Sensing objects for printing
AssigneeFUJIFILM Dimatix, Inc.
InventorsRichard J. Baker, William Leathers, Bailey Smith, Roger Therrien
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A printing apparatus including a conveyor capable of moving an object in a process direction, a drop ejection device, a sensor array that substantially spans the conveyor in a cross-process direction that is perpendicular to the process direction, the sensor array being configured to detect a position of the object in the process direction and cross-process direction, and a controller configured to receive position data about the object from the sensor array and to cause the drop ejection device to deposit fluid droplets on the object based on the position of the object on the conveyor.
Claims28
An printing apparatus comprising, a conveyor capable of moving a plurality of objects in a process direction, the plurality of objects placed on the conveyor being neither aligned in the process direction nor a cross-process direction that is perpendicular to the process direction;
- a drop ejection device;
- a sensor array that substantially spans the conveyor in the cross-process direction and is configured to detect more than one object at a time and to detect a position of each object in the process direction and the cross-process direction;
- and
- a controller configured to receive position data about the plurality of objects from the sensor array and to cause the drop ejection device to deposit fluid droplets on the plurality of objects based on the positions of the plurality of objects on the conveyor.
A method comprising:
- moving a plurality of objects on a conveyor in a process direction;
- detecting positions of at least two objects at a time in the process direction and a cross-process direction, which is perpendicular to the process direction, using a sensor array that substantially spans the conveyor in the cross-process direction;
- sending position data to a controller;
- and
- causing a drop ejection device to deposit fluid droplets on the at least two objects based on the positions of the at least two objects on the conveyor.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.