Videojet Technologies Inc.

Other

Gary Pfeffer

Martin McNestry

Philip Hart

Keith Buxton

Steven John Buckby

Jeremy Ellis

James Christopher Butcher

Gareth Walley

Martin Mcnestry

A printer comprising a printhead configured to selectively cause a mark to be created on a substrate. The printer comprises a stepper motor having an output shaft coupled to the printhead, the stepper motor being arranged to vary the position of the printhead relative to a printing surface against which printing is carried out, and to control the pressure exerted by the printhead on the printing surface. The printer further comprises a sensor configured to generate a signal indicative of an angular position of the output shaft of the stepper motor. The printer further comprises a controller arranged to generate control signals for the stepper motor so as to cause a predetermined torque to be generated by the stepper motor; said control signals being at least partially based upon an output of said sensor.

Printer

There is provided a tape drive. The tape drive comprises first and second spool supports on which spools of tape may be mounted. The tape drive further comprises an optical sensing system. The optical sensing system comprises a radiation emitter and a radiation detector, said radiation emitter and radiation detector having a fixed positional relationship in use with respect to said first and second spool supports. The tape drive further comprises a controller. The controller is operative to, energise the radiation emitter to emit radiation, and determine a diameter data indicative of a diameter of a spool mounted on one of the first and second spool supports based on a radiation signal generated by the detector.

Tape drive

A printer comprising a printhead configured to selectively cause a mark to be created on a substrate, a stepper motor having an output shaft coupled to the printhead, the stepper motor being arranged to vary the position of the printhead, a sensor configured to generate a signal indicative of an angular position of the output shaft of the stepper motor, and a controller arranged to generate control signals for the stepper motor. Said control signals being at least partially based upon an output of said sensor and at least partially based upon a target position. Said control signals for the stepper motor are arranged to cause a magnetic field to be generated by windings of the stepper motor. A field angle being defined between an angular position of the output shaft of the stepper motor, and an orientation of the generated magnetic field. Said control signals comprise a first control signal configured to cause said field angle to have a predetermined value, and a second control signal configured to cause said magnetic field to have a predetermined magnitude, and said controller is configured to vary said first and second control signals based upon said target position and said output of said sensor.

A labelling machine comprises a supply spool support for supporting a supply spool comprising label stock comprising a web and a plurality of labels attached to the web and which are separable from the web; a take-up spool support adapted to take up a portion of web; a motive means configured to propel the web along a web path from the supply spool support towards the take up spool support. A sensor has a transmitter portion and a receiver portion, the receiver portion comprising a plurality of receivers, the transmitter portion and receiver portion are configured to receive a portion of the label stock therebetween, and the plurality of receivers are each configured to produce a respective sensor signal which is a function of a property of a portion of label stock at a plurality of positions spaced from one another in a direction non-parallel to the web path. In addition, a controller is configured to monitor each of the sensor signals produced by the receivers and to select one of the sensor signals produced by the receivers based on said monitoring of each of the sensor signals produced by the receivers.

Machine and method for its operation

A labelling machine comprises a supply spool support for supporting a supply spool comprising label stock; a take-up spool support adapted to take up a portion of the label stock; a motive device configured to propel the label stock along a web path from the supply spool support towards the take up spool support; a first arrangement configured to produce a first signal indicative of a speed at which label stock is removed from the supply spool by the motive device; a controller configured to receive the first signal and output a brake assembly control signal based upon the first signal; and a brake assembly configured to apply a braking force to the supply spool support based upon the brake assembly control signal, the braking force resisting rotation of the supply spool support. The controller is configured to output the brake assembly control signal based upon a target supply spool speed.

Labelling machine with a controlled brake assembly and method of its operation

A printer comprising a printhead configured to selectively cause a mark to be created on a substrate. The printer comprises in a stepper motor having an output shaft coupled to the printhead, the stepper motor being arranged to vary the position of the printhead relative to a printing surface against which printing is carried out, and to control the pressure exerted by the printhead on the printing surface. The printer further comprises a sensor configured to generate a signal indicative of an angular position of the output shaft of the stepper motor. The printer further comprises a controller arranged to generate control signals for the stepper motor so as to cause a predetermined torque to be generated by the stepper motor; said control signals being at least partially based upon an output of said sensor.

A printing machine comprising a processor and a memory storing computer readable instructions. The computer readable instructions are arranged to cause the processor to generate access request data for processing by an access control server, receive access response data responsive to the access request data, process the access response data to determine a first print limit indicated by the access response data, and update, responsive to processing the access response data, an access status in the memory to indicate a second print limit.

Method and apparatus for securing peripheral devices

A thermal transfer printer comprising: first and second spool supports each being configured to support a spool of ribbon; a ribbon drive configured to cause movement of ribbon from the first spool support to the second spool support; a printhead configured to selectively transfer ink from the ribbon to a substrate, the printhead pressing the print ribbon and substrate together against a print roller; a substrate drive configured to cause movement of a substrate past the printhead; a sensor configured to monitor rotation of the print roller and generate a signal indicative thereof; and a controller configured to determine a measure of movement of the substrate and/or ribbon past the print roller based on the signal output by the sensor.

Stepper motor driven print head

A printer comprising a printhead configured to selectively cause a mark to be created on a substrate, a first motor coupled to the printhead and arranged to vary the position of the printhead relative to a printing surface against which printing is carried out to thereby control the pressure exerted by the printhead on the printing surface, and a controller arranged to control the first motor. The controller is arranged to control the magnitude of current supplied to windings of the first motor so as to cause a predetermined pressure to be exerted by the printhead on the printing surface.

Printing apparatus and method

A labelling machine comprises a supply spool support for supporting a spool of label carrying web, a take up spool support adapted to take up a portion of web, and a first motive apparatus for transporting web along a web path between the supply spool support to the take up spool support, and a controller. The controller is configured to provide a control signal to the first motive apparatus, wherein the controller is further configured such that the controller provides a control signal to the first motive apparatus to accelerate the first motive apparatus between a first speed and a second speed by providing a control signal to the first motive apparatus to command the first motive apparatus to accelerate to a predetermined first intermediate speed intermediate the first and second speeds, then a control signal to command the first motive apparatus to accelerate to a second predetermined intermediate speed intermediate the first intermediate speed and the second speed, and then a control signal to command the first motive apparatus to accelerate to the second speed.

Labelling machine and method of controlling the speed of a label web

A labelling machine comprises a supply spool support for supporting a supply spool comprising label stock comprising a web and a plurality of labels attached to the web and which are separable from the web; a take-up spool support adapted to take up a portion of web; a first motive means configured to propel the web along a web path from the supply spool support towards the take up spool support, the first motive means comprising a first motor including a first stator and a first rotor; a labelling peel beak located along the web path and configured to peel the labels from label web as the label stock passes the labelling peel beak; and a printer for printing on the labels. The printer includes a ribbon supply spool support for supporting a ribbon supply spool comprising printer ribbon for the printer; a ribbon take-up spool support adapted to take up a portion of the printer ribbon; and a second motive means configured to propel the printer ribbon from the supply spool support towards the take up spool support, the second motive means comprising a second motor including a second stator and a second rotor. The labelling machine further comprises a base plate. The following components are mounted to the base plate such that the majority of each component is located on one side of a first surface of the base plate: supply spool support, take-up spool support, first stator, labelling peel beak, ribbon supply spool support, ribbon take-up spool support and second stator.

A labelling machine comprises a supply spool support for supporting a supply spool comprising label stock; a take-up spool support adapted to take up a portion of the label stock; a movable element which defines a portion of a web path between the supply spool and the take-up spool support; a sensor configured to produce a sensor signal indicative of the position of the movable element; a controller configured to receive the sensor signal and output a brake assembly control signal based upon the sensor signal; and a brake assembly configured to apply a braking force to one of said spool supports based upon the brake assembly control signal, the braking force resisting rotation of said one of said spool supports. The controller is configured to control the brake assembly based upon the sensor signal so as to cause the moveable element to move towards a desired position.

Labelling machine and method for its operation

A ribbon includes a substrate film, wherein the film comprises a tensionable material; and an ink disposed on the ribbon. A length of the ribbon includes portions that have been tensioned to provide a code readable from the ribbon by measuring the tension over the length of the ribbon.

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Woodthorpe, United Kingdom

Gary Pfeffer