Eastman-kodak Company

Heidelberger Druckmaschinen Ag

John A Winterberger

Michael Thomas Dobbertin

Edward P Furlani

John P Marcelletti

Thomas R Hull

John C Fournier

David L Puckett, Sr

Mark A Reeder

A printing machine () including a registration station () for applying a skew adjustment received from a human operator is disclosed. The registration station () includes independently controllable motors () that drive corresponding urging rollers () as controlled by control circuitry (), for example in response to the position of a media sheet as sensed by sensors () at the registration station (). The machine operator can enter a skew adjustment value at a user interface (), or at a networked computer workstation with which the printing machine () communicates via a network interface (). The control circuitry () calculates differential control signals for controlling the motors () to effect the skew correction. The differential control signals may be differential timing delays, such as prior to deactivation of the motors (), or may be a differential velocity signal for driving the motors ().

Adjustment of skew registration of media to a developed image in a printing machine

An apparatus and method for moving a receiver into a registered relationship with a moving image-bearing member in a registration mechanism. The apparatus and method account for receivers that arrive at the registration mechanism outside a normal operating time window. When a receiver arrives too late, the receiver is accelerated to a speed greater than that of the moving image-bearing member for a period of time sufficient to account for the arrival delay. The receiver is then decelerated to a speed substantially equal to that of the image-bearing member. When a receiver arrives too early, the receiver is brought to a stop for a period of time sufficient to account for the early arrival. The receiver is then accelerated to the image-bearing member speed.

System and method for increased sheet timing operation window for registration

An apparatus and method for moving a receiver having a lead edge and a trailing edge from an upstream engaging nip into registered relationship with an image-bearing member moving at an image-bearing member speed. A motor, a drive member operable to engage the receiver, and a drive coupling connecting the motor with the drive member are provided. A controller drives the motor in accordance with a velocity profile if the receiver is of a predetermined optimal receiver length, and drives the motor in accordance with a second velocity profile if the receiver is longer than the predetermined optimal receiver length.

System and method for registering long receivers

A control system for an optical sheet sensor device, including at least one light emitter and at least one light detector associated therewith for sensing a sheet in a sheet travel path, having a control system for automatically adjusting the intensity of said light from said light emitter. The control system stores a light emitter current level corresponding to a known valid operating condition where, when a sheet is absent from the sheet travel path, light detected at a light detector beyond a threshold level. A current level at a preset amount off-set from said stored current level is determined. A current is applied to a light emitter, the applied current rising toward a level at which the threshold level for the light detector is reached. The instantaneous applied current level is compared with the determined current level, and an error signal is provided when the applied current level reaches the determined current level. If the determined current level is not reached by the applied current level, the light emitter is operated at the applied current level, and if the determined level is reached, such error signal is provided.

Control system for automatic intensity adjustment of light emitters of a

An apparatus and method for control of a stepper motor drive for controlling movement of a receiver sheet into transfer relationship with an image-bearing member that supports an image to be transferred to the receiver sheet. Initially, the stepper motor is driven by drive pulses generated in response to clock pulses not synched with movement of the member. However, in order to ensure accurate registration, stepper motor drive pulses are subsequently generated that are in sync with encoder clock pulses that are generated in response to movement of the member. The transition of generation of the drive pulses is determined by establishing a condition of concurrence of a non-synched stepper motor drive pulses with an edge of an encoder pulse. The term condition of concurrence may be established by generating a timing control pulse of relatively short pulsewidth to define an allowed period for determining the condition of concurrence.

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Spencerport, NY, United States of America

John A Winterberger