectively, illustrating another example implementation for a media support system shown in the block diagram ofFIG. 1 . -
FIGS. 19 and 20 are flow diagrams illustrating example vacuum control processes, such as might be implemented in the media support system shown inFIGS. 2-4 . -
FIG. 21 is block diagram illustrating one example of a processor readable medium with vacuum control instructions, such as might be executed with a printer controller shown inFIG. 1 . - The same part numbers designate the same or similar parts throughout the figures. The figures are not necessarily to scale.
- Corrugated cardboard is widely used to make boxes. Although inkjet printers can print high quality images on corrugated cardboard, it is difficult to hold down corrugated cardboard flat during printing and drying to produce high quality inkjet images. Consequently, special, more expensive corrugated boards are sometimes used for inkjet printing. A new print media support has been developed to hold down regular, less expensive corrugated cardboard flat for inkjet printing. The support uses suction cups on a vacuum belt to help increase the hold down forces applied to corrugated cardboard and other print media compared to belts with vacuum holes alone. In one example, a vacuum control system supplies vacuum selectively to the suction cups that are covered by the print media as the suction cups circulate through the media hold down area, to reduce leakage and thus enable the use of smaller capacity vacuum pumps to generate the desired hold down forces.
- These and other examples described below and shown in the figures illustrate but do not limit the scope of the patent, which is defined in the Claims following this Description.
- As used in this document: “and/or” means one or more of the connected things; and a “processor readable medium” means any non-transitory tangible medium that can embody, contain, store, or maintain instructions and other information for use by a processor and may include, for example, circuits, integrated circuits, ASICs (application specific integrated circuits), hard drives, random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), and flash memory.
-
FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating aninkjet printer 10 implementing one example of a newmedia support system 12.FIGS. 2 and 3 are plan and elevation section views, respectively, illustrating one implementation for amedia support system 12 shown in the block diagram ofFIG. 1 . Referring toFIG. 1 ,printer 10 includesmedia support system 12 with amedia support 14 that includes acontinuous loop belt 16 andsuction cups 18 onbelt 16.System 12 also includes a vacuum pump or othersuitable vacuum source 20, avacuum control system 22 to control the supply of vacuum tosuction cups 18, and abelt drive mechanism 24 to circulatebelt 16.Printer 10 includes aprinting unit 26 to print to a sheet of cardboard or other print media onsupport 14 and adryer 28 to dry ink or other imaging material on printed media.Printing unit 26 may be implemented, for example, as an inkjet printhead assembly.Dryer 28 may be implemented, for example, as a hot air dryer. -
Printer 10 includes acontroller 30 operatively connected tomedia support system 12,printing unit 26, anddryer 28.Controller 30 represents the processing and memory resources and the instructions, electronic circuitry and components needed to control the operative elements ofprinter 10. In particular,controller 30 includesvacuum control instructions 32 to control the supply of vacuum tosuction cups 18 throughvacuum control system 22. Also, in this example,printer 10 includes asensor 34 to sense print media onsupport 14.Controller 30 may use feedback fromsensor 34 to help control the supply of vacuum tosuction cups 18. - Any
suitable drive mechanism 24 may be used to circulatebelt 16. For example,drive mechanism 24 may include a drive roller to turn the belt and idler rollers to keep tension in the belt. A motor is operatively connected to the drive roller to turn the belt at the direction ofprinter controller 30, directly or through a separate motor controller. - Referring
FIGS. 2 and 3 , in thisexample belt 16 is configured as fourindividual belts media support area 36, underprinting unit 26 anddryer 28 in this example. Eachbelt 16A-16D circulates through anupper run 38, collectively definingsupport area 36, and alower run 40.Arrows 42 indicate the direction each belt moves throughupper run 38.Arrows 44 indicate the direction each belt moves throughlower run 40. In this example, belt drive mechanism 24 (FIG. 1 ) includes asingle drive roller 46 to turn all fourbelts 16A-16D simultaneously, andidler rollers 48 to keep tension in the belts. -
Suction cups 18 are arranged along theouter perimeter 50 of eachbelt 16A-16D so that multiple suction cups are exposed simultaneously alongupper run 38 to hold down amedia sheet 52 supported on the belts. Although sheet media is shown, examples are not limited to supporting sheet media, but may be used to support continuous web and other non-sheet media. In this example,media sheet 52 does not cover the full width ofsupport area 36, defined by all fourbelts 16A-16B, and thus is supported onbelts belt 16B shown inFIG. 4 , eachsuction cup 18 includes aport 54 through which air may be evacuated from the suction cup. Eachport 54 is aligned with ahole 56 in the belt to connect the corresponding port to the vacuum control system. In the example shown, eachsuction cup 18 is a discrete part affixed to the belt. In other examples, wheresuction cups 18 are integral to the belt, eachport 54 will be coextensive with thecorresponding hole 56. -
FIGS. 5-16 illustratemedia support system 12 in more detail.FIGS. 5 and 6-8 are front and rear perspectives ofsystem 12, respectively.FIGS. 9-11 are front elevation details showing alternate lateral positions forvacuum control system 22 corresponding toFIGS. 6-8 .FIG. 12 is a perspective detail ofvacuum control system 22 andFIGS. 13-16 are section details showing alternate rotational positions forvacuum control system 22. - Referring now to
FIGS. 2-16 ,vacuum control system 22 includesvacuum chambers 58 immediately adjacent to the inner perimeter 60 along theupper run 38 of eachbelt 16A-16D. A slot 62 (FIGS. 4 and 12 ) in eachvacuum chamber 58 is aligned withholes 56 in eachbelt 16A-16D to allow air to be evacuated from eachsuction cup 18 throughport 54 as the suction cup moves over avacuum chamber 58.Vacuum control system 22 also includesconduits 64 that fan out from acentral duct 66 to eachchamber 58. In the example shown in the figures, twoducts 66 supply vacuum to corresponding groups 67 (FIG. 12 ) ofchambers 58 throughconduits 64 along eachbelt 16A-16D to define a media hold down area 68 (FIG. 13 ) withinmedia support area 36. Eachduct 66 is attached to a vacuum source 20 (FIG. 5 ).Circumferential slots 70 in eachduct 66 connectconduits 64 to vacuumsource 20. - As best seen in the sequence of
FIGS. 13-16 , eachduct 66 is rotatable to open and closeindividual conduits 64 to control the supply of vacuum tosuction cups 18 along each belt. Also, as best seen in the sequence ofFIGS. 6-8 and 9-11 , eachduct 66 is translatable to simultaneously open and close all of theconduits 64 for one ormore belts 16A-16D. Aseal 72 around eachduct 66 inhibits vacuum leaks along eachcircumferential slot 70.Seals 72 are omitted fromFIGS. 6-8 and 12 to more clearly show other features ofvacuum control system 22. -
Control system 22 is configured to control the supply of vacuum collectively to the suction cups amongbelts 16A-16D.FIGS. 6-8 and 9-11 illustrate one example for controlling the supply of vacuum collectively to the suction cups among the belts. In this example, eachcentral duct 66 includes agroup 73 of threeslots 70 forbelts group 73 of twoslots 70 forbelt 16C, and asingle slot 70 forbelt 16D. InFIGS. 6 and 9 ,ducts 66 are positioned translationally (laterally across the hold down area) so that acircumferential slot 70 in eachduct 66 is aligned laterally with theconduits 64 to everybelt 16A-16D, to supply vacuum to the suction cups on all fourbelts 16A-16D (when individual conduits are open), as indicated byflow arrows 74 inFIG. 9 . InFIGS. 7 and 10 ,ducts 66 are positioned translationally so that aslot 70 is aligned laterally tobelts flow arrows 74 inFIG. 10 . InFIGS. 8 and 11 ,ducts 66 are positioned translationally so that aslot 70 is aligned laterally tobelts belts flow arrows 74 inFIG. 11 . - Thus, each
duct 66 functions as a valve to simultaneously open and close all of the conduits in a group of conduits fanning out from the duct to one of the belts. In one example, the width ofmedia 52 is preset andducts 66 are moved to the corresponding translational position before printing begins. In another example, asensor 34 senses the size ofmedia 52 entering the media support area to signal controller 30 (FIG. 1 ) to moveducts 66, throughcontrol system 22, to the corresponding translational position “on the fly” during a printing operation. - In this example,
control system 22 is also configured to control the supply of vacuum individually to the suction cups on eachbelt 16A-16D.FIGS. 13-16 illustrate one example for controlling the supply of vacuum individually to the suction cups on each belt. InFIG. 13 , the leading edge ofmedia sheet 52 has reached sensor 34 (FIG. 3 ) to signal controller 30 (FIG. 1 ) to supply vacuum to media hold downarea 68 throughcontrol system 22. InFIGS. 14-16 ,ducts 66 are rotating in sync with the leading edge ofmedia sheet 52 moving through media hold downarea 68 to open eachconduit 64 in sequence, to supply vacuum tochambers 58 and thecorresponding suction cups 18 in hold downarea 68, and then close eachconduit 64 in sequence as the trailing edge ofsheet 52 passes by. - Each
duct 66 functions as a valve to open and close each of the conduits individually in sync with the passing media so that a leading suction cup is connected to the vacuum source and then a trailing suction cup is connected to the vacuum source while the leading suction cup is still connected to the vacuum source. When the leading suction cup reaches the end of the hold down area, it is disconnected from the vacuum source while the second, trailing suction cup is still connected to the vacuum source. Then, when the second, trailing suction cup reaches the end of the hold down area, it too is disconnected from the vacuum source. The sequence continues with leading and trailing suction cups until the media sheet is moved all the way through the hold down area. -
Vacuum chambers 58,conduits 64 and the rotatable andtranslatable vacuum ducts 66 together function as a manifold to simultaneously distribute vacuum collectively to multiple groups of suction cups across the width of multiple suction cup belts and individually to suction cups along the length of each of the belt, as described above with reference toFIGS. 6-16 . - In another example, shown in
FIGS. 17 and 18 , the suction cup belt is implemented as asingle belt 16 with multiple rows ofsuction cups 18. Also in this example,conduits 64 andducts 66 are embedded in asupport structure 76 that also functions as a seal to inhibit vacuum leaks alongcircumferential slots 70. For a single belt implementation such as that shown inFIGS. 17 and 18 ,vacuum chambers 58,conduits 64 and the rotatable andtranslatable vacuum ducts 66 together function as a manifold to simultaneously distribute vacuum collectively to multiple groups of suction cups across the width of the belt and individually to suction cups along the length of the belt. - In the examples shown, belt holes 56 and
suction cups 18 are arranged uniformly around each belt in a straight line. Other suitable lengthwise arrangements are possible. For example, it may be desirable in some applications to vary the spacing between suction cups around each belt and/or to stagger the suction cups on each side of a center line around each belt. Also in the examples shown, the spacing between the parallel lines of suction cups is not uniform. Referring to the plan views inFIGS. 2 and 17 ,media sheet 52 is registered to the bottom of the media support area (the right side in the direction the sheet moves through the media support area). The spacing between lines of suction cups may be greater near the registration reference where even the narrowest sheet will cover the suction cups, as shown, and lesser away from the registration reference to more easily accommodate sheets of increasing width. - The configurations for a
vacuum control system 22 shown in the figures are just examples. Other suitable configurations are possible. For example, more orfewer vacuum chambers 58,conduits 64, and/orducts 66 may be used to vary the size of the media hold down area and/or the concentration of vacuum chambers within the hold down area. For another example, other valve mechanisms may be used to open and close the supply of vacuum to the suction cups. -
FIG. 19 is a flow diagram illustrating one example of avacuum control process 100, such as might be implemented with avacuum control system 22 shown inFIGS. 2-18 . Referring toFIG. 19 , media entering a media hold down area is sensed (block 102) and, based on the sensing, vacuum is supplied to individual suction cups along the length of a suction cup belt as each suction cup passes through the media hold down area (block 104). In one example, the supply of vacuum to each suction cup is initiated when the suction cup enters the hold down area and ends when each suction cup leaves the hold down area. -
FIG. 20 is a flow chart illustrating another example of avacuum control process 110, such as might be implemented with avacuum control system 22 shown inFIGS. 2-16 . Referring toFIG. 20 , media entering a media hold down area is sensed (block 112) and, based on the sensing, vacuum is simultaneously distributed collectively to multiple groups of suction cups across the width of one or multiple suction cup belts and individually to suction cups along the length of the belt(s) (block 114). In one example, vacuum is distributed collectively to multiple groups of suction cups across the width of the belt(s) inblock 114 based on the width of the media entering the hold down area. -
FIG. 21 is a block diagram illustrating one example of a processor readable medium 78 withvacuum control instructions 32, such as might be executed with aprinter controller 30 inFIG. 1 .Vacuum control instructions 32 may include, for example, instructions to performprocess 100 shown inFIG. 19 .Vacuum control instructions 32 may include, for another example, instructions to performprocess 110 shown inFIG. 20 . - The examples shown in the figures and described above illustrate but do not limit the patent, which is defined in the following Claims.
- “A”, “an” and “the” used in the claims means one or more. For example, “a continuous loop belt” means one or more continuous loop belts and subsequent reference to “the belt” means the one or more belts.
Claims (14)
Priority Applications (1)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
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US17/559,171 US20220112044A1 (en) | 2017-04-20 | 2021-12-22 | Media support |
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EP17167310.6 | 2017-04-20 | ||
EP17167310.6A EP3392048B1 (en) | 2017-04-20 | 2017-04-20 | Media support system |
US15/918,959 US11274006B2 (en) | 2017-04-20 | 2018-03-12 | Media support |
US17/559,171 US20220112044A1 (en) | 2017-04-20 | 2021-12-22 | Media support |
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US15/918,959 Continuation US11274006B2 (en) | 2017-04-20 | 2018-03-12 | Media support |
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CN107949531B (en) * | 2015-08-17 | 2020-07-28 | 惠普发展公司,有限责任合伙企业 | Suction adjustment for media holddown |
WO2018074987A1 (en) * | 2016-10-17 | 2018-04-26 | Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. | Media conveyors with suction holes |
CN110950121B (en) * | 2018-09-26 | 2021-06-08 | 海德堡印刷机械股份公司 | Transport device for printing material and printing press |
CN111302106A (en) * | 2019-12-14 | 2020-06-19 | 方武填 | Flexible solar energy film assembly location conveying equipment |
DE102020110508B4 (en) * | 2020-04-17 | 2022-07-14 | Koenig & Bauer Ag | Methods and devices for feeding flat goods to a machining process or a machining unit with precise positioning |
EP4105032A1 (en) * | 2021-06-17 | 2022-12-21 | HP Scitex Ltd. | Media sheet conveyance with transport assemblies |
CN113306312B (en) * | 2021-07-04 | 2022-11-08 | 北京深核智能科技有限公司 | UV ink-jet digital printing machine for packaging carton |
CN114212598A (en) * | 2021-12-20 | 2022-03-22 | 玉田县炬兴印刷包装机械制造有限公司 | Paper transfer device |
CN114771029B (en) * | 2022-04-23 | 2024-01-23 | 泉州鑫达纸业有限公司 | Conveying mechanism used after cake paper support molding |
CN117960704B (en) * | 2024-02-03 | 2024-08-16 | 东莞市晟鼎精密仪器有限公司 | Intelligent ultrasonic dust removal equipment and sheet double-sided dust removal method |
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Also Published As
Publication number | Publication date |
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EP3702165B1 (en) | 2021-08-04 |
CN108724974B (en) | 2020-05-29 |
CN108724974A (en) | 2018-11-02 |
US20180305157A1 (en) | 2018-10-25 |
EP3392048A1 (en) | 2018-10-24 |
US11274006B2 (en) | 2022-03-15 |
EP3702165A1 (en) | 2020-09-02 |
EP3392048B1 (en) | 2020-06-24 |
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