Sheet registration using multiple elongated sensors

A printing apparatus comprising:

• a media path comprising moving devices that move a media sheet in a processing direction;
• at least two elongated sensors within said media path positioned diagonally relative to said processing direction, said media sheet comprising two lateral sides, a leading edge, and a trailing edge;
• a marking device positioned within said media path, said marking device printing markings on said media sheet;
• and
• a registration controller operatively connected to said media path and to said elongated sensors,
• each of said elongated sensors simultaneously identifying:
• a location of one of said lateral sides of said media sheet, such that a combination of said elongated sensors simultaneously outputs at least two lateral measures of locations of said lateral sides of said media sheet;
• and
• at least one measure of said leading edge or at least one measure of said trailing edge of said media sheet, such that said combination of said elongated sensors simultaneously outputs at least one leading edge measure of a position of said leading edge of said media sheet or at least one trailing edge measure of a position of said trailing edge of said media sheet,
• said registration controller utilizing said lateral measures and said leading edge measure or said trailing edge measure to determine a skew and a position of said media sheet, and
• said registration controller calculating a registration correction factor based upon said skew and altering actions of said moving devices based on said correction factor to correct said skew.

A printing apparatus comprising:

• a media path comprising alignment devices that move a media sheet in a processing direction;
• at least two elongated sensors adjacent said alignment devices within said media path, said elongated sensors being positioned diagonally relative to said processing direction, said media sheet comprising two lateral sides, a leading edge, and a trailing edge;
• a marking device positioned adjacent said alignment devices within said media path, said marking device printing markings on said media sheet;
• and
• a registration controller operatively connected to said media path and to said elongated sensors,
• each of said elongated sensors simultaneously identifying:
• a location of one of said lateral sides of said media sheet, such that a combination of said elongated sensors simultaneously outputs at least two lateral measures of locations of said lateral sides of said media sheet;
• and
• at least one measure of said leading edge or at least one measure of said trailing edge of said media sheet, such that said combination of said elongated sensors simultaneously outputs at least one leading edge measure of a position of said leading edge of said media sheet or at least one trailing edge measure of a position of said trailing edge of said media sheet,
• said registration controller utilizing at least three simultaneous measures comprising said lateral measures and said leading edge measure or said trailing edge measure to determine a skew and a position of said media sheet, and
• said registration controller calculating a registration correction factor based upon said skew and altering actions of said alignment devices based on said correction factor to correct said skew.

A method comprising:

• moving a media sheet along a media path in a processing direction using moving devices within said media path, said media sheet comprising two lateral sides, a leading edge, and a trailing edge;
• using at least two elongated sensors within said media path positioned diagonally relative to said processing direction to simultaneously identify:
• a location of one of said lateral sides of said media sheet, such that a combination of said elongated sensors simultaneously outputs at least two lateral measures of locations of said lateral sides of said media sheet;
• and
• at least one measure of said leading edge or at least one measure of said trailing edge of said media sheet, such that said combination of said elongated sensors simultaneously outputs at least one leading edge measure of a position of said leading edge of said media sheet or at least one trailing edge measure of a position of said trailing edge of said media sheet;
• utilizing said lateral measures and said leading edge measure or said trailing edge measure, a registration controller determines a skew and a position of said media sheet;
• calculating a registration correction factor based upon said skew using said registration controller;
• and
• altering actions of said moving devices using said registration controller based on said correction factor to correct said skew.