Detecting size of print medium using sensors available along paper path
AssigneeHewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.
InventorJaeHee Han
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An image forming apparatus includes a load detection sensor located on a feeder to detect whether a print medium is loaded on the feeder, an overload detection sensor to detect an overload state of a discharger, and a controller to detect a width of the print medium according to a combination of a feeder load state of a feeder load detection signal of the load detection sensor and an overload state of a discharger overload detection signal of the overload detection sensor and control an image former to perform printing by applying different print modes according to the detected width of the print medium.
Claims15
An image forming apparatus comprising:
- a feeder on which a print medium is loadable in a center alignment method;
- an image former to print an image by using an electrophotographic method on the print medium supplied from the feeder;
- a discharger on which the print medium having the image printed thereon is dischargeable;
- a first sensor located to detect an overload of the discharger;
- a second sensor located between the feeder and the discharger to detect the print medium;
- a controller to,
- identify a width of the print medium based on the first and the second sensor and
- control the image former to perform printing by applying different print modes according to the width of the print medium.
An image forming apparatus comprising:
- a feeder on which a print medium is loadable;
- an image former to print an image on the print medium by using an electrophotographic method;
- a discharger on which the print medium having the image printed thereon is dischargeable;
- a plurality of sensors located in a print path from the feeder to the discharger, each sensor of the plurality of sensors to detect the print medium;
- and
- a controller to
- identify a width of the print medium according to a combination of
- a state of a first detection signal of a first sensor among the plurality of sensors and a state of a second detection signal of a second sensor among the plurality of sensors, and
- control the image former to perform printing according to a mode selected from among a first mode and a second mode, the second mode having a second print speed less than a first print speed of the first mode, according to the identified width of the print medium,
- wherein the print medium is one of
- a first print medium having a first width, to which the first mode is to be applied, or
- a second print medium having a second width less than the first width of the first print medium and a maximum width, to which the second mode is to be applied,
- wherein, the state of the first detection signal is input from the first sensor based on the first sensor detecting the print medium between a first end portion in a width direction of the first print medium that is center-aligned and a first end portion in a width direction of the second print medium that is center-aligned;
- and
- the state of the second detection signal is input from the second sensor based on the second sensor detecting the print medium between a second end portion in the width direction of the second print medium that is side-aligned with the first end portion in the width direction of the first print medium and a second end portion of the second print medium that is center-aligned.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.