Automatic Paper Alignment Mechanism

In moving paper XY recorders, a sheet of material, typically having a grid imprinted thereon, is moved in an X direction in accordance with one variable, such as time, and a stylus is moved across the material in the orthogonal Y direction in accordance with the other variable. Alignment of the grid with the XY axes of the recorder is essential if accurate readings of the plots are to be made. One way to do this is to align the grid with perforations along the edge of the material and move it with a sprocket wheel. Whereas this works in a satisfactory manner, it requires more expensive special paper that is not generally available. Another way of aligning the material is to provide a paper guide bar that is parallel to the X axis along which the paper moves, a stop that is parallel to the Y axis, and a continuously driven rubber friction roller oriented so as to drive the paper into the corner formed by the guide bar and the stop. Means are provided for sensing when the paper has settled into the corner, raising the stop, and causing drive rollers to engage the paper and move it forward into the machine. This approach requires a number of separate rather cumbersome mechanisms and, if the paper is very thin, as much grid paper is, it may buckle when it strikes the guide bar or the stop so that it will become misaligned when they are removed. Furthermore, the friction roller can only drive the paper into the corner so that it cannot compensate for any side force exerted by the operator or obstruction that would cause it to be too close to the guide bar.

A moving paper XY recorder is generally comprised of drive means for applying forces to a sheet of paper so as to move it in the X direction along a platen and means for moving a carriage bearing a stylus across the paper in the Y direction. This description will apply to mechanisms having X drive members only at the edges of the sheet. In accordance with the invention, means are provided for determining the skew of the paper by detecting the lack of parallelism of the recorder axes with any linear feature of the paper, or printing oriented to the paper axes by detecting two points on this feature. Other means are provided for applying a pivot to the paper and causing one of the drive means to rotate the paper about the pivot so as to correct the skew. In order to avoid buckling the paper, it is important that the relative location of the pivot and the drive means be such that the paper between them is in tension. An edge of the paper or a line printed on it can serve as the linear feature or orientation line in the preferred form of the invention, and the length of the paper, as well as its squareness, can also be determined. Other forms of the invention may be limited to using the front edge as a reference. It is also possible to use a drive means as a pivot.

FIG. 1 is an exploded isometric view of a preferred embodiment of the invention;

FIGS. 1A and 1B are partial side views of a portion of the structure of FIG. 1 that show different operating positions of the mechanism;

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating the manner in which the preferred embodiment of FIG. 1 may be operated manually as well as by processor control;

FIG. 3 is a series of diagrams used in explaining the operation of the preferred embodiment when the sheet of paper enters the recorder with a clockwise skew;

FIG. 4 is a series of diagrams used in explaining the operation of the preferred embodiment of FIG. 1 when the sheet of paper enters the recorder with a counterclockwise skew;

FIG. 5 is a flow chart for the program set forth at the end of the specification;

FIG. 6 is a series of diagrams showing how the preferred embodiment can be used to check the squareness of the paper;

FIG. 7 is a series of diagrams showing how the preferred embodiment can be used to align a sheet of paper with reference to the right edge thereof;

FIG. 8 is a schematic illustration of an alternative embodiment of the invention having separately controllable drive means and pivots on opposite sides of the platen;

FIG. 9 is a series of diagrams illustrating the operation of the embodiment of the invention shown in FIG. 8;

FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram of another alternative embodiment in which the pinch rollers and drive wheels are used as pivots; and

FIG. 11 is a series of diagrams illustrating the operation of the embodiment of the invention shown in FIG. 10.

In the type of recorder that can be adapted so as to incorporate this invention, the graph paper on which the recording is made is moved along the X axis of the recorder in accordance with one variable, and a stylus is moved across the paper along the Y axis in accordance with another variable. Various means may be used to perform these functions but, in the particular recorder illustrated in FIGS. 1, 1A and 1B, a sheet of paper P is moved along the surface of a platen 2 by forces applied parallel to the X axis of the platen 2 by drive rollers 4 and 6 located on opposite sides of the platen. The drive rollers 4 and 6 are under the platen 2 and extend into openings 8 and 10 so as to respectively touch a pinch roller 12, when it is properly positioned in a manner to be described, and a pinch roller 14 in the plane of the upper surface of the platen 2.

The drive rollers 4 and 6 are affixed to the shaft 11 of a motor M.sub.1 and indication as to the number and direction of angular increments through which the motor M.sub.1 rotates can be attained from electrical pulses produced as radial lines on a transparent disc 16 that is mounted on the axle intercept beams of light passing from sources 18 and 20 through the disc 16 to photodetectors 22 and 24 respectively. The points at which the beams of light pass through the disc 16 are displaced by one-quarter of the angular spacing between the radial lines, and the electrical pulses appear on leads 22' and 24'.

A stylus 26 is moved across the platen 2 along a line 28 that is parallel to the Y axis of the recorder by affixing it to a carriage 30 that is mounted for movement along a channel 32 which is aligned with the Y axis of the recorder. The carriage 30 is moved by attaching it to a belt 34 that is entrained over an idler pulley 36 and a drive pulley 38 so as to extend around the platen 2. The drive pulley 38 is affixed to the axle of a motor M.sub.2, and indication as to the amount and direction of the rotation of the motor M.sub.2 may be derived from pulses produced on leads 40 and 42 by a disc 44, light sources 46 and 48, and photodetectors 50 and 52 that operate as the corresponding components discussed in connection with the motor M.sub.1. The channel 32 is assembled with its bottom surface closely spaced from the top surface of the platen 2. A photodetector 54 is imbedded in the upper surface of the platen 2 at a point behind the opening 8 for the purpose of indicating on a lead 54' when paper is being fed to the recorder.

In accordance with the invention, means such as described below are provided for reciprocally applying force to one side of the paper at the intersection of one set of X, Y coordinates and providing a pivot about which the paper can be rotated at a different set of X, Y coordinates. Whereas the pinch roller 14 in FIG. 1 is maintained in contact with the drive roller 6, the axle of the pinch roller 12 is secured to one end of a V-shaped lever 56 that rotates about an axle 58 at its apex. The axle 58 is secured to a projection 60 that extends below the platen 2. The other end of the lever 56 is attached to a rod 62 of a solenoid 64, and an arm 66 projects perpendicularly from that end of the lever 56 under the platen 2. A vertical pin 68 is mounted at its end so as to be in registry with an opening 70 in the platen 2, and a tension spring 72 is attached to the lever 56 at a point between the axle 58 and the point where the solenoid rod 62 is attached so as to bias the lever 56 in a counterclockwise position. The relationship between these components is more clearly shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B which are enlargements of portions of a side view of FIG. 1 along the direction of an arrow 74. As shown in FIG. 1A, when the lever 56 is pulled into a counterclockwise position by the tension spring 72, the pin 68 is below the top surface of the platen 2 and the pinch roller 12 is in contact with the drive roller 4 in the plane of the upper surface of the platen 2. When the solenoid 64 is energized, the lever 56 is rotated clockwise to a position shown in FIG. 1B so that the pin 68 extends through the opening 70 and to the bottom surface of the channel 32. If the pin 68 is placed in the position shown in FIG. 1B before the paper P reaches it, the pin acts as a stop; but if this occurs when the paper P is between the pin and the bottom surface of the channel 32, the pin acts as a pivot so that force applied to the paper by the drive roller 6 and the pinch roller 14 will cause the paper to rotate about the pin in a direction determined by the direction of the force.

It is also required that means be provided for detecting the presence of an orientation line of the paper P at two points so that the amount by which the x, y coordinates of the grid G on the paper are skewed with respect to the X, Y coordinates of the recorder can be ascertained. The orientation line can be any edge of the paper P, a printed line 75 that is parallel to the y coordinates of the grid G, or a printed line 76 that is parallel to the x coordinates of the grid G.

In the particular embodiment shown in FIG. 1, reflectors 78 and 80, as seen through the cutaway sections in the bottom of the channel 32, are imbedded on a line that is parallel to the Y axis in the upper surface of the platen 2, and a photodetector 82 is mounted in the carriage 30. The photodetector 82 projects a beam of light in a downward direction that is focussed at the upper surface of of the platen 2, but it can only reach the platen when the carriage 30 is positioned with the photodetector 82 in registration with one of the apertures in the bottom of the channel 32 that are in registration with the reflectors 78 and 80. These apertures are not shown because of the cutaway sections. The light can also reach the platen 2 through slots 84 and 86 at either end of the channel 32. In order to aid in manual operation, a light 88 may be provided on the carrier 30 that is lit whenever the photodetector 82 is receiving reflected light, or vice-versa.

Means other than the photodetector 82 may be used for detecting a change in optical characteristics at points on the platen 2. The detector 82 could, for example, be replaced by a simple light source, in which case the reflectors 78 and 80 would be light detectors, but this would make it impossible to detect changes in optical characteristics produced by anything other than the front edge of the paper P. By making the reflectivity of the upper surface of the platen 2 approximately the same or greater than that of the paper P, the reflectors 78 and 80 can be eliminated and the line 75 or the line 76 printed on the paper can be used as an orientation line so that the correction of the skew of the paper can be referenced to either of them. It would also be possible to eliminate the reflectors 78 and 80 if the reflectivity of the upper surface of the platen 2 were made substantially less or greater than that of the paper, in which case the edges of the paper P would be the orientation line and the correction of skew would be referenced to them.

In FIG. 2, the manner in which the apparatus of FIG. 1 may be controlled manually, as well as by a programmed processor, is schematically illustrated. In the less detailed drawing of the apparatus of FIG. 1 set forth therein, the components are indicated by the same numerals, and the channel 32 is not shown in the interest of clarity.

Electrical power from a source 90 is applied to the arms of switches S.sub.1, S.sub.2 and S.sub.3. With S.sub.2 in the position shown, wherein it is in contact with a lead 92, power is applied to a winding of the motor M.sub.2 which causes it to rotate in such direction as to move the carriage 30 to the right; and with S.sub.1 in its other position, wherein it is in contact with a lead 94, the motor M.sub.2 rotates in the opposite direction so as to move the carriage 30 to the left. With the switch S.sub.1 in the position shown, wherein it is in contact with a lead 95, power is applied to the winding of the motor M.sub.1 which causes it to rotate in such direction as to make the tops of the drive rollers 4 and 6 move in a forward direction, i.e., toward the top of the drawing; and with the switch S.sub.1 in its other position, wherein it is in contact with a lead 96, the motor M.sub.1 rotates in the opposite direction so that the tops of the drive rollers 4 and 6 move backward, i.e., toward the bottom of the drawing. When the switch S.sub.3 is open, as shown, the solenoid 64 is not energized so that the tension spring 72 rotates the lever 56 into the position shown in FIG. 1A; but when the switch S.sub.3 is closed, power is supplied to the solenoid 64 via a lead 98 so as to rotate the lever 56 to the position shown in FIG. 1B.

When the apparatus is controlled manually, the switches S.sub.1, S.sub.2 and S.sub.3 are operated by hand, but when the apparatus is to be controlled by a processor 100, it operates the switches by means of motor controllers 102 and 104 and a switch controller 106. Signals indicative of the angular increments and direction through which the motor M.sub.1 turns as it moves the paper along the X axis are derived from the pulses on the leads 22' and 24' by a quadrature detector 108 and are supplied to a counter 110 as well as to the processor 100 via leads 112 and 114. Signals indicative of the angular increments and direction through which the motor M.sub.2 turns in moving the carriage 30 are derived from the pulses on the leads 40 and 42 by a quadrature detector 116 and are supplied to a counter 118 and to the processor 100 by leads 120 and 122. A signal indicating that the detector 82 is over one of the reflectors 78 or 80 is supplied to the processor via the lead 124; and a signal to the effect that the paper is over the detector 54 is supplied to the processor via the lead 54'. Outputs of the processor 100 go to the motor controllers 102 and 104 and the switch controller 106.

Whether the operation of the embodiment of FIG. 1 is controlled manually or by the processor 100, the paper P will be moved as illustrated by the views A, B, C, and D of FIGS. 3 and 4. In the interest of clarity, mechanical details and numerals are omitted in this as well as all other figures of the drawing illustrating the movements of the paper. The reflectors 78 and 80 are indicated by dots, and the position of the detector 82 is shown by a small triangle, but the numerals are only shown in the view A. The pin 68 is shown by a "+" whenever it is above the top surface of the platen 2. When a pinch roller is engaged with its drive roller, the direction of the force applied to the paper is indicated by an arrow, and the horizontal line at one end of the arrow indicates the point where the force is applied, i.e., where the pinch roller and its drive roller meet. In order that the movement of the paper P can be more clearly illustrated, its skew and the distances between the pin 68 and the line on which the reflectors 78 and 80 are located have been greatly exaggerated.

Before inserting the paper, the pin 68 is thrust above the surface of the platen 2 and the detector 82 is moved over the right reflector 80. If the paper P is initially inserted with a clockwise skew it will strike the pin 68 and will be rotated counterclockwise about the pin by the force exerted between the drive roller 6 and the pinch roller 14. When the front edge of the paper reaches the reflector 80, as in the view B, the light 88 goes out, and forward motion of the paper is stopped. Then the detector 82 is moved over the left reflector 78, the pin 68 is lowered below the platen 2, and both drive rollers advance the paper until its forward edge is over the left reflector 78, as indicated by the light 88 going out. This is indicated in the view C. Once again, the pin is raised and the detector 82 is moved over the right reflector 80. The pin now acts as a pivot by pinning the paper against the bottom of the channel 32, and the motor M.sub.1 is energized so as to rotate the paper in a clockwise direction. When the light 88 comes on, the rotation is stopped and the paper is aligned as shown in the view D.

The counter 110 may be used to aid in determining when the paper has been rotated to the aligned position of the view D by noting its count when the paper is in the position of the view B and driving the paper backward with the drive roller 6 until the same count is restored.

When the initial skew of the paper is clockwise as shown in FIG. 1, the distance through which the right side is driven backward so as to move it from the position of the view C to that of the view D is always the same, namely, the distance d between the pin 68 and the line on which the reflectors 78 and 80 are mounted. If, however, the initial skew is counterclockwise, as in the view A of FIG. 4, the sequence of operation is the same, but the distance d' through which the right side is driven backward so as to move it from the position of the view C to that of the view D will vary and will be greater than d. The distance d' is the distance along the X axis between the left reflector 78 and the front edge of the paper when it is in the position shown in the view B.

It is important that the relationship between the location of the pin 68 and the point of application of the force is such as to place the paper between them in tension when the aligning operation is performed so as to avoid buckling and the alignment error that would result. By way of example, if the pin 68 were located at a position such as indicated by O in the view D of FIG. 3, the paper would be rotated clockwise as required, but the portion of the paper between the point O and the point of application of the force would be in compression so that it would buckle.

A program for the processor 100, which is identified as Motorola 6800, is set forth at the end of the specification, but the flow chart therefor, which corresponds to the steps of manual operation just described, is shown in FIG. 5. The numerals in parentheses beside the various blocks on the flow chart indicate the number of a related step in the program. The motors M.sub.1 and M.sub.2 are rotated by one angular increment at a time and the results are monitored until the desired position of the carriage 30 or of the paper P is attained. In block 125, the carriage 30 is moved to the right until the detector 82 is in registration with the reflector 80. If any paper is present, it is ejected as indicated in block 126.

Paper is then inserted by the operator. When it reaches the detector 54, as determined in the decision block 128, the solenoid 64 is activated, block 130, so as to move the pin 68 to the position indicated in FIG. 1B where it acts as a stop. The motor M.sub.1 is also activated so as to drive the paper forward, as indicated in block 132. The motor M.sub.1 keeps driving until, as indicated in a decision block 134, the paper P reaches the right-hand reflector 80. At this point, block 136, the motor M.sub.1 and the solenoid 64 are de-energized so as to stop the motion of the paper and permit the pin 68 to be returned to its normal position by the spring 72. At this time, as indicated by a block 138, the carriage 30 is moved to the left until the detector 82 is over the reflector 78. A test is made, decision block 140, as to whether the paper has reached the reflector 78. Until it does, the motor M.sub.1 is energized so as to drive the paper forward, block 142. When the paper reaches the reflector 78, the amount it has moved is stored in a memory block 144, the motor M.sub.1 is stopped, and the solenoid 64 is energized, block 146, so that the pin 68 moves upward and pins the paper against the undersurface of the channel 32. The motor M.sub.1 is then reactivated, block 148, so that the force applied to the paper by the drive roller 6 and the pinch roller 14 is backward, i.e., in a direction to drive the paper back out of the machine. When the paper has been moved in this direction by the same amount as stored in the memory block 144, decision block 150, the motor M.sub.1 is stopped and the solenoid 64 is de-energized, block 152, so that the pin 68 is withdrawn and the pinch roller 12 is in contact with the drive roller 4, as indicated in FIG. 1A. At this point, the paper is aligned by reference to its front edge.

Before proceeding to record, however, it is desirable to determine the left-to-right position of the paper, and therefore the left-to-right position of the grid G so as to be able to place the zero value of the variable in the Y direction on a desired grid line in the X direction. Otherwise, although aligned, the zero value of the recording might lie between two adjacent grid lines or at the wrong grid line. This is easily accomplished by moving the carriage 30 to the left, block 154, until the detector 82 is over the left reflector 78, as indicated in the block 156, and then farther to the left so that its focussed beam reaches the platen 2 through the slot 84. The reflectivity of the surface of the platen 2 is made different from the reflectivity of the paper so that the signal produced by the detector 82 changes when the detector reaches the left edge of the paper. The number of increments through which the motor M.sub.2 rotates in this process is stored, as indicated in block 158, and can be used by means not shown in determining the position of the Y plot. Measurements can be made, of course, from either reflector 78 or 80 to either side of the paper.

FIG. 6 illustrates how the squareness of the paper can be checked with the apparatus of FIG. 1, whether it is controlled manually or by a processor. After the paper has attained the position shown in view D of FIG. 3, it is advanced by both drive rollers 4 and 6 as shown in view A of FIG. 6, with the detector 82 still over the reflector 80. The detector 82 is then moved to the right so that its beam of light passes through the slot 86. If the reflectivity of the platen is greater than that of the paper, the light 88 will turn on just after the edge of the paper is reached. The distance d.sub.1 through which the detector 82 is moved can be measured by the counter 118 or by the processor 100. The detector 82 is then moved to the left by the distance d.sub.1 that was just measured and the paper is advanced for a substantial portion of its length by both drive rollers 4 and 6, as indicated in the view C. The detector 82 is again moved to the right until it reaches the edge so that the distance d.sub.2 is measured. If the paper is square, d.sub.1 should equal d.sub.2.

If the squareness of the paper or the orientation of the grid G are in question such that it is desirable to align the paper with reference to a side edge, this can be done as indicated by the views of FIG. 7 wherein it is assumed that the paper enters with a counterclockwise skew and that the reflectivity of the paper is different from that of the platen 2. As in FIG. 1, the paper is driven forward by the rollers 4 and 6 and pivots about the pin 68 until the front edge reaches the right reflector 80, as shown in view A. At this point, the distance d.sub.1 to the right edge is measured, as indicated in view B, by moving the carriage 30 until the focussed beam of light passing through the slot 86 reaches that edge. This is indicated by the light 88. This measurement is stored if control is exercised by a processor, or the change in the reading of the counter 118 is noted if the control is manual. Thepaper is then advanced by both drive rollers 4 and 6 for a greater portion of its length and the detector 82 is placed over the right reflector 80 by moving it to the left by a distance d.sub.1, as shown in view C. The detector 82 is then moved to the right through the distance d.sub.2 to the right-hand edge, as shown in the view D. The measurement of d.sub.2 is stored or noted as in the case of d.sub.1. Then, as also shown in the view D, the pin 68 is raised so as to provide a pivot at the left side of the paper and the motor M.sub.1 is rotated so that the force applied to the right side of the paper by the roller 6 and the pinch roller 14 is backward. This rotates the paper in a clockwise direction just as described in connection with view D of FIG. 3. The amount by which the right-hand side of the paper is moved backward is determined from the values of d.sub.1 and d.sub.2, the distance through which the paper was advanced in view C, and the location of the pin 68. Should the paper enter with a clockwise skew, the same procedure would be followed.

In the preferred embodiment of the invention shown in FIG. 1, there is only one pivot point, the pin 68, so that rotation into an aligned position can only be in a clockwise direction if the paper is to be under tension as is required to avoid buckling. Therefore, in the embodiment of FIG. 1, if the entering paper already has a clockwise skew, as shown in FIG. 3, it is made to have a counterclockwise skew by pivoting it about the pin 68 prior to being aligned.

In the alignment mechanism of FIG. 8, the paper can be rotated in either direction to attain alignment and still maintain the paper under tension. Those components in FIG. 8 that correspond to components of FIGS. 1 and 2 are indicated by the same numerals primed. The lever 56' on which the pinch roller 12' is mounted differs from the lever 56 in that it is longer so as to place the pin 68' forward of the line on which the reflectors 78' and 80' are located, rather than behind it as in FIG. 1. Instead of being in continuous contact with its drive roller 6', the pinch roller 14' is mounted at one end of a V-shaped lever 160 that is controlled by a tension spring 162 and a solenoid 164 that correspond in function to the lever 56, the spring 72 and the solenoid 64 of FIG. 1. An arm 166 at the end of the lever 160 extends under the platen 2', and a pin 168 at the end of the arm is aligned with a hole 170 in the platen 2'. Power from the power source 90' is applied to the solenoid 164 via a switch S.sub.4 that can be controlled manually or by a switch control means 172 which is in turn controlled by signals from the processor 100'. A third reflector 174 is located on the line in the middle of the platen 2' and in line with the reflectors 78' and 80'. The reflectors are viewed through cut-away sections in the bottom of the channel 32'.

One method of operating the alignment mechanism is illustrated by the views of FIG. 9. Initially, the pinch rollers 12' and 14' are lifted from the paper, the pins 68' and 168 extend above the platen 2', the motor M.sub.1 ' is de-energized, and the carriage 30' is moved to a point where the detector 82' is directly over the middle reflector 174. When the front edge of the paper reaches the reflector 174, both pinch rollers 12' and 14' are brought into contact with their respective drive rollers 4' and 6', and the detector 82' is moved to a point over the left reflector 78'. The reflector point 174 is positioned so that the paper will be under both pinch rollers when the front edge of the paper reaches it. The motor M.sub.1 ' is energized so as to drive the paper a small amount forward or backward until the front edge reaches the left reflector 78' as shown in view B. The distance and direction required for this are put into a memory, or if the recorder is manually operated, the count on the counter 118' is noted. With paper having a clockwise skew, as indicated in views A and B of FIG. 9, the distance so detected would be d.sub.1 and would be determined when the paper moves backward. The paper is then advanced by both drive rollers 4' and 6' by an amount necessary to ensure that it will cover the right-hand pin 168, as shown by the dotted lines. At this time, the pin 168 is below the platen 2'. The right-hand solenoid 164 is then activated so as to thrust the pin 168 into the paper, and the motor M.sub.1 ' is rotated so as to force the left side of the paper backward by a distance 2.times.d.sub.1 so as to be aligned with the XY axes of the recorder as indicated in view D.

FIG. 10 illustrates an alignment mechanism in which the drive and pinch rollers not only drive and rotate the paper, but also act as pivots so that the pin 68 of FIG. 2 can be eliminated. Those components corresponding to components of FIG. 2 are identified by the same numerals with a double prime. The pinch rollers 12" and 14" are mounted like the pinch roller 14 of FIG. 1 so as to always be in contact with drive rollers 4" and 6" respectively, and a controllable clutch-brake 176 is inserted in the shaft 11". Power from the source 90" is conducted to the clutch-brake 176 via a switch S.sub.5 which can be operated by the processor 100" via a switch control 178.

Operation of the mechanism of FIG. 10 is now explained by reference to the views of FIG. 11. In view A, the clutch-brake 176 is not energized so that both drive rollers 4" and 6" apply a forward force to the paper, and the carriage 30" is moved so that the detector 82" is over one of the reflectors, in this case the left reflector 78". When the front edge of the paper reaches this reflector, as shown in view B, the motor M.sub.1 " is stopped and the carriage 30" is moved until the detector 82" is over the right reflector 80". The paper is then advanced until the front edge is over the reflector 80", as shown in view C, and the distance moved is stored or noted in the counter 118". At this point, the clutch-brake 176 is activated so as to lock the pinch roller 12", and a forward force is applied by the pinch roller 14" and drive roller 6" so as to move the right-hand side of the paper forward by the distance just noted into an aligned position, as shown in view D. ##SPC1##