JP2022013744A - Sheet conveyance device - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a configuration that is able to suppress reduction in the productivity of a sheet.SOLUTION: A pair of restriction guides 14A, 14B are capable of guiding both edges, in a sheet width direction Y, of a sheet S1 that is conveyed while being sandwiched between a conveyance belt 12 and a spherical body 20. The pair of restriction guides 14A, 14B are capable of moving between a guide position for guiding both edges of a sheet and a retraction position retracted further from both the edges of the sheet than the guide position. The sheet detection sensor 435 is disposed downstream of the conveyance belt 12 in a conveyance direction X and detects the presence or absence of a sheet. When a sheet detection sensor 435 does not detect a sheet even after a lapse of a predetermined time following movement of the pair of restriction guides 14A, 14B from the retraction position to the guide position, a retraction operation is performed in which the pair of restriction guides 14A, 14B are moved from the guide position to the retraction position while the conveyance belt 12 continues driving in a direction in which the sheet is conveyed.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 11

Description

The present invention relates to a sheet transport device for transporting sheets.

In a sheet transport device for transporting a sheet, there is a possibility that the position of the sheet may be displaced due to various factors during the transfer of the sheet. Then, when the image is conveyed to an image forming apparatus that forms an image on the sheet while the position is displaced, a problem such as an image being displaced with respect to the sheet occurs. For this reason, a sheet transfer device that corrects the misalignment of the sheet during transfer is known (for example, Patent Document 1).

Patent Document 1 discloses a configuration having a fixed reference guide provided on one side in the width direction intersecting the sheet transport direction, a transport belt provided at an angle with respect to the reference guide, and a sphere. .. In the case of the sheet transfer device described in Patent Document 1, the sheet is conveyed while being sandwiched between the transfer belt and the sphere so that the widthwise end edge of the sheet abuts against the reference guide. Then, the side register (positional deviation of the edge in the width direction of the seat) and the side skew (tilt of the edge in the width direction of the seat with respect to the sheet transport direction) of the seat are corrected at the same time.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2007-2170996

In the case of the sheet transfer device described in Patent Document 1, the sheet is conveyed by the inclined transfer belt, and the widthwise edge of the sheet is abutted against the reference guide. Therefore, it is necessary to transport the sheet until the sheet abuts against the reference guide, and there is a risk that the device will become large in order to secure the length for transporting the sheet. Therefore, in order to correct the positional deviation in the width direction of the seat while suppressing the increase in size of the device, it is conceivable to provide a pair of regulation guides on both sides in the width direction of the seat. In this configuration, a pair of regulation guides is moved from the retracted position to the guide position, and both end edges in the width direction of the sheet are guided at the guide position to correct the misalignment in the width direction of the sheet.

Here, in the case of a configuration in which the sheet is conveyed while being sandwiched between the transfer belt and the sphere, the force for sandwiching the sheet between the transfer belt and the sphere is weak. Therefore, if the sheet being conveyed comes into contact with the regulation guide at the guide position and the frictional force between the sheet and the regulation guide is large, the sheet may not be conveyed even if the transfer belt is driven. If the sensor on the downstream side of the conveyor belt does not detect the seat for a predetermined time, it is determined that the seat is jammed, the device is stopped, and the productivity is lowered.

An object of the present invention is to provide a configuration capable of suppressing a decrease in sheet productivity.

The present invention is a sheet transport device for transporting a sheet in a predetermined transport direction, which has a transport surface extending along the transport direction, and a sheet delivered to the transport surface is transferred in the transport direction. An endless transport belt to be transported, a plurality of spheres arranged along the transport direction at positions facing the transport surface, and a sphere that can rotate in an arbitrary direction while sandwiching the sheet between the transport surface and the above. A pair of regulatory guides arranged on both sides of the transport belt with respect to the sheet width direction intersecting the transport direction and capable of guiding both ends of the sheet in the sheet width direction while being sandwiched between the transport belt and the sphere. , The guide moving means capable of moving the pair of regulation guides to a guide position for guiding the both end edges of the seat in the seat width direction and a retracted position retracted from the both end edges of the seat in the seat width direction from the guide position. And a detection means arranged on the downstream side of the transport belt in the transport direction to detect the presence or absence of a sheet, and a predetermined time has elapsed after the pair of regulation guides moved from the retracted position to the guide position. However, if the detection means does not detect the seat, the pair of regulation guides move from the guide position to the retracted position while the conveyor belt is continuously driven in the direction of conveying the seat. It is characterized in that the operation is performed.

Further, the present invention is a sheet transport device that transports a sheet in a predetermined transport direction, has a transport surface extending along the transport direction, and transports the sheet delivered to the transport surface. An endless transport belt that transports in a direction, and a sphere that is arranged at a position facing the transport surface along the transport direction and can rotate in an arbitrary direction while sandwiching a sheet between the transport surface and the transport surface. , A pair of restrictions that are arranged on both sides of the transport belt with respect to the sheet width direction intersecting the transport direction and can guide both ends of the sheet in the sheet width direction while being sandwiched between the transport belt and the sphere. A guide that can move the guide and the pair of regulation guides to a guide position that guides both ends of the seat in the seat width direction and a retracted position that retracts from the guide position to both ends of the seat in the seat width direction. A moving means, an upstream side detecting means arranged on the upstream side of the transport belt in the transport direction and detecting the presence or absence of a sheet, and a downstream side arranged on the downstream side of the transport belt in the transport direction and detecting the presence or absence of a sheet. The guide moving means includes a detecting means, and when the rear end of the seat passes through the upstream detecting means, the guide moving means starts the movement of the pair of regulation guides from the retracted position to the guide position, and the seat. If the downstream side detecting means does not detect the seat even after a predetermined time has passed since the rear end passed through the upstream side detecting means, the transport belt continues to be driven in the direction of transporting the sheet. The pair of regulation guides is moved from the guide position to the retracted position in the retracted state.

Further, the present invention is a sheet transport device that transports a sheet in a predetermined transport direction, has a transport surface extending along the transport direction, and transports the sheet delivered to the transport surface. An endless transport belt that transports in a direction, and a sphere that is arranged at a position facing the transport surface along the transport direction and can rotate in an arbitrary direction while sandwiching a sheet between the transport surface and the transport surface. , A pair of restrictions that are arranged on both sides of the transport belt with respect to the sheet width direction intersecting the transport direction and can guide both ends of the sheet in the sheet width direction while being sandwiched between the transport belt and the sphere. The guide and the pair of regulation guides are retracted from the guide position for guiding the both end edges of the seat in the seat width direction and the both end edges in the sheet width direction of the seat from the guide position, and the first retracted position or the second retracted position. The pair of regulation guides include a guide moving means that can be moved to a position and a detecting means that is arranged on the downstream side of the transport belt in the transport direction and detects the presence or absence of the seat. When the detection means does not detect the sheet even after a predetermined time has elapsed after the pair of regulation guides have moved from the first retracted position to the guide position. Is characterized in that a retracting operation is performed in which the pair of regulation guides move from the guide position to the second retracting position while the conveying belt is continuously driven in the direction of conveying the sheet. ..

Further, the present invention is a sheet transport device that transports a sheet in a predetermined transport direction, has a transport surface extending along the transport direction, and transports the sheet delivered to the transport surface. An endless transport belt that transports in a direction, and a sphere that is arranged at a position facing the transport surface along the transport direction and can rotate in an arbitrary direction while sandwiching a sheet between the transport surface and the transport surface. , A pair of restrictions that are arranged on both sides of the transport belt with respect to the sheet width direction intersecting the transport direction and can guide both ends of the sheet in the sheet width direction while being sandwiched between the transport belt and the sphere. A guide that can move the guide and the pair of regulation guides to a guide position that guides both ends of the seat in the seat width direction and a retracted position that retracts from the guide position to both ends of the seat in the seat width direction. A moving means and a detecting means arranged on the downstream side of the transport belt in the transport direction to detect the presence or absence of a sheet are provided, and the transport is performed after the pair of regulation guides have moved from the retracted position to the guide position. If the detection means does not detect the seat even if the belt is continuously driven in the transport direction by a predetermined amount, the pair of regulation guides keep driving the transport belt in the transport direction. It is characterized in that a retracting operation of moving from the guide position to the retracting position is performed.

Further, the present invention is a sheet transport device that receives and transports a sheet transported by a transport member that transports the sheet in a predetermined transport direction, and is provided on the downstream side of the transport member in the transport direction and is provided in the transport direction. An endless transport belt having a transport surface extended in the above and transporting a sheet delivered to the transport surface in the transport direction, and a plurality of sheets arranged in the transport direction at positions facing the transport surface. A sphere that can rotate in an arbitrary direction while sandwiching the sheet between the transport surface and a sheet width direction that intersects the transport direction are arranged on both sides of the transport belt and sandwiched between the transport belt and the sphere. A pair of regulation guides capable of guiding both end edges of the sheet to be conveyed while being conveyed, and a guide position for guiding the pair of regulation guides to both end edges of the sheet in the sheet width direction, and the guide position. The pair is provided with a guide moving means capable of moving to a retracted position retracted from both ends of the sheet in the width direction of the sheet, and the sheet is conveyed in the conveying direction by using the conveying belt and the sphere. The regulation guide was moved from the retracted position to the guide position, and after a predetermined time had elapsed since the pair of regulation guides were moved to the guide position, the transport belt was continuously driven in the direction of transporting the seat. It is characterized in that a retracting operation is performed in which the pair of regulation guides move from the guide position to the retracted position in the state.

According to the present invention, the sheet can be stably transported.

Schematic sectional view of the image forming system according to the embodiment. The perspective view of the relay transfer apparatus which concerns on embodiment. The plan view of the relay transfer apparatus which concerns on embodiment. The side view of the relay transfer apparatus which concerns on embodiment. Sectional drawing of the relay transfer apparatus which concerns on embodiment. (A) perspective view, (b) (a) left side view, (c) cross-sectional view cut along the sheet transport direction, (d) sheet transport of the regulation guide according to the embodiment. Sectional view cut in a direction orthogonal to the direction. The perspective view which shows the contact / separation mechanism of the transport roller which concerns on embodiment. A side view showing (a) the nip state of the transfer roller and (b) the nip release state of the transfer roller of the transfer roller contact / detachment mechanism according to the embodiment. The block diagram regarding the sheet transfer control which concerns on embodiment. The flowchart regarding the sheet transfer control which concerns on embodiment. In the figure explaining the operation of the regulation guide according to the embodiment, (a) the acceptance state of the sheet, (b) the state where the rear end of the sheet has passed through the sheet detection sensor, and (c) the sheet is caught by the regulation guide. The figure which shows the stopped state and (d) the state which the regulation guide moved to the evacuation position, respectively.

The embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 11. First, the image forming system of this embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.

[Image formation system]
FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing an example of an image forming system including a multi-stage feeding device and an image forming device according to the present embodiment. In the following description, as an image forming apparatus having an image forming unit, a laser printer system using an electrophotographic method (hereinafter, simply referred to as a printer) will be described as an example. The image forming apparatus constituting the image forming system may be a copying machine, a facsimile, a multifunction device, or the like, in addition to the printer. Further, the image forming apparatus may be configured by another method such as an inkjet method regardless of the electrophotographic method.

The image forming system 1000 of the present embodiment includes an image forming device 100, a multi-stage feeding device 200 as a sheet feeding device connected to the image forming device 100, and a feeding deck 500. As will be described in detail later, the multi-stage feeding device 200 has a plurality of storages, each of which can store a plurality of sheets, and the sheets can be fed from each storage to the image forming apparatus 100. .. Further, the feeding deck 500 also has a storage storage capable of storing a plurality of sheets, and is arranged on the upstream side of the multi-stage feeding device 200 in the sheet transport direction. Further, the sheet fed from the feed deck 500 is transported to the image forming apparatus 100 via the relay transport device 400 provided in the multi-stage feed device 200. Examples of the sheet include plain paper, thin paper, thick paper and the like, and a plastic sheet.

The image forming apparatus 100 is a toner image (image) according to an image signal from a host device such as a personal computer communicably connected to the document reading device 102 connected to the image forming apparatus main body 101 or the image forming apparatus main body 101. ) Is formed on the sheet. In the case of the present embodiment, the document reading device 102 is arranged on the upper side of the image forming device main body 101.

When reading a document, the document reading device 102 irradiates the document placed on the platen glass 103 with light by a scanning optical system light source, and inputs the reflected light to the CCD to read the document image. I have to. Further, the document reading device 102 includes an automatic document transporting device (ADF) 104, and the document placed on the tray 105 is automatically transported by the ADF 104 to the reading unit of the document reading device 102 to obtain a document image. It is also possible to read. Then, the read original image is converted into an electric signal and transmitted to the laser scanner 113 of the image forming unit 110, which will be described later. As described above, the laser scanner 113 may input image data transmitted from a personal computer or the like.

The image forming apparatus 100 includes an image forming unit 110, a plurality of sheet feeding devices 120, a sheet conveying device 130, and the like. Each unit of the image forming apparatus 100 is controlled by the control unit 140. The control unit 140 has a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a ROM (Read Only Memory), and a RAM (Random Access Memory). The CPU controls each part while reading a program corresponding to the control procedure stored in the ROM. Further, work data and input data are stored in the RAM, and the CPU controls by referring to the data stored in the RAM based on the above-mentioned program or the like.

The plurality of seat feeding devices 120 include a cassette 121 for accommodating the seat S, a pickup roller 122, and a separate transfer roller pair 125 composed of a feed roller 123 and a retard roller 124, respectively. The sheet S housed in the cassette 121 is separated and fed one by one by a pickup roller 122 that moves up and down and rotates at a predetermined timing and a separation and transfer roller pair 125.

The sheet transfer device 130 includes a transfer roller pair 131 and a resist roller pair 133. The sheet S fed from the sheet feeding device 120 is guided to the resist roller pair 133 after being passed through the sheet transport path 134 by the transport roller pair 131. After that, the sheet S is fed to the image forming unit 110 at a predetermined timing by the resist roller pair 133.

The sheet conveyed from the multi-stage feeding device 200 and the feeding deck 500, which will be described later, via the transport roller pair 201 is conveyed into the image forming apparatus 100 via the connection path 202 with the image forming apparatus 100. Then, the sheet transported from the multi-stage feeding device 200 or the feeding deck 500 into the image forming apparatus 100 has a resist roller pair 133 like the sheet conveyed from the sheet feeding device 120 in the image forming apparatus 100. It is sent to the image forming unit 110 at a predetermined timing via the image forming unit 110.

The image forming unit 110 includes a photosensitive drum 111, a charger 112, a laser scanner 113, a developer 114, a transfer device 115, a cleaner 117, and the like. At the time of image formation, the photosensitive drum 111 is rotationally driven in the direction of the arrow in the figure, and first, the surface of the photosensitive drum 111 is uniformly charged by the charger 112. Then, the charged photosensitive drum 111 is irradiated with the laser beam from the laser scanner 113 that emits light in response to the image signal, so that an electrostatic latent image is formed on the photosensitive drum 111. Further, the electrostatic latent image thus formed on the photosensitive drum 111 is subsequently visualized as a toner image by the developer 114.

After that, the toner image on the photosensitive drum 111 is transferred to the sheet S by the transfer device 115 in the transfer unit 116. Further, the sheet S to which the toner image is transferred is conveyed to the fixing device 150 to fix the toner image, and then is discharged to the discharge tray 152 outside the machine by the discharge roller 151.

When forming a toner image on the back surface of the sheet S, the sheet S discharged from the fixing device 150 is conveyed to the reversing transfer path 160. Then, the sheet S is conveyed again to the transfer unit 116 of the image forming unit 110 in a state where the front and back sides are inverted by the inversion transfer path 160. The sheet S on which the toner image is transferred on the back surface is conveyed to the fixing device 150, the toner image is fixed, and then the sheet S is discharged to the discharge tray 152 by the discharge roller 151. The transfer residual toner remaining on the photosensitive drum 111 after transfer is removed by the cleaner 117.

[Multi-stage feeder]
Subsequently, the outline of the multi-stage feeding device 200 will be described with reference to FIG. The multi-stage feeding device 200 includes a plurality of storages 210a to 210c, a relay transport device 400, and the like. In the present embodiment, the three storages 210a to 210c are arranged vertically in three stages, and the relay transfer device 400 is arranged between the bottom storage 210c and the second storage 210b from the top.

The sheet fed from the top storage 210a is transported to the transport path 212, and the sheet fed from the second storage 210b from the top is transported to the transport path 213 and stored at the bottom. The sheet supplied from the storage 210c is transported to the transport path 214. Further, the sheet conveyed from the relay transfer device 400 is conveyed to the transfer path 215. The transport path 213 joins the transport path 212 on the way. Further, the transport paths 212, 214, and 215 merge at the confluence point 216, are transported to the transport roller pair 201 through the transport path 217, and are transported to the image forming apparatus 100 via the connection path 202.

Further, a double feed detection sensor for detecting double feed of the sheet is arranged in each of the transport path 212 after merging with the transport path 213, the relay transfer device 400, and the transfer path 214. Then, the sheet whose double feed is detected by the double feed detection sensor is transported to the transport path 217. Below the transport path 217, a double feed sheet accommodating portion (escape tray) 218 for accommodating the sheet in which double feed is detected is arranged. When the double feed is detected and the sheet is conveyed to the transfer path 217, the transfer path is switched by the switching member 219 provided in the transfer path 217, so that the sheet is conveyed to the double feed sheet accommodating section.

Further, each unit of the multi-stage feeding device 200 is controlled by the control unit 203. The control unit 203 has a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a ROM (Read Only Memory), and a RAM (Random Access Memory). Further, the control unit 203 can communicate with the control unit 140 of the image forming apparatus 100, and controls the feeding timing of the sheet by communicating with the control unit 140.

The sheet fed from the feed deck 500 on the upstream side is transported to the relay transport device 400 through the transport path 512. Further, in the multi-stage feeding device 200, the sheet can be fed even by manual feeding. The sheet fed by hand is conveyed to the transfer path 510 that joins the transfer path 512, and is conveyed to the relay transfer device 400 via the transfer path 512 by the transfer roller pair 511.

The relay transfer device 400 will be described in detail below, but the position shift correction unit 410 including the transfer belt 12, the transfer roller pair 401 on the upstream side in the sheet transfer direction of the position shift correction unit 410, and the sheet transfer of the position shift correction unit 410. A transport roller pair 402 or the like on the downstream side in the direction is provided. The sheet transported through the transport path 512 is fed to the misalignment correction unit 410 by the transport roller pair 401. After the side register (positional deviation of the edge in the width direction of the seat) and side skew (tilt of the edge in the width direction of the seat with respect to the seat transport direction) are corrected by the misalignment correction unit 410, the sheet is subjected to the transport roller pair 402 on the downstream side. Handed over to. Then, it is conveyed to the transfer path 215 by the transfer roller pairs 402 and 403. In this way, the relay transport device 400 corrects the misalignment of the sheet transported from the feed deck 500 or the like on the upstream side, and delivers the sheet to the image forming device 100 on the downstream side.

[Relay transfer device]
Next, the relay transfer device 400 as the sheet transfer device will be described. First, the schematic configuration of the relay transfer device 400 will be described with reference to FIGS. 2 to 5. The relay transfer device 400 has a transfer roller pair 401 on the upstream side, a transfer roller pair 402 on the downstream side, the above-mentioned misalignment correction unit 410, and the like, and transfers the sheet in the transfer direction X. The misalignment correction unit 410 includes a transport belt 12, a plurality of spheres 20, a pair of regulation guides 14A and 14B, a guide moving unit 420, and the like.

The transport belt 12 is arranged downstream (downstream in the transport direction) of the transport direction X (predetermined transport direction) of the transport roller pair 401 as a transport member for transporting the sheet. The transport belt 12 is an endless belt spanned over the pulleys 11A and 11B, and has a transport surface 12A extending along the transport direction X. A motor M1 as a drive source is connected to the pulley 11A on one side, and the conveyor belt 12 is rotated by the drive of the motor M1. Such a transport belt 12 transports the sheet delivered to the transport surface 12A from the transport roller pair 401 on the upstream side in the transport direction X in the transport direction X.

A plurality of spheres 20 are arranged along the transport direction X at positions facing the transport surface 12A of the transport belt 12. In this embodiment, the plurality of spheres 20 are arranged above the transport belt 12. The plurality of spheres 20 can rotate in an arbitrary direction while sandwiching the sheet with the transport surface 12A. For this purpose, the plurality of spheres 20 are rotatably held in the holding plate 18 provided above the transport belt 12, respectively, in an arbitrary direction. That is, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the holding plate 18 is a long plate arranged above the transport belt 12 at a position separated from the transport surface 12A by a predetermined distance along the transport direction X. It has a plurality of holding holes 18A spaced apart from each other in the transport direction X. The sphere 20 is rotatably held in each of the holding holes 18A.

As shown in FIG. 4, the sphere 20 is exposed from the holding hole 18A, placed on the transport surface 12A of the transport belt 12, and is rotatable in any direction. Each of the spheres 20 is in contact with the transport surface 12A due to its own weight. The number of spheres 20 may be set according to the pressing force required for the sheet transported on the transport belt 12. Further, since the sphere 20 is transported while slipping on the transport belt 12 as described later, it is preferably made of a material such as glass or plastic having a relatively low coefficient of friction. In the present embodiment, the configuration in which a plurality of spheres 20 are arranged in one row along the transport direction X has been described, but the plurality of spheres 20 are arranged in a plurality of rows such as two rows in the transport direction X, respectively. You can do it.

The pair of regulation guides 14A and 14B are arranged on both sides of the transport belt 12 with respect to the seat width direction Y intersecting the transport direction X (the direction orthogonal to the transport direction in this embodiment). The pair of regulation guides 14A and 14B can guide both end edges (both end edges in the sheet width direction) of the sheet to be conveyed while being sandwiched between the transfer belt 12 and the sphere 20. That is, the regulation guide 14A arranged on one side (front side of the device) with respect to the seat width direction Y can guide the end edge of one side of the sheet to be conveyed while being sandwiched between the transfer belt 12 and the sphere 20. be. Further, the regulation guide 14B arranged on the other side (inner side of the device) with respect to the seat width direction Y guides the edge of the sheet to be conveyed while being sandwiched between the transfer belt 12 and the sphere 20 on the other side in the sheet width direction. It is possible. The one side (front side) in the sheet width direction Y is the side that operates the image forming system 1000.

As shown in FIG. 5, the pair of regulation guides 14A and 14B has a side plate portion 15, a lower plate portion 16, and an upper plate portion 17, respectively, and are surrounded by the plate portions 15, 16 and 17, respectively. The end portion of the sheet S transported by the transport belt 12 can enter the space. The pair of regulation guides 14A and 14B are supported by the support shafts 421A and 421B (see FIG. 3) so as to be movable between the guide position and the retracted position by the guide moving portion 420 described later. The support shafts 421A and 421B are arranged substantially parallel to the seat width direction Y, respectively, and support the end side of the pair of regulation guides 14A and 14B in the transport direction X. The pair of regulation guides 14A and 14B can move along the support shafts 421A and 421B in the seat width direction Y.

The side plate portion 15 has a guide surface 15A facing the end edge (seat width direction end edge) of the sheet S that is conveyed while being sandwiched between the transfer belt 12 and the sphere 20 at the guide position. The guide surface 15A is arranged in parallel with the transport direction X. Further, the guide surface 15A is a surface orthogonal to the transport direction X and the sheet width direction Y, respectively, and in the present embodiment, is a surface along a substantially vertical direction.

The lower plate portion 16 is arranged so as to be orthogonal to the side plate portion 15, and at the guide position, the support surface that supports the edge of the sheet S that is conveyed while being sandwiched between the transfer belt 12 and the sphere 20 in the sheet width direction Y. It has 16A. The support surface 16A extends substantially horizontally from the lower end portion of the guide surface 15A in the vertical direction. Further, the support surface 16A is located below the transport surface 12A of the transport belt 12 in the vertical direction.

Here, consider a case where the support surface 16A and the transport surface 12A have the same height, or the support surface 16A is located above the transport surface 12A in the vertical direction. In this case, the sheet S having high rigidity such as thick paper is conveyed between the conveying belt 12 and the sphere 20 in a downward curled state (a state in which both end edges in the width direction Y are lower than the center) as shown in FIG. When it comes, both end edges of the sheet S in the width direction Y are supported by the support surface 16A. At this time, the central portion of the seat S in the width direction Y is in a lifted state (bridged state) and pushes up the sphere 20. As a result, the transfer belt 12 and the sphere 20 are separated from each other, and the transfer force of the transfer belt 12 is not transmitted to the sheet S, which may cause a transfer defect. Therefore, in the present embodiment, the support surface 16A is arranged vertically below the transport surface 12A of the transport belt 12.

The upper plate portion 17 has a facing surface 17A arranged to face the support surface 16A. The facing surface 17A is located above the edge of the sheet S that is conveyed while being sandwiched between the transfer belt 12 and the sphere 20 at the guide position in the sheet width direction Y. Further, the facing surface 17A is formed substantially parallel to the support surface 16A.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the guide moving portion 420 as the guide moving means includes the first moving portion 420A for moving the regulation guide 14A on one side of the pair of regulation guides 14A and 14B and the other side. It has a second moving portion 420B for moving the regulation guide 14B. Further, the guide moving unit 420 has a motor M2 that generates a driving force for moving the regulation guide 14A, and a motor M3 that generates a driving force for moving the regulation guide 14B on the other side.

The first moving portion 420A has a pair of pulleys 422A and 423A, an endless belt 424A spanned by both pulleys 422A and 423A, and a connecting portion 425A connecting the belt 424A and the regulation guide 14A. Similarly, the second moving portion 420B is a connection for connecting a pair of pulleys 422B and 423B, an endless belt 424B hung on both pulleys 422B and 423B, and a belt 424B and a regulation guide 14B on the other side. It has a portion 425B.

Further, as shown in FIG. 2, the first moving unit 420A is driven by the motor M2 as a drive source, and the second moving unit 420B is driven by the motor M3 as a drive source. That is, in the case of the present embodiment, the motors as the drive sources for moving the pair of regulation guides 14A and 14B are separated, and the pair of regulation guides 14A and 14B can be moved independently. For this purpose, the pulley 422A of the first moving portion 420A is connected to the pulley 427A via the connecting shaft 426A, and the pulley 427A is hung with the belt 428A between the pulley and the pulley rotationally driven by the motor M2. ing. Then, the rotational drive of the motor M2 is transmitted to the belt 424A via the belt 428A, the pulley 427A, the connecting shaft 426A, and the pulley 422A. As described above, since the regulation guide 14A is connected to the belt 424A via the connection portion 425A, the regulation guide 14A is driven by the motor M2 in the seat width direction Y along the support shafts 421A and 421B. Moving.

Similarly, the pulley 422B of the second moving portion 420B is connected to the pulley 427B via the connecting shaft 426B, and the pulley 427B is hung with the belt 428B between the pulley and the pulley rotationally driven by the motor M3. There is. Then, the rotational drive of the motor M3 is transmitted to the belt 424B via the belt 428B, the pulley 427B, the connecting shaft 426B, and the pulley 422B. As described above, since the regulation guide 14B on the other side is connected to the belt 424B via the connecting portion 425B, the regulation guide 14B on the other side is moved along the support shafts 421A and 421B by driving the motor M3. And move in the sheet width direction Y.

By driving the motors M2 and M3 in this way, the regulation guides 14A and 14B are moved to the guide position and the retracted position, respectively. In the case of the present embodiment, the motors M2 and M3 are pulse motors (stepping motors), and the positions of the regulation guides 14A and 14B are controlled by the number of pulses sent to the motor. Further, the regulation guides 14A and 14B each have a home position, and the home position is provided with a sensor for detecting the regulation guides 14A and 14B, respectively. Therefore, the positions of the regulation guides 14A and 14B are detected at the home position, and then the regulation guides 14A and 14B are moved to the guide position and the retracted position according to the number of pulses sent to the motor.

In the case of the present embodiment, the motors M1 for driving the above-mentioned transport belt 12, the motors M2 and M3 for moving the regulation guides 14A and 14B, and the motors M5, M7 and M8 to be described later are on the other side of the regulation guide 14B. It is arranged. In particular, with respect to the transport direction X, it is preferable that the motor within the transport range of the sheet of the misalignment correction unit 410 is arranged on the back side (the regulation guide 14B side on the other side) of the transport belt 12. This is because, in the case of the present embodiment, the jammed sheet is removed from the front side (regulation guide 14A side on one side).

Further, in the case of the present embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, a double feed detection sensor 430 for detecting double feed of the sheet is arranged between the transport roller pair 401 on the upstream side and the transport belt 12. There is. The double feed detection sensor 430 is a sensor that detects, for example, that two or more sheets are overlapped and conveyed by ultrasonic waves. When the control unit 203 (FIG. 1) of the multi-stage feeder 200 detects the double feed of the sheet by the double feed detection sensor 430, the control unit 203 (FIG. 1) transfers the double feed sheet via the relay transfer device 400, the transfer path 215, and 217. It is conveyed to the double feed sheet accommodating section 218.

Further, as shown in FIG. 4, the relay transfer device 400 of the present embodiment has a plurality of sheet detection sensors 433, 435, and 436 for detecting sheet jam. It should be noted that the jam of the sheet means that the sheet is clogged in the transport path and stays there. The seat detection sensor 433 as the upstream side detecting means is arranged on the upstream side (upstream side in the transport direction) of the transport belt 12 in the transport direction X, and detects the presence or absence of the seat. The sheet detection sensor 431 is arranged between the transfer belt 12 and the transfer roller pair 401.

The sheet detection sensor 435 as the detecting means or the first detecting means is arranged on the downstream side (downstream side in the transport direction) of the transport belt 12 in the transport direction X, and detects the presence or absence of the seat. The sheet detection sensor 435 is arranged between the transfer roller pair 402 and the transfer roller pair 403 arranged on the downstream side of the transfer belt 12. The seat detection sensor 436 as the detection means or the second detection means is arranged on the downstream side of the transport direction X of the seat detection sensor 435, and detects the presence or absence of the seat. The sheet detection sensor 436 is arranged downstream of the transfer roller pair 403. The sheet detection sensors 435 and 436 correspond to downstream detection means.

The control unit 203 (FIG. 1) of the multi-stage feeding device 200 determines whether or not the seat has jammed in the transport path based on the detection signals of various seat detection sensors such as the seat detection sensors 433, 435, and 436. Then, when the control unit 203 determines that the sheet is jammed, the sheet is stopped to be conveyed, the sheet is jammed on a display unit such as a liquid crystal panel provided in the image forming system 1000, and the sheet is jammed. Display the location where you did. At this time, the operator such as a user or a serviceman is urged to open the door of the corresponding place.

Further, in the case of the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 3, the sheet width direction Y faces the lower surface of the sheet conveyed by the transfer belt 12 between the transfer belt 12 and the pair of regulation guides 14A and 14B. Opposing members 450 and 460 are arranged. The facing members 450 and 460 support the end of the sheet if the end of the sheet is conveyed without being supported by any of the regulation guides 14A and 14B.

The relay transfer device 400 configured in this way sandwiches the sheet transferred from the transfer roller pair 401 upstream in the transfer direction X to the transfer belt 12 by the transfer belt 12 and the sphere 20. Then, the sheet is conveyed by the rotation of the conveying belt 12. At this time, as will be described in detail later, both ends of the sheet conveyed to the transfer belt 12 in the width direction Y are abutted against the guide surfaces 15A of the pair of regulation guides 14A and 14B. When the sheet is abutted against the guide surface 15A, the sheet is conveyed in a direction parallel to the guide surface 15A while slipping between the guide surface 15A and the transport belt 12 along the guide surface 15A. At this time, since the sheet is sandwiched between the transfer belt 12 and the sphere 20 and the sphere 20 can rotate in an arbitrary direction, the sheet can move while slipping on the transfer belt 12 in an arbitrary direction. be. As a result, the side register and side skew of the seat are corrected.

[Regulatory Guide]
Next, the detailed configurations of the regulation guides 14A and 14B as the first regulation guide and the second regulation guide will be described with reference to FIGS. 6A to 6D. Although FIGS. 6A to 6D show only the regulation guide 14A on one side, the regulation guide 14B on the other side also has the same configuration. As shown in FIG. 5, the regulation guide 14A has a side plate portion 15 having a guide surface 15A, a lower plate portion 16 having a support surface 16A, and an upper plate portion 17 having a facing surface 17A.

As shown in FIGS. 6A and 6B, the lower plate portion 16 and the upper plate portion 17 are continuously provided over substantially the entire longitudinal direction of the regulation guide 14A. As shown in FIG. 2, since the regulation guide 14A is arranged substantially parallel to the transport direction X, the predetermined region A is a range in which the lower plate portion 16 and the upper plate portion 17 are continuous with respect to the transport direction X. And. Therefore, in the present embodiment, the support surface 16A of the lower plate portion 16 and the facing surface 17A of the upper plate portion 17 are continuously provided over the predetermined region A with respect to the transport direction X. The predetermined area A is almost the entire area where the sheet is conveyed by the misalignment correction unit 410.

On the other hand, as shown in FIGS. 6A to 6C, the side plate portion 15 is continuously provided over the guide region B, which is a region shorter than the predetermined region A. In the present embodiment, the upstream end (upstream end in the transport direction) B1 of the side plate portion 15 in the transport direction X is located on the downstream side of the upstream end A1 in the transport direction X of the predetermined region A. That is, the upstream end B1 of the guide surface 15A of the side plate portion 15 in the transport direction X is located on the downstream side of the upstream end A1 of the predetermined region A. Further, the guide surface 15A is continuously provided up to the downstream end A2 of the predetermined region A in the transport direction X. Therefore, the position of the downstream end B2 of the side plate portion 15 in the transport direction X and the position of the downstream end A2 of the predetermined region A in the transport direction X are substantially the same positions with respect to the transport direction X.

In the present embodiment, the notch 19C is provided on the upstream side of the upstream end B1 of the side plate portion 15. An outer plate portion 19 located outside the side plate portion 15 in the sheet width direction Y is arranged in a part of the notch 19C. The outside of the seat width direction Y is the side separated from the transport belt 12 with respect to the seat width direction Y. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 6C, the inner side surface 19A of the outer plate portion 19 is located outside the guide surface 15A, which is the inner side surface of the side plate portion 15, in the seat width direction Y. Further, with respect to the transport direction X, an inclined plate portion 19B is provided between the outer plate portion 19 and the side plate portion 15 so as to be inclined so as to approach the side plate portion 15 toward the downstream side.

The pair of regulation guides 14A and 14B are configured as described above, so that the distance between the inner side surfaces 19A of the outer plate portion 19 on the upstream side of the transport direction X in the width direction Y is set as the guide of the side plate portion 15. It is wider than the distance between the surfaces 15A in the width direction Y. Therefore, as will be described in detail later, both end edges of the sheet delivered from the transport roller pair 401 on the upstream side to the transport belt 12 in the width direction Y are between the inner side surfaces 19A on the upstream side of the transport direction X. It is located between the guide surfaces 15A by being transported to the downstream side.

The outer plate portion 19 and the inclined plate portion 19B may be omitted. However, if the end of the sheet delivered from the upstream transfer roller pair 401 to the transfer belt 12 in the width direction Y is located in the notch 19C, the edge of the sheet is further conveyed. The portion may be caught on the upstream end B1 of the side plate portion 15. Therefore, in the present embodiment, the outer plate portion 19 and the inclined plate portion 19B are provided, and even when the sheet is transported with a deviation from the normal position in the width direction Y, the position is restricted by the outer plate portion 19. Further, the inclined plate portion 19B guides the end portion of the sheet to the guide surface 15A of the side plate portion 15.

[Communication / separation configuration of transport roller pair]
Next, with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2, the connection / separation configuration of the transfer roller pairs 401 to 403 will be described with reference to FIGS. 7, 8 (a), and 8 (b). As described above, the transport roller pairs 401 to 403 are arranged upstream and downstream of the transport direction X of the transport belt 12, respectively. The transport roller pairs 401 to 403 each have a drive roller 32 and a driven roller 33 as a pair of transport rollers. The drive roller 32 is an elastic roller in which an elastic body such as rubber is provided around the rotating shaft 32a. The driven roller 33 abuts on the drive roller 32 to form a nip portion that sandwiches and conveys the sheet. The drive roller 32 of the transfer roller pair 401 can be rotationally driven independently by the motor M4, the drive roller 32 of the transfer roller pair 402 by the motor M5, and the drive roller 32 of the transfer roller pair 403 by the motor M6.

In the present embodiment, the transport roller pairs 402 and 403 arranged on the downstream side (downstream side in the transport direction) of the transport belt 12 can abut and separate the drive roller 32 and the driven roller 33. Have. The transfer roller pair 402 can be brought into contact with and separated from the drive roller 32 and the driven roller 33 independently by the motor M7 and the transfer roller pair 403 by the motor M8. Since the configurations of the transfer roller pairs 402 and 403 are the same, the contact / separation configuration will be described below with reference to FIGS. 7, 8 (a) and 8 (b), using the transfer roller pair 402 as an example.

The contact / detachment mechanism 31 that abuts and separates the drive roller 32 and the driven roller 33 has a compression spring 34, a support member 35, a motor M7, a separation cam 36, and a link member 37 as urging means. The contact / detachment mechanism 31 releases the nip that separates at least one of the pair of transport rollers, that is, the driven roller 33, from the nip position where the seat can be sandwiched and transported, and the pair of transport rollers from the nip position. It corresponds to a roller moving means that can be moved to a position.

The compression spring 34 is a spring that urges the driven roller 33 toward the drive roller 32. The support member 35 supports the rotating shaft 33a of the driven roller 33 and is supported so as to be swingable around the swing shaft 37a. Further, the support member 35 is urged by a compression spring 34 in a direction of pressing the driven roller 33 toward the drive roller 32 around the swing shaft 37a. The support member 35 is fixed to the swing shaft 37a and rotates together with the swing shaft 37a to move the driven roller 33 toward the drive roller 32 and away from the drive roller 32.

The motor M7 rotationally drives the separation cam 36 via the pulleys 38a, 38b and the belt 38c. The pulley 38a is fixed to the drive shaft of the motor M7, and the pulley 38b is fixed to the rotation shaft 36a of the separation cam 36. The belt 38c is an endless belt hung on the pulleys 38a and 38b. The separation cam 36 is an eccentric cam in which the center of the outer peripheral surface is eccentric from the center of the rotation shaft 36a, and is rotated together with the rotation shaft 36a by the drive of the motor M7.

The link member 37 is fixed to the swing shaft 37a and is provided swingably together with the swing shaft 37a. Therefore, the link member 37 rotates in synchronization with the support member 35 via the swing shaft 37a. The link member 37 is arranged so as to come into contact with the separation cam 36 by urging the support member 35 by the compression spring 34.

When the separation cam 36 is in the phase shown in FIG. 8A, the driven roller 33 is pressed against the drive roller 32 by the urging force of the compression spring 34. The state of FIG. 8A is the nip position. When the separation cam 36 is rotationally driven by the motor M7, for example, by 180 ° from this state, the link member 37 is pushed by the separation cam 36 and counterclockwise around the swing shaft 37a as shown in FIG. 8 (b). Swing in the direction. Then, the support member 35 connected to the link member 37 via the swing shaft 37a swings in the same direction about the swing shaft 37a. Since the driven roller 33 is supported by the support member 35 via the rotating shaft 33a, the driven roller 33 is separated from the drive roller 32 by the swing of the support member 35. That is, the driven roller 33 is moved to the nip release position.

When the driven roller 33 is moved from the nip release position to the nip position, the separation cam 36 may be further rotated by 180 ° by the motor M7 from the state shown in FIG. 8B. The contact / detachment mechanism that brings the drive roller 32 and the driven roller 33 into contact with each other and separated from each other may be configured to move both the drive roller 32 and the driven roller 33. Further, in the above example, the contact / detachment mechanism is driven by a motor, but a pair of transport rollers may be brought into contact with each other and separated from each other by another drive source such as a solenoid.

Further, in the above example, the transport roller pairs 402 and 403 on the downstream side of the transport direction X of the transport belt 12 can be contacted and separated, but only the transport roller pair 402 may be contacted and separated. Further, the transport roller pair 401 on the upstream side in the transport direction X of the transport belt 12 may be abutted and separated from each other. In this case, only the transport roller pair 401 on the upstream side may be abutted and separated, or the transport roller pair 402 on the downstream side and further, the transport roller pair 403 may be abutted and separated.

[Sheet transfer operation]
Next, the sheet transfer operation in the relay transfer device 400 of the present embodiment will be described. First, the control configurations of various motors and various sensors in controlling the sheet transfer operation will be described with reference to FIG. The control board of the control unit 203 includes a CPU (or ASIC) 230, a motor driver 231 and a sensor input circuit 232. The CPU 230 detects the sheet transfer timing, the sheet jam, and the like by the output signals of the sheet detection sensors 433, 434, 435, and the like. In particular, in the present embodiment, the CPU 230 controls various motors M1 to M6 based on the output signals of the seat detection sensors 433, 434, and 435. As described above, the motor M1 drives the transfer belt 12, the motors M2 and M3 move the pair of regulation guides 14A and 14B, the motor M4 drives the transfer roller pair 401, and the motor M5 drives the transfer roller pair 402. The motor M6 drives the transfer roller pair 403, respectively.

Next, a specific example of sheet transfer control will be described with reference to FIGS. 2 to 4 and the like with reference to FIGS. 9 to 11 (d). In the present embodiment, the control unit 203 controls the motors M2 and M3 according to the sheet transport state to change the positions of the pair of regulation guides 14A and 14B in the seat width direction Y. As described above, by controlling the motors M2 and M3, the guide moving unit 420 (FIG. 2) can be driven to move the pair of regulation guides 14A and 14B to the guide position and the retracted position.

Here, the guide position is a position where the guide surfaces 15A of the pair of regulation guides 14A and 14B can guide the edge of the sheet to be conveyed while being sandwiched between the transfer belt 12 and the sphere 20 in the width direction Y. .. In the present embodiment, the guide position is the seat width direction of the sheet to be conveyed while the distance between the guide surfaces 15A (guide surfaces) of the pair of regulation guides 14A and 14B is sandwiched between the transfer belt 12 and the sphere 20. It is a position that is longer than the length of Y.

Specifically, the center position of the sheet in the width direction Y and the center position of the guide surfaces 15A on both sides coincide with each other, and the edge of the sheet in the width direction Y is parallel to the guide surface 15A (). The guide position is a position where the edge of the sheet in the width direction Y and the guide surface 15A are at a predetermined distance when the sheet is conveyed (center reference). This predetermined interval can be appropriately set by the apparatus, but even if the sheet is displaced within this interval, the interval between the sheet and the image formed on the sheet can be tolerated. This predetermined interval is, for example, 0.5 mm. That is, at the guide position, the guide surfaces 15A of the pair of regulation guides 14A and 14B are positioned 0.5 mm apart from the edge of the sheet in the width direction Y, respectively. This guide position can be appropriately changed by the control unit 203 according to the seat size.

In this way, at the guide position, the pair of regulation guides 14A and 14B are positioned at positions where the distance between the guide surfaces 15A of the pair of regulation guides 14A and 14B is longer than the length of the seat width direction Y of the seat. Therefore, the transport load of the sheet transported by the transport belt 12 can be suppressed. For example, if the distance between the guide surfaces is the same as the length of the sheet in the width direction Y, the sheet is conveyed while the end portion of the sheet rubs against the guide surface, and the transfer resistance increases. In particular, in the present embodiment, since the sheet is conveyed while being sandwiched between the transfer belt 12 and the sphere 20, the nip pressure for sandwiching the sheet between the transfer belt 12 and the sphere 20 is small. Therefore, if the sheet transfer resistance is large, there is a possibility that the sheet transfer may be delayed or the sheet transfer may be stopped, which may cause a transfer defect. Therefore, in the present embodiment, the transfer resistance of the sheet is suppressed by locating the pair of regulation guides 14A and 14B at the guide position as described above.

It is preferable that the sheet is conveyed with the central reference as described above, and the side register and side skew of the sheet are corrected (matching operation is performed) as described later. This is because, in the present embodiment, the seat is slipped between the transport belt 12 and the sphere 20, and the side skew is corrected while rotating the seat. That is, by starting the matching operation at a position (center reference) where the center of gravity of the seat S and the central portions of the regulation guides 14A and 14B substantially coincide with each other, damage to the seat can be reduced during the matching operation.

On the other hand, the retracted position is a position where the guide surfaces 15A of the pair of regulation guides 14A and 14B are retracted from the edge of the sheet in the width direction Y with respect to the guide position. In other words, the distance in the width direction Y between the guide surfaces 15A of the pair of regulation guides 14A and 14B at the retracted position is larger than the distance Y in the width direction between the guide surfaces 15A of the pair of regulation guides 14A and 14B at the guide position. Is also wide.

In the present embodiment, the retracted position is a position where the distance from the edge in the width direction Y of the sheet transported by the above-mentioned central reference is 5 mm. The seat S is delivered to the transport belt 12 with the regulation guides 14A and 14B in the retracted position, and the vertical movement of the seat S is restricted by the support surface 16A and the facing surface 17A in this state. As a result, even if the seat S is curled, when the regulation guides 14A and 14B move from the retracted position to the guide position, both ends of the seat S are surrounded by the guide surface 15A, the support surface 16A, and the facing surface 17A. Can be stored in.

In the present embodiment, the pair of regulation guides 14A and 14B are positioned at the retracted positions before the sheet is delivered to the transport belt 12. Then, after the tip of the seat is delivered to the transport belt 12 and the rear end of the seat passes through the transport roller pair on the upstream side, the pair of regulation guides 14A and 14B are moved from the retracted position to the guide position. Specifically, when the rear end of the seat passes through the seat detection sensor 433 arranged between the transport belt 12 and the transport roller pair 401, the pair of regulation guides are moved from the retracted position to the guide position. Let's get started. Then, a pair of regulation guides 14A and 14b guide the seat at the guide position to correct the side register and side skew of the seat.

At this time, the seat is transported in a state of being sandwiched between the transport belt 12 and the sphere 20. The force (nip force) for sandwiching the seat between the transport belt 12 and the sphere 20 is set to be weak so as to correct the side register and the side skew of the seat. Therefore, if the sheet abuts on at least one of the regulation guides 14A and 14B and the frictional force between the sheet and the regulation guide is large, the sheet is not transported even if the transport belt 12 is driven, or the transport speed is high. There is a risk that it will be extremely slow. If the seat detection sensor 435 on the downstream side of the conveyor belt 12 does not detect the seat for a predetermined time, the control unit 203 determines that the seat has jammed and stops the device. As described above, if the device is stopped due to the sheet coming into contact with the regulation guide and becoming difficult to be conveyed, the productivity is lowered.

Therefore, in the present embodiment, when the sheet comes into contact with the regulation guide and becomes difficult to be transported, the pair of regulation guides 14A and 14B are moved toward the outer skin position while continuing to drive the transport belt 12. I try to let you. That is, in the control unit 203, the seat detection sensor 435 on the downstream side of the conveyor belt 12 does not detect the seat even if the first predetermined time elapses after the pair of regulation guides 14A and 14B move from the retracted position to the guide position. In that case, the evacuation operation is performed. The retracting operation is an operation of moving the pair of regulation guides 14A and 14B from the guide position to the retracting position while the transport belt 12 is continuously driven in the direction of transporting the seat. The first predetermined time (predetermined time) is, for example, 500 ms.

As a result, the regulation guide that has been in contact with the sheet is separated from the sheet, and the sheet is conveyed by the transfer belt 12. Then, the sheet can be continuously transported without the control unit 203 determining that the jam is jammed, and the decrease in productivity can be suppressed. If the seat detection sensor 435 does not detect the seat even after the second predetermined time has elapsed after the above-mentioned evacuation operation is performed, the control unit 203 determines that the seat has jammed, and the conveyor belt 12 determines that the seat has jammed. Stop driving. The second predetermined time may be shorter, longer, or the same as the first predetermined time, but is preferably set shorter than the first predetermined time. For example, the second predetermined time is 100 ms.

Further, in the present embodiment, the seat detection sensor 435 on the downstream side of the transport belt 12 does not detect the seat even after the first predetermined time has elapsed after the pair of regulation guides 14A and 14B have moved from the retracted position to the guide position. Although the mode of performing the evacuation operation is shown in the above, the drive amount of the transport belt 12 may be counted instead of the time. In that case, the first predetermined drive amount corresponding to the first predetermined time is 1910 pulses, and the second predetermined drive amount corresponding to the second predetermined time is 382 pulses. That is, even if the transport belt 12 is driven by the first predetermined drive amount (1910 pulse) (even if the predetermined amount is continued) after the pair of regulation guides 14A and 14B move from the retracted position to the guide position, the transfer belt 12 When the seat detection sensor 435 on the downstream side does not detect the seat, a retracting operation is performed, and after this retracting operation is performed, the seat detection sensor 435 performs even if the transport belt 12 is driven by the second predetermined drive amount (382 pulses). If the seat is not detected, the control unit 203 determines that the seat has jammed and stops driving the conveyor belt 12. The first predetermined drive amount and the second predetermined drive amount may be the same drive amount.

This control will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. First, when the rear end of the seat passes through the seat detection sensor 433 on the upstream side (Yes in S1), the control unit 203 starts moving from the retracted position of the pair of regulation guides 14A and 14B to the guide position (S2). ). Then, when the seat detection sensor 435 on the downstream side detects the seat (Yes in S3), the driving of the device is continued as it is (S4).

On the other hand, in S3, when the seat detection sensor 435 on the downstream side does not detect the seat (No in S3), the control unit 203 first determines after the pair of regulation guides 14A and 14B move to the guide positions. It is determined whether or not the time has passed (S5). If the first predetermined time has not elapsed (No in S5), the process returns to S3. If the first predetermined time has elapsed (Yes in S5), the pair of regulation guides 14A and 14B are moved to the retracted position (S6). At this time, the rotation of the transport belt 12 remains continuous.

Next, the control unit 203 again determines whether or not the sheet detection sensor 435 on the downstream side has detected the sheet (S7). When the seat detection sensor 435 on the downstream side detects the seat (Yes in S7), the driving of the device is continued as it is (S4). On the other hand, in S7, when the seat detection sensor 435 on the downstream side does not detect the seat (No in S7), the control unit 203 receives the second predetermined after the pair of regulation guides 14A and 14B move to the retracted position. It is determined whether or not the time has passed (S8). If the second predetermined time has not elapsed (No in S8), the process returns to S7. If the second predetermined time has elapsed (Yes in S8), the control unit 203 determines that the seat jam has occurred, and drives all the devices including the transfer belt 12, the transfer roller pairs 401, 402, and 403. Is stopped (S9).

The control unit 203 may be controlled as follows. That is, if the sheet detection sensor 435 on the downstream side does not detect the sheet even after a predetermined time has passed since the rear end of the sheet passed through the sheet detection sensor 433 on the upstream side, the above-mentioned evacuation operation is performed. You may do so. In short, regardless of whether the pair of regulation guides 14A and 14B have moved to the guide position, after the seat rear end passes through the seat detection sensor 433 based on the detection result by the sheet detection sensor 433 on the upstream side. It may be determined whether or not the evacuation operation is performed based on whether or not the sheet detection sensor 435 on the downstream side detects the sheet when a predetermined passage has elapsed. In particular, when the pair of regulation guides 14A and 14B remain in the guide positions when the second and subsequent sheets are conveyed, the regulation guides 14A and 14B are moved from the retracted position when the sheets are received by the transfer belt 12. There is no movement to move to the guide position. Therefore, in this case, it is preferable to control as described above.

Next, using FIGS. 11A to 11D, a pair of regulation guides 14A and 14B of the present embodiment when two sheets S1 and S2 are continuously conveyed to the relay transfer device 400. And a specific example of the operation of the transport belt 12 will be described. First, as shown in FIG. 11A, when the first sheet S1 is conveyed from the upstream transfer roller pair 401 to the transfer belt 12, the control unit 203 receives a pair of regulation guides 14A. Move 14B to the retracted position. This is because when the sheet S1 is delivered to the transport belt 12, if the pair of regulation guides 14A and 14B are in the guide position, the sheet S1 is skewed or misaligned in the width direction Y. This is because the end portion of the sheet S1 may interfere with any of the regulation guides 14A and 14B, resulting in a transfer failure of the sheet S1.

Next, as shown in FIG. 11B, in the control unit 203, the rear end (upstream end) of the first sheet S1 delivered from the transfer roller pair 401 to the transfer belt 12 causes the sheet detection sensor 433. After passing, the pair of regulation guides 14A and 14B are moved from the retracted position to the guide position. In the present embodiment, the pair of regulation guides 14A and 14B are guided from the retracted position in a state where the sheet S1 delivered to the transport belt 12 is in the predetermined area A (FIG. 6B, within the predetermined area). I'm moving it to a position. As a result, the side register and side skew of the seat S1 are corrected (matching operation).

That is, the regulation guides 14A and 14B are located at the retracted position when the sheet S1 is on the upstream side of the transport direction X, and both end edges of the sheet S1 are separated from the guide surface 15A. Then, after the sheet S1 is further conveyed to the downstream side and the rear end of the sheet S1 passes through the transfer roller pair 401, the regulation guides 14A and 14B move to the guide positions. Then, the guide surface 15A is brought into contact with both end edges of the sheet S1 in the width direction Y. When the sheet S1 is abutted against the guide surface 15A, the sheet S1 is conveyed in a direction parallel to the guide surface 15A while slipping between the end edge of the sheet S1 and the transfer belt 12 along the guide surface 15A. As a result, the side register and the side skew of the seat S1 are corrected.

In the present embodiment, the control unit 203 moves the pair of regulation guides 14A and 14B from the retracted position to the guide position while the sheet is being conveyed while being sandwiched between the transfer belt 12 and the sphere 20. ing. As a result, it is possible to correct the side register and side skew of the seat without stopping the transport of the seat, and it is possible to improve the productivity. However, it is also possible to temporarily stop the transfer of the sheet and then perform the matching operation of moving the pair of regulation guides 14A and 14B from the retracted position to the guide position. In this case, the productivity is lowered, but the misalignment can be corrected more reliably.

Next, as shown in FIG. 11C, the sheet S1 abuts on at least one of the pair of regulation guides 14A and 14B and is caught, and the sheet is conveyed even though the transfer belt 12 is driven. Suppose that there is no state. If the seat detection sensor 435 on the downstream side does not detect the seat even after the first predetermined time has elapsed since the pair of regulation guides 14A and 14B moved to the guide position, the control unit 203 sets the conveyor belt 12. While the drive is continued, the drive of the transport roller pair 401 and 511 on the upstream side is stopped.

At this time, the tip of the second sheet S2 is delivered from the transport roller pair 401 to the transport belt 12, but since the sheet S2 is sandwiched between the transport roller pairs 401 and 511, the transport belt 12 is Even if it is driven, the transfer is stopped by the drive stop of the transfer roller pair 401 and 511. Here, the pair of regulation guides 14A and 14B are in a state of being located at the guide position, but the sheet S2 has a notch 19C formed on the upstream side of the pair of regulation guides 14A and 14B (FIG. 6A). ) Stops at a position that fits. In other words, the first predetermined time is set so that the subsequent sheet S2 stops in the notch 19C of the pair of regulation guides 14A and 14B.

That is, in the present embodiment, while the first sheet S1 is being guided by the pair of regulation guides 14A and 14B, the second sheet S2 starts to invade the predetermined area A. .. Therefore, even if the preceding sheet S1 is caught and not conveyed, the succeeding sheet S2 enters the predetermined area A. Therefore, even if the transfer of the sheet S1 is stopped or delayed, the sheet S2 is stopped in the notch 19C.

As described with reference to FIGS. 6 (a) to 6 (d) above, the inner side surface 19A located outside the guide surface 15A is located in the notch 19C. Therefore, even when the pair of regulation guides 14A and 14B are in the guide position, the distance between the inner side surfaces 19A is wider than the distance between the guide surfaces 15A. Therefore, even if the second sheet S2 is slanted in this state or enters the predetermined region A while being displaced in the width direction Y, the end portion of the sheet S2 is a pair of regulation guides 14A. , 14B is less likely to interfere. Therefore, in the present embodiment, even if the second sheet S2 is conveyed at the timing as described above, the sheet transfer failure is unlikely to occur and the productivity can be improved.

On the other hand, if the sheet detection sensor 435 on the downstream side does not detect the sheet even after the first predetermined time has elapsed after the pair of regulation guides 14A and 14B have moved to the guide position, the control unit 203 has a conveyor belt. While continuing to drive the 12, the pair of regulation guides 14A and 14B are moved from the guide position to the retracted position. As a result, the sheet S1 is separated from the regulation guide and is conveyed by the transfer belt 12 as shown in FIG. 11 (d). Then, when the sheet detection sensor 435 on the downstream side detects the sheet S1, the transfer is continued as it is, and the transfer rollers pairs 401 and 511 are started to be driven to restart the transfer of the sheet S2.

If the sheet detection sensor 435 does not detect the sheet even after the second predetermined time has elapsed since the pair of regulation guides 14A and 14B moved to the retracted position, it is determined that the sheet is jammed and the sheet is conveyed. The drive of the belt 12 and other drives related to seat transfer are stopped.

As described above, in the case of the present embodiment, even if the sheet delivered to the transport belt 12 comes into contact with any of the pair of regulation guides 14A and 14B at the guide position and is caught, the pair of regulation guides 14A and 14B are used. By moving to the retracted position, this catching can be eliminated. Since the transport belt 12 is still driven, the seat that has been disengaged is transported downstream. As a result, the sheet can be continuously conveyed without the control unit 203 determining that the jam is occurring, and the decrease in productivity can be suppressed.

Sheets having different lengths may be transported to the relay transport device 400. In particular, in the case of a long sheet, when it is determined whether or not the evacuation operation can be executed based on the detection result of the sheet detection sensor 435 downstream of the conveyor belt 12, the evacuation operation may not be executed even though the sheet is actually caught. be. Therefore, in the present embodiment, when a long sheet such as a long sheet is conveyed, the evacuation operation is performed based on the detection result of the sheet detection sensor 436 arranged further downstream of the sheet detection sensor 435. I try to judge whether it can be executed or not.

That is, when the length of the sheet transport direction X is the first length, the control unit 203 performs the evacuation operation based on the detection result of the sheet detection sensor 435 as the first detection means. On the other hand, when the length of the sheet transport direction X is the second length longer than the first length, the control unit 203 retracts based on the detection result of the sheet detection sensor 436 as the second detection means. Do the action. As a result, the retracting operation can be appropriately performed according to the length of the sheet.

Further, in the above description, the pair of regulation guides 14A and 14B are moved from the guide position to the evacuation position when performing the evacuation operation. However, the moving position from the guide position when performing the evacuation operation does not have to be the evacuation position. For example, it may be a position between the retracted position and the guide position, or a position retracted from the guide position further than the retracted position.

Here, the above-mentioned evacuation position is defined as the first evacuation position, and the position moved during the evacuation operation is defined as the second evacuation position. In this case, the guide moving portion 420 sets the pair of regulation guides 14A and 14B at the guide position and the first retracted position or the second retracted position retracted from both end edges of the seat width direction Y of the seat from the guide position. It is movable. Further, the pair of regulation guides 14A and 14B are located in the first retracted position before the seat is delivered to the transport belt 12. Then, if the sheet detection sensor 435 does not detect the sheet even after the first predetermined time has elapsed after the pair of regulation guides 14A and 14B have moved from the first retracted position to the guide position, the control unit 203 has a conveyor belt. While the 12 is continuously driven in the direction of transporting the sheet, the pair of regulation guides 14A and 14B are moved from the guide position to the second retracting position. In the case of a long sheet such as a long sheet, the evacuation operation may be performed based on the detection result of the sheet detection sensor 436 in the same manner as described above.

<Other embodiments>
In the above-described embodiment, the control unit 203 for controlling the relay transfer device 400 is provided in the multi-stage feeding device 200, but these controls may be performed by the control unit 140 of the image forming device 100. Further, the relay transfer device 400 may be provided with a control unit for controlling each part of the relay transfer device 400. Further, the sheet transfer device may have any other configuration as long as it is a sheet transfer device capable of shifting the position of the sheet, regardless of the above-mentioned relay transfer device.

Further, in the above-described embodiment, if the seat detection sensor 435 does not detect the seat for the first predetermined time after moving the pair of regulation guides 14A and 14B from the retracted position to the guide position, the pair of regulation guides 14A and 14A, The mode in which 14B is moved toward the retracted position is shown. However, the trigger for moving the pair of regulation guides 14A and 14B from the guide position to the retracted position may be due to the lapse of a predetermined time (first predetermined time) regardless of the detection result of the seat detection sensor 435. That is, after a predetermined time has elapsed after moving to the guide position, the pair of regulation guides 14A and 14B may be moved from the guide position to the retracted position regardless of whether or not the sheet is detected by the sheet detection sensor 435. ..

Specifically, as in the above-described embodiment, the sheet of the transport belt 12 is delivered with the pair of regulation guides 14A and 14B positioned at the retracted position. Then, the pair of regulation guides 14A and 14B are moved from the retracted position to the guide position while transporting the sheet using the transport belt 12 and the sphere 20. Next, unlike the above-described embodiment, after the first predetermined time has elapsed after moving the pair of regulation guides 14A and 14B to the guide positions, the transport belt 12 is continuously driven in the direction of transporting the sheet. The pair of regulation guides 14A and 14B perform an evacuation operation in which the guides 14A and 14B move from the guide position to the evacuation position. As a result, even if the sheet detection sensor 435 is omitted, the sheet can be continuously transported and the decrease in productivity can be suppressed.

However, even when such control is performed, it is preferable to provide the sheet detection sensor 435. Then, after the first predetermined time has elapsed after moving the pair of regulation guides 14A and 14B to the guide position, the pair of regulation guides 14A and 14B are moved from the guide position to the retracted position, and then the first operation is performed. 2 If the seat is not detected by the seat detection sensor 435 even after a lapse of a predetermined time, it is determined that the seat is jam and the drive of the conveyor belt is stopped.

If the seat detection sensor 435 detects the seat before the first predetermined time has elapsed after moving the pair of regulation guides 14A and 14B to the guide position, the retracting operation may not be performed. Further, the first predetermined time and the second predetermined time are the same as described above, but may be the same as the example shown in the above embodiment (the first predetermined time is, for example, 500 ms, the second predetermined time is, for example, 100 ms). For this example, it may be set long or short. Further, as in the case described above, the movement of the pair of regulation guides 14A and 14B from the guide position to the retracted position and the jam determination may be performed by counting the drive amount of the transport belt 12 instead of the time.

Further, in the above-described embodiment, when the rear end of the seat passes through the seat detection sensor 433 on the upstream side, the pair of regulation guides 14A and 14B are started to move to the guide positions. However, the movement of the pair of regulation guides 14A and 14B to the guide positions may be started when the rear end of the sheet passes through the transport roller pair 401. For example, when the sheet detection sensor 433 is omitted, or when the sheet transfer position can be determined from the detection result of the sensor for detecting the presence or absence of the sheet provided on the upstream side of the transfer roller pair 401, such a case is achieved. The movement of the regulation guides 14A and 14B may be started at the timing.

Further, in the case where the transport roller pair 401 on the upstream side can be brought into contact with and separated from each other, the transport roller pair is transferred after the tip of the sheet is delivered to the transport belt 12 and before the rear end of the sheet passes through the transport roller pair 401. The 401 may be separated. That is, the contact / detachment mechanism (transport roller vs. moving means) 31 as described with reference to FIGS. 7 and 8 described above is also applicable to the transfer roller pair 401. The contact / disengagement mechanism 31 not only abuts and separates the transport roller pair, but also can move the transport roller pair to a nip position that applies a transport force to the sheet and a nip release position where the nip pressure is weaker than the nip position. be. Therefore, after the tip of the seat S is delivered to the transport belt 12, the transport roller pair 401 is moved to the nip release position where the nip pressure is weak before the rear end of the seat S passes through the transport roller pair 401. You may do so.

In this case, the movement of the pair of regulation guides 14A and 14B to the guide position is started at the timing when the transfer roller pair 401 is separated by the contact / detachment mechanism 31 (at the timing when the transfer roller pair 401 is moved from the nip position to the nip release position). In short, if the pair of regulation guides 14A and 14B can reach the guide position after the sheet is no longer in contact with the transport roller pair 401, the timing of starting the movement of the pair of regulation guides 14A and 14B is appropriately set. It is possible. The state in which the transport roller pairs are separated from each other and the state in which the transport roller pairs are in contact with each other but the nip pressure is lower than that in the case of transporting the sheet correspond to the nip release position.

12 ... Transport belt / 12A ... Transport surface / 14A, 14B ... Regulation guide / 20 ... Sphere / 200 ... Multi-stage feeder / 203 ... Control unit / 400 ... Relay Transfer device (sheet transfer device) / 401 ... Transfer roller pair (conveyor member) / 420 ... Guide moving unit (guide moving means) / 433 ... Sheet detection sensor (upstream side detecting means) / 435 ... -Sheet detection sensor (detection means, first detection means, downstream side detection means) / 436 ... Sheet detection sensor (detection means, second detection means, downstream side detection means)

Claims (9)

A sheet transport device that transports sheets in a predetermined transport direction.
An endless transport belt having a transport surface extending along the transport direction and transporting a sheet delivered to the transport surface in the transport direction.
A plurality of spheres arranged at positions facing the transport surface along the transport direction and capable of rotating in an arbitrary direction while sandwiching the sheet between the transport surface and the sphere.
A pair of regulatory guides arranged on both sides of the transport belt with respect to the sheet width direction intersecting the transport direction and capable of guiding both ends of the sheet in the sheet width direction while being sandwiched between the transport belt and the sphere. When,
A guide moving means capable of moving the pair of regulation guides to a guide position for guiding both ends of the seat in the width direction of the seat and a retracted position retracted from both ends of the seat in the width direction of the seat from the guide position. ,
A detection means, which is arranged on the downstream side of the transport belt in the transport direction and detects the presence or absence of a sheet, is provided.
If the detection means does not detect the seat even after a predetermined time has elapsed after the pair of regulation guides moved from the retracted position to the guide position, the transport belt was continuously driven in the direction of transporting the seat. In the state, the evacuation operation in which the pair of regulation guides move from the guide position to the evacuation position is performed.
A sheet transfer device characterized by this. The predetermined time is the first predetermined time.
If the detecting means does not detect the seat even after the second predetermined time has elapsed after the retracting operation is performed, the driving of the transport belt is stopped.
The sheet transport device according to claim 1. The detection means is the first detection means.
A second detecting means, which is arranged on the downstream side of the first detecting means in the transport direction and detects the presence or absence of a sheet, is further provided.
When the length of the sheet in the transport direction is the first length, the retracting operation is performed based on the detection result of the first detecting means.
When the length of the sheet in the transport direction is a second length longer than the first length, the evacuation operation is performed based on the detection result of the second detection means.
The sheet transport device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the sheet transport device is characterized by the above. Further provided with upstream side detecting means for detecting the presence or absence of a sheet, which is arranged on the upstream side of the transport belt in the transport direction.
When the rear end of the sheet passes through the upstream detection means, the guide moving means starts the movement of the pair of regulation guides from the retracted position to the guide position.
The sheet transport device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the sheet transport device is characterized by the above. A sheet transport device that transports sheets in a predetermined transport direction.
An endless transport belt having a transport surface extending along the transport direction and transporting a sheet delivered to the transport surface in the transport direction.
A plurality of spheres arranged at positions facing the transport surface along the transport direction and capable of rotating in an arbitrary direction while sandwiching the sheet between the transport surface and the sphere.
A pair of regulatory guides arranged on both sides of the transport belt with respect to the sheet width direction intersecting the transport direction and capable of guiding both ends of the sheet in the sheet width direction while being sandwiched between the transport belt and the sphere. When,
A guide moving means capable of moving the pair of regulation guides to a guide position for guiding both ends of the seat in the width direction of the seat and a retracted position retracted from both ends of the seat in the width direction of the seat from the guide position. ,
An upstream side detecting means, which is arranged on the upstream side of the transport belt in the transport direction and detects the presence or absence of a sheet,
A downstream side detecting means, which is arranged on the downstream side of the transport belt in the transport direction and detects the presence or absence of a sheet, is provided.
When the rear end of the sheet passes through the upstream detection means, the guide moving means starts the movement of the pair of regulation guides from the retracted position to the guide position.
If the downstream side detecting means does not detect the sheet even after a predetermined time has passed since the rear end of the sheet passed through the upstream side detecting means, the transport belt is driven in the direction of transporting the sheet. In the continuous state, the evacuation operation in which the pair of regulation guides move from the guide position to the evacuation position is performed.
A sheet transfer device characterized by this. A sheet transport device that transports sheets in a predetermined transport direction.
An endless transport belt having a transport surface extending along the transport direction and transporting a sheet delivered to the transport surface in the transport direction.
A plurality of spheres arranged at positions facing the transport surface along the transport direction and capable of rotating in an arbitrary direction while sandwiching the sheet between the transport surface and the sphere.
A pair of regulatory guides arranged on both sides of the transport belt with respect to the sheet width direction intersecting the transport direction and capable of guiding both ends of the sheet in the sheet width direction while being sandwiched between the transport belt and the sphere. When,
The pair of regulation guides are placed at a guide position for guiding both ends of the seat in the width direction of the seat and a first retracted position or a second retracted position retracted from both ends of the seat in the width direction of the seat rather than the guide position. Movable guide transportation means and
A detection means, which is arranged on the downstream side of the transport belt in the transport direction and detects the presence or absence of a sheet, is provided.
The pair of regulatory guides is located in the first retracted position before the seat is delivered to the transport belt.
If the detection means does not detect the seat even after a predetermined time has elapsed after the pair of regulation guides moved from the first retracted position to the guide position, the transport belt is driven in the direction of transporting the sheet. In the continuous state, the evacuation operation in which the pair of regulation guides move from the guide position to the second evacuation position is performed.
A sheet transfer device characterized by this. A sheet transport device that transports sheets in a predetermined transport direction.
An endless transport belt having a transport surface extending along the transport direction and transporting a sheet delivered to the transport surface in the transport direction.
A plurality of spheres arranged at positions facing the transport surface along the transport direction and capable of rotating in an arbitrary direction while sandwiching the sheet between the transport surface and the sphere.
A pair of regulatory guides arranged on both sides of the transport belt with respect to the sheet width direction intersecting the transport direction and capable of guiding both ends of the sheet in the sheet width direction while being sandwiched between the transport belt and the sphere. When,
A guide moving means capable of moving the pair of regulation guides to a guide position for guiding both ends of the seat in the width direction of the seat and a retracted position retracted from both ends of the seat in the width direction of the seat from the guide position. ,
A detection means, which is arranged on the downstream side of the transport belt in the transport direction and detects the presence or absence of a sheet, is provided.
If the detection means does not detect the sheet even if the pair of regulation guides move from the retracted position to the guide position and then continue to drive the transport belt in the transport direction by a predetermined amount, the transport belt The evacuation operation is performed in which the pair of regulation guides move from the guide position to the evacuation position while the seat is continuously driven in the direction of transporting the seat.
A sheet transfer device characterized by this. A sheet transport device that receives and transports a sheet transported by a transport member that transports the sheet in a predetermined transport direction.
An endless transport belt provided on the downstream side of the transport member in the transport direction, having a transport surface extending in the transport direction, and transporting a sheet delivered to the transport surface in the transport direction.
A plurality of spheres arranged in the transport direction at positions facing the transport surface and capable of rotating in an arbitrary direction while sandwiching the sheet between the transport surface and the sphere.
A pair of regulatory guides arranged on both sides of the transport belt with respect to the sheet width direction intersecting the transport direction and capable of guiding both ends of the sheet in the sheet width direction while being sandwiched between the transport belt and the sphere. When,
A guide moving means capable of moving the pair of regulation guides to a guide position for guiding both ends of the seat in the width direction of the seat and a retracted position retracted from both ends of the seat in the width direction of the seat from the guide position. ,
Equipped with
While transporting the sheet in the transport direction using the transport belt and the sphere, the pair of regulation guides is moved from the retracted position to the guide position, and the pair of regulation guides is moved to the guide position. Then, after a lapse of a predetermined time, a retracting operation is performed in which the pair of regulation guides move from the guide position to the retracting position while the conveying belt is continuously driven in the direction of conveying the sheet.
A sheet transfer device characterized by this. It is further provided with a detection means for detecting the presence or absence of a sheet, which is arranged on the downstream side of the transport belt in the transport direction.
The predetermined time is the first predetermined time.
If the detecting means does not detect the seat even after the second predetermined time has elapsed after the retracting operation is performed, the driving of the transport belt is stopped.
The sheet transporting apparatus according to claim 8.

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