# US 12,179,475 B2 · Dual drive print media conveyor belt

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- Number: US 12,179,475 B2
- Document ID: US12179475B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 17/747,760
- Filed: 2022-05-18
- Published: 2022-12-22
- Granted: 2024-12-31
- Earliest claimed: 2021-06-17
- Assignees: HP Scitex Ltd.
- Applicants: HP Scitex Ltd.
- Inventors: Alex Veis; Semion Birger
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12179475B2

## CPC

- B41J 11/007: {Conveyor belts or like feeding devices}
- B41J 11/008: {Controlling printhead for accurately positioning print image on printing material, e.g. with the intention to control the width of margins}
- B41J 11/0085: {Using suction for maintaining printing material flat (on rotatable drums B41J13/226)}
- B41J 11/42: Controlling {printing material conveyance for accurate alignment of the printing material with the printhead; Print registering}
- B41J 13/08: {Conveyor} bands or like feeding devices
- B41J 29/38: Drives, motors, controls or automatic cut-off devices for the entire printing mechanism
- B41J 2/2103: {Features not dealing with the colouring process per se, e.g. construction of printers or heads, driving circuit adaptations}
- B41J: TYPEWRITERS; SELECTIVE PRINTING MECHANISMS, i.e. MECHANISMS PRINTING OTHERWISE THAN FROM A FORME; CORRECTION OF TYPOGRAPHICAL ERRORS

## Abstract

In one example, a system to convey print media through a print zone in a printer includes an endless conveyor belt in a loop, a pair of drivers to circulate the conveyor belt through the print zone from opposite ends of the loop, an encoder to measure movement of the conveyor belt, and a controller programmed to control both drivers driving the conveyor belt based on measurements from the encoder.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A system to convey print media through a print zone in a printer, the system comprising:
an endless conveyor belt in a loop;
a pair of drivers to circulate the conveyor belt through the print zone from opposite ends of the loop;
an encoder unit located under the conveyor belt, and directly connected to the conveyor belt at, and in, the print zone, to measure movement of the conveyor belt in the print zone; and
a controller programmed to control both drivers driving the conveyor belt based on measurements from the encoder unit.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The system of claim 1, wherein the controller is programmed to:
control the first driver to pull forward on an upper run of the conveyor belt from one end of the loop;
control the second driver to pull back on a lower run of the conveyor belt from the other end of the loop simultaneously with the first driver pulling forward on the upper run of the conveyor belt; and
control both pulleys to pull the respective run of the conveyor belt at the same linear speed.

### Claim 3 (depends on 2)

The system of claim 2, wherein the controller is programmed to, based on measurements from the encoder unit, control the second driver to pull back on the upper run of the conveyor belt to slow the conveyor belt.

### Claim 4 (depends on 2)

The system of claim 2, wherein the controller is programmed to, based on measurements from the encoder unit:
control the second driver to pull back on the upper run of the conveyor belt; and
control the first driver to pull forward on the lower run of the conveyor belt simultaneously with the second driver pulling back on the upper run of the conveyor belt, to slow the conveyor belt.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The system of claim 1, wherein:
each driver includes a motor; and
the controller comprises a first motor controller programmed to control a first one of the motors based on feedback from the encoder unit and a second motor controller programmed to control a second one of the motors based on feedback from the encoder unit.

### Claim 6

A system to convey print media through a print zone in a printer, the system comprising:
an endless conveyor belt in a loop;
a pair of pulleys to circulate the conveyor belt through the print zone from opposite ends of the loop;
a pair of motors to turn the pulleys;
an encoder unit directly connected to the conveyor belt under, and at, the print zone, with an encoder in the print zone to measure movement of the conveyor belt in the print zone; and
a controller programmed to control both motors based on movement measured by the encoder.

### Claim 7 (depends on 6)

The system of claim 6, wherein the encoder unit comprises:
an encoder pulley;
a rotary encoder operatively connected to the encoder pulley; and
an endless encoder belt engaging the conveyor belt in the print zone and wrapping the encoder pulley to turn the encoder pulley in response to the conveyor belt moving in the print zone.

### Claim 8 (depends on 7)

The conveyor system of claim 7, wherein:
each pulley comprises a toothed pulley;
the conveyor belt comprises an endless toothed conveyor belt wrapping the pulley;
the encoder pulley comprises a toothed encoder pulley; and
the encoder belt comprises an endless toothed encoder belt with teeth that engage teeth on the conveyor belt and teeth on the encoder pulley.

### Claim 9 (depends on 6)

The system of claim 6, wherein in the controller comprises:
a first motor controller programmed to control a first one of the motors based on feedback from the encoder; and
a second motor controller programmed to control a second one of the motors based on feedback from the encoder.

### Claim 10 (depends on 6)

The system of claim 6, wherein:
the encoder comprises exactly one encoder; and
the controller comprises a first motor controller programmed to control a first one of the motors based on feedback from the exactly one encoder and a second motor controller programmed to control a second one of the motors based on feedback from the exactly one encoder.

### Claim 11 (depends on 6)

The system of claim 6, wherein:
the conveyor belt comprises multiple conveyor belts;
the pair of pulleys comprises multiple pairs of pulleys to circulate a corresponding one of the conveyor belts through the print zone from opposite ends of the loop;
the pair of motors comprises multiple pairs of motors each to drive a corresponding one of the pulleys;
the encoder comprises multiple encoders each to measure movement of a corresponding one of the conveyor belts through the print zone; and
the controller is programmed to control both motors driving the pulleys for each conveyor belt based on measurements from the corresponding encoder.

### Claim 12

A process for circulating an endless belt in a loop, comprising:
an encoder unit directly connected to the belt at a print zone;
a first pulley pulling forward on an upper run of the belt from one end of the loop;
a second pulley simultaneously pulling back on a lower run of the belt from the other end of the loop; and
both pulleys pulling the respective run of the belt at the same linear speed.

### Claim 13 (depends on 12)

The process of claim 12, comprising:
measuring movement of the belt; and
based on the measuring, the second pulley pulling back on the upper run of the belt to slow the belt.