Print timing and speed control circuit for high-speed printers

Claim 2

A high-speed printer of ''''on-the-fly'''' type having symbols to be printed arranged on a type-carrying member, said member being maintained in motion relative to a printing position by suitable motor means operating at a predetermined speed, comprising in combination: timing means for delivering a succession of pulses to denote the position of the characters to be printed and the time for actuation of the print operation; first circuit means responsive to said pulses to control said printing operation; and second circuit means responsive to said pulses to control the operating speed of said motor means, whereby both the timing of the printing operation and the regulation of the operating speed of said motor means are controlled by said pulses.

Claim 3

A high-speed printer as in claim 1, wherein said second circuit means comprises a fast recovery monostable univibrator triggered in response to said pulses to provide an output signal, a bistable element enabled for triggering by said pulses and having set and reset inputs, said output signal being applied in direct and inverted form to said set and reset inputs respectively, said bistable element providing an output control signal to control the operating speed of said motor means.

Claim 4

High-speed printing apparatus comprising: an image-bearing member adapted for movement past a printing position and bearing a plurality of different character images spaced apart on said member along said direction of movement, a controllable driving member connected to drive said image-bearing member past said printing position to carry said character images successively past said printing position, printing apparatus disposed proximate to said printing position and, when actuated by an energizing signal, for cooperating with the one of said character images at said printing position to make a copy of said one image, a timing indicia bearing member integrally associated with said image-bearing member to move with said image-bearing member, said timing indicia bearing member comprising a timing indicium for each of said character images, each of said timing indicia being located on said timing indicia bearing member at a position corresponding to the position of the respective one of said character images, sensing means disposed for sensing the timing indicia on said timing indicia bearing member as said timing indicia move past said sensing means and for delivering a timing signal when each of said timing indicia is sensed, circuit means responsive to each of said timing signals and enabled when a copy is to be made of the respective one of said character images to supply an energizing signal to said printing apparatus, each one of said timing indicia being disposed on said timing indicia bearing member at a position to be sensed by said sensing means a characteristic duration before the respective one of said character images reaches said printing position when said driving member is operating at a predetermined speed, said characteristic duration corresponding to the interval between the time when said one timing indicium is sensed by said sensing means and the time when said printing apparatus is ready to make a copy of the respective character image, and control means responsive to said timing signals to control said driving member to maintain a substantially constant driving speed.

Claim 5

High-speed printing apparatus comprising: an image-bearing member adapted for movement past a printing position and bearing a plurality of different character images spaced apart on said member along said direction of movement, a controllable driving member connected to drive said image-bearing member past said printing position to carry said character images successively past said printing position, printing apparatus disposed proximate to said printing position and, when actuated by an energizing signal, for cooperating with the one of said character images at said printing position to make a copy of said one image, a timing indicia bearing member integrally associated with said image-bearing member to move with said image-bearing member, said timing indicia bearing member comprising a timing indicium for each of said character images, each of said timing indicia being located on said timing indicia bearing member at a position corresponding to the position of the respective one of said character images, sensing means disposed for sensing the timing indicia on said timing indicia bearing member as said timing indicia move past said sensing means and for delivering a timing signal when each of said timing indicia is sensed, circuit means responsive to each of said timing signals and enabled when a copy is to be made of the respective one of said character images to supply an energizing signal to said printing apparatus, each one of said timing indicia being disposed on said timing indicia bearing member at a position to be sensed by said sensing means a characteristic duration before the respective one of said character images reaches said printing position when said driving member is operating at a predetermined speed, said characteristic duration corresponding to the interval between the time when said one timing indicium is sensed by said sensing means and the time when said printing apparatus is ready to make a copy of the respective character image, and control means responsive to said timing signals to control said driving member to maintain a substantially constant driving speed.

Claim 6

The apparatus of claim 3, wherein said control means responds to the rate of recurrence of said timing signals to control said driving member.

Claim 7

The apparatus of claim 4, wherein said control means responds to a relatively low rate of recurrence for accelerating said driving member and to a relatively high rate of recurrence for decelerating said driving member.

Claim 8

The apparatus of claim 3, wherein said control means compares the intervals between successive ones of said timing signals with said characteristic duration to control said driving member.

Claim 9

The apparatus of claim 6, wherein when said intervals are less than said characteristic duration said control means decelerates said driving member and when said intervals are greater than said characteristic duration said control means accelerates said driving member.

Claim 10

High-speed printing apparatus comprising: an image-bearing member adapted for movement past a printing position and bearing a plurality of different character images spaced apart on said member along said direction of movement, a controllable driving member connected to drive said image-bearing member past said printing position to carry said character images successively past said printing position, printing apparatus disposed proximate to said printing position and, when actuated by an energizing signal, for cooperating with the one of said character images at said printing position to make a copy of said one image, a timing indicia bearing member integrally associated with said image-bearing member to move with said image-bearing member, said timing indicia bearing member comprising a timing indicium for each of said character images, each of said timing indicia being located on said timing indicia bearing member at a position corresponding to the position of the respective one of said character images, sensing means disposed for sensing the timing indicia on said timing indicia bearing member as said timing indicia move past said sensing means and for delivering a timing signal when each of said timing indicia is sensed, circuit means responsive to each of said timing signals and enabled when a copy is to be made of the respective of said character images to supply an energizing signal to said printing apparatus, and control means responsive to the rate of recurrence of said timing signals to control said driving member to maintain a substantially constant driving speed.

Claim 11

High-speed printing apparatus comprising: an image-bearing member adapted for movement past a printing position and bearing a plurality of different character images spaced apart on said member along said direction of movement, a controllable driving member connected to drive said image-bearing member past said printing position to carry said character images successively past said printing position, printing apparatus disposed proximate to said printing position and, when actuated by an energizing signal, for cooperating with the one of said character images at said printing position to make a copy of said one image, a timing indicia bearing member integrally associated with said image-bearing member to move with said image-bearing member, said timing indicia bearing member comprising a timing indicium for each of said character images, each of said timing indicia being located on said timing indicia bearing member at a position corresponding to the position of the respective one of said character images, sensing means disposed for sensing the timing indicia on said timing indicia bearing member as said timing indicia move past said sensing means and for delivering a timing signal when each of said timing indicia is sensed, circuit means responsive to each of said timing signals and enabled when a copy is to be made of the respective of said character images to supply an energizing signal to said printing apparatus, and control means responsive to the rate of recurrence of said timing signals to control said driving member to maintain a substantially constant driving speed.

Claim 12

The apparatus of claim 8, wherein said control means compares the intervals between successive ones of said timing signals with a characteristic duration to control said driving member, said characteristic duration corresponding to the interval between the time when one of said timing indicia is sensed by said sensing means and the time when said printing apparatus is ready to make a copy of the respective character image.

Claim 13

The apparatus of claim 9, wherein said intervals are less than said characteristic duration said control means decelerates said driving member and when said intervals are greater than said characteristic duration said control means accelerates said driving member.