JP2014148409A - Paper feeding device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a compact paper feeding device in which skew of paper sheets can be easily and surely corrected even when kinds of paper sheets are different.SOLUTION: The paper feeding device comprises: a reference plate 2 extending in a feeding direction R; a pair of parallel inclined feed belts 3, 4; and a paper deviation unit 1 which is brought into press-contact with a top face of a paper sheet P fed on the inclined feed belts. The paper deviation unit includes: a housing 5; a plurality of roller couples 7, 8 mounted to the housing in contact with the inclined feed belts; a spring mount plate 9; a guide 10 provided in the housing for guiding the spring mount plate in a vertically movable manner; a compression spring 11 mounted between the spring mount plate and axles 7 of the roller couples; and a spring mount plate height adjusting mechanism 12 for vertically moving the spring mount plate. A distance between the spring mount plate and the roller couples, namely, a compression length of the compression spring is adjusted by the spring mount plate height adjusting mechanism, and press-contact forces of the roller couples to the inclined feed belts are adjusted.

Description

  The present invention relates to a sheet conveying apparatus, and more particularly to a sheet conveying apparatus provided with a mechanism for correcting skew of a sheet being conveyed.

The paper folding device and the paper cutting device are usually configured to receive paper from a paper conveying device arranged in the preceding stage, and image forming apparatuses such as printing machines and copiers carry paper inside. An apparatus (paper transport mechanism) is provided.
By the way, in the paper folding device or paper cutting device, the paper must be accurately aligned with respect to the folding knife, folding roller or cutter. In the image forming device, the printing portion or the copying portion must be aligned. The paper needs to be accurately aligned.
For this reason, some paper transport devices (paper transport mechanisms) have a function of correcting a paper skew when it is transported.

  As this type of sheet conveying apparatus, for example, a first member comprising a pair of a regulating member disposed on one side of the conveying path and extending in the conveying direction, a conveying roller that is rotationally driven, and a skew feeding roller that obliquely contacts the conveying roller. And a second conveying means, and applies a force toward the regulating member to the sheet nipped and conveyed by the nip portion between the conveying roller and the oblique feeding roller of each conveying means, and the first conveying means is used as the second conveying means. And a sheet conveyed by the first and second conveying means on the upstream side of the means and arranged such that the nip portion of the first conveying means is further away from the regulating member than the nip portion of the second conveying means It is known that a skew force of a sheet is corrected by applying a rotational force centered on the second nip portion to one side edge of the sheet with a regulating member over its entire length (for example, See Patent Document 1 ).

  According to this configuration, the skew feeding roller is spring-biased with respect to the transport roller, and the pressure contact force of the skew roller with respect to the transport roller is always constant, but the paper quality and thickness of the paper to be transported are often changed. Is done. Therefore, depending on the paper, there is a case where the paper does not slip properly between the conveying roller and the skew feeding roller and does not follow the guide well, or the paper is strongly pressed against the guide and wrinkles are generated.

  Further, as this type of paper transport device, for example, a reference plate disposed on one side of the transport path and extending in the transport direction, an inclined transport belt extending obliquely from the upstream side toward the reference plate with respect to the transport direction, A plurality of balls which are arranged on the conveying belt at intervals in the length direction and are rotatably held in pressure contact with the inclined belt at fixed positions, respectively, while conveying the paper by the inclined conveying belt It is known that the skew of the paper is corrected by pressing against the inclined conveying belt by its own weight, causing it to slide on the inclined conveying belt, and bringing one side edge of the paper into contact with the reference plate over its entire length. (For example, refer to Patent Document 2).

According to this configuration, by adjusting the ball material (plastic, metal, etc.), the number of balls, and the arrangement pattern, the pressure contact force of the ball against the inclined conveyor belt and the friction force between the ball and the inclined conveyor belt can be adjusted. It is possible to cope with paper having different paper quality and thickness.
However, the operator must select the optimal combination of the ball material, the number of balls, and the array pattern for each different paper and change the ball and ball arrangement accordingly, which is very cumbersome. Met. In addition, it is necessary to always prepare all the balls that may be used, and there is a problem that the space for the use hinders the compactness of the sheet conveying device.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2003-146489 Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 64-21157

  Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a paper transport device that can easily and reliably correct skew of paper even when the paper quality and thickness of the paper are different, and that has a simple and compact structure.

  In order to solve the above problems, the present invention provides a frame having a paper conveyance path, a reference plate attached to the frame and disposed on one side of the conveyance path, extending in the conveyance direction, and attached to the frame. An inclined conveying belt extending at an acute angle in the upstream direction of the conveying path with respect to the reference plate on the lower side of the conveying path, and an upper surface of a sheet that is disposed on the upper side of the conveying path and is conveyed on the inclined conveying belt A sheet shift unit that is pressed against the sheet, and is slid on the oblique transport belt by the sheet shift unit while the sheet is being transported by the inclined transport belt, and one side edge of the sheet is applied to the reference plate over its entire length. In a sheet conveying apparatus that corrects skew of the sheet by contacting the sheet, the sheet includes a pair of parallel inclined conveying belts, A housing unit attached to the frame and extending in the longitudinal direction of the inclined conveying belt above the inclined conveying belt; and a position attached to the housing and spaced in the longitudinal direction of the housing. And a plurality of roller pairs that rotate while being in contact with the pair of inclined conveying belts, and the rotation axes of the roller pairs cross the inclined conveying belt at right angles and are parallel to the inclined conveying belt. And a plurality of springs provided on the housing and elastically biasing the roller pairs toward the inclined conveying belt by being respectively connected to the plurality of roller pairs, and the housing, And a pressing force adjusting mechanism that collectively adjusts the urging force of each of the plurality of springs. One in which you configure.

The said structure WHEREIN: Each of these springs may have a different spring constant.
In the above configuration, preferably, the roller pair includes an axle having a length corresponding to an interval between the inclined conveyance belts, and a pair of rollers attached to both ends of the axle so as to be rotatable around the axle. And the axle of the pair of rollers extends perpendicularly across the inclined conveying belt and parallel to the inclined conveying belt, and is attached to the housing so as to be movable up and down. A spring mounting member disposed above a pair of axles and extending in a length direction of the housing; a guide provided in the housing for guiding the spring mounting member so as to move up and down; and provided in the housing; A spring mounting member height adjusting mechanism that moves the spring mounting member up and down, wherein the spring includes each axle of the plurality of roller pairs and the spring. A compression spring attached to the attachment member, and a distance between the spring attachment member and the roller pair is adjusted by the height adjustment mechanism of the spring attachment member to adjust a compression length of the compression spring; Thus, the pressure contact force of the roller pair with respect to the inclined conveying belt is adjusted.

  More preferably, the housing has a width corresponding to the interval between the inclined conveying belts, and has a rectangular plate-like horizontal portion extending in the length direction of the inclined conveying belt, and both widthwise end edges of the horizontal portion. A cross section having a pair of rectangular plate-like vertical portions connected to each other and extending in parallel downward from the horizontal portion is a U-shaped plate-like body. An elongated hole is provided at an interval, and an axle of the roller pair is inserted into the elongated hole and guided so as to move up and down, and the spring mounting member is located on the most upstream side inside the housing. It comprises a spring mounting plate extending between the axle of the roller pair and the axle of the roller pair on the most downstream side, and the guides are respectively projected at a plurality of positions spaced in the length direction of the spring mounting plate. Guide rod and front A guide hole formed in a horizontal portion of the housing, and the guide rod extends through the guide hole vertically upward from the spring mounting plate. An adjustment screw that penetrates the horizontal portion up and down and is rotatably attached to the horizontal portion around a shaft at a fixed position, and a screw groove provided on the spring mounting plate and paired with the adjustment screw. The adjustment screw is screwed into the through hole, and the spring mounting plate moves up and down while being guided by the guide according to the rotation of the adjustment screw. .

  In the above configuration, it is preferable that the paper shift unit is attached to the housing and crosses the inclined conveyance belt at a right angle at a position above the inclined conveyance belt in the longitudinal direction of the housing. A plurality of shafts extending parallel to the inclined conveying belt and rotatable about the axis thereof, and rotatably attached to the shafts at positions corresponding to the inclined conveying belts of the plurality of shafts. A pair of levers, the lever having first and second arm portions on both sides of the mounting portion with respect to the shaft, and the paper shifting unit further extends between the pair of levers, A rod for connecting the first arm portions of the pair of levers to each other; and the roller pair is that of the pair of levers. Each of the rollers is rotatably attached to the second arm portion, and the pair of levers move up and down by swinging around the shaft axis of the pair of levers. The pressure adjusting mechanism is disposed above the rod and is provided in the housing with a spring mounting member extending in the length direction of the housing, and guides the spring mounting member to be movable in the length direction of the housing. A guide, and a spring mounting member position adjusting mechanism provided on the housing and moving the spring mounting member in a length direction of the housing, wherein the spring includes the rod of the pair of levers and the spring mounting A tension spring that is attached to a member and elastically biases the pair of levers in a direction in which the roller pair is pressed against the inclined conveying belt. The position of the spring mounting member with respect to the housing is adjusted by the spring mounting member position adjusting mechanism to adjust the tensile length of the tension spring, whereby the pressure contact force of the roller pair with respect to the inclined conveying belt is adjusted. It has come to be adjusted.

  More preferably, the housing has a width corresponding to the interval between the inclined conveying belts, and has a rectangular plate-like horizontal portion extending in the length direction of the inclined conveying belt, and both widthwise end edges of the horizontal portion. A cross-section comprising a pair of rectangular plate-like vertical portions connected and extending in parallel downward from the horizontal portion is a U-shaped plate-like body, and the shaft is attached to the pair of vertical portions, The lever is mounted on the inner side of each of the pair of vertical portions of the shaft, and the spring mounting member is a spring mounting plate extending in the length direction of the housing on the inner side of the housing. The guide is attached to the spring mounting plate and is provided on both sides of the spring mounting plate at a plurality of positions spaced in the length direction of the spring mounting plate. And a plurality of elongated holes formed at positions corresponding to the supporting rods in the upper part of the pair of vertical portions of the housing, the elongated holes extending in the length direction of the housing, The support rod is inserted into the elongated hole, and the spring mounting member position adjusting mechanism is formed in a slot formed in a horizontal portion of the housing and extending in a length direction of the horizontal portion, and on an upper surface of the spring mounting plate. An extended portion extending through the slot upward from the spring mounting plate, a screw mounting portion provided on an upper surface of the horizontal portion and facing the extended portion of the spring mounting plate, and the screw mounting portion An adjustment screw that extends through the length of the housing and is rotatably attached to the screw attachment portion around a shaft at a fixed position, and the adjustment portion. The adjusting screw is screwed into the through hole, and the spring mounting plate is guided by the guide according to the rotation of the adjusting screw. It moves in the longitudinal direction of the housing.

  According to the present invention, the sheet shifting unit that slides the sheet conveyed on the pair of parallel inclined conveying belts along the reference plate is disposed at an interval in the length direction of the inclined conveying belt and is inclinedly conveyed. Since a plurality of roller pairs pressed against the belt are provided, it is possible to correct the skew of the paper along the reference plate in a stable and reliable manner.

  Further, according to the present invention, each roller pair is elastically biased toward the inclined conveying belt by a spring to press the roller pair against the inclined conveying belt, and the length of each spring (compressed length or tensile length). ) Can be adjusted at once by the pressing force adjustment mechanism, so even if the paper quality and thickness of the paper to be transported are different, the rollers can be transported by tilting only by operating the pressing force adjustment mechanism. By simply changing the pressing force against the belt, it is possible to stably and reliably correct the skew of the paper.

It goes without saying that these effects of the present invention can be obtained for various types of papers having different paper quality and thickness, etc. In particular, the surface of the paper is coated so that the surface is slippery and relatively thick. It is remarkable.
Further, according to the present invention, it is possible to provide a paper transport device having a simple and compact structure.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a sheet conveying apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention, (A) is a schematic plan view showing a configuration of the entire apparatus, and (B) is a perspective view of a main part of the apparatus. FIGS. 2A and 2B are diagrams illustrating a schematic configuration of the sheet conveying apparatus of FIG. 1, in which FIG. 2A is a side view, and FIG. In the drawing, the sheet shift unit of the sheet conveying apparatus is in a state where the distance between the spring mounting plate and the roller pair (the compression length of the compression spring) is the longest. FIG. 3 is a view similar to FIG. 2 showing a state where the distance between the spring mounting plate of the paper shift unit and the roller pair (compression length of the compression spring) is the shortest. 4A and 4B are diagrams illustrating a sheet conveying apparatus according to another embodiment of the present invention, in which FIG. 5A is a side view and FIG. 5B is a front view as viewed in the conveying direction.

  Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. 1A and 1B are views showing a sheet conveying apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention, in which FIG. 1A is a schematic plan view showing a configuration of the entire apparatus, and FIG. 1B is a perspective view of a main part of the apparatus. It is. 2A and 2B are diagrams illustrating a schematic configuration of the sheet conveying apparatus in FIG. 1. FIG. 2A is a side view, and FIG. 2B is a front view as viewed in the conveying direction. In FIG. 2, the paper shift unit of the paper transport device is in a state in which the distance between the spring mounting plate and the roller pair (compression length of the compression spring) is the longest. In FIGS. 1A and 2A, the wall of the housing is depicted as transparent in order to clarify the internal configuration of the housing.

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, the paper transport apparatus according to the present invention includes a frame (not shown) having a transport path F for paper P. A reference plate 2 is disposed on one side of the transport path F. The reference plate 2 is attached to the frame and extends in the transport direction (arrow R).
A pair of parallel inclined conveyor belts 3 and 4 are attached to the frame and horizontally disposed below the conveyance path F, and form an acute angle upstream of the conveyance path F with respect to the reference plate 2. It is Each of the inclined conveying belts 3 and 4 conveys the paper P at the same constant speed.

The paper transport apparatus according to the present invention further includes a paper shift unit 1 that is disposed on the upper side of the transport path F and presses against the upper surface of the paper P that is transported on the inclined transport belts 3 and 4.
The sheet shifting unit 1 includes a housing 5 that is attached to a frame and extends in the length direction of the inclined conveying belts 3 and 4 above the inclined conveying belts 3 and 4.
The housing 5 has a width corresponding to the interval between the inclined conveying belts 3 and 4, and has a rectangular plate-like horizontal portion 5 a extending in the length direction of the inclined conveying belts 3 and 4, and both end edges in the width direction of the horizontal portion 5 a. And a cross section having a pair of rectangular plate-like vertical portions 5b and 5c extending in parallel downward from the horizontal portion 5a is a U-shaped plate-like body.

  A plurality of elongated holes 6 are provided in the lower part of the pair of vertical portions 5b and 5c of the housing 5 at intervals in the length direction. Each elongated hole 6 extends in the vertical direction, and one elongated hole 6 in one vertical portion 5b and one elongated hole 6 in the other vertical portion 5c form a pair. For each pair, two elongated holes 6 are formed. Is located on a horizontal straight line that crosses the inclined conveyor belts 3 and 4 at right angles.

An axle 7 is inserted into each pair of the long holes 6 and is guided by the long holes 6 so as to be movable up and down. Further, rollers 8 are attached to both ends of the axle 7 projecting outside the pair of vertical portions 5b and 5c of the housing 5 so as to be rotatable around the axle 7 and contact the corresponding inclined conveying belts 3 and 4 respectively. doing.
In this case, the outer peripheral surface of the roller 8 is preferably formed smoothly and has a relatively small coefficient of friction. Further, as illustrated, the rollers 8 of the roller pair are preferably disposed so as to contact the belts at positions corresponding to the rollers of the inclined conveying belts 3 and 4.

  In this way, a roller pair is constituted by the axle 7 and a pair of rollers 8 attached to both ends of the axle 7, and the axle 7 of the roller pair crosses the inclined conveying belts 3 and 4 at right angles, and the inclined conveying belts 3, 4 It is possible to move up and down with respect to the housing 5.

  In addition, the structure for attaching the plurality of roller pairs 7 and 8 to the housing 5 so as to be movable up and down at intervals in the length direction of the housing 5 is a slot provided in the housing 5 as in this embodiment. 6 is not limited to the one in which the axle 7 of the roller pair is inserted, and other known appropriate mounting structures can be applied.

The paper shift unit 1 is also disposed above the axle 7 of the roller pair, and is attached to the housing 5 and the spring mounting member 9 extending in the length direction of the housing 5, and guides the spring mounting member 9 to be movable up and down. A guide 10 is provided.
In this embodiment, the spring mounting member 9 is composed of a spring mounting plate extending between the axle 7 of the most upstream roller pair and the axle 7 of the most downstream roller pair inside the housing 5. In this embodiment, the guide 10 has a plurality of (two in this embodiment) guide rods 10a protruding in the length direction of the spring mounting plate 9 and a horizontal position of the housing 5. It consists of a guide hole 10b formed in the portion 5a. The guide rod 10a extends vertically upward from the spring mounting plate 9 through the guide hole 10b.

  Further, a compression spring 11 is attached between the spring mounting plate 9 and the axle 7 of each roller pair, and the roller 8 of the roller pair is elastically biased toward the inclined conveying belts 3 and 4. Yes. In this case, as the compression spring 11, those having the same spring constant are generally used, but compression springs having different spring constants for each roller pair may be used as necessary.

Further, the sheet shift unit 1 includes a spring mounting member height adjusting mechanism 12 that is provided in the housing and moves the spring mounting plate (spring mounting member) 9 up and down.
In this embodiment, the spring mounting member height adjusting mechanism 12 extends through the horizontal portion 5a of the housing 5 from the top to the bottom, and is attached to the horizontal portion 5a so as to be rotatable about an axis at a fixed position. The screw 12a includes a through hole 12b provided on the spring mounting plate 9 and provided with a screw groove that is paired with the adjusting screw 12a. Then, the adjustment screw 12a is screwed into the through hole 12b, whereby the spring mounting plate 9 is supported in a suspended state from the housing 5 via the adjustment screw 12a and is guided according to the rotation of the adjustment screw 12a. 10 is moved up and down while being guided by 10.

  Although not shown, a flange is provided on the outer periphery of the tip of the adjustment screw 12, and the lower surface of the spring mounting plate 9 abuts against this flange, so that downward movement of the spring mounting plate 9 is restricted, and the spring mounting plate 9 Does not fall off from the adjusting screw 12.

Then, as the adjustment screw 12a of the spring attachment member height adjustment mechanism 12 rotates, the spring attachment plate 9 moves up and down, and the distance between the spring attachment plate 9 and the roller pair 7 and 8, and thus the compression length of the compression spring 11 Changes.
This state is shown in FIGS. FIG. 2 is a view showing a state in which the spring mounting plate 9 is at the highest position and the distance between the spring mounting plate 9 and the roller pair 7 and 8 (compression length of the compression spring 11) is the longest. FIG. 3 is a view similar to FIG. 2 showing a state in which the spring mounting plate 9 is at the lowest position and the distance between the spring mounting plate and the roller pair (the compression length of the compression spring 11) is the shortest. .
In the state shown in FIG. 2, the pressure contact force of the roller pairs 7 and 8 with respect to the inclined conveyance belts 3 and 4 is minimized, and in the state shown in FIG. Is the maximum.

Thus, the spring mounting plate 9, the guide 10, and the spring mounting member height adjusting mechanism 12 constitute a pressing force adjusting mechanism that collectively adjusts the urging force of each compression spring 11, and the spring mounting member height adjusting mechanism 12 has By simply rotating the adjusting screw 12a, the pressure contact force of the roller pairs 7 and 8 against the inclined conveying belts 3 and 4 can be easily adjusted.
In this case, the length of the long hole 6 of the housing 5 and the mounting position (long) of the housing 5 so that the axle 7 of each roller pair is always located in the space between the upper and lower ends of the associated long hole 6. Note that the distance between the hole 6 and the inclined conveyor belts 3, 4 is set.

  The sheet conveying apparatus of the present invention is disposed between an outlet of a preceding apparatus such as a sheet feeding apparatus and an inlet of a subsequent apparatus such as a sheet folding apparatus, a sheet cutting apparatus, or a printing machine or a copying machine. The paper P supplied from the paper discharge unit, for example, the suction belt 13 disposed at the outlet of the preceding apparatus is supplied onto the pair of inclined transport belts 3 and 4 of the paper transport apparatus. The roller pairs 7 and 8 of the sheet shift unit 1 are in pressure contact with the upper surface of the sheet P conveyed on the inclined conveyance belts 3 and 4. As a result, the paper P slides on the inclined conveying belts 3 and 4 and the one side edge thereof is brought into contact with the reference plate 2 in order from the front end portion. Over the reference plate 2. As a result, the skew of the paper P is corrected and then transferred from the inclined transport belts 3 and 4 to a paper take-in unit, for example, a transport roller pair 14 disposed at the entrance of the subsequent apparatus.

  According to the paper transport device of the present invention, the paper shift unit 1 is arranged at intervals in the length direction of the pair of parallel inclined transport belts 3, 4, and the plurality of rollers press against the inclined transport belts 3, 4. Since the pairs 7 and 8 are provided, the skew of the paper P can be corrected along the reference plate 2 stably and reliably.

  Furthermore, according to the paper conveying device of the present invention, each roller pair 7, 8 is elastically biased toward the inclined conveying belts 3, 4 by the compression spring 11, so that each roller pair 7, 8 is inclined to the inclined conveying belt 3, 4, and the compression length (biasing force) of each compression spring 11 can be collectively adjusted by the spring mounting member height adjustment mechanism 12, so that the paper quality and thickness of the paper P to be conveyed are different. Even if the spring mounting member height adjusting mechanism 12 is operated, the pressure contact force of the roller pairs 7 and 8 with respect to the inclined conveying belts 3 and 4 can be easily changed, and the skew feeding of the paper P can always be stably and stably performed. It can be corrected reliably.

  Needless to say, these effects of the present invention can be obtained for various papers having different paper quality, thickness, etc. In particular, the paper surface is coated, the surface is slippery, and the paper is relatively thick. Is remarkable.

  Although the configuration of the present invention has been described with reference to one preferred embodiment, the configuration of the present invention is not limited to this embodiment. For example, in the above-described embodiment, each roller pair is elastically urged to the inclined conveyance belt by the compression spring and the urging force of the compression spring is collectively adjusted. However, instead of the compression spring, the tension spring is used. It can also be set as the structure using.

  FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of a sheet conveying apparatus having a configuration in which each roller pair is elastically urged toward the inclined conveying belt by a tension spring and the urging force of the tension spring is collectively adjusted. FIG. In FIG. 4A, the wall of the housing is depicted as transparent in order to clarify the internal configuration of the housing. In FIG. 4, the same components as those shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and detailed description thereof will be omitted below.

With reference to FIG. 4, in this embodiment, the sheet shifting unit 1 ′ is attached to a frame (not shown) and extends in the length direction of the inclined conveying belts 3, 4 above the inclined conveying belts 3, 4. A housing 5 'is provided.
The housing 5 ′ has a width corresponding to the interval between the inclined conveying belts 3, 4. The rectangular plate-shaped horizontal portion 5 a ′ extending in the length direction of the inclined conveying belts 3, 4 and the width of the horizontal portion 5 a ′. A cross section having a pair of rectangular plate-like vertical portions 5b 'and 5c' connected to both ends in the direction and extending in parallel downward from the horizontal portion 5a 'is a U-shaped plate-like body.

  In addition, shafts 15 are respectively attached at positions spaced apart in the length direction of the pair of vertical portions 5b 'and 5c' of the housing 5 '. The shaft 15 traverses the inclined conveying belts 3 and 4 at a right angle between the pair of vertical portions 5 b ′ and 5 c ′, extends parallel to the inclined conveying belts 3 and 4, and is rotatable about an axis.

One lever 16 is rotatably mounted together with the shaft 15 at a position corresponding to the inclined conveying belts 3 and 4 of the shaft 15 inside the pair of vertical portions 5b ′ and 5c ′ of the housing 5 ′. It has been.
The lever 16 is formed in a plate shape, and has a first arm portion 16a and a second arm portion 16b on both sides of the attachment portion with respect to the shaft. The pair of levers 16 can swing around the axis of the shaft 15 in a plane perpendicular to the axis of the shaft 15.
The sheet shifting unit 1 ′ also includes a rod 17 that extends between the pair of levers 16 and connects the first arm portions 16 a of the pair of levers 16 to each other.

One roller 18 is rotatably attached to each second arm portion 16b of the pair of levers 16, and the pair of rollers 18 constitutes a roller pair. The rotating shaft 19 of the roller pair 18 extends parallel to the inclined conveying belts 3 and 4 across the inclined conveying belts 3 and 4 at right angles.
In this case, the outer peripheral surface of each roller pair 18 is preferably formed smoothly and has a relatively small coefficient of friction. Further, as shown in the drawing, each roller pair 18 is preferably arranged so as to contact the belt at a position corresponding to the rollers of the inclined conveying belts 3 and 4.
Then, the roller pairs 18 and 18 move up and down by the swinging of the pair of levers 16 around the shaft 17.

The sheet deflecting unit 1 ′ is further disposed above the rod 17 and provided in the housing 5 ′ with the spring mounting member 20 extending in the length direction of the housing 5 ′. It has a guide that can move in the vertical direction.
The spring mounting member 20 is formed of a spring mounting plate extending in the length direction of the housing 5 ′ inside the housing 5 ′. The guides are attached to the spring mounting plate 20 and support rods projecting on both sides of the spring mounting plate 20 at a plurality of (two in this embodiment) positions spaced in the length direction of the spring mounting plate 20. 22 and a plurality of long holes 23 formed at positions corresponding to the support rods 22 in the upper part of the pair of vertical portions 5b ′ and 5c ′ of the housing 5 ′. The long hole 23 extends in the length direction of the housing 5 '.
The support rods 22 are inserted into the corresponding long holes 23, whereby the spring mounting plate 20 is attached to the housing 5 ′ while being supported by the support rods 22 that can move within the range of the long holes 23. It is done.

  In addition, a spring fixing projection 20 a is provided at the center of the lower surface of the spring mounting plate 20 in the width direction at a position corresponding to each roller pair 18 in the spring mounting plate 20. A tension spring 21 is attached between each spring fixing projection 20a and the rod 17 of the pair of levers 16 of the corresponding roller pair 18, and the pair of levers 16 is connected to the inclined conveying belt 3 by the roller pair 18. 4 is elastically urged in the direction in which it is pressed against. In this case, as the tension spring 21, those having the same spring constant are usually used, but tension springs having different spring constants for each roller pair 18 may be used as necessary.

The sheet shifting unit 1 ′ further includes a spring mounting member position adjusting mechanism 12 ′ that is provided in the housing 5 ′ and moves the spring mounting plate (spring mounting member) 20 in the length direction of the housing 5 ′.
In this embodiment, the spring mounting member position adjusting mechanism 12 ′ includes a slot (not shown) formed in the horizontal portion 5 a of the housing 5 ′ and extending in the length direction of the horizontal portion 5 a ′, and an upper surface of the spring mounting plate 20. An extension portion 24 extending through the slot upward from the spring mounting plate 20, a screw mounting portion 25 provided on the upper surface of the horizontal portion 5 a and facing the extension portion 24 of the spring mounting plate 20, and screw mounting An adjustment screw 26 that penetrates the portion 25 in the length direction of the housing 5 ′ and is rotatably attached to the screw attachment portion 25 around the axis at a fixed position, and an extension screw 24. The adjustment screw 26 is paired with the adjustment screw 26. And a through hole 24a having a thread groove formed.
The adjusting screw 26 is screwed into the through hole 24a, and the spring mounting plate 20 moves in the length direction of the housing 5 ′ while being guided by the guides 22 and 23 according to the rotation of the adjusting screw 26. It has become.

  Although not shown, a flange is provided on the outer periphery of the tip of the adjustment screw 26, and the movement of the spring mounting plate 20 in a direction away from the adjustment screw 26 is caused by the contact of the extended portion 24 of the spring mounting plate 20 with the flange. The spring mounting plate 20 is restricted from being removed from the adjusting screw 26.

As the adjusting screw 26 of the spring mounting member position adjusting mechanism 12 ′ rotates, the spring mounting plate 20 moves in the length direction of the housing, and the position of the spring mounting plate 20 relative to the housing 5 ′, and accordingly, the tension spring 21 is moved. The tensile length changes.
Thus, the spring mounting plate 20, the guides 22 and 23, and the spring mounting member position adjusting mechanism 12 'constitute a pressing force adjusting mechanism that collectively adjusts the urging force of each tension spring 21, and the spring mounting member position adjusting mechanism 12' By simply rotating the adjusting screw 26, the pressing force of each roller pair 18 against the inclined conveying belts 3 and 4 can be easily adjusted.
It goes without saying that this embodiment also exhibits the same operational effects as the embodiment shown in FIGS.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1, 1 'Paper shift unit 2 Reference | standard plate 3, 4 Inclined conveyance belt 5 Housing 5a Horizontal part 5b, 5c Vertical part 6 Long hole 7 Axle 8 Roller 9 Spring mounting member (spring mounting plate)
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Guide 10a Guide rod 10b Guide hole 11 Compression spring 12 Spring attachment member height adjustment mechanism 12a Adjustment screw 12b Through-hole 12 'Spring attachment member position adjustment mechanism 13 Suction belt 14 Conveying roller pair 15 Shaft 16 Lever 16a First arm part 16b Second arm portion 17 Rod 18 Roller 19 Rotating shaft 20 Spring mounting plate 20a Spring fixing projection 21 Spring 22 Support rod 23 Long hole 24 Expansion portion 24a Through hole 25 Screw mounting portion 26 Adjustment screw F Transport path P Paper R Transport direction

Claims (6)

A frame having a paper conveyance path;
A reference plate attached to the frame and disposed on one side of the transport path and extending in the transport direction;
An inclined conveying belt attached to the frame and extending at an acute angle in the upstream direction of the conveying path with respect to the reference plate on the lower side of the conveying path;
A paper shift unit disposed on the upper side of the transport path and pressed against the upper surface of the paper transported on the inclined transport belt. In a paper transport device that corrects skew of the paper by sliding on the transport belt and bringing one side edge of the paper into contact with the reference plate over its entire length,
Comprising a pair of parallel inclined conveyor belts,
The paper shift unit is
A housing attached to the frame and extending in a length direction of the inclined conveying belt above the inclined conveying belt;
A plurality of roller pairs attached to the housing and capable of moving up and down at positions spaced apart in the length direction of the housing, and rotating while contacting the pair of inclined conveying belts. The rotation axis extends perpendicularly across the inclined conveyor belt and parallel to the inclined conveyor belt, and
A plurality of springs provided in the housing and coupled to the plurality of roller pairs, respectively, to elastically bias the roller pairs toward the inclined conveying belt;
A paper conveying apparatus comprising: a pressing force adjusting mechanism that is provided in the housing and collectively adjusts urging forces of the plurality of springs.   The sheet conveying device according to claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of springs has a different spring constant. The roller pair includes an axle having a length corresponding to an interval between the inclined conveyance belts, and a pair of rollers attached to both ends of the axle so as to be rotatable around the axle, and the axle of the roller pair Is attached to the housing so as to move up and down with respect to the housing while extending in parallel with the inclined conveying belt across the inclined conveying belt at a right angle,
The pressing force adjusting mechanism is
A spring mounting member disposed above the axle of the roller pair and extending in the length direction of the housing;
A guide provided in the housing for guiding the spring mounting member so as to move up and down;
A spring mounting member height adjusting mechanism provided in the housing and moving the spring mounting member up and down;
The spring comprises a compression spring attached between each axle of the plurality of roller pairs and the spring attachment member,
The distance between the spring mounting member and the roller pair is adjusted by the spring mounting member height adjusting mechanism to adjust the compression length of the compression spring, whereby the pressure contact force of the roller pair with respect to the inclined conveying belt is adjusted. The sheet conveying device according to claim 1, wherein the sheet conveying device is adjusted. The housing has a width corresponding to the interval between the inclined conveying belts, is connected to a horizontal portion of the rectangular plate extending in the length direction of the inclined conveying belt, and both edges in the width direction of the horizontal portion, The cross section having a pair of rectangular plate-like vertical portions extending in parallel downward from the horizontal portion is a U-shaped plate-like body, and the lower portions of the pair of vertical portions are spaced apart in the length direction. Long holes are provided, and the axles of the roller pairs are inserted through the long holes and guided so as to move up and down.
The spring mounting member comprises a spring mounting plate extending between the axle of the roller pair on the most upstream side and the axle of the roller pair on the most downstream side inside the housing,
The guide comprises a guide rod projecting at a plurality of positions spaced apart in the length direction of the spring mounting plate, and a guide hole formed in a horizontal portion of the housing, and the guide rod is Extending through the guide hole vertically upward from the spring mounting plate,
The spring mounting member height adjusting mechanism includes an adjustment screw that extends vertically through the horizontal portion of the housing and is rotatably attached to the horizontal portion about an axis at a fixed position, and the spring mounting plate. A through hole provided with a screw groove that is paired with the adjustment screw, the adjustment screw is screwed with the through hole, and the spring mounting plate is moved according to the rotation of the adjustment screw. The sheet conveying device according to claim 3, wherein the sheet conveying device moves up and down while being guided by a guide. The paper shifting unit is
Attached to the housing, at a position spaced apart in the longitudinal direction of the housing above the inclined conveying belt, crosses the inclined conveying belt at a right angle, extends parallel to the inclined conveying belt, and rotates about its axis Multiple shafts enabled,
A pair of levers rotatably mounted together with the shafts at positions corresponding to the inclined conveying belts of the plurality of shafts, the levers being first and second on both sides of the mounting portion with respect to the shafts; Has an arm part,
The paper shift unit further includes:
A rod extending between the pair of levers and connecting the first arm portions of the pair of levers to each other;
The pair of rollers includes one roller that is rotatably attached to the second arm portion of each of the pair of levers, and the pair of rollers moves up and down by swinging around the shaft axis of the pair of levers. I'm going to exercise,
The pressing force adjusting mechanism is
A spring mounting member disposed above the rod and extending in the length direction of the housing;
A guide provided in the housing and movably guiding the spring mounting member in a length direction of the housing;
A spring mounting member position adjusting mechanism provided on the housing and moving the spring mounting member in a length direction of the housing;
The spring is attached between the rod of the pair of levers and the spring mounting member, and elastically biases the pair of levers in a direction in which the roller pair is pressed against the inclined conveyance belt. Consists of
The position of the spring mounting member relative to the housing is adjusted by the spring mounting member position adjusting mechanism to adjust the tension length of the tension spring, thereby adjusting the pressing force of the roller pair against the inclined conveying belt. The sheet conveying apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the sheet conveying apparatus is characterized. The housing has a width corresponding to the interval between the inclined conveying belts, is connected to a horizontal portion of the rectangular plate extending in the length direction of the inclined conveying belt, and both edges in the width direction of the horizontal portion, A cross-section having a pair of rectangular plate-like vertical portions extending in parallel downward from a horizontal portion is a U-shaped plate-like body, and the shaft is attached to the pair of vertical portions, and the pair of vertical portions are separated from each other. And the lever is attached to the inside of each of the pair of vertical portions of the shaft;
The spring mounting member comprises a spring mounting plate extending in the length direction of the housing inside the housing,
The guide is attached to the spring mounting plate and protrudes on both sides of the spring mounting plate at a plurality of positions spaced in the length direction of the spring mounting plate, and the pair of vertical portions of the housing. A plurality of long holes formed at positions corresponding to the support rods in the upper part of the portion, the long holes extend in the length direction of the housing, and the support rods are inserted into the long holes,
The spring mounting member position adjusting mechanism includes a slot formed in a horizontal portion of the housing and extending in a length direction of the horizontal portion, and provided on an upper surface of the spring mounting plate, and the slot is provided above the spring mounting plate. An extending portion extending through, a screw mounting portion provided on an upper surface of the horizontal portion, facing the expanded portion of the spring mounting plate, and extending through the screw mounting portion in the length direction of the housing, The adjustment screw includes an adjustment screw that is rotatably attached to the screw attachment portion around a shaft at a fixed position, and a through hole that is provided in the extension portion and has a screw groove that is paired with the adjustment screw. The screw is engaged with the through hole, and the spring mounting plate moves in the length direction of the housing while being guided by the guide according to the rotation of the adjusting screw. Sheet conveying device according to.

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