Temporal synchronizer for application of printing to a moving substrate

An imprinting system of the type including:

• a conveyor;
• a plurality of feeders for delivering signatures to said conveyor, said conveyor moving said signatures in a predetermined direction along a conveyor path;
• a printer disposed proximate to said conveyor along said path for imprinting on portions of signatures within a predetermined print field;
• improved wherein:
• said print field is nominally divided into a matrix of pixels and said printer effects imprinting on successive lines of pixels disposed transverse to said predetermined direction, and
• said system further comprises:
• scanner means for scanning a field of view disposed along said path extending in said predetermined direction in predetermined relation to said print field and generating scanner output signals indicative of the position of said signatures within said field of view;
• and
• means for varying the position of successive lines of pixels relative to said field of view in accordance with changes in position of said signatures within said field of view.

An imprinting system of the type including:

• a conveyor;
• a plurality of feeders for delivering signatures to said conveyor, said conveyor moving said signatures in a predetermined direction along a conveyor path;
• a printer disposed proximate to said conveyor along said path for imprinting on portions of signatures within a predetermined print field;
• improved wherein said system further comprises:
• scanner means for scanning a field of view disposed along said path extending in said predetermined direction in predetermined relation to said print field and generating scanner output signals indicative of the position of said signatures within said field of view;
• and
• means, responsive to said scanner output signals, for controlling said printer in accordance with the position of said signatures within said field of view;
• and
• means, responsive to said scanner output signals, for controlling said printer in accordance with the position of said signatures within said field of view;
• and said printer comprises:
• a beam generator;
• Y deflection means for controllably deflecting said beam to effect a scan of said beam along a direction transverse to said predetermined direction;
• and
• X deflection means, responsive to signature position signals indicative of the position of said signature within said field of view and desired relative position signals indicative of a desired relative position within said print field, for controllably deflecting said beam along said predetermined direction.

An imprinting system of the type including:

• a conveyor;
• a plurality of feeders for delivering signatures to said conveyor, said conveyor moving said signatures in a predetermined direction along a conveyor path;
• a printer disposed proximate to said conveyor along said path for imprinting on portions of signatures within a predetermined print field;
• improved wherein said field of view is nominally divided into a plurality of pixels, and said system further comprises:
• scanner means for scanning a field of view disposed along said path extending in said predetermined direction in predetermined relation to said print field and generating scanner output signals indicative of the position of said signatures within said field of view;
• and
• means, responsive to said scanner output signals, for controlling said printer in accordance with the position of said signature within said field of view, said means for controlling said printer comprising:
• means for generating a pixel count indicative of the relative address within said field of view of a pixel contemporaneously represented in said scanner output signal;
• means for detecting transitions in said scanner output signal;
• and
• means for storing the pixel count associated with an indicia of the polarity of said transitions as indicia of the position of said signature within the field of view.

A method of imprinting on a signature moving along a conveyor path in a predetermined direction, said method comprising the steps of:

• periodically generating signature position signals indicative of the contemporaneous position of said signature as it moves along said conveyor path within a predetermined portion of said path;
• imprinting on successive lines on said signature, said lines being disposed transverse to said predetermined direction;
• and
• varying the position of said successive lines of imprinting relative said path portion in accordance with changes in position of said signature within said path portion.

A system for printing information on a substrate, a system of the type including a printer having a predetermined print field and means for conveying said substrate along a predetermined direction into operative relation within said printer print field, improved wherein:

• said print field is nominally divided into a matrix of pixels and said printer effects imprinting on successive lines of pixels disposed transverse to said predetermined direction;
• said system further comprises:
• scanner means for scanning a field of view disposed along said path extending in said predetermined direction in predetermined relation to said print field and generating scanner output signals indicative of the position of said substrates within said field of view;
• and
• means for varying the position of successive lines of pixels relative to said field of view in accordance with changes in position of said substrate within said field of view;
• and
• said printer comprises:
• a laser beam generator, responsive to control signals applied thereto, for controllably generating a laser beam;
• means for controllably directing said laser beam to a desired position on said substrate to effect a controlled burn of said substrate at said position;
• means for generating a reflection level signal indication of the level of reflections, of said beam from said substrate;
• and
• means, responsive to said reflection level signal, for generating control signals to said beam generator to cause said beam to cease effecting said controlled burn.

A method for printing on a substrate moving along a path in a predetermined direction, comprising the steps of:

• periodically generating indicia of the contemporaneous position of said substrate as it moves along said conveyor path with a predetermined portion of said path;
• controllably generating a laser beam;
• controllably directing said laser beam along successive lines on said substrate, said lines being disposed transverse to said predetermined direction;
• varying the position of said successive lines relative said path portion in accordance with changes in position of said substrate within said path portion;
• and
• as to respective desired positions along said lines:
• selectively effecting a controlled burn to darken said substrate at said positions;
• generating a signal indicative of the level reflections from said desired position;
• and
• responsive to a predetermined change in said reflection level signals causing said laser beam to cease effecting said controlled burn at said position.

A system for imprinting on signatures in accordance with image data, said system being of the type including:

• a conveyor having a predetermined direction of movement;
• a plurality of feeders for delivering signatures said conveyor, a printer disposed proximate said conveyor for imprinting on portions of a signature within a predetermined print field;
• improved wherein said printer comprises:
• laser beam generator means for controllably generating a laser beam in accordance with control signals applied thereto;
• means for controllably deflecting said beam to traverse a line on said signature;
• and
• means for generating, in synchronism with traversal of said line, control signals in accordance with said image data
• said means for controllably deflecting comprising:
• Y deflection means for controllably deflecting said beam to effect a traversal of said beam along a direction transverse to said predetermined direction;
• and
• X deflection means, responsive to signature position signals indicative of the position of said signature relative to the position said beam generator means and desired relative position signals indicative of a desired position of a transverse line relative previous transverse lines, for controllably deflecting said beam along said predetermined direction.