# US 9,519,447 B2 · Apparatus and method for determining suitable printing conditions for printing sheets in a printing system

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- Number: US 9,519,447 B2
- Document ID: US9519447B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 14/877,423
- Filed: 2015-10-07
- Published: 2016-04-14
- Granted: 2016-12-13
- Earliest claimed: 2014-10-08
- Assignees: Oce-Technologies B.V.
- Applicants: Oce-Technologies B.V.
- Inventors: Jeroen P. J. Huijbers; Johannes P. J. C. Rooijakkers; Daisuke Kawaguchi; Hendricus F. M. Jeurissen; Catharinus Van Acquoij
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US9519447B2

## CPC

- G06F 3/121: {Facilitating exception or error detection and recovery, e.g. fault, media or consumables depleted}
- B41J 2/2146: {for line print heads}
- B41J 13/0009: {control of the transport of the copy material}
- B41J 13/0018: {in the sheet input section of automatic paper handling systems}
- B65H 7/06: responsive to presence of faulty articles or incorrect separation or feed (B65H7/14 takes precedence)
- B65H 85/00: Recirculating articles, i.e. feeding each article to, and delivering it from, the same machine work-station more than once
- G06F 3/1234: {Errors handling and recovery, e.g. reprinting (G06F3/1261 takes precedence)}
- G06K 15/16: Means for paper feeding or form feeding
- H04N 1/00092: {relating to the original or to the reproducing medium, e.g. imperfections or dirt (detecting properties of a sheet H04N1/00681)}
- H04N 1/00633: {selectively to one of a plurality of output trays (H04N1/00641 takes precedence)}
- B41J 2203/011: Inspecting the shape or condition, e.g. wrinkled or warped, of a medium to be printed before printing on it
- B65H 2511/135: Surface texture; e.g. roughness
- B65H 2511/52: Defective operating conditions
- B65H 2511/522: Folds or misfolding
- G03G 15/5029: {by measuring the copy material characteristics, e.g. weight, thickness}
- G06F: ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING (computer systems based on specific computational models G06N)
- B41J: TYPEWRITERS; SELECTIVE PRINTING MECHANISMS, i.e. MECHANISMS PRINTING OTHERWISE THAN FROM A FORME; CORRECTION OF TYPOGRAPHICAL ERRORS
- B65H: HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL, e.g. SHEETS, WEBS, CABLES
- G06K: GRAPHICAL DATA READING (image or video recognition or understanding G06V); PRESENTATION OF DATA; RECORD CARRIERS; HANDLING RECORD CARRIERS
- H04N: PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION
- G03G: ELECTROGRAPHY; ELECTROPHOTOGRAPHY; MAGNETOGRAPHY

## Abstract

The present invention provides a method of optimizing the operating conditions for printing sheets, comprising the following steps: introducing a sheet into the printing system; treating the sheet by exposing the sheet to a physical operating condition of the printing system at a predetermined level; sensing a surface geometry of the exposed sheet to generate data representing a height map of the surface of the at least one exposed sheet for that predetermined level of that operating condition; and comparing the data to one another and/or a reference value to determine the suitable level of the least one physical operating condition. The invention further provides an apparatus optimizing the operating conditions for printing sheets.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A method of determining suitable operating conditions for printing sheets in a printing system, comprising a controller performing the steps of:
introducing a first sheet into the printing system;
selecting a first level for a physical operating condition of the printing system;
exposing the first sheet to the physical operating condition of the printing system at the first level to treat the first sheet;
sensing a surface geometry of a surface of the exposed first sheet to generate first height map data representing a height map of the surface of the exposed first sheet for the first level of the operating condition;
introducing a second sheet into the printing system;
selecting a second level for the physical operating condition of the printing system;
exposing the second sheet to the physical operating condition of the printing system at the second level to treat the second sheet;
sensing a surface geometry of a surface of the exposed second sheet to generate second height map data representing a height map of the surface of the exposed second sheet for the second level of the operating condition;
comparing the first height map data and the second height map data to determine a suitable level of the operating condition of the printing system; and
selecting the determined suitable level as a printing setting for the operating condition of the printing system.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The method according to claim 1, further comprising the step of the controller setting the operating condition of the printing system to the determined suitable level.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The method according to claim 1, wherein the step of comparing further comprises comparing the first height map data and the second height map data to a reference to determine a suitable level of the operating condition of the printing system.

### Claim 4 (depends on 3)

The method according to claim 3, wherein the reference comprises a threshold value related to the print head gap spacing which threshold value, when exceeded, renders a sheet unsuitable for printing.

### Claim 5 (depends on 4)

The method according to claim 4, wherein:
the step of sensing the surface geometry of a surface of the exposed first sheet comprises determining a first maximum sheet height of the first sheet for the first level of the operating condition;
the step of comparing comprises comparing the first maximum sheet height for the first level of the operating condition to the threshold value;
the step of sensing the surface geometry of a surface of the exposed second sheet comprises determining a second maximum sheet height of the second sheet for the second level of the operating condition;
the step of comparing further comprises comparing the second maximum sheet height for the second level of the operating condition to the threshold value.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The method according to claim 1, further comprising the step of comparing the first height map data and the second height map data to determine a suitable print head gap spacing of a print head of the printing system.

### Claim 7 (depends on 1)

The method according to claim 1, further comprising the step of storing the first height map data,
wherein the step of comparing comprises comparing the second height map data to the stored first height map data.

### Claim 8 (depends on 1)

The method according to claim 1, wherein the operating condition of the printing system includes temperature and the first level and the second level of the temperature lie within the range of about 50° C. to about 120° C.

### Claim 9 (depends on 1)

The method according to claim 1, wherein the operating condition of the printing system includes relative humidity, and wherein the first level and the second level of the relative humidity lie within the range of about 10% to about 90%.

### Claim 10 (depends on 1)

The method according to claim 1, wherein the operating condition of the printing system includes ink coverage of a first sheet, and wherein the first level and the second level of the ink coverage lie within the range of about 0 g/m2 to about 20 g/m2.

### Claim 11 (depends on 1)

The method according to claim 1, wherein the operating condition of the printing system includes framing distance of a first sheet, and wherein the first level and the second level of the framing distance lie within the range of about 0 mm to about 50 mm.

### Claim 12 (depends on 1)

The method according to claim 1, wherein the operating condition of the printing system includes under-pressure or transport speed of a sheet transport system.

### Claim 13 (depends on 1)

The method according to claims 1, further comprising the step of exposing a plurality of sheets to the operating condition of the printing system at a plurality of predetermined levels, wherein the plurality of predetermined levels are substantially regularly spaced across a range.

### Claim 14

A method of determining suitable operating conditions for printing sheets in a printing system, comprising a controller performing the steps of:
introducing a first sheet into the printing system;
selecting a first level for a physical operating condition of the printing system;
exposing the first sheet to the physical operating condition of the printing system at the first level to treat the first sheet region;
sensing a surface geometry of a surface of the exposed first sheet to generate first height map data representing a height map of the surface of the exposed first sheet for the first level of the operating condition;
introducing a second sheet into the printing system;
selecting a second level for the physical operating condition of the printing system;
exposing the second sheet to the physical operating condition of the printing system at the second level to treat the second sheet region;
sensing a surface geometry of a surface of the exposed second sheet to generate second height map data representing a height map of the surface of the exposed second sheet for the second level of the operating condition;
comparing the first height map data and the second height map data to determine a suitable level of the operating condition of the printing system;
selecting the determined suitable level as a printing setting for the operating condition of the printing system.