A displacement amount calculation part in a base material processing apparatus calculates the degree of matching between an upstream data section and a downstream data section included in a first and a second detection results, which indicate time-varying changes in the positions of an edge of a base material in the width direction at an upstream and a downstream detection positions. This calculation uses calculation results obtained by sequentially calculating the degrees of matching between sub-data sections in the upstream data section and downstream sub-data sections in the downstream data section. This reduces the amount of computation and enables highly accurate detection of the amount of displacement of the base material in the transport direction on the basis of an identification result of the downstream data section that is highly matched with the upstream data section.

A displacement amount calculation part in a base material processing apparatus calculates the degree of matching between an upstream data section and a downstream data section included in an upstream and a downstream detection results, which indicate time-varying changes in the positions of an edge of the base material in the width direction at an upstream and a downstream detection positions. This calculation uses the results of comparison between signals in a predetermined frequency band extracted from the upstream detection result and signals in the predetermined frequency band extracted from the downstream detection result. Accordingly, a downstream data section that is highly matched with the upstream data section can be identified with high accuracy, and the amount of displacement of the base material in the transport direction can be detected with high accuracy on the basis of an identification result.

A sheet stacking device includes a stacking tray, an aligning mechanism, a pair of alignment members, and a pair of height detectors. The pair of alignment members can move independently in a sheet width direction and in an up and down direction, and contact side edges in the sheet width direction of sheets stacked on the stacking tray, from both sides in the sheet width direction, so as to align the sheets in the sheet width direction. The pair of height detectors allow the pair of alignment members to contact an upper surface of the sheets near side edges of the sheets, so that sheet heights on both sides in the sheet width direction are detected. The sheet stacking device can individually correct heights of the pair of alignment members when aligning the sheets, based on the sheet heights detected by the pair of height detectors.

A printing device is provided comprising a camera to capture an image of at least a portion of a print substrate; a controller to determine a location of a portion of a side edge of the substrate from the image to determine a distance of the print substrate from a predetermined location; and adjustment apparatus to adjust the entire substrate laterally, relative to the direction of transport of the substrate, based on the determined location.

A media registration system including an accumulation region and a transport track to receive and transport each media sheet of a series of media sheets forming a media job in a transport direction from an intake end to a registration end proximate to the accumulation region, and to stack the media sheets of the media job in the accumulation region to form a job stack. A translator adjusts a position of the registration end of the transport track in a direction lateral to the transport direction for each sheet to align edges of each sheet of the job stack in the lateral direction. A media sensor indicates a position of each sheet along the media path to facilitate a controller to determine an accumulation status of the job stack.

A media registration system including an accumulation region and a transport track to receive and transport each media sheet of a series of media sheets forming a media job in a transport direction from an intake end to a registration end proximate to the accumulation region, and to stack the media sheets of the media job in the accumulation region to form a job stack. A translator adjusts a position of the registration end of the transport track in a direction lateral to the transport direction for each sheet to align edges of each sheet of the job stack in the lateral direction. A media sensor indicates a position of each sheet along the media path to facilitate a controller to determine an accumulation status of the job stack.

There is described a web alignment device for aligning a web comprising an engagement surface for supporting the web, a clamp assembly for clamping the web on at least a clamp portion of the engagement surface, an alignment control assembly for controlling a correct alignment of the web. The alignment control assembly comprises a control unit for generating a trigger signal if the web is correctly aligned, a first sensor device for detecting and/or determining a desired position of a first section of the web and to send at least a first signal to the control unit if the first section is positioned in the desired position, and a second sensor device for detecting and/or determining a desired position of a second section of the web and to send a second signal to the control unit if the second section is positioned in the desired position.

An image forming apparatus includes a sheet conveyance portion, a recording portion, a sheet detection portion, and a control portion. In a duplex printing including a first and a second process of printing on a first surface and a second surface of the sheet, in the first process, the control portion calculates a center position of the sheet based on an edge position of the sheet on one side in the width direction and size information of the sheet, prints a first image on the first surface such that the first image is centered on the center position calculated, and prints a reference marker on the first surface, in the second process, the control portion calculates a correction magnification ratio based on a difference between a reading position and the printing position of the reference marker, and corrects a size and a printing position of a second image.

A register (20; 60) for a processing machine (1) for processing plate-like elements (10) includes a gripping element (21; 22) for placing the plate-like elements (10) in a gripper bar (31) of a conveyor (30) of a processing machine (1) conveying the plate-like elements (10) in a longitudinal direction, an actuator module (201, 202) to drive the gripping element (21; 22), at least one front correction sensor module (7) configured to measure the front position of register marks (12a) printed on a front section of the plate-like element (10) grasped by the gripping element (21; 22). The register (20; 60) includes at least one front pre-correction sensor module (80), placed upstream of the front correction sensor module (7) in the longitudinal direction, the front pre-correction sensor module (80) is configured: to detect the passage of a front transversel edge of the plate-like element (10) in at least two longitudinally spaced lateral axis of detection (P1, P2), one located in front of the other, and to provide measurements to a computation and control unit (40) of the processing machine (1) that is configured: to control the actuator module (201, 202) in order to move the gripping element (21; 22) toward the gripper bar (31) and to activate the gripping element (21; 22) in order to grasp a plate-like element (10). Also a processing machine for processing plate-like elements includes the register. A method for placing plate-like elements within a processing machine is disclosed.

A register (20; 60) for a processing machine (1) for processing plate-like elements (10) includes a gripping element (21; 22) for placing the plate-like elements (10) in a gripper bar (31) of a conveyor (30) of a processing machine (1) conveying the plate-like elements (10) in a longitudinal direction, an actuator module (201, 202) to drive the gripping element (21; 22), at least one front correction sensor module (7) configured to measure the front position of register marks (12a) printed on a front section of the plate-like element (10) grasped by the gripping element (21; 22). The register (20; 60) includes at least one front pre-correction sensor module (80), placed upstream of the front correction sensor module (7) in the longitudinal direction, the front pre-correction sensor module (80) is configured: to detect the passage of a front transversel edge of the plate-like element (10) in at least two longitudinally spaced lateral axis of detection (P1, P2), one located in front of the other, and to provide measurements to a computation and control unit (40) of the processing machine (1) that is configured: to control the actuator module (201, 202) in order to move the gripping element (21; 22) toward the gripper bar (31) and to activate the gripping element (21; 22) in order to grasp a plate-like element (10). Also a processing machine for processing plate-like elements includes the register. A method for placing plate-like elements within a processing machine is disclosed.