Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 10
Claim 1
Independent Claim
146 words
A method for transverse registration of an image area to be exposed on a longitudinally moving belt subject to lateral deviation from linear travel, said method comprising the steps of: providing belt edge profile data relating i) each of a plurality of longitudinal positions along said moving belt to ii) a lateral position of an edge of the belt with respect to a spatially fixed reference point; detecting a first lateral position of said belt during movement of the belt by measuring the lateral position of said belt edge at a first one of said plurality of longitudinal positions along said belt; and, adjusting the transverse location of the image area on the belt to compensate for a difference between the detected first lateral position of said belt edge and the belt edge profile data related to said first one of said plurality of longitudinal positions.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
135 words
The method according to claim 1 wherein: the step of providing said belt edge profile data includes the step of providing average belt edge profile data relating i) each of said plurality of longitudinal positions along said belt repeatedly passing adjacent said spatially fixed reference point to ii) an average lateral position of said belt edge at each of said plurality of longitudinal positions along said belt with respect to said spatially fixed reference point; and, the step of adjusting the transverse location of the image area includes the step of adjusting the transverse location of the image area on the belt to compensate for a difference between the detected first lateral position of said belt edge and the average belt edge profile data related to said first one of said plurality of longitudinal positions.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
151 words
The method according to claim 2 wherein: the step of providing said average belt edge profile data includes the step of providing moving average belt edge profile data relating i) each of said plurality of longitudinal positions along said belt passing adjacent said spatially fixed reference point for a predetermined number of belt cycles to ii) an average lateral position of said belt edge at each of said plurality of longitudinal positions along said belt with respect to said spatially fixed reference point for said predetermined number of belt cycles; and, the step of adjusting the transverse location of the image area includes the step of adjusting the transverse location of the image area on the belt to compensate for a difference between the detected first lateral position of said belt edge and the moving average belt edge profile data related to said first one of said plurality of longitudinal positions.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
188 words
The method according to claim 1, 2 or 3, further comprising the step of determining when said longitudinally moving belt reaches a quasi steady state in said lateral deviation from linear travel by: calculating moving average belt edge profile data relating i) each of said plurality of longitudinal positions along said belt passing adjacent said spatially fixed reference point for a predetermined number of belt cycles to ii) an average lateral position of said belt edge at each of said plurality of longitudinal positions along said belt with respect to said reference point for said predetermined number of belt cycles; detecting a first lateral position data set of said belt during movement of the belt by measuring the lateral position of said belt edge at said plurality of longitudinal positions along said belt; calculating a plurality of difference data values by comparing said moving average belt edge profile data with said first lateral position data set for each of said plurality of longitudinal positions along said belt; and, realizing said quasi steady state when each of said plurality of difference data values are within a predetermined value range.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
160 words
The method according to claim 4 wherein: the step of providing said belt edge profile data includes the step, after realizing said quasi steady state, of providing moving average belt edge profile data relating i) each of said plurality of longitudinal positions along said belt passing adjacent said spatially fixed reference point for a predetermined number of belt cycles to ii) an average lateral position of said belt edge at each of said plurality of longitudinal positions along said belt with respect to said reference point for said predetermined number of belt cycles; and, the step of adjusting the transverse location of the image area includes the step, after realizing said quasi steady state, of adjusting the transverse location of the image area on the belt to compensate for a difference between the detected first lateral position of said belt edge and the moving average belt edge profile data related to said first one of said plurality of longitudinal positions.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
85 words
The method according to claim 5 further comprising the steps, for each of said plurality of longitudinal positions along said belt, of: on-the-fly detecting a lateral position of said belt during movement of the belt by measuring the lateral position of said belt edge from said spatially fixed reference point; and, on-the-fly adjusting the transverse location of the image area on the belt to compensate for a difference between the detected lateral position of said belt edge and the moving average belt edge profile data.
Claim 7
Independent Claim
149 words
A method for controlling a lateral position of a longitudinally moving endless belt subject to lateral deviation from linear travel, said method comprising the steps of: providing belt edge profile data relating i) each of a plurality of longitudinal positions along said moving belt to ii) a lateral position of an edge of the belt with respect to a spatially fixed reference point; detecting a first lateral position of said belt during movement of the belt by measuring the lateral position of said belt edge at a first one of said plurality of longitudinal positions along said belt; generating a steering command signal by calculating a difference between the detected first lateral position of said belt edge and the belt edge profile data related to said first one of said plurality of longitudinal positions; and, adjusting the lateral positions of the belt in response to said steering command signal.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
123 words
The method according to claim 7 wherein: the step of providing said belt edge profile data includes the step of providing average belt edge profile data relating i) each of said plurality of longitudinal positions along said belt repeatedly passing adjacent said spatially fixed reference point to ii) an average lateral position of said belt edge at each of said plurality of longitudinal positions along said belt with respect to said reference point; and, the step of generating said steering command signal includes the step of generating said steering command signal by calculating a difference between the detected first lateral position of said belt edge and the average belt edge profile data related to said first one of said plurality of longitudinal positions.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
139 words
The method according to claim 8 wherein: the step of providing said average belt edge profile data includes the step of providing moving average belt edge profile data relating i) each of said plurality of longitudinal positions along said belt passing adjacent said spatially fixed reference point for a predetermined number of belt cycles to ii) an average lateral position of said belt edge at each of said plurality of longitudinal positions along said belt with respect to said reference point for said predetermined number of belt cycles; and, the step of generating said steering command signal includes the step of generating said steering command signal by calculating a difference between the detected first lateral position of said belt edge and the moving average belt edge profile data related to said first one of said plurality of longitudinal positions.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
183 words
The method according to claim 7 further comprising the step of determining when said longitudinally moving belt reaches a quasi steady state in said lateral deviation from linear travel by: calculating moving average belt edge profile data relating i) each of said plurality of longitudinal positions along said belt passing adjacent said spatially fixed reference point for a predetermined number of cycles to ii) an average lateral position of said belt edge at each of said plurality of longitudinal positions along said belt with respect to said reference point for said predetermined number of belt cycles; detecting a first lateral position data set of said belt during movement of belt by measuring the lateral position of said belt edge at said plurality of longitudinal positions along said belt; calculating a plurality of difference data values by comparing said moving average belt edge profile data with said first lateral position data set for each of said plurality of longitudinal positions along said belt; and, realizing said quasi steady state when each of said plurality of difference data values are within a predetermined value range.