Printer and printer automatic leveling method

Abstract

The invention belongs to the field of printers, and particularly relates to a printer and an automatic leveling method of the printer, a three-axis accelerometer is additionally arranged on a main control board, a structure used for supporting a printer body is designed to be of a three-point supporting type, the height of a fixed supporting leg is fixed, and the height of an adjustable supporting leg can be adjusted by rotating a supporting screw. A main motor in the printer body is used as a power source, the supporting screw of each adjustable supporting leg is connected with the main motor through a clutch and a transmission mechanism, and the main control board can transmit power of the main motor to the supporting screw for rotation through IO control. The main motor supports direction / rotating speed switching, independent lifting of the two adjustable supporting legs can be achieved through the clutch, in addition, the inclination condition of the printer body can be obtained through the three-axis accelerometer through a posture algorithm, the posture of the printer body can be automatically leveled by combining the two points through the main control board, and stable and horizontal arrangement of the printer is achieved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present application relates to the technical field of printers, and in particular to a printer and an automatic leveling method for the printer. Background Art

[0002] Printers are very important office equipment. There are many types of printers, including black and white printers and color printers, as well as single-function printers and all-in-one printers (such as three-in-one printers, scanners, and copy printers, or four-in-one printers with fax functions), etc. In addition, there are models that support network printing and wireless WiFi printing, as well as printers with double-sided printing functions, which can meet the needs of different users.

[0003] The printer needs to be placed on a horizontal and stable platform to work, otherwise it may cause uneven distribution of toner on the drum of a laser printer, or uneven ink jetting of ink on an inkjet printer, or affect the coordination of the paper path mechanism, resulting in reduced print quality and even affecting the life of the machine. In some scenarios where the printer needs to be used in a temporary location, it is relatively easy to find a stable position, but if the printer is required to be level at the same time, it will be difficult. Therefore, a printer that can be leveled and a method for automatically leveling the printer are proposed. Summary of the invention

[0004] The embodiments of the present application provide a printer and a method for automatically leveling the printer, aiming to achieve a stable and horizontal layout of the printer.

[0005] To this end, according to one aspect of the present application, a printer is provided, comprising:

[0006] The printer body comprises a housing, a main control board and a driving assembly arranged in the housing, wherein the driving assembly comprises a main motor electrically connected to the main control board and a transmission gear set connected to the main motor, and the main motor provides driving force through the transmission gear set;

[0007] A three-axis accelerometer, disposed on the main control board and electrically connected to the main control board, the three-axis accelerometer being used to detect the inclination of the printer body relative to a horizontal plane;

[0008] A support assembly for supporting the printer body, the support assembly comprising a fixed leg and two adjustable legs arranged at the bottom of the shell; the adjustable leg comprises a fixed nut installed at the bottom of the shell and a support screw vertically penetrated through the fixed nut; the support screw in one of the adjustable legs is connected to the output end of a clutch through a transmission mechanism; the support screw in the other adjustable leg is connected to the output end of another clutch through another transmission mechanism, the input ends of the two clutches are respectively connected to the output shafts of the main motor, and the two clutches are electrically connected to the main control board.

[0009] Optionally, the transmission mechanism includes a driving pulley, a driven pulley and a synchronous belt, the driving pulley is fixed to the output end of the corresponding clutch, the driven pulley is fixed to the upper end of the corresponding support screw, and the synchronous belt is connected between the driving pulley and the driven pulley.

[0010] Optionally, two mounting holes for installing the fixing nuts are provided at the bottom of the shell, and the two fixing nuts are respectively installed in the two mounting holes in a one-to-one correspondence, and the upper ends of the two support screws, the two clutches and the two transmission mechanisms are all arranged in the shell.

[0011] Optionally, the lower end of the support screw is rotatably connected to a cushion block.

[0012] Optionally, a ball head is integrally formed at the lower end of the support screw, a groove adapted to the ball head is provided at the top of the cushion block, and the ball head is rotatably disposed in the groove.

[0013] Optionally, during the operation of the printer, the main control board obtains the modulus of the three-axis accelerometer in real time and compares it with the static modulus. When the deviation from the static modulus exceeds a set threshold, the user is prompted that the machine may have been impacted and needs to pay attention to whether it is damaged.

[0014] According to another aspect of the present application, a method for automatic leveling of a printer is provided. Based on the printer as described above, the method for automatic leveling of a printer comprises the following steps:

[0015] The main control board measures the acceleration components in three vertical directions through the three-axis accelerometer and calculates the pitch angle and the roll angle; determines the values ​​and signs of the pitch angle and the roll angle, and if the values ​​of the pitch angle and the roll angle are both 0, the leveling is completed; if the values ​​of the pitch angle and the roll angle are not 0, the main motor is controlled to rotate forward and reverse and the two clutches are controlled to separate and close, so as to adjust the height of the two adjustable legs. During the adjustment process, the main control board measures the acceleration components in three vertical directions in real time through the three-axis accelerometer and calculates the pitch angle and the roll angle, until the leveling is completed when the values ​​of the pitch angle and the roll angle are both 0.

[0016] The printer and automatic leveling method provided by the present application have the following beneficial effects:

[0017] By adding a three-axis accelerometer to the main control board, and designing the structure used to support the printer body as a three-point support type (one fixed leg and two adjustable legs), the height of the fixed leg is fixed, and the height of the adjustable leg can be adjusted by turning the support screw. The power source uses the main motor in the printer body. The support screw of each adjustable leg is connected to the main motor through a clutch and a transmission mechanism. The main control board can transmit the power of the main motor to the support screw for rotation through IO control. The main motor itself supports direction / speed switching, and the clutch can achieve separate lifting and lowering of the two adjustable legs. In addition, the three-axis accelerometer can obtain the tilt of the printer body through the attitude algorithm. The main control board can automatically level the body posture by combining the above two points, and realize a stable and horizontal layout of the printer. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0018] In order to more clearly illustrate the embodiments of the present application or the technical solutions in the prior art, the drawings required for use in the embodiments or the description of the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present application. For ordinary technicians in this field, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without paying creative work.

[0019] in:

[0020] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a printer shown in an embodiment of the present application;

[0021] Figure 2 yes Figure 1 The printer shown is shown with the left side housing removed;

[0022] Figure 3 is Figure 2 The schematic diagram after removing the main control board and main motor from the shown one;

[0023] Figure 4is a schematic diagram of the internal power transmission of a printer shown in an embodiment of the present application;

[0024] Figure 5 is a schematic structural diagram of an adjustable leg in a printer shown in an embodiment of the present application;

[0025] Figure 6 It is a flow chart of a method for automatic leveling of a printer shown in one embodiment of the present application.

[0026] Description of main component symbols:

[0027] 10. Printer body; 11. Casing; 12. Main control board; 13. Main motor; 14. Transmission gear set; 15. Paper feeding module; 16. Developing module; 17. Fixing module;

[0028] 20. Support assembly; 21. Fixed leg; 22. Adjustable leg; 221. Fixed nut; 222. Support screw; 223. Spacer;

[0029] 30. Transmission mechanism; 31. Driven pulley; 32. Synchronous belt;

[0030] 40. Clutch. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0031] In order to facilitate the understanding of the present application, the present application will be described more comprehensively with reference to the relevant drawings below. The preferred embodiments of the present application are provided in the drawings. However, the present application can be implemented in many other different forms and is not limited to the embodiments described herein. On the contrary, the purpose of providing these embodiments is to make the understanding of the disclosure of the present application more thorough and comprehensive.

[0032] It should be noted that when an element is referred to as being "fixed to" or "disposed on" another element, it can be directly on the other element or indirectly on the other element. When an element is referred to as being "connected to" another element, it can be directly connected to the other element or indirectly connected to the other element.

[0033] It should be understood that the terms "length", "width", "up", "down", "front", "back", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "top", "bottom", "inside", "outside", etc., indicating the orientation or position relationship, are based on the orientation or position relationship shown in the drawings, and are only for the convenience of describing the present application and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore should not be understood as a limitation on the present application.

[0034] Unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as those commonly understood by those skilled in the art to which this application belongs. The terms used herein in the specification of this application are only for the purpose of describing specific embodiments and are not intended to limit this application.

[0035] As described in the background technology, in some scenarios where a printer needs to be used in a temporary location, it is relatively easy to find a stable location, but if the printer is required to be level at the same time, it will be difficult. In order to solve the above problem, according to one aspect of the present application, an embodiment of the present application provides a printer, such as Figure 1-Figure 3 As shown, the printer includes a printer body 10, a three-axis accelerometer (not shown in the figure), a support assembly 20, two transmission mechanisms 30 and two clutches 40. The printer body 10 includes a housing 11, a main control board 12 and a driving assembly arranged in the housing 11, and the driving assembly includes a main motor 13 electrically connected to the main control board 12 and a transmission gear set 14 connected to the main motor 13, and the main motor 13 outputs a driving force through the transmission gear set 14.

[0036] refer to Figure 4 As shown, taking the above printer as a laser printer as an example, the driving force output by the main motor 13 through the transmission gear set 14 can drive the fixing module 17, the developing module 16 and the paper feeding module 15. It can be understood that the technical solution provided in the embodiment of the present application is also applicable to inkjet printers. For inkjet printers, the driving force output by the main motor through the transmission gear set 14 can drive paper feeding, paper output and inkjet print head, etc.

[0037] The three-axis accelerometer is arranged on the main control board 12 and is electrically connected to the main control board 12. The three-axis accelerometer is used to detect the inclination of the printer body 10 relative to the horizontal plane. The support assembly 20 is used to support the printer body 10. The support assembly 20 includes a fixed leg 21 and two adjustable legs 22 arranged at the bottom of the housing 11. The fixed leg 21 and the two adjustable legs 22 are respectively arranged at three vertices of a triangle to form a three-point support; the adjustable leg 22 includes a fixed nut 221 installed at the bottom of the housing 11 and a support screw 222 vertically penetrated in the fixed nut 221; the support screw 222 in one of the adjustable legs 22 is connected to the output end of a clutch 40 through a transmission mechanism 30; the support screw 222 in the other adjustable leg 22 is connected to the output end of another clutch 40 through another transmission mechanism 30, and the input ends of the two clutches 40 are respectively connected to the output shaft of the main motor 13, and the two clutches 40 are electrically connected to the main control board 12.

[0038] In the embodiment of the present application, the printer adds a three-axis accelerometer to the main control board 12, and designs the structure for supporting the printer body 10 as a three-point support type (a fixed leg 21 and two adjustable legs 22). The height of the fixed leg 21 is fixed, and the height of the adjustable leg 22 can be adjusted by rotating the support screw 222. The power source uses the main motor 13 in the printer body 10. The support screw 222 of each adjustable leg 22 is connected to the main motor 13 through a clutch 40 and a transmission mechanism 30. The main control board 12 can transmit the power of the main motor 13 to the support screw 222 for rotation through IO control. The main motor 13 itself supports direction / speed switching, and the clutch 40 can achieve separate lifting and lowering of the two adjustable legs 22. In addition, the three-axis accelerometer can obtain the tilt of the printer body 10 through the attitude algorithm. The main control board 12 can automatically level the body attitude by combining the above two points to achieve a stable and horizontal layout of the printer.

[0039] It should be noted that during the production process of the printer, due to errors in the installation of the main control board 12 in the shell 11, and errors in the flatness of the three-axis accelerometer when it is attached to the main control board 12, when the printer body 10 is actually in a horizontal state, the value monitored by the three-axis accelerometer may not be the value in the horizontal state (that is, the acceleration in the Z-axis direction is G, and the other two directions are 0). Therefore, the printer needs to be calibrated before leaving the factory to match the initial value of the three-axis accelerometer with the horizontal state of the printer body 10.

[0040] In one embodiment, if Figure 3-Figure 4 As shown, the transmission mechanism 30 includes a driving pulley (not shown in the figure), a driven pulley 31 and a synchronous belt 32. The driving pulley is fixed to the output end of the corresponding clutch 40, the driven pulley 31 is fixed to the upper end of the corresponding support screw 222, and the synchronous belt 32 is connected between the driving pulley and the driven pulley 31.

[0041] It should be noted that the synchronous belt 32 has good flexibility. During the process of adjusting the support screw 222 up and down, the synchronous belt 32 located between the driving pulley and the driven pulley 31 can always play a role in power transmission.

[0042] Of course, in other embodiments, the transmission mechanism 30 may also adopt gear transmission, chain transmission, etc.

[0043] In one embodiment, two mounting holes for installing fixing nuts 221 are provided at the bottom of the outer shell 11, and the two fixing nuts 221 are installed in the two mounting holes respectively. The upper ends of the two support screws 222, the two clutches 40 and the two transmission mechanisms 30 are all arranged in the outer shell 11, and the clutches 40 and the transmission mechanisms 30 are protected by the outer shell 11.

[0044] Preferably, the two adjustable legs 22 are arranged at the bottom of the printer body 10 close to the driving assembly to shorten the power transmission path and facilitate the arrangement of the clutch 40 and the transmission mechanism 30 .

[0045] In one embodiment, if Figure 5 As shown, the lower end of the support screw 222 is rotatably connected to a cushion block 223. During the leveling process, the cushion block 223 is stationary relative to the desktop, and the support screw 222 rotates relative to the cushion block 223, which improves the flexibility of the support screw 222 and prevents the adjustable leg 22 from causing damage to the support surface such as the desktop.

[0046] Specifically, a ball head is integrally formed at the lower end of the support screw 222, and a groove adapted to the ball head is provided at the top of the cushion block 223. The ball head is rotatably arranged in the groove to form a universal rotation connection to well adapt to various support surfaces.

[0047] In one embodiment, during the operation of the printer, the main control board 12 obtains the modulus of the three-axis accelerometer in real time and compares it with the static modulus. When the deviation from the static modulus exceeds a set threshold, the user is prompted that the machine may have been impacted and needs to be careful to see if it is damaged.

[0048] There are many precision mechanisms in the printer, which may be damaged when subjected to a large impact. The added three-axis accelerometer can also provide an additional function: in a static state, the modulus of the three-axis accelerometer should be equal to the local gravity acceleration, and when the machine is impacted / vibrated, the modulus will change. Therefore, the modulus can be monitored throughout the working process. When the deviation from the static value exceeds a certain threshold, the impact event is recorded to remind the user that the machine may have been impacted and needs to be paid attention to whether it is damaged.

[0049] According to another aspect of the present application, an embodiment of the present application further provides a method for automatically leveling a printer, based on the printer (including a laser printer and an inkjet printer) in the above embodiment, combined with Figure 6 As shown, the two adjustable legs 22 are named L1 and L2 respectively, and the pitch angle and roll angle are recorded as Pitch and Roll respectively. The automatic leveling method of the printer includes the following steps:

[0050] The main control board 12 measures the acceleration components in three vertical directions through a three-axis accelerometer and calculates the pitch angle and the roll angle; determines the values ​​and signs of the pitch angle and the roll angle. If the values ​​of the pitch angle and the roll angle are both 0, the leveling is completed; if the values ​​of the pitch angle and the roll angle are not 0, the main motor 13 is controlled to rotate forward and reverse and the two clutches 40 are controlled to separate and close, so as to adjust the height of the two adjustable legs 22. During the adjustment process, the main control board 12 measures the acceleration components in three vertical directions in real time through a three-axis accelerometer and calculates the pitch angle and the roll angle, until the value of the pitch angle and the roll angle are both 0 and the leveling is completed.

[0051] The technical features of the above embodiments may be arbitrarily combined. To make the description concise, not all possible combinations of the technical features in the above embodiments are described. However, as long as there is no contradiction in the combination of these technical features, they should be considered to be within the scope of this specification.

[0052] The above embodiments only express several implementation methods of the present application, and the descriptions thereof are relatively specific and detailed, but they cannot be understood as limiting the scope of the application. It should be pointed out that, for a person of ordinary skill in the art, several variations and improvements can be made without departing from the concept of the present application, and these all belong to the protection scope of the present application. Therefore, the protection scope of the present application shall be subject to the attached claims.

Claims

1. A printer, characterized in that: include: The printer body comprises a housing, a main control board and a driving assembly arranged in the housing, wherein the driving assembly comprises a main motor electrically connected to the main control board and a transmission gear set connected to the main motor, and the main motor provides driving force through the transmission gear set; A three-axis accelerometer, disposed on the main control board and electrically connected to the main control board, the three-axis accelerometer being used to detect the inclination of the printer body relative to a horizontal plane; A support assembly for supporting the printer body, the support assembly comprising a fixed leg and two adjustable legs arranged at the bottom of the shell; the adjustable leg comprises a fixed nut installed at the bottom of the shell and a support screw vertically penetrated through the fixed nut; the support screw in one of the adjustable legs is connected to the output end of a clutch through a transmission mechanism; the support screw in the other adjustable leg is connected to the output end of another clutch through another transmission mechanism, the input ends of the two clutches are respectively connected to the output shafts of the main motor, and the two clutches are electrically connected to the main control board.

2. The printer according to claim 1, characterized in that: The transmission mechanism includes a driving pulley, a driven pulley and a synchronous belt, the driving pulley is fixed to the output end of the corresponding clutch, the driven pulley is fixed to the upper end of the corresponding support screw, and the synchronous belt is connected between the driving pulley and the driven pulley.

3. The printer according to claim 1, characterized in that: The bottom of the shell is provided with two mounting holes for installing the fixing nuts, and the two fixing nuts are respectively installed in the two mounting holes in a one-to-one correspondence. The upper ends of the two support screws, the two clutches and the two transmission mechanisms are all arranged in the shell.

4. The printer according to claim 1, characterized in that: The lower end of the support screw is rotatably connected with a cushion block.

5. The printer according to claim 4, characterized in that: A ball head is integrally formed at the lower end of the support screw, a groove matched with the ball head is provided on the top of the cushion block, and the ball head is rotatably arranged in the groove.

6. The printer according to claim 1, characterized in that: During the operation of the printer, the main control board obtains the modulus value of the three-axis accelerometer in real time and compares it with the static modulus value. When the deviation from the static modulus value exceeds a set threshold, the user is prompted that the machine may have been impacted and needs to pay attention to whether it is damaged.

7. A method for automatic leveling of a printer, based on the printer according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that: The automatic leveling method for a printer comprises the following steps: The main control board measures the acceleration components in three vertical directions through the three-axis accelerometer and calculates the pitch angle and the roll angle; determines the values ​​and signs of the pitch angle and the roll angle, and if the values ​​of the pitch angle and the roll angle are both 0, the leveling is completed; if the values ​​of the pitch angle and the roll angle are not 0, the main motor is controlled to rotate forward and reverse and the two clutches are controlled to separate and close, so as to adjust the height of the two adjustable legs. During the adjustment process, the main control board measures the acceleration components in three vertical directions in real time through the three-axis accelerometer and calculates the pitch angle and the roll angle, until the leveling is completed when the values ​​of the pitch angle and the roll angle are both 0.

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