US 2013/0257973 A1Published application

Image-forming device and medium edge part judgment method

AssigneeSeiko Epson Corporation

InventorYosaku TAMURA

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Abstract

To detect an edge part of a medium with accuracy although the medium includes a false detection element, more than one change point, which changes from a condition that an output of an optical sensor indicates existence of a print medium to a condition that the output indicates non-existence of the print medium, is detected while the optical sensor moved on the print medium along a main scanning direction. A right edge part candidate detection process and a left edge part candidate process are performed to detect at points immediately before output changes as the right and left edge part candidates of the medium when the output of the optical sensor continuously indicates a condition of non-existence of the medium while the optical sensor and the print medium are moved further along the main scanning direction for a predetermined distance from the detected change points.

Claims11

Dependent claims

An image-forming device comprising:

a recording means that forms an image on a medium;
an optical sensor that outputs an output value in response to existence or non-existence of the medium;
a first moving means that is relatively movable for the optical sensor and the medium by moving at least one of the optical sensor and the medium in a predetermined first direction;
an edge part candidate detection means that performs an edge part candidate detection process to detect at a point immediately before output changes as an edge part candidate of the medium when more than one change point, which changes from a condition that the output of the optical sensor indicates an existence of the medium to a condition that the output of the optical sensor indicates a non-existence of the medium while the optical sensor and the medium are relatively moved by the first moving means, is detected, and the output of the optical sensor continuously indicates non-existence of the medium while the optical sensor and the medium relatively move for a predetermined moving amount from the detected change point along the first direction;
and
an edge part judgment means that performs an edge part judgment process to judge an edge part of the medium based on the detected edge candidate.

3 more elements

An image-forming device comprising:

a recording means that forms an image on the medium;
an optical sensor that outputs an output value in response to existence or non-existence of the medium;
a first moving means that is relatively movable for the optical sensor and the medium by moving at least one of the optical sensor or the medium in a first direction;
a second moving means that is relatively movable for the optical sensor and the medium by moving at least one of the optical sensor and the medium in a second direction, which intersects with the first direction;
an edge part candidate detection means that performs an edge part candidate detection process to detect an edge part candidate of the medium based on an output change of the optical sensor while the optical sensor and the medium are relatively moved by the first moving means;
an edge judgment means that performs an edge judgment process to judge the edge part candidate as an edge part of the medium when the edge part candidate shall be deemed as a correct edge part based on the detected edge part candidate;
and
a moving control means that performs a moving process for re-detection to control the second moving means to relatively move the optical sensor and the medium when the edge part candidate shall be deemed as a correct edge part in the edge part judgment process;
wherein the edge part candidate detection means performs the edge part candidate detection process and re-detects an edge candidate after the moving process for re-detection, and the edge part judgment means performs the edge part judgment process based on the re-detected edge part candidate.

6 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.