Method and apparatus for band printing with automatic home compensation
AssigneeInternational Business Machines Corporation
InventorsJohn S. Gregor, Clarence C. Hubbell, Susan K. Lichtensteiger
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A system and method for automatically compensating for inaccuracies in the positioning of the timing mark sensor of a band line printer. A selected hammer is operated to impact a test character and an adjacent space between characters or a space provided by a blank character on the type band. The flight times of the hammer for the character and space impacts are measured under control of a microprocessor programmed to locate the edge of the test character and to compute a timing adjustment value for use by the printer control to obtain centered impacts of characters during printing.
Claims13
In a printer system wherein a printer mechanism comprises type elements movable relative to a plurality of print hammers electrically operable for impacting said type elements during motion thereof for printing imprints of said type elements on a print medium and a print control with timing means including sensor means located at a home position relative to a particular print hammer and operable for generating timing signals for operating the hammers in synchronism with said the motion of said type elements, a method for compensating for inaccuracies in the location of said sensor means at said home position comprising the steps of
- operating a particular hammer to locate the edge of a particular type element during motion thereof, and
- deriving a time adjustment value on the basis of the distance said edge is from the center of said particular type element, and
- supplying said adjustment value to said print control for adjusting the timing of the operation of said print hammers in synchronism with the motion of said type elements.
A printer system wherein a printer mechanism comprises type elements movable relative to a plurality of print hammers electrically operable for impacting said type elements during motion thereof for printing imprints of said type elements on a print medium,
- print control means for timing the selective operation of said hammers including
- means for generating timing signals including a home signal in synchronism with said motion of said type elements and including sensor means located at a home position which is a fixed distance relative to a particular hammer, and
- means for compensating for inaccuracies in the location of said sensor means at said home position comprising
- hammer control means for operating said particular hammer to locate an edge of a particular one of said type elements during motion thereof, and
- means for deriving a timing adjustment value on the basis of the distance said edge of said particular one of type elements is from its center for use by said hammer control means in timing the operations of said hammers to effect said printing.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.