Lexmark International, Inc.

Marc Alan Herwald

Michael Anthony Marra, Iii

Brian Andrew Naro

Martin Alan Johnson

Randall David Mayo

Daniel Lee Carter

Niko Jay Murrell

Bryan Christopher Scharf

Jeremy Keith Payne

Timothy L Brown

Daniel Robert LaBar

Stefan Mark Atay

Frederick Charles Griesemer

Kevin Dean Schoedinger

Barry Baxter Stout

Donald Norman Spitz

Charles Stanley Aldrich

Joseph Kamal Yackzan

Gretchen Yvonne Gibson

Noah Jonathon Gawlik

Aaron Ray Crooker

A media stiffness sensor assembly for an imaging device. The assembly comprises a translation mechanism coupled to a contact member, a drive mechanism coupled to the translation mechanism and a position sensor for providing a signal indicative of the position of the contact member. The assembly is mounted within an imaging device so that the contact member is moved into bending contact with a cantilevered portion of a media sheet in the media path. The energy used to translate the contact member from a home position into the cantilevered portion of a media sheet in the media path to deflect the cantilevered portion is used to determine a weight of the media sheet.

Media stiffness sensor assembly for an imaging device

A method of determining a media weight using a media stiffness sensor in an imaging device. A media sheet is staged having a cantilevered portion which is deflected by a contact member translated into the cantilevered portion. Based on the energy used to move the contact member through a travel distance, a media weight can be determined. An operating parameter of the imaging device may be adjusted based on the media weight that was determined.

Method of using an imaging device having a media stiffness sensor assembly

An imaging apparatus includes a frame and a maintenance sled movably coupled to the frame. The maintenance sled includes a carrier engagement member. A printhead carrier is coupled to the frame. A carrier motor is drivably coupled to the printhead carrier. A controller is coupled to the carrier motor. The controller controls the carrier motor to drive the printhead carrier at a first velocity and at a second velocity. The second velocity is lower than the first velocity. The printhead carrier is controlled to move at the first velocity toward the maintenance sled, wherein prior to the printhead carrier contacting the carrier engagement member of the maintenance sled, the printhead carrier is decelerated from the first velocity to the second velocity.

Maintenance station for an imaging apparatus

A method to compensate for imperfect scanner motion in a scanning apparatus having a moveable scanner includes generating an error array by measuring errors in a scanner position at each of a plurality of spaced positions along a direction of travel of the scanner; generating an error compensation array from the error array based on a low frequency component of the error array; and using the error compensation array to adjust at least one parameter associated with the scanning apparatus during a document scanning operation.

Method and apparatus to compensate for imperfect scanner motion

An interface device for attaching a printhead carrier to a carrier drive belt includes a belt holder attached to the carrier drive belt, and an isolator coupled between the belt holder and the printhead carrier. The isolator is configured to provide directionally dependent filtering of vibrations propagating to the printhead carrier.

Directionally dependent carrier isolator for an imaging apparatus

A method of performing printhead maintenance firing in an ink jet printer that has a printhead carrier that carries an ink jet printhead, the ink jet printer having a waste ink receptacle, includes the steps of decelerating the printhead carrier from a first velocity after printing print data; and controlling a firing of the printhead during the decelerating in accordance with maintenance data so that ink droplets ejected from the printhead during the decelerating are received by the waste ink receptacle.

Method of performing dynamic printhead maintenance firing in an ink jet printer

An imaging apparatus includes a carrier housing having an attachment feature, a carrier belt to transmit a translation to the carrier housing in a bi-directional scanning direction; and an interface device interposed between and coupled to both the carrier housing and the carrier belt. The interface device includes a body having a wing and a base. The wing is defined by a span and by a chord length. At least one of the wing and the base is mounted via the attachment feature to the carrier housing. The span extends in the bi-directional scanning direction, and the chord length is substantially perpendicular to the span.

Imaging apparatus having a printhead carrier/belt interface device

A method of the invention is for controlling a DC printer motor with a motor driver during a potential stall of the DC printer motor. One step of the method includes detecting the start of the potential stall of the DC printer motor. Another step includes thereafter during the potential stall using an input to the motor driver which corresponds to a pulsed desired motor voltage. A further step includes outputting from the motor driver a control voltage to the DC printer motor based on the input. In one example of the method, the start of a potential stall of a DC printer motor is detected at least one time when a printhead carrier moved by a DC printer motor of an inkjet printer encounters a capping device of the inkjet printer while returning to the printer sidewall home position of the printhead carrier.

Method for controlling a DC printer motor with a motor driver

A method of printing using an ink jet printer includes the steps of: defining at least one scan line with a plurality of pixel locations spaced apart at a predetermined print resolution; scanning a printhead across the scan line at a first velocity; printing on the scan line at selected pixel locations at the first scan velocity; scanning the printhead across the scan line at a second scan velocity which is different from the first scan velocity; and printing on the scan line at selected pixel locations at the second scan velocity.

Method of altering an effective print resolution of an ink jet printer

A scanning operation is synchronized with the motion of a scan mechanism. Encoder signals indicative of a position of the scan mechanism relative to a scan platen or an object being scanned are received. These encoder signals may include a single channel phase signals are channel A and channel B phase signals. Transitions of the encoder signals are detected. Scan pulses for triggering a scan operation by a scan element are generated based on transitions of the encoder signals. Differences in the encoder signal resolution and a desired scan resolution are compensated for in the generation of the scan pulses. A transfer signal is generated in synchronization with the scan pulses for controlling output of data from the scan element. Variations of the velocity of the scan mechanism cause variations of the frequency at which the scan pulses are generated. Variations in the velocity of the scan mechanism are accounted for during this synchronization by varying the duration of the transfer state of the transfer signal in relation to the variations of the scan pulse frequency. The duration of the exposure state of transfer signal is kept constant, ensuring a constant exposure time for the scanning device.

Method and apparatus for synchronizing a scan operation with the motion of the scan mechanism

A method is provided to reduce vertical banding defects in an ink jet printer. The method includes the steps of identifying a disturbance frequency of a disturbance source; identifying a natural frequency of a printhead carrier system; correlating the disturbance frequency of the disturbance source and the natural frequency of the printhead carrier system to a base carrier velocity; selecting a first carrier velocity for printing in a first direction, the first carrier velocity being different from the base carrier velocity; and selecting a second carrier velocity for printing in a second direction, the second carrier velocity being different from the base carrier velocity and different from the first carrier velocity.

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Lexington, KY, United States of America

Marc Alan Herwald