# US 10,369,821 B2 · Web medium orientation detection

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- Number: US 10,369,821 B2
- Document ID: US10369821B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 15/598,871
- Filed: 2017-05-18
- Published: 2017-11-30
- Granted: 2019-08-06
- Earliest claimed: 2016-05-24
- Assignees: Océ Holding B.V.
- Applicants: Océ Holding B.V.
- Inventors: Juan C. Pérez Muñoz; Lodewijk T. Holtman; Wilhelmus J. E. G. Verhofstad
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10369821B2

## CPC

- B41J 15/046: {for the guidance of continuous copy material, e.g. for preventing skewed conveyance of the continuous copy material}
- B41J 15/16: Means for tensioning or winding the web
- B65H 23/0204: {Sensing transverse register of web (and controlling it B65H23/032)}
- B65H 23/035: by guide bars
- B65H 23/16: by weighted or spring-pressed movable bars or rollers
- B65H 2301/331: Skewing, correcting skew, i.e. changing slightly orientation of material
- B65H 2511/24: Irregularities, e.g. in orientation or skewness
- B65H 2601/272: Skewing of handled material during handling
- B65H 2801/36: Plotting
- B41J: TYPEWRITERS; SELECTIVE PRINTING MECHANISMS, i.e. MECHANISMS PRINTING OTHERWISE THAN FROM A FORME; CORRECTION OF TYPOGRAPHICAL ERRORS
- B65H: HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL, e.g. SHEETS, WEBS, CABLES

## Abstract

In a method for high speed printing of web-based media, a medium is pulled along a media transport path to a pulling transport mechanism. The orientation of the medium with respect to the media transport path is sensed and this orientation is compared to a reference orientation to detect an orientation error. If an orientation error is detected, one or more of the following steps is performed: adjusting a print job for an image to be printed on the web medium; adjusting the transport speed; emitting a communication signal; and stopping the pulling transport mechanism and the image forming unit. It is the insight of the inventor that productivity may be increased by allowing a “tight winding” printing system to start printing at relatively high speed and reduce this speed only when significantly large deviations in the orientation of the web are detected.

## Claims

### Claim 1

Printing system for printing web media, comprising:
a take-out roller;
a take-up roller for pulling a web medium along a media transport path from the take-out roller to the take-up roller;
an image forming unit positioned along the media transport path,
characterized by:
an orientation sensor for sensing an orientation of the web medium, the orientation sensor comprising:
a curved medium support surface defining a turn in the media transport path, which curved medium support surface is tiltable around a tilting axis, which tilting axis extends in a transport direction substantially tangentially to the curved medium support surface in a reference orientation;
a tilting sensor for determining tilting data proportional to a tilting angle by which the curved medium support surface is tilted from its reference orientation around the tilting axis;
a controller configured to:
receive the tilting data from the orientation sensor;
compare the tilting data to the reference orientation to determine an orientation error; and
compare the orientation error to a deviation threshold.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

Printing system according to claim 1, wherein:
the tilting sensor comprises a displacement sensor attached to the curved medium support surface for detecting a displacement of a section of the curved medium support surface in a direction substantially perpendicular to the curved medium support surface; and
the controller is configured to compare the detected displacement to the reference orientation to determine the tilting data.

### Claim 3 (depends on 2)

Printing system according to claim 2, wherein:
the tilting sensor comprises a pair of displacement sensors attached to opposing lateral sides of the curved medium support surface, each displacement sensor configured for detecting a displacement of a respective side of the curved medium support surface in a direction substantially perpendicular to the curved medium support surface; and
the controller is configured to compare the detected displacements to one another to determine the tilting data.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

Printing system according to claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to emit an error signal for initiating an appropriate action of the printing system if the orientation error exceeds the deviation threshold.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

Printing system according to claim 1, wherein the curved medium support surface is positioned upstream of the image forming unit.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

Printing system according to claim 1, wherein the error signal is configured for reducing the transport speed of the web medium on the transport path.

### Claim 7 (depends on 1)

Printing system according to claim 1, wherein the error signal is configured for initiating at least one of the following:
controlling the image forming unit to adjust a print job for an image to be printed on the web medium; and
emitting a communication signal prompt to an operator.

### Claim 8 (depends on 1)

Printing system according to claim 1, wherein the controller is arranged for:
classifying the orientation error into an error level by comparing the orientation error to an error level reference; and
selecting one of the following steps determined by the error level:
controlling the image forming unit to adjust a print job for an image to be printed on the web medium;
reducing the transport speed;
emitting an communication signal prompt to an operator; and
stopping the image forming unit, take-out roller, and the take-up roller.

### Claim 9 (depends on 1)

Printing system according to claim 1, further comprising a buffer plate defining the curved medium support surface and urging elements for urging the buffer plate against the web medium, wherein the orientation sensor comprises a tilting angle sensor for determining an tilting angle around the tilting axis between the buffer plate and a buffer plate reference orientation.

### Claim 10

Method for printing of web-based media, the method comprising the steps of:
pulling a web medium at a predefined transport speed over a media transport path, which media transport path extends along an orientation sensor comprising a curved medium support surface defining a turn in the media transport path and along an image forming unit to a pulling transport mechanism;
sensing the tilting of the curved medium support surface around a tilting axis, which tilting axis extends in a transport direction substantially tangential to the curved medium support surface in a reference orientation;
comparing the sensed tilting to the reference orientation to determine an orientation error; and
comparing the orientation error to a deviation threshold.

### Claim 11 (depends on 10)

Method according to claim 10, further comprising the step of:
sensing a displacement of a section of the curved medium support surface in a direction substantially perpendicular to the curved medium support surface; and
determining the tilting of the curved medium support surface around a tilting axis from said displacement.

### Claim 12 (depends on 10)

Method according to claim 10, further comprising the step of:
sensing a displacement of a two opposing lateral sides of the curved medium support surface in a direction substantially perpendicular to the curved medium support surface; and
determining the tilting of the curved medium support surface around a tilting axis from said displacements.

### Claim 13 (depends on 10)

Method according to claim 10, further comprising the step of emitting an error signal if orientation error exceeds the deviation threshold.

### Claim 14 (depends on 13)

Method according to claim 13, further comprising at least one of the following steps:
adjusting a print job for an image to be printed on the web medium;
adjusting the transport speed;
emitting a communication signal; and
stopping transport of the web medium.

### Claim 15 (depends on 10)

Method according to claim 10, wherein the step of comparing the orientation data to a reference orientation further comprises determining a rotation angle parameter, which rotation angle parameter corresponds to an angle between a longitudinal direction of the web medium and a transport direction of the media transport path.